Playlist for
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
December 13, 2007

Hosted by Greg Lyon on Thursdays at 2-4 pm
on WPVM Asheville (103.5 FM and www.wpvm.org)

This show is available for listening as an archive for one week after its airing at WPVM’s Archive Page (click on the STREAM button for this show–under the letter ‘G’)

Notes:

– This was a heavy world and jazz show, prompted by my viewing of two films by Hisham Mayet of Sublime Frequencies at Bobo Gallery last Thursday night. Holy cow, those films are some African DOPE!!!! The first was dedicated to the music of Western Sahara and particularly the guitarist and group (his family) leader, Doueh. It’s called Palace of the Winds, and is visually as well as musically stunning. I played the Group Doueh record during this show, but I eagerly await the DVD, which may be available sometime next year. This is truly one of the best musical documentaries I’ve ever seen, up there with Stations of the Elevated (1979 film about grafitti on the NYC subway, set to the music of Charles Mingus, so not strictly a music documentary). There’s no narration or dialogue; Hisham Mayet ’s camera is a more than ample poetic substitute. The second film, also by Mayet, is entitled Musical Brotherhoods from the Trans-Saharan Highway and is more about the music than the visuals. That’s fine, since the music–filmed mostly during the nightly multi-group jams in the Djemaa el Fna square of Marrakesh, Morocco–is so diverse and ecstatic that it borders on sensory overload by itself. The DVD will be out in just a few months, according to Hisham, who was there to answer questions and chow down at Rosetta’s Kitchen down the street afterwards. A wonderful evening. You can read Justin Farrar’s preview of the event from the Moutain Xpress website.

– The Wooden Shjips album really is addictive. Low-key psychedelic distorted groove rock, somewhat like Spacemen 3 but more subtle.

– Toni Iordache played the ţambal, the Romanian version of the cimbalom, or hammered dulcimer, often featured in Romanian gypsy music (Taraf de Haïdouks features the instrument prominently). And he could play it fast. Really fast–up to 25 beats per second!!! And really well. The compilation on Asphalt Tango Records out of Berlin shows off his jaw-dropping technique but also manages not to be fatiguing, due to the excellent track sequencing that throws in lots of styles and side musicians. Those Germans really know how to do world reissues; Trikont Records is one of the best labels in the world, and of course there’s also Bear Family, who focus on Americana, which is world music to the Germans.

– Speaking of compilations, a beautiful boxset appeared in the studio this week from the Georgia-based Dust-to-Digital label: Art of Field Recording Volume I: 50 Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum. Really huge book with detailed liner notes about each song and four CDs, each thematically distinct (Survey, Religious, Blues, Instrumental and Dance). Sound familiar? The Harry Smith Anthology and the Sounds of the South box by Alan Lomax come to mind.

– Related, the mysterious Mississippi Records puts out limited-run vinyl, much of it compilations, and if they all sound as good as the one I got (as a present–thank you Nick!), Last Kind Words (1926-1953), then you should simply buy all of them. Mostly blues and backwoods country, this one is miraculously warm and vibrant, considering the sources. It even made the Terminal Boredom Best Vinyl Reissues of 2006 list, and it’s not garage punk. Good luck finding a copy.

– Last but not least, Toumani Diabate is coming to Asheville on February 5, playing in the Diana Wortham Theater, brought to you by the folks at Harvest Records and One World Entertainment. You can pick up tickets in person at Harvest or from the DWT website (both linked above). So do it now. Diabate (from Mali) is probably the world’s greatest kora player, although his nephew and student Djibril (in a group called Lanaya) also rocks my boat.

Background Music: Bobby Hutcherson - Oblique (Blue Note, 1967)

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