Husnu Senlendirici & Trio Chios

A Turkish clarinetist backed by a Greek Trio.

Thomas Ades - Concentric Paths

Thomas Ades is a prodigiously gifted British composer. He could be a 21st century Beethoven. Thomas studied music at Cambridge University where he was awarded a starred First; the highest degree classification on offer. This is his Violin Concerto.

bèguèna, begena, bagana - one song achieving the sublime

Alemu Aga recording a session for the BBC World on 3 programme (pic courtesy of their website)

More questions than answers

I’ve done some superficial research, specifically looking for information that isn’t immediately available via Google.

Anyone can do that.

This info is open to challenge.

· Many of the songs were sung in Ge’ez – known as ‘classical Ethiopian’ this is a now extinct liturgical language of Ethiopia. Equivalent to Latin in our Western culture

· The beganna (spelt many different ways including bèguèna, begena, bagana) itself is used to support songs sung in this language and also for classical non-church religious music in Amharic (the everyday language).

· Many of the lyrics of the songs are on Biblical themes, also for funeral lamentations, musings on the meaning of life.

· The traditional songs have never been popularised for presentation in public and therefore stay pure and true to their original meaning and sound.

· The traditional songs have been outlawed in the past, but their preservation is now actively encouraged by the present Ethiopian administration

· In 1965 the acknowledged master of the Bagana (as it was spelt then) was AlekaTesema-W-Amanual, Jean Jenkins (see Wikipedia entry) an ethnomusicologist, made a series of field recordings of him and others. This was probably the first time that the instrument was heard outside of Ethiopia. These recordings are available through the British Library or the Royal Museum of Scotland, and seem to be the only ones available

· Other instruments which may accompany the beganna are a double membrane drum known as a kabaro, a sistra [sistrum]

also called tomatsil [tsenatsil]), here's a picture of one

· and a censor with bells

· It’s impossible to convey the atmosphere of spiritual calmness conveyed by this music other than by listening to it.

· Inevitably

here are a couple of Youtubes...

New England - Uncle Bill

Here's the encore! If Billy Bragg ever decided to be a DJ even Andy Kershaw might be quaking in his boots. If both of them did it together, they might just change the world. And yes music can change the world!!! Nay the universe!!!!!!!

A13 Trunk Road to the Sea - Billy Bragg

Billy Bragg is having a lot to say about Ed Miliband. Just see Ed's facebook page. BB has taken over! I love Billy and here's one of his classics. Apparently it's an English version of Route 66.

Musicport 2010

This post got hidden on the R3 Message boards.

I'm not sure if I'm going yet or not, what are anyone else's plans?

Here's the latest from the Musicport people:

Latest Artist News - If you haven't spotted it yet there has been a change to the Saturday night line-up with Angélique Kidjo having to cancel her tour at very short notice. I know she was very upset at having to do so and wished me to pass on her apologies. However we are delighted to announce that the Grammy Award-winning rising star of African Music Dobet Gnahoré (pronounced DOE-bay NYA-or-ay) from The Ivory Coast is taking her place and given the fantastic performance she put on at WOMAD this year we think you'll be very impressed. This young singer and her excellent band have the same pan-African approach as both Miriam Makeba & Angelique Kidjo and they are rapidly becoming a major International act.

• Apparently Musicport will be magnificent Richard Hawley's last live show for a while so this is great chance to see him in a great venue with the legendary Norma & Mike Waterson in support
• Jah Wobble is likely to bring some very special guest (s) with him ... watch this space ...
• We have invited Andy Kershaw along and if he manages to finish writing his book in time he might just make it ... let's hope the muse is with him
• Hassan Erraji is getting amazing press and radio coverage for his excellent new album ...don't miss the chance of seeing this band
• Marta Sebestyen - her appearance at Musicport is one of only 3 in the UK this year for this undoubted star of world music.
•  
• - our chosen cause for 2010 - please support them in the invaluable work in disaster relief in places like Haiti & Pakistan. They will be at the festival and will give a talk about their work.

Late additions to the bill include

• highly regarded Tuareg musician Danto Aya
• the brilliant young Kora player Surahata Suso
• a main stage show by Soznak.
• Old friends Forro Porro & Quinteto Mambo Jambo (replacing Asere who have unfortunately had to delay their UK arrival)
• the Goathland Plough Stots (who are often joined by Eliza Carthy)
• Claudio Kron - our favourite Brazilian drumming maestro

WORKSHOPS

• Scratch Choir - 3 workshops leading to a Sunday performance!
• Workshops include Yoga (with Sarah Priestley)
• African Drumming with Simba (3 sessions)
• World Cookery with Mim Suleiman & Guo Yue
• Meet the artist sessions with Marta Sebestyen & Amine and Hamza
• Meet the author sessions with Ian Clayton (Our Billie) & Craig Ferguson (I'll Go To T'Foot Of Our Stage - The story of Yorkshire Pop Music) [both of whom mention GlobalTruth in their respective books - but not under that name of course]
  
• Songwriting with Tim O'Connor
• Biomusic workshop with Carol Eves
• Overtone chanting with David Moss
• .Willow-weaving with Jo-Ann Eisenberg
• Samba drumming with Claudio Kron Do Brazil leading to a Sunday night parade to beach and floating lanterns on the sea (weather permitting)

The post they couldn't gag -

We are so serious...this one's for you Amerika

Serious about ... Ken Dodd

Ken Dodd is more or less missing from uk tv screens, sadly.
But he's not going to suffer that fate here !

J.S. Bach Prelude and Fugue in C Sharp Minor

Johann Sebastian Bach is sometimes described as the god of music. It's ironic that he felt that he would soon be forgotten; a mere footnote in musical history. As he grew old his sons' music became more and more fashionable and the interest in his complex pieces declined. It is in fugue that J.S. Bach excelled. This word comes from the Latin meaning flight. Fugues were originally vocal pieces and thus are split into lines or voices. Each line is a song and the melodies blend to form a musically harmonious whole. It is a very learned form of music and in less able hands can often be as dry as dust. But in J.S. Bach's hands the music is a volcano of passion and emotion. When listening to the fugal themes of lesser composers he would often predict to his companions which compositional devices would be used. As one by one these predictions came true he would nudge his friends with a broad grin on his face.

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Cool 'n' Out

Joe was a big man. Dylan for the punk generation. Sorely missed. 'Well I knew how to sing, ya know, and they knew how to pose'.

1969 - Stooges

On Friday 22nd November 2002 Joe Strummer performed his last ever gig at Liverpool Academy 2, before sadly dying of heart failure a month later. I was there with my pal Geoff. We'd arrived early and were wandering though the many corridors of that venue. All of a sudden there was Joe being interviewed by a local journalist. I said 'Mr Strummer I haven't seen you for 20 years'. He growled 'Good to see ya'. I'll never forget that. During the gig he said 'Right we're going to massacre a Stooges number', and launched into this song, with his superb band the Mescaleros.

Orlando Gibbons - Allemande ( Italian Ground )

To continue my Gould series, here is his favourite composer, the English virginalist Orlando Gibbons. I intend to have this played as my bride comes down the aisle, should I ever get married. Only the best for my intended. She'll probably want to play Robbie Williams knowing my luck!

Does the creator have a master plan ?

How does this work?

Pharoah Sanders – The Creator Has A Master Plan

plays

Eugene Chadbourne – The Creator Has A Master Plan

I feel a 'same song, different tune and words' kind of thing coming on...

(drat, forgot I'm meant to hate jass)

Schoenberg Phantasy for Violin and Piano

Unsympathetic playing by Menuhin but real love and understanding by Gould.

The 'Sunlight' Sonata

Glenn Gould was an iconoclast. A truly original, powerful and independent thinker. Today many a classical music fan spits blood at the mention of his name. He started out on a fairly normal career as a concert pianist albeit with phenomenal hand speed and accuracy. Eventually though he turned his back on the concert hall and devoted himself entirely to recording. One of his famous collaborations was with Yehudi Menuhin. They played J.S. Bach, Beethoven and Schoenberg. He died of a stroke aged only 50 and a single man.

a test post

This is a random video of Ali Farka Toure. I got the embed code from Youtube by clicking on the ''Embed'' button directly below the vid., choosing a pretty border from the line, selecting an appropriate size screen - 500 pixels wide, I think - and turning off related video links (I mean, who wants them!). then I copied all the HTML code in the Youtube code box and pasted it into a new post after first selecting the Edit HTML edit box. Leaving a line clear under the code, I began typing meaningful prose etc. etc.