1st & 6 December 2008

On the show today, an interview with Adrian Belew who is currently touring with his power trio. Belew has played with many musicians and groups over his illustrious career; Zappa, Talking Heads, Bowie, Nine Inch Nails, Laurie Anderson plus many more. He's performed on about 150 albums to date and for the last 27 years has been part of King Crimson. I'm sure you have heard of them. Hear what he had to say or download the interview for future listening.
Also Lulo Reinhardt, relative of the great Django passed through town this week. Hear what he had to say and maybe get along to hear him play at a performance near you somewhere,
Music by David Sylvian & Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Rodrigo Y Gabriela from their new CD recorded live in Japan, Muslimgauze, Speaking of which, over the next few weeks I'll be playing parts of a longish interview I did with Roger Richards, the man machine behind the Extreme label out of Melbourne. He has come out of hibernation with a swag of new releases, many focussing on Australian musicians. Not always easy on the ears, this is none the less essential listening from a label that likes to push and explore what is on the boundaries of new music.

Spice of Life 7 Oct 2008 info

On the show today, musical treats and delights from the following:

Less world music on today's show and more of an ambient slant.

Terje Rypdal / Miroslav Vitous / Jack de Johnette- CD To Be Continued
Geoff Smith & Nicola Walker Smith- CD 15 Wild Decembers
Julee Cruise- CD Floating Into The Night
Angelo Badalamenti- CD S/T to Twin Peaks
Tetsu Inoue- Ambiant Otaku
David Sylvian- CD Camphor

If you miss the show tune in again on Saturday for a repeat.

Next week, 2SER's annual radiothon begins. Please subscribe, re-subscribe or donate to show your continued support of what the program and station are trying to do year in year out ie be an independent voice on Sydney's radio scene. 2SER turned 29 this year and is still going strong. Many of our former volunteers have gone on to successfully produce and present on ABC or SBS radio, and indeed other areas of media production . Subscribing helps keep independent radio alive. Sponsorship for The Spice of Life is welcomed.

If you would like for me to call you and take your details personally, please email me with your details. Happy to do so.

Some upcoming gigs worth taking note of:

THE KINGS OF SWING - 24TH OCTOBER

A great night of Big Band music featuring some of Sydney's original and best musicians from the 60's, 70's and 80's. Overlooking Lane Cove golf course, this promises to be a fun night for those who love the music of this era.

Billy Burton returns to the big band scene to lead the Kings of Swing for the night. The program will feature some of the punchiest big band arrangements from Billy's own library dating back to his days at Sydney's premier night spots in the 60's and 70's like Chequers, the Chevron's Silver Spade room and Marrickville RSL. Along with his own smooth, classy trumpet playing - Sydney jazz great - Errol Buddle will lead the sax section. Frank McQuade and Helen Fenton provide the vocals for the evening along with special guests Armondo Hurley and Lisa Michel featuring throughout the night.

Dinner and show $55 and Show only $20. Contact Lane Cove Country Club on 9418 6159 to make a booking.

JASLYN HALL PRESENTS.... THE FINAL TOUR

DAVID MURRAY BLACK SAINT QUARTET (USA)
David Murray - Tenor Sax/Bass Clarinet
Lafayette Gilchrist - piano
Malik Washington - drums
Jaribu Shahid – doublebass

The Sacred Ground Tour revives the music of Murray’s original Black Saint Quartet, a legendary musical collaboration going back some twenty years with an innovative new approach that visits some of the classic numbers as well as featuring many new compositions.

"David Murray is far and away the greatest tenor saxophonist
of his generation" – Tom Hull (Village Voice)


TWO SYDNEY SHOWS ONLY
Thursday 30th October & Monday 3rd November -The Basement, 7 Macquarie Place, Circular Quay. SYDNEY
Tickets $60 + b/f Bookings: www.thebasement.com.au
DINNER & SHOW tickets available Tel: The Basement, 02 9251 2797 www.myspace.com/davidmurraymusic

Kim Sanders & Friends:

High-altitude World Music at the Gearin


Good news for mountain-dwellers as Kim Sanders & Friends head to Katoomba for a gig at the Gearin Hotel on Sunday October 19. This will be Kim's last gig in Australia before heading off to Indonesia to perform with didge-player/ singer/ dancer Glen Doyle at the Solo International Ethnic Music Festival in Yogyakarta at the end of the month.

The gig at the Gearin marks the return of percussionist of Peter Kennard. Peter has played with Ashok Roy, Sirocco, the Flying Fruitfly Circus and the Turkish State Theatre, and is a veteran of Kim's legendary world/Gypsy band Brassov. He also collaborated with Kim on his acclaimed CD 'Trance'n'Dancin'. "When it comes to frame drums," says Kim, "Peter is the best".

World Music veteran Sanders has studied with Sufi ney-masters in Turkey, played with Gypsy wedding-bands in Macedonia, in mosquito-infested nightclubs in Gambia, seedy tavernas in Greece, concert-halls in Turkey, recording studios in Indonesia and tea-houses in China - not to mention Rooty Hill RSL. Saxophonist Sandy Evans and bassist Steve Elphick have built on their jazz roots to become two of Australia's leading World Music exponents. Their strong improvising has made their names familiar worldwide.

"We don't do many gigs in the Blue Mountains," says Kim, " so I'm really looking forward to the Gearin. And we're on a roll after the release of 'Bent Grooves'"

Kim Sanders: Ney (Sufi flute), kaval (Bulgarian wooden flute), mey (Turkish double reed), Bulgarian and Turkish gaidas (bagpipes), tenor sax

Sandy Evans: soprano, tenor saxes

Steve Elphick: bass

Peter Kennard: dhaf, darabukka, jingly things

2.30 pm, Sunday October 19


Gearin Hotel
273 Great Western Hwy, Katoomba (near the railway station)


$20/15 conc
Meals are available from 12pm

Info and bookings: (02) 4782 4395


The Barons of Tang (gypsy-jazz-punk) have one widely acclaimed self-titled EP under their belt
and are frantically working on a follow up.

The Barons will be performing in October at :
The Factory Marrickville, Sydney Thurs 2rd
The Lass O’Gowrie, NewCastle Fri 3rd
Evolve Festival, Byron Bay on Saturday 4th
The Globe, Fortitude Valley , Brisbane with KAFKA
**Northcote Social Club (Melb) Sunday 19th
with French Artist Ronan/Ronan Album Launch

For more info check out:
www.myspace.com/thebaronsoftang

Banjo Player and singer of Fils de Teuhpu Ronan Guittier travels direct from the small french village of Montreuil to Australia
to perform his Solo Show Ronan/Ronan and launch his album “Copie/Colle”.

With 26 shows throughout Australia, Ronan/Ronan will be playing an eclectic selection of Festival sand venues, starting with shows in the pristine World Heritage forests of Cape York’s Wallaby Creek Festival to Brisbane Powerhouse to NZ Nelson Arts Festival to the beautiful The Famous Spiegeltent at Sydney Opera House . With many dates in between, Ronan/Ronan tours to a venue near you to perform a very special show.

On the stage Ronan creates his music completely live . In a joyous bric-a-brac of colour, turntable decks, children’s toys and a box full of treasures, Ronan/Ronan creates his poetic, lyrical mayhem, performing light hearted yet haphazard songs that you may just find yourself singing along to!!

Surrounded by an array of different acoustic instruments and a loop pedal, Ronan experiments and creates his own musical universe – amusing, entertaining and poetic all at the same time. His performance is visually amazing and teeters on the edge of comedy and surreal musical madness.

Ronan’s Instruments include Plastic train, banjo, ‘moo’ box, turntable, ukulele, hand-saw and log of wood, the ‘music star’ toy, trumpet, aspirin, cymbals, ‘squawk’ box harmonica, whistle, small bells, door slamming, rustling of plastic bags and so on......

With his warm smile, a cheeky look and a loaded shelf, Ronan/ronan, the true one man orchestra, will wind you up like a clock!




Tour Dates

RONAN/RONAN (FRANCE) AUSTRALIA TOUR : 25th SEPT – 31ST OCT 2008

26th Fri - 29th Mon Sept Wallaby Creek Festival Cape York Qld
31st Tues -- 3rd Fri Oct Coffs Buskers & Comedy Festival
3rd Oct Fri Dorrigo Theatre Show
4th Oct Sat Evolve Festival Byron Bay
7th Oct Tues Press Launch @ The Lounge Café Surry HIlls
8th Oct Wed Milton Theatre Milton Escape Arts Festival
9th Oct Thurs The Heritage Hotel Bulli
10th Oct Fri ‘Who Art Thou ‘Art Gallery Gosford
11th Oct Sat The Convent Orange
12th Oct Sun The Clarendon Blue Mountains
17th Oct Fri Higher Ground Adelaide
18th Oct Sat The Folkus Room, Canberra
19th Oct Sun Northcote Social Club Melbourne
“Copie Colle” CD Launch with The Barons of Tang
21st Oct Tues The National Geelong
22nd Oct Wed The Alley Cat Hobart Tasmania
23rd Oct Thurs Brisbane Powerhouse
24th Fri – 26th Oct Yungaburra Folk Festival North Queensland
27th Mon NZ Nelson Arts Festival 2 Shows
29th Oct Wed The Famous Spiegeltent Sydney Opera House
31st Oct Fri Bangalow A&I Hall Byron Bay Howling Halloween

…….With More shows to Be Announced





Regards

Hans Stoeve
The Spice of Life
listen online @ www.2ser.com
2SER FM Tuesday Afternoon 1330-1500
Repeated Saturdays 6pm till 7.30pm
Jazz-Blues-Folk-World and more.

Blogging at www.globalgroove.blogspot.com

Sponsors, New Material and New Listeners Welcomed.

Level 26- UTS Building 1
Broadway NSW 2001
Sydney Australia


'Some people never go crazy, what truly horrible lives they must live'-Charles Bukowski

2 September 08 featuring Bob Brozman

On the show today, you either heard or missed the following musical treats (or torture) depending on your tastes and outlook.

Bob Brozman- CD Lumiere
An interview with Bob Brozman soon to tour once more in the land of Oz. Listen to or download the interview here
Bob's coming our way once more for a series of concerts and festivals.
Tracks covered: Mars Over Sorrento / N'Oubliez par Reunion / Tango Metzinarodny

Son House- CD Delta Blues & Spirituals
Tracks: How To Treat A Man

Charley Patton- The Blues Collection Vol 49
Best known as an American Delta Blues player, considered to be by many the grand pappy of Delta Blues, and one of the oldest figures of American popular music; a definitive inspiration for just about every delta blues player ever.
Tracks played: Tom Rushen Blues / A Spoonful Blues / Shake It & Break it / Mississipi Bo Weavil Blues

Alan Lomas- Blues Songbook Vol 2
Dimples In Your Jaw / I Could Hear My Name A Ringing / Blues de la Prison / I Been A Bad Bad Girl / Joe Turner

The Spice of Life 12 August 08

Alright even though I'm not convinced anyone reads this blog....

In case you are wondering (or not) what's playing tomorrow:

State of Bengal vs Paban Das Baul- Tana Tani various tracks
Krsna Das- CD Piilgrim's Heart various tracks
Midival Punditz remix Niyaz- Allahi Allah

Loungeclash- CD Dread Time Story- various tracks.
Loungeclash is a collaboration between Neil Sparkes from Temple of Sound and sam Dodson (Loop Guru) in a mix of 21st century lounge music, electronica and dub reggae.

Karsh Kale- CD Distance remixes of Distance originally on Realize
Marcel Khalife- Takkasim

1 Giant Leap- audio extract off the DVD What About Me?

The Spice of Life 5 August 08

You either heard or missed the following:

Toumani Diabate- CD Kaira

Ralph Towner / Wolfgang Muthspiel / Slava Grigoryan- CD From A Dream

Talking with Ralph Towner. Audio is from a previous interview I conducted with Ralph.

Ralph, Slava and Wolfgang will be touring Australia for the next 2 weeks. Dates below.

2008 Australian Tour, with Wolfgang Muthspiel and Slava Grigoryan

August 7 - Hobart, Theatre Royal
August 8 - Melbourne, National Theatre
August 9 - Canberra, Tilleys
August 10 - Canberra, Tilleys
August 12 - Sydney, The Basement
August 13 - Sydney, The Basement
August 14 - Brisbane, Brisbane Powerhouse
August 15 - Byron, Byron Community & Cultural Centre
August 17 - Darwin, Darwin Entertainment Center
August 20 - Adelaide, Dunstan Playhouse or Her Majesty's Theatre
August 21 - Perth, Octagon Theatre

An audio extract from the new 1 Giant Leap project- What About Me.

The Telltales- Under The Waterline. They are also having a record launch at the end of the month.
Sat 30th August Cat & Fiddle Hotel. 456 Darling St Balmain

Also coming up...


++++ JOSEPH TAWADROS QUARTET Live in Concert ++++


Joseph Tawadros (Oud), Matt McMahon (Piano), Dimitri Vouras (Clarinet)
James Tawadros (Egyptian Percussion)

Tuesday, 26th August, 2008. 8pm.
St. Stephens Church, 189 Church St, Newtown

Adult: $25 Concession: $20

For Bookings please email: joe@josephtawadros.com

www.josephtawadros.com

Spice of Life- 22 July 08

Hi Folks

This is what was playing today in case you tuned in. Don't forget the show is repeated Saturday at 6pm.

Tina Harrod- CD Work Songs - Such A Long Way Home / Glory Box / River Man
I interviewed Tina on Sunday regarding this release and her upcoming shows to promote the release. The interview will go to air next Tuesday.

Ralph Towner / Slava Grigoryan / Wolfgang Muthspiel- CD From A Dream- Nardis / Tammuriata
Ralph will be touring nationally between August 7-21. More information here

Frank Zappa- CD Shut Up N'Play Yer Guitar- Shut Up N'Play Yer Guitar / Shut Up N'Play Yer Guitar Some More

1 Giant Leap- Audio Extract from the What About Me DVD.

Hanggai- CD Introducing Hanggai- My Banjo & I / Drinking Song / Lullaby

Spice of Life- interviews Adrian McNeil

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Adrian was based in India for many years, mostly in Calcutta, Mumbai and Dehra Dun. He has undergone intensive training according to the guru-shishya parampara (traditional methods) for more than twenty five years under Pandit Ashok Roy, Professor Sachindranath Roy and Dr. Ashok Ranade. He regularly performs in major concerts in Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore and regional centres where his playing attracts critical acclaim. He often appears in the media in India and has performed for National Television and Radio along with leading cable television station Zee TV, and has been interviewed by major national daily newspapers.

He regularly performs in Australia, has made a number of recordings for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and has toured widely including France and Hong Kong.

Adrian is currently living in Sydney, Australia where he is a lecturer in improvisation studies, musicianship and world music in the Department of Contemporary Music Studies.

I interviewed Adrian last week about his life as a musician, in relation to the sarod and his teacher, Ashok Roy.



The interview is available as a download.


Music on today's program will be from the following recordings



Raga Basant Mukhari- Adrian McNeil (sarod) and Aneesh Pradhan (Tabla)- Underscore Records

Ashok Roy- Master of the Sarod- Larrikin Records

Ashok Roy- Live in Amritsar 1982- Private Recording

Sambali- Geoff Brophy- Cd Sounds Pacifically Asian

Gender Solo- Alit Adi Putra- CD Sounds Pacifically Asian

Powerspot no more

Powerspot as of last week went into a state of deep sleep. As of this week only The Spice of Life will remain.

Playlist for 11 June 08

Here is what I will be playing tomorrow night in case you will be listening.


Papua New Guinea Stringbands with Bob Brozman- Songs of The Volcano

Bob Brozman is a guitarist like no other: an established and prolific recording artist, performer, producer, and author, Bob is a non-stop world traveler and tireless researcher in ethnomusicology. His work with musicians from around the world in the past several years has marked him as not only a virtuoso musician and slide guitarist, but also as a pioneer in finding a common thread among global musical cultures.

SONGS OF THE VOLCANO is Bob's latest release. This special CD/DVD package features the music that Bob recorded with 5 Papua New Guinea Stringbands, plus the accompanying documentary by filmmaker Phil Donnison.
World renowned guitarist Bob Brozman travelled to Papua New Guinea – one of the last places on the planet to have guitars arrive from afar – to capture a sound largely untainted by outside influences; a raw, unique sound developed in isolation. The energetic and distinctive blend of voice and instrument performed by the Rabaul community’s local stringbands reflects their unfailing optimism in the face of adversity, be it war or the volcanic eruptions that have destroyed the town twice in one century, making this album truly ‘Songs Of The Volcano’.
In addition to this extraordinary album, this package features a full length, behind the scenes DVD documentary of the making of the album.



Songs of the Volcano - The Music
One of the few accidental, yet beneficial, side-effects of colonialism has been guitars washing up on shores all over the world. Papua New Guinea is no exception. Home to a huge indigenous population speaking more than 800 languages, it lay largely undiscovered until the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and hence is one of the last places on the planet to have guitars arrive from afar.
Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea’s far flung province of East New Britain, is a town which has had its share of hard times. In the same century it has been destroyed twice by massive volcanic cataclysms and once by a devastating war imposed on it by outsiders. The Tolai people of Rabaul have suffered greatly from these natural and manmade disasters and yet, somehow, have always managed to bounce back and keep their spirits high. One of the main contributing factors to their capacity for optimism is their music, an energetic and unique blend of voices and instruments performed by the community’s local stringbands.
Bob Brozman is a world expert and leading exponent of the National guitar. An ethnomusicologist fascinated by the global voyage taken by the guitar over the last 500 years, he has collaborated with local musicians all over the world.
To create Songs Of The Volcano, in his capacity as Adjunct Professor of Music at Sydney’s Macquarie University, Bob went with filmmaker Phil Donnison to five villages in East New Britain to perform with five different Tolai stringbands. The purpose of filming and recording the performances was partly to document this fragile music before it disappears, and partly to facilitate the musicians in Papua New Guinea where there is an astonishing lack of musical infrastructure.
Rabaul is the location where guitars first arrived in Papua New Guinea, and the music carries a fragile innocence and beauty reminiscent of what guitar music may have sounded like in Hawaii in 1860, or Mexico in 1830. Most music travelled throughout the Pacific Ocean on boats, with sailors leaving behind instruments and ideas to then percolate in isolation. Hence, the music on this album will seem at once exotic, yet somehow familiar. Even today, there is still very little mass media penetration in Papua New Guinea, though that is changing and makes the preservation of this raw and unique sound more necessary.
This album and accompanying film present the story of this creative collaboration, a joint effort between an indomitable group of island musicians and one of the world’s greatest guitarists. Unlike Bob’s other world music collaborations, where there is a blend of styles between Bob and another established artist, Songs Of The Volcano has Bob in a more supportive role, playing simply as a member of each band in their own style.
The creation of this project not only yielded some great friendships, an unforgettable story and some remarkable results, but will enable the musicians to continue their pursuit of a musical life.
The musicians on Songs Of The Volcano are the first recipients of instruments, strings and musical supplies from Bob’s ongoing Global Music Aid Foundation, which seeks to provide donated instruments and materials to musicians in developing countries.
Through the language of guitar, Bob's ongoing body of work is launching a new aesthetic called "World Blues." His musical influences draw on a host of tones and beats from Delta Blues, Hawaiian, West African, Indian, Okinawan, Caribbean, Gypsy and Django-style Jazz, to the most modern rhythms of hip-hop, sega, funk, ska, calypso, maloya, and world island music.


Harry Manx - Brick & Stone / Reuben's Train-CD Dog My Cat

Harry Manx’s debut CD, Dog My Cat,breaks significant new ground in the blues world. A virtual one-man-band, Manx draws the listener in with his mastery of the lap slide guitar, harmonica, banjo, and vocals. But what makes Harry Manx truly stand out is the fact that he also plays the Mohan veena – a 20-string Indian slide guitar. Manx spent five years in India studying under the creator of this guitar/sitar hybrid, V.M. Bhatt, who won a Grammy award with Ry Cooder in 1994 for their CD Meeting by the River.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt- Dhun In Rag Pilu- CD Saradaman

Sheila Chandra- Is / Not A Word in The Sky-CD This Sentence is True

Gigi-Aynama- CD Gigi

Issa Bagayogo- Diarabi- CD Sya

Issa Bagayogo is one of the great, if tongue-twisting, names in world music. In fact, even in his homeland of Mali, they rarely use his last name; he's usually just called "Techno Issa". Issa topped the charts in 2002 with his groundbreaking Timbuktu, an album that spawned a host of imitators hoping to match his compelling blend of Malian roots music and Western dance technology. But no one's been able to pull it off as convincingly and as elegantly as Issa has. Now he's back to show how it's done. Tassoumakan (meaning "Voice of Fire") is Issa's third full-length album, and represents the maturing of an artist who has found a way to honor his country's great musical traditions while creating a truly global, modern sound.

Since the music of Mali is the source of much of the world's popular music (the blues, R&B, soul, rock, funk, hip-hop), Issa Bagayogo's recordings are like an introduction to a great-grandparent you didn't know was still alive. Working with the French producer/keyboardist Yves Wernert, Bagayogo shows that the musical traditions of Mali are perhaps stronger now than ever before, building on the rhythms and the spirit of Manding emperors and Wassoulou hunters of a millennium ago, and evolving into something contemporary and relevant for listeners whether they're in Timbuktu or Toledo.

Baaba Maal- CD Senegal- Jamma Jeningi

Music was an integral part of Baaba's childhood as he grew up on the banks of the river Senegal. Born to the Hal Pulaar people, (known to the English speaking world as Fulani) his mother used songs she composed herself to educate and instill in him the value of intelligent and thoughtful lyrics. Technically speaking, he was not destined to become the master musician he is today by virtue of the fact that he was not born into the caste of artists and communicators known as Griots. Through time, travel and education, his experiences have resulted in profound self awareness allowing him to deliver the message of empowerment, enlightenment, and peace.
His early edudcation in St. Louis (the original French colonial capital) lead him to win an art scholarship in Senegal's modern capital, Dakar. There he joined Asly Fouta, a group of seventy musicians. Thus began his study of local instruments which he was later expanded through an extensive tour of West Africa with longtime friend, Mansour Seck. Going from village to village, they tapped the oldest person in each location to learn about the history of the village, the country and the music. The final leg of his studies were completed at the Conservatoire des Beaux Arts in Paris. Following his return to Senegal, he formed his band Daande Lenol "Voice Of The People."
Complementing his comprehension of traditional music, he was also influenced by black American singers of the 1960's such as James Brown, Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett. He later discovered Jamaican musicians such as Toots Hibbert, Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff when they toured Senegal in the mid 1970's which further broadened his musical expression.

Using his music as a vehicle to express his concerns and empower his people, Baaba Maal sings and speaks for Africa with unprecedented authority.


Salif Keita / More Kante CD- Rail Band - Tiedioucouya

Mory Kante, Salif Keita and Djelimady Tounkara and many other great musicians from Mali started as members of the Rail Band : One the most legendary names of African music.

The Rail Band was founded in 1970, in Mali, with the sponsorship of the railway administration and the Ministry of Information. The National Railway Company secured a permanent venue at the Buffet Bar in the Station Hotel in Bamako. The band was formed with the hope of safeguarding and developing Malian music. The general idea was that weary travelers would tumble into the Buffet Bar where the Rail Band would perform real Manding music. Singing in Bambara, a Manding language spoken not only in Mali, but also in Guinea, in Gambia, and parts of Senegal, the band adopted traditional kora and balafon songs and rhythms mixing in an Islamic-influenced vocal style to what was becoming modern urban pop music. Salif Keita began singing lead for the Rail Band at it's inception, when he was only twenty-one. Instruments and equipment were government-owned and band members were considered government employees. The Rail Band quickly became a sort of rite-of-passage for Malian musical talent. As mentioned, Salif Keita got his start with them, as did guitarist Kante Manfila (who both soon left the Rail Band to start Les Ambassadeurs), and singer Mory Kante (who assumed lead vocal responsibilities after Keita left). The Rail Band's music was Manding-influenced, latin-tinged, with with lightness and swing, and despite the modern instruments you can clearly hear the strains of the original Manding music. The idea of the original Rail Band stills survives to this day, though they now compete with disco's and video clubs and as a result they started playing only once a week.Rail Band is one of African pop music's most important bands, a sort of African answer to The Beatles or Rolling Stones. The parallels are not as unlikely as they may at first appear. Both the Beatles and Stones began by copying American prototypes, while in 1960s and 1970s Africa people copied Cuban music. After liberation, several African governments wished to do something to stimulate their own African culture and several of them - for example the Governments of Mali and Guinea - set about constructing state bands. Without coercing musicians to play only traditional music, they gave them instruments and put them on the state payrolls. Several of these bands came to play an important role in the blossoming of African music in the 1960s and 1970s, among other reasons because many artists for the first time had access to modern instruments such as electric guitar, keyboard and saxophone. Rail Band belongs to this tradition but stands in a unique position because of its closeness to the Malian railway. In 1970 the stationmaster in Bamako asked the Griot Tidiana Kone to put together a band that could play in the foyer of the railway hotel and drive the culture forward. In the beginning Rail Band played for hours, a cultural blend of pop songs and more traditional Malian songs with modern settings. Salif Keita came to the group in the early days as a singer and was with them for ages before breaking out and forming Les Ambassadeurs. Mory Kante started his career with Rail Band when he studied the kora in Bamako. One day Salif Keita arrived too late to play, so overtook Mory Kante as vocalist, and both worked for a while as singers. In the five years that Rail Band existed, they developed a special style and mixed calypso and Latin American music, jazz and big band sounds with their own, local traditions. The album "Rail Band" with Salif Keita & Mory Kante is a good collection of the classic songs from the legendary band. Much of the material is quite special Tand provides an atmosphere of jamming sessions, with songs lasting up to ten minutes. These songs have a unique authenticity, characterised by a newly created optimism that in many ways can be compared with The Beatles in Europe. It is also terribly interesting to hear the predecessors to the recent songs of Salif Keita, for example "Jurukan" that is an early version of the successful track "Mandjou", but here sounds more raw and rickety. The soul and atmosphere are not lacking here, anyway, and it's just like steppinginto the railway hotel in Bamako in 1971.


Ali Akhbar Khan- Water Lady- CD garden of Dreams

Karsh Kale- Realise- Distance- CD Realise

Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay), born of Indian parents, and brought up in the US, has long played Indian classical music on the tabla. Currently, he leads one of New York's coolest ensembles, and his monthly spins at Paisley and Joe's Pub are some of the hottest tickets on the New York scene.

Schooled in drums and a fiend for electronics, Kale has infused the worlds of East and West so well that separation seems impossible. With his trademark electronic tabla sound, Kale weaves strands of Indian ragas through one of the most distinctive albums of electonica, his first solo album Realize. Approaching the songs in the way an Indian musician would, Kale looks at them as a repertoire that can be reinterpreted. Many of his songs utilize traditional Indian folk material that has been rearranged into a contemporary genre.

Kale has played alongside and worked with some of the world's top artists including Sting, Zakir Hussain, Baaba Maal, Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, and Ustad Sultan Khan (who is featured on Realize playing the sarangi and makes a rare vocal appearance on 'Satellite' and 'Light Up the Love').

Black Star Liner- CD Yemen Cutta Connection

Black Star Liner emerge in 1994 in Leeds on Chris Madden's Soundclash label with a remix of The Rootsman's Soundclashcityrockers EP. Black Star Liner put out their first EP on Soundclash in 1994 to media acclaim, grabbing NME single of the week with their debut 'Smoke the Prophets'.
The Rootsman features prominently on Black Star Liner's first Soundclash release, Smoke the Prophets, remixing Soft Sitar to brilliant effect with emphasis on the driving percussion, reluctant bass line and swirling chimes. Black Star Liner have repaid the remix duties with versions of Rougher Than a Lion and Pass the Chalice.
Black Star Liner's second Soundclash outing, High Turkish Influence, includes versions of Yemen Cutta Connection, to be reworked and renamed Killah Connection for appearance on the debut album Yemen Cutta Connection on EXP. The release also includes a coarser version of Ga Ga than appears later on the album and the track Distoten, perhaps Black Star Liner at their very finest in combining traditional eastern instrumentation and dub bass in a revived form. Distoten, unlike other early tracks, does not get reworked or re-released with the move to EXP.
Black Star Liner's move to Feargal Sharkey's EXP label produces a series of releases (Harmon Session Special EP, Jawz EP, Halaal Rock EP, Spanish Omega and Yemen Cutta Connection) and considerable promotion, only for EXP to later dissolve. The EXP recordings and reworkings add refined production to the Black Star Liner sound, sometimes complementing the tracks and at other times smoothing over welcome discordance, notably in the rougher Big Feet Bunker-produced Ga Ga. The first EXP release includes Yeboah's Jawz, a musical monument to ex-Leeds football player Tony Yeboah, and later to appear on the Halaal Rock EP. The track is deceptively simple, hiding detailed percussive treatment which adds to the fury and energy of the song. The Jawz EP also includes remixed versions of Harmon Session Special as Harmon Bomb Drop (one of Black Star Liner's finest moments!) and Anna Drone, in addition to the short loop edit Tuniasitol! The short dub edit style is revisited in Jazaad Rodeo!, a dismembered rumbling of vocal samples, percussion and bass. The debut album on EXP, Yemen Cutta Connection includes a number of reworked tracks, plus material previously unreleased - among these, Ottoman Empire Strikes Back, Hooba Hooba!, Inverse and None Stop to the Border. The album displays each of the darker, beautiful and humorous components of Black Star Liner's music and has found its way in to many journalists' recommendations of best albums of 1996. Black Star Liner's connections with EXP end with the Halaal Rock EP, notable for its beautifully-long and excellent remix by Dave Ball and Ingo Vaux of Duggie Dhol, a track co-written and featuring vocals by Cornershop's Tjinder Singh.
Signing to WEA in 1997, Black Star Liner release the Rock Freak EP, a collection of relatively short tracks signalling a progression in their music. Rock Freak is Hindu-Kraftwerk at its most perfect, with heavy beats, distorted guitar and vocoder. Inder Automatic beautifully crafts together indian percussion, dub bass and effect-laden guitar, with the later version to appear on Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! with added indian vocals. The country'n'eastern Low BMW and the percussive frenzy of Shoona round off a long-awaited return and first release on WEA.
Black Star Liner declare Halaal and Rock Freak dead in 1999 and re-emerge once again to bring us the Bengali Bantam Youth Experience! direct from the Ebonic Beat Bunker...

Dhol Foundation- Seven Heaven- CD Big Drum Small World

1 Giant Leap- Bombardmet info

From the 1 Giant Leap website here is the blurb about Bombardment, the first chapter of their new DVD What About Me screening on BBC 4.

Very apt for our first topic. 4 years in the making What About Me? has been a total bombardment of the senses. We took on such an ambitious concept with little idea of what would happen. Only a faith that if we stayed with it, it’d work out.

The backing track for this chapter was written one windy night in my van in Cadaques Spain. I had copied the riff from a sample of some Thai instrument. Sounded very different on my guitar, and as I played it to other musicians around the world it took on a whole new sound. Later on, Nigel (my constant support and musical genius) told me he thought I’d ripped it from knight Rider! I probably did without realising. Certainly doesn’t sound like that in the end.

The original lyrical concept for this track was to look at the issues of communication. As we started investigating and composing lyrics the idea of questioning the quality of our communication both with others but more importantly with ourselves, became our primary interest.

Featured countries

Egypt/Cairo Anwar Binale (Oud)
India, Shantinitkan Dev das & sons (Baul musicians)
Brazil, Sao Paulo Barbatuques & Comade Fulozhino
Turkey, Istanbul Whirling Dervis
South Africa, Cape Town Amapondo
USA, New York Bon cycle, Gabrielle Roth workshop

Powerspot Playlist 16 April 08

On the show tomorrow night musical treats and delights from the following:-

Daniel Lanois- CD Here Is What Is
Anoushka Shankar & Karsh Kale ao- CD Breathing Underwater
Lunasa- CD Other World
Meehan & Valley- CD Buille
Marcel Khalife- CD Taqasim

I interviewed Marcel Khalife last week at his home in Paris via a translator. As I only had a very brief time frame to speak with him the questions were of a general nature. if you would like to listen to or download the interview, please go here. Marcel will be performing at the Sydney Opera House 24 April 2008. I think it will be a memorable musical moment, so if in Sydney town, please go along to see this wonderful musician.

I'm also now doing a second show called The Spice of Life on Tuesday afternoons 1.30pm till 3pm, which will carry on from Powerspot but will incorporate other musical styles. Material is gratefully accepted.


GIG NEWS

Anouska Shankar Project- June 14 2008 Sydney Opera House

March's Uber System Charged! party at the Abercrombie was the biggest yet!

The next Uber at the Abercrombie event is nearing, this time a themed event!

The SYDNEY GYPSY & BALKAN BASH @ ABERCROMBIE
an Eastern European beats fest... across three rooms
SATURDAY 19th of April 2008 : 8 till late
check out http://www.uberlingua.com/gypsy

Featuring DJs VIT (Czech Republic), DJ Sveta (Russia), FSB (Bulgaria),
Aindrias de Staic (Galway, Ireland), bP (UL Melb), Mashy P, Ollo DJs & Dub
Chaman & LIVE ACTS Gypsy Dub Sound System & The Gyp-Rocks...
plus performers and dancers galore...

DJ Sveta is known for her work with Star F**kers and the Gay party scene,
yet her Russian genetic heritage calls from time to time and she'll be
dropping a set of all Ruski dancefloor tracks... V.I.T. is a Czech DJ who
promotes a monthly Czech and Slovak night in Sydney and Uber made contact
and offered him to join in the fun and the chance to fling out tracks
unheard in Australia from his language group. FSB is a first generation Uber
DJ who moved from the weekly club in Melbourne to live in Perth and work as
a Sound Engineer. His residencies in clubs on the dead sea cost of Bulgaria
are still talked about back home.

Aindrias de Staic is Irish Gaelic speaking Musician, Broadcaster and Theatre
actor from Galway. When he comes to Australia (this is his 3rd visit), Uber
Lingua forces him to DJ his vast selection of trans-gypsy music. Usually he
cant help but get out the fiddle. Representing the locals and pulling out
all the fave Gyp, Balkan, East and Northern European tracks are Mashy P, bP,
Ollo DJs and DubChaman...

Working the LIVE STAGE are renowned Electronic Gypsy minstrels The Gypsy Dub
Sound System. This four piece have been central to the growth of the Uber
Lingua movement in Sydney and feature members from Macedonia (Sam Golding -
Tuba, Trumpet) and Bulgaria (Veren Grigorov - Violin, Dancing) alongside a
skankin reggae guitarist (Dirk Krithoff) and band leader Trevor Brown on
Saxophone, clarinet & laptop programming...

Also playing their debut set are The Gyp-Rocks... featuring Mr Mantek from
seminal electro-balkan band Mama Voltash, working with the illustrious Raven
on dastardly string situations... a collision of hard edge beats and exotic
acoustics... should be fun as!... Also, Uber's rounding up a bunch of
performers & dancers for spontaneous moments so punters should stay alarmed
but not alert. This event will be technically configured differently to the
past 3 Uber-Abercrombie events...

The SYDNEY GYPSY & BALKAN BASH AT THE ABERCROMBIE HOTEL
100 Broadway, Ultimo (corner of Broadway and Abercrombie)
100 Broadway, Ultimo : SATURDAY 19th APRIL 8pm till late : $10 entry
more info: http://www.uberlingua.com/gypsy or see flier below
facebook http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=12409562482&ref=nf

Zimbabwe’s Thomas Mapfumo on tour!
Sat 19 April 8:00pm til late. A rare opportunity to hear in concert Zimbabwe’s Thomas Mapfumo and his full 10 piece band. Mapfumo is a cultural and political icon in Zimbabwe the country from which he is exiled due to his outspokenness against Prime Minister Robert Mugabe and his betrayal of the fight for independence. on at The Gaelic club, 64 Devonshire St, Surry Hills. Supporting act: Chris Gudu & DJ Scrim. Bookings: The Gaelic www.thegaelic.com or call (02) 9211 1687. Also see www.zambezipromo.com.au

Soweto Gospel Choir
Sydney, Castle Hill, Revesby, Sutherland, Newcastle, Wollongong, North Coast, Albury, Canberra shows
MAY & JUNE The Soweto Gospel Choir was formed to celebrate the unique and inspirational power of African Gospel music. The 26-strong choir, under the direction of David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, draws on the best talent from the many churches in and around Soweto. The choir is dedicated to sharing the joy of faith through music with audiences around the world. Tour details at http://www.sowetogospelchoir.com/PERFORMANCES.html On Sun 4 May Coffs Harbour Ex-Services 02 6652 3888 www.cex.com.au ; On Tues 6 May Toowoomba Empire Theatre 1300 655 299 www.empiretheatre.com.au ; Wed 14 May Albury Performing Arts Centre 02 6051 3051; Mon 19 May Newcastle Civic Theatre 02 4929 1977 www.ticketek.com.au ; 21 – 24 May Sydney Theatre Royal 132 849 www.ticketek.com.au ; Thurs 5 June Revesby Workers Club 02 9772 2100 www.revesbyworkersclub.com.au ; Fri 6 June Wollongong Regent Theatre 136 100 www.ticketmaster.com.au ; Sat 7 June Castle Hill, The Hills Centre 02 9899 3433 or 132 849 www.hillscentre.com.au ; Sun 8 June Sutherland Entertainment Centre 02 9521 8888 www.suthentcent.com.au ; Tues 10 June Canberra Canberra Theatre 02 6275 2700.

JOE TAWADROS CD LAUNCH

PLAYLIST 26 MARCH 08

Dear All

On tonight's show you either heard or missed the following:-

Zakhir Hussain with John McLaughlin- CD Making Music
DJ Bruno LT- CD Promo Uber (Lingua Sound) System Charged- see below for gig information (http://www.zonar.net/uberlingua/syd/)
Karsh Kale- CD Liberation
Shafqat Ali Khan- Sufi Songs (http://shafqatalikhan.calabashmusic.com/)
V/A- Songs of Krishna (http://songsofkrishna.calabashmusic.com/)
Kim Sanders- CD You Can't Get There From Here-see below for gig information (http://kimsanders.customer.netspace.net.au/)
Jon Hassell & Farafina- CD Flash of the Spirit
NILS PETTER MOLVAER- CD REMIXED
BILL LASWELL - CD CITY OF LIGHT
Charles Lloyd- CD Notes from Big Sur

Regards

Hans Stoeve
Powerspot (not just a world music show)
2SER FM
listen online @ www.2ser.com
Wednesday Nights 1900-2030
Sydney Australia

Blogging at www.globalgroove.blogspot.com

'Some people never go crazy, what truly horrible lives they must live'-Charles Bukowski





UBER SYSTEM CHARGED!
Saturday March 29 at the Abercrombie Hotel.

After the jam packed UBER SYSTEM REMIXED! party back in early February, the third installment continues the cross cultural infused party energy that Uber Lingua events are well known for in Sydney and across Australia.

UBER SYSTEM CHARGED! features Cuban reggaeton performer Pochoman, Chinese-Malaysian dancer and vocalist WeiZen, Brasilian batucada percussion troop Timbalada, Local Gypsy-Jazz maestro Trevor Brown, Ghanaian Hip Hop producer MC Gee, Argentinian Cumbia performer MC Hernan and grass roots breaker and MC Morganics... Alongside DJs Bruno LT (Rio de Janeiro), Mashy P, Jack Shit, Luke Snarl (Sub Bass Snarl), Bentley (Drop), Sven Simulacrum, Stu Buchanan (Fat Planet) and from the Melbourne crew sakamoiz and bP. In house developed video material by Melbourne based VJ, SDzeit will also be screened.

Saturday March 29th : 7pm till very late (be early for 'earth hour acoustic set)
Abercrombie Hotel : 100 Broadway, Ultimo
$10 entry
tickets on the door
first 100 people get an UL mixtape
half price entry for V festival ticket holders


Kim Sanders & Friends next gig will be a Turkish-oriented Return to Australia gig on Sunday afternoon March 30.

Joining Kim at The Harp in Tempe will be Llew Kiek (baglama and bouzouki), Steve Elphick (bass) and Bobby Singh (tabla).

1 pm, Sunday March 30

The Harp Hotel

900 Princes Highway, Tempe
Tickets on the door: $20/15 conc

Kids are welcome, and meals are available

Info 9559 6300 or www.theharp.com.au

***

In concert with Davood A.Tabrizi, Kim Sanders, Damian Wright and special guest Ivy Ireland, Thomas Jack of Hearts performs Rumi and the Boy at the Old School in Darlington on March 29.

The programme includes Slam Poetry interpretations of the 13th Century Sufi mystic.

Saturday 29 March

The Old School Hall, University of Sydney

(behind Seymour Centre)

$15 recommended donation
myspace.com/thomasjackofhearts


"Angel" CD Launch - Joseph Tawadros Quartet - Matt McMahon (piano), Dimitri Vouras (clarinet), James Tawadros (bendir, req' )

St Stephens Church, 189 Church St, Newtown

(http://www.josephtawadros.com)