artist: Madredeus
track: O Tejo
recording: Ainda (“Lisbon Story” soundtrack)

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/md-ot.mp3

artist notes
Fado (traditional Portuguese folk music) mingles melancholy, depth and beauty, and many believe that Madredeus is the definitive modern Fado (some purists and critics disagree, but that’s their job). What cannot be argued is that Teresa Salgueiro’s angelic voice and exquisitely constructed melodies are backed by sensitive instrumentation resulting in delicious, soulful couplings of tone and poetry. So there.

The band’s first album was evidently recorded in their rehearsal space, a vacant abbey in Lisbon. There were deafening interruptions every five minutes from Lisbon’s tram service, which ran directly above their space (they still managed to record…I am guessing that all tracks are less than five minutes long…heh). In honor of this they named themselves after the tram’s nearby station, Madre de Deus (Mother of God), shortened to the vernacular “Madredeus”. Yummy story, eh?

recording notes
“Ainda” (1996) is the soundtrack from the film “Lisbon Story” (a good Wim Wenders film, I prefer “Wings of Desire” and “Paris, Texas” but I can also be one of those aforementioned pretentious artsy critics so you can just ignore me right now). “Ainda” gave Madredeus international visibility and they have continued to release one gem after another.

track notes
Just six notes in and “O Tejo” has me hooked; the simple arrangement of guitars, accordion, cello and synthesized strings creates a perfect backdrop for Teresa’s climbing and cascading melodies. Instruments creep in (check out the accordion during the second and third verses) and fade back. The minor darkness of the verse becomes the major jubilance of the chorus, a brief excursion before returning to the dirge. The pockets between vocal phrases remain foundational; the band remains quiet, listening for the next entrance, and mysteries are maintained.

“O Tejo” is a prayer to the Tagus, a mystical river in Portugal — its rivulets, cadences and powerful stillness are evident in this track. Even the melodies are completely unresolved, creating a finely-tensioned state of suspended animation.

Madredeus has only sold three million records. Please make it three million +1 (no, they didn’t pay me to say that…at least not yet…)

artist: Sigur Rós
track: Untitled 4 (a.k.a. “Njósnavélin” – The Nothing Song)
recording: ( ) (a.k.a. “Untitled” – 2002)

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/sr-u4.mp3

artist notes
Take some Pink Floyd, add some Arvo Pärt, sprinkle in some magic fairy dust, a few drops of blood, generous amounts of bowed electric guitar, choirboy vocals, glockenspiels and strings, place in a vat of morphine, baste at an arctic temperature, then simmer slowly for a week underneath a canopy of angel wings. You might end up with something resembling Sigur Rós. Since the band’s conception in 1994, this quartet of Icelandic magician-musicians (Jónsi, Kjartan, Orri and Georg) have been sculpting one masterpiece after another.

If the global elf community had a house band, it would be Sigur Rós.

By the way, did you know that there is an Icelandic Elf School (Álfaskólinn) in Reykjavík which teaches students and visitors about elves or hidden people in myth that are believed to inhabit Iceland? One theory is that the hidden people of Iceland are descended from Irish settlers who were living in Iceland when the Vikings arrived; evidently the Vikings tried to enslave this Irish population, many of whom escaped and have lived in hiding ever since.

AND, while only 4% of Americans believe in the existence of hidden people, 10% of Icelanders believe in the existence of elves or hidden people, and an even larger 90% of the Icelandic population “takes notice” of a shadow community. SEVERAL organizations in Iceland presently or have in the past employed a FULL-TIME folklore researcher to determine the impact of construction projects on hidden communities! (from Wikipedia.org, of course…) Fascinating.

Go and get copies of Ágætis Byrjun, ( ) and Takk and tell me that they are not three of the best music purchases you have made in the second half of your life. I promise that there is something on each of those recordings (they are VERY different) that will move you to tears. No message, no politics, no agenda, simply music. Lovely, lovely, lovely music.

recording notes
I know, I know, too many words already. In short, ( ) is a rapturous expression of the most melancholic day of Winter. It’s as subtle as rock gets. That’s it.

track notes
“Untitled 4″ is tenderness, grace and gratitude. It’s pure love.

(And by the way, don’t try and make sense of the lyrics, either, even if you speak Icelandic; all of the vocals on ( ) are “Hopelandic”, the invented language which Jónsi employs while composing (using his voice as an instrument). The sounds are ultimately mapped to Icelandic (with interesting results), but on ( ) they remain Hopelandic.)

As I said before, the elven house band…

artist: Miscellaneous
track: Daphne (Time)
recording: 1 Giant Leap (2002)

audio
www.goyo.net/musicaluni/1gl-d.mp3

video (please select one)
www.goyo.net/musicaluni/1gl-d.mp4 (mac/windows)
www.goyo.net/musicaluni/1gl-d.wmv (windows)

recording/film notes
What an extraordinary concept — producer/director/composers Duncan Bridgeman and Jamie Catto embarking on a journey through Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, India, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, America and Europe, equipped solely with a digital video camera, a laptop and a vision — to create a fusion of spoken word, sound and image that explores “The Unity in the Diversity”.

The result of this astounding effort, 1 Giant Leap, is a masterwork. Thousands of fragments — spoken words, melodic phrases, harmonic textures, rhythmic patterns and tonal colors — are woven into exquisite sonic and visual quilts without violating the sacredness and intention of each source element and indigenous style. Evidently every effort was made to encounter each artist, author, scientist and philosopher in or near their home. This intimacy is definitely experienced in the outcome, and 1 Giant Leap endures as a mindful celebration of human expression, spirit and unity.

track notes
Daphne (the DVD Time vignette) is a marvelous track, simply beyond words — best to allow the music to speak for itself. Contributors include the following (in rough order of appearance):

• Kurt Vonnegut (New York, USA) – spoken word
• Ronu Majumdar (Mumbai, India) – flute
• Ayub Ogada (Kenya, Africa) – nyatiti (harp-like instrument)
• Bahman Mobayen/Ahmed Mohammed/Abdullah Chhady (Turkey) – percussion
• Richard Carter (Johannesburg, South Africa) – percussion
• Duncan Bridgeman – guitars, bass, keyboards, programming
• Robin Jeffrey (UK) – oud
• Mahotella Queens (Johannesburg, South Africa) – vocals
• Pops Mohammed (Johannesburg, South Africa) – vocals, ocarina
• Eddi Reader (London, UK) – vocals
• Yeye (Kokrobite, Ghana) – vocals
• Sanjay Kumar Verma (Varanasi, India) – Indian classical guitar
• Revetti Sakalkar (Varanasi, India) – vocals

Daphne peaks at 4:42, followed by two minutes of sheer bliss. First Pops with his shamanic scat, followed by Yeye’s in-the-pocket riff, and finally Revetti and her soaring, angelic voice. Get on your feet and MOVE — it’s absolutely irresistible.

Speakers on the video clip include (in order of appearance):

• Stuart Brand (San Francisco, USA)
• Rabbi Kantor (Bangkok, Thailand)
• Brian Eno (London, UK)
• Zebulon Dread (Johannesburg, South Africa)
• Jerry Sadowitz (London, UK)
• Kurt Vonnegut (New York, USA)
• Baaba Maal (Dakar, Senegal)
• Dennis Hopper (Los Angeles, USA)

Visit www.1giantleap.tv for more information and to purchase the album and DVD (which is extra juicy); also check out the teaser for the long-anticipated sequel at www.1gl19.com — it’s due out in 2007.

The back cover reads “70% Water + 18% Carbon + 5% Nitrogen + 2% Calcium = 1 Giant Leap” (the purported chemical composition of the human body). I am currently contemplating the remaining 5%; to quote Dennis Hopper, “…we are a miracle, we are all living in a miracle…”

artist: Jan Garbarek
track: Folk Song
recording: Folk Songs – ECM 1170 (1981)

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/jg-fs.mp3

artist notes
Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek had an early break into the elite of modern jazz in the 60s due to his extensive collaboration with piano demigod Keith Jarrett, and his name is associated with the conception of a distinctly European sound in jazz.

Garbarek refers to his heritage as “the North and Nature, Song and Mystery”, and he combines a strong inner connection to Norwegian folklore with Brazilian and Asian influences. Garbarek’s tonal sound is pure and crisp, with a focus on clear articulation of singing, soaring melodies. Says Garbarek, “In my best moments I hope to give meaning to every note,” hence the urgency and ascetic rendering of his melodies and phrases, ancient songs which speak to the very origins of music.

Folks, this is NOT Kenny G. Same instrument, but this guy’s got minerals.

track notes
A few words regarding ECM Records. The record-label-without-borders was founded in Munich in 1969 and has since released almost 900 records by luminous artists including Jan Garbarek, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Egberto Gismonti, Jack DeJohnette, Carla Bley, Gary Burton, Bill Frisell, Eberhard Weber, Nana Vasconcelos, the list goes on… What would seem like a global, “fringe” (I hate that term) jazz roster is certainly not the complete story, as ECM creations cannot be so easily described. I hear it as a melding of trans-cultural jazz and folk, often improvised (although sometimes notated), spontaneous collaborations between musicians put in a blender by founder Manfred Eicher and innovated at all levels. Sublime music, and the album design/artwork is also exquisite. My advice is: go buy some ECM, as there is something for everyone. Visit www.ecmrecords.com for more information, and scour eBay for classic recordings (1970s thru mid-1980s was the golden period in my opinion).

“Folk Song” features Garbarek (on soprano sax) hooked up with Egberto Gismonti (8-string guitar) and Charlie Haden (acoustic bass). Simply placing these Norwegian, Brazilian and American masters in the same room in 1979 Oslo, dimming lights, turning on microphones and rolling tape was certain to result in acoustic alchemy, and that’s just what happened.

Throughout the track, each musician plays transient leader and perpetual follower as phrases expand and contract, serpentine melodies rising and falling with no rules other than the silvered, sinuous contour of the song. During the first two minutes the main melody is cast and recast, followed (in typical jazz fashion) by a round of solos; however, where most jazz solos are clearly delineated, these players allow their statements to cascade one into the next without confinement nor closure…

Garbarek’s horn solo begins at 2:00, extending existing themes and saturated with longing. Gismonti’s guitar inherits the lead at 3:45, mounting tension in a punctuated, solitary dialogue supported by Haden — a marvelous duet. Haden’s bass emerges at 5:02, a beautiful counterpoint played with extreme presence with Gismonti’s soft arpeggios floating in the background (special bonus points to whoever can identify Haden’s melodic quote at 6:02). The re-entrance of the main melody at 6:44 leads us to a subtle close, where voices of ancient trees are whispered through metallic leaves.

Eat it up.

artist: Banco de Gaia
track: Drippy
recording: Big Men Cry (1997)

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/bdg-d.mp3

artist notes
Banco de Gaia (a.k.a. Toby Marks) is an electronic music outfit from England. For almost twenty years Marks has been traveling the world collecting sounds, bringing them home and cooking up his signature sonic soups.

Banco de Gaia’s latest release, “Farewell Ferengistan” (2006), has been receiving high marks (“Ferengistan” is a term used in Central Asia to denote an imaginary place that represents the superficiality and materialism that too often characterize Western culture). Visit www.banco.co.uk for more information.

According to Marks, “Banco de Gaia” is the title of a short opera by Giacomo Puccini (who dreamt of being an accountant…?) about a retired soldier who decides to set up his own bank — the most boring and unsuccessful opera in the history of Western music. Hmmm. Marks on a another occasion confidently stated that “Banco de Gaia” was the nom de plume of deceased Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s gay lover. Hmmmmm… So he has a sense of humor. Good.

track notes
I must first admit that electronic music typically has a negative reputation for being overly synthetic and cerebral, perhaps even contrived. While this may be true in many cases (actually true in most musical genres, IMHO), Toby Marks has distinguished himself by mixing technology with gathered sounds, textural elements, cultural cues and grounded beats; on “Big Men Cry” he explores further by introducing a greater live element to his material. Marks has great ears, which for me truly defines a great musician.

As one reviewer states, “…it hits the Gaian, spiritual part of your mind more than your simple human intellect…it has the feeling of a sane child free to play…with tribal drums, exotic voices and live recordings of engines mixed with alien electronic tweeked tones, fat base and silence…”

“Drippy” rocks hard. Real hard. Evolving from the sound of a single drop of water, it gradually builds into an orgiastic frenzy of rhythms and textures. To the drop of water is added marching footsteps, then multiple layers of drums are patiently folded into the mix. The requisite chest-thumping kick drum arrives at 2:23 (this is where you must get on your feet). More evolutions and variations in density and color. Then arrives the descending bass line at 4:23 — you MUST own a subwoofer to really experience this. More evolutions. The track’s apex occurs at 5:40, followed by a rare occurrence for the mostly-instrumental Marks — a lead vocal (just another texture). This builds to…a graceful ending.

Is it simplistic? Yup. Elementary? Sure. Repetitive? Certainly. But it’s a marvelous and heroic track. I have counted no less than twenty-seven distinct rhythmic, harmonic and melodic components in “Drippy” — a layer cake of sonic energy.

“Drippy” is featured on the soundtrack for Darren Aronofsky’s exquisite film “Pi (Faith in Chaos)”, a collection of music as paranoid, dense and precise as the film’s narrative and characters. (Also check out Aronofsky’s sublime “Requiem for a Dream” and long-anticipated upcoming release “The Fountain”, due out in the US on 22 November)

artist: Vlatko Stefanovski & Miroslav Tadić
track: Jovano Jovanke
recording: Krushevo (1999)

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/vsmt-jj.mp3

artist notes
Vlatko Stefanovski (www.vlatkostefanovski.com.mk) founded the Macedonian art-rock group Leb i sol in the mid-1970s, recording thirteen albums prior to launching a solo guitar career where he continues to collaborate on recordings, theatrical performances and motion pictures. Miroslav Tadić (music.calarts.edu/~snakes) is considered by many to be one of the world’s most radical and individual guitarists; in recent years he has concentrated on developing an approach to improvisation which combines and juxtaposes musical material drawn from many diverse sources.

In the summer of 1997, Stefanovski and Tadić met for a recording session in Makedonium, a monument in the small town of Krushevo (central Macedonia). Into this specific and sacred atmosphere were born stunningly beautiful acoustic renderings of traditional Macedonian folk songs.

track notes
“Jovano, Jovanke” is a traditional Macedonian folk song. It expresses the sadness of two young lovers separated by a river and their disapproving parents. But this interpretation is far from traditional; the guitarists’ myriad of musical sensibilities — classical, flamenco, jazz and rock (among others) — becomes immediately apparent, weaving a wicked tapestry of form, color and texture.

This is a perfect track for listening with headphones, as clear distinctions can be made between the lead guitar (left channel) and accompaniment (right channel). Try and discern the interplay and nimble dialogue between the two — a lesson for all of us in listening and sensitivity.

A series of subtle whispers and introductions lead us into the main melody, beautifully stated and evolved from 1:55-3:45. Then the soloing begins, with runs of insane agilility floating over an unwavering and uncompromising rhythmic accompaniment (4:27-4:47, 4:55-5:14). Then both men unleash from their deepest cauldrons a low-register storm (5:23, just try and stay seated). Exquisite cascades (6:02) return us to the main melody (6:11), only this time more spirited and with ten times the delicacy, bravado and nuance.

Ultimately, while the technique is flawless and the musicality impeccable, what I hear are two hearts singing. This track is a masterpiece.

And I ask you this — if two men are able to collaborate (non-verbally, I might add) in expressing such vulnerability, depth and beauty, how can this be the same gender responsible for so much entropy in our world today?

artist: Afro-Cuban All Stars
track: Amor Verdadero (True Love)
recording: A Toda Cuba Le Gusta (1997)

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/afas-av.mp3

artist notes
Pasión. Carisma. Machismo. Energía. The Afro-Cuban All Stars spans four generations of musicians ranging from 13 to 81 years of age. Their 1997 album, A Toda Cuba Le Gusta, was the first to be recorded during the now-legendary Buena Vista Social Club sessions. Nimble drumming, graceful piano and bass lines, a horn section that peels paint right off the walls, delicate poetry — this is salsa at its very best.

track notes
“Guajira, el son te llama a bailar, a gozar…” (The music calls you to dance and have a good time…) Guajira-Son is blues music from the Cuban countryside. With a focus on lyrics rather than melody, the singer becomes poet, with lyrics often improvised. In “Amor Verdadero” a man tells his story of heartbreak, misfortune, and the undying love of (and for) his mother.

However, it’s hard to focus on the lyrics with all this juicy instrumentation. The percussion parts are numerous and exquisite — pay particular attention to the cowbell player (yes, cowbell) who sets up key transitions throughout the song (examples at 2:15, 4:43). Montunos (repetitive patterns in the piano, guitar and bass parts) create a solid harmonic structure. And those wetter-than-wet, fatter-than-fat horns — VERY yum.

Pianist Rubén González unfolds a classically-styled solo which plays as a faithful homage to composer Ernesto Lecuona. Then lute (not guitar!) virtuoso Barbarito Torres takes over, declaring a solo with over-the-top exuberance belying his maturity.

In terms of intricacy, this track is an absolute treat. The horns and percussion parts thread in and out, there is fabulous syncopation (accented patterns) everywhere. And feel how the horns “push” the beat while the rhythm section keeps “pulling” the groove back. Simply exquisite.

artist: Ulali
track: My People, My Land

www.goyo.net/musicaluni/u-mpml.mp3

artist notes
Earth. Blood. Roots. Tribe. Strength. Ulali is a “First Nations” woman a capella trio — Pura Fé, Soni and Jennifer — who sing music in the many styles and languages of their ancestors in the western hemisphere. They do not call themselves “Native American” because their blood and people were here long before this land was called “the Americas”. Visit www.ulali.com for more information.

track notes
What strikes first is their rhythmic punctuation (subtle “pulses” within the harmonies), clearly articulated while avoiding absolute precision (examples at 0:29, 1:44, 2:21). The resolutions back to unison (where the voices converge back to a single note) are the calms before the blasts (example at 1:08). Then the chromatic shifts begin (where notes “slide” up and down, examples at 0:37, 1:12); these are re-stated further in the song, rising into the vocal stratosphere — unbelievable! And we must not overlook the “drop offs” — listen to the ends of notes throughout the track, right before the breaths, where the notes fall — they hit me right in the gut (examples at 1:15-1:30, 1:55-2:10). Enjoy.