The Malian kora player and French cellist raised dust with 2011’s Chamber Music, which pulled two seemingly incompatible instruments into a startling, neoclassical fusion. Musique de Nuit maintains the momentum. While there is a formal air to pieces such as Prélude and the title track, improvisation is at the heart of the duo’s interplay – Sissoko’s rooftop in Bamako, not the studio, was the venue for half the recording. The lines between cascading kora and stately cello are wonderfully blurred at times, as the pair take turns to supply rhythm and melody, ranging across Malian mbalax on Super Étoile, Brazilian flavours on Samba Tomora and deep tradition on Diabaro, to which Babani Kone contributes wailing griot vocals. Entrancing stuff.
What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIII)
Posted by: Richard Dane on 01 January 2017
2017 has arrived today, so time to start this thread afresh.
Last year's thread can be found here;
Hungryhalibut posted:Recorded at night in the open air, this is just brilliant. As well as the superb playing, you can hear the owls, cows, traffic and other goings on, which really add to the atmosphere. It’s highly recommended.
Downloading from Qobuz currently. I also bought some choral works by Mendelssohn to neutralize the music if needed.
Blues is not really my thing, but we saw this guy recently and loved it. He played in a house in Emsworth, and there were only 40 tickets available. We ended up sitting right in front of him, literally four feet from him. It was certainly involving.
With the mentions above of my favourite Jimi Hendrix album ('In the West' - check out the definitive version of Johnnie B. Goode), I was going to get that out for a play, but somehow I got diverted along the way.
The last 3 albums have been in a pile I got that I haven't gotten around to listening to properly.
This is a good ole honest Texas Rock Roll album.
Anja Lechner (cello), Francois Couturier (piano) - "Moderato Cantabile" on ECM New Series label. Simply beautiful music.
sjt posted:Tony2011 posted:
2017 - UNKLE - The Road ..
Double limited edition vinyl...
Growing on me with every new listen. It hasn’t got the immediacy of Psyence Fiction or War Stories but it is a more involving experience altogether where the album songs are much more cohesive. Even ESKA (Naim Label) makes a guest appearance among other illustrious contributors.
There is no Rabbit In Your Headlights here but it is still a very captivating album.
Totally agree - I was looking through the posts yesterday and saw your original post about this - I didn't know they had released a new record until then, so thanks for the heads up. Bought it straight away from Qobuz and it is getting better with each listen. I am listening to it as I type this. I've got the rest of their records but haven't listened to them for ages and I am thinking a trek back through them is in order...
Enjoy it!
Well the Roon discover feature suggested Ry Cooder and it seemed rude not to oblige.
.sjb
Now Playing.......
Ballake Sissoko & Vincent Segal - Musique de Nuit
Going with a mention from HH above....... very enjoyable music!
From the Guardian By: Neil Spencer found here
Well, now I am getting in the mood:
The "Berbes" in the group's name are the Berbers, the indigenous non-Arabic people of North Africa. Their folk music is heavily percussive and rather raucous with a melody that's hard to pick out. Some listeners might be familiar with the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Orchestre National de Barbes, however, is not a folk group, but a pop-fusion group. They sound like a cross between rai (Arabic pop) and West African Afro pop. Almost all of the instruments are Western: drum kit, guitar, sax, mandolin, bass, and a lot of keyboards. Some of the percussion and an occasional xylophone-like instrument seem to be local, and the vocals sound like Arabic with a little French thrown in. The sound is usually very rhythmic and upbeat, like a big R&B group. "Savon" is incredibly infectious and sounds a bit like Duran Duran. In dramatic contrast, "Ma Ychalli" is much more Arabic, despite the keyboards. After a long prelude by what sounds like a mandolin imitating an oud, the singer "improvises" a complex, moody verse. The percussion is used to comment on the proceedings rather than drive them, and the instruments do not dominate the vocals. This is a very good fusion of local music and Western pop, but the three or four songs based more directly on Arabic or Berber music are the exception, not the rule. For a live recording, the sound and the performance are exceedingly good. The mood is glowing and good times are ahead. Fans of West African or North African pop need not hesitate.(AllMusic)
Ripped from the double cd. I could never afford the 7 cd box but I see it's now £40…
L
Lunatic Soul - Fractured (2017)
Excellent new album form Lunatic Soul (released October, 2017), top album of the month for me.
Why? Perfectly suits my mood in gloomy, windy and rainy Moscow.
PS. I'm new to this forum and would like to thank everybody for sharing a lot of interesting music I never heard before. Awesome topic!
Hungryhalibut posted:Blues is not really my thing, but we saw this guy recently and loved it. He played in a house in Emsworth, and there were only 40 tickets available. We ended up sitting right in front of him, literally four feet from him. It was certainly involving.
One of my favourite acoustic blues players. SQ of his albums are usually excellent.
He has consistently made some good music just a shame he goes under the radar a bit like David Knopfler.
Robert Finley - Goin' Platinum!
Culled from the pages of this month's Mojo mag, I'm Tidalising a few tracks from this 64 year old's second album ............. produced by
Dan Auerbach, and well worth the wait, IMHO. 
ewemon posted:Hungryhalibut posted:Blues is not really my thing, but we saw this guy recently and loved it. He played in a house in Emsworth, and there were only 40 tickets available. We ended up sitting right in front of him, literally four feet from him. It was certainly involving.
One of my favourite acoustic blues players. SQ of his albums are usually excellent.
So he is well known on the blues circuit then. The guy who booked him suggested I’d like the music. Doug is a really nice man - you can’t not have a chat when your feet are virtually touching his while he’s playing.