August 15th, Saturday 8:30pm: Krar Collective and Yak Attack @ The New Empowering Church(1A Westgate Street E8 3RL) Live music by Ethiopian phenomenon KRAR COLLECTIVE - a six string power house of great grooves and exotic moods. Just played at WOMAD festival - everyone loved them. YAK ATTACK (Afro Asian Funk / Himalayan Blues Dub)Rooted in the foothills of the Nepalese Himalayas, Yak Attack is a London based, shape-shifting musical outfit built around a core of Afro-Asian rhythms. Fusing Nepali/Himalayan folk and Raag with Funk, Afrobeat, Blues, Dub and other traditions and influences as and when the Yaks feel like it.
To see some videos of the Krar Collective, check out Wednesday's post. Here are some videos to get you in the mood for Yak Attack:
(you might want to skip to 0:55 on this video)
Can't make this show? Check out our Nomad's Calendar and be sure not to miss of the other upcoming shows! Do you know of a show that's not on our calendar? Let us know and we'll get it up there.
This week's reader picks come not as a track review, but an artist suggestion from Julia. The artist is Krar Collective.
The krar is a 5 or 6 stringed lute from Eritrea and Ethiopia that often amplified. The Krar Collective is a group based here in London that (obviously) features the krar and plays Ethiopian music with a contemporary edge. Unfortunately, the group has only a few videos available online and the sound quality is not the best, but it does give you an idea of the group's vibrancy and you don't need descent sound quality to admire the energetic dancing.
Did you miss last night's BBC Prom featuring Ilham Al Madfai and Khyam Allami? If so, don't worry, you can still catch the concert on BBC Radio 3's website for the next seven days.
I highly recommend taking the time to enjoy this recording. The concert, though late night, was buzzing with energy. Ilham Al Madfai got the audience dancing while Khyam Allami left them dazzled by the beauty of the oud at its best.
Here's more from the BBC Radio 3's website about the two artists:
Two generations interpreting Iraqi music for a contemporary audience: Pioneering Iraqi singer and guitarist Ilham Al Madfai and his group play his own songs and traditional Iraqi favourites, and are joined by Ilham's student, oud player Khyam Allami. Damascus-born and London-raised, Khyam is the first student of Radio 3's World Routes Academy.
Ilham Al-Madfai was once known as the Beatle of Baghdad. He formed his first band in the 1960s, the first band in Iraq that used "modern" instruments in playing Arabic music. His family was against his involvement in music, and sent him to London to study architecture. But he continued to perform with a group, particularly at Cafe Baghdad in London. Leading musicians attended his gigs including Paul McCartney, Donovan and Georgie Fame.
Ilham returned to Iraq to develop his musical career. He introduced Spanish guitar rhythms from Andalusia to Iraqi folk song, appealing to a newer, younger audience. He reached a peak in popularity during the 70s, becoming Iraq's most popular musician of the time.
Click here to listen to the broadcast of last night's Prom.
I've had two weeks since the last post and have found some amazing music that I couldn't wait to share. Please enjoy some of my recent obsessions-- this week's picks!
"Storm" by Yoshida Brothers
This has become my obsession for the past few days- rock shamisen. It just doesn't get any cooler than that. The Yoshida Brothers (Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida) are from Japan and both picked up the shamisen, the tradition Japanese lute, before they were five. They released their first album in 1999 and have become a shamisen sensation since then. This track is from their 2003 album, Yoshida Brothers.
"N'Diale" by Jacky Molard Quartet and Foune Diarra Trio
This is a live performance of the the title track from the recent 2010 release of the album N'Diale. Jacky Molard hails from Brenton and has a reputation for his collaborations after working with musicians from Turkey, Bulgaria, Romanian and Kurdistan. In this, his most recent collaboration, he joined forces with Foune Diarra a singer from Mali. Mixing Celtic sounds with Bambara songs may be a surprising choice, but its true that the two traditions work well together.
"Jolie Coquine" by Caravan Palace
This six person group can best be described as electro gypsy jazz. The group started as many do, a few musicians getting together to jam, but what really launched Caravan Palace's career was a request to create a soundtrack to silent porn films from the early 1900s. After that, they found their own sound, a combination of drum and bass, swing, and the gypsy jazz of Django Reinhardt, and I'm glad they did. I love this sound and again, this has become a bit of an obsession for me. Anyone want to listen to it again?
Fernando's Kitchen, a 5 piece multi-cultural group, will be playing tomorrow at Rich Mix and shouldn't be missed!
August 7th, Saturday 8:00pm: Fernando's Kitchen@ Rich Mix (35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road E1 6LA) £8 adv/£11 door Fernando's Kitchen is a multi-cultural 5 piece line-up of spanish guitar, flamenco cajon, double bass, trumpet, darbuka, oud and vocals. A unique fusion of Flamenco, Latin, Jazz and North African sounds, the new sensation on London's musical menu not to be missed!
Curious about who Fernando's Kitchen is and what to expect? Check out some of these videos:
Have you recently heard a great track that you would like to share? We love to hear about what our readers are listening to, and if you have a great track to share, send us an email with your review for our weekly "Wednesday's Reader Picks." Here, we want to know what you listen to.
Don't forget to include a YouTube or (similar video/audio link) with your submission, so that our other readers can enjoy the music too!
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Click Here for more details on submitting material to Nomad's Playlist.
Apologies for missing the latest "This Week's Picks" deadline, but I've been on vacation and busy exploring the white cliffs of Dover. I appreciate your patience. We'll get back to schedule with "Wednesday's Reader Picks" tomorrow, so please send in your reviews!
