Solomon Burke
Because: he has one of my top CD and concert picks for the
year (see
below), and because he has that voice, (one reviewer wrote,
"Burke could shake heaven and earth just by singing the tax codes"),
and for his 45 years of superb
soul music.
I don't get to acquire or
even hear enough CD's during the year to make any definitive opinion
of the year's "best". However, of
those releases I am familiar with, these are my picks:
My top three:
Solomon Burke: Nashville "The King of Rock & Soul's" very first (1961) single, "Just out of
Reach" was country, and his latest album powerfully
captures the soul of country music. 45 years after his first
recording, Burke is at the peak of his powers. Guests include Emmylou Harris, Gillian
Welch and Dolly Parton. Produced by Buddy Miller.
Sound Samples: His website
(link above) plays 3 full songs from the album, and you can listen
to Burke's version of Miller's "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger"
here. (Quick Time)
Ali Farka Touré: Savane
The final album by one of Africa's greatest musicians might just be his best.
Is a third Grammy in the offing? (And don't miss
his son, Vieux Farka Touré, coming to Harbourfront in February.
The son's new CD features his father playing on some songs).
Toumani Diabaté & The Symmetric Orchestra: Boulevard de
l'Independance He shared a Grammy this year with Touré; this time out, the
world's greatest kora player is joined by a total of 53
musicians! A stunning, rich album. (Where else will you hear
"Malian salsa"?) One of my favourite African albums in years.
Sound Samples: Listen to the January fRoots radio show for songs from the above 2 albums.
Scroll down to "Ian Anderson"
Others:
Cheikh Lo: Lamp Fall Reportedly 6 years in the works, the Senegalese
guitarist/singer adds Brazil to his Afro-cuban
roots, as he recorded parts of the album in Brazil with
Carlinhos Brown. This is a unique and moving album.
Willie Nelson: You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker Walker (who died shortly after the album's release) was a
great, prolific Texas songwriter who wrote numerous songs for Bob
Wills, Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, Bing Crosby and others.
This album shows Nelson's voice and song interpretation at his
best, in a relaxed and genuine appreciation of her work.
Produced by veteran Fred Foster, it features Johnny Gimble on
fiddle and the Jordannaires on backing vocals. Nominated for a
Grammy.
African Guitar Summit:African Guitar Summit II Nineof the finest African musicians in Canada first assembled
in 2004 and the result was a Juno award. With another two
years of playing together (when their schedules allowed), of
discovering how they can work together and inspire each other,
they've become tighter as a band, and the result is superb.
And if 9 musicians from 7 countries didn't provide enough
variety, this album adds 2 female singers (Muna Mingole and
Oumou Samare) to add some more spark and texture.
A couple of Arabic music stars move back to the traditional:
Rachid Taha: Diwan 2 Taha downplays (but doesn't eliminate) the rock
sensibilities of some of his work, and using some more traditional
instrumentation, gets right down to the heart and soul of Algerian
rai.
Natacha Atlas: Mish Maoul The former star of TransGlobal Underground produced a gorgeous
album reflecting the roots of Egyptian and other North African
music. Atlas also put on a
beautiful live show this past September.
Golden Afrique Vol. 3 The series by the German
Network label, has already established
itself as one of the best-ever African music compilations. The
first two volumes, covering French West Africa and the Congo,
were superb... maybe even perfect. Volume 3 (South Africa, Zambia
and Zimbabwe) doesn't quite live up to that lofty
standard, but it's a gem for sure. It starts with the
1939 recording of "Mbube" by Solomon Linda, which many
years later resurfaced in the U.S as "Wimoweh", and
eventually "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
See my "Notes" page
for the fascinating history of that song.
Combining some of the best CD's and best live gigs of the
year (the CD Release event), here are some double-duty picks for
2006: (Although a couple of these CD's were available before
2006). Chronologically:
Chasaya Sichilima:Walasa NOW Lounge, May 19
We don't get to hear a lot of Zambian music here in Toronto.
If more of it is anything like Chasaya's music, that's a real
shame. Chasaya brings a warmth and energy to all his songs, and
a dynamism to his performances. His first Canadian CD combines a
relaxed groove with high energy and rhythm. His CD release show
at the NOW, which included Donné Roberts on guitar rocked.
Photos here.
Here's an article from the Zambian press about Chasaya's
tour there -- and his role in a TV soap opera!
Adam Solomon & Tikisa:Mti Wa Maisha (Tree of
Life) Lula Lounge, May 4 One of Canada's greatest African guitarists, Adam has put
together a new and excellent version of his backing band, Tikisa. The music covers a wide
spectrum of African influences: high life, soukous and Adam's
gorgeous fiesta guitar playing. His live shows also usually
feature the dynamic percussion and dancing of Tamsir Seck (a
former member of the National Ballet of Senegal), who will
always make an energetic and enthused audience even more so.
My photos here, and a
review here.
Njacko Backo & Kalimba Kalimba:Ba
Ba Oh
Gladstone
Hotel, Jun. 16 The music on his new CD was inspired by his recent trip to
Cuba, and the CD release featured not only great music, but
energy, and with Njacko playing, great vibes. If Njacko and his
band weren't enough, Saba and Helena from Nouvel Exposé helped
get the crowded ballroom jammed, jumping and sweating.
Various artists: Jamaica to Toronto: Harbourfront Centre, Jul. 15 Most of the great soul music created in Toronto in the
1960's was made by many of the Jamaican immigrants to Toronto
such as The Mighty Pope, Bob & Wisdom, Eddie Spencer, etc.
A new CD with some of the great songs of the era was
released this summer, and many of the original artists performed
at a jam-packed Harbourfront concert this summer. There was a
great spirit in the air, on the stage, and in the seats. Concert
photos
here.
"They're in the groove; we're in the groove" A few shows stood out for the way the performers and the artists
connected, and created something more than just a performance.
Afrafronto ("Palm Wine"): Feb. 17, NOW Lounge Local Ghanaian musicians, (Pa Joe, Kofi Ackah, Theo Yaw
Boyakye and Ebenezer Agyekum are either part of, or play with the African
Guitar Summit. The night before the AGS II concert at Glenn
Gould Theatre, this quite exhausted (from the long rehearsals)
collection of musicians created
a truly magical night of Palm Wine music.
Many of us who where there (and who see a lot of live African
music) agreed it was one of the best shows we'd been to in
years.
Much of this show is available for listening or download
courtesy of Andy Frank of CIUT:
http://frankcasting.com/search/palm.aspx. It will also be
re-broadcast early in the New Year on CBC Radio. My photos are
Solomon Burke: Massey Hall, Jul. 8 Just hearing one of the greatest musical voices in the world in his first
Toronto show in 15 years would be enough to select this show as
one of the best of the year.
He soon opened up the night to the audience: throwing roses
to the crowd, bringing up the house lights, welcoming us to his
world -- and then filling the stage with a couple dozen of us
for half the concert to dance, or just listen and watch.
That he then phoned my wife at home from the stage, was just
one more memorable moment in one of the most magnificent and
warmest performances I've seen in years.
Read my account
here. Here are a few short
You Tube videos from that concert. (In #4, I'm on the left
half of the stage, in the bright yellow Afrofest t-shirt)
Adam Solomon & Tikisa, Dec. 1,
Safari Lounge A smaller version of the band helped celebrate the recent
opening of a new East African & Caribbean restaurant. It was a
cold, blustery night. The steamed-up windows of the restaurant
seemed to promise a warm welcome, and we were not disappointed.
The palm trees, art and photos -- and a delicious East
African buffet helped take us out of a Toronto winter. A great
selection of wines (mostly South African -- and all available by
glass), and Kenyan Tusker beer warmed us up for the music.
It wasn't long before the band's performance became a party.
Martha, one of the owners, brought up some djembes, and
musicians,
staff and customers jammed with the band, while the area around
the bar became the dance floor. Even after the band left, some
customers stayed dancing with the staff to DJ music till 3am.
A great night, excellent restaurant. I hope we'll see more of
Tikisa there. Photos
here.
African Guitar Summit: Lula Lounge. Dec. 22, 2006 Any of their 2006 local shows might have made the list: the
February Glenn Gould concert, the July Afrofest gig, or the
great September concert at the Music Hall, but even before this
one took place, I'd picked it as a don't miss.
Put the best African
group around into the best world music club in town during the
holiday season, add a great admission price, and we ended up
with a packed dance floor, helping inspire the group to their
best local show of the year.
No photos from this show, but check
this page to find
lots of other AGS photos. The Live Music Report has a review of
the show
here.
b) Other live gig picks:
Horn of Africa Concert, Jan. 28, Glenn Gould Theatre. Faduma Nkrumah (Somalia),
Eid
Ismael (Sudan), Danny (Eritrea) and others performing music not
often heard outside African clubs. A real treat; I listen to it
every time CBC Radio re-broadcasts it. My photos
here.
Unknown performers(!), Libyan Sahara, Mar. 28 I'm a big African music fan who had never been to Africa, so
how I could I not put my first concert in Africa on the
"best-of" list? Various Arab, Bedouin, Touareg and Egyptian
performers play a late night concert the night before a total
solar eclipse. The only concert on this list featuring midgets and
cross-dressers. Notes and photos
here.
Salif Keita: Harbourfront Centre, Jul. 6 The greatest voice in Africa returned to Toronto
appearance for the first time in 6 years. Following up two of
the best albums of his career (Mouffou 2003 & M'Bemba 2006), he
combines the power of that voice with his new rootsier,
more acoustic sound, and the energy his music has always held. My photos
here.
Afrofest: Queen's Park, Jul. 8-9 Two days of great free African music. Add sun, beer,
African food, and thousands of happy people. How can this not be
one of the best events of the year?
Just a few of the highlights: A huge crowd for Sekouba
Bambino from Guinea, pressed up front, singing along (both adults and
kids); Sani-Abu of Ijo Vudu Dance Theatre: he seemed to be
everywhere, dancing with more energy over two days than with most people could
muster once; an unplanned workshop collaboration with Alpha Yaya
Diallo, Naby Camarra, Tapa Diarra and Mamadou Diabaté; the
great kora playing of Diabaté. My photos
here.
Two great pros:
Wanda Jackson: Cadiillac Lounge, Sep. 29 Bettye LaVette: Lee's Palace, Nov. 4 Both shows were as great as their 2005 shows. (See my reviews
of Wanda and
Bettye). Great singers, true entertainers. That LaVette isn't a star is a travesty.
Photos of their 2006 shows:
Wanda &
Bettye
Amadou & Mariam, and Refugee All-Stars of Sierra Leone:
Harbourfront Centre, Jul. 2 Double-bill of the year! Photos
here and
here.
Thomas Mapfumo, Donné Roberts,
Soul Influence
Harbourfront Centre, Aug. 14 Triple-bill of the year! Photos
here and
here.
K'Naan: Harbourfront Centre, Oct. 7 I think K'naan is on his way to "World Music stardom".
Although he did a relatively short set (it was part of a longer
benefit show), I picked this show because it was one of the few
shows he's done locally for the last few years. Also, his live
music has a much different feel than most of his album (The
Dusty Foot Philosopher). I understand he is selling a rough-mix
live CD at his shows. Definitely worth looking for. Photos
here.
Rough Guide to
World Music, vol 1 An indispensable resource for world music information. The
first edition tried covering the world in a single volume; the
second split the world in two. Now, the third edition will be
published in three volumes.
Volume 1 (Africa and the Middle
East) has just been published, and it's great to have. It's
broader than earlier editions, covering more countries, as
well as focused sections on cross-national musical genres (e.g.
Touareg music). The book follows the original format, with
essays covering musical styles and developments in each country,
featuring some of the major artists. The end of each chapter
contains a good sample of currently available CD's and other
recordings.
I have just begun browsing and
enjoying, and was however struck by something I hadn't noticed
in earlier editions -- some occasions of sloppy editing. Not
something I expect from Rough Guide, but it hasn't interfered
with the enjoyment and information I'm finding.
Oxford
American, music issue The best collection of music writing I came across this
year. Read my notes on this publication
here.
Film:
Be Here
to Love Me A documentary about the late singer-songwriter Townes
Van Zandt had a one-night theatrical release in Toronto this
year, but is available on DVD (if you look hard). A superb,
moving look at the man about whom Billy Joe Shaver -- whom I consider
to be among the greatest American songwriters -- said, "As
far as I was concerned, he was the best songwriter that ever
lived."
Toronto's K'naan has won for "Newcomer of the
Year". Album of the year is Ali
Farka Touré's Savane. African artist of the year is
Ethiopian star
Mahmoud Ahmed. (And see my video links or him
here). Visit the BBC link for more winners, bio's
and music clips.
One of North America's largest African and world
music organizations has released its Top Ten for 2006 list:
Africando: Ketukuba African Guitar Summit II <-- Congratulations to the AGS! Ali Farka Touré: Savane
Cheikh Lo: Lamp Fall Congotronics 2
Etran Finatawa: Introducing E.F.
Marisa Monte: Universo au Meu Redor
Salif Keita: M'Bemba
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars: Living Like a Refugee
Thomas Mapfumo: Rise Up
Ali Farka Touré: Savane Varttina: Miero
Etran Finatawa: Introducing
Yashila: Drive East
Maurice El Medioni and Roberto Rodriguez: Descarga
Oriental
Faiz Ali Faiz, Duquende, Miguel Poveda, Chicuelo:
Qawwali Flamenco
Gotan Project: Lunatico
Bellowhead: Burlesque
Homayun Sakhi: The Art of the Afghan Rubab
Dona Dumitru Siminica: Sounds from a Bygone Age vol. 3
The magazine of
"alt-country"/Americana has posted its various editors' picks
for best albums of the year. Using their point system, their
overall top 10 works out to:
Bob Dylan, Modern Times
Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Rosanne Cash, Black Cadillac
Solomon Burke, Nashville
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, The River in Reverse
Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways
Alejandro Escovedo, The Boxing Mirror
Los Lobos, The Town and the City
Dixie Chicks, A Blessing and A Curse
A collection of critics from
the U.S and U.K, each with their Top 10 picks, plus a rating for
"best reviewed" overall albums. The bulk of the picks are rock,
but interestingly, the #1 "best reviewed" album is Ali Farka
Toure, Savane. (Although it may not have been widely reviewed
among that group of critics, it likely received few reviews less
than "excellent".
R.I.P. 2006(new Dec. 27/06) A partial list of some of the great musical
figures that passed away this year.
Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett, Jockey Shabalala
(Ladysmith Black Mambazo), Ray Barretto, Ali Farka Touré, Buck
Owens, Cindy Walker, Gene Pitney, Phil Walden (founder of
Capricorn Records), Cheikha Rimitti, Hamza El Din, Desmond
Dekker, Billy Preston, Hilton Ruiz, Arif Mardin (producer with
Atlantic Records), Johnny Jenkins, Syd Barrett, Jessie Mae
Hemphill, Floyd Dixon, Rufus Harley, Arthur Lee, Barbara George,
Freddie Fender, Boubacar Diabate, Ruth Brown, Robert Lockwood
Jr., Anita O'Day, Perry Henzell (director of The Harder They
Come), Jay McShann, Ahmet Ertegun, James Brown, Dutch Mason.
James Brown, Ruth Brown & Ahmet Ertegun Click above for an appreciation (with some great video clips)
of these three great muisc figures, who all passed away in late
2006. The article includes comments and background the long legal battle Ruth Brown waged against Ertegun and his company for her music royalties),
as well as some stories about James Brown's two mast famous live
performances.
