“Ha Dias” by Luca Mundaca
Luca Mundaca built a bridge between indigenous Brazilian sounds, jazz and folk. I guess that gives her the right to zoom back and forth between the three without any sort of restriction. Just to be clear, this is merely a statement of fact…not a complaint.
In fact, I have been listening to “Ha Dias” for over 3 years now and I still can’t find fault with it: No vocal lapses, no missteps on the drums and not a single misplaced note on her guitar. Luca Mundaca is successful in creating the illusion that her performance is unrehearsed, organic..almost spontaneous.
There is a certain clarity about this song I’ve never been able to define. I’m guessing it’s probably better that way.
Positive vibes….
Title: Ha Dias
Artist: Luca Mundaca
Album: Day by Day, 2005
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“Green Grass” by Cibelle
“Lay your head where my heart used to be, Hold the earth above me, Lay down in the green grass, Remember when you loved me
Come closer don’t be shy, Stand beneath a rainy sky, The moon is over the rise, Think of me as a train goes by
Clear the thistles and brambles, Whistle ‘Didn’t He Ramble’, Now there’s a bubble of me, And it’s floating in thee
Stand in the shade of me, Things are now made of me, The weather vane will say, It smells like rain today
God took the stars and he tossed them, Can’t tell the birds from the blossoms
You’ll never be free of me, He’ll make a tree from me, Don’t say good bye to me, Describe the sky to me
And if the sky falls, mark my words, We’ll catch mocking birds
Lay your head where my heart used to be, Hold the earth above me, Lay down in the green grass
Remember when you loved me, Remember when you loved me, Remember when you loved me”
Lyricism…..
Title: Green Grass
Artist: Cibelle
Album: The Shine of Electric Dried Leaves, 2006
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Not A Good Look For Female Youth Literacy
* Click on picture for full image size and quality
** I took this picture at “Sougou Ni Koura” market in downtown Bamako. It shows a daughter helping her mother carry daily supplies to her food stand. This picture may bring a smile to your face, until you stop to consider the grim reality it portrays: A country with one of the lowest literacy rates in the World. Someone in this picture should have been in a classroom….
A few stats (courtesy of UNICEF):
| Youth Literacy Rate (15-24 years) Male | 36% |
| Youth Literacy Rate (15-24yrs) Female | 23% |
| Net Primary School Attendance, Male | 45% |
| Net Primary School Attendance, Female | 33% |
| Public expenditure on education as % of GDP | 3.8% |
Now how do we get these so-called “leaders” to focus a little-less on their pockets and a little more on our future….?
“Khwaab” by Niraj Chag
I’ve always thought very highly of Indian music. No matter what context it is produced in, it always seems to keep its authenticity by acknowledging its roots. Whether it’s done using the instrumentation or the singing style, you always get the sense that you are witnessing art that is culturally accurate.
I came across this song on the “Putumayo presents India” collection not too long ago. I was completely blown away by the vocals. Sati Natekar’s singing took Niraj Chag’s production a whole new level. I can’t think of the right superlatives to describe her performance…so I’m not going to force it.
Instead, I’m going to just kick back in my bubble and let the music take me East.
Beautiful…
Title: Khwaab
Artist: Niraj Chag featuring Sati Naketar
Album: Along The Dusty Road, 2006
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“Chan Chan” by The Buena Vista Social Club
The Buena Vista Social Club was a club in Havana that held dances and concerts, becoming a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s. In the 1990s, nearly 50 years after the club was closed, it inspired a recording made by American guitarist Ry Cooder with traditional Cuban musicians.
This recording virtually brought back to “life” about a dozen of musicians, many of who had been regular performers at the actual Buena Vista Club in the1940s. Although the album contained some original material, most the music originated from popular songs of the Buena Vista era and re-introduced the World to an Afro-Cuban musical genre known as Son, and often referred to as “the bedrock of Cuban music”.
“Chan Chan” is the introductory track on the Buena Vista Social Club album and was composed by legendary Cuban guitarist Compay Segundo. The opening chords of the song make it perhaps the most recognized Cuban song in the World.
In addition to becoming a critically-acclaimed album, this project is a truly incredible story. Most of the musicians on the album had been living in virtual obscurity for past 50 years (since the 1940s when the Buena Vista Club was closed) until Ry Cooder got them back on their instruments when most of them were already in their 70s and even 80s. With the album’s overwhelming success, awards, fame, recording contracts and World tours ensued for everyone.
I guess dreams do come true after all… even if some of them make you wait a while….
Viva Cuba!
Title: Chan Chan
Artist: Buena Vista Social club and Ry Cooder
Album: Buena Vista Social club, 1997
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Ssidy is what my friends call me. I was born in Senegal of Malian parents (hence my Mali nationality). I grew up all over the place…Bamako, London, Accra, Cape Town, before I went to college in Miami and finally got a job in Sydney where I’ve been living since August 2008.
When I’m not working on The Timbuktu Project, or as a financial analyst (full-time), you can usually catch me somewhere on a football pitch or involved in anything music related. Music is everything to me. Whatever mood I am in, there is always a song that captures the moment perfectly. Anyone who has spent more than 10 minutes around me will probably attest to this: I listen to all types of stuff.....possibly because no single genre holds enough songs to quench that musical thirst of mine...