Abstract Index Playlist - October 7/09

Don't believe the hype! It's actually 54'05"! Those bonus tracks, you know...

Hold on to your world music hats here, people. Collage comes correct representing Soviet SSR Estonian experimentation wherein folk forms are fused to funk, jazz and bossa nova. A medium sized choir of men and women spin circular phrases around spare musical accompaniment, often just a rhythm section and an electric guitar. What results is somewhere between Marcos Valle, Charlie Haden and Lambert Hendricks and Ross with a penchant for odd time signatures. Even with this wild mix of influences, it was released on the only record label in the country - Melodiya - thereby becoming a curious but official cultural statement.

The bassline from the track played this week sounds like it could have been on Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra record from 1969. Moreover there's another track on the record which features the band playing along to a scratchy old vinyl recording of Estonian folksong, as the LHO does with Spanish patriotic music on their disc. This album was recorded the following year, so perhaps it's not a coincidence. There's some lovely Herbie Hancock style piano on this cut as well - in fact the whole approach to fusion on this disc sounds is of a mostly acoustic, pre-In A Silent Way vintage, despite some tasty wah guitar here and there.

The disc runs out of ideas about two thirds of the way through, but since you're guaranteed to have heard nothing like this before, that won't stop me from recommending it.

Podcast

As far as statements of progressive folklore
chimera - radian (thrill jockey)
story telling - ganesh anandan/hans reichel (ambiances magnetiques)
arpeggio - tony wilson sextet (drip audio)
don't gild the lily - harris eisenstadt (clean feed)
takemorsja - collage (wool)
ti fala ou te mapali -anzala dolor vero (soundway)
manita uribe - toto la momposina (astar)
gigante - the binary cumbia orchestra (no label)
bah - scott (fluid ounce)
nou de ma gnin te fe deme - orchestre poly-rhytmo de contonou (analog africa)
nhemamusasa - tinashe chidanyika (arc)
trois - the seasons (towerblock)
a good day to play - prof fingers feat eleanor mante (5 1/4)
shackled soul - the slew (ninja tune)
cabaclo - nsista (no label)
shiverman - fat freddy's drop (no label)
babylon ambush - dubkasm (no label)
leaving dub - gregory isaacs (trojan)
dance on the corner - jah thomas (roots)
big shot rhythm - major banks (no label)