This Week: Sounds from around the world
Eliane Elias
Kissed by Nature (Bluebird)
Brazilian pianist/vocalist Eliane Elias has the market cornered on the infectiously catchy. And it's not just the Brazilian rhythms, Portuguese lyrics, and airy delivery. Add her distinctive piano, and you have an album that can live in the background but withstand foreground scrutiny—tunes to chore about the house to, but that welcome a break for contemplation.
Known best for recordings of breezy Brazilian-tinged melodies and occasional straight-ahead material, Kissed by Nature falls into the former category, the focus on hummable if not actually singable originals, at least not for the non-Portuguese speaking. Of the six tunes with lyrics, all but the title tune are in Portuguese, a language whose musicality irrespective of meaning was made famous by Jobim and the Gilbertos in the early '60s. Elias too captures the intrinsic accessibility of the Brazilian tongue and rhythm, dubiously going one step further by adding synthesizer to several selections as well as including additional re-mixes of two cuts.
However Elias' piano and the work of veterans Marc Johnson (bass), Joey Baron (drums), Randy Brecker (trumpet), and Rick Margitza (tenor saxophone) keep this breezy outing from being completely blown away, a not entirely inconceivable outcome. The re-mixes in particular increase this danger as they manifest as no more catchy/danceable than the originals, but with a heavier backbeat and prominent synth wash effects. A less charitable description of these artifacts would be "filler."
But with that hazard successfully avoided on most selections, Kissed by Nature resides firmly on exotic sands, conjuring images of beckoning beaches, setting suns, and quiet nights of quiet stars.
—Jonathan B. Frey
Various Artists
The Rough Guide to the Music of Nigeria & Ghana (Rough Guide Records)
Ghana and Nigeria were once the fountainheads of Africa's musical penmanship. They were musical hit factories back in the day. The Rough Guide to the Music of Nigeria & Ghana showcases some of the legendary musical figures that were active during that heyday. Musical royals like I. K. Dairo and E. T. Mensah are showcased on this delicious compilation, as are the musical styles of Highlife, Fuji, Juju, and Afrobeat.
The liner notes for this recording give a good history of, and interesting commentaries about, the artists and the genres of music that are showcased— one gets to find out why E. T. Mensah was "blacklisted" in Nigeria; which artist got his start in Ghana's vaudeville-esque traveling theater circuit; and which multi-tasking gentleman indulged in the textile business, thereafter going on to become the Culture Minister of Benin.
Despite the omission of Fela, Prince Nico, and Gyedu Blay Ambolley on this compilation, every track on the Rough Guide to the Music of Nigeria & Ghana is truly a representative musical gem from these two countries. The songs "Joromi" and "Funky Hi-Life" function as time capsules for an era in popular West African musical culture. This stellar compila- tion truly serves as an ethno- musicological document of West Africa's contemporary cultural history and a CD worth acquiring.
—Ekem Amonoo Lartson
Jean Luc Ponty
Live at Semper Opera (JLP)
What's the chance that Jean Luc Ponty will fuse the crafty inventiveness of his '60s sides with the gutbucket promise of his '90s West African experiments? The present release implies unfavorable odds.
Live at Semper Opera, Ponty's second self-produced release, suffers the mechanical tendencies of its predecessor, Life Enigma. Fortunately in this case, Ponty confines himself to his signature 5-string electric violin, resisting a fondness for keyboards and electronic percussion, in his hands a surefire formula for tedium. Instead, band members William Lecomte (keyboards), Thierry Arpino (drums), Guy Akwa (bass) and Moustapha Cissé (percussion) are recruited, perhaps aspiring to confound the proceedings.
They're not entirely successful. It's not that Ponty's violin lacks passion; indeed, he can wheel heavenward, readily taking listeners along, as evidenced by his solo on the first cut, "Infinite Pursuit." Nor are Ponty's melodies completely without charm; on the contrary, they can captivate, in a minimalist sort of way.
The problem is the heavy on-the-beat time and narrow range of tempi. One pines for respite, a lag, a loosening of the pulse, and when it comes, as it all too infrequently does (at exactly 8:15 on the first cut), it up and slaps one across the face. Unfortunately the relief endures a mere 15 s econds here, and doesn't occur on every tune.
The result overall is not unlike the live Semper Opera applause that concludes each tune: automatic, lifeless, and in search of diversion.
—Jonathan B. Frey
January 30, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 5
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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