Best of 04. & 05./2023.
I didn’t make a 'best of' list for April, so now I'll take the opportunity to combine the best releases I heard this month with the one from May. I am not going to repeat myself by saying that the world music scene is getting richer and richer, just saying that there are 25 albums on this list, and considering the quality of these albums, this could easily be the list of the best albums of the year. A large number of them were released in these two months, and there are also some that were released earlier but that I have only just heard. However, they are all from this year.
Adam Semijalac - Ode dite (Selfreleased 2023.)
Adam Semijalac has released the album "Ode dite" with 10 original songs created under the influence of traditional music. Everything was played on the dangubica, bulgarija and banjo, and from the lyrics and singing style it is hard to say that they are not old songs after all. But that is not as important as the fact that this is a fantastic album. "Ode dite" is dark for the most part, sometimes heavy, sometimes a little playful, but generally interesting enough to keep you breathless while listening. "Ode dite" is the best example of how to use traditions and refine them so that everything sounds quite modern. Semijelac has perfectly integrated the blues and drone into the whole story, and it's pretty easy to conclude that it will be difficult to get a better album from the Balkan region in 2023.
Addis Black Mamba - Heptahedron (Orient Street 2023.)
Addis Black Mamba come from France and are another group that bases their musical style on the influences of Ethiopian jazz. Although there have been many such bands in recent years, Addis Black Mamba offer a fresh approach on their album and show once again that this is one of the most exciting genres in the world.
Antonis Antonious - Throisma Remixed (Ajabu! 2023.)
The tireless Cypriot is working on new material with Monsieur Doumani, but also with the new group BuzZ' Ayaz, and now a great mini-album has been released with six remixes of songs from his last year's album "Throisma", among which stands out the great version of the song "Yiorti" by Nickodemus.
Brìghde Chaimbeul - Carry Them With Us (Glitterbeat Records 2023.)
Anglo-Saxon folk music played on the bagpipes, slightly droning, and all this with the support of the famous saxophonist Colin Stetson. This sentence alone sounds very exciting, and the album for Brìghde Chaimbeul is even more exciting than that.
Damir Imamović - The World And All That It Holds (Smithsonian Folkways 2023.)
Damir Imamović has released his new album "The World And All That It Holds" for Smithsonian Folkways, and the material itself was created as a kind of soundtrack for the new novel by Aleksandar Hemon. Damir has once again recorded a fantastic album that you can not stop listening to. You can learn more about it in the "Track Tales" section, where he introduces each song on the album and the process of its creation:
Driss El Maloumi - Aswat (Contre-Jour 2023.)
Driss El Maloumi has established himself as one of the most important Moroccan musicians in recent years, and his virtuoso oud playing is breathtaking. "Aswat" was recorded in his now classic style - a combination of instrumental and vocal pieces with phenomenal singers.
Echoes Of Zoo - Speech Of Species (W.E.R.F. Records 2023.)
Nathan Daems is one of the most interesting Belgian musicians who has recorded many excellent albums with various bands over the years. Echoes Of Zoos "Speech Of Species" is perhaps the best material he has ever recorded. A perfect mix of heavy jazz, world music influences, psychedelia, dub and other genres.
Entoto Band – Entoto Band (Guitar Globetrotter Recordings 2023.)
Entoto Band comes from the Netherlands, but their music is a tribute to Ethiopian funk from the 60s of the last century. They released their first album in early February with plenty of groove, ethiojazz and the distinctive vocals of singer Helen Mengestu, who is backed on the microphone by Million Tewelde, saxophonist and bandleader. Entoto Band are another good mix of modern and traditional, a real global groove...
Islandman feat Okay Temiz and Muhlis Berberoğlu - Direct-to-Disc Sessions (Night Dreamer 2023.)
The Night Dreamer sessions, direct album recordings from the studio, were launched in 2019, and for the new edition three Turkish musicians have joined forces - electronic producer Islandman, who likes to venture into psychedelic waters, legendary percussionist Okay Temis and baglama virtuoso Muhlis Berberoğlu. The three have brilliantly teamed up to bring us a phenomenal, hypnotic album.
IzangoMa - Ngo Ma (Brownswood Recordings 2023.)
Singer and guitarist Sibusile Xaba leads IzangoMa, a 15-piece music collective from the Republic of South Africa that combines traditional chants and songs with jazz, electronic, avant-garde and experimental music. A great album that breaks all musical boundaries.
Kala Jula & Gangbé Brass Band - Asro (Tribute to Kassé Mady Diabaté) (Buda Musique 2023.)
This album is a unique blend of music from Benin and Mali. Gangbé Brass Band is one of the best African Afrobeat brass bands still active. In collaboration with Kala Jula, i.e. Vincent Zanetti from France, this album is a tribute to Kassé Mady Diabaté, one of the few griot musicians from Mali who was not afraid to fuse Mandingo music with Afrobeat and other styles from Benin.
Karkum Project - Sahira (Selfreleased 2023.)
After the previous album was recorded under the influence of Sephardic and Moor music, on this material the Italian group Karkum Project explored music from Spain, Kurdistan, Burkina Faso, India and Bulgaria.
Kayhah Kalhor & Toumani Diabate - The Sky Is The Same Colour Everywhere (Real World 2023.)
Two fantastic virtuosos have been performing together for a long time, and now their album is finally out. Meditative and extremely exciting. As you would expect.
Lakiko - What To Do, How To Live? (Selfreleased 2023.)
Lakiko uses a vocal technique similar to the Bosnian folk music sevdah, and the themes in her songs are social, political and engaging. She is not afraid to talk about difficult subjects, accompanied by a minimalist but brilliantly played background.
La Sonora Mazuren - Bailando con Extraños (Barbès Records 2023.)
Great Colombian groups that combine cumbia with various other influences, especially psychedelic, are mushrooming. This year's sensation is La Sonora Mazuren, who recorded a great debut album. Knowing that it was produced by Eblis Alvarez of Meridian Brothers, it's no wonder that the result is fantastic. Even though cumbia has perhaps seen too many different interpretations in recent years, "Bailando con Extraños" is a real example of how much freshness you can still get from this genre. We can expect much more from La Sonora Mazuren in the future.
Le Cri Du Caire - Le Cri Du Caire (Les Disques Du Festival Perman 2023.)
Abdullah Miniawy is an Egyptian poet who attracted attention during the Arab Spring with engaging verses that he often performed live with instrumental accompaniment. When French saxophonist Peter Corser heard him, he wanted to play with him, and so they formed a band, joined a little later by the well-known trumpeter Erik Truffaz and cellist Karsten Hochapfel. The result is the band Le Cri du Caire, whose self-titled album is one of the best releases of this year. Immensely moving, based on Abdullah's fantastic voice so naturally supported by great instrumental accompaniment, this album grabs the listener and does not let go. The whole album is wonderful, and I must especially mention the song "Pearl For Orphans", which is one of the most beautiful you can hear, and not only this year.
Nakibembe Embaire Group - Nakibembe Embaire Group (Nyege Nyege Tapes 2023.)
Nyege Nyege Tapes has produced many fantastic modern African artists in recent years and is responsible for virtually the entire genre of Afrofuturism music. The Nakibembe Xylophone Group, a multi-member collective from Uganda, is one of the last to play the Embaire, a giant xylophone on which up to eight musicians play simultaneously. Accompanied by other percussion instruments and perfectly mixed elements of electronic music, this album takes you to a mystical trance gathering in the heart of Africa.
Namian Sidibé - Namian Sidibé (Sahel Sounds 2023.)
If Nyege Nyege Tapes is synonymous with Afrotourism, Sahel Sounds is one of the most important labels for desert blues and all music from the Sahara. Their new release features Namibian singer Sidibé, who has recorded an intimate album accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. Sidibé represents the new generation of female singers there and is a real refreshment for the African music scene.
Parranda La Cruz - Parranda La Cruz (Lamastrock 2023.)
Year after year there are so many interesting bands from Lyon that base their music on traditional elements from around the world. Parranda La Cruz combines African and South American music, with this album having the biggest influence from Venezuela. A soulful album with great vocals and percussion.
Pjev, Kit Downes & Hayden Chisholm - Medna roso (Red Hook Records 2023.)
Sometimes things in life just fall into place perfectly. This is also true of the collaboration between the Zagreb-based female vocal quintet PJEV, English organist Kit F Downes and New Zealand saxophonist Hayden Chisholm. in 2021, they gave a joint concert at St. Agnes Church as part of the Cologne Jazz Week, which has now been released as an album on Red Hook Records. "Medna roso" combines traditional singing from Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina with ambient, jazz and some drone music. This album once again shows all the beauty of combining traditional music with other genres.
schroothoop - Macadam (Sdban Records 2023.)
Even their name ('junkyard') says a lot about the principle of their work. Namely, schroothoop plays on instruments made from junk. The junk jazz trio draws inspiration from traditional Afro-Cuban and North African rhythms, New Orleans second line grooves and Arabic hijaz scales.
Sourdurent - L'Herbe de Détourne (Les Disques Bongo Joe 2023.)
Until now, Sourdurent was the solo project of French musician Ernesto Bergez, but on this album he has become a full four-piece band. This change has only strengthened the sound that Bergez has created since the beginning of his career, which can best be described as experimental folk music. This is one of the best examples of how avant-garde tradition can be. It just needs to find the right context.
Takeshi's Cashew - Enter J's Chamber (Laut & Luise 2023.)
Takeshi's Cashew are one of the groups that combine elements of Eastern music with groove, krautrock, dub and similar styles. Turkish, Far Eastern and Balkan influences can be heard in their music, and although such a mixture often seems pretentious, that is not the case here.
Teun Creemers - Naamu (ZenneZ Records 2023.)
"Naamu" is another excellent example of the fusion of musicians from different parts of the world and, at first sight, incompatible musical genres. Teun Creemers is a Dutch bassist who gathered great musicians from Mali for this album and recorded something he calls 'Afro Groove Jazz'. This name perfectly sums up everything that happens on "Naamu"
Tinariwen - Amatssou (Wedge 2023.)
Tinariwen released their first album exactly 30 years ago, and knowing how rich their career has been, it is clear how much weight is given to the words that this is perhaps the best album of their career. In recent years there have been talk of a decline in the quality of the group, evidenced by the fact that they did some tours without Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, and "Amatssou" looks like Tinariwen decided to show that they are still the kings of the so-called desert blues. It's hard for legends like these to say how they have exceeded all expectations because they have done it many times before, but this is truly an album for history.
