Saturday, April 29, 2006
The Washington Post put together a multipart audio-photo essay on the Vukani squatter camp near Grahamstown, South Africa. (Around this time last year the Post did a great multimedia story on the war in the Congo.)
Also, here's an extensive radio-Web-photo documentary on South African kwaito music (via Africa Blog).Posted by CP | Link |
Monday, April 24, 2006
Elvis Costello
Washington Post, Monday, April 24, 2006; Page C04
Elvis Costello received a standing ovation before he even started on Thursday at Strathmore. The legendary singer-songwriter was in town to perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as part of the venue's "BSO Pops Rocks" series, which brought out eager Costello fans who might not normally venture into the blond-wood auditorium -- or even bother with his various orchestral and jazz-oriented works.
While the sold-out audience seemed to enjoy the first 35 minutes of the concert -- where the symphony, alone, ran through 12 brief selections from "Il Sogno," Costello's score for an Italian ballet company's version of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" -- the crowd blew a collective gasket when Elvis reentered the building and grabbed his acoustic guitar.
Costello did a solo rendition of the new song "The River in Reverse" (about New Orleans) and was joined by the BSO for "All This Useless Beauty" and "The Birds Will Still Be Singing" before intermission.
One woman on her way to the lobby spoke for pretty much everyone when she said, "At least he's playing some songs we know now."
And Costello didn't let that lady down in the second half.
Joined by the BSO and Steve Nieve, his longtime pianist from the Attractions, Costello performed plenty of favorites, including a pretty "Almost Blue," a jazzy, jumbled and awkward "Watching the Detectives" and three orchestral-pop tunes he wrote with Burt Bacharach: "Painted From Memory," "God Give Me Strength" and "I Still Have That Other Girl," the last of which came with his first encore. In fact, it was Costello's encores, such as a gorgeous "Alison" and an off-mike rendition of "Couldn't Call It Unexpected No. 4," that worked best -- even if they made the show run a bit late and caused one nervous stagehand to pop out onstage and give Costello the neck-slash "cut" sign. --Christopher PorterPosted by CP | Link |
Friday, April 21, 2006
American 'Dad: Martin fosters a little Port-of-Spain in D.C.
(Photo by Darrow Montgomery)
Channel Surf
Radio host Von Martin is D.C.'s Caribbean connection.
Washington City Paper, April 21, 2006
By Christopher Porter
Von Martin has signed off his Caribbeana radio program on WPFW-FM the same way for years: "If you're drinking, don't drive; if you're driving, don't drink," he says in a gentle Trinidadian lilt. "People, remember: I love ya."
The feeling appears to be mutual: In January, Martin was honored with a Mayor's Arts Award, and this week, the Organization of American States, where Martin has worked since 1978, gave him its Leo Row Award for staff members who go beyond the call of duty. (Martin's daily OAS news program, The Americas Today, is syndicated throughout the Caribbean.)
On Sunday, Martin will be feted by legendary calypsonian the Mighty Sparrow and others at Zanzibar for his 30 years of service to the community, which includes volunteering at WPFW, producing the Caribbeana Comedy Festival, and working on DC Carnival.
Martin's a tireless chronicler and advocate of Caribbean culture -- as the 20,000 albums in his collection attest. He's lectured internationally, consulted for the Smithsonian, produced documentaries about West Indian music for National Public Radio, contributed to the book Ah Come Back Home: Perspectives on the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, and begun writing another about the history of steel-pan drums.
But Caribbeana is Martin's primary way of sharing his knowledge. "From the time the show finishes, I live with it in my head," he says. "I'm listening to music in the car, listening to the community."
Martin, 63, was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and moved to D.C. in 1967 to attend Federal City College (now the University of the District of Columbia). His was the first voice heard on WPFW when he spoke into an open mic during a 1976 equipment check. The station signed on for good in February 1977, and Martin has been the host of Caribbeana ever since.
Every Saturday night from 7 to 10, Martin entertains D.C.'s West Indian diaspora with a mixture of music, news, and in-depth interviews for what he calls "a radio magazine." His show always begins with an hourlong set of Caribbeanized covers of pop songs, such as John Holt's reggae version of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "The Girl From Ipanema" and Kenny J's soca version of Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You." Then come news, sports, and interviews, followed by a mixture of steel-pan music, calypso, Caribbean jazz, and more.
But it's not just West Indian folks who have benefited from Martin's dedicated scholarship. Dera Tompkins, a longtime reggae promoter in D.C., says that in the late '70s, Martin's show helped introduce her to the music, culture, and politics of the West Indies. "I definitely did not know very much about anything in [the Caribbean]," she says. "Von is one of the people who's helped make the link between our cultures. As a black American, it's been a beautiful thing to discover the Caribbean, and it was through doors like Von's program that you could pass through and the link became real."
Another important portal for West Indian music and news in D.C. is John Blake's WHUR-FM program, The Caribbean Experience, on the air since 1971 and now heard every Saturday night from midnight until 6 a.m. Sunday. Blake will co-host Martin's tribute at Zanzibar, which is only fitting: It was on his show that Martin first hit the D.C. airwaves, in the early '70s. "He worked with me on the radio program, doing news on what's going on in the community," says Blake, a fellow Trinidadian. "Von's quite a guy. He's really committed to what he does. I just pray for his health; he's had some challenges."
In 2000, Martin developed a blood clot in his leg during a long flight to London and nearly died from deep vein thrombosis. He was stuck in England for four months before doctors would let him fly home. Another close call happened in 2002, when Martin and his wife, Brenda, were on a European cruise for their 30th wedding anniversary. "While in Italy, I collapsed; I couldn't breathe. They took me to the ship's infirmary," he says. Martin was hospitalized for 10 days in Malta due to congestive heart failure and hypoxia, both caused by severe sleep apnea, which was exacerbated by his weight problem. He's worked on trying to lose some of the heft, but Martin's ample belly indicates he still has a ways to go. "I'm going to get gastric bypass surgery. I've eaten a lot of nice food for my life, man," he laughs.
The Zanzibar tribute was partially born out of the Caribbean community's realization that it almost lost one of its main voices and champions. Martin says, "All these guys told me, 'Look, we want to do this for you -- we need to do this for you. Many times you've nearly gon' left us; we want to do it while you're here.' "
The Mighty Sparrow was a natural choice as headliner. "Sparrow, to me, is one of the most important calypsonians, intellectually or otherwise," Martin says. "He's also committed to his people and his art form. He had an opportunity to become as [popular] as Harry Belafonte, but he didn't. He chose to remain grounded in the society."
[sidebar]
VON AIR
During his three-decade career, Von Martin has interviewed thousands of people. When asked about his favorites, he eventually cites calypsonians the Mighty Sparrow and Growling Tiger as well as reggae legends Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. But three politicians sprang to Martin's mind first.
Colin Powell, secretary of state (2001-2005), son of Jamaican immigrants
"I was proud as a West Indian that he had reached so far. It's not every day that a West Indian -- or a second generation West Indian -- obtains the level he has. Many people may not have sat in the same saddle with him politically, but he was indeed one of those who stood in terms of his achievement. So that I liked."
Michael Manley, Jamaican prime minister (1972-1980, 1989-1992)
"Michael was all charisma; he was on top of his game. His questions, always on target. The man just knew the stuff, and he could articulate it smoothly. Just fantastic. After one of the last interviews I did with him, he said, 'Man, this was a good interview; this was the best interview I've ever done.' I felt proud with him telling me that, man. Because the questions were right on target, and his responses spurred me on to ask more pertinent questions. He was a true, true leader. A visionary."
Forbes Burnham, Guyanese prime minister and president (1964-1985)
"He was certainly quite a character -- a strong power figure. When [political activist] Walter Rodney was killed, I asked him about it. He told me, while sitting down in a chair and relaxing with his grandson in his arms, 'Walter was not a serious politician. Politics is a matter of life and death.' And he just continued on," Martin laughs, amazed at the politician's power to be so polite about something so ruthless. "He had power -- the way the chief of staff would bow down to him and say, 'Comrade Leader,' and that kind of stuff. Yet at the same time, the way he spoke to me, the way he responded to me with such niceness. Oh, gosh, something else."Posted by CP | Link |
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Active Legacy
Stephen Marley has "Got Music" for the newest generation
Washington Post Express, April 20, 2006; page 47
Stephen Marley, the second son of Bob and Rita, was a member of the Melody Makers along with older brother Ziggy and sisters Cedella, and Sharon. While he's produced records for his brothers Julian, Ky-Mani and Damian, the 34-year-old Stephen -- who can sound a lot like his Pops -- has never released a solo album. His debut, "Got Music?" was supposed to come out last year, but it was put on hold -- no, not because of the terrible title but so he and Damian could finish the smash "Welcome to Jamrock" CD.
Now scheduled for a September release, Marley decided to change the record's name to "Mind Control" because, "Where I am today is different from where I was last year in terms of my vibe, my mood," Marley said. "Last year I was in a 'Got Music?' vibe -- just music. This year I'm in a more militant vibe." Marley's adding a few new songs and remixing others to make the roots-reggae album "more raw."
He and Ky-Mani are doing a brief tour to work out some new songs and arrangements from their forthcoming CDs and they'll dip into Dad's catalog, too. But with Damian having the family's biggest hit since the Melody Maker's "Tomorrow People" in 1989, some sibling rivalry must take place, right? "No, no," laughs Marley. "Maybe if we were all the same age we'd have that kind of sibling rivalry. But we're all a good age apart so that you respect the wisdom of your peers, of your older brothers." CHRISTOPHER PORTERPosted by CP | Link |
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Not for Adults Only
Rainer Maria matures from scrappy indie rock to polished pop
Washington Post Express, April 20, 2006; page 43
Rainer Maria is practically a classic-rock band at this point -- well, classic emo rock. It will be 11 years in October since bassist Caithlin De Marrais, guitarist Kyle Fischer and drummer William Kuehn adopted the first and middle names of German poet Rainer Maria Rilke and formed a band in Madison, Wisc. Kuehn says it's easy to keep plugging away even after all these years: "We really love it. There's only three of us so it makes it easier, and we're really great friends. I see no problem with living that lifestyle. Maybe some musicians do, but we all enjoy it so much. After 11 years everything is just second nature -- being in a band, being on the road -- we don't even think about it. It's just what we do."
Rainer Maria is going on a long tour to support "Catastrophe Keeps Us Together," its fifth studio album and first CD since 2004's live compilation "Anyone in Love With You (Already Knows)." The new disc is the band's most melodic and accessible album to date, and after hearing the title track and the soaring ballad "Already Lost" it's easy to imagine that this once-scrappy trio is headed for a musical guest slot on "The O.C."
While "Catastrophe" is brimming with catchy songs, its primary strength comes from vocalist De Marrais, whose pipes have evolved from a passionate yelp into a thing of beauty and power. Fischer usually sings a few songs with De Marrais, but on "Catastrophe" it's her voice alone. "Kyle's really been focusing on his guitar playing for the last two records," Kuehn says. "That's become his main focus and he's let Caitlin do a lot of the vocals. A lot of the lyrics were almost always written by Caitlin, especially the last two records. It just seemed natural for her to sing them. And Caitlin's voice has progressed so wonderfully over the years, and her voice is strong enough now where she can take the leads and it's more than enough. It's just the perfect voice for this band." CHRISTOPHER PORTERPosted by CP | Link |
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Dynamotological Charge
"The Gigli Concert" tackles big dreams and suspect therapy
Washington Post Express, April 20, 2006; page 39
Playwright Tom Murphy stuffs big words and big ideas into his 1983 play "The Gigli Concert," so much so that it can be dizzying. But in director Tom Prewitt's staging at Woolly Mammoth, the actors break down the dense prose through even pacing and clear, spirited performances that shows they've internalized Murphy's grand intentions. It's not surprising, really: The same cast and director helmed the Woolly's acclaimed 1996 production.
Artistic Director Howard Shalwitz steps out from behind the Woolly Mammoth's scenes to reclaim his role as "dynamotologist" J.P.W. King, an alcoholic English shlub who runs a failing therapy practice in Dublin, Ireland. The high-strung King seems to begin each scene in his boxer shorts and T-shirt before racing to put on his rumpled shirt and pants whenever he hears a knock at the door. The person who's usually on the other side is a character known only as Irish Man, played by Mitchell Hebert. He's a mysterious but impeccably dressed rageaholic who hires King to help him solve his woeful life -- and to help him sing like the Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli. The only other actor seen on the evocatively designed stage is King's mistress, Mona, a fellow vodka-lover played by Kim Schraf, but it's the intense, talky interaction between King and Irish Man that drives the play -- two lost souls filled with existential dread and nary an idea about how to get over it. CHRISTOPHER PORTER
Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW; through May 7, $30-$48; 202-393-3939. (Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter or Gallery Place)Posted by CP | Link |
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
High Dials, Standing Tall on Their Own
Washington Post, Tuesday, April 11, 2006; Page C04
The High Dials are spending the bulk of their North American tour opening for alt-country superstar Neko Case. But a quirk in the schedule had Case playing the sold-out 9:30 club on Sunday night while the Dials performed a few blocks away for about 40 people at the tiny DC9, part of a showcase sponsored by local webzine Bigyawn.net.
The Canadian quintet didn't get a sound-check and the drummer was making his debut, so the concert had the makings of a minor train wreck. But despite lackluster audio -- the drum kit sounded as if it were covered in carpet -- and the hesitant newbie's light percussion style, which didn't quite fit the High Dials' mixture of '60s pop and '90s shoegaze, the band made it through the one-hour, 11-song set with their shaggy heads held high. Why? It would take a wrecking ball to tear apart the Dials' expertly crafted tunes.
Singer and guitarist Trevor Anderson channels the Beatles (especially "Revolver"), the Zombies and Big Star for his perfect pop songs, and he gets ample support from Rishi Dhir, who plays bubbling Paul McCartney-like bass lines and croons cool high harmonies. They're a powerful tandem, joined by guitarist Robbie MacArthur (who looked like a refugee from the Jesus and Mary Chain) and keyboardist-vocalist Eric Dougherty.
The band's two CDs, 2005's "War of the Waking Phantoms" and 2003's "A New Devotion," provided the bulk of the set, but the High Dials also debuted a few new tunes, including the closing "Open Up the Gates," which featured Dhir kicking off his shoes and taking up the sitar. The psychedelic song was a little rough around the edges, but the attentive and appreciative audience crowded around the little stage in order to see where the buzz was coming from. That would be Montreal, Quebec. --Christopher Porter
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(In the printed version the final paragraph was lopped off, so I've restored the section to its original -- cough, cough -- grandeur.)Posted by CP | Link |
Monday, April 10, 2006
Morrissey
Ringleader of the Tormentors
(Sanctuary)
By Christopher Porter
First printed in Harp, May 2006
(Moz being interviewed by Johnny Ramone at SXSW 2006.)
In 1997 Morrissey seemed to bottom out artistically. Maladjusted was released to mixed reviews (which is better than the reception 1995's Southpaw Grammar received), and it would be seven more years before the former singer for the Smiths would shake off the dust and rise again with 2004's uneven You Are the Quarry. While the single "Irish Blood, English Heart" was a great example of Morrissey at his rocked-up finest, "America Is Not the World" was a completely unlistenable and hacky screed against the country Moz had called home since 1999. The words "tuneless" and "artless" were invented a long time ago in anticipation for just this song. Still, You Are the Quarry's relative success, and the long, raved-about tour that followed (as documented on the Live at Earls Court CD and Who Put the "M" in Manchester? DVD), seemed to rejuvenate Morrissey. A recent relocation to Rome must have sealed it, because his new CD, Ringleader of the Tormentors, is the finest and most consistent album of Morrissey's post-Smiths career. From the droning, gut-punch opener, "I Will See You," to the grand, closing waltz, "At Last I Am Born," there isn't a single clunker among the CD's 12 tunes. T. Rex and David Bowie producer Tony Visconti gives the album a crunchy glam-rock sound, perfectly framing Morrissey's still-strong voice with the wailing guitars of Alain Whyte, Boz Boorer and new collaborator Jesse Tobias. (Without having specific credits in front of me, I'm not sure who wrote what, but it would be safe to assume that Tobias provided a much needed spark to the group.) For all of Morrissey's dedication to the dark side and loneliness -- and there's plenty of that on this album -- the lyrics to the first single, "You Have Killed Me," show a new openness: "I entered nothing / And nothing entered me / Till you came with the key." The string-laden ballad "Dear God Please Help Me," orchestrated by Ennio Morricone, features Moz walking around Rome and singing outright lascivious lines like "There are explosive kegs / Between my legs" and "Now I'm spreading your legs / With mine in between." No more beating around the bush -- or more accurately, the penis: Morrissey is finally singing directly about having sex, not playing coy about his self-proclaimed celibacy. "Dear God Please Help Me" closes with the refrain "The heart feels free." It certainly sounds like it on Ringleader of the Tormentors. Posted by CP | Link |
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Rhett Miller at Black Cat: Old 97's and Some Newer Ones
Washington Post, Saturday, April 8, 2006; Page C07
It's hard to take your eyes off of Rhett Miller. The singer-songwriter plays with unabashed enthusiasm, thrusting his guitar as if he's in a rock-and-roll joust and shaking his shag-cut hair like a caffeinated Beatle. It doesn't hurt that he's model handsome, either. The crowd at the Black Cat on Thursday was certainly glued to Miller's every move and the 29 songs he raved through.
Miller heads the alt-country band Old 97's, and a large number of people did fervent singalongs when he dipped into that group's catalogue. But Miller's also come into own as a solo artist. The two albums he did apart from the Old 97's -- 2002's "The Instigator" and this year's "The Believer" -- feature numerous great tunes that are unabashedly power pop, such as "This Is What I Do" and "My Valentine."
It's a style that suits his strong voice (complete with on-key falsettos) and joie de vivre even more so than the rootsy ramble of the Old 97's. But in concert his solo songs and those of his other band blended together easily. The songs from "The Believer" and "The Instigator" were less glammy and more rustic live, while the Old 97's tunes were more direct and punchy as played by Miller's new backing band.
Texas native who now spends much of his time living in New York, Miller still has the manners of a Southern gent, saying, "Thanks, y'all," after several tunes and because the crowd brought him back for two encores. Two hours after they began, Miller and Co. closed with the Old 97's song "Four Leaf Clover," which features the lyrics "I ain't got no hope of getting you." Actually, Miller owned the Black Cat. --Christopher PorterPosted by CP | Link |
Monday, April 03, 2006
Zola
"Ghetto Scandalous"
Pitch Black Afro with Bravo
"Matofotofo"
Tsotsi
(Milan, 2006)
Buy
Arthur
"Kaffir"
Kwaito: South African Hip-Hop
(Earthworks, 2000)
Buy
Shanty-House
Kwaito, a cousin to house music, is the sound of young South Africa
By Christopher Porter
MARCH 16-23, 2006 | TIME OUT CHICAGO
In April 2004 we were standing in a restaurant in Soweto, the sprawling township near Johannesburg, South Africa, when a deep-house groove started thumping from the speakers. It was a minimalist throb, just bass and drums, but the song kept getting bigger: Bits of piano, percussion and synths stabbed at the edges of the beat, and the track surged like a club cut straight from Chicago or Detroit. As the hypnotic pulse kept building, we felt like the Roxbury guys from Saturday Night Live: heads bobbing, shoulders popping, hips breaking, bodies shaking. The music's power was undeniable, and our creaky, past-dancing-prime bodies began instinctively moving to the rhythm.
But it wasn't until the chanted, African-language vocals came in that we realized the song wasn't from the U.S. or U.K. It was kwaito, the homegrown brand of South African pop music that took that country by storm in the early 1990s.
In the 1980s a music called bubblegum was all the rage in the townships. It was basically disco-fueled synth-pop: equal parts Madonna and mbaqanga, the cyclical, buoyant and danceable style of 1960s and '70s South African township jive music.
Eventually, bubblegum DJs started importing house 12-inches by the likes of Frankie Knuckles, Mr. Fingers and Masters at Work. They blended these European and American club-music bangers with South African melodies and rhythms, adding lyrics that represented the concerns of the country's youth and descriptions of hard-core township life. The rapped words were delivered in a mixture of township slang and South Africa's 11 official languages, including Zulu, Xhosa and English. But the lyrics were never expressed in Afrikaans -- the language of the apartheid government -- except when taking a derogatory word and telling the oppressors where to shove it, as Arthur did on the 1995 kwaito track "Kaffir." (Because of the chanted lyrics, kwaito is sometimes called South African hip-hop, but that's really a genre unto itself.)
Despite it being around for more than 15 years, kwaito is relatively unknown outside of South Africa. That might change with the soundtrack release for Tsotsi, winner of this year's Academy Award for best foreign-language film. While the CD features a few film-score cuts, African R&B like Unathi's "Sghubu Sam" and Vusi Mahlasela's beautiful take on the traditional song "Silang Mabele," the heart and soul of the disc -- and modern South African music -- is kwaito.
Tsotsi means "thug" in the Tsotsi-taal dialect (spoken in much of the film). While the U.S. soundtrack release of Tsotsi on Milan Records is a single disc (in South Africa it's a double), it acts as an easy introduction to the genre. It's one of the few kwaito records available here.
The standout of the soundtrack is Zola (a.k.a. Bonginkosi Dlamini), a superstar in South Africa since his 2000 album Mdlwembe; he takes his stage name from a notoriously violent section of Soweto, and his unrepentant lyrics often reflect the brutality in which he grew up. Tsotsi features nine songs by Zola, including "Ghetto Scandalous," a gangster rap that is one of kwaito's touchstone tunes. Others include Pitch Black Afro's galloping "Matofotofo," featuring a sample from Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You," and Ishmael's "C.R.A.Z.Y.," which borrows from the stop-start structure of American hip-hop but accompanies it with twangy African guitar.
Because kwaito owes so much to house music, it's not a revelatory or revolutionary form; rather it's a fecund tributary of the longtime genre, an evolution developed by South Africans to express life in their newfound democratic but still-troubled era. Mainly, though, kwaito has a good beat and you can always dance to it -- involuntarily or not -- no matter the language you speak.
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Tsotsi is in theaters. The Tsotsi soundtrack is out on Milan Records.
Tsotsi: Trailer
Tsotsi: The Making Of
Tsotsi: Bonus Documentary
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Yes, the headline is lifted from the term coined by Woebot.
Thanks to the Coolfer for pointing out that you can hear samples from the soundtrack here and Zola freestyling (Real Audio).
+
Zola's record label
Zola's homepage
Zola music player (allow pop-ups)
Zola interviewed on NPR
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Last but not least, this edition on my blog turned two years old on April 2. I had an earlier blog in 2002 and let it go, but I got fired up again right before I went to South Africa in 2004. Part of the reason for reigniting this site was because I wanted to document my trip; another part of it was because I wanted to join this new revolution called "MP3 blogging," which I found out about through Fluxblog (finally met Matthew at SXSW 2006), Tofu Hut (who I hired to write reviews at America's Jazz Magazine) and Soul Sides (still not met Oliver but it's gotta happen one day; I've met several of his pals). Also, James Morris designed my homepage; he missed out on sharing this site's rabid success (free bacon!) and gigantic financial windfalls (more free bacon!), but he's done kinda OK, too. Propers to y'all. Two years feels like a lifetime in the Land of the Internets.Posted by CP | Link |
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Who cork the dance?
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