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Al compás del mundo - programa #98 - Orchestral potpourri

 


In plotting out the next program I’ll often come up with a single song that has stuck in my craw as a foundation. From there the playlist either leaps forward or limps along grimly. The guilty party, in this case, was Zappa’s tour de orchestral force. Ok, I’ll play that. But what goes with it? Long and drawn-out contemplation led to the baker’s dozen of tunes listed here. Also, some dialing around and the tossing of darts to see how fate would have it. I believe I’ve scored in most measures: Kafka and Kronos lead off with a pair of classic tunes that most every Mexican will recognize (this is a Mexican radio station, you’ll recall), though with a few screeks and scronks to distinguish them from the pack and lend them an artsy-fartsy air. Kiyohiko Senba and his Haniwa All-Stars offer a logical progression if you’re looking for atypical takes and quirky notions. And then comes Peaches – very much not a novelty tune like some of Zappa’s work – a seriously clever and compelling arrangement that still defies easy typecasting. Then things slow down, almost till the end, with a number of cross-cultural statements that overcome the usual barriers to marrying one tradition with another (my advice is don’t eat at a restaurant that advertises “Chinese Food, Hamburgers, and Donuts”). Successful is Shankar and Limón – never envisioned sitar and flamenco in the same breath, but I’ll look for more of this. Also Lloyd Miller playing classical Persian santur (dulcimer-ish) and segueing into a jazz trio format. Nancy Mounir doesn’t so much cross cultures as cross generations. Her contemporary embroidery of tunes from the 30’s gives us an Egyptian musician’s update on her version of roots music. And then there’s Lambarena: the entire album is a most rewarding melding of traditional Gabonese musical expressions interspersed and overlaid on the work of Johann Sebastian Bach. Seamless. Who’d a thunk it?! - JH


Runlist for Orchestral potpourri, etc. - First broadcast 10-19-23

 01 Kafka Ensamble - Cancion Mixteca (Mexico)

02 Kronos Quartet - Tabu (USA-Cuba)

03 Kiyohiko Senba and his Haniwa All-Stars - ようやくI LOVE YOU Just Only, I Love You (Japan)

04 Frank Zappa - Peaches In Regalia (USA)

05 Agnes Obel - Bee Dance (Denmark)

06 Le Trio Joubran - Laytana (Palestine)

07 Anoushka Shankar, with Javier Limón - Si No Puedo Verla (India and Spain)

08 Lloyd Miller - Gol-e gandom (USA)

09 Nancy Mounir - Gannentini (original recording sung by Zaki Murad) (Egypt)

10 Youssouf N'Dour - Allah (Senegal)

11 Tunde Jegede - Songs of The Eternal (Nigeria-England)

12 Lambarena – Sankanda + 'Lasset Uns Den Nicht Zerteilen'-V (Gabon and France)

13 l'Occidentale de Fanfare - Rondeau de lan 2000 (France)

 

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