Manafonistas

Eine kleine Auswahl von Alben aus der ersten Jahreshälfte Zweitausendsechzehn, die ich teilweise – und sei es hier nur ein einzelner Song oder ein spirit gewesen, der mir besonders zusagte – oder als Ganzes mit Interesse und/oder Vergnügen gehört habe:

 
 
Ben Monder – Amorphae
Masabumi Kikuchi – Black Orpheus
Sarah Jarosz – Undercurrent
Michel Benita & Ethics – River Silver
Jack DeJohnette – In Movement
David Bowie – Blackstar
 

theguardian.com …

„The Éthiopiques series is known for high-energy pop, brass bands and jazzy instrumentals—dance music for swingin’ Addis Ababa. But the 21st volume acts like a nightcap after a night out on the town. Playing solo piano, Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou works through 16 delicate compositions that sound like a somber Claude Debussy interpreting Ethiopian music: pentatonic, modal and mostly in the middle register. The performances come from the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s, all made after Guèbrou had become a nun because her dreams to become a full-time musician were dashed by governmental interference. She made these recordings to raise money for charities, and it’s a relief she didn’t give up on music entirely after politics derailed her dreams. Emahoy is a strange, sui generis CD.“

(Jazz Times, years ago)

 

„Oh, how lucky are those human beings  who own this piano album. I’ve heard it once in Vienna in a second hand music store, round 2008. For reasons I don’t know at all,  I didn’t buy it immediately. Then, for reasons even more strange, I forgot about it till snippets recently came back in a TV-feature about the Ethiopian „roots music“ that  surely was more of a surreal hybrid culture than something created from scratch. New strange skin for an old ceremony. Now it’s a buried treasure.“

(M. E.)

 

„I started getting into the Éthiopiques catalogue a couple of years ago, and now I think I actually have the whole set. It’s all really great, and I really love that music. It really resonates with me: the modes and the scales that are in use and the instrumentation, the way the vocals sounds. There’s just a certain spirit to that body of music – everything from the really older stuff on traditional instruments, like on the The Harp Of King David – to the jazzier, funkier stuff, which I really love. I picked this record in particular though because it’s just really sublime. It’s this really beautiful piano record. This woman was a nun, and also an incredible pianist and composer. I don’t know if you’ve heard it, but all you have to do is listen to it. It’s that kind of thing that’s just totally universal, I just totally can’t imagine anybody not enjoying that music. Sometimes you hear music and you feel like you’ve known it forever. This was a favourite to put on when I came back from tour; it’s a great record to welcome yourself home with.“

(Greg Fox of Guardian Alien)

1. Brian Eno: The Ship
2. David Bowie: Blackstar
3. Vijay Iyer & Wadada Leo Smith: A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke
4. Jon Balke: Warp
5. Matmos: Ultimate Care II
6. Naqsh Duo: Narrante
7. Van Morrison: It’s Too Late To Stop Now, Vol. II, III & IV
8. Paul Simon: Stranger To Stranger
9. Sturgill Simpson: A Sailor’s Guide To Earth
10. Tindersticks: The Waiting Room
11. Thomas Köner: Tiento de la Luz
12. P. J. Harvey: The Hope Six Demolition Project
13. Darren Hayman: Thankful Villages Vol. 1
14. Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane, Matthew Garrison: In Movement
15. Glenn Jones: Fleeting*
 
 
*  … this will be one of my all time favourite guitar solo albums!