African Soul Rebels UK Tour 2008

[AndrewGMooney]

I was lucky enough to catch the Warwick show on this tour/revue last night. I won't go into too much detail here as I'll be posting a full review on the excellent 'Hagley Road To Ladywood' site:

http://mymarilyn.blogspot.com/

I want to comment here on the unplugged 'acoustic' set done by Salif Keita on this tour. I've not really tuned into his work as it's usually so full-on orchestral. A bit bombastic to my ears, to be honest.

But last night was a revelation. I've always concurred that his voice was a gift from heaven, but last night it was even more the crystal clarity of the music that knocked me for six.

http://www.musicbeyondmainstream.co.uk/africansoulrebels/index.html

With an interplay of guitar, kora and another stringed instrument which, in my current state of knowledge I can't name: Salif's band created some of the most astonishing textures of stringed instrument sounds I've heard since.........Johnny Marr!

If there's any aspiring guitarists out there who want to seriously challenge themselves creatively, try and catch one of the shows. I'm off to Leicester for second helpings next weekend.

The immortal opening riff of 'This Charming Man' is recognisable to any fan of Fela Kuti's music and his drummer Tony Allen provided a draw-dropping finale. Very frantic.

But it was the quiet reflective string melodies of Salif that stuck in my mind as I drove home. And the strangely Smiths-like aura surrounding the playing. I wonder if Johnny was into such obscure musics or whether he just tapped the same 'motherlode'?

Anyone interested, go to Salif's myspace page and listen to 'Tu Vas Me Manqeur' for a flavour of the trance-like passages he's playing on these dates.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=113859950


Kind regards.

 

[Grahamchard]

After reading your post I decided to grab a ticket for the Manchester show this comming Monday (25th) so really looking forward to it now

 

[AndrewGMooney]

The running order changes every night, at random.

So, get there early: Don't miss Salif!

I'd be really interested in what you think of my 'comparison' with Johnny Marr: Just close your eyes and hear that massive interplay of subtle, repeating arpeggios It really did remind me of the first Smiths album. Big time. Very subdued. The other acts are very different but worth checking out.

Hope you enjoy the show.

Kind regards.

 

[AndrewGMooney]

Check out 'Seydou' as a prelude to the show. Live, there's no 'balafon': The 'wooden glockenspiel' sound you hear on the link below:

It's all just bizarre repeating guitar arpeggios. I was a bit stoned, I must admit, but even now, I still can hear 'The Hand That Rocks The Cradle' / 'Reel Around The Fountain'/'Suffer Little Children'

Can you?

"The tour features Mali’s Salif Keita, perhaps the finest singer the continent has ever produced. Salif Keita’s life has been one of confounding expectations. Because of his noble surname, he should never have been a singer; as an albino he was considered an outcast from the day he was born. Now, more than 40 years after he became a musician, Keita can look back on decades of unparalleled international success: his album Soro (1997) has been labeled the best African LP of all time; both the albums he has recorded since returning to Mali in 2000, Moffou and M'Bemba, have been called classics. For this tour, he is going further back in time, to the acoustic sound he grew up hearing while working in his father’s fields."

http://chime.tv/#v/71l3m_zoom

 

[AndrewGMooney]

After reading your post I decided to grab a ticket for the Manchester show this comming Monday (25th) so really looking forward to it now

Just wondering. Did you enjoy it? Did my post make sense, re: J Marr? Or did I just take too many mushrooms that night!

Kind regards

 

[Grahamchard]

I was only on prescription meds ha ha and didnt really feel the J M vibe but what an amazing concert.

All 3 acts where great in their own way and it was a superb night.

Just listening to "Moffou" to chill out after work.

Music as good as this needs to shared with the masses !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Graham

 

[AndrewGMooney]

I'm glad you had a good night! There's something about a triple bill of new music for under £20 that makes it worth a punt in my view.

I saw Eels last night, and the 'special guests' printed on the ticket turned out to be a BBC documentary on E which I'd seen several times before. A bit of a piss-take I thought.

Kind regards.