Klezmatics - "Ale Brider" (1988)
Ah May Day!
So I already did "Sixteen Tons" and "Le poinçonneur des Lilas", and no version of "Joe Hill" seems to have made the book's list, and somehow Harry Belafonte got left out as well. It took me a while to find a "work" song for you all today, but the Klezmatics arraignment of the Morris Winchevsky song "Ale Brider" (the title translates to We're All Brothers) comes close. The lyrics don't specify labor, just people sticking together 'like no one else' and loving each other 'like a bride and groom'. That by itself doesn't sound like a labor song to me, but couple that with the fact that Winchevsky was a prominent socialist and later communist in America in the late 19th century and you can kind of see where the union POV comes in.
Klezmer is the musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. This is the musical tradition that those of us in America probably think of when we think 'Jewish Music': clarinet, accordion, dancing, violin, some brass and lots of singing in Yiddish. The style is known in America because it only lived in America for a long time. It had died out in Europe, and never really traveled to Israel, whereas Jewish immigrants brought the style to New York City and beyond. It was a dying musical tradition even here, only heard in small enclaves for traditional ceremonies, but then younger musicians in the 60s folk scene sought out older musicians and kept it alive. Another revival happened in the 80s and that is where we join the Klezmatics, possibly the worlds best known klezmer and klezmer fusion band. This track is taken off of their debut album Shvaygn = Toyt and is very straightforward. They used their contacts in the 'underground-roots-music' scene to get the Les Miserables Brass Band to perform on this track, which brings the volume and the revelry up a whole 'nother level. I have read a rumor in one place on line that says that they changed the lyrics of the last verse to make a risque joke, but I can neither confirm nor deny that they joked on King David.
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
"State of Independence"
Donna Summer - "State of Independence" (1982)
Donna Summer was the first artist signed to Geffen records when it was founded in 1980.
Between Donna Summer's Disco Queen era, with hits like "Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance"; and her 80s New Wave/Dance hit "She Works Hard for the Money", there were a few albums that could almost be called experimental. 1982s Donna Summer was produced by Quincey Jones, and had elements of soul, traditional R&B, and world music."State of Independence" was a cover of a song by progressive electronica act Jon and Vangelis. Quincy Jones picked the song to be on the album, and recruited a choir of friends in the industry to sing back up. Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder were among the vocal talent on the track.
The song has got a funky bass track, odd keyboard sounds, vocoder-style electronically processed vocals, chanting, a flute sound, Summer doing a weird Caribbean/African accent, and the star choir already mentioned. How does this all come together? Well, I will tell you that listening it, you will feel like you are watching the end credits of an 80s movie. Something uplifting like Iron Eagle but not as action oriented. Maybe the story of a African man who came to America, started working in the copy room, learned English, taught everyone around him how to lead a better life and take it a little easier. He would also help two young White people realize that they are in love and that they should get married despite her parents dislike of the young man. Along the way, a wacky hi-jinks situation would occur, possibly involving the young white man, his girlfriend's father, and the hero at a dance club and women that want to sleep with them all, but none of them do. At the end of the movie, our African hero would decide to go home and take the money he earned to go make his country a better place. That sounds just like an 80s movie to me. And this is the song that would play at the end of the credits.
Donna Summer was the first artist signed to Geffen records when it was founded in 1980.
Between Donna Summer's Disco Queen era, with hits like "Love to Love You Baby" and "Last Dance"; and her 80s New Wave/Dance hit "She Works Hard for the Money", there were a few albums that could almost be called experimental. 1982s Donna Summer was produced by Quincey Jones, and had elements of soul, traditional R&B, and world music."State of Independence" was a cover of a song by progressive electronica act Jon and Vangelis. Quincy Jones picked the song to be on the album, and recruited a choir of friends in the industry to sing back up. Michael Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder were among the vocal talent on the track.
The song has got a funky bass track, odd keyboard sounds, vocoder-style electronically processed vocals, chanting, a flute sound, Summer doing a weird Caribbean/African accent, and the star choir already mentioned. How does this all come together? Well, I will tell you that listening it, you will feel like you are watching the end credits of an 80s movie. Something uplifting like Iron Eagle but not as action oriented. Maybe the story of a African man who came to America, started working in the copy room, learned English, taught everyone around him how to lead a better life and take it a little easier. He would also help two young White people realize that they are in love and that they should get married despite her parents dislike of the young man. Along the way, a wacky hi-jinks situation would occur, possibly involving the young white man, his girlfriend's father, and the hero at a dance club and women that want to sleep with them all, but none of them do. At the end of the movie, our African hero would decide to go home and take the money he earned to go make his country a better place. That sounds just like an 80s movie to me. And this is the song that would play at the end of the credits.
Monday, February 6, 2012
"Bok Espok"
Kepa Junkera - Bok Espok (1998)
From the album Bilbao 00:00h
The eighth album of Basque folk musician Kepa Junkera involved over forty folk musicians from around the world. Junkera was born in Bilbao Spain which is where the album got its name. This track he worked with Swedish folk rock band Hedningarma. Junkera plays the Trikiti, a traditional Basque accordion-like-instrument that is almost always pared with tambourine. In this track he lays down a few riffs over and over again to lay down a base line and lets other musicians shine over them. Hendningarma is known for performing with a rock beat (which you can hear on the track from start to finish) and Yoik singing, which is the tight harmony vocals you can hear in the song. Two other traditional instruments show up in a lot of Kepa Junkera songs. The Alboka is a double single reed instrument, which means that it is like two clarinets shoved together in one instrument. It is thought to be Northern African or Arab originally, and made it's way into Spain during the Arab conquest. It remains an important instrument in Basque music. I can't quite hear it distinctly in this track, but I think it may be doubling the vocals. The other instrument is the Txalaparta which is wooden boards played by two musicians with large wooden sticks. It's like a small section of a huge over sized xylophone.
From the album Bilbao 00:00h
The eighth album of Basque folk musician Kepa Junkera involved over forty folk musicians from around the world. Junkera was born in Bilbao Spain which is where the album got its name. This track he worked with Swedish folk rock band Hedningarma. Junkera plays the Trikiti, a traditional Basque accordion-like-instrument that is almost always pared with tambourine. In this track he lays down a few riffs over and over again to lay down a base line and lets other musicians shine over them. Hendningarma is known for performing with a rock beat (which you can hear on the track from start to finish) and Yoik singing, which is the tight harmony vocals you can hear in the song. Two other traditional instruments show up in a lot of Kepa Junkera songs. The Alboka is a double single reed instrument, which means that it is like two clarinets shoved together in one instrument. It is thought to be Northern African or Arab originally, and made it's way into Spain during the Arab conquest. It remains an important instrument in Basque music. I can't quite hear it distinctly in this track, but I think it may be doubling the vocals. The other instrument is the Txalaparta which is wooden boards played by two musicians with large wooden sticks. It's like a small section of a huge over sized xylophone.
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