I’m happy to announce the release of KASSIDAT: Raw 45s from Morocco, an LP project I put together for Dust-to-Digital. Hypnotic and trance-inducing grooves from what I call the “Golden Age” of the Moroccan record industry, the period beginning in 1956 when Morocco gained its independence, until the 1970s. It was a time when many locally-owned record labels flourished, thanks, in part, to the inexpensive 45 rpm format. Most of these companies were based in Casablanca, but they released hundreds of 45s of authentic, hardcore folk music from all over Morocco. KASSIDAT is the third in a series of Dust-to-Digital LPs that explore similar locally-controlled record scenes around the world during the 1950s and 1960s. The first two in the series was LUK THUNG: Classic & Obscure Recordings from the Thai Countryside, followed by Chris Menist’s QAT, COFFEE & QAMBUS: Raw 45s from Yemen.
I designed this one and wrote the notes with a lot of help from Ayyoub Ajmi (www.settatbladi.org) and Tim Abdellah Fuson (moroccantapestash.blogspot.com). Be sure to check out their excellent web stuff for deeper diving. The recordings were mastered by Michael Graves (www.osirisstudio.com). Thanks to Dust-to-Digital for continuing to support these projects.

LP AVAILABLE HERE

Digital Download Here

As promised, here’s another great 78 from Morocco. Al-aita is the music of the urban and rural poor and is found generally in central Morocco. This recording is typical of the style, driven by raspy fiddle played upright on the knee, drums such as ta’rija and darbuka, and the call and response of the Cheikhates, the female singers that front the group. As with female performers elsewhere in North Africa, such as the cheikhat of Algerian rai, the cheikhates in Morocco suffer shame and are regarded as outcasts due to their transgression of social and religious roles. This record was released on Philips around 1950.

I’ll soon be posting some news about a forthcoming LP project I put together for Dust-to-Digital called “Kassidat: Raw 45s from Morocco.” In the meantime, to prime the pump and grease the wheels, I figured I’d do a post or two of Moroccan 78s. Morocco has an interesting diversity of folk music styles, most of which tend toward trance-inducing, hypnotic grooves. There’s the rwais (itinerant musical troupes from the Marrakech area), the female led ‘aita troupes of the central region, the Sufi village ensembles, the music of the Gnawa, Chaabi, and more. The gunbri is a lute that comes in several forms and is used in several of these genres throughout Morocco. The Gnawa are well-known for their large bass gunbri, while the rwais use a smaller, more banjo-like gunbri, sometimes called lotar. A third variety is used in central Morocco and the Rif mountains. It has a distinctive pear-shaped body, and is carved from a single block of wood. It’s often paired with the bendir, as in this recording, by the famous comedic duo of Kachbal and Zaroual. Moroccan music was widely recorded during the early 20th century, but this type of gunbri seems to have been rarely recorded during the 78 rpm era. It wasn’t until local record companies began to prosper after the country gained independence, in 1956, that many 45s of this type were released. In fact, Orikaphone was one of the first of these local Moroccan labels and this record was released on 45, as well as the 78 shown here.

Turkey is well-known for its classical art music developed during the Ottoman Empire. It’s impossible to deny the genius of classical musicians like Tanbûrî Cemil Bey, but I’ve always gravitated toward folk music. In Anatolia, the most popular folk instrument is certainly the bağlama, sometimes called saz (and not to be confused with the tiny Greek baglamas). The bağlama belongs to a family of string instruments used throughout the region; Syria, Kurdistan, Persia, and elsewhere. The instrument comes in many sizes, from the small cura to the enormous divan sazi. The instrument has seven strings, dived into 3 courses, the two highest courses have 2 strings, while the lowest course has 3. The tuning varies depending on the mode of the song, with the open strings acting as drones to emphasize the different characteristics of the mode.
Mucip Arciman was a folk musician from central Anatolia who became popular in the 1940s and ’50s.

2012 was a good year. I posted 20 sides here on ShellacHead, pretty much a whole CD worth of material. Jon Ward and I played some good stuff on the Gramophoney Baloney podcast back in September. I also completed two projects for the Dust-to-Digital label, both should be out in the first quarter of 2013 (more on those soon).
As 2012 draws to a close, I thought it might be fun to put together a selection of some of the records I’ve collected this year that have not been reissued on cd, as far as I know. So here it is, “20 from 2012,” a good old-fashioned mix tape type thing. Download the zipped archive (mp3s and a PDF), burn to cd, print the insert and stick it in one of those old jewel cases you’ve got lying around!

I’ve decided to offer this on a “pay what you want” basis. You can choose to buy me a virtual beer or have it for free…it’s up to you.

Download:
ShellacHead: 20 from 2012

1. Leyenda India, Davila y Rodriguez  PUERTO RICO
2. Koulou Liladi, Cheikh Benoubia  ALGERIA
3. Mandolin & Harmonium Ghat, J.D. Marshal & H. Don Vincent  INDIA
4. Das Pintele Yid, Yenkowitz & Goldberg  NEW YORK
5. Lala Satane, Mabulukwe Anzima  SOUTH AFRICA
6. Tsifte Telli, Dimitrios “Salonikos” Semsis  GREECE
7. Seberu Beru, M. Legwara Kadipela  SOUTH AFRICA
8. Mabaad Ghachia, Cheikha Nejma Elouahrania  ALGERIA
9. Not Me , Denzil Laing Trio  JAMAICA
10. Tico Tico No Fuba, Sivuca  BRAZIL
11. Unidentified Iraqi Test Pressing,  IRAQ
12. Parachinka Kolo, Sava Jeremic  SERBIA
13. Keghetzig Erevan, E. Saaruni  ARMENIA
14. Ndamulombu, F. Gwenzi  MOZAMBIQUE/ZIMBABWE
15. Mal Ghusnil Dhahab, Mohamed Faris Alkhalifa  BAHRAIN
16. Lalla Aicha, Raisette Embarka  MOROCCO
17. Rakkosa Kiz, Inst. Group  UZBEKISTAN
18. La Pimienta, Tobias Plicet  PANAMA
19. Jamadal Bardas Aladat, Abdullah Jan  PAKISTAN
20. Cumbia Campesina, Los Corraleros De Majagual  COLOMBIA

This post is riffing off the latest from the legendary Excavated Shellac. As JW points out, “There were certain regions in Sub-Saharan Africa where local music was barely recorded - if at all – by commercial companies or ethnographers, until at least after World War II.” But records from these “barely recorded” places have a way of popping up, and his fantastic track Haalpulaar’en people of Senegal and Mauritania is a perfect example. Here’s a companion record, of sorts.
The vast majority of the populations of Mauritania and Senegal are Sunni Muslims. In the 19th century, several Islamic Sufi orders became prominent. Of these, the Khadria (Qadiriyyah) brotherhood is not only the oldest in West Africa, but likely the oldest Sufi order in the world, founded in the 12th century. The Khadria are one of the two main Sufi brotherhoods in Mauritania, and one of several orders in Senegal. The Sufism of the region also incorporates animistic elements from pre-Islamic religions along with the search for an ecstatic experience, often through music or prayer.
This track features a type of ritual drumming and chanting called Tabala Wolof, performed at night on a set of large kettle drums (tabala) with a chorus of singer/chanters. This is the 3rd part of the poem “Inal Mourada” (“Nostalgia of the Prophet”) composed by the famous Cheikh Saad Bouh (1848-1917). The poem is spread over at least four record sides, maybe more.
Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to locate any information about the Studio Chaouy label, which, according to the label, was located in Senegal’s capitol, Dakar.

For further listening and reading:
An amazing post by Matthew Lavoie on the variety Sengalese Sufi cassettes: http://blogs.voanews.com/african-music-treasures/2008/09/23/sufi-sounds-volume-two/

And a contemporary recording from Village Pulse I have yet to hear: http://www.villagepulse.com/tabala.html

Typical Bulgarian folk instruments like the kaval, gadulka, and gajda were joined by the accordion in the early 20th century. Karlov, born in 1924 in Sofia to a Bulgarian-Roma family, came to be considered the father of Bulgarian accordion style. It was probably helpful that his own father, Karlo Aliev (check him out on Excavated Shellac), was a highly-regarded musician and director of Krenjaska, an ensemble that gained fame playing on Radio Sofia in the 1930s. Boris took over as director of the group when his father died in 1944 and soon became a celebrated musician. His true love was for folk music, and he applied his amazing technique and musicianship to styles from many different regions, although his roots were in western Bulgaria. Here he plays a dance tune in 11/8 from northern Bulgaria called “Gankino Horo.” The label Radioprom was formed by the nationalizing of small local labels in the late 1940s and eventually changed into the Balkanton label.
Boris Karlov died in 1964.

“They have down in Arkansas what they call the Bill Green, and that’s a square dance.
All the partners to their places, straighten up their faces for a Bill Green.”

I’ve been listening to old time country 78s (“Hillbilly”) for nearly 20 years, but I have bothered to collect only a few because so many of the recordings have been reissued on cd. This has always been a favorite record of mine, and as far as I know, it has never been reissued. Unfortunately, it’s not in great condition and I’m always on the lookout for a cleaner copy, but this is the only one I’ve ever seen! Recorded 83 years and 2 days ago in Dallas, on June 26, 1929. I think it’s the finest example of American old-time jaw harp playing on 78. I have no idea who Barnyard Steve really was, but I love how you can hear him imitating the dance rhythm of old-time fiddle bowing by using his breathing, rather than the striking of the harp’s tongue (or “twanger” as some old timers call it). He even calls out square dance figures with the harp still clearly set against his teeth.  It’s a shame that Barnyard Steve only made this single record. However, the flip side is a fantastic series of barnyard animal impressions, some of which are almost chilling.

**UPDATE**

I was contacted by Mr. Steve Austin, Barnyard Steve’s grandson, who provided me with the following details. Steve Edward Austin was born in Riddleville, Texas on May 29, 1890. He performed on the Orpheum Vaudeville circuit as Barnyard Steve, other times as Uncle Hiram and his Animals. Later, he became a regular performer on WFAA-AM in Dallas. He also toured high schools as a ventriloquist and even supplied animal voices for Walt Disney. According to his grandson, Barnyard Steve played no instruments other than the jaw harp, and was not, to his knowledge, a real square dance caller.
He died in Dallas, Texas on May 12, 1955.

Thanks to Steve Austin for supplying these details and photograph! In honor of this new information I’m adding the B-side to this post.

Tar is the Persian word for “string”, and is the root of many instrument names (guitar, sitar, dotar, etc.) The instrument called tar is used widely throughout Iran, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Afghanistan. It seems to have originated in the region of southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia. Considered the “sultan of instruments” by Persians, it holds a prime position in radif, Persian classical music. During the 19th Century, a variation of the Persian tar was developed in Azerbaijan with a slightly different shape and additional strings.

George Shah-Baronian was an Iranian of Armenian origin. During the 1920s, he recorded in New York for the Pharos and Sohag labels. At some point, he seems to have relocated to Los Angeles where he performed and recorded this record at the famous  “Radio Recorders” studio in Hollywood, where many greats recorded, including Elvis. If anyone can fill in the details on Shah Baronian please leave a comment (paging Ian Nagoski!).

Unfortunately, this record has a small chip at the edge, so we miss the introduction to this otherwise excellent tar solo.

Abul Hasan Khan (aka Abolhasan Eqbal Azar) was one of the great Persian singers of the 78 era. He was an Azeri, born in 1871 (some say 1866) in the village of Alvand, outside of Qazvin in the northwest of Iran, not far from the borders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey and Iraq. As a child, he moved to Qazvin where he studied music with the famed Haji Mulla Karim. He performed in major cities around the country and in 1914 made his first record for the Monarch label. This recording, made with the newly invented electrical recording gear, was recorded in 1929 in Tehran by Frank Rennie and released the following year. Abul Hasan Khan was still performing when he died at the age of 100.

New York was a hotbed of Greek recording after WWII, when small, independently-owned record labels such as Nina and Kalos Diskos seemed to be thriving. Despite all the recording activity, the famous bouzouki pioneer Ioannis Halikias (aka Jack Gregory) was barely recorded, despite being a well-known fixture on the New York scene. Halikias’ place in history was cemented when he first recorded 4 songs for Columbia in 1932. Those records were very influential and, to some extent, kicked off the bouzouki craze in Greece, despite being recorded in New York. Apparently he was angry with Columbia for the “fine print” in his contract and decided to cut ties with the company. Halikias did not record for some twenty years until he finally made a few recordings for the small Athena label in the mid-1950s. During those intervening years he hung out with various Greek musicians touring the states (one can find snippets on the web of home recordings made during this period, which, unfortunately, the Halikias family refuses to release in full unless they are paid an absurdly high price), and is rumored to have run an underground hashish joint. It’s also been whispered that after he died the police found his closet full of (other people’s) wallets (see comments section). Again, these are unsubstantiated rumors from the “rebetosphere.”

Here’s one of the Athena sides, never reissued, that includes his friend, Kostas Kalevas. Kalevas is presumably the singer, but was also a bouzouki player. While Halikias’ most revered records are all zembekika, the heavy 9/4 rhythm that was the backbone of rebetiko songs during the 1930s and 40s, both the songs on this record come from the demotika (folk) repertoire, rather than the urban rebetiko milieu. This song is typical of songs about shepherds, declaring his love his sweetheart and mountains. Admittedly, these recordings do not match the bouzouki virtuosity of some of Halikias’ classics, but it’s interesting to hear a bouzouki master in another context. It makes me wonder if he was merely backing up his friend. There’s also the possibility that it’s actually Kalevas playing bouzouki here, but I’m not familiar enough with his playing to make a guess.

Ah, the poor Stafithianos
he never gets old.
And wherever he has a secret love, he makes it known.

I picked up this record years ago and have always loved it, but I’ve never dug up any info on Artemis Roukounis. There was a thriving Greek recording scene in New York after WWII when Mr. Roukounis seems to have put together an eponymous vanity label, featuring his own mandolin playing and singing. I’ve only ever seen this first record in the series (R-101/R-102), and since I’ve come across several copies of it I’m inclined to think that it was the only record the label released. Likewise, the Dionysios Maniatis Greek discography lists only the one issue for the label, dated 1955. Both sides are traditional songs from Crete and his playing, although somewhat, um, idiosyncratic, is basically Cretan in style. The first part is an amanes, an improvised vocal that’s common throughout Greece, Turkey and surrounding regions, while the 2nd part of the recording is a stafithianos (or stafidianos), is a type of Cretan rhythm.

So who was Artemis? I’m assuming he is not related to the great vocalist Kostas Roukounas, who was not from Crete, but from the island of Samos. Was he a successful Cretan merchant in New York who could afford the luxury of a vanity recording? If this internet thing really works I suppose someone will come forward with details.

General was a record label based in New York that began in the late 1930s. While the label is best known for it’s 1939 set “New Orleans Memories”, featuring the last recording sessions of Jelly Roll Morton, they also released several sets of ethnographic music. These include the Yaqui (and Tarascan) set by John H. Green heard in the last post, as well as a set of Haitian music, presumably recorded by Harold Courlander. Courlander was the son of a noted American painter and intellectual. In the 1930s he made folkloric field recordings across the American south and eventually became smitten with Haiti. Haiti seems to have been a super hip place to be “into” back in the 1930s through the 50s, with artists like Maya Deren and choreographer Katherine Dunham taking inspiration from the music and Voudoun practices of the island. Courlander made more than 20 trips to Haiti and wrote the classic “The Drum and the Hoe: Life and Lore of the Haitian People.” As if that wasn’t enough, Courlander was general editor of the Ethnic Folkways Library, recording over 30 albums for the esteemed label.

Admittedly, I’m not absolutely positive that Courlander made these recordings for General. Please give me a shout if you have further information. Unfortuntely, these recordings are simply credited to the “Damballa Wedo Singers,”  with no indication of the performers’ names. Damballa Wedo is one of the primary spirits in Haitian Vodou, as well as in West African Vodoun, from which the Haitian religion is descended.

General closed shop in 1943 and the masters were subsequently purchased by Commodore. To my knowledge, Commodore did not reissue any of the ethnographic recordings.

Shawm-like instruments are found all over the place, from the well-known Turkish zourna to the obscure Khmer sralai, or the Algerian ghaita, as heard in the previous post. The double reed oboe has been an important instrument in military and festival musics around the world. It even made it’s way to the Americas. The P’urhépecha, or Tarascan as they were called by the Spanish, are a pre-Columbian culture from the Mexican state of Michoacán. Much of their music heard today is Spanish influenced string music, but these examples recorded by John Green in the early 1940s showcase an earlier traditional style. For some unknown reason, this single P’urhépecha record was included in the 4 record set of Yaqui music recorded in Arizona. This side of the record is divided into 3 tracks. The first two tracks feature the double reed chirimia, a member of the shawm family brought to Mexico in the 1600s by Spanish priests. In the third track we hear a small reed flute, which unfortunately ends somewhat abruptly.

We just heard the Colombian flutes called gaita, then the Galician bagpipe of the same name, now let’s check out this version from the Mozabites of Algeria. The Mozabites are a Berber cultural group living at the north end of the Sahara in Algeria. Their ancient hilltop cities are built around oases in the Mzab valley. The ghaita played by the Mozabites, and other North Africans, is a reed instrument of the ubiquitous shawm family, the predecessor to the modern oboe. This rarity was recorded using the old acoustic method in 1924 by George Dillnut in Oran, one of only three Mozabite records released from that trip.

Here’s a completely different type of “gaiteros,” this time from Galicia, the autonomous region of northwest Spain. Here, the gaiteros is a player of the gaita, a celtic bagpipe found also in Asturias and northern Portugal. It’s been suggested that the name gaita comes from the Eastern European word for goat (gait) and was brought by the Visigoths in 800 A.D. when they conquered Spain. In any case, the gaita is the iconic instrument of Galicia, and players have been the rock stars of their culture for centuries. It can be played solo, in small groups, or in large military style marching bands, as heard here. The song ¡Ay Maruxa! is a muiñeira, the most common song form in Galicia in 6/8 time.

Cumbia is the popular dance form of Colombia with roots in Africa and influenced by Spanish and indigenous cultures, plus a big helping of Afro-Cuban sounds. While the accordion is the true hero of cumbia (and Cuban styled orchestras have been nearly as popular), it’s the gaita that represents the real roots of cumbia music. The cane flute called gaita, played by gaiteros, is most often used in pairs, the small hembra (female) and the larger macho (male) hypnotically weaving around each other.
Discos Curros was started in the early 1950s by Curro Fuentes, who, along with his brother, had created the monumental Fuentes label.

Jal tarang (spelled many ways) is an instrument that consists of ceramic bowls tuned by water. The name means “waves in water,” and although the instrument is rare, it has a spellbinding sound. It was first mentioned in the Sangeet Parijaat, written in the 17th Century, but it was likely used even earlier. It’s used in both Hindustani and Carnatic music.

Although this label indicates the lead instrument is the Cretan lyra (a pear-shaped, three-stringed bowed fiddle), my Cretan-music-playing friend Al Davidson insists it’s actually a violin. While Haniotikos simply means “from the city of Hania”, the Crete’s second largest city located along the northwest coast, the fast and wild sounds of this recording suggests it may actually be from the nearby city of Kissamos.

Bruno Villareal was a half-blind accordion player from Santa Rosa, Texas, who played for money around town with a tin cup attached to his accordion. Nicknamed “El Azote del Valle” (the Scourge from the Valley), he became well-known as the first Tex-Mex accordion player to record. He recorded under his own name or as the Texas Accordion Boys, or in this single case, The Rooster. He was a traditionalist, with equal use of the left and right hand. But as the right hand came to dominate the sound, as in the style of Narciso Martinez, old-school players like Villareal were left behind. This song was recorded at the Texas Hotel in San Antonio on August 16, 1935. He died, destitute, in 1976.