washerman's dog

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Best Music Festival in the Southern Hemisphere: Bluesfest 2011

Byron Bay

Surf at BB

Groove with the dolphins

Tomorrow marks the end of the Bluesfest 2011, the best blues and roots musical festival in the southern hemisphere, if not in the world. Held in Byron Bay, on the northern coast of the Australian state of New South Wales, the festival DEFINITELY gets the gong for Major International Festival Held In Closest Place To Paradise.

Ernest Ranglin

One of the Washerman’s Dog’s old school mates who lives in that amazing part of the world has requested a special mix of some of the acts that headlined this year’s event. With great pleasure and in the hope of enticing all readers and followers of the Dog to save up their shekels for Bluesfest 2012, the following Selection Musicale ala Carte is offered for your listening and grooving pleasure.

Enjoy MP!

Track Listing:

1. She’s Rare (Paul Kelly)

2. Dignity [Unreleased, Oh Mercy] (Bob Dylan)

3. Haayo (Ernest Ranglin)

4. Neph (Trombone Shorty)

5. Freedom Train (Toots Hibbert)

6. La Grange (ZZ Top)

7. La Pistola y el Corazon (Los Lobos)

8. Black Diamond Bay (Bob Dylan)

9. Oh, My God (Michael Franti and Spearhead)

10. Great Controversy (Luciano)

11. Every Day I Have the Blues (B.B. King)

12. Victor Should Have Been a Jazz Musician (Grace Jones)

13. You Send Me (Aaron Neville)

14. Motherless Child (Blind Boys of Alabama)

15. 99 ½ (Mavis Staples)

16. In Between Tears (Irma Thomas)

17. Sweetest Waste of Time (Kasey Chambers with Shane Nicholson)

18. Friar’s Point (Susan Tedeschi)

19. Cedar Grove (Jeff Lang)

20. (Doin’ the) Boom Boom (Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed and the True Loves)

21. Talkin’ Lion Blues (C.W. Stoneking)

22. Rich Woman Blues (Tony Joe White)

23. Quality of Mercy (Michelle Shocked)

24. Just Be Yourself (Ash Grunwald)

25. Wanted to Write a Love Song (Cat Empire)

26. Changing Partners (Elvis Costello)

27. Taught by Experts (Paul Kelly with Uncle Bill)

28. Love’s Recovery (Indigo Girls)

29. Green Spandex (Xavier Rudd)

30. I Get Off On It (Tony Joe White)

31. The Thrill is Gone (1969 Single Version) (B.B. King)

Listen here.

Ms G Jones

Le Bobster de la Minnesota

Honorary Aussie Tony Joe White

Sunday, April 24, 2011

In Mohammad's City: Haji Aslam Sabri

Ajmer Sharif

Switching gears from great singers of the Christian ‘gospel’ tradition, we move to another form of spiritual music: qawwali.

Much of South Asia’s Muslim culture and worship was born and unfolds around the shrines (dargah) of sufi poets and teachers who are usually revered as saints. The pace and feel of life around these shrines is very different than the often solemn, segregated and increasingly shrill atmosphere that dominates the large ‘mainstream’ mosques (masajid).

At the fairs that mark key dates in the life of the pir (saint), especially the urs (death anniversary) the surrounding countryside comes to life like savannah after rain. Tents large and small pop up and all manner of hucksters, carnival masters, caterers, itinerant shopkeepers and wandering holy men converge to fill them up far into each night. Buses and pickup trucks loaded with villagers roar back and forth between nearby towns, guns are shot occasionally, into the air mostly and of course everywhere there is music. Pop music blasts from the restaurants. In small groups men pluck and bow battered sarangis, iktaars and beat dholak singing songs with deep folk roots. And of course late into the night qawwal parties regale listeners with songs of praise to Mohammad, the Koran, Allah and the local pir.

I quote from a study of a shrine the Washerman’s Dog used to frequent years ago, Golra Sharif, a few short kilometres from Islamabad.

At about 10:15 a.m. attendants roll out carpets on which the murids will sit in the large assembly hall. The pir sits at one end and his male murids (disciples) sit in rows along the three remaining sides. A basket of flowers are placed next to the pir along with other decorations. The qawwals, one playing a sitar, another a box harmonium and a third drums, sit on one side in the front row so that the murids have ease of access to them. Next to them sits a hafiz (one who knows the Quran by heart) who opens and closes hour long performances with a Quranic reading.

During the performance, the pir, usually three or four times, gives a rupee to the hafiz, who in turn gives it to the qawwals. This triggers a stread of murids who leaving their seats, offer money to the qawwals. While the qawwali continues the secretary, sitting near the door, hands the pir his mail and periodically confers with him over replies. Despite this undercurrent of activity a real feeling of reverence is generated and rapt attention characterises the murids. No one breaks the mood by talking or smoking—with their shoes removed and heads covered, occasionally swaying with the rhythm, one is left in no doubt that is an act of devotion and considered as such. (Pirs, Shrines and Pakistani Islam, P.Lewis, Rawalpindi, 1985)

The most important dargah in India, if not South Asia, is that of Moinuddin Chisti, the founder of the Chisti silsila (order) of Sufis in the sub-continent. Located in Ajmer, Rajasthan, where he came as a preacher from Iran via Bukhara, the great center of Islamic learning in the early middle ages. His tomb in Ajmer rose to a position of preeminent prominence during the time of the Mughal Emperor Akbar (16^th century) who humbly walked to Ajmer to honor the sufi after hearing qawwals singing the great saint’s praises. Ever since it has been one of the major pilgrimage sites for not only Muslims, but Hindus, Sikhs and even Christians.

In this post the Washerman’s Dog offers a selection of contemporary qawwali by Haji Aslam Sabri a devotee of Moinuddin Chisti and frequent visitor to Ajmer Sharif. Sabri’s style in this collection is more restrained then the fiery vocal pyrotechnics of the performers more familiar to Western audiences. Indeed, in some instances, the feel touches the fringes of mainstream ‘filmi’ qawwali, but Haji sahib’s soft tenor voice and lovely Urdu pronunciation keeps the music true to its devotional roots. Indeed, one can argue that it shares something with the Hindu bhajan (hymn) in its quiet intensity and allows the worshipper to focus on the real object. As mighty as Rizwan and Muazzam are, one can’t help but feeling as one listens to some of their more energetic qawwalis that one is sitting dangerously close to a runaway train. The highpoint of this volume is the 30 minute qawwali in praise of the Mecca. Mohammad ke sheher mein (In Mohammad’s City) is a masterpiece that in addition to relating the healing and holy properties of Mecca includes poetry by Mohammad Iqbal and Sufi Bismil Baba.

Track Listing:

1. Bigri Banti Hain Unka Khaya

2. Dar Chood ke Aap ka Sabir

3. Jaan Se Piyara

4. Main Ghulam-e-Mustafa Hun

5. Mere Sabir Nirali Teri Sha

6. Mil Gaya Unka Dar Jisko

7. Muhammad ke Shahar Mein

8. Qaul

9. Sabir ke Martabe ko Kya

10. Wa ko Naam Moinuddin Pyaro

Listen here.

As an Easter bonus, the Washerman’s Dog has included a small mix of other qawwals.

Track Listing:

1. Makkah Madina (Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan)

2. Teri Ishq Nachaya (Wadali Brothers)

3. Allah Ho Ya Rahman (Rizwan and Muazzam)

4. Mohabbat Karne Walo Hum Mohabbat (Sabri Brothers)

Listen here.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Holy Ghost Pt.3: The Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir

In the early 19^th century a group of African-American citizens in New York and Ethiopian sailors grew sick and tired of the pious, supposedly-Biblically-sanctioned apartheid that prevailed in their local Baptist church. They resigned their membership for all eternity and set about building a new congregation. Inspired by the ancient Christian roots of Ethiopia, they called their new church the Abyssinian Baptist Church. Over the two hundred intervening years, the church has grown into one of the largest and most famous black congregations in the USA.

Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem

In 1960 under the guidance of Alex Bradford, the Abyssinian Baptist Church Choir made a recording that has secured its status as undisputed classic of black choral gospel music. Recorded live in the Church the 120 voices truly shake the rafters. And stir the soul. And rattle the bones. This is music that must be played loud whether first thing in the morning or last thing at night. It’s the sort of music you need to be baptised by. Let it wash over you and feel your resistance crumble.

For all those who have chosen Jesus as their guru this is essential Easter Sunday music. For those who don’t want the dogma just take this record and enjoy its power, energy, joy and amazing singing. You will not regret.