Mar 22, 2010
Nightingale Dance
I have a friend in the tire business in Vladivostok. Alexei Gorbunov is 26, bearded, and not much of a dancer, and when we first met in the bar of the M.V. Rus car ferry in the middle of the Sea of Japan, he was drunk out of his mind. He was not alone. The dance floor was filled with gyrating car traders and scrap metal dealers and a troupe from Moscow’s Bolshoi Circus, which was taking the slow boat home after a tour in Japan. There were a few foreigners on board—a Finnish girl running from a boyfriend in Tokyo, a Japanese family about to take the Trans-Siberian Railroad to Germany, a Serbian motorbiker on his way back overland to Belgrade—but the vibe and pounding techno were perfectly Russian. The crowd drank vodka. The acrobats threw backflips. - 6,000 Miles to Moscow
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” East-West. No.1. Lake Baikal. ”
01. Radio Citizen - Dust
Berlin Serengeti (Ubiquity, 2006)
02. Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - The homeless wanderer
Ethiopiques, Vol. 21: Ethiopia Song (Buda Musique, 2006)
03. Matmos - Memento Mori
A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure (2001)
04. Skalpel - Theme From Behind the Curtain
Skalpel (2004)
05. Radio Citizen - Nightingale
Berlin Serengeti (Ubiquity, 2006)
06. Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou - Ballad of the spirits
Ethiopiques, Vol. 21: Ethiopia Song (Buda Musique, 2006)
07. Quantic & His Combo Bárbaro - Undelivered Letter
Tradition In Transition (Tru Thoughts, 2009)
08. Quantic - Not So Blue
Apricot Morning (Tru Thoughts, 2002)
note: I am in weird mood. One of those late winter/almost spring blues. So this is a complete self indulgence list, the rhythm is a little off, melody is sweet, but in very strange mode, etc. It is based on Maryam Guèbrou work, ethiopian blues. I also tried to do east meet west list. If there is anything, imagine a song for riding highspeed train across the siberian plain at 250kph. It’s so fast, everything floats except distance grand landscape and background chatter. Maybe little drink and friendly conversation with stranger about odd life circumstances and meeting on trans siberian train. The list suppose to be a little futuristic, but ends up very traditional, the melody part is very lovely. I might make another attempt with this theme. Yes I know, rock and punk are completely neglected. but what can i say. anyway njoy.
image: remuz [Jack The Ripper]
Maryam Guèbrou is a beautiful find, thanks
Agree with angeles, lovely songs on her part (I’m assuming Emahoy is a girl’s name but not too sure on that one).
The whole playlist fits my mood actually. Think I’m starting to shift towards this sound as well but it’s pointless indulging myself in it when you’re so good at it. I’m going through a musical crisis myself lol. Too much new wave and post punk for me in the past months.
Alright, did the check. Emahoy is a girl’s name after all:
From boing boing: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/03/19/emahoy-tsegue-maryam-1.html
“Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou is a nun currently living in Jerusalem. She grew up as the daughter of a prominent Ethiopian intellectual, but spent much of her young life in exile, first for schooling, and then again during Mussolini’s occupation of Ethiopia’s capitol city, Addis Ababa, in 1936. Her musical career was often tragically thwarted by class and gender politics, and when the Emperor himself actually went so far as to personally veto an opportunity for Guèbrou to study abroad in England, she sank into a deep depression before fleeing to a monastery in 1948. Today, she spends up to seven hours a day playing the piano in seclusion and even gave a concert to some lucky ducks in Washington D.C. a few years ago. A compilation of her compositions was re-issued on the consistently great Ethiopiques label.”
They got the record label wrong tho, Ethiopiques is the name of the series. Wow, they are already on volume 23. Last time I checked they were on volume 16. Haven’t heard but 5 records of the series (the first 5 ones featuring various artists, not the ones focusing on a single musician). Have you heard them all squashed? Which ones would you recommend?
Yeah very interesting work. She has that chopin-esque quality. I haven’t checked all of them. I only listen completely 2 of them. maybe one or two passingly. the other favorite one is the Mulatu Astatke, no.4
ps. Moka. I think you have to finish the big list on your own. I hate the songs I have and simply don’t want to go back. It’s just not appetizing at all. lol. I’ll try to make it up somehow with different list or series.
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entire list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopiques
hi, moka,
yes, Maryam Guèbrou is inspiring
Ethiopiques - Vol. 21 Ethiopia Song Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou Piano Solo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4V-h1A-ICE&feature=related
Alright squashed, but you leave me no choice but to include The Field in there :)
Her playing seem to me more jazzy than classical, reminded of Art Tatum (an opinion which some boingboing readers also share as well).
Mulatu Astatke is great, this ep contains perhaps my favorite set of songs from him:
http://rateyourmusic.com/release/ep/mulatu_astatqe/mulatu_astatke/
Hey angeles! - I’m dissapointed, you got me all pumped up thinking you had found a video of her playing live. Tsk tsk, shame on you angeles.
come on, she’s a nun, lucky if you can see her go out to feed the pigeons, but there’s a video of her playing the piano, not alive I’m afraid
cheers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RvMKUS2Zmg&feature=related
[...] Quantic & His Combo Bárbaro – Undelivered Letter via motel de moka [...]
I think my fav Art Tatum piece is this one.
thanks for introducing me to Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou
This is a beautiful playlist…I just stumbled across this site via hype machine (I think?) and haven’t been able to stop listening to everything here. Thank you. :)
very nice compilation. thx.