Murray Bramwell
The last day of February is the first day of Womadelaide 1997. What began as a part of Rob Brookman’s 1992 Adelaide Festival now continues as a biennial major event. Not only does it have a strong local following but this year’s organisers predict that of the expected 65,000 attendances nearly 8,000 will come from interstate and overseas.
There is good reason for this buoyancy because the Adelaide version of Peter Gabriel’s original Womad concept continues to be among the most successful anywhere. While Womad festivals have had very mixed fortunes in Europe and the UK, Botanic Park at the beginning of the Adelaide autumn offers not only ideal weather but one of the most convenient and idyllic settings as well.
This year’s fixture is managed by Arts Projects Australia, namely the old firm of Brookman, Ian Scobie, Colin Koch and Steve Brown, who with Thomas Brooman from the UK Womad organisation have co-ordinated the event since its inception. Optus has been recently announced as presenting sponsor and both the Premier and Arts minister Di Laidlaw have boosted the festival as among South Australia’s finest.
The program for 1997 sees a mix of new acts and some welcome returns. Given the continuity of the event, the fourth Womadelaide builds on previous achievements. Audience have been educated by the festival itself and, ABC programs such as The Planet and SBS radio and television have deepened and widened our knowledge of what is known rather unsatisfactorily as World Music. But if there is still a problem with terminology, the reality is that audiences of all ages enjoy the highly accessible mix of ethnic, traditional, jazz, hip-hop and rock music that combines to form the Womad experience.
Festival Records, distributor of Warren Fahey’s Larrikin Records has announced February as World Music month and as it happens, a very large number of the Womadelaide acts are included in their releases. The next few weeks offer a perfect opportunity for us to preview some of the unfamiliar styles and sounds on this year’s card.
Still central to Womad, because of the link with founder Peter Gabriel back in 1982, is the Real World record label. Based in rural Wiltshire in the UK the company has pioneered the marketing of a diverse range of artists, putting together samplers and using festivals to showcase their acts, Real World created widespread success not only for such commercially appealing performers as Geoffrey Oreyama but more esoteric musicians like sufi vocalist Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Up-coming performers on Real World records include the Tenores di Bitti, four Sardinian singers whose gravelly unaccompanied polyphonic vocals are hauntingly memorable. The CD S’amore ‘e mama (Real World CDRW60) will give you a sample of what’s in store. The Guo brothers, Go Yue and Guo Yi, play traditional Chinese flutes and another wind instrument called a sheng. Their 1990 CD Yuan (Real WorldCDRW11) is a classic. This time the Guo Brothers will appear onstage at Womadelaide with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, giving a new perspective on their sublime sounds.
The Justin Vali Trio from Madagascar have been a previous Womad favourite. Their vibrant singing and Vali’s mandolin-like valiha can be heard on The Truth (Ny Marina) (Real WorldCDRW51) From the former Soviet Union comes the extraverted Kerem Quartet who take their folk skills to Mozart and Schubert in Classical (CDRW49). And, in the spirit of the Womad festival, comes the cross-over Afro-Celt Sound System, blending Ronan Browne and Davy Spillane’s uillean pipes with synths and African talking drums. There are echoes of the long departed Third Ear Band here. Check out Volume 1 Sound Magic (CDRW61).
Often new names appear on the Womadelaide list and you have no idea what to expect. Last time Mouth Music and Jah Wobble turned out to be very likeable pop hybrids. This time, for me its Shooglenifty. A grungy folk outfit they do for Scottish traditional music what Altan and Four Men and a Dog do for Irish music. Have a listen to A Whisky Kiss (Green Trax CDTrax106)- especially the title track with its duelling banjos, dance beat drum programs, electric fiddle and funk guitar sound. This band should be fun.
Among the traditional European bands Radio Tarifa, based in Southern Spain, bring North African influences together with flamenco, Arabic and medieval sounds. Their CD Rumba Argelina (World Circuit WCD042) is one I keep returning to. They are also a band to look out for. As is Salif Keita, the star musician from Mali whose soulful vocals, consummate jazz rock big band and brilliant back-up vocalists made the final concert at the 93 Womadelaide such a buzz. I’m still playing his 1991 CD Amen (Mango CIDM 1073) produced by Weather Report’s Joe Zawinul. Also is the re-release of Les Ambassadeurs Internationales (Rounder CD5053) early recordings showing Afro-Cuban influences in the development of this major talent.
Other international acts include Fun-da-mental, Afro-Asian hip hop from the UK, the Native American-influenced Lunar Drive, percussionist Joji Hirota from Japan, the Well-Oiled Sisters from Scotland and Misia, exponent of Portuguese fado music. Also, linking from the Perth Festival, we will get to see Richard Thompson and Loudon Wainwright. Since his halcyon days with Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson has produced a succession of acclaimed solo albums. The recent You? Me? Us? (Capitol) a double set -electric and acoustic (or as he calls it, Nude) -is classic Thompson. His distinctive guitar and mournful, sardonic lyrics continue to justify his cult status.
And as a soloist and recent collaborator with Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III is a great performer and a very funny man. He has been recording for more than twenty years and his latest stuff is some of his best- the live album Career Moves is a useful introduction to his style, other recent albums of note are History and 1995’s Grown Man (Virgin Records) including such Wainwright quirkies as I Wish I Were a Lesbian, That Hospital and one his many self-lacerating family studies Father/Daughter Dialogue. It is terrific to have Wainwright at Womad -playing to a decent-sized Australian audience for once.
Womadelaide is not only a showcase for the world but for the best of Australian music. Eighties hit band Midnight Oil fill the spot that The Cruel Sea held last time. And while old Oils fans will be clamouring for the oldies and goodies the band’s recent, more contemplative album Breathe (Sony Music) promises interesting new directions. Never a very committed Oils person, I’m finding Breathe is giving me second thoughts.
Other Australian acts include Paul Kelly, who with Lucky Oceans transformed the Womad Train into a cultural and musical exchange that has gone into legend, Christine Anu, newcomer last time, now major mainstream talent, and, from South Australia, we’ll see Andrea rieniets, Dya Singh, the Borderers and Before You Were Blonde. Most overdue listing though, has to be Kev Carmody, appearing at Womadelaide for a first time. He has a fine album you can have a listen to entitled Images and Illusions (Festival) He featured impressively at the January program launch, said some choice things about reconcilation and sang his great song From Little Things Big Things Grow. And that, come to think of it , is a concept that might also describe Womadelaide itself.
The Adelaide Review, February, 1997.