PRITPAL AJIMAL
38 • UNCUT • OCTOBER 2019
NEW ALBUMS
INa curious
way,SongsOf
OurMothersis
thesoundof
urbanBritain
now.It’slike
theBabelof
soundsfroma dozeninner-city
immigrantcommunitiesthathave
beenreassembledintoa coherent
whole.It’sanalbumfronted
bya youngrefugee,singingin
Farsi,backedbya Britishband
withrootsaroundtheworld.It’s
thekindofthingthatcouldbea
completemess,butit workson
everylevelandgrooveslikehell.
Theband,Kefaya,area truly
globalcollective,ledbyGiuliano
Modarelli(a guitaristfromMilan)
andAlMacSween(a pianistfrom
Burnley).Thepairmetona jazz
courseatLeedsCollegeofMusic,
wheretheyimmersedthemselves
inthecity’sthrivingreggaescene
andinIndianclassicalmusic.
Bothhavespentthepastdecade
collaboratingwithmusicians
fromaroundtheworld– Cuban
violinists,Palestinianand
Kurdishsingers,Indiantabla
players,Londongospelchoirs
andSpanishflamencoguitarists.
TheirfirstalbumasKefaya,
2016’sRadioInternational, wasa
sonicmanifestothatdrewupon
thisuniquemixofinfluences,
recordedwitha hostofguest
singers. It was an impressive
statementofintentbutwasalmost
exhaustinginitsscope– like
runningaroundbetweenstages
ata worldmusicfestival.
Notlongafterthatalbum’s
releasetheymeta youngAfghan
singerofPersianancestrycalled
ElahaSoroorata musicfestival.
ShehadarrivedinLondonin 2012
havingfledAfghanistanunder
extraordinarycircumstances
- shehadbeenthestarofaPop
Idol-styleTVtalentshow,buther
forthrightmannerhadearned
thedisapprovalofreligious
fundamentalists,andshewas
forcedtofleethecountryafter
numerousdeaththreats.
ModarelliandMacSweenstarted
toaccompanyheratgigs,and
arrangedthe 11 traditionalAfghan
folksongs,lullabiesandwedding
anthemsthatbecameSongsOf
OurMothers. WithSoroorfronting
eachtrack,it is a muchmore
focusedreleasethanKefaya’s
debut,butstylisticallythisis still
analbumthattravelstheworld,
withguestmusicians(trumpeter
YazzAhmed,percussionist
SarathyKorwar,clarinettist
ManosAchalinotopolous,
saxophonistTamarOsborn,
IraniansingerMohsenNamjoo)
allbigstarsintheirownright.
Theopeningtrack,“Jama
Narenji”,is reminiscentof
thegallopingdesertrockof
Tinariwen, with a distorted
baritonesaxbasslinethattakesus
intoBalkanfolkterritory.“Arose
JaneMadar”,a mournfulwedding
song,sungbya motherwhofears
shewillneverseeherdaughter
again,is a gentle6/4grooveplayed
ona tablawitha reggaebassline.
“Charsi”is a waltzthatpokesfun
ata machopothead,allthewhile
takingthemelodyintoa suitably
skunk-drencheddubterritory.
“GoleBeKhar”is a songof
forbiddenextramaritallove,its
7/4rhythmtransformedintoa
shimmeringMassiveAttack-style
trip-hopbeat.Bestofallmight
be “Bolbi” – based arounda lyric
thatreferstoa typeofsongbird
thatis keptinmale/femalepairs,
andonewhereSoroor’ssoaring
vocalis setagainstrippling,Alice
Coltrane-styleflourishesand
freak-jazzimprovisationsonviolin
andclarinet.
Someofthebackstoriesarealso
verymoving.“GoleSadbarg”
(a beautifulmajor-keyballad
forvoice,speciallytunedguitar
andbrusheddrums)and“Do
ChasmaneSiyah”(anothersliceof
fidgetydesertrockin7/4)areboth
songsmadefamousbythe1970s
folksingerDelaram,alsoknown
asAbeMirza,a womanwhowas
laterimprisonedandtorturedby
religiousleaders,while“Lalay
Lalay”is a nurseryrhymeaimed
atboys,repurposedbySoroorinto
a feministtract.
SongsOfOurMotherstapsinto
somethingmuchbiggerthanitself.
Partofwhat’ssocompellingabout
thecurrentwaveofBritishjazzby
thelikesofNubyaGarcia,Shabaka
Hutchings,Emma-JeanThackray
andEzraCollectiveis thatit’sthe
soundoftheEmpirestrikingback
- therhythmsofAfrica,SouthAsia
andtheCaribbeanbeingrefracted
throughthelensofyoung,urban
London.Kefaya’snewalbum
takesthisideaofthesonicmelting
potevenfurther,goingbeyond
theCommonwealthtobecome
somethingtrulypanglobal.
Inaneraofincreasing
isolationism,misogynyand
religiousfundamentalism,
thisalbumbecomesa defiant
celebrationoffreedomand
internationalism.It alsohelpsthat
themusic is quite remarkable.
DISCOVERED
Searching out the best albums new toUncut
AlMacSweenand
ElahaSoroor“I wasn’t
interestedin authenticity”
HadyouplayedAfghanmusic
before?AlMcSween: Wenever
workedwithAfghanmusicians,but
wedidworkwithmusiciansfrom
eithersideofAfghanistan– Iranand
India– andtherearepointsthat
Afghanmusichasin commonwith,
say,HindustaniorPersianclassical
music.Butequally,thereareunique
melodiesandrhythms.A lotofAfghan
musicis in 7/4time,soit’sa real
challengetomakeit groove!
DidElahaopenupa newworld
ofmusictoyou?AlMacSween:
Absolutely.Westartedplayingwith
her at gigs around Europe aimed at
Afghanrefugees.Yourealisethereis
thispassionatecommunityallaround
Europe,starvedoftheirhomeculture.
Therearetwosongsbythe
AfghansingerDelaram– who
wasshe?ElahaSoroor: Sheis a hero.
Shewasimprisonedandtorturedby
religiousleadersformakingmusic.
Thesesongsaremytributetoher.
Howmuchdidthesongsalter
duringrecording?ElahaSoroor:
Afghanfolksingersalwaysalterthe
lyrics.I wasn’tinterestedin recreating
Afghanfolkmusicauthentically;I
wantedKefayatodosomething
original.Thereareoddthingsthough
- forus,singingin sevenbeatsis
natural.ForWesternmusicians it is
like hopping on one leg!
Q&A
KEFAYA & ELAHA SOROOR
Songs Of Our Mothers BELLA UNION
9/10
A thoroughly modern, multicultural masterpiece.By John Lewis
