Folk Column: Sahara Rising

One of the most interesting figures in roots music circles, Justin Adams has developed a unique guitar styles that combines a deep love of good old fashioned feelgood blues-rock with an ingrained understanding of the timbres and modalities of North African music.

His distinctive style came to prominence in 1990 with Jah Wobble’s Invaders of the Heart. Since then his playing has lit up albums by artists as disparate as Sinead O’Connor, Tinariwen, Natacha Atlas, Damien Dempsey, Liam O Maonlai and, most recently, Dervish. A true musical nomad, he was instrumental in setting up the Festival In The Desert (not to mention playing on one of the festival’s defining moments, Robert Plant’s genre-shredding ‘Win My Train Fare Home’). The collaboration with Plant dates back to 2002 when he worked with the Zeppelin frontman on the Dreamland album and was solidified when the two co-wrote the Mighty Re-arranger album. He still continues to sling guitar as part of Plant’s Strange Sensations band.
This year has seen him in the studio again, both as a producer – of Tinawaren’s Aman Iman album – and as a performer in his own right, where he has been working on his latest release, a two-hander with Gambian Griot, Juldeh Camara.The resultant album Soul Science is the result of a meeting of two worlds, an Afro-Blues shakedown. After a few years of collaborations with Robert Plant and Tinariwen, Juldeh’s sound seemed like a perfect match for Justin’s guitar and production. An African Master Musician who played in the fields for farmers as a child, Juldeh has the drive and effortless flow of a great Bluesman. And while his instrument brings to mind Delta players like Big Joe Williams, as well as Ali Farka, there is a lilt in his playing that hints at the ancient links between North Africa and the Celtic World. Soul Science is far from a purist piece: it has gritty rock and groove throughout. It uses the ancient Soul Sciences of scale and rhythm to create a 21st Century Afro Blues.
While they are touring the album, the tour doesn’t take them to Ireland. More’s the pity.
Another natural nomad, Belfast’s Andy White – if you can still call him Belfast’s after all the years on the road – is swinging by for a couple of dates on his current global wandering. One of the great Irish singer-songwriters, he tours the world with his 12-string guitar in one hand and a book of poetry in the other. He has worked with the likes of Peter Gabriel and Tim Finn. They called him Belfast’s Bob Dylan as he emerged in the new wave of acoustic music headed by The Pogues. Melody Maker reviewed his first album, 1986’s Rave On Andy White with the headline ‘Yer Man’s Brilliant!’ and Folk Roots made him their youngest cover star. He has, quite literally as well as metaphorically, come a long way since that though bringing a shiftless, probing lyrical sensibility to his music. Undoubtedly folk but with a killer instinct for a pop tune, he has chalked up a back catalogue of nine albums, including this year’s Garageband which was recorded with John Leckie behind the desk and drummer Liam Bradley and piano player Radoslav Lorkovic down on the studio floor with him. It has been described as ‘an Irishman playing Velvet Underground songs at WOMAD’.
His world is a truly peripatetic one and like his literary hero James Joyce he has lived for a period in Switzerland, although he now calls Australia home. Known as a powerful social commentator he has seen enough of the world for songs like ‘Street Scenes From My Heart’ to take on a universal resonance. Fittingly, for someone so constantly on the move, he has forged a lasting relationship with Peter Gabriel’s Real World organisation which has seen him play at a slew of WOMAD festivals and act as musical director and host of WOMAD 2005 in the UK.
As part of the Garageband tour he’ll be in Bewley’s Cafe Theatre on Thursday November 1, The Corkscrew in Gorey on Friday November 2 and in Galway’s Roisin Dubh on Monday November 5.
Also washing up from points further south, Syd Kitchen appears in the Cherrytree, Walkinstown on Friday November 2nd. Although he has played Glastonbury, Edinburgh and the Belfast Arts Festival his music is resolutely rooted in his life in South Africa. Since the ‘70’s, he has remained an innovative, active, non-compromising part of the South African musical landscape. An acclaimed teacher, thinker and published poet, he performs extensively at Festivals and clubs throughout South Africa, both solo and with various combinations. He has released several critically acclaimed afro-beat albums to date; all born of an eclectic, curious spirit unfazed by market-place considerations or the wishes of others. He should be a perfect foil to the duo of Alison O’Donnell and Isabel Ni Chuireain whose blend of folk-rock, traditional and roots music which draws on the same source that fed Alison’s work as part of legendary prog-folk outfit Mellow Candle who were at the centre of the early ’70s folk scene that also threw up the Woods Band and Tir Na nOg.
Indeed Tir Na nOg also play at the Cherrytree on Saturday October 20 at the start of a run of really strong shows there. In addition to the classic material that you might be more familiar with the set also features new material from Leo O’Kelly and Sonny Condell.
One of the Cherrytree’s highpoints in what really is shaping up to be a great schedule of gigs is the show on Saturday November 3 which features Pauline Scanlon, Winnie Horan, Mick McAuley and Donogh Hennessy any of whom would be worth the ticket price on their own.
Although it is still quite a ways off, Flook’s visit to the Cherrytree on Friday December 7 would also be one to book early for. Having won the ‘Best Group’ category at last year’s BBC Folk Awards there can’t be many who would argue with their iconic status within the British folk scene and they’re equally loved and revered on this side of the Irish Sea too. Having taken a spot of maternity leave earlier in the year Sarah Allen is now back in the fold and this should be a jewel of a show.
Aficionados of the various piping traditions from around the globe will be converging on Armagh from November 14-18 for the William Kennedy Piping Festival. What began as a small specialist gathering has now blossomed into one of the most important piping festivals anywhere. Highlights this year include the first visits to the festival of Scottish legends Capercaillie featuring Michael McGoldrick, Balkan super-group Nikola Parov Quartet with Theodosii Spassov, Galician duo Espido, French trio Topanga featuring Eric Montbel, Bulgarian gaida virtuoso Ivan Georgiev, Mike Katz (Battlefield Band) from the USA and Scottish trio Iain MacDonald, Iain MacFarlane & Allan Henderson. There will also be the Irish premiere of a new project entitled Four Nations Piping Concert featuring Barnaby Brown, Mick O’Brien, Pauline Cato, François Lazarevitch and Javier Sáinz.
First time visitors to the festival include three of the finest and most respected Dublin pipers Seán Óg Potts, Ronan Browne and Gay McKeon, who will be accompanied by his sons Conor and Sean. Seán Og Potts also will be part of an exciting quartet which also features Altan fiddle player Ciarán Tourish, Steve Cooney and former Stunning member Jim Higgins on percussion.