Waraba [Pure DSD]

NativeDSD Blog Review

From the opening notes, an unaccompanied bass introduction to the first track, “Lamba”, an extraordinary listening experience unfolds. The percussive strokes of the bala, the gently strummed kora, transmit generations of musical lineage. (…)

The hypnotic rhythms of the bass and balafon under the harp-like sounds of the kora convey a joyous mood. Each of the African instruments demand the highest level of virtuosity.

Other highlights include Avenel’s “Pi-Pande”, in which he overdubs bass and kora, the skillful solo trading in “Kaïra”, and the touchingly evocative “Tubaka”. The recorded sound in original DSD captures the unique and delicate timbres of the West African instruments in vivid detail.

Mark Werlin - Source

Allmusic 4 out of 5

African fusions have been approached in any number of different ways, but this mix of jazz and traditional Manding music is definitely something different. French bassist Avenel has worked for years with kora players, but this time out seems to nail both the spirit of tradition and adventure. Listen, for example, to “Pi-Pande,” where overdubbed basses move the textures and melody, while the kora provides a beautiful high overlay. On the original “Batou Kagni” it’s flute, bass and n’goni that do the work, bouncing off each other in some excellent improvisations. And on “Jarabi” the music seems to travel, moving from West Africa across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. All in all it makes for a heady mix that works on all levels — intelligently, thoughtfully, and with a sense of passion about the music. The backgrounds of the musicians mean different approaches to the music, although those mesh very well — as a group the dynamics become ideal, as they show on the closer, “Tubaka.” It’ll be interesting to see where they take these ideas next time around; certainly on this outing they’re successful enough.

Chris Nickson - Source

All About Jazz 5 out of 5

When it comes to music, “old” can be a relative term. Jazz may be a revered and ancient language to its practitioners and fans, but it’s a mere infant compared to the music of the West African Manding Empire, which dates back to the 13th Century rule of Sunjata Keita, its founder and first king. Until recently, you had to be from one of a handful of select families to be qualified to play Manding music right. But times have changed, colonialism notwithstanding, and players like France’s Jean-Jacques Avenel have made Manding music their own.

Avenel, who’s self-taught on the bass, has been active on the European free music scene for three decades, most prominently working with Steve Lacy since 1981, when he replaced Kent Carter in the straight horn player’s quintet. That’s where jazz fans will recognize the name and the sound, but for the purposes of this recording it’s important to note that Avenel has immersed himself in the music of West Africa for some time now. He’s been playing the Kora, a harp/lute-like instrument, for over twenty years.

Waraba (which means “the lion” in the Bamana language) is the title of Avenel’s Paris-based Manding music project with Yakhouba Sissokho (Kora), Lansiné Kouyaté (Balafon, a marimba), Moriba Koita (Ngoni, a lute), and Michel Edelin (flutes). Avenel plays bass (and kora, on two tracks) on the record, which is evenly split between traditional pieces and originals by members of the group. Other than the acoustic bass and flutes, the instruments that appear here are old as West African music itself (and the liner notes provide some helpful background).

Waraba is mesmerizing, transfixing music where motion seems to blur as time progresses, though the actual notes are quite detailed and interlock in precise and constantly changing patterns. The traditional pieces and the originals are intermixed, but unless you’re a student of the music you wouldn’t necessarily know which ones are which. Avenel’s playing on the solo “Pi-Pande” (on two basses and a kora) is perhaps the most personally revealing about the ways he chooses to connect jazz and Manding forms, and it’s anything but predictable. The bass is not traditionally part of this kind of music, so everything he does on the instrument constitutes either an invention or an adaptation.

The group interacts avidly with a candid, open improvisational approach in the process of fleshing out these tunes. The combination of timbres remains organic and balanced, and the DSD recording faithfully reveals every subtle nuance and coloration. Given the overall sprightly dominance of the kora—and credit master kora player Yakhouba Sissokho for bringing the African contingent into this group—this can be viewed as a kora record, but only by listening to Avenel’s bass playing can you really appreciate its inherent balance.

Waraba is breathtaking, masterfully inventive, and unpretentious stuff. Mind-blowing, really, whatever your musical background.

All About Jazz Staff - Source

Jazzman (France)

Refinement sans exoticism. An album of great discernment.