Malo dominates this mp3 collection of world music. I was a big Santana fan (still am) & thanks to that developed a liking for latino music. Malo is a Spanish group out of San Francisco . I have Uno, Dos, Evolution, Ascención, & Celebracion (singles). The first two I had when they were first released. The others added much later when it was time upgrade from lp to mp3.
Not as ‘acid’ guitar driven as Santana & with horns I love this band. More traditional & laid back they were a good introduction to world music. The lps progressed but never deviated far from their roots. Sometimes political but mostly romantic & always interesting. If you aren’t familiar start with Uno.
In this collection are The Boyoyo Boys: Back In Town (1982). The Boys are a four-piece band from Soweto, South Africa. Their sound is Mbaqanga music which blends jazz and African musical traditions. Think bouncy & energetic. Similar is found on Hurricane Zouk: 1992 Zouk is a musical movement in the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. I don’t recall how I come across Boyoyo but I found Zouk on the $1.00 shelf as the 2nd hand record/book store that used to be around the corner from the Greenwood Subway station.
Joan Manuel Serrat is a Catalan musician. here is his 1992 Utopia. I was introduced to his music when I was manager at the Lab On Britain St. (now gone). A theatre collective of guys from Mexico, Argentina & Brazil used ‘real’ latin music before their shows. The guys were sweet & the music was wonderful. Serrat is more mellow but enjoyable. Less mellow is Vox Dei (Argentina). A prog-rock band & here I have their concept lp La Bible (original version). When we get to ‘V’ you’ll hear more about them.
Finally on this cd is Homeland: Black South African Music. A fun collection that is a mix of tribal, pop & jazz. I found this first at the library & love dit enough to eventually down load a copy for myself. It is a great collection & also a fine introduction to African world music. I often wonder if American pop is considered world music in South Africa or Brazil?
Their Dreams Unfulfilled
I went back up to my room. Parents can be so weird at times, even though I had changed, they had left it pretty much what it had been like when I was in high-school. Maybe that was when they were happiest with me. When I was still the boy who would grow up to eagerly fulfill their dreams of the perfect heterosexual son.
I had taken much of my furniture with me when I finally left home for university in Toronto. They merely dragged back what had been stashed in the basement – the desk I sat at when I slaved over my homework, my old narrow single bed. What a fight we had when I wanted to get rid of it for a larger one. Mom was sure a bigger bed would take up too much of the limited space in the room. She was right but at the time I wasn’t giving in an inch.
The oak frame had a new mattress on it though. The old frame had been sanded lightly but some of my carving still remained as reminders of time frittered away. Initials of girls I now don’t remember, in little hearts, with mine. Maybe some boys though, as then I didn’t know better, or maybe couldn’t admit what I sort of suspected.
DM had to be Darla Matheson. The only reason I remember her or even went out with Darla was because her older bother, Mitchell, mesmerized me with his smile. I could still see his face so clearly while her’s a blur in a yearbook.
“We’re shutting the water off.” My Dad called up to me.
“Okay.”
I’d arrived a two days ago. After driving non-stop for almost 24 hours I’d slept most of the next days and I wanted a day of vegging in the old homestead before taking on the city but this was pushing me out sooner than I’d planned.
Outside I looked over the house, the garden. It had been over five years since I’d been home last. Trees were bigger.
“You want a lift anywhere?” My Dad opened the car door.
“No. thanks. I’ve had enough driving for awhile. Think I’ll just take a stroll.”
“Enjoy. Some of us have to work you know.” He laughed.
I watched from front steps as he drove away.
I walked to the corner and stood for a minute to look in each direction. One way was the walk to my grade school, another direction to my high-school and a third, the direction towards downtown. Which set of unfulfilled dreams did I want to tackle first?
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