Jinja

Wonderful recording of musicians from 11 Nile countries who gathered in Jinja, Uganda and collaborated on ten original compositions; cross-pollination of the best kind with excellent musicians; great musical texture and variety where Africa meets the Middle East and the two meld in incredible ways; translations of lyrics can be found online at http://nileproject.org/music/lyrics/

NO FCC's; Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10

*1-Inganji –7:52 – ultra-catchy rhythm/melody with great percussion and what sound like Bantu language lyrics starts in Rwanda and segues to other cultures/languages along the Nile like the river itself, ceaselessly moving, flowing

2- Allah Baqy – 5:04 – love song contrasting Egyptian and Sudanese Arabic dialects

*3 –Ya Abai Wuha – 5:41 – Ethiopian number really swings with Amharic lyrics and krar and bass krar; halfway rhythm picks up and sound is lighter and higher with ululation ¾ way through

4 – Omwiga –6:02 – Ugandan (“The River” in Lusoga) – interesting string figure starts out and then singer comes in over the recurring arpeggios (or bisbigliandos); halfway through the vocal mixture thickens and tempo picks up; more ululation and cries at end

*5 – Uruzi Nil –4:30 –Burundian – great drumming and pretty mbira (?) and flute; fast; with lyrics

*6 – Dil Mahbuby – 10:29 – Egyptian --begins with expertly played oud figure-- a third to halfway though, rhythm changes with percussion added and singer comes in with lyrics to “In the Presence of My Beloved”

**7 – Tenseo – 12:11 – begins with Ethiopian hymn often sung on Good Friday; evolves into polymodal expression of Ethiopian and Arabic scales and then segues to jazz improvisations between Ethiopians and Egyptians; mostly instrumental except beginning; nice percussion underpins sax solo; great oud work too

8 –Marigarita –4:58 – collaboration between Rwandan and Ethiopian musicians, trading native scales

***9 -Biwelewele –4:49 –Burundian song in Swahili about the futility of envy and hatred; lovely marriage of voices and instruments (ikembe)

**10- Mulungi Munange –6:03 - “The Beautiful Friend” in Luganda – lovely harmonic intro, same composer as #9