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Last revised: May 10, 1997
GLOBAL NOTES
COMPUTER BEDTIME STORIES MY MOTHER NEVER TOLD ME
by DAVID H. SHARP
I take more naps now, read more books, and generally have more time to fart around, which is what it's all about anyway. Right? But it wasn't always like this when I used to spend hours at the computer. Here's what happened! I thought it would be fun to download my fax software. Actually what got me going was a job offer, that demanded a faxed resume.
I knew the learning curve was steep but not inaccessible. Within an hour, however, I had spread out no fewer than four user guides on my lap. When I think of how long it took to figure out where the SEND FAX key was I shudder. These are the time-saving devices we have been waiting for? I finally succeeded and yes! I gloated. I gloated over the so-called little people who still rely on snail-mail, mail centers and other clumsy fax devices. Little did I know that the last gloat was on me. I turned on my cd player and picked out some music to cut the guilt. How was I to know I was only days away from a computer crash!
For those of us suffering from computer burnout, the latest release from TARIKA: SON EGAL (Xenophile) may be the Tiger balm that soothes. This group of Madagascar musicians is rapidly becoming one of my favorite groups from that part of the world. From the haunting sounds of the valiha, a cross between a zither and the West African kora to the political, yet sensitive, songwriting and singing of leader Hanitra, TARIKA can transport even the most computer dead of us back to the everyday life of "cut and paste" with their swirling, vibrant, danceable rhythms of folk and pop. From the brooding hypnotic beat of "Avelo" about disrespecting ancestors to the bouncy opening track of "Tsy Kivy" about having a positive approach to life, TARIKA blends the band's varied musical repertory as we hear stories from Madagascar's turbulent history, such as the massacre of the Malagasy people by the French paid Trailleur Senegalais (African soldiers trained in Senegal).
SON EGAL is a rich story from one of the world's poorest countries-- and by all accounts getting poorer. By using traditional instruments, biting political commentary and beautiful harmonies, this cd should satisfy just about everybody who appreciates world beat. Let the rhythms from this South Indian Ocean island breeze over you while enjoying Hanitra's extensive liner notes. Let the sad eyes of the last Queen, Ranavalona the Third, bear down on you from the cd's cover, as you "boot up" your beast one more time.
When I tried to herald my success at faxing, via e-mail to cyber-outposts within the internet kingdom, I found out I had lost my ability to send e-mail. I was, as the first of many computer techies were fond of telling me--conflicted. I called the AOL HELP LINE (whose answering "tree" can be daunting even for English-only speakers) only to be put on hold for a period that would have tried the patience of the Dalai Lama. The problems were not with the AOL server, I was told, but with the modem/fax vendor. Just before we hung-up, the techie mentioned something about needing to "PRAM" the computer. I swear I could hear "gloat" over the phone. Oy!
When the computer is about to crash and the blood pressure rises, this is the time to turn to Mbira music from Zimbabwe, Africa. For those of us in the West who have gotten to know Thomas Mapfumo and Robson Banda from the electric Chimurenga school you will love the full acoustic marimba orchestra of MARIMBA AYA MUREWA MAZUVA ANO (IN THESE TIMES) (ZIMBOB) led by U.S. born Chris "Murewa" Berry. Just when the high of the splashing Mbira beat was beginning to wear off, here comes this latest injection of cool, soulful sounds of the Mbira and marimbas backed with the bilingual lyrics (Shona & English) of Berry and the comforting shaking of the hosho as the rattles or bottle caps which ring the Mbira, fuzz out the higher registers of your Multimedia Computer Center. Similar to Mapfumo's sound with its strong bass lines, Chris Berry has his own unique style as on the title track, "Mazuva Ano (In These Times)" with the lyrics:
"Long ago we hunted wild animals in the forest. Now all that is hunted are women and money in the cities".
The liner notes tell of an amazing story of shamanistic rites while this cd spawns the birth of a new U.S./ZimbabweMbira musical style with cross-over appeal. By combining African rhythms and western harmonies, this is as exciting as it gets when life is reduced to not having enough RAM to propel you through the Age of Computer Technology.
Well, I'm not happy. The days are going by and I'm e-mailess. I tackle the modem vendor. This time I'm put on hold after calling a mystery area code number. Musing on my future phone bill, I can't decide whether to hang up after 45 minutes. Finally, the techie gets on the line, and has me do a number of physical exercises on the computer with the fingers of my left hand that would do an iyengar yogi proud. Lo and behold the computer stops, and now I'm told, I've been "corrupted." Great. Now I'm conflicted and corrupted and I probably need a good PRAMMING as well. I could be talking to my psychiatrist or my gastro-entero specialist. I'm told I need to call the manufacturer. I pull out the new cd from KENNETH NEWBY, under recommendation for its potential to exorcise the demons from computer Hell and comfort us, neo-luddites that we are, as we are dragged, screaming and kicking, into the 21st. century.
SIRENS WILL PULL YOU INTO ANOTHER WORLD The long awaited solo project, SIRENS (City of Tribes) by KENNETH NEWBY is a synthesis of musical textures with Indonesian scales, ancient instruments, and the NEWBY signature sound. It also has the uncanny ability to erase the memory of recent computer defeats by potato heads like me and garner the attention of tech heads for making such an intelligent use of sound and technology. SIRENS will pull you into an aural whirlpool where instruments and vocalists, mixed and remixed in atmospheric enhancers and MAX programming will engulf you in a watery netherland where instruments don't sound quite like instruments and where the electronic apparatus loses its "machine" quality.
From the unearthly "Saraswati" sung by Balinese vocalist Anis W.A. Sutrisno to the beat poetry of Robert Anthony, this delicious soundscape is sophisticated stuff and cannot be classified into the usual record bins. Many of the City of Tribes artists make their contribution as well (Patti Clemens, Eda Maxym, Barbara Imhoff, Stephen Kent).
If Kenneth Newby is the modern day version of an electronic whirling dervish then this music stands out as the call to the faithful to enter full states o surround-sound or ambient ecstasy. This is perfect music for seasoned cyberspace sherpas or Computer 101 dropouts.
I'm whining because I can't fax. You know these weren't my problems a year ago. I am the first person in my family to be able to fax from my bedroom and now I'm corrupted and conflicted. I ask you! How was I able to live before this? And the manufacturer of my two-year old, already out-of-date, computer? I know the reason they are not answering my calls. Everyone has been laid off and there is just this one guy running from one answering machine to another giving instructions in between perky new age background music. From where I'm getting a headache you don't want to know!
. I brighten after receiving two cd's from Alula Records from North Carolina. KIRILE LOO: SAATUS (Alula) takes the Estonian runic-verse and sings her own arrangements that tell of life's mystery and call on themes of death, celebration and life's changes in between. After the third song, I noticed that the parmupill (jew's harp) coupled with the Northern Estonian dialects began to wash away the sins of this informational overload world that begins with h--t--t--p colon backward slash, backward slash, w--w--w dot. This is a soulful voice that sings the ancient stories, plays to traditional instruments and captures you with an enchanting simplicity. I enjoyed this cd with every listening and found myself daydreaming for when I could use my interactive cd encyclopedia again and print out the North Balken country of Estonia in 250 shades of grey.
Japanese composer and banjo player AKIRA SATAKE and COOLER HEADS PREVAIL (ALULA) struck me as tradtional banjo music until the second song had me hearing jazz and then Arabic scales and I succumbed to his intelligent and witty music. Experienced world music fans will appreciate the global journeys each song suggests and certainly enjoy the variety of instruments that compliment each song.
International players John Cunningham, Steve Gorn, Jerry O'Sullivan and Osaka, Japan's AKIRA SATAKE, fuse banjo with the violin. bouzouki, bansuri flutes, uilleann pipes, frame drums and percussion to provide us with sophisticated new music with hints of Binelli or Piazzolla from the South, Bismillah Khan from the East AND........ Earl Scruggs from the West!
Okay, so now the "problem" has been assigned to the dealer here in town. I pull in to their service department for a "quick (system folder) install" on the ol' OS (operating system) and after a test drive, my AOL SERVER can't seem to find the right computer port. So here we go again!
While in Berkeley last week paying respects to the late Moe of Moe's Book Store, I did two things: I used the restroom on the third floor and I bought a used copy of MASTERING THE ART OF WAR. Liu Ji says: "When you are at war with strong enemies, at first their energy is keen, while your momentum is weak, so it is hard to hold them off. Avoid them for the time being and you will prevail." Until next month..........
If you would like to link up to any of the countries mentioned above you can do it here. MADAGASCAR ZIMBABWE ESTONIA