Adelaide broiling higher - Womad finale 3 & 4

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this is the end of Monday, which is a public holiday here (Adelaide Cup day) and I am doing this luxury style - on one of 3 big Imacs in the Internode free wifi test.

So what happened yesterday Sunday? well late brekky of bacon and eggs and toast etc at local place near hostel which is quite reasonably priced. Got up to Womad to see the end of Vieux Farka Toure doing his geetar power trio thang. Then bit of a break then the Soweto Gospel Choir, who I actually paid money to see in Sydney once at Star Casino casino or summat. They were the expected rousing self. The a bit of the Correspondents, a local duo who fool around with sound clips and styles while one of them sorta dances on and off. Then a nuevo Peruvian group called Novalima who live all over the world and largely collaborate by email and the net. They were quite interesting.

Then of course one of the Big Draws - Salif Keita, the socalled Golden Voice of Africa. His first real European breakthru CD Soro came out around 1997 and he has got bigger since. He has just has a new one out and he is one of the few people I would likely just buy without even listening to. Strangely enough he looked like a Bamako businessman on holiday break! - wearing black jeans and a denim overshirt and a white cap with a red design on it. He is of course Albino which made it hard for him earlier due to ostracism. he was not surprisingly pretty damn good. Then the well known Melbourne funk band (all such come from Melbourne as they have much more of a soul scene down there) the Bamboos, with guest singer Tim Rogers from You Am I. I saw the Bamboos for the first time here a couple of years ago. Rogers got his shirt off and was then prancing around in turquoise velvet style loons and a read sash - channeling Jagger or what? He even sang a couple of older Stones songs to get you in the mood.

The next hour had Tuba Skinny, a New Orleans sorta new Dixie band playing so I did half an hour of them then split the other 30 mins with Jimmy Cliff. He is legendary anyway so he does not need my approval but he was playing Its a Wild Wild World as I came up - which I rather remember more a s a Cat Stevens number! He ran right over by a bout 20 mins and even did an extra number which they are not supposed to. Which held up Dhaffer Yousseff from starting on the stage next door. As he was much quieter we just had to wait. He plays oud - the stringed instrument, in a chamber jazz fromat group of double bass, grand piano and drums. Definitely at midnight it was lie on the ground and listen stuff.

Today Monday was not as shops closed as I thought and actually most seemed open. As it was both going to be very hot (36) and repeat of Basseyou Kouyate ngoni etc I thought I had better try and make it up here early - well 12.50 anyway. Then a bracket of Amparo Sanchez and her Spanish group. She is female singer and has worked with Calexico if you know them and at times has a very similar sound due to the solo trumpet. Then Illapu, a Chilean band whihc has been going for 40 years almost - mostly outside the country during the Pinochet years. Then Souad Massi who is an Algerian singer who sings about women's rights and such issues (so I understand as mostly in Arabic). Then Seth Lakeman a big trad folk guy from Devon with mostly trad arr songs - he plays both fiddle and guitar, his bro on guitar and a bass player and an Irishman on percussion. Gave this a whol hour as relatively quiet.

Then dinner time - my final Cajun Kitchen meal - jambalaya for 2nd time - it was gumbo in between times. With a beer of course to wash it down. Sing Sing was the usual sort of event they have near the end with various Oceanic singers etc - Telek on there somewhere - David Bridie inevitably involved as he is always is - Vika and Linda Bull reptg Tonga! The Herd - Aussie rap -were making a racket down the other end and Jordi Savall's efforts on the Celtic viol hardlycut thru the sonic bleed thru which was a shame. They should have been on the furtherest stage down the hill a bit. Now the somewhat manic Goran Bregovic Weddings and Funerals orchestra is finishing up as I type. They are crazy Serbian band with slightly out of tune brass etc and he has been used a lot as film composer in Balkan etc films such as Emil Kusturica. Lets say I have no problem hearing them from here!

Tomorrow is supposedly 37 degrees so might spend the day in the Art Gallery aircon and see the Turner exhibition etc. It is one of the better State art galleries, not that I have experienced that many. Might get out to Glenelg on the tram for free (seniors "rate" between 9-3) - then a festival event eahc of Tues and Wed. then home at midday on Thurs. Ta ta for now!

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