HUFFINGTON
02.02.14
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MUSIC
BRUNO MADERNA
BOMBINO
BO CARTER
Avant-electro composer/conductor
Bruno Maderna was an illustrious 20thcentury soundmaker. Born in Venice in
1920, Brunetto the wunderkind took
to the violin by the age of 4, segueing
into conducting during boyhood with
performances at the legendary La Scala
as a tween. On Fascist orders, he toured
Europe as an example of nationalism.
Maderna went on to attend Milan’s
Verdi Conservatory, Rome’s Conservatorio di Musica Santa Cecilia, as well as
the Venice Conservatory. After WWII,
he made his bones with the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, a
think-tank of modern music. By the
mid-’50s, Maderna and colleague
Luciano Berio co-founded Studio di
Fonologia Musicale in Milan and RAI’s
Incontri Musicali. He was later chief
conductor of the RAI in Milan. Credits
include Public Opinion, Death Laid an
Egg, Noi Cannibali, The Temptress, and
2001: A Space Odyssey. Collaborations
include Luigi Nono, Pierre Boulez. Gian
Francesco, and the BBC Symphony
Orchestra. The maestro passed away in
1973. Visit this modernist’s pool of sonics with “Reflection in the Night,” from
the 2010 collection Arte.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Bombino
(a.k.a. Goumar Almoctar) was born in
Niger at the hit of the ’80s. Cut from
Tuareg cloth (a nomadic people), the
desert-dweller was raised amidst uprisings and suppressions. His family
fled to Algeria, then Burkina Faso, in
his tweens, where he picked up guitar,
a symbol of Tuareg freedom. Upon returning to Niger in 1993, young Goumar held fast to his dream, recording
with his band Tidawt. Soon after
releasing his solo debut in 2004,
he found himself in the company of
Keith Richards and Charlie Watts for
a remake of “Hey Negrita.” By the late
aughts, guitar was banned in Niger
and unrest led to the execution of two
of his bandmates, sending Bombino
into self-imposed exile. By 2010, the
sand had settled in peace and Bombino returned home, welcomed back
by the local sultan, and has since recorded with Dan Auerbach (The Black
Keys) and toured the States. Discover
“Assalam Felawan (Peace to You),”
from Bombino’s 2011 Agadez.
Delta bluesman and picker Bo Carter
was born Armenter Chatmon in 1892
on a Mississippi plantation. He was
raised in a musical home, his father a
fiddler, mother a singer/guitarist, with
brothers Sam (bass), Lonnie (fiddle),
and Harry (piano) filing out the lineup.
Bo later became the leader of legendary blues outfit The Mississippi Sheiks,
which included his brothers and vocalist/guitarist Walter Vinson. Carter’s
tracking debut in 1928 supporting
Alec Johnson elevated his in-demand
reputation during the 1930s, leading
to a solo career marking over 100-plus
recordings. Best known for his suggestive titles “Banana in Your Fruit Basket,” “Pin in Your Cushion,” and “Your
Biscuits Are Big Enough for Me,” Carter
showcased his earnest gifts in blues
classic “Corrine Corrina.” By 1935, he
became visually impaired but continued
to play music as well as farm for the
rest of his life. Affiliations include stints
with Charlie McCoy and His Mississippi
Hot Footers and The Mississippi Blacksnakes. Carter succumbed to a stroke
in 1964. Listen to the ribald classic
“Please Warm My Weiner,” from the Bo
Carter Vol. 3 (1934-1936) collection.
TAP HERE TO BUY: iTunes
GENRE: Avant-Electronic
ARTIST: Bruno Maderna
SONG: Reflection in the Night
ALBUM: Arte
TAP HERE TO BUY: iTunes
GENRE: World
ARTIST: Bombino
SONG: Assalam Felawan
(Peace to You)
ALBUM: Agadez
TAP HERE TO BUY: iTunes
GENRE: Blues
ARTIST: Bo Carter
SONG: Please Warm My Weiner
ALBUM: Bo Carter Vol. 3
(1934-1936)