Gigi

[Des]

I've just picked up her CD for £3 and it's not bad at all.

I note there is no mention of her in the Rough Guide to Africa & the ME (possibly because she's based in the USA?) but she deserves some mention surely? OK what she does is crossover pop, but the music retains enough of an Ethiopian flavour to keep it interesting thanks to Bill Laswell's atmospheric production.

So I say giddy-up, Gigi - play Womad for me. What do others think?

[Dayna]

I've had one of her songs on this World 2002 CD. Tew Ante Sew.

[Con Murphy]

I've just picked up her CD for £3 and it's not bad at all.

I note there is no mention of her in the Rough Guide to Africa & the ME (possibly because she's based in the USA?) but she deserves some mention surely? OK what she does is crossover pop, but the music retains enough of an Ethiopian flavour to keep it interesting thanks to Bill Laswell's atmospheric production.

I like Zion Roots, the album she made under the aegis of Abyssinia Infinite (which is listed amongst the Rough Guide book's recommended albums), but wasn't really left wanting more (I went diving into the grittier Ethiopiques series, instead). I agree it would be good to see her at WOMAD, though.

[Charlie]

I agree it would be good to see her at WOMAD, though.

I really like the Abyssinian Infinite album, and went to see Gigi live at the Barbican some times after its release. But I left in the interval, dismayed by the overbearing bass of her husband/producer Bill Lawsell, alongside his hand-picked sessionmen who between them reduced Gigi to the status of a backing vocalist at her own gig.

They made no attempt to match the delicate, acoustic sound of the album, and resorted to a typical all-purpose muso sound.

This was a good example of the disappointing gigs that led me to make the controversail remark about preferring records to gigs.

[Chris P]

I really like the Abyssinian Infinite album, and went to see Gigi live at the Barbican some times after its release. But I left in the interval, dismayed by the overbearing bass of her husband/producer Bill Lawsell, alongside his hand-picked sessionmen who between them reduced Gigi to the status of a backing vocalist at her own gig.

They made no attempt to match the delicate, acoustic sound of the album, and resorted to a typical all-purpose muso sound.

This was a good example of the disappointing gigs that led me to make the controversail remark about preferring records to gigs.

I'm still smarting a year and a half+ after reading this, from hearing Tony Cedras and Hamid Drake described as 'hand-picked sessionmen'. These are 2 of the most imaginative and accomplished musicians in the world, members of regular ensembles (Threadgill, Pharoah Sanders etc), and friends and colleagues of Laswell. Cedras' accordion was a key ingredient in the Abyssinia Infinite album you rate so high. The gig I saw on this tour (at Warwick Arts) was one of the most exhilerating concerts I've been to. Laswell's bass was awesome and complementary, and Gigi was on fine shining form. The group (deliberately I thought) operated in a middle ground between the Abyssinia Infinite group album sound and Gigi's more electrified and dub-jazzy solo credited albums.
"typical all-purpose muso sound" - blame the sound desk or the particular night of the gig you saw, but they were great in Coventry, so please don't send them to ..... ( raking up old posts here , sorry !)

[Charlie]

I'm still smarting 2years+ after reading this, from hearing Tony Cedras and Hamid Drake described as 'hand-picked sessionmen'. These are 2 of the most imaginative and accomplished musicians in the world, members of regular ensembles (Threadgill, Pharoah Sanders etc), and friends and colleagues of Laswell. Cedras' accordion was a key ingredient in the Abyssinia Infinite album you rate so high. The gig I saw on this tour (at Warwick Arts) was one of the most exhilerating concerts I've been to. Laswell's bass was awesome and complementary, and Gigi was on fine shining form. The group (deliberately I thought) operated in a middle ground between the Abyssinia Infinite group album sound and Gigi's more electrified and dub-jazzy solo credited albums.
"typical all-purpose muso sound" - blame the sound desk or the particular night of the gig you saw, but they were great in Coventry, so please don't send them to ..... ( raking up old posts here , sorry !)

No problem about raking up old posts, Chris. I've been hoping somebody would come up with another view on that band. I agree with you that Tony Cedras can be an excellent musician, but had the impression that the band was going though the motions and that Laswell was determined to abandon the fragile sound of the Abyssinian Infinite album, perhaps because he preferred the formumulaic approach of the first Gigi album. I never knew the reasons why Gigi switched labels from Palm Pictures to Network Medien, but formed the impression that the two companies gave different briefs for the producer.

I seem to recall that Philip Ryalls had a very different experience of the gig fom mine... are you there, Philip?

[richardh]

My experience that night was exactly as yours, Charlie. Wasn't there a review thread here or on the FRoots site ? I seem to recall a polarisation of views.

[Philip Ryalls]

I enjoyed the QEH gig, apart from the awful lighting which made Gigi's eyes disappear and photography very difficult. I had seen Bill Laswell a few years earlier with John Zorn's Painkiller group and so found him more restrained that evening, though I would agree that the gig was closer to the two Palm CD's than the Abyssinia Infinite one. I remember thinking that the harsh reviews would scare her away, and I don't believe she has been back (the gig was in May 2005).

Hamid Drake is certainly an interesting musician; there is an extensive discography here:
http://restructures.net/Drake/Hamid_disco_home.htm

There was also a feature on him from the Vision Festival on Jazz On 3 a few years back:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzon3/pip/hqjr5/

One of many Bill Laswell projects are the excellent Panthalassa "reconstructions" of Miles Davis early 70's recordings.

[Chris P]

I remember thinking that the harsh reviews would scare her away, and I don't believe she has been back (the gig was in May 2005).

yes I feared that too. Charlie is a strong ally for a WM artist, but a crushing review also carries weight. I'm particularly upset because I thought the band/ live show was so so good - but then I did go at a different venue (the QEH btw is in my opinion a sterile venue) and I guess tastes vary. Definitely one of my all time top gigs though.

Hamid Drake is certainly an interesting musician; there is an extensive discography here:
http://restructures.net/Drake/Hamid_disco_home.htm

There was also a feature on him from the Vision Festival on Jazz On 3 a few years back:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/jazzon3/pip/hqjr5/

thanks for these, look 4ward to checking them later

One of many Bill Laswell projects are the excellent Panthalassa "reconstructions" of Miles Davis early 70's recordings.

yes they are excellent (and so are the originals too !)

[Jonathan E.]

. . . Laswell was determined to abandon the fragile sound of the Abyssinian Infinite album, perhaps because he preferred the formumulaic approach of the first Gigi album. I never knew the reasons why Gigi switched labels from Palm Pictures to Network Medien, but formed the impression that the two companies gave different briefs for the producer. . . .

Once again, I think we must rely on the "Ain't diversity grand" explanation for drastically different opinions of a recording. I find both the Gigi release on Palm and Zion Roots on Network to be remarkably enjoyable and neither to be superior to the other. While they are somewhat different in their approaches, I'd say that they are clearly complementary and compatible. "Formulaic" is not a word that seems applicable to either. Both are clearly the work of an unusual musical intelligence — and I don't think that is entirely attributable to Bill Laswell. I say that because Gigi is not, in fact, her first recording. Prior to hooking up with Laswell, there was an earlier release, One Ethiopia.



Unfortunately, it is somewhat marred by drum machine and cheapo production but clearly showed an interesting musical style in development. I kept it around for quite a while before I had to purge it for space reasons. If you have to hear it, you can find it on eMusic or download via Amazon.

The two later Gigi albums, Illuminated Audio and Gold & Wax, I've never quite managed to get into. The first because I read a bad review of it — and so never got around to checking out to form my own opinion! The second because several of the tracks were far too sweet as I recall when I auditioned it, and so I downloaded only about half the album, which makes it seems rather incoherent. However, I note that she was then back on Palm for this one.

Laswell is one of those fascinating musical figures. I have a moderate amount of his stuff, but he's surely one musician that I'll just about bet that no one has everything he's worked on. How could you? He seemed to realease an album a week several years ago. A lot of his work I think does show that he spent too much time in the studio, but when he's good, he's so very good. Hallucination Engine is undoubtedly one of my all time favourites by anyone. The two Gigi albums I have seem to me to be right up there also.

[DavidM]

I'm with Charlie on this one; I really liked the Abyssinia Infinite record, and when I found a copy of Gigi (the Palm release) earlier this year I snapped it up, only to find it strangely bland. To my ears it never really takes off, despite having all those stellar musicians on it.