REVIEW: An Honest Jon's Chop Up

July 5
London, UK
http://www.barbican.org.uk/

London's Honest Jon's doesn't do "world music" quite like anyone else. As such, the record shop/label's unusual showcase at the Barbican features African legends Tony Allen and Afel Bocoum alongside the likes of American soul singer Candi Staton and Blur's Damon Albarn. In true Honest Jon's style, the event does away with the formalities of an "official lineup," opting to adorn the stage with the national flags of each artist performing. And, just as the shop is strewn with records of all genres of African and Caribbean music, the lineup reflects its eternal search for new sounds.

The stage is crowded, and as its title suggests, the gathering is cannily reminiscent of a Nigerian chop up, where styles, musicians, and songs are mixed and shared freely. Albarn gesticulates (admittedly rather haggardly) at the ensemble from behind a battered harmonium, and Mali's Kokanko Sata Doumbia steps into a lilting piece on n'goni with accompaniment from Toumani Diabaté on kora. Reminiscent of Nina Simone, her vocals shine through complex arpeggios as deep chanting from Alpha Sankare coalesces into a rhythmic fugue. As Sata finishes her opening piece, the climactic, driving jazz beats of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's "Sankofa" lead into a blistering duet with the Graves brothers on trumpet, as Tony Allen's virtuoso drumming opens sleepy listeners' ears.

The tempo drops when Louisiana folk singer Victoria Williams steps gingerly onstage. With gentle kora accompaniment from Diabaté, Williams sweeps through her small-town folk renditions with a frailness that stands in direct opposition to the raucous nature of the opening songs. To follow, key Mali Music collaborator Afel Bocoum and Kipsi Bocoum don guitar and monochord violin, adding deep bassy calabash complements to the mnemonic discord.

The Bocoum piece gives way to soul diva Candi Staton, who shows that her voice is still very much intact with a rendition of "I'm Just a Prisoner." Staton then raises a few eyebrows in the audience, pulling out an as-yet unperformed number, "Who's Hurting Now." Toumani Diabaté works the kora to the max in a solid ten-minute display of his mastery.

The tone softens, moving from a jangling foray into Malian culture to Simone White's "Bunny in a Bunny Suit." Wistfully tragic, her weird songwriting seems hauntingly desolate sandwiched next to Lobi Traoré's trademark Bambara blues, which brings Tony Allen in to build upon the fuzzed-out layers. Adding a bit of entertainment, Traoré's bassist, Brehima Kouyaté, ends up playing half of the songs with his instrument wedged either behind his back or on his head.

Following the individual performances, Albarn finally greets the crowd, perhaps hinting that the Chop Up is finally hitting its stride. Classic Honest Jon's album sleeves from Boogaloo Pow Wow, Moondog, and Elmore Judd are projected on the back curtain as Albarn joins in on harmonium and backing vocals with Victoria Williams for the penultimate song. Finally, the whole group joins Staton and Albarn on vocals in a rendition of Mali Music's "Sunset Coming On" that crescendos as the entire troupe begins to dance wildly. The crowd discards the beard-stroking confines of the Barbican's seats to jam with Honest Jon's diverse catalogue of artists.

More a congregation than a label showcase, this evening sums up Honest Jon's raison d'être — not so much a label tied to a genre as a collection of like-minded, niche performers — and provides a multicultural, "outernational" snapshot of a group of artists, co-founded, but not led, by an erstwhile pop star.

-Oliver Spall