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International Guitar Festival
Justin Adams and Judleh Camara
with Martin Barker
King's Place
Oct 30, 09
 ary Couzens
A review by Mary Couzens for EXTRA! EXTRA!
This hour long set, more like an a super-tight, intricate, yet, seemingly spontaneous jam session, was nearly as rousing as it was morish, for it featured English guitar virtuoso Justin Adams and master riti or nyanyeru (one string African violin) player Judleh Camara on top form, who, along with polyrhythmic drummer Martin Barker, continually set one another off in new musical directions minute by minute, much to the delight of their enthusiastic audience. The improbable but uniquely compatible duo of Adams and Camara first teamed up in 2007, after the griot musician, who first played his ritti ‘to encourage’ hard-working farmers in his homeland Gambia at the age of seven, and has since collaborated with many musicians, rang him with the proposal. Adams, who has himself, long been an enthusiast, promoter and player of African music of various types, jumped at the chance to collaborate with the masterful Camara and the resulting recording, Soul Science released later that year went on to win the BBC World Music Award for Best Cross Culture Album in 2008. Judging by what I’ve heard of it so far, this year’s release from this dynamic duo, Tell No Lies (May 09) seems just as compulsive and essential as its forerunner.
Three hundred seat Hall one in King's Place, with its fresh wooden surrounds and thankfully clear acoustics might have been the perfect venue for this show were it not for the fact that its comfortable seats got in the way of total audience participation. For, as Adams stated with a knowing smile when introducing the hip – shake inspiring, ‘Ngamen’ which translates from Fulani to English as ‘Let’s Dance’, 'when we play in sweaty dancehalls, something else happens.'
Anyone who's ever seen this duo, trio, with the inclusion of their current poly-rhythmic drumer Martin Barker, would automatically greet them with enthusiastic applause. As Camara said 'Good Evening' in his native tongue, Fulani, and Adams and he slipped into their opening grooves, eyes closed, we realised we were in for a very special set. The soulful grooves deepened further still as Camara began to sing. Adams cut a consistently rock n roll rug without ever over-powering, as Barker, on what looked like a rectangular box beat a rhythm as steady and relentless as summer rain. Camara's hips swayed as he gently sawed his one stringed instrument, drawing an incredibly diverse range of sounds from it. Camara got down in ways that were as uplifting as sunshine after storms with slices of funk stirred in as Adams fired in ‘Tequilla’ like riffs, and we were still on the first number, though, I’d already come to the conclusion that these were some of the finest, most mutually compatible grooves you could ever hope to hear! It's this trio’s seeming obliviousness to their audience as they play that establishes our strong connection with them - the call and response of transitory, shape-shifting blues/rock n roll and the smoothly gritty soulfulness of African music combined.
For the second number we were taken ‘due south’ via yet another type of drum and a two-stringed African stringed instrument for Adams, which he picked at deftly alongside of Camara’s mournful riti. Adams interjected raspy blues vocals with ‘When the dark clouds come’ as Barker’s gourd like drum emitted low thundery rumbles in the background. This song, like the first, ended wherever it ended and then the flip side of the coin made itself heard on the next number and the irony of it all appeared. Camara in virtuoso stance sang matter of factly but tongue in cheek. We’ve all been there, even though we may have been unaware. Should I move with the drummer or seek out the interwoven grooves I wonder as Camara reaches a deeper note, his humility evidenced by a bow of his knees and everyone claps. Yes, we should all be humble - this is a humbling experience.
On song number three, or is it four? I know longer care where/how/when one number flows into another, Adams guitar assumes a steely sound as big and round as a harvest moon, as Camara fingers, strums and wails with passion, finally giving some happy hops. We are happy too. Whenever these musicians are playing in my neck of the woods, I’ll be there and so should you. I don’t know what Camara is saying, but the feeling of it certainly translates, as he maintains a slow and easy pace on his own instrument within a driving beat forged by Adams and Barker designed to drive its dance fever home faster than a speeding bullet. Adams and Camara groove to each other’s inner and audible rhythms like most musical duos only wish they could – a real Mick and Keith for the 21st century. Adams guitar is slung low on his hip, Johnny Ramone style.
Middle Eastern flavoured riffs open the next number, creating a feeling of expansive spaces with Camara’s riti adding a layer of plaintiveness. Barker exudes a thumping, hypnotically undulating beat with Adams on backup vocals. These three are where’s it’s at and thanks to them, so are we. Some spacey guitar speaks in conjunction with Camara’s talking drum – our cue to clap along. Adams own drum, a flat one sided affair has a sound which contrasts with the deep ripple of Camara’s hand and stick played one. They are all smiles for they can do no wrong and we enjoy some more sparklingly creative colloquial riffs from both Camara and Adams before together, they become the blues with Camara’s riti replacing more traditional harmonica. Adams’ guitar and shaker and Barker’s thumping box drum provide an appropriately bump and grind backdrop. The trio gets down in tandem and we wish the seats could fold out of sight and out of the way so we could dance along. See them, feel their music and, if you haven’t already, buy their albums - Soul Science and Tell No Lies so you can maximize your grooving to their music as you should!
As the set draws to its un-naturally premature conclusion, Camara gives the impression of a boy with a new discovery and his joy is as infectious as Adams adds knowing, low down lines and Barker, the ‘master of poly-rhythms’ interjects textural grooves capable of standing alone in their own infectiousness. ‘It feels like we just got started,’ Adams says, with a shrug as the audience plead in vain for encores. He doesn’t really need to urge any of us to come out and see them again…Their music has already done that for them!
Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara albums Soul Science and Tell No Lies are available in all good record shops, including online at IRL shop.
Justin Adams - http://www.myspace.com/justinadamsproducer
Juldeh Camara - http://www.myspace.com/juldehcamarauk
Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara’s next London show – Roots at the Roundhouse - January 22, 2010, also features a host of other musicians, among them, Billy Bragg and the Acoustics.
Tickets:
http://www.roundhouse.org.uk/whats-on/productions/billy-bragg-and-june-tabor-4091
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