Juba Dance – Orange (Audio 8/Nice Promotion)

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According to that most (ahem) auspicious of sources, Wikipedia, the juba dance or hambone, originally known as ‘pattin’ juba’ (aka giouba, or in Haiti, the djouba), is a style of dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks. It is related to clogging and the jig, and ‘pattin’ juba’ would be used to keep time for other dances during a walkaround. A juba dance performance could include:

* counter-clockwise turning, often with one leg raised,
* stomping and slapping (v.s.),
* various steps such as ‘the Jubal Jew’, ‘Yaller Cat’, ‘Pigeon Wing’ and ‘Blow That Candle Out’.

The dance traditionally ends with a step called ‘the long dog scratch’. Modern variations on the dance include Bo Diddley’s ‘Bo Diddley Beat’s and the step-shows of African-American and Latino Greek organisations.

Hailing from Brazil, and creating sounds that echo the themes held within the spirited dance of yore, is Ben Lamar, a multi-instrumentalist handling organ, synths, piano, trumpet, flugelhorn, pandiero, talking drum, bass, guitar and vocal duties on this new album on Audio 8, entitled Orange. Armed with many a well-crafted hook, Orange is a tapestry of colour, rhythm and texture. The marrying of electronic pulses and undercurrents, traditional rhythms and hip-hop sensibilities coupled with Lamar’s rich singing voice and MCing make for a unique sound that is as contemporary as it is traditional.

The opening tracks ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Union Hall’ reflect a strong Brazilian flavour and really grab your ear from the word go. Third tune in, ‘Double Dutch Hyms’, features skipping rope rhymes from some female accomplices and sees a change in pace, introducing a more formal hip-hop creation with a strong party emphasis and an authentic old school production style. Immediately following is ‘Fisherman’s Jig’ changing the sound to a more traditional bossa, Lamar’s trumpet singing the rhythms of his native Rio de Janeiro.

Additional production and playing on the album comes courtesy of Polyphonic The Verbose. His input is tantemount to genius, as the many layers within each track, be they scratching, percussion, avant electronics or interesting drum programming ensure that nothing here is derivative or staid. Sure, this album is slick overall, but it’s never bland nor cliched. Rather, the smooth sounds highlight Ben Lamar’s jazz background and Verbose’s engineering skills on the desk. Tracks such as ‘Chachaca’, carried by a popping bass and a sky full of UFO replicating synth sounds and ‘Hecky Naw’, echoing the early hip-hop 808 rhythms coupled with a slinky vocoder double track and a sultry female guest vocalist show how this album pleases on many different planes.

All of this, as well as a solid dose of dub served reverb throughout, make Orange a great pleasure to experience. Like the dance sharing the project’s name, the album is one to put a smile on your face, a slap to the thigh, and would be best enjoyed in the company of friends – preferably somewhere the sun is shining bright. Closing with the jazz proper ‘Momma Holds Child’, Juba Dance have made a multifaceted album that promises to keep you entertained.

Lyndon Pike

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1 Comment

  1. Thanks for posting this review – I really enjoy this CD but I was wondering: if I was going to tell a friend who this sounded like, who would I say? This CD’s all over the map!