|
T h i e r r y V a n R o y P r o d u c t i o n s and " L e
s G r a n d s L u n a i r e s " present
"The Black
Slavics"
a-capella songs of Africans of Russia
by « Les Anges Compagnie » CD Jaro 4233-2
|
In 1684, Evgeni, The brother of the
Tsar Peter the Great secretly negotiated the transaction of 2 500 slaves to work
in house and fields, with Zadek ibn Farouk, famous black slaves trader, based in Guinea.
Evgeni Nicolaievitch, an eccentric
person, decided to replace all his slaves and servants with Africans. The
slaves arrived a year later trough the Baltic sea and were settled in Kazan,
500 km from Moscow, where Evgeni and his household were living.
But the problems appeared quite soon
and after 3 years Evgeni drove all the Africans out of Kazan. After a long
odyssey, they settled down in the Ukraine, the Ural Mountains and Balkans, and
founded colonies which have now completely disappeared, thinned out by
epidemics and famines of the 19th century.
"The Black Slavics" represent the music of those
Africans and their descendants who settled in Russia. The Tsar's law prohibited
them from singing in their mother tongue or singing their own religious music,
which was considered too rhythmic for the Church’s liking.
"The Black Slavics" have adapted the Russian songs
to their own style and you will hear that long transformation of Russian songs
into African songs, rescued from oblivion by the Georgian musicologist Kajnun
Marimov.
"The Black Slavics" project belongs to the concept
of "Music-Fiction", invented by Thierry Van Roy : re-writing
history and, in doing so, creating a music which could have existed if history had decided it…
This new form of musical creation is
unlimited : if you change in the history one or several elements of the past,
the present or the future, you can imagine to change the face of the world and
of the music, which always results from
the interactions of the cultures at the mercy of the transformations of
civilisation’s history.
Unlike the “world music” in its
geographical and multicultural sense, the “Music-Fiction” uses the vertical notion of time and history ;
the music of “The Black Slavics” was born from the imaginary meeting of the
African and Slavonic culture but in Russia in the 17th century.
In connection with this , we’re
wondering how popular western music (Rock, pop etc..) would sound like if
history had decided that Christopher Columbus and his three Caravels had sunk
off Portugal, leaving America “Terra Incognita” for a long time without the African slaves and their musical
influences…And if the “Black Slavics” had been deported in Russia and had been
really the foundation of a new music which influences still exist?
“The Black Slavics” project is interpreted by the choir
“Les Anges Compagnie” (L.A.Cie).
The
singers are : Ange Nawasadio – artistic director (Congo-Kin.), Gyle
Waddy (Usa) – choir leader, Sylvie Nawasadio (Congo-Kin.), Alexia Waku
(Congo-Kin.), Guy Waku (Congo-Kin.), Marie-Ange Teeuwen (Burundi), Dju BB' (
Congo-Kin.), Epolo (Congo-Kin.), Jojotte (Congo Brazza) , Lionel Sonna
(Cameroun), William Wright (USA) and Borys Cholewka (Ukraine) as a guest.
All the songs of the “Black Slavics” project have been chosen by Borys Cholewka who was
leading the choir as a special guest.
In most of the songs, the first part
presents the traditional version in polyphony and in original language
(Russian, Croatian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Hungarian)
; the second part of the song shows its imaginary evolution through the
Africans of Russia, in Lingala : one of the most spoken languages in central
Africa.
# 1 :
Mboka 4'22
LISTEN (mp3 -
1.55Mb)
Russian wedding
song (Lingala version)
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio,B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
#
2 : Karai Maitcho 3'45 traditional Bulgarian love song
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio,B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
#
3 : Tchekania (
H. Levtchenko, A. Pachko) 4'39
LISTEN (mp3 - 1.52 Mb)
Popular Ukrainian song.
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio,B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
Levtchenko is the founder of the Kalina Choir. Under Brejnev, he was expelled
from teaching and sentenced to hard labour in a
meat factory where he creates an
underground choir made of butchers.
“The night is falling on a Ukrainian valley
A girl is sitting near a glade
She’s waiting for her beloved
In the borning starlight”
#
4 : Vu Premochi 5'54
Popular song from the region of Medyoumourye (Croatia)
(arrgts : V.Zganec, A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
“Medyoumourye, the beauty of your flowers
make you appear to me so green and beautiful”
#
5 : Jertva Vetchernaya
(Bulgaria) 4'40
“The evening prayer”
Slavonic orthodox song
( arrgts: A. Nawasadio,B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
# 6
: Zeleneye (Ukraine)
4'32
LISTEN (mp3
1.57Mb
(arrgts:
A. Nawasadio,B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
#7 : Serelem (Hungary) 4’10
Religious song about love and suffering.
The second voice (Borys Cholewka) is performed
in the diphonic vocal technique.
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
#8 :
Mboka 1'48
(duo) .
Lingala
version of a Russian wedding song
(Lingala lyrics : Ange Nawasadio)
(arrgts : A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy
#
9 : Mno Gaialeta 0'45
Traditional Bulgarian song : "happy birthday" (literally : “Glory to you”)
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
#10
: Tibie Poiem (Bortniansky,
1752-1825 - Russia) 4'17
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
“God, we sing You, We bless You, we praise You.”
#
11 : Vniz 2'21
Traditional song of the banks of the Volga river.
(arrgts: N.Kedroff, A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
# 12 : Nova Radiz 4'04
Russian Christmas song.
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
# 13
Ochti Sierdsie
(Russia) 4'31
Traditional
love song
(arrgts: A. Nawasadio, B. Cholewka, Th.Van Roy)
Total
time : 51'
“Music-Fiction”ã and “The
Black SlavicsӋ are Thierry
Van Roy ‘s concepts.
Recorded,
edited and mixed by Thierry Van Roy
Produced
by Thierry Van Roy Productions and “Les
Grands Lunaires”
Photography
by Michel Moers
Sleeve notes
by Thierry Van Roy
All
tracks co-published by Jaro Medien GmbH
All
arrangements are ã Sabam
"The Black Slavics"
project was recorded in oct-nov. 1999
in the St Aldegonde church in Ecaussinnes and in the "Couvent des
Dominicains" (Belgium).
Special thanks to Christine Van-Acker, Philippe Cornet, Monsieur l’Abbé
Jousse ( St Aldegonde church) , all the singers of ”Les Anges Compagnie” for their personal involvement and Bénédicte Eyben for the translations .
Thierry Van Roy : producer thierry.van.roy@skynet.be
Avenue Gilisquet 119 B-1030 Bruxelles Belgium
Tel : 32 2216 12 86
fax 32 2 241 47 77
Jaro Medien GmbH : www.jaro.de email : mailorder@jaro.de
Ange Nawasadio : director of "Les Anges Compagnie" : Ange Nawasadio
Borys Cholewka : invited director
: borys cholewka
Tel : 32 2 544 10 30 mobile (32) (0)497 48
07 12
“Music-Fiction”
et “The Black Slavics” are Thierry Van Roy's
concepts
Recording,
editing and mixing : Thierry Van Roy
Produced
by Thierry Van Roy Productions and “Les Grands Lunaires” asbl
Biographies
Ange Nawasadio studied Dance and Theater in Mudra
school, Brussels. He performed as classical dancer at the ballet theatre in Harlem,
NY. Gospel singer with the Canaan Ensemble” of the Canaan Baptist Church in NY,
Usa.
Sylvie Nawasadio is licensed in Sociology an Anthropology, as singer
and founder of “Zap Mama”, she sings now in “Trio Baruti”, and, among
others, with Sally Ndjollo
Gyle Waddy
is an experienced actor (“The Wizz (with Diana Ross and Michael Jackson),
singer (“Hold me tight” RCA record, “The bottle” Polydor records), dancer,
model, choreographer, lyricist( more than 700 songs -“Croire” 1988 Eurovision
song contest-Lara Fabian), writer and teacher.
Dju-BB sings
and plays guitar. He has worked with bands such as : Zinako, Horizon 2000,
Signatoure and Epolo & Loouze.
Epolo is
guitarist and singer ; has played with Epolo & Loouze, and many
multicultural bands, like Djambo Africa,
and Jaïkamen
Guy Waku is a well
know producer (Ophelie Winter etc…)
Alexia Waku has
recorded several solo albums.
Borys Cholewka
has studied vocal music with various teachers
such as B.Krishnamurti, Lakshmi Shankar, Sister Marie Keyrouz, Igor Reznikoff,
Tran Quang Hai, etc.. He has been directing vocal workshops for many years and
has performed in many festivals and concerts. He has founded The Epyc Center in
Belgium, where he teaches the practice of Yoga and Vocal technique.
Thierry Van Roy
is musician, sound engineer and producer. Specialised in multicultural music
(recordings in Angola, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso, Azerbaijan, Europe, North
America), he has produced recordings
for Yehudi Menuhin (International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation) featuring ie, Noa, Myriam Makeba, Stephane
Grapelli, Ravi Shankar, Trio Loyko, Yehudi Menuhin. He is also the producer of
Abdelli (“New Moon”, Realworld Records), and Basti Sevedneya (Azerbaijan). He
is currently producing the last CD Of Farafina (Burkina Faso), and the new CD
of Abdelli.
Thierry
van Roy