Azel
Produced in upstate New York by the Dirty Projectors leader, with a reggae lilt running through the desert blues.
Bombino, 2016
- Released
- 1 April 2016
- Recorded
- fall 2015
- Studio
- Applehead Recording, Woodstock, New York
- Label
- Partisan
- Producer
- David Longstreth
David Longstreth had admired Bombino since 2009, when he enthused in an interview about a Saharan guitarist on Sublime Frequencies. He was later tapped to record Azel in upstate New York. Chris Bittner recorded it at Applehead in Woodstock, with extra recording by Youba Dia at Studio Youba in Brussels. David Wrench mixed it in Bangor, Wales, and Heba Kadry mastered it in Brooklyn. Bombino remembered Woodstock as a beautiful place, very green and relaxed.
Pitchfork's review, by Andy Beta, described it as "a sublime iteration of desert blues that's both authentic and ambitious." He heard the one new wrinkle as a low-key fusion with reggae, a lilting bassline under the centerpiece Iyat Ninhay / Jaguar, and handclaps and a thumped guitar body on Igmayagh Dum. The album closes with Naqqim Dagh Timshar. Three songs are credited as adaptations of traditional pieces: Akhar Zaman to Hasso Akotey, Iwaranagh to Ibrahim Ag Abreybom and Iyat Ninhay / Jaguar to Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni. Bombino is credited with the rest.
Track listing
- Akhar Zaman (This Moment)3:51
- Iwaranagh (We Must)4:59
- Inar (If You Know The Degree Of My Love For You)3:46
- Tamiditine Tarhanam (My Love, I Tell You)4:03
- Timtar (Memories)4:53
- Iyat Ninhay / Jaguar (A Great Desert I Saw)6:07
- Igmayagh Dum (My Lover)5:45
- Ashuhada (Martyrs of the First Rebellion)3:24
- Timidiwa (Friendship)4:21
- Naqqim Dagh Timshar (We Are Left In This Abandoned Place)5:39
Personnel
- Bombino lead guitar, lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Avi Salloway rhythm guitar
- Youba Dia bass
- Corey Wilhelm drums, calabash, congas, shaker, djembe
- Van Loon Abdoulahi (Koutana) djembe, backing vocals
- Mama Mahassa Walet Amoumene backing vocals
- David Longstreth producer, Hammond organ
- Chris Bittner recording
- David Wrench mixing
- Heba Kadry mastering
- Eric Herman executive producer
More from Bombino
Agamgam 2004 (2010), Agadez (2011), Nomad (2013), Deran (2018), Live in Amsterdam (2020), Sahel (2023)
Sources
- Bombino: Azel Album Review, Pitchfork (2016-04-11)
- Azel (album), Wikipedia
- Bombino: Fretboard Freedom Fighter, Premier Guitar (2016-06)
- Azel (release), Discogs