Spirituality in Music Workshop  This was one of the most unique experiences I had at WOMAD. It was kind of a roller coaster ride from monotony to an awesomely unique musical experience. The participants were Rocky Dawuni (Ghana), Lama Gyurme (Tibet), Jean-Philippe Rykiel (France) and the Khac Chi Ensemble (Viet Nam). The discussion consisted of fairly obvious questions about how each performer's music meshes with spirituality. It was rather trying because the Lama (who had the most to say) had to speak via a translator for one thing and most everyone else except Rocky were pretty vague. It wasn't until they were prompted to all quit talking and jam that the magic really happened. The Lama chanted while Jean-Philippe played a breath-controlled keyboard and Rocky sang and beat on a tambourine while the Khac Chi Ensemble really got down on the dan bau (a one-string zither). This was totally improvised and unrehearsed, drawing rousing applause at the end. How often do you get to see people from such diverse countries and backgrounds jam together completely out of the blue? That was a special treat for the few people attending that workshop.  -Bill Wolford

Yair Dalal and the Tarab Ensemble  Music, as a means of expression, isn't just for opening a window of transcendental reality or laying down the thick groove of spine-rubbing funk; occasionally, it serves as a means of education, teaching others about conditions of the human experience. In some countries, music and political activism are inseparable. Yair Dalal--a strong advocate for peace in Israel--finds a conduit of communication through his music, using the Middle Eastern and African influence in his songs as a means to teach us about the heritage of the region. Inspired by the open spaces of the desert, the Ensemble is known for its lilting, haunting approach to its commingled music. Eastern and Western instrumentation weave back and forth behind Dalal's rich voice, tabla working beside violin, sitar speaking in harmony with guitar, clarinet meshing with oud. The audience ate it up and the tight exchange of energy kept Yair Dalal and the Tarab Ensemble on the Troubadour Stage well past their time. No one seemed to care. No, wait, that's wrong. The audience did care. They didn't want the music to stop. That--if anything--is a perfect example of the peaceful power of music.  -Mark Teppo

Telek  From New Guinea. Telek had their shit down, but almost a little too much. Telek (the frontman songwriter of the band) was very fascinating from a visual standpoint and had a great voice, but for some reason his and the band's performance seemed a little stiff. A few of the songs held my interest, but then seemed a little too westernized in their arrangements. Could be that Peter and the folks at Real World "helped" them flesh out their tunes. Intriguing at first but not enough to stay until the end of the set.  -Bill Wolford

Femi Kuti and the Positive Force  Son of legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti--practically the icon of the Afro-Beat style of combining West African dance music with African-American music stylings--Femi Kuti continues this family trait with his band Positive Force. Combining new forms of music like jungle and techno with hip-hop and soul, Kuti's performance was riveting and inspired the massive crowd around the Main Stage to make the attempt to shake and move like his dancers onstage.

It was both a sonic and visual joyride for all. The positive energy coming from onstage was contagious, there were smiles on every face in the audience. The horn-laden, heavy percussiveness of Kuti's 16-piece ensemble was in itself an amazing treat. It's apparent that soul artists like Earth, Wind and Fire draw a lot from the Motherland. From tunes that were meant to get your groove on like "Beng Beng Beng" to more politically-inspired songs like "Blackman Know Yourself," Kuti manages to find the balance of representing both sides without discrediting or undermining the other.  -Hope Lopez

Huun-Huur Tu  I went to their "Under a Tree" workshop and also caught them live the next day. These guys are much more than a novelty act, which was always the way I thought of them until I got to see them play a whole set. Claiming that they are direct ancestors of the American Indians, they definitely have some deep connection with the spiritual expression of the earth and translate that feeling through their music beautifully. The throat singing technique that they are famous for isn't the only thing you are impressed with when you hear them. They embody a musical ingenuity that blends with humble sincerity in a way that leaves you breathless at the end of some of their tunes. Without any electricity at all, with just their voices and their "primitive" handmade instruments they far surpass any Western electronica or experimental band on the level of sound manipulation and the effect is a hundred times more profound. Ahh, yeah!  -Bill Wolford

My mind quails at imagining the happy accident that occurred centuries ago which prompted the discovery of this tri-tonal method; my imagination barely supports me in considering the physical training and mental acumen required to achieve any level of competency in this technique. Handed down from elder to student over the centuries, this style of singing reminds us that music is also a craft, a skill that must be carefully learned. As the bedroom composer becomes more prevalent with the availability of plug 'n' play software and hardware, having the opportunity to witness musicians practice a style of music that has been relatively unchanged for a hundred generations rekindles an awareness of the permanence of music as a form of expression.  -Mark Teppo

Meshell Ndegéocello  On the Main Stage Friday night was Meshell Ndegéocello. One of my favorite musicians today, Ndegéocello despite a few sound issues (her keyboard was either too loud or too soft) remained a good sport and, in the spirit of WOMAD, continued to play. Another musician with a lot of heart and integrity, Ndegéocello made some new fans who weren't familiar with her work. How can you not be impressed with an artist who feels the music and locks in with her players? From the subtle beauty of the softer instrumentals to the funkier jams, Ndegéocello seamlessly moves from one style to another, from bass to keys. Without pause, she can easily switch gears, tug at your heart with "Faithful" and then make you want to jump out of your skin as she breaks into a heavy funk of "Deuteronomy (Niggerman)."

Lama Gyurme & Jean-Philippe Rykiel  Perhaps the most disparate marriage of cultural approaches to music that WOMAD USA offered, the Tibetan drones of Oumze Lama Gyurme enchanted a full Big Top audience as the long tones were interwoven with the serene and lush instrumental landscapes of French keyboardist Jean-Philippe Rykiel. Western instrumentation has become integral in other instances, bound into the fabric of a group's music. But in this case, the combination is the meeting of two separate entities to build a third. Ambient music has danced around this possibility for some time and some experimental music is built from the drone structure. Lama Gyurme and Jean-Philippe chose to build a collaborative project, weaving texture and tonality around each other--an improvisational jam session for the ambient set.

Ambient music, as Brian Eno defined it back in 1978, is meant to be ignored. But this ambience begged to be inhaled, drawning into your brain to suffuse throughout your tired shell. If anything was to be ignored, it was your self. The seats were full as people leaned back, closed their eyes, and drifted away--not to sleep (well, that was me but it was a long day), but rather into expansive meditation brought about by the long tones and shimmering melodies drawn out of the keyboards. Ambience was a state of mind and everyone emerged after the show with a slight glow as their spirits were rested and their minds cleansed.  -Mark Teppo

Farafina  If I had to describe Farafina's set in one word I'd have to say "beautiful." I was almost in tears a couple of times during the set, just because of the beauty and joy that these people conveyed as they ripped ass (that's right, ripped ass) through some of the most amazing drum-based compositions I've ever heard. "Power" would be the next word I would use. And "grace" another. Beauty, Power and Grace. Not to mention that the sun was setting and the sky was gorgeous as they improvised using dance, drumming and interaction amongst themselves and the flabbergasted audience to slam into the end of the WOMAD weekend. I was speechless.  -Bill Wolford

Jimmy Cliff  The Main Stage is meant to draw the large crowds and the WOMAD USA Main Stage lived up to that expectation. You could hear the reggae beat from some corner of Marymoor Park at almost any time during the festival, but you weren't really hearing the full smile-inducing vibe unless you happened to wander around during Jimmy Cliff's set on the Main Stage Sunday afternoon. Pulling from the vast repertoire of his twenty-plus albums and thirty years in the Jamaican reggae scene, Cliff delivered a delightfully energetic set to the large crowd. Playing favorites like "Many Rivers to Cross," "Vietnam," "Wonderful World," "Beautiful People," and Cat Stevens' "Wild World" to a hugely receptive audience, Cliff bounced around the stage, feeling and radiating a lot of the love in the park.

The spirit of WOMAD has always struck me as being part educational and part inspirational. Meant to educate the listener in the sometimes obscure musical arts of faraway places, it also came into being as a means of introducing and inspiring us to look beyond our local boundaries at the universal way in which music touches everyone. Music can be political; it can be motivational; it can also just be fun. Music can change your mood, strike your fancy, and light your fire. It can make you smile and dance and break down your social barriers. Jimmy Cliff has been making us sing and dance and talk to the neighbor beside us for a long time. WOMAD is the organized expression of the smile on Jimmy Cliff's face as he sings.  -Mark Teppo

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