McIlwaine and Tricontinental
Tear Up the Jack Singer
Review by Ted the Blogger
Calgary, December 2005
I'd been looking forward to tonight's show for quite a few months, ever since I saw Tricontinental on the bill. Tricontinental is three performers: Bill Bourne, Lester Quitzau, and Madagascar Slim. Together, they create a distinctly Canadian-based world music sound reminiscent of some of the stuff that Paul Simon and Stewart Copeland have done.
Sharing the bill, and opening the show, were Ellen McIlwaine and Cassius Khan. I walked into this one knowing only that Ellen played bluesy slide guitar. I walked out convinced that she and Cassius had stolen the show.
photo by Fred Cattroll
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Khan plays the Indian drums known as Tabla and he is one talented fellow. As Ellen pointed out, he's 31 and has been playing the Tabla for 25 years. Khan plays like a thief, stealing rhythms and setting the mood like he was born into it.
McIlwaine is apparently a bit of a legend, having begun performing when I was born. You know, a few years ago. If I were to describe her guitarwork as bluesy slide, it certainly wouldn't pay it enough credit. She's a demon with the slide, and with weird and wonderful guitar tunings.
photo by Fred Cattroll
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Together they've lain down a groovy asian sound that's enough to get your toes tapping. But the music only supports the vocals, mostly McIlwaine's. And from those groovy riffs and beats, her voice springs out showing amazing vocal range and projection. Sort of like what Janis Joplin might have sounded had she grown up.
I honestly can't say what was more impressive: the guitar work or the vocals. Both were complex and textured and complemented beautifully by the percussion.
Bill Bourne and Tricontinental sounded exactly as I remembered hearing them on some radio program a few years back. All three are guitarists, but each has their own distinct and flowing sound, blending perfectly with each other. Bourne's voice is gravelly and perfectly on key, Quitzau's is smooth and softer. But Slim - Ben Randriamananjara in real life - steals the act, singing in his native tongue with a wonderfully far away feeling.
Together they are smooth and tight and polished. Perhaps too polished, with Bourne directing solos from the center, and each performer taking turns introducing and congratulating another. It's almost too smooth. Perhaps because it's the end of the tour, but they seem bored. Not much energy here.
Luckily, though, there was energy enough in McIlwaine and Khan's performance. The grand finale with the Tablas blazing and McIlwaine's improv voice tearing through three guitars was a fitting and energetic end to the evening.
I came for Tricontinental but McIlwaine and Khan stole the show. Well worth coming out for.
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