A Box O' Basques!

Various artists
Basque Music-The Sampler!
Elkarlanean KD496 (1998)
Various artists
Voices of Euskadi
Elkarlanean KD495 (1998)
Various artists
Trikitixa!
Triki-Elkarlanean KD493 (1998)
Various artists
Rockin' Trikitixa
Triki-Elkarlanean KD494 (1998)

Elkarlanean, the Basque Country's premiere label for roots music, has been trying to crack into the international market for years, with both original releases and compilations. Recently they issued a whole new round of samplers, proving that the Basque Country's roots scene is as healthy as any in Europe.

If you're interested in Basque music but don't know where to start, you'll find the broadest range of styles on Basque Music-The Sampler! The first track gives an immediate sense of what the album will be like; it's a modern-sounding song by the band Kazkabarra that, in addition to harmony singing, guitars, bass and drums, also features a strong folk flavor fueled by nice playing on melodeon and alboka (a Basque shawm that sounds very like a bagpipe). The disc continues with accordion waltzes, brisk fandangos, traditional and original songs, and even a jazzy number containing Basque scat-singing. Many of the country's best-known artists are featured, including Benito Lertxundi, Oskorri, Kepa Junkera, and Tapia & Laturia; there were also a few I hadn't heard before, making this album a delightful mix of the familiar and the new.

Voices of Euskadi highlights songs and singers, from the shepherd Erramun Martikorena to the professional folk group Oskorri, and from the traditional folksongs of Imanol to the singer-songwriters Mikel Laboa and Benito Lertxundi. The arrangements venture into cool jazz and cheesy lounge music, and the vocal harmonies can sound like anything from barbershop to Gregorian chant. But most often, the sounds stay in the folk category, and the album is most successful there. My own favorite tracks are the two traditional songs performed by the duo of Txomin Artola and Amaia Zubiria; the songs have absolutely lovely melodies, the singing a beautiful wistful quality, and the arrangements a tasteful simplicity on guitar, whistles and keyboards.

More than any other sound, the Basque country is famous for the trikitixa; we'd call it a button accordion or a melodeon. On Trikitixa! Elkar presents 16 tracks of (mostly) traditional Basque melodeon players. The usual Basque accordion style is marked by a heavy use of staccato ornaments; together with the usual quick tempos of Basque dances, this makes the instrument a good forum for displaying impressive virtuosity. Trikitixa! won't disappoint listeners who expect this; there are three tracks featuring the foremost whiz of this generation, Joseba Tapia, one alone and two with the Tapia & Leturia band. All three are great examples of Tapia's crisp playing. Both band tracks are backed by equally punchy and precise tambourine playing, and one features truly surprising vocal ululations. Many of the tracks feature these very elements in varying combinations; the best ululation prize must go to Felix Illarramendi and Primi Erostarbe, the best older-style singing and playing to Sakabi and Egañazpi, and the most unusual arrangement to Kepa Junkera and Ibon Koteron, who back the trikitixa with the alboka for a sharp, drone-filled and electrifying sound. I don't think any accordion buff would object to any of the tracks here, and it's likewise a fine showcase of both older and newer styles of Basque folk music.

Finally, we get to the edgier accordion release, this one called Rockin' Trikitixa. Compared to Trikitixa! more tracks have instruments like electric guitars, bass, and drums to the fore; most are contemporary songs with trikitixa as accompaniment. There are still some pieces where the accordion leads, from Tapia and Junkera for example. But more common are groups singing sunny pop songs with accordion backing. In the case of Maixa and Ixiar and Alaitz & Maider, two "girl groups" of Basque roots music, the vocals would sound at home on a Lilith Fair tour. Imuntzo & Beloki, on the other hand, sound like they're emulating one of the Pogues' more melodic moments. The Tapia & Leturia Band show their rap influences, and Gozategi their grounding in reggae. Zaldibobo, meanwhile, turn a Basque fandango into a great hook for their rock song "Uhaina." Sound like an eclectic enough mix for you? The one thing they all have in common — besides the accordion — is that they're great fun to listen to.

— Steve Winick (Philadelphia, PA)