In its final week, the Earshot Jazz Festival features two groups not likely to hit these shores again anytime soon: Konono No. 1 (Fri Nov 4, ConWorks, 8 pm) and the Gangbé Brass Band (Sat Nov 5, Triple Door, 7 pm and 9:30 pm).
Unlike the slicked-up productions of African music that fish for hits with booming drums, perfectly EQ'd and compressed instruments, and Western pop song structures, Konono No. 1's new disc Congotronics (Crammed Discs) is raw and real. Formed over 25 years ago in Kinshasa, this Congolese ensemble combines traditional instruments with DIY electronics and found objects. Along with battered hubcaps, pots, and pans, the musicians amplify the likembé, a thumb piano made of flattened rods and attached to a resonating box. Konono No. 1's handmade microphones distort voices and make the dulcet likembé sound like a bell-like electric guitar or a 1970s fuzzed-up Moog synth. The music is funky, complex, and fun. Don't miss their first U.S. appearance.
I'm also beguiled by the Gangbé Brass Band. Originating in the West African country of Benin, this 10-member band's trumpets, saxophone, trombone, and euphonium make a joyous gumbo of New Orleans two-step, cop show jazz, and a dollop of Nigerian juju music.
Earshot also features several notable local performers. Robin Holcomb and Wayne Horvitz (Thurs Nov 3, ConWorks, 8 pm) play tunes from their stark, superb piano album Solos (Songlines). The Seattle Chamber Players (Sun Nov 6, Recital Hall at Benaroya, 7 pm) premiere new pieces by Trimpin, Bill Smith, and Stuart Dempster that mingle composition and improvisation. To close the festival, monster drummer Gregg Keplinger teams up with reedman Michael Monhart for some wall-shaking free jazz (Sun Nov 6, ConWorks, 8 pm). CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI
The Earshot Jazz Festival concludes Sun Nov 6. Visit www.earshot.org or call 547-9787 for additional information.
