Orchestra Gold was formed in 2015 by guitarist and arranger Erich Huffaker with singer and percussionist Mariam Diakite to record the songs that ended up on the first album I. It was in that first session that the two realised that they had something special as they fused the rhythmic bounce of African traditional music with the grit and riff-heavy punch of psychedelic rock.
Dakan (which means ‘destiny’) will be a treat for anyone familiar with the desert blues of Tinariwen, Imarharn, or Songhoy Blues. Rolling riffs thread their way through the tracks, arcing and crackling with electricity. The rhythm section sits between jazz and rock with the drums bringing the laidback syncopation of Charlie Watts and heft of Jon Bonham while the bass hammers the roots notes home at some points before roaming the frets with myriad counter melodies.
Over this scorching backdrop Mariam Diakite rises triumphant. Drawing on her faith and devotion to “a mystical branch of West African Islam that favours direct communion with the divine over dogma” her vocals draw on a deep reservoir of power that not only matches the energy of the music but often surpasses it.
I’m not sure how they managed to contain the sound of the band in the studio but as well as the nitro-glycerine intensity you also have the slide guitar and flute on ‘Djama Ko’ which has the feel of a horse ride across the desert accompanied by fat horns sounds, and is one of the standout tracks on the album.
Those horns are also put to good use on ‘Yayoroba’ with the brass maelstrom acting as call and response to the guitar riff, and the tenor sax solo at the end is the crowning glory as it scratches and warps notes with glorious abandon.
Orchestra Gold harness the energy of their sound to focus everything into a hugely uplifting and joyous whole. This is gold forged from the grit of desert blues and as earth shaking as it is it also has the lightness to get you up on your feet and dance until you have sweated yourself into a frenzy. If you can produce heavy water surely Orchestra Gold produce heavy helium.
Orchestra Gold are: Vocals: Mariam Diakite / Guitar: Erich Huffaker / Drums: Aaron Kierbel / Baritone Sax: Patrick Cress / Tenor Sax: Luis Andrade / Bass: Rudo Kinard & Kevin Goldberg
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Review by Paul F Cook
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