The Dawn
CD: Mensch Music CD AGR 004, 1991
Tracks:1. Beacon of Hope (lyrics by Linton Kwesi Johnson, music by Fizzè & Dizzi) 5'37"
snaredrum: Gilles "Dizzi" Rieder / bass: Dennis Bovell / trombone: Rico Rodriguez accordion: Alig / organ solo: Jerome Van Jones / ukulele: Cérdric Vuille / guitar: Lorenz Vuille / milkpots: Pascal Cuche / percussion: Dizzi, D. Bovell & Fizzè / keyboards: Fizzè2. Skarab (Fizzè) 4'47"
percussion: Dizzi, P. Cuche, Fizzè & Scully / bass: Robbie Shakespeare / choir: Catherine Broillet-Mathey, Anne Lehmann, Françoise Borioli / keyboards: Fizzè3. Ricochet (Rico) 2’57"
snare drum: Dizzi / trombone: Rico / programming, bass & keyboards: Fizzè4. Licht & Stein (words by Rainford Perry, music by Fizzè & Dizzi) 4'37"
vocal: Lee "Scratch" Perry / balafones: Dizzi, Christion Addor & Olivier Meury / horns of Liechtenstein: Hans Hämmerle (trumpet) & Gerhard Lampert (trombone) / bass, guitar & perc.: D. Bovell / drums: Bazz Smith / timbales: Dizzi / keyboards: Fizzè5. Peeni Waali (Fizzè / Dizzi) 3'39"
trombone: Rico / clarinet: C. Vuille / balafon, sanza & percussion: Dizzi / bass, accordion, kalimba, percussion & sax: Fizzè6. Paper Mensch (Fizzè) 5'24"
voice: Rams / trombone: Rico / drums & percussion: Dizzi / bass: D. Bovell / guitars: Momo Rossel & C. Vuille / keyboards, blown bottles, zither & perc.: Fizzè7. A No Nottn ( Fizzè) 3'28"
sax: Dean Frazer / brass: Rico & Felix "Deadly Headley" Bennet / bass: Robbie Shakespeare / ukulele & accoustic guitar: C. Vuille / el. guitar: L. Viennet / percussion: Scully / hi-hat: Phil Santschi / snare drum: Dizzi / keyboards: Fizzè8. Pub Dub (Fizzè) 5'35"
trombone & funda: Rico / sax: Deadly Headley / violin: Christoph Habegger / ukulele: C. Vuille / harp: Asita / accordion: Alig / cabassa: Scully / drums & spoons: Dizzi / keyboards & flute: Fizzè9. Son of Rockaman (Fizzè) 4'19" trombone & percussion: Rico / guitar: Martin Millar / drums: Phil Santschi / bass, keyboards & flute: Fizzè
10. Très Gai (Cédric Vuille) 3'21"
guitars: C. Vuille / brass: Rico & Deadley Headley / drums: Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace / percussion: Rico & Scully / bass & keyboards: Fizzè11. Mini Mali (Dennis Bovell) 2'56"
drums: Dizzi / bass & guitar: D. Bovell / keyboards: Fizzè
Bonus Track:12. Son of Rockaman Dub 2 (Fizzè) 4'25" see track 9
All songs (c) & (p) by Mensch Music
except "Beacon of Hope"-lyrics: published by LKJ Music Publishers Ltd.Recorded at:
Tonspur AG, Buchs / SG (H.-J. Meier - mastering)
Penthouse, Kingston (A. "Deady Ranks" Tyrell)
Music Works, Kingston (A. "Deady Ranks" Tyrell)
Sparkside Studio, London (Dennis Bovell)
Mixing Lab, Kingston
Studio des Usines, NE (Momo Rosell)Produced, arranged, recorded & mixed at Studio Mensch by Fizzè
Cover:
scarab painting: Kurt Benz
layout: Martin Graf
The idea to Peeni Waali was born out of a series of chain-reactions, coincidences, luck - I guess - and fast moves discovering Jamaica.Embryo of the project were isolated compositions for a short movie (Paper Mensch) and TV-work I've done in Saudiarabia in 1984; Listening back to a song called "Kulu Hatha Mamnua" (meaning 'all that's fun is forbidden', an arab saying I picked up when I was in Jeddah), I decided to "re-shape" these tunes (i.e. "Skarab").
I went to Jamaica in '87 for the first time and met (the first day!) the late producer W. "Jack Ruby" Lindo (e.g. Steel Pulse). We went for a rehearsal of three guys up in a di hills and experience a triggering encounter, propelling out a concept for an extraordinary journey into differences within cultures. It was my first encounter with real roots reggae. A day later I went back and talked with the boys. We decided to work together if possible.
Back in Switzerland I recorded some tracks with the Neuchâtel based ‘Heart Beat Band’. The HBB later changed slightly the line-up and became 'The Madlighters'. The band’s manager Ramon and singer Phil planned to have Rico fronting the tracks and arrangements were made to make him come over from Jamaica to Switzerland.
Such arrangements were greatly facilitated by Marc Tourtchaninoff, an old renegade and knowledgeable person since the first reggae days. Marc "Nof-Nof" was the guy that made Rico come to Switzerland the very first time around. Naturally, it was him that had the basic connection to Rico.
Anyway, I made a riddim track in connection with the three singers from the hills and went back to Kingston in early '88. On 29th of April '88, Rico headed for Switzerland to finish the HBB’s 3 tracks for the Maxi vinyl AGR 003, re-released on the 2CD AGR 013 "The Eve of Peeni Waali).
Time and again I was to record with Rico up until today.
Still in Jamaica, I met my three friends from the hills again but learned, that in the meantime they signed with a major label and that our initial plan couldn't work. Flexible as one must be in such case, I went to Kingston and met yet another friend of Rico, the percussion player Leon "Scully" Simms. With Robbie Shakespeare we built up that riddim track at Gussy's studio down Slipe Road 56! By coincidence, Dean "Big D" Frazer was just finishing a session there and hung around a bit after. He joined the party and blew us all away with his trademark sax playing. A song was born from out of everybody, free like an impro, original like nothing was premeditated, hence the title "A noh nottn'"...Some other time Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace would chat with Felix "Deadly" Headley and next day a track that wasn't originally planned for drums, takes a new dimension. One day, long time buddy from the ‘Jazzland’, Jerome Van Jones would come over for Rico's birthday and play my old C-3 Hammond making everybody feel real close to genuine jazz; a vivid déjà-vu for me since I used to run a little record shop inside a jazz club in Neuchâtel (the ‘Jazzland’) with the late Denis Progin.
Actually, when I came first to Jamaica, I met a ‘tourist guide’, who prevented me from so much hassle, hussle and bussle - Bruce Harris - a raggamuffin' - the usual ‘Jamaican tourist routine’. However, Bruce was sly and not really the prototype of ‘rent a dread’. We roamed in a di bush a wholleepa time and I fell in love at first sight with those "Peeni Waalis". In the back of a hotel room. To give Bruce a treat, I recorded his ‘poetry debut’, some hilarious talking which quite fitted on a kalimba tune, on which Rico previously blew in a few lines, too...
Knowing, Rico had played on most of Linton K. Johnson's albums - I've contacted Linton. He answered that doors might be arranged to open... At the same time, Swiss TV approached me for a "Legalize It"-show where they wanted to include some Swiss-Jamaican-music-connection. Question was of Rico with the Heart Beat Band but Rico was due back to Jamaica two days before the show, so we arranged for L.K.J. and his own band to fit in this open door... Eventually, after a soulful meeting with Linton and his incredible associate Dennis Bovell, "Beacon of Hope" fell off the cradle...
Every meeting with a new musician meant another pleasurable anecdote. No single ‘rent a player’ really occurred. It was always more like an invitation of respect to become a party of fun and joy to record with.
Priviledged to feature an abundance of craftsmanship, it was a big treat to relate to all these guinuine people. The challenge of making an album by colouring, flavouring and assembling all sorts of elements in one concept was an incredible task, yet unconventional and gratifiying; demanding love for detail, humbleness and courtesy.
However, I must point out, that most of the ‘guest session’ were built on top of an incredible preparation work I do with a few local friends: Cédric Vuille who contributed to the ‘second serve’ ("The Return") inestimably with constructive critique & genuine energy with his ukuleles, clarinet, bass and guitar as much as did percussionist and old time renegade Gilles "Dizzi" Rieder in the first venture.
Also from my ‘playground’, the Neuchâtel ‘scene’ where I worked 20 years, that infatuating creative melting pot around the avantgarde band ‘Débile Menthol’, come the ‘offsprings’ or ‘affiliate’ players like Momo Rossel, who is not only a fine musician but a very sharp-eared engineer. He done quite some recordings in his studio in Neuchâtel, where he’s also crafting a lot of good music for his label LabelUsines.
Not to forget Pascal Cuche, with whom I used to work together as a cook (!) and whom I’ve ‘discovered’ having a great sense of rhythm, although Pascal had no idea about music. Within our kitchen work, I hooked him to making music with his pots and pans. Ever since, Pascal has played for me on our ‘trademark’ milkpots, -cans and other kitchen utensils...I owe all these less known musicians great thanks for the acribic work (the real ‘bone’ to Peeni Waali!) they done. It’s all too sad, that this is so often ‘underrated’ because the focus goes on the ‘biggies’.Anyway... we hope you'll be listening still by the time "Peeni Waali" will light you up!...
Quelle: MenschMusic
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