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Written in Folk Roots issue 169, 1997

OSKORRI
25 Kantu Urte
Elkar KD 453/4 (1996)

HIRU TRUKU
Hiru Truku II
Nuevos Medios NM 15 709 CD (1997)

TAPIA ETA LETURIA
Dultzemeneoa - Canadian Tour 1996
PM 6604 (1996)

BENITO LERTXUNDI
Hitaz Oroit
Elkar KD-451 (1996)

A Root Salad in FR 162 described the major Euskal band Oskorri’s anniversary show at Getxo festival and its many guests from within and without Euskadi. 25 Kantu Urte is the splendidly-packaged double live album recorded that night, a silver-covered hardback CD-sized book of photos and lyrics with a disc in each end.
      All three members of Hiru Truku, Ruper Ordorika (under other hats a leading singer-songwriter), Joseba Tapia and Bixente Martinez, played at that concert, indeed Martinez is a member of Oskorri. Hiru Truku II is the second back-to-basics album, of trad material learnt from the older singers in western Euskadi. The lyrics are allowed to speak for themselves, unflashily underpinned by Ordorika’s guitar and Martinez’ bouzouki, guitar and mandolin and Tapia’s accordion which only flies into his characteristic trikitixa style in the penultimate track. Martin Carthy and Nancy Kerr make guest contributions. It’s very much Euskal in melody and rhythm, but has something of the feel of acoustic English folk revival music.
      Canadian Tour 1996 is a Canadian re-release of the last-but-one Elkar album, Dultzemeneoa, by the great trikitixa duo of Joseba Tapia and Xabier “Leturia” Berasaluze, which somehow escaped review here on its original release. A cheerfully undisciplined and energetic set of tunes and songs, as so often with the very best players within a lively tradition untroubled by considerations of “what is traditional?”, it’s led by diatonic accordion with skittering tambourine, sometimes with acoustic guitar, screaming electric, or full rock band. There are occasional nods to Cajun, zydeco and punk-thrash, but pervading all is the spirit of trikitixa and Tapia’s distinctive way with a chord sequence.
      Hitaz Oroit is a strong set from singer-guitarist Benito Lertxundi, who has been a major figure in the writing of new Euskal songs since long before the Basque-suppressive dictator Franco died. There’s a dark, brooding, reflective feel to the album, with thick-textured instrumentation predominantly of shifting bowed strings, electric and acoustic guitar and keyboards, and Lertxundi’s voice has gained a gritty gravitas over the years. Powerful, and probably his most foreigner-accessible album to date.
     

© 1997 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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