The Soundtrack to my Travels

Songs that bring back memories of my travels

Recently the Guardian newspaper has been running an online feature every couple of weeks where they invite a guest writer to compile a list of musical tracks that remind them of their travel adventures and to accompany this with a Spotify playlist. Whilst I can't claim to have visited such far-flung and exotic places as many of their chosen contributors I do nevertheless have some fond memories of the musical experiences that have accompanied my own journeys and so I’ve taken inspiration from the idea to create and share this 'soundtrack to my travels'.

By necessity there's a little bit of artistic licence involved here. On many occasions the music that has enriched my overseas wandering has been live sessions performed by local artists, unavailable despite the evolution of online music. In this case I've sought out tracks on Spotify that have a similar atmosphere and originate from the same tradition; arrangements that very much evoke the memory of the time and place. At the same time research has shown that occasionally someone has filmed the actual performance that I attended! In such cases I've gratefully included a Youtube link.

Part One

Tenerife ‘La Múcura’ by El Golpito ‘Lloraras’ by Oscar D'León

The desire to take a break from the English winter was what first drew my attention to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Initially I was put off by the usual assumption of the British traveller, which is that Tenerife is a package holiday island valued only for its sunny southern beach resorts and tourist facilities. Fortunately a quick browse of the travel guide indicated that this was short-sighted and wrong - for here was both traditional and contemporary culture, a warm year-round climate, stunning natural beauty and an annual carnival eclipsed only by Rio as a world-class event. A two month break from cold, grey, winter Devon to this apparent paradise was quickly arranged!

An absolute highlight of the trip for me was a visit to the annual romeria (country fair) in Buena Vista del Norte, where much of the domestic animal population of the area was assembled to compete for prizes such as 'best flock of goats', 'best handbag-compatible small canine' etc and to be blessed by the local priest. Traditional music was of course in evidence (as well as a local latin group playing rock on the bandstand for the evening youth) and El Golpito’s Canarian interpretation of the Columbian song ‘La Múcura’ perfectly represents this sound and memory.

*Music at the Romeria de San Antonio de Abad, Buena Vista del Norte*

Almost all of my foreign travels have been undertaken by train and bus but just occasionally a hire car has been necessary to really broaden the options for seeing a region. Such was the case with visits to Tenerife and Gran Canaria. With a car comes the extra benefit of cinematic road trips accompanied by music from the local radio station and in the north of Tenerife this can be a special pleasure with the island’s connection to Latin America in evidence. North Tenerife has a relationship with Venezuela in particular; there's been plenty of coming and going of people over the years. The Venezuelan born Oscar D'León's Lloraras evokes the salsa sounds of those car journeys, remembered for the dramatic scenery of the north coast and the fading in and out of the radio signal as we traversed the island.

Istanbul ‘Yeşil Ada’ by Enver Mete Aslan ‘Ab-i Rû’ by Mercan Dede

*Performance Space, Sultanahmet, Istanbul*

Istanbul was one of the first destinations where I travelled with street photography in mind. Alex Webb had shown the city's great potential for fabulous colour work and I was definitely inspired; enough to visit Turkey on my own with the camera as companion. During that first trip I luckily happened upon an evening concert by a solo oud player set in a beautiful outdoor arena beside the Blue Mosque in Sultanhamet. Unfortunately I have no record of the artist's name but Yeşil Ada by the Turkish oud player Enver Mete Aslan comes as close as I can find to recreating the excitement and elation of that event.

During the same visit I took a boat trip to Adalar, one of the fabulous Princes Islands situated just off the Asian coast of the city where horse-drawn transport is the norm and where you can escape for a while from Istanbul's exciting chaos. On the return journey, with the red sun setting over the Sea of Marmara and the gulls wheeling around the boat, I retreated with my headphones into the hypnotic world of the album Su (water) by the Turkish electronic fusionist Mercan Dede. The opportunity to listen to such evocative music in such a glorious setting was a privilege that I will always treasure.

Morocco ‘Lagnawia’ by Electric Jalaba

It’s fair to assume that a typical Moroccan musical experience will mean an introduction to gnawa, which is the trance-like traditional music of the region. Having spent several months in the country on a couple of occasions there were plenty of opportunities to hear this music. One destination in particular, Essaouira, is well known for it’s annual Gnaoua World Music Festival and whilst we weren’t there at festival time we did stay nearby in Paradise Valley (a bit of an exaggeration but very nice all the same) where our hotel host was happy to play the solo gimbri (Moroccan three stringed lute) for our entertainment.

In Fes, Marrakech and Chefchaouen the Morocco guidebooks will direct the western traveller to The Clock cafes where enthusiastic young Moroccans arrange for traditional musicians and storytellers to share their culture for the pleasure and education of their visitors….and Lagnawia by Electric Jalaba represents just the kind of fusion that such an exchange would encourage.

Finally a mention for the Berber music festival that we happened upon in the southern city of Tiznit, where a substantial acapella choir performed on a large outdoor stage erected by a willing crew who seemed little concerned with any of the health and safety practices familiar to Europeans!

Caceres, Extremadura, Spain ‘Life is a Journey’ by Clinton Fearon ‘Aman Caterina Mou’ by Ҫiğdem Aslan

The trip to Caceres was originally driven by the world music on offer at the Womad (World of Music and Dance) festival but turned out to be a much broader experience. Having attended such festivals in the UK with their big-name international line-ups the much smaller, unticketed Womad in Caceres initially seemed like it had less to offer….but that’s because I underestimated the vibe and the excitement arising from siting the festival in the heart of a fascinating medieval city. I’ve chosen music from two of the acts that I saw performing that year, both in Plaza San Jorge (the smaller more compact arena) and both representing the diversity and quality of the Womad experience. Clinton Fearon, though based in France, brings an authentic Jamaican reggae sound to the mix and Ҫiğdem Aslan’s rebetika is a welcome chance to appreciate the Greek popular music form.