Burning Dervish

How do you dance?

Don't tell me you don't. C'mon...get a little liquor in ya...start doing the honky knee bends or the foot-to-foot pogo...maybe the Elaine Dance...

Well, deny all you want but put on this and then try to sit still...and dig the label's description of the record:

"Chicha started out in the late 60’s...incorporated the distinctive pentatonic scales of Andean melodies, some Cuban guajiras, and the psychedelic sounds of surf guitars, wah-wah pedals, farfisa organs and moog synthesizers...Chicha, which is named after a corn-based liquor favored by the Incas...became the music of choice of the mostly indigenous new migrant population – mixing even further with rock, Andean folklore and Peruvian creole music...like Jamaican Ska or Congolese Soukous, Chicha is western-influenced indigenous music geared toward the new urban masses who wholly identified with the new hybrid. Chicha is at once raw and sophisticated - and until now, it had never been released outside of Peru.

Dig!

A Patricia by Los Destellos and Ya Se Ha Muerto mi Abuelo by Juaneco Y Su Combo
from The Roots of Chicha

Let me quote some things I read online about this record...First from some Amazon reviews: "...the lyrics deal with the political reality of the "latino everyman."...The masterful music infused with Willie Colon's breathtaking orchestration will take you away to musical bliss...EVERY song can be danced to yet simultaneously meditated on..."

From All Music Guide: "The high point of Willie Colón's ongoing collaboration with Rubén Blades (and close to a career peak for both artists), Siembra exploded on the salsa scene in 1978 and has never been forgotten by fans...Reflecting the tough times but optimistic attitude of el Barrio during the late '70s..."

I mean, come on, how do you not dig into this record to hear what its all about??

"Pedro Navaja" or "Peter the Knife", the track I am including below is the Latin "Living for the City"...

Willie Colón & Rubén Blades - Pedro Navaja
from Siembra

The young lions were able to show some respect!

Recorded in late 1964 these sessions were respectful but not staid. The trio of McCoy, Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison were aided and abetted by some crisp Latin percussion, which added a distinctive flair to this release.

As with all of McCoy's initial Impulse! output, his unique sound is still coming together but already evident in his strong rhythm playing and fluid melody runs...his energy, which explodes on his later Blue Note releases, is really starting to bubble at the surface here...

McCoy Tyner - Duke's Place and Mr. Gentle and Mr. Cool
from McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington

Several people sent me material to check out over the last 2 - 3 months and I am not proud to say I am just catching up on it all now...can we agree that late is better than never..?

1. One of the more interesting submissions came my way from an artist named Muhmood, who was himself responding to one of my posts about Muslimgauze. "Experimental ambient", similar in style to some of Muslimgauze's stuff, well worth a listen. Check out his new release here.
2. Cagey House is another electronic band. Here's the overview they gave me: "Just wanted to let you know that Cagey House has just released a new EP called Model City on Nishi, Canada's super-finest net-label.
   (http://www.archive.org/details/nsh117) It's our third release on Nisih-and our seventh altogether-and we think it's the strangest one yet. The whole thing has kind of a noir vibe with lots of deep reverb and fuzzy tones. But there's lots of strange, colorful noise and clangy percussion too. Truth be told, it kind of sounds like the attack of the mechanical private eyes. At any rate, it's nice semi-sardonic fun. And all the tracks are free to stream or download from the clean, speedy, user-friendly servers at Nishi."
   
   I dig it, though its a little snarky that their MySpace profile lists "comedy" as one of their genres. Can't someone call an end to unsophisticated irony? Worth a listen, though, and their distribution model's great...click here.
3. Lowstar describes themselves as, "a 4-piece band based in London who make an atmospheric, energetic, big noise". They have several tunes up for streaming on their MySpace.
4. For those of you who made my Pentangle post one of my most-viewed and downloaded there is No Fixed Abode. From their CD Baby page: "folk rock with a great irish female voice... fronted by Una Walsh singing in her own lilting Irish accent and Tony Dean supporting on acoustic guitar. Based in Derbyshire No Fixed Abode have traveled all across the UK over the last three years building up a solid reputation performing at festivals and acoustic clubs...features a number of local musicians including Ashley Hutchins of Fairport Convention fame on bass and the violin virtuoso Patrick Walker from Sheffield. To define a musical style for No Fixed Abode is as difficult as getting a politician to give a straight answer to a question...". Samples on their MySpace.

Thanks to everyone who likes what I do enough to actually ask me to listen to and comment on their music. It is endlessly flattering.

That someone else thinks he sucks...Now if only someone would agree with me about Coldplay...
John Mayer Concert T

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This is an interesting record I found on eMusic. Its a pretty diverse collection of music from throughout Africa.

I don't know a whole lot about the individual tracks...what can you tell me..?

Kemo Conde - Anato
Bembeya Jazz National - Wisky Soda
from
African Roots

Some music, and most great music, can't be easily classified, right? Accordingly, I find most attempts at describing Manu Dibango's unique blend of African and jazz influences completely unsatisfactory.

Manu's output over the years has covered much terrain: early disco, African funk, jazz, electronic world music, soulful sax playing...all bringing together the black cultures of Africa, Europe, America and the Caribbean into one global sound.

Visit his website.

Ouana Di Lambo from La Fete A Manu
Lady from African Ambience: The Ultimate African Dance Party
Night In Zeralda from The Very Best of Manu Dibango: Africadelic

This is quite possibly the best idea I have seen or heard in a long time...One of the sound systems involved is, to me, a brother from another mother but I will not reveal which one so as not to influence the voting...

Four men...ten rounds...ten songs...skills...knowledge...love...I don't know what the grand prize is beyond bragging rights and respect but check it:

4 big sounds ina Firehouse CLASH

Yeah, its starting to be a little too chilly in Brooklyn for this kinda stuff, but the sun is shining today so why not?

This record started its life as a bootleg but finally found legitimate release, which was spruced up to include usage of the master tapes and expanded with singles and dubs. All told, a solid 20 years is covered in this collection.

The Gladiators - Rearrange and Happy Man a.k.a. Portrait Of A Believer 12"
from Studio One Singles, which Amazon has on CD and as an MP3 download

OK, so "world fusion jazz" is how I have seen this record described...Such a terrible classification...and this record has its downsides: it is sort of..."world fusion jazz"...at times it sounds like it could be early-90s Bela Fleck or bad John McLaughlin...

But the thing is, I kinda like it! I think I just have a thing for noodling. Plus the cat plays this bizarre double-necked guitar/lute thing he made himself.

Nabil Khemir - Hikaya
from RayJam.

emusic has another track from the album available to download for free here.

Another emusic find...I don't know if someone turned me on to this or if I downloaded it on a whim...Either way, great record.

I have seen two descriptions of this musician online that I cannot seem to outdo: "African Gnaoua Blues" and "Oriental Jazz".

This record has so much soul. The sounds hint at Moroccan Sufi trance music, African slave wails, late-60s Miles homages...really gorgeous stuff, highly recommended.

Majid Bekkas - Aalach Ya Dounia and Moussaoui
from Mogador

Some friends of mine think this record is over-exposed but I still manage to find people who don't know it and I love blowing their minds with it...It is a classic, with a place in any bop, funk or music-lover's collection...

A live album, from Boston in 1973, I remember being drawn in by the cover (if a photo can be funky, this one surely is)...but the jams...nasty. You have two bad as can be organ players in McGriff and Holmes and three guitarists(!) with a side order of funky drums and percussion.

It's almost too much.

Jimmy McGriff & Groove Holmes - Mozambique
from Giants Of The Organ In Concert, MP3 Download or CD

Hector Lavoe's last album reunited him with Willie Colon, with whom he revolutionized Salsa music in New York in the Latino heydey of the late 60s and early 70s...

Hector's life story was the basis for the recent Marc Anthony film, El Cantante, which I have not seen as of this writing...

Wikipedia has a terrific entry for Hector. His music is widely available, even more so since the resurgence of Fania Records.

I love salsa music so much...living in New York, it just has the sound of the city to me.

Hector Lavoe - Como No Voy A Llorar
from Strikes Back, available from Amazon as CD or MP3 Download.

Well, it certainly has been quite a few weeks...remind me to tell you about it someday...in the meantime thanks to everyone who has contacted me with well wishes...

It's nice to be back, meaning having enough time/energy/clarity to post again. I'll wade back slowly with a quick post...

My first and last post about Belle and Sebastian was one of the most viewed and downloaded tracks here so far. And that was before I discovered this song...which has rapidly gotten itself onto my all-time list...and this record...well, it is one of those ones where you can't help but wonder...how did people, you know, flesh, blood, hair, carbon...how did people make this record?

Belle and Sebastian - Electronic Renaissance
from Tigermilk