Burning Dervish

Essentially a field recording (recorded in the Medina of Marrakesh, Morocco on an Akai ADAM Digital 12 Track), Night Spirit Masters features liner notes by Paul Bowles and is one of the handful of Axiom records I need your help with...I only have one track five tracks, from an Axiom sampler, and would like the full album.

If you have a copy and would be willing to share, please leave a note in the comments to this post or upload a copy to me here. I will, in turn, upload the songs to some of my own space and post the links on this page.

As for the one track tracks I have...

Download:
Baniya - by Abdellatif Oughassal, Abderrahim Oughassal, Abdelhak Bou Naam, Samir Zougari, Abdel Kbir Msolom , Abdenbi Binizi , Aziz Radi , Hassan Zougari , Mohammed Mslomi, Said Oughassal and Abdelqader Oughassal
Tracks 7 - 11

I've scored some great music from this

"...mp-free jazz blog focusing on rare or out-of-print music..."

In addition to the music, the posts are well-informed and well-written while maintaining a certain accessibility. A great site for music discovery.

Dig Destination: OUT.

From All Music Guide:

"In the early '70s, Umar Bin Hassan was a member of the street-poet godfathers of rap, the Last Poets. He joined the group in 1969 after seeing them perform in his native Ohio. With Hassan, the Poets released The Last Poets, This Is Madness, and Last Poets at Last. In mid-1993, he released his first solo album, Be Bop or Be Dead...Producer Bill Laswell recruited two Parliament/Funkadelic instrumentalists, bassist Bootsy Collins and keyboardist Bernie Worrell, plus many other fine players, and virtually recreated The Last Poets tapestry, except that this time there's an electronic overlay as well as a percussive one. Hassan's voice hasn't been dulled by the years and seems more enraged and angered at the nation's racial and social injustices."

Download:
Umar Bin Hassan - Be Bop or Be Dead

"Hakim Bey" is the pseudonym of the writer/anarchist philosopher Peter Lamborn Wilson. I cannot summarize him well at all. My (strong) suggestion is that you start with his wikipedia page...read the entry and follow the external links...

About T.A.Z., from All Music:

"On T.A.Z., writer Hakim Bey reads excerpts from his book of the same name, a work detailing his beliefs that ancient philosophical concepts (such as the Chinese secret society known as a Tong), coupled with modern elements, will return humanity to enlightenment...it makes sense that Bey's readings are accompanied by backing tracks assembled by legendary producer Bill Laswell...For T.A.Z....Laswell constructed ambient, sparse music fusing the sounds of Chinese musician Wu Man with cult guitar hero Buckethead, as well as frequent collaborator Nicky Skopelitis. (Buckethead fans should be forewarned that he plays gentler, more melodic music in the style of his album Colma rather than his usual rapid-fire soloing) The music serves to showcase Bey's voice, which remains at a soothing cadence. His voice never wavers, even when he rabidly excoriates the veneration of police in popular culture, as he does in "Boycott Cop Culture," or when he exhorts listeners to perform pranks in the name of civil disobedience in "Poetic Terrorism."...those looking for a modern equivalent to classic albums by the Last Poets and Gil-Scott Heron should seek T.A.Z. out."

Download:
Hakim Bey - T.A.Z.

This blog is another great source for free music.

Chocoreve is all over the place. Heavy up on 60s garage and psych compilations but not afraid to come at you with some international music and the occassional smattering of straight-ahead classic rock. They use RapidShare for their downloads, which I am not a huge fan of, but they post a ton of music.

Dig Chocoreve.

From All Music Guide:

"Co-produced by bassist Bill Laswell and Gambian griot Foday Musa Suso, this album delves into the West African roots that inspired their fusionary Mandingo project. Ancient Heart features recordings of both of Gambia's two major ethnic groups, the Mandinka and Fulani. But while the 11 songs are fairly true to tradition, the approach is updated by recording the musicians in ensembles rather than the usual solo setting. All in all, this is an extremely uplifting album that features some truly amazing performances."

OK, my friends, I need your help again. I've scoured the blogs but can't find an active download of this record...have a copy? Share a copy? As always, if you upload it to me (you can do that here or by posting a link in the comments for this post), I will put it on my server and post the link here.

Mandinka & Fulani Music of the Gambia - Ancient Heart

About this record (from All Music Guide):

"To call this outing "authentic" would be an understatement, given that Bill Laswell and Pharoah Sanders took only some digital recording equipment and Sanders' saxophone to Morocco to record it...the recording took place in someone's home with a large cast of musicians, many of whom are Ghania's family members. The recording did not suffer at all from the mobile equipment, and The Trance of Seven Colors lives up to its title, giving the listener first-hand access to Gnawa healing ceremonial music. Ghania's Guimbri (an African instrument) unravels masterful, off-kilter, bass-like lines over chanting and various percussion instruments. Pharoah Sanders sounds inspired in the setting also, making this a worthwhile recording for Sanders fans who heard intimations of world music in his '60s dates"

Great summary, but this review does not speak to the sensitivity in the recording, exhibited in Pharoah's beautiful call-and-response interchanges with the chanting and drums as well as Laswell's completely unobtrusive mic placement - every hand clap, drumbeat and note exists in its own space on the musical plane.

A bit about Mahmoud Guinia from Wikipedia:

"El Maallem Mahmoud Guinia...is a musician from Morocco. He has appeared on a number of recordings...Mahmoud Guinia was originally the second son of the late and great master of gnawa music, Maâllem Boubker Gania (1927-2000) and the famous clairvoyant and "moqaddema" Aicha Qabral...The origins of the family is West Africa, i.e. the area around the famous city of Timbuktu in present day Mali. The family were not abducted as slaves, as so many other Gnawa were, but were employed as soldiers in the sultan's army..."

Read the full entry here.

Overall the music is trance-like and ritualistic. I welcome your thoughts and comments on the download below.

Maleem Mahmoud Ghania w/ Pharoah Sanders - The Trance Of Seven Colors

Morocco taps African roots with Gnawa music revival

"... the Gnawi have found an inadvertent champion in the north African kingdom's government as it seeks to bolster Morocco's moderate Maliki strain of Islam -- with its Sufi mysticism and cult of saints -- to counter Islamic extremists.

The government's aim is to entrench Maliki Islam to help discredit the more hard-line Salafist and Wahhabi doctrines that originated in the Middle East.

Authorities have promoted regional Moussems, or festivals, that involve the veneration of local saints and held international events to showcase and discuss Sufi identity.

The Gnawa have indirectly benefited because they derive their spiritual authority from the same beliefs..."

Click here for the full article.

From All Music Guide:

"Master oud player and composer Simon Shaheen finds the perfect mix on this collection of Mohammed Abdel Wahab's pieces. Wahab's reputation looms large in Middle Eastern musical history; he set the standard for Egyptian music as a prolific writer...Shaheen pays fine homage here with seven wonderful interpretations sparkling with oud and strings interplay..."

You can learn much more about Mohamed Abdel Wahab here. Simon Shaheen maintains a website here.

This is one of the most beautiful records I have ever owned, based on the quality of the songs, musicianship and production. It is incredibly lush, concise and atmospheric. And it sounds tremendous loud.

Download:
Simon Shaheen - The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab

This site bills itself as

"Rock - Bootlegs - Roio - Rolling Stones..."

So guess what the site is all about? Exactly, and hundreds of them at that...

Blog Stoned.

From All Music Guide:

"One of the most Westernized countries in the Middle East, Turkey has long been a major consumer of American popular culture...But the market for traditional Turkish music remains, and Talip Ozkan has continued to be one of the country's most revered traditionalists. The Dark Fire, an outstanding collection of traditional songs, illustrates both the passionate, soulful nature of his singing and his mastery of the saz, a Turkish lute. Ozkan plays the instrument in so hard and physical a way that it sounds like he's leading a five-piece band, but in fact, his only accompaniment is percussionist and fellow saz player Mahmut Demir. And while his playing almost sounds electric at times, Ozkan sticks to an acoustic setting on this pearl of a CD. Middle Eastern music simply doesn't get any richer."

I have not heard this record since I owned a vinyl copy in the mid-90s. I am dying to hear it. If you have a copy and would be willing to share, please leave a note in the comments to this post or upload a copy to me here. I will, in turn, upload the songs to some of my own space and post the links here. Thanks.

The other Material record put out on Axiom...certainly the one that's met with more acclaim (Rolling Stone even gave it four stars)...this is a record that brings dignity to the word "fusion". Dig the personnel involved (courtesy of discogs.com):

• Arranged By - Bill Laswell
  
• Bass - Bill Laswell , Bootsy Collins , Jonas Hellborg
  
• Chatan, Congas, Percussion - Aiyb Dieng
  
• Daff, Tambourine - Michael Baklouk
  
• Drums [Kit] - Sly Dunbar
  
• Engineer - Martin Bisi , Oz Fritz , Robert Musso
  
• Ghatam - Vikku Vinayakram
  
• Guitar, Sitar, Baglama - Nicky Skopelitis
  
• Mastered By - Howie Weinberg
  
• Ney - Jihad Racy
  
• Oud - Simon Shaheen
  
• Piano [Electric], Organ [Hammond B-3] - Bernie Worrell
  
• Producer - Bill Laswell
  
• Qanoum - George Basil
  
• Sampler, Programmed By [Beats, Loops] - Bill Laswell
  
• Saxophone [Tenor, Soprano] - Wayne Shorter
  
• Synthesizer - Jeff Bova , Nicky Skopelitis
  
• Tabla - Trilok Gurtu , Zakir Hussain
  
• Violin - Shankar , Simon Shaheen
  
• Voice - Fahiem Dandan , Liu Sola , William S. Burroughs

This record is still in print so I can only give you one track and a link to buy the rest...which you must do...right now.

Download:
Material - The Hidden Garden/Naima - from Hallucination Engine

Such a beautiful, upbeat record...and one I was bummed to learn I no longer have in its entirety. I don't know if I accidentally deleted some tracks or what but the only thing left from this record is today's download...If you could help me with the missing tracks I would be most appreciative. You can leave a note in the comments or upload the tracks to me here. I will update this post with a link to the songs, which I will host, if and when I receive them. Thanks in advance. and because of one amazing reader of this blog I now have a copy to share, posted below.

About this record (from All Music Guide):

"...Mandingo are a supergroup of sorts featuring legendary Gambian griot Foday Musa Suso on kora, percussion, and vocals; Laswell on bass; and Jeff Bova and Nicky Skopelitis on keyboards and programming. The result of mixing their disparate styles is an upbeat Afro-funk sound perfectly suited for dancefloors from New York City to West Africa. Eclectic and accessible, New World Order's fusionary sound is not unlike that of Peter Gabriel's work with Senegalese singing sensation Youssou N'Dour, balancing universal appeal with Suso's traditional African influences."

Mandingo - Tell Me One More Time - from New World Power

I think this record has aged so well...from All Music Guide:

"Material has never really been a band -- it's basically a constantly shifting constellation of musicians...Certain musicians are frequently included (in the old days, Fred Frith and Anton Fier; these days, Nicky Skopelitis and Sly Dunbar), but each album usually features a drastically different lineup from the last, and often a new stylistic approach as well. The Third Power is Material's foray into reggae/hip-hop fusion...and Laswell abdicates the bass chair to Robbie Shakespeare; all the drums are played by his cohort Sly Dunbar. Sidemen include Bootsy Collins, Olu Dara, Herbie Hancock and James Brown's old horn section. Vocals are provided by members of the Jungle Brothers, the Last Poets, Shabba Ranks and others....Sly and Robbie keep everything pumping nicely, the rappers keep it interesting, and Nicky Skopelitis' off-kilter guitar keeps reminding you that this really is a Material album....Pity the whole thing clocks in at just over half an hour."

Here's a nice breakdown of the performance and production credits from discogs.com:

• Arranged By [Strings], Conductor [Strings] - Karl Berger
  
• Bass - Robbie Shakespeare
  
• Cornet, Trumpet [African] - Olu Dara
  
• Drums, Drum Programming - Sly Dunbar
  
• Engineer - Martin Bisi , Oz Fritz , Robert Musso
  
• Euphonium - Richard Harper
  
• Flute, Arranged By [Brass], Conductor [Brass] - Henry Threadgill
  
• Guitar - Bootsy Collins , Garry Shider , Michael Hampton , Nicky Skopelitis
  
• Horn [Baritone] - Joe Daly
  
• Mastered By - Howie Weinberg
  
• Mixed By - Jason Corsaro
  
• Organ - Bernie Worrell
  
• Percussion - Aiyb Dieng
  
• Piano - Bernie Worrell , Herbie Hancock
  
• Producer - Bill Laswell
  
• Programmed By [Fairlight] - Nicky Skopelitis
  
• Saxophone [Alto] - Maceo Parker
  
• Saxophone [Tenor] - Pee Wee Ellis
  
• Synthesizer - Jeff Bova
  
• Trombone - Fred Wesley
  
• Tuba - Marcus Rojas
  
• Vocals - Afrika Baby Bambaataa , Bootsy Collins , Garry Shider , Gary Mudbone Cooper , Jalal , Jenny Peters , Mike G , Shabba Ranks
  
• Whistling - Joel Brandon

Download:
Material - The Third Power

This blog is:

"AFRICAN MUSIC"
"AFRO FUNK"
"AFRO BEAT"

I just wish they'd post more often...Dig it here.