skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Milt Jackson - Sunflower (CTI, 1972)
CTI was on fire at the time of this recording, studio musicians on this album including Herbie Hancock on piano and fender rhodes, Ron Carter on bass, Freddie Hubbard on flugelhorn and trumpet. Sunflower is a very orchestrated and cinematic record, but manages to groove really well. The way Milt Jackson and Herbie Hancock pair each other is fantastic especially with the subtle overtunes by Freddie Hubbard. This is a very beautiful record, and is one that means a lot to me. I find myself going through periods of time where I can only listen to this record. The way the strings cascade in "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" never fails to give me chills and "People Make the Go Round" has one of the sweetest drum and bass intros, especially when Freddie Hubards comes in wailing on the trumpet. Needless to say this is a record that is constant rotation and I don't doubt that you'll find it enjoyable.
Milt Jackson is a vibraphone player most known for his work in the Modern Jazz Quartet, but was most active in the 50's and 60's as a sideman and solo musician. He worked alongside jazz greats including John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, and Wes Montgomery. Although usually a hard bop or bebop guy with soulful overtures, Sunflower is a groove-filled record that jams hard. The vibes on this album are subtle and sweet, adding a mellow undertone and keeping a dream-like quality about the whole session. As always Milt Jackson knows when is best to take the lead and when to play along.
The original vinyl release only had four songs, but the CD releases includes a bonus track. One of my favorite records, a true jazz classic and one of CTI's best releases.
1. For Someone I Love
2. What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
3. People Make the World Go Round
4. Sunflower
5. SKJ
Link in comments
Manduka/Los Jaivas - Los Sueños de América (Movieplay, 1974)
A great lazy day album by Brazilian folk singer Manduka and the Chilean psychedelic group Los Jaivas. There is not much information available in English about Manduka at all, but from what I gather he was a folk musician from Brazil who was born into a family of poets and writers. He lived the bohemian lifestyle as he traveled throughout Latin America playing with different groups and incorporating different influences into his music. According to one account he actually lived in a house with Pablo Neruda at one point - very interesting. On his travels in Argentina he joined up with Chilean psychedelic group Los Jaivas and their meeting resulted in this fantastic album.
Los Jaivas, originally from Chile, were ousted after the coup that overthrew Allende in '73. A Pinochet dictatorship obviously could not handle the rocking political grooves of Los Jaivas so the group moved to Argentina then later relocated again to France. As the first recording since the groups exile, this album must be seen as a reaction to the unjust Pinochet regime. Simply enough in the title, "Los Sueños de América," we find a sense of hope, and as the album has a drifting dream-like quality, we listen as Manduka and Los Jaivas explain the current state of a Latin America struggling for its identity and for hope in the future.
This record is beautiful, epic and very groovy. Manduka said that this album attempts to explain "the wisdom of the mountains, the intoxication of the sea and the hermetic jungle." This geographic dialogue is heard through the extensive use of flute, chanting and percussion. A great record to sip coffee to as you start your day, or perfect for tucking you in at night. Favorite track on here is "Date Una Vuelta en el Aire," absolutely beautiful.
1. Don Juan de la Suerte
2. La Centinela
3. Date Una Vuelta en el Aire
4. Tá Bom Tá Que Tá
5. Traguito de Ron
6. Los Sueños de América
7. Primero Encuentro Latino Americano de la Soledad
Link in comments
Sun Ra - The Antique Blacks (Saturn, 1974)Hands down, this is my favorite Sun Ra record. Actually, I'd have to say this record makes the top 25 of all time list. It has a deep soulful groove to it that is coherent, danceable and absolutely mesmerizing. It was recorded live in Philly, and it's a great sounding session. The live session not only allows for a good amount of improvisation, but also a fantastic raw sound. Now, I'm not actually a big fan of free jazz or long bouts of improvised jam sessions, but every now and then Sun Ra does it right and he does it hard.
He plays with a relatively small group on this recording featuring only nine musicians, but the instruments range from Ra's ridiculous rocksichord, to miniMoog, to three sax players, to bassoon, to congas as well as the standard jazz instruments. The set is funky and soulful, jazzy and fun. Ra recites poetry, gets down on drum sessions, and has some great ambient moog madness. A really great record, hard-hitting and really fun to listen to. Oh, and for those weary of squeaky saxophone, there is a little but it's definitely listenable. Standout tracks include "Song N1", "This Song is Dedicated to Nature's God", and "Space is the Place."
This live set just got reissued on CD and is being reissued on vinyl in February. The version I have uploaded is from the original LP and not the reissued CD. The reissue is remastered and has an extra track.
You can purchase the remastered CD through Amazon and to find out more information about Sun Ra check out his wiki page.
1. Song No.1
2. There is a Change in the Air
3. The Antique Blacks
4. This Song is Dedicated to Nature's God
5. The Ridiculous "I" and the Cosmos Me
6. Would I For All I Were
7. Space is the Place
Link in comments
Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu of Ethiopia (Worthy Records, 1972/2003)
I first heard Mulatu Astatke on Gilles Peterson's podcast back in May, and while I was already somewhat interested in African music I was absolutely blown away by what I was hearing. Mulatu single-handedly turned 2009 into a quest for more and more African music. As Mulatu has been talked about a lot this year due to his great project with the Heliocentrics and the highly acclaimed reissue of his early works New York-Addis-London, I debated whether or not I should post this album but after taking another listen I realized that everyone needs to hear this.
Now, I hate to be a nitpicker, but I'm going to have to break it down real quick. Mulatu is Ethiopian born, but he was educated in the US and UK unlike some of the other big artists out of Ethiopia like Mahmoud Ahmed. If you listen to his first recording, Afro-Latin Soul (1966) there is very little connection with the Ethiopian jazz/pop that is now synonymous with his name. Afro-Latin Soul is heavily influenced by music of the Carribean with a lot of samba, salsa, and straight-ahead jazz, but not really touching on influences from East African music. Mulatu of Ethiopia is his rectification, it is a creation that takes the afro-latin jazz he was working on and melding it with a more traditional Ethiopian sound, thus creating the sound that is now Ethiopian Jazz. As I'm listening to the Gilles Petersen podcast again, he asks Mulatu about the latin influence in his music, to this he responds "I don't think latin, all those rhythms... Those are all Africa." I love that response, Africa as not only the origin of mankind, but the origin of deep grooves as well! Mulatu's appropriation of "Western" influences in his music is the product of a beautiful post-modern post-colonial exchange.
Some of the tracks on this record were re-interpreted on the Heliocentrics album and others are collected on the new NY-Addis-London album. Don't let that dissuade you from listening to this, it'll just encourage you to go out and pick up not just those two other records, but everything African. As Gilles says, "With subtlety and romance. People who love music, will like [Mulatu's] music." So here you go, the keyboardist/vibraphonist extraordinaire - Mulatu of Ethiopia.
1. Mulatu
2. Mascaram Setaba
3. Dewel
4. Kulunmanqueleshi.
5. Kasalefkut-Hulu
6. Munaye
7. Chifara
To purchase this album visit Sound Stage Direct and for more information on Mulatu visit his website.
Link in comments
Okay, so I'm changing the focus of this blog. It is going from being a forum for my photos (now irrelevant since I have a flickr) to a place for me to talk about music that I'm currently in love with. Until I settle and obtain a USB turntable, all tracks that I will upload will be stuff that I've downloaded from other blogs (I will make links when appropriate), stolen from friends/messageboards or myself own. Thanks, and enjoy.
V/A - The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru (Barbes, 2007)
How could I start anywhere other than cumbia? The rhythmic grooves subconsciously instantly induce dancing no matter the level of your intoxication. I really can't think of another style of music that is so hypnotic and conducive to movement. As a kid roadtrips were a very normal thing for me, my parents would be driving the family SUV through Mexico, up to San Francisco or out to the grand canyon and the whole time they would blasting cumbia hits from their shoebox of tapes. The rhythm is ingrained in my psyche, and I blame my poor dancing skills on my inability to dance to fully dance to cumbia as I was strapped into a seatbelt and squashed by a little brother and mexican blankets.
The thing that interests me most about cumbia is the universality of the music within Latin America. While the origin of cumbia is the Carribean coast of Colombia and Panama, the music has spread and appropriated itself into the rhythm and culture from Northern Mexico down to the Cape. Western and folk influences play a role in the sound of the cumbia in each region, but that hypnotic beat always makes for a sure-fire dance groove. Cumbia originated as resistance music by Afro-Carribean slaves and has always been popular with the lower classes (aka, music of the people). Modern day cumbia tends to focus less on the political aspects of life, but rather keeps on light-hearted sentiments so as to not discourage partying. The tracks on the compilation are pulled together from records that I assume to be from the late 60's and early 70's. The focus here is on Chicha, which originates from the Peruvian oil region near the Bolivian border. This here is gritty cumbia with UK psychedelic, US surf and African jazz influence.
Overall, this a great compilation. I really love every track by La Hijas Del Sol/Los Hijos Del Sol and Juaneco Y Su Combo. Download this one and get ready to party.
1. Los Mirlos - "Sonido Amazonico"
2. Juaneco Y Su Combo - "Linda Nena"
3. La Hijas Del Sol - "Cariñito"
4. Los Destellos - "A Patricia"
5. Los Diablos Rojos - "Sacalo Sacalo"
6. Juaneco Y Su Combo - "Ya Me Se Ha Muerto Mi Abuelo"
7. Los Mirlos - "El Milagro Verde"
8. Los Destellos - "Para Elisa"
9. Las Hijas Del Sol - "Linda Muñequita"
10. Los Mirlos - "Muchachita Del Oriente"
11. Los Destellos - "Elsa"
12. Juaneco Y Su Combo - "Vacilando Con Ayahuesca"
13. Los Diablos Rojos - "El Guapo"
14. Eusebio Su Banjo - "Mi Morena Rebelde"
15. Los Hijos Del Sol - "Si Me Quieres"
16. Juaneco Y Su Combo - "Me Robaron Mi Runa Mula"
17. Los Mirlos - "La Danza de Los Mirlos"
Purchase the album or find out more information at the label's website: Barbes Records
Download link in the comments.
