Negro É Lindo

Jorge Ben - Negro É Lindo (Phillips, 1971)

Today I find myself in a Starbucks somewhere in Downtown San Francisco. They ran out of bagels, it looks like rain, I have a fifty pound backpack with me and I'm not sure where I'm staying tonight. So obviously, I only need the best feel-good music right now.

I'm posting another Tropicalia album by one of the more discreet figures of the scene. Like Jards Macalé he is also a native of Rio de Janeiro and was somewhat of an outcast of the movement. He did not fit into Macalé's group either as Ben's focus was a bit more light-hearted and reminiscent of street samba of the favelas. What distinguishes and makes Jorge Ben a lasting figure is his heavy use of samba, as well as soul - two styles which were born in and dominate black neighborhoods - and incorporating them with the rock and bossa-nova music his contemporaries were playing. Jorge Ben's music will often fuse samba drumming and whistles, bossa nova piano, and powerful soul singing to create a song that is both soothing and beautiful, but upbeat and danceable.

Negro É Lindo is a great record, but it's hard to go wrong with any of Ben's releases from this time period. The main reason why I posted this record versus any of his others is for the song "Cigana." It opens so sweetly and serenely with a very clean bell and acoustic guitar, Jorge Ben's smooth voice seeps into your ears like honey and dreamy violins ease away all tension. Overall, this is a fantastic album with a perfect blend of oneiric bossa-soul songs and lively samba-soul tracks. Interest in Jorge Ben's music has resurfaced in the US as most of his early stuff has been reissued recently and he is more and more widely appreciated. Get going on this already!

1. Rita Jeep
2. Porque é Proibido Pisar Na Grama
3. Cassius Marcelo Clay
4. Cigana
5. Zula
6. Nego é Lindo
7. Comanche
8. Que Maravilha
9. Maria Domingas
10. Palomaris

Link in comments

Mind Fusion Vol.1

Madlib - Mind Fusion Vol. 1 (???, 2004)

Madlib is one of my favorite hip hop producers of all time. His body of work goes so deep, constantly making groundbreaking beats, and redefining the concept of what a beat is. By thoroughly sampling from the deep bombshelter of jazz, funk, soul, hip hop and more recently Bollywood and Brazilian music, his breadth is huge. This man can boast working with MF Doom, J Dilla, Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killa, Erykah Badu, Mos Def.... basically an endless list of amazing hip hop artists, but also having worked with legendary Brazillian drummer Mamão Conti of Azymuth on a collaborative album. Madlib's alias "the Beat Konducta" is not just a slick nickname, but really a fitting title for him as he literally orchestrates samples, loops and beats to create the perfect track.

There's a lot to say about Madlib, and unfortunately I don't have time right now to fully delve into a deep study on the artistic significance of Madlib's groundbreaking beat constructions. Instead I'm going to look at the album at hand, Madlib's Mind Fusion Vol. 1. There is not much information available about this record (or any of the other 4 Mind Fusion records), and the official Madlib discography page makes no mention of it either. Regardless, this is definitely Madlib's work at hand. Each volume in the series runs like a mixtape, and this first one is somewhat of an early Stones Throw sampler with remixes of Oh No, Quasimoto, Jaylib, Madvillain, but also Method Man and Common.

This is a really great mixtape, a lot of fun to listen to. My favorite track on here is probably the Dudley Perkins song, but the Wildchild tracks are also super ripe. I'm not going to post the tracklist on here, but trust me in that you need to hear this whether you're new to Madlib or not.

For more information on Madlib check out the Stone's Throw website for more info about the Mind Fusion series check out the Rappcats blog.

Link in comments.

Workin' With the Miles Davis Quintet

Miles Davis Quintet - Workin' With the Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige, 1959)

Going to keep this one short because I'm in a coffeshop, my laptop is about to die and there is plenty of info out there about this classic early Miles Davis record. It was recorded as part of a marathon of sessions in '56 with a lineup that included, John Coltrane, Red Garland and Paul Chambers. The group is very tight on this recording, and they play off each other very well. There seems to be a strange tension overall on the recording, but it foreshadows the dark direction that Miles will later develop for Bitches' Brew, Sorcerer, Tribute to Jack Johnson...

The first time I heard this record, I didn't get it. The first track, "It Never Entered My Mind" is moody, beautiful, slow and very dramatic, whereas the rest of the album is aggressive hard-bop. "It Never Entered My Mind" is one of my favorite songs ever, it never fails to receive an emotional reaction for me, the way Red Garland's piano trickles and the way Miles and Coltrane both weep with their instruments is absolutely amazing. This is a great example of programme music, as the song speaks clearly, it flows with a poetry that needs no words.

After many listens I now view the contrast to have the effect of waking up out of a dream. "It Never.." ends on a melancholy, longing note and "Four" comes in bright with a few snare hits before the rest of the band kicks in.

The download is worth it for "It Never Entered My Mind" alone, the version on this album is undeniable. Overall, this is a great Miles Davis album and my favorite of his early years. There are a lot of groovers on here that showcase the energy and power of the band. So here you go, enjoy your weekend with a little more jazz.

1. It Never Entered My Mind
2. Four
3. In Your Own Sweet Way
4. The Theme (Take 1)
5. Trane's Blues
6. Ahmad's Blues
7. Half Nelson
8. The Theme (Take 2)

Link is where? Oh yeah, the comments

Aprendar a Nadar

Jards Macalé - Aprender a Nadar (Phillips, 1974)

Macalé is an interesting character in the Brazilian music scene of the late '60s and '70s. He was involved in the developing Tropicalia movement by writing music for such musicians as Gal Costa, but due to strict censorship by the military dictatorship at the time he was exiled before recording his first album. He returned to Brazil in '72 and immediately became a big player of the art community in Rio, hanging out and collaborating with artists, poets and other musicians. Macalé was never really a part of the Tropicalia movement and as his music never was poppy or commercial enough, he always stayed under the radar of the fame.

Interdisciplinary cooperation was a major point of Macalé's artistic philosophy and Aprendar a Nadar is his first major example of collaboration. The album is a concept album based on the "morbeza romantica," which translates to the romantic morbid-beauty, a phrase developed by Macalé and poet Waly Salomão. The term meant to represent a sentiment of "ill health and beauty," a state which represented the Rio artists of the '70s as they struggled to be creative under the dictatorship. Unlike other artists, the Rio group refused to flee to Europe as ex-patriots, instead choosing to produce art that would get Salomão arrested and tortured and lead poet/journalist Torquato Neto to suicide.

The album itself is a piece of collaborative art in every sense, as the lyrics are put together by Macalé, Salomão, Neto as well as a few other poets and the music is a combination is a mixture of bossa nova, tropicalia, mambo, folk and jazz. The theme of "morbeza romantica" is fully present throughout the album as it is moody, sexy, dark, but just slightly off and uncomfortable. Macalé's vocals are scotch-smooth, tinged with a bit of fire and irony, but trust me this cat can sing! Gotta love this record, it's a bit haunting. If it doesn't grab you on the first lesson, give it a second shot and listen to the way Macalé sings, the way the piano echos and how ironic the strings sound, maybe read some Baudelaire or Marquis de Sade or some Neto.

The following poem by Neto fully illustrates what Macalé and his group were attempting to achieve, it was used in 1982 as a song off Macalé's album Os Últimos Dias de Paupéria:

Let's Play That

when I was born
a crazy, very crazy angel
came to read my palm
it wasn't a baroque angel
it was a crazy, crooked angel
with wings like a plane
and behold, this angel told me,
pressing my hand
with a clenched smile:
go on, pal, sing off key
in the happy people's choir
go on, pal, sing off key
in the happy people's choir
let's play that

1. Jards Anet A Vida
2. Corações/No Meio do Mato/O Faquir da Dor/Rua Real Grandeza/Pam Pam Pam
3. Imagenes
4. Anjo Exterminado
5. Dona de Castelano
6. Mambo da Cantareira
7. E Dai...
8. Orora Analfabeta
9. Senhor Dos Sabados
10. Boneca Semiotica

For more information about Jards Macalé and his involvement in Rio counter-culture read this article by Marcelo Ballve that appeared in Waxpoetics over the summer. If anyone has links to Tropicalia poetry online, please let me know!

Link in comments

Sunflower

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 intros, especially when Freddie Hubard comes in wailing on the trumpet. Needless to say this is a record that is in 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 elements, Sunflower is a groove-filled record that takes a very symphonic approach. 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 accent another player.

The original vinyl release only has four songs, but the CD release 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

Los Sueños de América

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

The Antique Blacks

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 of Ethiopia

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

The Roots of Chicha

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.