Top Finds of 2009

Monday, December 28, 2009

As 2009 is coming to a close I wanted to do a quick retrospective of my top record finds of the year. I got a lot of great records in 2009, but these seven stand out as the ones that truly marked definitive moments in the year. These are all pretty unique and special recordings, and three of them actually contributed to my wedding mix this past year which goes to show how sentimental some of them are. Hopefully 2010 will prove to be just as fruitful.

Arnie Cheatham
 Thing (Innerview, 1972)

This record has been one of my top jazz wants for a few years now. Lead by Arnie Cheatham, his group appropriately called Thing, plays through two sides of sprawling jazz, covering more ground than a lot of artists cover in their entire careers. A lot of people flock to this record for the insane drum break on “Road Through the Wall,” but really the whole thing is a riveting exploration through jazz/rock/funk fusion, standing in the shadows of Miles Davis’ similar tinkerings.

Listen to “Road Through the Wall Part 2“


Marijata
 This Is Marijata (Gapophone, 197?)

I spent more time with African music than any other genre in 2009. Being a relatively new genre to me I was literally learning something new every day, and I heard about Pat Thomas’ backing band Marijata fairly early on. Their debut album, This is Marijata, is one of the toughest and funkiest African records out there. Only 4 tracks long, 3 of them are pure funk burners, with the soulful “I Walk Alone” being equally great.

Listen to “We Live In Peace“

Mack Sigis Porter
Peace on You (Rifi 1972)

Mack Porter was born in Ghana, but moved to the Netherlands and eventually Italy in the 60’s. He was signed to the Rifi label and released his only album Peace on You in 1972, one of the most unique records I’ve ever heard. If I had to classify it I guess I would call it a folk record, but it has progressive and symphonic moves, giving it an ethereal sound. The album is amazing from top to bottom, but my favorite track is probably “Miles to Go” which was featured on my wedding mix.

Listen to “Back Home“

Mulatu Astatke
 Mulatu of Ethiopia (Worthy, 1972)

Mulatu Astatke is largely responsible for creating the Ethiopian jazz sound. If you’ve seen the Jim Jarmusch movie Broken Flowers then you’ve heard Mulatu’s signature vibes. His catalog of records runs deep, but the Mulatu of Ethiopia record is probably his most well known and sought after. Beautiful and exotic, almost like a Roy Ayers meets Sun Ra. Mulatu is still keeping buisy in 2009 having collaborated with the Heliocentrics earlier in the year. Mulatu of Ethiopia has been reissued, but if you’d like to dig deeper into his catalog, the recently released comp New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975 is about the best place you could start.

Listen to “Mascaram Setaba“

Roger Rodier
Upon Velveatur (Columbia, 1972)

Rodier was a French-Canadian singer-songwriter who released two singles in the 60’s and then this full-length in 1972. It caused no more than a ripple through the music industry and like so many other great albums was long forgotten before it was even heard. A lot of people make comparisons to Nick Drake, which is valid, but I think Rodier adds a little more depth and dimension through his lush orchestrations.

Listen to “My Spirits Calling“

Satwa
Self Titled (1973)

Satwa is the brainchild of Lula Côrtes and Lailson who created this Brazilian instrumental masterpiece in 1973. Almost entirely acoustic, the album has clear eastern influences, each tune playing like a dreamy raga. I put the beautiful “Amigo” on my Wedding Mix, but everything here is quite stunning.

Listen to “Atom“

Arthur Verocai
Self Tittled (Continental 1972)

I first heard the Arthur Verocai album about 4-5 years ago and it forever changed the way I thought about music. It’s the perfect mix of Brazilian soul, funk, folk, electronic and symphonic experimentation. Verocai was a man with a vision, a man who went through the motions to amazing effect for the countless musicians he helped produce and orchestrate, yet all along he was saving the mind boggling material for his only solo effort in 1972 (he did release a follow-up called Encore in 2007).

This album has been #1 on my want list for years, and of course it turns out to be one of the rarest records in the world. Thinking it was all just a pipe dream, a copy finally found it’s way on ebay in the Fall of 2008. Shit! I wanted it so bad, and I knew there were hoards of collectors just like me who had been waiting years for a copy to surface, its legacy only growing since the last time it was on the Bay. Well, long story short, I didn’t end up getting the copy on ebay (it actually went to avid Brazilian collector DJ Ferarri), but fate extended its hand and miraculously I managed to track down a copy not too long after.

I could go on at length about how great every song is, but trust me, this album is truly special. As a fellow Soulstrutter put it in a thread dedicated to this album’s greatness: “You diss Verocai, you diss yourself.”

Listen to “Presente Grego“

Hip Hop Album Covers

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Sorry there’s been a lack of updates. I’m going to post my top 5 record finds from 2009 sometime next week, but until then you can enjoy some hip hop cover art reinterpreted with Legos. These were posted earlier in the year but I think they deserve a re-post.

tribe_called_quest
biz_markiegangstarr

ghostfaceoutkast
alkaholiks
beastie_boys
dr_dre

de_la_soulnas
run_dmc


John Solimine: Spike Press

Friday, December 11, 2009

jazz_fest2

The summer of 2008 my wife and I drove cross country from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Along the way we made many stops to see friends of family, and one of them was in Chicago, a city neither of us had been to before and one that we both fell in love with almost immediately. Coincidentally, the Chicago Jazz fest was going on the few days that we were there and was only a few minutes away from the hotel we were staying at. A free event, we wandered the festival grounds during the day and decided to come back at night to watch Ornette Coleman perform (even more coincidentally I found a copy of Coleman’s seminal record Free Jazz in Denver a few days later). It was a great performance, and all around just good vibes. Our stay in Chicago left an impression on both of us, and as a memento of our time there we bought that year’s Chicago Jazz Fest poster illustrated by local artist John Solimine (pictured above). It’s a cool silk screened print, hand signed and numbered, although we didn’t realize until we got it how bright the yellows were going to be. They are almost like a highlighter yellow, and I don’t know if this was intended or a miscalculation at the printer.

Anyways, I stumbled upon his follow-up for this years Jazz Fest and I’m really feeling it. Great use of gradients and strong type. If you like this there’s a lot of other really nice work on Solimine’s website Spike Press that you should check out.

jazz_fest


Brasil Meu Amor Vol. 1

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Here’s another great Brazilian mix courtesy of DJ Ferrari. I’ve been finding a lot of Brazilian records as of late so I was thinking about getting started on Braziliance Volume 2. Until then, enjoy this killer mix. If you dig, you can download Volume 2 on his site as well as many other mixes. Lots of record porn on his site too!

Download Brasil Meu Amor Vol. 1







Brasil Meu Amor Vol. 1 Tracklisting:

Vanusa – Ponte Aerea: 15 Horas
Arthur Verocai – Caboclo
D’Angelo – Padre Cicero
Carlos Pedro – Tudo Muda Toda Hora
Claudia – Frente Fria
Marcos Valle – Vinte e Seis Anos de Vida Normal
Os Brazoes – Espiral
Caetano Veloso – Tropicalia
Gal Costa – Tuareg
Som Imaginario – Ue
Arthur Verocai – Velho Parente
Piri – Porta Do Sol
Nonato Buzar – Verao Vermelho
Celia – No Boca Do Sol
Secos e Molhados – Sangue Latino
Paulo Bagunca – Cristina
Mutantes – Ave Lucifer
Trio Mocoto – Nao Adianta
Cleo Galante – Momentos de Cada Dia
O Bando – Quem Sabe
O Terco – Longe Sem Direcao
Tuca – Pra Voce Com Amor
Golden Boys – Berimbau
Jorge Ben – Porque e Proibido Pisar Na Grama
Toquinho – Carolina Carol Bela
Rubinho e Mauro Assumpcao – No Munda Da Lua
Assim Assado – Pedacos
Liverpool – Voce Gosta
Gal Costa – Baby


Edan’s Echo Party

Thursday, December 3, 2009

T his is a video for Edan’s latest release, Echo Party, quite possibly one of the wildest mixtapes ever made. Edan was given access to the Traffic Ent. Group’s back catalog of old school rap labels like Magic Records, Chocolate Star, and P&P, and asked to create something entirely new. He could have gone the simple mixtape route, but instead Edan has created a 30-min record of dance, rap and punk, utilizing everything from turntables, tape echo, guitar, moog and maybe even kazoos. Crazy, but genius stuff.

CDs are in stores now. Stones Throw was taking pre-orders for the LP but looks like they are all sold out. Too bad because each LP was going to feature individualized art by Edan himself.

edan-echo-party-1edan-echo-party-2edan-echo-party-3


Monty Stark 1940-2009

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

S o news spread quickly today that vibraphonist and visionary Monty Stark passed away on November 26. His group, The Stark Reality with John Abercrombie, Phil Morrison, and Vinnie Johnson, released their only album in 1970 which remains one of the most cherished records amongst producers, musicians, hip hop fans and record collectors alike. A unique blend of funk, jazz, and psych – to this day there is no other album that sounds quite like it. Stones Throw has a nice memorial page of sorts up that commemorates his career. R.I.P. Monty.

montystark1970

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