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“
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, just listened to this and loved it. many thanks. Wonder if there’s any of these available on cd (I imagine the LPs are pretty hard to track down and pretty expensive)
Glad you’re enjoying them. As far as I know the Rodier and Mulatu have been reissued on CD. The Satwa, Verocai and Porter have been reissued on vinyl, although even those may be tough to track down. The Marijata has not been reissued yet, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it was soon.