Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas

Monday, February 15, 2010

Compiled and released by Joel Stones of Tropicalia in Furs, Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas brings together some of Brazil’s rarest fuzz/funk/psych 45s from 1967-1976. Rarely do I get geeked about new releases, but I’ve been looking forward to this since Joel talked about it in the Wax Poetics Brazil issue last year. Born and raised in Brazil, Joel knows his shit, and in a world cluttered with comps, this one just seems like a no-brainer.

I’m eagerly awaiting my copy, but you can order them direct here. This is the limited edition version with amazing custom artwork complete with 3D glasses, and in my opinion this is the only way to fly as the regular cover art is pretty bland. Don’t sleep on this one!

Tracklisting:

1. CELIO BALONA – TEMA DE BATMAN
2. LOYCE E OS GNOMES – ERA UNA NOTA DE
3. THE YOUNGSTERS – I WANNA BE YOUR MAN
4. SERGUEI – OURICO
5. FABIO – LINDO SONHO DELIRANTE
6. TONY E SOM COLORIDO – O CARONA
7. 14 BIS – GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
8. BANDA DE 7 LEGUAS – DIA DE CHUVA
9. TON & SERGIO – VOU SAIR DO CATIVEIRO
10. ELY – AS TURBINAS ESTAO LIGADAS
11. COM OS FALCOES REAIS – ELE SECULO XX
12. MARISA ROSSI – CINTURAO DE FOGO
13. THE POPS – SOM IMAGINARIO DE JIMMI HENDRIX
14. LOYCE E OS GNOMES – QUE E ISSO?
15. PIRY – HEROI MODERNO
16. MAC RYBELL – THE LANTERN


Thunder Soul: The Story of the Kashmere Stage Band

Thursday, February 4, 2010

My step dad is a jazz drummer and music instructor, and as I was really getting into jazz a few years ago I decided to flip through his record collection to see what kind of records he had. His involvement with different school bands in the 60’s and 70’s yielded a bunch of interesting looking records that he either played on, conducted, or was affiliated with in some way or another. Eventually I came across a copy of Kashmere Stage Band’s Out of Gas But Still Burnin’ LP that he had acquired from the band’s director, Conrad Johnson. My eyes lit up. I knew that Kashmere records were rare and highly sought after by jazz and funk enthusiasts, and until then I had never come across an original KSB record.

In general, my experience with stage band records has been poor; they are typically tepid and cheesy, but the Kashmere kids are another story. Johnson apparently saw the potential in some of his best and brightest students from Kashmere High School in Houston, Texas, forming the KSB in the late 60’s. Between 1968 and 1978 they cut eight studio albums, toured the nation, and won several national championships in the process, becoming a national phenomenon of sorts. The group eventually disbanded in 1978, as several of the players went on to become professional musicians.

I just caught the trailer for an upcoming documentary, Thunder Soul, that traces the band’s history, catches up with some of the players and reunites them for a concert, honoring the man that pushed them to become the greatest high school band ever made. If you want to hear more, check out the compilation Texas, Thunder Soul 1968-1974.


Mulatu Astatke, J Dilla & Arthur Verocai Are Timeless

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

O ne of my biggest regrets of 2009 was not making it down to LA for Mochilla’s Timeless series, a 3-part concert that commemorated three legendary figures in music: Mulatu Astatke, J Dilla, and Arthur Verocai. Each has had profound impact on hip hop music, J Dilla more directly than the other two, but more than that, each are considered some of the greatest and innovative composer/arrangers of our time. Originally, David Axelrod was slated to be the fourth performer, which would have made the series even more mind boggling than it is now, but he unfortunately had to back out at the last minute.

The Arthur Verocai performance was the one I really regret missing. Every time I listen to his 1972 self-titled album I remember how moving music can be, and just thinking about him performing it live with a 30-piece orchestra gives me goosebumps. I was hoping there would be some sort of DVD release of his performance, and thankfully it’s becoming a reality with a 3-DVD box set that documents all three performances which is scheduled to be released on March 30. I seriously can’t wait.

The following was posted from the Vtech website and gives a nice overview of what the Timeless Series is all about. There are also some clips of the Verocai performance at the bottom of this post.

Timeless describes moments outside of time— moments that exist so deep inside history that they break through that finite grid. Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series is an homage to the composer-arrangers that have influenced hip-hop in the most literal and profound ways.

The creative center of popular music today is the beatmaker-producer. Whether it is Timbaland, Dilla, Dre, or Madlib, these musicians have an uncanny sense for voicings, a penchant for unusual sounds and catchy rhythms and a magical ability to manufacture a good performance. Today’s beatmakers are the direct descendants of yesterday’s composer-arrangers. Their processes—whether it be writing a memorable line for background singers or finding the appropriate moment for a baritone harmonica — mirror those of today’s musicians. The composer-arranger creates music through the frame of the bigger picture, often more concerned with how things sound together than individually. Similarly today’s beatmakers produce music on a grand scale, but through automation and sampling.

Timeless brings these two seemingly unlike worlds together. The series honors the musical legacies of some of the greatest composer-arrangers ever.  Timeless celebrates the work of the composer-arranger in the context it should be seen—with full orchestras.

From Mulatu Astatke to J. Dilla to Arthur Verocai, the Timeless Concert Series touched upon the works of three musical giants. Mochilla is proud to announce the March 30th, 2010 release date of the Timeless Concert Series, a 3 DVD box set with a special downloadable audio portion. The box set will be an extremely limited and numbered edition of 4,000, which will include full liner notes, a free poster exclusive only to the box set, extra features, songs, and slideshows of images used in the presentation. To mark the launch of the DVD, there will be a series of events scheduled around its release, including a SXSW screening. Stay tuned here to The Sounds of VTech for more.

Mulatu Astatke:

Headlining the first concert in the Timeless series was the beginning of a big year for Mulatu Astatke. His recent collaboration with the Heliocentrics has made it on many people’s “Best of List,” for 2009. The anthology of his work, New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975, the first comprehensive collection of his work was a big success for Strut Records. On February 1st, he blessed the Luckman Auditorium with an amazing show. He shared the stage with Los Angeles jazz scene veterans Bennie Maupin, Azar Lawrence, and Phil Ranelin. The performance is beautiful, showcasing many classics as well as some new material. The music was mixed by Los Angeles engineer Benjamin Tierney and UK producer/musician, Will “Quantic” Holland.

Mulatu is currently touring Europe with the Heliocentrics and is still talking about the Timeless concert.

Suite For Ma Dukes:

Timeless II celebrated the music of hip-hop producer, James “J. Dilla” Yancey. Composed and arranged for a 60-piece orchestra by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, the concert featured special guests Bilal, Dwele, Posdnuos (De La Soul), Talib Kweli, and more. This premiere performance is still buzzing in the minds of many, unable to shake the magic of that evening.

The music was mixed and mastered by legendary Grammy award-winning producer/mixer Bob Power. Power is the man behind hundreds of pop and jazz recordings. He’s worked with such artists as Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, India.Arie, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and even more significantly, with Dilla.  Bob rarely works on smaller independent projects like this, but was so impressed with Miguel’s music that he blessed this collaboration with an epic mix.

We are premiering “Take Notice” today with Bob’s mix.

In related news, on February 6th, 2010, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony will be perform four of Miguel’s arrangements of Dilla in a tribute to great American composers. Dilla will be honored right along side George Gershwin, William Grant Still, and Duke Ellington. Only Timeless could have made this happen. Deepest congratulations to Miguel and Dilla.

Arthur Verocai:

Timeless III saw Arthur Verocai make his very first trip to Los Angeles to perform his seminal 1972 record for a capacity audience at the Luckman. The performance brought the crowd to a stand still. According to Verocai, “I never played the record, alive or dead!” and hid the record from his family because “of his disappointment at its failure during the 70s.” His utter delight at the opportunity to play this music in its complete form can be seen in the DVD. He has subsequently been offered an opportunity to do the concert again in London. Stay tuned.

The music was mixed by Verocai himself in Rio de Janeiro. He was so excited with the final result that he held a private screening of the concert at the beginning of December and invited the Carioca music community.

Three different shows with three different producers/arrangers and three different styles of extraordinary music presented. For those who attended, the Timeless Series was that of magic, love, and music that penetrated the soul. With the box set, those who weren’t able to attend will now understand what everyone has been talking about. And for those who have, a chance to relive music history all over again.


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“

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


Into The Fire: An African Mix

Monday, November 30, 2009

M y first exposure to African music (and I think this is true for a lot of people) was Fela Kuti. His records regularly, albeit inaccurately, show up in funk bins and through the years I’ve obtained a bunch of his titles. Ignorantly, I thought that Fela Kuti was the end of the road for African music and it wasn’t until many years later that I realized Africa has one of the richest music histories; Kuti was just the gateway drug.

african_funk

My infatuation with African music started a little over a year ago when I stumbled upon a comp called Ghana Soundz released by UK based Soundway Records. The comp explored rare, and for many, previously unheard of afro-beat, afro-funk and afro-fusion sounds from Ghana. I had also recently discovered Voodoo Funk, Frank Gossner’s blog documenting his time living in Africa with the sole mission of re-discovering Africa’s long lost archives of music. In some cases he sourced and found many of the artists who’s records he unearthed in dusty basements and abandoned warehouses. The stories of his travels are fascinating enough to write a book about, and in actuality, director Leigh Iacobucci followed Gossner during some of his time in Africa and will be releasing a documentary called Take Me Away Fast (see trailer below).

“Take Me Away Fast” Trailer from Leigh Iacobucci on Vimeo.

Frank also has a ton of mixes up on his blog highlighting some of his African finds. Some of my favorites are his Big Beats, Sweet Talks, and Psychedelic Aliens, Everybody Get Down and African Heat mixes, although they are all pretty fantastic. I’ve learned a lot from his blog and mixes alone, not to mention scored a bunch of great African titles from him. He also has had his hand in a number of reissue projects, including the amazing reissue of Pax Nicholas’ uber rare solo album, Na Teef Know the Road of Teef.

poly_rythmo

Everyone seems to be catching on to the hypnotic quality of African music as Soundway continues to release superb compilations (their latest Ghana Special is a must have) as well as Analog Africa, who’s comps are amongst the best across any genre. Academy Records has also recently reissued three rare African records, Ofege’s Try and Love, one of the best psychedelic Afro records out there, as well as SJOB Movement’s A Move in the Right Direction and Mebusas’ Blood Brothers. These compilations and reissues are a great place to start exploring the depths of African music, although I must warn you: addiction may ensue.

For the past year I’ve focused most of my attention on African records, and to punctuate this post I’ve made my first African mix. There is no real focus to this mix, just tracks that I dig and think may be a good introduction to the African sound. I am by no means an expert on African music, but strongly believe that stuff like this needs to be preserved, remembered and heard by anyone willing to listen. I hope you enjoy it.

Download Into the Fire

into_the_fire

Into the Fire Tracklisting:
01. Bob Pinodo – Africa
(from Show Master of Africa, 1978)
02. Uhuru Dance Band – Biribi
(from The Sound of Africa, 1975)
03. Bunzu Soundz – Zinabu
(from Bunzu Soundz, 1977)
04. Ogyatanaa – Akosua Manu
(from Yerefrefre, 1975)
05. Orchestre Poly Rythmo de Cotonou – Minsatole Mi Dayi Homin
(from Volume 1, 1972/1983)
06. Orchestre Picoby Band – Jo Ahi Nou Se
(from Jo Ahi Nou Se/Vikoue 7″, 197?)
07. The Big Beats – Kyenkyema
(from Kyenkyema/Mi Nsumoo Bo Donn 7″, 197?)
08. K Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas – Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’awu
(from Self Titled, 1976)
09. Ebo Taylor – Heaven
(from Self Titled, 1978)
10. Sweet Talks – Eyi Su Ngaangaa
(from The Kusum Beat, 1976)
11. Dan Satch – Je Nr’okan
(from Je Nr’okan/Woman Pin Down 7″, 1971)
12. Avolonto Honore – Na Mi Do Gbe Hue Nu
(from La Mort N’a Pas De Date Fixe, 197?)
13. The Funkees – Break Through
(from Break Through/Slipping Into Darkness 7″, 197?)
14. One World – I Need Your Help
(from Victory, 197?)
15. The Apostles – Play Girl
(from Self Titled, 197?)
16. SJOB Movement – You Only Live Once
(from A Move in the Right Direction, 197?)
17. Thony Shorby Nwenyi – No Wrong Show
(from Sweet Funk Music, 1978)
18. Akeeb Kareem – Tomorrow
(from Blackman, 1972)


Freedom Funk

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

freedom_family

ff_back

I posted this album up on Soulstrut for their Record Day a few weeks ago and thought I’d put it up here for people to enjoy. It’s one of my favorite African records and is relatively unknown as far as I can tell. I first heard of them listening to Voodoo Funk’s Big Beats, Sweet Talks & Psychedelic Aliens mix and remember hearing that intro bass line to “Holy Worshipping” and thinking it was Eric B And Rakim’s “Paid in Full.” Off the strength of that track alone I searched high and low for a copy and when I finally tracked one down I was amazed to find that the entire album is pretty much an end to end burner. You can listen to “Holy Worshipping” below and download the entire album here. Enjoy!

Freedom Family – Tracklisting:
01. Lala Li (Happy Song)
02. Life
03. Holy Worshipping
04. Good Times
05. Ayentsoo (Woman)
06. Love Affair
07. Yensuro (No Fears)
08. Lover’s Garden
09. The Last Thing


The Afrofunk Expressway

Friday, August 28, 2009

afrofunk_expressway2

International record dealer extraordinaire, Paulo of Superfly Records, recently put together this mix for Paris DJs, one of my favorite sites for mixes. Known for his record excavations from all corners of the globe, he stocks some of the coolest and rarest vinyl at his online shop (soon to be re-launched). Needless to say, I definitely owe a small chunk of my collection to that man.Paulo’s been busy putting together mixes using records he’s pulled on recent trips to Africa, this being the second in his Afrofunk Expressway series. The first volume in addition to another African mix can be downloaded at www.parisdjs.com.

African music is quickly becoming a bit of an obsession of mine, and I’m busy planning an African mix of my own for the site. Until then, I wanted to post this mix to get the African vibes out there. Hope you like it.

Tracklisting:

01. Hamad Kalkaba – Astadjam Dada Sare
(from ‘North Cameroun Rythms’ LP, 19?? / Sonafric) CAMEROON
02. Afro Soul System – Tink Tank
(from ‘Wale Begun Coki’ 7 inch, 197? / SID) BURKINA FASO
» more info on jammagica.blogspot.com «
03. Orchestre Abass – Samarin Banza
(from ‘Samarin Banza’ 7 inch, 1972 / Polydor) TOGO
04. Wrinkar Experience – Sound Way)
(from ‘Fuel for Love’ 7 inch, 1972 / EMI) NIGERIA
» more info on jammagica.blogspot.com «
05. The Big Beats – Afro Pride
(from ‘Afro Pride’ 7 inch, 19?? / Polydor) GHANA
06. The Funkees – Acid Rock
(from ‘My First Date’ 7 inch, 1971 / HMV) NIGERIA
» more info on parisdjs.com «
07. Aktion – Centipede
(from ‘Clover – Come Together Vol.1′ compilation) NIGERIA
08. Effi Duke & The Love Family – The Time Is Come
(from ‘Mr. Love’ LP, 1980 / Homzy) NIGERIA
09. Traore Seydou Richard Et Les Vaudou Du Flamboyant – Katougou
(from ‘Mousso’ 7 inch, 19?? / Edition Volta Discobel) BURKINA FASO
» more info on lefaso.net «
10. Cisse Abdoulaye et Le Super Volta de La Capitale – Kodjougou
(from ‘Koyembolo’ 7 inch, 1977 / Club Voltaique du Disque) BURKINA FASO
» more info on radioafrica.com.au or on lefaso.net «
11. Orchestre T.P. Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Benin – Wodeka Roe
(from ‘Vol. 1′ LP, 1983 / Albarika Store) BENIN
» more info on jammagica.blogspot.com «
12. Ceejebs – Eti-Ufok
(from ‘Eti-Ufok’ 7 inch, 197? / EMI) NIGERIA
» more info on discogs.com «
13. Mamo Lagbema – Love Music And Dance
(from ‘Mamo Lagbema’ record, 19??) TOGO
14. One World – Fantasy
(from ‘Rejoice’ LP, 197? / EMI) NIGERIA
» more info on radiodiffusion.wordpress.com «

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