Beats & Brass: The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I first heard about Hypnotic Brass Ensemble when someone posted a youtube clip of a New York Times feature (see bottom) a few years ago, and it was the first time in a long time that I remember being truly blown away by music. Comprised of 8 members, 7 of them blood brothers of the trumpeter and former member of Sun Ra’s Arkestra Phil Cohran, the group started out as a street ensemble, hypnotizing audiences on the streets and subway stations of Chicago before moving to New York. Picking up influences from their father, and combining that with their own interests in hip hop and soul, HBE’s music is an infectious cocktail of brass and rhythm that reminds me a little of Kashmere Stage Band’s material.

Over the past couple of years their career has really taken off, having recorded with Eryka Badu and Mos Def, as well as releasing a number of 7″ and 12″ singles, and their first official full-length album on the Honest Jon label in 2009. If any story deserves to be told it’s of these guys, and filmmaker Reuben Atlas is making it happen with his documentary Hypnotic, scheduled to be released later this year. Check out the trailer below.

I began filming in the fall of 2006, during my last year of law school. (I snuck in shoots between classes and visits to the library.) Hypnotic’s music is what sparked my initial interest—it also helped me pass the bar exam—but it was their nomadic, Utopian existence and deep commitment to uphold their family’s values that inspired the documentary. About six months into filming, the band’s career started to take off and I was fortunate enough to capture their evolution. The feature-length documentary is scheduled for completion by the summer of 2010.

Read more about this project here.

Mercury (WAR) from moriza on Vimeo.


How Long – A Dreams in Audio Mixtape

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Download How Long

It took being sick on a Saturday for me to finally get around to putting this mix together, a continuation of D.I.A.’s seasonal mixes. How Long is a collection of winter themed tracks that give you that cold prickly feeling. No sequencing or anything fancy here, just the tracks in their entirety. Enjoy.

Tracklisting:
01. Early Morning by Troyka
from Troyka (1970)
02. A Little Girl Lost by David Axelrod
from Songs of Experience (1969)
03. Winter Song by Nico
from Chelsea Girl (1967)
04. Snow Roses by Jan & Lorraine
from Gypsy People (1969)
05. How Long by Circuit Rider
from Circuit Rider (1980)
06. Forge Your Own Chains by D.R. Hooker
from The Truth (1972)
07. Owl of Winter Fortnite by Collie Ryan
from Indian Harvest (1973)
08. Afrikan in Winter by Positive Force with Ade Olatunji
from Oracy (1977)
09. Winter Serenade by Terje Rypdal & Jan Garbarek
from Bleak House (194)
10. Song For Bobby Smith by Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
from Winter in America (1974)
11. Will to Love by Neil Young
from American Stars ‘N Bars (1977)
12. Gently, Gently by Serpent Power
from The Serpent Power (1967)


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.


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“

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


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


Freedom Rhythm & Sound: Revolutionary Jazz Cover Art

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

frs

Over the years, radio personality and DJ Gilles Peterson has unearthed a number of underground jazz albums, and his passion for the music has finally translated into his new book, Freedom Rhythm & Sound: Revolutionary Jazz Original Cover Art 1965-83. The collection focuses on albums of the spiritual, free and afrocentric variety from labels like BYG/Actuel, Strata East, Nimbus, ESP, and artists including Sun Ra, Phil Cohran, Pharoah Sanders, Prince Lasha, Hannibal Marvin Peterson, Lloyd McNeill and Marcus Belgrave. The collection is not only visually stunning, but also serves as a historical document, capturing a point in time when many artists sought freedom and black empowerment through their music.

And when you get tired of  looking, you can also listen with the CD or 2-volume LP which will be available soon. Highly recommended.

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Winds of Change

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

As promised, here’s the first installment of the Dreams in Audio seasonal mixtape series, Winds of Change. In picking tracks for this mix I couldn’t decide if they should be songs that evoke feelings of Fall or if they should actually be about it. There’s a mix of both here, a lot of them having that rainy day feel, but I tried to throw a few in there that were more exciting and signaled change and transformation. I found myself gravitating towards folk and stuff of that nature, and then segued into a little bit of jazz. I haven’t had a chance to listen to the mix as a whole so I’m not sure exactly how all of the songs will sound together. The track listing is kind of all over the place, but hopefully it’s something people will dig. Enjoy.

Download Winds of Change

winds_of_change

Track Listing:
01. Marj Snyder –Rain
from Let the Sun Shine (1972)
02. Vashti Bunyan – Come Wind Come Rain
from Just Another Diamond Day (1970)
03. Nico – The Fairest of the Seasons
from Chelsea Girl (1967)
04. Arthur Verocai – Caboclo
from Arthur Verocai (1973)
05. Terry Callier – Occasional Rain
from Occasional Rain (1972)
06. Catherine Howe – On A Misty Morning
from What A Beautiful Place (1971)
07. Tomaz Pengov – Cakajoc Nase, Brat
from Odpotovanja (1973)
08. Roger Rodier – L’Herbe
from “L’Herbe”/”Tu Viendras” (196?)
09. Gary Marks – Autumn Eyes
from Gathering (1973)
10. Happy End – Collecting the Wind
from Kazemachi Roman (1971)
11. Majic Ship – We Gotta Live On
from Majic Ship (1970)
12. Windflower – Winddance
from Windflower (1974)
13. Alzo – Looks Like Rain
from Looking For You (1971)
14. John Fahey – Uncloudy Day
from Blind Joe Death (1967)
15. Brainticket – Cosmic Wind
from Celestial Ocean (1973)
16. Bobbi Humphrey – Rain Again
from Satin Doll (1974)
17. Dorothy Ashby – Windmills of My Mind
from Dorothy’s Harp (1969)
18. Philip Catherine – November
from Stream (1972)
19. Grant Green – Lullaby of the Winds
from Grant’s First Stand (1961)
20. The Mike Taylor Trio – Two Autumns
from Trio (1967)
21. Ian Carr’s Nucleus – Changing Times
from Solar Plexus (1971)
22. Jothan Callins – Winds of Change
from Winds of Change (1975)
23. The Khan Jamal Creative Arts Ensemble – Breath of Life
from Drum Dance to the Motherland (1972)

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