TROUBLEMAKERS: EXPRESS WAY/Blue Note, 2004
LEMON/gone
MUSIC EVERYWHERE/gone
RACE RECORDS/gone
snow's falling, fire is burnin' and the cats are sleeping. it's just one of these cool/warm winter afternoons. i'm pretty sure you all spent a nice xmas time and a fast blog surfin' told me everybody's now back on tracks, some with well-deserved time on their hands (hi, mr.O and thanks 4 the tips!), others eager to grab new sounds and xciting beats.
it's been a while since i wanted to post tracks from the Troublemakers' wonderful album but now's the time. EXPRESS WAY came out in june on Blue Note and is one great piece of 2004 music. TROUBLEMAKERS are lionel corsini and arnaud taillefer, 2 guys from marseille (south of france) who met at some dj workshop back in the late 90's. their first album DOUBTS&CONVICTIONS (with fred berthet) came out in 2001 on the notorious GUIDANCE RECORDINGS and offered a nice brew of jazz influences, phat grooves and beats mixed up in soulful compositions.
in 2003, they collaborated to STEREO PICTURES (vol.2/mk2 music) a series of selector mixes on the cinematic tip (vol.1 was by DJVADIM, number3 by I:CUBE just hit the racks) which reunited everybody's faves from nina simone, junzon crew to rahsaan roland kirk . T's are totally into black music and blaxploitation soundtracks but escape the cliche, thanks to a real talent for original compositions, clever sampling (adderley bros, sonny sharrock...), comprehensive knowledge of the french classics (francois de roubaix, serge gainsbourg) and solid guest delivery by THE GIFT OF GAB, among others.the cd is in fact the soundtrack of a short dvd movie included in the package but the music speaks for itself.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
i mentioned it earlier but YOU REALLY SHOULD VISIT AWFUL THOM because his selection is pure buttered soul! if you don't get all of his nice french writing, at least don't miss the ANDY BEY tracks and three versions of LET'S STRAIGHTEN THIS OUT by latimore, etta james and gwen mc crae. ok, it's tea time and i need to feed a few logs in the chimney!
Thursday, December 30, 2004
let it snow
Sunday, December 19, 2004
baby, it's cold outside
RAY CHARLES & BETTY CARTER
DEDICATED TO YOU
abc records, 1961
THE OF MIRROR EYE posted recently live tracks by ray charles that reminded me how i loved his duet album with betty carter.
their sensuous, flirtatious take on "baby,it's cold outside" is an absolute classic and a winter times favorite. the album's liner notes reveal the recording session was a special one, the studio and control room being jammed with fans, Hollywood and music business celebrities. be sure to add this album to your late gift list and set a sophisticated tone to any xmas party. lush marty paich arrangements will smoothly balance your egg nogg dizzyness and david "fathead" newman's tenor sax solos will provide the required soulful groove.
to everyblogdy out there: have a wonderful chritsmas.
BABY,IT'S COLD OUTSIDE
PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE
BUY/OFFER
Thursday, December 16, 2004
i want to jazz it up
sorry for such lack of posts but i've been swamped in work for a week and totally enjoyed it. my GoLive seems back on tracks too so it's time to blog again!
when i'm on working mode, the cd player is locked on repeat so i really get into the core of my selection. not all records pass the test of continuous repeating (5/6 times) but a few grew up on me and are running for my absolut best of 2004. i wonder if many of you out there really noticed the beauty of THE ALBUM LEAF/in a safe place album. as i mostly check blogs about soul, hiphop or electronic music, i'm pretty sure it's probably huge on any indie-pop bloglist.
JAMES LAVALLE recorded it in iceland with sigur ros as the ultimate all-star backing band.
he played his fender rhodes parts but back to california, felt he had to re-record them on his cherished own instrument. i'm a sucker for the rhodes sound, herbie hancock's style- but here it's very interesting to hear it in a non-jazz context. though playing the rhodes for more than 20 years, lavalle confesses he must really suck 'cause he's no virtuoso. but his technique serves his musical ideas perfectly. IN A SAFE PLACE is a must, the perfect winter album and i won't reveal its beauty here, but you can listen to several previous works of lavalle thanks to EPITONIC
more on james lavalle at HOME
MARCO DI MARCO:BRAZILIAN WALTZ
from MY LONDON FRIENDS/arision, 2004
just when i thought the last record i needed was a jazz one, i took a chance on di marco's album and really got into it. what led me to this album is NATHAN HAINES' collaboration.
this UK multi-instrumentist (saxes, flute) has a few interesting jazz/house albums under his belt. i confess i knew nothing about di marco, a charming senior italian piano player but the kind liner notes by martial solal establish him as some serious cat. di marco shares a great sense of melody and a true original touch, in the tradition of other italian masters such as enrico pieranunzi. though i enjoy going back to my classics (bill evans & trane above all), i don't really dig the new jazz scene anymore. i listened to keith jarrett's trio latest opus (out of towners) and found it pretty boring, though i'm an early KJ's fan. di marco's album has the nicest blend of contemporary jazz sound without any beat or electronics involved. interesting review and lots of samples
HERE
INFO&REVIEW
i particularly love the brazilian waltz track because its "my favorite things" flavor and a beautiful flute solo.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: it's real hard to keep up with the good spots popping up everyday! recent thrills include these guys:
LA CASE DE L'AFFREUX THOM
thom speaks french but don't let this stop you on his soulful way
DEEP SOUL JUNKIE
some UK lad who will give mr.soulsides a few sweats
MUSIC FROM MY LOFT
mac daddy digs in his crates and delivers a bi-monthly mp3 mix that blends soul, funk and disco with an attitude.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
saudades
on this quiet monday evening, listening to the very good BUILD AN ARK cd (thanks to
SCENESTARS to remind me about how great this album isINFO REVIEW AND PURCHASE ), a very cool selection of tracks seems appropriate.
since i'm facing some bugs with GoLive these days, i'm using YouSendIt files from now on.
track one is SAUDADES
by NITIN SAWHNEY
from DISPLACING THE PRIEST, OUTCASTE, 1999
LISTEN TO SAMPLES AND BUY THE ALBUM
mostly renowned for his blending of indian and electronic music, nithin shawney signed here with co-author and singer NINA MIRANDA, a pure brazilian downtempo jewel.
nina miranda is/was the voice of smoke city.
SMOKE CITY INFO
BUY THE ALBUMS
and arkestra one.
BUY ALBUM
SAUDADES really makes want to dig into her discography and check her previous collaborations (though the one with robert miles sounds frightening...)
track two is REDE DE ESPERA
by AZYMUTH from PARTIDO NOVO, Far Out recordings, 2002
since the 70's, IVAN CONTI (vocals & drums), ALEX MALHEIROS (vocals&bass) and JOSE ROBERTO BERTRAMI (vocals & keyboards) a.k.a AZYMUTH have been playing the perfect brazileo jazz-funk cocktail. i won't even dare to resume their music and career (more than 25 albums!) here, and let their current UK label FAR OUT RECORDINGS do the job
FAR OUT
azymuth's electric bass/rhodes funk is very distinctive but this track displays the gentle sound of a beautiful ballad, perfect to warm up your week.
maybe everybody out there knows that famous elvis presley track:the one he can't stop laughing because of a baaad chorus singer. if you do, just have a laugh with him. if you don't, you're very lucky, it will cheer your life up.
ARE YOU LONESOME TONIGHT
Friday, December 03, 2004
looking good
JOURNEY INWARDS/gone
LTJ BUKEM
Good Looking Records, 2000
i was totally into music, djing and the club scenes when the UK jungle/drum'n'bass thing hit the decks in the early 90's. as i always tried to keep an eclectic and open mind, i stashed a few jungle jams in my record bag but actually never was a dedicated fan. the scene was pretty hardcore: you had to be a jungle dj or get the hell out and there was no way you'd dare to throw any other style of music in your sets. but as it happened with hip hop or house music, the early scene threw jazz elements- sampled or live- in the mix and among the producers, LTJ BUKEM stood out as one of the best. early on, he created his own label, GOOD LOOKING RECORDS and mixed many influences of soul, downtempo and even house music in his many releases, with always the right balance between pure dance tracks and music you could actually listen to and enjoy outside the club.
plenty of info about the man, the history and the current drum'n'bass/broken beat/nujazz scene at GOOD LOOKING RECORDS
their radio program is pretty good too, very close to gilles peterson's worldwide groove and plays amazing xclusive tracks at this very moment.
taken from the JOURNEY INWARDS cd, the eponymous track is one of my BUKEM's faves:
a perfect blend of soulful downtempo jazz full of rhodes, flute and crisp beats, a creative musical journey into LTJ's inspirations. great tracks on his LOGICAL PROGRESSION and EARTH series, too that you'll try to find at your local record store or BUY HERE
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: among all the online wonderblogful daily discoveries, i can't thank enough cb THEOFMIRROREYE
for pluggin' me to the NUMERO LABEL the site is beautiful and so seem to be their releases. be sure to read their philosophy and overview for a 3rd millenium music label. their re-release of isabelle ANTENA's album first caught my attention, because that band was a thrill for me back in my college days. next, the stories behind the CAPSOUL and BANDIT soul labels
made my day and BAM! i ordered the three cd's on the spot.
same thing happened yesterday on SAMADHI SOUND david sylvian's blemish cd is one piece of music i wanted to grab for a long time. then, i experienced the beautiful online listening of harold budd and akira rabelais' new albums and here again, immediate order took place as early self-indulged xmas gifts.
here's for the power of the blog! elsewhere: PLAY.PAUSE
offers great tracks, very good info, nice and fun writing in both french and english.
SCISSORKICK and ROYAL MUSIC (with a new design) are keepin' the faith close to worship and the recent comeback of MOISTWORKS digs even deeper into hip hop's jazzier and funkier backgrounds. finally, GRAPEJUICEPLUS
lately ranks high in my everchanging bookmarks and bloglists.
Monday, November 29, 2004
off monday
it's a rainy monday on the hills here, so we're into some soft and sunny kawai sounds.
rule number1: i don't work mondays. it's the only way i found to skip the late sunday afternoon stress contracted back in the schooldays. so monday is off and it works : when evening comes, i don't have the same stress about tuesday.
rule number2: mondays are supposed to be cool. but the phone calls keep bringing me back to reality: estimates, call-conferences, the 2months-old job suddenly sooo urgent... it's been a busy weekend of friends visiting, wine libations, birthday lunches, i just wanted to sit quietly, doin' nothing. maybe feed the blog, surf the favorites and the new exciting ones:
PLAY.PAUSE
LISTOPLAY
THE OF MIRROR EYE
it finally was a busy day and now it's getting late but let's play the perfect monday soundtrack anyway:
world famous: sound sniper in sri-lanka was originally issued in the SHOWA 64 compilation on the japanese disorient label. it's a soulful moist downtempo grower
SOUND SNIPER/gone
tokyo bullet by the powder rhinos is a 90's groovy slice of discojazz
TOKYO BULLET/gone
rule number3: try to go to bed early when you want to get up late.
rule number1: i don't work mondays. it's the only way i found to skip the late sunday afternoon stress contracted back in the schooldays. so monday is off and it works : when evening comes, i don't have the same stress about tuesday.
rule number2: mondays are supposed to be cool. but the phone calls keep bringing me back to reality: estimates, call-conferences, the 2months-old job suddenly sooo urgent... it's been a busy weekend of friends visiting, wine libations, birthday lunches, i just wanted to sit quietly, doin' nothing. maybe feed the blog, surf the favorites and the new exciting ones:
PLAY.PAUSE
LISTOPLAY
THE OF MIRROR EYE
it finally was a busy day and now it's getting late but let's play the perfect monday soundtrack anyway:
world famous: sound sniper in sri-lanka was originally issued in the SHOWA 64 compilation on the japanese disorient label. it's a soulful moist downtempo grower
SOUND SNIPER/gone
tokyo bullet by the powder rhinos is a 90's groovy slice of discojazz
TOKYO BULLET/gone
rule number3: try to go to bed early when you want to get up late.
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
don't blame me
ERIC DOLPHY: DON'T BLAME ME
from the stockholm sessions, 1961
enja records, 1988
i won't dare to try to write anything smart about eric dolphy. i discovered him thru john coltrane's records and fell for his music immediately (the love supreme sessions of course) but the record that really did it for me is a live performance of coltrane's quartet in stockholm in 1961.
COVER
they play "my favorite things" for the zillionth time, the recording is pretty bad.
the tyner/reggie workman/jones rythm section sounds like an earthquake in the back, coltrane's chorus goes across the universe and beyond, then dolphy's flute solo comes out of nowhere and brings peace back to earth.
as many american jazz musicians, dolphy seemed to enjoy europe's scene and consideration for his music. in 1961, a tv special titled "eric in town" brought him in the swedish broadcast station in stockholm with rune öwferman on piano, jimmy woode on bass and sture kallin on drums. his flute playing on this standard is "notably fluid and imaginative".
it's one of my favorite dolphy tracks you can enjoy at 192 kb/s.
the genius died in berlin in 1964, he was 36.
deleted
ERIC DOLPHY BIOGRAPHY
BUY
from the stockholm sessions, 1961
enja records, 1988
i won't dare to try to write anything smart about eric dolphy. i discovered him thru john coltrane's records and fell for his music immediately (the love supreme sessions of course) but the record that really did it for me is a live performance of coltrane's quartet in stockholm in 1961.
COVER
they play "my favorite things" for the zillionth time, the recording is pretty bad.
the tyner/reggie workman/jones rythm section sounds like an earthquake in the back, coltrane's chorus goes across the universe and beyond, then dolphy's flute solo comes out of nowhere and brings peace back to earth.
as many american jazz musicians, dolphy seemed to enjoy europe's scene and consideration for his music. in 1961, a tv special titled "eric in town" brought him in the swedish broadcast station in stockholm with rune öwferman on piano, jimmy woode on bass and sture kallin on drums. his flute playing on this standard is "notably fluid and imaginative".
it's one of my favorite dolphy tracks you can enjoy at 192 kb/s.
the genius died in berlin in 1964, he was 36.
deleted
ERIC DOLPHY BIOGRAPHY
BUY
Monday, November 22, 2004
just another manic monday
QUANDO QUANGO/GO EXCITING
Factory, 1982
track deleted
YAZOO/STATE FARM
mute records, 1983
track deleted
a year ago, everybody was sooo totally into 80's music... and i finally was asked to do
a mixtape that would blend some classics and the hype (dfa's, lcd's, tiga's, etc.)
i plugged the time machine and among tracks by material, a certain ration, esg...
these two songs surfaced. i don't know if it's because they had been on my hard-disk brain for ever but they still sounded fresh and at the same time, had very few in common with the current stuff... you'll listen and tell.
more interesting info on QUANDO QUANGO and the legendary FACTORYHERE
more info on YAZOO HERE
both 12"s are beautiful so try to find them at your favorite record store
Factory, 1982
track deleted
YAZOO/STATE FARM
mute records, 1983
track deleted
a year ago, everybody was sooo totally into 80's music... and i finally was asked to do
a mixtape that would blend some classics and the hype (dfa's, lcd's, tiga's, etc.)
i plugged the time machine and among tracks by material, a certain ration, esg...
these two songs surfaced. i don't know if it's because they had been on my hard-disk brain for ever but they still sounded fresh and at the same time, had very few in common with the current stuff... you'll listen and tell.
more interesting info on QUANDO QUANGO and the legendary FACTORYHERE
more info on YAZOO HERE
both 12"s are beautiful so try to find them at your favorite record store
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
have a beer
CENTIPEDE: SEPTOBER ENERGY
RCA, 1971
let's wander into some 1971 psychedelic-jazz trip with the collective soul of centipede's septober energy:produced by robert fripp, feat. keith & julie tippett, robert wyatt and an extensive list of musicians:
SESSION INFO
first time i found this record in a junk sale, the original sleeve and the plates were a mess but i got kurious. 2nd time it was a mint second edition and it looked beautiful, weird and full of promises. the dealer seemed pleased to finally get rid of it. he said this album had cost him a lot years ago. someone brought it to him as a real gem and swore he would get top $ for it. but it just stood here and nobody ever seemed interested. well, this dealer loves to talk and tell stories, especially after a few beers on a long hot afternoon.
and if you bring the beers he'll say: "you take a lot of them records, i'll cut you a good deal..." another round and prices drop down and you're in paradise. i took A LOT of albums and came back for more the next day with a full cooler. the place was stacked with lp's and the piles were so high i couldn't even touch them or the damn shop would collapse.
the guy won't waste anything and is kinda smart. take a stack of various lp's in very bad shape: he built his own machine to cut the vinyl neatly around the center, sells the waste by the ton to a record factory and keeps the small labels and charges a buck a piece. if you're a dedicated vinyl junkie, isn't it great to rest your beer on some hot curtoms, motowns, verves, blue notes, marvins, slys or funkadelics?... he let me hunt the best ones from the huge cardboard box and believe me, when i hit a strata-east label i had second thoughts about the album's true condition and the number of beers that led to its destruction...
the selection here are edits of my favorite centipede tracks.
EDIT ONE/track deleted
EDIT TWO/track deleted
the rest is for you to discover...
BUY IT
Monday, November 15, 2004
rip odb
this one is a classic. its piano licks always evoked me some rza/wu tang stylez...
/track deleted
2nd track is some turntablism' eulogy for a dirty bastard
/track deleted
Thursday, November 11, 2004
old songs for the new depression
ALCOHOL+DRUGS+SEX=BLACKOUT
the blackout
mother records,1997.
music by SCHOOLY D &JOE DELIA, scratches by DJ SWIFT
one of the great moments of onscreen hip hop is abel ferrara's "king of new york":
schoolyD's "am i black enough for you" rockin' the frenzy club scene, from playa's ball to uzi mayhem. ferrara's and the O.G's collaboration followed on, with hits and misses.
READ
i remember when THE BLACKOUT opened at cannes film festival. the main attraction was claudia schiffer. it was her first role and she shared with beatrice dalle a few sexy scenes that drove the press and paparazzi nuts. both girls escorted ferrara on tv sets, promos, parties. abel was always either high or drunk and acting silly pimpstyle, proud to parade with his hot chicks all over him, praising his genius.
i remember the movie was rather bad, with its few moments of course. claudia couldn't act but sure looked good, beatrice did her junkie routine and dennis hopper was his usual overrated self. schoolyD sure didn't top the king of NY gig, but these sleazy/jazzy miami background tracks are perfect warm-ups for early winter times.
THE PLAYER/gone
LIVE AND DIE/gone
MURDER ONE/gone
the blackout
mother records,1997.
music by SCHOOLY D &JOE DELIA, scratches by DJ SWIFT
one of the great moments of onscreen hip hop is abel ferrara's "king of new york":
schoolyD's "am i black enough for you" rockin' the frenzy club scene, from playa's ball to uzi mayhem. ferrara's and the O.G's collaboration followed on, with hits and misses.
READ
i remember when THE BLACKOUT opened at cannes film festival. the main attraction was claudia schiffer. it was her first role and she shared with beatrice dalle a few sexy scenes that drove the press and paparazzi nuts. both girls escorted ferrara on tv sets, promos, parties. abel was always either high or drunk and acting silly pimpstyle, proud to parade with his hot chicks all over him, praising his genius.
i remember the movie was rather bad, with its few moments of course. claudia couldn't act but sure looked good, beatrice did her junkie routine and dennis hopper was his usual overrated self. schoolyD sure didn't top the king of NY gig, but these sleazy/jazzy miami background tracks are perfect warm-ups for early winter times.
THE PLAYER/gone
LIVE AND DIE/gone
MURDER ONE/gone
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
light my fire
i guess many of you are hooked on music or records, which isn't really the same thing:
there's a fetichism of the object itself, levels of interest beyond its musical "quality" : the cover art, the quality of the packaging, etc. as we're mainly dealing with coded immaterial mp3 format, it's a discussion i'll be glad to share with concerned bloggers out there.
back to music and records, i'll be straight on this: i'm addicted to both.
i think i developed a neurotic syndrom, very much alike bulimia or sex: the more i get, the more i want. and there's such an incredible amount of music at hand everywhere that the frustration leads to more dependance, musicblogs being the latest form of addiction.
out of blogosphere, here's what happens to me every 2 or 3 weeks at the record store:
i pick up albums until i can't hold everything in my hands. oh i don't grab them randomly, frantically: i usually have a list of what i'm looking for, a selection i wrote down from magazine reviews, hints i got online, etc. and from hip-hop to electronica, it can easily escalade up to twenty items. the shop carries "used" records but a lot of new stuff ends up here: promos sold by journalists or label representatives for easy cash, news addicts (even worse than me) who had already sold their advance copies for the next fix, whatever.
so i check my fave sections and on a good day i'll find most of the stuff i want at bargain price, forming a pile i can't barely hold - or afford. then i realize my crazyness and make a more thorough selection, listen to the more dubious, swear i'll never read reviews again or follow any online tips and i finally put most back in place. except when i can't resist to "hide" a special one in the death/metal section (just to be sure i'm the one who'll get it later...) though i usually feel it's now or never, because there will be new stuff next time, leading to the urgency of taking it right now.
yeah, it's pathetic, i know. and on top of that the dealers, very aware of my condition, put a few irresistible hot picks aside just for me: rare imports, promo 12"s, limited editions, special digipacks with bonus unreleased material. i hate them, but i'm so glad they did it,too...
LATEST PICKS: diplo/florida, the album leaf/in a safe place, murs/end of the beginning, dj numark&pomo/blend crafters vol.1, maroons/ambush, yesterdays new quintet/angles without edges(+elle's theme e.p/uno esta e.p), abdominal&dj fase/flowtation device, nicky siano's the gallery, headset/space settings.
now guess what? as i work at home i listen to music all day long and then sometimes i don't know what to listen to, really. my fine lp collection in the basement? the selection of tracks grabbed online? the latest cd's i purchased-supposedly the hottest sounds around? the slept-over albums i'll finally give a chance? or should i turn the radio on or just pick up a book and listen to the fire... in such blank moments, i usually turn to a few favorites, a set of cds i keep together in a separate drawer. some kind of a rescue set. and from this safer place comes:
HAROLD BUDD/THE ROOM OF MIRRORS, atlantic, 2000
/track deleted
if you've heard of harold budd, you can imagine the soothing quality of the album.
budd's biography reveals influences as diverse as albert ayler, john cage, morton feldman and includes collaborations with brian eno, the cocteau twins and andy partridge of xtc.
there's plenty of info about him online but all of this can't even give you the slightest idea of the depth, creativity and beauty of his music. luckily, epitonic shares a few of his tracks, and a fila brazilia remix of THE ROOM.
HERE
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
as a mac user i have a hard time with blogger. it won't display anything but unicode characters so tryin' to dive in the source code is impossible except when my girlfriend accepts to mess with it on her pc. that's why the link list isn't updated as often as it should be. it will be done asap but all apologies for those who showed support and were fast to add me in their faves. props to jazz and conversation, stereogum, scenestars, funk you, dozer, comfort music, sticker shock, bumrocks, silence is a rythm too, slow rotation, nite songs.
great tracks, discoveries and painkillers for a poor music addict's soul.
there's a fetichism of the object itself, levels of interest beyond its musical "quality" : the cover art, the quality of the packaging, etc. as we're mainly dealing with coded immaterial mp3 format, it's a discussion i'll be glad to share with concerned bloggers out there.
back to music and records, i'll be straight on this: i'm addicted to both.
i think i developed a neurotic syndrom, very much alike bulimia or sex: the more i get, the more i want. and there's such an incredible amount of music at hand everywhere that the frustration leads to more dependance, musicblogs being the latest form of addiction.
out of blogosphere, here's what happens to me every 2 or 3 weeks at the record store:
i pick up albums until i can't hold everything in my hands. oh i don't grab them randomly, frantically: i usually have a list of what i'm looking for, a selection i wrote down from magazine reviews, hints i got online, etc. and from hip-hop to electronica, it can easily escalade up to twenty items. the shop carries "used" records but a lot of new stuff ends up here: promos sold by journalists or label representatives for easy cash, news addicts (even worse than me) who had already sold their advance copies for the next fix, whatever.
so i check my fave sections and on a good day i'll find most of the stuff i want at bargain price, forming a pile i can't barely hold - or afford. then i realize my crazyness and make a more thorough selection, listen to the more dubious, swear i'll never read reviews again or follow any online tips and i finally put most back in place. except when i can't resist to "hide" a special one in the death/metal section (just to be sure i'm the one who'll get it later...) though i usually feel it's now or never, because there will be new stuff next time, leading to the urgency of taking it right now.
yeah, it's pathetic, i know. and on top of that the dealers, very aware of my condition, put a few irresistible hot picks aside just for me: rare imports, promo 12"s, limited editions, special digipacks with bonus unreleased material. i hate them, but i'm so glad they did it,too...
LATEST PICKS: diplo/florida, the album leaf/in a safe place, murs/end of the beginning, dj numark&pomo/blend crafters vol.1, maroons/ambush, yesterdays new quintet/angles without edges(+elle's theme e.p/uno esta e.p), abdominal&dj fase/flowtation device, nicky siano's the gallery, headset/space settings.
now guess what? as i work at home i listen to music all day long and then sometimes i don't know what to listen to, really. my fine lp collection in the basement? the selection of tracks grabbed online? the latest cd's i purchased-supposedly the hottest sounds around? the slept-over albums i'll finally give a chance? or should i turn the radio on or just pick up a book and listen to the fire... in such blank moments, i usually turn to a few favorites, a set of cds i keep together in a separate drawer. some kind of a rescue set. and from this safer place comes:
HAROLD BUDD/THE ROOM OF MIRRORS, atlantic, 2000
/track deleted
if you've heard of harold budd, you can imagine the soothing quality of the album.
budd's biography reveals influences as diverse as albert ayler, john cage, morton feldman and includes collaborations with brian eno, the cocteau twins and andy partridge of xtc.
there's plenty of info about him online but all of this can't even give you the slightest idea of the depth, creativity and beauty of his music. luckily, epitonic shares a few of his tracks, and a fila brazilia remix of THE ROOM.
HERE
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
as a mac user i have a hard time with blogger. it won't display anything but unicode characters so tryin' to dive in the source code is impossible except when my girlfriend accepts to mess with it on her pc. that's why the link list isn't updated as often as it should be. it will be done asap but all apologies for those who showed support and were fast to add me in their faves. props to jazz and conversation, stereogum, scenestars, funk you, dozer, comfort music, sticker shock, bumrocks, silence is a rythm too, slow rotation, nite songs.
great tracks, discoveries and painkillers for a poor music addict's soul.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
tickle me elmo
SAMIAH FARAH:COOL/erik rug remix
small, sony. 2000
/track deleted
ROBERT HOOD:FRAGILE MINDS
peacefrog, 2003
/track deleted
baddest day for the worldwide majority. it's been hard to act as if nothing happened, when so much was at stake and expected. so that's it? after hundreds of millions of $ spent on bad tv ads, let's just call it quits. say thank you to everybody, spell U.N.I.T.Y and please go back to normal. business as usual.
first one is a french track by samiah farah that says something like: "cool, even when everything falls apart, even if nothing looks good..." i guess it's the way we better look at it and keep some hope. remixer erik rug is one of the true and early french pioneers of house and electronic music. great dj and producer as dirty jesus (gwb will love this moniker) on paper records or on his own label, maine.
MORE RUG INFO
i'm usually not really into detroit techno for home listening, but robert hood's 2nd track is a grower. the whole album has a minimal melodic vibe that seems to built up to this track with layers of rather simple and articulate patterns in true house music tradition, but with a soulful mood and almost traditional japanese music vibe.
more on one of the great detroit tech/house architects
HERE
small, sony. 2000
/track deleted
ROBERT HOOD:FRAGILE MINDS
peacefrog, 2003
/track deleted
baddest day for the worldwide majority. it's been hard to act as if nothing happened, when so much was at stake and expected. so that's it? after hundreds of millions of $ spent on bad tv ads, let's just call it quits. say thank you to everybody, spell U.N.I.T.Y and please go back to normal. business as usual.
first one is a french track by samiah farah that says something like: "cool, even when everything falls apart, even if nothing looks good..." i guess it's the way we better look at it and keep some hope. remixer erik rug is one of the true and early french pioneers of house and electronic music. great dj and producer as dirty jesus (gwb will love this moniker) on paper records or on his own label, maine.
MORE RUG INFO
i'm usually not really into detroit techno for home listening, but robert hood's 2nd track is a grower. the whole album has a minimal melodic vibe that seems to built up to this track with layers of rather simple and articulate patterns in true house music tradition, but with a soulful mood and almost traditional japanese music vibe.
more on one of the great detroit tech/house architects
HERE
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
the final countdown
though i'm far away from you guys, i'm supportive and hope this is the day!
props to craig bonnell for starting it and all music bloggers for spreadin' the act
let's hope we'll celebrate soon!
MY SONG
/track deleted
THE MESSAGE
Hey!! Stop what you're doing! You're not going to find that Arcade Fire live bootleg today, nor will you be stumbling across the b-side to "Hand In Glove", and there's no way you'll be finding that unreleased Pixies album. What you need to do is get ready to vote in the most important election of our lives. åÊFigure out where your nearest polling place is and make sure you are registered. åÊTell your friends to vote, tell your enemies for that matter. But just vote. åÊ
Worried that you're not informed enough to vote? You're on the internet - the information is out there waiting for you. åÊNot a U.S. citizen? Then please call or email all your American friends and make sure they plan on voting. Many artists/organizations are stepping up and helping with the Get Out the Vote campaign, and now so are many of us in the music blogging community. åÊBelow are some links but please continue to add your own.
Moveon.com
RockTheVote.com
JohnKerry.com
GeorgeWBush.com
MusicForAmerica.org
DeclareYourself
JustVote
MyPollingPlace
GetEducated
And since this is an mp3blog we've added a song or two as well.
Vote by Chris Stamey w/Yo La Tengo
Get Out And Vote On Novemeber 2nd. Regular Blogging Will Commence On November 3rd.
Thanks,
Music Bloggers For Democracy
props to craig bonnell for starting it and all music bloggers for spreadin' the act
let's hope we'll celebrate soon!
MY SONG
/track deleted
THE MESSAGE
Hey!! Stop what you're doing! You're not going to find that Arcade Fire live bootleg today, nor will you be stumbling across the b-side to "Hand In Glove", and there's no way you'll be finding that unreleased Pixies album. What you need to do is get ready to vote in the most important election of our lives. åÊFigure out where your nearest polling place is and make sure you are registered. åÊTell your friends to vote, tell your enemies for that matter. But just vote. åÊ
Worried that you're not informed enough to vote? You're on the internet - the information is out there waiting for you. åÊNot a U.S. citizen? Then please call or email all your American friends and make sure they plan on voting. Many artists/organizations are stepping up and helping with the Get Out the Vote campaign, and now so are many of us in the music blogging community. åÊBelow are some links but please continue to add your own.
Moveon.com
RockTheVote.com
JohnKerry.com
GeorgeWBush.com
MusicForAmerica.org
DeclareYourself
JustVote
MyPollingPlace
GetEducated
And since this is an mp3blog we've added a song or two as well.
Vote by Chris Stamey w/Yo La Tengo
Get Out And Vote On Novemeber 2nd. Regular Blogging Will Commence On November 3rd.
Thanks,
Music Bloggers For Democracy
Monday, November 01, 2004
3 days of the condor
RYTHM HERITAGE/3 days of the condor
from DISCO FIED lp/abc records,1976
CAM/CONDOR-ESPIONAGE feat.bald head slick (guru)
from SOULSHINE lp/inflamable records, 2001
oliver w. at soul sides recently posted geoff love's cover of the 3 days of the condor/main theme. i enjoyed his funky version and as this filmscore is one of my favorites, i felt i had to dig a little deeper.
RYTHM HERITAGE is one of these bands in the tradition of cover albums-except it's a reunion of top-notch studio sharks: dean parks, lee ritenour, ray parker on guitar, scott edwards/bass), ed green/drums), victor feldman/perc) and michael omartian/keyboards) as leader. they usually give an extra edge to their efforts, that include theme from s.w.a.t, baretta's theme, stevie wonder's my cherie amour and duke's caravan.
there's a good chance that most of these guys and guests (tom scott, ernie watts) performed the original filmscore session with dave grusin the very same year. then, as disco charts called, they smashed a few disco numbers (discofied) and add some electronics licks here and there. no version can't top the original condor but it has interesting synths and frankly, the disco cover artwork itself is worth the chase at record stores or on ebay.
very little google info about the band so you'll have to do your own homework.
3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR/track deleted
i don't know if any of you out there are familiar with french dj producer DJ CAM (french readers please stand up !). probably not. he's one of the first major electronic producers that emerged on the french scene in the 90's. djcam/laurent daumail's first prods were labeled as trip-hop but firmly rooted in jazz, breaks and hiphop tradition. early on, he created his own label, inflamable records and got on some kind of abstract tip. when french touch kicked in, he kept it real and stuck to his roots (instead of turning all 4 on the floor or deep or jazzy) he sometimes realized a few quality remixes of french pop artists (from post-mortem gainsbourg to jean-louis murat). plenty of djcam info here:
DJ CAM BIO
more about inflamable records & 2 bonus free downloads of gainsbourg and michael jackson cam remixes: INFLAMABLE
i always enjoyed cam's work. he has a distinctive style (classic jazz horns and piano, minimal but clever scratch technique)-though he never dares to wander too far from it.
then his SOULSHINE lp came out and the combination of live jams and studio prods reached a perfect balance of soul and hip hop. it was/is the perfect summer album. not a bad track on the whole lp (there's even a dj premier remix), no recipes he previously served. thanks to major contribution from duo tassel (tp) &naturel(sax) who as "fillet of soul" released in 2002 their own similar project on cam's label. cam (who dropped here the dj on the way) sure knows his classics but it takes some guts to mess with grusin's theme, blend it with beats and live jazz, guru's rhymes, keep the original B-movie groove and end with a winner.
roll down the roadster's windows and cruise on.
CONDOR/track deleted
if you can't find/order it at your local record store on amazon you can try here:
BUY
from DISCO FIED lp/abc records,1976
CAM/CONDOR-ESPIONAGE feat.bald head slick (guru)
from SOULSHINE lp/inflamable records, 2001
oliver w. at soul sides recently posted geoff love's cover of the 3 days of the condor/main theme. i enjoyed his funky version and as this filmscore is one of my favorites, i felt i had to dig a little deeper.
RYTHM HERITAGE is one of these bands in the tradition of cover albums-except it's a reunion of top-notch studio sharks: dean parks, lee ritenour, ray parker on guitar, scott edwards/bass), ed green/drums), victor feldman/perc) and michael omartian/keyboards) as leader. they usually give an extra edge to their efforts, that include theme from s.w.a.t, baretta's theme, stevie wonder's my cherie amour and duke's caravan.
there's a good chance that most of these guys and guests (tom scott, ernie watts) performed the original filmscore session with dave grusin the very same year. then, as disco charts called, they smashed a few disco numbers (discofied) and add some electronics licks here and there. no version can't top the original condor but it has interesting synths and frankly, the disco cover artwork itself is worth the chase at record stores or on ebay.
very little google info about the band so you'll have to do your own homework.
3 DAYS OF THE CONDOR/track deleted
i don't know if any of you out there are familiar with french dj producer DJ CAM (french readers please stand up !). probably not. he's one of the first major electronic producers that emerged on the french scene in the 90's. djcam/laurent daumail's first prods were labeled as trip-hop but firmly rooted in jazz, breaks and hiphop tradition. early on, he created his own label, inflamable records and got on some kind of abstract tip. when french touch kicked in, he kept it real and stuck to his roots (instead of turning all 4 on the floor or deep or jazzy) he sometimes realized a few quality remixes of french pop artists (from post-mortem gainsbourg to jean-louis murat). plenty of djcam info here:
DJ CAM BIO
more about inflamable records & 2 bonus free downloads of gainsbourg and michael jackson cam remixes: INFLAMABLE
i always enjoyed cam's work. he has a distinctive style (classic jazz horns and piano, minimal but clever scratch technique)-though he never dares to wander too far from it.
then his SOULSHINE lp came out and the combination of live jams and studio prods reached a perfect balance of soul and hip hop. it was/is the perfect summer album. not a bad track on the whole lp (there's even a dj premier remix), no recipes he previously served. thanks to major contribution from duo tassel (tp) &naturel(sax) who as "fillet of soul" released in 2002 their own similar project on cam's label. cam (who dropped here the dj on the way) sure knows his classics but it takes some guts to mess with grusin's theme, blend it with beats and live jazz, guru's rhymes, keep the original B-movie groove and end with a winner.
roll down the roadster's windows and cruise on.
CONDOR/track deleted
if you can't find/order it at your local record store on amazon you can try here:
BUY
Saturday, October 23, 2004
night mood
CHARLES GROSS:NIGHT SONG
from PUNCH LINE soundtrack, A&M records 1988
finding a nice track buried in obscure, silly or unexpected filmscores are always a thrill and i know some of you out there enjoyed bill conti's and dave grusin's tracks on previous posts.
this one has very little funk or rare groove appeal, it's rather a deep and soulful piece of music
i haven't seen punchline (starring a very young tom hanks and sally field) and the lp cover sure has little appeal. but on the back a few names arose my curiosity. with mark egan on bass, danny gottlieb-drums, mitch foreman-keyboards and eugene friesen on cello, it couldn't be that bad.
egan/gottlieb was pat metheny's early and sought-after rythm section, with several albums as leaders (ok, sometimes on the verge of "musician's musicians" material- which could mean boring). anyway, this strange combination itself: comedy soundtrack vs.jazz fusion players deserved an ear shot (think about bill cosby experiments for instance) and interesting moments are scattered all along the album (a few bad ones too) but this track got me.
it's deep, moody, haunted, beautiful.
/track deleted
i didn't find really interesting stuff about mr gross. he's a composer, arranger, music director for both movie/tv scores and broadway musicals. among what predominently appears like b-movie material, his hits include air america and turner&hooch (another early hanks fling)
my lp copy is a little scratchy and if only for this track, i'd probably indulge in cd format, which is probably out of print and sure 50c or $-bin bargain stuff.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
as far as cello and soulful music is involved, i have to mention THE SUBURBS ARE KILLING US for a recent post of sublime music by ANJA LECHNER & VASSILIS TSABROPOULOS. i rushed to the store to buy copies of CHANTS, HYMNS AND DANCES (yes, i had to spread it around!) i guess it's very efficient blogpromo-if such impact still had to be proved.
lately, THE NUMBER ONE SONGS IN HEAVEN 's selection was really a treat.
if by any chance you missed it, thanks to JAZZ AND CONVERSATIONfor a more than fascinating WIRED prospective reading about online entertainment THE LONG TAIL
from PUNCH LINE soundtrack, A&M records 1988
finding a nice track buried in obscure, silly or unexpected filmscores are always a thrill and i know some of you out there enjoyed bill conti's and dave grusin's tracks on previous posts.
this one has very little funk or rare groove appeal, it's rather a deep and soulful piece of music
i haven't seen punchline (starring a very young tom hanks and sally field) and the lp cover sure has little appeal. but on the back a few names arose my curiosity. with mark egan on bass, danny gottlieb-drums, mitch foreman-keyboards and eugene friesen on cello, it couldn't be that bad.
egan/gottlieb was pat metheny's early and sought-after rythm section, with several albums as leaders (ok, sometimes on the verge of "musician's musicians" material- which could mean boring). anyway, this strange combination itself: comedy soundtrack vs.jazz fusion players deserved an ear shot (think about bill cosby experiments for instance) and interesting moments are scattered all along the album (a few bad ones too) but this track got me.
it's deep, moody, haunted, beautiful.
/track deleted
i didn't find really interesting stuff about mr gross. he's a composer, arranger, music director for both movie/tv scores and broadway musicals. among what predominently appears like b-movie material, his hits include air america and turner&hooch (another early hanks fling)
my lp copy is a little scratchy and if only for this track, i'd probably indulge in cd format, which is probably out of print and sure 50c or $-bin bargain stuff.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
as far as cello and soulful music is involved, i have to mention THE SUBURBS ARE KILLING US for a recent post of sublime music by ANJA LECHNER & VASSILIS TSABROPOULOS. i rushed to the store to buy copies of CHANTS, HYMNS AND DANCES (yes, i had to spread it around!) i guess it's very efficient blogpromo-if such impact still had to be proved.
lately, THE NUMBER ONE SONGS IN HEAVEN 's selection was really a treat.
if by any chance you missed it, thanks to JAZZ AND CONVERSATIONfor a more than fascinating WIRED prospective reading about online entertainment THE LONG TAIL
living in the holland tunnel
MEA CULPA: googling for some cool holland tunnel pic for my previous post, i made the very silly choice of borrowing an album cover, reframe and post it-without asking permission or either mentioning where it came from.
as the www is a really small village, i got a very kind message from THE MOCKERS, the band i ripped off their LIVING IN THE HOLLAND TUNNEL lp covert art...
they thought it was funny i used it. hem, thanks guys. i guess you deserve some exposure!
so here's the full album cover and the site with info, promo and direct link to buy the lp!
let's hope my very bad manners will end in lot of album sales!
HERE
as the www is a really small village, i got a very kind message from THE MOCKERS, the band i ripped off their LIVING IN THE HOLLAND TUNNEL lp covert art...
they thought it was funny i used it. hem, thanks guys. i guess you deserve some exposure!
so here's the full album cover and the site with info, promo and direct link to buy the lp!
let's hope my very bad manners will end in lot of album sales!
HERE
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
new york on my mind
THE HOLLAND TUNNEL PROJECT/liquid records, 199?
it's one of these 12"s you sometimes pick up on pure instinct/luck in a 50c bin.
one you don't expect much at first but ends up as a nice surprise, listeners asking who's playin' and so on... not really a classic but one fave that survives the record bag long after hits and hypes got sleevedust on the shelves.
IF is a sensual whispered ballad, full of promising innuendos. BLOW is all flute, sax solos and hammond licks, solid 90's acid-jazz material, all delivered with tasty hip hop flava.
IF feat.tiffany rios
BLOW/track deleted
THTP appears to be well and alive downtown NYC. site info describes their style as" charlie parker meets coltrane meets marley marl"... ouch ! yes, i know, such comparisons could be scary... none of these giants came to my mind but i'll give these guys a break
i wasn't able to hear the samples of their current productions but apparently, both these tracks were released prior to the 2 albums.
more music,info and maybe shopping:
HERE
thanks to those who enjoyed the buckshot track and testified: here's the showbiz remix of breakfast@denny's.
/track deleted
thanks to the everxpanding blogcommunity's word of mouth, a few new/notsonew blogs with great music, ideas, fun and good writing : jazz and conversation, nite songs, futurismain'tshit...
thanks avocado kid for the broken link, i think it's fixed now.
it's one of these 12"s you sometimes pick up on pure instinct/luck in a 50c bin.
one you don't expect much at first but ends up as a nice surprise, listeners asking who's playin' and so on... not really a classic but one fave that survives the record bag long after hits and hypes got sleevedust on the shelves.
IF is a sensual whispered ballad, full of promising innuendos. BLOW is all flute, sax solos and hammond licks, solid 90's acid-jazz material, all delivered with tasty hip hop flava.
IF feat.tiffany rios
BLOW/track deleted
THTP appears to be well and alive downtown NYC. site info describes their style as" charlie parker meets coltrane meets marley marl"... ouch ! yes, i know, such comparisons could be scary... none of these giants came to my mind but i'll give these guys a break
i wasn't able to hear the samples of their current productions but apparently, both these tracks were released prior to the 2 albums.
more music,info and maybe shopping:
HERE
thanks to those who enjoyed the buckshot track and testified: here's the showbiz remix of breakfast@denny's.
/track deleted
thanks to the everxpanding blogcommunity's word of mouth, a few new/notsonew blogs with great music, ideas, fun and good writing : jazz and conversation, nite songs, futurismain'tshit...
thanks avocado kid for the broken link, i think it's fixed now.
Thursday, October 14, 2004
ladies' night
there's something unique about a woman, a piano and whatever soul comes out of it.
rickie lee jones'10" ep "girl at her volcano" offered the kicks to hear her live versions
of a few torch songs/jazz standards such as stardust, lush life and my funny valentine.
her cover of "something cool" (written by bill barnes) was then available only as bonus track on the cassette format. the cd reissue includes it but most of the time it seems like there's only a costly japan import around...
anyway, rickie's version has the awkward feeling of a late chat with that girl you just met at the bar. she talks a little too much, a little too fast, there's some twinkling in her eyes and you can't be sure if it's because of you or too many drinks. the night is young and maybe she's a regular, some looking for mr goodbar-type but she's so damn pretty you just want her to keep talking so you can look into her eyes.
rickie lee jones:something cool from "girl at her volcano", wea 1983
GONE
enjoy the lyrics:
HERE
get lucky at your local record exchange store for a used version or open your webwallet online
BUY
in contrast, i felt i had to join JUNE CHRISTY'S original version bathed in the lush 50's sophisticated veneer of pete rugolo's west coast orchestra (feat.maynard ferguson, shorty rogers, bud shank, barney kessel...)
GONE
you'll be well-advised to enjoy her sultry vocals in this bargain-price collection of standards
HERE
but then i really wanted to hang on this bluesy mood and share another very introspective incarnation of a standard. from DISTORTION OF LOVE, one of PATRICIA BARBER's first recording in 1991 on antilles records, summertime is beyond words.
constructed around a repetitive piano, marc johnson's haunting bass and adam nussbaum's minimal percs, it's blues at its deepest in a very feminine, almost hurting way. whatever version of this classic you usually favor will never sound the same afterwards.
LISTEN
miss barber's success forced a reissue of this long out-of-print album
BUY
rickie lee jones'10" ep "girl at her volcano" offered the kicks to hear her live versions
of a few torch songs/jazz standards such as stardust, lush life and my funny valentine.
her cover of "something cool" (written by bill barnes) was then available only as bonus track on the cassette format. the cd reissue includes it but most of the time it seems like there's only a costly japan import around...
anyway, rickie's version has the awkward feeling of a late chat with that girl you just met at the bar. she talks a little too much, a little too fast, there's some twinkling in her eyes and you can't be sure if it's because of you or too many drinks. the night is young and maybe she's a regular, some looking for mr goodbar-type but she's so damn pretty you just want her to keep talking so you can look into her eyes.
rickie lee jones:something cool from "girl at her volcano", wea 1983
GONE
enjoy the lyrics:
HERE
get lucky at your local record exchange store for a used version or open your webwallet online
BUY
in contrast, i felt i had to join JUNE CHRISTY'S original version bathed in the lush 50's sophisticated veneer of pete rugolo's west coast orchestra (feat.maynard ferguson, shorty rogers, bud shank, barney kessel...)
GONE
you'll be well-advised to enjoy her sultry vocals in this bargain-price collection of standards
HERE
but then i really wanted to hang on this bluesy mood and share another very introspective incarnation of a standard. from DISTORTION OF LOVE, one of PATRICIA BARBER's first recording in 1991 on antilles records, summertime is beyond words.
constructed around a repetitive piano, marc johnson's haunting bass and adam nussbaum's minimal percs, it's blues at its deepest in a very feminine, almost hurting way. whatever version of this classic you usually favor will never sound the same afterwards.
LISTEN
miss barber's success forced a reissue of this long out-of-print album
BUY
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
choose me
TEDDY PENDERGRASS : you're my choice tonight(choose me)
love language lp elektra asylum,1984.
brilliantly featured as the opening sequence in alan rudolph's eponymous film, choose me (written and produced by luther vandross) had me running to the next record shop before the end of the show. it's probably the definitive funky ballad on my list.
open any mixtape with this one and get the groove on.
nice info on the last soul man :
HERE
be sure to check first your local record store for teddy's albums or cd's, but if you can't wait, hop here:
BUY
BUCKSHOT LEFONQUE: breakfast at denny's
cbs,1994
back in my jazzy hip-hop days, the brandford marsalis/dj premier buckshot lefonque concept felt like heaven. at last, that "talkin' all that jazz" attitude was real, live and direct and not only crafted out of samples.
it turned out the whole album, though exciting, kinda melt too many ingredients for my taste (maya angelou, an elton john cover, amaharic vocalists from ethiopia, reggae, blues etc) but that instru track was just perfect.
i'd be glad to get some feedback on this one from the blogdeputies of hip hop, say cocaine blunts&soul sides-who are busy diggin' their mutual crates these days- but from moistworks too, timewastin' and whenmadwastallandphatwascold (ouch!) about the buckshot lp's and similar jazz/hiphop concepts... and of course from you all noddin' out there.
brandford marsalis'website is full of buckshot stuff :
HERE
and if you can't convince your record dealer to deliver the goods:
BUY
love language lp elektra asylum,1984.
brilliantly featured as the opening sequence in alan rudolph's eponymous film, choose me (written and produced by luther vandross) had me running to the next record shop before the end of the show. it's probably the definitive funky ballad on my list.
open any mixtape with this one and get the groove on.
nice info on the last soul man :
HERE
be sure to check first your local record store for teddy's albums or cd's, but if you can't wait, hop here:
BUY
BUCKSHOT LEFONQUE: breakfast at denny's
cbs,1994
back in my jazzy hip-hop days, the brandford marsalis/dj premier buckshot lefonque concept felt like heaven. at last, that "talkin' all that jazz" attitude was real, live and direct and not only crafted out of samples.
it turned out the whole album, though exciting, kinda melt too many ingredients for my taste (maya angelou, an elton john cover, amaharic vocalists from ethiopia, reggae, blues etc) but that instru track was just perfect.
i'd be glad to get some feedback on this one from the blogdeputies of hip hop, say cocaine blunts&soul sides-who are busy diggin' their mutual crates these days- but from moistworks too, timewastin' and whenmadwastallandphatwascold (ouch!) about the buckshot lp's and similar jazz/hiphop concepts... and of course from you all noddin' out there.
brandford marsalis'website is full of buckshot stuff :
HERE
and if you can't convince your record dealer to deliver the goods:
BUY
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
sound suggestions for travellers
YVINEK:RECYCLING THE FUTURE
BMG, 2002
as i was attempting to give my cd's some comprehensive order, this one surfaced and was an obvious choice for today's post.
french bass player daniel yvinek's cv included collaborations with Salif Keita, Hector Zazou, Tania Maria, David Byrne, Riyuichi Sakamoto, John Cale, Suzanne Vega or David Sylvian. here's for credentials.
but amazingly, while receiving elogious reviews everywhere, the cd seemed to find a direct way from advance limited copies to bargain bins.
it probably suffered bad timing release and certainly lacked the standard genius marketing approach. here, former prestigious collaborations meant little to the major masterminds of labeling. there was no connection with early trip-hop experiments, no hip-hop credibility or former dj/french touch angle to stick on the cover. you couldn't dance to it in a club but to my knowledege, no remix treatment was dispensed (and all for the better) and it was probably too original to be picked up by any lounge bar compilation lazy accountant.
it's a musician's album for sure. so rich i can't even think of any description but just rely on reminiscence: some bass-clarinet parts evoke john surman's works, "angel-like" harmonica/piano duets are on a bill evans/thielemans' "affinity" palette... that's for starters.
the liner notes credits themselves are a world apart:
"secret tape recorder, polyrythms, teenage voice, stimulating ideas, bliss-thru soprano sax, cheap loops, distorted reality, river clapping, flower pots, high-heel walking, handmade engines"... all this was recorded and recycled in numerous locations including villages, fields, comfortable high-tec recording studios, people's houses, kitchens..."
picked up by ninja tune or warp or morr music or ecm, yvinek's opus would have probably set up its own standard in audio reverie.
but it's not too late, RECYCLING THE FUTURE is a perfect timeless late summer/fall album.
almost all the info i googled are in french but give it a try if you feel like it.
special order is once again probably the only option at your local store but it's worth it.
tracks:
THE COMPLETE UNKNOWN TERRITORY HANDBOOK/track deleted
UNKNOWN COMPANION
/track deleted
yvinek released last spring an interesting compilation worth checking too:
NEW MORNING: A DREAM MIX BY YVINEK which melt chet baker singing in italian with morricone strings, frank mccomb, blossom dearie, bill frisell, andy bey, shirley horn.
BMG, 2002
as i was attempting to give my cd's some comprehensive order, this one surfaced and was an obvious choice for today's post.
french bass player daniel yvinek's cv included collaborations with Salif Keita, Hector Zazou, Tania Maria, David Byrne, Riyuichi Sakamoto, John Cale, Suzanne Vega or David Sylvian. here's for credentials.
but amazingly, while receiving elogious reviews everywhere, the cd seemed to find a direct way from advance limited copies to bargain bins.
it probably suffered bad timing release and certainly lacked the standard genius marketing approach. here, former prestigious collaborations meant little to the major masterminds of labeling. there was no connection with early trip-hop experiments, no hip-hop credibility or former dj/french touch angle to stick on the cover. you couldn't dance to it in a club but to my knowledege, no remix treatment was dispensed (and all for the better) and it was probably too original to be picked up by any lounge bar compilation lazy accountant.
it's a musician's album for sure. so rich i can't even think of any description but just rely on reminiscence: some bass-clarinet parts evoke john surman's works, "angel-like" harmonica/piano duets are on a bill evans/thielemans' "affinity" palette... that's for starters.
the liner notes credits themselves are a world apart:
"secret tape recorder, polyrythms, teenage voice, stimulating ideas, bliss-thru soprano sax, cheap loops, distorted reality, river clapping, flower pots, high-heel walking, handmade engines"... all this was recorded and recycled in numerous locations including villages, fields, comfortable high-tec recording studios, people's houses, kitchens..."
picked up by ninja tune or warp or morr music or ecm, yvinek's opus would have probably set up its own standard in audio reverie.
but it's not too late, RECYCLING THE FUTURE is a perfect timeless late summer/fall album.
almost all the info i googled are in french but give it a try if you feel like it.
special order is once again probably the only option at your local store but it's worth it.
tracks:
THE COMPLETE UNKNOWN TERRITORY HANDBOOK/track deleted
UNKNOWN COMPANION
/track deleted
yvinek released last spring an interesting compilation worth checking too:
NEW MORNING: A DREAM MIX BY YVINEK which melt chet baker singing in italian with morricone strings, frank mccomb, blossom dearie, bill frisell, andy bey, shirley horn.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
scarlet sunrise
i guess it's a blogger's syndrom. trying to keep it on tracks is so time consumin' it's hard to stay alert to the good stuff around. still, i recently enjoyed : foreign exchange@ wastin' time, banco de gaia @ tuwa's shanty, bill withers@tofu hut, ornette coleman@said the gramophone, artefact @moebius rex, a rockin' peaches remix@music for robots and manymanymore courtesy of totally fuzzy (lately herbie hancock live 75, brian eno, tom waits, david sylvian...)
last week record-shopping included the new jimi tenor cd "beyond the stars". plenty of synths, moogs, flutes, fluegelhorns and jazz orchestra. a few tracks sound a little far out but i guess it's on purpose.jt still wanders in 70's territory but there's a solid direction in his compositions which at some point sounded a little too cliche/hommage to that era in previous albums. here he's not very far from a jaggajazzist approach, the vocals adding very souful vibes to it. especially on the first track: barcelona sunrise, feat. allonymous? on vocals
his tone reminds me of mc900ft&jesus, with a softer and soothing edge.
the cd 's got a very funny and fancy cover art by vilunki 3000 & gerard berlin, in some ways reminiscent of sun ra's esp records artwork. there's a limited edition cd with a bonus title to track down. sleeve info tells "file under jazz" and let's hope it won't turn off either electronic or/and jazz purists.
jimi tenor: barcelona sunrise
from beyond the stars, kitty-yo, 2004
listen
lots of blogs link amazon to buy the cd. it sure is convenient but i kinda feel like you should try your local store first-if you're still lucky enough to have one around of course. there's a good chance they'll have to order your wishlist but i'm sure that in the meantime you'll have plenty of good music at hand to enjoy.
more jt stuff and interesting downloads
here
i recently transfered a few tracks from vinyl to cd, among them: camille/scarlet pussy.
it's the b-side of prince's "wish u heaven 7". a black anonymous label crookedly stickered makes it look like a collector's item. if not, it's still a juicy slice of p-funked prince.
/track deleted
last selection for today is: kung fu: a children's game/divine strength
from: kung fu lp, UA,1972
/track deleted
and there's very little to add after such luminous words xcept: peace.
last week record-shopping included the new jimi tenor cd "beyond the stars". plenty of synths, moogs, flutes, fluegelhorns and jazz orchestra. a few tracks sound a little far out but i guess it's on purpose.jt still wanders in 70's territory but there's a solid direction in his compositions which at some point sounded a little too cliche/hommage to that era in previous albums. here he's not very far from a jaggajazzist approach, the vocals adding very souful vibes to it. especially on the first track: barcelona sunrise, feat. allonymous? on vocals
his tone reminds me of mc900ft&jesus, with a softer and soothing edge.
the cd 's got a very funny and fancy cover art by vilunki 3000 & gerard berlin, in some ways reminiscent of sun ra's esp records artwork. there's a limited edition cd with a bonus title to track down. sleeve info tells "file under jazz" and let's hope it won't turn off either electronic or/and jazz purists.
jimi tenor: barcelona sunrise
from beyond the stars, kitty-yo, 2004
listen
lots of blogs link amazon to buy the cd. it sure is convenient but i kinda feel like you should try your local store first-if you're still lucky enough to have one around of course. there's a good chance they'll have to order your wishlist but i'm sure that in the meantime you'll have plenty of good music at hand to enjoy.
more jt stuff and interesting downloads
here
i recently transfered a few tracks from vinyl to cd, among them: camille/scarlet pussy.
it's the b-side of prince's "wish u heaven 7". a black anonymous label crookedly stickered makes it look like a collector's item. if not, it's still a juicy slice of p-funked prince.
/track deleted
last selection for today is: kung fu: a children's game/divine strength
from: kung fu lp, UA,1972
/track deleted
and there's very little to add after such luminous words xcept: peace.
Monday, October 04, 2004
melodie 70
from paris 70's/melodie en sous-sol, 2002
tracks: sand &rain/hurt so bad (removed)
it's french, soulful and guess what, it happened in the 70's.
the singer is nancy holloway who enjoyed a quite successful pop career in france in the sixties. musicians are guys you probably never heard of - unless you're in the rare groove/library sounds circuit : daniel janin, jean-claude pierric and vladimir cosma (a very famous film score composer).
i googled them a bit but found little really valuable info: nancy had sure numerous pop hits and
the composers were involved in the music scene at the higher level, conducting orchestras, arranging for famous singers (jacques brel among them) so we're talking serious cats jammin' around for sure. just for info and credibility, you should know that soul sides reviewed a danieljanin album in 2003:
here
this cd/2lp is a nice reissue/anthology of studio sessions, probably made for library series. most of the tracks are quality laid-back jazzy scores that won't reach classic status but these two nancy songs are really doin' it. i'm listening to the cd right now as i'm typing and it sure has its moments: percs, breaks, flute licks, you name it.
i tried to convert the intro track on the album: "saramina", which is a funky stringy piece on a dave grusin tip but the encoding just failed every time...
the double lp is really nice. a 12" version of the nancy holloway tracks exists on the same label too. so do yourself a favor with some french seventies jazz and hassle your local records store for a copy!
nb: i updated the "heroes" post with a 3rd funkier excerpt, in case you enjoyed the previous ones and missed it.
tracks: sand &rain/hurt so bad (removed)
it's french, soulful and guess what, it happened in the 70's.
the singer is nancy holloway who enjoyed a quite successful pop career in france in the sixties. musicians are guys you probably never heard of - unless you're in the rare groove/library sounds circuit : daniel janin, jean-claude pierric and vladimir cosma (a very famous film score composer).
i googled them a bit but found little really valuable info: nancy had sure numerous pop hits and
the composers were involved in the music scene at the higher level, conducting orchestras, arranging for famous singers (jacques brel among them) so we're talking serious cats jammin' around for sure. just for info and credibility, you should know that soul sides reviewed a danieljanin album in 2003:
here
this cd/2lp is a nice reissue/anthology of studio sessions, probably made for library series. most of the tracks are quality laid-back jazzy scores that won't reach classic status but these two nancy songs are really doin' it. i'm listening to the cd right now as i'm typing and it sure has its moments: percs, breaks, flute licks, you name it.
i tried to convert the intro track on the album: "saramina", which is a funky stringy piece on a dave grusin tip but the encoding just failed every time...
the double lp is really nice. a 12" version of the nancy holloway tracks exists on the same label too. so do yourself a favor with some french seventies jazz and hassle your local records store for a copy!
nb: i updated the "heroes" post with a 3rd funkier excerpt, in case you enjoyed the previous ones and missed it.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
september soul
eumir deodato: september,13
from 2001 lp, cti, 1972
track deleted
i started this blog last week with the very (un)original idea of presenting "september" tracks ... then i changed my mind (well, september was almost over anyway) but as this one was already in the can, i guess it won't hurt to share it with you on early october.
i'm always tempted to give the best info about the artists involved here but then, many devoted sites do it much better than i would, so the best is to dive into a little research if you like what you hear.
abouthim
for those who may not be too familiar with eumir deodato's music, you probably know him at least as the lush arranger of bjork's "post" lp (yes, these hyperballad strings are his...).
word was once said that a special "deodato version" of the whole album exists, which bjork was very fond of and would probably release. it's been many years and albums now and unfortunately this very exciting project seems to be over (but if anyone has some info about it, thanks to keep me posted!)
the 2001 lp is one of deodato's best known albums thanks to a killa discofunk cover of "als sprach zarathustra" and the backing band is a reunion of incredible musicians as always on the cti albums.
aboutit
shop
from 2001 lp, cti, 1972
track deleted
i started this blog last week with the very (un)original idea of presenting "september" tracks ... then i changed my mind (well, september was almost over anyway) but as this one was already in the can, i guess it won't hurt to share it with you on early october.
i'm always tempted to give the best info about the artists involved here but then, many devoted sites do it much better than i would, so the best is to dive into a little research if you like what you hear.
abouthim
for those who may not be too familiar with eumir deodato's music, you probably know him at least as the lush arranger of bjork's "post" lp (yes, these hyperballad strings are his...).
word was once said that a special "deodato version" of the whole album exists, which bjork was very fond of and would probably release. it's been many years and albums now and unfortunately this very exciting project seems to be over (but if anyone has some info about it, thanks to keep me posted!)
the 2001 lp is one of deodato's best known albums thanks to a killa discofunk cover of "als sprach zarathustra" and the backing band is a reunion of incredible musicians as always on the cti albums.
aboutit
shop
we can be heroes
heroes, MCA,1977-jack nietszche
from the jeremy paul kagan film feat. henry winkler and sally field.
tracks deleted>
back in the days i saw this movie but did'nt notice the music until a tv rerun a few years ago.
amazingly, it took me some time to grab a 25c decent copy, for this soundtrack is obviously not very sought-after or even considered eligible to collection but usually buried into a stack of lp's on the cheap end of ebay.
it sure ain't no classic. but there's the distinctive nietszche strings sound (as in "one flew over the cukoo's nest" score of greater fame) and some loose jam blowin' that sweet 70's breeze for a few sparkling minutes.
so next time you cross that dollar bin, give it a try, you never know... anything by conti, goldsmith, nietszche may hold a few juicy bones to chew at.
bliss to everybody out there (youknowhoyouare) who took the time to drop by and say hello, enjoyed the music and told me so... i'll update the linkslist ASAP! have a nice weekend!
from the jeremy paul kagan film feat. henry winkler and sally field.
tracks deleted>
back in the days i saw this movie but did'nt notice the music until a tv rerun a few years ago.
amazingly, it took me some time to grab a 25c decent copy, for this soundtrack is obviously not very sought-after or even considered eligible to collection but usually buried into a stack of lp's on the cheap end of ebay.
it sure ain't no classic. but there's the distinctive nietszche strings sound (as in "one flew over the cukoo's nest" score of greater fame) and some loose jam blowin' that sweet 70's breeze for a few sparkling minutes.
so next time you cross that dollar bin, give it a try, you never know... anything by conti, goldsmith, nietszche may hold a few juicy bones to chew at.
bliss to everybody out there (youknowhoyouare) who took the time to drop by and say hello, enjoyed the music and told me so... i'll update the linkslist ASAP! have a nice weekend!
Friday, October 01, 2004
good lovin'
"an unmarried woman" soundtrack, bill conti, UA.1978
packing up
tracks deleted
like many underrated seventies scores, this one holds a few gems.
whatever movie genre was at stake then, from comedies to thrillers, some good tracks usually roared in the back of the late bar or love scenes, the car chases or whatever good or bad trip was goin' on. they were usually considered as fillers but ended up as much better material than the main themes, as if the composer couldn't resist some monster jam with the cream of studio session mercenaries the production allowed him to bring in.
here we have bill conti who before messin' bad with the colebys, dynasty and rocky themes,
karate kid and james bond scores, seemed to find greater inspiration in this paul mazursky drama; thanks to some uncredited sax and deep doublebass (i'd say maybe tom scott and ron carter respectively, but more accurate info is more than welcome!)
as jazzier variations on the main theme, these in many ways remind me of gato's last tango in paris.
both these tracks are worth the few cents you'll have to pay for a nice sealed lp copy at your local used records store, if such a thing still exists in our tower/virgin/amazon times.
(more on bill conti
here
packing up
tracks deleted
like many underrated seventies scores, this one holds a few gems.
whatever movie genre was at stake then, from comedies to thrillers, some good tracks usually roared in the back of the late bar or love scenes, the car chases or whatever good or bad trip was goin' on. they were usually considered as fillers but ended up as much better material than the main themes, as if the composer couldn't resist some monster jam with the cream of studio session mercenaries the production allowed him to bring in.
here we have bill conti who before messin' bad with the colebys, dynasty and rocky themes,
karate kid and james bond scores, seemed to find greater inspiration in this paul mazursky drama; thanks to some uncredited sax and deep doublebass (i'd say maybe tom scott and ron carter respectively, but more accurate info is more than welcome!)
as jazzier variations on the main theme, these in many ways remind me of gato's last tango in paris.
both these tracks are worth the few cents you'll have to pay for a nice sealed lp copy at your local used records store, if such a thing still exists in our tower/virgin/amazon times.
(more on bill conti
here
Thursday, September 30, 2004
ssshhh/peaceful
radio beauty :a little gem i came across this morning, played on repeat mode all day and wanted to share. grab it here:
and talk-show host tom newman.props to rolo and thanks to
gybo
for always exclusive smashin' material
and talk-show host tom newman.props to rolo and thanks to
gybo
for always exclusive smashin' material
a virgo state of mind
soul zodiac
Originally uploaded by thebeathunters. track deleted
c.adderley, from soul zodiac, capitol records, 1972
cannonball and rick holmes really were into astrology.
2 years before the previous virgo version presented here, the same guys; except hal galper butjoined by ernie watts on tenor sax and flute, recorded another astrology session.
the band sounds high in the sky on their celestial trip on the whole album but this virgo version gets a jazzier jam flavor than the "sexy" one.
more on soul zodiac and cannonball:
here
for the hip hop fans out here, the always interesting inventory of cannonball's sample library:
soul zodiac seems to exist in different versions: the double lp, separate vol.1 & 2 lp's, and even 7" of each sign. the 2lp version is a regular on ebay. i guess the 7" copies are some serious graal stuff.
another much sought-after cannonball opus : the legendary "soul of the bible", is a masterpiece and should deserve a future post. itwas reissued in both 2lp and cd formats.
the vinyl version is OK but far from the original's beauty. the cd is around$12 and you should run to grab it while it's available.
Monday, September 27, 2004
like a virgin
/zodiac_virgo.mp3">virgo
from love, sex and the zodiac lp. fantasy records,1974.
cannonball adderley as) rick holmes voc) nat adderley c) george duke &hal galper on electric piano, jimmy jones p) walter booker b) roy mc curdy d)
"based on the concept that everybody is talking about or interested in either astrology or sex, peace or piece, as the case may by. listen and enjoy, or disagree, as controversy is essential to expansion"
cannonball adderley's liner notes.
it isn't the funkiest/trippiest track on the album but it makes my day as a virgo myself:
beautiful cover art, incredible band and david axelrod production.
back in 1996, i spent a year in the united states and got the best job ever : buying "rare groove" records for selected french records stores. early on, i found a nice copy of "love, sex & the zodiac" for a few bucks and fell for it. lots of musical genres i love are blended altogether here: soul, jazz, funk, spoken word. sending this one back home to the guys was not an easy decision... and many more fine lp's were shipped and cruelly missed afterwards...
as dealers say : you better not get high on your own supply...
still, it took me years to grab it again in good condition at a decent price.
from love, sex and the zodiac lp. fantasy records,1974.
cannonball adderley as) rick holmes voc) nat adderley c) george duke &hal galper on electric piano, jimmy jones p) walter booker b) roy mc curdy d)
"based on the concept that everybody is talking about or interested in either astrology or sex, peace or piece, as the case may by. listen and enjoy, or disagree, as controversy is essential to expansion"
cannonball adderley's liner notes.
it isn't the funkiest/trippiest track on the album but it makes my day as a virgo myself:
beautiful cover art, incredible band and david axelrod production.
back in 1996, i spent a year in the united states and got the best job ever : buying "rare groove" records for selected french records stores. early on, i found a nice copy of "love, sex & the zodiac" for a few bucks and fell for it. lots of musical genres i love are blended altogether here: soul, jazz, funk, spoken word. sending this one back home to the guys was not an easy decision... and many more fine lp's were shipped and cruelly missed afterwards...
as dealers say : you better not get high on your own supply...
still, it took me years to grab it again in good condition at a decent price.
september songs
ok, that's it. i've been doing this blog thing for so many months now, catchin' great music, tracks, ideas, comments. now i feel like i'ts time to step in and add my own voice to the community (and bury a few more hours in front of my mac...)
thanks soulsides, said the gramophone, moistworks, wastin'time, zero-g web/fat planet, moebius rex, the tofu hut, totally fuzzy, suburbs AKU etc. for such inspiration, gem discoveries and a wonderful feeling of sharing.
don't get me wrong, i don't pretend i'm playing the same league as these cats...
let's say that still blinded by the lights, i'll try to follow the footprints...
warning : the first entries will probably be shaky and ill-linked but please hang on,
i'll try to make it better. in the meantime, feel free to comment and share your blogscience with a newcomer...
thanks soulsides, said the gramophone, moistworks, wastin'time, zero-g web/fat planet, moebius rex, the tofu hut, totally fuzzy, suburbs AKU etc. for such inspiration, gem discoveries and a wonderful feeling of sharing.
don't get me wrong, i don't pretend i'm playing the same league as these cats...
let's say that still blinded by the lights, i'll try to follow the footprints...
warning : the first entries will probably be shaky and ill-linked but please hang on,
i'll try to make it better. in the meantime, feel free to comment and share your blogscience with a newcomer...
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