suhaila's dance

me'shell, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO PRESENTS
THE SPIRIT MUSIC JAMIA: DANCE OF THE INFIDEL
Verve, 2005
well, i must confess i'm a little disappointed by the poor feedback we got on the last posts, especially after the mike brecker sessions that seemed to please many of you.
don't get me wrong: i'm not desperate about contact or communication but i thought the great pieces of music shared here deserved some love or reactionzzzzzzzz&zeeeeeeeeees - oops, this is one of my cats walking on the keyboard here! is it a sign that i should stop complaining? whatever... are y'all so busy tracking music online? is it the perverse effect of rss that feeds your musical HD cravings without stopping by the blogspot itself?
anyway... spring is here and to prove you i have no hard feelings i'll share some piece of a new opus by MESHELL SUHAILA BASHIR-SHAKUR, formerly known as MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO.
"DANCE OF THE INFIDEL" strangely got an early exclusive french release one month ago and is only scheduled for the states for june, 21st. it's a beautiful mostly instrumental recording (well, the track "aquarium" features sabina on vocals&piano) where meshell deals with her deepest jazz and improvisational feelings, inviting the cream of contemporary music to:
"listen and hear
how musicians can take a seed and create,
grow,
build,
communicate with each other,
paint,
fly,
fall,
return,
then depart again on the unknown journey."
oliver lake, don byron, michael cain, kenny garrett, wallace roney, brandon ross, matthew garrison, jack dejohnette, mino cinelu, cassandra wilson, lalah hattaway... here's a few of this luminous line-up... i can tell you it's a pure gem and that's why i won't spoil too much of it here either: it's one of these rare records you must get ABSOLUTELY !
you can have a taste of the tracks here and place an early order for the digipack version:
DANCE OF THE INFIDEL
MORE MESHELL INFO

it's a beautiful day

citiesoffoam, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

CITIES OF FOAM
A GREAT DAY FOR THE RACE
dorado, 2005
track of the day: OUT OF REACH
part of the fun in musicbloggin' is to get spontaneous info from bands and enjoy the privilege of discovering their music firsthand (ok, probably next to the dozens other spots they probably contacted too...). as blogging is much about sharing, contacting me implies that if by any chance the music meets my kicks, i could spread the good word to my limited but faithful audience. that's usually how i know if the post went global or suffered basic target practice: UFOS of noisy pop, hardcore acts or postpunk logorrhea had been landing here with less than zero chances to be echoed.
for submitters who stand in the muddy waters of crossover genres between abstract hip hop, electronijazzica or more funkafied influences, i first feel like warning them that i mainly post "music from the past" and that the confidentiality of my crowd (compared to much more notorious blogs) won't probably reach their lower expectations by exposure standards.

anyway, last week i had the chance to be contacted by UK band CITIES OF FOAM and their music felt like i could break my own rules and show some support, even if it's a tiny drop in this virtual blogocean. actually, before i even hear them sounds, the fact that they were signed by the Dorado label aroused my curiosity.
for those who missed some action in the 90's, DORADO was one of the most exciting independant labels (along with Talkin'Loud) that blossomed out of the "acid jazz" scene, pushing upfront artists like JHELISA ANDERSON (niece of souldiva VICKI ANDERSON, cousin of CARLEEN), D*NOTE or OUTSIDE who contributed to put live jazz and soul back in the clubs or on stage. anticipating the evolution of home studio culture towards electronica and house formats, Dorado then launched sublabel FILTER MUSIC, which promoted acts like djQ, the Amalgamation of Soundz or Kid Loops.

CITIES OF FOAM are Sam Menter and Todd Wills, a Bristol studio band who took the time to polish songwriting and arrangment skills until Dorado's manager Oliver Buckwell noticed their music on a self-promoted website and loved it enough to reactivate the label's pressing plants. and all for the best as the album and first single "A great day for the race" shortly received heavy support from the likes of Patrick Forge, Gilles Peterson, Mr.Scruff or Daddy G...
COF's adventure seems to epitomize the realities and possibilities of online music, as Sam Menter explains: "the web is integral to what we're doing...the designer for the CD found us through our website and asked if he could design our sleeve.We found our deal through the web. We're selling through the web. We're building up a list of people who like our sound through the web and so it goes on..."
Cities of Foam 's new single "Out of reach" feat. Nia Lynn on vocals is currently "iTunes single of the week". check samples of the album on their WEBSITE or on Dorado's, then pay a visit to your fave wax dealer or BUY ONLINE

the great lazy post

WTby DR, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

WAX TAYLOR
TALES OF THE FORGOTTEN MELODIES
naive, 2005
ok, it's a lazy post but it's worth it. this wonderful album just hit the racks here and makes my day/week: it sounds like an instant classic...think dj shadow, rjd2, blockhead, herbaliser or handsome boy modelling school and you're right on tracks.
an exciting trailer and plenty of info, sounds, etc are available
HERE
do yourself a favor and BUY IT
be back soon...

slim, it's time to wake up!

rare moods, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

RARE MOODS:PEACE IN DA NEIGHBORHOOD
comet records, 2004
SILK/GONE
NUMBERS/GONE
sorry about lack of post recently but we've been swamped in both work and snow.
good thing about it is that good music got played continuously and especially THIS GREAT NEW ALBUM by one of my favorite musician/producer: LIAM FARRELL a.k.a DOCTOR L.
i wonder if many of you out there worldwide are familiar with the good doctor's work, as most info and shopping seems to be french-based.
living in paris, france, farrell first got recognition in production work for various french hip hop crews (assassin) or rock bands( wampas, FFF) until his first opus "EXPLORING THE INSIDE WORLD" dropped in 1998 and cause immediate buzz. as far as stupid marketing tags go "digital soul" is kinda accurate for his sound, as abstract beats, funk, soul, soundtrack reminiscence, electro and free-jazz are influences beautifully twisted and distorted in liam's music, that he once described himself as " free style hip hop spiritual instrumental music".
RARE MOODS is a new entity created with MANU BOUBLI, a sound system with turntables and sound effects, samples, live recordings used as cut-up elements reorganized through computer work, though the duo recently played two live gigs in shangai and hong kong with extra keyboards and flute players. more Doctor L. music to come...
former Doctor L.'s collaborations include TONY ALLEN on the very good PSYCO ON DA BUS and BLACK VOICES albums
more on DOCTOR L.

are you going with me?

pat&mike, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

PAT METHENY:80/81
1980, ECM records.
EVERY DAY I THANK YOU/GONE
in the early 80's, michael brecker's successful career blossomed on many fronts.
as his reputation found unconditional recognition in europe, his collaboration with munich-based ECM RECORDS seemed obvious and much anticipated by any true jazz fan. among his featurings on recordings by kenny wheeler or john abercrombie, his friendship with PAT METHENY, one of the most successful ecm artists, resulted in 80/81, a double album featuring CHARLIE HADEN on bass and JACK DEJOHNETTE on drums: a dream rythm section that allowed metheny to experiment different shades of improvisation with both brecker and DEWEY REDMAN on sax. to me, "everyday..." is one of metheny's most uplifting jazz track that builds up to give brecker a free ride to deliver maybe his most amazing and emotional chorus.
BUY THE ALBUM

the don

don&mike, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

DON GROLNICK : HEARTS & NUMBERS
feat. Michael Brecker
HipPocket Records, 1985
MORE POINTING/GONE
"don was my musical mentor, my trusted confidante, and my great friend. i turned to him for musical opinions because he had a marvelous ability to listen and determine what made music great. he profoundly influenced the way i listen to, play, and write music...and that will remain for the rest of my life"
michael brecker
that's a great quote borrowed from DON GROLNICK'S WEBSITE, where you'll find more brecker talking about his friend, plenty of info, pictures (incl. that very nice one above) and memories of the late great keyboards artist, composer and producer, sadly missed since 1996. don grolnick and mike brecker played together on many recordings, including some great sessions with supagroup STEPS AHEAD (feat. mike mainieri, eddie gomez and peter erskine). HEARTS &NUMBERS is one of my favorite grolnick album as the music ranges from very intimate and soulful pieces to more adventurous structures. "more pointing" is a short but beautiful improvised keyboards/sax duet, where brecker's style is particularly expressive. good luck at your local music pushers to buy this one.

god must be a boogie man

joni&mike, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

THE DRY CLEANER FROM DES MOINES/GONE
>HEJIRA/GONE
among the many outstanding contributions of michael brecker, a 1979 live recording of joni mitchell: SHADOWS AND LIGHTS is a very particular one. featuring maybe the greatest band ever: jaco pastorius on bass, pat metheny on guitar, lyle mays on keys, don alias on drums and brecker on sax, backing vocals provided by the persuasions. to give you an idea, i'll quote the wise words of a certain mr. o. dubhaight, who reviewed for cd now online :
"This is a terrific listening experience, rewarding from almost every conceivable perspective. The musicians here changed her and she herself responded with challenges to her own abilities. I wish I had caught this tour. Pastorious is possessed, Mays is at his impressionistic best and Metheny is a foil for Mitchell the likes of which she'd never again replicate. Becker brings that East Coast jazz vibe that only he can muster and he is incendiary, smokey, subtle and brilliant."
well, i kinda agree with that. please note that on the "hejira" track, brecker plays the soprano saxophone instead of the tenor, which is one of a kind to my knowledge.
IN THE NEIGHBOROOD
thanks for info to Herr K. from totally fuzzy, newcomer XANAXTAXI cruises the backstreets of "jazz, improvisation, fusion, funk (and the rest)" and great jazz covers of sade or bjork.
i particularly enjoyed a live version of jamiroquai's "space cowboy". mp3s are delivered at 256 kbps which is a real treat for music lovers. GATHERING DUST is another new daily stop ran by "a swedish guy of 38 named dan who lives in france". named after a ThisMortalCoil track, GD deals with early "white" electronic music. i think its TDK cassette visual is a great lo-fi symbol of our tape-to-mp3 full- circle music history. dan caresses the fantasy of running 3 musicblogs at the same time... THE NATION seems more focused on "emerging music" and is already on, the 3rd will be be about black music... good luck with such a task. like maybe many of you out there, i got a message from joshua ellis @ MPERIA.com
"Mperia is basically the Internet version of an indie record store.
We allow artists to upload, price and sell their music. We don't charge them any fees for this; instead, we take a 30% cut of each sale, for which we provide hosting and streaming and useful tools for indie artists, like free mini-blogs and the ability to post their upcoming gigs where fans can see them and optionally be reminded of them via e-mail..." i didn't get a chance to browse around here yet but it seems like artists cut a better deal here than with iTunes/iMusic...

to maceo

cityscape, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

CITYSCAPE/CLAUS OGERMAN & MICHAEL BRECKER
WEA, 1982
IN THE PRESENCE AND ABSCENCE OF EACH OTHER PT.1
you may come from outer space or don't dig jazz music but you probably heard mike brecker's sax before, as the man has recorded music with EVERYBODY in the past 35 years... trying to track all of his gigs is meaningless, as he and his older brother randy on trumpet were among the busiest of elite studio musicians who contributed to the sound of major 70/80's jazzpop artists: frank zappa, steely dan, michael franks, joni mitchell, etc. add frank sinatra, bruce springsteen, billy joel to the list, you name it... any major playa called in the L.A dream team:
steve gadd on drums, anthony jackson or abe laboriel on bass, larry carlton on guitar and the brecker brothers on horns. a cool biography of the main saxophone man is available HERE
among his extensive discography and my favorites recordings, CITYSCAPE holds a special place. don't get me started on CLAUS OGERMAN, eternally praised as ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM's arranger.
his musical genius deserves a full galaxy of dedicated posts. in 1978, seminal jazz pop producer TOMMY LiPUMA produced ogerman's GATE OF DREAMS, featuring gadd, george benson and mike brecker. he then felt the chemistry between the composer and sax tenor deserved further developments, achieved in CITYSCAPE. to me, IN THE PRESENCE... epitomizes brecker's style: his impro builds up on emotion and energy but keeps the introspective mood of ogerman's music. more brecker pieces in next posts BUY THE ALBUM

message to the messengers

gils, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

GIL SCOTT-HERON/SPIRITS
TVT records, 1994
WORK FOR PEACE/GONE
DON'T GIVE UP/GONE
i won't even try to sum up gil scott-heron's career and influence on contemporary music and politics. considered as the hip-hop godfather, he embodies, as mos def once said, "the elder statesman and the man on the corner at the same time." seminal albums path his way, starting with "SMALL TALK AT 125th AND LENNOX" (flying dutchman, 1970) up to "SPIRITS" (tvt,1994), his only studio album in the past 20 years (another example if needed, of the record industry's insanity). backed up as in many of his classics by brian jackson on piano and a bunch of jazz cats, it's an album to be rediscovered again and again for its pure musical genius and accurate analysis of modern issues. from his "message to the messengers": an indictment of the immorality in much of hip-hop's lyrics (still pertinent today), "give her a call": a beautiful introspective ballad, "spirits": based on john coltrane's music or "don't give up", produced by ali shaheed muhammed of a tribe called quest, the whole album is incredibly modern and what
strikes me the most is the power and beauty of the words.
"i'm addicted to creating" gil said, "i use other things from time to time"...
he experienced many bad trips, including lately a 2003 jail sentence in rikers island penitentiary for possession of illegal drugs. now 55 years old and released last summer, he's back on the harlem block. if he plays anywhere near you, don't miss your chance to catch his genius live, as his jams are the real thing and his future in music might be shadowed by his old demons.
BUY ALL THE ALBUMS

the octopus backyard

pj, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

BLACK OCTOPUS/PAUL JACKSON, Jr.
Toshiba EMI,1978
TIPTOE THRU THE GHETTO/GONE
T-BOLT/GONE
one for the grooveriders out there. try to hunt this lp on ebay and you'll have to reach deep pockets for a fresh japanese copy. thanks for the cool guys at platform records they reissued a cd format in 2000 with a few unreleased tracks. known as a "musician's musician" and founding member of the headhunters, bassist paul jackson, jr. recorded this beauty during a 1978 japan tour. personel includes herbie hancock, bennie maupin, webster lewis, alphonse mouzon, ray obiedo and jackson himself on vocals. it's not really a heads' album as it starts a little weird with some loose abstract jazz and bluesy jams 'til it mutates into a monsterfunka. too bad the cd reissue lost its hatori hanzo's sushi style for a blank 70's look but the funk still hits the fan anyway.
BUY

i see that now

avia, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

AVIA/REBIRTH/GONE
catalogue, 1998
rebirth is one of these tracks you hear once and then grow on you adlib. it comes as bare as the title suggests: synths, sampled jazz breaks, a walking bass and minimal house beats.
oh, and bob de niro's monologue from taxi driver, too. that's just what it takes for this epic ride.
BUY THE E.P
in 2002, avia released a full album "i see that now". production help was no less than the guys from alpha (of massive attack's melankolic label fame) but to me, no track stood up to this one. sit back, relax and close your eyes.

why did you do it?

Gregory1, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

STRETCH/WHY DID YOU DO IT?/GONE
ariola, 1975
well, i didn't find the dcbasehead live e.p. but i'm sure it's here somewhere and will surface someday. seems like anyone didn't get much into it anyway though i wish i had some feedback about these guys from the official hiphop blogheads, whatever.
today's track is a club classic. stretch was a seventies rock band formed by drummer jim russell and former curved air guitarist gregory kirby, who billed himself simply as "kirby" and signed this hit. plenty of info about that band british HERE
why did you do it?" charted number 16 in UK in november 1975. funny that their most successful track seems like an UFO in their discography. rated at their 1976 peak by critics as "the greatest british blues and boogie band of the era"... they "nearly blew ritchie blackmore's rainbow off stage", which sure means a lot to whom it may concern.
however, this track is a pure soulful gem and will rock any floor any time. originally issued on the "elastique" album BUY
it also appeared on the "lock, stock and two smoking barrels" soundtrackBUY

i need a joint

dc bassheads, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

dcBASEHEAD/NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE
imago, 1992
INTRODUCTIONS/GONE
I NEED A JOINT/GONE
THE POPEYE PHILOSOPHY/GONE
WANNA FUCK (OR WHAT)/GONE
as a follow-up to the successful PLAY WITH TOYS album, michael ivey reloaded the 4-track tape recorder batteries, invited his buddies over again, invested royalties on his favorite beer and tried to repeat the magic without taking himself or the whole thing too seriously.
as the "basshead" live intro tells: we're definitely not in kansas anymore. i guess touring the college radios and the indie circuit had some rock influence on the band but lo-fi and weed still rule. the whatdafuck philosophy keps it real all along the album with funny skits that give some edge to an otherwise hybrid patchwork of quite monotonous tracks that, to my opinion, don't reach the play with toys' album vibe. in france, dc basehead was suddenly the hype-thanks to les inrocks (see previous post) and a live e.p got released and was offered with subscriptions. i know it's here somewhere. i searched the basement for hours the other day, diggin' some forgotten gems i'll share with you asap. but i still have to grab that cd for the next post. enjoy the tracks and try to find the cd at your record store bargain bin or click here: BUY

play with toys

dcbasehead, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

dcBASEHEAD/PLAY WITH TOYS
imago, 1992
INTRO/gone
DC2000/gone
BRAND NEW DAY/gone
dcBasehead a.k.a MICHAEL IVEY dropped his first lo-fi hiphop album in '92 and created a buzz over alternative press and college radio. supposedly recorded at home on a four-track machine with various friends, it was a new landmark in DIY music long before the idea of homestudio emerged. "laid-back, stoned hip-hop rythm tracks, pop hooks, drawled raps and pseudo folky-guitar" is the perfect description mp3.com gives away and i can't beat it.
in france, dcBasehead was da shit according to LES INROCKUPTIBLES the french rock bible mag since 1986 and PLAY WITH TOYS stood up in their TOP 20 LPS OF 1992 next to nick cave, pj harvey, neil young, REM, etc.
i agree with THIS REVIEW but wonder what u.s hipbloggers think about dcBasehead (hellooo oliverW, noz...) or any welcome guest with attitude. listen online then buy the album at yer favorite record store if available... more on mike ivey and his "NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE" in next post.
da MOISTWORKS SITUATION
are we seeing the future of audioblogs here? by chopping one of the best blogheads they'll probably make their point. shall we organize resistance or duck down? to whom it may concern, let's talk about it.
post updated (kaotic links and blogger published it 3 times!) thanks steve for feedback and enjoy your uk trip.

jazz it up

beets cd, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

FRED FRITH/BOOTS/gone
MACHETE ENSEMBLE OF S.F/MEDICINE MAN/gone
from BEETS: A COLLECTION OF JAZZ SONGS, elemental music,1990.
this UFO of a cd landed in my collection many years ago. tracklisting includes sun ra, anthony braxton, sonny simmons and rova saxophone quartet but these 2 tracks still get regular airplay.
FRED FRITH needs no introduction as deus ex machina of contemporary guitar and offers here a short nuclear jam.
THE MACHETE ENSEMBLE OF SAN FRANCISCO features the magic of the conch shells as interpreted by master improviser,
STEVE TURRE
i've been a long-time fan of steve turre's music, especially his first albums with his wife, cello player akua dixon. i remember seeing his trio live in a NY club back in the 90's. i was shocked everybody was drinking, eating and making loud noise, for people atjazz concerts or in clubs in europe stay almost religiously silent. the place was so small the waitress had to calculate the perfect timing for her moves to avoid being nailed by the trombone and it obviously pissed her off.i have memories of a very percussive piano player, maybe don pullen., and being thrilled by the presence in the audience of another pianist i was fond of, mulgrew miller. lately, thanks to TOTALLY FUZZY i've been listening to amazing jazz mixes provided by FREEFORM.ORG
the strata east/tribe mixe is exceptional.

the hit list

best of 2004, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

JET SET SLAVE MIX/GONE
EVERTON SYLVESTER &Dr.JOHN
here's my top 20+1 albums for 2004, in no comprehensive order or preference.
all were played repeatedly, intensively even compulsively. my absolute best discovery is JET JAGUAR's music, thanks to Fat Planet for this one! and DWELE's SUBJECT remains my ultimate summer of soul album for 2 years in a row...
BEST OF 2004
blockhead/music by cavelight (ninja tune)
troublemakers/express way (blue note)
moodymann/black mahogani (peacefrog)
the album leaf/in a safe place (labels)
le coeur/suddenly (mental groove)
foreign exchange/connected (bbe)
boom bip/corymb (lex)
jet jaguar/is love (involve records 2003)/think about it later (capital recordings 2003)/self-titled (involve records,1999)
harold budd/avalon sutra (samahdi sound)
the brown bunny/j.frusciante &various (tulip records)
b.fleischmann/welcome tourist (morr music)
feist/let it die (polydor)
kings of convenience/riot on an empty street(source)
djkrush/jaku (sony)
the blue nile/high (sanctuary)
akira rabelais/spellewauerynsherde (samahdi sound)
arthur russell/the world of AR (souljazz records)
anja lechner/vassilis stabropoulos/chants, hymns &dances (ecm)
ocean's twelve/david holmes&various (warner)
dwele/subject (virgin)2003
ALL of these releases are available online but try first to hit your favorite record store to keep these guys in shape.

angie's nights

mister Q, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

ANGIE'S NIGHTS
ANGIE'S SUMMER NIGHT
best wishes to everybody out there who enjoyed it there in 2004 : love, happiness and great health to take care of everybody you love and carry on with success whatever you plan or expect.
lookin' back, it was; as frankie sung, a very good year. it's just that time flies up so fast its kinda scary and as i guess we're all spending more and more time in front of a computer, i'm afraid it won't get any better 'til 2006...
for this first post, i wanted to share two of my own favorite "bootlegs/mash-ups/remixes" of 2004. maybe some of you grabbed them before on the net, thru GYBO or Fat Planet but i felt like giving them another exposure for naugahyde newcomers.
the 2 versions of "les nuits" recorded by NIGHTMARES ON WAX, from the albums SMOKERS DELIGHT(1995) and CARBOOT SOUL(1999) respectively, are very soulful reconstructions/variations of QUINCY JONES' masterpiece "summer in the city" (from "YOU'VE GOT IT BAD, GIRL" lp, A&M records,1973) and laid the foundations of my two alternate mixes.
edited vocals by r'n'b diva ANGIE STONE/"wish i didn't miss you" from her album MAHOGANY SOUL(2001) add another vibe to the instrumentals and strings arranged and conducted by claus ogerman, from BJORK's "hyperballad"/POST(1995) give a final melankolic lush.
music speaks for itself so i won't try too hard to sell these tracks to you (and you can object that with such awesome original material i couldn't really go wrong...) still, i think they work pretty well altogether. btw last summer in barcelona, i heard a very good balearic/guitar-driven remix of miss stone's track but couldn't trace it (any info?)
as these tracks are more personal than usual, comments, feedback and critics are more than very welcomed.

let it snow

xpressway, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

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!

baby, it's cold outside

ray&betty, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

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

i want to jazz it up

leaf&marco, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

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.