are you experienced?

Thanks to the blogosphere's energy, several Miles Davis live performances from the seventies are floatin' around. (props to the Heat Warps, James at Nothing Is, Curved-air and the whole in-crowd, you know who you are) these gigs are so inspiring, uplifting and fresh that i had to contribute to the chorus in some way.
the Miles at Isle of Wight lp is one of these odd vinyl artefacts Sony indulged to fill the bins with while Miles kept away from the charts in the 80's, offering the live concert on side one and various alternate 70's studio takes on side b. however, the band was a dream team: Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Gary Bartz, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette and Airto Moreira. the performance is one of the band's more focused and crisp from this era, with a perfect balance of power and spirituality. a wonderful DVD "Miles Davis - Miles Electric - A Different Kind Of Blue " is available at your favorite online or physical spots (hey, these guys deserve to make a decent living, too) and you need to watch it to catch the intense excitment of the set.
anyway, here's side one ripped at 320 from the vinyl. feel free to show some love and spread miles' spirit around.
enjoy

Three Blind Mice in the Air

if you're into Miles Davis' early electric atmospheres, Air's eponym lp will probably make your day. recorded at Epicurius Studio, Tokyo on april 12 & 20, 1977 - yeah, that's exactly 30 years ago - by a bunch of laid-back xperimental jazz cats, namely Yasuo Shimura on saxes, flute, shô, ARP, voice, percusssion and radio - Reinkichi Hayasahi on Fender stratocaster, blue box, crybaby and super gas - Nobuyoshi Ino on electric & acoustic bass, turkish guitar, perc, tape recorder - Hiroshi Muramaki on Yamaha drums, cowbell and perc - Yuji Imamura on conga drums, tabla, the album sounds as fresh and exciting as it probably was, in deep and introspective ways.
strangely, very little online data is available on this gem or its protagonists but always a reliable source on such UFO's , the Kozmigroove connection provided this brief but accurate resume and description:
"Not to be confused with the Henry Threadgill project, nor the Googie Coppola joint (who dropped exactly one album on Herbie Mann's Embryo subsidiary before disappearing), nor the more recent sleazy-listening duo from France. This Japanese quintet of Yasuo Shimura, Renkichi Hayashi, Nobuyoshi Ino, Hiroshi Murakami, and Yuji Imamura continued to preach the gospel of Get Up With It, years after even Miles himself lost the faith. Yessir, this is elevated music, pure in spirit and intention and absolutely mindblowing in effect. Air's sole (eponymous) album is two sidelong cuts of psychedelic electric jazz, testified by five heads who mix Eastern and Western instrumentation into a thick brew of prime Kozmigroov: ringmodulated guitar lines, windchime swirls, ARP dissonance, deep bass echoes, wood flute invocations, processed saxophone, tape effects, subtly assertive grooves, omnipresent layers of percussion... mercy! The brazen shuffle which seizes the last quarter of the record actually reaches the same jazz/rock peak intensity of Jack Johnson's "Right Off." Three Blind Mice are an audiophile label who've reissued an armful of their back-catalog titles on compact disc. Although this album still awaits aluminum rebirth as of May 1999, Takeshi "Tee" Fujii (TBM prez) has promised an XRCD version."

ripped at 320 kbps, hope you'll enjoy and testify
part one
part two

pop74

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well, here's a collector's one for you beat/breakdiggers out there.
a gift from a great friend of mine who stumbled on several fresh mint copies on a street corner a few years ago and made a small fortune on ebay and records dealers back when library music was the craze.
jean claudric used to be a popular composer and conductor for various french commercial artists, namely anybody from michel sardou to annie cordy-which could certainly be held against him, as french bloggers will undoubtely testify.
anyway it's a light funky session you might enjoy while i'm warmin'up for further more serious posts...
feel free to leave your feedback and comments
pop 74
on Jasmin Productions

1. shooting star
2. gust of wind
3. a trump card
4. hurly burly
5. stifling night
6. high cranberry
7. dog days
8. misdeal
9. it looks like rain
10. mildness

relief from muscular pain

seb, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

SEBASTIEN TELLIER
L'ENFANCE D'UN CHIEN
UNE VIE DE PAPA
L'INCROYABLE VERITE
record makers, 2001
first recording launched on RECORD MAKERS, electronic pop superduo AIR's own label, L'INCROYABLE VERITE was marketed as some innovative postmodern musical artefact: no drums, some kazoo and obsessive piano playing. hum, which sounded rather frightening. on the sleeve art, sebastien's beardie-dandy looks weren't helping much in terms of seduction and then there was so much hype around, i totally blacked it out.
however, a few months later the album landed home as a gift and with such titles as "l'enfance d'un chien" (a dog's childhood) or "a daddy's life" (une vie de papa), it couldn't be that bad. fact is, some true magic and poetic moments are to be found here.
later on, one of his tracks, "fantino" even found its way to the "Lost in translation" soundtrack; how about that as hype goes by?
in 2004, seb's 2nd opus POLITICS raised tacky cover art at even higher stakes (in a good way) and a classic track found its way in all the major league DJ bags worldwide: LA RITOURNELLE.

before france burns down (it's about time, baby), grab your own copies of these weird gems
at your favorite music dealers.

are you going with me?

m&m, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

MAMANI KEITA & MARC MINELLI
N'KA WILLY
ELECTRO BAMAKO
emarcy, 2001
palm, 2003
a sunny one from the heart, for your souls and feet. play on repeat mode until the neighbors drop in, with a smile on their face and party all night long.
you'll get all the info you need about this band
HERE
and i hope you'll hop THERE to do yerself a big favor. luvs

in your own sweet way

kenny&pete, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

KENNY WERNER
IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY
SWEET SOUL
peter erskine
novus, 1991
in my wonderland of piano players,KENNY WERNER holds a special place. i discovered him on THIS very good peter erskine album and fell for his very personal take on dave brubeck's standard, full of surprises, fun and puns.

we got by

al, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

AL JARREAU
TAKE FIVE
WE GOT BY
LOOK TO THE RAINBOW
warner bros, 1977
so it's been a year now since i launched this musical blog. i hope some people grabbed here a little fun and a few musical discoveries, just as i did myself wandering across the everchanging blogosphere. there's so many of us now i admit i kinda lost track of everybody and stopped updating some ridiculous never-ending linklist but i'll try to behave, someday...
dedicated to whom it may concern and took time to share (you know who you are), here's some classic favorites of mine from an outstanding moment by AL JARREAU, one of the true last jazz singer.
i confess i'm not a fan of all al's past and current efforts but his first albums were cool and this early live recording sums up his talents, offering the right balance of funky grooves, jazz jams, ballads and vocal acrobatics, provided by one of his best back-up bands: tom canning on keyboards, abe laboriel on bass, joe correro/drums and lynn blessing on vibes.
one of the show's highlights is al's inspired version of paul desmond's "take five"-probably the ultimate scat xtravaganza, while "we got by" is one of my def classic fave song and the perfect closing track for any reverie set, hence the right one to celebrate together our 1-year anniversary online.
do yourself a favour and indulge in a birthday present HERE
much love to everybody.

the sweetest things i know

sweeties, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

SWEET SABLE
OLD TIMES SAKE
street life, 1993
LAUREN HYLL
THE SWEETEST THING
ruffhouse/sony, 1997
as late summer vibes, two very special musical and soulful memories:
with a few years in between, i first heard both tracks on the radio while drivin' around the atlanta area, which make them very special to my heart and soul.
SWEET SABLE's track was featured on the def classic "above the rim" soundtrack and uses a catchy portion of eddie kendrick's "intimate friends". production is by NIKKE NICOLE and i really dig the relaxed/phat/muffled scratch sound that underlines the breaks.
same kind of laid-back scratchism and cool guitar chords on LAURYN HILL's track, it just gave me goosebumps then and i remember making a detour up to wax'n'facts where that cool heavy dude gave me a promo copy!
xcept for a featuring on GURU's Jazzamatazz vol.2 back in '95, miss sable seems to have vanished in nu-soul divas' mist but you can get lauryn's track on the very good LOVE JONES: THE MUSIC SOUNDTRACK , which is a soulful goldmine compilation featuring MAXWELL, DIONNE FARRIS, LARENZ TATE, MARCUS MILLER & ME'SHELL (yes, the rush over track), KENNY LATIMORE among others.
btw, i realize this blog is almost 1-year old! i'll try to be back real soon (next week) in order to celebrate.

you must believe in spring

sweets, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

SWEETBACK
GAZE
w/AMEL LARRIEUX
AU NATURAL
w/BAHAMADIA
CHORD
sweetback
sony/epic,1996
well, as summer seems to fade away, sweet sounds are requested to carry on and ease our move into these sudden early evenings and scattered leaves.
one of my all-time classic albums is
SWEETBACK 's first opus. STUART MATTHEWMAN, ANDREW HALE and PAUL DENMAN form a trio mostly renowned as helen folaSADE adu musical partners in crime. that should tell you a lot but it's not even close to the beauty of it. i envy you if you don't know this album yet because you're about to be blessed. mostly instrumental, the album's line-up includes maxwell, amel larrieux and bahamadia, offering pure gems of sultry vocals. just click HERE and feel an ultimate chill experience.
unfortunately, i was sadly disappointed by their 2004 second effort, STAGE 2. it's been almost 10 years between the two albums and believe me i gave it a good try but didn't find that ol' black magic.
speaking of new albums, thanks to AURGASM who reviewed CLOSER, BEADY BELLE's latest album on jazzland: i'm joining the choir for praise.
relax, sit back and close your eyes.

precision on the cut

rob, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

ROB SWIFT
ROB SWIFT MEETS CHARLIE PARKER
SOME MAX OUT SHIT
WHO SAMPLED THIS?
day by day, 2003
here's one to start the week under a groove and a smile on yer face, taken from a not-so-fresh mixtape-style cd by turntable wizard ROB SWIFT
for obvious copyright reasons, the cd has the particularity of revealing absolutely no info about the original material "borrowed" by rob: a shame for both sound diggers and lazy lawyers. the gold nuggets' titles are replaced by funny or blank descriptions such as: funk time, fraudulent fakes or shady beats (jacques loussier's/eminem breaks).
it's a very creative hip-hop block party album with enuff scratching xtravaganza to keep the serious fans focused and plenty of heart &soul grooves to cruise or chill at home.
i thought the "who sampled this?" was part of a concept series but it's not, maybe the cool guys at DBD should jump on the idea and send their BUDDIES back on tracks to deliver the goods. nod and enjoy.

wood is a pleasant thing to think about

pat, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

PATRICIA BARBER
ODE TO BILLY JOE/gone<
w/michael arnopol (b), mark walker (d)
from CAFE BLUE, blue note,1994
THE BEAT GOES ON/gone
w/michael arnopol (b), eric montzka (d), john mclean (g)
from COMPANION, blue note,1999

well, lately i've been listening to some of patricia barber's records that fit my summer moods perfectly, then i used to feel the same way comes winter, fall or spring. of course you'll find all the info you want HERE
signed on the prestigious blue note label; though i'm not sure it means anything anymore: french singer keren ann being a labelmate now... critically speaking, i'm not sure she gets the props she deserves compared to the norahs, dianas, etc. maybe a hard-boiled dedicated jazz fan hopefully will give me his feedback (hi, nick francis!). found this nice info online about her : "critics can't always agree on the genre patricia barber falls into, saying she fits somewhere between billie holiday and joni mitchell, but barber knows exactly where she stands."i would define it as jazz. i'm going to insist that my years of sucking in smoke and playing for $100 a night entitle me to assert this is jazz".
patricia's discography is impressive and she probably tours a lot so be sure to catch her live in a club nearby. her own material is great but i really like her standards covers. SUMMERTIME is one of her early gems and a favorite (visit HERE). hope these few classic tracks will make you want more and go shopping at your local sound dealer, hey, these guys need to make a living too. cheerz.

softly as in a morning sunrise

bulleplays, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

NU SPIRIT HELSINKI
ORSON/GONE
MONTANA ROHA JAZZ e.p
JCR, 2000
here like everywhere else, it's kinda hot and lazy, sorry then for lack of posts...
most of the time i make a fool of myself trying to handle some indoor renovations, then we have to watch carefully our new baby cat BULLE (bubble). enid isn't too cheerful about this tiny intruder in her world but maybe we're overprotecting parents. reading is a major part of the farniente schedule, too: george p.pelecanos, elmore leonard, lee childs have been leading the nap's way.
to cool it down, here's some beautiful music by finnish uberband NUSPIRIT HELSINKI.
DISCOGS, as always give a fine glimpse of the band's ambitions and plenty of info, there's of course more to grab at NSH home HERE
listen to these strings and watch the stars in the summer skies. be back soon... or later.
peace

urban blues project

soulfurics, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

MICHAEL PROCTER
&URBAN BLUES PROJECT
LOVE DON'T LIVE/GONE
soulfuric, 1996
SOULFURIC
as i keep repeating here, vocal house/garage music used to be sooo exciting in the 90's.
there was something very uplifting and almost spiritual in vocal tracks played in good clubs. of course it was just about love, sex, dance, sweat and getting lost in music but at the end of the night, what else are you asking for? as far as house garage go, any serious lyricist soon or later had to endorse the magic soulfuric touch of BRIAN TAPPERT and MARC POMEROY.
these florida guys endlessly produced hits under so many monikers they probably stopped counting but pick anything by JAZZ'N'GROOVE, URBAN BLUES PROJECT, SOULSEARCHER or MOTHER OF PEARL and you'll be fixed with more funky bass, rhodes/clavinet and horns your feet can cope with. among these, some of my faves are MICHAEL PROCTER's tracks.
he sure knows how to carry a tune and the live jam session gives the extra soulful edge.
just listen end learn. very interesting article by the man itself about the downfall of the vocal house garage genre, killed by the club owners' greedHERE
i confess i didn't catch up with michael's or soulfuric productions lately. if any garage fan shows up, current info will be very welcomed. again and again, try your closest vinyl dealer first to grab the classic stuff, they need you more than ever. peace.

going, going, gone

streetscene, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

adios to my former naugahyde life, welcome to A BIGGER SPLASH!
in order to feel free from any further action by nice corporate people, i'll change the blogspot URL too in a few days so you'll have to update your bookmarks.
ciao.

love me or leave me

r&p, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

ROY DAVIS jr.
GABRIELLE/GONE
Large records, 1996
one of the few real genuine deep house music anthems, "gabrielle" had the distinctive flavor of true crossover soul hits, hitting it big on both radio and club circuits.
interesting info about the manHERE and then 19-years-old vocalist PEVEN EVERETT.
this one is a classic so turn it up and jump around, this is summer music!
oh by the way, i got a message warning me that i "was using the Naugahyde Trademark in an unauthorized way", so i should cease and desist asap.
though i think it's a little absurd i won't take any chance on that. so, the naugahyde life will be history very soon...
i asked blogger if there's a way i can change the name but save its contents rather than terminate the whole thing. if any of you out there have some tips or info about that move, thanks to keep me posted.
guess it's ime to move on to new blog adventures, i'll let you know ASAP.
cheerz

a desert road from vegas to nowhere

bagdad, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

A:XUS
CALLIN' U/GONE
guidance, 1999
one for these early stormy summer days/nights, another from my golden house years and another classic from the Guidance recordings stables. austin bascomb a.k.a ABACUS a.k.a A:XUS cut off the cheese from the original version and delivered a fine slice of deep jam featuring naomi n'sembi's sultry vocals. lots of samples from this interesting producer (and many others) on guidance's playground so enjoy the ride.
love and joy to all of you out there.

for you

net men, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

CHARNETT MOFFET
NET MAN
blue note, 1987
FOR YOU/GONE
this track's been a favorite for 18 years now so there's little i can add.
the beautiful piano solo is by the late KENNY KIRKLAND. you'll learn plenty about the main bass man
HERE
try first your local record store to grab a lp or cd copy of NET MAN or shop online.
i'll try to be back here on a more regular basis. luvs.

one from the heart

apple enid, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

enid, marsou's baby-sister, is joining us to thank y'all for the warm support and sweet words you expressed here. much love to everyone...

we loved him madly

marsou, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

marsou R.I.P
june1989
june,15th 2005
8:45 a.m

house of blues

GU, originally uploaded by thebeathunters.

GLENN UNDERGROUND
HOUSE OF BLUES/GONE
Secrets of CVO E.P
Guidance,1997
GLENN UNDERGROUND is one of Chi-town best-kept secrets and a sure choice when it comes to deliver the beats. this moody track feat. STEVE ISRAEL's guitar licks isn't a proper floor filler but a mellow jazz-fueled housey jam i used to blend in the mix back in the days. it builds up brick by brick of funk in true oldschool house style. hope it will brighten your sunny side up and turn your disco side on.