Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Me - Your Arms Tonight - 2008
I knocked this up today - would love to know what you aficinados think, and if anyone can recognise the song sampled...
boomp3.com
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Music - One Way feat. Al Hudson
One of the less played tracks from this album, a nice straight ahead disco tune.
Music - One Way feat. Al Hudson - One Way - 1979
Monday, May 5, 2008
Creative Source - Pass The Feelin' On
One of those tracks where they nail the groove so well you wish it was twice as long.
Creative Source - Pass The Feelin' On - Pass the Feelin' On - 1975
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Reuben Wilson - In The Booth...
Silky smooth.
Reuben Wilson - In The Booth, In The Back, In The Corner, In The Dark - Got To Get Your Own - 1975
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Csaba Deseo Ensemble - Behind the Csitári Mountains
In honour of my Easter trip to Budapest...
...and a loan of some suitable music from Vuk, a great viola-led piece of central European folklore.
Csaba Deseo Ensemble - Behind the Csitári Mountains - Hungarian Jazz Anthology (Tom Wieland) - 1991
Monday, April 28, 2008
Khaliq Al-Rouf & Salaam - Malcolm, The Call
Joyous music. Dance and spin and look to the heavens, it doesn't matter if you fall over.
Khaliq Al-Rouf & Salaam - Malcolm, The Call - The Elephant Trot Dance - 1979
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Paul Jackson - Burning In The Heat [Of Your Love]
Recorded in Japan while on tour with Herbie's Headhunters; slow-burning verse and driving chorus.
Paul Jackson - Burning In The Heat [Of Your Love] - Black Octopus - 1978
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Rodney Franklin - Felix Leo
Made when he was 21 with 'Seawind' on horn. A lion tamer.
Rodney Franklin - Felix Leo - You'll Never Know - 1980
Roy Ayers & Wayne Henderson - For Real
A lazy summer vibes version of the classic Richard Flowers song.
Roy Ayers & Wayne Henderson - For Real - Step Into Our Life - 1978
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey
You thought I'd disappeared right? Well not quite, and I've just been given a load of new old music fresh from Lagos - on more of a JuJu, Highlife tip. First up is this, the ominously named Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, who, in fact, sounds rather gentle. It's tough getting any background information on this. The photocopied cover says that this is track, number 5, is called Eye To Ma Ba Kowe Ke, and the album in "Eversongsgreen...20". However a bit of Internet searching lists the album as the more obvious "Evergreen Songs 20" with slightly different track listings.
For those of you who listen to this and think it's all a bit 'world', a bit sandals, please persevere. It gets particularly good after about 11 minutes, when a riff starts circling and the atmosphere starts to feel like something you could find on Lovefingers. One for fans of With Comb & Razor and Benn Loxo Du Taccu.
Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey - Eye To Ma Ba Kowe Ke(?) - Evergreen Songs 20 - 2003(?)
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
JR Bailey - Everything I Want I See In You
Soul is best when it sounds like it comes through a badly tuned car stereo and you're racing down the palisades on your way back to the city in the wee small hours after an emotionally charged weekend...
JR Bailey - Everything I Want I See In You - Just Me 'N' You - 1974
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Blue Mitchell - Blue Funk
Straight-forward, straight-laced. straight-ahead good times.
Blue Mitchell - Blue Funk - Graffiti Blues - 1973
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Million Dollar Orchestra
Do yourself a favour and check out the Million Dollar Orchestra and Keep On Doin' Watcha Doin' at American Athlete.
Ronnie Laws - Live Your Life Away
Ronnie Laws takin' it easy. Leave your troubles and hide away.
Ronnie Laws - Live Your Life Away - Flame - 1978
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Tribe
I was asked to write an article for a local magazine with no other brief than that it should be 800 words, and follow the theme of the issue: Tribe. Readers of this blog might be able to guess the angle I took...
Detroit, Michigan. Motor City. The 313. Fewer than one million inhabitants but perhaps the richest and most influential musical heritage of any city of that size; a heritage of which sadly many of even its inhabitants are unaware. The home of Stevie, of Arethra, of Motown. The home of techno, from the first wave originators Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May to the all-conquering Carl Craig. The home, more recently, to distinctive new hip hop and soul from Slum Village, from Dwele, the Platinum Pied Pipers, Amp Fiddler and the late J Dilla. The home of Moodymann. A city always innovating and always creating, defying definitions. Eminem and the White Stripes also call it theirs.
It’s not surprising that Detroit was home to Tribe Records, set up in 1972 by Wendell Harrison, an established jazzman then teaching at Detroit’s Metro Arts Complex, and Phil Ranelin, a session trombonist with people like Stevie Wonder. A label important on the one hand because of the excellence of the music it released, and on the other because of the progressive, collective, political and above all optimistic way it was done.
The label was founded with the express intention of giving local musicians control of the marketing and distribution of their own records. A revolutionary approach also taken by Strata East in New York and by the Art Ensemble of Chicago around the same time. This self-determination was an active expression of, and contribution to, the cultural and racial changes that were then going on across the US.
“Who’s to blame. That the brothers are running a game on each other. Who’s ashamed, that we’re burning ourselves in a flame and no other. Can’t you see that the war is brought on by another. Can’t you see it’s a game that’s played on all the brothers. When the ones that do it to you turn you on yourself, when you fight a war and end up on the shelf. What a way to treat the people. No jobs but lies and prices rise. You fight a war now broke the law. When are we to wake up brothers?” (Doug Hammond, Wake Up Brothers).
To create another mouthpiece the label started a magazine with the same name. It carried articles on economics, business, history, politics, education and culture. Saxophonists took photos, pianists wrote reviews while cover artists played percussion. “The Tribe is an extension of the tribes in the villages of Africa…There were no superstars; just people and collectively all the people of the village played a vital role in shaping that culture”. This inclusive approach contrasted with the infamous straightjacket of Gordy’s Motown hit machine, which itself had a surprising role in the Tribe sound.
As Wendell Harrison recounts, “Motown Records had just relocated to California - and there were a lot of Motown musicians who wanted to do something, so we used a lot of the rhythm section guys. They had their R&B flavour, but they also had knowledge of the jazz, so the music became R&B on the bottom and bebop on the top. That was organic, and people liked it. We still had to sell records and we wanted to appeal to a market. We discovered there were a lot of people who like that old Motown feeling, so even though we had that bottom, we could still play what we wanted to on the top - that helped people digest it. That was better than just playing straight ahead.”
This Tribe sound reflected the inclusive politics – embracing funk, gospel, soul, spoken improvisation; jazz; perpetual percussion; amplified guitar and vocals. There is always a groove. It’s exciting, veering from radiophonic workshop style effects, shimmering 70s post-bop and barrio-flavoured instrumentals, through spiritual meditations and sweetly earnest revolutionary folk – all combined in an intoxicating mix of experimentation, grooves and, above all, hope.
By the time Tribe stopped trading in 1977, its five years had seen only about ten releases. But while unknown to all but jazz heads, it still provides a compelling vision. While today ‘tribes’ are identities defined by a certain cut of denim or fringe, the Tribe family brought a synthetic approach, a ‘mixed bag’, that drew strength from diversity and, even more importantly, still gave a shit.
“Pure music must portray our way of life. Our music is reflecting more so than ever before, the stress, tension and discord that is taking place within our communities along with the harmonious things happening.”
"The time is now, for unity among the people! The time is now, for all men to be able to control their own destinies! The time is now, for oppression, racism, greed, hate and poverty to end! The time is now, for revolution!" (Phil Ranelin, The Time is Now).
“How hard it is for us to be for real. In seeking every moment for a thrill. We must begin to realise the truth. That we have got to stand for what we do.” (Doug Hammond, For Real).
**********
There are links to a lot of this great music at http://pharaohs-dance.blogspot.com/, but here are a few tracks to get you started.
Marcus Belgrave - Space Odyssey - Gemini II - 1974
Doug Hammond - For Real - Reflections In The Sea Of Nurnen - 1975
Harold McKinney - Ode To Africa - Voices and Rhythms of the Creative Profile - 1974
Mixed Bag - Shark - The Mixed Bag's First Album - 1976
And see this from an earlier post...
Doug Hammond & David Durrah - Wake Up Brothers - Reflections in the Sea of Nurnen - 1975
Detroit, Michigan. Motor City. The 313. Fewer than one million inhabitants but perhaps the richest and most influential musical heritage of any city of that size; a heritage of which sadly many of even its inhabitants are unaware. The home of Stevie, of Arethra, of Motown. The home of techno, from the first wave originators Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May to the all-conquering Carl Craig. The home, more recently, to distinctive new hip hop and soul from Slum Village, from Dwele, the Platinum Pied Pipers, Amp Fiddler and the late J Dilla. The home of Moodymann. A city always innovating and always creating, defying definitions. Eminem and the White Stripes also call it theirs.
It’s not surprising that Detroit was home to Tribe Records, set up in 1972 by Wendell Harrison, an established jazzman then teaching at Detroit’s Metro Arts Complex, and Phil Ranelin, a session trombonist with people like Stevie Wonder. A label important on the one hand because of the excellence of the music it released, and on the other because of the progressive, collective, political and above all optimistic way it was done.
The label was founded with the express intention of giving local musicians control of the marketing and distribution of their own records. A revolutionary approach also taken by Strata East in New York and by the Art Ensemble of Chicago around the same time. This self-determination was an active expression of, and contribution to, the cultural and racial changes that were then going on across the US.
“Who’s to blame. That the brothers are running a game on each other. Who’s ashamed, that we’re burning ourselves in a flame and no other. Can’t you see that the war is brought on by another. Can’t you see it’s a game that’s played on all the brothers. When the ones that do it to you turn you on yourself, when you fight a war and end up on the shelf. What a way to treat the people. No jobs but lies and prices rise. You fight a war now broke the law. When are we to wake up brothers?” (Doug Hammond, Wake Up Brothers).
To create another mouthpiece the label started a magazine with the same name. It carried articles on economics, business, history, politics, education and culture. Saxophonists took photos, pianists wrote reviews while cover artists played percussion. “The Tribe is an extension of the tribes in the villages of Africa…There were no superstars; just people and collectively all the people of the village played a vital role in shaping that culture”. This inclusive approach contrasted with the infamous straightjacket of Gordy’s Motown hit machine, which itself had a surprising role in the Tribe sound.
As Wendell Harrison recounts, “Motown Records had just relocated to California - and there were a lot of Motown musicians who wanted to do something, so we used a lot of the rhythm section guys. They had their R&B flavour, but they also had knowledge of the jazz, so the music became R&B on the bottom and bebop on the top. That was organic, and people liked it. We still had to sell records and we wanted to appeal to a market. We discovered there were a lot of people who like that old Motown feeling, so even though we had that bottom, we could still play what we wanted to on the top - that helped people digest it. That was better than just playing straight ahead.”
This Tribe sound reflected the inclusive politics – embracing funk, gospel, soul, spoken improvisation; jazz; perpetual percussion; amplified guitar and vocals. There is always a groove. It’s exciting, veering from radiophonic workshop style effects, shimmering 70s post-bop and barrio-flavoured instrumentals, through spiritual meditations and sweetly earnest revolutionary folk – all combined in an intoxicating mix of experimentation, grooves and, above all, hope.
By the time Tribe stopped trading in 1977, its five years had seen only about ten releases. But while unknown to all but jazz heads, it still provides a compelling vision. While today ‘tribes’ are identities defined by a certain cut of denim or fringe, the Tribe family brought a synthetic approach, a ‘mixed bag’, that drew strength from diversity and, even more importantly, still gave a shit.
“Pure music must portray our way of life. Our music is reflecting more so than ever before, the stress, tension and discord that is taking place within our communities along with the harmonious things happening.”
"The time is now, for unity among the people! The time is now, for all men to be able to control their own destinies! The time is now, for oppression, racism, greed, hate and poverty to end! The time is now, for revolution!" (Phil Ranelin, The Time is Now).
“How hard it is for us to be for real. In seeking every moment for a thrill. We must begin to realise the truth. That we have got to stand for what we do.” (Doug Hammond, For Real).
**********
There are links to a lot of this great music at http://pharaohs-dance.blogspot.com/, but here are a few tracks to get you started.
Marcus Belgrave - Space Odyssey - Gemini II - 1974
Doug Hammond - For Real - Reflections In The Sea Of Nurnen - 1975
Harold McKinney - Ode To Africa - Voices and Rhythms of the Creative Profile - 1974
Mixed Bag - Shark - The Mixed Bag's First Album - 1976
And see this from an earlier post...
Doug Hammond & David Durrah - Wake Up Brothers - Reflections in the Sea of Nurnen - 1975
Monday, January 7, 2008
Sun Ra - That's How I Feel
A slow-burning gem from the interplanetary cosmiguru meandering inexorably and quite beautifully between the outer galaxies.
Sun Ra - That's How I Feel - Lanquidity - 1978
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Peter King - Freedom Dance
Back to Naija for a track from Peter King's 1974 Shango album. Remastered in 2002 and released on Afrostrut, and pretty easy to find, the whole thing is worth purchasing if you like Tony Allen or Fela or JB. I just love those discordant horn stabs.
Peter King - Freedom Dance - Shango - 1974
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