Dan – Serafina Steer – “Lady Fortune” – A current favorite from an amazing album “The Moths are Real”. It was on our vacation play list and has been stuck in my head deeply. Her harp playing is interesting and the composing is unique throughout the album. Ruby has been equally smitten and requests this song frequently. It seems her singing and lyrics aren’t featured on most of her other albums, but they are very strong here.
Bill – Spakka -Neapolis55 – “Uellì uellà (Pizzica di San Vito)” – Bill fitting right in with a band from Naples with an immediately striking sound. A really interesting mix of traditional and contemporary, one of my favorite things to experience. Some of this is directly old sounding and yet they twist it in places. The newer instruments and concepts create something different sounding yet playing pretty traditional parts. The electric bass serves as a catalyst half way through the song. Sometimes it is simply keeping the beat but in others it transforms it into the future. Bill mentions discovering them on a Sopranos episode, which I feel I recall.
Travis – Starts out Bobo Stenson like, but journeys into something more Rock oriented – both explorative and cool. All female singers so far. This is beautiful I don’t know where from but there is a Konnakol singer in there too. But also some electric stuff going, but not cutting through enough with the sound. Berklee Indian Ensemble & Shreya Ghoshal – “Sundari Pennae”
Bart – John Swana – “Car Lick’s 1st Book” – What can you say! It’s all there. I agree with Bart Swana is the best at EVI in the World. I have great memories performing and recording with him. And his lines are constantly inventive yet always fit whatever occasion. To be honest they are so good it doesn’t matter which instrument he is playing.
Nawi – “An original! – I gotta learn the flute part. Our Bodies Themselves – “Olney Ave.” from the album “Fuzzy” – This link leads to the album, not the song we listened to. Nawi’s music has been very influential to me, in the past his ideas of layering parts influenced my own composing. But he has a taste for sound too and his own songs have strong melodies and he sings well. Highly recommended.
Billie Brooks – “Fourty Days” (an extra play, because I felt we needed a little Jazz hit) – A classic A Tribe Called Quest sample and a crazy album throughout. Brooks is playing a double belled trumpet, a “Skoonum Horn”, but is not featured as a soloist on this track. He was a Ray Charles band member and this classic “Windows of My Mind” was his recording as a leader. The whole album has a great sound, unusual arrangements and feels very fresh.
Found Sounds 