Dan – Horo Orchestra – “Petrovsko Elenino” – A Bulgarian “Folk” music band lead by Vassil Purvanov. I found nothing about both band and conductor. There were plenty of recordings though. This recording is high energy and for tonight’s Seshjawn I found each song had interesting secondary themes layered in, or on, the main piece. Here there is an accordion part half way through that really turned my ear and I found similar surprise layers in everyone else’s songs too. “Folk” music I guess can be anything, but I usually consider Folk music: Songs anyone (from that location) would be familiar, and I expect them to be off-page (known, not written, mostly) and also it would not need conductors or arrangements. This recording would fall, for me, into “Traditional” musics but perhaps the songs are also older songs presented in this dance band format or they consider that format to be a Folk form. Maybe the meaning of Folk changes as we age?
Travis – This is pretty weird, even for a Seshjawn. Old, I think, 70’s Laura Nyro-ish vibe, but the arrangement and sounds are really strange for that time. Maybe not as weird as Kate Bush, but reminiscent, and it could be an old recording with new layers added in a Sister Gertrude Morgan/King Britt kind of way? Sarah Kernochan – “Revenge of the Fly in the Ice Cube / The Poisoned Mouse / The Burnt Moth” Crazy title! Pretty amazing band in a somewhat out of character situation but really interesting and fits my criteria for “ahead of its time”. She is really interesting and became more of a Film director after her musical career.
Nawi – Some Acid Bossa… Just describing it as that suggests a newer recording, but I have some of the same temporal confusion as the last song because some parts sound older, some new & weird, and the setting sounds new. Nawi is leaning into some of the questions Travis often elicits for me with his musical selections. I tend to feel uncertain of the age of the recording and then try to listen to the engineering and styles/influences to try to date it. Jeff Parker – “Cliche” – Interesting to hear Jeff Parker after loving his contributions to Meshell Ndegeocello’s last album. Some of the things I liked most about his playing on that recording, primarily that his playing feels like something familiar yet is clearly a new take on an old thing, are in his own recordings. I think it is mostly the guitar sounds and the musical settings (in a sense DJ like?), in this case the initial “Acid Bossa” seems like a great setting.
Bart – This contains some similarities to Nawi’s selection – Bossa mixed with other styles. The trumpet sound is exquisite and the tone of the piece is quietly intense. The voice reminds me a little of Milton Nascimento, maybe wordless singing? Terrance Blanchard – “Valsa Mineira” – A collaboration with Ivan Lins. This collaboration makes sense. I like Blanchard most out of his comfort zone. Something about making decisions with musicians of equal stature can add power. It’s a really gorgeous collaboration. Lins is a beautiful composer but many of his popular recordings are covered in 80’s studio goo and I enjoy the colors found here a lot more. The resulting combination is touching, and simple, in a way both artist’s recordings often miss. And nothing Blanchard records is less then magnificently recorded.
Found Sounds 