Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of… – Chrysalis, 1992.
🎤💰:
Re-listening to this brings me back 3 decades. I purchased this as a new and noteworthy Hip Hop album which seemed to draw from a similar well as De la Soul. Now I notice some aspects that forecast Southern Rap, like Outkast, and their Hippy profile is in a Sly & the Family Stone manner. It does now feel dated, and somewhat light weight, but apparently Arrested Development have been releasing albums frequently (almost yearly) in the 21st Century. In retrospect it is too Pop oriented compared to the intensity of other 90’s Hip Hop acts. And De La Soul is coming from a more confusing, convoluted perspective – expressing discontent more than inclusion. The 2 groups are completely different, despite their promotional marketing similarities. “Tennessee”
Overall = 4.7 (10) – “Tennessee” is a hell of a song. Get it!
The Congos – Heart of the Congos – VP, 1977.
🇯🇲 🆑 ⚙︎ ⚒️⌛️🫂:
A classic album of Reggae, with many important figures in the band including Lee “Scratch” Perry, Sly Dunbar and Ernest Ranglin. I heard of the album’s legend before acquiring it, I think “DJ favorite” was it’s profile. And why wouldn’t it be? with Perry involved. I’d describe it as being both Roots and Dub without either style commanding full attention. It is the band’s first release, the songs and voices are great. “Congoman”
Overall = 9.5 (10) – I’d choose it as 1 of my 10 must have reggae albums!Get it!
LaVern Baker – Blues Ballads – Sequel, 1961.
🇺🇸📣🏙️:
This leans into the Pop/R&B singer/personality category of the early 60’s. It has a bit of light cheese in the “canned” arrangements, a back up vocal group – it could veer into Gospel easily. However a really great band balances things out and keeps things from getting too soft, including Saxophone great Sam “the Man” Taylor! It was created for a 60’s teen market and the vibe is lighter than the Blues Ballads title offers. The song choices, I’d assume, have been selected by a producer, or manager. Some of the songs have a nursery rhyme-ish feel and derivative arrangements that feel like they could be re-used for different songs. I expected, from the cover, that the music would lean in a more Jazz direction, which it doesn’t. “Love Me Right” & “It’s So Fine”
Overall = 4.3 (10) – They are playing these for for hit appeal and sometimes it feels too cute, but it is a certain type of R&B that can be put on for a good hang. Get it!
Geir Draugsvoll – Works for Classical Accordion – Da Capo/Marco Polo, 1996. (Kanding, Kayser, Frounberg, Winkle Holm, Ib Jorgensen and Pape)
🎼 ❂🪗:
This is pretty heady stuff. Apparently the Dutch have contributed a lot of the Modern Classical Accordion music repertoire. I am a fan of accordion music and I wanted to know what Modern Classical Accordion Music is, so I snapped this up. It’s definitely for a certain mood and one far away from Tango tastes. “Troglodyt” by Mogens Winkel Holm, perf. Geir Draugsvoll.
Overall = 4.1 (10) – It’s modern in the experimental sense. Get it!
Andy Bey – Ballads, Blues & Bey – Evidence, 1996.
🗣️🎺 📔 🌃 🤿:
A very different album by Bey, from the same time period as the previous ItS re-listen. Alone, accompanying himself on piano and playing Standards throughout the recording. He is an incredible interpreter, but in his youth he created a lot more original music rather than Standards. He transforms the songs here, and many of his song choices are favorites of mine. Bey can linger on a lyric and twist the stories in the songs into new meanings. An incredible set of interpretations, that sustain a dim, blurry atmosphere as if watching the World through a mist. ‘In a Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington.
Overall = 6.7 (10) – It is very soulful and relaxed, not for every occasion, but it is great to drift in the mist. Get it!
VA – Afrikan Blood – Studio One, 2020.
🇯🇲 ❂ ✺📔:
A collection of political Reggae singles from the 70’s, that I hoped were going to be more intense than these here. The collection is well mixed, but the collection’s theme is maybe a little contrived – at least the theme stated in the promotional blurb on the album is. Perhaps Political now is a different animal than The songs are all interesting, so that is a minor quibble. “Rasta Footprints” (12” Mix) The Viceroys.
Overall = 5.1 (10) – A nice collection of Reggae. Get it!
VA – Bagdad Cafe Soundtrack – Island, 1998.
🎥 💰🎬:
A really eclectic mix of styles and sounds to this odd movie. The lead track “Calling You” was nominated for an Academy Award and was sort of an eerie, longing, type of hit song. Then the playlist flits around between Classical, Jazz, Show Tunes and Bluesy type things. Though the plot is somewhat grounded I recall the film being oblique and vague, but also mesmerizing. It was experimental in a way most films are not now. “Calling You”
Overall = 4.2 (10) – There is always a question with Film Music of how listenable it is without the film, here there is a pretty cool variety of material, but also long sections of narration explaining the movie which is annoying. Get it!
The African Jazz Pioneers – Sip ’N Fly – Timbuktu, 1993.
🌎🇿🇦🎺:
The first song “Sip ’n Fly” does not deliver, neither in a Swing Big Band sense, nor in a South African Jazz sense. Overall it has too much polish on the recording and in the case of the first song, sounds like a Society Band playing Jazz material. However the rest of the songs on the recording, which mix together Afro-Pop, Jazz, Vocal and Dance Band, are very good indeed. I may have read the “Jazz” in the band’s name to mean something different than it does and it is my own biases I am beset with. The solos are good, there is excellent guitar work and having a vocal group mixed in with the horns is a superior, and unusually colorful arrangement, style. “Sgaxa Mabande (You Are the Captain)”
Overall = 6.3 (10) – I’d skip the first tune and listen to the rest!Get it!
VA – Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas: Tropical Psychedelic Masterpieces 1967-1976 – Tropical in Furs/World Psychedelic Funk Masterpieces, 2010.
🌎🇧🇷 ❂ ✺🪨:
I like the sonically experimental side of Psychedelic music, but it is often found cloaking very basic Rock and Pop material. On this collection It doesn’t usually cover up the deficiency in the song writing and the experiments are often meant as a sonic distraction. It is a fun collection and it would be great background music for a party, but most of the songs are very derivative and feature cliche types of sounds. The Portuguese helps as the lyrics aren’t something I need to delve into, but the music is simple, early Rock & Roll with some cool electronic sounds and trippy effects. There are some covers too. The Pops – “Som Imaginário De Jimmi Hendrix” – despite the Hendrix shout out this sounds a lot like The James Gang “Funk ’49″
Overall = 4.3 (10) – The cover promised a lot, but I think this is a fan for “Nuggets” style Psych/Rock collections. Get it!
VA – Anthology of World Music: North Indian Classical Music – Rounder, 1998.
🌎🇮🇳 🪄🎗️ ✺ ⏺️:
A 4 disc collection of regional, traditional World music. The collection is divided into vocal and instrumentation groupings. This is the 3rd comprehensive documentation of traditional, Classical and Folk musics (Library of Congress & Smithsonian are the others) that we are aurally visiting (so far). Classical music in the non-genre sense means – classic historically and including formal traditions of studying regardless of the origin country. In India these traditions are ancient and take a similar dedication as would studying Western formal music. The AoWM is a 50 CD Rounder reissue of interesting documentary recordings from around the World and I rarely find them available in CD format. These recordings can be listened to for enjoyment or they could initiate study into the forms they document. The research and analysis, in the liner notes, is significant. “Raga Adana-Vasanta: Tappa (Tala Khaharava)” Siddheshwari Devi, Sabri Khan & Zamir Ahmad Khan – this sounds like I am awakening to the World!
Overall = 6.5 (10) – An expansive collection and great if you want to get into Indian Classical Music. Get it!
Joe Bataan – Singin’ Some Soul – Fania, 1972.
🌎🇵🇭💃🏽🌶️✊🏿:
This is a case of an artist doing a Soul Music style cover album, to show his range and capitalize on a Motown audience. It is not completely successful. Joe Bataan is Filipino and a Salsa singer, he is one of the important non-Caribbean artists involved in the creation of Salsa. The arrangements are ok. His voice doesn’t quite have the ability to really get to where he is aiming. Totally easy to listen to without ever actually reaching the heights you wish it could. “Under the Streetlamp”.
Overall = 3.1 (10) – There are better Joe Bataan recordings to get.Get it!
Tia Anica – La Piranaca (Volume 19) – Le Chant Du Monde, ?.
🌎🇪🇸💃🏽🎗️ 🎸🗣️ 🔭:
A feature from a Flamenco collection on a French label. Flamenco performance is intensely dramatic and connected to dance & movement. It’s another case where just listening, and not seeing, diminishes the experience. La Tia started her professional career late, in her 50s. She has a very powerful voice. The liner notes are informative, but written for the Flamenco enthusiast. “Soleares de Jerez”
Overall = 5.2 (10) – Very intense, good for a certain time and place. Get it!
Miles Davis – Volume 1 & 2 – Blue Note, 1952 & 1953.
🗝️ ✪🎺𝍍🎶:
Seminal recordings that asserted Miles as a leader. Blue Note records gave artists rehearsal time and money, they embraced new compositions and they got the best results from the artists in their recording sessions.
Miles is the rare artist who is successful at changing hats and can perform in a variety of styles. He is typically cited as the popular herald of most of the post-Bop Jazz styles. These two albums, recordings from 4 different sessions, are at the very beginning of the Hard Bop style, and Miles was right there in it. They feature young bands, playing songs by their peers and with a bright and intense, hard edged sound. Not performed as fast, typically, as BeBop, but using the same modern language. These aren’t considered his greatest albums, but they are great blueprints for those to come. A handful of exceptional ballads too! “C.T.A.” by Jimmy Heath & “It Never Entered My Mind”.
Overall = V. 1 = 7.9,V.2 = 8.2 (10) – Miles’ Hard Bop recordings that aren’t with his 1st “Great” Quintet are undervalued, but they are often among his most popular recordings to listen to, particular because of his beautiful tone at the time.. Get it! & Get that!
Prince – Prince – WB, 1979.
Ƥ𖫪 🫧🦄🫦🗝️ ✪💰:
His second label release and though it has a few hit songs, this still isn’t quite “Prince” yet, he is building his image. His early style draws from Funk, Disco, R&B and the Pop/Rock of the late 70’s. He was an incredible mixer of styles, who designed a new and personal sound from these different sources. One example of this is his incendiary Rock guitar work that pops up in “Bambi”. He is already writing songs that others will cover like “I Feel for You”. There is a veneer of sex across most of the songs and he is already self-producing his albums and performing everything himself. His biggest successes are right around the corner, he is truly an 80’s Star, but this recording is building towards that. “I Wanna Be Your Lover”
Overall = 6.7 (10) – Several songs on here are iconic for me, but it isn’t always an end to end listen for me. Get it!
Duke Ellington – The Okeh Ellington – Columbia, 1927-30.
🗝️ ✪🎺🎹 🥁🏌🏿♂️ ⏺️:
These recordings are from early in Ellington’s career and also a formative period in his band design. Many of the songs are performed by smaller groups, the Big Band standard instrumentation (4-5 Trumpet, Trombone, 5 Reeds and Rhythm Section) is not quite formalized at this point. There are several important early Ellington collaborators: Miley, Bigard and Carney, but aside from Carney the long term band members like Hodges begin to arrive and join the group mid-way through these recordings. There is more guitar (& banjo) then we would usually hear in Ellington’s music and there are several early iconic songs present (& multiple versions of them as well). “The Mooche”
Overall = 7.7 (10) – The beginnings! Get it!
Found Sounds 