Maya's "Lait De Coco", a deliciously glassy-eyed chunk of mid-'80s
Gallic pop with a decidedly Balearic bent, has recently undergone
something of a revival is serious selector circles. Since copies of
original 1987 7" copies have been known to change hands for eye-watering
sums online, Attic Salt Discs has done the decent thing and offered up
this tasty 10" reissue. Particularly alluring is the flipside Dub, which
in true '80s instrumental style flits between spine-tingling ambient
passages, delay-laden vocal selections, twinkling piano motifs and an
even more glassy-eyed take on the warm and loved-up backing track. That
said, the sax-laden A-side vocal version, the epitome of soft-focus
European synth-pop goodness from the period, is also superb.
A very cool record – and one with a sound that's as dreamy as the
group's name – a laidback mix of vibes, saxes, piano, and percussion –
all used in ways that are airy and open, and very different than most
other underground jazz of the time! The group hail from New England,
and there's maybe some of the inventiveness of Stark Reality in their
style – even if the overall sound is much more acoustic, but still has a
slightly fuzzy feel via the production! Instrumentation shifts from
track to track – and these guys can definitely swing when they want, too
– which they do so more as the album moves on creating these
rough-edged groovers that are unlike anything else we can think of. By Dusty Groove
Ziad Rahbani is a cultural icon in Lebanon. The musician, pianist and
producer is also a renowned playwright and a political activist, one of
the most important exponent of the lebanese left-wing counterculture to
emerge from the 70s. ? Coming out of an illustrious artistic dynasty
(his father is the famous composer and musician Assi Rahbani, member of
group The Rahbani Brothers and his mother is the legendary Middle East
Diva, Fairuz), Ziad Rahbani started his music career during his late
teens, composing music for his mother. Rahbani quickly spread his
wings further. He started producing his own music during the early 70s
and released records under his own name at 17. Among these was "Abu Ali"
recorded in Greece at the EMI Studios in Athens in 1978 with a full
orchestra (there he also recorded his mother's album "Wahdon") and
released it as a limited run EP for the lebanese market. Legend has it
that the album was only pressed at 500 unit hence its rarity. The
result is a fabulous New York-meets-Beyrouth Disco exctasy developing
over two 13-min tracks and one of the most collectible albums on the
international dance and disco scene which Wewantsounds is happy to
finally make available.
A beautiful bit of funky rocking soul – and the one and only album by
the Deirdre Wilson Tabac – a group whose name is as strange as their
grooves are funky! The group are best known for their well-compiled
track "I Can't Keep From Cryin Sometimes" – an uptempo jazzy gem that
mixes skipping Hammond with soaring vocals and some really great horns –
and the rest of this set has a very similar feel – one that blends jazz
rock with more soulful vocals, in a groove that's totally unique!
Sonny Casella wrote, arranged, and produced the record – and he's also
the drummer in the group, so there's keen attention to rhythms on all
tracks.
Taste :
The Deirdre Wilson Tabac - I Can't Keep From Cryin Sometimes
The Deirdre Wilson Tabac - Get BackThe Dierdre Wilson Tabac
Released in 1974, Téo Azevedo's first album Grito Selvagem ( Wild
Shout') is an irresistible blend of soul and rock with an unmistakable
Brazilian character. As many other lost gems of time past, the album
found little commercial success, and still during the 70s Téo turned
forever to the true Brazilian popular music - the forró, the roots of
sertanejo and the rhythms and traditions of Brazil's often forgotten
countryside - becoming, from then on, a genuine cultural reference in
Brazil not only as musician and composer, but also as a poet and
researcher of popular folklore, being awarded the Grammy Latino prize in
2013.
This career turn also contributed to push Grito Selvagem' onto the dusty
and forgetful shelves of time, until its rediscovery in recent years by
DJs and record collectors. With lyrics reminiscent of the life in the
city and the countryside, the album is one of Brazil's forgotten
treasures, with arrangements and production by Téo in partnership with
maestro Daniel Salinas - producer / arranger very active in the Jovem
Guarda movement, and known to collectors for his 1973 album Atlantis-,
ten tracks which deliver the unmistakable groove you'll only find in
Brazilian records from the 70s. If you like Luiz Gonzaga, Tim Maia,
Jackson do Pandeiro or Gilberto Gil, get ready to hear Téo Azevedo and
his Grito Selvagem!
A product of New York City and the excitement and turbulence of the
sixties, the New Swing Sextet made its professional debut performing in
the Singer Bowl at the last New York Worlds Fair in 1965. The band has
been a popular and innovative exponent of Latin jazz, salsa and pop
music for nearly four decades.
In their early teens, the brothers attended West Hempstead High School and formed band The Country Gentlemen with schoolmate Don Droege
and drummer Bob Pelicane. The band often played at a teen club called
The Mod Scene and Long Island summer beach club gigs, as well as playing
at other venues which included 'Murray the K's World' in Roosevelt
Field, Raleigh Hotel in the Catskills and 'The Café Wha?' in Greenwich
Village.The band released one 45 single entitled "Saturday Night" which was credited to William Alessi.
In 1970, Billy and Bobby Alessi were working in the Broadway cast of Hair, when former Blues Magoos guitarist Peppy Castro also joined the show. The three formed the band Barnaby Bye and, with Mike Ricciardella on drums, the band were signed to Atlantic Records and released albums in 1972 (Room to Grow) and 1973 (Touch). The next Barnaby Bye album (Thrice Upon a Time) was not released until 2008, after the band reformed.
After the early years with Barnaby Bye, the brothers continued
writing, recording and performing as the duo, Alessi. In 1977, their
song "Oh Lori" (from the 1976 album Alessi) reached no. 8 and spent 11 weeks in the UK Singles Chart, and became a Top Ten hit in seventeen more countries.In May 1982, "Put Away Your Love" (from 1982 album Long Time Friends) reached No. 71 and spent 4 weeks in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.They also charted in Brazil with "Sad Songs" (from the album Alessi, 1977), "All for a Reason" (from the album All for a Reason, 1978) and "Forever" (recorded with Christopher Cross, from the album Long Time Friends, 1982). The first four Alessi albums (1976-1979) were released on the A&M record label, with the fifth, Long Time Friends (1982) being on Quincy Jones's Qwest label.
In 1984, Alessi released track "Savin' the Day" for the soundtrack to the film Ghostbusters; this soundtrack album was released on the Arista
label and was nominated for a Grammy Award for the Best Album of
Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special.
Over the years Alessi have arranged, produced and/or written releases for many artists including Sir Paul McCartney, Deborah Gibson, Frankie Valli, Richie Havens, Olivia Newton John and Christopher Cross. The brothers toured with Andy Gibb in his 1978/79 Shadow Dancing tour and contributed background vocals to albums such as Art Garfunkel's 1979 album Fate for Breakfastand the John Lennon and Yoko Ono album Milk and Honey. Their songs have also been covered by artists including Peter Frampton and Rick Springfield and their songwriting and/or vocals have been featured in such films as The Main Event and Ghostbusters.
The brothers have also had success working on jingles and advertisements for David Lucas and many mainstream consumer products in the U.S.
