One of Lou Rawls' best for Capitol – produced by David Axelrod, and
arranged by HB Barnum with a joyous, leaping, sock-soulful groove! The
drums get nice and hard on the set – especially on the classic break
version of "For What It's Worth", and the rolling righteous cut "My
Ancestors" – and Lou's vocals are deeply wonderful all the way through!
A groovy set of late 60s soul jazz piano tunes – played by Les McCann in
a swinging style that pre-dates his 70s funk work – and which also
features him playing in a strictly instrumental setting! The core of
the material is by Les' trio with Leroy Vinnegar on bass – but most
tracks feature an expanded sound, either by adding Willie Bobo and
Victor Pantoja on Latin percussion, or by backing the group with
off-beat arrangements by the great William Fischer, whose talents had
graced some of the best Atlantic jazz albums at the time!
"A jazz harpist is a
rare thing. First of all the harp is a rather unlikely instrument to
swing. It's an awfully difficult instrument to play really well and it
demands technique that is incongruous with swinging. Perhaps as
important is the thinking that the harp, by the very nature of the
instrument, is likely to attract musicians who, in themselves, are
improbable swingers. Dorothy Ashby is, then, a rare thing. She is indeed
a jazz harpist and she does swing. This is not hard jazz. This is an
album that says jazz can, after all, be melodic, that a thing can be
gentle without being weak and can be sweet without being saccharine.
What is done here is done well, the improvisation is creative, and in
typical Dorothy Ashby thinking - it's done in beautiful taste." -- Jim Rockwell, Station WKMH, Detroit (from original liner notes).
Μια λίστα που δεν έχει μόνο κυκλοφορίες του 2018 αλλά και καποιες του 2017 (μιας και τις ανακάλυψα φέτος).
Στην λίστα αυτή ήθελα να δώσω προτεραιότητα σε digital μόνο κυκλοφορίες
αλλά και σε κυκλοφορίες που ο ακροατής δεν θα είχε καμία οικονομική
επιβάρυνση (κατεβάζοντας το αρχείο) και αξιολογώντας αυτό που άκουσε θα μπορούσε να πληρώσει όσο ήθελε και αν ήθελε. Βέβαια αυτό μου ήταν δύσκολο μιας και θα αδικούσα κάποια σίγουρα. Έτσι επέλεξα να βάλω και μερικές digital κυκλοφορίες που δεν ξεπερνούν τα 7 ευρώ! Οι κυκλοφορίες αυτές είναι με τον αστερίσκο.
1 Dj Veekash - Dj Veekash present The 70 80 Colombia Music Revisisted
A landmark album of Brazilian funk – the record that set the tone for so
many others to follow – and which can easily stand head to head with
the best American funk of the time as well! The group's headed by
Brazilian pianist Dom Salvador – who you'll know from 60s bossa nova
material and straighter jazz sounds – but here, Dom's got this
heavy-hitting left hand approach –which is a perfect balance to the
funky combo Abolicao – who play with this rich sound that's an equal
balance of jazz, funk, and Brazilian music influences. The record's a
great precursor to later Brazilian funk albums – like those by Banda
Black Rio or Unaio Black – but the influence of Salvador's piano gives
the record a jazzier edge, one that mixes extremely well with the wide
range of percussion on the set.
One of the trippiest albums recorded for Verve in the 60s – a unique 2LP
set by Japanese psych artist Harumi – and a record that stands proudly
next to the best by Zappa or the Velvets at the time! The double-length
space of the record really helps give it some shape – as Harumi starts
out sweet, then gets a bit wilder, and increases the sense of
experimentation as the set rolls on – so that the final track is a
side-long psychedelic jam that's topped with spoken passages by Harumi's
parents and sister! We like the poppier tunes the best, though – and
they feature a mix of orchestrations, fuzzy guitar, and vibes – all
layered with a really beautiful sense of sound, to accompany vocals by
Harumi and Rosko. There's a gentle, breezy, and sometimes slightly
funky quality to these numbers – Sunshine Pop with a trace of jazz – and
exactly the kind of psyche album you might imagine from Verve in the
60s!
