Full Circle (1972) is definitely an appropriate name for this last project of original material to be issued under the Doors moniker. After the loss of Jim Morrison the previous year, the remaining trio culled their respective ideas -- some of which had been gathering dust in anticipation of Morrison's reappearance. Once that wasn't an option, John Densmore (drums/vocals), Ray Manzarek (keyboards/bass pedals/vocals), and Robbie Krieger (guitar/vocals) completed Other Voices (1971). Ultimately, the album made it into the Top 40 rock survey less than six months after L.A. Woman (1971) -- the Doors' final studio release with Morrison. While there are a handful of undeniably remarkable cuts scattered throughout, Full Circle is increasingly sporadic and less focused than its predecessor. Case in point is the somewhat dated Age of Aquarius anthem "Get Up and Dance" that kicks off the platter. Krieger's "4 Billion Souls" is a happy little ditty about global survival and ecology, proclaiming "Don't cha see that we could be the first in history/leaving all that we don't need behind." Among the highlights is the slinky blues "Verdilac" with Manzarek conjuring up voodoo and Charles Lloyd (flute/tenor sax) making his first of two guest appearances on Full Circle during the tasty jazz-fusion informed instrumental section between the verses. The whimsical "Hardwood Floor" is sonically stamped by Manzarek's jangle piano. Instead of being a psychedelic anachronism as heard on "Love Her Madly" and "You Make Me Real," it comes off as comparatively lightweight. A similar fate befalls the cover of Roy Brown's R&B jump classic "Good Rocking Tonight" -- titled simply "Good Rocking." While there is nothing ostensibly wrong with the performance, it fails to catch fire and the lack of inspiration gives the track a sense of being little more than filler. "The Mosquito" is an undeniably peculiar recording and it is difficult to conceive what Jim Morrison could or would have been able to bring to lyrics such as "No me moleste mosquito/just let me eat my burrito." The centerpiece of the number is the nearly four-minute jam tacked on at the end.Manzarek's impassioned electric organ, Densmore's tricky timekeeping, and Krieger's transcendent string work are all worth mentioning as the intensity of their interplay hearkens back to former glories. "The Piano Bird" was co-penned by Manzarek and Jack Conrad (bass) and is the second selection to include contributions by Charles Lloyd (flute). The laid-back and Zen "It Slipped My Mind" is fairly lackluster with the exception of the quirky melody and very tasty and trippy runs from Krieger. Manzarek's musical multi-cultural fairytale of "The Peking King and the New York Queen" concludes the disc with an ode to the Aquarian Age of racial harmony and a touch of "We are the World" thrown in for good measure. AMG.
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segunda-feira, 23 de julho de 2012
Albatross - A Breath of Fresh Air 1973
Albatross formed in September 1972, after the split of legendary Sydney band Tamam Shud. The initial lineup was a trio, comprising Bjerre and Baron (both ex-Shud) and drummer Kim Bryant (ex-Country Radio).
While bands like The Aztecs and The La De Das and were mining the rich veins of blues, boogie and heavy rock, Albatross took a different tack, exploring a mellower, acoustically-based style that was a development from the quieter side of Tamam Shud's Shud's progressive/psychedelic sound. Albatross' music incorporated elements of folk and country music, as were a number of other contemporary Australian groups like Country Radio, The Flying Circus and The Dingoes. Lyrically, the band's material continued Bjerre's concerns with sprituality, nature and environmental issues.
The band's home-base was on Sydney's northern beaches, and during the year of its existence Albatross played regularly at the Memorial Hall in the Sydney beachside suburb of Mona Vale. At New Year 1972-73 Albatross played at the ill-fated Bungool Festival near Windor, NSW, which was poorly attended due conflict with the local council, which led to teh first day of the event being cancelled.
In early 1973 the band was augmented by Lindsay's wife Simone on vocals and in April they were joined by multi-instrumentalist Richard Lockwood, formerly of Tully, who had also played with the last version of Tamam Shud. This augmented lineup recorded the group's only LP, A Breath Of Fresh Air (Warner Reprise), which also included session contributions from Gary Frederick (slide guitar), Pirana organist Keith Greig and Country Radio's Chris Blanchflower (harmonica). It's a fine album, and long overdue for reissue. Bjerre's unusual voice is perhaps an acquired taste but the album is full of excellent material, beautifully played and very well recorded. The pacy opening track "Full Moon" is a road song that opens with an innovative string arrangement, moving into a heavier style that recall Tamam Shud, and it's decorated with some very tasty "Layla"-style slide guitar from Gary Fredericks. Other highlights include the rollicking "Bouzouki Boogie" and "Nimbin Stopover", a commemmoration in song of the 1973 Aquarius Festival, which features the inimitable harmonica stylings of Blanchflower.
Another sought-after Warner album from this period, Total Union by Band Of Light, has been recently reissued by Gil Matthews' Aztec Music label, so there is some hope that the Albatross album will eventually be remastered and re-released on CD. Meanwhile, the original LP -- which presumably sold few copies -- has become highly collectible, with copies now changing hands for over $100.
Albatross gained important exposure with a prestigious support spot on Frank Zappa's his first Australian tour in July 1973, but the band did not last out the year, and had already broken up by the time the LP was released in November.
Lindsay Bjerre spent the next few years pursuing spiritual interests and travelling; he also wrote a (never-performed) rock opera and studied mime in England with theatrical legend Lindsay Kemp. He re-emerged in 1977, with a new performance persona, simply called Bjerre, and with support from Countdown he scored a surprise hit with the single "She Taught Me How To Love Again".
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Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Trilogy 1972
After the heavily distorted bass and doomsday church organ of Emerson, Lake & Palmer's debut album, the exhilarating prog rock of epic proportions on Tarkus, and the violent removal of the sacred aura of classical tunes on Pictures at an Exhibition, Trilogy, ELP's fourth album, features the trio settling down in more crowd-pleasing pastures. Actually, the group was gaining in maturity what they lost in raw energy. Every track on this album has been carefully thought, arranged, and performed to perfection, a process that also included some form of sterilization. Greg Lake's acoustic ballad "From the Beginning" put the group on the charts for a second time. The adaptation of Aaron Copland's "Hoedown" also yielded a crowd-pleaser. Prog rock fans had to satisfy themselves with the three-part "The Endless Enigma" and "Trilogy," both very strong but paced compositions. By 1972, Eddie Offord's recording and producing techniques had reached a peak. He provided a lush, comfy finish to the album that made it particularly suited for living-room listening and the FM airwaves. Yet the material lacks a bit of excitement. Trilogystill belongs to ELP's classic period and should not be overlooked. For newcomers to prog rock it can even make a less-menacing point of entry. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: Trilogy
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Buy @ Amazon: Trilogy
The Youngbloods - High On A Ridge Top 1972
Not an auspicious end to the band, but an improvement over the similarly low-key Good and Dusty. The selection of material is much more diverse and appealing, and the use of harp, saxes, and mandolin spices up some of the arrangements. Young's "Dreamboat," the sole original song here, is a good example of the Youngbloods in light R&B mode, and would fit nicely on their best album, Elephant Mountain. Among the cover versions, the swinging, saxophone-enhanced "Running Bear" is fun, as is the jazzy take on "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window," with nice slide guitar and acoustic piano work. Likewise, the piano-based "I Shall Be Released" may not be essential, but it is an able, enjoyable Dylancover. Fittingly, for a band so enamored with the blues, the Youngbloods bring the curtain down withRobert Johnson's "Kind Hearted Woman," as satisfying a blues track as they cut. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: High on a Ridge Top
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Buy @ Amazon: High on a Ridge Top
Wilson Simonal - Se Dependesse De Mim 1972
Though a seminal force in the development of Brazilian popular music, singer Wilson Simonal remains largely unknown outside of South America -- the architect of the pilantragem sound that dominated Brazilian charts during the late '60s, he was the nation's first black pop superstar, but his career never recovered from accusations that he was a police informant. According to Greg Casseus' exhaustive "The Saga of Wilson Simonal" (published in the spring 2004 edition of Wax Poetics magazine), he was bornWilson Simonal De Castro in the Rio de Janeiro suburb of Agua Santa on February 26, 1939. After serving in the army, Simonal spent the late '50s as the personal assistant of newspaper columnist, talent scout, and media gadfly Carlos Imperial; with Imperial's assistance, he began singing rock & roll at Rio-area nightclubs, including the famed Beco des Garrafas. Simonal never fit within the confines of the bossa nova sound that dominated Brazil during the early '60s, however, and his 1962 debut LP, A Nova Dimensão do Samba, which fused traditional samba rhythms with vocals and arrangements inspired by American soul and doo wop, was a commercial failure. The follow-up, 1963's Tem Algo Mais, proved far more successful, boasting a distinctive marriage of bossa nova, jazz, and orchestral pop typified by the chart smash "Balanço Zona Sul." He then recorded a stopgap single, "De Manha," that would not only prove another major hit but also offered the first major exposure heaped on its writer, a then-unknownCaetano Veloso -- throughout his career, Simonal exhibited an unerring knack for discovering new songwriting talent, recording early songs by the likes of Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque, and Geraldo Vandré.
While Simonal worked on his third LP, S'imbora, the Brazilian government was the subject of a right-wing military coup that plunged the country into two decades of terror. The radical changes that swept throughout Brazilian society spelled the end of bossa nova's nationwide popularity, and while many listeners embraced the catchy but ultimately fluffy pop/rock dubbed "iê-iê-iê" (or "yeh-yeh-yeh," in homage to the Beatles), Simonal went in the opposite direction, recruiting backing trio Som Três to create a dynamic fusion of soul, jazz, and samba infused with rhythms inspired by the Latin American boogaloo sound. Simonal dubbed his new approach "pilantragem," roughly translated as "piracy" -- the modus operandi was to borrow liberally from whatever and wherever you chose, so long as the spare parts fit together in the end. 1966's Vou Deixar Cair heralded the beginning of Simonal's pilantragem phase, generating the blockbuster "Meu Limão, Meu Limoeiro," a rewrite of the traditional American folk song "Lemon Tree." Soon after he was awarded his own television variety show, Show em Si Monal, also the title of a live LP issued in 1967. Later that year Simonal also released the first of four volumes in his Alegria, Alegria!!! series, which collectively represent the creative zenith of his career -- highlighted by "Nem Vem Que Não Tem," perhaps his biggest international hit, the album's loose, celebratory spirit (bolstered by party sounds and applause bookending most of the tracks) found a massive audience as the government tightened its chokehold.
With 1968's Alegria, Alegria!!! Vol. 2 and the smash "Sa Marina," demand for the pilantragem sound grew so great that Simonal launched a side project, A Turma da Pilantragem; a year later, Alegria! Alegria! Vol. 4 launched his biggest hit, the Jorge Ben-penned "Pais Tropical" -- a passionate valentine to his Brazilian home, the song nevertheless skewed far too close to government-sanctioned rhetoric for some leftist listeners, a wariness further compounded by Simonal's military background. Following the release of 1971's Joia Joia, he left his longtime label, Odeon, for its chief competitor, Philips -- around this time, however, he also sat down with accountant Rafael Vivani, who informed the singer that despite selling millions of records, his exorbitant lifestyle and poor investments had left him broke. Simonalsuspected Vivani was embezzling, contacting friends within the Departamento de Ordem Política e Social (the police arm of the Brazilian military regime) to kidnap the accountant and "persuade" him to reveal what he'd done with his client's fortune. Vivani eventually was released and sued Simonal for extortion -- during the trial, an army general claimed the singer was in fact a DOPS informant, contracted to spy on his fellow musicians. The story dominated headlines for weeks, and amid the chaos Philips issued his label debut, Se Dependesse de Mim, which promptly tanked -- 1973's Olhai Balandro, e Bufo No Birrolho Grinza! fared no better, and in late 1974 Simonal even spent two weeks in jail on criminal charges related to his plot against Vivani. His final Philips LP, Dimensão '75, appeared around the same time to minimal commercial interest.
An outcast in his native Rio de Janeiro, Simonal then relocated to São Paulo, signing to RCA and releasing Ninguem Proibe o Amor in 1975. He would release two more LPs for the label -- 1977's A Vida é So Pra Cantar and 1979's Se Todo Mundo Cantasse Seria Bem Mais Facil Viver -- but music played an increasingly diminished role in his life as he sought to prove he had been framed by the military. Simonalmarried a lawyer, Sandra Manzini Cerqueira, who further championed his case while he slipped into alcoholism; he recorded sporadically in the decades to follow, issuing relatively listless albums like 1981's Alegria Tropical, 1985's Charme Tropical, 1991's Os Sambas da Minha Terra, and 1995's Brasil to scant attention. Simonal's final LP, Bem Brasil-Estilo Simonal, appeared in 1998 -- he died of cirrhosis on June 25, 2000. Only after his death was Cerqueria finally able to access the Justice Ministry and Department of Strategic Affairs documents proving that Simonal's name appears nowhere on any list of military informants. His records are now once again available in Brazilian record stores and finally receiving some measure of the acclaim long due them. In addition, Simonal's sons Max De Castro and Wilson Simoninha today enjoy flourishing recording careers of their own, with the latter overseeing an extensive reissue campaign spotlighting his father's work. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: A Arte De
While Simonal worked on his third LP, S'imbora, the Brazilian government was the subject of a right-wing military coup that plunged the country into two decades of terror. The radical changes that swept throughout Brazilian society spelled the end of bossa nova's nationwide popularity, and while many listeners embraced the catchy but ultimately fluffy pop/rock dubbed "iê-iê-iê" (or "yeh-yeh-yeh," in homage to the Beatles), Simonal went in the opposite direction, recruiting backing trio Som Três to create a dynamic fusion of soul, jazz, and samba infused with rhythms inspired by the Latin American boogaloo sound. Simonal dubbed his new approach "pilantragem," roughly translated as "piracy" -- the modus operandi was to borrow liberally from whatever and wherever you chose, so long as the spare parts fit together in the end. 1966's Vou Deixar Cair heralded the beginning of Simonal's pilantragem phase, generating the blockbuster "Meu Limão, Meu Limoeiro," a rewrite of the traditional American folk song "Lemon Tree." Soon after he was awarded his own television variety show, Show em Si Monal, also the title of a live LP issued in 1967. Later that year Simonal also released the first of four volumes in his Alegria, Alegria!!! series, which collectively represent the creative zenith of his career -- highlighted by "Nem Vem Que Não Tem," perhaps his biggest international hit, the album's loose, celebratory spirit (bolstered by party sounds and applause bookending most of the tracks) found a massive audience as the government tightened its chokehold.
With 1968's Alegria, Alegria!!! Vol. 2 and the smash "Sa Marina," demand for the pilantragem sound grew so great that Simonal launched a side project, A Turma da Pilantragem; a year later, Alegria! Alegria! Vol. 4 launched his biggest hit, the Jorge Ben-penned "Pais Tropical" -- a passionate valentine to his Brazilian home, the song nevertheless skewed far too close to government-sanctioned rhetoric for some leftist listeners, a wariness further compounded by Simonal's military background. Following the release of 1971's Joia Joia, he left his longtime label, Odeon, for its chief competitor, Philips -- around this time, however, he also sat down with accountant Rafael Vivani, who informed the singer that despite selling millions of records, his exorbitant lifestyle and poor investments had left him broke. Simonalsuspected Vivani was embezzling, contacting friends within the Departamento de Ordem Política e Social (the police arm of the Brazilian military regime) to kidnap the accountant and "persuade" him to reveal what he'd done with his client's fortune. Vivani eventually was released and sued Simonal for extortion -- during the trial, an army general claimed the singer was in fact a DOPS informant, contracted to spy on his fellow musicians. The story dominated headlines for weeks, and amid the chaos Philips issued his label debut, Se Dependesse de Mim, which promptly tanked -- 1973's Olhai Balandro, e Bufo No Birrolho Grinza! fared no better, and in late 1974 Simonal even spent two weeks in jail on criminal charges related to his plot against Vivani. His final Philips LP, Dimensão '75, appeared around the same time to minimal commercial interest.
An outcast in his native Rio de Janeiro, Simonal then relocated to São Paulo, signing to RCA and releasing Ninguem Proibe o Amor in 1975. He would release two more LPs for the label -- 1977's A Vida é So Pra Cantar and 1979's Se Todo Mundo Cantasse Seria Bem Mais Facil Viver -- but music played an increasingly diminished role in his life as he sought to prove he had been framed by the military. Simonalmarried a lawyer, Sandra Manzini Cerqueira, who further championed his case while he slipped into alcoholism; he recorded sporadically in the decades to follow, issuing relatively listless albums like 1981's Alegria Tropical, 1985's Charme Tropical, 1991's Os Sambas da Minha Terra, and 1995's Brasil to scant attention. Simonal's final LP, Bem Brasil-Estilo Simonal, appeared in 1998 -- he died of cirrhosis on June 25, 2000. Only after his death was Cerqueria finally able to access the Justice Ministry and Department of Strategic Affairs documents proving that Simonal's name appears nowhere on any list of military informants. His records are now once again available in Brazilian record stores and finally receiving some measure of the acclaim long due them. In addition, Simonal's sons Max De Castro and Wilson Simoninha today enjoy flourishing recording careers of their own, with the latter overseeing an extensive reissue campaign spotlighting his father's work. AMG.
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Eyes Of Blue - Crossroads Of Time - In Fields Of Ardath 1968-69
By rights, The Eyes of Blue should have an exalted place in the pantheon of art rock and progressive rock bands. They were around before almost all of them, and doing film work and making music in a jazz-rock fusion idiom before the latter had been understood, and they were signed to two major labels in succession, Deram and Mercury. Instead, except for drummer John Weathers, who later joined Gentle Giant, The Eyes of Blue are scarcely remembered at all. The Eyes of Blue started out as a jazz and rhythm & blues-oriented outfit (Graham Bond wrote the notes for their first album), doing songs in that vein as well as less well-suited material such as "Yesterday." They were initially signed to Decca's progressive rock imprint Deram Records, and cut a series of excellent but neglected singles, and then moved to Mercury, where they concentrated on albums, enjoying their greatest musical if not commercial success. They were taken seriously enough to collaborate with Quincy Jones on the score of the movie Toy Grabbers, and the group actually managed to appear in the movie Connecting Rooms. Their early strength lay in R&B-based material, including Bond's "Love Is the Law," "Crossroads of Time," and "7 and 7 Is," but even on their first album, The Eyes of Blue showed some Eastern influences. Their second album had some tracks from the first film score as well as one Graham Bond song, but is more experimental, with extended instrumental passages and some classical music influences. In late 1968, The Eyes of Blue backed Buzzy Linhart on a self-titled album, and they rated a supporting act spot at the Marquee Club in London in 1969, but their days were numbered given their lack of success as a recording outfit. Phil Ryan later played in Man, and John Weathers joined Pete Brown and Piblokto! on the Harvest label, before jumping to Gentle Giant. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: Crossroads Of Time / In Fields Of Ardath
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Buy @ Amazon: Crossroads Of Time / In Fields Of Ardath
RE-POST: Buddy Miles Express - Expressway To Your Skull 1968
Although Buddy Miles' alchemical fusion of psychedelia, blues, and soul did not truly coalesce until his masterpiece Them Changes, his debut LP, Expressway to Your Skull, remains an inspired and original statement of intent, a record that's both timeless and an unmistakable product of counterculture consciousness. Each of the album's seven songs is a fascinating montage of sounds and styles -- acid-fuzz guitar collides with zig-zagging funk horns, and shrieking keyboards meet juke joint blues riffs head on. Not everything works -- a cover of Sam & Dave's "Wrap It Up" is more leaden than lively, and the instrumental "Funky Mule" feels like filler -- but the remaining material is brilliant, its twists and turns navigated by Miles' deeply soulful vocals and monster drumming. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: Expressway to Your Skull
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Buy @ Amazon: Expressway to Your Skull
domingo, 22 de julho de 2012
Don Rendell and Ian Carr - Live 1968
b. 4 March 1926, Plymouth, Devon, England. Rendell began playing alto saxophone as a child but later switched to tenor. He played in a number of dance bands during the late 40s, and in 1950 became a member of John Dankworth’s septet. After leaving Dankworth in 1953 he formed his own small group but also worked with bands led by Tony Crombie, Ted Heath and others. In 1956 he joined Stan Kenton for a European tour, appearing on Live At The Albert Hall. In the late 50s he played with Woody Herman. During the 60s Rendell was again leading his own bands, featuring musicians such as Graham Bond, Michael Garrick and Ian Carr, with whom he was co-leader of a successful band. The four albums he recorded with Carr are highly recommended. Rendell has also recorded with Stan Tracey (The Latin American Caper), and Neil Ardley (Greek Variations).
A fluent improviser, with hints of post-bop styling overlaying a deep admiration for the earlier work of Lester Young, Rendell has long been one of the most admired of British jazz artists. For many years he has been tireless in the promotion of jazz through his activities as a sought-after teacher.
Ian Carr has been on the cutting edge of the British jazz scene for nearly four decades. Self-trained as a musician, Carr played an important role in the development of jazz-rock fusion, playing with John McLaughlin in the early '60s, forming one of England's first electronic jazz-rock fusion groups, Nucleus, in 1969 and playing with the international band the United Jazz Rock Ensemble, since 1975. In 1982, Carr received a Calabria award in southern Italy for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Jazz. Wire Magazine presented him a special award for services to British jazz in 1987. Carr has been equally influential as a music journalist and educator. The co-author of a jazz encyclopedia, The Essential Companion, Carr was also the author of Music Outside, an examination of contemporary British jazz published in 1973; Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography, published in 1982; and Keith Jarrett: The Man and His Music, published in 1991. Since 1992, Carr has written a monthly column for BBC Music Magazine. Carr is an associate professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Dance and lectures weekly on jazz history. Born in Scotland and raised in England, Carr thought little of a career in music until he was nearly 30 years old. Educated at King's College in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where he studied English literature, Carr served in the Army in the late '50s. Shortly after his discharge, he formed a band, the EmCee Five, with his brother Mike and John McLaughlin. Carr remained with the band for two years, leaving to form the Rendell-Carr Group with saxophonist Don Rendell in 1962. During the seven years he worked with Rendell, Carr helped the band record five albums.
In September 1969, Carr helped form the groundbreaking fusion band Nucleus. The group attracted international acclaim when it took the top prize in a competition at the Montreaux International Festival in 1970. Carr continued to play with Nucleus until 1989 when he left to tour the United Kingdom and Europe as a soloist on electric trumpet with an Anglo-American orchestra led by American composer George Russell. Old Heartland was recorded with the Kreisler String Orchestra in 1988 while Sounds and Sweet Airs was recorded with organist John Taylor in 1992. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: Live at the Union 1966 [Vinyl]
A fluent improviser, with hints of post-bop styling overlaying a deep admiration for the earlier work of Lester Young, Rendell has long been one of the most admired of British jazz artists. For many years he has been tireless in the promotion of jazz through his activities as a sought-after teacher.
Ian Carr has been on the cutting edge of the British jazz scene for nearly four decades. Self-trained as a musician, Carr played an important role in the development of jazz-rock fusion, playing with John McLaughlin in the early '60s, forming one of England's first electronic jazz-rock fusion groups, Nucleus, in 1969 and playing with the international band the United Jazz Rock Ensemble, since 1975. In 1982, Carr received a Calabria award in southern Italy for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Jazz. Wire Magazine presented him a special award for services to British jazz in 1987. Carr has been equally influential as a music journalist and educator. The co-author of a jazz encyclopedia, The Essential Companion, Carr was also the author of Music Outside, an examination of contemporary British jazz published in 1973; Miles Davis: The Definitive Biography, published in 1982; and Keith Jarrett: The Man and His Music, published in 1991. Since 1992, Carr has written a monthly column for BBC Music Magazine. Carr is an associate professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Dance and lectures weekly on jazz history. Born in Scotland and raised in England, Carr thought little of a career in music until he was nearly 30 years old. Educated at King's College in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, where he studied English literature, Carr served in the Army in the late '50s. Shortly after his discharge, he formed a band, the EmCee Five, with his brother Mike and John McLaughlin. Carr remained with the band for two years, leaving to form the Rendell-Carr Group with saxophonist Don Rendell in 1962. During the seven years he worked with Rendell, Carr helped the band record five albums.
In September 1969, Carr helped form the groundbreaking fusion band Nucleus. The group attracted international acclaim when it took the top prize in a competition at the Montreaux International Festival in 1970. Carr continued to play with Nucleus until 1989 when he left to tour the United Kingdom and Europe as a soloist on electric trumpet with an Anglo-American orchestra led by American composer George Russell. Old Heartland was recorded with the Kreisler String Orchestra in 1988 while Sounds and Sweet Airs was recorded with organist John Taylor in 1992. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: Live at the Union 1966 [Vinyl]
RE-POST: Amory Kane - Memories Of Time Unwound 1968
Californian, Amory Kane (vcals,guitar) moves to England at the end of the ' 67 and begins to attend clubs/coffee houses as the Bunjies finche' in July '68 obtains a contract very 5 years with the MCA and, with the production of expert Steve Rowland (Family Dogg), records his first LP that alternate convincing brani like "Birds of weighted down Britain" to others a lot from the agreements, are made however to signal traditional "the You to were On My Mind" (arranged from John Paul Jones), "New Light" ( which text will be brought back also on the cover of according to album) and the conclusive "Perfumed Hand Of Fairies".The job comes well however received from the critic a lot that Melody Maker the Lp nomination of the month. In November '68 Amory records for Night Ride, playing the intense "Four Ravens" (from little published on 45 turns and unfortunately not present in the album), "Reflections", "Physically Disqualified Blues", "Night" and the new "Evolution". Later on it begins to collaborate actively with English cantautore Tim Hollier and the interesting it yields of this job can be listened to in "Tim Hollier" and "Sky Sail" of Hollier and in "Just To Be There" of Amory Kane, decidedly successful the second Lp, published in '70 in general indifference.To the album, produced from Tony Cox, Ron Geesin, Ned Balen of Shakey Vick, Dave Pegg and Jonathon Coudrille participate actively. The better things are all the first facade, in which Kane it introduces its version of "Llanstephan Hill", written together to Hollier and Rick Cuff, while according to side it is opened from beautiful cover of "Get Together" of Dino Being Worth and closed from the cake "Tenderly Stooping Low" of Cuff (than Co-company also it begins it them "Evolution" and "Golden Laces".With the CBS Amory it records also last 45 turns, for the truth not much successful and then of he forgiveness the traces, probably re-entered in the USA. Thanks Lizardson for the info.
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The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band 1969
This might be the best debut album ever delivered by an American blues band, a bold, powerful, hard-edged, soulful essay in electric blues with a native Southern ambience. Some lingering elements of the psychedelic era then drawing to a close can be found in "Dreams," along with the template for the group's on-stage workouts with "Whipping Post," and a solid cover of Muddy Waters' "Trouble No More." There isn't a bad song here, and only the fact that the group did even better the next time out keeps this from getting the highest possible rating. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: The Allman Brothers Band
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Buy @ Amazon: The Allman Brothers Band
sexta-feira, 20 de julho de 2012
Alexis Korner - Accidentally Born In New Orleans 1973
years after its initial release on Warner Bros. Credit must be given to Water for the care that was put into this project via remastered tracks and new and informative liner notes by Ian Wallace. Unfortunately, the music itself hasn't improved with age. What could have been an astounding collaboration between British blues granddaddy Alexis Korner and Snape, featuring CCS slide guitarist Peter Thorup and formerKing Crimson members Mel Collins, Ian Wallace, and Boz Burrell, never gets up to speed. The musicians fail to match the emotional fervor that tracks like "One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" or "Rock Me" demand, while the remaining tunes definitely needed to be brightened up. Part of what makes this date so frustrating are the few shining moments that provide a window into what could have been. For instance, the overdubbed horn section in the middle of "Country Shoes" begins to boil with a dynamic blend of R&B and free jazz, before the tune inexplicably droops into generic hard rock filler. Evidently the chemistry of the band's short existence was lost somewhere between the initial tracks recorded in San Francisco and the finishing touches applied in a London studio with a smattering of special guests who included Steve Marriott, Zoot Money, Patto members Ollie Halsall and Mike Patto, and keyboardist Tim Hinkley, who was working at the time with Alvin Lee and Humble Pie. With that kind of talent, you would have expected more from this aggregation than the flat production and the overall forgettable arrangements. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: Accidentally Born In New Orleans
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Buy @ Amazon: Accidentally Born In New Orleans
Janis Joplin - I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! 1969
Janis Joplin's solo debut was a letdown at the time of release, suffering in comparison with Big Brother's Cheap Thrills from the previous year, and shifting her style toward soul-rock in a way that disappointed some fans. Removed from that context, it sounds better today, though it's still flawed. Fronting the short-lived Kozmic Blues Band, the arrangements are horn heavy and the material soulful and bluesy. The band sounds a little stiff, though, and although Joplin's singing is good, she would sound more electrifying on various live versions of some of the songs that have come out over the years. The shortage of quality original compositions -- indeed, there are only eight tracks total on the album -- didn't help either, and the cover selections were erratic, particularly the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody." On the other hand, "Try" is one of her best soul outings, and the reading of Rodgers & Hart's "Little Girl Blue" is inspired. The 1999 CD reissue adds three bonus tracks: a cover of Bob Dylan's "Dear Landlord" from theKozmic Blues sessions that was first heard on the Janis box set, and previously unreleased versions of "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart" from the Woodstock Festival. "Summertime" is okay, but this "Piece of My Heart" really pales next to the Big Brother interpretation. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
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Buy @ Amazon: I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
KPM - Alan Hawkshaw, Keith Mansfield, David Gold - Soul Organ Showcase 1968
Excellent funk boogie organ compilation.
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Buy @ Amazon: Music for Dancefloors: The Cream of the KPM Music Green Label Sessions
listen here
Buy @ Amazon: Music for Dancefloors: The Cream of the KPM Music Green Label Sessions
Alan Jack Civilization - Bluesy Mind 1969
French band performed this record from 1969 an authentic and powerful blues rock sung in english. Guitarist Claude Olmos revealed a really refined, agressive but flowing, dazzling and powerful way of playing on "Middle Earth", long suite where the clear and waving vocals of Alan Jack blend with his piano parts and the truly beautiful, moving and complex soli. As good as any english rock and give it a try!
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Buy @ Amazon: Bluesy Mind
listen here
Buy @ Amazon: Bluesy Mind
The Allman Brothers Band - Idlewild South 1970
The best studio album in the group's history, electric blues with an acoustic texture, virtuoso lead, slide, and organ playing, and a killer selection of songs, including "Midnight Rider," "Revival," "Don't Keep Me Wonderin'," and "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" in its embryonic studio version, which is pretty impressive even at a mere six minutes and change. They also do the best white cover of Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man" anyone's ever likely to hear. AMG.
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Buy @ Amazon: Idlewild South
listen here
Buy @ Amazon: Idlewild South