quinta-feira, 30 de abril de 2015

RE-POST: Company Caine - A Product Of A Broken Reality 1971

Formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1970, this psychedelic/blues group centred around lyricist and vocalist Gulliver Smith (b. Kevin Smith) who had previously worked with such outfits as Dr Kandy’s Third Eye and Time And The Forest Flower. Along with Smith, Company Caine (often referred to as Co Caine), the band comprised; Russell Smith (b. Russell Kinross-Smith; guitar), John McInerney (drums), Arthur Eisenberg (bass) and Dave Kane (guitar). In hindsight, the band had several excellent songs, some ordinary, but with obscure lyrics - most evident in their debut single ‘Trixie Stonewells Wayward Home For Young Women’ (1971) - but whether the group fully deserves its later cult status is debatable. The band was originally championed by a national magazine, Go Set, and its columnist ‘Dr Pepper’. Company Caine emerged from the late 60s’ psychedelic era of concerts and drug-taking (organized both in Melbourne and Sydney by US band Nutwood Rug).
The band suffered from frequent changes and additions to the line-up which, although not seeming to adversely affect their high-energy white blues live performances, ultimately took their toll with the result of the band dissolving in 1973. Gulliver went on to form the Bad Companions and Gulliver Smith And The Dead End Kids, while Russell worked with Mighty Kong. The two Smiths re-formed in 1975 under the name of Metropolis before briefly returning to the Company Caine monicker. The re-formed band was a much steadier, solid affair but did not attract the attention of the earlier incarnation and soon gave way to Gulliver’s next project, Little Gulliver. AMG.

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Dan Penn - Nobody's Fool 1973

Dan Penn has written many great soul songs -- the problem is, he didn't keep any for this album. It's fine, as far as it goes, but it just doesn't go far enough, as you can tell when a cover of John Fogerty's "Lodi" becomes the most soulful thing here. To be fair, soul and country are cousins under the skin, and Penn does have his country touches, but the countrypolitan "I Hate You" -- which sounds like Charlie Rich with a bad case of middle-of-the-roaditis -- is just over the top, maudlin sentimentality. "Prayer For Peace" fares a little better, but in comparison to his classic compositions, it's hippie-dippy drivel that never gets to the core of emotions, the way Penn can at his very best (and the overblown backing vocals don't help either). And the spoken-word closer, "Skin," with its string accompaniment, is the kind of thing to make any soul fan cringe in sheer embarrassment. Even at its best, on the Philly-style "Raining In Memphis," this sounds geared more for the nightclub (or a Paul McCartney album outtake) than the gritty dancefloor. Not the man at the peak of his form. AMG.

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Dusty Springfield - Dusty In Memphis 1969

Sometimes memories distort or inflate the quality of recordings deemed legendary, but in the case ofDusty in Memphis, the years have only strengthened its reputation. The idea of taking England's reigning female soul queen to the home of the music she had mastered was an inspired one. TheJerry Wexler/Tom Dowd/Arif Mardin production and engineering team picked mostly perfect songs, and those that weren't so great were salvaged by Springfield's marvelous delivery and technique. This set has definitive numbers in "So Much Love," "Son of a Preacher Man," "Breakfast in Bed," "Just One Smile," "I Don't Want to Hear About It Anymore," and "Just a Little Lovin'" and three bonus tracks: an unreleased version of "What Do You Do When Love Dies," "Willie & Laura Mae Jones" and "That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)." It's truly a disc deserving of its classic status. AMG.

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Art Taylor - Taylor's Wailers 1957

Five of the six selections on this CD reissue feature drummer Art Taylor in an all-star sextet of mostly young players comprised of trumpeter Donald Byrd, altoist Jackie McLeanCharlie Rouse on tenor, pianist Ray Bryant, and bassist Wendell Marshall. Among the highpoints of the 1957 hard bop date are the original version of Bryant's popular "Cubano Chant" and strong renditions of two Thelonious Monk tunes ("Off Minor" and "Well, You Needn't") cut just prior to the pianist/composer's discovery by the jazz public. Bryant is the most mature of the soloists, but the three horn players were already starting to develop their own highly individual sounds. The remaining track (a version of Jimmy Heath's "C.T.A.") is played by the quartet of Taylor, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, and bassist Paul Chambers and is a leftover (although a good one) from another session. AMG.

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Billy Cox - Nitro Function 1972

Noel Redding was the better-known of the two bassists who appeared alongside Jimi Hendrix during his brief recording career between 1967 and 1970 (due to the fact that he played on Hendrix's most acclaimed recordings), but Billy Cox had known and played alongside Hendrix longer. Cox originally met Hendrix back in 1961, when both were serving in the U.S. Army and stationed in Fort Campbell, KY. Cox was taken by guitar playing he heard coming from inside a Service Club on the military base one day, which turned out to be Hendrix, and soon after led to the pair holding jam sessions. Both left the military at around the same time, which led to the duo forming the R&B outfit the King Kasuals, and subsequent steady gigs on the Chitlin' Circuit (the black club scene in the south). Hendrix had decided by the mid '60s to try his luck elsewhere and relocated to New York City, where he was discovered by ex-Animals bassist Chas Chandler. When plans were made for Hendrix to put a band together in England, he phoned Cox with an invite to go along with him, which Cox politely declined -- opting instead to back R&B acts passing through the area.
Hendrix went on to become one of the late '60s most successful rock artists, but by 1969, he'd grown weary of his musical direction (and the public's desire to constantly focus on his showmanship rather than his playing). This resulted in Hendrix breaking up his band, the Experience, and setting out to form an multi-member ensemble. Hendrix's first choice for the newly vacated bass position went to his old friend Cox, and this time around, Cox accepted the invitation. The new group (Gypsys, Suns, and Rainbows), congregated in upstate New York, and consisted of rhythm guitarist Larry Lee, ex-Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell, and percussionists Juma Sultan and Jerry Velez, in addition toHendrix and Cox. Despite a memorable, set-closing performance at the Woodstock festival in August of 1969, the new group failed to remain together long enough to record an album.
Hendrix decided that his next outfit would be more streamlined (both musically and set-up wise), as he returned to the trio format -- retaining Cox as his bassist, and welcoming on-board drummer Buddy Miles. Although the new group (the funk-based Band of Gypsys) wouldn't remain together long either, they did manage to record a self-titled live album on New Year's Eve 1969 at New York's Fillmore East. With Miles' exit from the group, Hendrix phoned up old pal Mitchell once more, as the trio of HendrixCox, andMitchell began recording tracks for Hendrix's oft-delayed fourth studio album overall at the guitarist's recording studio (which was still being constructed at the time), Electric Lady. The summer saw the trio play a steady stream of festival and arena dates in both the U.S. and Europe, with plans to finish off the aforementioned album (with a working title of First Rays of the New Rising Sun) by the end of 1970.
But on September 18, 1970, Hendrix died tragically in England, a couple of months shy of his 28th birthday. In the wake of Hendrix's death, Cox played with others, including the Charlie Daniels Band, as well as session work and live dates. Cox continues to play to this day, including as part of a Hendrix tribute outfit called the Gypsy Sun Experience, which also includes former bandmate Mitchell on drums, and Gary Serkin on guitar (Cox was also the recipient of his own model bass, when the Cort guitar company issued a Billy Cox "Freedom" model bass in the late '90s). In addition to the Band of Gypsys release, Cox's bass playing can be heard on such posthumously release Hendrix albums as South Saturn DeltaLive at Woodstock,Live at the Fillmore East, and a reconstructed version of First Rays of the New Rising Sun, in addition to such home videos as Live at the Isle of Wight 1970Live at WoodstockThe Dick Cavett Show,Rainbow Bridge, and Jimi Hendrix, among others. AMG.

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Nico Gomez And His Afro Percussion Inc. - Ritual 1971

Reproduction reissue of Afro-Latin-Funk-Fuzz holy grail on heavy vinyl. Includes mp3 download code redeemable from the label** "Belgium, not the first place you'd think of when it comes to Latin or Afro funk. Yet one of the greatest records to blend both styles came from the small northern European country, masterminded by Nico Gomez and his Afro Percussion Inc. Ritual was originally released in 1971 on the Dutch label Omega International (Gomez was born in Holland before moving to Belgium in the late 40s) and is being reissued by Mr Bongo in 2013, bringing its blazing funk grooves to both new ears and those already tuned in to this masterpiece's legacy. Across its 11 tracks Ritual delivers the kind of production, arrangement and musicianship that rightfully belong in a dictionary next to the definition of professional. Gomez' band was tight and they knew it, showing it off on their covers of Perez Prado's 'Caballo Negro' and 'Lupita' by injecting the originals with a deep funk that blends both Afro and Latin influences. On 'Samba De Una Nota So' and 'El Condor Pasa', another pair of covers, they switch to soulful downtempo with mesmerising ease. The title cut remains one of the album's highlights, a devastating dancefloor groove with horns to match that has aged beautifully and was heavily sampled by Liquid People for 'The Dragon'. 'Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa!' adds touches of rock with fuzzy guitars for one of the album's headier experiences. Ritual is a perfect example of the kind of experimentation that was rife in the 70s and which, when done as well as on this album, proves quite simply timeless.

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George Brigman - Jungle Rot 1975

George Brigman sounded like a man out of time on his rare mid-'70s debut, Jungle Rot (though it's not so rare anymore, having been reissued both legitimately and illegitimately on several labels). Unlike the oncoming punks and new wavers, he had an obvious affinity as a keeper of the flame of classic rock forms, most particularly the late-'60s/early-'70s blues-rock of British bands such as the Groundhogs. Yet if this was blues-rock, it was blues-rock the D.I.Y. way, recorded on his own with a mass of hazy distorted guitar lines. It was almost unself-consciously auteurish (and even a bit minimalist) in its presentation, his insistent and repetitive songs fired by belligerent lyrical scuzziness and sullen vocals that were don't-give-a-damn to the point of near-nonchalance. So it's a bit like hearing a punky, pared-down Groundhogs, that band's guitarist and focal point, T.S. McPhee, being one of Brigman's declared heroes. It's the kind of sound that fits the frequent collector description of this kind of music as "mind-melting acid fuzz" (or words to that effect) to a T, though it does get more monotonous over the length of an LP than the top blues-rockers do. Note, though, that despite what you might have read elsewhere, Brigman wasn't purely devoted to thickly fuzzed subdued rants. He also peeled off some nicely silvery and sliding riffs on occasion, sometimes summoning a fetching shy almost-croon for rather gentle reflective rolling bluesy numbers, particularly on the best song, "Schoolgirl." The 2005 CD on Bona Fide adds historical liner notes and three bonus cuts in a marginally less unconventional style that Brigman recorded slightly later with the band Hogwash. AMG.

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quinta-feira, 23 de abril de 2015

Charles Lloyd - The Flowering 1966

Saxophonist Charles Lloyd is a forward-thinking musician's musician whose supreme improvisational talents and interest in cross-pollinating jazz with rock as well as non-Western styles of music during the '60s and '70s established him as one of the key figures in the development of fusion and world music. Born in Memphis, Tennessee on March 15, 1938, Lloyd grew up surrounded by the vibrant blues and jazz scenes of his native city. Given a saxophone at age nine, Lloyd eventually studied with Memphis legend pianist Phineas Newborn as well as saxophonist Irvin Reason. By his teens, Lloyd was not only best friends with schoolmate trumpeter Booker Little, but was also gigging locally with such artists as saxophonist George Coleman and future blues icons including Bobby "Blue" BlandHowlin' WolfB.B. King, and others.
In 1956, Lloyd left Memphis and enrolled at the University of Southern California to study classical music, ultimately earning his master's degree in music. During this time, he performed around Los Angeles with a veritable who's who of avant-garde jazz including, among others, saxophonistOrnette Coleman, saxophonist Eric Dolphy, and vibraphonistBobby Hutcherson. Also during this time, Lloyd became a working member of Gerald Wilson's big band. In 1960, Lloydjoined drummer Chico Hamilton's ensemble as musical director; replacing Dolphy, who had left to play with bassistCharles Mingus. During his time with HamiltonLloyd was responsible for writing and arranging much of the music in the band and recorded several albums with Hamilton, including 1962's Transfusion, 1963's A Different Kind of Journey, 1963's A Man from Two Worlds, and 1963's Passin' Through.
By the mid-'60s, Lloyd had developed into a highly adept writer/arranger as well as a virtuoso improviser, and regular sojourns to New York City brought him into contact with such luminaries as saxophonist John Coltrane, trumpeter Miles Davis, saxophonist Coleman HawkinsMingus, and saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, whose group he joined in 1964. Also during this time, Lloyd began recording as a leader and released several albums, including 1965'sDiscovery! The Charles Lloyd Quartet and 1965's Of Course, Of CourseLloyd continued recording as a leader after he left Adderley in 1965 and formed his own quartet featuring future Miles Davis alum pianist Keith Jarrett, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and bassist Cecil McBee. An extremely creative, intuitive, and adventurous ensemble, Lloyd's quartet released several exceptional albums during this time, including 1966's Dream Weaver, the 1966 live album Charles Lloyd in Europe, and 1966's Love-In.
However, this ensemble's appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1966 and the subsequent album Forest Flower: Charles Lloyd at Monterey are what truly caught the public's attention. An expansive, sophisticated, and genre-bending performance, Forest Flower found Lloyd and his group in peak creative form mixing his long burgeoning interest in Eastern music with modal and avant-garde jazz. The performance was a highlight at the festival and the album was one of the first jazz recordings to sell a million copies, gain heavy radio play, and garner a wide crossover audience during a time when rock was quickly superseding jazz in the popular mind set.
The success at Monterey buoyed Lloyd's career and he spent much of the late '60s sharing billing at such famed rock venues as San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium alongside artists including guitarist Jimi HendrixCream, and the Grateful Dead. Such was Lloyd's popularity that in 1967 he was voted Jazz Artist of the Year by Down Beat and toured Europe, even playing in the U.S.S.R. during a time when the government was discouraging jazz performances.Lloyd's genre-bending jazz dovetailed perfectly with the free-thinking experimentation of the late '60s, and although his music was based in acoustic jazz, many artists took notice and went the extra step toward electrifying jazz, most notably including Miles Davis, whose 1969 classic Bitches Brew drew upon many of the same rock and world music influences that Lloyd had experimented with.
In the early '70s, with his career at its peak, Lloyd withdrew from the public eye and moved to Big Sur to focus on his interest in transcendental meditation and embark on what he has described as an inner journey. Lloyd remained out of music until 1981 when he met the talented 18-year-old French pianist Michel Petrucciani. Inspired by Petrucciani's immense skill, Lloyd toured with the young pianist throughout the early '80s and released several albums, including the live album Montreux (1982) and 1983's A Night in Copenhagen. In the late '80s, Lloyd formed a quartet with Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson and released several albums on ECM, including 1989's Fish Out of Water, 1991's Notes From Big Sur, and 1996's Canto.
His association with ECM continued throughout the next decade, a time of renewed public interest in Lloyd, and he built a steady body of work for the label, including 1999'sVoice in the Night with guitarist John Abercrombie, 2000'sThe Water is Wide with pianist Brad Mehldau, 2001'sHyperion with Higgins, and 2004's Which Way is East. In 2006, Lloyd released the live album Sangam, featuring Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain. Two years later he returned with another live album, Rabo de Nube, this time with pianist Jason Moran. In 2010, Lloyd released Mirror, his 13th album for ECM, once again featuring Moran along with bassist Reuben Rogers and drummer Eric Harland. The live album Athens Concert, featuring vocalist Maria Farantouri, followed in 2011. Lloyd continued touring for most of 2012. His next studio effort was a duet offering with pianist Jason Moran entitled Hagar's Song, which was issued in February of 2013. The same year, the saxophonist was commissioned to write and perform a work for Poland's Jazztopad Festival in Wrocław. The festival also screened Arrows Into Infinity, documentary look at Lloyd's life and career. It was directed by his life partner, manager, and co-producer Dorothy Darr and Jeffery Morse. The film made the festival and theater circuit before being released on disc by ECM in 2014.
After a nearly three-decade tenure with the label, Lloyd re-signed to Blue Note in early 2015. His debut for the label,Wild Man Dance, was commissioned by the Jazztopad Festival two years earlier. His band on the date included pianist Gerald Clayton, bassist Joe Sanders, and drummerGerald Cleaver, with guest appearance from Greek lyra player Sokratis Sinopoulos and Hungarian cimbalom master Miklós LukácsWild Man Dance was released in April. AMG.

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