Friday, December 31, 2004
Many thanks for
reading the Suburbs
in '04.
January 2004
With Kamall at the Sunday night dance in Rae Town, Kingston, Jamaica
December 31, 2004
With MR in Silver Spring, Md.
More than music, or haircuts, 2004 was defined for me by tour stops at these places:
Kingston, Jamaica
Cape Town & Johannesburg, South Africa
Oslo, Norway
Venice, Italy
Montreal, Quebec
The Redneck Riviera, Florida
Detroit, Michigan
Chicago, Illinois
New York City
Yeah, music was the reason I went to many of these cities, and music is what will help me remember them, but the things I saw and the people I met (esp. the peeps, always the folks)---well, it makes my head spin how lucky I was to meet you and visit your backyards. Eternal thanks.
I don't do year-enders anymore (for myself or publications), mostly because I can't group things into 365-day segments, but plenty of people do them quite well and I'm all too happy to read them.
But I'm all for a year-end blowout upsies: Here are a bunch of songs I uploaded, never wrote about, and thus never posted.
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Dave Barker & Tommy McCook
"Lock Jaw"
Greater Jamaica: Moon Walk-Reggay
(Jet Set/Culture Press, 1997; Treasure Island, 1969)
Dave Barker & the Upsetters
"Shocks of Mighty"
Lee Perry & the Upsetters: Some of the Best
(Heartbeat, 1990; rec. 1970)
Bob Marley & the Wailers
"Shocks of Mighty"
More Axe: The Complete Bob Marley & The Wailers - 1967-1972 - Part II
(JAD, 1998)
Bob Marley & the Wailers featuring Lee Perry
"Shocks of Mighty" (alternate)
Keep on Skanking: The Complete Bob Marley & The Wailers - 1967-1972 - Part III
(JAD, 1999)
Lee Perry
"Shocks of Mighty"
Jamaican E.T.
(Trojan, 2002)
The Folkes Brothers & Count Ossie
"Oh Carolina"
Prince Buster Presents the Original Golden Oldies Vol. 1
(Prince Buster's Record Shack, 1998; rec. 1961)
Rico Rodriguez
"Oh Carolina"
The Man Is Forward
(2-Tone, 1981)
Shaggy
Pure Pleasure
(Virgin, 1992)
Buy them all from Ernie B's Reggae, the best mail-order joint on the Web.
Lemme know if the MP3 links still work. I haven't tested them because I'm 'bout to drop down & get my New Year's on.
Posted by CP | Link |
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Sylvie Lewis
"All His Exes"
Tangos & Tantrums
(Cheap Lullaby, 2005)
Attention fans of Nellie McKay and Sarah Harmer:
I give you Sylvie Lewis.
She was raised in London and educated in Switzerland, Italy, Boston (at Berklee), the "East," and South Africa. (Meanwhile, Detroit, Howell, and Ypsilanti provided my special ed.)
So, what did all this edumacation do for ol' Sylvie? Apparently it made her real smart, boss, real smart, as she demonstrates on the witty "All His Exes" from Tangos & Tantrums, which features 12 great songs that sound old-timey and contemporary in equal measure.
The press info says Tangos & Tantrums is her debut, but after conducting a search with Inspector JJ Googs, this album is prolly her second, following Beautiful Mess (Holdenbass Music, 2002). She also did an EP, which is what caught the ear of Cheap Lullaby Records. But as with Sylvie's Web site (which is being redesigned), Cheap Lullaby's Internet thingy has next to zero info, so I don't know what the EP was called or where you can get it.
Tangos & Tantrums comes out February 8, and while Amazon.com doesn't have it up for presales as of yet, you can sign up for a mailing list at Sylvie's site in order to keep your ear to the ground.
Posted by CP | Link |
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Anyone see Nellie McKay on Conan O'Brien last night? She dropped the F-bomb during "It's a Pose." Yeah, it was tite.
You can still DL entire live shows by Nellie (including a 22-song set from Aug. 13 in Connecticut, posted on Nov. 29), a bunch of videos, and demos, as well as her post-Get Away From Me jawns "Columbia Is Bleeding" (vivisection = suckitude; see her PETA video here) and "John-John."
According to a solid source, Nellie is still trying to convince Sony to let her record the next album live---at a women's prison. The brass ain't budging---yet---but they will, pally, they will.
Posted by CP | Link |
Friday, December 17, 2004
Tord Gustavsen Trio
"Being There"
"Colours of Mercy"
The Ground
(ECM, 2005)
Photo of Tord Gustavsen by Richard Mallory Allnutt.
Taken on December 8, 2004, in Washington, D.C.
Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen has made two of my favorite CDs in recent memory---and one isn't even out yet. The Ground was scheduled for U.S. release in 2004, but it got bumped back to April 2005, because Gustavsen will be doing a short American tour at the end of that month. (Actually, if there are any Aussie readers---besides you, James, you fake dingo---you can get The Ground right now because it came out there in October. And it came out in November in New Zealand; read a NZ interview with Tord here.) Only the April 21 date in NYC, at Merkin Hall, is confirmed, but Gustavsen & Co. will likely be ending the tour in San Francisco, as part of SFJazz's spring season. And if you're feeling up to it, you can help book the rest of Tord's tour: "Promoters interested in negotiating any remaining dates may address ECM's New York office, attention Sarah Humphries, sarah.humphries@umusic.com."
On December 9 I went to the Kennedy Center to see vocalist named Silje Nergaard---mainly because Gustavsen and his band were backing her. In fact, it turns out that's how Tord formed his trio; the guys met only after being hired by Silje a few years ago. Anyway, Nergaard is what you might say, in the vernacular, aww'ight, but she's more of a pop singer with jazzbo sensibilities. Not bad at all, but I just wasn't feelin' it. See, Tord never ever plays above a whisper on his trio CDs, which are among thee most gorgeous chamber-jazz recordings I've ever heard. In concert it's especially amazing to hear the trio totally captivate a crowd without resorting to theatrics, speed, or volume. I saw the band do it on November 19, 2003, here in D.C. at a club called Twins---even though the place has what might be generously called the crappiest piano on earth. (Actually, the only piano worse than the one at Twins' U Street location is the piano at Twins' Colorado Avenue digs; I'm pretty sure that keyboard has plastic ivories that just strike air, not tempered strings.)
So anyway, at Silje's show, Tord and the trio (joined by guitarist Hallgrim Bratberg) engaged in theatrics, speed, and volume, playing funk, swing, and pop with enthusiasm, joy, and abandon. Yeah, sure, it's fun and all, but I'm just not down with enthusiasm or joy or abandon, thanks. You should see me at sporting events: While others go wild in their body paint and beer hats, I just sit on my hands and grimace---though that's mostly because I can't reach the plate of Executive Nachos that is sitting in front of me. I love sports, but I refuse to get off my mitts, even for the Tostitos. We all make decisions, man.
So, after Silje's show I was talking to some peeps from the Norwegian embassy, and a Norwegian TV crew came up and asked me to comment about the concert. I did a deft duck & weave, saying that Silje has a nice sound that's popular right now (in the Norah Jones, Jamie Cullum, Peter Cincotti camp). The interviewer then busted out, "But I hear you were just here to see the Tord Gustavsen Trio?" Being put on the spot for Norwegian TV isn't something that happens every day, but unflappable me played the Fonz and just said, Yes, Tord is one of my favorite musicians from Norway, which has a wonderful and thriving jazz and jazztronica scene. We all then went over to the Norwegian embassy for reindeer meatballs and such. (I kid. I think. The truth is, some meat thing I ate at the embassy tasted great---which is why I ate about 23 of them---but it didn't agree with me. It also could have been the 47 beers.)
A few days later, on December 13, wifey-poo and I went to see Henning Kraggerud (violin) and Helge Kjekshus (piano) doing Brahms' "Sonatas for Violin and Piano" at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, and one of the Norwegian embassy fellas said he saw me on TV the day after Silje's show. I'm gonna be big in Bergen.
This what I like about the tracks I've posted:
On the surface Tord's music might fit yer average description of the Nordic sound---all dreamy fjords, windswept snowdrifts, and winters that last for years---but dude also has tango influences. No, seriously. Caribbean-styles too, though not on these cuts. (During the Silje show, when Tord was getting all groovy, I swore it was Monty Alexander up there.) Listen to the almost-waltz rhythm and the Latin-tinged breaks on "Being There," and his switch to the minor on "Colours of Mercy." But Tord plays so damn slow, which is the complete opposite of what we think of think of when someone says tango (though movie buffs might think & Cash) or Caribbean music, that it seems odd to bring up the references. Yet there's even a song on The Ground called "Token of Tango."
Gustavsen has two Web sites:
The trio's site, which tracks the band's activities.
His personal site, which lists Tord's many musical events and collaborations outside the trio. You can also read his dissertation "The Dialectical Erotism of Improvisation." (Meanwhile, I blog.)
The trio's site features longish sound samples from his first album, Changing Places (ECM, 2003). Don't stop, just go buy the CD now. Play it nonstop till The Ground hits.
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Yeah, today was supposed to be Norwegian Music Bandwidth Blowout Day, but I'm just too busy saving jazz and getting ready for holiday parties to post anything more than Tord's tracks. But thank Odin that Mark over at Music for Robots has some Norway love for you; he posted two tracks from Rune Grammofon's second label comp: fiddler and violinist Nils Okland's "Avminnast" and trumpeter Arve Henriksen's "Opening Image." You can buy Rune releases at domestic prices from Forced Exposure. There you can find Okland's stunning Straum CD, which came out in 2000; it's a spine-tingling, modern take on Norwegian folk music, which is beautiful and mournful and uplifting all at once. And Henriksen, when not blowing free with Supersilent, makes gorgeous ambient-jazz CDs such as Sakuteiki (solo trumpet) and Chiaroscuro.
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Music Information Center of Norway is a great way to keep up on all the fab music coming from the country, from classical to pop to electronica to jazz. It's part of the International Association of Music Information Centres, which features 43 members in 38 countries.
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The National Bank is a side project of Jaga Jazzist. See the video for National Bank's odd mix of IDM and uber-white soul as done by Norwegian dudes with beards. Speaking of Jaga, 2005 is their 10th year together, and they'll have a new CD out soon to celebrate.
--
I dunno why I've been so verbose the past two days. It's practically Tofu Hut-ian around here. It could be because I'm pent-up with words since I haven't had time to post as of late. It could be because I subconsciously took up Zoilus' "we still believe in text" quip. Or it could be that my verbiage overflow is the result of being utterly wrecked on coffee and Pop Tarts the past two mornings.
Posted by CP | Link |
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Below is a letter from my good friend Casimer Pascal, the lead singer and songwriter of the best band from Detroit since, like, Sponge, for real. Certain words are hot-linked for your holiday edification.
Long time...too long. I am old now. You are practically dead. This is getting bad. Christmas makes me feel young. We are releasing a holiday split 12-inch with Asobi Seksu (NYC). Pas/Cal covered Wham!'s "Last Christmas." Here is a sneak peek of the Rankin & Bass-inspired cover and a downloadable MP3.
Aloha,
C.
Thanks, Cas. This is way better than the Manic Street Preachers' version.
Go here to DL Pas/Cal's masterful interpretation of "Last Xmas."
If you dig---and you will, especially if you heart that whole "Detroit Sound" (TM) as personified by Derrick May and Bob Seger---then buy the limited to 500, crimson-vinyl 12-inch single right here. The other side is Asobi Seku's version of the Ramones' "Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)," which you can preview at Romantic Air Recording Co. (BTW, the incredible record cover you see above? Each element was hand-crafted from scratch by the musicians.)
Wanna here more Pas/Cal MP3s? Sure ya do, sailor. Right here.
In other Pas/Cal news:
-The bon vivants are recording their debut CD, which will include a song called "'The Truth Behind All the Vogues She Sold." If I may (and I shall), that tune started out as an improvised collaboration between yours truly and Casimer Pascal many years ago, when we both could run the pick & roll with precision. If I can scrouge up the cassette mixdown of that OG version you can best bet that thing is going on eBay.
-Pas/Cal have become official commercial harlots. Their music is featured in two different Saturn campaigns, one Sprint/FTD florist ad, and an episode of Malcolm in the Middle. As I stated before on this Web site---or I meant to and the thing just got held up in "Draft Mode" like 900 other posts---I like it when good songs are used in TV commercials. Good on ya, Pas/Cal! (Cas, ol' boy, lemme know if you can slip me a rocker's discount on a bouquet and a new sedan.)
In related news, Craig Le Roq, the cousin to Casimer Pascal on his father's side and one of the best DJs in Detroit since, surely, the Electrifying Mojo (or whoever hits Play for D12), once gave his friends and family an awesome Xmas-themed CD featuring reworked holiday classics. For you, dear reader of the Suburbs, here are more exclusives:
-"Christmas in Hollis"
The Run-DMC classic re-created from scratch, using the original recordings that Jam Master Jay sampled.
-"Silent Night"
As done to/by Kraftwerk, with a little E.L.O.-style Vocoder
-"Little Drummer Boy"
Little "Funky Drummer" boy is more like it. Is that Prince guesting on vox?
Oh, jeez, because Craig Le Roq is so effin' killin', here are two more Suburbs exclusives (the Le Roq family knows nothing but how to give):
-"Party in Detroit"
-"Bootie on Fire"
These two songs faithfully resurrect the Detroit booty-bass sound of the 1980s. Mr. Electrifying Mojo, peace be with you and the funky yours during this holiday season. I do not doubt that Le Roq sends these jams out to you.
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And now, for Random Linkzzz (TM):
-The British Library's Sound Archives division has a nice list of record label Web site links.
-Smart Music has free & legal music by Ninja Tune-type bands.`
-Douglas Patterson's East African Music Page
-Toshiya Endo's African Music Page
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Konono update:
I e-mailed my contact at Crammed Discs in Belgium to find out how U.S. peeps can get Konono's studio CD, Congotronics 1, since the label doesn't seem to have distribution in America. No response yet. But I did receive a copy of Konono's live Lubuaku CD, thanks to Mark at Subterranean Distribution, which does do mailorder in the U.S. (Crammed doesn't). Lubuaku is just as freaky-deaky and killer-diller as you'd expect it to be.
Below is a comment left after my Dec. 1 post on Konono. I thought it was worth highlighting:
i got a cd called urban music of kinshasa on the ocora label that has a 26 minute stunner cut of konono no. 1. here's an interesting excerpt from the liners: nzu-nlaza the leader of the band has no hesitation in disciplining itsmembers when they become unruly. electrician by profession, he hasadapted the "roger" electric guitar microphone which plays full blast! themain concern of the band being to blast out the sound as loud as possible;they play in front of a wall of six speakers only three of which containloud speakers...the piece we recorded is usually played in the morning toallow the singers who have been singing all night to rest. it is at thistime that the instrumentalists must be made to suffer in order to maintainthe rhythm while the singers sleep!
Jack Dee Email Homepage 12.12.04 - 7:37 pm
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At lastulllly, if all goes as planned (a.k.a. "If I can break away from saving the jazz world for one hot minute"), it's gonna be a Norwegian Music Bandwidth Blowout tomorrow.
Posted by CP | Link |
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
The Stands
"Here She Comes Again"
"All Years Leaving"
All Years Leaving
(Echo, 2004)
Hey, Jazzbo, I like rock & roll, too, especially the sort that apes the Byrds and steals lines from the Cars. The Stands are just plain comfort food: jangle-jangle-jangle, sing-sing-sing.
Hi-bandwidth vids:
"Outside Your Door" (Windows Media)
"Here She Comes Again" (Real Player)
(The Stands homepage has low-res versions under "Music" for those of you rockin' some old-ass baud rates.)
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The Echo Label
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The CD is import-only now, but I think a U.S. release is imminent.
Posted by CP | Link |
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Our man Mohair Slim, a Rosco Gordon expert from Down Under, wrote in to say that the original photo I posted is "not Rosco with Elvis, though I believed the same thing for a long time due to an error on a Charly comp. I think its actually Little Junior Parker. There are no photos of Rosco with Elvis, though I'm sure he met him at Sun."
Rosco Gordon
"No Dark in America"
No Dark in America
(Dualtone, 2004)
Rosco Gordon
"No More Doggin'"
Just a Little Bit: The Best of Rosco Gordon
(Collectables, 2001; rec. 1952)
Rosco Gordon's distinctive loping rhythm, especially as heard on "No More Doggin'," is often credited as being one the earliest inspirations for ska. "No More Doggin'" is R&B royalty, and the links below will tell you more, but more surprising is the other song I've posted.
Gordon was pretty much forgotten about since the early 1960s, but a couple of guys who go by the collective name of Hoobellatoo found him, encouraged him, and recorded him. The album No Dark in America was recorded in bits and pieces over a long period, with many of the backing tracks added later to Gordon's piano and voice. (In fact, the record took so long to finish that Rosco had time to make a CD for Stony Plain, 2000's Memphis, Tennessee. Also, I'd love to hear the album Gordon made with Clement Dodd in 1996; it seems to be out of print/stock, though Studio One might suddenly find a stack under some old boxes.)
"No Dark in America," penned after 9/11, is the first song Rosco wrote in many years, and it's amazing that the ol' fella still had it in him to deliver such a great tune.
Gordon died in 2002 at age 74. This is a sweet swan song, and props to Hoobellatoo (and Dualtone) for making it happen.
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Liner notes to No Dark in America.
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Liner notes to Just a Little Bit.
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The Hoobellatoo Boys hang with Rosco Gordon & his rotten dog. Here you'll also find Real Audio versions of
"Night in Rio" and "You Don't Care About Nothing."
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Mohair Slim interviews Rosco Gordon in 2001.
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Rosco discography.
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Buy Just a Little Bit from Oldies.com.
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Preorder No Dark in America from Amazon; the CD drops Jan. 25, 2005.
Posted by CP | Link |
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Konono No. 1
"Ditshe Tshiekutala"
Lubuaku (Terp, 2004)
Thanks to Mark from Subterranean Distribution in Amsterdam for giving me the heads up that Konono No. 1 finally has a CD out. It's not the one I wrote about on Sept. 2, but rather a live soundboard recording put out on Terp Records, which is run by Terrie from the Ex. I once wondered aloud if Konono was the Fennesz of the Congo? Now I just call them The Very Reverend Konono No. 1 because they deserve that honorific---there's nobody like them.
Mark also writes, "You might dig on a little video footage shot during Konono's tour with the Ex here in Holland. The clips are pretty short and arbitrary, but they capture a tiny bit of the Konono ass-shaking machine live."
Clip one
Clip two
Clip three
The MP3 and videos are hosted on Subterranean's Web site, which is where you can buy Lubuaku.
Also, Crammed Discs is listing that Konono's studio-recorded Congotronics 1 is for sale now, but I'm not sure where to buy it in the U.S. because according to this list there seems to be no distro over here. But I'll put on my parachute pants and Sherlock Holmeslice hat and find out for y'all. Man, I'm just earnest like that, what can I say?
Meanwhile, Konono's home country continues to eff itself up with war.
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Today is World AIDS Day.
AIDS is devastating Subsaharan Africa, and nearly 25 percent of the continent's residents are HIV positive. Roughly 40 percent of all deaths among South Africans between the ages of 15 and 49 is from AIDS, and more than 4 million South Africans are infected with HIV---more than any other country in the world.
South African president Thabo Mbeki needs to get a damn clue. (Don't be fooled by the year 2000 date of this story; President Nutjob still believes in his whack AIDS theories.)
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Time's heart-breaking report and photo essay
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Nelson Mandela's 46664 AIDS charity
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BBC report on AIDS in Africa
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CNN special report
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MSNBC photo essay
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Here's my own experience of meeting someone with AIDS in South Africa.
Posted by CP | Link |
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Who cork the dance?
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