etnobofin

Ray Barretto – Adelante Siempre Voy [Removed]
From Salsa Caliente de Nu York!: Nascente NSCD 075 [Buy Here]
Ray Barretto – Dancing Winds [Removed]
From Handprints: Concord CCD 4473 [Buy Here]

If I had the choice of being born again at any time and playing in one band, I would probably choose one of Frank Zappa‘s ensembles. But running a very close second choice would be Ray Barretto‘s salsa bands who recorded for the Fania label in the late 70′s. One listen to Adelante Siempre Voy (originally released on the storming 1979 Rican/Struction) should tell you why. The other track, Dancing Winds is from the 1991 album Handprints on Concord Picante.

Weekend Hollas to…
Taxi Driver and Brother B. Deenie who’ve been riffing on various different versions of Spinning Wheel over on their blogs. Also to Damien at Marbecks in downtown Auckland who did me a great deal today on a Kenny Wheeler album I’ve been looking for ages.

Jim Langabeer and Tom Ludvigson – Improvised Raga
Recorded live at Odeon Lounge, Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand, Monday 7th March, 2005

Jim Langabeer: tenor and soprano saxophones
Tom Ludvigson: piano

This is an extract of a spontaneous performance based around what Jim Langabeer described as a “Sunset going through to a couple of hours before midnight raga“. The interjection by a bus outside the café right before the end is a nice touch !

Tom and Jim are typical of most musicians in Auckland in that they’ve played just about every kind of music at one time or another….The “Obi-Wan Kenobi of the sax” Jim Langabeer is one of New Zealand’s most remarkable woodwind players, (saxophones, flutes and shakuhachi), with interests that stretches from free improve to jazz and world musics. Tom Ludvigson was pianist in lounge jazz group Bluespeak with Greg Johnson, and does everything from electronica through to TV scores and unclassifiable spacy stuff.

Keith Jarrett – Funky Tonk (Solo Excerpt) [Removed]
From Miles Davis Live-Evil: Sony/Columbia 65135 [Buy Here]

Keith Jarrett – Pastel Morning [Removed]
From Keith Jarrett Jack DeJohnette Ruta and Daitya: ECM 1021 [Buy Here]

Keith Jarrett is famous for many things, and one of them is his complete rejection in the early 70s of electric or amplified instruments. After the supercharged electric brew of Miles’ groups in 1970 and 1971, he demanded the space and clarity afforded by purely acoustic instrumentation.

Jarrett’s legacy since the early seventies is well documented and extensively recorded. But it’s often forgotten that Keith Jarrett made some very beautiful music during his short electric period. Here are two great examples: his now-famous solo from Live-Evil, where he plays with a broken key on his Fender Rhodes; and Pastel Morning, the final track on his much-overlooked duet album with Jack DeJohnette for ECM, Ruta and Daitya.

Dave Allen: electric guitar
Sam Hamilton: alto saxophone
Joe Pineapple: bass and screwdriver
Bruce Morley: batterie and ballons de tennis

Two short excerpts from the performance by Dave Allen’s quartet at Monday night’s Vitamin S extravaganza. Hopefully tomorrow my bandwidth will be sorted out so I can post a longer duet by Jim Langabeer and Tom Ludvigson!

Horace Andy – Mother and Child Reunion [Removed]
From Mr Bassie: Heartbeat 617588 [Buy Here]

Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire [Removed]
From Ring of Fire: The Very Best of Johnny Cash: Sony/Columbia 66890 [Buy Here]

Like most white folks of my age, I got my first introduction to Horace Andy through his work with Massive Attack, and particularly their 1991 album Blue Lines. Mr Andy has an unmistakable voice, and one always has the sneaking suspicion that he’s always singing flat. Nevertheless, this doesn’t spoil a fun 1970s Studio One rendering of Paul Simon’s hit song.

Johnny Cash is one of those rare country performers who managed to be immensely popular not only with C+W aficianados, but retained a cachet of cool among urban rock fans. When I was still at school in the mid-nineties, listening to Auckland’s 95bFM, Johnny Cash got playlisted alongside Sonic Youth Washing Machine, Pavement’s Gold Soundz EP and the Beastie Boys Ill Communication. And it was ALL good.

I also dreamed about this song last week. So here it is, ready for download in the real world.

For me, the greatest trumpet players have been vocalists, whether they know it or not – Armstrong, Miles Davis, Tomasz Stanko, Kenny Wheeler. And Louis Armstrong was possibly the greatest exponent of the understated, well-turned phrase, whether on his Hot Fives and Sevens from the 20s or his duets with Ella in the 50s. Hell, he even made What a Wonderful World into a great record.

The Internet is at its most wonderful in the moments when little discoveries, (or rediscoveries) are made. I’ve noted this before, but today I’ve stumbled across two friends blogs online, and it’s the smallest gesture I can make to provide permanent links to them from my most modest corner of the www.

The most anoymous and sweaty MKD has been emailing some pre-hype about our gig this evening for the AK05 Festival. I reproduce sections here absolutely without his permission. Opinions expressed may not be those of etnobofin International Inc.

ONE MILLION DOLLARS and ODESSA are playing at the WINTER GARDENS which are not really gardens but actually a bloody nice venue at the Civic Theatre.
YOU’RE SO NOT READY FOR THIS ONE the only thing that feels better than rocking out to these two great bands is devotional prayer and buying me a motorcycle. One Million Dollars recently returned from Sydney where they straight slayed everyone and showed up the Cat Empire for the Greek dialect novelty rap act that they are. My homeboy was telling me that girls in Sydney are all crazy and wild and got more camel-toe than a camel got toes, also they lie on the beach all naked and shit. WHAT I’M SAYING IS – the mad Sydney beezy is all in love with ONE MILLION DOLLARS now, and would easily pay one hundred AUSTRALIAN dollars EACH to be able to dance the dirty row-boat moves they copped from Sean Paul’s last video in front of “today’s Brad Pitt” Richie Setford this Friday night. And for you it’s absolutely free, all under the auspices of the “Auckland – Not So Sucky As You May Think” Festival.

I was first turned onto Mr Paul Brody in about 1996 when I heard his German Octet’s version of Caravan on 95bFM‘s Sunday jazz show – it’s a complete blast from the first trombone eruption through to the rollicking end with Van Halen guitar lead and a shitload of close horn harmonies. Several months later I accidentally fell across the album Turtle Paradise in a record shop in Auckland – my student income managed to stretch to the $40.00 required to purchase. And now as far as I can tell, this CD is really hard to find, even on the web.

Humour, great drumming from Bob Moses, overexposed baritone sax parts. It’s a complete masterpiece.