Super super busy this week with classes beginning again over at CSU-Long Beach, so just very quickly let me say that this record remains my favorite of Joe Henderson’s extremely solid 1970s output (a close second though would be The Elements, also from 1973 and with guest work from Alice Coltrane and Charlie Haden). A major reason for that is the track that leads it off, “Tress-Cun-Deo-La,” which is not only one of my favorite Joe Henderson tracks from this period, but one of my favorite Jazz Funk tracks of all time, especially in the early going as the rhythm settles and a soul clap comes out of nowhere, before things get a little spacey. On “Tress” Joe Henderson is almost a one-man band, overdubbing his vocals (in Portuguese?), sax and flute together with a super tight rhythm section consisting of Jack DeJohnette and Dave Holland plus guitar work from James “Blood” Ulmer. “Bwaata” has a very “Bitches Brew” fusion funk feel to it whereas “Turned Around” is pretty much just straight funky. Seriously deep, through and through.
Recently picked this up at the West Side records show, during a two-week birthday inspired records binge. Originally I heard this record as part of the original Barnes family record collection. It’s hard to determine if my Mom or my Dad picked this one up, both of them were fans of deep soul and down home blues and this 1974 record straddles the line between both worlds. Me, I was never really fond of “down home blues,” but I love super deep soul and Benny Latimore delivers on this record on that front big time.
“Let’s Straighten It Out” is one of my all-time favorite deep soul slow jams. First off, there’s the sound, smoky and spacious yet strangely minimal at the same time with those sparkling organ lines Latimore lays down and that extra crispy high-hat from the drummer Robert Furgeson. The instrumental intro goes on for so long you’d think the musicians got so locked into the groove they forgot it was supposed to be just an introduction to the vocals.
Eventually the vocals do come, with that iconic opening line, “Sit yourself down girl and talk to me,” and the repeated calls of “Let’s Straighten It Out.” From Straight butta to melted butta in your ears. Latimore’s voice is sorta like a more countrified version of Isaac Hayes, heavy in tone and drenched in soul. I especially love how he’s able to shift emotions slightly throughout the song, sometimes from word to word in his phrasing, sounding frustrated, confused, concerned, sympathetic, playful and even suggestive throughout.
“Ain’t Nobody Gonna Make Me Change My Mind” works almost as a follow up to “Straighten It Out” similar vibe, slightly different message, but so damn smooth. My other fave from this record “Put Pride Aside” rounds out the trilogy of lovin’ with some additional words of wisdom from our man Benny Latimore. It’s no surprise after a single listen that “Let’s Straighten It Out” was a hit when originally released, #1 on the R&B charts, and even charting well on the more “mainstream” Billboard chart too. That might explain why, even though I see this record fairly often, I rarely come across a copy that’s in very good condition. Sometimes that’s just the mark of a popular record, other times it’s the mark of a classic and this one is a classic through and through.
My wife and I spent the past weekend in the Bay Area for our anniversary. Any trip to the Bay Area wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Groove Merchant, but the real surprise for me this time around was over at the SF Antique & Design Mall. In most cases antique stores don’t have particularly good records. Most of the time they have 15-20 copies of Streisand, Elton John, Barry Manilow, etc., etc., etc. A small bin of records by the classic magazines was filled with the likes of those, but a little further in, in a totally different section, it was an entirely different case.
What I expected to be a bin full of Engelbert Humperdink, instead included Captain Beefheart, the Left Banke, Contortions, Crazy Arthur Brown and all kinds of other really quite good records. Prices were a bit steep for antiqueland, $15-45, but there were many fine albums (I didn’t even mess around with all the 45s that were strewn everywheres, just didn’t have the patience, and, after all, I was originally there looking for an anniversary gift). After about 15 minutes of moderate digging, I just about flipped my wig when I ran into this bit of French prog-rockery from 1969.
I first heard music from Zoo on the Funk Rock comp. that BBE put out in 2001. “If You Lose Your Woman” was one of the better tracks that I had never heard before when that compilation dropped and I’d been looking out for the LP since then. A quick spin on the wobbly (but working) fisher price turntable at the store confirmed that the record was definitely worth the wait.
“If You Lose Your Woman,” with that scintillating opening drum-organ-horns break, remains my favorite track on this set, but many of the other tracks are mighty solid too. The instrumental “Mammouth” is also pretty breaktastic at times, with some wicked and eerie organ sounds created by Andre Herve. “Endless Days,” which is actually sandwiched between those two tracks on the original record, starts off heavy then lightens the mood and gets extra breezy up til its abrupt end. Posting these three shouldn’t give you the impression that the first side isn’t good, it’s not shabby by any means, but of the 8 total tracks on the record, these three were my favorites.
I did run into this instrumental track “Ramses” on Youtube and now I’m wondering if there are alternative versions of this record, if this comes from a 45 or if this song comes from a second LP…time will tell.
We’re on our way to the Bay Area to celebrate our anniversary, so just a quick post before I’m out for most of the next week. Everything I know about this group I learned from this interview. The Ray Camacho Group recorded a bunch of records in the late 60s and 70s, some are extremely sought after, others are not. This record, which I believe is from 1971, just based off of the sound of it, is one of the more sought after ones.
I first heard this one at Records LA, the owner Scott was listening to “Damelo,” this really hard mid-tempo latin-funk track in Spanish and I was immediately intrigued. He’d just bought a bunch of latin records off of a guy and was processing the new batch of goodies. Just sheer luck that I walked in when I did, because I can’t imagine this one lasting very long on the floor. I asked to preview the rest of the tracks and while most of the record is filled with rancheras that don’t particularly move me, there were three (including “Damelo” mentioned above) seriously dope latin-funk tracks. My favorite of the bunch, “Si Se Puede,” sounds like some kind of lost B-Boy classic and it has been featured on the Bay Area Funk 2 compilation by Luv’n'Haight. The last of the three, “Let’s Boogie,” is the most upbeat of the bunch, light hearted with a bit of goofing about from the band members vocally, but it’s all business in terms of rhythm. “Boogie” has been repressed by a UK label. All three are exceptional slices of latin-funk. Sometimes you literally just walk into great records…
I was initially drawn to this record because of the surrealist cover art. Not knowing anything about the band, I originally thought they were called Mantle-Piece and the record was The Battered Ornaments, a look at the spine fixed that. When I checked things out inside the gatefold, I found that they definitely fit my criteria in choosing psych/prog-rock records from this period of time, with reeds, flutes, organ, “african” percussion and even tambourine listed in the credits in addition to the usual guitars and drums. At the very reasonable price of $6 (downright bottom of the barrell pricing at Burbank’s Atomic!), it was worth a gamble to check them out.
Turns out, the Battered Ornaments were an English group that originally featured Pete Brown. Brown is notable for his collabortions with Cream, co-writing many of their hit songs. As the story goes the band recorded “Mantle-Piece,” their second album, only to unceremoniously kick Brown out of the band before releasing the record. Brown’s vocals were removed and Chris Speeding magically inserted his vocals into the mix.
Personally, nothing on Brown or Speeding, I would have preferred if they had just released this as an instrumental record. I really love the sound of this record, especially Rob Tait’s drums. On the slightly slower songs like “Sunshades” the instrumental “Staggered” and my personal favorite “The Crosswords & the Safety Pins” the drums have this huge and slightly hollow sound, just perfect to Hip-Hop tuned ears. They’re also super crisp on the upbeat numbers like “Smoke Rings,” which has this really great psychedelic passage with flute and electric guitar after the vocals drop out in the first minute or two. Unfortunately, there are no really clean breaks, Tait’s drums always seem to be on the verge of massive breakdowns but they never materialize (though there still is plenty of spots to chop up, if that’s your thing).
In terms of overall musicality the group has more of a slightly jazzy prog feel to their work, not as heavy as King Crimson not as subtle as McDonald & Giles, but a really great mix of sounds. Apparently the UK Harvest versions of this record go for big money, alas my copy is the US version, but for $6 it still is a steal and maybe one of my top finds of the first half of 2010.
Mauricio Smith – Old Shoes
Mauricio Smith – El Green Hornet
Mauricio Smith – Going Uptown
I’ve been on lockdown recently, obsessively focused on putting together a set for the upcoming Make It Funky Music & Arts Fest in Chinatown this Saturday, but I did want to share this swinging record from reedman Mauricio Smith. Smith cut his teeth with Joe Cuba and others, and for this album, which I believe was his debut as a leader, he hooked up with Joe Cain to produce a top notch blend of latin inspired go-go music.
What’s always been a bit perplexing for me is the title, “Bitter Acid.” While this music certainly burns, there’s nothing bitter about it at all. The whole record is winner after winner after winner. Strangely the three tracks I chose follow one another (though not in this order) on side 2. “Old Shoes” is really the Nancy Sinatra classic “These Boots Were Made For Walking,” retaining only the opening signature bass line before busting out with a great and wild go-go beat. “El Green Hornet” is a straight ahead latin rocker, with stinging (pun intended) guitar work from Vinnie Bell. “Going Uptown” was actually the song that Cool Chris of Groove Merchant sold me on this record, with it’s fuzzy guitar and mid-tempo beat. When I first heard it I swore there was a hand-clap in there too, but subsequent listens have shown my ears to be wrong about that, but little else when it comes to this album.
The Winston Turner Quintet in the Jippi Jappa Room with Rhumba Queen Madam Wasp
Winston Turner Quintet – Take It Easy
Winston Turner Quintet – Love In The Cemetery
Winston Turner Quintet – It Was A Very Good Year
{Update, this one didn’t go on Ebay, so I took it up to Groove Merchant and traded it pretty much straight up for this!}
Got a few additional pictures up for this one because it’s currently on auction over at Ebay. I don’t run into too much original Jamaican vinyl these days, so when I saw this at a local record store, I just had to pick it up. From what I’ve been able to gather, Winston Turner was a trumpet player from JA, and this record was the debut release for him and his group, which also featured Roland Ashby (Piano/Organ), Boysie Williams (Bass), Joe Graham (Drums) and Tony DaCoata (Vocals) in 1967. I’m not sure if the group cut a second record, but this one is quite a rarity.
For the most part the music here is what I’d term “supper jazz,” instrumental versions of popular tunes, including in this set “It Was A Very Good Year,” “Monday, Monday,” “El Cid,” and “Don’t Make Me Over.” What separates this record from similar “recorded at Hotel lounge” albums is the sound. The record has this deep sound, which is best experienced on a very loud sound system or in really good headphones. On the tracks mentioned above when Turner’s trumpet plays, it comes through so clean you can really feel the notes.
Though Turner’s trumpet isn’t heard on it, “Take It Easy” is the best example of what I’m talking about. Everything sounds gigantic, especially those rock steady drums. As much as I like Hopeton Lewis’ version of this track, I’d put this one just slightly behind Prince Buster’s live and wild rendition with the added “have some fish & chips with a cup of tea” lyric (unfortunately, those brilliant lines are only to be had on Prince Buster’s version), just because of that great sound of the drums. The band also plays with great spirit on the two Calypso tracks here, “Obeah Wedding” and “Love In The Cemetery”.
Aside from the music, another reason this is a great collectible and rare record is the original sleeve. As you can tell from the pics below, Federal was a record label that really cared about its consumers and wanted to make sure they took proper care of both their records and turntables.
That level of attention is something that is sorely missing in our current digital times, but that is after all the reason we keep digging for original vinyl.
This record from Jamaican trombonist Rico Rodriguez has always been a bit of an enigma to me. I’ve never been able to understand the how or why this record came to be on Blue Note. While the playing is a bit “jazzy” and Blue Note’s output around 1977 was more focused on funky fusion from Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey and the like, it still seems just plain odd that there’s a roots reggae record on Blue Note. I know this record also came out on Island, but I think the Blue Note edition actually was pressed first in 1976 (my copy is a second pressing definitely from 1976, I’ve never seen an “original” or an Island pressing of this so I can’t confirm that the 1976 release date).
Additionally, for the life of me I cannot remember where I first heard “Ramble,” one of the most slyly funky reggae tracks I’ve ever run into. I think it was on a “Blue Note Breaks” collection from back in the day, but doesn’t show up on any of the tracklists for those comps. What I do remember is the first time i actually ran into this record, where else but Groove merchant in San Francisco. I knew “Ramble” was a top track, but one quick listen to the rest of the album made it a no-brainer. In addition to having some of the loveliest album cover art on a Jamaican LP, the whole record is filled with top-notch, all instrumental mid-tempo roots vibes with exceptional playing from everyone involved but especially Rico on trombone.
For those of you who don’t know Rico is (even still at 75) a legendary trombone player from JA, second only to perhaps the greatest trombonist of all time (and any nation) Don Drummond. His playing on the records from the Specials and Special A.K.A. were what led me to discover original Jamaican ska and rock steady sounds. It’s a free and easy sound (imagine Lester Young as a trombone player and you’ve got Rico), with loads of feeling and tons of soul, as you can tell on the additional tracks here “This Day” and “Gunga Din.” One day I’ll learn the full story behind this lovely record, how it came together and how it came be released on Blue Note, but for now I’m just happy to have run into it again.
These "Bright Moments" are for all of you, so check 'em out!
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Bright Moments
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Fly Town Nose Blues
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Dem Red Beans and Rice
It seems only fitting that the first post of Melting Pot’s second year be this 1973 record from Rahsaan Roland Kirk. If I had owned a copy of it on vinyl when we started up on 7/7/2009, I would have posted it then. In fact, if I’d really been on top of my game, I would have started the blog on August 7th, so that each anniversary I’d be compelled to post up something from Rahsaan since that day is his birthday. In some ways it does seem to fit more now, especially since the message of Melting Pot (i.e. “uncovering Bright Moments across the musical spectrum”) is finally matched with the picture that graces the cover of this album in the website’s banner…High time indeed to give the master his due.
Since my ears first experienced the joyful noise that is Rahsaan (somewhere back in 1994), he has been my favorite all-time musician. Kirk’s work balances all the elements of modern music that I enjoy. It has deep intellectual and spiritual heft but never at the expense of a rowdy good time. It is frequently playful while often carrying a sincere and serious social message. For Rahsaan, when it came to music, there were no boundaries, he was as comfortable playing a century old New Orleans’ second line rhythm as he was playing avant-garde “new thing” with intense fire.
Rahsaan with the Vibration Society
He was also a master showman, as all his live recordings can attest to, though perhaps no record does it better than Bright Moments. Recorded at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner in 1973 and spread out over 4 sides, it features Rahsaan at the height of his artistry and with some of his best collaborators, loosely brought together as the “Vibration Society.”
What I’ve posted here are three songs that from the sound of the LP were performed in succession over the evening, I’ve switched up the order a bit so that “Bright Moments” can lead off. “Bright Moments” is so much more than a song, it’s more a description of a brief or perfect moment of beauty. Rahsaan explains “Bright Moments” in the spoken introduction through several examples, though this one was always my fave:
Bright Moments is like being with your favorite love
And you’re sharing the same ice cream dish,
And you get mad when she gets the last drop,
And you have to take her in your arms and get it the other way.
Musically, “Bright Moments” it’s a mostly straight ahead flute driven number, but there’s a feeling that’s evoked in the song that is as related to the introduction and the concept of “Bright Moments” as it is to the music. I would wager good money that it is impossible to remain depressed after listening to the full version of this song, just impossible.
Next up is “Fly Town Nose Blues,” which begins with a short rap from Rahsaan that has the crowd in stitches, but also serves the purpose of making sure the listener is aware (if they’ve never seen Rahsaan perform) that many of the flute sounds in the piece are derived from one of Kirk’s many creations, the nose flute, which yes…the man plays with his nose. Now, granted, playing an instrument with your nose should come off as a gimmick, and, in fact, many critics who just simply didn’t get Rahsaan certainly accused him of gimmickry throughout his career. But, when you watch Rahsaan perform you understand that it was never about gimmicks, it was always about the joy that comes from producing sounds that no one else would even dream of creating.
“Fly Town” is not only one of Rahsaan’s best live performances, its one of his most playful and also maybe his funkiest, though with some assistance from Todd Barkan’s synthesizer on the funky end of things.
“Dem Red Beans and Rice” closes things out for us here on an upbeat note with a trip back to the source of all great American music, New Orleans. There is, however, plenty more music to discover on the full LP, many more Bright Moments to be discovered and shared in Rahsaan’s catalog and elsewhere. My hope is that this blog, as the years go passing by, will be able to continually spread Bright Moments and allow music to bring just a little more sunlight to whatever corner of the world it may find you in.
The Packers – Pure Soul
The Packers – Hoppin’ John
The Packers – I’m Converted
It doesn’t happen often, but I honestly can’t remember where I first came into contact with this album. I might have gotten a copy off of Dusty Groove, or at Groove Merchant, definitely while I was living in Oakland, but can’t remember…anyhow, for a long time this was a record that after my great sell-off in 2004, I really wish I had kept. I recently tracked down another copy at Amoeba Hollywood and now I share it with you.
The Packers are a somewhat mysterious group, put together by a DJ (Man, those were the days!!!) by the name of Magnificent Montague and led by saxophonist Charles “Packy” Axton, who was the son of the “AX” part of Stax records, Estelle Axton. The mystery surrounding this record is who else is involved. Funky 16 Corners did some nice detective work back in 2006 which explains that most likely Booker T and several “MGs” are featured on the original single (with Booker on piano and Leon Haywood on organ), one of the all-time great soul instrumental sides “Hole In The Wall” and it’s B-side “Go Head On.” From there, no one seems to be sure who the sessions men are that make up the rest of the record’s dynamite soul sound.
To my ears, it really does sound like Steve Cropper throughout, but it could have been one of the Muscle Shoals pickers, or just someone biting Cropper’s style. Perhaps someone else on the internets has figured it all out (or maybe it’s even in one of those books everyone used to read before the internet came along), but a little mystery is never a bad thing. Neither is the absolutely ace soul sound of this record. With tracks like “Hoppin’ John” with it’s snapping fingers and poppin’ drums and “I’m Converted,” with it’s mighty fine, though very quick, drum break, this record got me rethinking my preferences for soul music and got me digging for pre-1967 titles.
“Pure Soul” remains my favorite track though, with it’s “Tramp” inspired beat and gritty sax, as well as multiple times every takes it down and plays it a little bit softer before bringing it back up and banging. I would have loved to have been at a performance or a dance hall when this was playing back in the day.
Speaking of “Pure Soul,” it might just be my shaky memory regarding this song, but I could have sworn that my original copy, which had a red label, faded out at the end, though this current copy (on a black label pictured to the right) just cuts cold. Maybe there are more subtle differences between these two pressings, which will remain a mystery to me, unless some chimes in or I track down another copy.
U.S. 69 – I’m On My Way (A Patch Of Blue)
U.S. 69 – I Hear You Talkin’
U.S. 69 – Never A Day Goes By
First heard this at KALX back in the day back when Matthew Africa used to follow my radio show. As I was restacking my records and CDs in that glorious KALX library, I heard the opening notes of “I’m On My Way” but wasn’t fully paying attention. The massive head nod inducing sitar and heavy drums that rush in at about :45 seconds in rapidly changed all that and I made a beeline back to the studio to figure out what Matthew was playing. Turned out to be this record, the only release from this quintet that has one foot firmly in psych-rock and the other spread out into jazz, funk and Indian/African elements the hippies were fond of. Most psych records I pick up are two trackers at best. It’s rare for me to run into a psych album I can listen to, repeatedly, from start to finish but this one is one of those rare gems without a throwaway track.
In fact, the tracks most people know off of this, “Yesterday’s Folks” and “Miss Goodbody” are mighty solid, but they’re not even my favorites. “I Hear You Talkin’” definitely gets a vote, as does the aforementioned opening cut (which I love to play at the open of a set when I spin out in loungey styled places). “Talkin’” has this flighty flute and punchy drums throughout and is filled with what Matthew described as “Little Girl Leave Your Plastic World” lyrics, a theme which is picked up throughout the record.
Strangely one of the least funky songs on this record, “Never A Day Goes By” is the one that tends to stick in my mind the most. For some reason or another I always seem to visualize this song playing in the scene in Kassovitz’s film La Haine, where Hubert is in his room smoking up to Isaac Hayes, the DJ starts to cut things up on the decks and then the camera breezily floats out the window and around the area. Happens every single time I start that song, has been for years and I have no idea why…something perhaps about the dreamy though gritty quality of that scene, which is shared by this song.
Somewhere, I’m convinced of it, there is a instrumental version of this record (I’ve always been perplexed by the “Authorized Version” tag beneath the band’s emblem on the back cover, is there really an “Unauthorized” version?) If an instrumental backing track exists, I hope it doesn’t waste away in someone’s musty attic. As much as I love this record, I’d love even more to hear these tracks stand alone and have every break run clean.
Richard Hayman – Windmills Of Your Mind
Richard Hayman – Melody No. 2
Richard Hayman – Goin’ Out Of My Head
First heard this in Berkeley at the apartment of a friend who was in the Sociology PhD program at the time, Carl Somers. I recently got back in touch with Carl and he set me straight on the original story. While I had remembered it being a friend of his who found this record, it was actually Carl who literally dug this record (and a few other choice cuts) out of a dumpster in Hot Springs, Arkansas. With that as the backdrop, I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical of what I was about to hear and when he put in the tape dub of the record (yes that’s right a cassette tape, this was back in 1999) and started “Windmills Of Your Mind,” the opening wash of Moog sounds and familiar melody didn’t really thrill me, but then those drums came in and I was completely floored. Something about those drums, combined with the guitar and the darkness of the mood, really reminded me of early Portishead in its sound. I’ve never been sure if it’s a live drummer and guitarist or if all the sounds come from the Moog, but if it is a live drummer, I really wish I knew who it was, cause they are just about perfect.
Eventually I tracked down a copy, first at Saturn Records in Oakland (which then became part of my wedding inspired sell-off) and more recently again at Atomic in Burbank. Though I’m not particularly fond of Moog records generally, or even 80% of this album in particular, the two tracks that lead off each side, the aforementioned “Windmills” and “Goin’ Out Of My Head” are really very stellar. I know that Katalyst sampled “Windmills” and I figure a few others probably have as well. If there was one Moog record to have, this is the one I’d recommend. Just remember it’s from Richard Hayman, not Dick Hyman…
Roy Brooks – The Free Slave
Roy Brooks – Understanding (Excerpt)
Roy Brooks – Five For Max
I first heard Roy Brooks’ “The Free Slave” in a relatively unlikely place to discover music, at a performance of the Alvin Ailey dance troupe in Berkeley. It’s rare to hear this kind of music in clubs these days, with the lack of true rare groove, dance floor jazz spots in the US, so while it was a treat to hear something I’d never heard before, it was a true pleasure indeed to watch some of the best dancers in the world improvise and choreograph to this kind of music.
Though released in 1972, this set was recorded in front of a very engaged crowd in 1970 at the Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore. What I’ve always found interesting about these live records is that you never really knew how big the crowd was, but their enthusiasm just made you think that hundreds of people were there digging this music. I’d argue it’s impossible not to be enthusiastic about a track like “The Free Slave.” It’s got a slyly funky rhythm from Brooks on drums, Cecil McBee on bass and Hugh Lawson on piano, excellent solos from Woody Shaw and George Coleman, and this great stuttering stop at various points which the crowd really vibes with. It’s one of my favorite “soul-jazz” tracks and something that I promise to myself I’ll spin out every time I hear it.
The rest of the record is very solid post-bop, very lyrical and quite lovely on “Understanding” and “Will Pan’s Walk.” The album closes with Brooks paying tribute to his mentor Max Roach on “Five For Max” with a variation on a couple of classic Roach solos, as the crowd implores him to “Do His Thing!” Part of his “thing,” according to the liner notes is what was called a “Breath-a-tone” which was some kind of Rahsaanian device that allowed Brooks to change the pitch of the drums through two breathing tubes used by the drummer. Would have loved to have seen video/film of that…
Incidentally, I got this copy over at Amoeba Hollywood for maybe $6 or $7, only because of the relative shape of the vinyl, which I’d probably say is “VG” from looking at it, but plays much better. Sometimes it pays to get a record that’s not in the best shape, because it’s so rare to find it in the original.
Roberto Carlos – Nao Vou Ficar
Roberto Carlos – Nada Vai Me Convencer
Roberto Carlos – As Curvas da Estrada De Santos
Had such a positive response (even my wife was asking me about it!)from playing one of the songs off this record during last week’s radio show, I thought it was a good choice for this week’s “Dig Deep.” Roberto Carlos became a major star for singing ballads in a bunch of different languages, but back around the time this record came out he was part of the “Jovem Guarda” of Brazilian musicians influenced by American and UK Rock. This record shows the influence of the Brazilian soul godfather Tim Maia and features one of my single favorite funky Brazilian tracks in “Nao Vou Ficar.”
I’d heard Tim Maia’s version of the song, but never this one. I couldn’t believe my ears when Soul Marcosa played a 45 of Roberto Carlos’ version at the dearly departed Gris-Gris last year. The phrasing was like proto-rap and the beat was so funky. And then there’s that breakdown, most definitely one of the baddest breakdowns of all time. Just knew I had to track this one down and eventually did.
I was pleasantly pleased with the other funky tracks here, showing Maia’s influence, but also the influence of Carlos’ brother Erasmo (currently looking for a 1971 record from him that’s mighty mighty dope). While many of the other tracks on the LP are slightly slick ballads, these tracks are right up my alley, real nice and gritty.
Les Baxter – Hot Wind
Les Baxter – Dan Again
Les Baxter – Hogin’ Machine
Still not finished with grading so I thought I’d post something that I don’t really need to say anything at all about (though I will still say a little something about it), the soundtrack to Hell’s Belles. An original copy of this has been a “white whale” of mine every since I first ran into it in the KALX library back in 2000. There’s a reissue that you can cop for $10 or less, but I can tell you the sound is vastly superior on the original and it’s worth the price. I’m not sure there’s a record that has harder drums and fuzzier guitars out there, even if virtually every song is just a slightly different take on the same basic theme. If only there was a soul clap on all these tracks instead of the occasional tambourine it would be the greatest record of all time.
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