It’s no secret that I’m very fond of Françoiz Breut, she was one of my first guests at KPFK, and many of her records are amongst my favorites, particularly 2008’s A l’aveuglette which contains one of my absolute favorites of this first decade of the 21st century, “Les Jeunes Pousses” (clearly she’s such a favorite I can’t stop using the word favorite in order to describe her!). Four years was a long time to wait for new music, but a couple of months ago, she released La Chirurgie Des Sentiments in France. As she’s done on many of her prior records, there’s a slight shift in her sound. Whereas A l’aveuglette felt like an intimate record, produced effortlessly in a midnight session at a friend’s apartment, La Chirurgie Des Sentiment has the sound of an album recorded in a funky and smoky Parisian bar around 4am. Much of this is related to the use of keyboards, often layered around and on top of each other and sampled/found sounds throughout the record. “Marie-Lise” showcases this latest change in sound from Breut, for those having trouble getting a hold of this album in the States, there is a digital link to the album on Françoiz Breut’s bandcamp page. Hopefully we’ll get a US release for the album in 2013. As was the case with her last record, don’t be surprised if this ends up in my “Best Of” lists for this year and next!
Here’s another track, “Bruxelles (BXL) Bleuette,” that also gives a strong sense of the different style Françoiz is using on this album:
Been a while since we’ve done a show on the KPFK Airwaves, and after a long semester my voice seems to just about have had enough. I’d already intended to do something special for our next to last show of 2012, so we had a couple of choice shows to give away tickets to, with Boogaloo Assassins performing on NYE and Erykah Badu just a few days earlier here in LA, an extended look at the Numero Group’s amazing 45 45 Eccentric Soul set and in the second hour a replay of DJ Spinna’s amazing guest DJ set from back in November! Next week I’ll be on all vinyl running down the best pieces of wax that I dug up in 2012 and in a couple weeks we’ll run down the best releases of 2012 during our first show of 2013!
Playlist: 12-23-2012
{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – Melting Pot (Stax)
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Black Sabbath – Snowblind – Vol. 4 (WB)
Urban Gorilla – Ten Days Gone – Man Chest Hair (Finders Keepers)
Wganda Kenya – El Caterete – Diablos Del Ritmo (Analog Africa)
Ghetto Brothers – Got This Happy Feeling – Power / Fuerza (Truth & Soul)
Menahan Street Band – Three Faces – The Crossing (Dunham / Daptone)
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Boogaloo Assassins – Do You Wanna Dance – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)
Francoiz Breut – La Momme – La Chirurgie Des Sentiments (Pias)
Alpha – Covers Been Blown – Eleventh Trip (Don’t Touch)
Erykah Badu – Telephone – New Amerykah Part 1: 4th World War (Universal Motown)
Duracha – Ghetto Funk – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero Group)
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Pat Stallworth – Questions – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero Group)
Elements of Peace – Together Pt. 1 – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero Group)
Volumes – I’m Gonna Miss You – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero Group)
Union – Strike – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero Group)
Two Plus Two – I’m Sure – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero Group)
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Flack & Company – Disco – TNT – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero Group)
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DJ Spinna – Guest DJ Set – Recorded At KPFK 11-10-12 (KPFK Archives)
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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)
As a lover of invented tradition, seems I’ve started another one, posting up the final reocrd that I dug up in 2012. I first ran into this album when I was very young and working at Album 88 in Atlanta. I’d started working on the blues show there “Crossroads,” and was always looking for music that I hadn’t heard before. At the time, and still, one of my favorite bands was the Butterfield Blues Band, which featured one of the first American guitar gods of the 1960s, Michael Bloomfield. Bloomfield was kind of a tragic figure. Immense talent, showcased on albums with Butterfield and sessions work with Al Kooper and Bob Dylan (it’s Bloomfield’s guitar that gives Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited so much of it’s legendary sound, especially on “Like A Rolling Stone”), but because of problems with insomnia and heroine addiction, it’s likely we were robbed of some of his best work.
This album was recorded in the midst of a pretty robust period of recording for Bloomfield and was more or less a loosely organized jam session with a whole bunch of folk, including Mark Naftlin, Bob Jones, John Kahn, Snooky Flowers plus vocalists Nick Gravenites and Taj Mahal. At Album 88 I’d found the album tucked away forgotten in stacks of vinyl that were haphazardly stored around the station. As a show that ran from 10-12midnight, the longer and slower tracks, “One More Mile To Go” and “Blues On A Westside” were particular favorites of mine and listeners. I remember once playing “Westside” and realizing about 3/4’s in that I was digging on the song so much I hadn’t taken the prior record off the turntable and cued up something next to play. I was so zoned out that I actually picked up the needle on “Westside” mid-solo, only to drop it back down, more or less in the same spot almost instantaneously. I might have been able to forget that lapse, but I seem to remember getting a couple of good-natured calls from listeners and friends chastizing me for wrecking the groove. The song remains one of my favorites from this period and one my favorite solos from Bloomfield.
For some reason I hadn’t really run into a copy of this record in years. Perhaps because it doesn’t actually list an artist. Though the more recent reissue is rightfully under Bloomfield’s name, the original release has not artist listed. It should be filed in the blues section, but this copy was in the various Rock section at Atomic in Burbank. Where you can find it is less important that making sure you do find it, which I’m very glad I did. In truth, all that really matters is the music and getting lost in that sound from Bloomfield and his friends.
Sure to be on every DJ’s holiday list, whether they have been naughty or nice, is the 45th release from Chicago’s Numero Group. 2012 has been a somewhat quiet year for Numero, espcially after the stellar past two, but clearly they’ve been hard at work compiling this monster. For their 45th release they’ve put together 45 7″s, all incredibly rare and hard to find soul and funk, the vast majority of which have never been reissued until now. Scariest part of this set is that it’s labeled as “Vol. #1”!?!?!?!??!!!
And yes there’s even a lovingly put together video for the set that’s just going to make you want it even more:
Wow, it’s been a full 21 days since I’ve been back on the blog! It hasn’t been because I’ve been tucked away in a Doomsday bunker waiting for the end times of 12-21-12, I’ve just been dealing with what felt like a pretty apocalyptic amount of grading because of my work, combined with a fundraiser going on a KPFK. Usually around this time of year I take a hiatus, but generally I do get the last show up before the hiatus, so apologies on that front. This show broadcast on Dec. 2nd, and was the last Melting Pot, before this week’s return. We began with a short tribute for an all too short life, highlighting just a fraction of the talent of pianist Austin Peralta. From there it was another smograsborg of tickets for shows that have now all be performed. At least the music remains. We’re back the air with our last “regular” show of the year, featuring some new music and some of my almost favorite records of 2012. On 12/30 I’ll be playing some of my favorite vinyl that I tracked down in 2012 and our first show of 2013 on January 6th will be our rundown of the best music of 2013!
Playlist: 12-2-2012
{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – Melting Pot (Stax)
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Austin Peralta – Bedtime Stories – Single (Self-Released)
Cinematic Orchestra feat. Austin Peralta – Lapis – In Motion (Ninja Tune)
Teebs feat. Austin Peralta – LSP – Collections 01 (Brainfeeder)
Flying Lotus feat. Thundercat & Austin Peralta – DMT Song – Until The Quiet Comes (Warp)
Austin Peralta – Ode To Love – Endless Planets (Brainfeeder)
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Shuggie Otis – Island Letter – Inspiration Information (Epic)
Naytronix – Good Thing – Dirty Glow (Plug Research)
Alpha – Down – Eleventh Trip (Don’t Touch)
Menahan Street Band – The Crossing – The Crossing (Dunham/Daptone)
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J-Rocc – 1990s Hip-Hop Mix – Flavors (Self-Released via Mixcrates.com)
Julian y Su Combo – Enyere Kumbara – Diablos Del Ritmo (Analog Africa)
Karriem Riggins – Alto Flute – Alone Together (Stones Throw)
People Under The Stairs – Gamin’ On Ya – Fun DMC (Gold Dust Media)
Andrezej Korzynski – Orchestral Pop Theme – Secret Enigma 1969-1981 (B-Music)
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Adrian Younge & William Hart of the Delfonics – Love’s Melody – Adrian Younge Presents the Delfonics (Wax Poetics)
Syl Johnson – Is It Because I’m Black – Is It Because I’m Black (Twinight)
The Trinikas – Black Is Beautiful – Eccentric Soul: Omnibus (Numero)
Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators – Tell Me When (We Can Start Our Love Thing Again) – 7” (Timmion)
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The Coup – Violet – Sorry To Bother You (Anti)
Francoiz Breut – L’Astronome – La Chirurgie Des Sentiments (Pias)
Jupiter Lion – Black Mouth – Jupiter Lion (Bcore)
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Seu Jorge & Almaz – Everybody Loves The Sunshine – Seu Jorge & Almaz (Stones Throw)
Al Green – Your Love Is Like The Morning Sun – Call Me (Hi Records)
Steve Spacek – Dollar – Spaceshift (Sound In Color)
Sly & the Family Stone – Remember Who You Are – Back On The Right Track (Warner Bros.)
Alice Russell & Quantic – Look Around The Corner – Look Around The Corner (Tru Thoughts)
Been a while since I put up some records for sale via Rose Records, but there are currently 5 records up on Ebay right now, including releases from Ketty Lester (featuring master drummer Earl Palmer) and Harry Ray, plus a few that I’ve actually featured here before including Jun Mayuzumi’s “Black Room,” Horace Tapscott & the Pan-Afrikan People’s Arkestra and one of my deepest digs of all time, Yuzo Kayama. Another record that is currently up on Ebay (at least until this Wednesday, just enough time before my wife’s birthday to hopefully get her something extra nice! take a look and spread the word if you know people looking for some quality vinyl), is the Moon People’s album Land Of Love. As is the case with the Mayuzumi, Harry Ray and Yuzo Kayama, the only reason I’m able to sell these records is that I’ve essentially replaced them in my collection with a version that I appreciate more.
In the case of the Moon Men, I picked up this album from the Latin Blues Band around my birthday that features “I’ll Be A Happy Man” the vocal version of “Happy Soul” which was revisited as “Happy Soul With A Hook” and as “Hippy Dippy Moon Strut,” all apparently by the exact same backing band. Of those four versions, I enjoy this one featuring full on vocals most of all. I’d always felt that the instrumental “Happy Soul” just was missing something and gets to repetitive after a while, no matter how great of a break beat that instrumental is. As soon as I began listening to this album, I realized that several of the other tracks on the Moon Men album were instrumentals of tracks from this album, including ‘Take A Trip,” “Lay An Oz On Me” and “Pussycat.” In just about all of those cases I prefer the vocal versions and these would be the ones I’d be most apt to play if I spun out some place so it made good sense to hold on to this one and let the Moon People find their way into someone else’s collection. Additionally, the second side of this album is full of some really nice and really tight pre-Salsa latin tracks that simply hit the spot.
Eleventh Trip is the seventh proper full-length release from Alpha (not including remixes or collaborative efforts), and is a proper return to form for the group after the slightly disappointing Sky Is Mine (though perhaps that’s partially because of the strong standard set by ComeFromHeaven, The Impossible Thrill and Stargazing, which are three of my favorite trip-hop records, let along my favorite releases from this band). Founding member Corin Dingley once again is the primary beat maker and the tracks are often just as luscious as you’d expect from an Alpha production. What seemed missing from the prior release is very much in evidence here, with the added vocals of Hannah Collins and Duncan Atwood along with longtime member Wendy Stubbs. Atwood’s vocals are the most revelatory for me, as a major fan of former vocalist Martin Bernard. Atwood’s phrasing and style is more than a bit reminiscient of Bernard’s which means every track he’s featured on is a swooner for sure, with “Down” as the stand out. Though I’m most drawn to Atwood’s voice, Collins’ tracks appear to be the strongest on the album, particularly “Covers Been Blown” with its steady drums and her slightly haltering and plaintive vocals. Like being reunited with a dear old friend after many years, it’s truly a pleasure to spend time again in the lush and lovely world of Alpha. 15 years since they emerged on the scene, few bands are capable of such lush and lovely sounds, let’s hope we don’t have to wait another 5 years for even more music.
Felt right to hold on to this one for just an extra day, so that I could post it up on Jimi Hendrix’s 70th birthday. As an end of the month show, we’re all on vinyl, and very much a “freeform” show, with only one planned song, in tribute to boxer Hector “Macho” Camacho, Eddie Palmieri’s anthem “Puerto Rico.” In the second hour I pay tribute to Hendrix, playing a variety of tracks from the legendary guitarist from the vinyl I have. One thing that is becoming increasingly clear to me is that I’m going to need to get a lot more Hendrix vinyl if I’m not going to repeat myself…enjoy the show!
Today would have been Jimi Hendrix’s 70th birthday. Having been too busy to post anything up prior to today, it makes perfect sense to post another Hendrix record this year from my collection. Flashing is a fairly rare LP, released in 1968 after Jimi found great success with the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In some ways it’s a very opportunistic record. Jimi played with Curtis Knight & the Squires before forming his own band (Jimmy James & the Blue Flames) and finding success initially in the UK, then the US and worldwide with the Experience. He’d recorded a few sides with Knight and his group around 1966, including what I believe might be recognized as his first penned track, the very “buzzy” surf inspired instrumental “Hornet’s Nest.”
In 1967, perhaps out of contractual obligations, perhaps out of loyalty to old friends, Jimi returned to the studio to jam with some of Knight’s crew. Some of those tracks ended up on a couple of Curtis Knight records on the Capitol record label (the Band of Gypsies album more or less completed his contractual obligations with Capitol). Flashing represents the best collection of these, with a mix of the tracks from 1966 and 1967. It’s an interesting document, hearing Jimi Hendrix before he was really Jimi Hendrix and also hearing Jimi after he WAS Jimi Hendrix all at the same time, without it techinically being a Jimi Hendrix album (if that makes any sense).
I can’t for the life of me remember where I got this record, I’m pretty sure it was in Atlanta, perhaps at Red, Beans & Rice, probably at the Atlanta Record Show. I’m just about 100% sure that when I bought it I had NO idea that “Happy Birthday” was sampled by the Beastie Boys of “Jimmy James” (in addition to a few other Jimi tracks):
“Happy Birthday” features some of Hendrix’s earliest use of the Wah-Wah pedal and is funky as all get out for 1967. The same basic beat turns up on this album as “Love, Love” and as far as I understand it, the basic track was laid down out of a jam session and Knight’s vocals were added much later along with a bit of snappy editing to make it seem like it was a specific track. On some other Hendrix release the instrumental version is featured that is probably worth tracking down. “Fool For You Baby” is a pretty straight ahead R&B number, with a really nice sound, along with the music he recorded with the Isley brothers it’s sort of a reminder of what kind of soul music Jimi might have made if he had not become the visionary, transcendent rock’n’roll guitar player he did become (though I always file Jimi’s music in the soul section, personally).
It took the Hendrix family a really long time in order to get all of Jimi’s contractual situations worked out, particularly getting the proper royalities from these recordings from Ed Chalpin, the producer who “signed” Jimi to this particular contract. Hopefully someday in the future, we’ll get a full account of the music that Jimi recorded during this period of time pre/post-Experience, but still so very early in his career.
Happy Thanksgiving y’all! One of the biggest things I’m thankful for is that I’ve been blessed enough to be in a position to offer fantastic tickets to amazing shows during the holiday season. Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band are coming to LA, stopping by at UCLA’s Royce Hall on November 29th. You might remember that the last time Charles and the boys were in town was last summer as Sunset Junction went down in “flames” they played a last minute show at the Echo. This time they’re able to return in grand style and at a venue worthy of their special brand of retro-soul. Whether you win tickets or not, you don’t want to miss this show! For a chance to see them courtesy of Melting Pot, make sure to e-mail me at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com by Monday, November 26th by 5pm!
Just in case you forgot, Charles Bradley released one of my favorite records of 2011 and is a truly dynamite live performer. Here he and the band perform “Golden Rule” via KEXP:
The Menahan Street Band just recently released their second LP, “The Crossing,” just as fantastic as their debut:
To be really honest, I’m not sure what to make of the music of Naytronix. I don’t even know what I’d call this…Electro-Roboto-Broke-Beat-Boogie? I don’t know. However, every time I listen to this music the more I like it, and that was before I even knew that this was Nate Brenner of tUnE-yArDs. Definitely one of the most intriguing releases of the year from one of LA’s best indie labels, and a real contender for label of the year, Plug Research.
Back to regular business this week, loads of new and newish music from Francoiz Breut, Lijadu Sisters, Naytronix, Toro y Moi, Adrian Younge and William Hart of the Delfonics and a excerpt of Spinna’s brilliance from the week before for those who missed it (and it’s archived here, so give the full set a listen!). Started off with a minor tribute for a major singer, Major Harris, part of the Philly Soul sound, especially during his stint with the Delfonics in the early 1970s. Next week we’re all on vinyl, likely to play a healthy bit of Hendrix since his 70th birthday is coming up…until then enjoy the sounds.
Not sure why I hadn’t posted this one before. This album is fairly ubiquitous and doesn’t really look like too much. Tim Weisberg has a seriously hippified look on the front, but I’d probably passed by this record a hundred times before I literally walked in on “Tyme Cube” while at Records LA a couple of years ago. The spacey funk and flighty flute sold me instantly and I was interested to find out more about Mr. Weisberg.
Not a whole lot on the man himself, he kicked around quite a bit in the 70s, doing a fair amount sessions work. I like the succinct Wikipedia entry for Weisberg (probably false, but such a great story) that in high school band, because his name started with a “W,” he got to choose his instruments last and all that was left was a flute and a basoon. He chose the flute cause the flute section was filled with all girls. There’s a certain macktastic sound to Weisberg’s fluty funk, that fits that origin story. “Tibertan Silver” has a 1970s TV Cop Drama feel to it combined with a little bit of Mizell Bros. flavor. “Molly Mundane” is a bit more laid back funk, that could have fit very nicely on a Herbie Man record from 1968, if not for the rather lovely and idyllic guitar parts that set it apart. It should be noted that the funky drummer responsible for giving this music so much of its groove is none other than Jim Gordon, the tragic master session man responsible for the drums on the Incredible Bongo Band record and a host of others. This definitely represented an in-the-pocket moment in time for him and for Weisberg as well. I haven’t dug any of the other things I’ve heard from him nearly as much as this record, but this one is super solid (and super affordable, I see this record all over the place and rarely for more than $5) and nice compliment to any lazy day kind of afternoon that you may have.
