new charlie hunter / morcheeba / opus akoben

Steve Holman
Tue, 7 Apr 1998 22:46:03 -0400 (EDT)


I'm surprised that there hasn't been any talk about the new Charlie
Hunter
CD, "Return of the Candyman". He's with an outfit now called "Pound for
Pound", which consists of a vibraphonist, a drummer, and a percussionist.
I read the liner notes which said that calder spanier, a saxaphonist on
some earlier CH CDs, passed away last year -- does anyone know about the
circumstances?

I have to say that this is perhaps this is the best Charlie Hunter CD
ever, with the possible exception of his first Charlie Hunter Trio CD.
Charlie is as funky as ever, and the vibes just add something that makes
this CD irresistibile. I highty recommend it.

Also, the new Morcheeba, "Big Calm" is fantastic. The lead singer's voice
is unbelievable. Somewhat pop-trip-hoppy, but after a few listens, you'll
be sucked into that woman's voice.

Also, there is a hip hop group in Washington DC called Opus Akoben -- it's
two rappers, sub-zero and kokayi, who are two of the guys that rapped on
Steve Coleman and the Metrics' CDs "Tale of Three Cities" and "The Way of
the Cipher". I've never heard them, but apparently they have a huge local
following, but ironically, their sole CD, "Art of War", has only been
released in Europe (although I have heard you can get it in the US in the
import section). I know a lot of people on the list love the Roots, from
what I hear, Opus Akoben are quite similar in their combination of jazz
and hip-hop. If anyone in Europe has their CD, let me know, I'd love to
get a copy.

Peace,

Steve

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