Phew, we hit the jackpot in NYC last weekend. I haven't even listened to the
whole stack I got, but there are 2 standouts I really want to mention. (Also
thanks to a friend and one of my favorite DJs, Koji, who helped me out with a
couple choices...if you have a chance to hear him rock it, do it!)
Sergio Mendes - Primal Roots (Raizes) Honestly, it's not a bunch of scklocky
crap! No Beatles covers or anything! The first side is short, more traditional
songs, mostly vocals and percussion, pretty stripped down, wonderful melodies,
and lots of references to Yoruba gods. The second side is a 19 minute mutating
jazz piece that's really wonderful. It's really like several seperate songs
with interludes between, because of the distict themes that occur and then fade
into dreamier, quieter spots. I think I read that Airto is on percussion.
It's super. Tahira, how in the hell do you pronounce "Airto"?
Jorge Ben - Forca Bruta (that's "forsa"...I'm too inept to find out how to type
the c with the little thingy hanging off the bottom of it)
He's so damn funky. Lots of short songs, so pleasing, lovely melodies, his
warm, raw vocals, and bluesy guitar in the forefront. Also, tasteful string
arrangements that for some reason do not make me want to throw my chair across
the room. Maybe b/c there's as much cuica as strings?? It's just so catchy and
friendly and nice, it's almost a guilty pleasure. Oh by the way, this was a
reissue on nice thick vinyl.
Also got Gilberto Gil - Nightingale which is a little bit technicolor for my
tastes but has some wonderful moments; Tania Maria - Piquant which is a great
dance-jazz record although occasionally you kinda wish she'd cut out the
stylization on her vocals and just sing straight up; O Som Psicodelico de Luiz
Carlos Vinhas, which is more good dance jazz but the mastering is kinda trebly
and grates on the ears a little after a while; and Airto - Free which I haven't
listened to yet. <begin blatent self-promotion>Selections from these are sure
to show up on the next installment of Broke and Beat radio, which can be heard
at www.beleza-music.org. We slacked this week, sorry.
I'm also hoping to pick up Sergio Mendes - Brasileiro which I heard years
ago...probably had it on tape and lost it or something. There's some cheese,
but a couple of tracks are so invigorating they're worth putting up with the
weaker moments. Does anyone know if this was ever pressed on vinyl?
Also, can anyone suggest some good starting points for Flora Purim? I almost
picked up Open Your Eyes You Can Fly. She seems like such a wierdo and I'm
really curious to dig in. I loved her piece on Red Hot and Rio a few years
back, and actually some crappy .rm samples on her website from recent albums
sound pretty interesting. I'm always impressed with artists who stay
interesting 20-30 years into their careers.
Todo legal aqui na Philadelphia! Tchau!
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