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Monday, December 31

just in the nic of time

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Ramiro Musotto
Civilizacao & Barbarye
Ramiro Musotto was born in Argentina. He moved to Brazil, to perfect his technique playing the berimbau. Musotto is known today as one of the most innovative berimbau players in the world. The berimbau is a single stringed instrument that is strongly associated with Brazilian martial art, Capoeira. Here, Musotto combines the shamanistic percussion of the berimbau with electronic sequencing and other organic sounds.
comments / tracks of interest:
#1: an intoxicating song-dance of berimbaus (instrumental)
#2: afro-Cuban song
#3: capoeira rhythm w/ youthful vocals
#4: backwards vocal samples
#5: a medley w/ Chico Cesar
#6: a song about orisha, Ogun (fierce warrior)
#7: cuica & variety of other musical transitions (up tempo, instrumental)
#8: traditional song from Balochistan (a province in Pakistan)
#9: berimbau + mbira = beautiful sound (instrumental)
#10: rhythms and song


Aphrodesia
Lagos by Bus
This San Franciscan band felt musically inspired during their trip to Africa. The new release, Lagos by Bus “uses Afrobeat as a backbone but also draws on Afro-Cuban music, Ghanaian Highlife, and jazz. They have the rare trait of being led by, not one, but two women vocalists, whose hard-hitting songs alternate from chant to melodic song and tantalize the dance floor.” ~Rock Paper Scissors The ladies sing constructive lyrics in both English and Yoruba.
comments / tracks of interest:
#1: begins w/ mbira
#2: jamming instrumental
#3: Up-tempo “all you have is all you need.”
#4: polyrhythmic intro, med tempo
#5: street sounds w/ vocals
#6: a funky praise to the spirit of fresh water
#7: bass guitar lead
#8: song for the king of volcanoes#9: a call for rain in a famished land


Steve Reid ensemble
Daxaar
: Bronx born drummer Steve Reid was a black panther & in the late 60’s journeyed to Africa. There he lived for three years, and was thrown in jail when he returned to the U.S. for resisting the Vietnam War draft. “Jazz is just like the newspaper of the music world. A carnival of the shit that goes on at a particular moment. People need some regular happy music right now. This is what I wanted to bring from Africa, just regular groovy, happy music.” ~ReidProduced in Africa, Daxaar’s first track sounds traditionally African. From there on out, we hear a heavy jazz/funk influence w/ electronic pulses of rhythm & other accompaniments.
comments / tracks of interest:
#1: beautiful kora medley
#2: keyboard organ w/ glitch rhythms
#3: erratic flute screams
#4: brassy
#5: interesting rhythms w/ chimes
#6: accented drums

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Friday, December 7

samba and tango

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Maria Rita (HEE-ta)

Samba Meu

Review: “After putting out two highly-acclaimed, jazz-laced pop discs that made her an international star, Maria Rita turned her considerable artistic sights toward that most Brazilian of music genres…samba. The sensational result is Samba Meu (my samba), a 14-song package that showcases her skills to make samba her own personal idiom by dint of her expanding vocal range and singular interpretive skills.”`John Lannert

comments / tracks of interest:

#1: title track

#’s 2 &3: quite bright feeling

#5: very cute child voices in beginning

#’s 7, 8, 9, & 10: slow tempo



V/A

Tango around the world

Review: “Putumayo has traveled the globe to find many of the best tango and tango-influenced songs the world has to offer. From tango’s birthplace in Buenos Aires to its adoptive homes of Athens, Lisbon, Helsinki and other cities, this album weaves together passion, style and elegance to create a rich and musical tapestry that features traditional tango alongside contemporary fusions.”~Putumayo

comments / tracks of interest:

#1: sung in W. African Maninka language

#2: instrumental

#3: tribute to Edmundo Rivero

#4: Yiddish tango

#5: about pain in ending a relationship

#6: reminiscent of electronic tango of Gotan Project

#8: Roma (Gypsy) tango

#9: Fado, tango & electro beats

#10: beatnik

#11: harmonica


and we've also found the almost lotus band, pharaoh's daughter.

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