sábado, 31 de enero de 2015

The No-Neck Blues Band - Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Names Will Never Hurt Me (Revenant,2001)


En 2013 el sello De Stijl recuperó de manera digital el catálogo de The No-Neck Blues Band con motivo de su 20 aniversario de vida por parte del colectivo, enmarcado en una serie de actuaciones que sirvieron de celebración . Muchos de los fans de la formación, gran nómina de nombres célebres dentro de la escena experimental, se encargaron de revisitar el contexto y la importancia de cada uno de sus discos. Sobre "Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Names Will Never Hurt Me":



"Sometime in 1999 we were contacted by Dean Blackwood of Revenant Records, asking us if we wld be interested in hosting John Fahey at our Hint House compound in Harlem, with an eye toward a US tour with NNCK to follow. We agreed, + upon meeting Fahey in raybans at JFK it was clear that our lives wld never quite be the same. After doing a few shows w him in NY, it was decided that NNCK wld make a record fr Revenant, which was Fahey’s label. In order to rise to this auspicious occasion, we enlisted the legendary 60’s underground record producer Jerry Yester, whose work fr Zal Yanovsky, Tims Buckley + Dawe, + his own Farewell Aldebaran + Rosebud LPs w his wife Judy Henske we considered to be visionary. The results mark the fulcrum upon which the NNCK legacy rests. Originally packaged in a custom plexiglass + branded wooden package, + named by Edwin Pouncey of Wire magazine as his choice fr the best record of 2001. 
Sticks and Stones was the first project in my newly constructed studio, Willow Sound, deep in the Ozarks of NorthWest Arkansas, 1999. 

I should’ve stopped right there. NNCK floated into town on a vapor, and left the same way (Not without the notice of the local constabulary, who hassled them on their way out, for… “Bein’….just too differnt!"). They left, but not before making the most unusually creative pieces of work I’ve ever been fortunate enough to’ve been involved with. At a time when most bands ran the gamut from “A” to “B”, These folks invented a whole new alphabet! From seemingly Old Blues, to Primordial Soup. Many Musical forms will improvise the content in a given framework; with them the framework was up for grabs. Everyone should be this much fun to work with. 

~ Jerry Yester " (*link*)

La falta de descanso, y la turbulenta combinación de lluvia y viento esta mañana, me ha hecho volver a uno de mis discos favoritos de la formación al que llegué gracias a la buena acogida por parte de la crítica en su día y verlo en el top10 del año en The Wire. Fue una puerta de entrada en su día al género del folk psicodélico y psicotrópico que, posterormente, me llevaría a descubrir muchos de los grupos que sondeaban por estas coordenadas a principios de la década pasada y que tanto me fascinaron. Hoy brindo por ellos.

Recupero al mismo tiempo, una entrevista que hice a Pat Murano, miembro de la formación:

http://www.conceptoradio.net/2014/01/21/en-conversacion-con-pat-murano/

Una grabación sobre su actuación en 2013 en Issue Project Room





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martes, 6 de enero de 2015

King Tubby & Yabby U ‎– King Tubby's Prophesy Of Dub (Prophets,1976)


Obviamente es lo que toca el de Los Reyes Magos.

King Tubby 

De la nota de prensa de la reedición de 1995 de Blood & Fire:

"Roots master Vivian Jackson, also known as Yabby U, teams up with King Tubby to create mystical dub versions of some of his greatest songs, many of which were inspired by numerous readings of the Book of Revelations. The lavish 16-page CD booklet amplifies these apocalyptic themes to stunning effect. This album was long unavailable since its first and only limited edition release in 1976."




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lunes, 5 de enero de 2015

Azanyah - The One (Path of Light,1987)


Siguiendo por la senda espiritual jazz, y con las reediciones de Jazzman , el impresionante trabajo de Azanyah en "The One". Disco perfecto para salir del desfase navideño, que llega a su fin y del que uno celebra sobrevivir, y un buen regalo para una mañana soleada en el Levante, Colosal.

"Suffused with spiritual uplift but lacking any saccharine in either content or production values, Azanyah communicates in a language that harks back to the great message bearers of an earlier time: the musical language of Coltrane, Pharaoh and their fellow travellers, musicians who had journeyed deep into the wellsprings of the African-American and African traditions, and returned with complex, burnished artifacts that spoke of the highest truths with incandescent urgency. Its musical message underpinned by the deep pulse of the eponymous Mamaniji Azanyah’s bass, The One is a document that seems somehow out of time: it comes as a surprise that this album was recorded in the ‘80s, although The One is not a nostalgic throwback to the revolutionary period couple of decades earlier. Rather, it is part of a long continuum of committed visionary sound, drawing strength from the same sources that inspired its forebears, and walking on the same paths toward enlightenment. Raw, earthy, deep jazz - Spiritual Jazz at its finest!

Since 1984, Azanyah, a septet under the co-leadership of Mamaniji Azanyah and Immanuel Zechariah, has performed to appreciative audiences throughout the southeastern United States at major music venues, jazz and music festivals, and community celebrations, including; the Variety Playhouse, Atlanta Jazz Festival, Birmingham Heritage Festival, National Black Arts Festival, Atlanta/Montreaux International Music Festival, Birmingham Seven Stages Festival, and KingFest. Azanyah’s banner reads “Creative Spiritual Expression in the Improvisational Tradition” and aptly characterises the nature of their presentation. Utilising a powerhouse acoustic instrumental ensemble, with the added feature of equally powerful lead vocals, Azanyah transports the listener through a kaleidoscopic soundscape experience of pan-African rooted, World Music, filled with prophetic rapture, meditative bliss and reflective wonder."





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domingo, 4 de enero de 2015

Owen Marshall - As Captain Puff in the Naked Truth (Aditi,1975)


No puedes pedir más para un domingo por la mañana. Disco de jazz espiritual de espíritu exótico y vibraciones cercanas a Sun Ra, Leon Thomas, Pharoah Sanders, el Don Cherry más cósmico entre otras consideraciones que llevan tiempo haciéndose eco muchos blogs y portales aficionados a la investigación de ediciones privadas. Reeditado por Jazzman en 2012, este legado único de Owen Marshall con " As Captain Puff in the Naked Truth" es una absoluta belleza.

"This excellent and EXTREMELY rare original private pressing from 1975 is difficult to comfortably categorize.  I guess you could get away with calling it a soul jazz or jazz funk LP (yes, there are funky cuts and, yes, there is a dope drum break), but that wouldn’t do this fantastic album justice as it also has strong elements of spiritual jazz, Sun Ra style space psychedelia, brooding atmospheric electronica and even one grooving calypso-like jam. 

Owen Marshall was a very interesting and creative musician (note all the instruments that he plays on this album). He’s played with truly great musicians such as Max Roach, Jackie McLean, and even Chet Baker. He received composer and arranger credits on Lee Morgan’s first two Blue Note albums and appears on both of Calvin Keys, Black Jazz label releases. 

Personnel: Owen Marshall background vocals, flute, alto saxophone, guitar, piano, electric piano, Obe synthesizer, drums, bongos, steel drum, bamboo scraper, baja bird talk, toilet chimes, and tube-a-phone; Bonita Versh background vocals; Cheryl Marshall background vocals; Ernest Straughter electric piano; Danny White bass; Danny Whatley - fender bass; Shakur Abdullah drums, congas; Derrick Roberts drums; Mcheza Blue percussion"





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sábado, 3 de enero de 2015

Happy New Year : Ferry Djimmy & His Djinks


Feliz año a todos. 

Vuelta a las andadas

Ferry Djimmy & His Djinks y sus dos tremendísimos singles en Emi Pathé en el 75.

Enjoy the groove!






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