Alan Hull - When the war is Over 1998

Best known as the co-founder, leader, and principal songwriter of the Newcastle folk-based rock band Lindisfarne, Alan Hull also pursued a successful career as a solo performer, specializing in original songs. At one time, amid Lindisfarne's early successes, Hull was being hailed as the most innovative songwriter since Bob Dylan, and althoughLindisfarne's subsequent albums didn't remotely achieve this level of promise, his solo material was consistently strong. Hailing from Newcastle, where he was born in 1945, Hull took up the guitar as a boy, and became a member of the band the Chosen Few alongside keyboard player (and future Ian Dury alumnus) Mickey Gallagher, in 1962. That band, which specialized in Tamla-Motown covers, was signed to Pye Records for a time andHull first emerged as a songwriter of considerable promise within their ranks, generating some very strong original numbers including the single "Today Tonight and Tomorrow." Hull exited the group in 1966 and gravitated toward a more folk-oriented sound in his playing, singing, and songwriting, which brought him into a band called Downtown Faction, who eventually evolved into Lindisfarne; he supported himself one year by working as a nurse at a mental hospital, before Lindisfarne came together. As author of many of their most popular songs as well as one of their principal singers, Hull came to be regarded as the de facto leader of the group, which may have contributed to its splintering in 1973. He recorded solo albums periodically beginning with 1973's Pipedream on the Charisma label, which included the services of second-generation Lindisfarne guitarist/keyboardman Ken Craddock as well as original members Ray Jackson and Ray Laidlaw. His second album, Squire, was released in 1975 by Warner Bros., while his third, Phantoms (1979), was done for Elton John's Rocket Records label.

At its best, Hull's songwriting featured fluid, deceptively catchy, and pleasing melodies, and rich, deeply evocative phrasing and imagery. His "Fog on the Tyne" remains a classic, a Dylanesque account of life in Newcastle in the late '60s, and he has also written in a more popular vein, with songs such as "Run for Home" (which, with its achingly beautiful chorus, ought to have been an international hit), which sounds almost more like Bruce Springsteen than Bruce Springsteen did. In 1994, he recorded Back to Basics, a live all-acoustic survey of the best of his songwriting from 1970 onward. On November 17, 1995, while working on a new album, Hull died suddenly of what was determined to be a heart thrombosis. Lindisfarne has continued to perform in the years since, and recordings of Hull's have continued to surface from various sources, including radio performances going back to the early '70s. AMG.

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Azanyah - The One 2012

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! *All tracks fully licensed and digitally restored from the original master tapes. Comprehensive background and liner notes with the blessing of Mamaniji Azanyah himself. Extremely rare private press spiritual jazz LP that' s changed hands for over $1000!  Give it a try!

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Betty LaVette - Child of the Seventies 2006

Exemplifying that it is truly "better late than never," it has taken over 30 years to finally get soul divaBettye LaVette's oft-rumored Child of the Seventies out to eager ears. Granted, much of the material was released as Souvenirs on the French indie Art & Soul label in 2000. However, this CD sounds markedly better and the project is served up in its entirety alongside four 45s that the artist recorded during two distinctly different periods of her career. She was credited as "Betty LaVett" in 1962 when "My Man -- He's a Lovin' Man" b/w "Shut Your Mouth," and (the following year) "You'll Never Change" b/w "Here I Am" were licensed and distributed internationally by Atlantic Records, with the former title making it all the way to a very respectable number seven on the R&B charts. LaVette joined forces with producer Brad Shapiro, and in late 1972 found herself signed to the Atlantic Records spinoff Atco, recording what should have been her great breakthrough album at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Yet, when all was said and done, only her cover of Neil Young's " Heart of Gold" b/w "You'll Wake Up Wiser," which was followed several months later by "Your Turn to Cry" b/w "Soul Tambourine," would make it onto store shelves. Originally planned for inclusion on Child of the Seventies, for years the latter two songs remained the album's only remnants; finally, they are presented in their original context as well as in separate mono mixes. Had wiser heads prevailed, Child of the Seventies may have meant Bettye LaVette's name would be as universally acclaimed by R&B lovers as that of, say, Aretha Franklin. AMG.

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Carla Bley - Looking for America 2003

In a year of patriotism run riot, leave it to composer, pianist, and bandleader Carla Bley to take a look for the heart of what makes it tick -- and what it means to be an Americanski. The Bley Big Band hadn't been around for a while, and this outing is a welcome return. Featuring soloists Lew Soloff, Gary Valente, the remarkable Andy Sheppard, and Wolfgang Puschnig, this most Yankee band goes through the mysterious humor of Bley's sense of irony, harmony, and history to find out where the soul of America lies: in its music, its humor, its over-inflated vision of itself, its funkiness, its innovation, its blindness and crass gift for overstatement, or all of the above. Here, the nearly 22-minute "National Anthem" (comprised of a suite of short pieces with titles such as "OG Can UC?," "Whose Broad Stripes?," "Keep It Spangled," etc.) quotes from America's musical past, including "America the Beautiful," both football and military marches (is there a difference?), swing tunes, Dixieland, pop, and country & western, to state with verve that America is best viewed through the lens of a telescope. "Fast Lane" relies on a hard swinging bebop melodic figure to kick its reed and wind heavy harmonics into gear. The rhythm section chops it down and builds it up again as the horns play startling counterpoint. There are four tracks with the word "mother" in them, and all feature various aspects of that eternal mother Lady Liberty as well as moms everywhere. In "Los Cocineros" and "Tijuana Traffic," you have to wonder which way the American tide is flowing, to or from South of the borderline. Song figures worthy of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass meet complex Cuban and mariachi rhythms and harmonics in intervallic motions of line and impression. The set ends with the most bluesed-out read of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" in the history of American popular music. Soloff plays the grit and sweat in both the blues and the barnyard with his opening statement. Stan Kenton would have been proud of this arrangement with its funky rhythmic structure, interwoven solos, and bassline harmonic architecture that expands as the tune goes.Looking for America is a fun, innovative, and indefatigable album by one of the true geniuses in modern jazz. AMG.

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Daniel Lanois - Belladonna 2005

Right from the onset of "Two Worlds" it's a refreshing splash in the face to hear Daniel Lanois' pedal steel playing dance around a bed of guitar feedback; it serves as a reference point to some of his work on U2'sThe Joshua Tree. Like 2003's Shine, Belladonna reveals a side of Lanois that is a treat to see. The vulnerable, contemplative side that was such a critical element to his work with Brian Eno is more than evident, and his slide guitar playing also highlights just how important his contributions were to the notable releases of Eno's solo catalog. The interplay between musicians on the full ensemble tracks is focused and meticulous, with each member knowing exactly when to play and more importantly, when not to. But above all this, it's Lanois' guitar that tells the story and is the anchor of the 13-song cycle; a homage to a lost love with Latin and desert country influences embedded within the center of the record. It's every bit as focused and accomplished as anything in Lanois' catalog, and die-hard fans will be wanting more long after the disc winds down. AMG.

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Tjak - Viajando 2008

The Tjak project was born from the meeting of Gabriel Gomes, Pedro Sotiry and Victor Bandeira. Since the 60's Victor, an ethnologist, had travelled through Africa, South America, South-East of Asia and New Guinea where he gathered ethnologic objects from cultures known as "primitives" which, today are displayed at the Museum of Etnology in Lisbon, Portugal.
Among all that objects, statues and other artfacts, Victot also recorded songs and dances from different ethnic groups, and these are the same tape recordings that are used as motivation ands inspiration for the music performed by Tjak. It's a new encounter betewen the culture of the "other" and our's. An interesting work. Don't miss it.

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Milton Nascimento - ...E A Gente Sonhando 2010

E a Gente Sonhando is Milton Nascimento's first album of new material in almost a decade, a time he spent occupied with other musical projects such as revisiting the works of Tom Jobim. For this record,Nascimento attempted a return of sorts to the collective spirit of his 1972 masterpiece Clube da Esquina, as he gathered around a group of 25 young musicians from his hometown Três Pontas in pursuit of the inspiration that had been slipping away from the Minas Gerais' singer for some time. Nascimentocertainly sounds rejuvenated on E a Gente Sonhando, arguably his strongest collection since 1990's Txai. Part of the reason has to do with that, for once, Nascimento is not trying too hard with a new concept or an overblown production, but instead concentrates on the basics of his own unique style. In fact, E a Gente Sonhando can be considered an excellent compendium of the type of songs typically associated with classic Milton Nascimento. Many are sublime ballads, including the first three tracks, which set a dignified mood for the album, even if brisker numbers are later introduced. Gradually, other characteristics of Nascimento's style begin to appear, such as the extensive use of choir or secondary voices in call and response patterns ("Raras Maneiras," "O Sol," "Espelho de Sol") that showcase young vocalists Bruno Cabral and Paulo Francisco. In another inspired decision, the orchestral arrangements that overwhelmed some of his latest productions are replaced by the stately piano of Ismael Tiso Jr. (son of Nascimento's lifetime friend and collaborator Wagner Tiso), unquestionably the album's musical anchor. As usual, Nascimento writes part of the material with Fernando Brant, as well as a track each with Flavio Henrique and Pedrinho do Cavaco, picks from some of his favorite songwriters (Vitor Ramil,Lulu Santos, Marcio Borges...), and also introduces songs by Hector Branquinho, Clayton Prosperi, andMarco Elízeo to a new generation. The latter is also the album's co-producer and arranger. As for that thing of beauty that is Milton Nascimento's voice, even if it has grown lower with age, and is not so prone to break into its heavenly falsetto, it still remains one of the beacons of world music. AMG.

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Allah-Las - Allah-Las 2012

Los Angeles-based garage rock revivalist quartet Allah-Las are comprised of lead vocalist/guitarist Miles Michaud, lead guitarist/vocalist Pedrum Siadatian, bassist/vocalist Spencer Dunham, and drummer/vocalist Matthew Correia. Three of the four bandmembers were working in the L.A. branch of the legendary record store Amoeba when the group formed in 2008, and they must have spent a great deal of time researching the garage and psychedelic sounds of the '60s while propping up the counter. Their sound combines the harmonies and pop hooks of the British Invasion, the trippy atmosphere of West Coast psychedelic bands, and the raw swagger of countless American garage rockers. 
No doubt they bonded over repeated airings of Pebbles collections and arguments over who was moodier, Love or the Chocolate Watchband, because the sound they conjure up on their self-titled debut album sounds like it came straight out of a Midwestern garage or from the stage of a West Coast teen club. With the help of friend and producer Nick Waterhouse (who expertly re-creates old-school soul music on his own records), the group nails the sometimes overlooked melancholy side of garage rock. Every band worth its Voxx guitars had at least one misty minor-chord ballad in its repertoire to show off the tenderness that lurked below the shouting rockers and pissed-off rants. Allah-Las delve deeply into the murky moods, delivering nothing but low-key, restrained songs that never raise a sweat but creep right into your brain just the same. Part of this can be credited to the soundWaterhouse gets -- perfectly layered guitars (with plenty of chiming 12-string), a chunky but fluid bass pulse, a tinny but tough drum sound, just the right amount of reverb on the vocals -- but the rest has to go to the guys writing the songs. Though they stick to minor chords and middle tempos throughout the album, the songs don't blend together into a hazy mess as the album slowly sulks along, and occasional songs, like "Busman's Holiday," veer away from the typical girl-done-me-wrong tropes of garage rock and help keep things separated. So do the memorable guitar lines Pedrum Siadatian drapes across every song; the musical hooks, like the surging organ of "Catamaran" or the bongos on "Seven Point Five," that pop up repeatedly; and the tender snarl of Miles Michaud's vocals. He's clearly taken his Jagger lessons, but never lapses into pure imitation. In the end, what really makes the record a success is the mood the band sure-footedly creates from beginning to end. The record starts under a cloud of grey sadness and it never lets up; even the two instrumentals have a wistful heart. Plenty of bands have done just as good a job at re-creating the sound and feel of '60s psych and garage bands; few have done it with the unceasingly downcast and yet somehow peaceful approach of Allah-Las. It might be nice to hear them amp it up a bit on their next record for a change of pace, but this works just fine as a bummed-out garage trip. AMG.

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Chico Cesar - Chico Cesar 2000

His melodies and lyrics reflect the centuries of European-African-Indian intercultural strife and matings that provide the essence of modern northeastern Brazilian music. César's style draws heavily on the region's signature off-center, chugging forro rhythms and breathlessly fast, unrelenting frevo beats, but hearty helpings of Carioca samba and African-based imports like reggae, R&B, and rock are also grist for his busy mill. His songwriting is influenced by the rebellious art-song esthetic of the Tropicalismo crowd, but also reaches further back to the chilled-out, boozy intellectualism of '60s bossa nova. He surrounds his high, reedy vocals with undulating vocal chorales, mellow guitars, blithe squeezeboxes, and percolating drums and shakers, and occasional lush overlays of brass, violins, and flutes. Despite his obvious taste and aplomb, César's compositions tend to come across as pleasing, graceful exercises that don't aspire to touch a deeper chord. Nonetheless, despite the fact that he seldom approaches the complexity and passion so often exhibited by, let's say, Caetano Veloso or Milton Nascimento, his work has considerable charm. His melodies are easy to fall into, they are catchy enough to augment the pleasure of an idle hour but barely avoid being facile. This confection is would add a festive, relaxed ambiance to al fresco pursuits like picnics, cocktails on the patio, and beach parties. Detailed liner notes and English lyric translations are included. AMG.

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Ahmed Abdullah Quartet - Liquid Magic 1988

Ex-Sun Ra trumpeter/flügelhornist Abdullah expresses his brand of jazz in a modern way with mainstream swing and progressive overtones. Tenor saxophonist Charles Brackeen, bassist Malachi Favors, and drummer Alvin Fielder are all fine improvisers and jazz professionals. Brackeen's salty, dry Texas tenor blue hues mix and match especially well with Abdullah's sound, which ranges from burnished Dizzy Gillespie phrases to Don Cherry's smearing techniques. In fact, Abdullah is as close toCherry's style and stance as anyone, and that's a good thing. The leader has chosen three of his own compositions to showcase. "Ebony Queen" has a stairstep/up-and-down line with ostinato bass, veryOrnette Coleman-ish, with Brackeen's wayward tenor and Abdullah occasionally spurting shrill, elephantine vocal shrieks among mostly melodic passages, a challenging approach. A goodly swing leads to Fielder's Ed Blackwell-like solo. The trumpet/bass title track, depicted as Abdullah responding to a dancer (repped by Favors) leads into "The Ruler," a soulful waltz with contrapuntal horns, and bass solo plopped in between. Abdullah plays piano for "Reflections on a Mystic," with Favors' always hopeful bass leading to a ballad/dirge, to upper register tenor, muted trumpet, arco bass, then a mute out with the tenor lower pitched. There is an alternate take of "Ebony Queen," and a separate take of "The Ruler" with quite different solo construct. Sun Ra's hard bopper "Mystery of Two" is urgent and tonic, a cut anybody can dig, while "Walk with God," actually written by a Dr. Kola, a New York state prisoner, is a Zen blues walk. Miriam Makeba's "Mayibue," arranged by Abdullah, evokes all the air of a South African township party, with beautiful tenor harmony and Abdullah's breezy flügelhorn. When Abdullah records, albeit infrequently, the consistency of his musicianship is ever present and accounted for, as on this delightful recording. Highly recommended. AMG.

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Geraldo Azevedo - Berekekê 1995

Romantic lyricism set to virtuosic guitar playing has made Geraldo Azevedo one of the top pop musicians in Brazil. Many of his compositions, including "Caravana," "Copacabana," "De Outra Maneira" and "Barcarola Do Sao Francisco," have become Brazilian pop classics.

Born in Petrolina, a small town near the banks of the San Francisco River, Azevedo was heavily influenced by João Gilberto, who lived in Juazeiro, a city on the other side of the river. Self-taught on the guitar, he mastered the instrument by the age of twelve. Moving to the capital city of Recife in 1963,Azevedo formed Grupo Construcao with vocalist Teca Calazans and percussionist Naná Vasconcelos.

Four years later, he accepted an invitation by vocalist Eliana Pittman to relocate to Rio de Janeiro.Azevedo soon became one of the city's leading musicians and a highly respected accompanist for many top-ranked vocalists. Together with Vasconcelos, Nelson Ângelo and singer/songwriter Geraldo Vandré, with whom he co-wrote the popular "Cancao de Despedida" ("The Farewell Song"), Azevedo formed a band, Quarteto Livre. After the military government closed the Brazilian congress and instituted censorship in December 1968, the group disbanded.

Azevedo attained international acclaim in 1991 when he teamed with Alçeu Valença to compose and perform two songs -- "78 Rotaces" and "Planetario" -- at a festival sponsored by Tupi TV in Sao Paulo. Signed by Casablanca, Azevedo and Valença released a self-titled duo album. In 1972, the two joined with folk singer Jackson Do Pandeiro to perform at an International Song Festival in Rio.

Azevedo began to achieve recognition on his own, as well. Several of his songs were featured on the soundtrack of the Globo TV series Gabriela and Saramandaia. Azevedo's debut solo album released in 1973 became a major hit. In 1979, Azevedo and actress/singer Elba Ramalhorecorded Bicho de 7 Cabcas. Azevedo recorded a live album in the Golden Room of the Casablanca in Rio in 1985. 

This album had a more careful production than those where his own violão playing seems a little rustic. The careful arrangements here are light but not boring, framing his voice adequately in fluid ballads. On the other hand, the album doesn't bringAzevedo's hits or more expressive songs, though. AMG.

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