Erik Truffaz - Out of a Dream 1997

Erik Truffaz received an early introduction into the world of a professional musician, thanks to his saxophone-playing dad. When he was ten years old, the French trumpeter began performing in his father's dance band. As he grew older, Truffaz performed with other bands in the region until he was 16 and heard Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. The great jazz trumpeter's music inspired him to learn more, and he set off for Switzerland's Geneva Conservatoire, where he became a student.

Truffaz's repertoire expanded to works by Mozart and Verdi, and he performed as part of Orchestre de Suisse Romande. He also played in cover bands before establishing a group called Orange. The band concentrated on Truffaz's compositions. Among its members was Marc Erbetta, a drummer who continued to play with Truffaz as the trumpeter evolved.

Truffaz's jazz fusion artistry led France's Jury du Concours National de la Defense to bestow upon him the 1991 Prix Special, that country's coveted jazz award. Within three years, he became a leader with the release of Nina Valeria. In 1991, he made the first of his three appearances on the stage of the Montreux Jazz Festival. For two years beginning in 1994, he toured Europe, Russia, and Brazil, thanks to funds bestowed by the ProHelvetia Foundation. In 2000, Truffaz signed with Blue Note records and released The Mask, a straight ahead jazz session with Miles Davis similarities. By his second Revisite and third Mantis discs, however, Truffaz began to stretch the boundries of contemporary jazz by incorporating drum'n'bass and hip-hop rhythms, establishing himself as a cutting edge artist in his own right. In 2003, both Walk of the Giant Turtle and Bending New Corners were issued on Blue Note. Saloua from 2005 expanded his interest in hip-hop by adding some rap. AMG.

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Daevid Allen - Seven Drones 1991

Another of the projects hatched during Daevid Allen's return to Australia during the 1980s, Seven Dronesoffers up a series of very gentle ambient pieces, an aid for the meditational practices that Allen (who recorded the album under the pseudonym Ja-Am) was then discovering. It is not an album for anyone with a short attention span -- or even a long one. Barely audible in places, it is aural wallpaper in the purest sense, but filed alongside Eno's early experiments in the same arena, it is at least as intriguing a creation. AMG.

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Boncana Maiga - Best of Salsa 1997

With his insightful and imaginative gift for arranging, Boncana Maïga has played an important role in the contemporary music of Mali. The leader and saxophone player for Le Negro Band De Gao during the early '60s, he switched to transverse flute during nine years spent studying world music in Havana, Cuba. While in Cuba, he played Cuban music with Las Maravillas De Mali. Returning to Mali in 1974, he continued to work with Las Maravillas, who changed their name to National Badema. After moving to Abidjian, Cote d' Ívoire, in the late '70s, he began to devote his attention to arranging material for other performers. He soon acquired a reputation as one of Africa's top arrangers, working with such leading African performers as Alpha Blondy, Abdoulaye Diabate, and Omar Pene & Super Diamono. In 1992, Maïga joined with West African record company owner and producer Ibrahima Sylla to form Africando, an Afro-fusion band featuring a New York rhythm section and West Senegalese vocalists Pape Seck,Medoune Diallo, and Nicholas Menheim. In 1997, Maïga received a prestigious Kora Award (the African equivelent to the Grammy) as Best Arranger. AMG.

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Plasticland - Plasticland 1985

Plasticland's acid-drenched neo-psychedelic sound bore some resemblance to L.A.'s concurrent paisley underground scene, but instead of drawing their chief inspiration from the Velvet Underground, the Milwaukee quartet had a greater affinity for vintage garage rock and British mind-benders like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and the Pretty Things. Formed in 1980 out of the ashes of prog rockers Arousing Polaris, Plasticland included vocalist/guitarist/organist Glenn Rehse, guitarist Dan Mullen, bassist John Frankovic, and drummer Vic Demechei, who debuted that summer with the "Mink Dress" single on Scadillac. Several more singles and EPs followed, including 1982's Pop! Op Drops (whose material later became part of the band's first album); there were also several personnel shifts, as Demechei was replaced first by Bob DuBlon, then Rob McCuen. (Several tracks with the Violent Femmes' Brian Ritchie on guitar were also recorded during this era.)

Plasticland's first full-length, Color Appreciation, was issued on the French Lolita label in 1984; a year later, it was re-released in America by Pink Dust with two different tracks, titled simply Plasticland. The follow-up, Wonder Wonderful Wonderland, was released before the end of 1985, and featured Mellotron and bouzouki, among other vintage psychedelic accoutrements. By the time of 1987's Salon, Demechei had returned to the fold. Plasticland subsequently resurfaced on the Midnight label with a pair of live albums: 1989's You Need a Fairy Godmother featured onetime Pink Fairies/Pretty Things drummer Twink, and 1990's Confetti. In the late '80s, a German fan commissioned an album, Dapper Snappings, for his Repulsion label. The albums was eventually released in 1994. Some of the band's early recordings were collected on Mink Dress and Other Cats, while a career-spanning collection was issued in 2006. AMG. Thanks to ChrisGoesRock!

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Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman 1988

Arriving with little fanfare in the spring of 1988, Tracy Chapman's eponymous debut album became one of the key records of the Bush era, providing a touchstone for the entire PC movement while reviving the singer/songwriter tradition. And Tracy Chapman is firmly within the classic singer/songwriter tradition, sounding for all the world as if it was recorded in the early '70s -- that is, if all you paid attention to were the sonics, since Chapman's songs are clearly a result of the Reagan revolution. Even the love songs and laments are underscored by a realized vision of trickle-down modern life -- listen to the lyrical details of "Fast Car" for proof. Chapman's impassioned liberal activism and emotional resonance enlivens her music, breathing life into her songs even when the production is a little bit too clean. Still, the juxtaposition of contemporary themes and classic production precisely is what makes the album distinctive -- it brings the traditions into the present. At the time, it revitalized traditional folk ideals of social activism and the like, kick starting the PC revolution in the process, but if those were its only merits, Tracy Chapman would sound dated. The record continues to sound fresh because Chapman's writing is so keenly observed and her strong, gutsy singing makes each song sound intimate and immediate. AMG.

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Grace Jones - Slave To The Rhythm 1985

An audio biography of Grace Jones, produced by Trevor Horn, it's a sonic treat along the lines of Yes's90125 or Frankie Goes to Hollywood's first album (both produced by Horn). The music ranges from slick R&B runaway grooves to striking audio montages, interrupted occasionally by conversation aboutJones's life. Serious ear candy. AMG.

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FFF - Blast Culture 1991

Standing for Fédération Française de Funk (French Funk Federation),FFF was formed in Paris in 1987 around Marco Prince (vocals), Yarol(guitar), Niktus (bass), Krichou (drums), Felix (keyboards), and formerMarquis de Sade bandmember Philippe Herpin (saxophone). Capable of amazing on-stage firepower, they were the only band to hit the big time among the early-'90s Parisian funk scene. Their first album, 1991's Blast Culture, featured a driving blend of funky rhythms and close-to-metal rock influences, and was effective enough to draw attention fromGeorge Clinton and Spike Lee themselves, the latter of whom directed their semi-hit "Marco"'s video. After the following tour, FFF went back to recording for the release of 1993's Free for Fever album. At the end of the Free for Fever tour, FFFbegan to lose focus, many of its members exploring new directions, so that they had lost a little bit of the public interest by the time of the release of their 1996 self-titled album. Its hit single, "Barbès," didn't hit hard enough to attract as much attention as before, and neither did "Alice" from their 2000 albumVierge. AMG.

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Georgie Fame - Cool Cat Blues 1991

Georgie Fame's swinging, surprisingly credible blend of jazz and American R&B earned him a substantial following in his native U.K., where he scored three number one singles during the '60s. Fame played piano and organ in addition to singing, and was influenced by the likes of Mose Allison, Booker T. & the MG's, and Louis Jordan. Early in his career, he also peppered his repertoire with Jamaican ska and bluebeat tunes, helping to popularize that genre in England; during his later years, he was one of the few jazz singers of any stripe to take an interest in the vanishing art of vocalese, and earned much general respect from jazz critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
Fame was born Clive Powell on June 26, 1943, in Leigh, Lancashire (near Manchester, England). He began playing piano at a young age, and performed with several groups around Manchester as a teenager, when he was particularly fond of Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1959, his family moved to London, where the 16 year old was discovered by songwriter Lionel Bart (best known for the musical Oliver). Bart took Powell to talent manager Larry Parnes, who promoted British rockers like Billy Fury, Marty Wilde, Johnny Gentle, and Vince Eager. Powell naturally had to be renamed as well, and as Georgie Fame, he played piano behind Wilde and Eager before officially joining Fury's backing band, the Blue Flames, in the summer of 1961. (the Blue Flames also included guitarist Colin Green, saxophonist Mick Eve, bassist Tony Makins, and drummer Red Reece.) When Fury let the band go at the end of the year, Fame became their lead singer, and they hit the London club circuit playing a distinctive blend of rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and ska. Their budding reputation landed them a residency at the West End jazz club the Flamingo, and thanks to the American servicemen who frequented the club and lent Fame their records, he discovered the Hammond B-3 organ, becoming one of the very few British musicians to adopt the instrument in late 1962. From there, the Blue Flames became one of the most popular live bands in London. In 1963, they signed with EMI Columbia, and in early 1964 released their acclaimed debut LP, Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo. It wasn't a hot seller at first, and likewise their first three singles all flopped, but word of the group was spreading.
Finally, in early 1965, Fame hit the charts with "Yeh Yeh," a swinging tune recorded by Latin jazz legend Mongo Santamaria and given lyrics by vocalese virtuoso Jon Hendricks of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. "Yeh Yeh" went all the way to number one on the British charts, and Fame started living up to his stage name (although the song barely missed the Top 20 in America). His 1965 LP Fame at Last reached the British Top 20, and after several more minor hits, he had another British number one with "Getaway" in 1966. After one more LP with the original Blue Flames, 1966's Sweet Thing, Fame broke up the band and recorded solo; over the next few years, his backing bands included drummer Mitch Mitchell (later of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and the young guitarist John McLaughlin (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra).
At the outset, Fame's solo career was just as productive as before, kicking off with the Top Ten big-band LP Sound Venture (recorded with Harry South's orchestra); thanks to its success, he toured with the legendary Count Basie the following year. Several hit singles followed over the next few years, including "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde," which became his third British chart-topper in late 1967 and, the following year, his only Top Ten hit in America. But by 1969, his success was beginning to tail off; hoping to make inroads into the more adult-oriented cabaret circuit, Fame was moving more and more into straight-up pop and away from his roots. In 1971, he teamed up with onetime Animals organist Alan Price and recorded an album of critically reviled MOR pop, Fame & Price; the partnership produced a near-Top Ten hit in "Rosetta," but ended in 1973. Fame re-formed the Blue Flames with original guitarist Colin Green in 1974 and attempted to return to R&B, but his records for Island attracted little attention. He spent much of the '70s and '80s making ends meet by performing on TV and the cabaret circuit, as well as writing advertising jingles; he also continued to make records, to little fanfare.

In 1989, Fame played organ on Van Morrison's Avalon Sunset album, which grew into a fruitful collaboration over the course of the '90s; Fame played on all of Morrison's albums through 1997's The Healing Game, received co-billing on Morrison's 1996 jazz album How Long Has This Been Going On, and even served a stint as Morrison's musical director. Meanwhile, Fame's own solo work during the '90s received some of his best reviews since the '60s, starting with 1991's jazzy Cool Cat Blues, which featured a duet with Morrison on "Moondance." 1995's Three Line Whip featured his sons Tristan and James Powell on guitar and drums, respectively, and 1996's The Blues and Me further enhanced his growing jazz credibility. In 1998, Fame split with Morrison to record and tour with former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman's new group the Rhythm Kings, contributing organ and vocals to several albums. In 2000, now signed to Ben Sidran's Go Jazz label, Fame released the acclaimed Poet in New York, which established him as an impressive student of jazz's vocalese tradition. AMG.

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Danny Gatton - 88 Elmira St. 1991

After years of knocking around the Washington, D.C.-area circuit, local guitar legend Danny Gattonfinally got to cut his first album for a major label. It was indeed worth the wait, spot-welding blinding speed and immaculate chops that went in a million different directions (jazz, country, rockabilly, blues, you name it) to a musical sensibility that made this all-instrumental album a whole lot more than just yer average fretboard wanking jam-fest. Gatton's Telecaster really shines on diverse material ranging from Martin Denny's "Quiet Village" to the roadhouse shuffle "Funky Mama" to the off-the-wall rendition of the theme to The Simpsons. Kudos to Elektra for having the corporate balls to put this out; short, chunky, and middle-aged, Danny Gatton was a bona fide guitar hero for the '90s, putting the lie to the hard canard that only speedburner metal mega-hair dudes can make the front covers of the guitar mags. AMG.

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Slow Poke - Redemption 2000

Many bop snobs would have us believe that all avant-garde jazz is nothing more than mindless, directionless noise. But it's foolish to make sweeping generalizations about any musical idiom. While there's nothing wrong with atonal free jazz, some of it is brilliant, listeners need to realize that not all avant-garde jazz is atonal. Avant-garde jazz can, in fact, be very melodic. A perfect example isRedemption by Slow Poke, an East Coast quartet that includes tenor and soprano saxophonist Michael Blake, bassist Tony Scherr, drummer Kenny Wollesen, and a guitarist who simply goes by Tronzo. IfCecil Taylor, Charles Gayle, and Anthony Braxton are extremely avant-garde, Slow Poke is only mildly avant-garde. This diverse, generally impressive CD takes an inside/outside approach -- a lot more inside than outside -- and all of the tunes have discernible melodies. Much to its credit, Slow Poke as eclectic as it is musical; everything from North African and Middle Eastern music to blues, funk, and rock has influenced this 1998 session. Meanwhile, Slow Poke puts its interpretive powers to work on imaginative versions of Johnny Cash's "Redemption," Nirvana's "Been a Son," and the Rolling Stones' "Shine a Light," all of which lend themselves nicely to jazz makeovers. While many other jazz artists are content to inundate us with the same old Tin Pan Alley standards, Slow Poke realizes that rock and country songs can, in fact, be relevant to jazz. Redemption falls short of innovative, but it has a probing, adventurous spirit that was missing from many of the jazz recordings of the late '90s. AMG.

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Mahmoud Ahmed - Hulum Yisma 2000

In Ethiopia the word is "eskeusta," which roughly translated means ecstasy; more specifically, it is a shaking sensation that begins at one's shoulders, quivering down the spine and into the legs and feet. Of all the great male vocalists that Ethiopia has produced (and there have been quite a few), none is able to create eskeusta better than Mahmoud Ahmed.
For over 40 years Mahmoud Ahmed has deftly combined the traditional Amharic music of Ethiopia (essentially a five-note scale that features jazz-style singing offset by complex circular rhythm patterns that give the music a distinct Indian feel) with pop and jazz, yielding some of the most adventurous, passionate, ear-opening, downright surrealistic sounds this side of the deepest, darkest dub or the most out-there free jazz. In fact, until you've heard Ahmed's sweeping multi-octave voice in full workout, words hardly do it justice. As with the late great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, he simply has to be heard to be believed and appreciated.

Ahmed has been a star in Ethiopia almost since the day he began recording. His swooping vocals, complemented by the freewheeling jazziness of the Ibex Band (with whom he recorded his masterpiece, Ere Mela Mela), are very different from what normally is lumped into the broad expression Afro-pop. The rhythms are repetitive and intense, not too dissimilar from, say, Fela, just a little less hard. But it's Ahmed's voice -- swirling high notes that sound as if they're chasing one another, impeccable tone and phrasing -- that is the distinguishing element. By singing in this style Ahmed has attempted to fuse the past and present. He's not an elitist when it comes to singing older Ethiopian music, but rather he hears the similarities in Ethiopian pop that have thrived over time and is keen to bring them together.

As the Western critical attention to Afro-pop centered on the music of sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopian artists like Ahmed and Hirut Bekele, Ali Birra, and Alemayehu Eshete were less likely to receive coverage in the music press. Recently, younger performers such as Aster Aweke (who emigrated to the U.S. in the mid-'80s) and Netsanet Mellesse have received more ink, thus opening the doors for those inclined to explore the music that influenced them. And for those so inclined that means becoming familiar with brilliant, demanding, but unknown artists such as Mahmoud Ahmed. He has been featured consistently in the award-winning Ethiopiques series of compilation recordings from Buda Musique, and has four separate installments -- Vols. 6, 7 (his seminal Erè Mèla Mèla), 19, and 26 -- devoted exclusively to his catalog of works as well as his singles that appear intermittently on other volumes. Ethiopiques, Vol. 26 features Ahmed fronting Ethiopia's Imperial Bodyguard Band between 1972 and 1974 (though he was no longer a member of that band); it includes all the sides he recorded with them in chronological order. AMG.

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Bjorn Berge - Blackwood 2011

Bjorn Berge's new album"BLACKWOOD" is out now in Europe and North America. On this album he's back to his "roots" again,whitch means an acoustic blend of Folk, Blues, Rock and Funky songs.

"Bjorn Berge is an acoustic genius. The Norwegian singer can move mountains with his acoustic guitars, he can outplay the hardest metalheads and raise an enormous amount of energy. His repertoire ranges from his own powerful songs to smashing cover versions, which are much more than standard versions of old hits thanks to Berges brutish voice and extremely dynamic guitar technique. Although this statement is only partial true: Despite all this, Berge's music is always catchy and soulful. His concerts are definitely THE acoustic guitar event of this decade. Bjorn Berge is probably the best solo live performer you will ever see. His performance comes from his soul, a whiskey of maturity, seasoned, his hands that fly across the guitar making it an instrument that has never been heard before. A live show by Bjorn Berge is best described as “A performance of Art and total control of the the 12 string guitar"

Bjorn Berge has been playing guitar and banjo since he was 13 years old and since then he has been interested in music and playing. During his career he’s earned a reputation for being an outstanding guitarist. His "fingerpicking style" is at a unique level and has made him a popular performer on the European arena, as well as concerts in Canada and the United States. Some will say in the top league in the world:

He started his own bluegrass band in the mid 80's, but now for the last 15 years he has been fully occupied with his solo career as a guitarist and to cultivate and explore the possibilities of playing 6 - and 12-string guitar. He has released nine albums so far, of which 2 has given him the Norwegian Grammy “Spellemannsprisen”.

On this new album, Berge has written all the songs himself, except two. Musically, he goes a little more back to the roots and it’s on a natural path from his previous album "Fretwork" from 2009.

For the last 7-8 years, he’s made Europe as his playground, which involves numerous days of travel. He’s a frequent guest of the major jazz-, blues- and guitar-festivals around. His music is difficult to categorize as he combines multiple musical genres, but mainly he’s in the folk-/blues segment, interspersed with elements from such rock and funk. He performs for the most originals, but he also makes his own interpretations and versions of songs from artists/bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Butler Trio, Joni Mitchell and Motorhead to name a few. + Info Thanks to MFP.

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Bonga - Mulemba Xangola 2000

These days, Bonga Barceló de Carvalho (who only goes by his first name professionally) is to Angolan pop what Bunny Wailer and Jimmy Cliff are to reggae: an elder statesman of his genre. Bonga became well-known in the early '70s, and when the 21st century arrived, he still commanded a loyal following in Southern Africa. (He would later make Portugal his home.) It was in Portugal that Bonga producedMulemba Xangola for the French Lusafrica label. This CD often incorporates elements of Afro-Cuban music; traditional African rhythms were a major influence on what came to be called salsa, and eventually, Afro-Cuban elements found their way to some of the pop music of various African countries, including Bonga's native Angola. One hears Bonga's enthusiasm for Afro-Cuban music on slow, moody, Portuguese-language selections like "Ngui Tename," "Olhos Molhados," and "Kimone Amarelo," as well as the occasional up-tempo tune. "Incaldido" and "Mutokodias" are among the CD's more exuberant and danceable offerings, but for the most part, Mulemba Xangola is designed for listening rather than dancing. A soulful addition to Bonga's catalog, Mulemba Xangola will please his diehard followers and could easily attract some novices as well. AMG.

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