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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CCS - As, Bs & Rarities 2005

It seems strange to see the output of Mickie Most's RAK label finally being taken seriously by record labels as well as collectors, 30-plus years after the imprint established itself as the epitome of disposable pop tunes. Yet EMI's ongoing As, Bs & Rarities series offers nothing less than the same thorough treatment that any other, more hallowed, label could expect. The format is essentially the same throughout: a gathering up of every RAK single (A-sides and B-sides) released by a given band, with the remainder of the CD filled with choice outtakes and oddities -- which, in CCS' case, covers a lot of territories. From the band's opening shot (and hit), a spectral cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," and on through such off-kilter delights as "Brother," "Walking," and the quite salacious "Tap Turns On the Water," CCS maintained a dignified but often unsettling role in the U.K. charts of the early '70s. Neither did the magic cease when the records stopped selling -- their first-ever flop, 1972's "16 Tons," offers up a near-definitive rendition of that jolly old chestbeater. Seven straight singles plug the bulk of this collection, with the B-sides (a superlative rendition of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" among them) frequently sounding as great as the hits. From there, five tracks highlight CCS' three original albums, before two superlative, and previously unissued, outtakes close the set. The sleeve notes make the point that, of all the music that main man Alexis Korner made throughout his career, CCS is frequently overlooked by the repackagers. This collection goes a long way toward remedying that oversight and might, if listeners are really lucky, even lead to reissues for the original LPs themselves. AMG.

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Adrian Belew - Acoustic Adrian Belew 1995

Packaged in a sleeve that (not accidentally) reminds one of the Beatles' White Album, this first released collection of Belew's acoustic renderings is all around a pleasant listen. The classic Adrian Belew songs are great. It is refreshing to hear songs like "The Man in the Moon" and "The Rail Song" with new life breathed into them. Belew's delivery is a little subdued, which at times can have a postured to be included on an acoustic release feel to it at times, but, for the most part, the music sounds fresh and revitalized. He does include a couple treats on this outing. The first of these is a cover of the Beatles "If I Fell," which sounds like a dead-on impersonation of the John and Paul vocal harmonies from the original. Very cool. Also included is a Roy Orbison's "Crying," which is a nice as well. King Crimson's "Matte Kudesai" has some issues here -- the verses are accompanied by a low somewhat seasick two-note guitar riff that at best is not very appropriate for the song. The final number on this collection is a tune called "Martha Adored," which is recording of "Dream Life" played backwards in its entirety. Unexpectedly and astonishingly beautiful. This track alone makes the whole set worthwhile. AMG. 

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Caetano Veloso - Zii e Zie 2009

After over three decades of building a body of work that stands as one of the most mesmerizing and groundbreaking in any musical language of the past 50 years, Caetano Veloso seems to have hit a hitherto unimaginable creative slump in the early 21st century. His controversial 2006 album, Cê, was a deliberate attempt on Veloso's part to rejuvenate himself with a full immersion in electronic noise. Regardless of its largely disappointing results, it is clear that Veloso conceived the album as a new turning point, and that its 2009 successor, Zii e Zie, was intended as a logical continuation, both in the sound and in the central role of sex in many of his lyrics. Essential to Veloso's new minimalist approach is the reduction to a four-piece electric band, consisting of guitarist Pedro Sá, bassist Ricardo Dias Gomes, and drummer Marcelo Callado, plus Veloso on vocals and guitars. The three musicians that form BandaCê, as the band was put together for the Cê tour, all belong to a much younger generation than Veloso's, and come from the Brazilian rock scene, rather than MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira). The music of Zii e Ziewas developed with the band -- demos and ideas were also posted online on Veloso's official site as "work in progress," for colleagues, friends, and fans to discuss and make suggestions. In fact, the entire creative process behind this album is dissected by Veloso on his site in a way that is unprecedented for any of his records. Allegedly, the main concept was the creation of "transambas": transforming the spirit of samba through an ascetic, acerbic, and electric sound, better fitted for the harsh urban realities of a Brazil trying to balance a soaring economy with ever-increasing social inequality and violence. This Veloso set to accomplish with a remake of two classic sambas by Serafim Adriano, as well as in a series of compositions dealing with the city of Rio de Janeiro. Most of all, he accomplishes this in the elemental rhythmic motif that opens the album, and in fact dominates throughout via a samba pattern laid out obsessively by an electric guitar. The results are primitive but hypnotic; certainly Zii e Zie cannot be faulted for lack of consistency. Still, while most of the debate over Veloso's new music inevitably centers around his rediscovery of electronic sounds, it should not cloud the main issue: it is not the sound, but the songs that are lacking here. Veloso has always been first and foremost an exceptional songwriter. This has allowed him to experiment in any direction he chooses and, improbably, make it all work -- simply because a great song always waited at the bottom of it all. Unfortunately, this no longer seems to be the case. While Zii e Zie is an utterly compelling listen, one that has to be regarded as a definitive improvement upon Cê, yet there are really few individual songs here that match Veloso's (granted, insanely high) standards. This becomes particularly evident in tracks that reference earlier songs, such as "Guantanamo" and "Menina da Ria." Even if the latter is actually one of the album's most beautiful moments, these songs still pale in comparison to the masterpieces they are ostensibly revisiting (1994's "Haiti" and 1979's "Menino do Rio," respectively). Time will tell what place this electric phase will ultimately take in Caetano Veloso's long and fabulous discography. Zii e Zie certainly deserves to be heard, even if only because it would be most unwise to pass judgment too quickly on such a proven visionary. AMG.

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Al Foster Quartet - Love, Peace and Jazz 2008

Known primarily as a sideman, veteran drummer Al Foster nevertheless has led a quartet since 1997, as noted by his bassist throughout, Douglas Weiss, in this album's annotations, playing "nearly 500 dates all around the world," or about 50 a year. In that time, Foster's group has been recorded only twice, at the outset by the German Laika label for the album Brandyn, and here, ten years later, by the Italian label Jazz Eyes. In the interim, the piano and saxophone positions have turned over, here occupied by Kevin Hays and Eli Degibri, respectively. But the musical approach has stayed the same. Foster's group is a mainstream jazz ensemble with a post-bop orientation in which his earlier associations as a sideman are evoked. Among the six tracks here are three originals (one of which, "Brandyn," also appeared on Foster's earlier album) and three songs from his employers, Blue Mitchell's "Fungii Mama," and "ESP" and "Blue in Green," both from Miles Davis' repertoire, although the former was written by Wayne Shorter. Interestingly, the Davis tunes derive from a period earlier than Foster's employment by Davis, which occurred in the early to mid-'70s and again in the early '80s. Whether the compositions are new or old,Foster shares the spotlight generously. With a running time of 69 minutes, the disc's tracks average over 11 minutes each, and that length tends to allow for extensive soloing from all hands, even Foster, although he does not abuse his position. The focus here is on supportive ensemble work by a group of accomplished musicians. AMG.

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Cesaria Evora - Sao Vicente Di Longe 2001

A native of the island nation of Cape Verde, Cesária Évora was known as the country's foremost practitioner of the morna, which is strongly associated with the islands and combines West African percussion with Portuguese fados, Brazilian modhinas, and British sea shanties. Évora began singing morna at age 16 after meeting an attractive young guitarist. Her talent soon had her performing all over the islands, and in the late '60s two of her radio tapes were released as albums in the Netherlands and Portugal, respectively. However, Évora never left her country, and gave up singing in the mid-'70s owing to lack of profit. In 1985, at the age of 45, she decided to return to music and traveled to Portugal to record two songs for an anthology of female Cape Verdean singers. This led to subsequent recording sessions in Paris, which resulted in four albums from 1988 to 1992. Her international fame grew, and she toured Europe, Africa, Brazil, and Canada, with stops in the United States to perform for Cape Verdean audiences. In the fall of 1995, she mounted her first large-scale American tour; subsequent recordings include 1997's Cabo Verde and 1999's Mar Azul and Cafe Atlantico. With Évora now a certified international star, the new millennium didn't see any loss of momentum for the singer, and she continued to record and tour the globe. Her 2001 release, Sao Vicente, featured numerous collaborations, including appearances from Bonnie Raitt,Orquesta Aragón, and Brazilian superstar Caetano Veloso. Already a well-televised figure in Europe, her growing popularity in North America led to an appearance on The David Letterman Show; a DVD titled Live in Paris; the reissue of her 1974 album Distino di Belita; and the 2004 Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music recording forVoz d'Amor. The same year she was recognized by French culture minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon as an Officer des Arts et des Lettres. After another extensive tour, in 2006 Évora released Rogamar, much of which was recorded in her hometown of Mindelo. Three years later, she released Nha Sentimento, another hometown affair, with more songs from the pen of Teofilo Chantre. Continuing heart trouble forced her to undergo surgery in 2010, and one year later, she retired from performing due to poor health. Three months after that announcement, on December 17, 2011, she died at a hospital in Mindelo. AMG.

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Garaj Mahal - Blueberry Cave 2005

If it's jaw-dropping, jazz-rock technical proficiency you're after, look no further than this quartet of astonishingly talented musicians. One spin of "The Shadow," the head-spinning nine-minute opener that meshes classic prog circa Brand X with a sped-up James Brown funk attack will prove conclusively that in the chops department, these guys are pretty much untouchable. But rather than fashioning themselves as a contemporary version of the '70s Mahavishnu Orchestra or Return to Forever, two obvious influences on the band's sound, Garaj Mahal expands its palette to incorporate elements of rap and world music. That is particularly evident on the sitar driven "'Spect Rap," which shifts into the edgy, slow burn of "No 'Spect." Even when jamming over a driving, repetitious rhythm, as in "Massive," the layers of electric and acoustic guitar keep the approach from getting stale, and the extraordinary individual instrumental talents, especially from bassist Kai Eckhardt, keep the music focused. Some of that dissipates, though, on "Cosmic Elevator" when vocals with sophomoric lyrics nearly derail the quartet's tough Sly Stone funk. Things get back on track for the album's closing three songs that comprise the disc's final 25 minutes. Fareed Haque's sitar guitar dominates "Bicycling in Bombay," infusing an East Indian slant to the taut, slow groove as guest DJ Fly Agaric 23's turntables add subtle hip-hop effects. "Celtic Indian" shifts through so many mood changes in its 11 minutes that it seems like a suite of different tunes all connected by the phenomenal interplay of the members. Recorded in July of 2004 but not released until nearly a year-and-a-half later, Garaj Mahal raises its already high musical bar on Blueberry Cave and sets a new standard for innovative jazz/funk/rock/prog/world music that few, if any, other bands are technically accomplished enough to meet. AMG.

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Magic Potion - Four wizards in your tea 1988

Great Italian neo psych band Magic Potion. "Fans of Plasticland or The Tyrnaround will find a gold mine of melodic psychedelia after consuming some Magic Potion".

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Ahmed Abdul-Malik - Jazz Sounds of Africa 2003

Jazz Sounds of Africa compiles the complete contents of two early New Jazz LPs by Ahmed Abdul-Malik, which were originally issued as The Music of Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Sounds of Africa. The music on this reissue is simply captivating, as the brilliant bassist and oud player of Sudanese descent blends elements of jazz with that of Middle Eastern and African music. While the names of several of the contributing musicians are likely to be unfamiliar to many jazz fans, except for Andrew Cyrille andTommy Turrentine, the music proves to be fascinating throughout both sessions. Any fan of John Coltrane's composition "India," which was written and performed around the same time frame, will delight in the hypnotic opener, "Nights on Saturn," with an eerie solo by an unidentified Korean reed instrument played by Bilal Abdurrahman. The leader overdubs on oud (the Middle Eastern ancestor of the mandolin) on several tracks, as well as demonstrates his fine arco bass on the old standard "Don't Blame Me." Tommy Turrentine, whose career was unjustly overlooked because he retired from music prematurely, is a compelling soloist on the 1961 session. The latter session is far more percussive, withAbdul-Malik utilizing a larger ensemble. The highlight of this date is the lengthy exploration of the infectious original "Communication," which almost conjures up an African tribal chant with Richard Williams' trumpet as the lead voice, with the percussionists eventually taking over as they play off one another with vocal encouragement from one of the players. The songs on this CD compilation of the two-decades-old albums have stood the test of time very well. AMG. 

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Lo'Jo - Cosmophono (Chansons Apatrides) 2009

Lo'Jo are instantly recognizable but also a band of infinite variations. The recognition factor comes through the voice of Denis Péan, full of his own personality but sounding somewhere between Tom Waits and Serge Gainsbourg, and the sororal harmonies of the El Nourid sisters. The variation comes in the tone of the writing from disc to disc and -- in this case -- the inclusion of L'Orchestre Cosmophonique on several tracks, bringing wind instruments and, for the first time, guitar to a Lo'Jo album. The music is lower-key and smoother than usual, but the constituent elements are all in place, such as the hypnotic touches of dub that spread out across "Pays Natal" or the expressive violin work of Richard Bourreau, whose talents aren't praised enough. The band has added more instruments to its arsenal and has begun including more samples and programming. Around the turn of the millennium they were poised to be big stars on the world music scene and they stepped back from that to keep creating the music that matters to them, bringing together the strands of different cults in their own unique way. They're a fascinating band. There might not be anything here as immediate as on some previous albums, but there's depth enough to withstand repeated plays. AMG. Thanks to MFP.

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311 - 311 1995

It is the seamless way the songs on the eponymously titled 311 combine the band's influences into a potent blend of rap, funk, and rock that renders this album a cut above those of their competitors. These riff-heavy and radio-ready songs are underscored by a tight drum sound (often with a piccolo snare), the scratching of turntables, and the crunch of heavy guitars: a formidable backdrop for this surprisingly melodic effort. The rhythms of reggae and ska percolate through this mix, and the harmonies of Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez lend the band an edge not found in the majority of bands that feature rapping over rock beats. AMG.

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Mike Elliott - Diffusion 1983

born in Chicago and was raised in Colorado and where he later studied guitar with Johnny Smith. His father was a studio musician and his mother a blues singer. He learned guitar at a young age and was playing professionally by the time he was 16. He had formed his own Jazz group and in 1964 he was on the road. He moved to Minneapolis in 1966 and in the seventies he had helped found the jazz fusion group Natural Life who's members included saxophonist Bob Rockwell, bassist Billy Peterson, pianist Bobby Peterson and drummers Bill Berg and Eric Kamau Gravatt.
His long career included periods in the Twin Cities, where he played and recorded with Natural Life releasing an album with them titled Unnamed Land and in Nashville, where he had various roles as studio musician, producer/engineer and songwriter on hit country recordings. He was also with the Minnesota Orchestra and the as featured soloist with the Toronto Symphony.
In the period of the 1980s to the 90's, he moved to Nashville, TN, and became manager of Gibson Professional Musical Services. He held clinics with Les Paul,Howard Roberts and Elliot Easton etc. His other roles included session work, engineering, producing, arranging and songwriting. He remained in Nashville until 1998. He worked with profile artists such as Johnny Cash, playing on his Johnny Cash Is Coming To Town album, Chubby Checker, Emmylou Harris, Trisha Yearwood and Joe Diffie etc. Other artists he worked with were Earl Klugh, Vic Damone, Steve Earle, Crystal Gayle, Tennessee Ernie Ford and more. He also co wrote a song that appeared on John Anderson's triple-platinum selling album Seminole Wind.
In 1996 he received the NAIRD award for his work as an engineer on Steve Earle's Grammy-nominated album "Train A Comin'."
He died on 14 September 2005 after being seriously ill following a heart attack.
There is now a Mike Elliott scholarship award for excellence in guitar. Thanks to PrognotFrog

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