Posts Tagged ‘latin’

Not in any particular order of favour:

Oana Catalina Chitu, Bucharest Tango, 2008

This is a great record that appeared on the Asphalt label. Oana sings old Bucharest Tango music as it was played before in Rumenia.

“Bucharest Tango” is a unique album, one that resurrects a lost music, the sound of Romanian Tango as played in Bucharest cafes and parks, restaurants and clubs across the 1930s. Oana Cătălina Chiţu (pronounce Kitsu) and her musicians combine the lost tango songs of that era with the folk ballads of Maria Tanase (1913-1963; the Romanian Piaf).

Oana was born in rural Romania and grew up listening to her father sing the lost tangos. Visiting relatives in Bucharest she found they had old gramophones and scratchy 78 recordings of the tangos. She began to memorise this beautiful, vanished music. At the same time she loved the songs of Maria Tanase, the tragic diva of Romania, whose voice once haunted the nation. No other singer of the younger generation from Romania has been able to approach both the tangos à la romanesque and Tanase’s ballads so authentically yet freely.

Probably the best Romanian accordion player these days – and already a living legend! A must have for all accordion admirers! Compilation from the archives of Electrecord, Romania.

The Album is the laibachian interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s work The Art of Fugue (Die Kunst der Fuge). The majority of the material has been created already in 2006 and premierly performed the same year on June the 1st at Bachfest in Leipzig.

What is Melingo the Magnificent’s recipe? Take a pinch of Roberto Goyeneche, the passionate tango singer known as “El polaco”, for some true tango roots, mix him up with a bit of Nick Cave, the bad seed of the underground, some Tom Waits for an arty vibe, add a little Gainsbourg, and all these growling, throaty voices and lived-in faces will give you some idea of the devilish Melingo, an old rascal who isn’t actually that old, though he’s infinitely roguish.

His tango is built on a bed of rock. That’s the way it is in today’s Argentina. It began in the 80s when he was cutting his teeth on the turbulent alternative rock scene born of military dictatorship and collapsing moral order and featuring groups like Los Abuelos de la Nada (the ancestors of bugger all!) and Los Twist. So is Melingo off his head? It’s more complicated than that. The impish singer with the enormous voice is also a sparrow chilled by the damp morning mists of the river Plate.

Ok, this is probably maybe not the best Jazz record around but its definately one of the coolest Jazz records you could find. It’s really really groovy, atmospheric and totally blows my brains out.

Drummer Chico Hamilton introduced many top young players during his years as a bandleader, but few probably realize that Larry Coryell made his recording debut with Chico a year before joining Gary Burton’s quartet. This CD reissue brings back Coryell’s initial appearance on record, and at times he sounded oddly like Chuck Berry (especially on “The Dealer”). Also heard on this set are altoist Arnie Lawrence, bassist Richard Davis, organist Ernie Hayes (on two numbers), and, on his spirited boogaloo “For Mods Only,” Archie Shepp making a rare appearance on piano. Most of the performances still sound surprisingly fresh, especially the explorative “A Trip,” making this an underrated but worthy release.

Another great Latin artist: Luis Kalaff. Specialist in the Merengue, a music form originating on the Dominican Republic. The Merengue is sort of an uptempo salsa, but it offers plenty variation and on this record we see plenty of jazz influences also. Great horn section! My favourite track is ‘Ahi Viena la Nena’ which, if my Spanish is sufficient, is a song about the Hurricane? At any rate this record is a must have for lovers of Latin American music. It was published in 2007 on the West Side Latino Records Label.

My favorite record lately is ‘Heart of a Legend’ by Chico O’Farrill, published in 1999 on the Milestone label. I played it constantly last week. O’Farrill is one of the most interesting names in Latin jazz music, and this record has an overall excellent quality of tracks, with ‘Trumpet fantasy’ and ‘Sing your Blues away’ as highlights. I am seriously in love with Latin jazz lately and O’Farrill plays in a variety of styles: he combines a big band sound with improvisation and free jazz, and the result is unique and a pleasure to listen to. Maybe this is my all-time favourite Latin jazz record, I am not sure.

The funny thing is, O’Farrill was the major influence of one of my other favorites, Cal Tjader. It’s a pity that many of O’Farrill’s recordings are out of print, but this record offers some good highlights for those unfamiliar with his work.

At the moment I am busy collecting old and new Carribian and especially Cuban music through the internet. People often know only the stuff Ry Cooder brought into the light which is a pity because that is just the tip of the iceberg. Cuba has a long jazz, bigband and latin tradition with plenty of brilliant artists. Here are some records I have listened to this week:

This record is from 1995, predating the Cooder hype. It’s a very good record with very soulful music, quite simular to the Cooder sound. Best song for me is ‘Borombon’ which has a great Bigband sound and a very good instrumental interlude.

This is one of my favorite Cuban records. It’s a collection of music from the older orchestras. Orquesta Aragon, one of the most legendary Cha Cha Cha ensembles, with a typical ‘big brass’ sound – really wonderful! Chepin and his Oriental Orchestra is another must have. ‘Son Mis Bodas Di Oro’, the opening song, is fantastic.

It’s a record from 1994 but most music on it was made in the 70′s. Very mellow and creative latin american jazz, with swinging and slowdancing songs on it. Tjader was the master of the Virbraphone. Almost all songs are domatinated by that instrument but boy, he knew how to play it really well.

Vicentico Valdes is not too well known but beats me why, because he was a fantastic singer and musician. This record is from 2003 and is a great collection of songs. ‘Obsesion’ is probably my favorite song – this record is a must have for people who love the ‘old’ cuban sound.