Picked up this live recording by French singer Henri Salvador.
Salvador seems to have been a singer for as long as time existed, but I've never heard him till now. I'm quite surprised that his songs are not your usual French balladry; about half of his songs are bossa nova (indeed his voice is a dead ringer of Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso) and half are old-time brass band numbers. A most endearing record, to be played at secret trysts.
I highly recommend Bebo Valdes, specifically Bebo Rides Again, El Arte de Sabor, Bebo de Cuba and Lagrimas Negras. Bebo is a legendary Cuban pianist/composer/arranger that will hopefully live long enough to grace us with a few more albums.
I also recommend Gonzalo Rubalcaba, a great Cuban pianist that I much prefer over Bebo's son, Chuco Valdes.
Paquito D'rivera is another fantastic Cuban born musician that has put out numerous great recordings.
__________________
2 Channel: TACT RCS 2.2.XP w/ full Aberdeen mods, Bel Canto OneRef. 1000 monoblocks x 4, Aberdeen Northstar Transport, Transporter w/ full Aberdeen mods, Epiphany 12-12s and 20-21s, TACT W210 corner load subs, Audiophile APS Purepower 1050 5.1 Channel: TACT TCS MKII w/ Aberdeen power supply, TACT BOZ 216/2200 (x5) w/ Aberdeen power supply, TACT ADC6 w/ full Aberdeen mods, Denon 5910ci, Eggleston Andra II (x5), Velodyne DD-15, Panasonic TH-65PF9UK
i would recommend karunesh esp. his album 'zen teaching'...he is a new age artist influenced by asian and african music......
nusrat fateh ali khan is great but sounds too different ...for starters i would recommend a listen to 'face of love' from the soundtrack of dead man walking......
I have to recommend Mercedes Peón - Ajrú. It was one of the best albums of the 2003 according to fRoots. A very good album of traditional Galician music with a primal, avant-garde sound and influences from other musics. Galicia is in northern Spain and has strong celtic roots. A treat for those who think spanish music is only flamenco.
"Her voice, flying free through the ever-changing instrumentation, is by turns wildly strident, whispering, and warmly intimate, steeped in the character of the older singers and pandereteiras she's spent so much time with, yet far more relevant, powerful and modern than the weedy drabness of most of the present-day global pop. Heart-liftingly exciting, and a great inspiration." Andrew Cronshaw fRoots
"The second release from Galician vocalist/piper Mercedes Peón may at first startle and disorient you. Its instrumental sparseness is in tension with lush, high-tech production, the traditional forms melded with a modern aural attack. Peón's voice, powerfully driven and intense, yet capable of seductive gentleness, contends for primacy on Ajrú with dynamic but nuanced and varied percussion, her gaita playing icing on the cake. Once you have regained your balance, you'll appreciate a carefully crafted and sequenced recording, tracks positioned just where you need them for dramatic effect and narrative coherence.
"Neniñué," the beginning track, fades in with polyrhythmic bongos and occasional synth whines; Peón's powerful voice keens and penetrates in a marginally dissonant introduction. Primary percussion kicks in along with a stuttering, percussive piano, Peón's multi-tracked vocals interspersed with gaita, both wonderfully shrill over insistent galloping drums and bass. Based on a traditional xota, "É Xera" is a lively rolling waltz featuring accordion, piano, and low clarinet, Peón's vocal nasal, lilting, and delicate. "Maria 2" is an appropriately frenzied evocation of lust at first sight in the club, Peón delivering an impassioned solo introduction in a reverberative distance before high-speed drums and heavy breathing get the obsession into high gear. The vocal approaches and recedes, a device used to good effect on other tracks. You may feel the need for a rest after this track, which is fortunately followed by "Ese Es Ti," a calm, dreamy waltz washed with cosmic synth waves, flute, and violin, the vocal equally languid and sweet, the lyrics satisfied, perhaps a depiction of later that night back at home.
The title track, produced in two parts, begins with a stiff waltz, saturated with varied percussion, gaita, and marimbas, Peón's voice at its ululating best. The second part features much denser instrumentation, including roaring samples and electric guitar, cryptic lyrics and Peón's declamatory delivery suggesting a magic spell. "Nanareggae" offers another dramatic respite, a sleepy reggae beat, 'conscious' lullaby lyrics, constant castanets in the background, and accordion circling around the vocal line. "Maria 1," the single most exciting track, begins with playful laughter and moderately brutal beat with two gaitas in tight harmony, the vocal echoing deep in the background, gradually approaching amidst a grinding din of percussion, the beat doubling as the gaita melody morphs and elaborates. "Ó Meu Amigo/Étnica" begins with water sounds and calm narration, a rolling beat. A background vocal fugue is soon added, the main vocal line dramatically emerging from reverb at the end of a figure, the production receding again to sparse water sounds before the sudden entry of thundering, bounding percussion.
Peón's is a voice you don't want to miss, and Ajrú makes the most of it" Jim Foley RootsWorld
Thought I'd drag this dusty ol' thread back into the light as I have run into a wee bit of a problem...Trying to track down any Cd's by a French group called The Bandolets. Saw some snippets of them on a travel show last night and thought they sounded just what I needed for this grey upstate NY winter. However my normal sources have been no help whatsoever...So Ant, FalconP et al, any ideas??? Help! :allteeth:
Blending Arabic lyrics, full horns section, heavy guitars and driving, late-90s left-field electronic beats along with some well-placed samples, Orange Blossom are something akin to Natasha Atlas on an angry day
French Algerian Leila Bounos’ provocative vocals, and PJ Chabot’s attacking punkish strings give this real drive from the outset: blending a catchy, dark upfront mixture of West Africa, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East.
There’s no easing-in period either. Everything Must Change, released eight years after the group’s first album, kicks off as it means to continue, ‘Habibi’ breaks out into a rock versus electronica standoff, clashing heavily overdriven guitars battling the incessant electro-beats, building into an intense wall of sound. ‘Souffrance’ — the only French track — is full of sadness, soft and meditative, and one of only a few pauses for breath the album takes, a moment of calm in a storm of an album.
Infectious melodies and Bounos’ sensual and soaring Arabic vocals as well as some haunting samples such as those on ‘Cheft El Khof’ make it music to get lost in. The beats and sequencing are reminiscent of Leftism, but there is so much in here.
If Everything Must Change, then it sounds as though it will be done with much clashing, conflict and unease. If you have been waiting for this follow-up to Orange Blossom’s first release it will definitely have been worth the wait. A superb release from Wrasse Records.
__________________
Main use@NAD C542 CDP
Amplifier: Zana Deux
Phones:Grado GS1000
Cables:DH Labs Silver Sonic BL-1 Series II/Monster M1000i RCA/MicrophonicAudio RCA/Wyvern Audio-Cyprium One LOD
Portable@ iAudio X5L 30G >Go-Vibe Petite DAC>ATH ES7/ATH ESW9/Koss KSC75
The Soweto Gospel Choir has just won the World-music category of the Grammy Award. They'll perform in Hong Kong later this month; unfortunately I missed the ticket sales.
Linear Mode
