World & Latin
VOICES Notes and news on World & Latin releases
The Sweetest Change
03 NOV 09 JOHN C. BRUENING
By the time the world met "Grandpa" Elliott Small in April 2009 via Playing For Change's two-disc Songs Around The World CD/DVD, he'd already been busking in New Orleans' French Quarter for more than 60 years. Small is now the first artist to sign with Playing For Change Records. Backed by the Playing for Change Band, he stepped off the streets and into the studio earlier this year to record Sugar Sweet, a collection of blues and soul classics delivered courtesy of his soulful baritone vocals and versatile harmonica style.
His stirring version of "Stand By Me" on Songs Around The World became the anchor track for the set that captured him and 36 other little-known but brilliant street musicians from around the world. The track and the accompanying video that went viral on YouTube and elsewhere transformed him into an unlikely global superstar.
Sugar Sweet opens with "Ain't Nothing You Can Do," a Bobby "Blue" Bland hit that -- despite the melancholy subject matter -- sounds unexpectedly upbeat here. "Sugar Is Sweet" derives its international groove from guitarists Jason Tamba and Louis Mhlanga (from the Congo and Zimbabwe, respectively), who set up a rumba beat supported by drummer Peter Bunetta. Other highlights include the emotionally churning "Share Your Love With Me," which Small borrows from an Aretha Franklin recording, and a straightforward take on the Sam Cooke hit "Another Saturday Night."
Despite the melancholy closer, "Please Come Home For Christmas," there's no need for tears. After a long stretch of lean decades, Santa's been good to Elliott Small this year and Grandpa seems more than happy to spread the love.
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Sugar Is Sweet
Grandpa Elliott, from Sugar Sweet
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Stand By Me
Playing For Change, from Songs Around The ...
in this playlist.
¡Oy Caramba!
23 OCT 09 JOHN C. BRUENING
In the 1950s, the mambo and other strains of Latin dance music were hugely popular among Jewish Americans, especially those in New York. This unlikely phenomenon prompted a handful of Latin artists -- Ray Barretto, Willie Rodriguez, Charlie Palmieri, Clark Terry and Doc Cheatham -- to take the cross-cultural experiment a step farther by recording traditional Yiddish and Hebrew music with cha-chas, meringues and other Latin dance rhythms. Operating under the fictitious band name of Juan Calle and His Latin Lanztmen, the group released Mazel Tov, Mis Amigos on the Riverside label in 1961. The album was remastered by the nonprofit Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation and re-released on Concord this past August.
Mazel Tov, Mis Amigos takes traditional -- and sometimes somber -- melodies and turns up the juice, with the help of the lively rhythms churning underneath. Driving congas are at the heart of "O Momme," while "Papirossen," the classic Yiddish ode to a cigarette peddler, is reconfigured here as a high-energy mambo. And Jewish or not, you've probably never heard "Havah Nagila" quite the way it's captured here.
In conjunction with the re-release of the album, the Idelsohn Society also staged a free outdoor performance of the recording in its entirety -- a sort of Yiddish Woodstock -- at New York's Lincoln Center that same month. Led by Arturo O'Farrill and His Afro-Cuban Sextet, the concert lineup included Larry Harlow, Andy Gonzalez of the Fort Apache Band and 94-year-old keyboardist Irving Fields, founder of the Bagels and Bongos trio that rode the original wave of Jewish-Latin music in the '50s.
Mazel Tov, Mis Amigos reopens a little known but fascinating chapter in post-WWII ethno-musical history.
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Havah Nagilah
Juan Calle, from Mazel Tov, Mis Amigos
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Oye Heck
Ray Barretto, from Carnaval
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Brasileira
Willie Rodriguez Jazz Quartet, from Flatja ...
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The Simple Waltz
Clark Terry, from Mellow Moods
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Pura Emocion
Arturo O'Farrill, from Blood Lines
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Dance Cadaverous
Jerry Gonzales & The Fort Apache Band ...
in this playlist.
Poncho Rides Again!
14 OCT 09 CHRIS SLAWECKI
Latin percussionist Poncho Sanchez recently released his 24th album for Concord Picante. Although it's titled Psychedelic Blues, it's actually a very jazz-oriented release. The set opens with a trademark Sanchez Latin groove through Herbie Hancock's classic (and often sampled, very covered) "Cantaloupe Island," followed by a cover of Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis" master-blasted by Latin trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval. Cast in a danceable mambo, Horace Silver's "Silver's Serenade" later illuminates its colorful union of Latin rhythms with jazz trombone, piano and conga solos.
Psychedelic Blues also reminds me that I almost always, and somewhat curiously, think of and describe Sanchez's music in terms of food. Some music, for whatever reason, makes me think in colors, but Pucho's music usually makes me use words like "sticky," "thick," and "spicy." This new "Willie Bobo Medley," which strings together "I Don't Know" with the tasty "Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries" and "Spanish Grease," sure sounds finger-lickin' good. Like well-prepared, authentic Spanish and Mexican food, Psychedelic Blues delivers extremely sensual, often quite lusty, pleasures. Maybe it's not that curious -- just look at all the food names in these few words.
There are too many fine albums in Sanchez's extensive Concord Picante catalog to fully detail, but its highlights certainly include Chile Con Soul (with guest Tito Puente), Afro-Cuban Fantasy, and Poncho's tribute to his first and most famous employer, Soul Sauce: Memories Of Cal Tjader.
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Cantaloupe Island
Poncho Sanchez, from Psychedelic Blues
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Born To Be Blue
Freddie Hubbard, from Born To Be Blue
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Mama Guela
Poncho Sanchez, from Chile Con Soul
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Guarachando
Arturo Sandoval, from Rumba Palace
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Close Your Eyes
Poncho Sanchez, from Afro-Cuban Fantasy
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Tumbao
Cal Tjader, from The Best Of Cal Tjader: ...
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Poinciana Cha Cha
Poncho Sanchez, from Soul Sauce: ...
in this playlist.
Out of the blu
28 SEP 09 JOHN C. BRUENING
Guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Corey Harris has a fascinating way of demonstrating the interconnectedness of diverse musical traditions from around the globe. blu.black, his new Telarc release, offers 14 original songs that examine the rich and exotic African-American story that stretches back three centuries and still resonates in the 21st century.
From his perspective, there's a continuous thread that runs through virtually every culture on the planet -- African, European, Caribbean, Appalachian and more -- and it reveals itself most clearly in the blues, reggae, gospel and other roots music from every continent. blu.black's unusual title is a mashup of the closing track ("Blue") and the opener ("Black"). "The record is both of those things and everything in between," said Harris. "All the styles in all the songs represent everything between blue and black."
Harris covers a lot of ground in 14 tracks. Almost entirely acoustic, the arrangements vary from the minimalist to the multi-layered. The end result is consistently genuine and organic. The opener, "Black," is built on a foundation of '70s soul, but derives its edgy vibe from a segment of rap lyrics. "My Song" is a nod to the gospel tradition, with stirring vocals by backup sisters Davina and Davita Jackson. "Babylon Walls" is a reggae-driven warning of the coming of Judgment Day, while the closer, "Blues," is a traditional 12-bar blues shuffle.
Just last year, Harris appeared on Otis Taylor's African expedition Recapturing The Banjo. More than just a set of songs, blu.black continues his life-long expedition. It is a story of a cultural thread that transcends history and geography. It's a tale that's sometimes painful, sometime joyous and continuously unfolding. Look for it when it hits stores tomorrow.
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Sweatshop
Corey Harris, from Zion Crossroads
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Walk Right In
Otis Taylor, from Recapturing the Banjo
in this playlist.
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