Dr. Alimantado - Best Dressed Chicken In Town (1978)

"Best Dressed Chicken in Town" is the debut album by Jamaican deejay Dr. Alimantado. It was first released in 1978, and collects many of his self-produced singles from 1972 to 1977, and employs the sound engineering talents of Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, and Scientist. It was the first album released by Greensleeves Records, and gained a cult following within both the reggae and punk rock communities in the UK at the time. (Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols fame announced it to be one of his favourite reggae albums....)

The album employed several major hits as the basis for the tracks, including Horace Andy's versions of "Ain't No Sunshine". The album was described by The Independent as "one of the finest albums from reggae's golden age". There have been a number of re issues of this album over the years, this is a rip of the original album from the vinyl, which lends a lot to the authentic feel when listening to it.

"One-of-a-kind Jamaican DJ Dr. Alimantado found unexpected fame with U.K. punks after Johnny Rotten bestowed his blessings. The hoopla was certainly warranted based on the high quality of his mid-'70s sides, several of which are included on Best Dressed Chicken in Town. Handling production chores himself, Alimantado enlisted top reggae engineers and producers like Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby, and Scientist to add their own alchemy to the mix. The dub-inflected tracks and Alimantado's idiosyncratic musings prove a potent combination, especially on standouts like "Poison Flower" (a version of a Horace Andy vocal), the Rasta vengeance number "I Killed the Barber," and the comically over-the-top title cut. Other highlights include the bubbly "Unitone Skank," as well as the album's two instrumentals: a predictably bizarre and brilliant Scratch mix, "I Am the Greatest Says Muhammed Ali," and the Duke Reid homage "Tribute to Duke" (based on Slim Smith's incredible rendition of the Billy Stewart soul gem "Sitting in the Park"). Completing this very enjoyable disc are sampled vocals by Gregory Isaacs and Jackie Edwards, the musical contributions of great Kingston studio outfits like the Aggrovators, and, finally, the tableau-like cover photo of Alimantado walking the sunny streets of downtown Kingston. Along with other unique dub and DJ titles like Mikey Dread's African Anthem, Best Dressed Chicken in Town is a must for reggae enthusiasts"

---------------- Review by Stephen Cook 

Tracklist:

1. "Best Dressed Chicken in Town" engineer - Upsetter
2. "Just The Other Day" vocals - Droopy; engineer - King Tubby
3. "Poison Flour" vocals - Horace Andy; engineer - Philip Smart
4. "Gimmie Mi Gun" vocals - Gregory Isaacs; engineer - Lancelot "Maxie" McKenzie
5. "I Killed The Barber" vocals - Jackie Edwards; engineer - Philip Smart
6. "Unitone Skank" vocals - Gregory Isaacs; engineer - Pat Kelly
7. "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks" engineer - Upsetter
8. "Ride On" vocals - Jah Woosh, Jimmy Radwell; engineer - Upsetter
9. "Plead I Cause" engineer - King Tubby
10. "I Shall Fear No Evil" engineer - Philip Smart

Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - New Orleans Funk: The Original Sound Of Funk Vol. 2 (Soul Jazz Records)

This is Soul Jazz Records’ new journey into the heart of New Orleans and a guide to the city’s finest Funk music produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s.’ Featuring everyone from The Meters to Eddie Bo, Lee Dorsey to Betty Harris, this is a who’s who of the Crescent City’s most famous and most funky! The city of New Orleans has deep musical roots that stretch back to Africa. New Orleans first gave birth to Jazz music, a Black musical form centred on rhythm, improvisation, freedom and collectivity at the turn of the century. Similarly in the late 1960s New Orleans Funk came to define a unique sound, mixing Caribbean rhythms, New Orleans second-line syncopation and rhythm and blues, all played by the Big Easy’s finest musicians. 

Whilst Jazz and Funk music spread throughout the world, many African-American musical traditions remained within the city limits such as Mardi Gras and Carnival, Saturday Night Fish Fries, Funeral Marching bands and much more which partly explains why New Orleans music is so unique. The album comes with extensive sleeve-notes, exclusive photography and more, and is an essential guide to the musical landscape of New Orleans and - together with Soul Jazz Records’ earlier New Orleans’ releases - presents the definitive story of New Orleans Funk.

Although on the mainland coast, New Orleans is also surrounded by lakes giving the city an island feel. Similarly its proximity to Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti and the other West Indian Isles means that Latin and Caribbean musical influences are in its veins as much as American musical traditions. The upside of this city’s isolation is that New Orleans musical traditions flourished away from those of the rest of America. A thriving city full of artists, musicians, singers, producers, record companies, studios (well one studio actually) led to a 24-hour, 7-day a week musical life, playing in clubs, bars, brothels, carnivals and parades. The downside of the cities isolation from the rest of the US was that the city never developed a solid music industry to back up the creative over-supply. Whilst New York had Atlantic, Detroit had Motown, Memphis had Stax, Chicago had Chess, Los Angeles had Modern, New Orleans had a multitude of small businesses fighting for space - and often each other. Without the marketing, promotional weight, business nouse and financial clout, New Orleans labels found it hard to get the nationwide distribution necessary to fill the million-odd jukeboxes throughout the country. So whilst every family in America knows the music of Gladys Knight or Smokey Robinson few could tell you about – let alone hum a tune from - Benny Spellman, Inell Young, Warren Lee….

This is far from being a reflection of the artists creativity or musicality - as anyone can tell you New Orleans melodies are the catchiest of all - more it is a reflection of the limitations of the local music industry. Some New Orleans artists became successful throughout the US such as Fats Domino in the 1950s and in the late 1960s The Meters and Lee Dorsey, but many artists remained within the city limits. This makes for a fascinating goldmine of music released by a complex myriad of small labels run mainly by New Orleans producers, promoters and artists themselves. New Orleans Funk 2 brings together many of these artists along with text, sleeve-notes and photographs that gives social and historical context to the incredibly funky music of New Orleans.

----- www.souljazzrecords.co.uk

Tracklist:

1. Cyril Neville — Gossip

2. Eddie Bo — If It's Good To You (It's Good For You)

3. Ray J — Right Place Wrong Time

4. The Meters — Chicken Strut

5. Allen Toussaint — Tequila

6. The Prime Mates — Hot Tamales

7. Betty Harris — Show It

8. Lee Dorsey — Four Corners

9. Bonnie And Sheila — You Keep Me Hanging On

10. The Gaturs — Yeah You're Right, You Know You're Right

11. Danny White — The Twitch

12. Inell Young — What Do You See In Her

13. Earl King — Street Parade

14. Eddie Bo & The Soul Finders — The Rubber Band

15. Benny Spellman — Fortune Teller

16. Warren Lee — Mama Said We Can't Get Married

17. Betty Harris — 12 Red Roses

18. Joe Chopper & The Swinging 7 Soul Band — Soul Pusher

19. Eddie Bo — Hey Bo

20. Johnny Moore — Haven't I Been Good To You

21. Jimmy Hicks — I'm Mr Big Stuff

22. Warren Lee — Funky Belly

23. G. Davis And R. Tyler — Hold On Help Is On The Way

24. Art Neville — Bo Diddley

25. Porgy Jones — Dap

Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - Alan Lomax: Blues Songbook (1934 - 1978)

Lots has been written at great length about Alan Lomax elsewhere on this blog, and I'm sure eventually I will write plenty more about the man and his important influence of modern music. However in the interest of not repeating oneself..... 

This 2CD collection is reproduced here in lossless (.flac) quality and is comprised of field recordings made by John and Alan Lomax from 1935-’78, the scope alone of this album is formidable. Many of the acts are obscure even to blues aficionados, yet icons like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Blind Willie McTell, Son House, Leadbelly, and Mississippi Fred McDowell are peppered throughout the nearly 2 1/2 hour playing time. 

Although the audio quality varies from excellent to primitive, the astounding remastering makes it all able. This is raw, pure, spine-tingling music played with the intense nothing-left-to-lose passion of ordinary people whose impossibly difficult lives are exposed in their voices and performances.

"Alan Lomax is a lifelong fan of blues music, and his efforts to document and promote it have made a profound impact on popular culture. From his earliest audio documentation in 1933 of blues and pre-blues with his father, John A. Lomax, for the library of Congress through his 1985 documentary film, The Land Where the Blues Began, Lomax gathered some of the finest evidence of blues, work songs, hollers, fife and drum music, and other African-American song forms that survived the nineteenth century and prospered in the twentieth. His efforts went far beyond those of the typical musicologist. Lomax not only collected the music for research, but through his radio programs, album releases, books, and concert promotions he presented it to a popular audience. While living in England in the early 1950s he introduced many blues songs to the performers of the skiffle movement, who in quick turn ignited the British rock scene. Lead Belly and other blues artists, interpreted by Lonnie Donegan and Van Morrison, preceded the rock & roll tradition of covering and rewriting blues songs. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, the Animals, Cream, Jimi Hendrix—all found inspiration from the blues. 

And this is how I came to the blues, as many people have: by way of rock & roll. In the very structure of rock music—and, in fact, -much of popular music—the source is undeniable. My personal journey of exploring the history of blues music is connected by the work of Alan Lomax. I vividly remember the first time I heard Lead Belly's voice on the radio in 1958-I immediately ran up to Sam Goody's to buy the 10" Folkways LP featuring his "C. C. Rider." When I filmed Muddy Waters in 1976 performing "Mannish Boy- for The Last Waltz, I witnessed the success and power of a man who had first been recorded in Stovall, Mississippi, in 1941 by Lomax and John W. Work, III. And when I saw Otha Rimer leading his fife and drum band in The Land Where the Blues Began, I was so struck by its hypnotic force that it became one of the primary musical inspirations for Gangs of New York. 

Alan Lomax: Blues Songbook is the first collection of Lomax blues recordings to encompass his career. I'm sure that his work will continue to inspire and illuminate the minds of future generations. The deep well from which he drew these essential voices of human culture is a treasure for all." 

— Martin Scorsese, York. NE July 2003

"Chilling, mysterious, and even playful--sometimes simultaneously--this collection with 40 pages of detailed history, informative track-by-track notes, and forays into Cajun and spiritual side roads is most recommended to established blues fans wishing to further explore the roots of the genre."

— Hal Horowitz  

Tracklist:

Disc 1:

1. Going Down to the River - Mississippi Fred McDowell, Miles Pratcher
2. Rolled and Tumbled
3. Cherry Ball Blues - Jack Owens,
4. Dust My Broom - Howlin' Wolf, , Hubert Sumlin
5. Boogie Children - Boy Blue, Joe Lee,
6. Stagolee - Lucious Curtis, Willie Ford
7. Stop All the Buses - Cecil Augusta
8. Worried Life Blues - David Honeyboy Edwards
9. Pony Blues - Son House
10. Tangle Eye Blues
11. Trouble So Hard - Vera Hall-Ward, Dock Reed
12. Worried Blues - Sonny Terry
13. Beggin' the Blues - Bessie Jones
14. John Henry - Gabriel Brown
15. Country Blues - Dock Boggs
16. Cherry Ball Blues - Skip James
17. I Hate a Man Like You - Jelly Roll Morton
18. Roll 'Em Pete - Pete Johnson
19. Kokomo - Memphis Jug Band
20. Life Is Like That - Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson

Disc: 2

1. I Could Hear My Name A-Ringin' - Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson
2. Dimples in Your Jaws - Boy Blue, Joe Lee,
3. Catfish Blues - Jack Owens,
4. Kill-It-Kid Bag - Blind Willie McTell
5. You're Gonna Need My Help - Elinor Boyer
6. Army Blues - David Honeyboy Edwards
7. Blues de la Prison - Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin, Canray Fontenot
8. I Been Drinking - Vera Hall-Ward
9. I Been a Bad, Bad Girl (Prisoner Blues) - Ozella Jones
10. I Be's Troubled - Muddy Waters
11. Boogie Instrumental - R.L. Burnside
12. Blind Lemon Blues - Leadbelly
13. Sweet Patootie Blues - Albert Ammons
14. Last Time - Sam Chatmon
15. Shorty George - Smith Casey
16. Desert Blues - Hattie Ellis,
17. Joe Turner - Hobart Smith, Ed Young
18. Joe Turner - Bob Pratcher, Miles Pratcher
19. Joe Turner
20. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean - Hobart Smith
21. How Long Blues - Leadbelly, Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry

Download Link - Mediafire - CD1

Download Link - Mediafire - CD2

The Growling Tiger - Alan Lomax Recordings (1962) / Knockdown Calypsos (1979)

After about a year of searching I finally located a Calypso tune I had heard last June. It has been seriously bothering me all year that I couldn't find it again! I was shocked that I had very little in my collection of The Growling Tiger and so am happy to share these albums with you all!

Neville Marcano, aka The Growling Tiger (1915-1993) was a calypsonian from Trinidad. A former boxer - he became a star in the 1930s, when calypsonians started exporting their music overseas, and big names emerged like Lord Kitchener, Lord Invader or Roaring Lion (I don't know which one of Roaring Lion or Growling Tiger acquired his nickname first).

He was recorded in 1962 by Alan Lomax in Trinidad. (whose field recordings are priceless in the fact that they preserved many fantastic folk tunes from a wide variety of cultures) these recordings were reissued in 1998 under the name "The Growling Tiger of Calypso". Marcano played a variety of calypso and even older styles of music. His music is a sum of various influences from French, Spanish, English and African traditions, and ranges from old-school minor-key calypso ("Money Is King") to derivations from more ancient styles like kalinda (a stick-fighting dance popular in Trinidad carnivals) or songs with a strong African heritage like "Youruba Shango".

Tiger had become famous for his deep baritone voice, and his socio-political lyrics. As with a lot of calypsonians the lyrics and identity of the singer are extremely important to the song (and the singers success!) The above song is an example of his thinking, it's both funny and serious, and Tiger had a reputation for questioning social normas and mocking the establishment in true carnival fashion.

By 1977, Tiger had long since retired and was presumed to be dead by most people. An American calypso enthusiast named Steve Shapiro travelled to Trinidad and sought out Tiger. Shapiro prevailed upon Tiger to do a modern recording of some of his finest works in their original style. He also recorded some songs with a "modern" band featuring horns. 

At sixty-four years of age, Tiger had lost none of his prowess and the resultant 1979 album "Knockdown Calypsos" on the Rounder Records label later was nominated for a Grammy! 

Robert Leaver says of the man: "A master of improvisation (extempo) and the competitive Calypsonian duel, Tiger could rhyme on diverse subjects with intelligence and wit. Rappers take heed -- Growling Tiger could school you"

Tracklist:

Alan Lomax Portrait:

01. War (3.17)
02. Senorita Panchita (3.05)
03. The Parrot (3.22)
04. Money Is King (3.32)
05. Bury Boula For Me (4.48)
06. War (4.30)
07. The Train Blow (3.28)
08. When I Dead Bury Me (4.43)
09. Rose Of Caracas (3.02)
10. Getting Along With The Calypso Music (1.49)
11. Atomic Energy Calypso (5.59)
12. Senorita Panchita (3.39)

Knockdown Calypsos

01. When I Dead Bury Me Clothes, Five Five Five In Morning, Going Home To Africa Tonight
02. The Train Below
03. Go Back To Coal
04. Bandandee-A
05. Yoruba Shango
06. Medley: Heles Enfants/Salvatorie Fire/Rama I Rama Lo Kine/I Wheel & I Wheel San Fernando...
07. Money Is King
08. Motor Car Horn
09. San Fernando The Ark/Gentiles Fille
10. War

Download Link - Mediafire - "Alan Lomax Portrait"

Download Link - Mediafire - "Knockdown Calypsos"

Steve Douglas - The Music of Cheops (1976)

So, I found another LP where the music was also recorded in the Great Pyramid! I had been totally under the impression the Paul Horn - Inside the Great Pyramid was the only album of its kind. Now I wonder if there were more albums recorded in the Great Pyramid and if so, how many. Hmmmm.....

Throughout most of his career, Steve Douglas (1938-1993) has been a session musician playing sax on recordings of some of the biggest names and notables in pop and rock music including The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Duane Eddy, The Righteous Brothers, The Ramones, etc. Douglas was a part of hit maker Phil Spector's "Wrecking Crew", a group of session musicians Spector used for his sessions. Douglas was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 in the Sideman category.

Douglas also plays the flute which he does on this album in addition to the sax. The Music of Cheops was recorded on February 10, 14, and 15, 1976, all during at night. Douglas composed and played all the music in the King's Chamber, a room that is 34 feet long, 17 feet wide, and 19 feet high. From listening to the record, the room sounds like an awe-inspiring acoustic space where the echoes give the music an otherworldly sound, a sound that probably could only be achieved in such as space as the King's Chamber.

His Rock & Roll Hall of Fame bio actually mentions this album. According to the notes in his bio, Douglas wanted to keep a low profile because of health problems in the early 1970s. Apparently, he didn't record many sessions during that time. He recorded his own music. Curiously, his bio does not mention what other albums he released. The Music of Cheops sounds like something that Douglas made just for himself, the kind of music he wanted to play. It seems like he wanted to get away or needed to get away from the intense environment of the music industry. It's meditative serene music similar to Paul Horn's, but Douglas is more free flowing. His music goes in different directions and he does more to take advantage of the space by exploring and producing more sounds from his instruments. He also was there before Horn by a few months!

Tracklist:

The Pyramid [side 1]

1. Pharoah's Piper {4:34}
2. Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: A. Pyramid Power {1:44}
3. Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: B. Nubian Lament {1:32}
4. Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: C. Flight of Horus {0:57}
5. Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: D. Reflections Along the Nile {4:00}
6. Impressions from the IVth Dynasty: E. Procession {2:18}

The Sphinx [side 2]

1. Time Capsule - 1976 A.D. - 2860 B.C. {1:54}
2. Meditations at Luxor {5:47}
3. Journey from Atlantis {8:09}
4. Ascent {0:54}

Download Link - Mediafire

Disclaimer: There is a lot of crackle and surface noise on side 1. I am seeking a better copy. If I ever find one or able to get a hold of one, I'll re-upload side 1. At least, you'll know what the music is like. I think side 2 sound fine.

New Orleans Funk: The Original Sound of Funk 1960-75 (Soul Jazz Records)

This collection of New Orleans Funk features acknowledged masters next to some of the earlier artists who shaped the meaning of funk. The album is also filled with many rare, sought after and undiscovered funk tracks. It covers the period from the emergence of New Orleans Funk in the early 1960's through to the mid-seventies. The record is a great addition to the music collection of anyone in any way interested in Funk. It has some vital ingredients in it that you can't find elsewhere.

With the sound of the New Orleans Funeral March Bands, Mardi Gras Indian Tribes and Saturday Night Fish Fries all as inspiration New Orleans Funk developed into a unique sound. New Orleans is a port town. Originally owned by the French, this was where many slaves were brought from the West Indies. Many of these slaves came from Haiti and brought with them the religion of Voodoo and its drums and music. It became one of the first parts of America to develop a strong African-American culture leading to the invention of Jazz in the early 1900s. 

A main feature of Jazz in New Orleans were the Jazz Funeral Marching bands. Solemn Brass bands accompanying a coffin would, on burial, be joined by a second line of drummers and dancers which would turn the event into a celebration of the spirit cutting free from earth. This African tradition is strong in New Orleans and still goes on to this day. The backline drums play a syncopated style that is neither on the beat nor the off-beat. These rhythms are what forms the basis of New Orleans Funk.

Tracklist:

1. The Meters - Handclapping Song
2. The Explosions - Hip Drop
3. Lee Dorsey - Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further
4. Gentleman June Gardner - It's Gonna Rain
5. Eddie Bo - Check your Bucket
6. Professor Longhair - Big Chief
7. Huey 'Piano' Smith & His Clowns - Free, Single and Disengaged
8. Chuck Carbo - Can I Be your Squeeze
9. Aaron Neville - Hercules
10. Mary Jane Hooper - I've Got Reasons
11. The Gaturs - Gator Bait
12. Allen Toussaint - Get Out of my Life Woman
13. Cyril Neville - Tell Me What's On Your Mind
14. Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolia Mardi Gras Indian Band - Handa Wanda
15. Lee Dorsey and Betty Harris - Love Lots of Lovin
16. The Explosions - Garden of Four Trees
17. Ernie & The Top Notes - Dap Walk
18. The Meters - Just Kissed my Baby
19. Marilyn Barbarin - Reborn
20. Dr John - Mama Roux
21. Danny White - Natural Soul Brother
22. Eddie Bo - Hook 'n' Sling (Part II)
23. Ernie K. Doe - Here Come the Girls
24. Robert Parker - Hip-Huggin

Download Link - Mediafire

Orchestre T.P. Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - 0+0=Zero (Zero + Zero = Zero) (1980)

Unfortunately political realities in Benin had left the Tout Puissant Orchestre Poly Rythmo bereft of international recognition, while big bands like Super Rail Band or Orchestra Baobab enjoyed a rebirth… But Poly Rythmo has always been recognised as one of the best orchestras in Africa, so much that the former leader of Super Rail Band in Bamako, Tidiani Kone, left his job in Mali to join the fabulous Poly Rythmo in the seventies.

Their repertoire draws inspiration from the regional poly-rhythmic blend called Sato or Sakpata, original Voodoo beats, which are married with the funk left behind by James Brown’s African tours. Their voices, brass section, guitar and percussion weaved together to crystallise a golden age in this musically-fertile nation. Most of their 500 songs were recorded live with a couple of microphones and a Swiss-made Nagra reel-to-reel tape machine. The studio was a living room in the noisy neighbourhood near Cotonou’s airport.

Tracklist:

01. Belle Belle (8.07)

02. Semassa (Zero + Zero) (8.07)

03. Adin Gbanzon (8.32)

04. Ne te faches pas (10.15)

Download Link - Mediafire

Cardinal Rex Lawson & His Rivers Men - Love M Adure Special (1972)

Rex Jim Lawson (1935 - 1971), known as Cardinal Rex, was a singer, trumpeter and bandleader from Kalabari, Nigeria. He became one of the best-known highlife musicians of the 1960s in Africa when Cardinal and his band dominated Nigeria’s highlife scene.

Lawson played with Sammy Obot, Bobby Benson, Victor Olaiya, Chris Ajilo, and other Ghanaian and Nigerian musicians and bands. His greatest success came as the leader of the Majors Band (also called the Rivers Men in later years); their recorded hits include So ala teme, Yellow Sisi, Gowon Special, and Jolly Papa.

A highly emotional and deep musician, Lawson was known to weep and shed tears while singing his own songs on stage, notably the haunting So ala teme. The late Sir Maliki Showman, the famous Nigerian tenor saxophonist who played with Rex Lawson, Bobby Benson and Victor Uwaifo, remembers Lawson as always placing music over money. Lawson is famed for his infectious gregariousness, his musical vision, talent, perseverance and individuality.

From the back cover of record:

It is very unusual for me to arrive at the Studio before 7 o'clock in the mornings and even more unusual It is for musicians to get into the Studio before 10 a.m. But as it happened on this Friday morning. I woke up feeling very enthusiastic. You know, one of those mornings when you feel on top of the world and expect something really big to happen. So on this morning I found myself in the studio premises by 7 a m, and why I saw was really amazing - a crowd had gathered near the entrance and was spreading the news like wild, fire that the Cardinal had once again hit town

Curiousity made me decide to peep into the studio right away. Incompatible and incomprehensible sounds were emanating there from - musicians tuning their instruments I could readily recognize four or five familiar faces. First, it was Etim Udoh whose wistful, dreamlike sex was an attraction, in itself, to the now defunct Kakadu Hotel in the days of Eliazer Arinze. Then it was lgochiko Okwuechime another giant of the alto sax whose wonderful work with Stephen Osadebes Nigerian Sound Makers is still to be equalled how much more surpassed. I also saw trumpeter Raymond Barber, former leader of the Travellers Lodge Atomic 8 of Aba; trombonist Ben Jack who could be described as Assistant Eland Leader cum Manager; and finally Anthony Odili whose conga works added special flavour to the band's old records. Directing the affairs with effortless expertise was Rex himself I then began to ruminate that with Rex fronting such giants and the bard's unprecedented punctuallity he might be having something extra special up his sleeves. 

And was I proved right? Yes, and from the very first take of the session Despite the drastic change in personnel brought about by the recent crisis in the country the band still has that touch of glamour that endeared it to the hearts of all music lovers. 

Tracklist & Info:

Side One: 

LOVE "M" ADURE SPECIAL - here played in Akpasa tempo is quite slower but certainly more graceful than the original It opens with a delightful alto sax solo by lgochiko against a repetitive "Ewo re - wo-eo-ewo re wo" by the chorus. Rex then comes in with a touch of humour (underlaid on most of the tracks in the album) - 'Why have they not warmed the soup?" the master asks. The servant replies "No sir, count them, pa them, na them. na them lick am". 

GOWON SPECIAL - "Gowon bote aye", meaning Gowon has come. A tribute to the Nigerian Head of State for successfully accomplishing the task of keeping Nigeria one. Etim Udoh playing with melodic elegance wonder-fully insinuates himself into the pro-ceedings with a long, serpentine line. 

SATURDAY SOP DI - Hare, Composer/vocalist Willie Udoh is appealing to Saturday. which is the market day, to arrive early so that he can cook a special soup-YELLOW SISI - a composition by Santa Isabel born Raymond Barber, features. Rex and Raymond on the vocals. it has an interesting Calypso thing going under it.

NKPA KE DA OWO - death with its icy hands is taking many people away and this reminds us that as the sun rises and sets each day. It will eventually be our respective turns. There is a lovely change in tempo to Asiko halfway through. 

Side Two: 

TOM KIRI SITE - Rex laments the state in” which the world has degenerated. A world where even brothers don't know brothers. 

WASENIGBO TUA - This is a traditional moonlight dance of the Ijaws here played in Akpasa Tempo. 

AKWA ABASI - Our father in heaven, let your name be Praised. This is a composition by guitarist Bassey Udoh. This number may truly justify the name "Cardinal" by which Rex is widely called. Notice how he shouts himself hoarse at the beginning, when the spirit begets him. maybe. Brothers Willie and Bassey Udoh took the vocal spot. 

NUME INYE - "Everyone has a talent from God. Singing is my own talent" Rex says. It commences with another of those Etim Udoh's melodic solos. 

PERI SPECIAL MBANGA II - Victory! Thanks be to the gods that what our predecessors had laboured for - the birth of the Rivers State - had been achieved at long last. It is climaxed by lgochiko's marvellous solo. On me whole this album shows that Rex still has that magic spell to which many of us have swayed and will continue to sway for a long, long time

Download Link - Mediafire

Ethiopiqués Vol. 4 - Ethio-Jazz & Musique Instrumentale, 1969 - 1974, Mulatu Astatke

Mulatu Astatke (born on December 19, 1943) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger best known as the father of Ethio-jazz.

Born in the western Ethiopian city of Jimma, Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston where he combined his jazz and Latin music interests with traditional Ethiopian music. Astatke led his band while playing vibraphone and conga drums—instruments that he introduced into Ethiopian popular music—as well as other percussion instruments, keyboards and organ. His albums focus primarily on instrumental music, and Astatke appears on all three known albums of instrumentals that were released during Ethiopia's Golden ’70s.

The Paris-based world music record label Buda Musique began the Éthiopiques series in 1997 and initially compiled Ethiopian popular music releases from the 1960s and 1970s. Some of the subsequent CDs focus on traditional music, while others highlight individual musicians or specific styles. Francis Falceto is the producer of the series.

In a 2012 interview, Getachew Mekurya noted that Falceto is largely responsible for the international popularization of Ethiopian music, and that Ethiopiques had directly led to more opportunities and international success for Mekurya. At the same time, Mekurya claimed that Falceto underpaid him and other Ethiopian musicians, and that Buda Musique retained the copyrights to most of the music. He further alleged that these business practices had infuriated Mulatu Astatke.

In defense Francis Falceto stated that "...most sad and embarrassing remains the maliciousness of a couple of unfair people who have been benefiting incredibly from éthiopiques, in terms of fame but also of royalties and concerts booking, but who give forth endless and sick accusations and ignominious lies – almost nothing, so to say, with regard to their dishonor".

Tracklist:

01. Yèkèrmo sèw - A Man Of Experience And Wisdom

02. .Mètché dershé - When Am I Going To Reach There

03. Kasalèfkut hulu -From All The Time I Have Passed

04. Tezeta - Nostalgia

05. Yègellé tezeta - My Own Memory

06. Munayé - My Muna

07. Gubèlyé - My Gubel

08. Asmarina - My Asmara

09. Yèkatit - February

10. Nètsanèt - Liberty

11. Tezetayé antchi lidj - Baby, my unforgettable remembrance

12. Sabyé - My Saba

13. Ené alantchi alnorem - I Can't Live Without You

14. Dèwèl - Bell

Download Link - Mediafire

Paul Horn - Inside The Great Pyramid (1976)

In 1968, Flute player Paul Horn recorded his playing from inside the Taj Mahal. Beginning a series of "Inside" recordings that Horn would release over subsequent years. This "Inside" series of albums including Inside the Cathedral, Inside Canyon de Chelly and Inside Monument Valley, and perhaps most significant, this album Inside the Great Pyramid. 

This album was recorded in three rooms of the Great Pyramid of Gizeh (Cheops). Sides one and two were recorded in the King's Chamber and side three was recorded in the Queen's Chamber. Side four was actually recorded in the Burial Chamber of another pyramid (Kephren). Horn was attempting to obtain a spiritual experience from playing in the pyramids as well as record his playing including the unique echoes, in the pyramids' rooms, generated by his playing.

Horn started out as a jazz musician playing mainly what is described as "cool jazz" then went to India in 1967 to study trancendental meditation. This experience would mark a new direction in his career as he started to create more new age or meditative style of music starting with his Inside album from Taj Mahal.

In the first week of May 1976, Horn went to Cairo with his recording engineer. Horn and his recording engineer accompanied a group touring the pyramids and other Egyptian ancient structures and monuments. Horn only had a few days available to get permission to play in the Great Pyramid after closing hours. Horn eventually was granted permission to go in the Great Pyramid on the evening of May 6th, 1976 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Horn's recording engineer had one tape recorder and a microphone which were used to record Horn's playing. The music Horn created that evening was totally improvised. He interacted with the echoes as if he was playing with another musician. The next evening Horn and his recording engineer were granted permission to go after closing hours in the pyrmaids Kephren and Mycerinus and Horn's playing was recorded in these pyramids.

Inside the Great Pyramid was originally released as a 2-LP album with a booklet that was used as a source to provide some of the information in this post. This booklet is contained in scans in a folder in the first .rar file and provides some interesting reading material. Enjoy.

Tracklist:

Side One - Initiation

1. Invocation {0:41}
2. Psalm 1 {4:06}
3. Psalm 2 {2:10}
4. Psalm 3 {2:18}
5. Psalm 4 {2:49}
6. Psalm 5 {3:18}
7. Psalm 6 {2:20}
8. Psalm 7 {4:04}

Side Two - Meditation

1. Psalm 1 {3:45}
2. Psalm 2 {1:17}
3. Psalm 3 {4:55}
4. Psalm 4 {2:57}
5. Psalm 5 {2:59}
6. Psalm 6 {5:08}

Side Three - Enlightenment

1. Psalm 1 {4:01}
2. Psalm 2 {4:07}
3. Psalm 3 {2:28}
4. Psalm 4 {3:04}
5. Psalm 5 {4:26}
6. Psalm 6 {0:53}

Side Four - Fulfillment

1. Psalm 1 {5:07}
2. Psalm 2 {3:21}
3. Psalm 3 {1:52}
4. Psalm 4 {3:43}
5. Psalm 5 {2:11}
6. Psalm 6 {1:24}
7. Psalm 7 {2:15}
8. Psalm 8 {1:21}

Download Link - Mediafire (Pt. 1)                 Download Link - Mediafire (Pt. 2)

Mikis Theodorakis - The Ballad of Mauthausen

Michael "Mikis" Theodorakis was born July 29, 1925 and is a Greek songwriter and famous composer. He scored for the films Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and Serpico (1973). He is viewed as Greece's best-known living composer.

Tracklist:
01-Asma Asmaton - Song Of Songs
02-O Andonis - Anthony
03-O Drapetis - The Hostage
04-Otan Teliosi O Polemos - When The War Ends
05-Kourastika Na Se Krato - I'm Tired Of Holding Your Hand
06-O Iskios Epese Varis - Deep Shadows
07-Pira Tous Drmous Tou Ouranou - I Took To The Streets Of Heaven
08-Stou Kosmou Tin Aniforia - The Uphill Road
09-To Ekremes - The Pendulum
10-To Oniro kapnos - The Dream Went Up In Smoke

Download Link - Mediafire


The album "The Ballad Of Mauthausen" is one of the most haunting and beautiful pieces of music I have encountered in recent times. For music which was released in 1974 it is just as striking in present times as  it was then - I do regard it as timeless (although I shudder at the thought of using that adjective). The songs have a common thread: they express in powerful music and lyrics the terror, the agony and torture of the concentration camp and its effects on the minds and bodies of the inmates. Best-known of the 4 songs is “Asma Asmaton” expressing the anguish of a Jewish prisoner on learning that the women he loves has just been sent to the gas chamber. Maria Faranouri delivers a remarkable performance as in the fourth song ”Otan teliosi O Polemos” ( "When the War Ends") which portrays the life-in-death fantasy of a Jewish internee who dreams of the end of the war, or of life in almost surrealist images.

Mikis Theodorakis says himself of the work: "A good friend of mine, the poet Iacovos Kambanellis, was a prisoner in Mauthausen during World War II. At the beginning of the sixties, he wrote his memories of this time under the title of "Mauthausen". In 1965, he also wrote four poems on the subject and gave me the opportunity to set them to music. I did this with much pleasure, firstly because I liked the poetry of the texts, and secondly because I was myself locked up during the Nazi occupation in Italian and German prisons, but mainly because this composition gives us the chance to remind the younger generation of history, that history must never be forgotten.

First and foremost, of course, the Mauthausen Cantata is addressed to all those who suffered under Fascism and fought against it. We must keep the Nazi crimes continually in our minds, because that is the only guarantee and the only way to assure that they are not repeated. And we can see every day that the ghost of Fascist is far from being laid. It seldom shows its real face, but Fascist cultures and mentalities exist all over the world. For us, who had to live through this time of horror, the most important task is to protect our children against this peril."

The six songs that make up the rest of the album, four ballads and two lively, up tempo ones, all demonstrate Farandouris’ distinctive dramatic style, which adds an essentially Greek touch of pathos and nostalgia even in the lively gaiety of the two faster songs.

Reproduced here is the English translation of the lyrics of the four poems by Iacovos Kambanellis:

1 - SONG OF SONGS

My love, how beautiful she is
In her everyday dress.
With a little comb on her hair.
Nobody know how beautiful she was.
Young girls of Auschwitz.
Young girls of Dachau.
Have you seen my love?
We saw her on a long journey
She no longer had her everyday dress
Or the little comb on her hair.

My love, how beautiful she is.
Fondled by her mother
And the kisses of her brother
Nobody knew how beautiful she was
Young girls of Mauthausen,
Young girls of Belsen,
Have you seen my love?
We saw her in the frozen square
A number in her white hand
And a yellow star on her heart.

2 - ANDONIS

There, on the great staircase,
On the staircase of tears.
In the dark sentry of death,
In the quarry of lamentation.
Jews and partisans are marching.
Jews and partisans are falling,
They carry a rock on their backs.
A rock, a cross of death.

It's there that Andonis hears a voice.
The voice
"Oh comrade, oh, comrade.
Help me climb the stairs."
But there, on the great staircase.
On the staircase of tears.
Help is an insult.
Compassion is a curse.

The Jew falls on the stair,
And the staircase turns red
"And you, my boy, you, come this way
Get hold of a second rock."
I lift two rocks.
I lift three rocks.
Me, my name is Andonis.
And if you are a man, well then, come here
On this marble threshing-floor.

3 - THE FUGITIVE

Yannos Ber who comes from the North
Cannot stand the barbed wire.
He takes heart he takes wing,
He runs through the villages of the valley.

Good lady, give me a piece of bread.
Give me some clothes to change.
l have to go on a long journey.
And over lakes to fly.

Wherever he goes, wherever he stops
Terror and fear beat their wings,
And a terrible voice is heard.
"Hide from the fugitive."

Christians, I am no murderer.
No wild animal to eat you
I have escaped from prison
To go back to my home.

Ah! What solitude of death
In this country of Bertolt Brecht!
Yannos is handed over to the SS
They take him now for execution.

4 - WHEN THE WAS IS OVER

Girl with the weeping eyes,
Girl with the frozen hands.
Forget me not when the war is over.

Joy of the world. come to the gate
So that we could embrace in the street.
So that we could kiss in the square.

So that we could make love in the quarry.
In the gas chambers,
On the staircase, in the observation post.

Love in the middle of noon
In all the corners of death
Till its shadow will be no more.