All Categories  

Chico Mann puts in an appearance here – adding his vocals nicely to the messed-up Latin funk of "Me Gusto"! The track's pretty heavy in beats and beeps – a real speaker-pounding sort of groove, but one that has a captivating undercurrent too – almost like you're hearing your San Antonio neighbor's stereo blasting away through the wall space of three different apartments! "Dame Lo" and "Los Perritos" are more abstract instrumentals – definitely the kind to make the needle pop unexpectedly into the red, from the basslines on up!

The first full length from Blundetto – a Parisian radio programmer and artist showing impeccable taste here – with a slyly dubby and reggae & soul influenced groove and featuring collaborations with The Budos Band horns, Chico Mann, Tommy Guerrero, Lateef The Truthspeaker, Shawn Lee, Genreal Elektricks and Hindi Zahra! Blundetto shares compositional credits with the guest, and it has the feel of collaboration with that atmopherically soulful core groove. Really nice work for the Heavenly Sweetness label! Titles including the Blundetto cover of the Bob James classic "Nautilus" plus "Voices", "Mustang", "Mi Condena", "Cuban Shirt", "Party Animals". "White Birds", "Ken Park", "My One Girl", "Bad BadThings" and "Sunset Stroll".

Jazzy mambos galore – killer collection of cuts from the deep deep vaults of Universal Music – mostly from the 50s and 60s, and mixing up a whole host of different Latin styles in the process! Some of the earliest cuts here hold true to the first mambo styles of the time – but others expand on the format wonderfully – especially the 60s numbers, which open up the music with some really mod elements! A handful of cuts have vocals, but most are instrumental – and there's a very strong Verve-like vibe running through most of the music in the collection – no surprise, given the inventive things the label was always doing with Latin music. Titles include "110th Street & 5th Ave" by Noro Morales, "Insight" by Cal Tjader, "Descarga Numero 1000" by Chico O'Farrill, "Mambo Inn" by Candido, "Manteca Theme" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Ponce" by Noro Morales, "Hip Hug Her" by Chico O'Farrill, "Sabre Dance" by Lalo Schifrin, "Black Orchid" by Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri, "Cuban Potato Chip" by Herbie Mann, and "Uno Dos Tres" by Willie Bobo.

A 2CD Anniversary compilation for Turntables On The Hudson – with a disc of Current Favorites and a second with Classics From The Catalogue! Disc One features tracks that by acts that are among our current favorites, too, with Quantic & Nicodemus, Balka Beat Box, Chico Mann and others. Titles include "Mi Swing Es Tropica" Zeb Reggae rmx"by Nickodemus & Quantic feat Hector Alomar, "Death Of A Revolution" by Quantic's Flowering Inferno, "Our Father, Our King" by Subatomic Sound System. "Soul Fever" (rmx) by Subatomic Sound System and much more. Disc 2 includes "Cleopatra In New York" by Nickodemus feat Carol C, "Brooklyn Ole" by Nickodemus & Osiris, "One For Senegal" by Pleb, "Chi Che" by Marzebian and more.

The first full length from Blundetto – a Parisian radio programmer and artist showing impeccable taste here – with a slyly dubby and reggae & soul influenced groove and featuring collaborations with The Budos Band horns, Chico Mann, Tommy Guerrero, Lateef The Truthspeaker, Shawn Lee, Genreal Elektricks and Hindi Zahra! Blundetto shares compositional credits with the guest, and it has the feel of collaboration with that atmopherically soulful core groove. Really nice work for the Heavenly Sweetness label! Titles including the Blundetto cover of the Bob James classic "Nautilus" plus "Voices", "Mustang", "Mi Condena", "Cuban Shirt", "Party Animals". "White Birds", "Ken Park", "My One Girl", "Bad BadThings" and "Sunset Stroll".

The "pickers" in the group's name refers to the way they play – tight and plucked, in the manner of some of the work of the Chico Hamilton quintet of the late 50s. No surprise, the group features Chico's reedman Buddy Collette on flute, and cellist Harry Babasin on cello (natch!) – as well as drums and vibes by Bob Harrington, additional drums by Bill Douglas, and guitar by Don Overberg. The sound is very Hamilton-esque overall – which is a-ok with us – and titles include "Bebe", "Influtration", "When You Love Someone", "RH Factor", "Easy Pickins", "Rap Scallion", and "Monti Cello".

A pretty darn sweet vocal session from the duo of Miucha and Antonio Carlos Jobim – recorded with lots of bossa overtones, very much the same spirit as the legendary Elis & Tom album of the mid 70s! Chico Buarque participates in the session, and Jobim even lends his vocal talents to a track or two – but his real talent, though, is his work on the arrangements – as he gives the whole thing a beautifully dreamy quality, in the manner of his best 70s work, with lots of strange off-kilter melodies floating around the mix of strings, piano, and flute! Miucha's vocals are lovely, and titles include "Sei La A Vida Tem Sempre Razao", "Vai Levando", "Comigo E Assim", "Samba Do Aviao", and "Saia Do Caminho".

A jazz soundtrack double-header – one that features both the small combo and larger band version of the soundtrack to The Sweet Smell Of Success! The first half of the CD features the Chico Hamilton Quintet's album of music – a wonderful bit of cinematic jazz from the 50s. The combo was a key part of the LA scene at the time, but are oddly featured as a regular club act in the movie's New York setting – but we'll gladly forgive that geographic error, given that the music on the set is so great. The quality's a bit like some of the Hamilton Quintet work on World Pacific – but there's a slightly freer, more urgent feel here too – work that's sometimes somewhat driving, and beautifully blended from the guitar of John Pisano, clarinet of Paul Horn, cello of Fred Katz, piano of Carson Smith, and drums from Chico. Side one features a lot of short incidental cuts – like "Susan", "Cheek To Chico", "Jam", and "Night Beat" – and side 2 is an extended "Concerto Of Jazz Themes From The Soundtrack Of Sweet Smell Of Success". The second half of the CD features the full orchestral version of the Sweet Smell Of Success soundtrack – but done in a style that's almost as jazzy and swinging as the small combo one! Elmer Bernstein's at the helm here – and the music's a wonderful pastiche of modes that's right up there with his sublime score for The Man With The Golden Arm – done in a similar blend of driving jazz, somber moments, and some slightly more raucous touches! As with that album, the players are all great – and soloists on the album include Pete Candoli, Ted Nash, and Shelly Manne – west coast players despite the New York setting of the film, and playing here with a fair bit of grit in their groove. Titles include "The Street", "Hot Dogs & Juice", "Toots Shor's Blues", "Nite Spot Rock", "Love Scene", and "Out Of Darkness".