Kind of hard to put a finger on the style of Jho Archer – which is probably why they used the phrase "many talents" in the title of this one! Jho's got a bit of Caribbean in his vocals – traces of calypso and Haitian soul, inflected with a hipper French approach to the backings, which are handled by H Rostaing, in a manner that reminds us of some of those used on the recordings of Henri Salvador. Jho sings in English and French – and the best cuts are nicely swinging. Titles include "Work Song", "Le Condamne", "The Peanut Vendor", "Cousin", "Ibo Lele", and "Sky Boat Song". LP, Vinyl record album
(Yellow label stereo pressing. Cover has some ring and edge wear, split bottom seam parially held with clear tape, a bit of paper stuck at the bottom, splitting in the spine, and a Demonstration stamp in back.)
Anja Lauvdal & Joakim Heibo —
All My Clothes ... LP Actions For Free Jazz (UK), 2022. Sealed ...
Out Of Stock
A wonderfully dynamic set from pianist Anja Lauvdal – a player who seems to have a very different quality on every new track – sometimes as freewheeling and open as a Cecil Taylor-inspired musician, other times resonating with the sonic modernism of some of the 70s players who could swing, but with strange chord choices and a very elliptical sense of rhythm! Drummer Joakim Heibo turns out to be a perfect partner for the record – although throughout, it feels as if he's responding to Lauvdal – which should be no surprise, as her performance throughout is definitely the sort that would keep another musician on their toes. The album features four long tracks, all untitled. LP, Vinyl record album
Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra —
Viva Cugat! ... LP Mercury, Early 60s. Very Good+ Gatefold ...
$5.99
Nice later material by Cugie – recorded slightly before his 60s pop excursions, and with a sound that retains a lot of his original conception, but which touches it with some nice exotic hi-fi production. Titles include "Siboney", "Anna", "Jungle Drums", "Jungle Concerto", "Say Si Si", and "Poinciana". LP, Vinyl record album
(Blue label stereo Perfect Presence Sound pressing with deep groove.)
A gem of a record from the legendary Nino Rota – one of his best scores for director Federico Fellini – a bit later than some of their 60s classics, but equally great! The music is filled with Rota's trademark interweaving of dominant themes and lighter moments – the kind of tight chamber scoring that makes his compositions work so well – bouncey, but never silly, moody, but never too serious. The narrative takes Rota to more pan-historic territory, but his approach here is similar to Fellini films set in contemporary Rome – and dominant instrumentation includes bits of accordion, piano, horns, and gentle strings. Wonderful stuff all around – with loads of short little tracks that have some nice hooks – titles that include "La Fogaraccia", "La Gradisca E Il Principe", "Gary Cooper", "Lo Struscio", "Amarcord", and "Ti Ricordi Siboney". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original Italian Cam pressing with deep groove. Cover has light wear and minor blemishes.)
12
Earth Wind & Fire —
Open Our Eyes ... LP Columbia, 1974. Near Mint- ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
Spiritual, soulful, and oh, so beautiful! This record captures Earth Wind & Fire at a perfect transition moment – when they've still got some of their avant jazz roots, but are leaning towards the smooth soulful funk sound that put them on the charts a few years later. The whole thing's a wonderful mix of spiritualism and funky jazz – and it includes their massive cover of "Mighty Mighty", plus a lot of tracks with cool instrumentation, like "Kalimba Story", "Drum Song", and "Caribou". Great jazzy groovers, all of them! LP, Vinyl record album
(70s Japanese pressing – with insert and inner sleeve! SOPM 120)
Better than it sounds – as this one, like the initial Jungle Drums album, is low on the drums, and much more in the mode of Gould's usual light classic work. In fact, we're kind of hard pressed to hear any percussion at all – as the main groove is orchestral performances of Latin standards, like "Brazil", "Siboney", "The Peanut Vendor", "Ay Ay Ay", and other tunes of that nature. LP, Vinyl record album
(Shaded dog stereo Dynagroove pressing with deep groove.)
Only an EP, but a set that's had maybe more impact than thousands of other full length records over the years! Come On Pilgrim gave the world a mighty strong taste of The Pixies – eight tracks that forever put Black Francis and the group on the map, with a sound that's raw, but focused – really heralding a whole generation of new groups to come! Yet here, at the source, things sound better than ever – on titles that include "Caribou", "Vamos", "Ed Is Dead", "The Nimrod's Son", "I've Been Tired", "Levitate Me", and "Isla De Encanta". LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 2000s 180 gram pressing. Cover has light wear.)
One of the best entries in RCA's classic "our man in..." series – and a nice one by Perez that has him breaking the format of his other releases for the label. In this one, he hits a lot of more modern grooves than on his 50's work – and he also introduces the "bongoson", a mixture of twist and Cuban "son" that sounds pretty groovy. Titles include "Uno", "Pachito E Che", "Tico Tico No Fuba", "Guares", and "Canto Siboney". LP, Vinyl record album
(Mono pressing with deep groove. Cover has a half split top seam & minimal wear.)
Early 70s recordings of some of Brel's greatest classics – done in versions that update the sound and enliven the spirit! The session dates from 1972, and features arrangements and orchestrations by longtime Brel collaborator Francois Rauber – plus beautifully somber piano by Gerard Jouannest, who'd been Brel's accompanist for over a decade by the time of the set. The tunes sound tremendous in these new arrangements – somehow even more classic, as they're stripped of any of the pop trappings of their initial recordings, and made even more "Brel-like"! Titles include "Ne Me Quitte Pas", "On N'Oublie Rien", "Les Flamandes", "Les Prenoms De Paris", "Je Ne Sais Pas", "Le Moribond", "La Valse A Mille Temps", and "Le Prochain Amour". LP, Vinyl record album
17
Duke Ellington —
Primping For The Prom ... LP CBS (France), Late 40s/1950s/Early 60s. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
Soloists include Quentin Jackson and Tyree Glenn on trombone, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Ray Nance and Harold Baker on trumpets, and Johnny Hodges on alto. Lil Greewood sings on one track – and titles include "B Sharp Boston", "Cop Out", "Suburban Beauty", "Boogie Bop Blues", and "Snibor". LP, Vinyl record album
Campy 20s-sounding tunes – penned by Ralston for this all-star World War 1 extravaganza. Most of the material is comedic, and vocals are by Richard Howard, Joanne Brown, Pia Colombo, Corin Redgrave, and others. Titles include "Belgium Put The Kaibosh On The Kaiser", "When This Lousy War Is Over", "I Want To Go Home", "Hush! Here Comes A Whizzbang", "Oh! It's A Lovely War", "Over There", and "Goodbyeee". LP, Vinyl record album
Warmly stepping grooves from James Vincent – an under-acknowledged genius of the 70s crossover scene! Vincent works here in a title that's smooth and compressed – a bit like more popular AOR work of the time, but with some surprising soulful touches too – especially in the rhythms, which are extra-nice, given that drums are by Harvey Mason and Clyde Stubblefield! Instrumentation often has a warm 70s California glow – keyboards and guitar all wrapped up nicely together, with vocals folded in nicely – kind of a late 70s extension of the wonderful style of Nick DeCaro's album on Blue Thumb. There's a few great grooves in the mix, and titles include "Moonday", "Firefly", "Drifting Into Love", "Mankind", "Song For Jayme", and "Stepping Up". LP, Vinyl record album