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Various Artists: Long Live Boogaloo: Rare Latin Boogaloos from Spanish Harlem 1963-'72
by Chris M. Slawecki
Long Live Boogaloo captures rare and sometimes underground Latin boogaloo, traditional Cuban music shot up like steroids with James Brown and other hard-driving R&B sounds, which emerged from Spanish Harlem in the 1960s, compiled by producer Bobby Marin for Secret Stash.Even if this Boogaloo can sometimes sounds anachronistic, it still sounds vibrant and alive. Ten pounds of dynamite stuffed into little more than three minutes, the hard-rocking drums in Ozzie Torrens' “Mia's Boogaloo" beat with the absolute heart ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: Wandelweiser Und So Weiter
by John Eyles
Various ArtistsWanderweiser Und So WeiterAnother Timbre2012This ambitious six-disc boxed set will surely come to be seen as a landmark release from Another Timbre. Whereas the label has previously issued four or five separate CDs at a time, linked by some overarching theme--for instance, “Duos with brass" or “The guitar series"--this time around, it has put together six connected discs as a set. The connection is contained in the title of the set: ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: 13 Miniatures for Albert Ayler
by John Sharpe
Tributes come in many forms. Most blatant is the repertory regurgitation of charts associated with the dedicatee or modern takes on that program. Then comes homage, influenced by the historical figure in question, with works in a contemporaneous style. Finally, there appears art inspired by the spirit of the honoree. It is into this last division that this disc falls, with 13 pieces titled after the names of the musicians, created by between one and five participants drawn from a ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: Home - Gift Of Music: Japan Earthquake/Tsunami Relief
by Dan Bilawsky
Tragedy on a grand scale tends to attract philanthropic and righteous individuals looking to do the right thing and help in some way, but short memories and attention spans often plague these same generous souls. People are quick to open their hearts and wallets when the worst is in front of them, but time passes and people move on; the devastation, however, rarely ends with a swift resolution. The triptych of horror--earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster--that struck ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: Putamayo Presents: Brazilian Beat
by Chris M. Slawecki
"One of the exciting things we at Putamayo do is introduce artists to people who don't know them," says Putamayo Records head Dan Storper. Brazilian Beat surveys the roots and fruits of Brazil's contemporary music, selected from Putamayo's archive of tens of thousands of global/world music pieces. “You can really hear the intersection between past and present in the music of Brazilian artists," Storper continues. “We didn't make an effort to seek it out; this is what musicians are doing. ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: Fukushima!
by John Eyles
Various Artists Fukushima! Presqu'ile Records 2012 Okay, please sit up and pay close attention. This is an album that you really should not ignore. Fukushima! is a double CD consisting of ten tracks by renowned improvising musicians from across the globe--almost two hours of music altogether. All proceeds from its sales will go straight to non-profit organisations assisting victims of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and its aftermath. The ...
Continue ReadingVarious Artists: The Leopard Lounge Box Set
by Chris May
Various ArtistsThe Leopard Lounge Box SetWarner Jazz2012If you enjoy the TV series Mad Men, you are going to love The Leopard Lounge Box Set. Probably.You need to go know what you are getting into. Should you be offended by the thought of guitarist Barney Kessel hanging on to a tremolo arm and twanging out George Gershwin's “Summertime," or cornetist Nat Adderley fronting a cheesy, Vegas-style big band arrangement of Tony ...
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