tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-95143712011-04-21T12:27:32.300-07:00Music from appalachia to brazil, with plenty of detoursAJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.comBlogger371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1114467598019514762005-04-26T09:29:00.000-07:002005-05-09T21:08:30.486-07:00

Photo: Maria CamilloPsychograss: Ride the Wild Turkey / Jeremy ReelFrom Like Minds, 1996I just finished a week of fantastic live music. First was a double bill of Vasen and the Darol Anger-Mike Marshall Duo, then Jackie Rago and her amazing Venezuelan band, and finally Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill (see previous post).At the Anger-Marshall show I picked up Now Hear This the brand new CD from

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1111038157281957382005-03-17T10:33:00.000-08:002005-03-17T11:03:48.043-08:00

Martin Hayes: The Crooked Road-The Foxhunter's ReelFrom Under the Moon, 1995Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill: Paddy Fahy's ReelFrom The Lonesome Touch, 1997We'’re back in business, just in time to add some color to your holiday. But Martin Hayes isn’'t just background music to sip your stout to. Download the first track, turn your speakers way up, and appreciate this fiddler'’s rare musicality

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1109290297010622182005-02-25T08:43:00.000-08:002005-02-25T09:04:11.936-08:00

Jovino Santos Neto Quinteto: Mendanha / Intrigas no Boteco do PadilhaFrom Ao Vivo em Olympia (Live in Olympia), 2000Sorry for the week-and-a-half absence. I just moved, and things should be returning to normal around here.Today's tracks are a samba and a choro, respectively, from pianist Jovino Santos Neto, who spent 15 years in Hermeto Pascoal's legendary band. He later settled in Seattle,

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1108334478493599382005-02-13T14:17:00.000-08:002005-02-14T09:26:55.226-08:00

Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas: Calliope Meets Frank and Da Slockit LightFrom Fire & Grace, 2004The cello is a caged beast. Inside every expressive, lyrical cellist is a rhythmic monster waiting to be set loose, and Natalie Hass is one of a few young cellists who have done just that.On this duet record, Haas and brilliant Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser dodge and weave through material from the

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1107805613545593482005-02-07T11:04:00.000-08:002005-02-07T12:06:41.506-08:00

Gilberto Gil: Three Little Birds / Waiting in Vain From Kaya N'Gan Daya, 2002 To mark Bob Marley's birthday (he would have been 60 yesterday), I'm offering two tracks from Gilberto Gil's brilliant 2002 tribute album, Kaya N'Gan Daya. It's ballsy for any performer to imagine someone listening to their album of Marley covers rather than the real thing. But Gilberto Gil is not just any

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1107321937551053222005-02-02T10:04:00.000-08:002005-02-02T10:25:57.550-08:00

I'm still on a choro kick, so here's a pair of tunes from two Brazilian masters: Raphael Rabello & Paulo Moura: 1x0 (Um a Zero) / Domingo No Orfeão Portugal From Dois Irmãos, 1992 Raphael Rabello was perhaps Brazil's greatest guitarist until his premature death in 1995. Paulo Moura, on clarinet, is a legend of Brazilian jazz, pop and classical music. These virtuosos play here in a no-frills

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1106886189298677572005-01-27T19:56:00.000-08:002005-01-28T10:04:55.276-08:00

Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso: Um Abraço Seu Dominguinhos / Cochichando From Choro Famoso, 2004 I first posted some Brazilian choro/chorinho a couple weeks ago -- it's an intricate, swinging sound that borrows from samba rhythms, jazz harmony, and European dance tunes. Here's some more, from right in my own backyard: Oakland, CA. Mandolinist Mike Marshall is an alumnus of the David Grisman

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1106598307713936552005-01-24T13:04:00.000-08:002005-01-25T18:53:33.320-08:00

Phillips Grier & Flinner: Car On Fire / Monroe's Hornpipe From Phillips Grier & Flinner, 1999 / Looking Back, 2002 Here's some instrumental not-quite-bluegrass to belatedly start out the week. The combo of mandolin, guitar and bass perfectly covers the sonic spectrum with little overlap in range. With masters like Todd Phillips (b), David Grier (g) and Matt Flinner (m) at the helm, the

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1106209593817170002005-01-20T10:36:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:18:22.936-08:00

Todd Snider: Conservative, Christian, Right-Wing, Republican, Straight, White, American Male From East Nashville Skyline, 2004 Dan Bern: We Will Not Be Divided From Anthems, 2004 Here are two songs that attack the notion of a "polarized" nation from entirely different angles. Todd Snider's hilarious "Conservative Christian..." is more than a simple liberal jibe at Red State America; he goes

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1106122770510174302005-01-19T10:50:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:17:35.716-08:00

One of my favorite Dylan covers: Buddy Miller: With God On Our Side From Universal United House of Prayer, 2004 Back when Joan Baez was an established name and Bob Dylan was still just another folksinger in the Village, she heard him sing this song and decided that maybe the kid had something. This is one of those songs that's all too pertinent after 40 years, although it could use another

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1106032061857522822005-01-18T10:24:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:16:29.326-08:00

Don't take that too seriously. Going for a lighter tone today. The Austin Lounge Lizards: Stupid Texas Song From Employee of the Month, 1998 Andy Irvine and Mozaik: Pony Boy / Never Tire of the Road From Live from the Powerhouse, 2004 "Stupid Texas Song" helps release some of that pent-up red-state agression (we love you guys, really, we just wish you hadn't gone and voted like that). The

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1105952108093420962005-01-17T11:04:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:15:40.356-08:00

This week marks the passage into Dubya's second term. I spent a lot of time and energy (actually, all my time and energy) over the summer and fall trying to keep this from happening. Politics are as personal to me as music, and this week it's going to be impossible to separate the two. If that bugs you, you might want to check out until next Monday, when we'll be back to the regularly

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1105685190891399042005-01-14T10:13:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:15:08.146-08:00

Claudia Villela & Ricardo Peixoto: Presença / Brasil com S From Inverse Universe, 2003, Adventure Music Claudia Villela has one of those voices that makes you not care whether she even sings words (and frequently, she doesn't). This native carioca, with an enchanting five-octave range, has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over two decades. For most of that time, she's had an ongoing

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1105575392827370972005-01-12T15:58:00.000-08:002005-01-21T23:20:17.490-08:00

In a fit of neglect, I left out the most absurd Canada-themed song in existence: Three Dead Trolls: The Toronto Song This stupid little ditty somehow ended up on my computer in a search for geographically appropriate music for a long summer road trip. It kept us sane in the barren wasteland between Detroit and Buffalo. Hope you like it. I apologize in advance. "...and Alan Thicke sucks!"

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1105511606753878212005-01-12T10:25:00.000-08:002005-01-21T23:21:07.010-08:00

La Bottine Souriante: La brunette est là-Le reel des quatre fers en l'air / Le rêve du Quéteux Tremblay I From Je Voudrais Changer D'Chapeau, 1988 Keller Williams: Case of You Live bootleg, 1998ish The signs are converging: first it was the Canadian theme week over at songs:illinois. Then the Daily Show sketch where Ed Helms ran around Manhattan wearing nothing but an "Oh Canada!" t-shirt. So

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1105335425530156942005-01-10T10:34:00.000-08:002005-01-21T23:19:11.533-08:00

Turtle Island String Quartet: Crossroads / Blue in Green - Seven Steps to Heaven From Windham Hill Retrospective, 1997 In the world of non-traditional string quartets, Kronos is the reigning king. I've seen them a few times and always enjoyed their music, especially the "Triple Quartet" that Steve Reich composed for them. But when classically-trained chamber groups play jazz and pop, there's

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1105076222497350322005-01-07T10:32:00.000-08:002005-01-17T22:08:42.836-08:00

Jacob do Bandolim: Lamentos Recorded 1951, reissued 1994 Zizi Possi: Lamentos From Valsa Brasileira, 1993 Sticking with Brazil for now, here are two versions of "Lamentos," a classic choro tune first recorded in 1928. The first is pretty much the standard version of the tune, performed by Jacob do Bandolim, Brazil's great pioneering mandolin virtuoso (you know you're good when they name you

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1104910486949784522005-01-05T10:50:00.000-08:002005-01-17T14:11:38.750-08:00

João Gilberto: Aguas de Março / Falsa Baiana From João Gilberto, 1973, Polygram Brazil Supposedly, Miles Davis once claimed João Gilberto would sound good reading the newspaper. Or maybe it was the phone book. Truth or legend, Miles was right. It seems silly to post about João, co-creator of the bossa nova, a musician so legendary that even those who come here seeking fiddles and banjos

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1104745672157560482005-01-03T11:43:00.000-08:002005-01-18T00:37:00.016-08:00

Väsen: Kapten Kapsyl / 30-Års Jiggen From Whirled, 1997, Northside Records Perhaps it follows that Sweden, an epicenter of death metal, is home to one of the most intense traditional string bands you'll ever hear. If you want roots music to mosh to, this is it. Väsen leads the surprisingly vibrant Nordic roots scene. For some reason, that cold-ass peninsula developed a traditional music

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1104536265877926932004-12-31T15:05:00.000-08:002005-01-09T15:52:13.046-08:00

Dan Bern: The Torn Flag From My Country II, 2004 No top ten list from me. I have a complete inability to rank my favorite movies, music, books, or anything else. I could maybe do a top fifty, in no particular order. Maybe. So I thought I'd pick one song to usher in 2005. Anything celebratory would be inappropriate given this week's incomprehensible tragedy and the past 20 months of war. So I

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1104354034334915462004-12-29T13:00:00.000-08:002005-01-09T15:51:27.870-08:00

Velha Guarda da Portela: Sabiá Cantador, Lenço, and Volta Meu Amor (w/Marisa Monte) From Tudo Azul, 2000 The first sound we hear is a knife scraping a plate. Then a cavaquinho strums a samba rhythm, the clear but slightly tooth-deprived voice of an old sambista joins in, and suddenly we’re in Rio, 1950, at a backyard samba de roda, clapping hands and dancing while the churrasco cooks slowly on

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1104179565177675152004-12-27T13:20:00.000-08:002005-01-07T14:01:10.466-08:00

You may know the bluegrass/pop band Nickel Creek, who picked up a Grammy this year for their latest album, This Side. You may not know that their frontman, Chris Thile, was a child mandolin prodigy with shellacked hair (see above) who recorded his first record at age thirteen. By the time he was sixteen, he was on par with the hottest session players in Nashville, as Stealing Second shows. The

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103917134470248302004-12-24T11:47:00.000-08:002005-01-04T23:35:57.616-08:00

Wesleyan University, February 2001 Here's some seasonal music for those of you who actually have seasons. I celebrated the solstice like a good Northern Californian -- by going hiking. But I hear it's pretty cold for the rest of the country, so enjoy these songs: "While Roving On a Winter's Night" is beautifully arranged and produced by violinist Darol Anger, with vocals taken care of by Dar

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103837748989580062004-12-23T13:34:00.000-08:002004-12-23T14:52:31.690-08:00

Update: everything is back up. Songs from last week are down for the moment. They should be back up by this evening. New music tomorrow.

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103705259526198432004-12-22T11:17:00.000-08:002005-01-02T00:29:32.400-08:00

I'm a Jew who dislikes Christmas music, and Chanukah songs don't really spin my dreidel either. That said, there's one holiday album I love, so here we go. I think I like this recording because I can separate the songs from the cheesy lyrics and gaudy holiday imagery; it stands alone as great music, good for all seasons. Midnight Clear is a beautiful and imaginative collection of holiday songs

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103574184141694982004-12-20T13:19:00.000-08:002004-12-20T17:10:54.220-08:00

After less than two weeks, you guys have nearly maxed out the monthly bandwidth limits on my free Earthlink server space. Can anyone suggest a good, inexpensive alternative for mp3 hosting?

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103572249234486592004-12-20T11:17:00.000-08:002004-12-30T15:04:25.676-08:00

Okay, enough with the Welsh accordion crap. Here’'s something catchy. Adriana Calcanhotto is an A-list star in Brazil but relatively unknown outside the country. She was hailed as the next Elis Regina when she first came on the scene, but that hardly covers it. As strong an influence as Elis may be, Calcanhotto’'s music is informed more by the tropicália she listened to growing up – Caetano

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103313920079031862004-12-17T11:13:00.000-08:002004-12-27T14:07:08.180-08:00

This CD is perfect. Every plucked guitar string, each breath of sound from the accordion is exactly right. Yeah, accordion. Seriously. This accordion/guitar duet CD from Karen Tweed and Ian Carr, unpronouncably titled Fyace, might be the most sublime 50 minutes of music I own. These are traditional Western European tunes:– Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swedish, and so on. Meant for dancing, you

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103137769528020192004-12-15T11:38:00.000-08:002004-12-27T14:07:52.723-08:00

Quarteto Novo existed for just three years and changed the face of Brazilian jazz. Tom Jobim had already brought jazz harmony and sensibility to Brazilian music in the '50s, when he and João Gilberto put the brakes on samba, turned down the volume and replaced the traditional percussion with a drum kit, piano and bass, creating bossa nova. Samba had swept across Europe and North America years

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1103087462352979962004-12-14T21:02:00.000-08:002004-12-14T22:17:55.460-08:00

Scissorkick has a great post up about the "insanely talented" Mike B. Read the post and download the video clip which, as Steve writes, "will truly blow your mind." The guy plays a samba on the guitar while beatboxing and humming a counter-melody. Holy crap. New music tomorrow.

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1102969874907613272004-12-13T13:21:00.000-08:002004-12-23T14:45:19.960-08:00

When you discover Greg Brown, you wonder where he's been hiding all your life. But he hasn't been hiding; he's been writing, recording and performing for a dedicated legion of fans across the country since the 1980s. And Greg is a folksinger's folksinger: his songs have been covered by Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, Lucinda Williams, Shawn Colvin, Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana and Gillian Welch, to

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1102719631283880232004-12-10T13:45:00.000-08:002004-12-19T23:56:40.576-08:00

David Byrne discovered Tom Zé working at a gas station in northeastern Brazil 1989. Tom Zé helped Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil launch the Tropicália song movement in the 1960s, but while they rose to international stardom, he gradually slipped into obscurity. The main reason: he was ahead of his time. His music, full of remixed, sampled, cut-n-paste quirkiness, invented instruments and weird

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1102627810169160222004-12-09T13:05:00.000-08:002004-12-10T20:48:52.466-08:00

Bill Monroe invented bluegrass music around the same time Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were creating bebop. Sixty years later, those twin paths of American music have converged in the Wayfaring Strangers. The vision of jazz violinist Matt Glaser, the Wayfaring Strangers are a 9-piece big band straight out of the primordial ooze of American music, fusing bluegrass, folk, gospel and jazz.

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1102544175106252242004-12-08T13:35:00.000-08:002004-12-10T20:47:43.740-08:00

Bruce Molsky is a force of nature. Originally a mechanical engineer from New York, he left civilization and headed for the hills of Appalachia to study traditional fiddle styles in the late '70s. Today, he's one of the most incredible traditional instrumentalists in the country. He also rips it on the clawhammer banjo and fingerstyle guitar. And the guy can sing. This is an unaccompanied fiddle

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1102538609996113442004-12-08T13:25:00.000-08:002004-12-10T20:46:46.300-08:00

Feeling a bit guilty for bitching about one of my favorite musicians in my first post, I'm offering up one of Caetano's lesser known gems. This is from his hard-to-find 1969 eponymous LP, and showcases everything I love about his early songs: interesting composition, textured arrangement, exploding with energy and life. Caetano Veloso: Irene From Caetano Veloso, 1969

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1102492969111129362004-12-07T23:03:00.000-08:002004-12-27T14:57:54.646-08:00

Maybe I shouldn't start this blog with a complaint. Ah, screw it. My beef: Caetano Veloso singing in English. Imagine Bob Dylan and the Beatles rolled into one musician. Add a good helping of samba, bossa nova and other distinctly Brazilian styles. Then imagine that this musician's latest efforts are just as vital and worth hearing as anything he did in the '60s. That gives you a hint of

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9514371.post-1102481288636003922004-12-07T20:47:00.000-08:002004-12-07T22:17:37.296-08:00

Still getting this all figured out... I should be up and running soon.

AJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08207795154937567811noreply@blogger.com0