ukvibe

Well known Brazilian producer and soundtrack composer this is his debut CD and very good it is too, among the top guest vocalists he uses are CeU, Zeila Duncan (Os Mutantes) and Rappin’ Hood. It’s a chilled mix which has a bedrock of bossa and other Brazilian rhythms joined by gentle flavours of reggae and funk. Perfect for all the lovely summer sunshine we should be having.  Graham Radley

Dubbed as ‘Chinagrass’ this is music which is steeped in the traditions of Xinjiang, China’s wild, desert province, the heart of Muslim culture in China. Layered, ambient music with traditional throat singing meeting alt country, it might sound strange but it’s a perfectly natural unioun as on ‘Celebration’ with a guest slot for Bella Fleck. The Womad live set was great too.  Graham Radley

Ten great salsa tracks from Grupo Gale, Poncho Sanchez, Chico Alvarez, Eddie Palmieri, Orquesta Aragon, Son Boricua, Fruko y Sus Tesos, Jose Conde y Ola Fresca, Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca and Juanito y la Agresiva. A well rounded collection.  Graham Radley

Excellent two CD collection from Chris and features material from a wide range of sources, there’s material from his solo albums as well as work with Andy Cutting, The Two Duos, Jean-François Vrod, Martin Carthy & Roger Wilson, Karen Tweed, English Acoustic Collective and my own favourite the Imagined Village, the duet with Eliza Carthy is simply spot on. Excellent.  Graham Radley

One of the most anticipated live acts at this year’s Womad and now on a couple of weeks residency in Edinburgh as part of the annual festival, Dub Colossus have attracted a good deal of media attention in recent months. Does the album live up to the hype? The answer is a resounding thumbs up and must surely be a prime contender for best world roots fusion album of the year. Of course western roots fans have been enthralled by the superb Ethiopiques re-issue series pioneered by French enthusiast Francis Falcetto and Dub Colossus clearly have been inspired by this awesome ongoing series. On the haunting ‘Tazeb Kush’ it is clearly the Ethiopian side that comes to the fore with beautiful tenor sax and vocals courtesy of Bahta Gecrehiwot. However, it is the intruiging combination of modern Ethiopian sounds with Jamaican dub that has rightly grabbed the headlines and this is no better exemplified than on ‘Ento to dub’ with subtle use of the kraar harp with several other fine examples on the album. One should not forget that for many Rastafarians Ethiopia is considered the homeland and thus the musical connection is a very organic one. What impresses here is the degree of respect for the two countries musical traditions and crucially the sensitivity displayed in fusing the two so effortlessly. Unquestionably one of the soundtracks to the summer and destined to remain so for several summers to come.  Tim Stenhouse

African dub blending Ethiopian traditional with afro jazz and Jamaican dub recorded in Ethiopia & the UK from this new band formed by Transglobal Underground founder member Count Dubullah (aka Nick Page) . The recording features several amazing vocalists including Sintayehu Zenebe (the “Ethiopian Edith Piaf) Tsedenia Gebremarkos,. Bahta Gerbrehiwot and Teremage Woretaw, listen out to for some superb piano from Samuel Yirga and brilliant saxophonist Feleke Hailu. This really is a wonderful album.  Graham Radley

Essex folk band Mawkin in a very successful collaboration with the wonderful singer Jim Causley from Devon. The result is inspiring with their live sets adding to the excitement and expectancy over this They’ve managed to capture the freshness of their take on traditional folk and it’s all so wonderfully topped off by that terrific voice. Recommended.  Graham Radley

Dubbed as bhangra Latina this is Kuljit Bhamra, top tabla player and the name behind soundtracks like “Bhaji on the Beach”, and “Bend it like Beckham”, teaming up with top salsa pianist Alex Wilson. The marriage of styles flows easily and you often forget there’s two very distinct styles merging here, I especially like the opener ‘Pyar Ka Hai Bairi’ with vocals from Sangeeta.  Graham Radley

Here is a trio with a difference. London-based collective Troyka have created a niche for themselves with a guitar heavy sound that is somewhere to the left of White Stripes, takes in the jazz-rock period of Larry Young and even takes a leaf out of the exploratory grooves of Cream. This music will appeal to a wider audience beyond the usual jazz sphere, and certainly the cover and inner sleeve are aimed at a younger generation and one that is at ease with indie-rock guitar licks. The abstract groove of ‘Noonian soong’ hints at Marc Ribot while the eery, expansive sounds on ‘Clint’ conjurs up Ry Cooder soundtracking a western. However, the trio can play pretty as illustrated on ‘Golden’ with its subtle use of guitar and keyboard, and with nice brush work courtesy of Joshua Blackmore.

Their own musical roots are hinted at on ‘Born in the 1980s’ which is highly experimental in part. Hypnotic grooves abound on ‘Bear’ with Montague impressing on guitar. Throughout electronic loops are subtly incorporated, but not ovely elaborate. Troyka have surfaced on the Cardiff-based label Edition that is making a reputation of championing avant-garde jazz and the trio have succeeding in creating a distinctive sound, and one that promises to be an exciting live act. It will be interesting to see how Tryoka develop in future years.  Tim Stenhouse

This might well upset the purists but Baaba Maal has always been adventurous and here he brings in a strong pop element to a Senagalese core heavily featuring Sabina Sciubba and Didi Gutman from the New York electronica outfit the Brazilian Girls . This is his first new release for about 8 years and my only real gripe would be that I’d love to hear even more of the great man featured. I think maybe the purists will retreat to the traditional albums like ‘Missing You’ but hopefully this release will bring in a whole new audience who will also go on to savour his back catalogue. I love it.  Graham Radley

Dance music collective Nickodemus have been open to various world roots influences on previous albums and are equally broad-minded on this one. West African voclaist Ismael Kouyate guest on the brief intro title track and then returns at the very end of the CD with a longer, altogether funkier version on ‘N’dini’. In general Latin flavours abound on this releases with the urban New York take on the genre in ‘La lluvia’ typifying the endeavous with latin vamp on piano and Spanish vocals delivered courtesy of Richard Shepherd. New Orleans-style drums underneath give this song an unusual feel. The Latin tinge is combined with Indian classical vocals from Falu on the interesting ‘Didibina’ while veteran arranger/trombonist Willie Colon is sampled to good effect on ‘Calle Sol’ featuring the Candela All Stars. This is the most traditional in Afro-Cuban format of all the tracks on the album and the lovely use of brass and flute make this an infectous groove
from start to finish. Portugese vocals are showcased on ‘Gira del sol’ by Brazilian singer Liliana Araujo with assorted percussion into the mix. Perhaps the most left field track of all is to be found on ‘Two sips and magic’ where North African percussion on the darbouka meets hip hop with clarinet and an oud-like sounding guitar thrown in for good measure. Old school rap on ‘Sun children’ and the dub feel of ‘Just more!’ with dancehall-style vocals rounds off a well balanced overview of dancefloor music.  Tim Stenhouse

Ancient Astronauts are Kabanjak and Dogu from Cologne, they are heavily influenced by funky hip-hop from the nineties but they add in Afro, reggae and dope beats mixed into a spacebeats shake up. There really is a big mixture going on here with favourites including Tippa Irie toasting on ‘All Of The Things You Do’ and The Pharcyde breezing through ‘Classic’. Great stuff.  Graham Radley

Havana born piainst Harold Lopez Nussa comes from a musical family with father Ruy a drummer and after conservatory training in the capital won first prize in a classical piano competition. However, it was traditional Cuban music and jazz that really excited the young musician and he began playing gigs in Havana in trio and quartet formats. It was while playing at various jazz festivals in Europe that Nussa was entered into a solo jazz piano competition which he won and this afforded him the opportunity to record an album which is contained herein. The album places Harold Lopez Nussa in a long line of Cuban pianists with a jazz heritage and this includes the great Chucho Valdes and more recently Roberto Fonseca. While the majority of compositions are self-penned, it is actually his interpretations of standards which are most impressive. For example Jaco Pastorius’s ‘Three views of a secret’ changes tempo completely from the original and is transformed into a beautiful ballad. There are signs of great maturity in Nussa’s playing here. Another interesting choice is Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints’ where after stating the theme, Nussa departs from the original and embarks upon a delightful solo. Of course Nussa is very much at ease in his native idiom and demonstrates this on the early Chucho Valdes composition ‘Mambo Influenciado’ where he his ability to use the whole range of the keyboard is exemplified. A more classical side of Cuban music is showcased on Ernesto Lecuona’s ‘Danza de los Nanigos’. Of the originals on offer, which are relatively concise in length, ‘Mi son cerra’o’ is a pulsating Cuban son while ‘Timbeando’ features a piano vamp that Eddie Palmieri would be proud of. This is a most promising debut by a talented pianist who is developing into a gifted composer. One hopes that he will be able to record with a trio/quartet in the near future. Tim Stenhouse

Enterprising French label out of Angouleme Marabi records have made a reputation in recent years of signing up African artists from the classic 70s period and succeeding in getting them to go back into the studios to record. Mamadou Barry is one of the most respected sax players in West Africa and the multi-reedist was a founder member and leader in 1960 of Kaloum Star of Conakry. This band rates among the top five all-time bands of modern Guinean music and when one considers that the competition included the likes of Bembeya Jazz National (also recently reformed on the Marabi label), Keletegui and his Tambourinis (recently re-issued on Sterns) and Balla and his Balladins, this is some pretty esteemed company. Now sixty-two years old and having been music dorector and arranger of the group Amazones de Guinee and in addition doing sideman duties for Bembaya Jazz National and Keletegui, Barry is a consumate professional with a wide number of experiences to draw upon. The album is a winner from start to finish and highlights diverse modern African styles. One of the most melodic tracks is ‘Barry Swing’, a meditative piece that features Barry on flute and could be Yusef Lateef transposed to an African setting. Barry impresses once again on flute with rhythm guitar accompaniement on ‘Sedy’. In contrast ‘Niyo’ is an uptempo Afrobeat influenced number with Barry on tenor while on another song there is tribute to former Bembeya Jazz national lead singer Demba Camara with vocals provided by Missia Saran. Jazz grooves abound on this album and ‘Africa Five’ is a West African take on Dave Brubeck’s classic ‘Take Five’ with nice use of rhythm guitar and percussion. Another vocalist, Sia Toino from Sierra Leone, impresses on the laid back ‘Sumbouya’, while in a more traditional vein ‘Tala’ features Barry on tenor and soprano saxes. A terrific release from Barry, then, who confirms his status as one of Africa’s greatest instrumentalists and an album that will appeal to world roots fans and jazzistas who are looking for something just a little different. Tim Stenhouse

Guitarist extraordinaire Bill Frisell returns with a new album after the compilation of his recordings that surfaced earlier in the year. Once again Frisell engages in a masterly exploration of the roots of Americana and the result is a triumph. Masterpiece vignettes of American life are transposed to the guitar as on ‘Lovesick blues’ on which the guitarist’s virtuosity is exemplified. The album is inspired by the photographs of Michael Disfarmer during the second world war period and befitting the ambience Frisell is joined by country-folk musicians in Viktor Krauss on bass, Jenny Scheinman on violin and Greg Leisz on steel guitar and mandolin. A hoedown atmosphere permeates the take on Elvis’ ‘That’s alright mama’ while ‘Lost, Night’ is disarmingly charming. In general there is real warmth to the ensemble playing and Frisell’s highly distinctive sound places him in a select group of guitarists of the calibre of Ry Cooder and Pat Metheny. Someone ought to put this kind of music on a film soundtrack and introduce Frisell’s music to a wider audience. Tim Stenhouse

Recorded in Austin, Texas, this is Tex-Mex music for the twenty-first century with an Afro-Latin funk groove that draws upon nineteen-seventies wah-wah guitar and world roots beats. The opener ‘The revolt of the cockroach people’ takes a leaf out of the Fela Kuti Afro-Beat school and features heavyweight percussion and superb baritone sax. Indeed the Fela influence continues on keyboard on the left-field ‘Cara de yo no fui’ with vocals in Spanish and nice use of flute which combines well with the off-key funk groove. Jazzy instrumental is the only way to describe the flute driven number ‘Tres ratas’ with subtle use of reeds while vocal chants and funk guitar licks with some nifty Santana-inspired guitar solos characterise the sounds on ‘Pan, chamba y techo’. Columbian cumbia meets Mulatau Astatke Ethiopian grooves on ‘Tu fin, mi comienxzo’. Overall a successful attempt at blending a variety of world roots music and one that is sure to appeal to the dance floor. Tim Stenhouse

Vocalist Gwyneth Herbert has enjoyed a varied career on a variety of labels including the prestigious Blue Note, but for her latest project is on the cutting edge Naim Edge label. This seems to reflect a crossroads in her musical trajectory and judging by the results there are numerous influences going through her mind, some of which do not necessarily ideally best suit her style. Strictly speaking this is not a jazz album and clearly Herbert does not want to be pigeon-holed into this category. The first single ‘Annie’s yellow bag’ has an indie folk feel with double bass featured. Singer-songwriter territory is in focus on ‘Nataliya’ with minimalist bass and string-plucking accompaniment while ‘Lorelei’ is an acoustic alt.country number. Perhaps most intruiging of all is ‘My mini and me’ where Herbert makes a pretty good stab at US country folk, though the annoying whip-like sound in the background could be dispensed with.
Cassandra Wilson carved out a niche for herself in the mid-1990s with a series of albums that avoided placing her into the jazz diva category by combining folk-blues, jazz and world roots influences into a cohesive whole that entirely suited her vocal prowess. Herbert is a gifted singer and may wish to reflect upon the choices Wilson made. Indeed Gwyneth Herbert may be best served in finding her own distinctive sound by ditching some of the indie-rock and pop influences on this album and instead focusing on the folk and jazz side. There is more than enough territory within these two genres alone for Gwyneth Herbert to find her own individualistic terrain. It will be interesting to hear how this album concept pans out in a live connext. Gwyneth Herbert will be touring throughout the UK betwen July and October inclusive.  Tim Stenhouse

From the forthcoming album ‘Nigerian Wood’ comes a five track-EP download by Keziah Jones produced by jazz drummer Karriem Riggins (who also worked on production chores for Eykah Badu among others) recorded at the famous Electric Lady studio where Jimmy Hendrix cut some of his classic tunes. Born in Nigeria, but eductated in London and now resident in Brooklyn, the EP reflects the cross-cultural and trans-continental life experience of singer-songwriter Jones thus far. This is typified on the number that will garner most dancefloor action, ‘Lagos v New York’ which is an Afro-Beat song with a contemporary urban twist. The P-Funk groove of ‘African Android’ disguises some serious debate while ‘Nigeria we hail thee’ focuses attention on the uncomfortable relationship between post-independent military dictatorships and their former colonisers. Clearly Keziah Jones’ participation on Amadou and Mariam’s ‘Welcome to Mali’ album has rubbed off in his global vision. What comes across from the songs as a whole is the commitment to thought provoking lyrics and a conscious desire to cover social issues that other musicians are reluctant to raise. It all augurs well for the new album due out in the autumn. Tim Stenhouse

While the songs contained within were released on a limited edition Third World double album from the late-nineteen seventies and as such have become a collectable coommodity, ‘Dub Style Plate’ differs from the original in that expert production skills of one Prince Jammy have been brought to bear on proceedings and as a result the overall sound is a good deal harder with the drums beefed up and a spacier, in parts, dubified instrumentation. The genius of Jammy, however, is that he leaves the honey-toned vocals of Delroy Wilson intact and therefore we have an album that is certainly vocal, but with the major plus of dub techniques employed ever so subtly at opportune moments. Of course an artist of Wilson’s stature who has straddled the earlier era of ska and rock steady has always been eager to revisit the classics and on this selection the singer reworks the Wailers ‘I’m still waiting’ and John Holt’s ‘Stick by me’ to good effect. Where the songs really stand out, though, are on the inventive additions of Jammy such as the extra percussion on ‘Mash it up’ or the use of organ on ‘Can I change my mind’. Most successful of all is the sparse accompaniment with rhythm guitar inserted into ‘Living in the foot steps of another man’. A fascinating and very successful fusion of vocal and dub techniques to one of reggae’s greatest singers and one that re-affirms the early genius of King Jammy. Tim Stenhouse

There is a select number of groups in post-independent Guinea who made their unique imprint on modern music there and they include: Bembeya Jazz National; Balla et ses Balladins. Keletegui deservedly belongs to this hallowed company. Initially keyboardist, flautist and band leader Keletegui formed Orchestre de la Paillote which eventually morphed into Keletegui et ses Tambourinis by the mid-1960s. By the late 1960s the ‘authenticite’ campaign had commenced by which local songs, Cuban, jazz and even European pop styles combined to create a new distinctly modern Guinean sound. The first CD is devoted to the relatively short three year period when the band had begun recording from 1968 until 1970. An early hit was scored with the excellent ‘Mariama’ and at this stage the band was composing songs devoted to all manner of interesting subjects. This is typified by ‘Fruitaguinee’ in which they dedicated the piece to new agricultural initiatives such as the setting up of a local fruit juice company (one wonders who would have paid similar homage in western music!) and in diasporan relations with other French-speaking nations of African descent as on ‘Cigarettes allumettes’ being sung in Haitian creole. The second focuses in the first part on some of the obscurer A and B sides that Keletegui et ses Tambourinis brought out especially in 1970. Several of these had a Cuban flavour with exotic titles such as ‘Il Tomatero’ (another take on the ‘Peanut Vendor’ classic) and ‘Guajiro con Tumbao’. The distinctive brassy accompaniment and driving rhythm guitar was in full swing by now. Keletegui certainly had a great sense of humour and this is illustrated on the English-language ‘Kiss my nose’ which sounds like a Guinean attempt at Latin soul! A major bonus on this set is the inclusion of the self-titled 1972 LP. From this the uptempo and multi-layered ‘Bebe’ impresses while ‘Mande’ could almost be out of the Orchestre Baobab repertoire with its melodic feel. This is a very worthy addition to the ongoing series of Syllart classics and the present compilation can be unreservedly recommended as a definitive guide to one of modern Guinean music’s heroes. Excellent liner notes from Graeme Counsel and as ever the same attention to detail from Sterns in the inner sleeve with wonderful original 45 and LP covers, and historical photos of the country’s leader with world dignataries. Keletegui passed away in November, 2008, and this compilation serves as a fitting tribute to his immense contribution to west African music. Tim Stenhouse

Manchester-based label Gondwana has set itself the ambitious objective of putting out classy jazz albums that are inspired by the modal jazz of legendary labels such as Blue Note, Impulse and Strata East among others. Trumpeter Matthew Halsall is at the centre of this independent label and has delivered an excellent debut album. Influenced stylistically by late 1950s Miles Davis and perhaps also British trumpeter Ian Carr circa his stint with Don Rendell, Halsall is a gifted composer who divides his musical life between the group contained within and a larger collective, Magic Bop, that has residences in both Liverpool and Manchester. What really impresses on this album alongside the excellence of the self-penned compositions is the combination of trumpet and flute, by no means a regular duo in jazz history, but one that fits the ambience here perfectly. Roger Wickham is the flautist and contributes a lovely solo on the opener, ‘On the other side of the world’ with a distinctly waltz-like feel. The modal bass line of ‘Reflections’, a gorgeous ballad, recalls Miles at his peak from the early 1960s and some blues-inflected piano licks from Adam Fairhall. The uplifting ‘Freedom Song’ again finds trumpet and flute operating in unison while a soulful groove is sounded on ‘Sending My Love’ which even recalls mid-1960s Horace Silver in the way drummer Gaz Hughes plays in the vein of the great Roger Humphries. It is left to the final track ‘Sachi’ for Nat Birchall to contribute a beautiful melancholic soprano sax solo which gives this number the feel of a classic 1950s Blue Note session. A most promising and varied debut and one looks forward to the band in live performance. Tim Stenhouse

With an almost identical line up to the Matthew Halsall release, multi-reedist Nat Birchall focuses on tenor sax here on an album devoted to the spiritual side of jazz. This is reflected in four lengthy compositions and in general the ambience created recalls mid-period Coltrane from albums such as ‘Crescent’ and ‘A Love Supreme’. The laid back modal piece ‘Nica’s Dance’ opens the album and Birchall takes a restrained opening solo before engaging in some freer improvisation later. It is the uplifting mid-tempo title track that allows the group to stretch out and while pianist Adam Fairhall plays a vamp, trumpeter Halsall contributes a lovely solo. The album plays as a conceptual whole and ends with the lyrical and peaceful musical backdrop of ‘Many Blessings’ which takes a leaf out of the Alice Coltrane school of spirituality and features fine modal bass lines from Gavin Barras. Ideally this writer would like to have heard more of the group in a full album context being pushed to the limit when in parts they sometimes feel inhibted, and in particular to hear Nat Birchall playing soprano sax which he does so well on the Matthew Halsall album. At least a couple of numbers featuring soprano would have ideally suited the mood of ‘Akhenaten’ and this kind of playing would work also in an Indo-jazz format. Excellent recording quality ensures clarity of sound. Another worthy release and one imbued with the spiritual feel of John Coltrane.  Tim Stenhouse

Traditional calypso has in recent times become something of a dying art from when faced with the competition from its newer rival soca (itself taking on board the roots of calypso and adding beefed up percussion), but there is still hope yet and this superb documentary DVD and compilation CD chronicles both some the greatest calypsonians still alive and some of its latest practitioners. No less than Bob Dylan has championed the genre for its witty repartee and regularly plays the likes of Lord Kitchener and the Mighty Sparrow on his radio broadcasts. Pascale Obolo is to be commended for her superb documentary that accompanies the CD. This focuses on the annual carnival competition which, over the decades, has introduced the whole of Trinidad to its future stars. Alongside performances by the greats such as the Mighty Terror and the longest winner of them all, the Mighty Sparrow (though Lord Kitchener runs him mighty close), the great merit of the documentary is to provide an insight into how the calypsonians deliver instantanteous lyrics in competition when asked by a panel to produce verses off the cuff on a given topic. This explains why a singer-songwriter of the calibre of Dylan marvels at their art. Excellent sound and wonderful images capture the genre to perfection and a re-creation of the legendary 1950s night club Dirty Jim’s on Port of Spain’s seafront enables some of the classic singers to perform before a live audience. The CD takes a selection of these songs, virtually all competition winners from the past, and allow the listener to appreciate the witty lyrics on all manner of social topics. It is the trials and tribulations of family life that is the subject of Relator’s ‘Shame and scandal in the family’, recounted in humorous fashion. Calypso’s leading lady, Calypso Rose, is on top form on ‘Rum and Coca Cola’ which depicts life in Trinidad during the presence of US troops and the effects of this on relations with the local population. Lord Superior further describes this era on ‘Jean and Dinah’ and the competition for women with American soldiers on the island. Meanwhile on ‘Whiteman wife’, Lord Superior touches on the social mores of the British during the colonial era. Songs have long been transferable from one musical genre to another in the Caribbean and so it is the case with ‘Bam Bam’ executed to perfection by Bomber. Reggae fans will remember the tune as an early hit for Toots and the Maytals. All in all a wonderful selection that carries on the calypso message and will be a joy to those who watch and listen to the performers on offer.  Tim Stenhouse

(Freestyle) 3/5

The term ‘Chicano’ is used to refer to American citizens of Mexican descent and is primarily in usage in California (Texans have their own take with ‘Texicano/a). Texan born, but California resident Ray Camacho gained useful live experience in the late 1960s touring even in Vietnam at the request of the army. He recorded no less than thirty albums and seventy-five singles for various indie labels as well as for CBS. The compilation contained within reflects the different styles Ray and the band performed and these include cumbia (both traditional and modern updates), hard-hitting salsa, soul-infused funk y mucho mas. While one might argue that the band never really hit upon a truly distinctive sound, they did cook up some tasty Latin music in its myriad forms. The piano vamp to the salsa tnue ‘Chevere’ impresses and this then transforms part way through into a cumbia. Latin jazz flavours are in evidence on the brisk uptempo ‘Saigon taxi’ with nice sax solo. A dead ringer for Santana is the only way to describe ‘Tus modos’ which is a Spanish language version of ‘Evil ways’. Soul Chicano style permeates ‘It’s time for me to love you’ while ‘Cumbia para ustedes’ is a mixture of Joe Cuba meets the Fania All Stars head on. Funkified cumbia James Brown style arrives in the form of ‘Cumbia rica’ while for traditionalists ‘Cumbia del sol’ will appeal.  Once again a fascinating tale of DJ collecting produced this compilation after a visit to New York in 1998 which uncovered the ‘Salsa Chicana’ album (an ideal candidate for re-issue in full with plenty of bonus cuts). Extensive liner notes and interview privde an excellent historical and discographical backdrop to proceedings. As with the Cuban compilation, value for money is in short supply regarding time and should be seventy minutes minimum. Tim Stenhouse

Released to tie in with the fiftieth anniversary of the Cuban revolution, this excellent compilation covers the era of the 1960s and 1970s when Cuban music like Cuban society in general was undergoing radical change. Compiler Tom Wieland in detailed and fascinating liner notes tells us how as a student in Moscow in the early 1990s he managed to smuggle out one hundred and fifty LPs of Cuban vinyl which presumably were part and parcel of the commercial exchanges between Cuba and the former Soviet Union at the time (but soon to vanish entirely in Cuba). Pivotal to the new sound emerging out of the Egrem studios in Havana (the state run music label founded in 1964 where musicians were salaried members of the state. This impinged upon the content and even band formation of musicians and severely restricted any English-speaking music from having any influence over Cubans)was Juan Formell who in 1969 founded Orquesta Los Van Van. The band had an impact upon Cuban music akin to that of the Beatles and an electified Dylan on western popular music. Electric instrumentation to bass, guitar and piano plus a full western drum set was the catalyst for change even though traditional flute, trumpet and percussion remained.
One of Cuba’s best kept secrets is percussionist Pelo el Afrokan, reputedly creator of the mozambique rhythm. Here he delivers a funkified take on the island’s music with ‘Bailalo asi’ with percussion mania guaranteed. Instrumental genius is the only way to describe trombonist Juan Pablo Torres and his group Algo Nuevo on ‘Recital en descarga’. With its superb cover, the album is a classic (and surpisingly available via Discovery distributors on a little known label out of Andorra). Generoso Jimenez displays great humour on the bass intro to ‘El contrabajo fantasma’ (literally the ‘ghost double bass’)before the tune morphs into a classic 1950s style descarga. Sound effects and heavy percussion characterise ‘Adeoey’ from Los Reyes 73. This typifies the overall eclectic feel of the music of the time and has a unique sound that takes in Santana, psychadelia and descarga in the same breath. Incredible music. Of course no compilation would be complete without the big two of the era. Los Van Van contribute the heavyweight ‘Hasta la semana que viene’ with vocal chants and percussion. Irakere were the other group to make a lasting impact upon modern Cuban music and they were eqaully at home in concert jazz, or dancefloor repertoire. It is the latter style showcased here on ‘Quindiante’. Tom Wieland is to be commended for his efforts here and with the range of artist on offer, a mini box set with accompanying notes would fully do justice to the music. One major gripe with this otherwise superbly researched and well presented compilation is the paucity of time. At only just over forty-five minutes in length, this compilation is simply bad value for money for cash-strapped listeners and given that there were one hundred and fifty albums worth of music to choose from, there is really no excuse. This is reflected in the evaluation which, under normal circumstances, would be a minimum four stars for musical content.
One hopes that for a welcome second volume, a minimum of seventy minutes music will be on offer. The sheer eclecticism of Cuban music during this period demands no less. At some stage a book devoted to the cover art of Cuban music during this era would also be highly desirable. Tim Stenhouse

Session musican and composer Alfonso Santisteban is hardly a household name, but his easy listening brand of music was a hit with young Spaniards in the early 1970s. Influenced by bossa nova and especially the female vocal led piano bossa of Sergio Mendes, Santisteban (a Spanish dead ringer for Robin Gibb) appreciated music that was easy on the ear and had a catchy groove. Sometimes this verged on the downright schmalzy as on ‘Vuelve a tu ciudad’.. However, he could cook up some tast Latin rhythms and even heavier jazz grooves, enlisting the support of arguably Spain’s finest reed player Pedro Iturralde (and pioneer of flamenco-jazz along with a then very young Paco de Lucia). His participation on some of the tracks is worth the admission price of the CD alone. A Brazilian groove is present throughout ‘Brincadeira’ and even more so on the wonderful ‘Suitcase’ that features lovely flute work, probably from Iturralde. Modal jazz and vocals make an intruiging combination, but work beautifully on ‘Persecucion’ with fine sax and trumpet solos and a guitarist who obviously apes Wes Montgomery. The mix of jazz and vocals is repeated on the bossa-influenced ‘Soledad’ while ‘Nuestro ayer’ is a bossa with flamenco guitar that even takes in a little ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ for good measure. Elsewhere on the CD the bonus 45 ‘Zorongo’ strikes a funkier beat with a trumpet straight out of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass mode. French rock influences can be heard on a couple of numbers. A reworking of the standard ‘If I had a hammer’ comes in the form of ‘Manias de Maria’ with female singing that pays homage to the innocent vocals of Francoise Hardy at the time. In contrast ‘No te acuerdas de mi’ is heavily influenced by Serge Gainsbourg circa 1971 in its use of instrumentation. Advertising soundtracks such as
‘Limon y sal’ gives some idea of the relaxed atmosphere on much of the CD. A mixed bag of music, then, but something for everyone and the participation of Pedro Iturralde is very welcome indeed. Tim Stenhouse

If you ever wondered what kind of music Spaniards played under Franco in the early 1970s, this excellent compilation covering the period 1965-1972 gives some kind of indication. This was the music that young Madrilenos (inhabitants of Madrid) might dance to in clubs with exotic names such as Bocaccio and Lord Octopus. The impact of American soul music upon Spanish musicians, however, is one of the more unlikely aspects to the soul explosion coming across the Atlantic. Motown and the grittier Atlantic (early Stax period)labels hit a chord with Spanish musicians and many bands formed to emulate their American heroes. Interestingly at the same time in the barrios of Spanish Harlem in New York, Latinos were concocting their own intoxicating mixture of Afro-Cuban rhythms with English lyrics and called it Latin soul. Back in Spain aspiring musicians were opening up to all kinds of influences from James Brown and his funky drum licks to blues revisited and revamped by British bands such as the Stones and Cream. All these influences are present on this wide-ranging compilation. These took myriad forms. In the case of singer Ossie Lane (probably an alias - English sounding names giving extra authenticity)a lovely take on Jackie Wilson’s ‘Higher and Higher’ that features an extended intro complete with rap. The superb psychadelic blues of Los Roller is an undoubted highlight with ‘Camino cortado’ being a renamed cover of Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads’, but here given the Cream treatment. Equally eclectic is the reggae-soul groove of ‘Rudy’s love’ by Los Bravos. This is almost lovers rock before the term was even invented. An altogether harder beat is found on the superb instrumental ‘Soul 2’ by Chus Martinez with a Booker T. Jones hammond organ. This writer would certainly like to hear more of this group and the album that they recorded. James Brown’s bass and drum innovations are in evidence on Jae’s Soul and ‘Sintonia en soul’. Psychadelic guitar is the musical flavour from Evolution and the largely instrumental ‘I’m walkin’ high’. Vampi Soul is to be commended for bringing together some seriously rare indie labels of the time (now long gone) and allowing a wider public to sample them usical delights. The extensive inner sleeve features original LP/45 covers plus a historical overview of the bands. Another excellent release and one that is innovatory in shedding light on the little known (outside Spain) phenomenon of Spanish soul. Tim Stenhouse