Doctor Nico and African Fiesta – Save Me
Teta Lando – Muato Wa N\’gingila
From: Cazumbi African Sixties Garage Vol. 1 (No Smoke, 2009)
In the last year No Smoke has released two African garage rock compilations. The second was released just a few months ago, however this post features songs from the first released at the beginning of the year. This compilation is really interesting. Many people have been digging around into the archives of highlife, afrobeat and many other african genres from the 50’s and onward lately, but there were many bands on the continent playing fuzzed out R and B, blues and rock and roll.
What is really interesting is that in the 60s and 70s you could hear many american and western bands emulating some of the sounds found in African genres and being adopted by Cymande, Parliament, Curtis Mayfield and others to some extent. The Cazumbi compilation features bands in these areas adapting instead to more americanized rock and blues forms. It’s kind of a weird wormhole thing going on as many american genres can be traced back to some of the original sounds and scales of African music. It makes for some incredibly interesting garage rock and some new takes that results in some very funky, very fuzzed out rock.
Save Me is a cover of an Aretha Franklin song and has a small little drum kit, and a rumbling bass over some great vocals. You can just feel the sound on this one, the music rides low and the vocal rips high above letting your brain reside in a steady middle zone, surfing the expansion between the two.
The Krakmen start out their signature Twist with a standard blues scale before the vocals come in shouting over the top like Wooly Bully before dissapearing and letting the guitar pick up and dive into jumpy solo. Later a sax comes in and it sounds like King Curtis’ sqawking sax when he played with the Coasters. The song dissapears sounding like it could have gone on for another 10 minutes and that probably wouldnt have been a bad thing.
The last song I struggle to call garage rock, other than its fuzzed out nature. But it doesn’t matter. They found this song and it deserved to show up somewhere. This is a spaced out spiritual over some sparse bongos, soothing back vocals and a little bit of electric guitar. If Save Me is the lead up int he first act and Krakmen Twist highlights the action of the 2nd, Muato Wa N’gingila is the music as as the day ends and things fade to the titles.
Miguel De Deus: Mister Funk and Black Soul Brothers
From: Black Soul Brothers [Underground, 1977]
Time to shake those Monday blues away with some down and dirty funk from Brazil in the shape of the first and only solo release from Miguel De Deus: Black Soul Brothers. Whenever I see an album with that kind of title my first reaction is one of excitement and fear. Excitement because the title promises all kinds of awesomeness awaiting on the vinyl and fear because 9 times out of 10 it turns out to be tepid light disco with little to recommend it.
Happily for me, and you, this is the bona fide deal and is usually priced according to this fact when it pops up on ebay. In fact, a quick check shows one going for 200 dollars as we speak (disclaimer: not my auction!)
Although this is Miguel’s only solo album up to this date his earlier work in supporting groups (including Os Brazoes) from the sixties onwards is evident in the tight composition and focused feel of the songs on offer here.
Mister Funk on an album called Black Soul Brothers has an awful lot to live up to not be a crushing disappointment but live up to it it does. Starting with an open break the track takes the form of an improvised jam that just happens to be unbelievably on point. Featuring vocals that are more scat than structured, backing singers that come in and out of the mix and some wonderful synthesised bass noises this is absolute killer.
Black Soul Brothers, the only track on the album not written by Miguel, is another funk treat. This time round the horns lead the line as the band once again concentrate more on the overall composition than any sort of coherent lyric and it’s all the better for it. Caught in that wonderful place between disco and funk it’s entirely inappropriate for the cold and wet weather outside the window but then who gives a damn when the music’s so on point?
As mentioned, this is far from a cheap LP to pick up but some light digging should turn up many of the tunes on various compilations released over the last few years. Forget the cold and feel the funk.
Mombasa: Nairobi and Shango
From: African Rhythm & Blues [Spiegelei, 1975]
What with all the toing and froing over trying to get the site back up and running in a state you can actually access I’ve taken my eyes off the all important actual posting of music. I can only once again apologise and hopefully will go some way to rectifying this sorry state over the next week with a couple of great music posts.
In with bang we have the first Mombasa album, African Rhythm & Blues. When I first encountered the album I, kind of understandably I think, assumed that the album was of African origin. It was only on paying closer attention that the slow whirring gears clicked in and I realised that the band was led by swing trombonist Lou Blackburn and the whole shebang was recorded in Germany.
A few simple searches revealed that Lou moved to Germany in 1970 and spent his time from then on working with the band Mombosa and releasing a number of albums in this series. Having come across other titles by the group since I’m still confident that, while they’re all pretty fantastic, the first release is the pinnacle of their achievements.
Once the background story is in place the tracks actually make more sense, combining as they do a mixture of afro funk grooves with a more western approach to the brass section and overall track construction.
Nairobi is a proper little groove burner as the bass leads the way through the percussion, the track slipping between something on a jazz tip, to something more funk and back again.
Shango is a more out and out funk track and I can see why it’s become a bit of a cult dancefloor favourite. It kicks off with a simple trumpet line before the percussion picks up a few minutes in and the track becomes all about the rhythm and groove going into ultimate overdrive when the wah wah bass enters the scene at five minutes in.
I believe the album has had limited CD reissues over the years so keep your eyes open, you never know…..
Loose Joints: Is It all Over My Face (Larry Levan Mix)
From: Larry Levan’s Classic West End Records Remixes
Mustafa Ozkent Orchestra: Burcak
From: Genclik Ile Elele
Genya Raven: Little By Little
From: Goldie Zelkowitz [Janus, 1974]
Mauruce Cultier: Joe
From: Joe 7″ [197?]
Ashantis: Safari
From: Disco Play [Harmony 1977]
The Jaz: I’ll Smoke You
From: To Your Soul
The pale fingers of winter are now eagerly gripping these shores as my day is plunged into various shades of grey and the temperature rarely seems to get above absolutely freezing. Couple the general lethargy this brings on with a resoundingly bastard of a workload over the last couple of week and I’ve been struggling to find the time I needed to update the site or go through my records.
In these times of trouble a solid soundtrack is always required and my weapon of choice for this period was an eclectic fix of the weird and the wonderful. The only required criteria was basslines to rattle my brain, beats that wouldn’t quit no matter what, and just enough happy vibes to break through the cold barrier and let a little sunshine through.
Since these tunes did a sterling job of getting me through and because my brain is still too pickled to work to any great extent I thought it was only decent that I shared the love with you, the Ear Fuzz readers. Enjoy.
First off we have Larry Levan’s take on Loose Joints provocatively titled Is It All Over My Face. A brilliant piece of funky disco, what always got me with this track is the way the vocals sweep in and out of the instrumentation, almost like an afterthought to the rhythm. Off the beaten path and fuelling it’s own particular route, it’s still one of the most unique tracks from this period that I know off.
Next up, with enough breaks for any head to comprehend, is the rare as they come Mustafa Ozkent Orchestra. Now reissued on Finders Keepers, this album always reminds me of the previously featured La Formule Du Baron album in that its style and production seem to have been channelled from an entirely different age. Just listen to Burcak and and see what you think but it certainly does the job for me, I think I hear cowbells too…. You can find more about this album with a nice write up by Andy Votel here.
Right, what next? Hows about some Betty Davis style funk rock from Genya Raven? Already ten years deep in the industry by the time of this release due to her work in various group, Genya goes for broke on this album and absolutely destroys the mix of original and cover versions on offer. Just as with Ruth Copeland, the power of the conviction is outstanding on this long player. Little by Little is a great stop start roller as Genya sleazes over the top. Highly recommended.
Back to the dancefloor with Afrofunk legend Mauruce Cultier. As far as I know this cut, Joe, was never released on any of his albums (or at least any that I could find) but it’s a fantastic tune. Fading in with the band already in full swing the track feels more like a live jam session than a prepared track and is all the better for it – the enthusiasm and energy of the band translating brilliantly to the vinyl.
Movin on to something a little bit more laid back as the Ashantis finish off their extremely upbeat 1977 release Disco Play (does what it says on the tin) with this controlled and impressive piece of smooth groove that gets in the rhythm from the off and stays firmly there at all times. Animal noises apart, I love the little instrument solos that fade in and out over the ever resilient bassline.
Finishing things off, some fast rap from 1990 in the form of I’ll Smoke You off The Jaz’s second album. Probably most famous these days for launching the career of a reasonably famous rapper named Jay-Z this album is actually a more than decent slice of turn of the nineties rap in it’s own right with The Jaz displaying his linguistic abilities over a bit of JB. I’m a sucker for fast rap at any time and this is smooth, slick and expertly executed.
Now that’s the winter gloom dealt with, bring on the music…..
Exuma: Exuma, The Obeah Man and Dambala
From: Exuma
I’m not a big fan of labels Although I use them on this site as a shorthand way of categorising the music I irritate myself with the lazy generalisations it offers. What, after all, in hell is World music? Could I use a more dismissive term than that if I tried? “Oh it’s not from the west so lets just bung it in the World category”.
I find this labelling process particularly frustrating when writing about an album such as Exuma’s self titled debut. Born in the Bahamas, Tony McKay, alias Exuma, moved to New York when he was 17 and hung around Greenwich Village where he apparently crossed paths with such legends as Hendrix, Dylan and, um, Streisand. From this base McKay produced music that bridged folk, calypso, reggae, rock and traditional African rhythms with such extraordinary power that to categorise him seems like a personal affront to the music and the man.
Exuma’s debut album , released on Mercury in 1970, encapsulates all these styles to epic and sometimes heartbreaking effect. Exuma, The Obeah Man, is a folk song with a difference as McKay weaves a tale heavy in folklore and mysticism over a relentless rhythm layered with harmonies, whistles and cries. It weaves a powerful spell as McKay outlines his powers over the leaving and the dead.
Dambala, a song later covered by McKay’s friend Nina Simone, is an incredible piece of music and performance by Exuma. Detailing possession by the serpent demon, it’s a strange mix of the haunting and the menacing with lines such as “You won’t go to Heaven, You won’t go to Hell, You’ll remain in your graves, With the stench and the smell“. It was only on repeated listens that I noticed that Mckay actually speeds up the rhythm throughout the track adding to the ever increasing feeling of doom that the song evokes.
I’ve yet to get my hands on all Exuma’s recordings but it’s a work in progress that I’m not planning on giving up. Amazing music that deserves to be listened to without labels.
Amanaz: History Of Man and Sunday Morning
From: Africa [1975]
Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Nagozi Family: Fisherman and Trouble Maker
From: My Ancestors [1974]
You know, I like to think we have a good relationship, we’ve been discussing music now for near on four years, I’ve played you my pick of my collection, you’ve listened politely. Therefore, in the interests of honesty, I’m not going to claim that I own the records featured today on vinyl or have ever even been in the same room as either. However, I couldn’t resist featuring them on the site as I was randomly introduced to both by two different people over the course of the last week and they have been my soundtrack of choice ever since.
Sometimes you hear an album and it just fits exactly what you were looking for so well that it’s almost scary. This is what happened when I first heard Amanaz. From the moment the combination of lo fi production, fuzzy guitars and soulful vocals kicked off I knew I was going to love the album and it didn’t disappoint. What was bizarre though was that within two days of hearing this the topic of Chrissy Zembo randomly came up on Soulstrut, I clicked out of curiosity, and found another 1970’s Zambian album which fitted the mood just as well if not better. The albums share a theme so well that you could picture Chrissy and Amanaz sharing studio time and recording tips.
So, without further ado, first up, Amanaz. Recorded in 1973, the album is delivered in a mixture of English and native tongue Bemba and it’s all absolute fire. History of Man is more than a little reminiscent of early seventies rock like Jimi and Cream with a guitar line that is about as fuzzed out as you can humanly get.
Sunday Morning is something else entirely, with an air of Velvet Underground about its combination of rough edges, sweet melody and far off vocals it’s been the track of choice for me as I prepare for the day on my commute into work. Something I coudl listen to on repeat for hours, it really is spellbindingly beautiful.
Chrissy Zebby Tembo’s My Ancestors, from the following year, takes the sound of Amanaz even further, with slightly higher production values and a more uptempo approach. Fisherman features the kind of fuzzy guitar line that I spend days flicking through early seventies albums to find and is used to jaw dropping effect on this track with it’s lively percussion and heavy bass.
You know how I said History Of Man was a fuzzy as you could get? Well Trouble Maker is just a dirty dirty fuzz beast. Sounding like he recorded the music underneath a pile of blankets, the track features the kind of guitars My Bloody Valentine would have given a nut to produce, combined with the much clearer and desperate vocals over the top. This track is facemelting and mind blowing at the same time.
I have many grievances from when stuff has been appropriated off the Fuzz without credit so I must take time to mention that you can get Amanaz from the Crotchbat blog and Chrissy from ChrisGoesRock. I also appropriated both their factual titbits so thank you guys, appreciate it. Also cheers to DJ James and bassie for giving me the heads up on these in the first place. That’ll probably do before this turns into the Oscars.
Enjoy and if you know of any more artists like this please please please please let me know.
Art & Ron: Can’t Stop Talkin’
From: Black Fist OST [Happy Fox, 1977]
Gabor Szabo: Thirteen
From: Mizrab
Afro Kelenkye Band: Moving World
From: Moving World [Emporium, 1974]
Jose Mauro: Obnoxious
From: Obnoxious [Quartin, 1970]
Pied Piper Of Funkingham: Clap Song
From: Pied Piper Of Funkingham [Chocolate Cholly, 1972]
Kool Moe Dee: I Go To Work
From: Knowledge Is King
It’s about time for me to take a few weeks break as I get away from it all with sun, sea, sand and, I suspect, an overindulgence in alcohol. No matter that nine times out of ten I return from my breaks feeling more knackered than when I left, as long as the daily grind is left far behind I’m more than happy.
Although my more than able fellow Fuzzers will be dropping gems left right and centre over the next few weeks I can never head off without leaving something behind so here’s a random selection of tunes I could never quite work out where to put. Once again, they’re all great songs looking for homes…
Can’t Stop Talkin’ off the soundtrack to little known or seen movie Black Fist is a stomping slice of wah wah funk full of brooding menace that develops into something that the late great Mr Hayes would have considered acceptable as a small slice on one of his early seventies productions. Love those horns lying deep in the mix.
Gabor Szabo’s epic Thirteen is what happens when guitar noodling and great percussion come together in sweet harmony. Starting with a wandering solo the track adds nothing more than a second guitar, piano and drums to this mix for its entire 9 minutes but that does me just fine. Some may find this strays too far into lounge (it is on CTI after all) but give it a go and make sure that the drums are turned up LOUD.
Moving World by Afro Kelenkye Band is a nice and dirty slice of afro funk with its heavy bass and bongo percussion accompanying the rough and ready vocals. What hits me on this is the switch up just before the two minute mark where the rough sound is merged with piano and then again at the three minute mark where trumpets and keyboards fill out the sound with some nice reverb added to the mix.
From the raw to the utterly sublime. Jose Mauro’s Obnoxious from the album of the same title goes through two personality changes in the first minute as it moves from big band swing to ethereal pop before hitting its stride with one of the loveliest Brazilica ballads I’ve ever put my ear to. The voice, the production, the hand claps. This track is truly gorgeous.
Next up, some synth goodness with Pied Piper Of Funkingham’s Clap Song. While the rest of PPOF’s album is decent rap disco this track comes from nowhere and is like an aural bolt from the blue. With it’s electro bass, percussion and synths the track sounds like PPOF picked up on Detroit House of the future and channelled it. So far ahead of the curve it’s hard to believe this first came out in 1978 (yep, you read that right, 1978).
Finally, because I rarely feature rap in these hodge podge posts, here’s some Kool Moe Dee to finish things off. Taken from KMD’s 1989 album Knowledge Is King, the track I Go To Work showcases a rapper still at the height of his powers ten years in the game. A blistering slice of fast rap, Kool Moe Dee doesn’t miss a beat, showing he had the skills to ride alongside the likes Rakim and Big Daddy Kane. Classic.
Anyway, that’s it from me for now. I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with all new material including, in light of the recent loss of both Isaac and Wexler, some much needed indepth looks at the Stax catalogue. Stay classy.
The Feedback: The Feed-Back and Quasar
Mustafa Kandirali: Karcigar Taksimi and Hicaz Dolap
From: Mustafa Kandirali [Traditional Crossroads, 2007]
Recently, I’ve had many thoughts regarding what to post next. I have another “Anatomy of a Sample” post in the works as well as some noisy stuff that isn’t what you’ll typically find on Ear Fuzz, though I think some of you will be into it. Those of you who have visited my blog Eclectic Grooves know that my tastes are diverse, but I especially focus on genres like free jazz, experimental and psych rock. You can expect to see more of that side of me here in the coming weeks, as well as extra fresh slices of hip-hop and funk. So keep your ears tuned here for new sounds.
Today, I am going a little left of center with a post on the superb Turkish clarinet player Mustafa Kandirali. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Kandirali’s work, you are really in for a treat. As for the rest of you, I encourage you to delve into the catalogs of acts such as Fanfare Ciocarlia, Erkin Koray and Edip Bakrayam for artists with a similar sound.
Ever since discovering rare Middle Eastern records on the blog Magic of Juju, I have been obsessed with finding music that falls under the category of “snake charming”. As far as I know, snake charming music originated in India, but it is also known to be prevalent in countries such as Egypt, Morocco and Pakistan. The art of snake charming is in the performer’s ability to play melodies that hypnotize a deadly, venomous snake into moving to the rhythm of his instrument. While the snake charmer’s instrument of choice is usually the pungi flute, numerous jazz and world artists have successfully emulated the sound of snake charmer melodies by using saxophones and clarinets.
Mustafa Kandirali, one of the most significant clarinet players in the history of Turkish music, is a pioneering musician who has perfected the ability to commingle traditional Turkish melodies with elements of free jazz. I was first exposed to Kandirali’s music a couple months ago when I was visiting a local record store named Timbuk Tunes that specializes in international music. Generally, I stop in every couple weeks to get a heads-up on the latest afro-beat, klezmer, gypsy and bollywood releases, and my friend Dave eagerly plays me selections from his favorite albums of the moment. This time, I was perusing the Turkish music section while Dave’s selection played, and I came across this Mustafa Kandirali album.
What made me curious about this album was the vivid description on the back of the record, and the cover art which reminded me of the classic Blue Note albums from the 50’s and 60’s. I wish I could remember what the description was exactly, but I can recall that they mentioned his playing in the same breath as John Coltrane. That was enough to get my attention, so I asked Dave if he would be willing to open a copy of the record so I could preview it. Over the next ten minutes, I immersed myself in the spiraling snake charming melodies that take place on this fantastic collection of songs. I was instantly transported to a small town in Turkey where villagers gather around to witness venomous snakes being hypnotized by the sounds of Kandirali’s mystifying clarinet. Most of the tracks on the record blend together seamlessly, lending to the intoxicating effect of the music. While the tempo remains constant throughout the record, there are a couple songs that stand out among the rest.
“Karcigar Taksimi” is a mesmerizing solo clarinet piece that showcases Kandirali’s mastery of his instrument. As you listen to the sounds of his flute on this song, it is hard not to fall under his spell. Since Kandirali is unaccompanied on this song, you can hear the little nuances like his fingers moving up and down the clarinet as he plays, and breaths taken in between long passages of soloing. This song captures the listener’s attention from the beginnning and doesn’t let go until the sound of the last note. On “Hicaz Dolap”, Kandirali is accompanied by several other musicians who flesh out the sound and create a festive environment for the listener. Every note is pristine, but it never sounds smooth. Towards the end of “Hicaz Dolap”, Kandirali playfully injects the melody from “When the Saints Go Marching In” just to keep the listeners on their toes.
I recommend this record to anyone who is curious about the links between Eastern European and Western music like Ahmed Abdul Malik’s East Meets West or Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake’s latest record From the River to the Sea. Traditional Crossroads released this compilation of Kandiral’s music with a limited edition 100 page hardbound book including personal memoirs and interviews with musicians who played with him throughout his musical career. I’m interested to hear what you guys think about this, so please give me a shout.
Timmy Willis: Mr Soul Satisfaction
Available on: Kent’s Cellar of Soul Volume 2
Alhaji K. Frimpong: Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu
From: Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu!
Patrick Adams: Everybody Loves A Good Thing
From: Phreek [Atlantic, 1978]
Village Sounds: One Less Brother
From: 45 [Village Music, 197?]
The Tony Williams Lifetime: There Comes A Time
From: Ego
Some random tunes for you to kick the weekend off proper; three for getting the party started and two for the end of the night. As always with these posts the link between the tracks is tenuous (read non-existent) so, without further ado, lets start running.
First up, songs to get you in the Friday feeling.
Timmy Willis’ Mr Soul Satisfaction is an absolutely blistering 45 cut from 1968 full of relentless up beat horns and drums as Willis lays down his ego driven credo (“I’m so bad I should have been born twins” daaaaaaaaaamn). Stunning 45 and the flip, I’m Wondering, is a great track too.
Kyenkyen Bi Adi Mawu by Alhaji K. Frimpong is a stunning Ghanian highlife track, rightly regarded as a classic of the genre. Featuring a groove that’s impossible to resist moving to, the song bubbles and sways for it’s duration with a crispness of production that highlights every drumbeat. When people talk about ‘Afrobeat’ this is the song that springs to mind though I’m yet to find many that are quite as brilliant as this.
Third up, one to get you shimmying on the dancefloor. I don’t post up a lot of disco flavoured music on the site but tracks like this are so very necessary. Patrick Adams is rightly seen as a god of disco production and songs like this amply display why as the vocals soar over the perfectly layered production. Unashamedly upbeat it’s one to lift your mood no matter how you’re feeling.
So, the night’s been fun, it’s time to sit back, kick off the shoes and wind down….
Village Sounds One Less Brother takes it’s cue from Mayfield’s socially aware early seventies funk with it’s lamenting lyrics about the loss of good man played out over a Curtis influenced slow groove. It’s undoubtedly derivative but that doesn’t stop it being a powerful song in it’s own right. Deep and delicious.
I’m constantly frustrated by The Tony Williams Lifetime, I own the three main albums by them; Emergency, Turn It Over and Ego and give them an airing every once in a while but still struggle to enjoy them. I can recognise the skill in the playing but too often the tunes descend into headaches for me. However I will persevere, determined to finally get it, and There Comes A Time off their third album Ego shows me the delights I can expect when I finally get there. This tune is both beautiful and raw, the hypnotic playing as the song develops is accompanied by the mournful vocals to create something very very special indeed. It’s a real personal favourite of mine and hope it has a similar effect for you.
Enjoy and have a good weekend out there.
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