Monday, March 12, 2012

NEW RELEASES: BLUNDETTO, BUGGE WESSELTOFT, SHAWN LEE'S INCREDIBLE TABLA BAND

BLUNETTO – WARM MY SOUL

Blundetto's groove is even nicer than before – honed through their work on singles and remix efforts – and turned towards a rich array of global roots that really deepen the sound of this album! There's as much 70s African and Jamaican influence going on here as there is a spiritual jazz side – both filtered through 21st Century modes that rework the primal elements, and come up with a fresh new groove – yet one that's always respectful to the originators! Guests on the set include the Akale Horns, Shawn Lee, Tommy Guerrero, and Jahdan Blackkamoore – and titles include "Hercules", "Rocroy", "It's All About", "Walk Away Now", "Treat Me Like That", and "I'll Be Home Later". (Really great limited heavy vinyl pressing – with cool textured fabric cover!)

BUGGE WESSELTOFT - SONGS

Some of the most beautiful music we've ever heard from Bugge Wesseltoft – a set of spare piano solos, mostly standards – and a wonderful demonstration of his more jazz-based talents! Bugge's an artist who first came to our ears back in the 90s, through some creative experiments that mixed electronics and jazz – but in recent years, he's become more of an acoustic artist – and steps forth wonderfully here with a really sensitive sound! Most tunes are familiar jazz standards, played by Bugge on an acoustic piano, but with a sense of flow and space that clearly comes from working a Fender Rhodes – that kind of spacious sound that we love in the mid 70s recordings by Steve Kuhn. The sound is beautiful – really haunting and evocative, in ways that may well make the record one of the most daring that Wessletoft has ever recorded. Titles include "Chicken Feathers", "Lament", "Like Someone In Love", "Giant Steps", "How High The Moon", and "Darn That Dream".

SHAWN LEE’S INCREDIBLE TABLA BAND – TABLA ROCK

Incredible tabla funk from Shawn Lee and his Incredible Tabla Band – inspired by both classic drum breaks and Indian tabla and sitar-flavored psych funk – a full on covers set of the landmark Bongo Rock album (and more) by Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band in this mad mode! The genesis of this album was simply Lee's desire to cover the standout track "Apache", but, Shawn isn't the kind of artist to stick a toe into a project – nope, he goes right off the conceptual deep end, putting his own creative stamp on music that's proudly adherent to whatever the classic inspiration. It's especially amazing here – what could have been a mere novelty covers album of what you could argue was originally something of a novelty album (novel, though furiously creative and influential) is perhaps the most brilliant moment of Shawn Lee's career-to-date! Drum and percussion heavy genius that helped form the blueprint of hip hop – fused with buzzing and thumping Indian funk-styled grooves – pure genius from Shawn Lee with Prithpal Raiput on tablas, Andy Ross on saxes & flutes, Dom Glover on trumpet and Mick Talbot on Hammond. Includes "Let There Be Drums", "Apache", "Bongolia", "Last Bongo In Belgium", "Dueling Bongos", "Inna Gadda Da Vida", "Raunchy '73" and "Bongo Rock '73" – all covers from the original 1973 version of the Bongo Rock album – plus "Sing Sing Sing" and "Pipeline" from the '74 follow up.

Source: Dusty Groove

No comments:

Post a Comment