Thursday, January 30, 2014

NEW RELEASES: ARETHA FRANKLIN - THE QUEEN OF SOUL; KATJA CRUZ FEATURING OLIVER LAKE - HEXAPHONE...; BAHAMA SOUL CLUB - THE CUBAN TAPES

ARETHA FRANKLIN - THE QUEEN OF SOUL

The Queen Of Soul creates a rich musical portrait of Franklin s incomparable run at Atlantic Records between 1967 and 1976. Packed with 87 songs arranged chronologically, the set opens with generous selections from the first five studio albums she recorded for the label I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You, Aretha Arrives, Lady Soul, Aretha Now, and Soul 69. Recorded between 1967 and 1968, all five of the albums topped the R&B charts and gave the world classics like "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Chain of Fools," "Think," and the #1 smash "Respect." The set also mixes in several rare outtakes of songs like "It Was You" from Aretha Arrives and "Talk to Me, Talk to Me" from Soul 69. The collection also spotlights the great music Franklin recorded in the 1970s, including the two albums she released to open the decade This Girl s in Love with You and Spirit in the Dark. The former boasted an electrifying version of the Band s "The Weight" with Duane Allman on slide guitar, while the latter featured the hit "Don t Play That Song." Along with several singles from this era ("Spanish Harlem" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water"), The Queen Of Soul also gathers up several live performances with "Spirit in the Dark" (Reprise with Ray Charles) from Aretha Live at the Fillmore West (1971), plus several songs from her live album Amazing Grace (1972). The latter recording won the Grammy Award for Best Soul Gospel Performance in 1973 and remains Franklin s best-selling album to date. ~amazon

KATJA CRUZ FEATURING OLIVER LAKE - HEXAPHONE THE COSMOLOGY OF IMPROVISED MUSIC

Hexaphone is a cosmology of improvisation. These are the coordinates provided by the title of the new multi-form work published by Rudi Records. A multimedia project led by Austrian singer Katja Cruz. The "Hexaphone" music is the real-time interpretation of graphic scores based on the geometry  of the platonic bodies. Furthermore  the complex geometry of the " flower of life" and the "hexagram" appear as a source of inspiration for the music comprised in "Hexaphone." Special guest of the project: the great saxophonist Oliver Lake, major founder of the historic "Black Artists Group" from St. Louis and of legendary World Saxophone Quartet. Completing the quintet, Andrea Massaria (guitar ) Howard Curtis (drums) Patrick Dunst (bass clarinet , flute , sax ) and Patrik Lechner (electronics and visuals.) Dense and imaginative music produced by the magical interplay between the musicians, sound and image. An effect perfectly captured through audio (CD) and video (DVD). ~ rudirecords.com

BAHAMA SOUL CLUB - THE CUBAN TAPES

Not really the Bahama sounds you'd guess from the group's name, nor the Cuban ones in the title – but a really cool combination of a range of older musical elements, re-forged into a new sort of 21st Century groove! The record's got the feel of some of the best playful projects on Irma Records from years back – a blend of live instrumentation and programmed bits, plus some occasional samples that help flesh out the sound with a nice degree of depth. Keyboards – piano, organ, and electric piano – really make the live bits sparkle – and titles include "Broken Piano", "Cuervo Gold", "Tiki Suite", "Moaners", "I Warned You Baby", "Grinning In Your Face", and "That's What We Need". ~ Dusty Groove


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