Tuesday, May 20, 2014

NEW RELEASES: CANDI STATON - LIFE HAPPENS; LEE KONITZ - STANDARDS LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD; HAITI DIRECT EP

CANDI STATON - LIFE HAPPENS

Candi Staton returns to Fame Studios – and the results are almost as classic as her recordings from decades before! The set returns Staton to a secular deep soul setting – and the production and instrumentation are nicely down-home, but never in a way that's cliched or cloying – like some LA producer trying to recreate his idea of the real deal! Instead, the whole thing's got a nice indie vibe – with just the right Muscle Shoals blend of moody organ lines and compressed rhythms – backing up that voice that still hasn't lost any fire over the years. Titles include "Never Even Had The Chance", "Eternity", "Commitment", "Where Were You", "Three Minutes To A Relapse", "You Treat Me Like A Secret", and "A Better World Coming". ~ Dusty Groove

LEE KONITZ - STANDARDS LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD

Standards live, but swung the Lee Konitz way – which means that the tunes are always filled with nice little twists and turns – and some of those plenty sharp edges we've always loved in Lee's alto! Konitz is really a rare breed – a player who's made amazing music for over 50 years, yet continues to find new ways to grow – often at personal levels that make records like this extremely compelling. There's a sense of soul that holds us rapt throughout – and the edge in the alto is quite different than the Lee Konitz sound of years past, even different than recent decades too – but is tremendous throughout. Other players include Florian Weber on piano, Jeff Denson on bass, and Ziv Ravitz on drums – and titles include "In Your Own Sweet Way", "I Love You", "Skylark", and "The Song Is You". ~ Dusty Groove

HAITI DIRECT EP - SOFRITO ISLAND SERIES

A special EP of tracks from the bigger Haiti Direct album – including a few exclusive edits for this package! Haiti Direct really brings the right sort of focus to Haitian music – and uses the Strut Records approach that's been tuned towards African and South American grooves in the past – all to pull out the funkiest, jazziest, grooviest tunes from the 60s and 70s. This 4-track EP brings together some of the best tracks from the full CD project – and titles include "Mateau" by Ibo Combo, "Pile Ou Face" by Les Loups Noirs, "Nan Point La Vie (Siwo version)" by Ti Marcel, and "Zanmi Camarade (tropical treats edit)" by Claudette & Ti Pierre. ~ Dusty Groove


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