CANDIDO – THE MASTER
It's hard to imagine anyone making music for as many years
as the legendary Candido – nor anyone who might still sound as great after so
many decades in music! This set's definitely well-titled – as the congolero
works here with a gorup of Latin jazz musicians, on an album that's one of his
best in many years – a record that has maybe even more traditional Afro-Cuban
elements than even Candido's work of the 50s, but which also brings in some
strong jazz elements as well. Ray Santos arranged the set, and heads up the
group – and the lineup includes tenor, flute, trombone, and trumpet – as well
as some other percussionists next to Candido, and even a bit of tres and guitar
as well – which further the rootsier side of the music. Candido's not totally
on fire – maybe not a thousand-finger man here – but is still amazingly
rock-solid, and really helps ground the whole record with his work on congas.
Titles include "Arcason", "Salsibiri", "Conga
Descarga", "Mulatacha", "Conga Blues", and
"Lagrimas Negras". ~ Dusty
Groove
GIL SCOTT-HERON – VILLAGE GATE NEW YORK 1976
Gil Scott-Heron like we've never heard him before – working
live at the Village Gate, with a style that's even more open and personal than
some of his other live records at the time – given the small, intimate setting
of the club! The group is very jazzy – with plenty of keyboards from Brian
Jackson, and some sweet flute lines that really help warm up the tunes next to
the vocals – and the whole performance was captured for a radio broadcast, so
the overall quality is nice and strong – and the tracks have a long, open flow
that's mighty nice! Titles include "17th Street", "It's Your
World", "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", "Must Be Something
We Can Do", and "Johannesburg" – plus a nice "Intro
Jam" too. ~ Dusty Groove
ROB MAZUREK AND BLACK CUBE – RETURN THE TIDES: ASCENSION
SUITE & HOLY GHOST
Rob Mazurek just keeps stunning us more and more over the
years – growing way way past his earlier straight jazz roots, and even his key
work in the Chicago underground – to a level where he's easily encompassing
many different styles and genres at once – then finding a way to make the
sounds all his own! This project has Rob furthering the electronic sounds of
recent records, while still holding onto a core element of jazz with his work
on cornet – an instrument he uses here with wonderfully rich acoustic tones,
and hardly at any sort of easy Miles electric modes, or anything like that. The
players here are all part of his scene in Sao Paulo – including Mauricio Takara
on drums, Guilherme Granado on keyboards, Thomas Rohrer on electronics and
soprano sax, and Rogerio Martins on percussion – but all players also take on
other instruments, add in bits of voice, and work with the production and
processing to really create some amazing sonic energy throughout. All tracks
are long – and titles include "Let The Rain Fall Upwards",
"Return The Tides", "Oh Mother", and "Reverse The
Lightning". ~ Dusty Groove
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