NAKA FORUM –
WE ARE THE WORLD
A record
that's got a lot more going on than you'd expect from the cat video innocence
of its cover – hardly the kind of throwaway content you'd find online, and
instead a rock-solid session of free jazz from this heavyweight Swedish group!
The quartet boasts some of the fiercest trumpet we've ever heard from Goran
Kajfes – who also plus cornet, percussion, and a slide trumpet too – alongside
massive reeds from the mighty Jonas Kullhammar – who handles tenor, flute, and
sopranino – plus wonderfully odd horns like slide saxophone, and George
Braith's amazing Braithophone! Yet despite the unusual instruments, neither
musician acts with the impulse of gimmick – and instead, the players hold onto
a very firey spirit at the core – driven onward by the bass of Johan Berthling
and drums of Kresten Osgood – who also plays a bit of piano – on these tracks
that spin far out, but swing back strongly – always with a unified energy
that's really wonderful – that special spark that first made us fall in love
with the Moserobie label years ago. Titles include "Buss 414",
"Do The Nacka Forum", "Chogolisa", "Thinking About JC",
and "Magwaza". ~ Dusty Groove
FUMACA PRETA
– IMPUROS FANATICOS
A
wonderfully fuzzy little set – created by a group who are clearly influenced by
the best sounds of Tropicalia and other hip South American rock at the end of
the 60s – influences that they use strongly to forge into their own wonderful
sound on this set! The album's the group's second, and is even more
well-developed than before – a brooding masterpiece of dark sounds that do a
good job of getting away from any sense of self-consciousness – all with the
sort of right, raw, creative interplay we love in early records by Os Mutantes
– but with maybe a bit of the soul of early Caetano Veloso too. Titles include
"La Trampa", "Morrer De Amor", "Baldonero",
"Impuros Fanaticos", and "Decimo Andar". ~ Dusty Groove
CHARLES
EARLAND – COMING TO YOU LIVE
One of
Charles Earland's sweet albums from his years at Columbia Records – done in a
mode that's much more R&B than his earliest work, but in a style that's still
A-OK with us! The groove here is greatly helped out by arrangements from Tom
Washington, Weldon Irvine, and Marcus Miller – all great talents for mixing
soul into Earland's jazzier keyboards – yet in a way that still keeps all of
the best elements intact! Many of the tracks feature vocals, but in a gently
soulful way that glides in nicely alongside the keys – and speaking of keys,
Charles plays Fender Rhodes and Arp here in addition to his usual organ. Titles
include "Coming To You Live", "Spend The Night With Me",
"Take Me To Heaven", "Cornbread", "Good
Question", "Zee Funkin Space", and "I Will Never
Tell". ~ Dusty Groove
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