JOSE MAURO -
OBNOXIOUS
Today, very
little is known about Jose Mauro and as a result those searching for some kind
of insight on the man behind the music must attempt to glean what they can from
the music itself. One rumour claims he died in a car accident shortly before
the album’s release, a fact that could have lent his brief musical career a
touch of mythology were it not for how scant the details concerning any other
aspects of his life are. The political turmoil from which the album emerged is
significant also; recorded during an era of oppressive state censorship, the
album, like all the Quartin catalogue, is the result of steadfast defiance in
the face of a crushing military dictatorship. While many musicians of the era
fled the country, preferring their prospects in the affluent, liberated USA,
rebellious, young musicians like Mauro chose to stay and reflect their anger at
the authorities through thinly veiled protest songs such as the stirring
‘Apocalipse’. Herein lies the basis for a more dramatic theory; that Mauro was
in fact abducted by the military! Whatever the truth, the mystery remains
unsolved, and all that remains is his bewitching music.
Today,
Obnoxious retains its strange, otherworldly appeal – A firm favourite amongst a
small circle of deep diggers including Madlib, Gilles Peterson and Floating
Points. Jose Mauro’s mournful and melancholic vocals create a dark, brooding
atmosphere that stands in contrast to the usual joyfulness and high-spirited
rhythm of the more prominent Brazilian music of the era. Despite this air of
foreboding, Mauro’s confident baritones, chord patterns and sumptuous
arrangements have the ability to induce in the listener an almost trance-like
state of ecstasy. Mauro’s long hidden masterpiece, a complex and uniquely
stunning work is being offered the chance to be heard by the wider audience it
has always deserved. A second Jose Mauro release, A Viagem Des Horas, compiling
more incredible tracks unreleased in Mauro’s lifetime, will follow, alongside
other unreleased jewels from the Quartin catalogue, from the likes of Piri and
Victor Assis Brasil.
JACK
TEMPCHIN – ONE MORE SONG
Jack
Tempchin is known for penning some of the most durable tunes in American music,
including hits with such artists as the Eagles (“Peaceful Easy Feeling” and
“Almost Gone”), George Jones, Glenn Frey, Glen Campbell, and many others. “The
threads that weave through Tempchin’s earlier work and his newer material are
the quality office narrative storytelling and the crystalline musical sound of
every one of the songs.” - No Depression – Includes: Slow Dancing; Singing In
The Streets; Old River; Around Midnight; Circle Ties That Bind; So Long My
Friend; Still Looking For A Way To Say Goodbye; Streets Of Midnight; I Got Her
Right Where She Wants Me; Song For You; and Tumbleweed.
NINA SIMONE
– WHAT HAPPENED, MS. SIMONE? (DVD+CD)
Nominated
for the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 2016 Oscars, Best Music Film
at the 2016 Grammy Awards, and winning Best Documentary at the American Film
Institute Awards in 2016, documentary film What Happened, Miss Simone?
connected with critics and fans alike with its deep examination of the
legendary Nina Simone. Available as a DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, and on Digital
Formats, with additional bonus interviews not included in the main film. CD
includes: I Loves You Porgy; Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood; I Put A Spell On
You; Strange Fruit; Sinnerman; Mississippi Goddam; Little Girl Blue; Don't
Smoke In Bed; My Baby Just Cares For Me; Lilac Wine; Black Is The Color Of My
True Love's Hair; Night Song; Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out;
Feeling Good; and Ne Me Quitte Pas.
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