Thursday, February 16, 2017

NEW RELEASES: ANN-MARGRET – SONGS FROM THE SWINGER & THE PLEASURE SEEKERS; CHIP WICKHAM – LA SOMBRA; JUNGLE FIRE – JAMBU

ANN-MARGRET – SONGS FROM THE SWINGER & THE PLEASURE SEEKERS

Two great Ann Margret soundtracks back to back on a single CD! The Swinger is Ann-Margret at her grooviest – singing the super-groovy theme from The Swinger – perhaps her greatest film appearance ever! There's a mod bounce to the album that goes way way beyond any of Ann's other albums of the period – thanks to arrangements from Marty Paich, Quincy Jones, and Johnny Williams – all of whom put a nice sort of lilt in the backings, and manage to capture Ann at her sexiest. The title tune "The Swinger" is worth the price of entry itself – as it's a catchy, guitar-twanging number delivered in an incredibly breathy mode – supported by 2 great instrumentals from the film as well, "Swinger's Holiday" and "Kelly's Dance". But even on more conventional numbers, Ann's got a great sound here – bringing whole new sexy life to tracks that include "I Wanna Be Loved", "By Myself", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "More", and "Cute". Pleasure Seekers is a dreamy little soundtrack from Ann-Margret! The record features 4 unique vocal numbers by Ann – including "Madrid/The Pleasure Seekers", "Next Time", Something To Think About", and "Everything Makes Music When You're In Love" – plus instrumental tunes by Lionel Newman. Newman's work is partially snoozy, as it can be when he's scoring a more dramatic film – but there are some nicer groovy bits that really fit the mood of this 60 sex comedy. Nice numbers include the Latinized tracks "Romantic Bossa Nova", "Pleasure Seekers Bossa Nova", and "Zig A Sig A Ding Boom Bah".  ~ Dusty Groove

CHIP WICKHAM – LA SOMBRA

Sublime spiritual sounds from reedman Chip Wickham – part of the new revival of soulful 70s modes that we see in the music of Nat Birchall and Matthew Halsall! Chip lists both of these musicians as key influence in the notes, and we can definitely hear that in the music, too – which is a mix of modal groovers and more spacious numbers that blossom with Strata East-like energy – all handled by a great quartet that features Chip on both flute and tenor, plus Gabriel Casanova on piano, David Salvador on bass, and Antonio Pax on both drums and vibes. The music also has some hip European echoes – with styles that recall older work by Harold McNair on the flute numbers, or maybe the best of the Saba/MPS acoustic years. Easily the most righteous album ever issued by the Lovemonk label – with titles that include "Sling Shot", "Red Planet", "The Detour", "La Sombra", "Pushed Too Far", and "La Leyenda Del Tiempo".  ~ Dusty Groove

JUNGLE FIRE – JAMBU

Fantastic funky work from Jungle Fire – a group we've heard before, but who never seemed to blow us away this much! In a moment when so many other groups are grabbing an Afro Funk sort of vibe, these guys hit a space that's almost completely their own – more Latin America, taken across the Atlantic – then maybe back to LA for a bit of Chicano funk in the grooves! The blend is completely wonderful – some moments feel like outtakes from the sessions for the best sessions by War, others feel like some lost wax you might find digging in a Colombian record store, and still others are a sound that's completely the group's own. Basslines are nice and heavy throughout – and titles include "Cumbia De Sal", "Callejero", "Efori", "NUSAU", "Lamento Momposino", "Mofongo", and "La Kossa".  ~ Dusty Groove 


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