Trio Balkano - Some time now [2006]

Trio Balkano were formed in 1999 by experienced musicians who were trying to express the Greek musical tradition.They created a music style that combines ethnic elements with jazz improvisations, a style which is known as "Balkan jazz" Some Time Now songs However, their compositions are not restricted to one musical genre. They keep searching their ways through the pluralism of their musical environment and the common memories which are carried throughout time and space. Their music is characterized by originality, adaptability and emotional strength. They therefore form a creative and at the same time modern musical identity. 

                                            

                                                                                Enjoy!

Agir Roman - OST [1997]

 

Ağır Roman  is a 1997 Turkish film directed by Mustafa Altıoklar, adapted from Metin Kaçan's best selling novel Ağır Roman.
I can say that this movie is one of the best Turkish movies in the 90s knowing that it was nominated for many awards in several film festivals. The story is about a family who's living in a suburban in Istanbul. Love, family, passion, death, pain are the main themes as well as hope and rage which define the life in this area. People need to fight in order to survive. In the end, the tragic chain of events keeps going on as if in old Greek tragedies. 
 The soundtrack has music written by Attila Özdemiroğlu,in some songs with the participation of Yusuf Taşkın and one of Cem Karaca.

                                                              Enjoy! 

Giorgos Xristidis - Ap' anatoli se disi [1982]

Giorgos Xristidis at age of 17 years  old won a TV talent show and amazed everyone who watched him playing bouzouki.Soon he got in contact with one of the greatest composer in greece Mimis Plessas and they started this project to combine the bouzouki and the folk greek music with  jazz  arrangement.They play bossa nova to rembetiko with great flexibility and they transform it to something new.

As Mimis Plessas says, jazz ain't a music genre but a way of free expression that is been 'talked' all over the world.This record approves it at its best.




                                   

                                                                         Enjoy!

Kostas Skarvelis - I [1999]

Kostas Skarvelis (1880 – 1942) was a Greek composer of popular music, οf the genre of rembetiko (ρεμπέτικο) in particular. He also wrote the lyrics for his songs and was an excellent guitar player, having participated in many recordings.
 Skarvelis composed hundreds of songs (recordings survive of over 200 of them). The voices he collaborated with for the recording of his songs include Giorgos Kavouras, Rita Abatzi, Kostas Roukounas, Stellakis Perpiniadis, Marika Frantzeskopoulou, Kostas Tsanakos, Markos Vamvakaris, Apostolos Chatzichristos. Among those, the lion's share belongs to Kavouras.
As a lyricist, Skarvelis mostly wrote songs about love. The majority belong to the sub-genre of hasapiko (χασάπικο), of which he explored all variations. His musical signature is considered most representative of the Constantinopolitan urban musical tradition.

                                                               Enjoy!

V/A - Apo to dimotiko sto rebetiko (1925-1939) [1998]

This is a compilation, made for Difono magazine by record collector Panayiotis Kounadis,with rare songs rom 78rpm records between the borders of traditional and rembetiko.The recordings made in Athens,New York and Chicago showing the first period of rembetiko where it was played with the use of some 'traditional' instrunents like clarinet and violin.Many of the songs are sung by legendary singer,composer and record company owner Tetos Demitriades.

                                                                               Enjoy!

Dave Pike - Carnavals [1962]

Bossa Nova Carnival and Limbo Carnival, both of which were recorded in 1962 for New Jazz reissued in 2000 by Fantasy back  to back on the Prestige CD Carnavals. The sessions are equally appealing but quite different -- while Bossa Nova Carnival is a caressing, sensuous collection of songs by Brazilian composer João Donato, the grittier Limbo Carnival has more of a Caribbean orientation. Afro-Cuban salsa is an influence on Limbo Carnival, but calypso is an even greater influence -- and Pike, taking a hint from Sonny Rollins, combines jazz with calypso on Rollins' "St. Thomas" and Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes," as well as two songs that were hits for Harry Belafonte: "Matilda" and "Jamaica Farewell." On both dates, the vibist (who plays the marimba as a second instrument) is joined by some heavyweights -- Bossa Nova Carnival features, among others, Clark Terry on flugelhorn and Kenny Burrell on guitar, while pianist Tommy Flanagan, guitarist Jimmy Raney, and percussionist Ray Barretto are among the sidemen on Limbo Carnival. If you only have a few Pike CDs in your collection, Carnavals should definitely be among them. 

                                                             Enjoy!

Bo Dollis & The Wild Magnolias - I'm Back... At Carnival Time! [1990]

Mardi Gras may come but once a year, but that spirit of revelry can strike any time, anywhere.
When such a mood strikes, Bo Dollis and his Mardi Gras Indian tribe, the Wild Magnolias, provide the perfect soundtrack.
But be warned: This is addictive, infectious music. Stereos have a habit of finding their volume cranked up, the bass increased, and the speakers given a workout when the Magnolias are being played.
No dry dissertation on probably influences or varied techniques can possibly do justice to this celebration of living, a sheer explosion of joi de vivre.
The Magnolias are a traditional Mardi Gras Indian tribe, with only vocals and percussion. For this recording, though, they are joined by Snooks Eaglin on guitar, George Porter Jr. on bass, and the New Rebirth Brass Band. In addition, fellow Mardi Gras Indian Chief Monk Boudreaux (of the Golden Eagles) joins on vocals for "Jockomo, Jockomo."
Dollis and the Magnolias are never overwhelmed by the additional musicians, though, and those familiar with the above musicians will know that they have the energy needed to keep up.
In fact, music buffs will find particular interest in the three tunes where the Rebirth Brass Band joins in ("Shallow Water," "Big Chief" and "Tipitina"). For here two of New Orleans' oldest musical traditions – the street brass band and the Mardi Gras vocal combo – are brought together on common ground.

                                                                            Enjoy! 

Pierre Cavalli - The fantastic guitar sound of Pierre Cavalli [1973]

Original Italian pressing on JOKER label (SM 3478), from 1973. Italian-only project from the cult Swiss jazz guitarist famous for his Un Soir Chez Norris / Chasse A L'Homme French OST single. Cavalli plays all kinds of very stylish and very funky rhythms using wah wah pedals / fuzz distortion box and other studio trickery. Several important compositions like the stunning psychedelic funk cum bumpy samba - bossa of THE TOAD, the groovy horns / orchestral strings and scat chorus theme ONCE WE WERE IN LOVE, the twisted and super-funky PLANT A SEED with psychedelic fuzz motifs and the funky beats / basslines and trippy riffing throughout WINTER WIND. Killer breaks burst out of nowhere on the otherwise mellow, EASY GOIN' too. Wonderful backing orchestra and singers with a now sound / euro Library / soundtrack feel. Track for track, this Lp is even better than his German-only, Souvenirs From Brazil session. 

                                                    Enjoy!

                          

Rocket 88 - Rocket 88 [1981]

This was the best record Alexis Korner had made since 1962, and featured a core membership of former acolytes-- Bob Hall, Jack Bruce, Ian Stewart Hal Singer & Charlie Watts amongst others playing blues & boogie-woogie live at the Rotation Club in Hanover and nobody involved ever sounded better, happier, or more relaxed. This was both Korner's and Stewart's final effort.

From liner note by Ian Stewart:
This album was recorded under less than ideal conditions at the Rotation Club in Hanover, West Germany – where the stage is  20 feet above the floor and most people watch from the sides. For some reason, the band was on fire that night, despite a  long bus ride and the odd hangover or two. Although acoustically the club left much to be desired, I feel we have achieved  one of the best live albums ever, with the sort of feeling that is never achieved in studios. Jack Bruce in particular  played his ass off; and by the time "Roll 'Em Pete" ended the set, his fingers were bleeding profusely from playing double  bass – something he has only rarely done in recent years. Although the album was recorded on 24 tracks, there are no  instrumental overdubs. Everything is as it was on that night...

                            Here they are playing live in 1979,you can get the vibe.

                                                              Enjoy!

Florina Brass Band - II [1999]

Brass instruments reached the Balkan countries through the military bands of the 19th century. It wasn´t too long before they filtered through to the towns and then on to the countryside. The brass band craze spread all over the Balkans and created a new sensation in Balkan traditional music almost instantaneously. For the first time in history the bands used exclusively Western instruments - the very same instruments that would be used by a brass band in, say, New Orleans, but what they played was a particularly fiery brand of their own countries´ traditional music, down to the same scales and odd time signatures that characterize the music of all the Balkan countries. In Greece brass bands form an integral part of the musical tradition of Western and Central Macedonia.

For over thirty years FLORINA BRASS BAND has been one of the main exponents of this important and sadly so far neglected part of local musical tradition.
FLORINA BRASS BAND was formed in 1960 by Tasos Valkanis, the leader of the Florina Town Brass Band and also a folk musician. Occasionally they collaborated with musicians such as Chimerini Kolimvites or Floros Floridis. Based in the small North-Western Greek town of Florina, they performed a thousands of times: from tiny villages and towns in Macedonia to the InterBalkan Festival in Thessaloniki and festivals in France. Their sound and the dance tunes they play are unique in Greek traditional music and can mainly be found in the Western part of Macedonia.   Tasos Valkanis has passed away, but the spirit of the band carries on through his sons Lazaros and Georgios. The members of the band today are Lazaros Valkanis on clarinet, Georgios Valkanis on accordion, Floros Floridis on alto sax, Christos Hasapis on cornet, Panagiotis Ioannou on trombone, Pandelis Stoikos on cornet and Athanasios Samaras on drums.            Enjoy!

Les Misérables Brass Band - Manic Traditions [1994]

As the use of brass wind instruments in popular music rises (Tubas are Very Big this year) more awareness of the wide variety of international regional brass driven music is also rising. From the Balkans to Benin, from Mexico to Switzerland, from New Orleans to the mountains of Peru, Klezmer and much more, there is a lot of very different styles and traditions that have developed from the remnants of military empires and their marching bands.
Le Miserables Brass Band was one of the first groups to pull together many of these elements, finding the connections and make them into something new. Dance, Folk/Traditional, Ceremonial, Religious, Jazz, Rock and categories that had not been widely known in the USA are presented with both great understanding and great energy.
All of the musicians on this recording have gone on to be significant performers, soloists, band leaders, composers, and inspirations to many other musicians.

                                              

                                           

                                                                            Enjoy!

Amancio D'Silva - Integration [1969]

Of all the attempts to bring together jazz and Indian music, this must be one of the most successful. Born in Goa, D'Silva was brought up in the Indian classical tradition, but took to jazz early in life and became a first-rate guitarist. In London during the late 1960s, he got together with British musicians to record three albums, of which this was the first. The ease with which they found common ground is clear from the start of the opening number, 'Ganges', a joint composition by D'Silva and trumpeter Ian Carr, and the remarkable title piece, which is a virtually free improvisation by D'Silva, saxophonist Don Rendell and bassist Dave Green. They strike a perfect balance between the two idioms, and there is none of that phoney 'Eastern' flavouring, featuring sitars and such like, so fashionable at the time. D'Silva plays electric guitar throughout, and the music swings in a completely natural way. 

                                                               Enjoy!

Curandero - Aras [1997]

Brilliant and amazing is just a start to describe the latest released album "Curandero "Aras," by the highly talented artists Miguel Espinoza and Ty Burhoe, aka Curandero. They have had special guest artists  Kai Eckhardt (Bass) and Bela Fleck (Banjo).This six-track disc covers the style of Flamenco embedded with jazz fusion and offers some delightfully interesting and stunning pieces. Incorporating the unique blend of Flamenco guitar, tabla, banjo, and bass the sound textures this group creates is truly fabulous. "Segue" is jazz fire and fury at its best with funky bass lines, driving drum beats, and excellent guitar. Taking the mood to a more serene ambiance, "River" gently flows with a calmness of peaceful tranquility. "Once Upon a Time," features the banjo as the main instrument with an exceptional display of finger picking. Fans of jazz fusion and Flamenco won't be disappointed when listening to Curandero's "Aras," with its creative and distinctive charm of the well-focused and talented cast of musicians.

                                                               Enjoy!