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! 

Guy Warren Of Ghana - Afro-Jazz [1969]

Born in Ghana in West Africa, Guy Warren, who is also known as Kofi Ghanaba, was a jazz drumset player and player of traditional Ghanaian percussion. He also played piano, flute, would sing, and was trained in Western style composition. He was fluent in writing and arranging jazz compositions as he composed most of the pieces on his recordings. 
Warren was a big fan of American jazz and eventually made his way to England and finally the USA in 1955. He worked in Chicago and New York having befriended Charlie Parker, Max Roach, and Thelonius Monk among others.
Warren was uncompromising in the kind of music he wished to play. His idea was to combine his traditional Ghanaian percussion and rhythms with the jazz aesthetic. He incorporated the African talking drum in jazz ensembles and played both the drumset and traditional hand drums in unusual ways.
This is one of the hardest records to track down in the Lansdowne Series, the title Afro-Jazz even coined its own sub genre long before the movement arose. Not only that, the backing group is the Ian Carr-Don Rendell Quintet with Amancio D'Silva on guitar!

                                                                                Enjoy!

Max Roach – M’Boom [1980]

This is credited to Max Roach, who formed the M’Boom ‘re:percussion ensemble’ around 1970, but it’s very much a group work. The ensemble features a bunch of experienced drummer-percussionists – Roy Brooks, Freddie Waits, Joe Chambers, Ray Mantilla etc . Before you run away with thoughts of endless soloing, this is an album of tunes, using “more than 100 different instruments of determinate and indeterminate pitch”, which means a whole lot of marimba, vibes, xylophones, timpani, gongs, bells, and pretty much every instrument you can bang on. Banged on by men who really know how to bang on shit. This is a particularly colorful set that is easily recommended not only to jazz and percussion fans but to followers of World music.

                                                                                 Enjoy!

Dead Can Dance - Spiritchaser [1996]

This is  Dead Can Dance's final work...which is very unfortunate, as "Spiritchaser" sees DCD breaking some amazing new ground here which cries out for further exploration by Perry and Gerrard. On this release, the Mideastern and European tinges fade away, to be replaced with a vibrant focus on Caribbean, Native American, African, and Indian directions that promised so much. Everything on here is a standout track.This album is so much a fully-composed listening experience that begs to be play from start to finish.

                                                                                Enjoy!

Exuma - Exuma [1970]

One of the most unique and hard to classify artists of the 1970s, Exuma was a singular talent. Mixing the infectious rhythms and folkloric qualities of Bahamian music with rock, country, and other U.S. influences and adding a sharply satiric element of social commentary, Exuma's music aimed for the heart and the feet at the same time.

Exuma was born McFarlane Anthony McKay on Cat Island in the Bahamas sometime in the early '40s (no one seems to know exactly when). Raised on traditional Bahamian folk songs and the popular music known as junkanoo, a West African-based Bahamian version of calypso or samba named after a Boxing Day festival that's the local equivalent of Mardi Gras or Carnival, McKay nevertheless planned a career as an architect and fell into life as a performer almost by accident. Moving to New York in the early '60s to attend architecture school, McKay soon found himself living in the state of near-penury that's the urban college student's life. Noting the popularity of Bahamian guitarist Joseph Spence's records in the Greenwich Village folk scene, McKay began playing venues like the Bitter End and Cafe Wha?, bringing traditional Bahamian folk music to the city, first as a solo artist but quickly forming a group called Tony McKay and the Islanders.

Tony McKay and the Islanders were a popular club band, opening for artists like Richie Havens or Peter, Paul and Mary through the mid-'60s. McKay began undergoing a personal transformation by the end of the decade, absorbing political influences from the black power movement and musical influences from acts like the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Sly and the Family Stone. McKay translated this political and artistic excitement through the traditions of his homeland and re-emerged by decade's end as Exuma, the Obeah Man. (Exuma, besides being the name of one of the Bahamas' largest islands, was a spirit balanced between the worlds of the living and the dead; Obeah is an Afro-Caribbean tradition of sorcery, like Santeria in Cuba or Vodun in Haiti.)

Signed to Mercury Records in 1969, Exuma quickly released two albums, "Exuma the Obeah Man" and "Exuma II" (both 1970). Mixing powerful Afro-Caribbean rhythms with Exuma's shamanistic exhortations and vividly Obeah-inspired lyrics, these albums were conceptually similar to what Nigeria's Fela Kuti was beginning to do around the same time. Like Fela, however, Exuma was largely ignored by American press, radio, and consumers, and Mercury quickly dropped him.

Exuma's debut album was a real odd piece of work, even by the standards of the late '60s and early '70s, when major labels went further out on a limb to throw weird stuff at the public to see what would stick than they ever had before or have since. Roughly speaking, it's kind of like a combination of the Bahamian folk of Joseph Spence with early Dr. John at his most voodooed-out, though even that nutshell doesn't really do justice to how unusual this record is. Often it seems more like eavesdropping on a tribal ritual than listening to songs. Some of the tracks, indeed, have little or less to do with conventional "songs" than with tunes and lyrics; they're more akin to Mardi Gras street percussion jams airlifted to the Caribbean islands. Exuma and his accompanists make quite a spooky clamor with their various bells, foot drums, chanting, gasps, sighs, shouts, and other percussive instruments, creating a mood both celebratory and scary. He's not totally averse to using more standard song forms, though, singing about "zombies walking in the broad daylight" in "Mama Loi, Papa Loi"; devising a simple, fairly singable soul melody for "You Don't Know What's Going On," his most famous song due to its inclusion in the movie "Joe"; and setting "The Vision" to an appealing, if again quite simple, folk melody. Exuma's rough, unschooled vocals cut off any prospect of mainstream accessibility, but they get the job done in getting both his uplifting and ominous spirituality over.

Enjoy!

Lumumba - Lumumba [1974]

I don't know the story behind Lumumba. All the musicians except for two are credited as coming from Ghana (the two non-Africans, West Indies and Los Angeles). Though the group is named after the singer Lumumba, it seems as though a fellow named Rim Kwaku Obeng is the leader of the band. Obeng has records under his own name and they are sought after by Afrobeat collectors. The record was recorded in Los Angeles, which is rare for an Afrobeat record. How is the album? Spotty and sometimes suspect. I am not sure if the musicians were cobbled together by A&M looking to break Afrobeat or if some American producer stumbled upon them in Africa, brought them to the States and put them in a fancy studio. Many of the songs are over produced and some sound very studio musicianish.Highly recomended.

 "Stop talking about peace; make peace. Stop talking about love: make love."

Enjoy!

James Last - Voodoo Party [1971]

Voodoo Party is a very entertaining album full of wierd jungle rhythms and great sounding percussive beats coupled with voices and crackling brass. 


Tracklist:

A1		Se A Cabo
A2		Sing A Simple Song
A3		Heyah Masse-Ga
A4		Mamy Blue
A5		Jin-Go-Lo-Ba
A6		Mr. Giant Man
B1		Everybody's Everything
B2		Everyday People
B3		U-Humbah
B4		Inner City Blues
B5		Babalu
B6		Voodoo Ladys Love

	Enjoy!

CODONA III (1982)

CODONA is a fusion jazz trio born during the late 70’s.
CODONA’s name is derived from the leading letters of the first names of its three members.
It has an Indian feel due to the presence of sitar/tabla player Collin Walcott (“co”).
He is accompanied by the trumpeter Don Cherry (“do”) who is a founder of free jazz,
(notably worked with the Indian jazz fusion artist L. Shankar),
the adventurous Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos (“na”),
also known for his work with the Pat Metheny Group. N...CODONA is a fusion jazz trio
born during the late 70’s.

Next to Walcott personal “eastern” touch, this project is also a great fusion between
several “world” influences, from Africa, to Japan. Three “eclectic”, “ethereal” albums have
been released for ECM.
They are all essential for fans of "world" fusion jazz music.

Watch!

Enjoy!

Palyrria - Electrifying Nature [2010].

Οι «Palyrria» διαθέτουν μία μουσική πανδαισία, μία παραγωγή με μεγάλη επιμέλεια, σπάνια για τα ελληνικά δεδομένα. Με συνέπεια εδώ και μία δεκαετία αποτελούν ένα από τα πιο δυναμικά συγκροτήματα που ασχολούνται με τη συνύπαρξη των παραδοσιακών δρόμων και της μουσικής τεχνοτροπίας της παγκόσμιας dance- electronica κουλτούρας των τελευταίων δεκαετιών.

Δημιουργήθηκαν το 1996 σαν ένα dance project. Το 1999 διαμόρφωσαν τον προσωπικό τους ήχο, που τους χαρακτηρίζει μέχρι σήμερα. Το ονομάζουν World- Electro και όντως η μουσική τους δεν είναι ούτε αμιγώς ηλεκτρονική, ούτε όμως και καθαρά «ethnic». Είναι μια προσπάθεια αναγέννησης της ελληνικής κυρίως παραδοσιακής μουσικής δια μέσω των σύγχρονων μουσικών της δύσης. Χρησιμοποιούν αρχαίες Αιολικές κλίμακες, την πεντατονία της Ηπείρου, όργανα που μας έρχονται από τα βάθη της ιστορίας, σμίγοντάς τα με τον ηλεκτρονικό ήχο, τους club ρυθμούς και τη μουσική τεχνολογία, σε ένα πάντρεμα που μοιάζει αρχαϊκό και φουτουριστικό ταυτόχρονα.

Στον τελευταίο δίσκο τους “Electrifying Nature”  συμμετείχαν σπουδαία ονόματα της διεθνούς μουσικής σκηνής όπως Kumar (Κούβα), από το συγκρότημα των Ojos de Brujo, οι Maxwell Wright & DJ Panko (Ισπανία), Florian Mikuta (Ρουμανία), Matthias Loibner (Αυστρία) και Αχιλλέας Περσίδης, Παντελής Στόικος, Σεραφείμ Μαρμαρίδης, Γιάννης Δημητριάδης από την Ελλάδα.

 Born out of the need for experimentation PALYRRIA is a band that has devised and perfected its own, unique sound.
They call it world-electro and indeed this music is neither electronic nor ethnic. PALYRRIA has always been fascinated by traditional and ritual music as some of the band's members have performed and recorded with renowned traditional musicians.

☼ Ψυχεδέλεια, Λύρα & Φώς


Enjoy!

Elitsa Todorova & Stoyan Yankulov - Drumboy [2004]

The Unique Bulgarian duet blend
Bulgarian authentic folk with jazz,
ethno and world music. They make the
rind of music one associates with outer
space. The media have dubbed them as
"the shamans of Bulgaria" and "lords
of the elements".
In 2007 BBC and Reuters described their
music as "a portal to other worlds".

Elitsa Todorova sings in the legendary choir
The Mystery of Bulgarian Voices and Cosmic Voices
from Bulgaria. She has graduated a school for
authentic folk singing and has a higher degree in
percussion instruments. In 2003 she teamed up with
the best known Bulgarian drummer and percussionist
Stoyan Yankoulov.
Stoyan Yankoulov had devised a unique set of
percussion instrument. He has played together with
the legendary Bob McFerrin and other world famous
jazzmen. The duo's highly rhythms combined with
Elitsa's magic voice spin together beautiful
ethno-jazz tales.

Stoyan Yankoulov- drums, percussion, tupan, drumboy
Elitsa Todorova- voice, percussion

Music and Arrangement by Stoyan Yankoulov
Featuring: Ivo Papasov- clarinet / 11 /
Theodosii Spassov- kaval / 8 /
Petar Ralchev- accordion / 6 /
Petar Yankulov- voice / 5 /
Recorded, Mixed and Mastering at: Drumboy Studio
Art Direction and Design by Ivo Hristov
Photography by Kalin Ruychev and Ivo Hristov

Natural sounds from the forest in Goren Chiflik
village have been used in this record.

 

Enjoy!

Cedric Im Brooks* & The Light Of Saba – The Magical Light Of Saba

Cedric Im Brooks is an old boy of the Alpha School in Kingston, Jamaica, alongside alumni like Don Drummond, Johnny Moore and Tommy McCook of The Skatalites, jazzmen Joe Harriott and Harold McNair, and too many other musical giants to mention. He was a member of The Vagabonds, before Jimmy James moved the group to England, and during the sixties toured Caribbean hotels and clubs with various big bands and combos. His own musical horizons — especially the new jazz music — were increasingly distant from these constrained commercial contexts; and he eagerly accepted an invitation to visit a friend in the U.S.

In Philadelphia, Cedric was awe-struck by the music and vibes of the Sun Ra Arkestra. He was on the point of joining the commune when the birth of his second daughter necessitated his return to Jamaica. Amazingly, though rocksteady was in full swing on the island, Cedric took up Ra’s challenge by starting The Mystics, to experiment with free jazz and poetry, African robes and dancers.

During this period, Cedric’s long association with Studio One produced the hit single ‘Money Maker’; and his musical direction of Count Ossie’s Mystic Revelation of Rastafari was commemorated by the classic Grounation triple-LP set, before his frustrations with purely rasta patterns encouraged him to set up The Light of Saba, to go into other aspects of African drumming.

Taking leads from Hugh Masekela and Fela Kuti, the recordings of Cedric Im Brooks and The Light of Saba delineate ‘world music’ way ahead of its time. They offer a blend of African and US, Cuban and other West Indian influences — calypso and funk, rumba and bebop, nyabinghi and disco — magnificently expressed as classic reggae. This compilation is drawn from extremely rare singles and LPs.


'Mystical, uplifting, sensual, difficult. If you like your reggae
deep and dark, with splashes of primitive funk and a real feel for roots, then this is for you' (Record Collector).
'One for those who think they've heard it all' (Mojo).


Playlist :
Lambs Bread Collie
Sabasi
Free Up Black Man
Outcry
Salt Lane Rock
Sabebe
Nobody's Business
Rasta Lead On Version
Sabayindah
Rebirth
Satta Massa Gana
Africa
Sound
Sly Mongoose
Words Of Wisdom
Jah Light It Right
Ethiopia Tikdem
Song For My Father
Collie Version

μια ακομη καλοκαιρινη προσφορα για αυτους που ζεσταινονται και θελουν να ανεβουν λιγακι!Απο τον Τζαμαικανο σαξοφωνιστα Cedric 'Im' Brooks
Enjoy!