CGYT on WHFR (1)

I'll be preparing a weekly radio show for Washington Heights Free Radio (WHFR), a free-form pot-luck community internet radio station broadcast out of NYC.

The name of my show is Come Give Your Tomorrow (CGYT). You can hear it on WHFR by tuning in to whfr.org on Sundays at 4pm EST, which is 10pm CET.

I'll also be posting the mp3s here with an eventual podcast link to come.

CGYT on WHFR no. 1 (broadcast May 4th, 2008)

Playlist:

Van Q. Temple, "Down on the Highway,"
     "It's a Riot" no. 2: Allow Me To Demonstrate
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, "Celestial Bliss,"
     Prepare Thyself To Deal With A Miracle
Archie Shepp, "We Have Come Back Part 1,"
     Live At The Panafrican Festival
Van Q. Temple, "Black Power,"
     Allow Me . . .
ZANU choir, "Zvinozibwa ne ZANU,"
     Chimurenga Songs: Music of the Revolutionary
     People's War in Zimbabwe
Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin, "Sanctus,"
     If... soundtrack 7"
Longfellow Martin Magarula, "The Freedom Of Africa,"
     Uhuru Wa Afrika
Pompey, "Vampire,"
     12"
Sonny Okosuns Ozziddi, "Mother & Child,"
     Mother & Child
Van Q. Temple, "King Of The Road,"
     Allow Me . . .
Eddy Grant, "Hello Africa,"
     Message Man
Van Q. Temple, "Grand Wizard,"
     Allow Me . . .

Imagine the Sound

Archie Shepp / Bill Dixon - Peace (BYG 196?, recorded 1962)

Yesterday, on my way from work I was listening to Archie Shepp and Bill Dixon's record Peace and noticed that what really makes it such a great record is the rhythm section. Or really the way the two lead men play against the rhythm section.

The record starts off with staccato melody from the leads—syncopated harmonies, Dixon out in front with flourishes, Shepp playing every other note and mixing in sax-growls. Shepp's skipping of notes in the melody reminds me a bit of Steve Lacy & Don Cherry's version of Thelonius Monk's "Evidence." Right off the bat the rhythm section provides the propulsion for the song: Paul Cohen lays down a tinkling metronome on the drums that accents the On/Off feel of the melody with three beats of symbol play followed by three full of snare. Don Moore alternates between two heavily plucked chords. Bludgeoning his bass from the sound of it. Really beating it and getting such a thick sound.

But then the melody tapers off and the end of the opening is signaled by one last heavy pluck from Moore. The song sets into its groove: Shepp drops out (the song is called "Trio"), Cohen plays an unceasing cymbal tick with the occasional snare accent, and Moore changes tack completely, playing a fast and funky walking bass line that is changed up occasionally for heavy beating of the bass and some high end frills. The rhythm section reminds me a lot of Ornette Coleman's "Friends and Neighbors" (a record that's also been on my turntable a lot lately). The momentum of the rhythm section in Coleman's song allows the chorus to sing a sloppy, playful pop song; here it allows Dixon to play a slow, clean solo full of drawn-out, austere notes. Shepp pops up a little ways into the solo, first grumbling and growling, like a little kid complaining he's not being heard, and then peeping a really catchy riff, like he's goating Dixon into quickening his pace. And Dixon responds: Shepp stops, Dixon plays a couple last long notes and then starts again, this time overblown and quicker.

Dixon ends his solo and drops out, Cohen reduces his playing down to a ringing ride, and Moore is back to alternating chords; then Shepp enters with barely-audible breathy growls. He proceeds to lay down one really soulful solo. He takes advantage of everyone nearly dropping out but Moore, and starts off really busy, nearly covering the full range of his sax. He brings the pace of the song up, not by making it faster, but by packing more notes into the measure. Moore catches up, playing harder, jumping around more. Cohen comes back in with much less subtlety, adding more snare, many more accents. Dixon comes in now and then, as Shepp did during his solo, but in juxtaposition to Shepp's accompaniment to his solo, he adds drawn out background notes to Shepp's chaos. It builds and builds and then it ends. Everyone comes together again to play the melody and then seems to collapse from exhaustion.

I don't wish to dissect every song and I think I've already said too much, so I think I'll just leave the rest of the record to be discovered without description.

I'm surprised that the recordings don't seem to be available anymore. The record was originally on Savoy, but the copy I have is on BYG. I'm surprised that whichever label is up to all the BYG/Actuel reissues hasn't hit this one yet. I've seen mention of a Savoy CD, but the Savoy Jazz website, Amazon, nor the internet in general turns up info on its availability. But there is another release: a split LP of the Bill Dixon 7-tette and Archie Shepp with the New York Contemporary 5, which is really good, but doesn't have Shepp and Dixon on any tracks together.

Shepp and Dixon both played in Cecil Taylor's group in the 60s appearing on some of his records, but never at the same time: Shepp was in the group briefly in 1960, and Dixon for a short while in the middle of the 60s. The only recording I know of them together is this record. An amazing record.

I Come In Rocking, I Come In Sweet

I've been traveling a bit recently. That meant an interruption to the regular posting schedule I had promised myself I would stick to. It also meant new records of the sort I don't usually find in Munich. I was in Hamburg for a week on work, and then New York City for two weeks on vacation.

Pompey - "Vampire" / "Rockin' Calypso" (Rix Records, 1985)

I picked up this record at Gimme Gimme records in NYC. Obviously, I pulled it out of the bin because of the cover, but I bought it because the songs are great. I regret that I didn't pick up This Is Soca, which was sitting next to it in the bin and is listed on the Pompey discography.

Pompey, as far as I can glean from the internet, was a Barbadian soca/calypso band of the early 80s. These tracks are arranged by Ed Watson, the producer credited with creating the soca sound—a sound most well known from "Hot Hot Hot" (yeah, the song Buster Poindexter covered).

Up until now, the only calypso I've owned/heard has been cheapo LPs of the stuff I imagine was (is still?) played in Barbados hotel lobbies. In fact, I think a couple of the LPs I have even advertise on their sleeves that they are from true hotel-proficient bands. It's good stuff, but it's not as grooving as this record. "Vampire" sounds like a weird mixture of the lite calypso I'm used to and early 80s digital reggae; except it's missing any sense of the bravado cool of such reggae. Plus it's about Caribbean calypso vampires. Best idea for a movie. (Has that movie already been made?)

Adoring Their Sweethearts And Abusing The Spanish Conqueror

Attention! Los Incas!

(cover image to come)

Where exactly is the line between world music and international music? By international music I mean basically field recordings of ethnomusicological interest—that is, true folk music played by local folk musicians. Of course, the idea of calling it international music instead of folk music is Western-Europe- / North-North-American-centric. Field recording is the term I prefer to use, since this seems to be applied to all regions and cultures, from East Asia to West Virginia, African tribes to Bahamanian Catholic churches. But is international music a broader category than just field recordings? (A lot of record stores have international sections where they also put famous musicians from non-western countries or even just non-english language singers. It's where you find, say, Ravi Shankar, or the lesser-known Frenchies. I'll leave this category aside, though.)

By world music I mean, well, that shit that hippies buy in Barnes and Noble or the Earth Store or the Body Shop. It's usually staged in a clean studio and often doesn't use local musicians. Some of the interesting international LPs I've bought, however, are also recorded in studios and I think some may use western musicians.

Attention! Los Incas! is definitely recorded in a studio, but there's no mention of who is playing on the record at all, aside from an implication that the group itself is called Los Incas. (Very little info is given, though it's mentioned that the recordings were made by German Phonogram in 1970/72.) I guess because much of the record is boring (though often at least enjoyable), I feel like I could easily categorize it as world music. World music also seems to have an element of exploitation, whereas international music should be about celebrating and preserving a great tradition (which is what field recordings are usually about, hopefully). Los Incas has the feel of exploitation, or western-voyeurism.

But I bought it, and transfered it and now post it here, because it has two standout tracks. "A la orillas del Titicaca" is a perfect pop song. I have listened to it over and over since buying the record. It's so simple. The percussion is barely there, sounding like just a faint banging on a tight drum head, but it still manages to give the song such propulsion. On top of that is just two stringed instruments: one high pitched, accenting the beat with an alternating pluck strum pluck strum; one higher pitched, arpeggiating a melody from the chords. The strings sounds so tight and tinkly that they could be from a harpsichord. Maybe it is a harpsichord (though it sounds plucked). And that's the instrumentation: two plucked string-instruments (guitars? mandolins?) and a tom drum; and then a soothing voice.

"Jilicatas" has the same basic percussion sound, but much more of it. So much more that it has a martial feel. It's also so very simple: pounding drums, two breathy woodwinds (flutes? panpipes?) skidding along on the same melody not exactly in sync with each other, and some yelps. It's downright experimental sounding. I could pass this off as a Herds and Words recording. It's unfortunate that the track is only 1 minute 30, especially since the sleeve says it's an excerpt. The label (Fontana?!) could have cut out all the other tracks and given me 20 more minutes of "Jilicatas," I would have enjoyed that much more.

German Interlude

I'm in Hamburg for a week, so no access to my record player, so no transfers at he moment—though I have a couple of Latin American discs I really want to transfer when I get back. In the meantime, here's one of my favorite recent pop reviews. It compares the new adioheadray album to trying to have sex on the beach with some dude you just met (and failing) while on vacation with your parents. (English and/or pictographic translation to come.)

Mallorca-Sand im Po

Die neue Radiohead-Platte sollte man im Urlaub hören. Denn jeder Urlaub geht vorbei.

Wie mit einer Urlaubsbekanntschaft am Strand zu fummeln, so ist die neue Radiohead-Platte. Man hat sich am Buffet der Halbpension kennen gelernt, man hatte nichts gegeneinander einzuwenden, außerdem herrschte Langeweile am Ballermann. Also ist man gemeinsam an den Strand und will im Zehnerschritt zum Ziel. 43 Minuten bleiben noch bis zum Hotel-Abendessen, also genauso so lang wie die zehn Songs des neuen Radiohead-Album „In Rainbows“. Die erste Annäherung des Urlaubsflirts heißt„15 Steps“ ist noch sehr maschinell: eine Drum-Maschine plus eine klinische Gitarre plus wirre Synthesizer und Effekte - verständlich, die Nervosität. Die legt sich ein bisschen mit „Body Snatchers“: das Schlagzeug ist jetzt echt, die Effekte dafür echt zu viel. Er macht auf grob und irritiert, der nette Junge. Bei „Nude“ kann von Berührung unterhalb der Ellenbogen immer noch keine Rede sein, aber er macht stimmlich auf schwarzen Jungen mit einer Sammlung von String Synthesizern im Keller, obwohl er gerade aus Großbritannien angekommen ist und noch käseweiß. Man vermutet, er weiß nicht, wie man „Mellotron“ buchstabiert. Auch bei „Weird Fishes/Arpeggi“ ist er kommt er aus dem Vorspiel nicht heraus: sanfter R’n’B. Es riecht nach Vanille. Der Geruch geht auch während des nächsten Stücks „All I Need“ nicht weg, doch dann. Bei „Faust Arp“ riecht der Sand plötzlich nach Heu: Eine Country-Gitarre! Und seine Stimme – wie aus einem gelben U-Boot dringt sie ans Ohr. Ja, und mit „Reckoner“ geht es nun endlich zur Sache. Scheinbar. Das Schlagzeug ist gut, das verheimlicht man schlauerweise nicht, um ihn anzufeuern. Doch prompt fällt er mit „House Of Cards“ ins Süßholz-Raspeln zurück. Bei „Jigsaw Falling Into Place“ nimmt er gar noch eine akustische Gitarre dazu. Leider hat er sein Shirt hat immer noch an, und man ist schon beim zehnten Song „Videotape“ angelangt. Wurde man etwa gefilmt?! Nun denn, es ist ja eh nichts Nennenswertes passiert. Und wenigstens müsste das Abendessen jetzt fertig sein. Vermutlich hielt er einen für ein Schulmädchen, die so etwas bräuchte. Doch so war man leider vor zehn Jahren, 1997, drauf – zu einer Zeit, als der Junge auch noch besser musizierte.

Perfect Teeth 3.3.8

This Sunday I had my second DJ night at Favorit Bar. This one's a little shorter than last time, but has no repeats. And very little pop. I'm gettin' there.

Tape 1 Side A (62:00, 57 MB)

The Malinke, "Solo for the Seron,"
     Music and Dances of Occidental Africa
Don Cherry & Ed Blackwell, "Makondi," El Corazón
John Coltrane, "Vigil," Transition
Eric Dolphy, "The Baron," Out There
Sunny Murray, "An Even Break (Never Give a Sucker),"
     An Even Break (Never Give a Sucker)
Pharoah Sanders, "The Creator Has A Master Plan," Karma
Bohannon, "Save Their Souls," 7"
Miles Davis, "On The Corner," On The Corner
Albert Ayler, "Free At Last," 7"
Don Covay, "Boomerang," See-Saw
Bobby Doyle, "The Girl Done Got It Together,"
     Fluchtpunkt San Franzisko
Sonny Okosuns Ozziddi, "Mother & Child," Mother & Child


Tape 1 Side B (62:00, 57 MB)

Sonny Okosuns Ozziddi, "Mother & Child," Mother & Child
Hugh Masakela, "The Boy's Doin' It," The Boy's Doin' It
Osibisa, "The Dawn," Osibisa
Art Ensemble of Chicago, "Theme De Yoyo," Les Stances a Sophie
Do You Understand The Word, "Help," Endless Journey Phase 3
Bo Hansson, "Black Riders,"
     Music Inspired By Lord Of The Rings
The Deep Freeze Mice, "No. 9," Obscure Independent Classics Vol. 1
The Chrysanthemums, "The Cheeping of the Robot Bees,"
     Little Flecks of Foam Around Barking
Jowe Head, "Cake Shop Girl," 7"
Beat Happening, "Cast A Shadow (live)," Diamonds and Porcupines
The Raincoats, ""No Side To Fall In," The Raincoats
Elton Motello, "Jet Boy Jet Girl," Victim of Time
Yen Artists, "God Be With Us Till We Meet Again," Yen Memorial
Acryl baby, "Iris Underground,"
     Obscure Independent Hits Vol. 4 (Special Japanese Edition)
John Carpenter, "The End (Remix)," 12"
Glenn Branca, "Lesson No. 1," Lesson No. 1


Tape 2 Side A (60:17, 55 MB)

Glenn Branca, "Lesson No. 1," Lesson No. 1
Rhys Chatham, "For Brass," Factor X
Mars, "Helen Fordsdale," No New York
Carsick Cars, "Rock'n'Roll Hero," 7"
Los Fabulosos 3 Paraguayos, "Atardecer," Volume 5
Os Teleco Teco, "Regina,"
     Toute L'Amerique Latine: chants et danses
Os Teleco Teco, "Peixe Vivo,"
     Toute L'Amerique Latine: chants et danses
Folk Musicians, "A las orillas del Titicaca," Los Incas!
Los Parra De Chillan, "Cachumbo,"
     Toute L'Amerique Latine: chants et danses
Folk Musicians, "Danza," Musical Atlas: Mexico
Baoule, "Duet for Flutes," Music and Dances of Occidental Africa
Laurie Spiegel, "Drums," The Capriccio Series Of New American Music
Mike Oldfield, "Blood Sucking," The Killing Fields
Philip Glass, "Vessels," Koyaanisqatsi
Megan Roberts, "I Could Sit Here All Day,"
     New Music For Electronic And Recorded Media
Petula Clark, "Downtown," Petula Clark

While listening to the tapes on headphones in order to write down the tracks played, a few things occur to me:
—The low-end sax sounds on "Boomerang" are great. I love that sound of what seems to be multiple baritone saxophones (maybe tenors) that shows up in a lot of 60s soul/rnb, like on the Supremes stuff.
—Eric Dolphy was using strings in a really interesting way a good 5 years before Albert Ayler or Ornette Coleman was.
—It's impossible not to tap your foot rapidly while listening to Help's "Do You Understand The Word." It's down to the four on the floor beat, and the fact that the bass line is syynched to it almost unflinchingly.

Rather Complicated Steps, Contortions, and Very Rapid Sudden Breaks

Music and Dances of Occidental Africa

(Photo to come)

When I find records as good as this one, I start to wonder how a record store could think to sell it for only 3 bucks. Folkways recordings usually go for at least 5 or 7 euros (though sometimes more). And most of them are dull and often poorly recorded. This record was released by the Olympic Records Corporation (200 West 57th Street, NYC) in 1974, and is part of the Atlas Series ("Music from around the world"). It's not just interesting and well recorded, it's also groovy and catchy.

The recordings on the first side are all made in Guinea. They are folk songs of the Malinké people. The first track, "Festival Music," sounds like a Steve Reich recording from the early 70s: a pop song built from simple xylophone lines repeated by three players accompanied by a chorus of women. Most of the tracks feature a large chorus singing in unison. But there's also a highly syncopated drum track—there's always at least one on these African field recording records—and "Solo for the Seron," which sounds like an African take on delta blues.

The recordings on the second side are all made in the Ivory Coast and are the songs of the Baoulé people. The liner notes to the record describe the Malinké as being strict puritanical people and the Baoulé as ostentatious. It's kinda odd, then, that the music from the first side is so festive, while the music from the second side is so much more reserved. "Duet for Flutes" sounds like a somber piece from Oliver Lake and Julius Hemphill's Buster Bee. Most of the second side is solos and duets, and even the choral song is quite relaxed—more about harmonizing than expressing overjoy. Not that this side doesn't also have its festive moments: it opens and closes with festival music full of hand percussion and large choruses.