Musical Ramblings

Harmonica: an instrument of the people

There's a great feature on Flickr called Expos. Using expos you can put together a collection of other peoples' photos. I started looking around for harmonica photos, and amongst the many photos of concerts and pro harp players, I found many photos of buskers, children, old and young, all playing the harmonica. This reminded me of one of the reasons I fell in love with this instrument, it's simplicity.

So I decided to gather an expo that I called Harmonica: an instrument of the people. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Seb Charlier on Precious Time

I'm a little snowed under and as a consequence I'll have a lot of Best of 00s to catch up on. In the meantime, if your French is not too shabby or if you're an avid Google Translate user, here is an interview with Sébastien Charlier about his new album Precious Time, out early 2010!

Best of 00s: Stanton Moore - III (2006)

While I wasn't fully convinced about the hommage nature of Elbicho's II, I'm absolutely sure that Stanton Moore titled his album III in reference to Led Zeppelin, if only because of the cover of When the Levee Breaks (even though that song was on IV). A jazz-funk album referring to a monument of rock also tells you something about the inspiration that went into it and the mood. And III delivers on these implicit promises: it's raw and in your face.

The opener, Poison Pushy, highlights the core trio of this album: Stanton Moore on drums, Robert Walter on organ and Will Bernard on guitar. Three jazz musicians who are very much at ease with funk, blues and rock as well, and who enjoy what I often call gut music. Stanton is very forward in the mix on this album, as perhaps one would expect on an album led by a drummer, but it conveys a different feel to what you normally hear, and it's all the more interesting as a consequence. Listen to that intro on Poison Pushy: polyrythms galore, Stanton in a nutshell.

The whole album is excellent, and variety is introduced in the line-up with some horns from Skerik (saxes) and Mark Mullins (trombone), as on Chilcock, a heavy thumping groove number which would totally fit on a Galactic album or Dunkin' in the Deep, a more classical jazz sounding tune.

The two highlights of the album though are both covers. The aforementioned When the Levee Breaks is a gem of deep sorrow, slow, mean and heavy. It distills the essence of the song in instrumental form and really succeeds at a very perilous exercice. Considering the New Orleans origins of Stanton Moore and his involvement in post-Katrina rebuilding, it conveys even more weight to this truly amazing cover. The interpretation of Abdullah Ibrahim's Water from an Ancient Well is given a treatment just as deep and reinvented as a gospel. This is the kind of beautiful melody that you would expect hearing in a baptist church in the Deep South. Truly moving.

And what do you say of an album that can move you tears one moment and get your feet stomping on the next, both with as much abandon? You say it's a winner.

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Best of 00s: Elbicho - II (2005)

I first read about Elbicho described as progressive rock with flamenco roots. That sounded sufficiently strange that I of course immediately sought out their recently released record, II. You might wonder, incidentally, if that's a nod to Led Zeppelin and while I don't really hear an identifiable influence in the music, I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

The three distinctive features of Elbicho that make their music truly unique are singer Miguel Campello's voice and flamenco delivery, Victor Iniesta's amazing spanish guitar playing and the near ubiquitous flute woven by Juan Carlos Aracil. And yet this is rock; in fact, it's rock with attitude to boot. It's just the most unusual brand of rock you've ever heard.

The strange and successful mix practived throughout the record is perfectly epitomized by De Rodillas. The song starts with a delicate spanish guitar chord, but as soon as the echo from the first chord dies, a fuzzed wah-wah guitar starts noodling around the chord sequence. Then Campello's powerful and emotion-drenched singing comes in. The atmosphere is melancholy with this constrained tension that characterises Flamenco singing. Then the band comes in: drums, flamenco percussions, bass, horns and flute on top of the two guitars. The sound is rich and powerful, intense. But there are great dynamics at play here and two thirds in the volume comes down for a flute laden singing part that slowly builds up again to the finale. Just the kind of clever songwriting I love (even if I'm missing out on the lyrics, not being a spanish speaker...)

Where's the prog', I hear you say. Well, while the construction of many of the songs is reminiscent of progressive rock, there's one track on II which is pure prog. It's called La Suite, a 14 minute instrumental track with several distinct movements, great variations in mood, intensity and structure, and it's an absolute delight if you're into this kind of stuff. It's Soundchaser if Yes had been Spanish, Echoes if Pink Floyd had been Iberic.

II is a jewel of global music, true to the traditions it draws from and yet fully original. Don't miss out!

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Best of 00s: Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - The Bridge (2002)

Karl Denson is a versatile musician in the jazz and funk vein. He's very prolific with at least three outfits, The Greyboy Allstars, his own solo stuff and Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (or, as the fans call it, KDTU). KDTU is really interesting because it bridges the gap between jazz, funk and jam rock, and maybe that's where the title of this album comes from... Essentially, what you get is funk grooves, jazz improv' and jam rock moods and shifts. A good combo in my book.

The Bridge is a really engaging album. It's powered by these really cool James Brownish guitar rhythmics, but it's also post hip-hop in its approach to Groove. The horn section of KDTU is very sharp and dynamic, and it pushes most of the numbers on The Bridge forward. Denson's own playing is very fluid and while complex at times, it's never abstract and the groove is always there to pick you up even when - on occasion - he might loose you. Impressive though his sax playing is, I find his flute playing even more interesting: Denson is one of the few flautists I know who can make the flute sound mean! But what's interesting in KDTU is also that it's not Denson's vehicle for improvisation, it's a band and other soloists shine, especially guitarist Brian Jordan and guest trombone luminary Fred Wesley. 

The highlight of The Bridge is Freedom, not only an irresistible dark groove, but uplifted by Saul Williams' great lyrics and slam delivery. But there's no lack of really great tracks here: the Curtis Mayfield cover Check Out Your Mind is a "cool" track that gets increasingly more powerful and in your face as it progresses (and that guitar solo is just plain raw!) Groove On is a thoroughly relaxed funk with a supple and hypnotic bass line which also showcases how soulful a singer Denson is.

If you're after a bit of hard driven funk and some more relaxing moments of slow groove all wrapped in great musicianship, then The Bridge is for you!

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The Best Bohemian Rhapsody Cover Ever!

I used to love Muppets Tonight back in the 90s. I could never figure out why they pulled the show... Someone just pointed me to this clip which I'd never seen. It's hilarious, and good!

The Muppets - Bohemian Rhapsody
envoyé par alexandru2006. - Cliquez pour voir plus de vidéos marrantes.

Best of 00s: Son of Dave - 02 (2005)

To say that Son of Dave is an odd character would be an understatement (just check out this documentary of you want assurance of that fact), but it is, I suspect, this oddity that pushes him towards untrod musical paths. I've been following his ascent ever since I first heard of him in the late 90s, but 02 really is the album that made him stand-out.

Son of Dave is a one man band for the 21st century. His tools are harmonicas, various percussions and electronic loops. What he does is usually lay a looped chord sequence or rhythmic pattern on the loop to then sing and solo over. Sounds minimalistic, and it is (that's a great part of the charm) but that's not to mean that he sounds like an old mississipi street musician. Dance music and trip hop stand between blues and Son of Dave. Mind you he wouldn't fit in either of these categories either. He's just his own genre.

02 is great because despite the lack of variety in the instrumentation (with the exception of a thrilling vocal collaboration with Martina Topley Bird on Devil Take My Soul), there's a great variety in moods. Goddamn is a raw, primitive sounding yell when San Francisco is a laid back melodious song with great harmonies and a superb harmonica solo. The aforementioned Devil Take my Soul got some well deserved visibility when the album came out, and it is undoubtedly the strongest tune on the record, driven soul-blues with a solid dance beat.

02 is both relaxing and exciting. It's the kind of music I love to listen to on the road. Check it out, this guy is dragging the harp into the new century kicking and screaming!

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Best of 00s: Charlie Hunter - Mistico (2007)

Charlie Hunter is a prolific musician and a lot of his records are good, but he's best when he embraces his hendrixian roots. Mistico is the best example of that: it's square and electric, with a biting guitar that it sometimes missing in some of his more laid back productions. The interesting thing on CD that makes the experience very different than seeing Charlie live is that you don't hear that he's playing both the bass and the guitar at the same time. And much as it's amazing to see that live, it allows you to concentrate on the music.

Hunter's musicians on this one are the no nonsense Simon Lott on drums, as in-your-face as he can be groovy (but not so much here, that's not the point) and the inventive and experimental Erik Deutsch on piano and electric keyboards of all kinds. Together, they form a tight, hard hitting unit that sounds raw and mean. Lady opens the record with a driven square beat and a kind of repetitive hook that drives it forward. Both Hunter and Deutsch take overdiven solos: that's the mood!

The album stays on this kind of vibe all the way through, which doesn't mean it's all in your face rockers. The mellower Estranged is aptly titled as the electric sounds give it a tilted vibe that counterbalances the pretty melody very nicely. There's a great coherence of sound throughout the record and a nice mix of heavy rockers and more intimate, jazzier tunes.

This is a good record if you like jazz rock of any kind, but also a good entry into jazz if you're coming from rock or electric blues. And once you're hooked, you can go see Charlie live and pick up your jaw on the floor at the end of the show.

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Best of 00s: Kevin Brown - Mojave Dust (2005)

They don't make acoustic recordings the way they used to. Listen to the production on Muddy Waters Folk Singer and you'll know what I mean. So imagine my surprise hearing on Kevin Brown's Mojave Dust the same kind of proximity, of depth in sound, and then reading in the sleevenotes that this record was homemade, straight to DAT.

Maybe the best music is homemade. Because this is it. Brown is one of the few artists who made me revise my opinion that blues was dead. His playing is stellar, with a cristalline slide guitar sound that's absolutely unique, his singing is deep and emotional, and his songwriting and lyrics are both original, modern and powerful. The only way it gets better is to see him live, but you have to live around Bath, UK to do that.

The opener Mojave Dust sets you in the mood. This is not joyous music, it's deeply melancholic. It evokes the vast desert horizons that the title conveys. Throughout the record, there are many moments when you connect. Brown's music conveys such images, it's really hard not to feel involved. Johnny Don't Cry is a song about a guy who refuses his emotions, but it's also a song about men... Alcohol is a depressing song about the ravages of alcoholism. My personal favourite is the very moving No one but Myself to Blame which is a slightly more uptempo song about owning up to your deeds.

If you like blues or country, if you like intimate music, if you like deep music, then this is a record for you. Just don't listen with a bottle a whisky by your side or you'll have it finished before the end of the record.

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