Friday, 8. April 2011
Hey folks, here’s my playlist of the moment:
-Ahmad Jamal Autumn Leaves. Jazz
When the famous jazz-pianist Jamal covers the classic standard (along Jarrett, Davis, Piaf and Jordan) from Joseph Kosma and Jacques Prevert, it gives us an extraordinary lesson of sensibility, passion and virtuosity. A great way to discover this 60 years old classic tune.
-Michael Brecker Song For Bilbao. Jazz
If you don’t know the late Michael Brecker, then you’ll have to listen to this tune. The man, critically considered as the “best saxophone player of the post-Coltrane era”, will blow your mind with his amazing scales and improvisationnal skills. The song has become a standard in Brecker, and has been covered many times by the Pat Metheny Group (Metheny playing some Synth-Guitar on the present tune). A very powerful and unifying piece of music.
-André 3000 (Outkast) Love Hater: Funk/R’n'B/Pop
When the grammy winner André Benjamin from Outkast realeased “The Love Below” in the double Outkast CD, he maybe didn’t knew he’d give music and pop a whole new personnal touch. Including some jazz, rock and soft pop in his own composition, it results of an amazing CD. Love Hater, the second tune, starts with a grungy wah guitar that transforms itself into a cool jazz rythm introducing Benjamin’s smoothie voice, to finish in a pop jazz rock expressing tune. If you only know the song “Hey Ya”, you will have to RUN in order to listen to the complete album, it’s a slap in the face of musicians and commercial-music listenning people.
-Flora Purim Las Olas: Jazz/Latin/World
Well-known in South America, Airto Moreira’s wife Flora Purim is an amazing artist in the jazz landscape. Working with the top-class musicians during her whole career, working with Chick Corea’s Return to Forever, Wayne Shorter and Dizzy Gillepsie.. The present song introduces the amazing all-star pianist Herbie Hancock, and the late genius Jaco Pastorius on fretless bass. In order to appreciate the tune with the right ears, you’ll have to be in a cool and relaxed situation and let the song surround you so that it will lead you to undefinited feelings of pleasure.
-Seu Jorge América Do Norte (live): Samba Rock/ Funk/ Soul
The popular bresilian singer Seu Jorge is a real phenomenon. His voice and the way he entertains just blow my mind. And that song is the perfect exemple of the energy that is going through his live concerts. The heady chorus got stocked in my head for days, and I’m pretty certain that you will want to become a brasilian citizen after trying to sing it.
-Tricky Hakim: Trip Hop/ Alternative/ World
Underground and trip hop legend Tricky just released his new album “Mixed Race” last year. Not his best creation, the Bristol native singer still manages to take us to another inside trip to his sensitivity. But, as a matter of fact, the song that hooked my ear was the unelectrified tune “Hakim”. Influenced by Raï music, Trick called algerian friend Hakim Hamadouche to come and play his mandoluth and sing on his album. This results of a touching oriental song that breaks the traditionnal “Trip-Hop” influenced album. Some fans will be scared of that direction he took but in the end it is clever and exotic.
-Frank Gambale & Mauricio Colonna El Prado: Flamenco/ Jazz
The meeting between jazz-fusion guitarist legent Gambale and the amazing flamenco player Mauricio Colonna is a blowing-mind record. In fact, it should be considered as another “guitar duo” genius such as Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia. As an opening song, “El Prado” is VERY powerful, and gives us a demonstration of what flamenco guitar without thinking of the hardness involved. The professionnal and great fusion playing of Gambale fits perfectly with the agressive and virtuoso playing of Colonna, the flamenco master. And that’s a gift they have offered to us listenners.
-Bernard Lavilliers On The Road Again: Vocal/Pop/World
French singer Bernard Lavilliers is an UFO. I personnally think he’s one of the best french singer, because he has always managed to take the best from every other musical influence and to incorporate it in his music. Mostly influenced by Brasil and South America, Lavilliers can take the essence of tango, caribbean music, progressive rock and soft pop to create his melancholic/romantic oriented songs. The present song is his greatest hit, and the best introduction to his art. But his whole career is worth it, and especially his latest album, Causes Perdues et Musiques Tropicales, is REALLY good.
-Miles Davis Hannibal: Jazz/Jazz Rock
Miles is a genius, everybody knows this. From the classic jazz period of Kind Of Blue to the pop instrumental You’re Under Arrest and getting through the electric Bitches Brew, he has always managed to manipulate each musical style to his creativity. With Amandla, released in 1989, Miles got Marcus Miller to produce his album once again and compose some amazing tunes. And that one, Hannibal, is a pretty good example of what smoothie jazz-rock should sound. Miller, Kenny Garrett, Don Alias or George Duke are part of what we could call Mile’s last dream team (he passed away in 1991). The perfection of soloing, added to the quality of the arrangements makes this piece of music a classic Davis tune.
