Spanish Harlem Orchestra -][- Viva la Tradición (CONCORD PICANTE)

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Latin, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, World Music

Spanish Harlem Orchestra -][- Viva la Tradición – [CONCORD PICANTE, 2010]

Spanish Harlem Orchestra - Viva la Tradición

Concord Picante is proud to announce the release of Viva la Tradicón, the newest album from the Grammy winning 13-piece collective Spanish Harlem Orchestra. The 12-track collection marks the orchestra’s debut album for Concord Picante and overall fourth outing. Viva la Tradicón takes up where its three predecessors left off – stirring the pot of mid-20th century influences and keeping the salsa simmering for current and future generations.

Now in its tenth year, the Spanish Harlem Orchestra is one of the most formidable and authentic Latin jazz combos of today. Yet for all of its appeal with contemporary audiences, the group’s success is actually rooted in the past. A lively and energetic affair, Viva la Tradición draws on inspiration from the music’s history and enduring traditions. The collection is comprised largely of original compositions and arrangements of classic salsa tunes by bandleader/founder Oscar Hernandez. Hernández is one of the most respected musicians in Latin & Latin Jazz music.His track record & discography are extensive. On the new CD he enlists the support of veteran composer and arranger Gil Lopez on three of Lopez’s compositions (“Son De Corazon,” “Nuestra Cancion,” and “Regala De Dios).

Mulatu Astatke -|- Mulatu Steps Ahead

Tags

Jazz, Mulatu Astatke, World Music

Greeting’s jazz enthusiasts, on this gorgeous Friday I’m enthralled to introduce a gentleman’s music I’ve never heard prior to this post named Mulatu Astatke. Reviewers describe his music as being jazzy, funky, delicate, rough and hypnotic! With this blending of organic textures his music is bound to be worthy of sampling … go to: Amazon.com and check out the MP3 clips available and let your ears be the judge. —Rob Young/The Urban Flux

Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu Steps Ahead

Mulatu Astatqe -|- ‘Mulatu Steps Ahead‘ – [Strut, 2010]

Just got the new Mulatu Astatke recording–Mulatu Steps Ahead (Strut 056CD). I believe this is his first recording of all new material since the 70s. His band is members of the Either Orchestra, a Boston area (semi) big band with a recording in the Ethiopiques series– #20.

It was apparent from the outset that it was going to be very strong. I can say that depending on which context you wish to adopt, it may be his strongest work ever. From my standpoint, that is unequivocally so. His earliest recordings were fabulous in part because he was so young and impressionable when he made them. He was eager to embrace and expound upon a wide range of styles, influences he’d soaked up, primarily from western sources, and incorporate them in multiples of ways into the music of his native Ethiopia. As a result, the pieces in those recordings tended to bounce around, stylistically, a lot–which in his best recordings was a plus.

ObliqSound Presents: Vocalist Malika Zarra

Tags

Female Vocalist, Jazz, Malika Zarra, Morrocco, World Music

Malika Zarra

Moroccan world singer/composer/producer, MALIKA ZARRA is a multi-cultural shape-shifter, an enchantress who leaps effortlessly between seemingly unconnected languages and traditions, uniting them while utilizing each to further enrich the others. The exotically beautiful artist with the velvety, sinuous mezzo-soprano voice has demonstrated a rare ability to communicate both powerful and subtle ideas and feelings in French, English and Moroccan Arabic and is now a much-in-demand headliner at nightclubs and festivals the world over.

Malika was born in Southern Morocco, in a little village called Ouled Teima. Her father’s family was originally from Smara, an oasis just off the Sahara, while her mother was a Berber from the High Atlas. During her early childhood, there was always music and dancing in the house and Malika sang almost from babyhood. After her family emigrated to a suburb of Paris, she found herself straddling two very different societies. I had to be French at school yet retain my Moroccan cultural heritage at home, she recalls, Like many immigrant children, I learned to switch quickly between the two. It was hard but brought me a lot of good things too.

DL MEDIA WINTER 2010 CLIENT RELEASE SCHEDULE

Tags

African American, Jazz, Jazz Fusion, World Music

We’re extremely excited about DL Media’s impeccable lineup of artists and their releases for the upcoming new year!

JANUARY

January 5

(nv) Fahir Atakoglu
Faces & Places
feat. Randy Brecker, John Patitucci, Wayne Krantz, Bob Mintzer, Romero Lubambo and Horacio “El Negro” Hernandez
Far & Here, LLC

January 12

(jf) Antonio Ciacca
Lagos Blues
feat. Steve Grossman, Stacy Dillard, Kengo Nakamura, Ulysses Owens
Motéma Music

(sb) Gene Harris
Another Night in London
Resonance Records

(dl) Sofia Rei Koutsovitis
Sube Azul
World Village/Harmonia Mundi

January 26

(jf) Joe Locke
For The Love Of You
feat. Kenny Washington, Geoffrey Keezer, George Mraz, and Clarence Penn
E1 Entertainment

Daniel Santiago | Metropole

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Daniel Santiago, Guitar, Jazz, Latin Music, World Music

Daniel Santiago | Metropole – [Adventure Music, 2009]

Daniel Santiago - Metropole'

Although the urban landscape is not what comes immediately to mind when one thinks of Brazil, guitarist Daniel Santiago has managed to fuse the lush tropical essence of his native country with the sophisticated energy of its vibrant cities on his second release for Adventure Music, Metropole. A key member of acclaimed young mandolinist Hamilton de Holanda’s Quintet, Daniel Santiago has assembled his own strong quartet of players for Metropole, which features a dozen of the guitarist’s own compositions.

Daniel Santiago

While firmly rooted in the traditional Brazilian musical ethos that earned Santiago praise from such legendary artists as Hermeto Pascoal, Toninho Horta and Guinga, the music on Metropole is jazz at its best loose, open, and collaborative, improvisational and innovative. In addition to his work with Adventure Music label-mate Hamilton de Holanda’s Quintet, Santiago has performed throughout the world with such internationally acclaimed musicians as Joao Bosco, Ivan Lins, Djavan and Seo Jorge.

His Adventure Music debut, On the Way (2007) was lauded by Jazziz as a ‘striking debut.’ He will rejoin de Holanda on the mandolinist’s upcoming Brasilianos II which will be released later this year on Adventure Music.

..:: Source: Amazon.com ::..

Loide | Live at Bohemian Caverns

Tags

African American, African Jazz, Afropolitian, Female Vocalist, World Music

Loide | Live at Bohemian Caverns – [Loide Rosa Jorge, 2009]

Loide, Live at Bohemian Caverns

With roots in Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau, but raised in Southern California, Loide serves up a mix of contemporary jazz and warm Afro-lusophone rhythms.

“LOIDE, Live at the Bohemian Caverns” is a 12 track LP that takes you on a musical and cultural journey that can be enjoyed by everyone, it’s jazzy, it’s raw, and she reflects this new era of the “Afropolitian” representing for those of us that embrace the complexities of our cultures. Loide finds a way to intertwine the contemporary jazz ranges of Nancy Wilson with the soul of Cesaria Evora, as she eases back and forth from English to her native tongue, Portuguese offering with each track a unique sound and perspective.

..:: Source: CDBaby.com ::..

Soul Cycle | Mosaic

Tags

African American, World Music

Soul Cycle | Mosaic – [Soul Cycle Music, 2009]

Soul Cycle, Mosaic

Soul Cycle brings an infectious blend of jazz, funk, and world music to Mosaic, their eagerly awaited third release. Featuring guest vocals from Rogiérs (Alicia Keys, Platinum Pied Pipers), as well as the core lineup of keyboardist Jesse Fischer (Laura Izibor), saxophonist Brian Hogans (Sean Jones), bassist Josh David (Q-Tip), drummer Corey Rawls (Kenny Garrett), and percussionist Shawn Banks, Mosaic presents seven fresh compositions by bandmembers, as well as captivating renditions of the jazz standard “Blue in Green” and Al Green’s classic “Simply Beautiful.”

Inspired by artists as diverse as Herbie Hancock, Richard Bona, Meshell Ndegeocello, J Dilla, James Brown, Chopin, and Bach, Brooklyn-based Soul Cycle has developed a distinctive brand of world fusion, incorporating sounds from jazz, funk, hip-hop, R&B, gospel, reggae, Latin, Jewish, African, and classical music. DustyGroove.com calls them “one of the hippest contemporary soul combos we’ve ever heard,” and Christopher Whaley of SoulTracks.com described Soul Cycle’s last album as “the year’s first must-have project… highly recommended.”

John Patitucci | Another World

Tags

Bass, Bassist, Funk, John Patitucci, World Music

John Patitucci | Another World – [GRP Records, 1994] – Music Review | Revisited

John Patitucci, Another World

A phenomenal young bassist named John Patitucci recorded and released an exhilarating project titled Another World back in 1993 on GRP Records. Yeah, you probably know him as the bassist for the Chick Corea Electric Band. As usual, John surrounds himself with the cream of the crop talent most notably keyboardist John Beasley, the legendary Michael Brecker, Jeff Beal on trumpet and the comparable Any Narell on the steel drums.

It’s evident, Another World could be considered a more adventurous outing for Patitucci which was a rare recording from GRP. After all, the label concentrated most of their resources on a more palatable listener friendly releases. Perhaps, like me, you’ll discover Another World positioned itself well within range of a world jazz fusion style of music. Either way, this project is more then qualified to take you the listener on a fascinating musical safari that blends odd-metered tempos, funk and other appetizing ingredients that are usually immersed in international recordings which is rare even in today’s terms.

Another World is probably one of the best overall offerings by the supreme acoustic and electric bassist John Patitucci. Unfortunately, this jewel might be a little difficult to find. However, it’s worth the price to discover the intricacies embedded in this diamond in the ruff. ~ The Urban Flux

Massimo Biolcati | Persona

Tags

Bass, European Jazz, Gretchen Parlato, Lizz Wright, Massimo Biolcati, World Music

Massimo Biolcati | Persona – [ObliqSound, 2008]

For several years, bassist Massimo Biolcati has provided strong support for a variety of acclaimed jazz artists, including Terence Blanchard, Lizz Wright, Ravi Coltrane, Paquito D’Rivera, and Lionel Loueke. Fans of these artists know Biolcati’s sound, even though they may be less than familiar with his name. Now, with the release of Persona, Biolcati takes a giant stride into the spotlight as a leader.

Biolcati titled the album in homage to the Ingmar Bergman film “Persona,” and thematically structured the project’s music to reflect the film’s concept of duality. “Bergman’s film features two clearly opposite characters, but at the end, we’re not left with a simple good/bad distinction between them,” Biolcati says. “It’s a more subtle distinction, which actually brings the two opposites closer together. In the same fashion, I chose to musically divide the songs on Persona into two groups of five songs each: “Motion” and “Stillness,” which are obviously opposite, and which convey a clear almost masculine/feminine difference, without any positive or negative connotations.”

Persona’s players include label-mate Lionel Loueke (guitar/vocals), with whom Biolcati has been collaborating since both attended the Berklee School of Music and USC’s Thelonious Monk Institute, and who tapped Biolcati for his own recent Independent Music Award winning ObliqSound recording, Virgin Forest. They’re joined by Peter Rende (Rebecca Martin, Jen Chapin) on piano, accordion and vocals, and Jeff Ballard (Brad Mehldau, Chick Corea) on drums. Singers Lizz Wright (Verve recording artist) and Gretchen Parlato each contribute a vocal track.

..:: Source: ObliqSound.com ::..

Quantic | Tradition In Transition

Tags

African, Latin, World Music

Quantic | Tradition In Transition

Quantic

On the crest of a burgeoning worldwide wave of interest in the lesser-tapped sources of music from the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa, Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro are leading the charge. The stunning album, `Tradition In Transition’, will see this international cast of acclaimed musical creators fusing those rediscovered psychedelic, experimental and rhythmically rich sounds of the past with deep funk and soul elements, giving life to an explosive sonic snapshot of the eclectic and ever-evolving musical landscape of the Americas.

In crafting the sound of Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro, Holland felt it was imperative to have the core stable of musicians in the same room, creating an organic dialogue between them – a simple rule which, in an age of drum machines, samples and voice correction, is all too often overlooked. People will be instinctively drawn time and again to revisit the music made in this traditional, substantial way, undoubtedly because strange, unexpected things take place, musicians improvise and exciting musical statements are made, and this was the environment needed for the recording of `Tradition In Transition’. The result is a multi-cultural patchwork – a record bathed but not exclusively rooted in Colombian musical culture, embracing the musical range of all the American continent – honouring and utilising its contributors’ individual backgrounds while conjuring up a unique brand of contemporary music that is a joy and a celebration to listen to, and a live experience that defies comparison.

Source: Amazon.com