The Now Spinning/Recent Purchases Thread

[Rudy]

Another rabbit hole? I've poked around the Moacir Santos catalog a few times, but decided to explore his three Blue Note albums. So far, and thanks to Qobuz, I'm part of the way through:



Saudade is really good so far, reminding me of a cross between mid 70s jazz fusion and Brazilian music from around that time. Like Sergio Mendes in the mid 70s but without the silliness of some of his albums from that era.

For Blue Note, this is very much on the pop side of things. The vocals are in English, and there are five tracks per side on the LP. The track that drew me to this album was "Kathy," which is track #2 on side one of Horace Silver's In Pursuit of the 27th Man, a playful melody Silver's hands (and features Silver in a rare quartet line up with vibraphone replacing the sax/trumpet lead he was known for), and not all that much altered on Santos' version on this album three years later (same tempo and key, but more fleshed out with a horn section and more percussion). Santos would later cover this song again on Ouro Negro.

He has two other Blue Note albums: Maestro (also available on streaming), and Carnival Of The Spirits (not on streaming). Maestro was recorded in 1972 at A&M Studios, L.A., then mixed at A&R Studios in NYC. (And there's a very slim chance that is how Herb Alpert was inspired to cover Santos' "Coisa No. 1" on Coney Island.)
I've earmarked all three for a future record crawl...

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Another rabbit hole? I've poked around the Moacir Santos catalog a few times, but decided to explore his three Blue Note albums. So far, and thanks to Qobuz, I'm part of the way through:



Saudade is really good so far, reminding me of a cross between mid 70s jazz fusion and Brazilian music from around that time. Like Sergio Mendes in the mid 70s but without the silliness of some of his albums from that era.

For Blue Note, this is very much on the pop side of things. The vocals are in English, and there are five tracks per side on the LP. The track that drew me to this album was "Kathy," which is track #2 on side one of Horace Silver's In Pursuit of the 27th Man, a playful melody Silver's hands (and features Silver in a rare quartet line up with vibraphone replacing the sax/trumpet lead he was known for), and not all that much altered on Santos' version on this album three years later (same tempo and key, but more fleshed out with a horn section and more percussion). Santos would later cover this song again on Ouro Negro.

He has two other Blue Note albums: Maestro (also available on streaming), and Carnival Of The Spirits (not on streaming). Maestro was recorded in 1972 at A&M Studios, L.A., then mixed at A&R Studios in NYC. (And there's a very slim chance that is how Herb Alpert was inspired to cover Santos' "Coisa No. 1" on Coney Island.)
I've earmarked all three for a future record crawl...

Moacir Santos' catalog now added to my Apple Music album library.

So, after Ry Cooder, I landed on Brian Blade, Danilo Perez and John Patitucci's Children of the Light (2015). My only previous exposure to Perez was his 2008 collaboration with Claus Ogerman, Across the Crystal Sea, which I mentioned here a few weeks ago, and which I love.

Unfortunately (and again, I do like solos, experimentation and stretching out, I swear) this just sounds like three jazz guys free-associating. Nope.

...and that brings me to more Chick Corea--but in this case it's Chinese Butterfly, his 2017 collaboration with drummer Steve Gadd---so I'm expecting this to be tasty and, at the very least, structured. We'll see.

 

[Rudy]

I'm doing a Mizell Bros. theme this afternoon.

Donald Byrd: Places and Spaces
Bobbi Humphrey: Fancy Dancer
Johnny Hammond: Gears
Donald Byrd: Street Lady
Bobbi Humphrey: Blacks and Blues
Johnny Hammond: Gambler's Life

...then will give another spin to Mama Wailer. Can't recall if I posted the jacket of the LP I found. It took three cleanings of the record to get rid of the shmutz in the grooves (still a few cracklies) but it's much better. The jacket didn't age very well though...



Makes me wish Discogs had a section to sell orphaned album jackets.

 

[Harry]

Makes me wish Discogs had a section to sell orphaned album jackets.

Me too. I've owned a mono Tamba 4 SAMBA BLIM for years that has only a plain white jacket. I've had that album on a Discogs watch list, but every time it pops up, it's the album PLUS the jacket and always way more costly than I'd like, just for a cover.

 

[Rudy]

I keep hoping for listings with a trashed record but halfway decent jacket. But I never see that.

There are also a handful of records here that have some water/mildew damage and while the vinyl cleans up fine, the jackets need replacing.

 

[Rudy]

I spent a few hours trying to remember the name...and finally had to look through all the artist listings in Roon Player to try to find this.



That was on the Concord Crossover label. It's kind of a lighter version of Latin pop music. It almost could have fit among the better GRP recordings back in the day.

 

[Rudy]

I was listening to Salsa Warriors at dinner again, and they had one of their guest DJs on. Heard a couple of Cal Tjader tunes (!)--"Aleluia" (from La Onda va Bien--the song is the same one composed by Edu Lobo), and "Insight," the side one closer to the Soña Libré album.

What also caught my ear was an excellent Latino version of the Nat Adderly classic "The Work Song." Ray Barretto & New World Spirit. The song was originally on the 1994 Taboo album on Concord Picante, but is currently part of a two-fer with the 1993 album Ancestral Messages, in a 2-CD set called Hot Hands. This outfit of Barretto's is a culmination of his percussion and salsa styles combined with jazz.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

My morning listening has had a detour from the alphabet---sorta. When I add a new artist, I go back and do their stuff alphabetically until I catch back up to where I was (about to go to Choros & Allegria by Moacir Santos).

Somehow, I had to be reminded (via AllMusic's Friday new releases e-mail) of Bela Fleck, who I loved in the 90s. So in goes Bela's repertoire and this morning I'm listening to and enjoying Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio's Across The Imaginary Divide. Very tasty stuff from 2012. I'm eight cuts in (of 13).

After that, an artist new to me---Aki Takase, who had a trio release mentioned in yesterday's AllMusic e-mail. This one is Aki Takase Carmen Rhapsody from last year.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

....and Carmen Rhapsody is a hard no. Dissonant chords mixed with opera.

So, on to a brand-new (this week) release from Sheila E. titled Bailar.

 

[Rudy]

....and Carmen Rhapsody is a hard no. Dissonant chords mixed with opera.

Ouch. Yeah, I'll pass.

I was thumbing through new releases and went back to the end of February, coming across this one:



...which I found quite good. Piano-led acoustic jazz trios are a favorite and this is a good one. Sort of reminds me of the Metheny/Mehldau Quartet album, but without the guitar. Billy Hart is a familiar name (and I hate to say it, but seeing a familiar name will get me to try an unknown artist).

Chasing down the rabbit hole, I wasn't familiar with her bassist Santi Debriano, and found he has this release from 2022, which is also a good listen. It's a little difficult to categorize as it touches on acoustic jazz, big band, touches of African rhythms...my kind of thing.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Ouch. Yeah, I'll pass.

I was thumbing through new releases and went back to the end of February, coming across this one:



...which I found quite good. Piano-led acoustic jazz trios are a favorite and this is a good one. Sort of reminds me of the Metheny/Mehldau Quartet album, but without the guitar. Billy Hart is a familiar name (and I hate to say it, but seeing a familiar name will get me to try an unknown artist).

Chasing down the rabbit hole, I wasn't familiar with her bassist Santi Debriano, and found he has this release from 2022, which is also a good listen. It's a little difficult to categorize as it touches on acoustic jazz, big band, touches of African rhythms...my kind of thing.

Both added to my library as well! We have similar tastes, especially when it comes to piano trios and touches of African rhythms.

 

[jfiedler17]

Some of my latest pickups (and a super-eclectic mix of things as usual):
- Vampire Weekend's Only God Was Above Us (was literally released just yesterday, so I'm still taking this one in but am liking what I hear thus far)
- Louise Goffin's This Is the Place (worth the price of admission just for "Bridge of Sighs" alone; that song sounds like it could nearly pass for a lost song from one of my all-time favorite albums, Rickie Lee Jones' Flying Cowboys)
- Cat Stevens' Back to Earth (the only one of his albums for A&M I was still without)
- Don Cherry's Art Deco
- Billy Cobham's Spectrum
- Dave Edmunds' Twangin'
- A Todd Rundgren white-label promo with a banded version of highlights from Utopia's "The Ikon" on one side and a full-length interview with Todd on the other
- Roberta Flack's I'm the One (the only one of her releases for Atlantic I was still without)
- Basia's Time and Tide (technically, I already had this on CD, but I came across a near-mint copy on vinyl in the bargain bins and was curious to hear what her music would sound like on vinyl; beats those original '80s CD pressings, that's for sure!)
- Alison Moyet's Alf (already owned a copy of "Invisible" on 45 but had never heard its parent album before; her voice never ceases to amaze me)

Not new pickups, but a conversation with a friend about Supertramp led me to unearth and re-explore my copies of Roger's solo albums for A&M. I forgot just how much I loved those. It's kind of a mystery to me how Supertramp did manage to reach the Top 40 once more - if just barely - after Roger's departure with "Cannonball," which is perfectly pleasant listening but has never struck me as being especially hooky, while Roger somehow never managed to score a Top 40 hit on his own, in spite of churning out so many catchy songs (i.e. "In Jeopardy," "Had a Dream," "You Make Me Love You," etc.) - the Hai Hai album may lack the lyrical depth of some of his more reflective material for Supertramp, but it's certainly not lacking for melodic hooks in the slightest!

 

[Rudy]

Both added to my library as well! We have similar tastes, especially when it comes to piano trios and touches of African rhythms.

We'll have to compare notes once I get more of a chance to listen to both of these.

 

[AM Matt]

Got Alison Moyet "Singles" on CD (greatest hits).

 

[Rudy]

- Basia's Time and Tide (technically, I already had this on CD, but I came across a near-mint copy on vinyl in the bargain bins and was curious to hear what her music would sound like on vinyl; beats those original '80s CD pressings, that's for sure!)

I grabbed that on vinyl a year (or two?) ago and yes, it was decidedly more "normal" sounding than the CD, which leaned toward the harsh side of things. I don't listen to it often but it was a great record, especially given the side musicians (Ronnie Ross I believe was on bari sax, Danny White on keys, his brother Peter White on guitar here and there).

And speaking of Peter White, I may have to play Time Passages or Last Days of the Century tonight (Al Stewart, of course).

I got a couple of eBay scores in the mail today, so those will get a spin first.

 

[Rudy]

Today's two arrivals. Both were in at least VG+ condition. The Jody Grind was a little more than I wanted to spend but on the bright side, other copies in this condition are $80+. And as much as it surprises me, I've had pretty good luck on eBay lately.

 

[Bobberman]

I grabbed that on vinyl a year (or two?) ago and yes, it was decidedly more "normal" sounding than the CD, which leaned toward the harsh side of things. I don't listen to it often but it was a great record, especially given the side musicians (Ronnie Ross I believe was on bari sax, Danny White on keys, his brother Peter White on guitar here and there).

And speaking of Peter White, I may have to play Time Passages or Last Days of the Century tonight (Al Stewart, of course).

I got a couple of eBay scores in the mail today, so those will get a spin first.

I have Peter White's first 5 CDs plus a later album full of covers called " Playing Favorites" they are Great acoustic guitar albums he also appears on Sax man Bryan Savage's 1996 CD Cat Food on my favorite track "Enchantment" where Peter white is a guest on guitar that song is one of many memorable instrumentals that make me Homesick the area where I was raised oh such a long time ago where instrumental music was much more plentiful and played often on the radio

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Santi Debriano's Artistic License got a little too literal for me, so that one's out. We'll see about the rest of the catalog.

jfiedler's mention of Alison Moyet woke up the brain cells where she, Lisa Stansfield and Jane Child live (thanks also for the reminder about Louise Goffin) so all those have been added to the library, and I'm three-quarters of the way through Lisa's Affection and loving it.

 

[Nemily]

Yesterday, while browsing through a local record shop, I found a long sought after LP (for me), CTI Summer Jazz at the Hollywood Bowl Live Three (CTI 7078) recorded on 7/30/72. I cleaned it up and voila, a perfect spin.

This summer series, which began in 1971, IMO, is like the Super Bowl of all jazz funk. This LP has just about the same players as the 7/18/71 California Concert at the Hollywood Palladium (Benson, Hubbard, Laws, Turrentine, Crawford, Hammond, Carter, Cobham, Airto).

The artisits’ listed above, are on also on the 72’ performance sans Billy Cobham. Also along for the tour on this concert was Eumir Deodato, Bob James, Jack DeJohnette, Grover Washington, Jr, Joe Farrell and Milt Jackson an even two vocals from Esther Phillips.

This LP was such a good listen I ordered Live 1 and Live 2 from ebay (thanks to a very nice price). I figured it would be quite a while before I happened upon 1 and 2 browsing in a brick-and-mortar shop. I am really excited to add these to my collection and will they will get a lot of play as the vibe is just amazing.

An extra bonus of having this physical format is the Gatefold of the Hollywood Bowl, capturing the view from the stage, behind the performers, looking out to the audience at the Hollywood Bowl, gave me a goosebump or two.

 

[jfiedler17]

jfiedler's mention of Alison Moyet woke up the brain cells where she, Lisa Stansfield and Jane Child live (thanks also for the reminder about Louise Goffin) so all those have been added to the library, and I'm three-quarters of the way through Lisa's Affection and loving it.

Ooh, good suggestion! I've not listened to Affection in a while, but that's a wonderful album I don't hear nearly enough of and would fit nicely into much of my listening as of late.

 

[Rudy]

This LP was such a good listen I ordered Live 1 and Live 2 from ebay (thanks to a very nice price).

I seem to have this same set but via a set of high-res files--it's been so long since I got them that I forgot which service I picked them up from. 13 tracks, about an hour and 45 minutes...I'm guessing it's probably all three volumes in one package? (I'm not at my computer to check.)

 

[Rudy]

On another forum, the topic of bachelor pad/lounge music, I had brought up Nicola Conte's Jet Sounds album (called Bossa Per Due in the US).

So many parts of that album sound familiar. Some are easily identifiable, and others are like right on the tip of your brain where you think you know it, but can't quite remember exactly where.

One post came up today that identified either the sampled material, or the inspiration, for "Bossa Per Due." (That was the track Acura used to advertise the two-door CL model.) Compare these two:




...then note the following, especially the last half of the song:




Definitely an influence, especially the key changes...if not somehow sampled and reused by Conte.

That is what's so cool about Jet Sounds--it sounds like someone raided your dad's record collection.

 

[Rudy]

Santi Debriano's Artistic License got a little too literal for me, so that one's out. We'll see about the rest of the catalog.

I only listened to part of his album Ashanti.

 

[Nemily]

I seem to have this same set but via a set of high-res files--it's been so long since I got them that I forgot which service I picked them up from. 13 tracks, about an hour and 45 minutes...I'm guessing it's probably all three volumes in one package? (I'm not at my computer to check.)

You have it! They were originally on three separate vinyls, looks to be a total of 1 hr 47 minutes, same as you have:

Live one: CTI 7076
Grits Bowl 8:09
Inner City Blues/What’s going on 8:46
California Dreaming 8.36
First Light 8:27

Live Two: CTI 7077
Blues Force 7:01
Rock Steady 10:30
Theme from Love Story/Pavane/Fire and Rain 14:01
People Make the World Go Around 5:05

Live Three: CTI 7078
Funkfathers 7:46
Cherry 8:00
Bowl Full O’Blues 7:46
Cherry Red 4:39
God Bless The Child 7:02

 

[Nemily]

Here is the Gatefold, well as best as I can show you. I wasn’t able to take a photo of it and send it over from my phone because of the size so I copied it from the ebay pic