Your Favorite Music Of 2003

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Rudy

¡Que siga la fiesta!
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What good music did you buy or discover this year? Was 2003 a musically good year for you, or did you find it lacking? You can include purchases of used items as well as new.

I'll be back later with a few of my finds. Until then, go at it! :)
 
LACKING!!!

--Mr Bill
who hasn't had a good music purchasing year since the mid-80s...
 
In vinyl, I found quite a few titles that have eluded me for years! So in that case it was an exciting year for me. I found the following:

George McCurn: Country Boy Goes To Town. I can't say it's a musical knockout, but given its relative rarity and the fact that this LP was about as close to mint as I was able to find, I was excited over it. An interesting piece of A&M history!

Moondog: Moondog & His Friends. My mother owned this little Epic 10" from the early 50's for many years, and her copy was quite scratchy. I found one on Ebay this past year that may not be 100% perfect, but is excellent for its age. It has the old yellow Epic label with the stroboscopic band around the perimeter of the label. :wink: Moondog would take another thread to discuss fully, but the odd-metered music is very interesting and hypnotic. This one's about the rarest record I own.

Esquivel: in the past couple of weeks I've located two Mexican RCA LPs that Esquivel recorded before RCA in the U.S. picked him up. One is Actual, and the other is an odd-looking reissue of what was originally Las Tandas de Juan Garcia Esquivel (which my mother owned, but is quite beat up).

Genesis: Trick Of The Tail on Mobile Fidelity. Out of print for years on MoFi...this one sounds fabulous and is arguably one of the best Genesis albums ever recorded.

Later this evening: a few noteworthy CDs and my plunge into high-res digital. :)
 
After listening a lot (at work) to XM Radio, I've concluded that there is still at lot of good music being made today. If you look at the top 40, you would think that everything is R&B and rap. But that's not the case.

Female vocalists in particular, are making some great records today. And there is a lot of good rock'n'roll out there as well....melody is NOT dead, as listening to MTV might make you think!

The only bad thing is, most of the good stuff seems to be "single tracks"...finding a good album is harder to do. You don't hear the consistently good full length album any more. That's bad. I blame the 80 minute length of the CD for some of this. Some of the best albums ever made are only 30 - 40 minutes long, or even less. Can you imagine if Herb Alpert had to do 80 minutes with every TJB album? Sure it would be great to have the extra songs, but how much of it would be substandard filler material?
 
I've seen this discussed elsewhere--some artists can barely sustain 40 minutes of good tunes, let alone filling out an entire CD. I'm afraid with XM Radio I'm going to be stuck in a time warp. :wink: So far, I've listened heavily to the 50's channel, and Chrome, the disco channel (almost 4 hours this evening). XM's put the fun back into listening. They're playing songs I thought were so obscure that nobody had heard of them, or songs I'd totally forgotten about!

There is good music being made today, but increasingly, you have to look beyond the major-label mentality to find it. Some of my newer finds are on smaller labels, in fact.
 
I did buy a lot of CDs myself this year, but a lot of them were reissues. A few standouts:

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Stone Flower. A much more worthy successor to Wave than Tide could ever aspire to be. It's a darker, more melodic song cycle than I'd thought it would be, and it's been a favorite spin of mine this year.

Reverend Horton Heat: Lucky 7. This is the good reverend's latest recording, and it ain't exactly holy! :laugh: Neo-rockabilly, sometimes offbeat, at other times fast and furious. It opened the door for other neo-rockabilly and psychobilly recordings by the Reverend and other groups like the Hillbilly Hellcats and the really hillbilly Legendary Shack Shakers.

Peter Gabriel: Up. 10 years in the making, Up is a dark, brooding work that recalls his earliest solo albums like his third album (called [/i]Melt by his fans, since his first four albums had no title). I have not yet heard the surround mix on the SACD, but it's supposed to be a brilliant work. The concert tour was also amazing--my first PG show, and in the smaller venue, very intimate.

I'll list a few others later on as I remember them.
 
Earlier this year I took the plunge and got a Pioneer DV45A universal player, which will play any type of disc: CD, DVD-Audio, SACD, DVD-Video, MP3, Video CD, etc. etc. With this, I discovered the magic of SACD sound. Not all titles will knock your socks off, but the sound is the most analog-like of any digital technology I've heard. I'm less enthused about DVD-Audio, as you often have to turn on the TV to navigate the menus to make sure you are playing the two-channel stereo tracks. Here are some of my acquisitions this year:

The five original Police studio albums on SACD sound really good. Like I said, they're not going to blow your socks off, but they remind me the most of what my vinyl sounded like, albeit without the inner-groove distortion and vinyl noise. Good transfers, and well worth getting if you're a Police fan as they'll be the definitive versions for quite some time.

I also acquired all of Peter Gabriel's original albums (not the movie soundtrack albums or compilations) on SACD. His brilliant work has been buried for years on mediocre US vinyl pressings and sub-par original CD releases. These SACDs shine, and reveal a lot of the detail in the recordings. His most recent recording, Up, also sounds good, and not as compressed as the standard CD.

Good jazz reissues were discovered in the Getz/Gilberto SACD from Verve, and the direct-from-analog SACDs of Miles Davis' Kind of Blue and Brubeck's Time Out. The closest you'll get to having these master tapes in your home.

Steely Dan's Gaucho reissue sounds nice, but I still haven't figured out if they sourced it from analog, or if they simply used the existing PCM copies they had on hand. The rest of Steely Dan and Donald Fagen in high-res sounds decent, if a bit anti-septic. I must admit, though, that over the months I've grown a lot less enthused about their latest recording, Everything Must Go, and I'm not very fond of the cold, sterile recording process Nichols grew fond of since Gaucho.

If you aren't sick to death of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, the DVD-Audio version has a multichannel mix, a two-track high-res presentation, as well as a "making-of" commentary that features instrumental versions of a few tracks or snippets of early demo versions. An interesting disc!

Finally, I must say that Abkco has done an amazing job on the Rolling Stones remasters. These are "silent hybrid" reissues...nothing on the outer packaging mentions that these reissues are hybrid SACD/CD discs. Reportedly one album doesn't sound so hot (Aftermath, I think), but I own both of the Hot Rocks sets as well as Let It Bleed and Beggar's Banquet. The latter is probably one of the best, sonically--to listen to "Street Fighting Man" at high volume is a real treat. You get all the grit of Richards' electric guitar and amp, and the "whomp!!" of Charlie Watts' drum kit as he comes in on the beat. The whole track just shines! The SACDs reveal that these old Stones recordings sound pretty damned good after all these years, even if there are a few flaws here and there. And since you can get many of the single-disc albums for $11.99 on sale, they're a steal. There is even a vinyl reissue series sourced from the DSD masters. Good stuff!

A&M and Herb Alpert take note: these reissues are the perfect way to get the old Tijuana Brass albums out into the market: they're backward compatible with CD players, and yet you can here the full-resolution version on the SACD layer. :thumbsup:
 
It's been a most interesting year, musically, for me. Having more or less accidentally started an Internet Radio Station (working fulltime for the BBC as a newsreader and Director, writing books, sitting on Scotland's Rail Passengers' Committee, and running a record label not being nearly enough to keep me occupied) the current copyright legislation pretty much forced me down the untrodden path of finding unsigned, unpublished singers, bands and musicians in order to feed the station's 24/7 appetite.

At the start I was less than convinced that the station would thrive - it seemed that most unsigned bands were unsigned for a very good reason. But there was a trickle of almost OK stuff....then a dribble of quite nice recordings...then a steadly flow of acceptable material....and now something of a deluge. Last night alone I listened to 13 albums and that's pretty average now.

Amongst the wannabes, the soundalikes, the flat and sharp singers, and the depressing plethora of synthetsisers, some music has been delightful and outstanding.

Not all of it might appeal to the Folks at A&M Corner, but here are some of the highlights:

BETSY FOSTER (from Richmond, Virginia) (http://www.betsyfoster.com) is outstanding. Her songs have a Carpenters-like quality; her newly released album "A Dream Come True" includes gentle and engaging instrumentals, and I guess her style would go down well with many on this board.

ELLIOT LEVINE (he's in Bowie, MD) (http://www.elliotlevine.com/) plays mean jazz with a great band. He should be out there playing more than just regular gigs at Strawberry's Bistro, swanky though it is.

TERRY MUNDAY lives in London, England.(http://www.terrymunday.demon.co.uk/) His CD "The Liberty Project" dropped into our mailbox in the summer, and I enjoyed it so much that I made a copy for the car. All-instrumental with some bright and happy material of a kind you don't come across very often nowadays. A great talent and a terrific disc.

THE RABBIT'S HAT is a group from Alston in Cumbria in the far north of England. Tim Jones and Terri-B (they're expecting their first baby in the summer) write intricate and interesting music that you most certainly would never hear on Clear Channel stations. (http://www.aural-innovations.com/stonepremonitions/bands/rabbit/) I've lost count of how many albums they've sent me this year, but their latest "Lapsit Exilis" is the best and I love it to bits. Hurrah for indie bands that take infinite care in the studio and produce unpredictable, melodic music.

LUCY WEBSTER makes Grand Rapids, Michigan sound a great place to live. (http://www.lucywebster.com/) She's a singer-songwriter of around my age with great lyrics and a terrific band. Joni Mitchell the second? Why has nobody signed her up? Two albums to her credit, thanks to husband John spending money saved to fix the roof on a CD instead. "Keeping my Fingers Crossed" is album number two and outstanding material. You'll love it.

...and last night I discovered MARTHA LIPTON from New York, (http://www.liptunes.com/) whose pop/jazz/blues/vaudeville/Italian/Portugese/Spanish music reminds me of those real entertainers of the 50s. Her album "Blissville" is bliss indeed.

Of course I still listen to commercial stuff....but with people like these around, who needs to swell the profits of the big boys!!
 
2003 has been an interesting year for me, musically...I rediscovered Johnny Cash, discovered Norah Jones[and had my faith in the ability of the record- buying public to recognize good music restored in the process...], and found a new group by accident over the summer in the waiting room of a hospital, of all places...VH1 was playing in the emergency room lounge...

Robert Randolph and the Family Band has got to be the biggest and nicest musical surprise of the year for me...he plays rock and roll PEDAL STEEL GUITAR, and it sounds good! Check out the latest CD, ENHANCED...if you want something fresh and different.


Dan, who should add Pete Jolly to his list, also...
 
2003 was a pretty terrible year in music, I thought; too much awful "R&B" (I use the word loosely) and hip-hop littering the landscape. (R&B has gone seriously downhill since the '80s, I think ...) Too few genuinely great pop singles.
There were some bright spots for me, though:
- "The Beauty of the Rain" by Dar Williams, who I had never heard before until this year. Great CD; "Closer to Me" is one of the best songs of 2003 that most people haven't heard.
- Duncan Sheik's "Daylight," which actually came out in late 2002, but - because radio wouldn't play it - I didn't discover it until this year. "On a High" (which actually went to #1 on the Dance charts this year, strangely enough) was my favorite single of the year.
- "Heavier Things" by John Mayer, one of a very select few artists on the Top 40 these days worth paying any attention to. Substantially more intelligent pop than most of the stuff on Top 40 radio.
- Any of Lindsey Buckingham's stuff on Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Will." Worth the wait, I thought. Great to have him back in the band.

Aside from those 4 CDs, just about every other CD I've bought this year, though, was an older release.
And the CD I've bought this year that I've played the most has to be "VH1 Presents the Corrs Live in Dublin," quite possibly my favorite live album ever. I can't remember ever playing a live album so much. I never get tired of listening to it. Anxiously awaiting their next album ...
My favorite A&M discovery of the year was Bruce Cockburn's "Stealing Fire" (on the A&M subsidiary Gold Mountain) from '84. I had surprisingly never heard any of his music before, but "Stealing Fire" got me hooked. "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" really should have been a bigger hit; fantastic song.
 
Aaron Neville's NATURE BOY album is stunning in its simplicity and elegance.
"Blame it on My Youth" shines, and for those of us needing some good old-fashioned chills, his duet with Linda Ronstadt on "The Very Thought of You" provides them.

I also found alot to like on Sting's SACRED LOVE album- although I like the techno/dance remix of the title song better than the single version.
("Forget About the Future" is a great jazz-tinted song, and "Stolen Car" entertaining- "Dead Man's Rope" is fascinating to those of us who have followed Sting's ongoing love of spiritually tinged lyrics.)

Mark
 
jfiedler17 said:
And the CD I've bought this year that I've played the most has to be "VH1 Presents the Corrs Live in Dublin," quite possibly my favorite live album ever. I can't remember ever playing a live album so much. I never get tired of listening to it. Anxiously awaiting their next album ...

Another Corrs fan! Hopefully that new album will be out on March 29th. That's the word, and whatever the first single will be should be surfacing early in 2004.

My A&M discoveries and purchases of 2003:

What The World Needs Now: Burt Bacharach Classics - a lovely 22-track collection nicely remastered including two live tracks from the never-on-CD IN CONCERT album.

Carpenters Perform Carpenter - another collection of Carpenters tunes, this time with just Richard Carpenter-composed selections.

Startrax - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - an extended version of the GOLD SERIES discs that was released in 1991 but only in Australasia.

Pleasures Of The Harbour - Phil Ochs - though I overlooked this excellent effort for many years, it's discovery this year has made it a favorite. kudos to Collectors' Choice for getting this one out there.

Child Of Clay/Windmills Of Your Mind - Jimmie Rodgers - two more old classic A&M albums that I've discovered this year and rapidly gaining in stature. Another erxcellent job by Collectors' Choice.

Veronique - though a holdover from last year, it remains one I've gone to quite often ths year. This obscure Richard Carpenter-produced album for A&M Canada is a keeper.

The Poppy Family Greatest Hits - another happy discovery from A&M Canada, released back in 1989. I came to it by way of the more recent and more thorough March Records release of The Poppy Family's A GOOD THING LOST. Susan Jacks is remeniscent of why I like Karen Carpenter.

---------------------

A few non-A&M things that have made me happy in 2003:


Concert For George- Various Artists - both the CD and DVD releases this year emphasize why we'll miss George Harrison so terribly.

Let It Be...Naked - Beatles - an important release in the Beatles' canon, like it or not. I've enjoyed listening to it.

and a few modern music releases that have caught my ear - at least single songs if not the whole album.

"The Game Of Love" - Santana & Michelle Branch - this song really caught my ear this year, and to this day, after repeated listens, it still sounds great.

"Complicated" and "I'm With You" - Avril Lavigne - another angry, young, female singer-songwriter, these two songs have staying power.

"C'mon, C'mon" - Sheryl Crow (w/The Corrs) - though The Corrs performance in this is understated, it still shoots to the top of my list if only because it got The Corrs on A&M!

"White Flag" - Dido - a strong second-album effort from this young Brit. One of those songs that you like almost instantly.

"Time Enough For Tears - Andrea Corr - from the soundtrack of the movie IN AMERICA, the buzz on this one is that it could be Oscar-worthy. We're planning to see the movie real soon.


Harry
...who fears he's forgotten some, online...
 
TonyCurrie said:
It's been a most interesting year, musically, for me. Having more or less accidentally started an Internet Radio Station (working fulltime for the BBC as a newsreader and Director, writing books, sitting on Scotland's Rail Passengers' Committee, and running a record label not being nearly enough to keep me occupied) the current copyright legislation pretty much forced me down the untrodden path of finding unsigned, unpublished singers, bands and musicians in order to feed the station's 24/7 appetite.

What are you broadcasting on? Would it happen to be Shoutcast?
 
jfiedler17 said:
2003 was a pretty terrible year in music, I thought; too much awful "R&B" (I use the word loosely) and hip-hop littering the landscape. (R&B has gone seriously downhill since the '80s, I think ...) Too few genuinely great pop singles.

It's slipping my mind right now, but the current R&B style of singing just grates on my nerves. I'm with you--there's too much of the same type of singing and rhythm out there. Anyone with a synthesizer, drum machine and Pro Tools on a computer can create music. I'm with you, too--I mainly bought older releases, and I've also been expanding into music I haven't fully discovered before. I found a neat station on Shoutcast that plays all newer rock-based blues, so there are some artists I hear that sound promising. I also got more into that neo-rockabilly and psychobilly more this past year. Hasn't been much of an A&M year for me, other than getting McCurn's LP, and a too-beaten copy of Dave Lewis's album (SP105).
 
Some of my favorite music from 2003 has been:

Sarah McLachlan-Her latest hit, Fallen got me the first time I saw the video release on the net. Have only purchased one previous single by her. Liked Fallen so much that I bought the single, includes a radio edit version I really enjoy as well, the single also includes the video. Asked Santa for the full CD of Fallen & got it so I must have been a good boy.

Carpenters Perform Carpenter-Another compilation, but must have for Carpenters fans, tracks not usually found on most C compilations. (Had hoped the bonus track was the original of MCD but no cigar)

Dido-Yet another artist that I never purchased any previous music from but this year bought the single CD of White Flag Again saw the video first (thnks to broadband) it was a natural hook for me to like this, even enjoyed the live version by her on AOL. I'm drawn mostly to her straight forward vocals & natural sound.

Alison Krauss & Union Station Live-2 set cd, also picked up the DVD which includes the music video of "New Favorite" A song Alison says she loved the moment she heard it. Not really into country music, but Alison's vocals are truly amazing, have bought most all of her Cd's I can almost compare her voice to Karen Carpenter, natural, gifted by God & someone that..when she sings, commands attention, soft voice yet leaves a strong impression. So talented she has worked with alot of artists, most recently saw her playing back-up to Shania's live concert on tv.

Jann Arden - A canadian singer who has said her greatest influence growing up was Karen Carpenter. Purchased her recent Cd this year called, Love is the Only Soldier. Don't think she gets enough recognition in the US but hear she is big in canada. She has such great songs & sings from her heart. Also purchased her live CD this year & she's pretty funny too.

Olivia Newton John- released a Cd in late Nov 2002 in Australia called (2) I finally got it as an Import in 2003. It's a nice collection of duets with Aussie artists. A song highlight is called "Tenderfield Saddler" a duet with the late Peter Allen a very touching & goosebump feeling kinda song, touching for them to duet since he wrote her most pop song to date, I honesty love you. Olivia's voice is simply amazing still at her age. Was lucky enough to meet her in person backstage, my pic of her & I is framed in my PC room, a moment in time captured I will never forget.

The Essential Simon & Garfunkel-A compilation of hits which includes some rare live versions I had not heard before. The Cd was released to go with the 2003 Tour "Old Friends" I was fortunate enough to attend their tour this month here in my area & what an incredible experience that was. At one point in the concert, I could close my eyes & the sounds from the arena transported me back in time to the 60's & 70's. A concert this year that I will never forget.

Last but not least

Carpenters-bought 2 LP style Cd's from the box set released years ago. Purchased "Voice of the Heart" and "Lovelines" 2 of the coolest slip case cardboard covers, the Cd's from Japan just sound much better re-mastered, the sound is incredible.

I also want to say what a joy it has been to discover all the Carpenters Mono 45 Singles (thanks to Harry for a cool find) They are a special treat for me.

2003 Has also been the year for me to re-discover the magic of enjoying a Turntable and re-discovering what I had been missing all these years. Thanks to this board, I found a Technics that has given me much pleasure this year. Have been able to find some really great LP's from so many different artists.

....who could never live without music, online...
 
Wow, some really great selections on this topic!
I agree - Santana/Michelle Branch's "The Game of Love" is a phenomenal single, easily my favorite song by either artist. Great melody, great production. I was kinda disappointed that this one couldn't get to #1, whereas "Smooth" was there, what, twelve, thirteen weeks? Very refreshing retro flavor to "Game of Love"; made me think a lot of Carole King's Ode/A&M-era singles.
Avril's "I'm with You" was also one of the better 2003 pop singles, too, I agree!
I'm glad to hear someone else enjoys "Let It Be ... Naked." It's been blasted quite a bit from critics, but I enjoy it a lot more than the original. Aside from the obvious sound and production improvement (and the original sounded pretty dreadful), it's nice to hear the album without the pointless "Maggie Mae" and "Dig It" tacked on and without Lennon's sarcastic quips ('specially the one just before "Let It Be" on the original LP).

And I agree, "Alison Krauss + Union Station - Live" was a pretty great live LP, too. Incredible voice. "Forget About It" and "When You Say Nothing at All" sound fantastic on there.
 
I had an aim in 2003 to pick up a number of smooth jazz CDs I had heard sound clips from, but I just didn't have the money till the tail end of the year. :mad: I also wanted to get THE ESSENTIAL KENNY LOGGINS and THE VERY BEST OF CHRISTOPHER CROSS (because I grew up listening to those guys on the radio).

Nevertheless, I picked up the following CDs at the local Fye, which I'm happy about:

POSITIVE ENERGY-Steve Oliver: I was a little behind the "8" ball with this one, because again, I didn't have the money :oops: I heard "High Noon", the first track, on WQCD-New York, and thought maybe I was hearing Marc Antoine or Peter White (two other smooth jazz guitarists I like), but the DJ said that the song was called, "High Noon from the Positive Energy album by Steve Oliver". The day after Christmas, I bought the CD at Fye, and I absolutely love it!

MEDITERRANEO-Marc Antoine: I've loved his music since I first heard the CLASSICAL SOUL CD and I had to have this one. It's not as good as his previous albums, but it was very well done. The opener, "Cubanova", makes you feel as if you're in the Arabian desert. "Funky Picante" would be a good track to put on a Latin jazz compilation. "Castellana Hood" brings the setting a California barrio or Spanish Harlem neighborhood in New York.

THE ESSENTIAL KENNY LOGGINS- Not crazy about some of the Loggins & Messina cuts, but since I grew with, "This Is It", which is on the first disc (it's a two-CD collection for those who don't know), I was glad the song was there. Very impowering lyrics! Then of course, there's "Heart To Heart", which I've heard on the radio for years, "I'm Alright" from Caddyshack, "Danger Zone" and "Return To Pooh Corner" on disc two.

Music-wise, mostly this year, I was making homemade collections on CDRs of stuff I already had, but I wanted these albums. When I hear about something, I'm sort of a critic. I have to go straight to amazon.com and listen to sound samples before I spend my money. :D
 
alpertfan said:
I also wanted to get THE ESSENTIAL KENNY LOGGINS and THE VERY BEST OF CHRISTOPHER CROSS (because I grew up listening to those guys on the radio).

"The Very Best of Christopher Cross"! Excellent choice! I'm a big Cross fan myself. He's pretty underappreciated, I think. I've probably gone through half a dozen vinyl copies of his debut LP by now! "The Very Best of" is a really excellent compilation. No Top 40 hits missing, which is becoming a pretty common problem on hits packages these days. Great stuff.
 
No kidding about the missing compilation tracks--I think it's a way they keep us buying the compilation AND an album reissue. I've been looking for years to find a Columbia Ramsey Lewis compilation that has both "Sun Goddess" and "Tequila Mockingbird" on it. There was an LP that had both, but it was never issued on CD. Thank goodness for CD recorders. :thumbsup:
 
This year pretty much sucked music-wise. There wasn't much new stuff out there that really gave me a buzz. The only things that come to mind are:

Stan Getz - The Lost Sessions - Bossas and Ballads - A wonderful release, with Getz playing some solid stuff, especially considering how much pain he was in while battling cancer.

Steve Turre - One 4 J - Turre's homage to trombone master JJ Johnson, done with fire and integrity.

The Beatles - Let It Be - Naked - For me, a far better sounding version of this album.

Yellowjackets - Time Squared - A solid contemporary-jazz set that would make even the hard-nosed jazz fan smile.

The biggest disappointment for me was Steely Dan's Everything Must Go, which just didn't do much for me. A big letdown after all the pre-release hype. And I'm a huge Dan fan!

I did manage to bag dozens of titles that I had been looking for the past few years, including Quincy Jones' Gula Matari; Wes Montgomery's Road Song; Shorty Rogers' Afro-Cuban Influence; plus several of Burt Bacharach's A&M CDs. I scored my biggest hit a couple of weeks ago when I got a concert video of Frank Zappa from Halloween 1981 - 2 & 1/2 hours of constant music that simply astounded me.

Here's hoping that 2004 will be a far more productive year, and maybe - just maybe - we'll have something new by that Herb guy... :wink:


Capt. Bacardi
...enjoying a 75 degree day online...
 
Hey Cap'n: what do you think of Afro-Cuban Influence? Did you find the CD or the original RCA LP? A couple others I know who found it commented about the longish percussion break in "Manteca". I happened to like it.

Interesting note: if you like the "Wuayacananga Suite", seek out a copy of Perez Prado's Voodoo Suite. Prado's is like a prototype for it, as Shorty's band plays on that one also...sort of a meeting of the bands. Naturally Prado's features more of a mambo sound to it...and if you listen on some of the sections, you can hear a really young Maynard Ferguson reaching those high notes. There are still some swinging sections to "Voodoo Suite" though. Interesting instrumentation on Rogers' track--listen for the contra-bass sax.
 
Rudy said:
Hey Cap'n: what do you think of Afro-Cuban Influence? Did you find the CD or the original RCA LP? A couple others I know who found it commented about the longish percussion break in "Manteca". I happened to like it.

I liked it, too! I have the CD. The only thing I didn't care for on "Manteca" was that Frank Rosolino's trombone solo was way too short. :wink: Other than that...

BTW, a friend of mine sent me 6 mp3s of bootleg Maynard stuff, mostly concert recordings that someone secretly taped then mixed at home. When I finish listening to it I'll let you know how it is. So far, so good! :D


Capt. Bacardi
 
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