"Have Faith, for Tomorrow a Lovely Day will be Born" It's really hard to have faith that the next sunrise will bring better times. When you're in a slump, it feels like there is no hope at times. Thats the brutal thing about being in a slump, it feeds off itself. It's kinda like digging a hole to get out of a hole. Helplessness begets more helplessness. At some point however you gotta look at the positives and have faith that at some point sunnier days will shine down on you. Unfortunately I don't have the solution for getting out of a slump or depression or whatever one might call it. But for now maybe 3 versions of an amazing Brazilian song can help cure your blues if you got 'em. If not, let these tracks keep your smile wide :) (Note: If you've never seen the sun slowly inch over the horizon in the am, its something you gotta do! It's an amazing experience. The first time i had the opportunity to see it, it slowly began to rain as the sun peaked over the horizon, BEAUTIFUL. May these songs be a great soundtrack to your new day!)
I first came across this track by Originais do Samba back a few years ago on the Gilles Peterson in Brazil compilation. The First of two volumes, these comps are great for anyone wanting to get into classic as well as contemporary Brazilan music.
This version by Celinha Reis is much more poppy. Almost has a show tune vibe to it.
I've known the original version by Originais do Samba for a while, and as soon as I heard this version by Salinas I fell in love. Where Originais have a traditional samba feel, Salinas takes a slightly more jazzy approach. The intro itself is entrancing, almost beckoning you to have faith in what's next ;) -nick
I was going to post about something else but damn, this block party post was awesome. I decided I would post some photos I took (click on each one to see them in full size) with some short snippets too, nice job Nick!
I wasn’t able to get there as early as Nick did but what I did catch was incredible. The creators of this mini-festival have opened a door that leads into an entirely different world. The culture that is available, here in El Paso, is pretty remarkable and as Rafa from A Human Recording once shared, we need to embrace our diversity more often. I only caught the ending two songs of their set but it was probably one of the most intense performances of the day because 1) They were hitting on all cylinders and 2) The heat was fiery scorching. What can I say, the entire mini-festival was an entirely surreal experience. You see so many of the bands you love just walking around supporting each other and even when they play at the same time (couldn’t we have had The Royalty play for a good 45 minutes and then The DA play for a solid 45 after them so we could see both?) it’s an entirely jubilant musical experience. El Paso is slowly growing into a town where differences, diversity and dissention is being welcomed, to challenge the old standbys. It’s beautiful and hopefully, we can sustain it.
After the aforementioned A Human Recording, we gathered back to our tent to set up some comfortable chairs and share watermelon. In the meantime, we got to see many of the locals gathering; they shared food, conversed and laughed and whether it was art, statues, or rugs, people were able to sell their crafts, at honest prices. Ribo’ Flavin is getting more and more attention with their ability at displaying awesome musicality with even better energy. Their saxes are top-notch and the rhythm section truly gels with smooth precision as they pack in even more sounds with two percussionists. But their funk, their soul and taste of R&B is what sets them apart, check them out. After them we quickly made our way to the other stage – which was conveniently on the other side of the street, away from distracting the main stage – and stepped up to see Bullet Proof Tigers. The electronic duo’s performance was one of high anticipation as they hadn’t performed in El Paso in over two months. Nonetheless, their show was electric and it was the perfect mood and style change as the sun nestled behind the mountains and disappeared. Lastly, we stepped out to get front row spots for the amazing show put on by The DA. I know they probably don’t need any more love and attention from me but they are most definitely the best band in El Paso and they are only getting better. The most important facet about their music is that they are continuously getting better; even the music from their first and only EP to date has significantly improved. They put on a stellar show and it was a terrific send off to an extraordinary night of festivities. – Bryan
Every so often Chuco outdoes itself. And for the past 3 years the first weekend of June has been the date for an amazing event that should make any el pasoan proud. The Sunset Heights Block Party has been supplying an amazing venue for Chuco to do exactly that, outdo itself, and make residents smile. And in bigger fashion each year mind you. Basically a mini music festival thrown together by the community, this ain’t your daddy’s block party. With 2 stages highlighting the diverse and in my opinion highly talented local music scene, the block party had no shortage of music. Not to mention djs spinning between sets, local vendors selling everything from jewelry to art as well as exhibitions by local dance troupes ranging from Brazilian Capoera, to modern belly/fire dancing. This year eco minded organizers also planned a group bike ride from different locations to the Sunset Heights neighborhood. The heat this year was almost too unbearable, but with a hearty supply of cold brew and a spontaneous water balloon fights to get ya face wet, it made waiting for the sunset in Sunset Heights slightly more bearable. And with that sunset, came cooler temps and hotter music. The night ended with 2 of Chuco’s best indie acts. The DA on one stage and The Royalty on the other. It’s a shame the crowd, of I’m guessing a few thousand, didn’t get a chance to see both of these great bands. Either way the day gave much opportunity to see and hear some really amazing stuff. What makes this event so great in my eyes is that there is no frill, you can tell this is an even put on by the people for the people. When I mentioned stages earlier, the reality is bands performed on the sidewalks. But that’s the beautiful thing about it, sidewalks for stages or not, these bands performed in front of hundreds of people who braved 100 degree plus heat to party with them! And let me tell you, did they! This isn't the El Paso's version of ACL, actually there are major efforts to put on a large scale music festival here in Chuco, more on that interesting development soon. But the Sunset Heights Block Party is its own amazing thing in its own right. A small community event made for music lovers. What I hope can happen is that this stirs the tide for more people to put on more events like this and more importantly for the willingness of Chuco residents to support events like this. The cool thing is it is already happening. The Root Yoga Studio and its owners put on an amazing event over in Downtown a few weeks ago. It was a multi-level party showcasing another half of El Paso's dope music scene. Over the next few posts I wanna highlight some of the acts who played the Block Party and this other event, aptly entitle Funky See Funky Do. In the meantime, enjoy some of the sites of the party. Sounds coming soon.
On this 6th day in June, which will for sure be a great day, jazz is always a good fallback. I’ve been to San Francisco only once before and though brief, it was more than enough for me to grasp just how breathtaking it is. The city is a huge area that encompasses city life and huge bodies of water. I remember walking out of their Amoeba location and seeing the mist from the ocean come over us as we walked to grab a slice of pizza from a local shop. For this live recording, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley enlisted his quintet to play at San Francisco’s “The Jazz Workshop” to record over two days, to standing room-only crowds, in October of 1959 and everything is spectacular.
The five songs on here are all felt with Adderley’s rhythmic soloing (you could transpose it and notice all of his accents and think it was the drummer’s part) and his brother’s, Nat Adderley, exceptional trumpet playing. Much more subdued than that of his bigger bro’s, it’s still melodic and soothing the way his cornet comes to life. One of the highlights is a Randy Weston tune, “Hi-Fly,” in 4/4 meter; this was a breakthrough since Weston was primarily known for his waltzes: check out the solos by the two brothers on this one.
But this album sparked what was called the movement of “soul jazz” where everything was pouring straight from the heart. Cannonball makes note of it on opening song, “This Here,” (written by his pianist Bobby Timmons) and it’s prefaced with a small insert before the song that reads A Few Words by Cannonball…and “This Here.” Even at just five songs, it was a monumental album in many regards and continues to hold high prestige even 50 years later. Here is that opener in all its wonderment. – Bryan
I’ve gradually come to the full understanding that The Score is among one of the absolute finest hip-hop albums of all time and I’ve also come through with the feeling that The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has to be one of the finest R&B/Hip-Hop albums of the entire 90s. Seminal albums in their own regard, Lauryn Hill was a jack of all trades. She could sing like a modern day Billie Holiday but with the rawness and creativity of Nina Simone behind her, she’s beautiful and sexy and downright stunning and she could also rap with impeccable skill. And so I felt I should share these feelings, and more, on here.
I think what really hit me about an album like The Score, was that after so many listens and so many years in existence, what else can surprise you? We knew the beats and music were so well placed that it made even those silly skits that much better. We knew that as musicians, each member of The Refugee Camp (a strong camp at that) was able to not only hold their own but bring out the very best in the others. Maybe it was a competitive thing or for two of them, a romantic thing, but whatever it was, it was Lauryn Hill’s voice that shone all over that album. And lately, I’ve been playing it and just waiting in excitement for whenever it is that her voice will appear: in singing or MCing. And man, could she rap; she would string such words along and then rhyme them in such a fashion that it made a lot of the rappers (male or not) seem so much more inferior. On “Ready or Not” you really get a sense of what’s going on: her layered voice on top of each other (“no, instead of hiring background singers, let’s just play with her gorgeous voice”), then when the beat kicks in, allow her to roam in the back joining in every now and then, and lastly, let her rip off her own rapping and hear a line like “So while you imitating Al Capone, I’ll be Nina Simone and defecating on your microphone,” and let it shock and awe you.
And I especially love her ability at positioning those most tender, most brutal and also, most difficult moments in love where everything just hurts. Her debut and masterpiece, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was all bout the teaching of love and the genuine feeling behind it. And speaking of skits, this album features some of the best way to use them: Hill had children sit in her living room and recorded Ras Baraka speak to them as a teacher would, except only about LOVE. On “When It Hurts So Bad,” she goes from a smooth Jamaican vibe, to a sweet Brazilian jazz samba, back to a rock-steady song that is front-paced with harp and guitar before going back to her laid-back groove. And her words, she sings, “But how could this be love, that made me feel so bad. Gave her my power, 'I existed for you,' but whoever knew the voodoo you do.” Ouch, that hurts and yet, for some us, we know exactly what she is talking about. Still though, I’d be lamented if I didn’t bring up her preaching on “Doo Wop (That Thing)”. She’s not just advising the females but in equal fashion, advising the males on what they should be doing too. Because of course, in this tango that requires so many twists, turns and bends, it’s nice to get any kind of guidance.
And this song, that I’m currently in love with, is listed as “Sweetest Thing [Mahogany Mix][*]” on the actual CD but is famously known as “Tell Him” everywhere else, is such a hard hitter. It’s about being at that moment in your life where you’re ready to just give your entire heart, along with everything else, to that one person and admitting that “I love him [her], that everything’s gonna be all right.” As if all that could and ever matter in life would be someone else’s love; that kind of true love where it hurts when you’re not around that person. And it’s such a compelling song because that feeling has to be one of the utmost best feelings any one person can ever experience and it’s just pretty awesome, when you can say, “I know I’m imperfect and not without sin but now that I’m older, all childish things end.” Such an amazing voice and an amazing musician, whatever happened? – Bryan
“They wanted to know why I did what I did. Well sir, I guess there’s just a meanness in this world.”
Now, I know I haven’t posted about him (heck, they’re a lot of people I haven’t posted about) but I love Bruce Springsteen’s music. Yes, I even like his newer stuff because quite frankly, there is no denying that he is one of the best songwriters of all time. And I still remember seeing him perform the half time show at the Super Bowl and being blown away; if I ever get to see him live, believe me that I will jump at that opportunity.
The thing about Springsteen’s music is that his stories are filled with great images of what America is all about. Sure, his other albums like Born to Run and especially, Born in the U.S.A., carry that certain weight of significance but Nebraska is unlike his other stuff for many reasons. The obvious aspect being that it’s mostly an acoustic folk album that chronicles various stories dealing with life’s struggles and how each story is filled with nuances, subtleties and personal feelings. He details troubled souls, whether it be a poor family buying a used car, getting dressed up and ready for at least one good night out, looking back at our childhood and so much more. Here is one titled “Johnny 99” that is about a young man who takes the life of a store clerk and is sentenced to 99 years in jail. Everyone shouts in uproar and he’s certainly down but defiantly proud, when the judge asks him what he has to say, Johnny responds with, “Well your honor, I do believe I’d be better off dead.”
His imagery, his metaphors, his foreshadowing, his style and flow, it’s as if you are reading a book before you. And that’s what his albums all had – every single one from 73’s Greetings from Ashbury Park, N.J. to 87’s Tunnel of Love are essential – a true magic that prevailed through his characters. Not to mention that these were stone-cold classics being released every three, most of the time two, years. Even the one where he is begging the state troopers that are roaming the streets to “please don’t stop me” because of all the crazy things he did that night and how, even though he doesn’t have much to go home to, he just wants to get home. Here is a great, newer version of “Open All Night,” where everything is about working the hard schedule to get your car fixed up, to get your woman and to get your money; you can’t get more American-bred than that. – Bryan
