Bebe & Cece Winans – Close To You – Live On Sundays Best
Summer 2009 R&B Festivals & Tours
There’s all kinds of rock and hip-hop tours and festivals that get vast attention from the music media – Lollapalooza, Coachella and South By Southwest to name a few. But…
Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack – 10 May 09
Crew…
Thanks for stopping in again for this week’s Sunday Soundtrack. As usual. always a complete pleasure in sharing this musical pallette every week that I can.
This week’s playlist includes a continuation of tracks from the Obsession Lounge compilation, first featured last week. The OL collection collection has a well rounded representation of tracks in the chillout genre, so I hope you enjoy another taste of such.
About half way through the week, I was auditioning tracks to feature this week, and stumbled into my Incognito playlist. While ‘Cog is not classified as downtempo, chillout, or the like, I think their vibe is right inline with the concept of the Sunday Soundtrack That being said I bring you a triple play of Incognito, as well. There is something about their music (to me) that lifts spirits each and every time. I’ve lost track of how many times, over the years, listening to their tracks has transformed my not so good mood into a much better one. I had to include them this week.
With that being said…here’s this week’s playlist:
1. Wonders & Signs – Buckshot LeFonque/Buckshot LeFonque
2. One Step Beyond – Fogger/Obsession Lounge
3. All That – Atjazz/LabFunk
4. A Past Life – Adam Singer/Gradient Sound
5. I Can See The Future – Incognito/No Time Like The Future [Bonus Track]
6. She Wears Black – Incognito/Beneath The Surface
7. Fountain Of Life – Incognito/Beneath The Surface
8. Moon B252 – Nor Elle/Mole Listening Pearls
9. Une Table B Trois – ZEN-MEN feat. Caroline/Obsession Lounge
10. Conmigo – Fous De La Mer/Obsession Lounge
All the tracks featured can found or identified at Amazon.com, iTunes, or discogs.com
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For those interested, I’d like to get you on my mailing list. Rest assured the list is Sunday Soundtrack specific – podcasts, contests, new artists, etc. If you’d like to be on it, please email me your address….
MORNING CUP OF INSPIRATION – 21:03 – YOU
TAKA BOOM – Middle Of The Night
R&B News N Rumors: 05/09/09 Edition
Some of the more interesting news and rumors from the past week:
Urban Mystic’s new album is being pulled from stores due to an unauthorized remake of Sam Cooke’s “A Change…
MORNING CUP OF SOUL – Bobbby Womack – Harry Hippie [LIVE] featuring Altrinna Grayson
One Day in Your Life: May 8, 1984
May 8, 1984, is a Tuesday. The Soviet Union announces that it will boycott the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Gary Hart wins Democratic presidential primaries in Ohio and Indiana; Walter Mondale wins Maryland and North Carolina. An American clergyman, Benjamin Weir, is kidnapped in Beirut; he will be …
MOS DEF x Axelrod + Coltrane: LIVE at Cape Town Jazz Fest
Filed under: Hip-Hop, Music News, Podcasts, SoulSites, SoulTrackin'
Frolab presents:
MOS DEF’s Encore performance at Cape Town Jazz Fest
Mos intros with Coltrane’s “Love Supreme” into an unreleased song “M.D. (Doctor)” featuring David Axelrod’s “Holy Thursday” played live by The RCDC Experiment (Robert Glasper, Chris Dave, Derrick Hodge, Casey Benjamin)
Keeping in line with the effects on Coodie & Chike’s “Flowers” promo, we created a ‘visualizer’ for this unreleased song… for the fans!
Captured by Cognito for Frolab
ExperimEdit by Jelizen for Frolab
another moment brought to you by the Culture Capture Champs™ – http://Frolab.com
The Ecstatic
coming 06/09/09
(Downtown Records)
New Music: J Melody – “Midnight Luv”
I don’t know what it is with the letter J, but over the past few years, three different R&B crooners have decided to use it as their first initial. We’ve…
PAULA ABDUL – Here For The Music [American Idol Performance]
Spotlight: Día Real, Tanaóra
The Spotlight Series highlights upcoming Latin Jazz musicians that have yet to reach national recognition. Many of these musicians thrive in local scenes and some tour in support of releases. All these musicians contribute greatly to the overall Latin Jazz scene, and they deserve our “spotlighted” attention.
Tanaóra
Moondo Records
Listeners often criticize the difference between commercial appeal and artistic integrity, yet they often overlook the fact that these two different aesthetics can live side by side in the same recording. Widely accessible elements can be found throughout the jazz world, from one-chord funk grooves to sequenced synthesizers and distorted guitar solos. Purists frown upon these elements, claiming that they “water down” the rich nature of jazz harmony and improvisation. In many cases, these musical pieces do dilute jazz, but they can also enrich it, challenge listeners, and force musicians to explore new territories. When musicians integrate commercial elements into music with a desire to sell CDs, they overlook the artistry needed to authentically blend two traditions. If an artist defers to accessible elements due to a lack of knowledge, they lack the resources to pull two different worlds together. The musician that deeply understands jazz, Latin music, funk, and more can honestly cross between genres, maintaining a genuine respect for the roots and lineage of each style. Artists that include electronic sounds and rock elements into their overall musical vision take the time to integrate these elements with sufficient depth, taste, and style. The difference between these approaches lies in intention, background, knowledge, and artistic vision – when all these factors are in place, musicians create outstanding statements that reach a wide audience. The San Francisco Bay Area group Tanaóra brings together all of these pieces on Día Real
Original Compositions With Brazilian Rhythms
The group finds it strength in several original compositions that emphasize Brazilian rhythms while keeping the music accessible with a funky undertone. Pianist Bob Karty introduces “Día Real” with a short and thoughtful improvisation before vocalist Cecilia Engelhart leaps into a Portuguese lyric over a lush sea of strings. Saxophonist Melecio Magdaluyo starts his solo with memorable phrases that he skillfully develops into longer strings of rhythmically interesting ideas and running notes. The band quiets behind bassist David Belove, who weaves through the synthesized texture with bluesy lines, leading the group back to Engelhart’s soulful vocal. A unison run guides the band into an addictively funky groove behind Engelhart’s English lyric on “Love Understands,” balancing the song’s form with a more traditional samba section. Guitarist Jeff Buenz attacks his improvisation with an aggressive attitude, perfectly complimenting the song’s funky nature. Karty turns up the heat on his solo with driving syncopated rhythms and a strong melodic development. The rhythm section builds a funky foundation beneath Engelhart’s scatted vocal on “”Rollón,” quickly pushing the momentum forward with a change into samba. Karty subtly builds upon the rhythm section’s groove with strongly developed catchy lines until saxophonist Ron Stallings dives into his improvisation with an assertive rhythmic drive. Engelhart returns with an enthusiastic restatement of the melody, leading the band into an explosive batucada style samba section that closes the track with a bang. Brazilian rhythms arise as a strength for the group, and these performances showcase their authentic connection to the music along with their funky edge.
Demonstrating Diversity With Different Influences
Many songs bring together different influences with a healthy dose of Afro-Cuban rhythms, displaying an inherent diversity to their music and a creative blending of stylistic boundaries. Karty and Belove soften a driving Afro-Cuban 6/8 rhythm with a Yellowjackets-esqe chordal vamp on “El Pez,” creating a smooth foundation for Engelhart’s sultry Spanish vocal. Stallings cuts through the band with a biting soprano sax tone, tearing through the changes with a melodicism reminiscent of Wayne Shorter. There’s a sudden texture change behind Karty’s solo, who inventively creates harmonic variations and utilizes tension to build an exciting statement. Engelhart and trombonist Jeff Cressman push a melody over an energetic son montuno rhythm on “The Katanga Patrol,” taking brief dips into a bubbling bomba rhythm. Stallings captures the rhythm section’s unstoppable momentum with an engaging soprano sax solo, handing the spotlight off to Karty, who takes his time building his ideas into an intricate statement. After a return to the main melody, Cressman grabs the band with assertive rhythmic ideas and builds into a powerful climax. The band cuts loose and has some fun with a funky groove on “Jam #1.” Stallings riffs around the groove with bluesy soprano sax ideas while Engelhart mixes scat and Portuguese lyrics. The track serves as a short but fun outtake, showing another side to the group. These songs step outside the Brazilian realm and demonstrate the band’s diversity across several genres.
Reinventing Classic Standards
The group reinvents some classic standards with inventive arrangements that bring together all their interests and influences. Karty delivers a tender unaccompanied solo and then sensitive accompaniment behind Engelhart’s captivating vocal on Tadd Dameron’s “If You Could See Me Now.” The rhythm section builds into an interesting variation on a bossa nova that mixes Brazilian percussion and an Udu drum, giving Engelhart ample inspiration to twist the melody into an expressive statement. Karty thoughtfully winds melodies through the changes, expanding upon the track’s contemplative nature. Magdaluyo slices through an addictive cha cha cha groove with rhythmic lines on Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Bonita” before the band segues into bossa nova behind Engelhart’s English vocal. Engelhart caresses the melody through the soft Brazilian setting until the band explodes back into a cha cha cha for a driving tenor sax solo from Stallings. The band breaks away from the changes for a standard descarga montuno as a catchy coro and Magdaluyo’s memorable flute work rides over a cha cha cha. A bebop charged unison line drops into Engelhart’s voice, accompanied only by son montuno percussion on the Burke and Vanheusen classic “Polkadots and Moonbeams,” until the band pushes Engelhart into a album highlight performance with a strong samba rhythm. Karty follows Engelhart’s lead with an inspired and melodically captivating solo, until Stallings aggressively winds tenor sax lines around the son montuno. After an enthusiastic return to the melody, Karty and Belove fall into a timba breakdown and a driving montuno while percussionist Michael Spiro breaks into a strong conga solo. The group displays a creative spirit as well as a broad knowledge of jazz and Latin styles on these arrangements that deliver some of the album’s best tracks.
Reaching A Wide Audience And Maintaining Artistic Integrity
Tanaóra shows the potential to reach a wide audience with an abundance of accessible tracks on Día Real
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Check Out These Related Posts:
5 Albums That Remember Bay Area Latin Jazz Saxophonist Ron Stallings (1947 – 2009)
Spotlight: Sonando Vuelos, Anna Estrada
Album of the Week: Infinity, Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet
Spotlight: Viajando: Choro e Jazz, Grupo Falso Baiano
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MORNING CUP OF SOUL – SAM COOKE – YOU SEND ME [VIDEO]
3 in the Morning and Michael Franks
Taste of Chicago – Music Schedule
If you live in Chicago or will be visiting Chicago between June 26 – July 5, 2009 you must attend The Taste of Chicago. The food will cost you but the music is always FREE. Looking at the beautiful women also free. Damn, I love free stuff especially free live music! Here is the schedule…
NEW FEATURE ON THE FRESH MUSIC PAGE
MORNING CUP OF SOUL – THE EMOTIONS – ME FOR YOU
The Big Fish
(Edited to add the following wee disclaimer: I work for a competitor of Clear Channel’s in Madison, Wisconsin. Please be clear that the following lame-ass opinion is mine alone, and it shouldn’t be taken as the opinion of anybody I work for or work with, or of anyone other than …
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Cupid’s Hunt: 2009
Translator
By N2H