ukvibe

London-based band Earth Dub are not strictly speaking an all-out reggae outfit, but rather prefer to fuse sounds such as Afrobeat, funk, jazz and reggae into a far bigger mix. They surfaced a few years back with 45s that featured top reggae vocalists of the calibre of Johnny Clarke and Michael Prophet. One of the instrumentals pays homage to the former and his classic ‘Peace in the ghetto’ song. Here it is taken at a more sedate tempo with subtle electric piano from jazzista Zoe Rahman and saxophone and trumpet solos. Bass heavy is one way to describe the echo-laden ‘Bad boys dub’ with a guitar riff that owes an undouted indebtedness to ‘Concrete jungle’. By far the most conventional 70s style dub is that found on ‘Hard time dub’ which is a take on the anthemic UK reggae hit from 1980. However, Afro flavours predominate on ‘Beinin city dub’ in the use of horns and drum beats while ‘We better dub’ emphasizes the jazzy side to the group with US hip hop influences thrown in for good measure. While this is not a hardcore dub release, it is an album that will appeal to the broader music fan who is looking for new grooves to get into and as such will prove to be a very enjoyable listen. Tim Stenhouse

For non-football fans Garrincha was to Brazilian football the David Beckham of his era with glamorous samba singer wife Elza Soares and genereally regarded as more gifted than even Pele, though his ultimate fate was closer to that of Paul Gascoigne. As part of a film to celebrate the trials and tribulations of Garrincha’s action packed life comes the movie soundtrack and Brazilian arranger and musician Leo Gandelman is to be congratulated on coming up with such a cornucopia of authentic Brazilian music that immediately transports one back to the late 1950s and early 1960s when Garrincha reigned supreme on the football pitch. Old school samba fans will be in their element on numbers such as the jazzy ‘Samba fantastica’ and ‘Apito no samba’ with big band arrangements that first graced the early recordings of Brazil’s greatest singer, Elis Regina. However, Gandelman displays great subtlety in his selection of music and this is illustrated on ‘Futebol na areina’ with Toots Thielmans style harmonica adding a decidely rootsy flavour to proceedings while delicious bossa hues are apparent on the flute and piano driven ‘Iraci’. More exotic grooves are on offer in the tantalising Brazilian take on the Cuban cha cha on ‘Chile’, presumably a reference to the 1962 World Cup in that country when Garrincha shined throughout, much to England’s chagrin.
It has to be said that in the second half of the CD there is a certain amount of soundtrack filler, though for sampling purposes that will prove to be a revelation to some. For those inclined to search more into the life of Garrincha (World Cup 2010 is after all less than one hundred days away!), look no further than the Ruy Castro biography which makes for highly informative reading. It is unsure at present whether the film will be released over here, though it may well coincide with the World Cup in South Africa.  Tim Stenhouse

Musician and DJ aka Yvan Serrano has an eclectic musical brain and uses this to largely good effect on an album that takes in Afrobeat, reggae, soul and even surf guitar. The musical métissage works to perfection on ‘Melting pot’ with percussion courtesy of Snowboy and vocals reggae DJ style from Asher Storm wheareas on ‘Foundation of love’ it is Brazilian percussion meets Afrobeat with an underlying piano and guitar vamp that does the business. Equally impressive is the instrumental ‘Sweet lil’ thang of mine’ that really kicks over a repetitive Afrobeat riff with Latin soul thrown in for good measure. Perhaps surf guitar meets Latin and rock ‘n’ roll head on is a little too much for one song, but in ‘Rock-a-roll boogaloo’ one cannot but praise the attempt at fusing different sounds. For future projects Serrano needs to separate the sub-genres out more, focus instead on a few in greater detail and he will surely reap the rewards in turn.  Tim Stenhouse

Here is an intriguing mix. Bring together a Viennese clasical string quartet, albeit one with avant-garde musical tastes (an album devoted to the Mahavishnu Orchestra for example) and add a Swedish jazz vocalist. The result is quite a unique sounding album that takes on board an eclectic range of songs from Joni Mitchell to Burt Bacharach and even the traditional Swedish songbook. Not everything works, but mostly this is a highly entertaining listen. The pop song ‘Calling you’ receives wonderful accompaniment from strings that are in joyful mood and perhaps it is in the lighter repertoire that the combination of strings and vocals work best. Likewise the Richard Bona composition ‘Please don’t stop’ features plenty of tension on the strings and even fingersnaps which all adds atmosphere to proceedings. A pared down take on Stevie Wonder’s ‘If it’s magic’ allows Gustaffson’s voice to shine through. On the other hand the rather austere version of ‘Close to you’ is somewhat less successful and virtually unrecognisable from the original. It has to be stated that this album is of borderline interest to jazz fans, but ‘Calling you’ may well garner a wider audience in search of unusual takes on more familiar songs.  Tim Stenhouse

Australian soul songstress Candice Monique has come up with an interesting album that poses a few questions as well as ticking some intriguing boxes. On the plus side she excels on the folksy feel to ‘Crazy crazy’ which sounds like something from the 1970s that either Joni Mitchell or Phoebe Snow might have come up with. The sensitive side to her repertoire is demonstrated to perfection on ‘My child’ where she is accompanied by the subtle use of guitar and keyboards before the number transforms suddenly into a mid-tempo handclapper. One would ideally like to hear more of the first half of the song material as illustrated on the mellow guitar strummed mid-tempo groover that is ‘For all time’. On the orchestrated beat of ‘Shave my head’ the voice once again is allowed to show its full potential. On the minus side her take on rap as on ‘Mama don’t know’ is a tad tame. Dancefloor action is very much in evidence on the excellent uptempo ‘Feel the vibe’. This is an album that halfway through develops into something altogether more interesting once the standard r ‘n’ b material is dispensed with. The question remains as to whether Monique has made up her mind if she wishes to be a soul singer with a folk sensibility, which is her natural and most impressive terrain, or whether she is content to be a dancefloor diva.  Tim Stenhouse

Finally re-issued on CD after intially coming out on a limited release audio cassette back in 1981, this is an authentic slice of traditional bluegrass and if you think of the ‘O Brother’ soundtrack, these are the very same musicians who graced that album. The opener ‘Don’t wake me up’ sets the scene for what is to follow and a barnstormer of a song it is too. Ralph Stanley is in fine form, plucking banjo in the style of the great Flatt and Scruggs. Beautiful harmonies are a feature of this album and the lead vocals from Charlie Sizemore are simply flawless. The title track is a mid-tempo wonder with harmonies that no less than the Louvin Brothers would have been proud of. Something of a banjo and fiddle bonanza takes place on ‘Won’t you be mine’ while Ralph takes the lead vocals on ‘Little Willie’ and bears a remarkable ressemblance to a song on the ‘O Brother’ soundtrack. Ideally it would have been nice to include some bonus tracks, or even better another album since at twenty-eight minutes the CD is quantity light. However, with music this good and the experience so enjoyable, some things can be forgiven. Excellent inner sleeve notes with a fascinating tale of how such a minor release to begin with was finally more readily available to a larger public.  Tim Stenhouse

Neo-soul songstress Angie Stone continues exploring the different hues of contemporary urban music on this latest album which is probably her most diverse thus far. The singer set her stall out on the excellent ‘Mahogany soul’ back in 2001 with the hit ‘Wish I didn’t miss you’ and the most impressive song here, the soul ballad ‘Maybe’ is very much in that vein and enables her voice to come to the fore. Funk is on the cards on the Sly Stone-influenced title track and on the heavy back beat of ‘I ain’t hearin’ U’ and Stone makes a valliant effort in this genre. Far less successful is the awful techno meets rap ‘Tell me’ which is best forgotten. Possibly Angie Stone would be better served investigating a contemporary take on jazzier repertoire, but clearly there was a deliberate attempt on this album to veer away from the neo-soul typfied by the likes of Erykah Badu. Pop-soul territory is attempted on ‘Free’ (not the Deniece Williams classic), but does not really suit her vocals. In parts the album is somewhat over-produced and when a singer such as Stone possesses so gorgeous and clear a tone, one wishes for a sparser accompaniment. Currently touring the UK, Angie Stone promises to be a good deal rootsier in live performance.  Tim Stenhouse

A bumper package of mid-1980s albums from reggae lengend Sugar Minott are on offer on this well conceived boxset. The connecting theme throughout are the distinctive production chores of George Phang and the impeccable musicianship of Sly and Robbie, surely prime candidates for the most innovative pair of musicians in Jamaican popular music history. By far the pick of the bunch is the ‘Buy off the bar’ album with guest artists featuring keyboard wizard Jackie Mittoo and saxophonist Dean Frazer. While the title track proved to be a big hit in Jamaica, the rest is of a similar high standard and the fact that each song contains a dub version makes this sound timeless and surprisingly so for a mid-1980s production. Numbers such as ‘Can’t cross the border’ and the mid-tempo ‘Frontline’ capture Minott in peak form while the lovely percussion to ‘Two timer’ and the heavyweight dub of ‘Strictly sensi’ impress also. Another Phang production on ‘Time longer than rope’ is characterised by the melodic nature of the songs chosen which allows Minott’s sugar-toned hues to come shining through. Sugar shares vocal duties on ‘Rockers awards winners’ with Leroy Smart and it is the latter who impresses, though the production is a tad tinny in parts. Finally ‘Rydim’ features some solid work from Sly and Robbie on an album that originally surfaced in 1985. All CDs are contained in their original cover sleeve. No extra notes, just good solid music to enjoy.  Tim Stenhouse

For those not already aware, Morgan Heritage are a US-based family whose father Denroy Morgan was a minor hit soul singer during the 1970s, but whose own main claim to fame was as one of the host of reggae artists that were part of the neo-roots revival of the 1990s. This excellent compilation brings together some of their best known hits as well as other spiritually inspired songs for which they have recorded on VP. Of course the anthemic ‘Jah protect us’ from the debut album is included with its use of the ‘Heathen’ riddim from the Wailers as is the reworking of the Cables ‘What kind of world’, here retitled as ‘Down by the river’. Some excellent 45s are included such as the impassioned vocals of ‘Liberation’, the distinctly 70s style of ‘Jah seed’ and even the crossover attempt of ‘Let’s make up’. The odd omission such as the 45 ‘Praise to Jah’ cannot detract from the superb value of over seventy-five minutes of music. As a bonus there is a brief DVD of the group’s tour of Jamaica and Senegal. It is pity this could not be a little longer, but what there is sheds light on the group’s universal support. As an introduction to Morgan Heritage’s craft this could hardly be bettered.  Tim Stenhouse

Here is an interesting re-issue of folk-jazz-rock with a distinctive Latin tinge in parts. Spiteri were a Venzuelan group that found their way to the UK during the early 1970s and came into contact with Georgie Fame and Alan Price as well as blues guitarist Mervin ‘Muff’ Winwood, brother of Steve. Influenced both by the emerging folk-rock of the US and UK and by the Chicano movement in the States, the music is a wonderful mix of folksy grooves with jazz inflections and Latin-rock with Santana-style percussion. Of the original album tracks, ‘I’m a man’ is a gorgeous mid-tempo Latin samba tune with fender keyboards and flute featuring heavily while in a similar vein is ‘Stop now you’re wasting my time’. More folk driven is the instrumental ‘Soul inside’ with once again nice use of flute and the bonus number ‘Retorno #2’ which has a Brazilian guitar influence and vocals in Spanish. Even more traditional is ‘Barlovento’ which almost comes across as traditional Mexican folk music. Sadly by 1974 the group has split up and union rights in the UK meant that Spiteri could not promote themsleves properly as they should have on the concert circuit. What was the then UK folk fan’s loss is the later CD enthusiast’s gain. At almost seventy minutes, this compilation provides a near definitive statement of the band with extra ultra rare 45s into the bargain. Miss at your peril. Tim Stenhouse

One of the unknown greats of Cuban music from the late 1950s and early 1960s, El Gran Fellove is a fascinating figure who cut several albums not to mention 45s in Mexico and Cuba with a distinctive scat vocal style that influenced countless singers up to an including Bobby Caracasses. He is best known for the Latin ska number ‘El Jamaiquino’ included here among a generous selection of twenty songs. Many of these have gone on to become standards of the Cuban and salsa repertoire among a later generation of musicians such as ‘El yoyo’ for Charlie Palmieri, ‘Decidete mi amor’ for Manny Oquendo y Libre and ‘Los ojos de mi carreta’ for Ray Barretto. All receive wonderful earlier versions here. A detailed bilingual inner sleeve recounts how Fellove recorded on the classic ‘Cuban Jam sessions’ from 1952, yet his name was never credited and then he resided for a period in Mexico City which was a hive of activity for Latin musicians at the time before then singing with the three greats at the hallowed Palladium in New York: Tito Puente; Tito Rodriguez and Machito. The title track typifies the sheer enjoyment of the music on offer. Essential listening for Cuban musicophiles. Tim Stenhouse

This excellent CD pairs a June 1954 Paris solo session (bar one composition) originally recorded for Vogue with the more commonly available set for Prestige. The former features an interesting selection of original Monk numbers including one of the earlier versions of ‘Round midnight’ while the latter concentrates on standards reworked in the inimitable Monk style. While not definitive Monk and not on a par with either ‘Brilliant corners’ or ‘Monk’s mood’ from the same year, the set nonetheless allows the listener to hear Monk when he was at the zenith of his playing powers and as such is a highly enjoyable musical trip.  Tim Stenhouse

Conceived of as a musical fresco in homage to the city of New York, this is truly one of the great modern jazz albums and recorded at a time of all-encompassing change in 1960. Featuring an all-star line up with Bill Evans, Art Farmer, Milt Hinton and Max Roach among a whole host of giants, the original LP is added to with two bonus tracks and is a definitive example of Russell’s compositional genius. Four of the cuts are over ten minutes in length and even the shortest is five minutes long. One of the many highlights is the successful attempt at portraying Latin New York in musical form with ‘Manhatta-Rico’ on which no less a figure than Jon Hendricks narrates proceedings, this at a time when thousands of Puerto Ricans and to a lesser extent Cubans were settling in the city. Big band Latino as conceived by Russell is certainly no caricature of Hispanic culture, but rather a fascinating take that goes off in an altogether different direction to that which one might have expected. In general the album affords the listener the opportunity to hear how Bill Evans might have sounded like had he played with his own big band and as such is a joy from start to finish.  Tim Stenhouse

Recorded during the later classic period of the songstress’ turbulent career, this album captures her at her jazziest. Surrounded by the cream jazzmen of the era, including guitarists Billy Bauer, Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessel, clarinetist Tony Scott and pianists Wynotn Kelly and Billy Taylor, the album features a definitive version of ‘God bless the child’ and ‘Strange fruit’ while songs such as ‘Willow weep for me’ are imbued with the emotion and impeccable phrasing that were Holliday’s trademark. The CD is coupled with three bonus songs from the same session and five others from a later date. Of the former, ‘P.S. I love you’ is no less enthralling and the trumpet intro to ‘Softly’ is quite simply exquisite. Utterly timeless music and indispensable to any serious musical collection irrespective of genre. The original Downbeat notes by jazz writer Nat Hentoff say it all. Tim Stenhouse

For those not already familiar with the seminal album, this is the cornerstone of any modern jazz collection and should be the first port of call for those about to embark on a musical expedition into the genre with an all-star cast of Bill Evans, Wynton Kelly, Jimmy Cobb, Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane. To bring the recording into a more general context, it is generously coupled with ‘Jazz at the Plaza’ featuring a similar line up and also handily including the famous 1959 television performance of’ So what’ that is the only visual recording we have of the band at this time. This classic tune receives a restrained, blues-inflected intrepretation here from Coltrane that demonstrates what a moving player he could be while Evans solos at a more rapid tempo than the original.  Tim Stenhouse

Here is an album with an important political message, that of bringing attention to the prejudices that albinos (people of African ethnicity, but with white skin) face in Africa and hopefully combatting them through education. Keita has enlisted the musical support of ex-Ambassadeurs guitarist Kante Manfila for this worthy endeavour and the result is a classy collaboration that is almost as rootsy as ‘Moffu’ and thankfully devoid of the layers of synths that the singer sometimes surrounds himself with. The title track refers to the diffrence in skin colour and hits a wonderful mid-tempo groove and is sung both in English and French to convey the message, accompanied by ngoni, oud and the intriguingly sounding djellyphone! In a more intimate and rootsy vein is ‘Gaffou’, probably the album’s strongest song, and one in which the combination of oud and ngoni is sheer bliss. A lovely shuffling groove permeates the vibe-driven ‘Seydou’ with the instrument played almost like a southern African mbira, or thumb piano. Great female backing harmonies make this a memorable tune. Interestingly Keita reworks three of his 1990s songs with ‘Folon’ the pick of the bunch. A masterclass in musicianship from a singer-songwriter who is very much at ease with himself and this is extremely good news for the world roots music aficionado.  Tim Stenhouse

Named after the mountain range in eastern Cuba where the sound of ‘son’ reputedly originated, Sierra Maestra play in the classic conjunto style and over a few decades have perfected their own brand of the genre. They were originally formed by Juan de Marcos who went on to become musical director of the Buena Vistas. This latest album revisits some of the classic repertoire with shuffling guarachas and son montunos to the fore. The mid-tempo ‘Pa’l monte’ is one of the most loved Cuban songs and this receives a spicy hot rendition here that almost places it in a similar calibre to that of the Eddie Palmieri version. Perhaps some of the most impressive pieces are those such as ‘Un toque de bembe’ which, after a slow intro, shifts a gear and transmogrifies into a faster rhythm. Harmonies predominate on the more laid back ‘Mi traicion’ while congas and bongo drums compete for space on ‘Me guardas encore’. Lead vocals are shared between Luis Barzága and Jesús Bello, with the former contributing an excellent composition in ‘A una mujer’. Sierra Maestra are presently on a UK tour and should be red hot in a live context with plenty of salsa dancers to inspire them. Tim Stenhouse

Omar Perry is in fact the son of legendary producer and all-round dub eccentric Lee Perry, but there is where the similarity ends. This album is largely in the hardcore modern reggae vein. Of most interest to fans of the classic era are a modern update on Junior Byles’ anthem ‘Beat down Babylon’ which was originally produced by Perry senior while ‘Save the earth’ is non other than the riddim to Max Romeo’s ‘Chase the devil’, albeit with different lyrics. In general there is a variety of styles on offer and it has to be said that Perry junior is more a chanter than a bona fide singer. Perhaps of Omar’s own songs, ‘We wah’ is in a classic reggae crossover vein while ‘911 (memorial)’ is a nyabinghi flavoured piece. It will be interesting to follow which of the disparate styles Perry chooses to follow.  Tim Stenhouse

An integral part of the EST sound, bassist Dan Bergland has had to rethink his career path with the untimely death in 2008 of EST’s leader, Esbjörn Svensson and has steered away from any revamped version of the former. The result is a new project, Tonbruket, which departs from the piano trio format altogether and might almost be described as a Swedish take on Americana à la Bill Frisell, albeit with a uniquely prog rock undercurrent and one in which guitars predominate. Tonbruket excel in a more laid back, intimate environment as on the brooding and romantic ‘Sailor waltz’ with guitarist Lindstrom impressing on guitar. In contrast ‘Cold blooded music’ has a panoramic and even quasi-orchestral feel with an urgency that matches perfectly the searing pace. Minimalist piano accompanies the bass and violin riff on ‘Wolverine hoods’. Fittingly there is a tribute to Svensson on ‘Song for E’ with fine bass work, particularly in the intro by Bergland. Sometimes the band have a tendency to veer too much into prog rock territory as on ‘Gi hop’ and ‘Stethoscope’ and this can leave the listener cold. If the band can shed this excessive rock tinge to their repertoire, then more intresting musical territory is sure to follow in the future. Tonbruket are currently touring the UK and promise to be one to watch in a live context.  Tim Stenhouse

Brazilian songstress Bebel Gilberto first came to prominence at the end of the 1990s when resident in England with her interesting take on electronica emphasizing a bossa nova feel that resulted in the smash dancefloor album ‘Tanto tempo’ and continued in that vein for a couple more albums. Subsequently she has struggled to find her identity in spite of undoubted talent with largely self-produced albums that simply lacked the punch of the European set for Ziriguiboom. For the latest album she has enlisted several producers and therein lies both the album’s prinicipal strengths and weaknesses. On the plus side she revels in the more traditional, rootsy repertoire with a slight modern twist that multi-percussionist and producer Carlos Brown lends to proceedings. This is demonstrated to perfection on the pared down ‘Cançao de amor’ and one wonders whether Bebel would in fact be best served allowing Brown to produce an entire album. In so doing she might discover a whole new side to her work in the same way Marisa Monte utilised the percussionist’s talents on the ‘Tribalistas’ album of some five years ago. Certainly the delicate accompaniment by Brown on ‘Nossa senhora’ demonstrates a deep sensitivity to Gilberto’s voice and since it has a somewhat limited range (not necessarily a bad thing if properly harnessed as with a singer such as Sade), it does require a specific kind of producer who can bring out the best in her sound. Where the album falls short is on tracks like the misguided reworking of a Bob Marley classic ‘The sun is shining’ that just sounds cheesy, or in Bebel’s own productions such as ‘Far from the sea’ which is lightweight and places the singer in a musical no-man’s land. She even panders to a pastiche of Carmen Miranda on ‘Chica, chica boom’. Surely Bebel must feel uncomfortable occupying this territory as the daughter of the legendary Joao Gilberto and her excellent singer mother Miúcha. More traditional bossa nova fare from her father’s songbook arrives in a faithful rendition of ‘Bim bom’ that feature’s another child of a legendary artist, pianist Daniel Jobim, son of Tom. Bebel Gilberto faces a dilemma that she shares with other Brazilian musicians who reside largely outside their native country; they are better known abroad than in their homeland. By focusing more on the folkloric roots of Brazilian music, Gilberto may well attract not only a more mature audience globally, but actually awaken interest among Brazilian listeners as well.  Tim Stenhouse