Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

Orixá Mutante

July 05, 2011

Orixá Mutante

Davi Moraes is mostly known as the guitarist who played with famous Brazilian artists like Caetano Veloso and Vanessa da Mata. He’s a remarkable sideman but his solo albums are well worth having a look. Orixá Mutante is Davi’s second album released in 2004.

The album opens with Ganzá which has one of the grooviest guitar riffs I’ve ever seen. Som das Ruas follows with high-vibe funky beat. Pretoriana and I’m Still in Love with You bring the reggae sauce to the pot. Tô na Sua is a slow tempo funky balad with amazing vocalized guitar solos. Liquidificador de Orixás is a punchy afrobeat a la Femi Kuti. The album also features the original recording of Café com Pão which became a big hit a few years later in Salvador’s carnival.

Orixá Mutante is a great showcase of what I consider the best side of axé music. A fusion of all sorts of music genres, from Afro-Caribbean to funk. Style-wise, this album is similar to some of the best stuff by Carlinhos Brown such as Omelete Man which is, in my opinion, Brown’s greatest masterpiece. What differentiates Davi from Brown is his lyrical style as well as his strong focus on the overlayed guitar riffs.

This album should definitely be in your playlist if you enjoy good afro-groovy music!

My Favourite “Tutu”

June 05, 2011

Dreyfus Night in Paris

The magic of jazz comes mainly from the fact that it’s fundamentally built around improvisation. Reinventing the same tunes over and over again is a core part of the culture among the jazz musicians. This is maybe why I find it so cool to track all the ways by which certain tunes have been performed at different gigs in various moments of jazz’s history. I talked about my favourite performance of the classic So What in a previous post. Now I’d like to talk a bit about my favourite Tutu.

Tutu was composed by the genius Marcus Miller in 1986. It was originally recorded as part of a Miles Davis’ album with same name that was all composed, arranged, and co-produced by Miller. What I find special about Tutu (the tune) is that it shares a lot of the qualities of So What by working as a sort of minimalist platform for great improvisation. The core foundation of Tutu comes from the 3-note bass line with a chord progression that provides the perfect ground for intense solos. My favourite performance of Tutu is in an album called Dreyfus Night in Paris recorded in 1994, three years after Miles’ death.

So, what makes this specific performance so cool? The personnel is fantastic: Marcus Miller (bass), Michel Petrucciani (piano), Kenny Garrett (sax), Bireli Lagrene (guitar), and Lenny White (drums). White and Garret have played with Miles and other giants, Lagrene has a very interesting work with Pastorius, and Petrucciani is just legendary. If you haven’t heard of some of those guys, you should definitely go look for them. You won’t be disappointed!

The solos are fantastic! All of them start setting a quiet atmosphere, with sparse notes and rhythm then go into more complex rhythmic and melodic explorations until reaching a climax with high-pitched notes full of energy. Garret’s dissonant arpeggios are overwhelmingly cool. Lagrene brings in a highly melodic solo full of tempo-bending riffs. Petrucciani has such a Hancockian precision in his solo that it almost feels like he’s composing a new tune while improving. Finally, Miller turns his bass into a percussion instrument while still playing the bass line.

So, in summary, Tutu in Dreyfus Night in Paris is 16 minutes of pure energy with remarkable solos. Other people have positively reviewed this album before—good reads if you want to know a bit more about the album.

Raw Grooves

June 25, 2010

It’s hard to define what groove is. It’s a combination of swing, rhythm, and use of space. Usually it arises from the right interaction of sounds from the rhythm section – drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards. You know when it’s there and you know when it’s not. Maceo Parker, a groove maven, usually starts his concerts with something like this:

We’d like to present 2% Jazz and 98% funky stuff. This is known as happy music. Happy music is when you hear it, you start moving and shaking something automatically!

I love groovy music. But I have especial preference for more raw grooves. By raw I mean the grooves that are powerful because they are imperfect, human, noisy and full of energy. Grooves are becoming too synthetic, metronomic, clean, and perfect nowadays. They often lose the point. So, here’s a quick list of some of the raw groovy tunes I love.

Sex Machine by James Brown. Yes, the classic one. It’s full of energy and has a tight groove. Great example of use space between bass, guitar, and drums.

Shake Everything You’ve Got by Maceo Parker. He is one of the most prominent disciples of the James Brown “university” – as he usually says. This song is all about enjoying the moment. My favourite version is in the album Life on Planet Groove.

Rocks by Brecker Brothers. They are a great jazz fusion duo – Michael on sax and Rangy on trumpet. I first heard Rocks in one of the 5 Brecker Brothers albums I bought last year. The groove arises from the alternation of bass and guitar lines on top of a powerful drum beat.

Cissy Strut by The Meters. This is a classic groove – for those into funky stuff. Cissy Strut is a slow-tempo funky song. Great use of space, packed with swing. The drum beat is simply awesome!

Serpentine Fire by Earth Wind & Fire. Ok, it’s quite hard to pick only one tune from those guys. They have a countless number of amazing groovy songs. Serpentine Fire has such a great vibe. Maurice White delivers a great singing performance, packed with energy.

As I said, this is just quick list. Groove is everywhere and, because it’s a subjective thing, people tend to have different favourite artists groove-wise. What are your favourite raw grooves?

Mama’s Gun

June 06, 2010

Mama's Gun

Sanna, a very close friend from Finland, lent me a Mama’s Gun CD back in 2007. I had no clue who Erykah Badu was at that time. It was the first ever neo soul album I’ve listened to. This album has a very powerful sound and has been in my recurrent playlist since 2007.

Mama’s Gun is a gapless album. This brings a sense of constant flow throughout the album. Feels like one big track with different moods. You’ll find an acid and groovy sound in the opening track Penitentiary Philosophy and some sexy stuff in Hey Sugah and Kiss Me on My Neck. There’s some space for soft melodies too in the jazzy Orange Moon and in the famous Bag Lady.

As for the sound of the album, Erykah Badu’s performance is simply amazing: sexy, emotional, and very intense. I really love the fact that the drums are acoustic and played by the awesome Questlove – who is also co-producing. He brings a strong, earthy, and groovy sound to the whole album.

Every single track of Mama’s Gun has something cool. I generally listen to the whole album without skipping any track. The gapless approach might have some influence on that. Mama’s Gun is a soul album. Literally.

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