EL ASTRO DE LOS DISCOS: April 2009

Saturday, April 25, 2009

DEAD BROTHERS Si no les gustan a quejarse a Reverb

The Dead Brothers' story so far…
Of course the dead brothers are dead. And they have always been. That's how they stay free…
Alain Croubalian first invented the Dead Brothers in his head, after studying death, or more precisely ars moriendi, at the University of Geneva with Professor Jean Ziegler. He then staged a singing doctor selling drugs in cafes and telling the story of the blues standing on the bar. A band appeared the first time in 1993 and played only gospel songs, those su

ng by Elvis, at the Usine in Geneva. Soon two tu

bas where main feature

with founding member Jean-Philippe Geiser playing Bo Diddley beats on his big horn. Dead Alain then started a circus. The Electric Circus with Alain Meyer, where musicians replaced animals and jugglers(they're cheaper) They travelled Europe with 25 different bands including Reverend Beatman, Bob Log III, T-Model Ford, Withman Mc Gowan and Al Comet three years in a row. The

first Dead Brothers drummer had a ladybug disguise (Axel from the band Tulip aus Hamburg) and a dark young lady, a black hair

ed gothic guitar player called Barbara, strumming along (from Last Torridas' fame).
More than 20 ex-members have been Dead Brothers over the last 10 years: Fred Schmutz, Jean-Philippe Geiser, Barbara Bagnoud, Olli Franz, Julien Israelian, Zoe Capon, Axel Jansen, Holger Steen, Resli Burri, Jean-Jacques Pedretti, Alain Porchet, Christoph Gantert, Pierre Omer, Delaney Davidson, Yves Massy, Marcel Salesse, Morback, Denis Schuler, Matthias Lincke, Alain Meyer, Christoph Marti and the one and only dj Scratchy as last minute banjo invitee…This Dead

Brothers Kapelle has, since then, taken many forms: A mega combo with three tubas, 9 other horns and a dead Brother puppet dancing, an folk guitar symphony orchestra, a primitive banjo and accordion duo that sounded like shit, ten members reproducing Kurt Weill's arrangements of

Brechts' 3 Penny Opera at the Basler Opera, three old acoustic Armenians sitting on chairs, a summer piano cabaret band with slide guitar and fiddle… you never know how they're about to pop up…
So long live the dead brothers. Today they are on tour as the Dead Brothers' Sweet String Orchestra, a string band with lush arrangements; choosing a few exquisite venues f

or their new show(down) "Kreuzfahrt".Dead Alain (guitars, banjos, vox) Matthias Lincke (violin and mandoline), Stefan Baumann (cello) and Patrick Kessler (double bass) are classically trained but also specialists in folkloric music of Switzerland, Austria and Macedonia. Matthias played in thecountry musig stubete with the Appenzeller Spaceschöttl and bluegrass like hell with the Krueger Family, he's renovating swiss folkloric music with Echo and other yodeling

figures. All today

s' deads collaborate with the balkanic supersonics of the Dusa Orchester

and the app

enzeller Romobil. They are now the Dead Quartet.…
Check them out soon in a theatre nearby…And remember : death always arrives

when you least expect it. (Dead Brothers.com)

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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Billy Cobham - Crosswinds

Billy Cobham's second date as a leader was one of his better sessions. Four songs (all originals by the leader/drummer) comprise "Spanish Moss — A Sound Portrait," and, in addition, Cobham contributed three other pieces. The selections team him with guitaristJohn Abercrombie, both of the Brecker Brothers, trombonist Garnett Brown, keyboardistGeorge Duke, bassist John Williams, and Latin percussionist Lee Pastora. In general, the melodies and the vamps are reasonably memorable. Cobham also takes an unaccompanied drum solo on "Storm." Worth searching for by fusion collectors.

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Saturday, April 18, 2009

rachid taha

Diwan 2

With his previous album, Tékitoi, providing some outstanding contemporary ideas in the realm of rai, Rachid Taha returns on Diwan 2 to more rootsy sounds, reminiscent (of course) of Diwan. The sound is derived from some of Taha's musical influences: largely from Algeria and the exile population in France, but with a couple of originals, some French influences, and a couple from

Egypt. The album starts out with an old piece from Mohamed Mazouni and a much more relaxed tone than many of Taha's opening tracks on other albums. After a quick romp through a bit of music from Oran, he returns to a relaxed sound with "Agatha," a piece on racism and interracial adultery, before moving on to a form of slightly higher-energy chaabi, "Kifache Rah" (with some musical similarity to the massive hit "Ya Rayah"). The energy finally picks up to his usual levels with some ney, call and response, and thicker drums on "Josephine." "Gana El Hawa," as well as Umm Kulthum's classic "Ghanni Li Shwaya," provide an opportunity for the Cairo String Ensemble to come into their own as accompaniment (though indeed they are present on a number of tracks besides the Egyptian ones). Throughout the album, the mood is perhaps more relaxed, but also more somber than in many of his previous works. The energy never rises too high, and seems nearly suppressed when it does get closer to his standard levels. The focus is entirely on the structure of the music and the references to the past, both musical and historical. Still, an excellent album by any standard. It does seem like Taha is quietly unwound on this recording, trading anger for melancholy.

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Tékitoi (Who Are You?)

In a belated attempt to introduce Algerian rai star Rachid Taha's eighth

album, 2004'sTekitoi, to a wider American audience, his label has re-released the album for the third

time in under a year. The new edition translates the album and song titles into English (fair enough) and remixes the sound a bit to emphasize the dance beats and tough rock guitars over the traditional North African elements, which is not anywhere near as much of a travesty as it might sound to purists since producer Steve Hillage (Gong, etc.) had already smartly integrated the electronics into Taha's sound. So far, so good, but Who Are You?mystifyingly makes the mistake of dropping the last three songs ("Stenna," "Ya Rayah," and the Spanish-language "Voila Voila") from previous editions of the album; this is particularly frustrating since the traditional-sounding "Ya Rayah" (a tune popularized by the lateDahmane el Harrachi) and the nearly acid house dance groove of "Voila Voila" added much to the album's musical depth and sense of variety. There are still plenty of gems on this album -- like the slyly sarcastic reworking of the Clash's "Rock the Casbah" and the dub-like sonic depth of the Brian Eno co-write "Dima" -- but shortening the album by removing some of its best (albeit least representative) songs is no way to treat the audience that the label is trying to court.

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Made in Medina

Rachid Taha is not the first artist to blend Arab and Western musical styles, but he is certainly one of the most innovative. B

orn in Algeria, but residing in France since age ten, Taha fronted a highly political punk band in his teens, then made his mark as an equally radical DJ before launching a solo career. Made in Medina is the latest in his string of crossover creations. Recorded on three continents and four countries (U.S., U.K., France, and Morocco), utilizing musicians from equally far flung locales, and overseen by long-time producer Steve Hillage, the album is brimming with the exotic and the familiar. With lyrics in English, French, and, at one point, Berber, the sleeve notes provide English translations and explain the songs' core message and musical roots. Like a sumptuous banquet, Medinais a rich mix of dishes, one that will tempt even the most jaded palette. Inevitably, it will be branded world music, a label guaranteed to scare off much of Taha's prospective audience. There's crunching punk numbers, as hardcore as any anarcho-punk band's, but sliced with techno beats, sure to appeal to Prodigy fans. Spanish-flavored numbers are perfect for the salsa crowd, Afro-pop with a syncopated beat are sure to capture reggae fans, and there's even a space rock number for the ambient/prog rockers. With lyrical themes that run the gambit from alienation to the spiritual, Taha's appeal across genres is evident. And while it may sound like a shopping list for an international emporium, in fact,Medina has an extremely coherent sound, built on prominent, danceable rhythms, strong melodies, and powerful vocals, all shot through with a Middle Eastern flavor. A truly world sound.

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Sunday, April 12, 2009

Toca el jueves en MVD. Por si no lo conocen

Rudiments: The Billy Cobham Anthology

If ever anybody deserved a two-disc anthology of his offerings as a solo artist it's fusion drummer Billy Cobham. After making his stellar debut with John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham made eight records for Atlantic from 1973-1978. To varying degrees, these recordings were true statements on the

state of jazz-rock fusion. Many blame Cobham for being a member of the technical-expertise-is-everything school, and to a degree it may be true. But the tracks collected here by Barry Benson and Nick Sahakianprovide evidence of something else entirely: that along with technical expertise in spades, Cobham had soul, groove, and a handle on how powerful rock & roll could contribute to jazz improvisation if harnessed in the right way. And every single track on these two discs does exactly that and more. For starters there's the majority of Cobham's classic debut,Spectrum, that featured contributions from guitarists Tommy Bolin (speaking of rock & roll), John Scofield (as he has never been heard since), and John Tropea as well as Jan Hammer from the Mahavishnu band. Spectrum's two finest tracks, "Quadrant 4" and "Stratus," are screaming jazz-rock with just the right hints of funk and groove that would become the hallmarks of Cobham's records after that. Also on "Stratus" it's interesting to note that Cobham and Frank Zappa were going for the same keyboard sounds simultaneously, and not just sonics, but phrasing. The sounds were perhaps derived from the two using the same session players including George Duke, the Brecker Brothers, andAlfonso Johnson among others. All of disc one is pure gold; there's not a weak second on it. And for that matter, disc two is solid as well; it's just that by the time these sets were recorded, Cobham's musical focus had shifted from jazz-rock to jazz-funk. The same tom-tom rolls are there, the constant rim shifts, and shaking, thunderous bass drum blasts and pops. Because of the exhilaration on disc one what comes across clearer on the second set is just how intricate and compelling Cobham is as a composer. These are scripted roles, with plenty of room for improvisation in the middle and often at the beginning and end; they are wonders of musical sophistication and raw gritty funky soul. In addition to almost three hours of crushingly innovative music, the liner notes are chock full of an extensive bio, critical, and session notes, a few outtakes and unreleased cuts and a cool clear plastic slipcase. This set is a document from a classic time in the evolution of both rock and jazz, and should be regarded as an essential purchase by fans not only of Cobham's but Bolin's,Scofield's, Miles Davis' electric era, the Breckers', and of course Mahavishnu's. Zappa fans from the era would also appreciate much of the material here

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