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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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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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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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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Tutto Fellini

baja1 baja2 Performances

Composer Title Year Time Felice Lattuada   Luci Del Varieta' (Variety Lights), film score: Excerpt   5:04 Nino Rota   Lo Sceicco Bianco, film score: Excerpt   2:39 Nino Rota   I Vitelloni, film score: Excerpt   2:13 Mario Nascimbene   L'Amore in Citta' (Love in the City), film score: Agenzia Matrimoniale   3:41 Nino Rota   La Strada (The Road), film score: Excerpt   3:29 Nino Rota   Il Bidone, film score: Excerpt   3:01 Nino Rota   Le Notte di Cabiria, film score: Excerpt   4:40 Nino Rota   La Dolce Vita, film score: Excerpt   6:26 Nino Rota   Boccaccio '70, part of film score: Le tentazioni del Dott. Antonio   2:04 Nino Rota   8 1/2, film score: Excerpt   4:29 Nino Rota   Giulietta degli Spiriti (Juliet of the Spirits), film score: Excerpt   4:08 Nino Rota   Tre passi nel delirio, film score: Toby Dammit   4:35 Nino Rota   Fellini's Satyricon, film score: Excerpt   2:05 Nino Rota   The Clowns, film score: Excerpt   5:31 Nino Rota   Roma, film score: Excerpt   3:58 Nino Rota   Amarcord, film score: Excerpt   6:14 Nino Rota   Casanova, film score: Excerpt   11:12 Nino Rota   Prova d'orchestra, film score: Excerpt   4:00 Luis Enríque Bacalov   La Citta' delle Donne (City of Women), film score: Excerpt   6:38 Gianfraco Plenizio   E la Nave Va (And the Ship Sails On), film score: Excerpt   7:38 Nicola Piovani   Ginger e Fred (Ginger and Fred), film score: Excerpt   3:11 Nicola Piovani   Fellini's Intervista, film score: Excerpt   4:13 Nicola Piovani   La Voce Della Luna (The Voice of the Moon), film score: Excerpt   3:35

Música para una nueva oportunidad

STAFF BENDA BILILI, LA BANDA DE HOMEL

ESS PARAPLEJICOS AFRICANOS

 Por Facundo García

Kinshasa, capital de la República Democrática del Congo. Uno de los rincones más poblados y violentos de Africa. Ahí la vida nunca fue sencilla. Pero ahora, tras un conflicto armado que ca

usó cinco millones y medio de muertes, la ciudad se ha convertido en un remolino de hombres y mujeres arañando con desesperación las puertas de la supervivencia. De esas calles salió una banda que se parece muchísimo a Mundo Alas: así como el proyecto de León Gieco integró a artistas con capacidades diferentes y se convirtió en un libro, un disco y una película que por estos días se presenta en los cines locales, he aquí que apareció un grupo de allá que pretende vencer la tristeza con las mismas herramientas. Se hacen llamar Staff Benda Bilili y son cuatro homeless parapléjicos que se empezaron a reunir con un par de chicos que tampoco tenían casa. No buscan dar pena, sólo exigen una oportunidad. Se definen ante todo como artistas, y Très très fort, la placa que acaban de publicar, no necesita más elogios que la invitación a escucharlo y la certeza de que si hay algo que a esos tipos les sobra es la buena onda.

Las suyas son canciones con oficio, hijas de horas y horas de tocar para ganarse el puchero. La edición de los once tracks corrió por cuenta del sello belga Crammed. Son piezas movidas, aunque sin desbandes. Y hay armonía en todos los sentidos, acaso porque mantenerse coordinados es fundamental para los congoleños que tienen capacidades diferentes. Rodeados de matones oficiales y extraoficiales, no les ha quedado otra que remarla en equipo. Así consiguieron, en los años setenta, que el Estado los eximiera de pagar impuestos. En un artículo publicado el pasado 13 de febrero en el periódico británico The Independent confirmaba que desde entonces muchos “handicapés” se han dedicado a llevar y traer productos sin pagar en la aduana. Se los ve subidos a los barcos que surcan el río Congo, cargando toda clase de mercaderías en sus surrealistas triciclos adaptados.

Pero ésa es una parte de la historia. El otro pilar de Benda Bilili –que significa “los que ven más allá de las apariencias” en dialecto lingala– es el de los niños y adolescentes sin hogar. En Kinshasa los denominan “Shégués”, y el supuesto origen del apodo es buenísimo. Resulta que el Che Guevara anduvo por la región y dejó un recuerdo indeleble, de modo que si la gente de allá ve a un joven enfierrado e independiente, ahí nomás lo asocia con el “Shéguévara”. Por lo demás, su realidad es espantosa. Son más de cuarenta y cinco mil los guevaritas que revuelven la basura de esos barrios, sin otra formación ideológica que la que dicten la diarrea, la malaria o la desnutrición. Para peor, el problema no es únicamente la desprotección en la que se los deja, sino la política activa de corrupción que llevan adelante los grupos armados. El veinticinco de marzo, Bruno Miteyo –responsable de Cáritas para el Congo– declaró al diario español La Vanguardia que en su país existen mafias “que secuestran reclutas de diez años, a quienes les dan drogas y les dicen ‘si quieres sobrevivir, debes violar a una niña de cinco años’ o ‘si quieres ser valiente, debes matar a una señora y comerte su corazón’”. En consecuencia, los pibes suelen buscar ayuda en la poderosa troupe de los “discapacitados”. En el caso del Roger Landu, ese pedido de protección derivó en un condimento clave del disco. Los artistas callejeros le enseñaron a tocar y, como no tenía instrumento, el flaquito de diecisiete años se fabricó una especie de arpa con una lata de leche y una cuerda metálica.

Hacen funk, afrobeat, rumbas. Con su arribo a las bateas de Europa, el grupo iniciará una etapa que –a juzgar por la cobertura que le están dando los medios internacionales– puede catapultarlos más allá de lo que jamás soñaron. El camino, desde luego, ha sido largo. Très très fort (literalmente, “Muy muy fuerte”) se grabó con doce micrófonos colocados una noche al aire libre, en los jardines del zoológico donde suelen pasar la gorra los protagonistas de la hazaña. Para enchufar la notebook en la que se archivarían las pistas, hubo que conectarla furtivamente a la toma de un bar cercano a través de un cable de cien metros. Párrafo aparte merecen las letras. En sintonía con el desparpajo “à la Fela Kuti”, lo que largan estos negros motorizados es una compacta aleación de humor y tragedia. Hablan de relaciones que se interrumpieron porque los enamorados vivían en zonas que no compartían la misma empresa telefónica –lo que los dejaba incomunicados–, o juran que “las carencias que valen son las del espíritu, y no las del cuerpo”. Cada tanto, sueltan consejos: en “Polio”, por citar un caso, piden que todos los chicos sean vacunados para que ni uno más tenga que pasar por lo que sufrieron ellos. ¿Es poesía? ¿Es testimonio? Ngambali, el violero y rey de las pulseadas, ha reconocido que lo de ellos “es periodismo”. “Llevamos mensajes a las madres, a los que duermen en la vereda o en las taperas. Somos los verdaderos periodistas de acá, porque no le tenemos miedo a nadie.” Por su parte Ricky, el vendedor de fasos, ha destacado que abordan esos temas porque ante la fiebre militarista ellos optan por cantarles a “los héroes del Congo, que son los huérfanos, los refugiados y las putas que salen a conseguir pan para sus familias”.

En MySpace y YouTube se pueden ver videos, más el adelanto de un film sobre los Benda que preparan los realizadores franceses Renaud Barret y Florent de la Tullaye. “Son las personas más sólidas que he conocido”, ha admitido Barret. Recorriendo un poco el material queda claro que –como lo viene demostrando Mundo Alas–, no hace falta usar la pena para conquistarse un lugar en los escenarios. De hecho, en los próximos meses se espera que la agrupación africana haga su primera gira europea. Repartirán más risas que lágrimas, eso es seguro. Al menos es lo que sugirió Andy Morgan, un cronista inglés, cuando luego de verlos ensayar entendió por qué de esas voces jamás brotaban palabras de autocompasión. “En el ambiente en que crecieron –reflexionó– caer en eso habría sido suicida.”

Más información en http://www.crammed.be/staffbendabilili.

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MARVIN GAYE re-up

Let's Get It On [Deluxe Edition]

Review

by Jason Ankeny

After brilliantly surveying the social, political, and spiritual landscape with What's Going On, Marvin Gaye turned to more intimate matters with Let's Get It On, a record unparalleled in its sheer sensuality and carnal energy. Always a sexually charged performer, Gaye's passions reach their boiling point on tracks like the magnificent title hit (a number one smash) and "You Sure Love to Ball"; silky and shimmering, the music is seductive in the most literal sense, its fluid grooves so perfectly designed for romance as to border on parody. With each performance laced with innuendo, each lyric a come-on, and each rhythm throbbing with lust, perhaps no other record has ever achieved the kind of sheer erotic force of Let's Get It On, and it remains the blueprint for all of the slow jams to follow decades later -- much copied, but never imitated.

Review

by Lindsay Planer

This deluxe edition is a two-disc celebration of the hedonistic R&B masterpiece Let's Get It On. The album is Marvin Gaye's follow-up to the groundbreaking social statement he made on What's Going On, which can also be thoroughly examined on the likewise expanded What's Goin' On [2001 Deluxe Edition]. The two-and-a-half-hour package is divided into four sections, beginning with a complete sonic resurrection of the original eight-song album, which now boasts a 24-bit digital transfer exclusive to this collection. A nine-track sessions segment follows consisting of entirely unissued materials. These exist in the form of instrumentals and undubbed and alternate versions of previously issued songs. This is continued throughout the third section, which contains demos, alternate mixes, and more, ending with a further ten alternate mixes and unissued pieces in various states of completion. These are in effect the recordings that connect such diametric and otherwise polar opposite musical sentiments asWhat's Going On with Let's Get It On. The sound is uniformly breathtaking. The often-jarring and always harsh and brittle sonics that previously plagued the high frequencies throughout the original disc -- most specifically the tambourine and other percussion during "Distant Lover," for instance -- is now organic and unprocessed. The copious bonus material sounds opulent considering it spans over five years. Any slight audio anomaly should be regarded as proof of authenticity. The laid-back strings on "Cakes," "Symphony," and "Song #3" observe a new side of Gaye's talents that rivals the likes of Barry White in terms of swinging soul arrangements. The inclusion of various works-in-progress and other related productions -- such as the Miracles' ("I Love You Secretly") as well as the Originals (1968) and the Monitors' (1970) respective renditions of "Just to Keep You Satisfied" -- examine the close-knit influence that Motown had among its own ranks. 1 2 3 4 What's Going On [2001 Deluxe Edition] Review by John Bush What's Going On is not only Marvin Gaye's masterpiece, it's the most important and passionate record to come out of soul music, delivered by one of its finest voices, a man finally free to speak his mind and so move from R&B sex symbol to true recording artist. With What's Going On, Gaye meditated on what had happened to the American dream of the past -- as it related to urban decay, environmental woes, military turbulence, police brutality, unemployment, and poverty. These feelings had been bubbling up between 1967 and 1970, during which he felt increasingly caged by Motown's behind-the-times hit machine and restrained from expressing himself seriously through his music. Finally, late in 1970, Gaye decided to record a song that the Four Tops' Obie Benson had brought him, "What's Going On." When Berry Gordy decided not to issue the single, deeming it uncommercial, Gaye refused to record any more material until he relented. Confirmed by its tremendous commercial success in January 1971, he recorded the rest of the album over ten days in March, and Motown released it in late May. Besides cementing Marvin Gaye as one of the most important artists in pop music, What's Going On was far and away the best full-length to issue from the singles-dominated Motown factory, and arguably the best soul album of all time. Conceived as a statement from the viewpoint of a Vietnam veteran (Gaye's brother Frankie had returned from a three-year hitch in 1967), What's Going On isn't just the question of a baffled soldier returning home to a strange place, but a promise that listeners would be informed by what they heard (that missing question mark in the title certainly wasn't a typo). Instead of releasing listeners from their troubles, as so many of his singles had in the past, Gaye used the album to reflect on the climate of the early '70s, rife with civil unrest, drug abuse, abandoned children, and the spectre of riots in the near past. Alternately depressed and hopeful, angry and jubilant, Gaye saved the most sublime, deeply inspired performances of his career for "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)," "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)," and "Save the Children." The songs and performances, however, furnished only half of a revolution; little could've been accomplished with the Motown sound of previous Marvin Gaye hits like "Stubborn Kind of Fellow" and "Hitch Hike" or even "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." What's Going On, as he conceived and produced it, was like no other record heard before it: languid, dark and jazzy, a series of relaxed grooves with a heavy bottom, filled by thick basslines along with bongos, conga, and other percussion. Fortunately, this aesthetic fit in perfectly with the style of long-time Motown sessionmen like bassist James Jamerson and guitarist Joe Messina. When the Funk Brothers were, for once, allowed the opportunity to work in relaxed, open proceedings, they produced the best work of their careers (and indeed, they recognized its importance before any of the Motown executives). Jamerson's playing on "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" functions as the low-end foundation but also its melodic hook, while an improvisatory jam by Eli Fountain on alto sax furnished the album's opening flourish. (Much credit goes to Gaye himself for seizing on these often tossed-off lines as precious; indeed, he spent more time down in the Snakepit than he did in the control room.) Just as he'd hoped it would be, What's Going On was Marvin Gaye's masterwork, the most perfect expression of an artist's hope, anger, and concern ever recorded. Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine If it's easy to be a little cynical about Universal/Motown's 2001 Deluxe Edition reissue of Marvin Gaye's What's Goin' On, it's only because Motown endlessly reissued the album during the CD era, trumpeting each as the definitive issue (rather ironic for an album Berry Gordy didn't even want to release at the time). Still, Universal's Deluxe Edition series is proving to be a phenomenal collectors-oriented line, filled with lavish, detailed packaging and unpredictable turns, and What's Goin' On is no exception to the rule. To begin with, the remastering of the original album is excellent, the best yet, although that still isn't enough to make this worth buying for the hardcore fans who have purchased the album again and again over the years. That's what the other disc and a half of bonus material is for. First, there's the "original Detroit mix" of the album prepared while Gaye was out of town, filming a movie. A little bolder and sparer than the released record, with the strings noticeably relegated to the background, it's interesting, not revelatory, though its stripped-back feel is refreshing after hearing the album countless times. A rhythm-and-strings mix of "What's Going On" is tacked onto the end of the first disc, before the second disc begins with a new, previously unreleased live album that finds Gaye running through the album (minus "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)") and performing a medley of '60s hits. It was his first performance in four years, and while unnecessary, it is fascinating and certainly worth the time of hardcore fans, as are the original single versions of "What's Going On," "God Is Love," and "Sad Tomorrows," plus the previously unreleased "'Head Title' aka Distant Lover." This is certainly a package for fans, but it's also the ideal fan package -- beautifully made and filled with rarities that are necessary for fans, making them feel fine about buying this record again. Especially since this is so well done, it's hard to imagine Universal/Motown bettering it. 1 2 3 4

RE-UP AQUALUNG

Aqualung
Released at a time when a lot of bands were embracing pop-Christianity (à la Jesus Christ Superstar), Aqualung was a bold statement for a rock group, a pro-God antichurch tract that probably got lots of teenagers wrestling with these ideas for the first time in their lives. This was the album that made Jethro Tull a fixture on FM radio, with riff-heavy songs like "My God," "Hymn 43," "Locomotive Breath," "Cross-Eyed Mary," "Wind Up," and the title track. And from there, they became a major arena act, and a fixture at the top of the record charts for most of the 1970s. Mixing hard rock and folk melodies with Ian Anderson's dour musings on faith and religion (mostly how organized religion had restricted man's relationship with God), the record was extremely profound for a number seven chart hit, one of the most cerebral albums ever to reach millions of rock listeners. Indeed, from this point on, Anderson and company were compelled to stretch the lyrical envelope right to the breaking point.AMG

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hermeto pascoal

Eu E Eles

Chorinho Mec	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(3:52)
Viva Jackson Do Pandeiro	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(2:23)
Caminho Do Sol	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(1:21)
A Sua Benção, Brasil	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(3:40)
Fauna Universal	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(3:34)
Vai Um Chimarrão, Tche?	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(4:15)
Miscelânia Vanguardiosa	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(5:10)
Linguagens and Costumes	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(3:30)
Mercosom	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(4:26)
Boiada	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(3:58)
Capelinha and Lembranças	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(5:37)
Parquinho Do Passado, Presente E Futuro	Hermeto Pascoal	Hermeto Pascoal	(3:01)

Credits

Hermeto Pascoal (Organ), Hermeto Pascoal (Bass), Hermeto Pascoal (Flute), Hermeto Pascoal(Percussion),

 Hermeto Pascoal (Piano), Hermeto Pascoal (Tuba), Hermeto Pascoal (Bongos), Hermeto Pascoal (Flugelhorn), Hermeto Pascoal (Flute (Bass)), Hermeto Pascoal (Sax (Soprano)), Hermeto Pascoal(Triangle), Hermeto Pascoal (Vocals), Hermeto Pascoal (Pandeiro), Hermeto Pascoal (Rhythm), Hermeto Pascoal (Surdo), Hermeto Pascoal (Cavaquinho), Hermeto Pascoal (Main Performer), Hermeto Pascoal(Liner Notes), Hermeto Pascoal (Bombo), Hermeto Pascoal (Zabumba), Hermeto Pascoal (Mixing),Hermeto Pascoal (Make-Up), Hermeto Pascoal (Bombard), Hermeto Pascoal (Musical Direction), Hermeto Pascoal (Bandola), Hermeto Pascoal (Effects), Hermeto Pascoal (Bamboo Flute), Hermeto Pascoal(Campana), Hermeto Pascoal (Chocalhos), Hermeto Pascoal (Costume Design), Hermeto Pascoal (Tarola),Hermeto Pascoal (Apito), Hermeto Pascoal (Prato), Hermeto Pascoal (Sanfona), Hermeto Pascoal(Arranjo), Hermeto Pascoal (Escaleta), Fabio Pascoal (Producer), Fabio Pascoal (Mixing), Carlos Sobral(Studio Assistant), Marcelo Vianna (Graphic Design)

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Slaves Mass

Not strictly a jazz album in the strict sense (it was originally issue d as part of the Masters of MPB on LP in 1977), Slaves Mass has strong compositional themes among its seven tracks. The maestro Hermeto Pascoal plays everything from flutes, sopran o saxophone, guitar, Fender Rhodes, acoustic piano and clavinet on this set, and enlists help from Ron Carter, Airto, Flora Purim, Raul DeSouza, David Maro and others. "Mixing Pot," is the opener and an anomaly in that it is a vanguard fusion tune where Pascoal really digs in and improvises. It also features the only appearance on this set of Alphonso Johnson on electric bass. In "Missa Dos Escravos," the title track, Pascoal's emblematic pig gives his first growls in a song dominated by Brazilian Indian references. Wonderfully and intricately composed, it centers around folk tropes. "Chorinho Para Ele" is a beautiful and modern choro with a somewhat challenging glissando bridge that really proposed new directions for the traditional genre. "Aquela Valsa" is a beautiful six/eight theme that turns into a samba with a beautiful trombone solo by DeSouza. "Cannon" is an utterly improvisational piece that meanders and winds around Pascoal's flute solo. Atonalism dominates the piano solo in "Escuta Meu Piano," which also presents bits and pieces of different styles (like baião) and folk songs. Hot samba improvisation is found in "Geléia de Cereja," that slips and slides through a variety of schema and dynamic changes without much internal focus, but it is a compelling bit of creative anarchy nonetheless in that it displays Pascoal's full range of restless musical and textural impulses -- as well as a beautiful soprano solo. Slaves Masswas finally issued on CD by Collectables in the United States in 2005.

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Neko Case

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Neko Case hasn't had much need to prove her credentials as a major artist since making her solo debut with 1997's Th

e Virginian, but she's been refining her skills in the recording studio on each subsequent release, and with 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood she's fashioned an album that can cautiously be called a masterpiece. As always, Case's voice, an instrument of impressive strength, grace, and expressive power, is the star of this show, and she's never sounded better than she does here, but what sets this apart from her other fine work is her growth as a songwriter and producer. Case wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and her tales of failed friendship, faith stretched to the breaking point, and love that causes as much ache as comfort are subtle and expressionistic but deeply evocative, conjuring images and feelings that linger long after the album has ended, especially the spectral "Star Witness," the moody yet romantic "That Teenage Feeling" and "Hold on, Hold On," and the darkly beautiful closer, "The Needle Has Landed." And Case and her co-producer, Darryl Neudorf, have assembled a superb cast of musicians to accompany these songs, among them members of the Sadies and Calexico as well as Garth Hudson of the Band, Howe Gelb from Giant Sand, and Kelly Hogan. Together they've sculpted a dozen elegant sonic landscapes that are beautiful and richly detailed while meshing with the moody textures of the songs in their open space and unwillingness to crowd either the singer or the other players. The cumulative effect mirrors both the beauty and the sadness that lurks within the human heart, and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood is a rich, mature, and deeply satisfying piece of music that deserves and demands attention — if this isn't Album of the Year material, it's hard to say what is.

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Middle Cyclone

Neko Case looks formidable on the cover of Middle Cyclone, brandishing a sword in one hand while crouching low on a muscle car's hood. It's mostly camp, of course -- the sort of superwoman image Quentin Tarantino might have used for Death Proof's ad

campaign -- but it also draws contrast with the songwriter's previous albums, two of which featured moody shots of Case sprawled on the floor, ostensibly knocked out. Middle Cyclone isn't the polar opposite of Blacklisted's downcast Americana; there are still moments of heartbreak on this release, and Case channels the sad cowgirl blues with all the rustic nuance of Patsy Cline. Multiple years in the New Pornographers' employ have considerably brightened her outlook, however, and Middle Cyclone balances its melancholia with some of the most pop-oriented choruses of Case's career. "I'm a man-man-maneater," she asserts during "People Got a Lotta Nerve," a snappy nugget of harmonies and jangled guitar that helps strengthen her Mercury Cougar-riding cover pose. The mammal metaphors continue with "I'm an Animal," where a coed choir supports the melody with a wordless, hooky refrain. Such songs are still rife with earth tones, perhaps preferring the Southern comfort of roots music to the sparkle of Carl Newman's power pop, but their venture into brighter territory is both assured and tuneful.

Of course, Neko Case already explored the animal world with 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, and Middle Cyclone devotes more time to weather, nature, and the stormy atmospherics of her backup band. There are few voices as hauntingly beautiful as Case's alto, a siren call fashioned from country's might and pop's melody, and she trains those tones over a number of semi-ballads, from the cinematic "Prison Girls" (a country-noir love letter to someone with "long shadows and gunpowder eyes") to the sparse title track. She does a surprise duet with chirping birds during "Polar Nettles" -- a result of the pastoral recording sessions, which took place in a barn -- before offering up a cover of Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth," which very well may be the album's mission statement. There's still room to tackle love from the perspective of different characters -- a man in "Vengeance Is Sleeping," a disbeliever in "The Next Time You Say Forever," a smitten wind vortex in "This Tornado Loves You" -- but nature remains at the forefront ofMiddle Cyclone, whose 14 songs conclude with a half-hour field recording of chirping crickets and frogs. Moody, cinematic, and engaging throughout, Cyclone is another tour de force from Neko Case, if not as immediately arresting as Fox Confessor.

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