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Blue Mitchell - Blues' Blues (1972)


Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, and funk trumpeter, known for many albums recorded as leader and sideman for Riverside, Blue Note and then Mainstream Records.

Mitchell was born and raised in Miami, Florida. He began playing trumpet in high school, where he acquired his nickname, Blue.

After high school he played in the rhythm and blues ensembles of Paul Williams, Earl Bostic, and Chuck Willis. After returning to Miami he was noticed by Cannonball Adderley, with whom he recorded for Riverside Records in New York in 1958.

He then joined the Horace Silver Quintet, playing with tenor saxophonist Junior Cook, bassist Gene Taylor and drummer Roy Brooks. Mitchell stayed with Silver's group until the band's break-up in 1964, after which he formed a group with members from the Silver quintet, substituting the young pianist Chick Corea for Silver and replacing Brooks, who had fallen ill, with drummer Al Foster. This group produced a number of records for Blue Note. It disbanded in 1969, after which Mitchell joined and toured with Ray Charles until 1971.

From 1971 to 1973 Mitchell performed with John Mayall, appearing on Jazz Blues Fusion and subsequent albums. From the mid-70s he recorded and worked as a session man in the genres noted previously, performed with the big band leaders Louie Bellson, Bill Holman and Bill Berry and was principal soloist for Tony Bennett and Lena Horne. Other band leaders Mitchell recorded with include Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Philly Joe Jones, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Johnny Griffin, Al Cohn, Dexter Gordon and Jimmy Smith.

Blue Mitchell kept his hard-bop playing going with the Harold Land quintet up until his death from cancer on May 21, 1979, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 49.

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Old Time Relijun - Songbook Vol. 1 (1997)


Old Time Relijun to jeden z najbardziej interesujących i szalonych zespołów amerykańskiej sceny undergroundowej. Nagrywa dla renomowanej wytwórni niezależnej K Records, która wydała pierwszą płytę Becka, jak również nagrania Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Modest Mouse czy Microphones.

W muzyce Old Time Relijun jest sporo surrealistycznego ducha wczesnego Cpt. Beefhearta (nazwa zespołu pochodzi z tekstu jego piosenki) i jedynej w swoim rodzaju pierwotnej energii, która znajduje ujście na nieprzewidywalnych i świetnych koncertach.

Członkami grupy są Germaine Bacca na perkusji, Aaron Hartman na kontrabasie, Ben Hartman na saksofonach i wokalista Arrington de Dionyso, grający ponadto na gitarze elektrycznej i klarnecie basowym. (lastfm)


This could possibly be the most violent album Old Time Relijun has delivered. It's minimalist in a lot of senses, yet it's complicated as far as the horns go. De Dionyso makes his saxophone slither like a snake waiting to unleash its venom on an unsuspecting victim during "Manticore," whereas on other songs, such as "Fig," the sax sounds like a foul-mouthed bird chirping at passing worms. The multiple personalities of De Dionyso may make this a scary listen or try the patience of those unfamiliar with the band, but they can also appease the appetites of those searching for something besides standard rock. At times, the guitars expand and contract like rubber ("The Red Sea Anenomae"), while the chord progressions border on normalcy at other moments. Although the music is extreme and has some moments of abstract expression, overall, it is also not as experimental as later material like Uterus and Fire. As for the vocals, they are rushed in the way a dying person may speak if trying to tell a dear friend an important story before passing on to the other side. Of course, this music may already act as a preview to what lies beyond, or at least what might lie ahead for the future of music. (Stephen Howell)
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Tomasz Stańko - Music From Taj Mahal and Karla Caves (1980)


Odmienna akustyka to najważniejszy powód, który skłania muzyków do opuszczenia zwykłych koncertowych lokalizacji. Dla akustycznej turystyki artyści – jeśli są wystarczająco szaleni – mogą wiele zaryzykować. Tak jak Tomasz Stańko i Edward Vesala przekupujący lutowej nocy 1980 roku strażników mauzoleum Tadź Mahal, aby wtopić się z porwanymi frazami trąbki w mistykę miejsca obdarzonego kilkunastosekundowym pogłosem. Podobnych wrażeń szukał Stańko także w grotach Karli w stanie Maharashtra (materiał został wydany na trudno dziś dostępnym albumie Music from Taj Mahal and Karla Caves). 


A very rare recording of trumpet solo impressions performed in known for extraordinary acoustics temple Taj Mahal and in Buddhist Karla Caves in India.
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Hans Reichel - Shanghaied on Tor Road (1992)


Known equally as a guitarist and instrument inventor - roles that, in his case, tend to complement one another - Germany's Hans Reichel carved out a quiet niche for himself in the world of European avant-garde improvisation. He stood out among his contemporaries not only due to his unusual guitar-like inventions - which feature frets, pickups, or microphones in non-traditional places - but also due to his actual playing style, which was often surprisingly melodic and folk-like (not to mention good-natured and unpretentious) for someone primarily associated with the avant-garde. On the other hand, he also created some truly bizarre (and most definitely not folk-like) music over the years - for example, his various work with the daxophone, a bowed wooden plank that he invented which emits some almost unbelievably animalistic creaks and groans.

Born in Hagen, Germany in 1949, Reichel grew up playing violin before switching to guitar as he developed an interest in rock & roll during the mid-'60s. His interest in playing music waned toward the end of the '60s as he devoted more time to his other main interests, typesetting and font designing. However, he eventually found his way back into activity in the early '70s and received encouragement from Jost Gebers, producer for the prestigious Berlin-based FMP label. His first release, Wichlinghauser Blues, came out on that label in 1973, making it one of the earlier FMP albums.

Reichel tended to work in smaller settings and recorded a number of solo albums, among them The Death of the Rare Bird Ymir (1979), Bonobo Beach (1981), The Dawn of Dachsman (1987), Coco Bolo Nights (1988), Shanghaied on Tor Road (1992), and Lower Lurum (1994). He also performed duets with a wide range of musicians, including cellist Tom Cora, accordionist/multi-instrumentalist Rüdiger Carl, percussionist Eroc, and guitarists Wädi Gysi, Kazuhisa Uchihashi, and Fred Frith. Additionally, he recorded as part of the September Band with Carl, vocalist Shelley Hirsch, and percussionist Paul Lovens as well as in larger groups led by such diverse figures as conductor Butch Morris and saxophonist Thomas Borgmann.

Most of Reichel's albums were released by FMP and thus not widely distributed, particularly in the United States; other small independent labels to have issued recordings of his include Rastascan, Intakt, and Table of the Elements. Still, while not a household name by any means, Reichel gained some scattered exposure in more mainstream areas over the years: a 1997 issue of Guitar Player magazine named him among the "30 Most Radical Guitarists" in music, and he was also featured on the popular Gravikords, Whirlies and Pyrophones, a 1996 book/CD dedicated to invented instruments released by the Ellipsis Arts imprint. Hans Reichel died in Wuppertal, Germany on November 22, 2011; he was 62 years old. 


Hans Reichel is a sheer delight. Shanghaied on Tor Road is the first attempt by Reichel since he developed the daxophone to use it in a unified context. The pieces here represent not so much a series of daxophone improvisations as they do a daxophone narrative, hence the name operetta. What Reichel has accomplished here is create a series of tonal situations for his daxophone and followed them percussively down the path of the most resistance via a sophisticated -- if humorous -- method of composition, microtonal exploration, and advanced percussive investigation. To say this music is tuneful is an understatement and does it a disservice, to call it funny in the best sense of the word is to do it a disservice, to say that it is innovative misses the point. What Reichel displays on Shanghaied on Tor Road is dax music developed to the highest standards possible at the present. These standards engage Western music and even employ it in places, but they also niche themselves in the context of improvisation, ingenuity, and dangerous creativity. In Reichel's post-guitar universe, melodic invention, harmonic construction, and modal exploration are merely elements for composition. This is a brilliant elucidation of the ideas of the most soulful cat in the entire avant-garde: listen, and be delighted. (amg)
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Pyranha (1972)


Henry Skippy - saxophone
Wy Wyss - guitar
Armand Bucher - organ
Jacques Riccio - drums
Beb Anhas - bass
Christian Scheder - vocals

Very few information about this band. It was formed in Yverdon (Canton of Vaud, Switzerland) in 1972. This is their only album which is quite experimental and funky with a mix of strange sounds. Some tracks are sung in French. The best track is undoubtely the first one called "Clepsydre".

I think this is my last post in this formula - the blog is going private. Goodbye. Ankh

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Giusto Pio - Motore Immobile (1979)


Amazing sounds from the 70s Italian scene! Giusto Pio was a contemporary and colleague of Franco Battiato, and this excellent recording was produced by Battiato, and it's got the same sort of fragile, beautiful, minimal sound that made his classic works so great! The CD contains two long pieces – "Motore Immobile" and "Anata" – both of which are slow modal progressions with a minimum of instrumentation. "Motore Immobile" has organ, violin, and voice; and "Ananta" has only piano and organ. Both pieces are fragile soundscapes, hung together as much by the space between the notes as by the actual playing. (dustygroove)


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Moon Unit - New Sky Dragon (2010)


I can also highly recommend New Sky Dragon by Glasgow’s bassless psychedelic trio Moon Unit, whose two gloriously burning Mithraic meditations each take up an entire side of this their debut LP. Although side one’s “Internal Future’ commences hesitantly and somewhat homage-like with massed sitars, the ensemble soon settle upon a highly useful guitar-heavy course simultaneously re-treading and re-visioning those venerable paths set down long ago by Neu’s Michael Rother, but in a far more violently and rageful manner, as guitarist Ruaraidh Sanachan unleashes every lick in the Wah Wah Canon, confident that Andreas Jönsson’s limited arsenal – a simple Selmer Omnichord from the sound of it – will never allow his screamings to descend into mere Prognosis. However, side two’s side-long epic ‘No Money, No Nothing’ is on an entirely different level of achievement being a stand alone work on the same level as Washington’s dazzling quartet Nudity. Yup, ‘No Money, No Nothing’ may still locate its pleasure centres within the burning Krautrock brain of early Klaus Schulze-period Ash Ra Tempel and Gunter Schickert/Axel Struck’s colossal (and colossally unappreciated) GAM, but Moon Unit herein locate the very Ur-hearth of their Muse, and dance - all three of them – like desperate shamen trying to prevent the sunset. (headheritage)
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Custom Trio & Andrzej Przybielski - Free Bop (2000)


This is probably the best album recorded by the recently deceased Polish trumpet virtuoso / composer Andrzej Przybielski, who remains largely unknown to most Jazz aficionados even in his native country. An eccentric and outsider, Przybielski was blessed with an incredible talent, which unfortunately was recognized only by very few connoisseurs. This studio recording, obviously well planned and relaxed, allows the great trumpeter to relax fully and play his heart out to the fullest, accompanied by excellent musicians worthy of his company, which are called Custom Trio. The trio consists of saxophonist Krzysztof Kapel and the Oles Brothers: bassist Marcin Oles and drummer Bartlomiej Brat Oles – Poland´s Free Jazz most notable rhythm section. Together as a quartet they perform nine original compositions, five of which were composed by Przybielski and the remaining four by B.B. Oles. The performances are absolutely stellar and the album is one of the best Polish (and definitely not only Polish) Jazz albums ever recorded. As much as that sounds overblown, if you can listen to this music, you´ll be instantly convinced. Any other player placed opposite (or side by side) a genius like Przybielski is in a great danger of appearing pale. Luckily Kapel is capably to blow like only a few can, matching everything that Przybielski plays with a vengeance. This is simply unbelievable music, which stands easily opposite such legendary sessions as the early Ornette Coleman with Don Cherry. In short this is essential Jazz, which can only be played by a very small group of exceptionally gifted players, which is definitely the case here. Brilliant! (adambaruch)

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The Churchill Downs (1967-1968)


1968 Hollywood, USA. The Churchill Downs recorded 16 great tracks at the studio from famous producer Gary S. Paxton. The band was very young at the time but the musical output was on the highest level you can imagine with a damn good production. How can a band like this not become famous is a mystery. Fantastic compositions, great multi vocal singing, strong guitars, organ, drums, bass, effects, everything you desire to get catchy Underground songs with tons of great ideas in it to make those songs unique and out of bounce and not middle of the road. It is just what we love about the productions of Phil Spector and Andrew Loog Oldham. The Churchill Downs are one of the best US unknown albums among Beauregard Ajax and Public Nuisance. With Don Adey on guitar & vocals, Gary Dalton Stovall guitar & vocals, Dirk Acree bass & vocals, Mick Newton keyboards & vocals, Al Stigler & Fred Darling on drums. If we could go back in time, lets say 40+ years and release this album in 1968 we would have been rich. Why this album was never been pressed is still a mystery. So for the first time ever those great songs made it onto vinyl. We love it.

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Don Sugarcane Harris - Sugarcane's Got The Blues (1972)


Robert Wyatt - drums
Neville Whitehead - bass
Terje Rypdal / Volker Kriegel - guitar
Wolfgang Dauner - keyboards
Don 'Sugar Cane' Harris - violin, vocal

To wielki wstyd, że taki Artysta jak Don 'Sugarcane' Harris pozostaje właściwie nieznany szerszej publiczności. Był prawdziwie wybitną indywidualnością muzyczną. Jego fenomenalne partie solowe na skrzypacach stanowiły zasadniczą część paru albumów Franka Zappy - chociażby płyty 'Hot Rats'. Moim zdaniem, najlepszy skrzypek bluesowo-rockowy, ze znakomitym, charakterystycznym, "zadziornym" brzmieniem. Po prostu trzeba poznać!!! Warto sięgnąc także po solowe nagrania. Nie są łatwo dostępne, ale wysiłek naprawdę się opłaca! --- Maciej Chojnowski

Oto kolejny przykład prawdziwej osobowości muzycznej, o której mało kto wie. Wystarczy posłuchać beatlesowskiego hitu \"Eleanor Rigby\" w wykonaniu Harrisa z Jego solowej płyty \"FIDDLER ON THE ROCK\" aby się przekonać o ponapprzeciętnym talencie i warsztacie tego artysty. W porównaniu z Sugarcanem oryginał wypada blado. O nagraniach z Frankiem Zappą (Willie The Pimp, Gumbo Variations i innych z płyty Hot Rats) mogę mówić tylko w samych superlatywach. On i Zbigniew Seifert to prawdziwi mistrzowie skrzypiec, chociaż klimat Ich muzyki różnił się. W przypadku Seiferta w trzydziestą rocznicę śmierci Jego twórczość została przypomniana za sprawą filmu dokumentalnego pt. \"Passion\" stworzonego w Ameryce jak również płyty \"Tribute To Zbigniew Seifert\" nagranej przez Jarosława Śmietanę i innych znakomitych muzyków. Aż się prosi żeby chociaż w ten sposób uczcić pamięć Tego wspaniałego skrzypka, który za życia nie doczekał się należytego szacunku, na który niewątpliwie zasłużył. --- Marcin Perliński

(źródło)



Don Francis Bowman Harris (June 18, 1938 – November 27, 1999), known as Don "Sugarcane" Harris, was an American rock and roll violinist and guitarist.

Harris was born and raised in Pasadena, California and started an act called Don and Dewey with his childhood friend Dewey Terry in the mid 1950s. Although they were recorded by Art Rupe on his Specialty label, mostly utilizing the services of legendary drummer Earl Palmer, Don and Dewey didn't have any hits. However, Harris and Terry co-authored such early rock and roll classics as "Farmer John", "Justine", "I'm Leaving It Up to You", and "Big Boy Pete," all of which became hits for other artists.

Harris was given the nickname "Sugarcane" by bandleader Johnny Otis and it was to remain with him throughout his life.After separating from Dewey Terry in the 1960s, Harris moved almost exclusively over to the electric violin. He was to reappear as a sideman with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and Frank Zappa, most recognized for his appearances on Hot Rats, and on the Mothers of Invention albums Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh. His lead vocal and blues violin solo on a cover of Little Richard's "Directly From My Heart to You" on Weasels, and his extended solo on the lengthy "Little House I Used To Live In" on Weeny are considered highlights of those albums. Reportedly, he was rescued from a jail term by Zappa. Zappa had long admired Harris's playing and bailed him out of prison, resurrecting his career and ushering in a long period of creativity for the forgotten violin virtuoso. He played a couple of live concerts with Zappa's band in 1969.

During the early 1970s, Sugarcane fronted the Pure Food and Drug Act which included drummer Paul Lagos, guitarists Harvey Mandel and Randy Resnick, and bassist Victor Conte, who was the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO). Conte replaced Larry Taylor who was the original bass player. His first solo album (with back cover art by underground poster artist Rick Griffin) is a forgotten masterpiece of blues, jazz, classical and funk compositions, and his 1973 live album Sugarcane's Got The Blues, recorded at the Berlin Jazz Festival show an accomplished musician at the top of his game.

In the 1980s, Sugarcane was a member of the Los Angeles-based experimental rock band Tupelo Chain Sex.Harris died on November 27, 1999 in Los Angeles, California.
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Ivar Avenue Reunion (1970)


Lynn Carey -vocals
Barry Goldberg -Organ and Piano
Charlie Musselwhite -Harmonica
Neil Merryweather -Bass
John Richardson -Guitar
J.J. Velker -Organ

Ivar Avenue Reunion was a kind of a supergroup formed by Neil Merryweather, Lynn Carey (ex C.K. Strong), Barry Goldberg and Charlie Musselwhite. Excellent combination of blues rock and heavier rock with the exceptional voice of Lynn Carey.

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Michael Yonkers With The Blind Shake - Carbohydrates Hydrocarbons (2007)


It took decades for psychedelic noise godfather Michael Yonkers' 1968 debut recording, Microminiature Love, to find any kind of commercial release, but as soon a 2002 reissue on Sub Pop made the rounds, the reaction was strong enough to kickstart his long dormant career. He was soon back to playing gigs and releasing new albums, and 2007's Carbohydrate Hydrocarbons found Yonkers collaborating with Minneapolis punks the Blind Shake. Backed ably by the punk trio, Yonkers runs through a series of apocalyptic visions on 14 short songs crafted in his cult-leaning proto-noise style, incorporating both psychedelic riffage and modified electronics into the dark selections. (amg)
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Hera - Where My Complete Beloved Is (2011)


Muzyka Hery to połączenie free jazzu oraz folkloru w duchu Dona Cherry'ego, w duchu propagowanej przez niego idei tworzenia Muzyki Świata łączącej ze sobą różnorodne tradycje muzykowania, bez snobistycznego podziału na sztukę wysoką i niską. Takie podejście wśród muzyków sprawia tworzenie się jakościowo nowej tradycji, wolnej od tego sztucznego gorsetu. Dzięki free jazzowej improwizacji muzyka Hery nie popada w rutynę. Przyciąga uwagę oryginalnymi rozwiązaniami strukturalnymi i stylistycznymi, wzbogacona jest w interesujące preparacje instrumentów, na przykład Ksawerego Wójcińskiego na kontrabasie. W porównaniu z pierwszą płytą Hery, w projekcie "Where My Complete Beloved Is" więcej jest ludowego pierwiastka sprawiającego, że muzyka ta jest pogodna i radosna, a co ciekawsze przejścia pomiędzy poszczególnymi partiami kompozycji różniącymi się od siebie w sposób diametralny, wynikają z siebie nawzajem.

Choćby w pierwszym utworze część wolna, stopniowo przechodzi we fragment o konkretnej podstawie rytmicznej, a następnie osiąga kulminację, przypominającą te z ostatniego projektu "Undivided" - "Moves Between Clouds. Live in Warsaw", stanowiące charakterystyczną cechę twórczości kompozytorskiej lidera zespołu Wacława Zimpla. Wspomniana część wolna, rozpoczynająca każdą z kompozycji stanowi delikatnie pulsujące brzmieniowe tło, wykorzystywane jako harmoniczna podstawa dla całości utworu. W "In that place there is no happiness or unhappines" wyeksponowane jest brzmienie harmonium, którego dźwięk powstaje w efekcie tłoczenia powietrza przez ręcznie poruszany miech, który to instrument używany był, jako zamiennik organów w małych kościołach. "No truth or untruth" inicjuje głęboki i niski odgłos góralskiej trombity, na której gra saksofonista tenorowy Paweł Postaremczak, z którym w dialog wchodzi Wacław Zimpel grający na słowackim flecie alikwotowym, a całość wzbogacona jest przestrzenną grą perkusisty Pawła Szpury. W "Neither sin or virtue" funkcję sonorystyczną pełni pochodząca z Azji Południowej, tampura - gatunek lutni, na której Sara Kałużna dzięki miękkiej artykulacji wydobywa hipnotyzujące metaliczne, trochę chropowate dźwięki. "There is no day or night, no moon or sun" od pozostałych utworów odróżnia wokal ludowej pieśniarki Maniuchy Bikont. Śpiew urzekający czystością wyrazu pozbawioną teatralności oraz zbędnego udramatyzowania tekstu, którą to siłę wyrazu potęguje sugestywny akompaniament Hery.

Taki sposób wykorzystania instrumentów ludowych pełni bardzo istotną funkcję. Posiada charakter konceptualny, ponieważ stwarza sferę medytacji, sferę sacrum, która sprawia, że odbiorca płynie razem z dźwiękiem, rozpływa się w nim, po prostu przenosi się w magiczny wymiar, gdzie percypuje niesamowicie ekspresyjne i piękne improwizacje czterech muzyków.

Nowa płyta Hery wzrusza nie tylko muzyką, ale również tytułami kompozycji, które w całości stanowią jakże piękny w swej prostocie wiersz miłosny:

"Where My Complete Beloved Is
In that place there is no happiness or unhappines
No truth or untruth
Neither sin or virtue
There is no day or night, no moon or sun."

Dla kontrastu i zapewne ku zaskoczeniu czytelnika przywołam osobliwe zdarzenie, jakiego ostatnio byłam świadkiem, mianowicie przypadkowo znalazłam się w środku sesji fotograficznej pary świeżo upieczonych nowożeńców, która nagle zaczęła biec w moją stronę. Okazało się, że metr dalej leży na ziemi fotograf, a para na szczęście biegła nie na mnie, lecz w stronę obiektywu. Muszę dodać, że dla dobrego ujęcia i mojej uciechy scena "romantycznego biegu z rozwianym włosem" została powtórzona kilkakrotnie. Ta iście hollywoodzka aranżacja uświadomiła mi, że temat miłości został współcześnie całkowicie strywializowany.

Swoistą ulgę przynosi fakt, że temat miłości w interpretacji kwartetu Hera nie ma nic wspólnego z zalewem wystylizowanego romantyzmu rozplenionego jak zaraza w dzisiejszej kulturze, nawet więcej, nie tylko nie ma nic wspólnego, ale stanowi na nią antidotum. (Kasia Misiaczyk)


It may be symbolic that the albums of the innovative Polish ensemble Hera are released by the label Multikulti. After all, the label's name follows Don Cherry's all-embracing vision of a new world music, a vision where distant and foreign traditions enrich each other, artificial genre distinctions and geographical boundaries are blurred, and stereotypical divisions between high and low, and ancient and modern art are unknown. Headed by composer and reed player Wacław Zimpel, Hera takes Cherry's concept even further on Where My Complete Beloved Is, the band's sophomore release.

The four compositions, all titled after the poem of the mystic Indian poet Kabir, "Abode of the Beloved," emphasize folk elements with their unique use of folk instruments. However, these motives are woven within rich and colorful textures that reference jazz and contemporary music in its most spiritual and free articulations.

The first piece, "In that place there is no happiness or unhappines," is composed by Zimpel, who plays the harmonium here. He employs the instrument in a manner similar to its use in the South Asian devotional Sufi music, Qawwali, setting a peaceful, hypnotic pulse as in the ensembles of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. There are also similarities in pianist Myra Melford drone use of the harmonium. Bassist Robert Kusiolek / Anton Sjarov / Ksawery Wojcinski / Klaus Kugel and tenor saxophonist Paweł Posteremczak thicken this irresistible, meditative groove with passionate playing.

The ensemble-composed "No truth or untruth" features Zimpel on Slovakian overtone flute and Posteremczak on the trembita, a wooden Ukrainian alpine horn. They dance around imaginative, spare, shamanistic drumming by Paweł Szpura. This folksy dance evolves beautifully when bassist Wójciński joins, solidifying its mesmerizing spiritual rhythm. "Neither sin or virtue," with a hypnotic drone from Sara Kałużna's tempura, evokes the spiritual jazz suites of Alice Coltrane, but this ensemble-composed theme sounds much more elementary. Slowly, it gains more facets. Ceremonial percussive rattling and poetic bowing on the bass gel into a mesmerizing pulse. Zimpel and Posteremczak (on clarinet and soprano sax, respectively) join and improvise on the arresting, gentle dance, mirroring each other's repetitive gestures. The pulse gains more intensity and power until its cathartic release.

Where My Complete Beloved Is concludes with a traditional Russian folk song, "There is no day or night, no moon or sun," sung majestically by Maniucha Bikont. Zimpel's accompaniment on the harmonium, along with Posteremczak on the tarogato, suggests authentic, exotic, Eastern European sounds. Hera's magical sound world offers a unique way to experience music. Their music resonates with myriad cultures, deep feelings and expressive improvised playing. (allaboutjazz)
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Alexander's Timeless Bloozband (1967)


Alexander’s Timeless Bloozband formed in 1967 in San Diego, CA.

"This Californian quintet gigged alongside many of the biggest names of the late 60s, including the Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield and Canned Heat, but made little commercial impression themselves"

"They released a couple of LPs that featured a basic blues style with a strong psychedelic influence on many of the tracks. It's worth pointing out a number of songs featured a typical pop-psychedelic orchestration style of the day."
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Bardo Pond & Tom Carter - 4/23/03 (2004).


Though age, other projects, and lineup changes have varied the landscape ever so slightly, for the past two decades Philadelphia’s Bardo Pond have been one of the preeminent names in American psychedelic music. Officially formed in 1992, as of 2001 Bardo Pond has consisted of guitarists Mike and John Gibbons, bassist Clint Takeda, drummer Jason Kokournis, and Isobel Sollenberger on flute, violin, and voice. Their work ranges from sparse, airy drone-rock to pounding, nearly anthemic spooge, and they’ve also collaborated with a number of like-minded heads including Roy Montgomery (Hash Jar Tempo) and Fursaxa. Recently they’ve waxed recordings for Important and Fire Records, and their live presence around the Northeast remains surely in place.

In April 2003, guitarist Tom Carter (Charlambides, Spiderwebs) was visiting Philly and set up a pair of sessions with Bardo Pond. The live and studio results were captured on 4/23/03, one of the earlier releases on American rural/psych imprint Three Lobed. In fact, the label actually took off with Bardo’s music by releasing Slab in 2000 (now long out of print), so it’s fitting that a dozen years later Three Lobed has reissued 4/23/03 as a double LP with an extra track from the date, as well as another hour’s worth of live material (on an included CD) from two days later. Sometimes it’s difficult to figure out exactly where the band ends and Carter’s playing begins, and that’s certainly a fine result – one storied musician’s total integration into the environment.


As one who has only witnessed the group at their loudest and most cutting, this set is an entirely different proposition, with the three guitarists exploring sinewy interlocking textures across a bed of indeterminate hiss on the second movement, while the opener finds its legs extraordinarily quickly once Kokournis sets up a dry, fluid, and bobbing tempo. Electric violin threads through a rather elegantly layered tangle, and while the music rolls along at a fairly nodded-out pace, it’s easy to miss the level of interaction and intensity between the six musicians. Sollenberger’s reverb-drenched voice and flute wander in and out of a tense, skittering ensemble on the third piece, building organically to a series of toothy false crescendos. On the face of it, this 20-minute improvisation might not seem like something one couldn’t get elsewhere, done “right” there’s no doubt that Bardo Pond can bring it. While at first the live set might seem like more of the same – indeed, Bardo Pond often harp on related principles – patience brings realization, as even with middling fidelity and barroom noise on the central 43-minute jam, open eyes will discern a varied plain. If you’re looking for a place to test the waters, this extensive LP/CD set is a great place to start, and it consists of the band’s most engaging work. (tinymixtapes)
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New Age Travellers - cyganie XXI wieku


New Age Travellers to ruch, który nawiązuje do kultury i przekonań New Age, Hippisów, Romów i Cyganów. Żyją zwykle w komunach. Podróżują od festiwalu do festiwalu, od jarmarku do jarmarku gdzie spotykają ludzi o podobnych poglądach. Ich domy to równocześnie środek transportu - samochody dostawcze, ciężarowki, autobusy i przyczepy kempingowe - przystosowane do życia w ciągu całego roku. Korzystają też  z prowizorycznych namiotów, tipi i jurt. Rozkwit ruchu "New Age" Travellers nastapił w Wielkiej Brytanii na w latach 80-tych i 90-tych. Travellersi pojawili się też w innych krajach np. w Nowej Zelandii.


Ruch powstał spontanicznie w latach 70-tych w Wielkiej Brytanii w czasie wolnych festiwali jak Windsor free Festival, pierwszych w Glastonbury i ogromnym festiwalu w Stonehenge. Późniejsze wydarzenia objęły wielki Castlemorton Common Festival - zorganiozwany bez żadnych zezwoleń, który przyciągnął zainteresowanie mediów oraz oczywiście polityków. Punktem zwrotnym w historii ruchu był rok 1992 podczas tego właśnie festiwalu. Doszło do zamieszek, które doprowadziły do wprowadzenia poprawek w prawie karnym i przyznania większych uprawnień policji i lokalnym władzom, aby zapobiec tego typu imprezom w przyszłości. Poprawki te zawierają m.in. przepisy w sprawie nielegalnego rozbijania obozowisk, organizowania tzw. squattingu, czyli zajmowania opuszczonych budynków, który znacznie utrudnił zycie Travellersom i wielu z nich wyjechało z Wielkiej Brytanii decydując się na przeniesienie do Irlandii, Europy, ale przede wszystkim do Hiszpanii.

Delany family
(photos by Iain McKell, published by Prestel Publishing)
Jednak tysiące z nich żyją nadal w Wielkiej Brytanii hołdując swojemu stylowi życia. Od 2010 roku znani są w skrócie jako Travellersi (Podróznicy). Niewielu, prowadzi osiadły tryb życia w enklawach zarezerwowanych dotychczas dla mniejszości jak np. Cyganów zwłaszcza w Walii i południowo-zachodniej Anglii. W Londynie Travellersi zatrzymują się w nieczynnych fabrykach czy magazynach, co powoduje niesnaski pomiędzy nimi a squattersami ponieważ zajmują miejsca przyleagające do okupowanych przez nich budynków. Typowe "osiedle" Travellersów liczy od 5 do 30 pojazdów, w tym przyczep, naczep, autobusów, vanów etc. Większość Travellersów w Wielkiej Brytanii to Brytyjczycy, ale jest też duża liczba "kontynentalnych" Podróżników. Wiele osiedli jest eksmitowanych pod pretekstem braku dostępu do podstawowych usług takich jak ochrona zdrowia, opieka stomatologiczna, wywózka śmieci, korzyści i edukację dla dzieci może być problematyczne. Wiele rodzin Travellersów prowadzi nauczanie domowe dla swoich dzieci.

Corina and Anarchy Rose
(photos by Iain McKell, published by Prestel Publishing)
Wiele rodzin Travellersów żyje w ten sposób już 3-4 pokolenie. Utrzymują się na łasce państwa lub z pracy sezonowej - pracują w gospodarstwach rolnych, na budowach, w fabrykach i pubach. Niektórzy zakładją jednoosobowe firmy pracująca w takich zawodach jak mechanik, elektryk czy hydraulik - albo też zarabiają sprzedając złom lub organizując stoiska z różnymi produktami np. rękodziełem - sprzedaż odbywa się oczywiście w samochodach lub w bagażnikach. Festiwale organizowane w okresie letnim są również dobrą okazją dla Travellersów aby zarobić. Swoje wymagania ograniczyli do minimum np. zbierając wyrzuacaną przez supermarkety zywność, ale rozwinęli Wysoki poziom wzajemnej pomocy, opiekę nad dziećmi i inne nie popularne w komercyjnym społeczeństwie wartości.

Dave
(photos by Iain McKell, published by Prestel Publishing)
New Age Travelers are persons who often espouse (New Age / hippie / Romani / Gypsy) beliefs, and travel between music festivals and fairs, in order to live in a community with others who hold similar beliefs. Their transport and homes consist of vans, lorries, buses, cars, and caravans converted into mobile homes. They also make use of improvised bender tents, tipis and yurts. 'New Age' travelers largely originated in 1980s and early 1990s Britain. As of 17 January 2013, a small number continue to travel in the country, and cultural groupings with similar composition have also manifested themselves in other countries, such as New Zealand.



The movement originated in the free festivals of the 1970s such as the Windsor Free Festival, the early Glastonbury Festivals, Elephant Fayres, and the huge Stonehenge Free Festivals in Great Britain. However there were longstanding precedents for travelling cultures in Great Britain, including travelling pilgrims, itinerant journeymen and traders, as well as Romany peoples and others. Later events included the Castlemorton Common Festival, a huge free and unlicensed event which attracted widespread media coverage and prompted government action. Some legal festivals, such as WOMAD, continue to take place in a variety of countries, including the UK.

(photos by Iain McKell, published by Prestel Publishing)
Many people see the Castlemorton Common Festival in 1992, a week-long festival that attracted up to 30,000 travellers and ravers, as a significant turning point for New Age Travellers in Britain, as it directly resulted in the government granting new powers to police and local authorities under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to prevent such events in the future. The Criminal Justice Act included sections against disruptive trespass, squatting and unauthorised camping which made life increasingly difficult for travellers, and many left Britain for Ireland and mainland Europe, particularly Spain.

However, thousands of people still live a traveller lifestyle in Britain. As of 2010 they are normally known simply as Travellers. Few, if any, travellers live on the local authority sites reserved for Gypsies, Scottish Gypsies/Travellers and Irish Travellers, so instead stay on unauthorised sites throughout the countryside, particularly in Wales and the south-west of England, and in urban areas. London hosts a large number of traveller sites in places such as disused factory or warehouse yards, and there is often a crossover between travellers and squatters, with travellers parking up in yards attached to squatted buildings. Typical traveller sites might have anywhere from 5 to 30 vehicles on them, including trailers and caravans as well as buses, vans and horseboxes converted to live in. Although most Travellers in Britain are British, large numbers of Continental Europeans also "travel" in the UK.

(photos by Iain McKell, published by Prestel Publishing)
As unauthorised sites are evicted and travellers moved on frequently, accessing basic services such as health and dental care, refuse collection, benefits, and education for children can be problematic. Many traveller families home-school their children.

Although travelers have only taken to the road since the 1960s, as of 2010 many traveller families have reached their third or fourth generation. Despite widespread popular assumptions about travelers living on state handouts, many do seasonal or temporary work, on farms and building sites or in factories and pubs for example. Others work as self-employed mechanics, electricians and plumbers, or make money selling scrap, or running stalls at markets and car boot sales. Festivals during the summer also present many opportunities for travelers to make money through offering entertainment, services and goods to festival goers. A high level of mutual aid, the sharing of childcare and vehicle maintenance and "skipping" (collecting food from local supermarket skips) within communities allow travelers to live on very low incomes.

The Traveler and Free Party scenes often have close links, and many travellers run or are involved with the sound systems of raves and squat parties.

(photos by Iain McKell, published by Prestel Publishing)
Source
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The Necks - Chemist (2006)


The Necks to eksperymentalne jazzowe trio z Sydney, w Australii, składające się z Chrisa Abrahamsa (pianino, organy Hammonda), Tony`ego Bucka (perkusja) oraz Llyoda Swantona (kontrabas, gitara basowa). Muzycy adaptują minimalistyczne, krautrockowe i ambientowe procedury w jazzie tworząc często ponad godzinne utwory oparte na „rozciągłym, wibrującym polu natężeń, którego rozwój nie jest zorientowany na jakąkolwiek kulminację czy zewnętrzny koniec”. (lastfm)


The Necks are one of the great cult bands of Australia. Chris Abrahams (piano), Tony Buck (drums) and Lloyd Swanton (bass) conjure a chemistry together that defies description in orthodox terms. These three musicians are among the most respected and in-demand in Australia, working in every field from pop to avant-garde. Over 200 albums feature their presence individually or together, but the music of The Necks stands apart from everything else they have done. It features lengthy pieces that slowly unravel in the most intoxicating fashion, frequently underpinned by an insistent deep groove. Not entirely avant-garde, nor minimalist, nor ambient, nor jazz, the music of The Necks is unique in the world today. (unsound)
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American Blues - Do Their Thing (1969)


Rocky Hill - guitar
Dusty Hill - bass
Richard Harris - drums
Frank Beard - drums

American Blues were a 1960s Texas-based garage band who played a psychedelic style of blues rock music influenced by the 13th Floor Elevators. They are most famous for including two future members of the band ZZ Top in their ranks, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard.

From 1966 to 1968, they played the Dallas-Fort Worth-Houston circuit and headlined in three clubs all called "The Cellar", in Dallas at clubs such as "The Walrus" on Mockingbird Lane, and in Houston at "Love Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine" on Allen's Landing, as late as 1968.

Around 1968 the band (the two Hill brothers and Beard) decided to leave the Dallas–Fort Worth area, relocating to Houston. At this time, however, guitarist Rocky Hill wanted to focus on "straight blues", while his brother Dusty wanted the band to rock more. Rocky left the band, and was soon replaced by Billy Gibbons, of Houston psychedelic-rockers Moving Sidewalks, becoming the band ZZ Top.

Rocky Hill continued to tour around Texas, and elsewhere, becoming one of a number of guitarists well-known within the state for their blues guitar prowess, such as Rocky Athis and Charlie Sexton. In this role, his playing in Austin was said [by whom?] to have been an influence on guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan's formative years, as well. He sometimes referred to himself as "The Anti-Clapton", and one writer with the Houston Press called Rocky "perhaps the wildest and scariest -- both onstage and off -- of all the Texas white-boy blues guitarists."



Released by MCA's Uni subsidiary, 1969's "The American Blues Do Their Thing" was a major improvement. Self-produced, the collection found the band opting for a major change in direction. Written by the Hills, material such as the lead-off "You Were So Close To Me", "Captain Fire" and "Just Plain Jane" found the band attempting to capitalize on San Francisco-styled psychedelics. Elsewhere, the collection found the group mining a more conventional rock format; "Wonder Man" and "Shady" reflecting a distinctive Cream-influence, while the blazing "Comin' Back Home" (complete with Beard and Rocky Hill meltdown solos) offered up a nice Hendrix imitation. Sure, it was largely derivative, but that didn't lessen the enjoyment factor. A commercial failure, Uni promptly dropped the band. (On a personal note, we've always wondered about the discrepancy between the front and back covers showing a trio and the liner notes listing four members.) Beard promptly left to join the newly formed ZZ Top, quickly recruiting Dusty as bassist.
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VA - The World Needs Changing. Street Funk & Jazz Grooves 1967-1976 (2013)


The world needs changing? Well, we’re pretty sure it already has, and one of those changes is that we’re not quite as likely to release a various artists compilation on BGP as we used to. In-depth looks at some of our favourite artists are more the order of the day.

Fortunately for those of you who like multi-artist collections, we’re sending a couple your way in the next two months, starting off with this wonderful look at black American music from the late 60s to the mid-1970s – basically from the start of funk to the rise of disco.

The music within brings together a cross section of great sounds that would grace – and in many cases already have – any DJ’s record box. Take Little Eva, whose medley of ‘Get Ready / Uptight’ was championed by Eddie Piller at Snowboy’s Goodfoot Night at Madam Jo Jo’s and is now a clubland staple. Willard Posey’s medley was a big Keb Darge spin at the same venue a decade earlier, whilst Esther Marrow’s wondrous vocal version of ‘Walk Tall’ has for a long time been one of my DJ secret weapons.

Some of our tunes haven’t really made it onto club playlists as they are too rare or simply unreleased. Hank Jacobs and Don Malone provide our title track, for many years an unheard release on the Call Me label. Huck Daniels’ creations are rarer than hen’s teeth, while Tina Bryant and George Jackson give us two previously unreleased cuts recorded at Fame’s short-lived Memphis-based studio. Elaine Armstrong, with the forceful ‘That’s The Way It Goes’, and Melvin Sparks conclude the tunes you will never have heard before.

There is some great funky soul from Cesar 830, Gil Scott-Heron and Darrow Fletcher with ‘Now Is The Time For Love’, one of his most underrated numbers. Lonnie Liston Smith’s ‘Expansions’ is well-known, but how often do you get to hear the crisp and succinct 7-inch version? Lonnie’s label Flying Dutchman tried to repeat his success with others and one of the best attempts, Brenda Jones and Groove Holmes’ ‘This Is The Me Me (Not The You You)’, is included here.

We’ve also got some fantastic instrumentals – or almost instrumentals – from jazz saxophonist Harold Alexander, Joe Savage and the Soul People and Funk Brother Johnny Griffith. Alexander’s break-beat heavy ‘Mama Soul’ is an explosive groove topped by some vibrant flute playing. Producer Bob Thiele’s group Emergency open things up with the filmic ‘Head Start’.

I’d like to say it’s all housed in the best sleeve we’ve done for a while, but that would be to do a disservice to our other recent releases, so let’s just say that this is just as good. I think you’ll be glad to have a new BGP comp in your home.--- Dean Rudland
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Pierre Raph - Jeunes Filles Impudiques [OST] (1973)


This long-lost Parisian skin flick ‘Jeunes Filles Impudiques’ (AKA Schoolgirl Hitchhikers) marks a particularly vulnerable period in the career of one of the most underrated and misunderstood directors to emerge from the rising smoke of the 1968 Parisian social explosion.

From a director with early links with the Paris underground, The Letterists, The surrealists, improv theatre and the free-press comes the reclaimed audio tracks from one of his rarest celluloid moments – but lets not confuse this for high-art. Finders Keepers make no bones, this is Jean Rollin’s maiden voyage into adult entertainment, dIrected under the pseudonym of Miche Gentil with a flimsy plot, questionable acting skills and an awesome little schizophrenic soundtrack.

The Brutus Drums percussion workout, the acidic folk pastoral movements, the Cul-De-Sac-esque jazz theme and the UK library sound-alike tile-tune all make up this 5 track veritable banquet of Gallic sleaze and second-class sound providing fans of cult cinema and b-music with an unexpected glimpse into the No-No generation at its most candid.



The interests of good taste have ensured that this long-lost movie has been buried for some 40 odd years with a musical score bursting to jump out of the can and down your tone arm which has now been made possible by a recently renovated negative print and new source material. These original Pierre-Raph (of ‘Requiem For A Vampire’ infamy) compositions from the publishing Library of Paris’ Musicale Editions Dellamarre (of Acanthus / Unity fame) come straight from Rollin himself as an introduction to Finders Keepers’ new Rollinade series documenting some of the finest musical moments of the director’s career as an avant-gardener, counter-culture vulture and Gallic vamp-tramp all housed in their original hand-painted promotional artwork for the first time ever on vinyl. (source)
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Mecki Mark Men - Running in the Summer Night (1969)


Lead by keyboardist and vocalist Mecki Bodemark, MECKI MARK MEN are considered one of the first big Swedish psychedlic acts. They released an eponymous album in 1968 but soon after, Bodemark went his own way and teemed up with a threesome called the BABY GRANDMOTHERS to form MECKI MARK MEN. In 1968, they were the supporting act for FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION at Stockholm's Concert House, as well as for JIMI HENDRIX during his Swedish tour. In 1969, they released a second album called "Running in the Summer Night", made TV appearances and were part of the Swedish cast of the popular musical "Hair".

The following year, they went on a U.S. tour and played at rock festivals headlining The BYRDS, SLY & THE FAMILY STONE and JETHRO TULL among others. However, the tour ended up in chaos. They had stayed there for 3 months yet their visas were only valid for 6 weeks; they were also stuck in a hotel room they couldn't afford. So they made a deal with their manager, returned home and paid their debts by recording a third album ("Marathon"). They then broke up, with most of the cast soon resurfacing as KEBNEKAISE. They released a fourth album in 1979 under their original name, where Mecki Bodemark features as the only original member.

Typical of 60's psych and R&B, their music resembles that of JIMI HENDRIX, IRON BUTTERFLY and VANILLA FUDGE: trippy, brain melting distorted lead guitar with plenty of fuzz and wah-wah, and lots of wasted, stoned out vocals from Bodemark who, btw, does the same things with his formidable Hammond organ as Hendrix with his guitar. Their better release is perhaps "Running in the Summer Night", an album of heavy acid space rock where everyone is at his best, particularly Bodemark and guitar wizard Kenny Häkansson. (source)



What an awful album!!! If it weren't for a guitar player who knows how to play at least one scale properly this wouldn't even merit one star! There is nothing on this album but a ton of post Vanilla Fudge pseudo psychedelic noise and I love psychedelic music! Mecki Bodemark's horrid imitation of Jimi Hendrix is so lame that I place him and Yngwie Malmsteen together as the worst insult to Swedish music ever created, only Mecki does all the damage with his two note organ riffs and suffocating voice that fails at being a super sexy Hendrix and sounds more like a croak and a groan than sexy. Don't ask me what songs are worse than others, the problem here is there are no songs. From track 1 on this is nothing but sludge. You'd think a producer could salvage something out of this slag heap, but no such luck. I mean, this is so bad that it is an insult to the listener and I got rid of my copy as fast as I could. I also suffered a headache for two days after playing this. Don't get the wrong idea, I played this album a bunch of times before deciding on my harsh words and harsh thoughts about the album, but you can only give something a fair chance before you realize you are being tricked by what it not even music! From the awful beginning of "Sweet Swede Girls" things just get more and more obnoxious until you either are laughing hysterically or are taking the needle off with a sick feeling in your stomach. I DO give credit to the guitar player in this band, he plays a couple nice solos here and there, so don't blame him for how bad this sounds. The rhythm section sound non existant here, there's nothing for them to play in terms of tight rhythms because everything is formless. If you want loud in your face mind bending music you can do better than this and find something more substantial in a Hendrix record or try to find the excellent album Stormvarning by fellow Swedes Storm which is sung in Swedish, but that's much preferable to here where the lyrics don't make any sense and the vocals are so accented he might as well not sing in English. Don't waste your money or your time here, because there's nothing that even qualifies as music. If you're a Desperate collector or fan, this is for you only, only don't be a fool like me and buy the album, buy the CD instead! (source)
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The Tangerine Zoo (1968)


Boston psychedelic band the Tangerine Zoo formed in 1967 in nearby Swansea, MA. Guitarist Robert "Benny" Benevides, bassist Tony Taveira, and drummer Donald Smith first collaborated in the Ebb Tides, which the previous year issued "My Baby's Gone" on the Arco label. With the additions of singer/guitarist Wayne Gagnon and keyboardist Ronald Medeiros, the group renamed itself the Flower Pot, abandoning the Ebb Tides' garage rock sound in favor of a more psychedelic approach. In addition to serving as the house band at the local Venus de Milo restaurant, the band also opened for the likes of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Van Morrison, and Deep Purple. Their growing popularity was buoyed by a large fan base in Boston, and in late 1967 signed with the New York City-based Mainstream label. While recording their debut LP, label execs demanded another name change, fearing backlash from the obvious marijuana reference in the Flower Pot moniker; after setting on the Tangerine Zoo, the group released its self-titled debut in early 1968. Taveira exited the lineup prior to recording the follow-up, Outside Looking In. In mid-1969, the Tangerine Zoo was invited to play the Woodstock festival, but were forced to decline due to prior commitments. The band dissolved in 1970, with Gagnon soon resurfacing in Wadsworth Mansion, which scored a Billboard Top Ten hit with 1971's "Sweet Mary." The original Tangerine Zoo lineup reunited in 1988 to play a charity fundraiser, intermittently reconvening during the decades that followed. (amg)

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Daevid Allen - Self Initiation (2004)


Daevid Allen was born in Melbourne Australia although he has been a traveller of the world for many years. Daevid came to England in 1960 and met up with Robert Wyatt whilst lodging with the Wyatt family. Daevid and Robert struck up an immediate rapport, which would ultimately result in the pair playing together in Soft Machine. Before that Daevid spent time in Paris where he met and experimented with Terry Riley and also performed with William Burroughs. Daevid also formed a number of bands including The Daevid Allen Trio. Some of the trio's early recordings were subsequently released however it was with The Soft Machine alongside Mike Ratledge, Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt that Daevid Allen first came to the attention of many people. Soft Machine was at the forefront of the psychedelia movement and played at many prominent gigs at this time such as the IT launch at the Roundhouse alongside Pink Floyd. Following a gig in St. Tropez Daevid was refused re entry to England and decided to return to France and from there Daevid and Gilli Smyth went to Deia where they met Didier Malherbe who would go on to become a vital part of their next band Gong.

This album is another from the Bananamoon Obscura Collection and features four tracks of meditation and healing music that was originally worked up in the mountains behind Mullumbimby in upstate New South Wales Australia The music has been successfully used in self-initiation workshops held in and around Glastonbury. As with all the releases in this series this album has been re mastered for release. (source)
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Terry Riley & Don Cherry - Studio Session, Copenhagen 1970


This unreleased studio session pairs minimalist composer Terry Riley with avant-jazz luminary Don Cherry who work with three European musicians handling various wind instruments, percussion and bass. Part one is a droney piece in the key of E and heavy on soprano saxophone. Part two where Riley is heard on organ sounds like an early version of "Persian Surgery Dervishes" with jazzy wind solos. Part three however is something really interesting: Riley forms a horn section with Cherry playing slow and plaintive horn lines while another woodwind player takes a wooden flute solo, this is where Cherry's influence is the most felt. Otherwise this is not too far from what Riley did during late sixties and early seventies, but its jazz influence is slightly more pronounced, especially the prominent texture of trumpet, saxes and flutes. If In A Silent Way used minimalist flavor for coloring jazz, then here Riley and Cherry use jazz color to confirm yet another way how jazz and minimalist music could be compatible. (rym)

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