Leon Redbone - Live 1981 (Recorded live at the Lone Star Cafe in New York City in 1981

Recorded live at the Lone Star Cafe in New York City in 1981, this captures Redbone in top-notch form. The set list is peppered with Redbone staples like an extended version of Blind Blake's "Diddy Wah Diddy" (here incorrectly credited to Willie Dixon), "Shine on Harvest Moon," "Champagne Charlie," and "If We Never Meet Again This Side of Heaven." A great little document of exactly what Redbone does best: holding an audience spellbound with just his guitar, his enigmatic personality, and songs as old as the hills. Great set of notes from Dave Thompson, but unfortunately, several songs have the wrong writer's credits and two songs are listed in the wrong order on the tray card. Still, with all its packaging flaws, the performance is so first-rate it still comes highly recommended. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide

While his gravelly baritone and omnipresent fedora, dark glasses and Groucho Marx moustache made him one of the more distinct and recognizable characters in popular music, little is known about the neo-vaudeville crooner Leon Redbone. Throughout his career, he steadfastly refused to divulge any information about his background or personal life; according to legend, Redbone's desire to protect his privacy was so intense that when he was approached by the famed producer John Hammond, the contact number he gave was not his own phone, but that of a Dial-A-Joke service.
Because Redbone first emerged as a performer in Toronto during the 1970s, he was believed to be Canadian; his work, a revival of pre-World War II ragtime, jazz and blues sounds, recalled the work of performers ranging from Jelly Roll Morton and Bing Crosby to blackface star Emmett Miller. He made his recording debut in 1976 with On the Track, which featured legendary jazz violinist Joe Venuti as well as singer/songwriter Don McLean; his 1977 follow-up Double Time even reached the U.S. Top 40 charts, largely on the strength of his frequent appearances on television's "Saturday Night Live."
After 1978's Champagne Charlie, Redbone began recording only sporadically; following 1981's Branch to Branch, he waited four years before re-entering the studio to cut Red to Blue. Invariably, his albums featured guest appearances from a eclectic cast of luminaries: while 1987's Christmas Island included a cameo by Dr. John, 1994's Whistling in the Wind included duets with Ringo Starr and Merle Haggard. Despite his low profile, Redbone also earned a certain measure of fame as a fixture in various television advertising campaigns. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Redbone

http://www.leonredbone.com/menu_frame.html

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Cymande - Cymande - (West Indies Psych Psoul Afro Prog.)

Cymande
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cymande (Sah-mahn-day) were an eclectic band who released several albums throughout the early seventies. The group was formed in 1971 in London, England by musicians from Guyana and Jamaica. The name Cymande is derived from a Calypso word for Dove, which symbolizes peace and love. The group developed a subtle and complex, deep funk style influenced by calypso rhythms, jazz, African music, American soul and UK rock of the time. Cymande can now be seen as one of the most sophisticated of the funk acts that evolved in the early 1970s. By the mid-70s the band members were going their separate ways and the group was disbanded in 1974. It wasn't until 20 years later that they reaped any financial rewards, as their music became a popular source for samplers. Cymande's original albums are still widely sought-after by DJ's and funk aficionados. Perhaps the band's best known recording is the soulful dancefloor filler called "Bra", which was later sampled by the American hip-hop group De La Soul and used as a breakbeat record by the godfathers of hip-hop Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash.
Cymande was accidentally discovered by English producer John Schroeder in a Soho, London club where they were rehearsing. He was there to see a rock band. But the gig had been cancelled and he stumbled upon this unique collection of West Indian musicians. He soon signed the band and recorded their intial single "The Message." The single was released by Janus Records, a division of Chess Records. The track reached number 20 on the US R&B and Pop charts. This set the stage for Cymande's self titled release in 1972.
Cymande traveled to New York after the success of the first LP, and began a tour of the US with Al Green. They also shared a few bills with the latin funk ensemble Mandrill. They played a few important venues, including The Apollo, and played a gig on Soul Train.
The band released three LPs for Janus. However, their final album, "Promised Heights" which shows Cymande developing their distinctive chilled funk/jazz sound was not released in the USA where Cymande had achieved their initial success. Promised Heights included one of their most cherished tracks, "Brothers on the Slide," along with "The Recluse," the downtempo jazz/funk of "Changes," and the slow funk churner "Promised Heights." The tracks "Brothers on the Slide," and "Bra," also were staples of the new Rare Groove/ Deep House scene which developed in London and New York night clubs during the eighties.
Members of the band reunited for a performance in Brighton (UK) on May 19, 2006 during the UK Funk All-Stars night at the Corn Exchange. It formed part of the Brighton Festival 2006.

Ray King - Vocals/Percussion
Steve Scipio - Bass
Derek Gibbs - Soprano/Alto
Pablo Gonsales - Congas
Joey Dee - Vocals/Percussion
Peter Serreo - Tenor
Sam Kelly - Drums
Mike Rose - Alto/Flute/Bongos
Patrick Patterson - Guitar

http://www.cymande.co.uk/index2.htm

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ΤΕΛΕΙΟΤΑΤΗ ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΕΠΑΡΧΙΑ

Ω τελειότατη ελληνική επαρχία που κάθε φορά «πέφτεις από τα σύννεφα» μόλις αντικρίσεις τα πράγματα πως είναι στην πραγματικότητα. Και μόλις τα δεις για λίγο προσπαθείς και πάλι να βρεις άλλα ψέματα ισχυρότερα για να τα καλύψεις. Και με αυτό σε αυτό το ψέμα που συνήθισες ζεις και εσύ τη ζωή σου.

Μέσα σε μια οικογένεια που σε σφίγγει , με ένα επάγγελμα που δεν θέλεις να κάνεις, με μια ζωή που δεν τη θέλεις και προσπαθείς να την αντιμετωπίσεις με τόνους αλκοόλ κάθε βράδυ μαζί με ένα βουνό αντικαταθλιπτικά, σε απόλυτη μοναξιά, αυτή τη μοναξιά που ξέρουν καλά όσοι βρίσκονται ανάμεσα σε πλήθος, που μοιράζεται τις ίδιες αξίες, ότι δηλαδή τα πράγματα είναι πιο σοβαρά από την ίδια τη ζωή, από τους ίδιους τους ανθρώπους. Κι όλα τα ατομικά ψέματα χτίζουν ένα τεράστιο ψέμα χτισμένο με βλοσυρό βλέμμα, με επικριτική ματιά, με ατσαλάκωτη ηθική, προπάντων η ηθική. Κι από την άλλη μεριά του καθρέφτη η βία, η καταπίεση, ο ραβδισμός, η αιμομιξία που κάνουν τα γραπτά του Ντε Σαντ να είναι μωρολογίες μπρος στην πιο κολασμένη πραγματικότητα. ( Δεν θέλεις να ακούς ότι στην ελληνική οικογένεια έχει αυξηθεί τρομακτικά το ποσοστό των κακοποιημένων γυναικών και των παιδιών που βασανίζονται. Δεν ταιριάζει αυτό με το μύθο που έχεις επιλέξεις να ζεις )

Η ζωή σου ολόκληρη με προκατασκευασμένα υλικά και προπαντός με μια προκατασκευασμένη ηθική που ακυρώνει την μοναδικότητα του ανθρώπου και μεγαλώνει τα χειρότερα τέρατα που θα διαπρέψουν αργότερα στο δημόσιο βίο. Τελειότατη ελληνική επαρχία, που νομίζεις ότι είσαι πρωτεύουσα και είσαι ένα θλιβερό χωριουδάκι, που για αυτά που θα έπρεπε να ήσουν περήφανη τα αγνοείς και προβάλλεις αυτές τις ανοησίες, που εσύ θεωρείς ότι είναι μεγάλες. Γιατί τις χώρες τις κάνουν οι άνθρωποι και οι άνθρωποι επέλεξαν να ζούνε σε αυτό το ψέμα χωρίς τέλος, δημιουργώντας μια κόλαση επί της γης και διακηρύσσοντας στα πέρατα της οικουμένης πως είναι ένας Παράδεισος. Και για να είναι σίγουροι, πως δεν θα ρεζιλευτούνε, αγνοούν επιδεικτικά τον άλλον κόσμο δεν μεταφέρουν καμία είδηση που τον αφορά. Και οι θεατές της αρένας χειροκροτούν, όχι στα σοβαρά αλλά χειροκροτούνε το πέσιμο του άλλου, μόνο που δεν ξέρουν πως και οι άλλοι θα χειροκροτήσουνε το πέσιμο το δικό τους. Γιατί το μόνο που τους ενδιαφέρει είναι το θέαμα. Η ζωή τους αρχίζει με βίντεο και τελειώνει επίσης με βίντεο.

Στο ενδιάμεσο τα κορυφαία γεγονότα της ζωής του πρέπει οπωσδήποτε να βιντεοσκοπηθούν γιατί δεν είναι πραγματικά κορυφαία γεγονότα αλλά μια σκηνοθετημένη προσπάθεια ζωής σε ένα φαινομενικό περιβάλλον. Το τέλος είναι αργό και ανατριχιαστικό καθώς λίγο πριν φύγουν από την ζωή θα πρέπει να αναρωτηθούν: αν έχουν ζήσει πράγματι τη ζωή τους ή την έχουν δει στην τηλεόραση. Μόνο σε αυτή την περίπτωση θα πεθάνουν βασανιστικά γιατί δεν έχει διάλλειμα για διαφημίσεις και εκεί δεν ξαναρχίζει το έργο.

Τελειότατη επαρχία, που κάνεις τα πάντα σύμφωνα με την εικόνα σου. Βάζεις ανθρώπους, που σου μοιάζουν, που σκέφτονται όπως εσύ τις μικροκλοπές, τις μεγάλες κλοπές την επιθυμία σου μόνο για νίκες που μόλις τις πάρουν χαίρεσαι αλλά χαίρεσαι ιδιαίτερα όταν ξεσκεπάσουν αυτούς που πρώτα χειροκρότησες.

Πρέπει να καταλάβεις μια και καλή ότι δεν φταίνε αυτοί, εσύ φταις γιατί τα δικά σου όνειρα εκπληρώνουν, γιατί είναι ανεστραμμένη εικόνα σου, μια ψεύτικη εικόνα που εσύ τόσο επιμελώς, έχεις δημιουργήσει. Το ίδιο ατσαλάκωτοι όπως και συ, το ίδιο «πολιτικά ορθοί», όπως και συ και προσπαθούν κι αυτοί να βρεθούν πιο γρήγορα, πιο ψηλά, πιο δυνατοί. (citius, altius, fortius) Εσύ τους έκανες «μεγάλα ονόματα», όπως κάνεις ονόματα σε κάθε χώρο, ανθρώπους που το μόνο προσόν τους είναι η ανικανότητα να σκέφτονται, για να είσαι σίγουρος ότι εφ’ όσον γίνονται αυτοί μπορείς να γίνεις και συ, γιατί τελικά μέτρο όλων είναι μόνο η ύπαρξή σου.

Για αυτό και χαίρεσαι άμα κάποιος ξεσκεπάσει τους άλλους. Όπως γίνεται στην τραγωδία. επειδή έχεις ταυτιστεί μαζί τους χαίρεσαι, που δεν ανακαλύψανε εσένα και που αυτοί γίνανε οι αποδιοπομπαίοι τράγοι της πόλης που πάνω τους ρίχνονται όλα τα κακά.

Απόλαυσε τώρα το ποτό σου ώστε να μπορείς να κοιμηθείς το βράδυ και να μην σε ταράζουν τα όνειρά σου. Συνέχισε να βλέπεις την κατάντια σου στην τηλεόραση.

Μέτρα τα θύματα σου που κάθε μέρα είναι πέντε στους δρόμους, από τα αυτοκίνητα που εσύ πληρώνεις και ένας στις πλατείες από τα ναρκωτικά, που επιδεικτικά αγνοείς. Μην ανησυχείς θα τα σκοτώσεις τα νέα παιδιά. Όπως σκοτώνεις κάθε τι νέο . Κάθε τι όμορφο. Κοιμήσου εν ειρήνη, αύριο η τέλεια ύπαρξή σου θα είναι ξανά πιο γρήγορη, πιο ψηλή και προπαντός πιο δυνατή…..
Αναρτήθηκε από VARALIS

Malo - Malo's debut album (1972 US Psych Latin Rock)

Malo was a Latin tinged rock and roll group. The San Francisco, California based ensemble was led by Jorge Santana, the brother of famed Latin-Rock guitarist, Carlos Santana.
Four of the original members (Santana, Garcia, Tellez, and Bean) were previously in a band called the Malibu's. The other three founding members (Zarate, Roy Murray, and Richard Spremich) were in a band called Naked Lunch together.
Malo had a huge Top 20 hit single with the song "Suavecito" in 1972 that was written by timbale player Richard Bean, who initially wrote it as a poem for a girl in his high school algebra class. The song has been called "The Chicano National Anthem" and was arranged for Malo by Richard Bean, bassist Pablo Tellez, and Abel Zarate. Tellez and Zarate also received co-author credits on Suavecito. In addition, guitarist Abel Zarate gave Malo a distinctive two-guitar sound, with intricate harmony and dual solos the norm. The band featured full horn and percussion sections, in the style of contemporary bands Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago and others. Some of the best musicians in the bay area played in Malo, including Forrest Buchtel, Jr., Luis Gasca, and Tom Harrell in the trumpet section. Malo's music also had a huge following in Central and South America, especially the songs "Chevere", "Nena", "Pana", "Cafe" and "Oye Mama".
After the release of its first album, Malo had a well-documented rift that saw the group eliminate many of its band members. Buchtel went on to play with Blood, Sweat and Tears, Jaco Pastorius and Woody Herman - Harrell has become one of the most lyrical trumpet soloists of all-time, working often with saxophonist Phil Woods. Abel Zarate went on to play with Latin-jazz legend Willie Bobo and continues to play Latin/Brazilian Global jazz in San Francisco with his group Zarate Pollace Project. Richard Bean formed the group "Sapo" with his brother Joe, and is still touring throughout Northern California. Jorge Santana has embarked on a solo career, and still plays frequently with the current Malo band. Malo is also still touring, with only two of the original members, including Arcelio Garcia Jr., who took over the band in the late 70's.
The 1972 "Suavecito" release was sung by Richard Bean with Abel Zarate, and Arcelio Garcia on background vocals, and Zarate playing the signature guitar riffs. Richard Bean continues to perform the hit single with his band Sapo and recently shared his story about "Suavecito" on CalMagazine.co

Malo's official website

http://www.myspace.com/malomusic

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Santana 1969-10-21 Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, OH, US

Ludlow Garage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ludlow Garage was a famed music venue located in the eclectic Ludlow neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. Before being converted into a concert venue, the club was a city auto repair garage.
In the 1970s the venue hosted concerts by many prominent touring acts including The Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead, and Santana. The Allman Brother's 1970 live album Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970 was recorded at the club.
Cincinnati city council member Jim Tarbell was proprietor of the garage from the late 1960s until its closing in 1971. Although no longer a concert venue, the garage still stands and currently houses a restaurant and bicycle shop

Santana : Ludlow Garage Cincinnati, OH10.21.69 Source:SBD > MR > CDR > EAC > FLAC EAC'd/FLAC'd by Doug Nawrocki

CD 1/Early Show:01. Waiting02. Evil Ways03. Treat/Shades Of Time04. Savor/Jingo05. Persuasion

CD 2/Late Show:01. Conquistador Rides Again02. You Just Don't Care03. Fried Neckbones04. Persuasion05. Soul Sacrifice06. Gumbo

part.1 & part.2

Mandrill - "Mandrill" 1970 (Psych/Latin/funk/jazz-rock)

Mandrill's first album, recorded on Polydor records in 1971 at New York City's Electric Lady Studios, features the electrifying instrumental "Mandrill". This song captures the feel called "Bush" a term coined by the Wilson brothers

Mandrill: Louis Wilson, Richard Wilson, Carlos Wilson, Omar Mesa, Claude "Coffee" Cave, Fudgie Kaem, Neftali Santiago.

Mandrill's first record is one of the truly unique opuses of the late '60s hippie scene. They have a sound of their own but if you like early Santana, War, Sly, and the more high-energy late '60s-to-early-'70s hippie music in general, there's very little chance of not enjoying this. And how many rock bands have a horn section and a vibraphone player anyway outside the Zappa Universe? Excellent guitar player named Omar and a great singing voice on whoever the singer is in the band too (one of the Wilson Brothers?) two notches above Greg Rollie for sure. "Mandrill" would rate 4 stars but I automatically take one star off any record that mentions the words "Peace" and "Love" more than ten times in 2 minutes.(H.Tuco)

Mandrill - Mandrill (1970)
The 1970 debut from New York City-based Psych/Latin/funk/jazz-rock group Mandrill is perhaps the best of the Latin rock "bandwagon" albums to emerge in the wake of Santana's massively successful 1969 Woodstock appearance. The eponymous first cut is a furiously grooving mix of driving Santana-esque rhythms and blaring Tower of Power/early Chicago-style horns. From there, however, the group for the most part leaves behind the "Soul Sacrifice" fixation and flirts with a wide variety of styles. Although the band generally lacks the virtuosity of its West Coast counterparts, Mandrill manages to forge a distinctive sound with loads of energy and creativity. The album's first side explores hard-edged San Francisco/Texas psychedelic blues (guitarist Omar Mesa at times sounding like a combination of Jorma Kaukonen and Fever Tree's Michael Knust), Motown (on "Symphonic Revolution"), and Cream-style jazz-rock improvisation. Side two contains "Peace and Love," the requisite multi-movement "piece," which thankfully emphasizes real composition over noodly jamming. Although the work basically consists of several different tunes glued together, it comes off fairly seamlessly, in the end tackling everything from faux salsa to gospel with equal aplomb. Overall, Mandrill is one of the great, underrated hippie records, complete with one of the coolest album covers of the period. Recorded at the then brand new Electric Lady studios, it is highly recommended for fans of Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Steppenwolf, and the like. — Pemberton Roach

mandrill today

The Complete Mandrill History

the Mandrill on the new Jazz Thing today

http://www.mandrillis.com/

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El Chicano - Viva Tirado - US 1970 (Psychedelic Soul- Jazz Rock KAPP REC. KS-3632)

Guitar - Little Mickey Lespron

Bass - Freddie Sanchez

Organ - Bobby Espinosa

Drums - John DeLuna

Congas - Andre Baeza

Percussion - Ersi Arvizu

Over the years, El Chicano has often been compared to Santana and, to be sure, there are a lot of parallels. Both are from California (although different parts of the state), both are led by Mexican-Americans, both have recorded in English as well as in Spanish, and both have favored a very eclectic and unpredictable mixture of rock, soul, funk, jazz, blues, and Afro-Cuban salsa. Further, there is no getting around the fact that El Chicano (whose Spanish name means "the Chicano" or "the Mexican-American") has been heavily influenced by Carlos Santana's outfit. Nonetheless, El Chicano has a style of its own and Santana isn't the band's only influence. Over the years, El Chicano has been affected by everyone from Chicano soulsters like Cannibal & the Headhunters and Thee Midniters to Latin soul-jazz favorite Pucho to salsa heavyweights such as Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, and Mongo Santamaria. El Chicano's members were not only affected by the Mexican-American experience, they were also well aware of what Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians were doing on the East Coast and in the Caribbean. El Chicano, which was originally called the V.I.P.'s, was founded in East Los Angeles (a heavily Mexican-American area) in the late '60s. The band's original members included co-founder/leader Bobby Espinosa (organ, electric keyboards, acoustic piano, vocals), Freddie Sanchez (bass, vocals), Mickey Lespron (lead guitar, vocals), Andre Baeza (congas), and John De Luna (drums). Along the way, El Chicano had more than its share of personnel changes; members who didn't join until the '70s included Ersi Arvizu (lead vocals), Hector "Rudy" Regalado (timbales, vocals), Max Garduno (congas), Danny Lamonte (drums), Brian Magness (bass), Joe Perreira (bass), Jerry Salas (lead vocals, guitar), Rudy Salas (guitar), and Steve Salas (lead vocals), among others. (The Salas brothers went on to join another East L.A. band, Tierra, which was an El Chicano spinoff and is best-known for its hit 1980 cover of the Intruders' Philadelphia soul ballad "Together"). After creating a buzz in East L.A. in the late '60s, El Chicano signed with MCA in 1970 and recorded its debut album, Viva Tirado. The instrumental title song, which was written by jazz pianist Gerald Wilson, was released as a single and became El Chicano's biggest hit; the recording reached number 28 on Billboard's pop singles chart and number 20 on its R&B singles chart. On regional L.A. charts, "Viva Tirado" spent about 12 weeks at number one. "Viva Tirado" (which was inspired by Mexican bullfighter Jose Ramon Tirado) was a rarity; in the '60s and '70s, one rarely saw any type of jazz instrumental -- straight-ahead, fusion, soul-jazz, or otherwise -- climbing that high up the national Billboard charts. When a jazz instrumental became a hit single in the pop or R&B markets, it was the exception instead of the rule. While the "Viva Tirado" single didn't make El Chicano national superstars -- they were never as big as Santana -- the band did acquire a loyal cult following and was especially popular in the Mexican-American neighborhoods of the southwestern United States. After the Viva Tirado LP, El Chicano went on to record several more albums for MCA, including 1971's Revolucion, 1972's Celebration, 1973's El Chicano, 1974's Cinco, 1975's The Best of Everything, and 1976's Pyramid of Love & Friends. El Chicano's second biggest hit came in 1973 when MCA released the brown-eyed soul classic "Tell Her She's Lovely" as a single. Nationally, the tune (which features Jerry Salas on lead vocals) wasn't a major hit; "Tell Her She's Lovely" only reached number 40 on Billboard's pop singles chart and number 98 on the magazine's R&B singles chart. But in Mexican-American neighborhoods, the song was huge -- among Chicano Baby Boomers, "Tell Her She's Lovely" was as popular as War's big '70s hits. El Chicano's contract with MCA ended in 1976; that year, the band recorded its first post-MCA album, This Is...El Chicano, for the independent Shady Brooke label (where the L.A. residents enjoyed more creative control than they had during their six years at MCA). The band's next LP, Look of Love, was released on Musidisc in 1977; then in the early '80s, El Chicano briefly recorded for Columbia, which released the romantic blue-eyed soul tune "Do You Want Me" as a single in 1983. Although not a national chart-buster, the song became a minor hit (primarily in Mexican-American areas). El Chicano didn't do a lot of recording in the '80s or '90s, but the band made a long overdue return to the studio with 1998's Painting the Moment. Released on Thump, that CD marked the return of original lead guitarist Mickey Lespron, who had not recorded with El Chicano since the '70s. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

http://www.elchicanomusic.com/

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