https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJKe2j9Wjh4
Everyone knows the great cover Soft Cell did of this classic 60s slab of soul, but few remember that this cut by Gloria Jones is the original!
Month: July 2015
[Music] Susumu Yokota Has Died
Terrible news from The WIRE. Susumu Yokota, ambient DJ and composer extraordinaire, passed away from complications in March of this year, but the family only recently made a public announcement of his passing.
You can read The WIRE obituary here, as well as notes from FACT Magazine, The Leaf Label and Natalie.mu.
To hear some of Susuma’s work, check out Gekkoh below:
[Music] Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing (Old Grey Whistle Test, 1978)
I never could understand the fascination my friends in Eastern Europe had with Dire Straits. I saw them as nothing more than a white-boy blues band trying to act cool, yet I never bothered to give their early work a chance. After hearing this, I think I get it now.
I was a fan of guitarist Mark Knopfler’s work outside of Dire Straits, especially his collaboration with Chet Atkins. I can finally appreciate his roots now.
[Music] Mohamed Hassan – Lesh Beta
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2davukEn3Tw
He may have been a shill for Muammar Gaddafi, but Mohamed Hassan was and is one of the best representatives of Libyan music.
[Music] Charles Mingus – Moanin’
The angry man of jazz, Charles Mingus, tearing it up near the end of his prime, in 1993.
Thanks to my friend Barry Braxton, who posts some rather amazing things on a frequent basis.
[Music] Iconoclasta – Suite Mexicana Part 1 : Mestizaje
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM3J9jX25T8
Mexico is known for great garage rock bands, avant-prog, and neo-prog bands. But my favorite is the symphonic prog band, Iconoclasta. This piece comes from their crowning achievement of an album, Soliloquio, long out of print, unfortunately.
Much respect to my friend, Domenico D’Alessandro, for reminding me of how good an album this truly was, and what a crime it is to know that it’s still out of print.
[Art] Paintings With Angels, by Arrington Dionysio and His Mother
Arrington de Dionyso is a composer and musician whose work first caught my attention when he played with the band Old Time Relijun. He continues to produce amazing, eclectic music, but it seems his talent is inherited. He and his mother worked on these two gorgeous works of art, reminding one of the works on a more psychedelic Byzantine icon, or the religious works of Marc Chagall.
May both mother and son find comfort in these difficult days.
[Music] Giovanni Guidi Trio – City of Broken Dreams
I trust ECM Records immensely, as their musicians never let me down. Giovanni Guidi continues that streak wonderfully.
[Music] Maria João Jazz Quintet – Take Five
It’s not enough that Take Five by Dave Brubeck is a gorgeous enough song. Add to it the vocal styling of Maria João and her band, and you have a perfect masterpiece to enjoy your martini with.
[Music] 26 Best Anatolian Rock & Turkish Psychedelic Rock Songs
Turkish rock is amazing! From Moğollar to Barış Manço and Erkin Koray, there are a wealth of treasures to be found from Anatolia during the 1960s and 70s.
ATDAA does a fine job compiling some of the best here. If you have any further listening suggestions, feel free to get a Disqus account and post them in the comments section.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 