A lot of press covering Nigerian music rightfully goes to Fela Kuti, yet he’s not the only innovative figure to gain international fame. His percussionist, Tony Allen, has spent a good part of five decades making music which was influenced by funk and jazz as well as Highlife. The Afrobeat sound he was instrumental in creating continues to inspire musicians like Brian Eno and Blur’s Damon Albarn.
Fusion
[Music] İlhan Erşahin – Aşk
A wonderful fusion of world music and jazz from a young Turkish-Swedish composer, İlhan Erşahin.
[Music] Anouar Brahem – The Lover Of Beirut
A gorgeous fusion of North African folk, jazz and traditional music by Tunisian oudist Anouar Brahem, recoding here for ECM Records.
[Music] ECM on Vinyl
ECM Records announced that a number of incredible titles will be available for purchase on vinyl. The heavens rejoice!
[Music] Journey – Topaz (1975)
I loathe Steve Perry. No, not as a person. I’m sure he’s swell and a blast to hang out with. I mean what he did to Journey. Former members of Santana, guitarist Neal Schon and vocalist Gregg Rolie, started the band out as a really good jazz-fusion band, touched a bit with hard rock. Perry’s vocals killed the band, at least for me, though millions of screaming teeny-boppers will, no doubt, tell me otherwise.
[Video] Sevil – Sevil (1971, Azerbaijan, USSR)
Outside of Vagif Mustafa-Zade, who has been featured here before on this blog, there’s not a lot of information on music from Azerbaijan. Sevil is a band who played a type of jazz-funk which was popular throughout the Soviet Bloc. Really solid music.
If any of my friends from the region could point me to some biographical data about the band, I’d be most thankful.
[Video] ABC Ansambl Angela Vlatkovića – Snovi (1975, LP)
One wonders if Blaxploitation soundtracks were big in the Former Yugoslavia. Here’s Serbian bandleader Angelo Vlatković funking out.
[Video] Keith Jarrett Trio – Here’s That Rainy Day (Rare)
Something melancholy from Keith Jarrett seems appropriate after hearing about the loss of a good friend yesterday afternoon.
The Skopje Connection – Branko, Branko, Branko (Live)
Three of the finest musicians Macedonia has to offer combine with Dutch cellist Ernst Reijsinger for an amazing concert I was privileged enough to attend.
The lineup for the evening:
Dzijan Emin – Melodeon
Luca Aquino – Trumpet
Georgi Sareski – Guitar
Ernst Reijseger – Cello
Enrico Blumer deserves a load of credit for making this collaboration happen. He has been a gift to the Skopje music scene.
[Video] Ganelin, Chekasin, Tarasov – Semplice (II)
I really owe all of my passion for Eastern European/Soviet Improvisational and Experimental music to one man: Leo Feigin of Leo Records. It was through his introduction, via his catalog and a few letters back and forth, that I was introduced to such artists as Vyacheslav Ganelin (the Ganelin Trio’s leader, now based in Israel), Sergei Belichenko and Roman Stolyar, a friend to this day.
Here is the Ganelin Trio near the peak of their improvisational powers. Vladimir Tarasov and Vladimir Chekasin join in.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 