Aleksandar ‘Saša’ Subota was a jazz musician from Belgrade, Serbia, who was quite a big player in the ex-Yugoslavian jazz scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Here, he does sterling work in covering Herbie Hancock’s 1962 classic.
Music Videos
[Video] Morte Macabre – Symphonic Holocaust
Morte Macabre are a supergroup made up of members of Swedish bands Landberk and Anekdoten. Deep prog rock roots here.
[Video] Ensemble Mtiebi – Zamtaria (from Soinari: Folk Music From Georgia Today)
This is one of those songs I’ve searched for on Youtube for years, having no luck in ever finding a copy of it. Today, after digging through my own personal archives, I found this gorgeous track, which is apparently a folk song of some note in Georgia, even appearing in films.
To find this version, order the CD here from Wergo Records.
[Video] The Cinematic Orchestra – Life Of The Bird
The Cinematic Orchestra hail from London, and their sound matches their name splendidly. Rare is the band who can work comfortably in both electronica and something akin to soundtrack music. Some try, but they don’t quite pull it off as elegantly as these lads do.
[Video] Swans – Mona Lisa, Mother Earth
I suppose some would call this The Swans’ ‘Joy Division’ phase. The album, The Burning World, showed a marked change in direction from a band who had previously sounded like the equivalent of a drunken brontosaurus stumbling into his cave after a healthy drinking binge (and yes, that’s a good thing). Since they reformed, their sound continues to adapt and grow. They are as vital a band now as they were in the beginning.
[Video] Fela Ramsome Kuti & The Africa ’70 – Afrodisiac
Quite a monster of an album by Nigeria’s finest, Fela Kuti. The track listing for this album is:
01 “Alu Jon Jonki” – 12:41
02 “Jeun Ko Ku (Chop ‘n Quench)” – 7:14
03 “Eko Ile” – 6:41
04 “Je’nwi Temi (Don’t Gag Me)” – 13:15
[Video] Heldon – In Wake Of King Fripp
I never quite agreed with Heldon (a.k.a. Richard Pinhas) being labeled as the French Robert Fripp. He’s his own man, and has come up with some rather amazing sounds on his own. Still, it’s quite something to hear Richard perform this paean to Frippertronics.
惘聞 (Wang Wen) – My Crime
Some sublime instrumental post-rock out of China. These guys need a much bigger following.
[Video] Nolan “N. F.” Porter – Keep On Keepin’ On
Nolan (then known as N. F.) Porter was an American Northern Soul singer whose hit, which we’re hearing now, would be the catalyst for Joy Division getting signed to a major label. While the band scrapped their attempt at covering the song, the guitar lick would serve as the foundation of their track, Interzone, as heard below:
For more on the story between N.F. Porter and Joy Division, check out this post by OpinEars.
[Video] Warsaw (pre-Joy Division) – At A Later Date
To think that the kings of post-punk, Joy Division, started as Warsaw, something not much greater than your typical pub band. Still, this is raw material, and it doesn’t sound too dated.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 