Adam Stângă is a trumpeter from Moldova. Something wonderful to tap your feet to.
[Video] Zao – Marochsek
Zeuhl at its finest, made by Zao, which included Magma alums Yochk’o Seffer (saxophone, clarinet), François Cahen (piano) and Didier Lockwood (violin).
[Video] Duke Ellington – Fleurette Africaine
Duke Ellington with his masterpiece album, Money Jungle. Incredible.
[Video] Alcatraz – Piss Off (1971)
With many thanks to Alan Freeman, the proprietor of England’s coolest prog-rock shop, Ultima Thule, and the editor of the magazine which poisoned my musical taste for the rest of my life, Audion.
This freakish track by Alcatraz managed to scramble the brains of Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound. If that isn’t high praise, nothing is.
Daevid Allen has died
Gong’s wonderful front-man has passed on to his great reward. He had been suffering for some time, but kept a brave face. Expect to see links all over social media shortly, but this news comes from his son, which is making the rounds in mailing groups. May Daevid rest well.
[Video] Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass – Ladyfingers
A bit of schmaltz, courtesy of Herb Alpert and perhaps the most beautiful woman to ever grace a record cover ever, Dolores Erickson.
[Article/Podcast] Mickey McGowan – San Rafael, California: Culture’s Keeper
Mickey McGowan is a Southern California institution, and that’s saying something, considering how many top-notch record collectors live in this part of the world. Dust & Grooves, a wonderful blog covering vinyl-related topics, features Mickey’s shop, and we tie a podcast related to this article below:
Mickey McGowan – The Unknown Museum by Dust & Grooves on Mixcloud
[Literature] Sir Terry Pratchett, renowned fantasy author, dies aged 66
Sir Terry Pratchett, fun and pragmatic despite dying from Alzheimer’s Disease to the very end, finally met his end today. He was 66, far too young to leave this mortal coil.
[Video/Sample] Árstíðir – Heyr Himna Smiður
The best way to describe Árstíðir, at least in this gorgeous tune, is something like what a Varangian choir might have sounded like in 13th-Century Byzantium, singing in the Hagia Sophia.
As it turns out, the tune is from the 13th Century, written by Kolbeinn Tumason. No, Wuppertal isn’t quite Byzantium, especially inside of the train station, but the lads made a mundane place seem almost holy that day.
For another, perhaps clearer version, check out this performance from Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2012. To hear this as an MP3 or FLAC file, just download the ‘name your price’ album via Bandcamp.
[Video] Eivør – Trøllabundin
More pagan influence today, this time from Faroese chanteuse Eivør.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 