Jeff Treppel of Bandcamp does a decent job of introducing new audiences to some rather wonderful Italian progressive rock, both old and new, here on Bandcamp’s WordPress blog.
[Music] Cosmic Analog Ensemble – Les Sourdes Oreilles
We send a mountain of respect to Charif Megarbane, head honcho of the Cosmic Analog Ensemble, for producing an album that combines the best of jazz, funk, noir, soundtrack music and deep groove. We’re looking forward to more from him!
[Music] 6 – 6
My favorite avant-prog couple surprised me recently with a release I completely managed to bypass. It looks like Amadine and Santiago Fradejas’ project, 6 (Seis), was recorded in their original home of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The music sits squarely inside the progressive metal genre, with powerful-but-restrained musicianship, a Floydian feel with vocals which would not compare unfavorably to James Hetfield of Metallica. You can hear touches of jazz here and there as well. Both musicians have come a long way, but you could already hear the raw beauty in their sound from this decade-old project.
[Music] Valentīna Butāne un Edgars Zveja – Silavas valsis
Here’s a bit of light pop music from Latvia made for a relaxing day. The artists, Edgars Zveja and Valentīna Butāne, both came from conservatory backgrounds in what was then the Latvian S.S.R.
[Music] Ganelin Trio – 1976 Live (Soviet Jazz)
I owe Leo Feigin of the stellar imprint Leo Records perhaps the greatest debt of my musical life. It was he who introduced me, via releases and correspondence, to the works of Sergey Kuryokhin and The Ganelin Trio somewhere near 30 years ago (how time flies…). This is the trio at their peak.
Personnel:
Vyacheslav “Slava” Ganelin – Piano
Vladimir Tarasov – Percussion
Vladimir Chekasin – Saxophone
[Music] Scanner – Nomadic Concrete
I normally find tribute albums done hours after the death of someone to be ghastly and in poor taste, but Scanner does an honorable job paying homage to Pierre Henry.
[Music] Lalgudi Jayaraman and Amjadh Ali Khan, Jugalbandhi
via lalgudi jayaraman and amjadh ali khan, jugalbandhi — The Hum Blog
From Bandcamp:
Often, when discussing my passion for Indian Classical music – attempting to offer entry into its remarkable traditions for others, I raise instrumentation. Particularly in my early explorations, this was a crucial vehicle for discovery.
By far the most well know instrument in the Indian Classical traditions, thanks in large part to the popularity and fame of Ravi Shankar, is the sitar, but, for this very reason – its presence in pop culture, it was an instrument which I almost exclusively avoided during my first years plumbing the depths. It was my quest for, and response to, other sounds, which illumined the path.
The two primary traditions of Indian Classical music – the Carnatic and the Hindustani, are among the oldest living traditions on the planet. Many of the ragas played today, date back thousands of years. While often difficult to discern – so much time and evolution having transpired, this music lays at the root of countless distinct cultural traditions fingering across the globe. It is the well from which so much springs, making the examination of its instruments a fascinating web.
[Music] Redefining Russian Techno
From the Bandcamp article, which can be found here:
Russian techno is stylistically varied—from ultra industrial to sleazy disco, hazy cassette labels to crisp and urbane house. But often there’s a moodiness, an underlying bleakness to the sound that feels like it’s channeling a harsher Soviet past. Certainly, experimentation is rife, and “live”-ness is important—musicians performing live hardware shows seem to be every bit as important as DJs. But most important of all, there’s a freshness, a lack of cynicism, a sheer delight in crazed sounds and textures that can make even the most familiar musical tropes feel like you’re hearing them for the first time.
[Music Podcast] Napoli Fusion 70
Naples, Italy wasn’t a completely bad experience for me. It gave me some of the best music I’ve heard in some time, and I got to browse my mate Paolo’s collection!
Thanks to Jazzcat, who posted this.
The tracks are as follows:
Track 1: from the album “Napoli Centrale” (Ricordi 1975) by Napoli Centrale
Track 2: from the album “Mattanza” (Ricordi 1976) by Napoli Centrale
Tracks 3 & 4: from the album “Sotto E ‘Ncoppa” (Carosello 1976) by Tullio De Piscopo Revolt Group
Track 5: from the album “Toni Esposito” (Numero Uno 1974) by Toni Esposito
[Music] Byzantine Time Machine – Adventure In Istanbul
Byzantine Time Machine are a new discovery, thanks to a darling friend in Italy who hipped me to their mix of ethno-dub music a few months ago.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 