Music of the Earth (Something Else! for Wtnr Radio.com 9/16/2010)

After starting off, as always, with \”Something Else! Intro\” we dive headfirst into a bit of a rarity, RC&B\’s \”Wild Chick\” from German label MPS\’s Variation series. Turns out these weren\’t commercially available and were given as Christmas gifts from the label, according to Magic Purple Sunshine, a blog for fans of the label. Since I first found out about Musikproduktion Schwarzwald (the full name of MPS) because of a George Duke album they\’d released, Faces In Reflection, I generally tend to think of them as a jazz label, but as demonstrated by this track \”it ain\’t necessarily so.\” By the way, for those who don\’t understand any German, the name would be translated as Black Forest Music Productions. Keeping it raw and funky, Blood, Sweat & Tears\’ \”Lucretia Mac Evil\” is up next. They were one of the 70s groups with a reknown horn section, like Tower of Power, Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire and Seawind. A lot of those horn sections did and still do work independently of the group–I have personally seen the Tower of Power Horns on tour with the Rolling Stones. I have heard Brazilian music since I was a small child, from the Bossa Nova craze in the 60s to current stars like Bebel Gilberto & Seu Jorge. In the 80s, courtesy of Los Angeles\’ \”Quiet Storm\” radio station KTWV (aka \”The Wave\”) I was turned onto Brazilian group Azymuth, a trio influenced by the electronics and funk elements present in some 70s and 80s jazz. Fortunately for me, the British record label Far Out dug them as well and many years later released a remaster/remix album of their first outing Azimuth. \”Wait for My Turn (Yam Who? Remix)\” is from this collection. Speaking of British music lovers with musical overlap, Gilles Peterson presents Havana Cultura is something I picked up this summer while in the UK (along with the companion remix album.) Seems \”Mr. Worldwide\” took a trip to Havana and recorded an album with great Cuban musicians, both new and veteran. The collection seems to be a mix of original tracks and covers from various traditions, such as \”Think Twice\” the Donald Byrd classic and the next track on the show, \”Roforofo Fight feat. Mayra Caridad Valde?s (Louie Vega\’s EOL Mix)\” a Fela Kuti tune as performed by Gilles Peterson\’s Havana Cultura Band. Expect to hear more from this album and its remix companion. Another musical collection that came home with me from the UK was Nu Jazz Bistro which includes Sumsuch\’s \”Give It My All feat Matty Eeles\” as played previously on this show and Uptown Funk Empire\’s \”Boogie\” as you hear on this set. There are lots of great tracks on the compilation (2 discs!) and I highly recommend it. I\’ve been a fan of Waiwan for a number of years, so playing his \”Goddess\” was a treat for me. The next track surprised me a bit because it\’s from a compilation Om 10: A Decade Of Future Music that I have on vinyl, but this is one of the extra tracks that were on the cd issue, Seafoam\’s \”Magnus Buchan.\” The next tune is a cover of Patrice Rushen by Domu feat Nix, \”Music of the Earth\” from a great broken-beat collection, The Good Good Vol. 2 on 2000 Black. It\’s not new music, but I keep coming back to it because of its quality. Another \”classic\” in my world is RSL\’s \”Wesley Music\” which even warranted a re-edit by the legendary Danny Krivit, although I\’m playing the original version this time. The closer is something that is new to me, but not new itself, Dynamic Shadows\’ \”Lowriders (Listen to the Band) [Original Mix].\” Not sure how to describe it, except \”good.\” I think you\’ll hear why I played it.