For German readers: some thoughts and notes and quotes on the music I'm listening - to be found
on my new blog:
ubus-notizen.blogspot.com

Also check out the great new, independent magazine get happy!?, reporting on music, movies and more:
gethappymag.de

Friday, November 19, 2010

James Brown - Paris 1967

Good gawd! Papa's got a brand new bag!

One of my latest musical discoveries - or rather in this case a re-discovery - is James Brown. I've had his "CD of JB" ever since I was in High School, but I never quite followed up digging into his music, although I did get to know Maceo Parker's music a little bit better over the years (his disc "Soundtrack" on Minor Music was one of the most-played back in those years).

Anyway, JB... give the drummer some! Gotta give the funky drummer some!

As all too often, I wasn't just content owning the "Star Time" 4CD set, but rather I went out and got all those fine Polydor compilations, too: "Roots of a Revolution" with lots of early sides beginning with his very first sessions and leading up to 1964, "Messing with the Blues", mostly from around the early 60s, and as a companion to those, the amazing first "Live at the Apollo".

Then on with the finest band he ever had, convered on the great compilation "Foundations of Funk - A Brand New Bag: 1964-1969", which has a nice companion in "Jazz". From the same era, there's "Soul Pride: The Instrumentals 1960-1969", and then the album "Soul on Top", cut with Louie Bellson's big band (playing Oliver Nelson arrangements and including Maceo on tenor as the sole soloist).

There are a few live recordings of that band, first of them is "Live at the Garden" (actually recorded at the Latin Casino), then there's the smoking hot "Live at the Apollo - Volume II", and finally "Say It Live and Loud: Live in Dallas 08.26.68".

This live show from Paris falls in there, some months after the second Apollo gig, and if anything, the band is even tighter and the show even hotter! It's also around on DVD and it's unbelievable to watch! One track (It's a Man's Man's Man's World) was officially released on a US DVD set (not internationally released, to my knowledge, and useless to me as it's Code 1... haven't seen it myself), hence that track is absent here. Would be very welcome to see a commercial release of this one, too - the sound quality is great, for sure - matching the quality of the actual performance!

Just check out "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"!
And dig what might be the very best "Prisoner of Love" ever!

The line-up below has been amended compared to the tags and info you'll get. The number of musicians is correct at least, and Maceo, St. Clair, Waymon Reed and Pee Wee Ellis, as well as the Byrds are definitely confirmed. Also two drummers and two guitar players are visible on the video. JB plays organ during one of the tunes (on the others it's Pee Wee, I think), and at the end of "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", those weird drum rhythms are his, too...

JB and the Famous Flames on Stage and the Olympia













James Brown and the Famous Flames
Paris (France), L'Olympia
November 25, 1967

possible line-up:
James Brown - vocals
Waymon Reed, Joe Dupars - trumpet
Levi Rasbury - valve trombone
Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis - alto sax, organ
Maceo Parker, Eldee Williams - tenor sax
St. Clair Pinckney - baritone sax
Jimmy Nolan - guitar
Alphonso Kellum - guitar, bass
Bernard Odum - bass
John "Jabo" Starks - drums
Clyde Stubblefield - drums

The Famous Flames: Bobby Byrd, Bobby Bennett - vocals

string section (Richard Jones and two more, poss. Vivian Robinson, Marilyn Jones)

The JB dancers (prob. Ann, Cookie & Joann)

MC's: Danny Ray and Maceo Parker

01. The Sidewinder (Lee Morgan) 6:34 [instrumental]
02. Our Delight (Tadd Dameron) 0:43 [instrumental]
03. I Wanna Be Around (3:22)
04. That's Life (4:05)
05. Kansas City (4:49)
06. Our Delight (Tadd Dameron) 2:36 [instrumental]
07. Out of Sight (1:34)
08. Try Me (2:48)
09. Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (15:07)
10. Prisoner of Love (6:44)
11. My Girl (0:22) [instrumental]
12. Cold Sweat (10:14)
13. Maybe the Last Time (5:05)
14. I Feel Good / Please, Please, Please (2:52)
15. Cold Sweat (Reprise) (2:58)

TT: 70:00

Sound: A
Source: FM or SBD or TV

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Lisette Spinnler "Siawaloma" - Schaffhausen 2010

After all the commemorative posts, here's one by a young and very much alive singer from Switzerland, Lisette Spinnler. Her music is a mix of various influences, the most prevailing being of course jazz, but there's a defining African bent to much of it.

To make up your mind before downloading (which I of course highly recommend you do!), you can check out two songs on her homepage

The music isn't just about her, but also about a great band, including one of the finest pianists to arrive on the scene in the past years, Colin Vallon.













Lisette Spinnler - Siawaloma
Jazzfestival Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen (Switzerland), Kulturzentrum Kammgarn
May 8, 2010

Lisette Spinnler - vocals
Alex Hendriksen - tenor sax, flute
Colin Vallon - piano
Patrice Moret - bass
Michi Stulz - drums

1. FM intro (2:11)
2. Mazad (Dave Holland) 11:13
3. Announcement by Lisette Spinnler (0:20)
4. Little One I Miss You (Abbey Lincoln) 11:25
5. Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock) 14:44
6. Announcement by Lisette Spinnler (0:22)
7. River Man (Nick Drake) 5:54
8. Announcement by Lisette Spinnler (0:36)
9. L'hiver après (Colin Vallon) 12:07
10. Announcement by Lisette Spinnler (0:12)
11. Namaste (6:31)
12. FM outro (0:41)

TT: 66:19

Sound: A
Source: DRS 2 "Jazz Live" / 2010-11-05
Lineage: DVB-S@256, 48kHz > mp3DirectCut > mp2
(lossy recording seeded in its original broadcast codec)
Edited & shared by ubu


:: blurb from http://jazzfestival.ch ::

Samstag. 8.5.2010
21.30 Uhr
Lisette Spinnler voc, Colin Vallon p, Alex Hendriksen sax./flute, Patrice Moret b, Michi Stulz dr.

Mit ihrer Gruppe Siawaloma zelebriert die charismatische Basler Sängerin Lisette Spinnler eine organische, atmende Musik, die sich an den Zyklen des Werdens und Vergehens in der Natur zu orientieren scheint. Nichts wirkt hektisch oder überstürzt, auch wenn es mal schnell gehen muss. Die Band nimmt sich Zeit, atmosphärische Stimmungsbilder heraufzubeschwören und zu umkreisen. Ab und zu taucht eine solistische Stimme aus dem Ensemble auf, um Zeugnis von ihrer Einzigartigkeit abzulegen: wie ein Vogel, der plötzlich aus dem dunklen Wald herausfliegt, um am strahlend blauen Himmel seine Bahnen zu ziehen. “Siawaloma” bedeutet Gemeinschaft – und tatsächlich: Spinnlers Band ist eine Gemeinschaft. Jedes einzelne Individuum ist unzertrennbar mit jedem anderen Individuum verbunden.
www.lisettespinnler.com

Monday, November 01, 2010

Marion Brown - Solo & w/Gunter Hampel & Karl Berger

r.i.p. Marion Brown

This is the final upload in a little series dedicated to the late Marion Brown - a hodge-podge of music from the sixties and the eighties. Hope you enjoy the ride and hope you'll keep a special place for Marion in your hearts.



Karl Berger - Total Music Ensemble
Hamburg (Germany)
December 1968


Marion Brown - alto sax
Becky Friend - flute
Karl Berger - vibes
Alan Silva - cello, bass
Kent Carter - bass
Jacques Thollot - drums

1. D'Accord (Berger) 5:38
2. Announcement (1:09)
3. E.D. (Berger) 7:49
4. Announcement (0:43)
5. Blue Early Bird (Berger) 6:13
6. Announcement (0:19)
7. Tune In (7:49) [inc]

TT: 29:41

Sound: A-

Lineage: fm > ? >c dr > eac(secure mode) > flac(level 8)

:: ubu edits ::

- separated talk before #3(#2) from music (1:07)
- separated talk before #5(#3) from music (0:40)
- separated talk before #7(#4) from music (0:15)
- moved marks between #1 & #2 and #6(#3) & #7(#4)
- deleted tape-noise at end of #7(#4)

Additional lineage (2005): FLAC Frontend > Cool Edit Pro > FLAC (8)
Additional lineage (2010): SBE fixed in TLH, tags & checksums added

: : . : . : . : :

Gunter Hampel & Marion Brown
Berlin (Germany)
October 28, 1983


Gunter Hampel - bass clarinet
Marion Brown - alto sax

1. Funky Getdown (8:16)

Sound: A-

Lineage: fm > ? > 7" reels of unknown lineage > AKAI GX-4000-D
> Numark EQ 2250 20 band equalizer > HHB CDR 830 > cdr > cdr
> eac(secure mode) > flac(level 8)


:: ubu edit ::

deleted silence before and after track

Additional lineage (2005): FLAC Frontend > Cool Edit Pro > FLAC (8)
Additional lineage (2010): SBE fixed in TLH, tags & checksums added

: : . : . : . : :

Marion Brown
New York City (USA), Greenwich House
September 7, 1985


Marion Brown - alto sax

1. Black and Tan Fantasy (4:55)
2. (4:11)
3. (3:00)
4. 'Round Midnight (3:52)
5. (4:40)

TT: 20:41

Sound: A-
Lineage: Aud > Marantz PMD340 > cass > Peak > Xact > flac