Welcome back to Funkyolon

She's from the city of the land of nowhere and describes herself as "Gnarls meets a new-age Janis Joplin mothered by Sarah Vaughn". Meet Brittany Bosco. When you listen to her you think that in her description she forgot to mention her big sister Erykah Badu. She shoots out some really funky tracks with a well-controlled voice over electronic jazz/trip hop beats on her Spectrum 2.0 album. On one track (Billie's song) she used an excerpt from a Billie Holiday interview where she states "I've always wanted to sing like an instrument". Yes, when a musician has aspirations of singing like an instrument you know they're going to be serving you some good earfood. 

Bosco is a native of Savannah, GA who studied fashion design at Savannah College of Art and Design and  together with a few other SCAD alums she is a part of The Big Up! artists collective. She has had some classical voice training which she flexes and which definitely helps her to develop a unique style. Even so, her Spectrum 2.0 album gives a whole range of her musical flexibility and an eclectic musical taste. Open your ears and digest these tracks:








If you like that then get ready for her new release, Pacer EP, later this month. In the meantime check out the song "Pacer", the teaser below, and a couple of interviews here and there.


BOSCO - PACER


 BOSCO - Pacer

Amy's Song

Live fast. Die young. Leave a good looking corpse. For many people this is where their comments on the recent death of Amy Winehouse ends but if you're familiar with more than "Rehab" (trust me, pick any song from either album and it's 100X better) then you might have felt some kinda way about her passing. I was quite saddened when I heard the news on Saturday morning and it has been one of the first thoughts that enter my mind when I wake up every morning since then. She is a mainstay on my iPod and I guess I listen to her music so much and so often that I felt connected to her in some way. She had a voice and presentation that drew you in without ever trying too hard. She never needed to scream to get your attention and, stealing a line from Jadakiss, 'she don't use beats for help, she help the beats'. It was as if she wasn't aware of her immense talent and to her she was just toying around. Her voice always came off with a mystifying air but at the same time very very real. Something that I am pretty sure can only come naturally.

Amy Amy Amy. I have never met the woman, much less spoken to her but through her music I felt like I was listening to her in a personal kind of way as she poured out her troubles with unsuccessful love affairs to me. You know, like those times you sit and listen to a friend without needing to say a word...they just need you to listen. Overall, I can't help but feel like she's that close girl-friend that every guy has who calls to complain from time to time about other men. I listen to her venting to me about how her man, seven years older than her, acts like a child on "Stronger Than Me" or, similarly, on "Help Yourself" to the "fuckery" of another on "Me & Mr. Jones". How dare he cause her to miss the Slick Rick show and question her love for him? In a voice that appears saddened by and tired of dealing with men she tells me how she "Wakes up Alone" and eventually breaks up with her guy, insisting that he "Take The Box". Of course, as any man who has had these conversations with women would understand, she ultimately asks the question "What Is It About Men"? Finally, she comes to the conclusion that "Love Is A Losing Game" sounding like one that will never fall for that trick again as she accepts it and comes to the realization that her "Tears Dry On Their Own".
I listen attentively as she tells me she gets back on the horse thinking she is in the "Mood for Love" but scarred by her past experiences she ends up just turning the tables and abusing men with her nonchalance of cheating as she shrugs and sings "I Heard Love Is Blind". She's tries to justify and explain her infidelity by telling her beau things like "You are everything, he means nothing to me. I can't even remember his name", and "I didn't let him hold my hand", and quite hilariously "I was thinking of you when I came". Unable to quell his anger she blames him with "what do you expect? You left me here alone..." I just can't help but feel indifference oozing from her words. She lets another down a little easier by telling him they should be "Just Friends" because although she's not ashamed the guilt will kill him if she [his woman] doesn't do so first. Her divorce form romantic fantasy is cemented as she makes it known that no man should get too comfortable in her bed because she sees them as replaceable toys and eventually the novelty will wear off. She talks about her mastery of separating sex from emotion, reminding her lover that the only time she holds his hand is to "get the angle right". As she laughs she tells me that she always let them know that she is trouble and in her words, "You Know I'm No Good". Sensing that she may be putting too much on my shoulders she lightens the mood by ridiculing the groupie, cookie-cutter hoe types and their "Fuck Me Pumps" and relaying this nice little story about how she cussed out her girlfriend because her boyfriend was always coming over and smoking all her [Amy's] weed. Needless to say, she did not appreciate that. She didn't mind that he smoked it, she just would like him to replace it so that she can get her high too. 

I still love her. Regardless of her addictions and self-destructive lifestyle that many people berate her for I fully appreciate the music she has left with me (and for introducing me to Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings). I am still very sad because with her recent tours I was hoping that she was getting better and would hopefully start recording again. Maybe some of the stuff she was reportedly working on will be released. She most recently recorded with Tony Bennett for his album Duets II to be released on September 20 and was rumored to have done a collaboration with Cee Lo for her new album which was supposed to be out earlier this year, in January (there had been on again/off again mention of this album since a year ago). Clearly this didn't happen and depending on the source you will hear that there is either a "ready-to-be-release album" or some "really great demos"...we'll have to wait and see what the happens in the future but I would love to hear what she was working on.

"not many people have it in them to do something they love, simply because they love it. with no fuss and no compromise. but she knew what she was capable of and didn’t even need to try. if she wanted to do something she would and if she didn’t she’d say fuck off. it came easy to her and that’s why we all loved her so much. we believed every word she wrote, and it would sink in deep when she sang them. Amy paved the way for artists like me and made people excited about british music again whilst being fearlessly hilarious and blase about the whole thing. i don’t think she ever realised just how brilliant she was and how important she is, but that just makes her even more charming. although im incredibly sad about Amy passing im also reminded of how immensely proud of her i am as well. and grateful to be inspired by her. Amy flies in paradise xx" --Adele

[emphasis is mine]

This song will forever remind me of her death. I am renaming it "Amy's Song".

Amy Winehouse - October Song

"74 Miles Away". Belgium is not as far as you think.

[click photo for behind the scenes video]

74 Miles Away at the Dour Festival 2011 - 

Pierre Anckaert, Eric Paquet, Louis Van De Leest (left to right). 

Photo compliments of Kmeron.

FYI, Belgium has more to offer the rest of the world than waffles. Not only has the country been home to a number Nobel Prize winning scientists but there are also some noteworthy Belgian musicians that have been occupying my playlists recently. A major part of that Belgian music scene has been the artist collective known as Laid Back (LDBK). LDBK is a project that started in 2002 as a radio show on a local radio station in Brussels. The radio show is now available online and the project has grown to include a variety of artists such as designers, photographers, writers, musicians, DJs, producers, filmmakers etc. According to the website, LDBK's priority is "to connect existing communities around the world and activate them to engage in different projects". One superb project that I has been activated through LDBK is the union between two Belgian outfits - Pierre Anckaert Trio and MonkeyRobot. The result is music that blows you no less than 74 Miles Away.

Pierre Anckaert: is a Belgian jazz pianist/composer who studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and also spent a month on a course in Afro-Cuban music in 2003. In 2007 his trio was awarded first prize at the Jazz Hoeilaart International Contest. A year later he released his first recording "Candide" as a trio ensemble with double bass and drums. His music is incredibly diverse with sets ranging from trios, quartets, quintets, and big bands to the Brussels Chamber Orchestra. The Belgian composer/conductor Frédéric Devreese had this to say about Anckaert and his work:

"A particularly happy mix of jazz and classical music, subtle harmonizations and surprising modulations, inventive and virtuoso improvisations, a variety of atmospheres and terrific grooves... In a nutshell, a discovery!"

MonkeyRobot: On the other side of the coin is a pair of musicians/beatmakers/producers from Brussels: Eric Paquet (Eric P.), Louis Van De Leest (LuiGi) who have previously worked under the moniker InfinitSkills. Their works are genius and their instrument implementation takes you on a ride you can feel as it moves you through different levels. According to LDBK founder, Julien Mourlon, Eric P. and LuiGi had been DJs for the LDBK radio show for over five years. Here is what he has to say about them: 

"Since I met them in 2003, it was the “old vs new” duality that I liked in their music. Being musicians and beatmakers, sampling live instruments or adding organic layers to their beats was their trademark. When Louis released a cover of René Costy’s "Scrabble" (the Chapell libary cut used by Dilla for his classic "F*** The Police") on Jazzy Sport last year with long time friend Pierre Anckaert on the Fender Rhodes, it was clear there would be a follow up to this collaboration."

The first track that I heard from 74 Miles Away was the opener of the LDBK compilation "All School Flavor vol. 1" - Seven Four. This hybrid track is the perfect example of what makes this collaboration and the 74 Miles Away project the perfect idea. Though not the most complex piece of music, it is a nice fresh take on the Cannonball Adderley track 74 Miles Away (perhaps their name is in tribute to Adderley?). The seamless transition and mingling of the work from both sides goes a long way to validate the marriage of the Anckaert Trio and MonkeyRobot.

Pierre Anckaert Trio vs. MonkeyRobot: The above cut is definitely an apéritif to their current release "74 Miles Away: Pierre Anckaert Trio vs. MonkeyRobot" which is deeper in complexity. According to the LDBK website "The main idea behind this “74 Miles Away” project is to put the Fender Rhodes – one of the most precious electric pianos of the last decades – in the spotlight". To reinforce this idea, this promo video clearly shows the 'Seventy Three' Fender-Rhodes taking center stage.  
The concept of the album is one that works well for the talents involved and challenges you as the listener. Four electronic jazz tracks composed and arranged by Anckaert and cut by his trio (P. Anckaert - Fender Rhodes; R. Korolik - Bass; D. Barker - Drums; S. Bracaval - flute [tracks 1 & 3]) comprises the first half of the album. Then tracks 5-8 are those same four tracks reworked by MonkeyRobot along with the introduction of vocals to create a new set of tracks with a jazz fusion tone. The result is 8 tracks (yes, I can do math) but I always find myself trying to decipher and detect bits of Anckaert's originals in the MonkeyRobot tracks and although they are radically reworked, if you listen carefully, there are detectable elements under the heavy synth layers and mesmerizing harmony.
The entire album can be listened to as completely separate songs (the tracks are arranged with the 4 Anckaerts Trio cuts followed by the 4 MonkeyRobot cuts) and they will stand alone just fine or you can create a playlist and play each rework after its original...this is what I did for the first few listens in order to pick up on the similarities. Either way just lay back and let the music take you away...74 miles away.

Here you can take a listen to "Chromeface" and its counterpart "Neverending Rhodes" below and catch a studio session video here.







To hear more you can listen to/purchase the album here. It is also available on iTunes.

For more like 74 Miles Away I recommend listening to/purchasing the LDBK "All School Flavor vol. 1" compilation. There are some great cuts on it including tracks from ClassicBeatz, Bongholio Iglesias, 40 Winks, LeFtO and more.

Thanks to Vincent Philbert aka Kmeron for permission to use his photos. Check out more pics of 74 Miles Away at the Dour Festival or his entire concert archive.

Vinyl Crisis? Not anymore :)

 

This guy showed up today! ^_^

I remember back when I was much younger, even before I owned my first walkman, my grandfather putting on 12" LPs to enjoy what he called "the good music before all this BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!". Apparently, I used to mess with his records a lot because I still have a scar on the big toe of my right foot where Bob Marley's Legend vinyl fell on my toe when I was very young...I was holding the sleeve upside down. 

Recently I have found it quite hard to find certain pieces of music on CD or digitally. This happens mostly when I'm looking for a specific recording of a classical piece (particular maestro conducting a particular orchestra) and usually, as luck would have it, I can find it online on vinyl. Well, I shall suffer no longer. The good thing is that this turntable comes with a USB connection to so that you can digitize your vinyls. It plays 33s and 45s and the software has the ability to record 78s. Now, everything is fair game.

Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Vinyl Crisis

"Ev'ry time I hear the heartless sound that has no groove I miss the way you lay on my turntable and move...your flat belly 'gainst the taut tip of my stylus."

In anticipation of the arrival of my new toy, I purchased Charles Mingus' Pithecanthropus Erectus (the "Jackie McLean" Mingus days) online but it has not yet arrived. I bought the "180 gram audiophile virgin vinyl" copy. I'm far from an audiophile, and I wasn't sure what all that entirely meant but I looked it up before purchase (the internet is a beautiful thing) and decided I would give it a go. I also found a vinyl store with an extensive jazz collection about 10 minutes drive from my house so I will be dropping in there very soon to rifle through their jazz sax collection...Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins, Cannonball Adderley.

So, is it just me or is there a general resurgence in interest in vinyl? Well, last month the Nielsen report on music indicated a 37% increase in vinyl sales over last year...for the first quarter of 2011 alone. Whatever the reason, maybe genuine interest, frustration over not being able to find digitized copies of certain music, an attempt to resurrect an old vinyl collection, or just the Rise of the Audiophile, "Black Plastic Magic" is getting a lot more attention these days.

Electronica + Acid Jazz + Hip-Hop =

 "Wonderland was created just like a short cut movie, 

with a taste of adventure, in a dream land hosted by 

an elegant cat, in a short 24h time." - Teru

Last night, rather serendipitously, I came upon a guy who goes by the name Dandy Teru and a few clicks later I was delightfully introduced to Massive Suits Quartet. According to his facebook page he is interested in music, women, and suits...already my type of character. Beyond that, the most I have been able to find out about him is that he is a French producer and self-proclaimed dandy that performed, produced, and mixed the music that you are about to hear. Teru described Massive Suit Quartet's work as "creating sounds with jazz breaks, samples, piano keys, and arranements science"..."with a touch of romanticism, elegance, and drama". This one is called "Costume".

Massive Suits Quartet - Costume

You can listen to all 4 tracks of the album online for free or pay €4 (~$6) and download them.

Listen to more offerings by Dandy Teru.

Martha. Mother. Martyr. Unlikely homophones until you meet the BFE

 

Put some smooth 90's hip-hop and reggae-esque vocals over original jazz-funk beats and you get the Brooklyn Funk Essentials every time. Just as sure as leaving a crack-head to "keep an eye" on your wallet will leave you broke. 

BFE is a music collective which enjoyed heavy recognition throughout the 90s with songs like "A Headnaddas Journey to the Planet Adidi-Skizm", "Big Apple Boogaloo", "Dance Free Night", and their very first single, a rendition of the highly-acclaimed tune by legendary tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, "The Creator Has a Master Plan" (see embedded video).

 

Their second album - In The Buzz Bag - with its single "Istanbul Twilight", recorded with Turkish group Laco Tayfa, earned the group a Grammy nomination and elevated them to cult-like status in Turkey. Other songs such as "I Got Cash" and "Date With Baby" are humorous and pure fun to listen to. Vocals for the groups' songs are generally provided by Swedish reggae star Papa Dee, and female vocalists Hanifah Walidah, and Stephanie McKay. In addition, tracks often feature the gruff, throaty dub poetry of Everton Sylvester which is quite a delight on the auditory palate. This brings us to the main course of this post.

     Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Martha

"Martha" is the second to last track from the album 'Make Them Like It'. Every time I listen to this song I am captivated by the ease and completeness with which he paints the picture of the picture at which he is gazing. The description is so thorough that it doesn't just allow you to conjure up an image, instead it forces the image upon you - even down to the details of the blouse she is wearing.  The entire tone of the song is one of sad reminiscence; a son going through an old photo album or maybe stopping to stare at a framed photo of his mother when she was at her prime. Nothing, however, prepares the listener for the shocking  fact revealed by the final six words. 

The more subtle, and more interesting feature of the song is the way that Stephanie McKay's pronunciation of the track title "Martha", which we assume is the mother's name, during the 1:45 repetitive outro makes us hear three different things at different times: 'Martha', then 'Mother', and then 'Martyr'. An ingenious yet subtle nudge at the over-arching subject; the execution of which increases my respect for this track.

--If you enjoy BFE you may also like Thievery Corporation, Mercan Dede, The Roots, Miles Davis, Steel Pulse, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer.

Enjoy the official start to summer 2011

It may not be as fast-paced and up-tempo as summer activities but this song captures those calm summer days where you just chill (or imagine chilling) in the shade drinking whatever it is you like to pour down your throat. 

Definitely one of the best to ever open up The Great American Song Book, Ella Fitzgerald makes every tune a favorite. The Ella Fitzgerlad/Luois Armstrong duo is, in my opinion, one of the best. Ella's refined, clear, well-presented diction is starkly contrasted by Louis' raspy voice, country boy pronunciations on almost every song they did. This song is taken from the music composed by George Gershwin for the opera "Porgy and Bess". A great many of the tunes Gershwin produced ended up becoming jazz standards.

So, funny story about this song that happened just recently. This past Saturday I was heading to a Ella & Gershwin tribute played by a section of the Hartford Symphone Orchestra. I'm driving with the windows down, sunroof open, blasting some music. I stop at a light and there was a guy with a sign that read "Homeless: please help." He was positioned right next to my car and as I'm waiting for the light to turn green the track changes and a few seconds later, out from my car comes blasting "Summertime, and the living is easy". Needless to say this was quite an awkward situation. 

Enjoy the summer!

--For other artists like Ella Fitzgerald, check out other female jazz and blues artists: Etta James, Nina Simone, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee, Bessie Smith.