Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 5

Atahualpa Yupanqui was a legendary Argentine folk musician and philosopher whose fame was revived during the politically charged "nueva cancion" movement of the 1960s.

He became one of the most valuable treasures for the local culture. As a child living in the small town of Roca, province of Buenos Aires, Héctor Roberto Chavero was seduced by traditional music, especially by the touching sound of the acoustic guitar. After taking violin lessons, the young man began learning how to play guitar, having musician Bautista Almirón as his teacher. For many years, Atahualpa Yupanqui traveled around his native country, singing folk tunes and working as muleteer, delivering telegrams, and even working as a journalist for a Rosario newspaper. In the late '30s, the artist started recording songs, making his debut as a writer in 1941 with Piedra Sola, later writing a famous novel called Cerro Bajo. I

n 1949, the singer/songwriter went on tour around Europe for the first time, including performances with France's Edith Piaf. During the following decades Atahualpa Yupanqui achieved an impressive amount of national and international recognition, becoming an essential artist, a distinguished Latin American troubadour, and influencing many prominent musicians and Argentinean folk groups. 

Atahualpa Yupanqui passed away in France in May, 1992.                 

Here´s the final part of the "L´Integrale" set:


Tracklist:

1.	El Payador Perseguido	41:20
2.	Poema Para Un Bello Nombre	5:47
3.	Vidala Del Silencio	6:03
4.	Fin De La Zafra	4:34
5.	Testimonio Final	1:52

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 5
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Daniel Viglietti - En Vivo desde Argentina 1971 - 1973 (1978) - Rest in peace!

Daniel Viglietti died October 30, 2017 in Montevideo at age 78 due to complications from surgery. Rest in peace!

Daniel Alberto Viglietti Indart (born 24 July 1939, Montevideo) is an Uruguayan folk singer, guitarist, composer, and political activist. He is one of the main exponents of Uruguayan popular song and also of the Nueva Canción or "New Song" of the 1960s and early 1970s.

He founded, in 1971, along with other musicians like José "Pepe" Guerra, Braulio López, the music scholar Coriún Aharonián (the only founding member who is still active), Myriam Dibarboure, María Teresa Sande and Notary Public Edgardo Bello, the recognized independent record label Ayuí/Tacuabé in order to promote and support valuable Uruguayan musical expressions.

He has performed the works of Cuban Nueva Trova stars Silvio Rodríguez and Pablo Milanés and Brazil's Chico Buarque and Edu Lobo, has worked with Cuban composer and arranger Leo Brouwer. His recordings are widely available, especially "Trópicos" (1972).

Viglietti was imprisoned in 1972 by his own government. He was supported by the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre as an international man of conscience, a voice for peace, and an opponent of the fascism and tyranny that plagued South America in the 1970s. Rumors about possible mistreatment against him forced the authorities to bring him out in front of television cameras to show that, in particular, his hands were fine. However, Viglietti spoke out that his treatment in police custody was much better than what other political prisoners received. He was a peer of the late Chilean poet and folk singer Victor Jara and composer and activist Violeta Parra.

Tracklist:
01. Nuestra Bandera [Daniel Viglietti] (2:53)
02. El diablo en el Paraíso [Violeta Parra] (2:47)
03. De noche en casa [Raimon – Trad. Daniel Viglietti] (2:28)
04. Vamos, Estudiantes (Del film “Me gustan los estudiantes”, Uruguay 1968) [Daniel Viglietti] (2:09)
05. Que no encuentre ni el rocío [Poema Quechua, traducido por S. Salazar Bondy – Daniel Viglietti] (2:28)
06. A desalambrar [Daniel Viglietti] (2:34)
07. Cielito del calabozo [Daniel Viglietti] (3:41)
08. Por todo Chile [Daniel Viglietti] (3:02)
09. Canción para mi América [Daniel Viglietti] (2:36)
10. Anaclara [Daniel Viglietti] (3:53)
11. Otra voz canta [Circe Maia – Daniel Viglietti] (2:55)
12. La senda está trazada [Jorge Salerno] (3:34)

Daniel Viglietti - En Vivo desde Argentina 1971 - 1973  (1978)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Joe Gibbs & The Professionals‎ – African Dub - Chapter 2

The second volume in this vintage four-disc series of instrumental dub from Joe Gibbs' studio finds him still working with members of the Soul Syndicate and We the People bands, and utilizing the formidable mixing talents of Errol Thompson.

What sets this volume somewhat apart from the other three is the number of rhythms it carries over from the rocksteady era: "Chapter Two" is a remix of the Techniques' late-'60s classic "Queen Majesty"; "Peeping Tom" reworks the Melodians' "You Have Caught Me"; and "My Best Dub" is an instrumental and nicely dubbed-up recut of the early Wailers track "Hypocrites." But it also includes some heavyweight rockers and one-drop material, including "Angola Crisis" (based on a familiar rhythm later used for such roots reggae hits as "Uptown Top Ranking" and "Three Piece Suit") and an absolutely brilliant dub mix of Bob Andy's "Chained," here rendered in dark, minimalist tones with drastic dubwise effects and retitled "Third World."

Along with the third volume, this is one of the most impressive of the four discs in the African Dub series.                

Tracklist:

1	Chapter Two
2	The Marriguna Affair
3	Angola Crisis
4	Peeping Tom
5	Outrage
6	Idlers Rest
7	My Best Dub
8	Third World
9	Heavy Duty Dub
10	Musical Arena
11	Mackarus Serenade
12	Jamaican Grass

Joe Gibbs & The Professionals‎ – African Dub - Chapter 2                                   
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Jorge Ben - África Brasil (1976)

This 1976 album is undoubtedly one of the greatest classics of Brazilian popular music, with Jorge Ben mixing funky samba, Afro-Brazilian beats, and crunching guitars to create one of the most fascinating sounds ever recorded in Brazil.

The album kicks off with the raw, energetic "Ponta de Lança Africano," and from there on it never slows down, but continues to pile up one fiery, funky gem after the other. The samba soul and samba funk scenes of the '70s in Brazil produced many great artists and many great recordings, fully comparable with the best soul and funk music recorded in the U.S. during the same period. Jorge Ben was the most prominent figure of this scene and "África Brasil" is probably the most famous of his '70s recordings. For any person who is interested in the music of Jorge Ben, or indeed Brazilian funk in general, there is no better sample of it than "África Brasil".

Tracklist:

A1	Ponta De Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)	3:58
A2	Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu	3:04
A3	O Filósofo	3:30
A4	Meus Filhos, Meu Tesouro	3:53
A5	O Plebeu	3:18
A6	Taj Mahal	3:10
B1	Xica Da Silva	4:00
B2	A História De Jorge	3:53
B3	Camisa 10 Da Gávea	4:18
B4	Cavaleiro Do Cavalo Imaculado	4:43
B5	África Brasil (Zumbi)	3:48

Jorge Ben - África Brasil (1976)
(320 kbps, cover art included)             

Nina Simone - Broadway Blues Ballads (1964)

There's a lot more Broadway and a lot more ballads than blues on this, which ranks as one of her weaker mid-'60s albums. Almost half the record features Broadway tunes on the order of Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hammerstein; most of the rest was composed by Bennie Benjamin, author of her first-rate "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," which the Animals covered for a hit shortly afterwards (and which leads off this record).

The other Benjamin tunes are modified uptown soul with string arrangements and backup vocals in the vein of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," but aren't in the same league, although "How Can I?" is an engaging cha cha. Besides "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," the album is most notable for the great "See-Line Woman," a percolating call-and-response number that ranks as one of her best tracks. The CD reissue includes the strange bonus cut "The Monster," an odd attempt at a soul novelty tune.

1. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, Sol Marcus) - 2:48
2. "Night Song" (Lee Adams, Charles Strouse) - 3:06
3. "The Laziest Gal in Town" (Cole Porter) - 2:19
4. "Something Wonderful" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) - 2:46
5. "Don't Take All Night" (Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus) - 2:54
6. "Nobody" (Alex Rogers, Bert Williams) - 4:18
7. "I Am Blessed" (Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus) - 2:57
8. "Of This I'm Sure" (Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus) - 2:37
9. "See-Line Woman" ([traditional] American folk, George Bass, Nina Simone) - 2:38
10. "Our Love (Will See Us Through)" (Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus) - 3:01
11. "How Can I?" (Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus) - 2:05
12. "The Last Rose of Summer" (Thomas Moore, Richard Alfred Milliken, Nina Simone) - 3:08
13.  "A Monster" is added as a bonus track. (Bennie Benjamin, Sol Marcus) - 2:47

Nina Simone - Broadway Blues Ballads (1964)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Georges Brassens - Don Juan - Vol. 12 (1976)

One of French pop's most poetic songwriters, Georges Brassens was also a highly acclaimed and much-beloved performer in his own right. Not only a brilliant manipulator of language and a feted poet in his own right, Brassens was also renowned for his subversive streak, satirizing religion, class, social conformity, and moral hypocrisy with a wicked glee. Yet beneath that surface was a compassionate concern for his fellow man, particularly the disadvantaged and desperate.

His personal politics were forged during the Nazi occupation, and while his views on freedom bordered on anarchism, his songs expressed those convictions more subtly than those of his contemporary, Léo Ferré.

Though he was a skilled songwriter, Brassens had little formal musical training, and he generally kept things uncomplicated - simple melodies and spare accompaniment from a bass and second guitar.

Along with Jacques Brel, he became one of the most unique voices on the French cabaret circuit, and exerted a tremendous influence on many other singers and songwriters of the postwar era. His poetry and lyrics are still studied as part of France's standard educational curriculum.       

"Don Juan" was officially his final album.

Tracklist:

1	Trompe La Mort
2	Les Ricochets
3	Tempête Dans Un Bénitier
4	Le Boulevard Du Temps Qui Passe
5	Le Modeste
6	Don Juan
7	Les Casseuses
8	Cupidon S'En Fout
9	Montélimar
10	Histoire De Faussaire
11	La Messe Au Pendu
12	Lèche-Cocu
13	Les Patriotes
14	Mélanie
	Bonus :
15	Les Copains D'Abord
16	La Visite
17	Élégie À Un Rat De Cave

Georges Brassens - Don Juan - Vol. 12 (1976)

(ca. 192 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Klangdenkmal für die Opfer des Holocaust - A Monument in Sound for the Victims of the Holocaust (2004)

Today we remember the anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany and Austria on 9 to 10 November1938, also known as "Novemberpogrome", "Reichskristallnacht", "Reichspogromnacht" or "Pogromnacht" in German.

Twenty six variations on a subject that one finds difficult to put into words. The incomprehensibility and the magnitude of the Holocaust can perhaps be described in facts, dates and figures - but the suffering of the victims, the regret about what happened, the consequence is especially difficult to "grasp" in terms of one´s owen life. Perhaps this is the reason for music as music is "the ability to communicate where speech has ended" (R. M. Rilke) and gives us the possivility of combining emotions and reason without a verbal setting, to allow grief and hope to flow into each other and in this manner to remember the victims in a very special way.

The "Monument in Sound for the Vicitms of the Holocaust" has been "built" by 27 composers who belong to the "Deutsche Komponistenverband" (German Association of Composers). The project was initiated in 1999 following a unanimous resolution passed by the associations´s state branch in Berlin. Composers from a variety of generations and artistic origins are involved and the starting point was the theme of a song by Coco Schumann. He was persecuted as the son of a Jewish mother and deported to the concentration camps Theresienstadt, Auschwitz and Dachau - he survived these camps and still performs on stage to this very day.

The theme of his compositon was arranged for a string quartet setting and sent to all the project´s participants in alphabetical order, one after another. Each artist then had the possibility, whilst taking the opening theme into consideration, to take up from his predecessor in terms of compostion or to carry on independatly ins or her own way. As such, after two years work, an astonishingly homogeneous musical piece of contemporary history came into being, contrary to all doubts, created by artist from a variety of musical fields - from jazz, avant garde and serious music. A musical work in which past and present flow into a spiritual entirety, as the sum of the involved composers´ personal and subjecitve experiences, each being treated in their own individual artistic manner.


VA - Klangdenkmal für die Opfer des Holocaust (2004)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Django Reinhardt et son Quintette du HCF - Concert A Bruxelles 1948

From the liner notes:

"This is a recording in which every Django Reinhardt admirer will be interested. It is the only public performance we know and it had been recorded on an amateur tape recorder he bought in Brussels.

When Mrs. Reinhardt played it to us after Django´s death, we immediately thought that such a rarity had to be issued, although the recording quality is poor.

So here is Django Reinhardt with his quintet on the stage of the Theatre des Galeries in Burssels in December 1948 featuring Hubert Rostaing, Louis Vola, Arthur Motta and his older son Henri "Louson" Baumgartner."



Tracklist:

A1	Artillerie Lourde	4:19
A2	Micro	1:57
A3	Bolero	3:57
A4	Cadillac Slim	2:43
A5	Nuages	3:44
B1	Place De Broukere	2:49
B2	Improvisation	2:28
B3	Improvisation Sur Un Theme Mineur	4:20
B4	Festival 48	1:48
B5	Minor Swing	2:17

Django Reinhardt et son Quintette du HCF - Concert A Bruxelles 1948
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - African Dub All-Mighty - Chapter 3

The third (and most impressive) of four volumes of dub mixes from the studio of producer Joe Gibbs, "African Dub, Chapter 3" finds engineer Errol Thompson getting a bit more adventurous than he had on the earlier installments. More of these dub versions keep shreds and snatches of the original vocal tracks in the mix, which is almost always a plus in a dub context - little snippets of disembodied vocals float through the otherworldly musical atmosphere, lending a sometimes spooky human element to the sound and often casting new and refracted light on the meaning of the original lyrics.

And on this volume, Thompson seems to be taking a few cues from his competitor Lee "Scratch" Perry, throwing such extramusical elements as water sounds (on "Freedom Call") and ringing telephones (on "Jubilation Dub") into the mix along with the usual gossamer shreds of guitar, horn, and keyboard. Highly recommended.               


Tracklist:

Chapter Three
Rema Dub
Tribesman Rockers
Freedom Call
Jubilation Dub
The Entebbe Affair
Angolian Chant
Zion Gate
Jungle Dub
Dub Three

Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - African Dub All-Mighty - Chapter 3
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Nico - Desertshore (1970)

While Nico was the member of the Velvet Underground who had had the least experience in music prior to joining the group (while she had recorded a pop single in England, she'd never been a member of a working band before Andy Warhol introduced her to the Velvets), she was also the one who strayed farthest from traditional rock & roll after her brief tenure with the band, and by the time she recorded "Desertshore", her work had little (if anything) to do with traditional Western pop.

John Cale, who produced and arranged "Desertshore", once described the music as having more to do with 20th century classical music than anything else, and while that may be going a bit far to make a point, even compared to the avant-rock frenzy of the Velvet Underground's early material, "Desertshore" is challenging stuff. Nico's dour Teutonic monotone is a compelling but hardly welcoming vocal presence, and the songs, centered around the steady drone of her harmonium, are often grim meditations on fate that are crafted and performed with inarguable skill and intelligence, but are also a bit samey, and the album's downbeat tone gets to be rough sledding by the end of side two. Cale's arrangements are superb throughout, and "My Only Child," "Afraid," and "The Falconer" are quite beautiful in their own ascetic way, but like the bulk of Nico's repertoire, "Desertshore" is an album practically designed to polarize its listeners; you'll either embrace it's darkness or give up on it before the end of side one. Then again, given the thoroughly uncompromising nature of her career as a musician, that's probably just what Nico had in mind. 

Tracklist:

Janitor Of Lunacy	4:01
The Falconer	5:39
My Only Child	3:27
Le Petit Chevalier	1:12
Abschied	3:02
Afraid	3:27
Mütterlein	4:38
All That Is My Own	3:54

Nico - Desertshore (1970)
(320 kbps, cover art included)             

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Secrets (1978)

Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson made a lot of incredible music together and "Secrets" is no exception. Soul and Jazz come together with the brilliance that is Gil Scott-Heron's mind and the result is truly inspiring. This 1978 album from the poet/musician, an album that continues the journey started on the 1977 album, "Bridges".

"Angel Dust" warns of the dangers of drug abuse. "Show Bizness" is a hilarious look at the perils of the music business ('they'll take care of everything for only 95%'), whilst "Madison Avenue" talks of the over commercialization of western society ("buying is all that's asked of you..."). "Better Days Ahead" and "Prayer For Everybody" see Gil in a more optimistic light hoping for a better future.

Gil Scott Heron was rapping and telling it like it is long before hip hop even thought about running its course. This album was a good example of Gil's finest works.

Tracklist:
1. Angel Dust
2. Madison Avenue
3. Cane
4. Third World Revolution
5. Better Days Ahead
6. 3 Miles Down
7. Angola Louisiana
8. Show Bizness
9. A Prayer For Everybody To Be Free


Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - Secrets
(192 kbps, front cover included)

Sun Ra - Dancing Shadows

"Dancing Shadows" is a mid-'80s German bootleg disc gathering material that had been recorded some two decades earlier for the ESP-Disk indie label. It should also be noted that the same eight sides can be found as both "Nothing Is" (1970) and the somewhat erroneous "Heliocentric Worlds, Vol. 3" (1966). In terms of the contents, the cuts were documented at various stops on the Arkestra's 1966 spring tour of state universities of New York. The instrumental free jazz improvisations surrounding the more discernible melodies from Ra (piano/clavioline) and company serve as the primary impetus for this collection.

From out of the free-for-all introduction "Dancing Shadows," Ra's keyboards are incisive and direct as he rides the band into a swinging and inventive jam sporting the same brand of advanced arrangements and tricky time signatures that are associated with the likes of Pharoah Sanders and Thelonious Monk. Longtime Arkestra stalwarts Marshall Allen (alto sax/flute/piccolo/oboe), John Gilmore (tenor sax), and Pat Patrick (baritone sax/flute) entwine their Eastern-influenced interjections and effuse interaction over the solid rhythm section of Ronnie Boykins (bass/tuba), Clifford Jarvis (drums), Carl Nimrod [aka Carl S. Malone/Nimrod Hunt] (sun horn/gong), and James Jacson (flute/log drums).

While no traditional drum kit performers are credited, they are evident throughout. Sandwiched between "Dancing Shadows" and "Exotic Forest" is the spoken or (perhaps more accurately) chanted chorus of "the second stop is Jupiter." Keen-eared enthusiasts might recall this extract, which hails from "Rocket #9." There is an entrancing and almost intoxicating quality to "Exotic Forest." Allen's oboe solo is bound to some equally heady percussive expressions. This release can be recommended for this track alone, as it exemplifies the unquestionable beauty that the Arkestra created from seeming sonic chaos. After "Sun Ra and His Band from Outer Space" - a brief piano solo interlude - the final extended piece is "Shadow World." Here, Patrick's opening solo is met head-on with a hard-hitting and edgy assault from Allen on oboe. This eventually leads into a full Arkestra meltdown prior to Ra's "Theme of the Stargazers" and a final chorus of "Next Stop Mars" - another spoken/sung chant. The audio quality of this specific incarnation is less than favorable when compared to either of the previously mentioned releases "Nothing Is" or "Heliocentric Worlds, Vol. 3" - both of which are available on CD. All manner of free jazz fans are encouraged to locate "Dancing Shadows", as it provides an unabashed glimpse into what makes this era of the Arkestra so highly lauded among listeners.               

Tracklist:

1. Dancing Shadows / Imagination / Exotic Forest (20:15)

2. Sun Ra And His Band From Outer Space / Shadow World / Theme Of The Stargazers / Outer Spaceways Incorporated / Next Stop Mars (17:54)



Sun Ra - Dancing Shadows
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Atahualpa Yupanqui - Lo Mejor De

The roots of nueva canción trace to the late 1950s and early ’60s, a notably restive era in Latin American history. Many countries were saddled with ineffective or authoritarian governments, and the gap between the wealthy and the impoverished was widening. Moreover, European and North American cultural influence was becoming increasingly palpable, with musical tastes in particular molded to a significant degree by the commercial-music industry of North America. In that milieu two notable singer-songwriters in neighbouring countries embarked on crusades to reclaim what they perceived as the crumbling social and cultural integrity of their homelands: Violeta Parra in Chile and Atahualpa Yupanqui in Argentina.

Much of the work of Parra and Yupanqui involved collecting old songs from the countryside and reworking - or rejuvenating - them to become “new songs” in a more contemporary, broadly accessible format. Parra commonly cast her song in well-established local poetic forms, and, perhaps most significant, she introduced Andean instruments into the accompanying ensemble. Meanwhile, Yupanqui’s semisung lyrics, intoned atop expressive guitar playing, vividly evoked the hardships of life in the Andes. By developing and promoting a body of popular songs that were grounded in local traditions and that addressed the experiences and concerns of ordinary people, both Parra and Yupanqui helped democratize music in their countries; their songs spoke both to and for the populace.

Tracklist:

1	Los Ejes De Mi Carreta	3:00
2	La Copla	4:55
3	La Olvidada	2:10
4	La Tarde	4:00
5	El Poeta	3:00
6	Malambo	3:25
7	A La Noche La Hizo Dios	3:30
8	El Pampino	4:10
9	Paisaje Con Nieve	4:50
10	El Aromo	4:00
11	El Alazán	3:19
12	El Promesante	3:20
13	Le Tengo Rabia Al Silencio	3:02
14	Guitarra Dímelo Tú	2:54
15	Camino Del Indio	3:02
16	Trabajo, Quiero Trabajo	2:54

Atahualpa Yupanqui - Lo Mejor De
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Brother Resistance - When De Riddum Explode

Born in East Dry River, Trinidad, Brother Resistance became, together with Brother Shortman, the lead singer of the Network Riddum Band, a Trinidadian ensemble, in 1979. They developed a hybrid of soca and rap that they called 'rapso', a genre for which they credited Lancelot Layne as originator. Considered subversive by the authorities, the band's rehearsal space and offices were destroyed by the police in June 1983.

The group released their first album, Roots of de Rapso Rhythm, in 1984, which was followed by Rapso Explosion and Rapso Takeover in 1985 and 1986 respectively. International performances brought recognition from overseas, changing the attitude of the T&T government, who selected Brother Resistance as their cultural delegate to the World Festival of Youth and Students in Korea.

He appeared at New York's 'New Music Festival' in 1992 and in 1993 at the International Dub Poetry Festival in Toronto.


Brother Resistance - When De Riddum Explode
(256 kbps, front cover included)

Dinah Washington - Dinah Jams (1954)

Recorded at the start of Dinah Washington's climb to fame, 1954's "Dinah Jams" was taped live in front of a studio audience in Los Angeles.

While Washington is in top form throughout, effortlessly working her powerful, blues-based voice on both ballads and swingers, the cast of star soloists almost steals the show. In addition to drummer Max Roach, trumpeter Clifford Brown, and other members of Brown and Roach's band at the time - tenor saxophonist Harold Land, pianist Richie Powell, and bassist George Morrow - trumpeters Maynard Ferguson and Clark Terry, alto saxophonist Herb Geller, and pianist Junior Mance also contribute to the session.

Along with extended jams like "Lover Come Back to Me," "You Go to My Head," and "I'll Remember April" - all including a round of solos - there are shorter ballad numbers such as "There Is No Greater Love" and "No More," the last of which features excellent muted, obbligato work by Brown.

And even though she's in the midst of these stellar soloists, Washington expertly works her supple voice throughout to remain the star attraction, even matching the insane, high-note solo blasts trumpeter Ferguson expectedly delivers. A fine disc. Newcomers, though, should start with more accessible and more vocal-centered Washington titles like "The Swingin' Miss D" or "The Fats Waller Songbook", both of which feature top arrangements by Quincy Jones.


Dinah Washington - Dinah Jams (1954) 
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Inti-Illimani - Chile Resistencia (1977)

The power and resiliency of artists committed to profound social change resound over time and across natural and human-created borders. The music of the Nueva Canción is a testament to how the musical expressions of that commitment can bridge decades and span a hemisphere.

"Chile Resistencia" is the sixths album by Inti-Illimani. It was recorded at Sciascia Sound Studios in December 1976 - January 1977.        

Tracklist:

A1	Chile Resistencia	2:17
A2	Luchin	3:00
A3	Creemos El Hombre Nuevo	2:35
A4	Naciste De Los Leñadores	5:23
A5	Todas Las Lluvias	2:49
B1	America Novia Mia	3:25
B2	A Luis Emilio Recabarren	2:32
B3	No Nos Someteran	2:28
B4	Juanito Laguna Remonta El Barrilete	4:55
B5	Alborada Vendrà	2:42

Inti-Illimani - Chile Resistencia (1977)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Inti-Illimani - La Nueva Cancion Chilena (1973)

Originally posted four years ago:

Last night I had the chance to experience a concert by the wonderful group Inti-Illimani Classico from Chile.

September 11, 2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the military coup by General Pinochet against the democratically elected President Salvador Allende. The group dedicated their concert to the rememberance of these events.

Inti-Illimani is an instrumental and vocal Latin American folk music ensemble from Chile. The group was formed in 1967 by a group of university students and it acquired widespread popularity in Chile for their song Venceremos (We shall win!) which became the anthem of the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende. At the moment of the September 11, 1973 Chilean coup they were on tour in Europe and were unable to return to their country where their music was proscribed by the ruling military junta.
Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings of many fellow artists by Chile's army, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in "the longest tour in history" for Inti-Illimani as they lived in de facto exile. They continued their efforts supporting Chilean democracy internationally; magnitizdat copies of their work continued to be widely distributed in Chile. In September 1988, days after they were no longer banned from Chile, they began touring Chile again. They helped organize the voting down of the referendum that would have re-elected Pinochet. Recently, they were actually supported by Chile as representatives of Chilean culture.

In Europe their music took on a multifarious character, incorporating elements of European baroque and other traditional music forms to their rich and colourful Latin American rhythms - creating a distinctive fusion of modern world music. They are perhaps the best internationally known members of the nueva canción movement.

"La Nueva Canción Chilena" (New Chilean Song) is the musical voice of a social/political movement that lived in Chile in the 1960s and early 70s. Musically, it revived the sounds of native Andean music and blended them with American folk and popular music. Politically, the movement championed labor organization, land reform, anti-racism, and anti-imperialism. It supported the Vietnamese in their struggle against the U.S. Pinochet and the Fascist military junta seized power in Chile on Sept. 11, 1973. The New Chilean Song movement (along with most leftist political and social organizations) was destroyed, and its leaders murdered or exiled. The CIA and other U.S. agencies were heavily involved in installing Pinochet and keeping him in power.

Inti-Illimani - La Nueva Cancion Chilena (1973)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Lonnie Smith - Move Your Hand

Lonnie Smith (born July 3, 1942), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, is an American jazz Hammond B3 organist.

"Move Your Hand" was recorded live at Club Harlem in Atlantic City on August 9, 1969. Organist Lonnie Smith led a small combo - featuring guitarist Larry McGee, tenor saxist Rudy Jones, bari saxist Ronnie Cuber, and drummer Sylvester Goshay - through a set that alternated originals with two pop covers, the Coasters' "Charlie Brown" and Donovan's "Sunshine Superman."

Throughout, the band works a relaxed, bluesy, and, above all, funky rhythm; they abandon improvisation and melody for a steady groove, so much that the hooks of the two pop hits aren't recognizable until a few minutes into the track. No one player stands out, but "Move Your Hand" is thoroughly enjoyable, primarily because the group never lets their momentum sag throughout the session. Though the sound of the record might be somewhat dated, the essential funk of the album remains vital.                

Tracklist:

1. "Charlie Brown" (Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller) - 8:26
2. "Layin' in the Cut" - 10:11
3. "Move Your Hand" - 9:01
4. "Sunshine Superman" (Donovan Leitch) - 10:16
5. "Dancin' in an Easy Groove" - 11:56

Lonnie Smith - Move Your Hand
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mikis Theodorakis - Epitafios (1964)

Michael “Mikis” Theodorakis (born 29 July 1925) is a Greek songwriter and composer who has written over 1000 songs. He scored for the films Zorba the Greek (1964), Z (1969), and Serpico (1973). He composed the “Mauthausen Trilogy” also known as “The Ballad of Mauthausen”, which has been described as the “most beautiful musical work ever written about the Holocaust” and possibly his best work. He is viewed as Greece’s best-known living composer. He was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.

Politically, he is associated with the left because of his long-standing ties to the Communist Party of Greece. He was an MP for the KKE from 1981 to 1990. Nevertheless, in 1989 he ran as an independent candidate within the centre-right New Democracy party, in order for the country to emerge from the political crisis that had been created due to the numerous scandals of the government of Andreas Papandreou,[9] and helped establish a large coalition between conservatives, socialists and leftists. In 1990 he was elected to the parliament (as in 1964 and 1981), became a government minister under Constantine Mitsotakis, and fought against drugs and terrorism and for culture, education and better relations between Greece and Turkey. He continues to speak out in favor of left-liberal causes, Greek–Turkish–Cypriot relations, and against the War in Iraq. He has consistently opposed oppressive regimes and was a key voice against the 1967–1974 Greek junta, which imprisoned him.

He went to Athens in 1943, and became a member of a Reserve Unit of ELAS, and led a troop in the fight against the British and the Greek right in the Dekemvriana. During the Greek Civil War he was arrested, sent into exile on the island of Icaria and then deported to the island of Makronisos, where he was tortured and twice buried alive.
During the periods when he was not obliged to hide, not exiled or jailed, he studied from 1943 to 1950 at the Athens Conservatoire under Filoktitis Economidis. In 1950, he finished his studies and took his last two exams "with flying colours". He went to Crete, where he became the "head of the Chania Music School" and founded his first orchestra.  At this time he ended what he has called the first period of his musical writing.

In 1954 he travelled with his young wife Myrto Altinoglou to Paris where he entered the Conservatory and studied musical analysis under Olivier Messiaen and conducting under Eugene Bigot. His time in Paris, 1954–1959, was his second period of musical writing.

In 1960, Theodorakis returned to Greece and his roots in genuine Greek music: With his song cycle Epitaphios he started the third period of his composing and contributed to a cultural revolution in his country.

This album features the first recording of Epitaphios from August 1960 with Nana Mouskouri on vocals.

Tracklist:

Πού Πέταξε Τ' Αγόρι Μου
Χείλι Μου Μοσκομύριστο
Μέρα Μαγιού
Βασίλεψες Αστέρι Μου
Νάχα Τ' Αθάνατο Νερό
Στο Παραθύρι Στεκόσουν
Ήσουν Καλός Ήσουν Γλυκός
Γλυκέ Μου Εσύ
Βρέχει Στην Φτωχογειτονιά
Ένα Το Χελιδόνι
Οι Χαρταετοί

Mikis Theodorakis - Epitafios (1964)
(flac, cover art included)

Jowel Klezmorim - Unterwejgen

From the linernotes:
"Jowel Klezmorim reflects with great authenticity and stylistic accuracy the atmosphere of the music made by the Jews of central and eastern Europe.

Their album "Unterwejgen" gives palpable expression to the emotional life of a people accustomed to tears, whether of bitter sorrow or helpless mirth. The ensemble´s remarkable technical prowess enables them to penetrate deeply into the style of klezmer music and convey a sense of its essential spontaneity. Familiar and new melodies alike receive very colourful and original treatment."

Tracklist:

Schwartz Sirba
Freyt Aykh Yidelekh
Rebe Eimeiekh
Mazl Tov
Simchat Nigun
Papirosn
Unterwejgen
Falaffelpizz(a)
Far Dem Chosn Un Far Der Kale
Szol A Kakas Mar
Oj Mischpoche
Berditschever Bulgar
Eyner is Got
Is Gewejn
Oyfn Veg Shteyt A Boym
Sol Sayn Gelebt
A Yidishe Mame
 Schlof Majn Kind    

Jowel Klezmorim - Unterwejgen
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Dollar Brand - Anatomy Of A South African Village (1965)

Yesterday I had fortunately the chance to experience the wonderful music of Abdullah Ibrahim and Ekaya live on stage. So this is a good occassion for sharing some of his music.

The melodic sounds of South Africa are fused with the improvisation of jazz and the technical proficiency of classical music by South Africa-born pianist Dollar Brand or, as he's called himself since converting to Islam in 1968, Abdullah Ibrahim. Since attracting international acclaim as a member of the Jazz Epistles, one of South Africa's first jazz bands, Ibrahim has continued to explore new ground with his imaginative playing.

In the mid-1960's, Abdullah Ibrahim (then known as Dollar Brand) was an avant-garde pianist influenced by Thelonious Monk who was not yet displaying much of his South African heritage in his music. This album was recorded at the Montmartre Jazzhuis, Copenhagen, 30th January 1965.

Tracklist:

A1	Anatomy Of A South African Village	15:11
A2	Light Blue	6:56
B1	Tintiyana	4:31
B2	Honey	6:01
B3	'Round Midnight	6:30

Dollar Brand - Anatomy Of A South African Village (1965)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

The Red Army Choir - The Best Of - The Definitive Collection

The most prestigious vocal group in Russia, the Red Army Choir was renamed in 1978 after Boris Alexandrov, the troupe's director from 1946 until 1986. A large group featuring a male choir, mixed dance group, and orchestra, the Red Army Choir attracted international attention when it took first place at the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1937.

Much of the group's repertoire, including such tunes as "We Are the Red Cavalry" and "Song of the Volga Boatmen," has passed into Russian folklore. In a review of the choir's self-titled 1994 album, recorded under the direction of conductor Victor Federov and released on the Naxos label, American Record Guide wrote "Naxos' sound is rich, full, vibrant, and spacious -- just like the choir itself."                

Even though I cannot speak Russian, the quality of this choral group is beyond excellent. Many of these pieces are extremely moving and stirring. Both the compositions and the performance are remarkable, above expectations.
The music is very emotive, these emotions can be shared beyond ideological questions. You can perceive a very intense feeling of comradeship and solidarity which is essential for all human beings. Also some of the exaggeration and grandiloquence that was characteristic of the Soviet regime can be found sometimes, but in this case it sounds sincere. The performance is very appropriate for this kind of music. It has nothing to do with the meaningless, empty and mechanical interpretation quite usual in military music.

The Red Army Choir - The Best Of - The Definitive Collection CD 1
The Red Army Choir - The Best Of - The Definitive Collection CD 2
(256 kbps, cover art included)