Utah Phillips - We Have Fed You All A Thousand Years

"These are songs and stories of the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies), a union to which I have belonged for over forty years. Recorded live in front of a group of striking Telecommunications Worker s in British Columbia, this is what I wanted to sing and say about our working class culture and why we should teach, study, and cherish it all the time, using it to build class solidarity and a better future for all workers. By the way, these workers I was singing for really joined in, and they all knew what we were singing about too!"

Utah Phillips was an amazing advocate for workers' rights, and he made it his life's mission to keep alive the songs of the working class. Here, in his 1993 recording, he collected the songs of Joe Hill and others as preserved through the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Songbook. Folks interested in learning more about the plight of the labor movement, and the history of the songs that have accompanied it, would appreciate this well-performed collection.

Tracklist:

1	Boss	0:19
2	We Have Fed You All A Thousand Years	1:59
3	Sheep And Goats	1:02
4	Timberbeast's Lament	1:41
5	Dump The Bosses Off Your Back	4:15
6	Lumberjack's Prayer	1:48
7	Mr. Block	4:27
8	Preacher And The Slave	4:12
9	Popular Wobbly	2:04
10	Casey Jones	2:57
11	Where The Fraser River Flows	2:53
12	Bread And Roses	2:56
13	Joe Hill	4:14
14	Union Burying Ground	3:31
15	Two Bums	1:02
16	Hallelujah, I'm A Bum	5:28
17	Solidarity Forever	4:19
18	There Is Power In A Union	3:42

Here´s a link to a nachruf in german language:
http://www.linksnet.de/de/artikel/23569

Utah Phillips - We Have Fed You All A Thousand Years
(320 kbps, front cover included)

John Zorn - Kristallnacht (1993)

Today is the Holocaust Memorial Day, dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust. The chosen date is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp by the Soviet Army in 1945.

This release documents an intense musical representation of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, a coordinated attack on Jews throughout the German Reich that occurred on November 9, 1938, during which Nazis, SS members, and Hitler youth broke into Jewish homes and businesses, assaulting the people and their property. The official German report tallied 7,500 businesses destroyed, 267 synagogues burned (with 177 totally destroyed), and 91 Jews killed.

John Zorn has created a musical work that powerfully represents the different stages of this historical event. "Shtetl (Ghetto Life)" is beautiful yet apprehensive klezmer, interspersed with sound bites of German rallies and speeches that become more frequent, increasingly crowding the life from the music. This segues into "Never Again," which, Zorn warns in the liner notes, "contains high frequency extremes at the limits of human hearing and beyond, which may cause nausea, headaches and ringing in the ears." While nearly unbearable, it is a fitting sound representation of Kristallnacht, as thousands of layers of shattering glass assault the ears. "Never Again" is both effective and affecting, if you can listen. This onslaught is followed by the loud silence and emptiness of "Gahelet (Embers)," a walk through the immediate aftermath of wind, darkness, and destruction. Alley echoes are heard as sound is overwhelmed by a dread and horror beyond expressing, and no words can contain what might begin to form in the midst of shock. This is a heavy silence. Strings have gone haggard on the next composition, and from this point the album becomes less literal and explicit, moving away from poignancy and focus into more chaos.

Zorn's forceful undertaking is realized through the expert and passionate musicianship of violinist Mark Feldman, guitarist Marc Ribot, keyboardist Anthony Coleman, bassist Mark Dresser, and percussionist William Winant, as well as guest trumpeter Frank London and clarinetist David Krakauer.

Tracklist:

1	Shtetl (Ghetto Life)	5:51
2	Never Again	11:41
3	Gahelet (Embers)	3:25
4	Tikkun (Rectification)	3:02
5	Tzfia (Looking Ahead)	8:46
6	Barzel (Iron Fist)	2:01
7	Gariin (Nucleus - The New Settlement)	7:58

John Zorn - Kristallnacht (1993)
(320 kbps, cover art included)
               

Hugh Masekela & The Union Of South Africa - Same (1971) - Rest In Peace!

Hugh Masekela, the legendary trumpeter, composer, singer and anti-apartheid activist, lost his battle with prostate cancer for which he had been receiving treatment since 2008. “The father of South African jazz” as he had been dubbed, died on Tuesday, January 23 2018.

Hugh Masekela & the Union of South Africa is an inspired mix of soul, highlife, and even New Orleans jazz. This works excellently on the old-fashioned "Goin' Back to New Orleans" and the fast-moving "Ade" and "Dyambo" where horn lines, call-and-response singing, and funky guitars, together with African rhythms, create furious dance music. But some of the slower numbers seem to be left without direction, a fact that is only partly covered by Masekela's trumpet playing. The closing "Hush (Somebody's Calling My Name)," though, is a great exception to that, with simple basslines and chorus, and slow-building energy. But if the mix of cultural influences is the strength of Hugh Masekela & the Union of South Africa, it may also be the weakness of the album; the difference between the groove-based "Ade," jazzier numbers like "Caution," and African highlife songs like "Shebeen" and "Johannesburg Hi-Lite Jive" is so big you'd think they belong on separate albums, and they may not appeal to the same audience. Hugh Masekela & the Union of South Africa was originally released on Masekela's own label, Chisa, and was re-released in 1994 on Motown. 

Tracklist:

Goin' Back To New Orleans	5:07
Ade	3:47
To Get Ourselves Together	2:55
Johannesburg Hi-Lite Jive	3:57
Mamani	5:20
Shebeen	4:00
Dyambo	3:48
Caution!	5:45
Hush (Somebody's Calling My Name)	3:32

Hugh Masekela & The Union Of South Africa - Same (1971)       
(192 kbps, cover art included)   

Erich Kästner - Muttersohn im Vaterland

Erich Kästner (February 23, 1899 - July 29, 1974) was one of the most famous German authors, screenplay writers, and satirists of the 20th century. His popularity in Germany is primarily due to his humorous and perceptive children's literature and his often satirical poetry.

Kästner was a pacifist and was opposed to the Nazi regime in Germany. Unlike many of his fellow authors critical of the dictatorship, Kästner did not emigrate. The Gestapo interrogated Kästner several times, and the writers' guild excluded him. Fanatic mobs burnt Kästner's books as "contrary to the German spirit" during the book burnings of 1933.

"Muttersohn im Vaterland" is a literary and musical voyage through the time, life and dreams of Erich Kästner.

With it´s well selected collection of the satirists poems, notes and fragments of novels this lecture by Ulrich Ritter leads us authentic and in a high tempo through Erich Kästner´s world.

Erich Kästner - Muttersohn im Vaterland

(192 kbps, ca. 88 MB)

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 4

Atahualpa Yupanqui is a legendary Argentine folk musician and philosopher whose fame was revived during the politically charged "nueva cancion" movement of the 1960s. He´s considered to be the most important Argentian folk musician of the 20th century.

Here´s volume 4 of the "L´Integrale" set.

Tracklist:

1.	Camino Del Indio	3:40
2.	La Del Gualicho	1:58
3.	Me Gustaba Andar	3:28
4.	Huinca Onal	4:36
5.	Melodía Del Adiós Y Danza Rústica	4:21	I
6.	La Llorona	3:00
7.	Hui, Jo, Jo, Jo !	3:26
8.	De Tanto Dir Y Venir	4:21
9.	Guitarra De Pobre	2:56
10.	El Bien Perdido	2:18	I
11.	A Vos Te Hai Pesar	4:35
12.	Nunca Jamás!	3:49
13.	Viene Clareando	3:04
14.	Huella Triste	3:41
15.	Amalaya El Cielo	2:14
16.	El Indio Y La Quena	3:35	I
17.	Madre Del Monte	4:09
18.	Córdoba Norte	2:22
19.	La Mano De Mi Rumor	3:38

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 4
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 3

Hector Roberto Chavero Aramburo was born in Pergamino, a province around 200 kilometres away from Buenos Aires, on January 31st 1908. By the 1960’s he was considered one of the most important Argentinian, and Latin American, folk musicians of all time.

Choosing not to showcase his family name on stage, instead, Hector decided to adopt the alias of Atahualpa Yupanqui. A pseudonym combining the names of two legendary Incan kings. With a father hailing from Argentina and a mother descending from the Basque country, Yupanqui was blessed with a healthy cultural mix, which undoubtedly went some way towards fuelling his desire for travel.
His first musical experience was of playing the violin, but he would soon switch to guitar, and became something of a troubadour, singing folk songs as he travelled around Argentina. This was made possible by his early jobs of delivering telegrams and of working as a muleteer, which is to deliver goods by mule. Gradually the travelling would become more than just a job. He spent a lot of time in the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the Amerindian indigenous culture. Of particular note, in 1934 he took part in an ethnological study of the Amaichas Indians with Alfred Métraux. It was during these travels that he would learn rhythms such as the zamba, vidala and chacarera, that he would later popularise in his songs.
During this time, the young Yupanqui grappled with political ideologies and decided to join the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931 the Argentine took part in the attempted, and ultimately unsuccessful, uprising of the Kennedy brothers, which resulted in the musician being forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. Yupanqui would not return to his native land until 1934.
Yupanqui first visited Buenos Aires in 1935, when he was invited to perform on one of the local radio stations at the time and it was shortly after this event that the Argentine met his long-time, collaborative, musical partner and future wife; pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick (nicknamed “Nenette”). “Nenette” accompanied Yupanqui for many years under the pseudonym of Pablo Del Cerro, creating vibrant and entertaining compositions. It was also around this time that he became a published writer, with Cerro Bajo hitting Argentine bookshelves in 1941.

Yupanqui’s work suffered as a result of his allegiance to the Communist Party, especially during Juan Peron’s presidency. The musician’s work was largely censored and Yupanqui was even detained and incarcerated on many occasions during this period. Feeling dejected, the Argentine fled to Europe in 1949 and by July 1950, Yupanqui was invited to perform in Paris by Edith Piaf. Here in France he gained much notoriety; he would regularly open for Piaf, but additionally, became friends with artists such as Aragon, Eluard and Picasso, all of whom appreciated his poetry and its nature of dealing with poverty and oppression. He signed a contract with the recording company Le Chant Du Monde, which published his first LP in Europe, entitled “Miner I am”. This LP went on to win the Charles Cros Academy’s prize for best foreign disc and subsequently enabled Yupanqui to tour extensively around Europe with his music.
Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires in 1952. By this time the musician had broken off all ties with the Argentinian Communist Party, which made it much simpler for him to book radio performances and musical events. During this time Yupanqui’s music flourished and he achieved a fair degree of success.
By the 1960’s Yupanqui’s work was widely recognised, especially by nueva cancion artists such as Mercedes Sosa (who would in 1977 record her Mercedes Sosa interpreta a Atahualpa Yupanqui album, devoted solely to his songs) and Jorge Cafrune who began recording his compositions. This made the Argentine very popular among the younger musicians who affectionately began referring to him as ‘Don Ata’.
During 1963 and 1964 Atahualpa toured around Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Israel and even Italy. By 1967 he had also toured Spain and decided to settle in Paris. From his new base he would regularly return to Argentina and he would appear in Argentinisima and Argentinisima II, two Argentine musical documentaries films released in 1972 and 1973 respectively. These visits became more sparse, however, when the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla took over the country in 1976.

In 1989 the University of Nanterre, a prestigious and highly regarded institution, asked Yupanqui to write the lyrics of a Cantata to commemorate the bicentennial of the French Revolution. Yupanqui graciously accepted the offer and produced a composition entitled, “The Sacred Word”. This piece was released before the French authorities and it was thought to be a tribute to all the oppressed towns that freed themselves during the great struggle.
To the grief of many, Yupanqui died in Nimes, France in 1992, aged 84. To this very day, though, his music continues to touch the hearts and lives of many citizens, not just in South America, but all over the entire planet.

Atahualpa Yupanqui recorded over 12,000 songs, many of which are on labels that no longer exist, and are therefore out-of-print. This makes it very difficult to begin making any recommendations, however, the good news is that I’ve never heard a bad record by him. Mis 30 Mejores Canciones and Solo Lo Mejor de are both recommended as strong collections of his songs. Piedra Y Camino: 1936/1947 on Discmedi records, focuses on his early days, and while it may not get great marks for its fidelity, is definitely worth investigating. Buenas Noches, Compatriotas… is a live recording, made in Mar del Plata in 1983, and despite quite annoying crowd noise is a good document of the man in his later life. Additionally, any of his recordings for Le Chant du Monde in the middle of his career are worth keeping an eye out for. Basta Ya! and Soy Libre are two such examples.

Here´s "L´Integrale, Vol. 3":

Tracklist:

1.	Canción Para Pablo Neruda	4:00
2.	De Aquellos Cerros Vengo	2:10
3.	Salmo A La Guitarra	5:21
4.	Milonga Triste	3:00	I
5.	Baguala Del Gaucho Pobre	3:47
6.	Milonga Del Solitario	3:40
7.	Nada Más	3:16
8.	Silbando Piensan Las Aves / Humito De Mi Cigarro	4:08
9.	La Paulita	2:08	I
10.	Canción Del Arriero De Llamas	3:14
11.	Recuerdo De El Portezuelo	3:59
12.	Juan Careno	2:10	I
13.	Canción Para Doña Guillermina	3:23
14.	Nieve, Viento Y Sol	3:15
15.	Los Dos Abuelos	3:26
16.	Chacarera Santiagueña	2:04	I
17.	Tum Tum Mañanita	5:12
18.	El Aromo	4:10

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 3
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Mississippi John Hurt ‎– The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt - Ain't No Tellin'

No blues singer ever presented a more gentle, genial image than Mississippi John Hurt. A guitarist with an extraordinarily lyrical and refined fingerpicking style, he also sang with a warmth unique in the field of blues, and the gospel influence in his music gave it a depth and reflective quality unusual in the field. 

Coupled with the sheer gratitude and amazement that he felt over having found a mass audience so late in life, and playing concerts in front of thousands of people - for fees that seemed astronomical to a man who had always made music a sideline to his life as a farm laborer - these qualities make Hurt's recordings into a very special listening experience. 

"Ain´t No Tellin´" is a compilation album of live recordings from various performances.

Tracklist:

1	Rich Woman Blues
2	Trouble I Had All My Days
3	Chicken Blues
4	Coffee Blues
5	Monday Morning Blues
6	Frankie & Albert
7	Talking Casey
8	Here I Am, Oh Lord Send Me
9	Hard Times In The Old Town
10	Spike Drivers Blues
11	Candy Man
12	My Creole Belle
13	Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor
14	Shake That Thing
15	I'm Satisfied
16	Salty Dog
17	Nobody's Business
18	The Angels Laid Him Away
19	Casey Jones
20	Baby What's Wrong With You
21	Lonesome Blues

Mississippi John Hurt ‎– The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt - Ain't No Tellin' 

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 2

Argentinean folk icon Atahualpa Yupanqui 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. In 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.     

Tracklist:

1.	Preguntitas Sobre Dios	3:43
2.	Canción Del Cañaveral	3:49
3.	Ahí Andamos Senor	2:36
4.	Juan	4:07
5.	La Del Campo	2:09	I
6.	El Pajarillo	4:17
7.	Cachilo Dormido	2:00
8.	Los Hermanos	3:07
9.	Baguala Del Minero	4:17
10.	Chilca Juliana	2:02	I
11.	Basta Ya	5:38
12.	La Pobrecita	2:56
13.	El Pampino	2:51
14.	El Alazán	5:00
15.	Lo Miro Al Viento Y Me Río	3:02
16.	La Flecha	2:59
17.	Recauda Tus Prendas	2:16	I
18.	Vidala Del Yanarca	3:35
19.	Yo Quiero Un Caballo Negro	2:26

Here´s the second volume of the "L´Integrale" edition.

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 2
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 1

Atahualpa Yupanqui (31 January 1908 23 May 1992) was an Argentine singer, songwriter, guitarist, and writer. He is considered the most important Argentine folk musician of the 20th century.

Yupanqui was born as Héctor Roberto Chavero Aranburu in Pergamino (Buenos Aires Province), in the Argentine pampas, about 200 kilometers away from Buenos Aires. His father was a Criollo descended from indigenous people, while his mother was born in the Basque country. His family moved to Tucumán when he was ten. In a bow to two legendary Incan kings, he adopted the stage name Atahualpa Yupanqui, which became famous the world over.

In his early years, Yupanqui travelled extensively through the northwest of Argentina and the Altiplano studying the indigenous culture. He also became radicalized and joined the Communist Party of Argentina. In 1931, he took part in the failed Kennedy brothers uprising against the de facto government of José Félix Uriburu and in support of deposed president Hipólito Yrigoyen. After the uprising was defeated, he was forced to seek refuge in Uruguay. He returned to Argentina in 1934.
In 1935, Yupanqui paid his first visit to Buenos Aires; his compositions were growing in popularity, and he was invited to perform on the radio. Shortly thereafter, he made the acquaintance of pianist Antonieta Paula Pepin Fitzpatrick, nicknamed "Nenette", who became his lifelong companion and musical collaborator under the pseudonym "Pablo Del Cerro".

Because of his Communist Party affiliation (which lasted until 1952), his work suffered from censorship during Juan Perón's presidency; he was detained and incarcerated several times. He left for Europe in 1949. Édith Piaf invited him to perform in Paris on 7 July 1950. He immediately signed a contract with "Chant Du Monde", the recording company that published his first LP in Europe, "Minero Soy" (I am a Miner). This record won first prize for Best Foreign Disc at the Charles Cros Academy, which included three hundred fifty participants from all continents in its International Folklore Contest He subsequently toured extensively throughout Europe.

In 1952, Yupanqui returned to Buenos Aires. He broke with the Communist Party, which made it easier for him to book radio performances. While with Nenette they constructed their house on Cerro Colorado (Córdoba).

Recognition of Yupanqui's ethnographic work became widespread during the 1960s, and nueva canción artists such as Facundo Cabral, Mercedes Sosa and Jorge Cafrune recorded his compositions and made him popular among the younger musicians, who referred to him as Don Ata.

Yupanqui alternated between houses in Buenos Aires and Cerro Colorado, Córdoba province. During 1963-1964, he toured Colombia, Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Israel, and Italy. In 1967, he toured Spain, and settled in Paris. He returned regularly to Argentina and appeared in Argentinísima II in 1973, but these visits became less frequent when the military dictatorship of Jorge Videla came to power in 1976. In February 1968, Yupanqui was named Knight of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France by the Ministry of Culture of that country, in honor of 18 years work enriching the literature of the French nation. Some of his songs are included in the programs of Institutes and Schools where Castilian Literature is taught.

In 1985, the Konex Foundation from Argentina granted him the Diamond Konex Award, one of the most prestigious awards in Argentina, as the most important Popular Musician in the last decade in his country.

In 1989, an important cultural center of France, the University of Nanterre, asked Yupanqui to write the lyrics of a cantata to commemorate the Bicentennial of the French Revolution. The piece, entitled "The Sacred Word" (Parole sacrée), was released before high French authorities. It was not a recollection of historical facts but rather a tribute to all the oppressed peoples that freed themselves. Yupanqui died in Nîmes, France in 1992 at the age of 84; his remains were cremated and dispersed on his beloved Colorado Hill on 8 June 1992.

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

Tracklist:

1.	Trabajo, Quiero Trabajo	2:59
2.	Le Tengo Rabia Al Silencio	3:46
3.	La Copla	4:40
4.	Soy Libre	3:56
5.	Danza De La Paloma Enamorada	2:29	I
6.	El Poeta	2:17
7.	El Pintor	2:05
8.	La Olvidada	2:24
9.	Danza Del Maíz Maduro	4:22	I
10.	Duerme Negrito	2:57
11.	El Arriero Va	3:25
12.	El Tulumbano	1:45	I
13.	El Árbol Que Tú Olvidaste	3:20
14.	Punay	3:15
15.	Campesino	4:22
16.	La Finadita	2:44	I
17.	Los Ejes De Mi Carreta	2:53
18.	Pobrecito Soy	3:38
19.	El Niño Duerme Sonriendo	5:09

Atahualpa Yupanqui - L´Integrale, Vol. 1
(256 kbps, cover art included)