ain't no sunshine

this reissue courtesy of now-again records picks out a lost dark soul/funk masterpeice from a classic high school funk band of the '70s. the equatics were hampton, virginia high school champions of pepsi's 'new sounds of 1972' challenge. 'doin it!!!' combines funk, soul, blues and psychedelic-pop to create some real beat-heavy tracks. make sure you check out the full liner notes and buy the record. below you will find the band's mournful cover of bill wither's 'ain't no sunshine' which is also available as a free download.


the equatics - ain't no sunshine

the different 'hey joe'

the track below is taken from the legendary 'time and place' by lee moses. lee moses is a kind of mystery figure in soul music relatively unknown to mainstream audiences. he was one of several artists (including the ohio players, hermon hitson, gloria barnes, bobby brown and freddie terrell) to work with johnny brantley (known as a mover and a shaker on the new york soul scene) during the late 60s and early 70s. 'time and place' is by no means just a soul record, however, with a strong presence of heavy funk/psych-guitar throughout the album. despite the bulk of lee moses' work being produced in new york or new jersey, he was originally from atlanta, explaining the roots of the gospel and bluesy aspect to his singing style. his voice has such a natural rawness, a wounded-like quality that pulls your heartstrings. 'hey joe' is certainly a gritty and passionate cover, somehow managing to successfully combine funk/psych/blues into this 6 minute jam.

lee moses - hey joe

ohiana sua efir

this track is lifted from one of the spell-binding soundway compilations. a real bluesy feel to this song with the delicate guitar and heart-felt vocals, yet the african rhythms still shine through. asaase ase (meaning 'underground') was a side project of the great highlife guitarist ebo taylor. as a reaction against the success of bands like wulomei and hedzoleh soundz there was a movement focusing on playing more traditional folk music and for ebo this meant moving away from his background as a big-band musician and arranger towards a more guitar-based, rootsy style with soley local boys in the band and no other professional musicians. ebo explains:

"we started to play music of the sailors, hunters and fishermen in the centre of cape coast where i was born. we played old folk songs that i'd grown up with and heard for years, stripped down with no horns, just traditional percussion, vocals and guitar. 'ohiana sua efir' is the lament of the hunter who never seems to catch anything in his trap but snakes, whilst the richer more successful men go out and set traps in the same place and always come home laden with bush-meat. it's a real african blues number."


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asaase ase - ohiana sua efir (mono version) [mediafire]

the album can be bought here.

i hear music

billie holiday was a seminal jazz singer and songwriter, and despite a voice that somewhat lacked range, she brought a deeply emotional and intimate aspect to her performances. i am posting a track from the 'remixed & reimagined' album, a record that i think overall doesn't particularly work very well, but i am a fan of how the track 'i hear music' was re-worked. for me this remix does bring the importance of the original recording to the forefront, without being lost in some overpowerful electronic/house beat. the brass and piano samples almost reply to eachother in conversation, while billie's wonderful verse is preserved with the right balance of cut-up sampling - a balance which is unfortunately absent from the rest of the soulless album leaving the listener to feel that the over-production is only detracting from the originals. nevertheless, 'i hear music' is both elegant and energetic, and would not seem out of place on one of the amazing verve remixed complilations.


listen here...



download...

billie holiday - i hear music (swingsett & takuya's mighty fine remix) [sharebee]

stompin' at the savoy

having recently completed an essay on the harlem renaissance of 1920's america, much of my research revolved around the celebration of black culture and the roots of african american heritage through the medium of art, literature, music, and progressive thought. the creation of intellectual arts worked to uplift the african american people during a time of severely unstable race-relations, producing a new sense of pride and distinction. jazz music was undoubtedly the defining sound of the 1920's. duke ellington, for example, worked to portray an authentic representation of black life in his music, with many of his songs reflecting the urban harlem culture. at the bottom of this post you will find the track 'stompin' at the savoy', an effortlessly uplifting track which oozes charm and sophistication.


the image below is winold reiss's 'drawing in two colours'. much of the art created during the harlem renaissance encompassed the positive image of 'the new negro', a reinvention of the african american into an energetic yet respectful image. i recommend anyone interested in jazz music or american history to familiarise themselves with the works of claude mckay, langston hughes, zora neale hurston, and jean toomer, as these were all major influences in the roots of jazz as we know it today.


download...

duke ellington - stompin' at the savoy [mediafire]

i get a kick out of you

ella fitzgerald is undoubtedly one of the greatest female jazz singers of all time, and through her career she won an astonishing 13 grammy awards. this particular song i'm posting is ella doing a cover of 'i get a kick out of you', which has then been remixed by the cinematic orchestra (a british-based jazz and electronic outfit). the acoustic guitar fits perfectly with ella's purity of tone, and it really feels as if this track has been tastefully brought into the 21st century.



ella fitzgerald - i get a kick out of you (cinematic orchestra remix) [sharebee]

ella fitzgerald - i get a kick out of you (cinematic orchestra remix) [mediafire]