LISTEN:
WATCH:
READ:
Bounceworthy: Tamara Wellons (Soulbounce.com)
Underrated Female Soul Singer Spotlight: Tamara Wellons (SITKOL)
Soul Watch: Tamara Wellons (Honeysoul.com)
LINK UP:
TamaraWellons.com
myspace.com/TamaraWellons
PURCHASE:
Traxsource
EXPERIENCE:
October 29, 2008
Bohemian Caverns
2001 Eleventh Street NW WDC 20001
Doors open at 7pm, Show starts at 8pm
I’ve been back for a while so I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I’m not going to get around to detailing all the historical, cultural and social experiences I had in Bahia. This weekend I carved out some time to hit a pile of not yet listened to vinyl so I can at least post the digging wrap-up of my trip (with covers, since that’s a big part of the fun.)
Unfortunately, the holy grail remains outside of my grasp, even though I did visit their hometown. I saw a couple of vinyl copies that cats were not trying to part with and it’s been out of print forever. I’ll probably have to find a questionable Japanese bootleg or something.
I didn’t have much room to bring stuff back to the U.S. so I kept my aspirations low. I scouted out four spots and managed to hit three of them. One of them had massive stock but everything was too beat to be worth buying. Record condition was a recurring problem that I had been warned about.
Right around the corner is another spot I highly recommend to anyone traveling in Salvador. Cana Brava is all CD so it caters to you normal folks that don’t share the wax addiction. Pardal runs the store with his wife and he’s very helpful and knowledgeable. We ended up talking music for so long that I almost forgot to shop. But on impulse I came away with…
Banda Black Rio - Gafieira Universal (CD) [Basically the Brazilian Earth, Wind & Fire. I saw the afros and the disc pretty much jumped off the shelf into my hand. My hunch was rewarded by not a single fast-forwardable track on the whole record. Word to reissues. They've got four other albums that you can find with some due diligence.]
The main transaction went down in this random closet of a store in Barra. The mission posed several challenges. I had to whittle down a huge stack to a handful of critical purchases while dealing with a language barrier, no turntable to screen the records and large holes in my knowledge about the artists.
Then I had to haggle. I was somewhat concerned that I might have been hustled but my gut told me that the proprietor was a serious music head who recognized a kindred spirit. As I dug and asked questions in infant level Portuguese, he went deep into the stacks pulling more stuff and explaining it to me. I definitely paid more than the pieces would be worth in the U.S. but I haggled him down by a significant amount, had fun and most importantly, learned a lot in the process. That’s worth a few reais. Here’s the haul:
Egberto Gismonti - Corações Futuristas (LP) [Fusion bordering on free jazz. Definitely bugged out. I asked for something like Chick Corea and Azymuth and this was the recommendation. Apparently out of print and not often seen stateside.]
Miucha & Antonio Carlos Jobim (LP) [Sweet bossa jazz that's been reissued on CD.]
Olodum - A Música Do Olodum Banda Reggae (LP) [The sound of Salvador and an organization for community activism as well as partying. They even reminded Mike that he's black.]
Cesar Camargo Mariano, Victor Assis Brasil, Helio Delmiro - Performance (LP) [Electric jazz cats I'd never seen or heard of. Quite luscious with killer guitar action. This is going to yield some juicy beat fodder. I think I made a come-up.]
Zezé Motta - Dengo (LP) [Lightly funky post-'70s tropicalia with pop accents from this major brazilian actress who also had a singing career.]
Elis Regina - Elis (LP) [If you're ever at a loss for a place to start exploring Brazilian music, you can't go wrong with Pimentinha. Her tone and phrasing are unforgettable]
MPB-4 - Antologia (LP) [This is a 1974 compilation of MPB (otherwise known as Música Popular Brasileira) and it's quite a goldmine. It sounds like an in-house vocal group at the record label doing medleys of the works of significant composers but I have to study up more to get the back story.]
WATCH:
LISTEN:
Album sampler
PURCHASE:
Amazon
Traxsource
Groove Distribution
LINK UP:
Asahra Music
myspace.com/AvenueTo
The homie Murph asks a question that has been haunting me for a minute.
Amazingly he’s launching this real talk missile from behind enemy lines. He’s definitely invested in fighting the good fight and I marvel at how he persists in the face of indifference.
In this case, his wake up call is too crucial to be ignored, even for someone like me who was devouring the Harper Brothers, Giant Steps and Headhunters in high school.
I don’t keep up like I used to. The last new jazz record I bought was indeed a Robert Glasper album, but it had been a long time since I sought out and tracked down the newest happenings in the jazz world. I still dig for classics but I don’t put in the same amount of work compared to the soul, hip-hop and electronic nuggets I’m always chasing.
I actually prefer to consume my jazz in the live setting. The dynamics of a jazz combo are more gratifying to me that way: observing how the pianist comps the changes, how the drummer embellishes the soloist’s lines, creating a push and pull conversation. Subconsciously though, there’s an element of doing my part to pay the life support bill. You can experience really great jazz for free in DC but occasionally I’ll pony up the big dough to catch someone who’s on my personal checklist of people I need to see. I’m acutely aware of the fact that few in my age range do the same thing, and pretty much no black people younger than myself have similar priorities.
As more and more jazz legends pass on, many of whom have labored in obscurity, I can’t help but see the future of hip-hop. It’s current state of inanity is rapidly digging a deep grave of obsolescence. By the time cats like Ken Swift, KRS-One or even EPMD are ready to take their final bow, will the generation raised on Weezy and Soulja Boy even care? Will black people ever acknowledge the amazing peerless career that The Roots have had or will they get one of those belated Lifetime Achievement Awards 20 years after their final record?
It’s really not looking good.
And if we really are on the way to discarding jazz like an old pair of shoes, there goes another huge component of a collective black soul that’s on its way to being a memory.
Just in time to pretend that it’s not getting cold outside.
1. Jazz Samba Encore - Saudade Vem Correndo
2. Visioneers - Runnin’ (extended)
3. Nicola Conte - Bossa per Due
4. Tom & Joy - Imagina
5. Evinha - Que Bandeira
6. Jeff Bradshaw - Soul of Bahia
7. Miyazawa - Anjos Ilrmaos (Rainer Truby Trio mix)
8. Jay Dee - Rico Suave Bossa Nova
9. Los Hombres Calientes - Brazilian Sugar
10. Los Hombres Calientes - Mulher Bahiana
11. Montefiori Cocktail - Gypsy Woman
12. Marcos Valle - Para De Fezer Besteira (4hero Mix)
13. Nature’s Plan - Broken Samba
14. Taylor McFerrin - The Song I Promised You
15. The Randy Watson Experience feat. Bilal - Can’t Hide Love
16. Karen Ramirez - Troubled Girl (MAW rmx)
17. Luisito Quintero - Aquilas Coisas Todas
18. The Rebirth - Talking Me Down
19. Nomumbah - Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser
