Showing posts with label latin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label latin. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tito Puente - On The Street Where You Live
ORIGINATION Beats & Pieces Volume Two: Music Constructed For A More Discerning Dancefloor (v/a)
RECORDED IN 1964
LAST LISTENED TO last night
RATING ★★★★★
Timbale player Tito Puente was known as the King of Latin Music and with good reason. He plied his grooves for over fifty years and helped popularise a whole genre of music for several generations. Today's tune comes from his latinisation of the score to My Fair Lady, where he turned this overdone Broadway chestnut into a swinging big band number. Puente's percussion is the heart of the song, ticking and swinging and driving. The blood that pumps through it is the two-note bass that runs up and down the scale, almost willy nilly. The body is the wind instruments, the big band that is so very well scored: a full blast of the band here, counter melodies between the brass and wood there and those fantastic, gradually built-up crescendos. The arrangement is just spot on, not only giving the band time to establish the melody and really swing with it, but also leaving plenty of space for Puente's rhythms. This is a song to stick on repeat, to smile and to feel those hips start to wander.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Benny Poole - Pearl Baby, Pearl
ORIGINATION 45
LAST LISTENED TO May 2010
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT you're kidding, right?
RATING ★★★★★
In the early part of this century, I was regularly visiting the hallowed Professor of Plastic and picking up all manner of wonderful slabs of vinyl, both big and small. It was a time when new funk and soul 45s would arrive every week, some new, some reissues. This one, a reissue on a split single with Magentica by Espen Horne on the flip, was given a release in early 2002. It is a rough and tough, piece of latin-flavoured, instrumental soul, with a groove that sounds much more like it was recorded in the mid-sixties than in 1974.
After an intro with the first note cut off on this pressing, a tenor sax establishes a melody and then slips into a mid-range solo that could groove on forever. However, with a scant 45 running time of two minutes, it does no such thing. It has only been in the sweet spot for a minute, when the organ swings in from the background for a few brief bars to fight it out and then it is all gone. A fine, fine groove that could easily be much longer.
LAST LISTENED TO May 2010
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT you're kidding, right?
RATING ★★★★★
In the early part of this century, I was regularly visiting the hallowed Professor of Plastic and picking up all manner of wonderful slabs of vinyl, both big and small. It was a time when new funk and soul 45s would arrive every week, some new, some reissues. This one, a reissue on a split single with Magentica by Espen Horne on the flip, was given a release in early 2002. It is a rough and tough, piece of latin-flavoured, instrumental soul, with a groove that sounds much more like it was recorded in the mid-sixties than in 1974.
After an intro with the first note cut off on this pressing, a tenor sax establishes a melody and then slips into a mid-range solo that could groove on forever. However, with a scant 45 running time of two minutes, it does no such thing. It has only been in the sweet spot for a minute, when the organ swings in from the background for a few brief bars to fight it out and then it is all gone. A fine, fine groove that could easily be much longer.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Goldfingers
This morning found me waking to a combination of several versions of John Barry's main theme from the film Goldfinger. So, in roughly the order that they appeared in:
Jimmy Smith - Goldfinger (Part I)
ORIGINATION Monster
LAST LISTENED TO last night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, but
RATING
There are two things that make this my favourite version of the Goldfinger theme. Firstly, of course, is the fabulous Mr. Smith and his mighty organ. It is a fact that no one beats Jimmy Smith for organ satisfaction, even here where he hardly appears, that is still the case.
The tune has a long introduction, making for a great, teasing beginning to the Monster album. A third of the way in, Jimmy plays some melody and vocal lines, forming the middle section. He only begins to solo in the last 45 seconds and it's a typically great Jimmy Smith solo, coming in on the high notes and working it's way down, repeating phrases all the way. Blue and soulful.
The secondly reason for my love of this version is Oliver Nelson's arrangement, which brings in further elements of the Goldfinger score. In particularly, the first minute is largely taken from Dawn Raid Over Fort Knox, which is the dramatic highlight of the original Goldfinger soundtrack.
John Barry - Goldfinger (Instrumental Version)
ORIGINATION Goldfinger OST
LAST LISTENED TO November
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING
Not the best known version on the original album, but for me the better of the two. It is more forceful, with a greater variety in textures and features a Beat-sounding guitar part instead of the vocals, which hints at Barry's earlier work. This version also throws in elements from other parts of the score, in manner that clearly inspired Nelson's arrangement for Jimmy Smith.
John Barry - Main Title: Goldfinger (Sung By Shirley Bassey)
ORIGINATION Goldfinger OST
LAST LISTENED TO November
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING
The famous one. It's a great moment in pop history and, whilst it's not a song that i'd ever write anything bad about, it's doesn't have Jimmy Smith on it. It does, however, have a great crescendo and some lovely little Bond-theme moments.
Ray Barretto - Goldfinger
ORIGINATION Señor 007
LAST LISTENED TO January
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING
Take a top latin-percussionist, add a whole load of Bond tunes and shake (not stir) well. Viola, a great party album. The version of Goldfinger is sadly not the best thing on this album, but it's great fun and more parpy than any other version of the tune. The atmosphere is also really quite different.
And finally…
There were sadly a couple of version of Goldfinger that didn't make it into my head this morning, but i feel deserve an honourable mention. Firstly, there are several more by Jimmy Smith, starting with the Part II Version from Monster, which sounds similar to Part I, only a good bit faster and with much more of Jimmy soloing. There are also two live versions, which may be in fact one version edited differently. Next comes Beatle-fave Billy Preston's, which has something of a Booker T. & The MG's feel. Unfortunately, he set his organ for a very rinky-dink sound, which is a fairly pants organ sound. Lastly comes Count Basie and HIs Orchestra, giving it a smooth, bit band setting. This is from his album Basie Meets Bond, which is well worth tracking down.
Jimmy Smith - Goldfinger (Part I)
ORIGINATION Monster
LAST LISTENED TO last night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, but
RATING
There are two things that make this my favourite version of the Goldfinger theme. Firstly, of course, is the fabulous Mr. Smith and his mighty organ. It is a fact that no one beats Jimmy Smith for organ satisfaction, even here where he hardly appears, that is still the case.
The tune has a long introduction, making for a great, teasing beginning to the Monster album. A third of the way in, Jimmy plays some melody and vocal lines, forming the middle section. He only begins to solo in the last 45 seconds and it's a typically great Jimmy Smith solo, coming in on the high notes and working it's way down, repeating phrases all the way. Blue and soulful.
The secondly reason for my love of this version is Oliver Nelson's arrangement, which brings in further elements of the Goldfinger score. In particularly, the first minute is largely taken from Dawn Raid Over Fort Knox, which is the dramatic highlight of the original Goldfinger soundtrack.
John Barry - Goldfinger (Instrumental Version)
ORIGINATION Goldfinger OST
LAST LISTENED TO November
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING
Not the best known version on the original album, but for me the better of the two. It is more forceful, with a greater variety in textures and features a Beat-sounding guitar part instead of the vocals, which hints at Barry's earlier work. This version also throws in elements from other parts of the score, in manner that clearly inspired Nelson's arrangement for Jimmy Smith.
John Barry - Main Title: Goldfinger (Sung By Shirley Bassey)
ORIGINATION Goldfinger OST
LAST LISTENED TO November
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING
The famous one. It's a great moment in pop history and, whilst it's not a song that i'd ever write anything bad about, it's doesn't have Jimmy Smith on it. It does, however, have a great crescendo and some lovely little Bond-theme moments.
Ray Barretto - Goldfinger
ORIGINATION Señor 007
LAST LISTENED TO January
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good, by association
RATING
Take a top latin-percussionist, add a whole load of Bond tunes and shake (not stir) well. Viola, a great party album. The version of Goldfinger is sadly not the best thing on this album, but it's great fun and more parpy than any other version of the tune. The atmosphere is also really quite different.
And finally…
There were sadly a couple of version of Goldfinger that didn't make it into my head this morning, but i feel deserve an honourable mention. Firstly, there are several more by Jimmy Smith, starting with the Part II Version from Monster, which sounds similar to Part I, only a good bit faster and with much more of Jimmy soloing. There are also two live versions, which may be in fact one version edited differently. Next comes Beatle-fave Billy Preston's, which has something of a Booker T. & The MG's feel. Unfortunately, he set his organ for a very rinky-dink sound, which is a fairly pants organ sound. Lastly comes Count Basie and HIs Orchestra, giving it a smooth, bit band setting. This is from his album Basie Meets Bond, which is well worth tracking down.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Ray Barretto - Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
ORIGINATION Señor 007
LAST LISTENED TO last night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT high
RATING
In 1966 Ray Barretto, the respected Latin percussionist and band leader, recorded a whole album of James Bond music. As the liner notes say "Ray has somehow blended Latin-American rhythms with a pop feel and the results are highly gratifying." There's no denying that.
Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of the best tunes on the lp. The original was, of course, one of the catchiest Bond tracks to feature vocals. Although here there are none, the exciting rhythms and several solos more than make up for the loss. Although most of the brass players get to solo, what is most notable is that there is also a violin solo, which is very unusual for Latin jazz.
I'm going to have this in my head all day for sure.
LAST LISTENED TO last night
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT high
RATING
In 1966 Ray Barretto, the respected Latin percussionist and band leader, recorded a whole album of James Bond music. As the liner notes say "Ray has somehow blended Latin-American rhythms with a pop feel and the results are highly gratifying." There's no denying that.
Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of the best tunes on the lp. The original was, of course, one of the catchiest Bond tracks to feature vocals. Although here there are none, the exciting rhythms and several solos more than make up for the loss. Although most of the brass players get to solo, what is most notable is that there is also a violin solo, which is very unusual for Latin jazz.
I'm going to have this in my head all day for sure.
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