soleil rare 12 - global warming.

Bert Kaempfert - Noted Arrival.

How surprising. A German composer performing a Spanish guitar melody on a soundtrack. Composed for the "A Man Could Get Killed" movie in 1966, this is a nice example of Bert Kaempfert's versatility and eclectism. 

The soundtrack and the movie feature the original melody of "Strangers In The Night", and wear one of the most beautiful cover ever.  

Joe Harriott & John Mayer Double Quintet - Gana.

Joe Harriott was Jamaican. Yeah, I know, it does not sound like it. This track here showcases one of Harriott's innovations, the jazz fusions. With assistance from John Mayer, an India-born British composer, Harriott reunited five jazz musicians with five Indian musicians and made three albums of "indo-jazz" fusions in the second half of the 1960's. Don't expect improvisation on the jazzy side, as it sounds closer to what we nowadays labelled under easy-listening. But the traditional elements of Indian music are there : tablas, sitars etc. The result sounds fresh. 

Piero Umiliani - Commandos.

This is movie scoring legend Piero Umiliani delivering the percussions fury for your listening pleasure. This is not a very elaborate track, but it provides tension... it's like the soundtrack of a car chase. Furious indeed. 

If you know about Piero Umiliani's work, do not miss this "Guerre Et Destruction 1" album, which is a music library, as it will certainly widen your perception of the master's legacy. 

Baris Manço & Kurtulan Ekspres - Sari Cizmeli Mehmet Aga.

Does this man still needs an introduction ? Baris Manço is THE icon of Turkish progressive music. Baris started his professional career in Western Europe, singing in various languages. When he returned in Turkey, he founded Kurtalan Ekspres, his own backing band. Together, they recorded the classic "2023". In 1979, they released the album "Yeni Bir Gun". 

This track is all Baris : psych weird synth sounds, traditional folk influences, catchy sung gimmicks, powerful choruses. It's needless to say this album, as all albums by Baris are impossible to find in their original form.

Gal Costa - India.

Beware : rarity again. Classic album, both for the music and for the cover (censored when it got released in 1973).  A real goddess of Brazilian music, Gal Costa started her career with the support of Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso. 

The title song is an adaptation of a Paraguayan song, arranged by Rogerio Duprat. What more can I say ? It's beautiful, it's Brazil's finest. 

Peter Makana - Peter's Blues.

This compilation, "Music Was Born In Africa", got released in 1956, in South Africa. The musicians are pretty confidential, and so is Peter Makana. It's hard to find data... 

It's a fine example of African jazz, provided by a groovy flute, a rhythm guitar and exquisite brushes. It's a call for dancing, a track to set a good mood in the room.   

Seyfu Yohannes - Tezeta.

This song will bite your stomach. seyfu Yohannes' voice is a marvel of Ethiopian music. This song showcases all the power of Ethio-jazz ; the horns give you chills, the piano in the back almost sounds off-tune and on top of all this, Seyfu's charisma.

Incidentally, this song launched the Ethiopiques compilation series, and today the world of music lovers is grateful for this discovery. "Tezeta" was originally released by Amha Records in 1970. 

Rap listeners will of course recognize the sample of "The Game" by Common, produced by Kanye West.  

Sachin Dev Burman - Gambler (Title Music).

The Dev Burman dynasty didn't start with the overwhelming Rahul. No, Rahul is Sachin's son. Sachin Dev Burman started his scoring career in 1937, and composed until his death in 1975.

The music for the "Gambler" movie (by the way, the cover is awesome), was composed in 1971. It includes latin elements, such as mariachi-like trumpets, mixed with the legendary Bollywood scoring recipe. A classic of Indian scoring music.  

Sinn Sisamouth - Sat Thee Thuy.

I know you guys underappreciate Cambodian and Asian pop music, but this track will give you a start into it. Sinn Sisamouth was the most popular artist of the pre-Khmers Rouges era, as explained earlier on this blog, so your search for quality Cambodian songs should start here. 

"Sat Thee Thuy" starts with the unbelievable : a drum break. Yeah, Asian got that too. Then come the Cambodian instruments and lots of high-pitched choruses and notes, as you would expect in Asian music. Anyway, give this record a chance, it might convince you there's some heat in Asian vintage pop music. 

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