Le Quart de Siecle de Franco de mi Amor et les T.P.O.K. Jazz Vol. 3 (Edipop 1982)

A couple of nights ago I was lucky enough to see Odemba OK Jazz on their Spirit of Franco tour. The band take their name from the style of rumba that was popularised by Franco and is made up of Congolese musicians who now reside in Belgium and France. They're led by Maitre 'Dizzy' Mandjeku Lengo, an astonishing guitarist and veteran of Sam Mangwana's African All Stars, Tabu Ley's Afrisa International and T.P.O.K. Jazz. I think the UK tour finishes on the 5th October, and I would recommend them to one and all for a night of irresistable Congolese dance music. They really had the audience in the palm of their hands and everyone left the building sporting huge grins and a sweat.

If you can't get to see the band, here's a taste of the mighty OK Jazz at the height of their powers.

Tracklist:

01 Tailleur
02 Katebe
03 Belle Mere
04 Tuti

Get it HERE.

Mahasti - Del o Del (Folk & pop sounds from pre-revolutionary Iran)

Mahasti, the Lady of Hearts and Flowers, was a popular singer in pre-revoltionary Iran, and this crackly album sounds like a relic from a long forgotten time, despite the fact that it was only released in the mid '70s. Its not just the poor condition of the vinyl that makes these songs sound antiquated, its also some elusive quality to the music itself. It has a weight that seems to be lacking in much Western pop musics. It is heavy, mournful. Those strings are dramatic and Mahasti's beautiful voice is filled with sorrow and weary resignation.

Here's some film of Mahasti singing a song on Iranian TV:


Tracklist:

01 Dige Basse
02 Del Ke Gonahi Nagare
03 Bestare Gham
04 Ashki Baram Namonde
05 Saghi
06 Del o Del
07 Khonetekouni
08 Vay Be Halet
09 Dela Menat Kesh
10 Jodaiye To

Get it HERE.

The Peddlers - Three in a Cell (1968)

Excellent bit of Hammond driven jazz-pop-lounge sounds from this band of Manchester hipsters. Here's some great footage of the band in action in the early '70s. Check the drummer!:

Tracklist:

01		Comin' Home Baby
02		On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
03		Basin Street Blue
04		Nobody Likes Me
05		I'm A Boy In Love
06		People
01		In The Still Of The Night
02		Ebb Tide
03		Just A Pretty Song
04		Lost Continent
05		Prime Of My Life

Get it HERE.

Cumbia Cumbia - Various Artists (1989)

Tomorrow is the first birthday of SnapCrackleandPops! This is quite an achievement because I've usually got a short attention span. To celebrate we have this excellent compilation of slinky Colombia cumbias all originally released on the Discos Fuentes label between the '50s and the '80s. This is perfect dance music that combines hypnotic poly-rhythms and big fat basslines to get the body and mind moving.

Tracklist:

1. La Colegiala - Rodolfo Y Su Tipica RA 7

2. La Subienda - Romero, Gabriel

3. La Zenaida - Hernandez, Armand

4. Amanciendo - Echeverria, Adolfo

5. Navidad Negra - Laza, Pedro

6. Cumbia Cienaguera - Conjunto Tipico Vallenato

7. Tabaco Y Ron - Rodolfo Y Su Tipica RA 7

8. La Piragua - Romero, Gabriel

9. La Pollera Colora - Los Immortales

10. Se Me Perdio La Cadenita - La Sonora Dinamita

11. El Pescuador De Baru - Los Warahuaco

12. Cumbia Sampuesina - Conjunto Tipico Vallenato

Get it HERE.

And if you enjoyed this, then get yourself over to GHETTO BASSQUAKE to download an amazing mix of jaw dropping cumbia dubs.

The Nkengas - Nkengas in London (Orbitone 1973)

According to John at Likembe (thanks for the superb blog!) this album is not by The Nkengas, but is actually a recording by Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and His Nigerian Soundmakers. A number of the group's players left taking the tapes with them, they started a new band called The Nkengas and released this album under that name. Very Naughty!
Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe's voice is spread like melted chocolate across all but one of the songs on the album. It's pretty unmistakable. This is feel good highlife of the very highest quality and it never fails to bring a smile to my maudlin face.

This is the song Ekene Dili Chukwu:


Tracklist:

01 William Emeka Omambala
02 Asa Mpete Special
03 Anaedo Special
04 Unzulu Onye / Ige'Gbupi
05 Ekene Dili Chukwu

Get it HERE.