Caliente y Picante: Latin Heat from Snap Crackle and Pop

Here on the South Coast of England it has rained non-stop for days and days.  This has given me the perfect opportunity to delve into the now extensive Snap Crackle & Pop archive and put together this mix of Afro-Latin sounds.  These tropical rhythms sound wonderful under our leaden skies.

Caliente y Picante by Mr Tear on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

01 Vou Chorar - Lucio Alves
02 Antonico - Elza Soares & Miltinho
03 Domingo No Parque - Gilberto Gil
04 La Estraordinaria - Qrquesta Henry Castro, Antonio Gonzalez y D'Argil
05 Ligia - Edmundo Arias y su Orquesta
06 Caracoli - Lucho Bermudez y su Orquesta
07 Grito Parrandero - Los Corraleros de Majagual
08 Juventud Flaca Y Loca - Lisandra Meza y su Conjunto
09 Amanciend - Adolfo Echeverria
10 Rodeado de Pillos - Lisandro Meza y su Conjunto
11 Tobaco y Ron - Orquesta la Sabrosa
12 Felix Llego - Felix Del Rosario y Sus Magos Del Ritmos
13 Monina y Ramon - Rafi Jr Y La Diferente
14 Oiga Mi Guaguanco - Orchestra Harlow
15 Los Hermanos - Elis Regina

Get it HERE.

Tommy McCook & The Supersonics ‎– Greater Jamaica - Moonwalk Reggae (1970)

Tommy McCook, born in 1922, was one of the great heroes of Jamaican music.  In 1963 he formed the Skatellites, one of the great names in early ska music, before pulling together the Supersonics in 1965.  The Supersonics became the house band at Duke Reid's studio and were backing band on many reggae and rocksteady hits in the mid to late sixties.
This album is just gorgeous and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have:



Tracklist

01 Stealing Stealing
02 Lock Jaw
03 Moonlight Groover
04 Funkey Funkey Reggae
05 Quando Mi Amor
06 My Girl
07 Drink Milk
08 Only A Smile
09 Drink Milk
10 You Were To Be
11 Stealing Vol 2
12 Moon Invader
13 Moon Walk

Get it HERE (mediafire) or HERE (adrive).

Sun Ra and the Arkestra - Cosmo Sun Connection

What is there to say that hasn't already been said?
I doubt he would have paid much attention to earthly follies like birthdays or centennials, but for what its worth, Sun Ra would have been 100 years old today.  He has left us with a legacy that very few others in the entire history of recorded music could match. Our world, our universe in fact, is infinitely richer for his existence.

This is a live recording from 1984, released by Recommended Records in 1985.  I bought my copy in 1990 and the version of Fate in a Pleasant Mood  remains one of my very favourite pieces of music by anyone, ever.  A very special magic occurred on this evening.

If you are unfamiliar with Sun Ra, his music and his philosophy, then you could start off with these two brilliant documentaries:





Tracklist:

01 Fate In A Pleasant Mood
02 Cosmo Journey Blues
03 Cosmo Sun Connection
04 Cosmonaut Astronaut Rendezvous
05 As Space Ships Approach
06 Pharoah's Den

Get it HERE.

Veve Productions 10 Years Ago Volume 1

Well, I've got to say I'm still pretty enamoured with the gorgeous music of Lucio Alves presented in the last SCP post (go and get it if you haven't already), but I was lucky enough to spot this beauty in a second hand record shop earlier this week, and I just had to post it.

Here we have 4 beautiful songs from Georges Kiamuangana's (aka Vercky) Veve Productions label.  The record appears to have been released in 1987 and so we can assume that most of these songs were recorded and released as 7" singles in the mid '70s.  There's a great line up of Congolese talent to be heard here, Nyboma Muandido and Vata Mombassa were, alongside Pepe Kalle, the main vocalists and songwriters for Orchestra Lipua Lipua (meaning chaos and disorder in Lingala - how very punk rock!); meanwhile Soki Vangu was the voice of the legendary Orchestre Bella Bella.

To whet your appetite, here is some incredible footage of Orchestre Bella Bella with Soki Vangu performing live on Zaire TV:

Tracklist:

01 Ndona - Vercky's & Orchestre Veve

02 Kamale - Nyboma Muandido

03 Lossa - Vata Mombassa

04 Sola - Soki Vangu

Get it HERE.

Lucio Alves – Lucio Alves Interpreta Dolores Duran (1960)

Well, here we are again, back after an extended forced break...my laptop broke and its taken me a while to fix it.

I picked up this little gem last weekend at my local car boot sale.  It cost the princely sum of 50p and I've already had more than my money's worth of enjoyment out of it.

Dolores Duran was a Brazilian singer and composer, born into a poor family in Rio in 1930.  She lived a tragically short life dying of a barbiturates overdose in 1959, however she left behind a legacy of classic dramatic, romantic and intensely emotional songs.

This collection of Duran's songs was recorded a year after her death by singer songwriter Lucio Alves alongside some of the best musicians of the Bossa Nova scene.  The line up for the recording was:

Luiz Carlos Vinhas (piano)
Chiquinho (accordian)
Baden Powell (guitar)
Ed Lincoln Gabriel (bass)
Juquinha (drums)

The subtle, lithe and understated arrangements perfectly complement Alves' smouldering voice and the raw emotional power of the songs.
Yes, this one is coming highly recommended. Enjoy!


Tracklist:

01 Idéias Erradas
02 A Noite do Meu Bem
03 Strada do Sol
04 Castigo
05 Noite de Paz
06 Vou Chorar
07 Por Causa de Vochê
08 Fim de Caso
09 Pela Rua
10 Quem Sou Eu
11 Solidão
12 Canção da Tristeza

Get it HERE.