Arica - River & Rock

River

Rock

Arica was a meditation group from New York City who recorded two albums of improvisational music. The first self-titled album was released in 1971 and the second called "Heaven" which the two tracks posted above are from, was released in 1972. I've read that they were pretty serious practitioners of several mystical traditions. It wasn't just a bunch of ritzy people trying to pay for enlightenment. I'm not sure how music related into their religious practice, if it was an aspect of their rituals, an integral element of their practice, or if it was an extra circular activity outside of their religious domain.

Arik Einstein - Dark, dark

Dark, dark

A beautifully arranged song from the popular Israeli musician's rarer early release, "Capricorn."

Hailu Mergia and The Walias - Yemiasleks Fikir & Musical Slit

Yemiasleks Fikir

Musical Slit

Stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuupid Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaare.

Not like I own an original copy or anything, but still.

1970s Ethiopian Jazz w/ Mulatu Astatke

Bobby Hutcherson - Ntu

Ntu

Word up to Simon Steezhoard for playing this for me.
I've never really gotten into most of Bobby Hutcherson's albums. Perhaps because he tended to play with jazz musicians I had little interest in. He played a lot with Harold Budd in the late 60s and early 70s, in a time of tremendous momentum that motivated jazz in directions that were once seen as outside the parameters and inaccessible to jazz musicians - Bobby Hutcherson chose to play with Harold Budd. Eeeek, I dunno, its kind of like neglecting to submit to a Coperinican view of the universe and instead withdraw from its fresh and profound insights and stick with the old world-view, the traditional one propagated by the Church. That probably reads as geek-drama-jazz-nerd shit, but still, much of Bobby Hutcherson's stuff has kind of that "10 years ago" vibe. It wasn't until the mid 70s that Hutcherson found a groove, Montara, the album after "Linger Lane" has some great moments.

Jon Hassel - Dream Theory

Dream Theory

If sea creatures ever have a dance party that unites all the underwater Beings. I hope the Dolphins play this so they can show the Swordfish how the Molluscs jive the Tuna Fish.

William Onyeabor - Better Change Your Mind

Better Change Your Mind

"America do you ever think this world is yours? Russia you ever think this world is yours? You China you ever think this world is yours? And you Cuba do you ever think this world is yours?"

Some Ghanian moog funk from the late 70s.

Tony Williams - There Comes a Time

There Comes a Time


The end of my high school years and the beginning of my college ones consisted of listening to a lot of post-Miles Davis influenced jazz fusion. Along with a heap of friends, we would regularly and enthusiastically chat about records released thirty-five to forty years prior, as if they were newly reviewed pitchfork media albums. The musicians who no loner play in the jazz/rock style that we adore had little bearing on our affection for the sounds they produced in the late 60s through the early 80s. A close friend introduced me to this Tony Williams track that was compiled on his "Best of..." cd. It wasn't until a year or two ago that I finally listened to the original release entitled, "Ego." A bit shocked, that we jazz nerds listened to the first and second Lifetime records but never placed "Ego" on the turntable or mentioned it in conversation. Although critics seem to regard "Ego" as trite and aesthetically indistinguishable from other jazz-fusion rock records in early 70s, "Ego" which isn't an entirely interesting listen, is buoyed by "There Comes a Time"- the closet thing i've heard to a blisteringly funky love ballad. Tony Williams, who sings on the song, sounds like an earnest and perhaps unqualified second string background singer - expressing honesty, sincerity, and an unpretentious evocation of charity and love.