Freddie Hubbard Makes the World go Round (R.I.P)

A sad loss last Monday - the great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard passed away at the age of 70 after suffering a heart attack in November. You can find links to albums from his 1969-1975 period at the "Polar AC" post here, and he's also a featured soloist on "Shaft's Big Score".

Hubbard's demise has also prompted some interesting and rare posts in the last few days - "Super Blue" from 1978 at Orgy in Rhythm, and a rare 1972 live show at Ubu Roi. Edit : Ubu Roi continues to add many Hubbard bootlegs, go here.

**********************************************

In other news, a Happy New Year to everyone who frequents this blog, and I hope you manage to get completely trashed tonight. I'm back from vacation now and looking forward to bringing you more stuff in the new year.

4 x italian jazz

Well hi everyone. I'm going to an island with no internet for a week ...

While I'm away, here are some generous donations that came in after the last Romano Mussolini post. Please thank Ish and Arkadin for these!

"Soft and Swing" - RomanoMussolini (1979)

and 

 'Hard Suite' - Sergio Fanni Quintet (1975)

from Ish.

Roberto Pregadio & Romano Mussolini- Satanik (OST)

from Arkadin

Roberto Pregadio & Romano Mussolini- Kriminal (OST) - 1966

from Arkadin

Romano Mussolini - "Mirage" (1974)

Jazz pianist Romano Mussolini was the son of that Italian dictator, and this is a nice rhodes jazz album from 1974 with some funky moments. And you know how much I love that 70s bauhaus font on the cover.

People keep asking me for this album in comments, and I've had a rip for about four or five years from Soulseek, where I used to 'live" in pre-music blog days.

I had expected the album to pop up again on the blogosphere, but it's seemingly not around anymore ... at some stage it's been at My Favourite Sound, Quimsy's Mumbo Jumbo and Funkydisposition, but the age of this download makes me pretty sure it's not from you guys. Anyway, I'll throw it into the comments at your blogs as well.

I hope to sometime find a higher bitrate version myself, but this still sounds fine. The tracks "Mirage" and "Blues for Alexandria" are snagged from comps and are in 320kbps, the rest is at 128.

** Also check the comments for more Mussolini on the rhodes, and more Italian funky jazz from the Sergio Fanni Quintet, courtesy of Ish.

Enjoy!

TRACKLIST 

01 The Twitch
02 Omaggio a Oscar Peterson
03 Sweet Elisabeth
04 Hong Kong
05 Mirage
06 Blues for Alexandra
07 Rachel's Lullaby

MUSICIANS

romano mussolini - electric piano
glauco masetti - saxaphone
emilio soanna - trumpet
piero montanari - electric bass
roberto spizzichino - drums
tulio de piscopo - percussion

PRODUCTION DETAILS 

PDU Jazz A-6018 (Italy) 1974

DOWNLOAD 

Track of the Day : Donny Hathaway - "This Christmas" (1972)

I hate christmas songs, except when Donny Hathaway is singing.
This is a 1972 track written by Hathaway and Nadine McKinnor. After he committed suicide in 1979, The Whispers wrote "A Song For Donny" using the chords and melody with new lyrics. While that one's a little cheesy for me, this one is the only Xmas song I can handle. "This Christmas" has apparently been murdered by a few Idol contestants recently, but the original's still a great track.

DOWNLOAD WAV - MP3

Still busy and unable to blog properly here, but thanks for still dropping by!
The current craziness finishes next week and I can start to treat you with more Harold Vick, Renee Geyer, Don Burrows, East Coast and more ...

If anyone's in Sydney this afternoon, drop in for below, I'll be the sleepy looking guy on keyboards ...

Track Of The Day : "Keep The Music Alive" - Yvonne Gray (1975)

DOWNLOAD TRACK

Amazing 1975 track from Yvonne Gray with piano, vibes, flute, dirty brass and building layers of percussion; and this powerhouse of a voice.

Give Yvonne the full four minutes - it's a builder - then grab the album from Dr Okeh's And it Don't Stop, nice 320 rip. He posted it back in May - I keep coming back to this track and at least two other killers with a similar lineup.

Please thank the good doktah for this medicine. Password is on his main page.

Track of the Day : "Ball Of Confusion" (acapella) - Temptations (1970)

DOWNLOAD 

Strangely effective as an acapella. Dedicated to Googa-Moogas everywhere.

Lyrics - Barrett Strong

missing music - Norman Whitfield

performance by the Temptations.

Lead vocals - Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, and Melvin Franklin

Background vocals - Dennis Edwards, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, Melvin Franklin, and Otis Williams

Eddie:
People moving out, people moving in. Why, because of the color of their skin.
Run, run, run but you sure can't hide. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Vote for me and I'll set you free. Rap on, brother, rap on.
Dennis:
Well, the only person talking about love thy brother is the preacher
And it seems nobody's interested in learning but the teacher.
Segregation, determination, demonstration, integration, Aggravation, humiliation, obligation to our nation.
Oh yeah, that's what the world is today. Hey, hey.
Paul:
The sale of pills are at an all time high.
Young folks walking round with their heads in the sky.
The cities aflame in the summer time.
And oh, the beat goes on.
Dennis:
Now listen.
Air pollution, revolution, gun control, sound of soul.
Shooting rockets to the moon, kids growing up too soon.
Politicians say more taxes will solve everything.
Melvin:
And the band played on.
[silence]
Oh, great GoogaMooga, can't you hear me talking to you.
Just a ball of confusion.
Oh yeah, that's what the world is today.
Woo, hey, hey.
Eddie:
Fear in the air, tension everywhere.
Unemployment rising fast, the Beatles new record's a gas.
Dennis:
And the only safe place to live is on an Indian reservation.
Melvin:
And the band played on.
Eve of destruction, tax deduction, city inspectors, bill collectors,
Mod clothes in demand, population out of hand, suicide, too many bills,
Hippies moving to the hills. People all over the world are shouting, 'End the war.'
Melvin:
And the band played on.
[silence]
Great GoogaMooga, can't you hear me talking to you.
It's a ball of confusion.
Let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya.
Let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me hear ya.
Let me hear ya, let me hear ya, let me.

Track Of the Day : Bill Conti - "Reflections" (1976)

DOWNLOAD TRACK  

Bill Conti's "Reflections" comes from his 1976 soundtrack for the film "Rocky". It rips off Kool and the Gang's "Summer Madness" in many different ways, but there are worse songs to steal from. I mean, he could have stolen from a Celine Dion song or something, and then we'd all be in trouble ...

Track of The Day : "Ikarus On the Stairs" - Ed Motta (2008)

'Ikarus On the Stairs' - Ed Motta

DOWNLOAD TRACK 

I've been following Brazilian singer Ed Motta since I got into his 2001 album "Dwitza". He had a substantial pop career before that, but that's the album where he began to reach back to some classic 70s textures and sounds, at the same time pushing the edges of harmonic language in the way that only writers from Brazil can. "Aystelum" from 2005 is another great album.

There's something about the intimacy of the closing track "Ikarus On the Stairs" on his new album "Chapter Nine" that grabs me. Have a listen on headphones, that voice can get right inside your head ...

Track of the Day : "Fire Dance" - Seun Kuti (2008)

Just came home from the second night's DJ-ing. With half an hour to go in my set, black smoke came pouring out the back of the venue's main amplifier, and the place filled with that smell of burning electronics and plastic. I ripped all of the power cables out ... end of gig!

And the song I was playing at the time ?


26-year-old Seun Kuti (his full name is Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti) is the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, and he leads his dad's old band Egypt 80. He first played with them when he was 8 years old.

For those of you who've never been quite satisfied with the work of his sibling Femi Kuti , Seun is the real deal. Track down his album "Many Things", it's worth a listen.

"Fire Dance" is a great track. I just hope it doesn't burn your house down ...

DOWNLOAD WAV-MP3