Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 87 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

"Chi! Chi! Chi!, le! le! le!" Yes, the whole crew here at the Audio Motherlode has been completely mesmerized by the miracle taking place with our fellow lamp-heads at the San José mine in Copiapo, Chile. (Watch live coverage.) As of this writing 14 17 21 25 27  33 of the 33 seemingly doomed men have been brought to the surface.

While the subterranean excavation taking place here at Beware of the Blog is somewhat less treacherous, we nevertheless go about our weekly business with steely determination to deliver natural resources vital to the well-being of our community. Viva Chile! Viva la musica!

Even more miracles...

Francis Bebey  ~  "Pygmy Love Song"
(Blog: FreedomBlues)
From the album: Pygmy Divorce (mp3)

Tall Tales
Poet, novelist, historian, composer, instrumentalist —Cameroon's beloved Francis Bebey was a great renaissance man of African arts. His 1969 book African Music: A People's Art was hugely influential in my early open-eared meanderings. (The discography in the back was a virtual treasure map leading to dozens of holy grails.) My colleague Rob Weisberg—host of the terrific Transpacific Sound Paradise—once interviewed Bebey backstage at a show in New York. When Rob asked him about his sassy recording of "Pygmy Divorce," the regal Bebey claimed no knowledge of it!

 

Marva Broome  ~  "Mystifying Mama"
(Blog: Cosmic Cheese)

Mystery Mama
During the Art Ensemble of Chicago's extended stay in Paris, the group cut the legendary "Theme De Yo Yo" with singer (and then wife of trumpeter Lester Bowie) Fontella Bass. Around the same time (1970), they also recorded a couple of tracks in support of another sock-it-to-me soul sister by the name of Marva Broome. (Dig the harpsichord!) One of the least-known recordings in the AEC's discography, the provenance of this 45 rpm disc on the Horse label continues to baffle crate diggers and researchers alike. (The only references to a Marva Broome I could find online are in the pages of a January 1975 issue of Billboard and an online pen-pal entry for a Florida inmate doing time for cocaine possession.) The original single of Mystifying Mama was backed with "For All We Know," which can be found on a compilation posted at the blog The Mystery Poster.

Ruby Andrews  ~  "Black Ruby"
(Blog: Neurótico y Romántico)
From the album: You Ole Boo Boo You (mp3)

Soul Gem
Before charting with "Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over)," Mississippi-born Andrews hit the Chicago club circuit dancing under her given name Ruby Stackhouse. After "Casanova," Andrews hooked up with Detroit's singer/songwriting trio Brothers of Soul for two massively appealing LPs on Zodiac. (The Zodiac release feted here features a brilliant reworking of Leiber and Stoller's "Hound Dog.")

Mangue Konde  ~  "Ikélé Tatê"
(Blog: Oro)
From the album: Mangue K (mp3)

I Come From Trance
Most often identified as Congolese, soukous, the guitar-driven good-time music that dominated African music exports in the '70s and '80s found adherents in guitarists across the continent. Among the most compelling was Burkina Faso musician Mangue Konde, who played lead behind fellow Burkinabè superstar Amadou Ballake before fronting his own combos Les 5 Consuls and Le Super Mande. Compared to the chirpy, super-fast soukous of Congo, I much prefer Konde's pensive, unsweetened sound.

Hepcats' JiveTalk Dictionary
(Blog: Darwination)

Bump Your Gums
For abercrombies afraid of dribbling gravy, get your boots on with this blip lexicon and your idea pot'll be a strictly cut plug. Originally published in 1945 in Connecticut (then and now, surely the most un-hep place on earth), scans of all 52 pages are downloadable for your amusement.

 

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Comments

[Nicolas Moncadas]

I am totally in love with Mangue's music. I wish icould find more of his records. Thank you for the taste and the link...