WFMU's Beware of the Blog

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 41 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
6 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
[**Note: Look for the download links after the jump**]

A Veteran's Day post, for my father.

Growing up, I was always aware that my dad had served during World War II. I knew from old photos what he looked like in uniform. I knew that he'd fought in the Battle of the Bulge. I knew he'd earned a Purple Heart (though he claimed his injury required only a simple bandage). I also knew that he never cared to talk much about his wartime experiences. He wasn't secretive and walled-up about it, but he never went into any great detail on those rare occasions when the subject came up. So you can imagine my surprise when only a few years ago I learned, almost by accident, that my gentle, unassuming father is a Silver Star–decorated hero who performed with tremendous valor under terrible duress during one the longest and most devastating battles in U.S. Army history: the Battle of Hürtgen Forest.

Back in June 1994, during the 50th anniversary celebrations of WWII, the French government invited veterans who'd landed at Normandy to attend a ceremony where they were awarded a special commemorative medal. Unsurprisingly, my father chose not to go. A few years later, all the vets who missed the Normandy honor were invited to the U.S. Capitol to receive their rightful medals, and he was going to skip that, too (despite living in nearby Maryland). He had never told me about the invitation to return to Normandy, but when I learned of the ceremony at the Capitol, I couldn't resist asking him to share with me more about his experiences during the war. I traveled down to Maryland and took my father out to lunch and peppered him with questions, which he answered unreservedly with a great richness of detail. He told me what it was like when George Patton visited his outfit and ate with him in the officers' mess, with his shiny helmet and fancy revolvers; that an entire unit he'd been with, but was pulled from to join Officer Candidate School, had perished in a plane crash in North Africa; that he was among the first American soldiers to cross into Luxembourg and how his division was the first to advance across German lines; and about performing occupation duty after the war ended and seeing long queues of emaciated camp survivors.

That day at lunch my father also mentioned that he'd been awarded the Silver Star. I didn't really understand the great significance of this until I returned home and started doing some research. I asked my father to tell me the story of how he earned the Silver Star and he send me a long letter detailing what took place. He also included the original document that came through confirming his award of the medal. And most movingly, he sent me his Silver Star.

I treasure these items and continue to be proud of my father's service in the cause of defeating fascism. In the spirit of offering an oral history as tribute, I am reprinting below the command document ordering my father's Silver Star and an excerpt of the letter he wrote to me describing the circumstances surrounding his earning it.

(Please continue)

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 40 (MP3s)

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

Barack Obama was elected one year ago tonight, and to celebrate, the Miner feels like going out and pulling the white hoods off a few teabaggers. You betcha! If you prefer to stay home to get your jollies, take a gander at the magnificent recordings offered below. The good news? Just like Mike Bloomberg, you can spend somewhat less than $100 million of your own personal fortune to come out a winner!

Free Jazz for Short-Wave Radio, Hammers, broken glass, etc.
Karlheinz Stockhausen  ~  "Kommunion/Intensitat"
(Blog: Mundo Estranho De PB)

Listen for Lester Bowie!
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti  ~  "Perambulator"
(Blog: Likembe)

"Xaviet Cugat Goes Gamelan"
Phoem Khlaibanleng  ~  "Thai Modernized Music for Dancing, Vol. 2"
(Blog: Monrakplengthai)
From the album: Mon Son Pha (mp3)


 

Canada Lets Its Hair Down
Bob Bell  ~  "Necropolis"
(Blog: Mutant Sounds)

   

Balafon Blowout
Chico Freeman  ~  "Kings of Mali"
(Blog: Steakdust Cologne)
From the album: Kings of Mali (mp3)

Boll Weevils, Buckdances and Breakaways
Various  ~  "Eight-Hand Sets and Holy Steps"
(Blog: Times Ain't Like They Used to Be)
From the album: Buckdance (mp3)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 39 (MP3s)

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

All treats and no tricks from the Miner this week: If you could count all the great "out" vibes records on one hand, this one—from Philly's Khan Jamal—would be the thumb. Magma founder Christian Vander plays drums here under the pseudonym Hassan Rashid.  •••  Beijing Opera–trained singer Grace Chang (Ge Lan) made more yuan as an actress than as a chanteuse. She appeared in over 30 films in career spanning just over a decade. Occasionally she landed a role where she got do her singing on camera. Check this freaky Youtube vid of her in 1959's Air Hostess.  •••  Refer-reeking garages of 1960s Uruguay, Peru, and Argentina were overflowing with mop-head maestros mashing en Inglés, but Spain's Cheyenes croon exclusively en Español. ••• Though "Ice Cream Man" was his biggest seller, Chicago bluesman John Brim ran a dry cleaners when he wasn't on the road. When he was touring, he took his wife with him. She was his drummer. ••• This "Indian"-themed blues compilation includes the one and only tune ever recorded (in 1929) by a mysterious performer billed as "Freezone." (MP3 provided, below.) Nobody seems to know who the hell this guy is!  ••• At 13, Junior Reid cut his first record with the great Hugh Mundell. (For an extra treat, go here.) At 17, Reid, now calling himself Junior Progress (with the backing band Voice of Progress), had a regional hit with "Mini Bus Driver." At 18, Reid was a passenger in a car with Mundell when Mundell was shot and killed.

Go Phillies!
Khan Jamal  ~  "Give the Vibes Some"
(Blog: The Growing Bin)
From the album: Pure Energy (mp3)

Star of '50s Hong Kong Cinema
Grace Chang  ~  "Pathe 100, Vol. 15"
(Blog: What's in My iPod)

If the Kinks and Pretty Things Had a Baby. In Spain.
Los Cheyenes  ~  "Sus Singles y EPs en RCA"
(Blog: Garage Music)
From the album: Eres Como un Sueño (mp3)

The Original Ice Cream Man
John Brim  ~  "1950-1953"
(Blog: Oldies But Goodies)

What You Me "We," Kemosabe?
Various  ~  "Cherokee Boogie: Indians and the Blues"
(Blog: The Devil's Guitar)
From the album: Indian Squaw Blues (mp3) by Freezone

No, Not Mini Driver
Voice of Progress  ~  "Mini Bus Driver"
(Blog: JeckrootsDJ)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 38 (MP3s)

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

Mining the Audio Motherlode mourns the passing of South African saxophonist Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi, who was silenced by heart disease on October 13. While many fellow musicians coming up in the 1960s expatriated themselves and garnered international attention, Mankunku and many others remained home to carve out a musical life in the belly of the apartheid beast. Life was no cakewalk for those who chose exile, but the soul-crushing indignities experienced by artists who stayed put were just devastating.

Born in 1943, Mankunku explored piano as a child, then switched to sax in his teens after falling under the spell of John Coltrane. When he was 19, the same year his hero recorded A Love Supreme, Mankunku performed as a soloist with an all-white big band, but laws forbidding inter-racial mixing forced him to play behind a screen while a white musician mimed a pale imitation. In 1968, Mankunku recorded a track expressing his anguish over Coltrane's death. The tune's title, Yakhal' inKomo, which translates from Xhosa as "Bellowing Bull," was a direct reference to the hideous sound cattle make as they approach the slaughterhouse. Less obvious to the apartheid censors was the song's symbolic reference to the defiant cry of an oppressed people. The song made Mankunku a hero of the townships and the album it appeared on became South Africa's greatest selling jazz record.  • • •  Listen to Yakhal' inKomo (mp3)

Leading off our half dozen offerings is a lovely LP from 1975 showcasing Mankunku and the jazz funk combo The Cliffs.

Mankunku Will Make You Smile
The Cliffs  ~  "Alex Express"
(Blog: ElectricJive)

Con Corazónes Tristes
Raphy Leavitt y La Selecta  ~  "Jibaro Soy"
(Blog: Global Groove)
From the album: La Cuna Blanca (mp3) sung by Sammy Marrero

Na Fidhle Álainn
Bobby Casey  ~  "Taking Flight"
(Blog: Ceol Álainn)
From the album: The Drunken Gauger (mp3)

Conakry Men
Balla et Ses Balladins  ~  "Balla et Ses Balladins"
(Blog: Oro)

Hooray for Kitschywood
K.V. Mahadevan  ~  "Vasantha Maligai" (O.S.T.)
(Blog: Tamil Film Story)
From the soundtrack: Irandu Manam Vendum (mp3) sung by T.M. Sounderarajan

Our Lady of Hearts and Flowers
Mahasti  ~  "Del o Del"
(Blog: Snap, Crackle & Pop)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 37 (MP3s)

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

This past week your hard-working Miner dove deep into the inky dark of music's lost history and came up cradling some shimmering gems: Rainful Days appears to be the only record ever released by West Sussex folk siren Maria Barton. The album came out on the tiny Airship label in 1980. ••• More stellar music recorded on British soil comes from Johnny and June Carter Cash, whose live performance at the London Palladium in '75 was released, replete with enchanting between-song banter. Fan sites always call attention to the IRA bomb threat announcement that interrupts June's intro to "Church in the Wildwood" (check the audio clip, below), but the tales told and tunes tendered are top notch. ••• Never really a brother-sister act, Zambia's John and Joyce Nyirongo were popular stars in their own right who occasionally performed together. Here we have a selection of their best '80s collaborations. ••• New Orleans cornetist Freddie Keppard blew loud and hot. Some say to hear his brash brass playing is the closest we'll ever get to experiencing the sound of the legendary (and legendarily unrecorded) Buddy Bolden. In 1915, Keppard passed up the chance to cut for the Victor Talking Machine Co. what would have been history's first-ever phonograph disc. ••• Cuban tres maestro Arsenio Rodríguez and ivory tickler Rubén González joined up with members of cha-cha-cha king Ninón Mondejar's group to form Orquesta América del 55. Rodríguez would evently leave Cuba to wider fame if not fortune; González never did, save for a few minutes in the Buena Vista Social Club limelight. ••• The patriots of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, who came to the aid of republican Spain in 1936, were labeled "premature anti-fascists" by their own American goverment. Compare and contrast please to the tea-party buffoons of today—calling their own American president "Hitler"!—while grooving to the these anti-fascist anthems.

Was There a Laurel Canyon in West Sussex?
Maria Barton  ~  "Rainful Days"
(Blog: Time Has Told Me)

Live London Show in '76 (Complete with IRA Bomb Threat)
Johnny Cash  ~  "Strawberry Cake"
(Blog: A Truer Sound)
From the album: June Carter Cash intro w/evacuation announcement (mp3)

Zambiance!
John & Joyce Nyirongo  ~  "Zambian Legends"
(Blog: Freedom Blues)
From the album: Nikondeni (mp3)

Cornet King Before Louis
Freddie Keppard  ~  "The Complete Freddie Keppard Heritage"
(Blog: Music A-K-O)

From Havana with Love
La Orquesta América  ~  "Los Marcianos"
(Blog: La Ostia Latin Jazz)

Songs of the European Resistance Against Fascism
Various  ~  "Die Sechziger: 1933-1963"
(Blog: Terror + Rays)
From the album: Gallo Negro y Gallo Rojo (mp3) [artist unidentified]

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 36 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
6 Yusef Lateef Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere

Back in 1979, right around my 18th birthday, I ventured from my suburban Maryland home into D.C. to go see my favorite musician, Yusef Lateef, who was performing at Blues Alley. I'd tried to enlist a few friends to come with me, but ended up going by myself. I've always been bashful about approaching the musicians I idolize, but I was determined to speak to Yusef, to express to him how much his music meant to me. With some measure of embarrassment, I brought with me an album cover for him to sign and kept it in a paper bag.

At the club, the host led me to a small round table right at the foot of the stage, close enough for me to reach out and touch Yusef's tenor, propped on its stand. Soon the lights dimmed, the cocktail-clinking quieted and the emcee called the musicians to the stand. Along with his band, Yusef descended the stairs from the second-floor dressing rooms garbed in flowing white robes that dazzled in the glare of the spotlight. I sat there alone during that transcendent first set, barely breathing, taking in the almost-too-intense thrill of it. Yusef delivered great rollicking sermons and tender, ecstatic ballads, ending each song by holding out the sax or flute or oboe he'd just played as if the instrument, not him, was deserving of the applause. When the set ended, I remained in my seat, unable to summon the courage to approach him.

After a brief interlude, the band came back down for a second set, one long blissful R&B number that built over the course of 45 minutes from a bright vamp to a pulsing, surging, wailing catharsis. Yusef's supporting musicians played as if they adored him, and the intensity of their communal spirit was palpable to everyone in the room. As each man soloed, Yusef made the selfless gesture of removing himself from center stage, standing off to the side with his eyes closed, nodding in appreciation.

When the set came to a close and the musicians retreated upstairs for the final intermission, I felt emboldened and headed, with my paper bag, for the second floor. There was a queue of well-wishers and fans between me and the entrance to Yusef's cool-down spot, and I nervously half-wished that the people ahead of me would use up all the break time. But the line moved along and soon enough I found myself standing there being warmly received by Yusef himself. In the next moment, a couple of dashiki-clad gentlemen pushed past me to greet Yusef, but he gently rebuffed them and said he was already speaking with someone, pointing to me. It was just a small act of courtesy, but to be the recipient of his kindness made my head spin. I pulled out my record, and Yusef autographed it and handed it back. He wrote, "To Bro Doug in peace, Bro Yusef A. Lateef.

Before leaving, I asked Yusef if he was still playing "Russell and Eliot," my all-time favorite tune (which appeared on the 1969 LP Yusef Lateef's Detroit). He said that the song was in the band's book and then smiled as I thanked him and walked on jelly legs back down to my table. When the next set began, I sat there at the edge of the bandstand, transfixed, as Yusef stepped to the mic, bowed in my direction, and announced, "Here's a song for my new friend." Then he counted off for the band and they launched into the opening groove of "Russell and Eliot." (mp3)

This Friday, October 9, will be Yusef Lateef's 89th birthday. Tune in to my radio show, Give the Drummer Some, [hear the show here] for a three-hour celebration. To get the party started early, this volume of Mining the Audio Motherlode offers six wonderful recordings by Yusef, including downloadable tracks for Hikima, a recording that recently surfaced that has never appeared on any discography. (It contains material that appears to have been recorded at the same July '83 session that produced In Nigeria.)

Stunning Unheard Nigerian Gem
Yusef Lateef  ~  "Hikima (Creativity)"
High Life (mp3)  |  The Mood (mp3)  |  C.N.C.S. (mp3)  |  Koroso (mp3)
North Africa (mp3)  |  Blues Revised (mp3)  |  Mud Theatre (mp3)

Blowing in Philadelphia
Yusef Lateef  ~  "Live at Pep's, Vol. 2"
(The Sound of Jazz)

Theremin Alert
Yusef Lateef  ~  "A Flat, G Flat and C"
(Blog: Daytime Lovers)

Blowing in from Detroit
Yusef Lateef  ~  "Before Dawn"
(Blog: The Monk)

Big Bass Drum Say Tum T'tum
Yusef Lateef  ~  "Part of the Search"
(Blog: Flageolette)

Stay in Contact with Your Mind
Yusef Lateef  ~  "Autophysiopsychic"
(Blog: The CTI Never Sleeps)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 35 (MP3s)

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

Well sure, mean people suck, but what about the "mean people" of China? The mean people were certain classes of citizens who were bonded to servitude by heredity. (Some of whom were relegated to such lowly occupations as frog-catching and sedan-chair bearing.) Among these groups were the yuehu, or musicians' households, who were subject to official discrimination for over ten centuries.

You may have mixed feelings about tomorrow's massive parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution, but I think we should have all tooted a horn or two this past May 23 in honor of another notable event in China's history: On that date in 1724 the reform-minded Yongzheng Emperor (Qing Dynasty) issued an edict officially abolishing the second-class status of all them nice musicians.

To commence your own private commemoration, please avail yourself of Mining the Audio Motherlode's first offering, below, an astonishing 8-CD collection of music from ancient China. Toot!

String Dynasty
Various  ~  "Ancient Chinese Music" (8 CDs)
(Branle de Champaigne)

Nigerian Highlife Royalty
Cardinal Rex Lawson  ~  "...and His Rivers Men"
(Likembe)
From the album: Nkpa Ke Da Owo (mp3)

Buenos Aires Blues Rock
Pajarito Zaguri  ~  "Pajaro y la Murga del Rock 'n' Roll"
(Blog: En Busca del Tiempo Perdido)
From the album: Deja Que ya Escuche Su Oración (mp3)

Cello Colossus
Ernst Reijseger  ~  "Taiming"
(Blog: Lucky Psychic Hut)

Hey, Ain't the Hot Mud Family from Ohio?!
Various  ~  "Tennessee Folk Arts"
(Blog: Allen's Archive of Early and Old Country Music)
From the album: Rain and Snow (mp3) by Suzanne Edmunson & Rick Good

Another Psychotic-Hippie-Drug-and-Sex-in-the-Greek-Isles Movie
Mike Rozakis  ~  "She Knew No Other Way" (O.S.T.)
(Blog: Bug in the City)
From the soundtrack: She Knew No Other Way (mp3)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 34 (MP3s)

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

In addition to the usual download selections, this week's Mining the Audio Motherlode offers a brief commentary on the recent Kanye West imbroglio.

Commentary:
The entire event seemed preconceived: The staging appeared blocked; the camera angles locked in; the Hollywood happy-ending scripted as if drawn up on a lunch napkin at Spago. Even more telling is that all involved had so much to gain: Kanye re-upped his bad-boy bona fides; Taylor got boosted into the pop-star stratosphere; Beyoncé cemented her status as the #1 one-name überdiva. Of course the increasingly irrelevant music biz profited most of all.

Set piece or not, what's truly disturbing about this third-rate melodrama is how the roles played by its three principals conjure those familiar old racist paradigms: 1) Angry black man; 2) innocent white ingenue (menaced by angry black man); 3) benevolent black mama (who cuts the black man down to size, reassuring the white power structure).

The detestable irony in all this is the unwitting involvement of President Obama, whose "jackass" comment only served to legitimize these standard-issue racial stereotypes. Is it any surprise that his off-the-record utterance was leaked? How better to cut our African-American-in-Chief down to size.

The whole thing was a trap. The extent to which we as a collective culture lock-stepped so willingly into its steel teeth suggests that there are still many more miles to trudge through the backwoods of the American soul before coming home for some steaming post-racial porridge.

Downloads:

R.I.P. Luther Thomas
Human Arts Ensemble  ~  Live, Vol. 1"
(Nothing Is V2.0)

The Gaithersburg Address
The Muffins  ~  "Air Fiction"
(Mended Records)
From the album: The Lagoon (mp3)

L'Affaire Messiaen!
Olivier Messiaen ~  "Petites Liturgies"
(Blog: A Closet of Curiosities)

Samm He Am
Bosho  ~  "Chop Socky"
(Blog: Lucky Psychic Hut)
From the album: Rail (mp3)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 33 (MP3s)

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

Well looky here, goodies galore: (1) The #1 record on Rolling Stone Japan's 100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums list just happens to be the Miner's #1 selection this week. (2) Speaking of Japan, flute-wielding hipster Herbie Mann was touring the island nation in '68 when four members his band—including the exalted Sonny Sharrock—cut this pair of avant-leaning 45s. (3) Buenos Aires in the '70s was a well-known prog rock hotbed, but some earlier Argentine bands, like Los Walkers, found inspiration in the Merseybeat scene. (4) Speaking of Liverpool, Paul McCartney's brother Michael performed for a spell in the musical comedy/poetry troupe the Scaffold with Roger McGough. The two released this album featuring a host of big-name backing talent (including bro Paul and Jimi Hendrix). (5) The pioneering early country duo of Darby (passable blues vocalist) & Tarlton (certified string genius) sold hundreds of thousands of records in the late '20s. By most accounts they hated each other. (6) Finishing with a flourish, the Miner serves up three dazzling collections of '60s rockers from Rio. (Huge thanks to Raphael Soulcialista at Teen Trash). Listen for covers of "Gloria," and "I'm a Believer" on Volume 1.

Being a rock-solid union feller, the Miner can't end this post without paying tribute to labor hero Crystal Lee Sutton, who died last week at 68. Sutton was the textile worker whose defiant crusade to unionize her plant was the real-life inspiration for the film "Norma Rae." Lesser known but no less a protaganist in this story is the former coal miner and labor organizer Eli Zivkovich, who originally enlisted Sutton's help. To get your union on, listen to this inspirational speech from "Norma Rae" (click here), delivered by Ron Leibman, who played the character based on Zivkovich

Greatest Japanese (Soft) Rock Album Ever?
Happy End  ~  "Kazemachi Roman"
(Japanese Rock for Fucks Sake)
From the album: Taifuu (mp3)

Going Inside Out (w/Sonny Sharrock)
Roy Ayers Quartet  ~  "Comin' Home Baby" and "All Blues" (Two 45s)
(El Goog Ja / Soundological Investimgations)




Argentine Popadelica
Los Walkers  ~  "Walking Up"
(Blog: Bomber Blog)
[Password = mza-acid]
From the album: Hasta el Fin de Mis Días (mp3)

Not Bad for a Bunch of Ex Art Students
McGough & McGear
(Blog: Ezhevika Fields)





Old-Timey Superduo
Jimmie Tarlton & Tom Darby  ~  "Darby & Tarlton"
(Blog: Friends of Old Time Music)




Fuzz and Farfisa Fest from Rio!
Volume 1  ~  "Selvagens: Brazilian 60's Punk Artyfacts"
Volume 2  ~  "Selvagens: 60's Wild Surf and Raw Instro from Brazil"
Volume 3  ~  "Selvagens: Obscure Brazilian 60's Garage Beat and Punk Groups"
(Blog: Teen Trash)
From the first album: Coração de Pedra (mp3) by Os Jovens

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 32 (MP3s)

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

Mining the Audio Motherlode is back with more mid-week marvels: (1) a gobsmacking compilation of sixties township jive from the vaults of South Africa's Motown. Accompanying the tunes, posted at the venerable Matsuli Music, is a crucial history of the music not to be missed; (2) a lovely album from the Polish folk-rockers Anawa—their first effort following the departure of founding member and legendary singer-songwriter Marek Grechuta; (3) Thailand's "King of luk thung" (rural folk song), who died last month at the age of 52. When he wasn't starring on stage and screen, Yodrak Salakjai somehow found the time to release (according to this online source) over 500 albums; (4) a rocking collection of '40s sides from smoky-voiced Savannah Churchill. She released barely 50 songs in a performing career that came to crashing halt when, during a club date in '56, a drunken fan fell on her from a balcony seat; (5) sunny angst from '69 and the Barcelona teen band Pic-Nic, featuring the debut of future Europop icon Jeanette; (6) spacey, Jesus-tinged musical mini-dramas from a California band that used to rehearse at Bob Denver's house (read the comments in Waxidermy)

Standing in the Shadows of Mavuthela
Various  ~  "Mavuthela: The Sound of the Sixties"
(Matsuli Music)
From the album: Marks Special (mp3) by Marks Mankwane

Dreamy Polish Psych
Anawa  ~  "Anawa"
(Mutant Sounds)




Thai Soap Opera Heartthrob
Yodrak Salakjai  ~  "Rap Khrueng Dieow"
(Blog: Monrakplengthai)

Tragic Darling of the Jukebox
Savannah Churchill  ~  "The Queen of R&B"
(Blog: Rockabilly Ranch)





Spanish Teen Pop
Pic-Nic  ~  "Cállate Niña"
(Blog: 18 Rodas)
From the album: Oí Tu Voz (mp3)




May the Longtime Sun Shine upon You(r Ears)
Vision of Sunshine  ~  "Vision of Sunshine"
(Blog: Red Telephone 66)
From the album: Summer Sundown Woman (mp3)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 31 (MP3s)

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

For this first post of September, here's a pop quiz to pump up that back-to-school spirit: What do Patsy Cline's fellow plane-crash victim Hawkshaw Hawkins, elegant early jazz arranger/band leader Don Redman and "Brady Bunch"-theme composer Frank DeVol all have in common? Give up? They are all 2009 inductees into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. (Soupy Sales was considered, but didn't make the cut.)

Inspired by a recent week spent feeding chickens and downing buckwheat cakes in the Mountain State, the Miner is kicking off this week's selections with yet another WVMHOF '09 inductee, the Bailes Brothers. Why, they're just like West Virginia's motto: Wild and wonderful.

Brother Act from Kanawha County, WV
Bailes Brothers  ~  "Avenue of Prayer"
Nifty cover scan here
(Jeremy's Saggy Record Cabinet)
From the album: God's Hand Rules the World (mp3)

Holy Grail for Drummer Lovers
M'Boom  ~  "Re:Percussion"
(Fat Toro)
[Scroll down to Comments for working link]

 

Murdered in the Sivas Massacre of '93
Muhlis Akarsu  ~  "Asik Olan Durmaz Aglar" & "Aglam Gulum" (2 LPs)
(Blog: Sounds of Enlightenment)
From one of the albums: Yakma Beni Oldurursun (mp3)



Good Ol' Boy of Cuban Country
Guillermo Portabales  ~  "Sones Cubanos"
(Blog: El Negrio del Batey)
From the album: Esto Se Llama Montuno (mp3)

Get This Man A(nother) Drink
Abner Jay  ~  "Swaunee Water and Cocaine Blues"
(Blog: Allegory of Allergies)




You Bet Your Sweet Axé
Margareth Menezes  ~  "Margareth Menezes"
(Blog: Música da Boa)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 30

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

This last Mining the Audio Motherlode post of summer delivers a half-dozen killer-dillers: Ghanaian percussionist Guy Warren's rare session with Brit jazz greats is worth the price of admission, but don't overlook the compelling contributions from Chicago's Tiny Topsy and Kraków's Ewa Demarczyk. If you dig noise, Monoshock's side-project, Sternklang, will curl your nose hairs (in a good way), as will the debut LP from Blind Idiot God (who, one night at CBGB's produced the loudest beauty I've ever heard). All in all, some terrific beach listening.

Before you head out with your SPF 45 and flip flops, take a brief moment to observe the passing of the legendary woodwind maestro Joe Maneri, who died on Monday. Joe was an astonishingly inventive and original improviser and composer, but his greatest legacy may be the wisdom he imparted to generations of musicians. For nearly four decades Joe taught performance, theory and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music.

A few Friday's ago on Give the Drummer Some, I aired a home recording of an unreleased blues number Joe performed at one of the gazillion wedding gigs he played. It is one of the most audacious, breathtaking, heart-in-your-throat 3 minutes and 8 seconds of sound you'll ever hear. To listen, go to my playlist and scroll down to the fourth tune in the fourth set. (When you're done, pick yourself up off the floor and check out more Joe Maneri genius—a recording from 1963—in the first full-album link offered below.)

Simply One of the Greatest Recordings Ever
Joe Maneri  ~  "Paniots Nine"
(A Blog Ain't Too Much to Love)

Unburied Treasure
Guy Warren  ~  "Afro-Jazz"
(Fat Toro)

R&B Sessions in Miniature
Tiny Topsy  ~  "Aw! Shucks Baby"
(Rockabilly Ranch)

 

Extreme! Noise! Now!
Sternklang  ~  "1"
(Blog: FM Shades)

Polish Melodrama Queen
Ewa Demarczyk  ~  "Ewa Demarczyk 1974"
(Blog: Easy Music)

I Dub You Very Much
Blind Idiot God  ~  "Undertow"
(Blog: Colostomy Grab-Bag)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Volume 29 (MP3s)

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

The miner considered brandishing his pick-axe outside his local town hall in support of a public option in health care reform—but he's lover not a fighter. His best contribution to community well-being is made right here each week. (And once you've spent a little quality time with the sextet of gems dug up this week, you'll be feeling a helluva lot better.)

This past weekend's commemoration of Woodstock's 40th anniversary stole a few headlines from the "death panel" blowhards, but another historic benchmark approaches that deserves attention: Fifty years ago this Friday, Hawaii, dominated so obscenely for so long by the Big Five corporate oligarchy, cast off its chains and attained statehood. In recognition, the miner offers up "These Trails," a gorgeous bit of natural splendor recorded in Hawaii in 1973. Mahalo.

Volcanic (Folk) Rock
These Trails  ~  "These Trails"
(PHROCK Blog)
[password = phrockblog.blogspot.com]

Like Bourbon for Your Ears
Romica Puceanu  ~  "Cine Nu Stie ce-i Doru"  (and lots more!)
(Robert Gargfias archives at UC Irvine)
From the album: Cine Nu Stie ce-i Doru (mp3)
 

AKA "The Franco of East Africa"
Mbaraka Mwinsheshe ~  "Masimango"
(Blog: Coleção de Sons)
From the album: Sululu Ya Moro (mp3)



Don't Cover Up That Ribald Spot
Nino Rota  ~  "Felini's Casanova"
(Blog: Zamboni)
From the album: L'uccello Magico (mp3)

Galax Strums, the World Hums
Fields Ward  ~  "Bury Me Not on the Prarie"
(Blog: Times Ain't Like They Used to Be)




Barcelonian Fusion
Tribu  ~  "Barriu Chinu"
(Blog: Rock Progresivo Español)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 28 (MP3s)

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

After three fine weeks in the glorious daylight of coastal Maine, your Miner has burrowed back down to his accustomed subterranea. (Despite numerous visits to this particular region, he once again failed to spy any moose or black bears, though a couple of carefree harbor porpoises did gambol past his kayak one cool morning.)

But have no fear: the music hunting never really stopped. Charm-filled visits to the Opera House Internet Café in Bar Harbor and the WiFi hook-up at the Free Public Library in Brooksville afforded the occasional opportunity to scour the blogs and make copious notes for future Mining the Audio Motherlode offerings. The fruits of those "labors" are already ripening, below.

The past week saw the passing of two devout brothers of the musical cloth: Rockabilly legend Billy Lee Riley (whose failing health was mentioned here in a previous post) and the folk-revival griot and virtuoso Mike Seeger who did more than practically anyone to prevent treasured old traditions from turning to dust — and keep the winds from scattering ones that had.

Ashes to ashes.

Family Values
Mike & Peggy Seeger  ~  "Peggy 'n' Mike Seeger Sing"
(Merlin in Rags)

Revista Crooners from the '20s
Various  ~  "Mexican Rataplán"
(De 78rpm a 33 1/3rpm)

 

Samba Enchanted Evening
Nadinho da Ilha  ~  "Cabeça Feita"
(Blog: J Thyme KIND)
From the album: Palmares (mp3)



Wail Watching
Various  ~  "Rockin' Rhythm Very Dark"
(Blog: Rockabilly Ranch)
From the album: Love Doctor (mp3) by Phil and Marie

Lesser Known Brit Stringbender
John James  ~  "John James"
(Blog: Times Ain't Like They Used to Be)




Ashanti Almighty
Dr. K. Gyasi and his Noble Kings ~  "Sikyi-Highlife"
(Blog: World Service)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 27 (MP3s)

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

Plenty to sink your teeth into in this final vacation edition of Mining the Audio Motherlode. It's a happy meal for your mind. (Make that five happy meals.)

 

Catch der Fieber, Ya!
Various  ~  "German Funk Feiber, Vol. 1"
(Blog: Soul Food)
[While you're at it, snag Volume 2]

Featuring T.N.T. Tribble!
Various  ~  "The Best of Washington, D.C. R'nB"
(Blog: Be Bop Wino)
[password= greaseyspoon]




Detroit Legend Recorded in a Hotel Room
Eddie Kirkland  ~  "Front and Center"
(Blog: On muddy Sava riverbank)

Dirty Work Going On
Little Joe Blue  ~  "Southern Country Boy"
(Blog: Magic Notes)




Smoov Jazz from Buffalo
Birthright  ~  "Breath of Life"
(Blog: Never Enough Rhodes)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 26 (MP3s)

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

Here's another vacation edition of Mining the Audio Motherlode. At this hour the Miner is communing with a black bear or two in the Maine woods. But don't fret—five more platters of honey will be on tap next week.

 

Bob Graettinger's Bracing Tone Poem
Stan Kenton  ~  "City of Glass"
(Blog: What's in My iPod?)

Earnest and Enchanting
Marc Brierley  ~  "Marc Brierley"
(Blog: Peppermint Store)




Strumming in the Shadows of Motown
Various  ~  "Detroit Ghetto Blues 1948-1954"
(Blog: On muddy Sava riverbank)

Free and Funky
Robin Kenyatta  ~  "Free State Band"
(Blog: The Growing Bin)




Gospel Blog Posts Captured!
Various tracks from Just Moving On
(Blog: Pathway to Unknown Worlds)
[The fine site Just Moving On posts amazing gospel tracks, but the links don't last that long.]

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 25 (MP3s)

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

Over the next few weeks the Miner is taking some badly need time off, but he's still prepared a few junior-meal versions of Mining the Audio Motherlode to keep your ears nourished. Hey, don't forget to chew!

 

It's Easy Being Green
Sociedad 76  ~  "Johnny Zamot el Hulk de la Salsa"
(Blog: Global Groove)

Loner Folk from the Lone Star State
Larry "Sunshine" Rice  ~  "Here's Sunshine"
(Blog: Ezhevika Fields)




"Himbad" Brailey Sails Away from Funkadelica
Mutiny  ~  "Mutiny on the Mamaship"
(Blog: Blog-O-Blog)

Unheralded Tenor Ax Master
Carter Jefferson  ~  "The Rise of Atlantis"
(Blog: Orgy in Rhythm)




Twang Chic
Various  ~  "I Want a Rock & Roll Guitar"
(Blog: Uncle Gil's Rockin' Archive)

Listen for music from these and other incredible finds on
Give the Drummer Some, Fridays on WFMU, 9 to Noon (ET).

Check out every installment of Mining the Audio Motherlode

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 24 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

Happy 30th anniversary to Jimmy Carter and his maligned "crisis of confidence" speech, which some political observers identify as the day Carter lost his bid for reelection. Despite the ignominy attached to Carter's address, it turns out to have been one of the rare moments a sitting president has told the country such a shocking measure of truth about itself. The resulting right-wing shitstorm, which ultimately eviscerated Carter's presidency, spooked progressive politics under the rock it's only now just beginning to get creep out from under.

In the three decades since that fateful night Carter sat before the cameras, ostensibly to deliver a speech on energy policy, Carter's flat-lined presidency has been looking better and better. (Of course, even Warren Harding's tenure begins to look rosy when viewed through the prism of the Bush abomination.) Sure it turned out to be a PR disaster, but Carter's address to the nation on July 15, 1979, was a stunning display of soul-searching candor never to be seen again in American presidential politics.

As you poke through the usual assortment of enchantments offered below, do yourself a favor and give a listen (mp3) to Carter's mesmerizing speech. (Or you can watch the whole thing here.)

 

Surf & Garage Covers from Lisbon
Various  ~  "Portuguese Nuggets, Vol. 1"
(Blog: aaaaadaddddd)
From the album: Hully Gully Do Montanhes (mp3) by Conjunto Académico João Paulo

Sitar on My Face
Bill Plummer  ~  "Bill Plummer & the Cosmic Brotherhood"
(Blog: Hippy Djkit)





Aye, That's the Rabab
Essa Kassimi  ~  "Le Luth Afghan"
(Blog: Sounds of Enlightenment)



[7 more nuggets of truth, after the jump]

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 23 (MP3s)

Give the Drummer Some's
10 Favorite Downloads from the MP3 Blogosphere
(see Comments, below, for helpful info about downloading)

Thanks to the good souls at the terrific blog Uncle Gil's Rockin' Archives, word is spreading about the poor health of original Sun Records rocker Billy Lee Riley. Riley, who's endured an awful string of medical problems is now battling stage-four bone cancer and is in dire need of financial assistance. (Follow this link for info on how you can help.)

Cancer seems to be more everywhere than ever before. Some say it's all due to the general aging of the population, but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach. The Miner just lost a friend in Chicago to cancer and skipped last week's post to spend time with his mum, who underwent cancer surgery. Talk about your Motherlode. Just be sure to take good care of yourselves and loved ones and don't forget to smell the audio roses along the way.

 

He's Made it Through Three Hip Replacements and a Quintuple Bypass
Billy Lee Riley  ~  "Rock With Me Baby"
(Blog: Free Rockabilly Music

This Pistol-Brandishing ex-Soap Star Is Now a Senator
Irma Serrano  ~  "Exitos de Siempre"
(Blog: Música Popular Mexicana)
From the album: La Martina (mp3)




Bailamos con Tito Nieves and Crew
Conjunto Clasico  ~  "Si No Bailan con Ellos, no Bailan con Nadie"
(Blog: La Musica Latina)



[7 more roses, after the jump]

Mining the Audio Motherlode, Vol. 22 (MP3s)

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

The terrific music search engine Captain Crawl appears to have slipped into the mists again. The Miner has been relying on the Captain's powers of blogservation to discover outstanding recordings posted throughout the ever-expanding universe of full-album sites. This search engine has disappeared before, so there's reason to hope that it will come back. But till then, you should consider trying another efficient search tool called Chewbone. If you're not searching for anything in particular, take advantage of blog aggregators such as Totally Fuzzy and Prog Not Frog's Blogwatch that provide an excellent jumping off point. Or, of course, don't lift a finger and just let the Miner drop another 10 slugs in your tin cup.

UPDATE: It appears that the URL for Captain Crawl has been hijacked or something. Good news comes via the terrific blog Pathway to Unknown Words Captain Crawl can be accessed here: http://85.131.190.173/index.php

 

Bloke Was the Sole Survivor of a U-Boat Attack on His Ship in WWII
John Doughty  ~  "Round Rye Bay for More"
(Blog: Gonzo-Archive)

Venezuelan Pop Rocker's Solo Debut
Ivo  ~  "Ivo"
(Blog: Hippy Djkit)




Don't Drink and Jive
Various  ~  "Jake Leg Blues"
(Blog: El Diablo Tun Tun)
[password=eldiablotuntun.blogspot.com]



[7 more wild geese you no longer have to chase, after the jump]