Eclectic Grooves

Ric Colbeck Quartet- The Sun Is Coming Up [UK Fontana, 1970] This one was featured on Church Number Nine back in May, but the link was removed a couple months ago. I want to dedicate this post to them, because I most likely wouldn't have been exposed to Ric Colbeck if they hadn't posted it. Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth proclaims this as #5 on his top 10 from the Free Jazz underground list, and I can definitely see why. "Aphrodite" starts with a frenzied drum solo right out the gates that stands up to Rashied Ali's dynamic work on Coltrane's "Interstellar Space". The drums continue this erratic tempo throughout the entire song but are joined by flurries of intense blowing from Mike Osborne on Alto Sax and Ric Colbeck on trumpet. There are some electrifying parts around the ten minute mark of the song where Ric's trumpet and Mike's alto sax combine for a dissonant mind-melting excursion. Towards the end of the track, a bass solo slows down t...

Chrissy Zebby Tembo and Ngozi Family- My Ancestors I recently heard this blasting in a record store and I had to have it. Catchy, upbeat melodies collide with psychedelic fuzz guitar solos to create a sound that immediately grabs the listener by the ear. People who have a predilection for Nigerian and high-life music as well as lo-fi garage and 60's psych-rock will definitley dig this. Besides having "Oh Yeh Yeh" featured on the Love Peace and Poetry-African Psychedelic Music comp and the praise from a few underground DJ's, the exposure to Chrissy Zebby Tembo's music has been minimal. The album was recently reissued on wax after being out-of-print for a long time, and it looks to be a limited presssing of 430 copies. I have uploaded the entire record for you to sample. If you like the album, please purchase it at your local independent record store or by following this link . Your comments are always appreciated!

William S. Fischer- Circles I don't know how many of you have actually heard this one, but a DJ/music junkie friend of mine turned me on to it several years ago. There is an incredibly eclectic melange of styles represented here that runs the gamut from ambient electronic moog experiments to funky jazz fusion recalling Tony Williams "Emergency" sessions . William S. Fischer was an arranger for Herbie Mann and Nat Adderly records before Herbie gave William the opportunity to record his own record for his Embryo label. The personnel on this one is top-notch- Billy Cobham- Drums, Ron Carter-Bass, Hugh McCracken and Eric Weissberg on gutiars, William Fischer- moog synthesizer and Bill Robinson- vocals. "Patience Is Virtue" combines a commanding Eugene McDaniels-inspired vocal with an infectious funky rock groove. "Saigon" pummels you into submission with a rapid-fire tempo combined with Axelrod-inspired orchestral flourishes that is guaranteed to get your ...

Sir Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls I posted something on here in dedication to the Sun City Girl's Charlie Gocher back in February. Here's a link to that post if you're interested in checking it out. I'm not sure if the links are still up for the music, but let me know and I can re-up them. I have been alerted by someone that the link for the Sun City Girls live show from La Sala Rossa is no longer active. Here is a reup of that show: Sun City Girls- La Sala Rossa Disc 1 Sun City Girls- La Sala Rossa Disc 2 Sir Richard Bishop's solo stuff is worlds away from the avant garde experimentalism of the Sun City Girls. Still, he is the only person I know of that can play an acoustic guitar so loud that you'll be reaching for your earplugs. I have seen him live about four times now, but there is really no way of explaining the beauty and noise created by his gifted hands. He is equal p...

Recently a lot of my favorite blogs have decided to call it a day. Church Number Nine, Prostrate Before a Periwinkle and Cut-Out have recently announced that they will no longer be updating their blogs for various reasons. Daily pressures such as worryingg about how ethical it is to share out-of-print music, constant hassles from record companies and lack of time and energy are the main reasons that they decided to quit blogging. However, these bloggers should be proud of what they have accomplished. They have not only opened up the eyes of the record industry in regards to reissuing out-of print records, but they have gained a cult status among record collecting enthusiasts around the world. These were all blogs that I visited daily and they never failed to have something new and interesting to share. At this time, I would like to give a shout out to these blogs for setting the bar higher for myself and countless others who strive to introduce people to rare and interesting music that...