One after another after another ... does this album ever stop!? It's just certified classic after certified classic. Vielles Courroies might well be in the top 20 most gorgeous songs of all time. The juxtaposition of sad, weepy piano weaving its way through your heart into the diatonic sounds of harmony vocals and flute soaring through the sky alongside the backing is nothing less than extraordinary. Serge Fiori is a freaking genius if there ever was a songwriter worthy of that description. Some of these songs are so good they will leave you breathless.

I don't think the albums that followed this were as good, despite the fact that they are very solid efforts. The songs here are just about untouchable.

Best heard on vinyl, IMO, but the CD release is decent. I think it was probably digitally dehissed as it sounds a bit sterile compared to the vinyl and has an extremely low hiss level, but just get it if you can't spin a record. You need it, the end.

by Jeff Carney


HARMONIUM Music Online:
recommended progarchives.com worldwide prog rock stores

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The holidays are soon upon us. With the economy on shaky ground and folks feeling edgy, World Music Central has worked especially hard in finding some good deals for our readers. With many retailers looking to make any kind of sale, World Music Central readers can look forward to some decent discounts this season and some deals on shipping. I have included prices on many of these items, but it’s early yet and many retailers are getting nervous. I wouldn’t be surprised to find some super-duper sales knocking down many of these prices and free shipping offers springing up all over the place.

Let’s get started with music and our contributors’ top ten picks.

Our audio equipment picks this year include:

Apple’s iPod Touch, available in the 8, 16 and 32 GB capacities priced at $219.48, $289.48 and $379.48. With hours of song, photos and video all at a finger’s touch, this iPod’s got the goods with a 3.5-inch, multi-touch display screen with a 480 x 320-pixel resolution.

The iPod Nano with a 4 GB capacity that allows you to play hours of music or up to 5 hours of television shows, movies and podcasts comes in at a nice $113.50 price tag for those on a tighter budget.

The real steal is the Apple iPod Shuffle. Priced at $47.37, this little baby’s got a 240 song capacity that just right for the price.

Zune Player’s got some delightful treats available with the $229.51 Zune 120 GB Video MP3 Player that holds up to 30,000 songs and connects to your home wireless network. Don’t forget the Zune Pass subscription service for thousands of songs and CDs. There’s also the Zune 8 GB Digital Media Player priced at $136.45 that allows for the storage of 2,000 songs, 25,000 photos or 25 hours of video.

Looking to be a little more cost conscious, there’s some equally rated items like the SanDisk Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with MicroSD Expansion Slot. Priced at $66.33, this MP3 player has 4 GB of memory, comes with FM tuner with recording capability and a voice recorder. There’s also the SanDisk Sansa Clip 1 GB MP3 Player  with a very reasonable price tag of $29.51. With up to 15 hours of play, a rechargeable battery, a FM tuner and USB 2.0 port to transfer files, this one more than reasonably priced. The SanDisk Sansa Clip 4 GB MP3 Player with its 4GB capacity, FM tuner, up to 15 continuous hours of MP3, WMA or Audible file play and rechargeable battery, is priced at a cool $59.99. With varying storage capacities, features and subscription deals, finding the right MP3 for the right price has become relatively easy, but checking out the consumer ratings is always suggested.

Looking for CD players? There are plenty of these out there with some nice prices as well. At $29.99 there’s theEmerson PD5098 Portable CD Player with AM/FM Radio that has a front load feature and an LCD indicator. You can step up to the Emerson PD6560BL Portable CD-RW Player with Digital Tuning AM/FM Stereo Receiver for $49.44. This CD player’s got a programmable memory system to program favorite tracks or preset radio stations and a stereo cassette recorder plus a remote.

Now if you are looking to upgrade your system, you might want to check out the JVC XL-FZ258BK 5-CD Changer. Priced at $121.20, this one has a 5-disc capacity, optical digital audio output and continuous play and smart random play.

For those of who are still mooning over the stacks of vinyls that have been relegated to the attic, why not join the many who are returning to the good old turntable. Sony has the Sony PSLX250H Turntable. You’ll be playing those 33-1/3’s and 45’s in no time. There’s also the very reasonable priced $62.88 Audio Technica AT-PL50 Belt Drive Turntable or the Audio-Technica AT-PL120 Professional Direct-Drive Turntable priced at $190.45. Or maybe you just want to go all out with the Audio Technica AT-LP2DUSP LP-to-Digital Recording System with USB. Priced at $85.04, this baby will let you create MP3, WAV, WMA files while removing the imperfections of the LP with software compatible to both Macs and PCs. This would be a great gift for the music junkie with a collection of LPs stashed in a corner.

In music software there’s the Music Ace Deluxe priced at $49.99 that has been designed by music professionals and comes with lessons in theory, rhythm, pitch, note reading and allows the user to compose and listen to his or her own music. There’s also Finale Songwriter priced at $42.99 allows the budding songwriter add chords, harmonies and drums and then save the whole thing to MP3 format. Harmonic Vision Music Ac or Music Maker 14 or the Super Duper Music Looper geared toward kids might be options for your gift list.

Now, this wouldn’t be any kind of gift guide if I didn’t include Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle With Guitar (for PC) and versions for PlayStation 2’s or Nintendo Wii’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Wireless Bundle. There’s also the World Tour and Rock’s the 80’s versions. If that weren’t enough Rock Band has come out with a special edition and expansion kit for you’re rock and roll pleasure.

This year I’ve chosen a number of music releases from the label Music for Little People. There’s some great music for kids by some well-known artists that will have your wee ones up and dancing about the house.

• Papa's Dream by Los Lobos and Music for Little People
• A Child's Celebration Of The World by Various Artists - Children's Music and Music for Little People
• Big Blues: Blues Music for Kids by Music for Little People
• Uni Verse of Song: Spanish by Maria Del Rey and Music for Little People
• Shakin' a Tailfeather by Taj Mahal, Music for Little People, Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir, and Eric Bibb
• A Child's Celebration of Folk Music by Music for Little People
• Uni Verse Of Song: French
• Gift Of The Tortoise: A Musical Journey Through Southern Africa by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Music for Little People

To make their musical experience interactive you should check out some of the following musical toy gifts:

• BeBoP Kidz Animal Bells Childs Rhythm Set
• Melissa and Doug Band in a Box
• BeBoP Kidz World Rhythm Experience
• Jumpin’ Banana Finger Beats DJ Mixer Portable Music System
• 3/4 Size Mini Acoustic with Gig Bag
• Kid Toy Animal Band Keyboard Musical Piano 30 Functions
• Fisher-Price Elmo’s Musical Peek-a-Boo Gym
• Electronic Preschool Guitar
• Childrens's Cool Music Maker Toy Keyboard
• Multicultural Rhythm Set
• Hohner Folk Guitar - 30" reshipper box

Now if you have an adult that acts like a child you might want to get the Desktop Finger Drums Kit. This tiny drum kit is just adorable for the music lover who needs a little fun at the office.

If your budget allows for some higher end items I would head over to Novica.com. They have some spectacular artwork. Musicians for Peace by artist Juan Carlos Ñañake is simply stunning. The West African Strings of Joy  by Emmanuel Tetteh Pecku is equally extraordinary. There is also the Balinese artist Nyoman Sedayatana’s wood sculpture, Saraswati, Goddess of the Arts. Browse Novica's catalog.

Novica also has some nicely priced instruments that would make lovely gifts, like the $39.95 set of 3 ceramic flutes, Ancient Animals , Song of the Andes quena flute, also for $39.95 or the $59.95 Thai wood gong, Powerful Rhythm. For a real deal there is the set of 5 ceramic Christmas Ocarinas . These Andean Christmas tree ornaments are beautifully decorated and cost a mere $29.66. There are many other instruments from artisans from all over the world and because of Novica’s association with National Geographic you know that the money is going to these wonderful instrument makers and artists. Browse Novica's catalog.

Wolfgang’s Vault has all music and concert collectibles you could possibly want. T-shirts, photographs, posters and memorabilia are just a click away. You’ll find everyone from Steve Riley to Ry Cooder to Ali Farka Toure to Baaba Maal to B.B. King. With live streaming music pulled from the Bill Graham Archives, the King Biscuit Flower Hour and Record Plant, there’s concert recordings played here that simply can’t be heard anywhere. Browse Wolfgang's Vault catalog.

Our books on music list includes:

• Traveling Spirit Masters: Moroccan Gnawa Trance and Music in the Global Marketplace by Deborah Kapchan
• Dub: Soundscapes and Shatter Songs in Jamaican Reggae by Michael Veal
• Sensational Knowledge: Embodying Culture through Japanese Dance by Tomie Hahn
• The Reggae Scrapbook by Roger Steffens and Peter Simon
• Tango Songs From the Soul of Buenos Aires and Beyond  edited by Donald Cohen
• Thousand Mile Song: Whale Music in a Sea of Sound by David Rothenberg
• This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin
• Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
• All You Need To Know About the Music Business: 6th Edition by Donald S. Passman

For DVDs you might want to check out some of these fabulous music movies:

• Sufi Soul: The Mystic Music of Islam
• Wijdan: Mystery of Gnawa Trance Music
• Laya Project: The Movie
• Carlos Santana Plays Blues at Montreux 2004
• Ray Charles – Live at Montreux 1997 [Blu-ray] or regular DVD  Ray Charles - Live At Montreux 1997
• Eva Ayllón Live from Hollywood
• Roots Rock Reggae - Inside the Jamaican Music Scene
• Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends

Amazon.com has some great deals on magazine subscriptions, so you might want give a year’s subscription to one of these music magazines to the person who hates everything:

• Songlines (world music publication)
• Rolling Stone (U.S. edition)  or Rolling Stone - Australian Edition or Rolling Stone - German Edition
• Spin
• Vibe
• Under The Radar
• The Wire
• Relix Magazine
• Bluegrass Unlimited
• Blues Revue

As I always do in these gift guides, I’m going to suggest that you to check out the touring schedules of your local clubs, universities and arts centers for up coming concerts. A pair of concert tickets just might be the perfect gift for those special people in your lives. Giving a gift certificate for some music lessons or maybe some dance lessons also might be an affordable choice and certainly brighten up the cold days of January.

Let me also remind you about those folks who might not be on your list, but who could really use the help. Know that dusting off and donating that old clarinet or guitar in your attic would be a welcomed gift to any school music program. Also, please remember our favorite charities like VH1’s Save the Music Foundation, Freemuse.org and the Music Maker Relief Foundation. These organizations are such good causes and you are such good people, I know that you’ll try to give what you can to keep the music alive.

As always, World Music Central hopes that this guide has pointed you in the right direction for that perfect gift or reminded you to update your own wish list. We hope that you have a safe and wonderful, music-filled holiday season.

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B: Scorpion’s Groove (7:45)

Artist: Mark August
Title: The Wasps From Tunisia And The Silver Piggy
Label: Connaisseur Recordings
Format: Vinyl 12” / digital
Cat.No.: CNS027-6
Style: Deep Tech / Deep Dub
Releasedate: December 3rd (physical) / December 17th (digital), 2008

It’s been a while since the last release by Mark August on Connaisseur, but now he’s back with an extraordinary one. Two tracks, both like a fairytale of a country far, far away. A fable, with mystic and mysterious animals and creatures, might best describe what Mark had in mind while working on the tracks.

The Wasps From Tunisia And The Silver Piggy – The main track on this release is an uncommon piece of music. It starts moody and with a stoic pumping beat, yet also a somehow laidback feeling. It then unexpectedly and surprisingly builds up to a monster of a track, working manically towards its climax. Then however, over the length of the track, it completely transforms again, coming back to its beginning, as though nothing had ever happened.

Scorpion’s Groove is a deep and dubby affaire. Many themes subtly work against each other, creating a very special atmosphere in their mergence. Not a peaktime track, but excellent for opening a set.

In almost random order:

James Carter -- Present Tense (Emarcy) -- Outrageously accomplished reeds player Carter and fellow virtuosi (D.D. Jackson, piano; Dwight Adams; brass, among them) squeeze fresh thrills out of dramatic themes and basic arrangements, stretching old school ways to suit themselves and wow us.

Rudresh Mahanthappa, featuring Kadri Gopalnath and the Dakshina Ensemble  -- Kinsmen (Pi). Indian-American alto saxophonist-with-a-Guggenheim and the unique maverick Indian "classical" saxophonist expand on their mutual appreciation for similarities and differences, backed by on-it electric guitar-violin-mrdingam-bass and traps. Newly imagined music, rather than awkwardly hybrid or superficially mixed, and often hypnotic, sometimes searing.

Lafayette Gilchrist and the New Volcanoes -- Soul Progressin' (Hyena) Simultaneously bold, blunt and sly, with bracing horn riffing, spunky solos and, underlying all, subtle references and fascinating subversions from Baltimore-based pianist-composer Gilchrist.

Free Form Funky Freqs -- Urban Mythlogy Volume 1 (Thirsty Ear). Post- Hendrix guitar god Vernon Reed meets harmolodic electric bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma and slammin' Philly drummer G. Calvin Weston. Play it loud.

Cassandra Wilson -- Loverly (Blue Note). Great song selection (starting with "Lover Come Back to Me," including "Caravan"), smart 'n' spare accompaniment and Ms. Wilson's deceptively casual approach to lyrics front and center makes this a welcome return to what she does best, which T-Bone Burnette quite misunderstood in Thunderbird, her previous release.

Lee Konitz and Minsarah -- Deep Lee (Enja). An intuitively-bonded piano-bass-drums trio that met at Berklee School of Music embraces the graceful, wise, sensuous and spontaneous abstractions of Jazz Master Konitz, who finds ever more melody in the nooks and crannies of familiar intervals and progressions.

Sonny Rollins, Road Shows, Vol. 1 (Doxy-Emarcy) Still champion Sonny Rollins self-selects on-stage highlights from Poland 1980 to Carnegie Hall, 2007. His standard is notoriously high, and this collection meets it.

Mostly Other People Do the Killing -- This is Our Moosic (Hot Cup) Postmodernism at its most engaging, four young men who know a lot of jazz past lay it all out, evidently for fun, and surprise -- one can almost sing along. Previously reviewed.

Joe Lovano, Ravi Coltrane, Dave Liebman/Saxophone Summit - Seraphic Light (Telarc)  -- Three dedicated hornmen, with ace rhythm (Billy Hart, drums; Cecil McBee, bass; Phil Markowitz, piano) and guest trumpeter Randy Brecker collaborate in honor of the late Michael Brecker with heartening depth. Also hear Lovano's suave Symphonica with the WDR Big Band and Rundfunk Orchetra (Blue Note).

Nicole Mitchell -- Black Unstoppable (Delmark) -- Mitchell's flute is a free-flowing wonderment, sustaining constant interest in settings for her Chicago AACM-linked Ensemble, even when they wander. Also available on DVD.

Historical and/or Reissue:

Charlie Parker -- Bird in Time 1940 - 1947 (ESP Disk) -- An audio treasury, four ceds of varying sound quality documenting the jazz revolutionary's rise from obscurity to immortality. For Bird devotees, but definitely for Bird devotees.

Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group (Oktav) -- Produced in 1965 but previously unreleased, nine tight bluesy little-big band pieces written, arranged and conducted by a commanding baritone sax and flute soloist. Shihab, ab expatriate who had collaborated with Monk, Blakey and Gillespie rewards revisiting -- and here gets excellend rhythm support from bassist Niels Henning Orsted Pederson and drummer Alex Riel. Shoulda been on Blue Note, back in the day.

Anthony Braxton -- The Complete Arista Recordings (Mosaic) Prolific, indefatigably original and unabashedly ambitious (music for four orchestras?!), multi-reedist-composer-improviser Braxton was as brilliant from '74 to '80 as he is now; the top notch productions filling eight discs here retain their original daring and reveal beauty not any better understood 30 years ago.

Most listenable message album: Dr John and the lower 911 -- City That Care Forgot (Blue Note). Few New Orleansians have such a rich drawl, punchy piano style and the righteous anger to ask "Say Whut?" and make it infectious. With ringers Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Terence Blanchard, Ani DiFranco, Trombone Shorty and Terrance Simien all compelling attention.

Exemplary Latin jazz: Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra -- Song for Chico (Zoho). Besides the estimable leader, an elite cast -- Dafnis Prieto, Bobby Porcelli, Papo Vazquez, the late Mario Rivera and Tito Puente, Jim Seeley -- contribute to the sophisticatdd swirl.

In-the idiom-blues: Elvin Bishop -- The Blues Rolls On (Alligator). See my previous brief.

Best Book on a Musical Movement: George E. Lewis -- A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music  (University of Chicago Press). Previously reviewed here. (Of course I'm not going to plug my own Miles Ornette Cecil -- Jazz Beyond Jazz at this juncture. . . )

Further recommendations of jazz-beyond-jazz: Wadada Leo Smith Golden Quartet -- Tabligh (Cuneiform); Baker-Hunt-Sandstrom-Williams -- Extraordinary Popular Delusions (Okka); Mike Reed's Loose Assembly, The Speed of Change and Mike Reed's People, Places and Things, Proliferation (both on 482 Music); Gonzalo Rubalcaba -- Avatar (Blue Note); Miles From India (Four Quarters); Louis Moholo with Marilyn Crispell -- Sibanya (We Are One) (Intakt); Harris Eisenstadt, Guewel (Clean Feed); Tony Malaby Cello Trio, Warblepeck (Songlines); Steve Lehman Quintet, On Meaning (Pi); Taylor Ho Bynum, Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths (Hatology); William Parker at Vision Festival xii, Double Sunrise Over Neptune (Aum); Mary Halvorson, Dragon's Head (Firehouse 12); Chico Pinherio & Anthony Wilson, Nova (Goat Hill Recordings); Jamie Baum Septet, Solace (Sunnyside); Raphael Imbert Project, Bach/Coltrane (Harmonia Mundi), Toumani Diabate, The Mande Variations (Nonesuch).

I'm happy to say my weekend 'festival' experience was more rewarding than Telly's time at Global Gathering. I’m sure we have all noticed the profane insanity of the whole festival bombardment situation in Australia. Don’t get me wrong, I love outdoor festivals but there’s something about seeing your favourite acts in an intimate setting… something that allows you to connect with the music on a more personal level. Abandoning one sense inevitably intensifies another. Sound becomes a strong physical presence in the dark, invading your body and allowing you to lose your sense of orientation and just merge with the dance music culture.

I guess it’s not as important when you want to spend a day in the sun chilling on the grass with some wonderful disco-revival type artists providing you with the perfect soundtrack to suit the scene. However, when you have an excruciatingly attractive lineup consisting of artists like Vitalic, Dj Hell, Crookers and Tommie Sunshine it’s a completely different story. These artists are innovators of dance music. Some have been around for a few decades, reinventing themselves and leaving their mark on the history of music. These artists are all about the physical impact of the volume, the audio assault, the amplification and all the elements you really need to absorb yourself in the sound. This year Сrookers were set to headline with their incontestable current mainstream appeal.

I was welcomed into Manning Bar with the chaotic sight of countless police officers, security guards, sniffer dogs and even ambulance crews. The ridiculously tight security was unquestionably pointless and slightly amusing for a club event and the relatively short time frame of the night. Especially when taking into consideration the 3am Manning curfew.

Ajax was already warming the crowd up. Djing has obviously become a primal instinct for him. His seamless blending and meticulous track selection were no surprise to me at all. I headed to the top floor of Manning bar where the fabulous Tommie Sunshine was accompanied on stage with his girlfriend (slash personal stage stripper performer) who definitely seemed to entertain the crowd more than him. Tommie’s set definitely charmed me with its genre-crossover appeal. His fusion of the darker, more underground dance tunes with some heavy new releases (including Proxy and Fake Blood) translated into a terrific set.

At around 12:30 when Vitalic was about to take over for Tommie the crowd unexpectedly began to vanish. Evidently, everyone collectively decided to proceed downstairs to catch Crookers in action. An empty dance floor for Vitalic is definitely something I consider a crime. This guy is incredible. Has anyone heard La Rock 01!? I really felt for Vitalic having to play to such a small audience. It was painful to watch and despite my love for his productions I have to say he is definitely not the best performer. Standing somewhat timidly behind his laptop and polyphonic synthesisers he seemed completely disconnected from the crowd. He was by no account overly disappointing and if there were more people gathered for the set I’m sure it would have matched the mind-blowing spectacle I had envisioned.

I headed downstairs midway through his set to check out what all the Crookers commotion was about. I was met with an image of utmost insanity. The entire downstairs level of Manning Bar (including the whole outside area) was a swarm of autonomous bodies drenched in sweat. The energy unleash which the Crookers incited made for a spectacle of animosity. They were firing out their sonically heavy productions with real ferociousness and using every single musical trick in the book. Together with their already heated breakdowns, the crowd was treated to dirty filtering, distortion and overstimulating visual light attacks.

My night came to a close with DJ Hell, a secretly anticipated act of mine! His set was undeniably excellent. Technically, he is a great DJ, effortlessly fusing and layering tracks over each other. His set was also stylistically impressive- incorporating some expected industrial elements and underground influences.

Stereosonic festival had the most extraordinary lineup this year which inevitably led to some pretty high expectations on my behalf. In no way was I disenchanted by the artists but the night was turned bittersweet with the early venue lockdown and the slightly unappreciative crowd.

Here is a song everyone must have. And should keep playing out forever.

Vitalic- La Rock 01 (Zshare)

x Elle

Bob Hite, founding member and singer of the unforgettable group Canned Heat owns one of the most impressive collections of US 78rpms. He started gathering these records at a very young age. He always dreamed of being in a boogie band and paying tribute to the pioneers, drawing inspiration from all the greats who have set the foundations for blues music.

Before he joined the band, he was already working in various record stores in Venice Beach, a Los Angeles suburb. Through the years, he came to acquire extraordinary items, mostly thanks to the success of the 33rpm, which quickly replaced the 78rpm format. Bob Hite never stopped expanding his collection; he bought records all around the world. He was known to throw huge parties at his house, where he spent hours, sometimes whole nights, unveiling gems from his collection.

After Bob Hite's death, the fabulous collection was decimated, partly sold, dismembered, and even plundered.

Here are a few gems taken from their collections, just as if you were in their home, somewhere in the Topanga Valley, partying all night, at the onset of the '70s.

FROM THE LINER NOTES :

some are legends…

PETE JOHNSON
Rightfully acknowledged as a boogie-woogie expert and one of the first piano legends, Pete Johnson truly ranks among the greatest.

CLARENCE BROWN
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown was 100% Texan. His recordings for the Peacock label remain legendary, and this blues entitled Takin' My Chance is pure gold, with its hard-hitting brass section and Brown's majestic guitar playing. Brown died in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home. The shock was simply too much for this great artist.

ELMORE JAMES
Everything has been written and said about Elmore James, but hearing him from one of these 78rpms is still a moving experience. The tracks selected here are not among his best known, and that's for the better.

some are unknown…

MAD MEL SEBASTIAN
One of this compilation's mysteries. It might have been Chuck Higgins recording under an alias, but we have no information about this record released by the MS label at the onset of the '50s.

EDDIE HOPE
This Eddie Hope is quite the magnificent unknown. Still, his Fool No More is known and appreciated by every fan of the genre and remains a key selection when it comes to heavy shuffles.

THE HOT SHOTS
Probably based in New York City, The Hot Shots here deliver a languid number that takes us back to the clubs where music like this played way into the wee hours of the night. Blues Nights was cut for the Savoy label.

EARL KING
This King is definitely less known than BB, Freddie or Albert. This pure product of Louisiana was a respected guitar player. He is known for having written Come On, covered by Jimi Hendrix on the album Electric Ladyland.