The Whole Music Experience

World / Jazz   Maracatu New York   Baque Do Brooklyn   Nation Beat Music   There’s nothing quite as enticing as Brazilian poly rhythms married to New Orleans jazz and that’s the best way to describe Maracatu New York’s CD Baque Do Brooklyn .   This soulful stew of Afro-Latin grooves gets the heart pumping and the feet dancing.   The music feels like a samba parade entered the room followed by a Mardi-Gras band.   The opener, Roda Baiana sounds pure carnival with New Orleans brass kicking into full gear.   With Samba Lê Lê Brazil beats and vocals meet New Orleans brass and we feel Yoruba gods hanging around.   American percussionist Scott Kettner and his crew of horn players, drummers, and vocalists introduce listeners to the delicious world of drum jam sessions such as on Parada with its power samba drums.   We’re off to the Bayou on Voo Doom with Mark Marshall on slide-guitar.   And we h...

Lisa Dillan and Asbjorn Lerheim Love Me Tender (The Quiet Quiet Way) Kirkelig Kulturverksted I have not thought about Elvis Presley in years so I felt surprised when I received a Norwegian recording, Love Me Tender , paying tribute to Presley.   Vocalist Lisa Dillan and guitarist Asbjorn Lerheim headed to Nashville to record in the same studio the late Presley had recorded, and to work with the same musicians as Presley.   While this must have seemed like a dream manifested for Dillan, who became a Presley fan after the legend’s death in 1977, Dillan gives each song unique folk interpretations.   The musicians create a warm, relaxing and quiet atmosphere in which Dillan’s vocals caress every word.   A strong melody and evocative text translates into almost any musical style. Unlike, Dillan, I know little about Elvis Presley outside of the movies I saw as a child.   While you won’t hear Jailhouse Rock or Blue Suede Shoes on Love Me Tender , you will ...

Ruth Moody The Garden Red House Records I didn’t know what to expect from Ruth Moody’s (Wailin’Jennys) solo outing The Garden . I thought the musician-songwriter would bring out the Celtic music influence, but you won’t find any Irish fiddling on this album. Y ou will find fabulous musical arrangements that fall between country, bluegrass and folky pop ( Travellin’Shoes ) and you’ll find some of Moody’s best song crafting of her career thus far. Moody expands her vocal range singing in a whispery voice on Never Said Goodbye (she also plays piano on the track), and then giving Emmy Lou Harris a run for her money on the duet We Can Only Listen . On Tell Me she recalls Patsy Cline’s classic hits. Moody also crafts catchy tunes with witty turn of phrases. The other thing Moody does that amazes me is she takes old worn out phrases such as “birds of a feather stick together” and she turns it into art. I’m not sure if she’s using these phrases as clever devices o...

Alex Hargreaves Prelude Adventure Music Release date: 2-16-2010 Often when an extremely talent young musician comes on the scene, someone drags out a comparison to Mozart (one of the most famous child prodigies of all time). However, we forget that wunderkind types have always existed though they are labeled “Indigo” and “Crystal” children these days. These virtuosic youth take our breath away with their incredible talents and in some cases, maturity beyond their years. Fiddler-violinist Alex Hargreaves, still in his teens, has already astounded renowned Americana musicians such as Mike Marshall (who produced Hargreaves debut Prelude ), Darol Anger (appears as a guest musician) and David Grisman to name three. Hargreaves comes off as a fireball, playing those rousing staccato passages as well as, the more feeling lyrical ones. And he possesses the musical emotional maturity of a musician twice and maybe three times his age (17). He plays with confidence and poise and h...