Mixtape 10 - 2010-05-21

...and we're back!

Todd Sickafoose - Future Flora
Tiny Resistors (2008)

Tony: An album from John Zorn alumnus bassist Todd Sickafoose, with guest appearances from saxophonist Skerik (who also appears on Kayo Dot's Blue Lambency Downward) and virtuoso violinist Andrew Bird.

The Smiths - Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others
The Queen Is Dead (1986)

Neil: I put this up a while ago because I was obsessed with the guitar line. Johnny Marr, the guitarist, was apparently angry because Morrissey wrote such disposable lyrics (in his opinion).

Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet - Fry His Ass
Husky (2006)

Elliot: From a kiling Seattle group led by the saxophonist Skerik, who you can also hear on Tony's track this week. The whole album has a crazy energy to it, and the arrangement on this track really goes places. Skerik on tenor and baritone saxophones, Dave Carter on trumpet, Hans Teuber on alto sax and flute, Steve Moore on trombone and keys, Craig Flory on clarinet, Joe Doria on organ, John Wicks on drums.

Béla Fleck & The Flecktones - Big Country
Live at the Quick (2002)

Nabil: Even if you've already heard of them (since they're not that uncommon), this song completely surpasses their others. Taken from their live DVD, "Live at the Quick", this is probably my favorite song by them, and possibly one of my favorites of all time. Featuring an incredibly weird but awesome mix of instruments, such as banjo, straight saxes, bassoon and steel drums, Bela Fleck has basically just gathered every great musician he's ever met to make one amazing concert. If you haven't seen the video, I highly suggest you looking it up on youtube if you liked this song in the least.

Thomas Tallis - Spem In Alium

Sidd: Recently at work, I was encouraged to listen to an artist who "changed the life" of said person. Nonetheless I found Thomas Tallis after work that night. This is pure transcendence. My words would only make this songs seem trite so...Enjoy.

Quantic - Mishaps Happening
Mishaps Happening (2004)

Chris: Quantic is a producer who loves the sublime, and will grab it from any genre he finds it in. This track is uptempo, groovy, chill, latin, hip-hop, and a joy to listen to.

Short Hiatus

We'll be back after finals.

Mixtape 9 - 2010-04-09

Gateway - Back-Woods Song
Gateway (1976)

Elliot: From the first recording by Gateway, a trio with John Abercrombie on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. I love the groove on this tune, composed by Dave Holland.

nuito - NeKoMaJiN vs
Unutella (2009)

Sidd: It's a beautiful mesh of harmony and discord, but these Japanese musicians definitely know what they're doing. At times the schizophrenic guitars may seem claustrophobic, but it only makes the ethereal parts so much more beautiful. I just ran into this band, but you can bet I will be listening to more of these guys.

Masta Ace - Hold U
Disposable Arts (2001)

Neil: Masta Ace, the most underappreciated member of Marley Marl's legendary Juice Crew, opens the new millenium with an ambitious concept album about a prestigious hip hop university, the Institute of Disposable Arts. This track features Jean Grae, one of the most talented female MCs in the game.

Extreme - Cupid's Dead
III Sides To Every Story (1992)

Nabil: Sure their name is terrible, but Extreme is one of the few bands of its genre and one of the few bands that isn't jazz that I've been listening as of late. Forming in 1985, they've created a genre mainly focused on hard rock, but incorporating subtle elements of funk and metal to create music that sounds a lot more recent. If for nothing else, listen to it for the guitar and bass solo (this may just be the bassist in me speaking, but it's...EXTREME).

Modill - Change Form! (feat. Diverse)
Midnight Green (2006)

Chris: Modill is a seriously underexposed duo from Chicago, consisting of producer K-Kruz and mc Racecar. Here they are joined by the very talented Diverse. I'll be honest, their verses never seem to travel in a straight line and most of the time I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. But as always, the music speaks for itself-- Midnight Green is full of great production and great flows.

Mushroom with Eddie Gale - I Was Torn Down at the Dance Place - Shaved Head at the Organ
Joint Happening (2007)

Tony: An awesome, lengthy 20 minute jam session from Eddie Gale from the Sun Ra Arkestra and the jazzy, kraut-rockers of Mushroom. Previously, I had only known of Mushroom as a prog-rock band from the 70's, but they have transformed their sound while still keeping the psychedelic feel of their origins.

Mixtape 8 - 2010-04-02

Happy April, all -- and welcome Nabil to the team. We have a great mixtape this week, as always.

Charles Mingus - II B.S.
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963)

Nabil: Despite the fact that he is one of the true fathers of the bass (and one of Pastorius's main influences), Charles Mingus still remains widely unappreciated. II B.S., more commonly known as the Haitian Fight Song, is off his 1963 album Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus and sounds like it is years ahead of its time, featuring Mingus's always catchy yet technical basslines and your standard set of saxophones and muted brass*.
*The horns were always great because if they weren't...Mingus beat the crap out of them (seriously).

The Slew - You Turn Me Cold
100% (2009)

Chris: Most of the themes on this album were previously sketched out on Kid Koala's mixtape "Your Mom's Favorite DJ," on which he playfully bounced rock samples off of each other with turntablist flair. So imagine my excitement when I found out that Kid Koala created a project to flesh out these themes into a full album! Turntablism is a dying scene but there is still unexplored territory, as shown by the Slew.

Lee Morgan - Cornbread
Cornbread (1965)

Elliot: The first few weeks of spring always put me in a Hard Bop kind of mood. They overplay Lee Morgan to death on my local radio station, but I'm on spring break right now and it was nice to hear familiar tunes like this one while cruising around town, so I thought I'd share. Lee Morgan on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Jackie McLean on alto sax, Herbie Hancock on piano, Larry Ridley on bass, Billy Higgins on drums.

Ephel Duath - Hole IV
Pain Remixes The Known (2007)

Sidd: Coming from Italian masterminds Ephel Duath, this album is actually a remix [by Eraldo Bernocchio] of their "Pain Necessary To Know" album [which is equally amazing and much different]. The grooves on this song are so tight you can't help but "get yo' groove on". Apart from the tasty grooves, the combination of metal + electronic music is done amazingly [if not perfectly] on this song, and this entire album. Enjoy.

Reflection Eternal - Expansion Outro/For Women
Train of Thought (2000)

Neil: Since we were talking about seeing Kweli I figured I might as well put a Nina Simone song up.

Nobody - Green Means
Soulmates (2000)

Tony: Nobody's intense, atmospheric style is hypnotic with reverb drenched, spacey samples. Though I'm not a bigger fan of his later works, this album is a must have for any fans of Shadow, Krush, et cetera.

"louis is doing backflips in his grave right now"

Mixtape 7 - 2010-03-26

Xploding Plastix - Treat Me Mean, I Need the Reputation
Amateur Girlfriends Go Proskirt Agents (2001)

Tony: Formerly a part of the Norwegian black metal scene, Jens Petter Nilsen and Hallvard Wennersberg Hagen bring a fresh perspective on acid jazz.

Wayne Shorter Quartet - Smilin' Through
Beyond The Sound Barrier (2005)

Elliot: From perhaps my favorite recording of whatever decade ended in December. It behooves you to listen to the whole album as soon as you can. Wayne Shorter on saxophones, Danilo Perez on piano, Brian Blade on drums, John Patitucci on bass.

Galactic - Cineramascope (feat. Trombone Shorty & Corey Henry)
Ya-Ka-May (2010)

Chris: Big thanks to my friend Nabil for showing me this band. Galactic is a jam band from New Orleans that incorporates funk, rock, and hip-hop. There is a huge variety of styles on this album, but nothing does it for me like catchy brass hooks over breakbeats.

Osvaldo Golijov - Second Image: Federico. Balada
Ainadamar (2006)

Sidd: I don't consider myself as someone who likes opera. But this song from Osvaldo Golijov's 2007 release is something else. This song shows the direct influences from Flamenco and Middle-Eastern music, that combined with that freaky surreal dialogue in Spanish at the end makes this song so so good.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Starla
Pisces Iscariot (1994)

Neil: I've been on a huge Pumpkins kick lately, so sorry if this song isn't interesting enough for you guys. I tried to pick one of their more obscure songs because you guys have probably heard "1979" and "Today" a million times.

Mixtape 6 - Ladies Edition - 2010-03-19

Since March is National Women's History Month, I asked our contributors to choose a song that features a female artist.

Alice Coltrane - Ptah, the El Daoud
Ptah, the El Daoud (1970)

Neil: It was either this or "One Less Bitch," by N.W.A. Oh, and what Elliot said.

Natural Self feat. Elodie Rama - Midnight Sun
My Heart Beats Like a Drum (2010)

Tony: This song features an up-and-coming French singer, Elodie Rama. I can't get enough of her voice.

Alice Coltrane - Blue Nile
Ptah, the El Daoud (1970)

Elliot: From John Coltrane's widow, the pianist/harpist/composer Alice Coltrane. The influence of her husband on Alice's work is immediately apparent. I dig the instrumentation on this track in particular, but the whole album is worth a listen. Alice Coltrane on harp, Pharoah Sanders on flute (right channel), Joe Henderson on flute (left channel), Ron Carter on bass, Ben Riley on drums. The rest of the album has Alice on piano and JoeHen/Pharoah both on tenor.

Lauryn Hill - Doo Wop (That Thing)
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

Chris: Yeah, I cheated with this one. I must have heard it hundreds of times on the radio when I was growing up. But Doo Wop really is my favorite song on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and while she doesn't fully demonstrate her singing talent here, her rhymes are exceptional. Plus the music video for this song is awesome.