Herbie Mann • London Underground

During the 1960s and '70s, Herbie Mann continually searched for new playing contexts in which to place his flute.  In December 1973, he traveled to London for five days of recording with a group of British rock musicians.  The result was London Underground, an album tilted much more in a rock direction than the soul and R&B-drenched recordings he had been making for the previous five years.  Highlights on this album include the Rolling Stones' "Bitch" ( then-Stone Mick Taylor played guitar on this album ), Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air," and "Paper Sun," from the Traffic canon.  The real highlight, however, came about with the addition of Stephane Grappelli on the Donovan pop hit "Mellow Yellow."  With guitarist Albert Lee adopting a Django Reinhardt stance, the cut is reminiscent of the old Hot Club of France recordings in the '30s.  There are a couple of clunkers here ( "Layla" doesn't work ), but for fans of late-'60s/early-'70s rock, not a bad ride. - AMG

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Durante las décadas de 1960 y 1970, Herbie Mann buscó continuamente nuevos contextos de interpretación en los que colocar su flauta.  En diciembre de 1973, viajó a Londres para grabar durante cinco días con un grupo de músicos de rock británicos.  El resultado fue London Underground, un álbum que se inclinaba mucho más en una dirección de rock que las grabaciones de soul y R&B que había estado haciendo durante los cinco años anteriores.  Entre los aspectos más destacados de este álbum se encuentran "Bitch" de los Rolling Stones (en este álbum el entonces cantante Mick Taylor tocó la guitarra), "Something in the Air" de Thunderclap Newman y "Paper Sun", del canon Traffic.  El verdadero punto culminante, sin embargo, se produjo con la adición de Stéphane Grappelli en el éxito pop de Donovan "Mellow Yellow".  Con el guitarrista Albert Lee adoptando una postura de Django Reinhardt, el corte recuerda a las viejas grabaciones de Hot Club of France en los años 30.  Hay un par de clunkers aquí ("Layla" no funciona), pero para los fans del rock de finales de los 60 y principios de los 70, no es un mal paseo. - AMG

 

 

VA • A Blue Butterfly

 

Sounds of War, Music in the United States during World War II

 

 

This book is the first comprehensive study of classical music in the United States during World War II. Whether as an instrument of propaganda or as a form of entertainment, classical music had a cultural relevance and a ubiquity in the war effort that are hard to imagine today. Exploring an abundance of sources ranging from government archives to the correspondence of musicians, this book traces how musicians in the United States responded and contributed to the war, following individual performers and composers as they faced military duty or sought alternative ways in which they could serve. Declassified materials from the Office of War Information, the State Department, and the Armed Forces speak to the manner in which U.S. government agencies instrumentalized and weaponized classical music and music making. In the interplay of individuals and institutions, as well as military and civilian organizations, musicians created works that left its indelible stamp on American music and musical life. Wartime compositions such as Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Rodeo, and Appalachian Spring speak as articulately to U.S. wartime culture as does Morton Gould’s American Salute. These meshed with the contributions to American concert life of exiled composers such as Darius Milhaud, Béla Bartók, and Arnold Schoenberg, who, having fled the Nazis, went on to write new music for their new American audiences.

 

Tanto que Contar: Historia Oral de Bob Marley

 

 

Una historia reveladora y devastadora de uno de los músicos más influyentes de todos los tiempos, contada en las palabras de quienes mejor lo conocieron. Roger Steffens es uno de los principales expertos de Bob Marley en el mundo. Durante varias décadas, ha entrevistado a más de setenta y cinco amigos, gerentes de negocios, familiares y confidentes, muchos de los cuales hablan en público por primera vez. Tanto que contar teje este rico testimonio para formar un relato definitivo de la vida del rey del reggae: de cómo un niño de los barrios pobres de Kingston, Jamaica, se convirtió en un icono cultural y en inspiración para millones de personas.

 

Modern Jazz Quartet ft. Jimmy Giuffre • At Music Inn

 

Live performance recorded at The Music Inn, Lenox, Massachusetts, August 28, 1956. The Modern Jazz Quartet’s classic lineup is joined by clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre on a few tracks, blending cool jazz, hard bop, and chamber jazz styles. This edition reflects the 1956 live set often issued in modern reissues around 2022.