風街ろまん Happy End

Anri (杏里), real name Eiko Kawashima (川嶋 栄子, Kawashima Eiko) (born August 31, 1961), is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. Her debut release was the 1978 Oribia o Kikinagara (While Listening to Olivia), written by Amii Ozaki. Her song "Cat's Eye" was used as the first opening theme for the eponymous 1983 anime series Cat's Eye and debuted as #1 on Countdown Japan.

"Happy Just To Be Like I Am" was out of print for some time, and it often falls between the cracks when Taj Mahal's early recordings are assessed, but this 1971 album is a prime example of the unique stylistic fusion Taj was going for on his early-'70s releases. It's a joyful collision of old-time jug-band music ("Stealin'"), folk ("Oh Susanna"), blues, and steel-drum-driven Caribbean sounds ("West Indian Revelation"). Holding the whole thing together, as always, is Taj's rich, soulful vocal style, not to mention his visceral acoustic fingerpicking approach. "Happy Just To Be Like I Am" stands as an unjustly overlooked entry in Taj Mahal's catalog, worthy of a reassessment.

Nathan Davis - Two Originals: Happy Girl & The Hip Walk (1965) {MPS–Motor Music 539082-2 rel 1998}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 477 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 182 Mb
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© 1965, 1998 MPS Records / Motor Music | 539 082-2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Modal Jazz / Soul Jazz / Saxophone

Nathan Davis spent some time living and working in Europe in the mid-'60s before returning to the United States to serve in jazz education. His recordings as a leader have been hard to find, so this compilation of two 1965 studio sessions, Happy Girl and Hip Walk, (both originally issued by MPS) will be a welcome discovery for collectors who can find it. In the earlier date he is joined by trumpeter Woody Shaw, Larry Young (on piano rather than organ), bassist Jimmy Woode and drummer Billy Brooks.

The album Happy Birthday bears little resemblance to the cute and bubbly new wave pop of the title track, for which they're best remembered. Instead of capitalizing on the brightness of the obvious hit single, producer Steven Severin (of Siouxsie & the Banshees) pushed the band into moodier post-punk territory with minimalist arrangements and simple, driving rhythms. Clair Grogan's little-girl voice was probably better suited to pop, but the combination of the two extremes is certainly interesting, if not as fun and engaging as "Happy Birthday".

Clark Terry - The Happy Horns of Clark Terry & It's What's Happenin' (1965, 1967) {2011 Impulse! Edition}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 417 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 163 Mb
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© 2011 Impulse! / Verve | 06025 2780957
Jazz / Bop / Trumpet

This two-fer combines two of trumpeter/flügelhornist Clark Terry's albums for the Impulse! label: 1964's The Happy Horns of Clark Terry and 1967's It's What's Happenin'. Generally considered one of Terry's best '60s outings, The Happy Horns of Clark Terry is a jaunty, swinging affair that finds Terry joined by such names as saxophonists Phil Woods and Ben Webster, bassist Milt Hinton, and others. Featuring a lively take on Duke Ellington's "Rockin' in Rhythm," Bix Beiderbecke's "In a Mist," and even an Ellington medley, the album is a must-hear for Terry fanatics.

Robert Earl Keen - Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions (2015) {Dualtone Records 80302-01685-27}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 321 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 123 Mb
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© 2015 Dualtone Music | 80302-01685-27
Bluegrass / Country / Country Folk / Folk / Progressive Country / Americana

Robert Earl Keen has been playing the Texas singer/songwriter circuit for over three decades, and as a guy who often favors the acoustic side of the country and Americana music scenes, it's no kind of surprise that he's crossed paths with the bluegrass music community, and it certainly makes sense that he's a fan. What is a bit of a surprise is not that Keen has decided to cut a bluegrass album, but that the respected tunesmith has chosen to make it a collection of covers rather than writing a new set of songs.

An expressive electronic album with the kind of positive, stirring resolve that leaves you feeling utterly comforted, Bjarki’s new album ‘Happy Earthday’ is influenced by his home country Iceland as well as environmental issues.