Atlanta street singer Peg Leg Howell wasn't really much of a guitarist, but his songs, many of which were made up of fragments of street vendor calls and other pre-blues material, have a sort of greasy and rough-hewed grace to them, and when combined with Eddie Anthony's careening fiddle runs, achieved a distinct sound (part string band, part hokum jug band) all too rare in early blues. His "Skin Game Blues" is a poignant and perfectly nuanced classic in the genre, while "Coal Man Blues"……
Noise, the fury of war, the unleashing of madness, and tyrannies marked the twentieth century as a time of shadow. The elements of metal and steel, combined with emotions of hate and death, painted a backdrop many wished to leave behind.
Trinidad. 4,768 km2 of land surrounded by turquoise waters, a unique piece of the Caribbean puzzle where musical vibrations arrive on the waves from the neighbouring islands.
Friedman’s project, Other Worlds, is a trio with an instrumentation and sound all its own, featuring the exciting French accordianist Jean Louis Matinier and the brilliant American bass virtuoso Anthony Cox. Their new CD Other Worlds, was recorded in November 1996 for Intuition Records and released in December 1997.
This film attempts to capture the music played by Anthony Coleman, as if it were seared by light. A few memories of a filmed desert and a dervish-woman appear to accompany and foil this instantaneous musical moment.
A key player of the NYC Downtown scene since the late 70’s, Anthony Coleman is credited on John Zorn’s greatest albums, as well as on some Naked City projects. He also was the special guest to the first David Krakauer’s Klezmer Madness and has performed numerous times with Marc Ribot.
Marc Anthony plays the role of Héctor Lavoe in El Cantante, the film he had been wanting and waiting to make for many years. Lavoe is a hero to salsa fans, famed for the artistry of his vocals and the intensity of his rhythm; his records with Willie Colón during the early '70s were high points for salsa, and they paved the way for many vocalists to come (including one Marc Anthony). Anthony's physical resemblance to Lavoe is only passing, but no other musician alive could have done as much with this soundtrack tribute to Lavoe. Enlisting a variety of famed salsa musicians (including Yomo Toro, Marc Quiñones, Bobby Allende, Milton Cardona, José Mangual, and Tito Allen), Anthony and producer Sergio George reprise nine of Héctor Lavoe's best moments on wax, including "Aguanile," "Che Che Colé," "Mi Gente," and the title track. The arrangements are very faithful to the '70s and '80s originals, except for occasional strings that work very well in context.
Both the music and this actual product are masterpieces. John Dowland's collected works here - covering 12 compact discs - exhibit the depth and power of this composer, a composer who many now regard as suffering from clinical depression. I doubt that the issue of the diagnosis of Dowland's depression can ever be settled, however, it is certainly obvious from his music, so completely on display here, that he was a man with very dark depths and corners in his mind. Dowland's various manifestations and "takes" on his own tune, "Flow my tears"/"Lachrimae" are here. This tune has haunted me ever since I first heard it when I was a child. It seems to sum up Dowland's feelings - at least Dowland seems to have thought so.
Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a 5CD clamshell boxed set anthology by legendary guitarist, composer and instrumentalist ANTHONY PHILLIPS. Anthony was a founding member of Genesis alongside Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks with whom he recorded the albums From Genesis To Revelation and Trespass. After leaving the group in 1970, Anthony studied orchestration and harmony externally at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. After passing his LGSM exams, he taught music at Reeds School and Peper Harrow whilst continuing to compose and record in his home studio.