T Come Tango

Charlie Hunter & Bobby Previte - Come In Red Dog, This Is Tango Leader (2003) {Ropeadope Records RCD16044}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 291 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 125 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2003 Ropeadope Records / Rykodisc | RCD16044
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Modern Post Bebop / Groove / 8-string Guitar / Drums

Come in Red Dog, This Is Tango Leader was the first recorded meeting of eight-string wunderkind Charlie Hunter and master drummer/composer Bobby Previte, but it went so well that they decided to make an ongoing project of it called Groundtruther where the two of them play with a rotating third member (similar to Samm Bennett and Tom Cora's Third Person). However, this is just the two of them and although the album was "recorded live as all get out, baby," it's sometimes difficult to believe. Charlie Hunter is pretty well known for sounding like more than one person on his eight-string guitar, but Bobby Previte's electronic hybrid drum set allows him to do much the same thing with triggered samples.

"Beautiful Music" used to be a genre in the realm of popular music. It's also been called "easy listening" and then morphed into "adult contemporary". But today's adult contemporary is really just soft rock (albeit today's soft rock is harder than a lot of Top 40 was in the late 70s and early 80s). There used to be stations that played "beautiful music" exclusively: Stanley Black, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Frank Chacksfield, etc. Most of the playlist would be recent contemporary hits covered by choral groups, pianists, and orchestras. During that time, London Records sold a lot of their patented Phase 4 Stereo LP records and reel-to-reel tapes. The series was renowned for it's technical brilliance, using state of the art recording, mixing and mastering techniques. Ronnie Aldrich was among London's best selling artists and Tony D'Amato produced many albums using Aldrich's twin pianos backed by The London Festival Orchestra. These albums were not only known for their technical brilliance (which is still quite impressive even in the 21st century) but also for their glossy, gatefold covers featuring colorful artwork and graphics and maybe a sexy model or two. The two LPs featured on this CD were originally released in 1973 and 1972, respectively.

Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat (after bands from Liverpool and nearby areas beside the River Mersey) is a pop and rock music genre that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1960s. Beat music is a fusion of rock and roll (mainly Chuck Berry guitar style and the midtempo beat of artists like Buddy Holly), doo-wop, skiffle and R&B. The genre provided many of the bands responsible for the British Invasion of the American pop charts starting in 1964, and provided the model for many important developments in pop and rock music, including the format of the rock group around lead, rhythm and bass guitars with drums. The Beat Of The Pops - excellent selection of beat tracks.

Tango & Beatles is a very unique album. It is the fusion of the music of Buenos Aires and the cream of the repertoire of the Fab Four. In Tango & Beatles we find innovative versions, full of seduction, that combine the freshness of the original songs with the melancholy of Buenos Aires. In Tango & Beatles, Liverpool is just around the corner, very close to Abasto.

Boban & Marko Markovic Orchestra & Fanfare Ciocarlia - Balkan Brass Battle (2011) {Asphalt Tango Records CD-ATR 2911}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 305 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 110 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 230 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2011 Asphalt Tango Records | CD-ATR 2911
World Music / Balkan / Brass / Gypsy

Prepare yourself: here comes the heavy, heavy monster sound! From the wild, wild East - Romania & Serbia - the two foremost Gypsy brass bands are taking the stage to see who blows hottest and hardest. There's gonna be a showdown! For the first time ever Fanfare Ciocarlia and the Boban & Marko Markovic Orchestra are taking the stage together. Neither act is willing to play support. So both bands will be on stage at the same time, getting their game on and going toe-to-toe. A sound clash? More like a battle royal! The Gypsies are ready to get in the ring! Following in the great tradition of brass battles from the Balkans to New Orleans, this scrap will determine who is King!

Guitarist Al di Meola has been alternating electric and acoustic projects for the past few years. For this acoustic affair, he teams up with Dino Saluzzi on bandoneon to pay tribute to tango master Astor Piazzolla. The music (even a duet version of "Someday My Prince Will Come") has the flavor of Argentina and uses a wide variety of instrumentations, including an occasional string section and the voice of Hernan Romero. It's recommended to lovers of world music, the modern tango, and those who think of di Meola's guitar playing as being one-dimensional and purely based on speed.