Interactive Poll # 6 - Latin America!

mathman0806 wrote: micky wrote: ahhh man.. perhaps a good thing I didn't see your post before I started tossing off suggestions.. this might have been my choice... the king of themed novelty. GOD DAMN did I kill some brain cells to this album back in the day  I know that one well. Had thought of that over Metalachi but thought they would be better know. Seen those guys live a few times back in the day and even in "disco" era when Tortelvis had left the band. I was probably one of few who liked the disco stuff, but maybe a bit too much too fuse Zep, BeeGees, Elvis vocals, and reggae:

jamesbaldwin wrote: GUCCINI: "SCIROCCO" my review I want to share with you my description, music plus lyrics, of the Guccini's song. And the feelings and immagination it inspires to me. The instrumental beginning, almost a minute, is perhaps the best part of the whole song: it begins with Tavolazzi's jazz double bass solo, then the fantastic bandoneon played by Mosalini, and a beautiful atmosphere of tango nuevo is created, that is, of tango mixed with jazz; then the melody arrives, strengthened by the acoustic guitar of Biondini (Italian-Argentine guitarist) and finally the singing of Guccini, pasty, which begins with: "Do you remember? the streets were full of that shiny Scirocco wind, which transforms an abusive reality and makes it unreal ", and then: "you, sitting at a French poet's table, with your usual face open to doubts and a routine red wine inside the glass ".  In the second verse, which is amplified by Vince Tempera's piano, Guccini sings: "She arrived hurriedly, dancing in the pink of a gingham dress that wrapped her hips .... and I knew how you felt squeezed between her and that one another that you did not know how to leave, between your two children, and both moral ... " The song speaks of a man who sees his lover at the bar, while sipping red wine. They talk. How's it going? After two verses the music changes, the chorus arrives and the music rears up (and here we imagine the two tango dancers who speed up their dance and give vent to passionate steps), the music becomes faster, the percussions arrives, the bandoneon plays almost syncopated and Guccini sings: "She stood up, with a final gesture, then left without looking back, while that wind filled her with impossible memories, confusion and images", and thus the musical crescendo ends, followed by a syncopated instrumental piece (where tango dancers would change figures, and give vent to virtuosity), which brings back the melancholy atmosphere.  She is gone, he was undecided between her and his wife and she left him. And in fact in the next piece, a bridge, perhaps another peak of the song, with an excellent singing, Guccini says: "he remained as someone who no longer knows what to do, still looking for a positive solution, but it is better then one day only to remember than to fall back into an always identical reality ". On these words of Guccini the musical crescendo ends, and here is the moral of the poet: better to remember that one day of farewell than to go on forever with an always identical reality, that is two women without knowing who to choose.  Another instrumental detachment with Mosalini who makes virtuosity and Tavolazzi's double bass to hit like a hammer (and again, the tango dancers have the chance to do wonderful steps) and finally comes the third and last verse, melancholy: the epilogue, in which the poet sings that he does not know how the woman has adjusted his life, while the man is left alone (did his wife leave him too?) and in the evening he is attached to his red wine routinely.  And away with the last instrumental piece, where there is all the poignant melancholy of the tango nuevo and describe this story, which could be a short film.

 

Other impressions:

While I alreday loved Exuma, I might follo your guidelines and not vote for it because I have had the first two Exuma albums for many years and listened to them so many times.

Had I gone with Exuma, this would have been my choice:



That Exuma album and Dr. John, The Night Tripper's Gris-Gris, which Micky mentioned the I think superb "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" from the album as his out of competition choice have similarities. The album that my Lula Côrtes & Zé Ramalho choice is off I one that I would think has similar qualities to Exuma and Gris-Gris. my out of competition choice is a lovely song off a quite weird album.

I have yet to listen through the choices, I should get going. I do know plenty of Kronos Quartet material, but I don't think I know that one.

Okay, first listen:

Francesco Guccini - Scirocco: I like this and as I have quite an Italian collection it makes me think I should have been thinking of music from Italy (maybe some spaghetti western music). Neat to see that Vince Tempera plays on it, as I am a fan of his. He's been involved in so much great music.

Djavan (w/The Manhattan Transfer) - Capim: I enjoyed this. I like a lot of laid back music, but I guess the consistent cheerfulness makes it seem rather superficial/ vacuous to me. Life is suffering, get with the program! With more contrast and variation, it would have been more appealing. Bouncy in its way, but I would like a little more cojones, bouncy or not, but meaty.

Inti Illimani - A La Caza del Nandù: I definitely like it, but right now I am looking for the cojones.

Tribe of Gypsies - Admit It: Remids me a bit too much of boy band music. Slick, not really for me. Gimme something a little more edgy, unique, and maybe raunchy. Well, I don't know what the song is about.

Carlos Reyes - Niko's Rumba. I know him, if not that tune, but it just seems too safe and mainstream for me right now. Enjoyable, but not what I'm into today.

Kronos Quartet & APiazzolla - Five Tango Sensations: Anxiety: A bit of anxiety sounds like just what I need. I do already love lots of Kronos Quartet Music.
I want to be put on edge right now. I do like that very much, and that is a contender.

Exuma - Exuma, the Obeah Man: Now this is one I've known very well for a decade or so. I have Exuma's first two albums and have listened to them many times over the years. While It would definitely be a contender, due to my very abundant familiarity I may end up discounting it in my voting.

I'll stop there for now, and continue this later.

By the way, I hadn't known that instrumentals would be included as "songs". Perhaps to avoid confusion, when both instrumentals and one with vocals (songs) are included, we might ask for tracks/pieces of music or some such terms. I know some use the word "song" in a more general way than others.

EDIT: Now continuing with the selections:

Hauser Orkater - Dichtgevroren Vijver (1979): Dutch, now that's thinking out of the box and into the Dutch Oven. I really liked this and it will be a strong contender.

Meta Meta - Logun: Yes, yes, yes! I am quite confident that this will be my winner. I loved that. It's everything I was hoping for du jour and more. Gets a clappy and a bold stamp of approval from me. It's gettin' spicy.

Working Week - Vinceremos: Very much in my wheelhouse, and reminiscent of music I've been very into the last few months. I like it. It's a contender. It almost feels a little too familiar to me and a little safe per my tastes,and that it safely falls into what I have been into. Still, different enough.

Stan Getz and Jao Gilberto - O Grande Amor: I really like and it sounds very familiar to me. I know Stan Getz. Much as I enjoy it, it might be just a little safe for me right now. Hoping for something really surrealistic, or even horrific, right now.

Chicoria Sánchez - Tonada por Despedida: I love that guitar. Feel stupid not to have realised that songs could refer to pieces without singing, but now I see that people define it differently from me. Again, I love the guitar and fully enjoyed that. It's a contender.

Alexandre Klinke - Lugar: That failymotion vid wasn't working for me, but is easily found on youtube. I really liked this and it is a contender. It is different enough from the other choices to stand out. On the negative side, he now lives in Vancouver and I feel that no one should live in Vancouver (well, me and my family get a pass). Nice city, beautiful scenery, but it could do without the people. ;) Just kidding, the restaurants and pubs would be less fun if I had to serve myself.

Rodrigo y Gabriela - Hanuman. Good stuff, but I don't like them mocking Gary Numan with the title, as in Ha-Ha Numan, may the Tubeway Army blow up your Cars. Good piece, but I have little to say as is evident. They look every metal in performance style in the video. All part of the set and fun of the video.

Doug Sahm - Medocino: Nice to hear some Tex-Mex. A contender for the sheer fun of it.

Lula Côrtes & Zé Ramalho - Trilha De Sumé - my selection, so no comment and out of my contention, of course.

Hope I didn't miss any. Wll need another spin at least to decide based on these, and not sure if more are going to be added. I;m confident that Meta Meta will be there, and probably the Kronos Quartet. Exuma would be if I didn't know it so well already.

By the way, there's another track I thought of when I saw this poll, but I wondered if it fit enough at the time. Confident it would have. Not changing it, but I forgot that I had been planning to go with this one. I found this so beautiful. I'm happy to have gone with something more unusual though.



Edited by Logan - June 27 2020 at 16:02

micky wrote: TCat wrote: Good idea Mick.  Let me see if I understand it correctly.  Everyone put in their choice that is in contention and an "alternative" choice.  If enough people like the alternative choice, then it gets placed in contention and then the voting starts the next day.  Is that right?  or handful.. or none..  no rules per se.  The main change I would do is not filling the poll options immediately. No early votes and if someone either changes their mind or senses via feedback that people really like one over the other..or simply think of another.. they put that one out to be their poll option. might stimulate even more discovery, feedback and discussion..  not just over the actual choices.. but potential choices and I think that could be pretty bitchin' considering how good everyone's tastes generally are.   If a blond redhead and brunette all think you are cute.. go Micky style.. don't choose one..  take all 3   then vote

[UPDATE: Heard Lewian's out-of-competition 'Contrabajissimo' and wow..  now that I think of it..  seems that I kept with the 'Piazzolla' concept I had many years ago..  pre- internet/youtube/streaming...  even I think I knew him mainly for some scores for guitar..  great great error..  totally captivated by that piece!  EDIT: Kronos Quartet as well keeps growing].

[UPDATE: did one more run.. I find it musically correct, good, creative also.. sounds great, superb saxes, but I don't know, somehow I can't seem to 'grab' it from any side.. for me is a bit hard the brazilian singing in any other contexts that aren't the usuals.. maybe if it were a bit darker… or jazzier.. or had some progressive instrumental passages in between…  I know, it wouldn't be in the poll    ..in short, that kind of fusion I like when progressive or jazz...  but…  still growing…  it is addictive. EDIT: Now I like it].

[UPDATE:  This one also grew!   it must be the one that grew most..  I couldn't listen it through until the 4th or 5th try..  what a fun trip..  and the finale got me laughing hysterically..  No, I was wrong..  really a superb entry!  this is the good thing of this poll being on PA!]

Edited by Machinemessiah - June 30 2020 at 22:19

Well, just think, if it was in PA's database, then his name wouldn't have been appropriate for this poll. Silver linings, man.   Sometimes it's down to the music, or the individuals and teams evaluating it, sometimes it's down to poorly made suggestion threads, sometimes neglected suggestion threads, and sometimes it's because no one suggested it. A well put together suggestion thread can go a long way. I don't recall his evaluation, sort of seem to, so no comment on any specifics.

Edited by Logan - June 27 2020 at 15:27

Third step

Edited by jamesbaldwin - June 27 2020 at 17:30

Lula Cortes & Ze Ramalho - Trilha De Sume ends very abruptly. I suppose it is because it crossfades into another song on the album it is taken from?