Rodriguez - Coming from Reality (1971)

Coming from Reality is the 1971 second and till this point last album by Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez. Rodriguez and his music came to wider public prominence with the 2012 academy award winning documentary “Searching for Sugar Man”, with his career having largely been till that point an underground word of mouth sort of affair, at least in Anglo-Saxon countries. The story of Rodriguez career is fascinating to say the least and the documentary film does a good job in bringing it to light for a wider audience, which is why I will not touch on it here and instead will focus on the music and what is a truly great second album. An album which often gets overlooked in favour of its more well-known predecessor Cold Fact.

Coming from Reality was in some ways a transformational album for Rodriguez after his lo-fi acoustic folk debut. Here he placed more attention on the production of the tracks going for a slicker sound, while the songs themselves also have more of an electric feel, although his standard acoustic folk style is still prominent across the album. This might have been down to a desire from his record label to make a more commercially sounding album, as well as the presence during the recordings of acclaimed British guitarist Chris Spedding who helps out on electric guitar and production. Musically, Rodriguez also branches out more into other styles on this album, with spoken word, garage, funk, R&B, jazz, Latin and classical all appearing in various forms and guises across the album, making this set of tracks a highly eclectic take on the singer-songwriter/folk style which Rodriguez successfully went for on his debut. Lyrically, the songs themselves continue to focus largely on social themes, something which was ever-present on Cold Fact, with their social imagery and anti-establishment inklings settling in the mind of the listener right from the get go. Lines such as “I’ve played faggot bars, hooker bars, motorcycle funerals” are hard for the listener to ignore as they are so vivid and hard hitting, especially when they take the form of a spoken word track, in this instance “A Disgusting Song”. Through his words, Rodriguez is masterful in capturing the essence and mood of his own experiences living in Detroit, a city which was then experiencing the beginnings of its now well publicised collapse and downward spiral.

In terms of what songs standout, well there are many and it is impossible to narrow the list down as there is hardly a dud on here. “Climb Up on My Music” is a brilliant opener and sets the tone for the rest of the record. Here you are immediately alerted to some of the changes from the first record, especially this tracks electric feel and Santana-like sound with its shuffling guitar, electric piano and subtle jazz influences. “I Think of You” is a beautiful folk ballad that features some delicate acoustic finger-picking in the mould of Jose Feliciano and a very soulful vocal. “To Whom It May Concern” is another stunning track that opens with a great piano refrain before transforming into a kind of LA singer-songwriter jam. I am sure if Rodriguez had been involved in that scene he would have taken it by storm. “Halfway Up the Stairs” like many of the tracks on this album employs electric piano and also strings, with Rodriguez paying more attention in trying to achieve more of a pop sound, something he manages with great success. Finally, we are fortunate that the re-release of this album contains three outstanding bonus tracks which should have made the final cut for the original album given their quality. The first of these is the fantastic “Street Boy”, a sing-a-long sort of affair which also features a well-constructed acoustic solo. Aside from his vocals and lyrics, Rodriguez guitar playing is an album highlight and probably doesn’t get the attention it deserves especially given the quality of the little solos he puts in like the one on this track. This bonus track is accompanied by the road tripping “Can’t Get Away”, and finally the acoustic summer track “I’ll Slip Away”.

Although Rodriguez debut album was fantastic, and in most people’s eyes represents the true essence of his song writing and music, I feel that Coming from Reality trumps that album. Musically the songs on here are more melodic with a stronger focus on the production of the songs and how they are presented to the listener, something I believe improves the material. Rodriguez still retains the level of song-writing of his debut and the folk sound he is known for is still there in spades. However the thing I love about this album is how he branches out further musically, especially in his exploration of other styles and sounds that all in all come together so well on here. This album is an early-70s classic and I guess symbolises what might have been had Rodriguez continued to record. My parting message is a request for those of you who haven’t seen the film “Searching for Sugar Man” about this man’s musical journey to see it. As apart from the brilliant music on display here, this man’s story is truly one of the more fascinating stories in the history of twentieth century music.

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- Sam 

Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd - Jazz Samba (1962)

By 1962, Stan Getz had already established himself as a pioneering jazz saxophonist in America, but it would be on this latest offering Jazz Samba where he took a new direction musically and again prove why he was one of the select few in music who were way ahead in the game. Jazz Samba was an album of bossa nova music, a style of music which originally came from Brazil and was developing a strong following in America and other western countries in the late 50s and early 60s. Bossa Nova meaning “new trend”, as a style fused together elements of both samba and jazz, namely the 2/4 tempo and batucada rhythms of samba, as well as the complex harmony and chord structures of jazz. As a style of music it was also quite sophisticated in sound and structure, with very distinctive rhythms but also containing less of a percussive element to it. Not only was this album significant for Getz because it was quite removed from his usual sound, but it was also the first significant bossa nova album to come out of the American jazz scene, as well as being the first one to be recorded by American jazz musicians making it a landmark album in American jazz.  

Getz was introduced to bossa nova and Brazilian music by the album’s co-creator guitarist Charlie Byrd, himself a renowned gypsy jazz player whose influence is dotted across the album. Byrd’s delicate classical guitar playing in a gypsy jazz style that also features a strong emphasis on finger picking during solos combines beautifully with Getz’s signature be bop and cool jazz sound, a sound which features a warm full tone and amazing control of dynamics. These two players in unison draw you in as listeners with their warm floating sound, leading you to an almost hypnotic meditative state as you listen, it is that absorbing. Getz and Byrd are complimented nicely by some top session players on double bass and drums, of which the drumming of Buddy Deppenschmidt is a strong standout with his very distinctive bossa nova drumming style made up of continuous eights played on the high-hat and a heavy use of brushes. Syncopated rhythms are also a strong feature both in the drumming and guitar playing especially. These rhythms delicately float underneath the main motif of each song allowing Getz to go off on his own and explore different harmonies and melodic experiments. When listening to these rhythms, one can not begin to imagine how hard these are to master and the complexity involved in the playing, it is just pure magic to listen to leading to amazement at how they manage to do it so effortlessly.

So what of the tracks themselves? Well there are some great examples of jazz playing on this record leading me to conclude that there is definitely not a dud track on here. The opening track “Desafinado” sets the mood for the rest of the album and the tracks to follow and is probably the best example of bossa nova on display on the record. Getz’s cool jazz melodies combine with Byrd’s gypsy playing fantastically, resulting in five plus minutes of pure goodness. “Desafinado” is followed by “Samba Dees Days”, a fast-paced number which marks the point of the album where the Latin influences really kick in. This track almost has a celebratory fiesta feel to it while the playing is quite loose in comparison to the precision of the previous track. “Samba Dees Days” also features a stellar solo from Byrd, something which is a massive feature of the record with Getz taking a backseat in allowing Byrd to have his moment to shine. The Latin flavour continues during the middle of the album with “Samba Triste”, a mellower track featuring some exquisite smooth playing from Getz, as well as some subtle light gypsy jazz from Byrd. This is followed by the equally Latino flavoured “Samba de Uma Nota So”. Coming in at over six minutes, this quite complex track showcases some brilliant harmony playing from Byrd and Getz who also feed off each other’s notes and riffs with counter-melodies, rhythms and motifs. The album comes to an end with the shuffling “E Luxo So”, a track which has plenty of melody as well as some complex rhythms, and the stylistically different and quite mysterious “Baia”, a track which could almost pass as alt-jazz if it were recorded today.  

Jazz Samba was a massive release in the history of jazz in America and came at a time when jazz was blessed with pioneering players such as Davis, Coltrane and Brubeck who were making some of their best work. It helped to continue the growth of bossa nova in the States and the western world, while bossa nova itself would take off big time throughout the rest of the decade. The album’s opening track “Desafinado” would become a cross-over hit earning a Grammy award in the process, while the album itself would go number one on the billboard top two hundred. From a jazz perspective this album was very ahead of its time musically, as apart from a handful of jazz musicians who were pioneering changes in the genre, jazz was still quite conservative and traditional as a style of music and by the early-60s was only just beginning to branch out and experiment with new musical ideas. Getz who was an established jazz musician took quite a risk releasing this album, but it proved a masterstroke for himself as well as the jazz community as a whole, firmly entrenching his legacy as a jazz and music legend, while importantly helping to spread the great music of bossa nova. If you like jazz you will definitely be in to this album with its Latin flavour and complex rhythms. This is a perfect soundtrack for night time wine sessions and entertaining, so get on it, relax and enjoy.

 

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- Sam

Buena Vista Social Club (1997)

The story of the album Buena Vista Social Club is a fascinating look into Cuban culture, identity, and the lengths one will go to record an album. Released in 1997, this amazing album of Son Cubano music helped to revitalize interest worldwide in Latin American and Cuban music, and put a group of old and experienced Cuban musicians on the music map. This project was started by renowned American guitarist Ry Cooder and involved a plan to go to Cuba and record an album with local Cuban musicians. The musicians involved in the recording were either pioneering Cuban musicians, or musicians who played at the Buena Vista Social Club during the 1940s and 1950s. The Buena Vista Social Club was a membership club in Havana that held dances and music events for several decades before being closed during the Cuban Revolution.

The style of music heard on this album is a traditional style from Cuba called Son cubano; this was a style of music that originated in Cuba during the early 20th century and combines elements of Spanish Cancion and Spanish guitar with African rhythms. As a style of music, Son cubano can either be played in the form of up-tempo rhythmic dance numbers, or slow ballads often with a female singer. Tracks on the album like “El cuarto de Tula” and “Candela” have a strong rhythmic element to them that includes bongos and other percussive instruments, where as “Dos gardenias” and “Veinte anos” are examples of the slower ballad with there being less percussion and a stronger emphasis placed on the vocal delivery and emotion in the song. These types of slower songs are also known as Boleros, which is a Latin American genre of slow-tempo tunes.

There are so many things on this album that catch my attention every time I listen to it, while as you listen you can’t help but be engrossed by the sound. The amazing rhythmic textures on display ensures that foot tapping may ensue when listened to alone, while all out dancing is a guarantee if listened to loudly with others. The virtuosity of the musicians is a clear standout, with the amazing guitar and trumpet playing in particular driving these songs home. The singing itself is also incredible when you consider the musicians playing on this record were all either in their 70s, 80s, or 90s. The way in which they deliver these songs with so much emotion and with such beautiful voices considering their age is ear-catching to say the least and allows the listener to picture the streets of Havana where these songs have been played for decades. This really is a musical journey like no other.

 

On its release, the album got a positive reaction in the music press and subsequently has been ranked 260 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, one of only two albums on that list that were produced in a non-English speaking country. A film was also made in connection with the album documenting the process of the recording and the subsequent concert that took place in the U.S. Buena Vista Social Club is quite simply an amazingly good album of amazing traditional Cuban folk music. It is a must listen for anyone remotely into music irrespective of what you are into musically. Recommend for anyone with a good set of ears and a foot that taps.

 

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- Sam