ROOT NOTE MUSIC

Bio Ritmo: psychedelic salsa dura

rootnotemusic — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:04:46 +0000

All the photos in this blog are by Chris Smith.

Richmond-based salsa band Bio Ritmo has been playing their progressive, original, 70s Puerto Rican-style salsa for over 20 years. The lineup has changed over the years, but one thing has remained the same – true, pushing-the-limits, road-warrior musicians. I first saw this band at an art show in Washington, DC and was instantly a fan.

Marlysse Simmons, the keyboard player and the only female in the band (what a trooper!), eventually became both a good friend and my piano teacher. She was amazing – teaching me theory, music history, son montuno, and bossa nova styles. Keep your eye on Marlysse, because you will be hearing about her. Marlysse has a side project – doing her Brazilian electronica stuff – another love of hers. For now, we’ll focus on the amazing salsa of Bio Ritmo and we’ll check out Marlysse’s alter ego in another post in the near future.

Bio Ritmo is getting some of the recognition they deserve after many years playing festivals and show after show. They consistently put out innovative, original, avant-guarde “indie” salsa. Recently they were featured on PRI’s The World and NPR and other blogs and magazines. Please listen and baile if you feel it and sent this off to your salsa-music-loving friends!

Here they are playing “La Verdad” which features that more edgy contemporary electronic sound.

They can also hang with the classic, straight-up salsa played by legends like La Sonora Ponceña. Here they are playing a festival in France with special guests doing their original song “Tu No Sabes”:

Here’s an interesting video from a song off their latest album. The song is “Majadero”:

You can listen to clips of their entire album of the same title and download the album on their website here.

Just the blues…Ain’t nothing but the blues…

rootnotemusic — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:12:31 +0000

Okay, my posting has been paltry in the past year or so. I have a good excuse as I went through breast cancer and major surgery and reconstruction. I say that not to elicit sympathy – please know I am cancer free and full of gratitude – but just to explain my spotty presence. And you know what? I got the right to sing the blues! Nonetheless, life goes on… I have many blog posts in mind for you roots music loving folks out there, and will be posting soon about a variety of real cool music.

Gonna toot my own horn for a minute here. Back in 2009, I posted on the Texas Blues and mentioned Gary Clark, Jr. as an amazing talent. I actually saw him live at the Continental Club in Austin, back around 2004 or 2005 and literally got the goosebumps. You know you’re hearing something special when you got the goosebumps. Anyhow, now he’s the business – appearing on the PBS White House Blues special (scroll down for his performance) with legends like BB King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, etc. He’s appeared with Alicia Keys and she had some really fond words about him. And his new album, “The Bright Lights EP,” has generated quite a buzz. Remember folks you heard it here first at ROOTNOTEMUSIC!

Speaking of Buddy Guy, “Baby Please Don’t Leave Me”:

And just because, my favorite Bobby Blue Bland tune, “I Pity The Fool”:

This song really was the start of my love affair with the blues. The greatest. Muddy Waters “Still A Fool”…”I’ve been crazy, all of my life….”

And here’s Mr. Clark, Jr. Congrats to him on his success and I hope he continues to rise. Here he is singing “Catfish Blues” at the White House:

Reminds me of why I love music: Alabama Shakes

rootnotemusic — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:18:23 +0000

I don’t know much about this band. I just found out through a friend (shout out to Deb in New Orleans) about Alabama Shakes. This band, featuring the vocals of Brittany Howard, does the music that I love. It hits me in the heart, soul, and gut. This is where music belongs and I love that it breaks your heart open and lets it bleed a little. Road trip through the south needed very soon.

Alabama Shakes:

Thanks for the inspiration. Man, I love this down-home, American-born-and-bred blues-rock. Nothin’ like it.

Alabama Shakes website
SF Examiner Article on Alabama Shakes
Spin article about Alabama shakes on Conan show

Honduras de mi alma…. the meek and the mighty

rootnotemusic — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:37:59 +0000

Currently, Honduras is in a state of crisis. The country of my father, that gave him his beautiful soul, which is currently flying free among the heavens and the angels and the poets, is besieged by violence, injustice, blatant disregard for human rights. While the mainstream media reports that Honduras has now the highest murder rate in the world, that drug cartels have taken over, that the peace corp has pulled out all their volunteers, they fail to mention the attack on peasant farmers, the stealing of land by the rich, and the way the US has aided this injustice by assisting a president in power due to a military coup of a democratically elected president. More than 17 journalists have been killed. Human rights activists have been killed. The UN has just sent its human rights envoy to assess the situation and I hope that they see the truth and put pressure on the government to ensure the safety of the people.

Hondurans are some of the most soulful, alive people on earth. From such a small country, comes such incredible spirit. Please pray for Honduras and all the other countries and neighborhoods that are plagued by horrors of senseless, stupid deaths in the words of Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health. In honor of the strength and dignity of the Honduran people, I have reposted my blog post from June of 2010, which I wrote during the World Cup. It is the previous post and features some beautiful music and dancing. Here is a gorgeous song by Andy Palacio of Belize, a Garifuna activist, where the culture survives today in Honduras as well. While, technically not Honduran, his music represents my vision of La Ceiba, the Caribbean coast where my father was born, where the Garifuna culture flourished. Here is “Watina,” such luscious melodies that move my soul.

Honduras, Garifuna Soul & Andy Palacio

rootnotemusic — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:08:56 +0000

Reblogged from ROOT NOTE MUSIC:

I have been following this 2010 World Cup like millions of other futbol fans from around the globe and I was so proud that my dad’s country of Honduras made it this year! It got me thinking about the cultural treasures unique to Honduras. I recall hearing about the Garifuna people from my father who was born on the Caribbean coast in La Ceiba, Honduras.

Razorface, Ocelot Robot Film Fest, & a bit of Bob

rootnotemusic — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:55:02 +0000

Hey music lovers. While I may not be there for you as often as I want to be, I try to come through when I can. And I aim to bring you the coolest stuff out there musically and culturally speaking.

The latest: The Razorface Tumblr Blog. Razorface (aka Nate Hertweck) is a local Los Angeles musician (by way of one of my favorite states New Mexico) who is also a talented writer/blogger adding his voice to the scene. He plays his own creations as well as some really cool and unique covers that fans of rootnotemusic will love. Similar to this blog, he will include videos of the originals with his own commentary on each song. I love it. Again, lots rootnotemusic-friendly music including Bob Dylan, Ani DiFranco, Memphis Slim, Tom Waits, Patsy Cline, The Band, to some darker, harder stuff – like a band I just found out about Monster Magnet.

Here he is doing “Ramona” by Bob Dylan:

Razorface is a member of the band Ocelot Robot, whom I featured last year. They are still doing their thing in LA, and in fact, these creative guys are holding their first annual film festival for video directors. How cool is that? A band creating a space for other artists. They realize that it’s not just about being a lone ship out there, but creating community through a network of like-minded people. If you want to get involved in what they are doing go here:
/http://ocelotrobotfilmfestival.com

And just for the heck of it, here is another Bob Dylan song for ya:

Rajasthani music + English folk music

rootnotemusic — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:17:23 +0000

Dharohar Project, Laura Marling, and Mumford & Sons

Because it is so cool to hear cross-cultural combinations, I must post this song with English indie-folk musicians collaborating with traditional Rajasthani musicians. I wrote about Rajasthani music over a year ago. It’s about time to revisit!

Here is “Devil’s Spoke – Sneh Ko Marg”:

Again, here is a video of traditional Rajasthani music in Rajasthan:

Rajasthan
BBC Article about Dharohar Project
Mumford And Sons
Laura Marling

Pretty melodic voices: Lo-Fi Sugar, Silvia Torres, Astrud, Mindy Smith, & Dolly

rootnotemusic — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 06:28:07 +0000

“There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.” ~Duke Ellington

While normally I post about roots-oriented music, that is, anything with that stripped down sound in which you can clearly hear the tradition and culture from where it came, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate electronic music. I used to love to dance to house music back in the mid-90s! I just had to share my friend Heather Pollack’s electronic/trance group Lo-Fi Sugar and their new song/video “The Night Divine”. She has such a pretty voice and the melody has stuck with me since I first heard it. This has been my song of choice in my shower as of late! It got me thinking about all the other pretty female vocals and songs with just a sweet, sweet melody. From the motherland of melody, Brazil, I just love the songs below by Silvia Torres and Astrud Gilberto. I also include a few from the folk/country realm by Mindy Smith and Dolly Parton (“Jolene” is one of the prettiest songs ever.) These offerings are of course just a drop in the ocean of melodic songs with pretty female vocals. Please post your favorites in the comments – I’d love to learn about what you’re listening to on repeat.

“The Night Divine” by Lo-Fi Sugar with vocals by the beautiful Los Angeles-based singer, Heather Pollack:

This next song was on played on repeat for many months in the rootnote CD player. I don’t know much information about this singer, Silvia Torres, other than she is from Brazil and the song, “Take Saravà,” was very popular in Brazil when it was first released, according to a friend who lived there for many years. I believe it came out in the late 90s.

A bossa nova song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, “Água de Beber”(“Water to Drink”) is now a jazz standard. Here it sung famously by Astrud Gilberto on her 1965 album, The Astrud Gilberto Album:

A pastor’s daughter, Mindy Smith became popular around 2004 with this haunting song, “Come To Jesus.”

Dolly Parton;s 1973 “Jolene” from the album of the same name, probably one of her most famous songs:

Beats, rhymes and life along the journey…(and goodbye to Facundo Cabral)

rootnotemusic — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 08:55:03 +0000

My good friend DJ Moonbaby was spinning some gems tonight and she inspired me to write a blog post and share some of the musical wealth with you. Some beats, rhymes and life to help push us through as we walk along this sometimes bumpy and unexpected road…Speaking of journeymen, I have to acknowledge the passing of Argentine folk singer and peace activist Facundo Cabral, who was murdered in Guatemala today in an ambush style attack – truly horrific. As a 9 year old child, he once walked 1800 miles to look for work to support his mother and six siblings after his father abandoned them. He literally grew up dirt poor, illiterate, and went to on to teach himself to read, to learn, and his consciousness was raised and he went on to become one of the most beloved folk singers in Latin America. In the year 2011, a killing like this reminds us that oppression and fear still are alive and well and we must continue to rise up together as a human family and do what we can to bring peace and justice to the world. At the end of the post you can see his signature song from a performance, which I believe is from the 1970s.

Back to the music at hand. From the Moonbaby playlist here is Tribe Called Quest with the song “Electric Relaxation” from the album Midnight Marauders from the year 1993. Sheer perfection:

That jogged my memory of this 1995 classic from the LA group, Pharcyde, “Runnin”, featuring sample from Brazilian samba:

Another Moonbaby tune. Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones with the gorgeous “Soon The New Day”:

This song ties it all together for me, “History” by Mos Def featuring Talib Kweli:

If we don’t understand the past and where we came from we are doomed to repeat….Here is Facundo Cabral with a hauntingly profound performance of “Yo No Soy De Aqui Ni Soy De Alla.” May he continue his journey with our ancestors and find peace on the other side…The video begins with him improvising poetic musings about life and then the song starts about 4 minutes in:

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
~Martin Luther King Jr.

From DC to Digable Planets to DJ LadybugMek

Bringing the (City of) Angels back to higher ground: DJ Moonbaby

Meandering through the homeland of Los Angeles: DJ Moonbaby, Canter’s Deli, Lalo Guerrero, & Petrovic Blasting Company

Imagining New York City with Rakim & James Brown

rootnotemusic — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:43:45 +0000

When I first started this blog, I did for the pure joy of sharing my passion for music, culture, and history. In the past year, I’ve felt joy leave and posting has become more burdensome as I’ve felt pressure to commercialize it in some way. As the blog steamed along, I got more and more solicitations from publicists wanting me to post on their bands. I’ve never taken them up on it but it felt like a bombardment and distracted me from my original purpose. While I don’t begrudge them doing their job, I want to keep it simple, as pure love expressed. So I’m kicking off my own independence weekend by reminiscing about my time in New York City in the 90s, listening to copious amounts of hip-hop, salsa, and reggae. For hip-hop and history lovers like myself, there is a great site that traces song genealogy, called www.whosampled.com. But I have my own version right here for ya!

From the Rakim’s 1997 The 18th Letter double album, here is a great track called “New York (Ya Out There)” produced by the illustrious DJ Premier:

While there are other samples throughout, I call your attention to the first vocal sample by James Brown. Here’s the original song called “Down and Out in New York City” from the 1973 film Black Caesar, to which James Brown did the soundtrack:

Love this. It was from the year I was born. Why do I love funk, rock, and folk from 70s so much? I imagine that it was this perfect combo of gritty rawness and really pretty melodies.