September

Though they sing about the twenty-first night of September, this song creates the atmosphere of summer, in a vivid, joyful world. Recently I saw the film Intouchables in which Earth, Wind & Fire's music is featured. It is an awesome film. I liked very much the free, glad behaviour of Driss (above) and this music was perfectly suitable to his personality. He tried to show Philippe the happy side of each thing and for this, one of his most important methods was music.

Ba de ya - say do you remember

Ba de ya - dancing in September

Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day

Intouchables - IMDB

September

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfLEc09tTjI

Boogie Wonderland (also featured)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jLGa4X5H2c

Isaac Hayes - Black Moses

I've been thinking what the next post will be about, and one of the possibilities was Black Moses by Isaac Hayes. The only thing which kept me back was that I've posted two albums by him recently, and this act will decrease the colourful style of this blog. But I kept thinking and the melodies came into my head again and again, and thought: now is the time when this album takes real effect on me, so this time has to be the most suitable time for it.

The first song sets the atmosphere well. It's an atmosphere which emotional, romantic, but never gets sloppy. Amongst the three albums I own (the other two are Hot buttered soul and Shaft) on this one he sings the most time. His velvety, deep singing voice is an elementary factor in his songs. These songs are well arranged, and his voice is ... by female background voices, which sound really cool. The best vocals are in the second track, (They long to be) Close to you. It's a new interpretation of the song which was written in 1963, but the most famous version of it is by The carpenters. Why do birds suddenly appear, every time when you are near? What he did with this song is similar to what he did with Walk on by on Hot buttered soul. A wholly new interpretation which you listen to and the original song is only a little part of it. A brand new performance, but rather a brand new song. I can't imagine how can it be missing from the cover versions of it at Wikipedia. The singing melody has also changed a little, and I think it's even better.

On this album every song is a little single world. They are rather long, so there's time show resolutions, and creating emphasis. For example, in the song mentioned previously, or in the first song, Never can say goodbye as they start the refrain again and again, the song doesn't want to stop. There are more examples of this re-start mood on the album. In A brand new me, the lyrics makes the same. This is my same old coat... and my same old shoes... I was a same old me... and so on, the repeat of the lines create the emphasis well.

It's a 2 cd album and in 2009 Stax released an awesome version of it. As you open the digipack, as you opened the lp, you get a cross-shaped form with large images of Isaac, and a long booklet with additional images. That's my best cd edition I've ever had. See the image below.

Never can say goodbye:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKKVIEZPTYk

(They long to be) Close to you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlaA5fkAa-o

Me and the devil

This song deserves a mini-post. As I wrote it in the previous one, Me and the devil is the single song by Gil Scott-Heron, from his brand new 2010 album, I'm new here. It's a rather new performance of Robert Johnson's Me and the devil blues.
His voice turned into a really unique sound. An excellent video was made for this song, too, and here music and picture work together perfectly. We can peek into another world which opens when darkness falls - strange people appear in the streets. Painted faces. Lights in the darkness. Far noises. New kind of nightlife.

In the video, after the song there's a fantastic part where Gil Scott makes a monologue with a deep drum pattern and beautiful string melody (it's another track on the album, Your soul and mine).

"A new record from Gil Scott-Heron, forty years after his first solo album, is a cause for major celebration and something that the world needs now more than ever."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OET8SVAGELA

Video for the album

Visit his website: www.gilscottheron.net

Gil-Scott Heron - Reflections

An unknown face in sunglasses, reflecting a black and white image with Miles Davis. Who could it be?

Gil Scott-Heron's music is not as famous as the musicians' in earlier posts like Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, etc. I have this album in a special release which proves this fact, too (The vibe! - original rare grooves album series). But he is still active nowadays, his latest album, I'm new here, came out in 2010 and I reckon it became a success. The devil and me is a really "deep" song with a cool and little surreal motion picture. The noir feeling and the painted faces do a great job.

I love this 1981 album for a lot of things. First of all, because of the new discovery. When unexpected music steps in man's life. I like as the first song, Storm music sets a loose, somehow carefree mood by the harmonica melody, and the new, special voice which sometimes speaks, sometimes sings - really unique. His voice became even more characteristic on his new album, it's worth to hear, see the video below. I like the contrast in Grandma's hands between the nostalgic topic and synthesizer melody in the background. I like as Morning thoughts are really morning thoughts, the awesome bass melody, its cool lyrics and the perfect atmosphere creating. That's my favourite song on this album. I also like - and that was how I discovered this music - the Inner city blues performance. It became slower and got a lighter interpretation than the original darker Marvin Gaye song. To sum up, it's a very colourful album and a nice start to make his new album a likable one, which is still extraordinary to me. Times will change, I dare to say there'll be a post about it in the future.

I don't think I've ever heard a sweeter feelin' in the whole wide world than that music playin' in my heart. (Storm music)

Morning thoughts:

Move on up

During my soul video seeking I found a cool classic piece which is really worth to show. It's Move on up by Curtis Mayfield, one of the old big names of soul. You can listen to this song on his first album, Curtis which was released in 1970 (I also recommend The other side of town on that album). It's almost nine minutes long, and with the inimitable "move on up" singing it's cool from its first sound to the last. At 4:00 a drum and percussion pattern appear and later a beautiful guitar sound combined with bass provides the basic notes (check out in the live version, it's even better). Solos come in, and it gets bigger. Awesome.

The melody struck in my head so much that it has been playing for weeks now. And still doesn't want to stop, though it isn't problem.

I also published it on Facebook, and one of my classmates liked it and commented: something like that it isn't Kanye West who changed the world, he can just copy well. First I didn't understand it but later I was told by another friend that Kanye remixed this song. I know he's around No.1 in today's r'n'b music, though I'm not a fan of him. I like Love lockdown, that's interesting for me. I searched for this song, but it turned out to be that its title is Touch the sky instead of Move on up. At last I found it and found it cool. It surprised me, the melody got slowed and the lyrics wholly changed. What only remained from the original song is Curtis' voice deepened, which sounds great with the deep bass pattern.

Original version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z66wVo7uNw

Radio/tv version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpD8FpGpBjE

Live version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzsCP5QfcdU

Kanye's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkwQbuAGLj4

The 100th! Isaac Hayes - Hot buttered soul

This is the hundredth post in this blog. I'm very happy - though I haven't posted often recently, the blog continuously exists in my mind.

For the 100th rendez-vous I felt I had to choose something which really deserves this place. It's something like when on my birthday I listened to this album. For me, that hour was the celebration, an hour just for me, my own little celebration. And why did I choose this album? It has a lot of reasons. That time this album and music was quite new for me and I was just being introduced to it. The meeting gave a lot of inspiration. There are songs in our - or at least in my, but I really think in everyone's - life which can totally change our music preferences. The songs have heard earlier will sound differently, and you'll long for that new kind of music. In my case, it was the introduction of soul by Marvin Gaye and Isaac Hayes which made this. And as a result, now I think differently about music.

So that was the first reason, that new effect. And I had to choose a song which is in celebratory mood, at least a little bit. I don't really like way too grandiose things. The first, famous Walk on by is from that celebratory type. It can even call tears in my eye sometimes, which is a rare effect in my life. It's long, it's expressive, it's cool. Starts in a loud way and suddenly gets minimal and those elements of black music such as the inimitable rhythm appear. With the low amount of lyrics it's really effective - the string section do reach your soul.

The fewer songs an album contain, the more their importance will be: here you hear only 4 songs, so every one is equivalent. Hyperbolicsyllablicsequedalymistyc can really wake you up and I was delighted when I heard it in the movie Brooklyn's finest this year. After its improvisative and loud end, One woman creates a romantic atmosphere. And in the end By the time I get to Phoenix does something experimental. The first half of the song is a storytelling by Hayes, with a monotonic pattern in the background. The story is about the power of love. And then, slowly the music appears and nicely closes the album.

Walk on by (single version):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5tqAbrZeX0

One woman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWv4xEsgY48

Read about Shaft!

Daylight

In Isaac Hayes' One woman daylight "slowly leaves the sky", and here, in Bobby Womack's Daylight daylight "is gonna catch me up again". Pretty actual - here, in Hungary, where daylight defeats night, which only lives 6-7 hours and there's extremely hot, almost unbearable. But daylight is something which is essential. As it appears at sunrise and as it disappears at sunset sometimes makes amazing atmosphere. This song presents daylight in its most beautiful existence to me.

One of my friends and his girlfriend live a strange life: they work at night, often until 4:00 a.m. or later, and don't get up earlier than 12:00. Which means sunrise and morning don't exist in their life. They don't know what they're missing by that lifestyle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4wIZrKC1ug

(live) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uDdI9p26cc

(live) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUnHHi3szWY

Grover Washington, Jr. - Inner city blues

One of the coolest things about music is the process when you get to know it. For me, who leaded me to this album was Marvin Gaye and which leaded to him was a Quincy Jones album. The line hasn't finished yet, it's a never-ending thing.

It was a summer afternoon not a long time ago when I first listened to this album, and that time I was ill - though getting better and better I swear, that music also healed me. Music can show again the power believed to be lost in us.

It's a cover album from 1972 and now you can enjoy it as one of Verve's Originals series. As many as two songs are related to Marvin Gaye, as you can also know it by its main title. Inner city blues and Mercy, mercy me - this latter in fact is not just Mercy, mercy me, it's a blend of it and the well-known What's going on, and the performance is very, very cool. Inner city blues is also nice, with the siren noise at the beginning and the fine melody as it comes in, and later gets stronger, faster, making experiences and creating a denser atmosphere.

The other cornerstone on this album is Billy Wither's Ain't no sunshine. The performance is absolutely perfect, keeping the original melody but adding Theme from "Man and Boy" to it, lengthening it. Here and at Georgia on my mind a beautiful string section works in the background which makes the music warmer.

It's really a must-have experience. One afternoon, one living room, shaded windows. The sunshine's just looming out there. And the first tones are starting to fill the room.

Mercy, mercy me:

www.ververecords.com

Across the 110th street

Today during my walk I was listening to the soundtrack of the movie Jackie Brown (by Quentin Tarantino) and realized again that how cool is the song Across the 110th street by Bobby Womack. It has a very nice lyrics which I hadn't noticed before. Again about the poor childhood, the circumstances, "anything I had to do to survive..."

First it was written for the 1972 crime-drama film Across 110th street but had become much more serious. Later it was also used for Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown.

Across 110th street:

Hear the original version with the opening of Across 110th street:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qXhFag9BVU

See the opening of Jackie Brown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BWA1T78WpI

Bobby Womack - California dreamin' / Across 110th street:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD2fTiwclMM

Inner city blues

Inner city blues... when I first saw these words but haven't heard a second of it, I had been fascinated already. I didn't doubt about that I would like it. It was then when I got to know the genre soul, especially Marvin Gaye's What's going on, and see this song amongst the tracks.

Now it's one of my favourite songs and an always-coming-back melody in my head, during walks, on public transportation, etc. Those monotonic rhythms and its cool words are fantastic. Recently it didn't want to disappear from my mind, it was constantly floating there. Using this situation, I did a little research.

Inner city blues (Make me wanna holler) was written by Marvin Gaye in 1971 - the song depicted the ghettos of inner-city America as it discussed how the bleak economic situation would lead to someone wanting to holler and throw ones hands up (Wikipedia). The first adaptation is by Grover Washington Jr. on his album Inner city blues in 1972. Next, for example, by Sarah Vaughan on the album A time in my life in 1972 and by Gil Scott-Heron on the album Reflections in 1981.

Start to feel it:

the original, by Marvin Gaye:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeWF0LC3R2o

by Grover Washington Jr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk2-w2JMBIY

by Reuben Wilson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRfeFaCHOdU

by Sarah Vaughan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0hQ2vuUiFc

by Gil Scott-Heron:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drTjTE8MCBU

Isaac Hayes - Shaft

If you read this blog, you know how I got to know the main song of this album, it's a funny story (read it here). In that moment I immediately fell in love with it, so I clicked on Amazon to listen to the other songs and realized: I need it, it would be a great album on my shelf next to Hot buttered soul. Days passed by and soon I found the package in the letter box and it was a really notable moment when the first sounds filled the room. Since that moment it's a very close thing in my mind and an always re-appearing inspiration for humming in my daydreams.

It starts with the main theme of course. The melody and the arrangement is simply genious, but if you saw the first scene of the film where it plays in the background, that would be the time when the picture becomes complete in your head. That's the perfect score.

And there are many soundtrack albums which are only interesting because of the main themes. Now it's a nice exception, all of the songs are lovable. My favourites are Bumpy's lament and Ellie's love theme (and of course the main theme), but I can't help noticing again that blackish melody & mood combination which I always been surprised by, that strange difference to "other" music. It broadcasts something different, and it's usually the mix of feelings like (light) melancholy and peace at the same time, hope and looseness. As we walk through the scenes of the film by listening to the soundtracks, after the almost 20 minutes long Do your thing we reach the beautiful closing theme (The end theme) which is a shorter variation of the main theme. I have a special edition and it also contains a 2009 mix version of the main theme, so I have it after the closing theme - it's very good. I think it's not a coincidence that Isaac Hayes won the Oscar prize for the best soundtrack in that year, so this album is not "only" a soundtrack album. It's something more.

Ellie's love theme:

The intro of the film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehg2EaYhoJs

Isaac Hayes winning the Oscar prize:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DEZy5ZEQTU

Earlier posts related to Shaft:
Theme from Shaft
Shaft

Bobbi Humphrey - Blacks and blues

It was a great discovery for me at Amazon in the autumn, when I found this album. Bobbi Humphrey? I've never heard about her.

And it's the same story again. When you have many favourite melodies, and hear the new one, it shockingly touches your heart and became a top-x one. The first impression was in Harlem River Drive, as the black chorus comes in and they sing a beautiful melody. Later, when Humphrey doesn't just play on flute, she sings as well, it's a perfect match to the slightly hoarse men's voice. The whole album is great. I don't know how but all the melodies broadcast some kind of piece and not real happiness... just the feeling of happiness. It's hard to describe, it needs to be heard: do it below and give yourself to this world, it'll surely make your day. It made my days as well and so strong that it also inspired me to make a new part in my own long song. A black reportage from the past.

From the cover:

Bobbi Humphrey. Where's she coming from? Where's she going to? If we're straight on our priorities, you'll be listening to her album while I tell you about some of the answers...
First principle: she's positive energy. Black energy, a black woman leaping oceans and continents at a single bound. With positive strength of purpose.
Further, she's black purity. Hear that in her intonation. Without trickery. She knows the gimmicks, scorns to use 'em. Rather, she'll face you and relate what's in her heart, faithfully and incorruptibly.

Harlem River Drive:

Shaft

At last I learned who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man by watching the American movie Shaft (1971) which theme is written by Isaac Hayes. The movie is a nice thing, and its music perfectly matches to the pictures. It was also released in 2000, with Samuel L. Jackson in the main role.

You can watch the full movie here:

http://stagevu.com/video/zmqauwrufrtu

Listen to the theme

Theme from Shaft

The long and exciting quest of Two and a half men has been lastly resolved: when Charlie and Alan are joined by the big guy from the neighbourhood, the pizza guy and Herb, and get drunk a little bit, they sing a song which my father knew that he knew it and had it on cd at home, but which cd... we couldn't figure it out on that lazy, warm, nothing-to-do summer night. But the day before yesterday we saw again that episode and (after some research) it turned out that the song is the main theme of the movie Shaft and is on the following album: Isaac Hayes - Shaft. Isaac Hayes is a big name in soul music, he was the first afro-american Oscar prize winner (for the best original song). I have one album by him, but didn't know this cool song yet. Enjoy!

Shaft live from 1973:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2cHkMwzOiM

Shaft live from 1997:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM3mfMHGnXI

Watch how the guys perform it in the comedy Two and a half men:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYc92kRokz0

Shaft movie trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCB2isZcRM

Who is the man, who would risk his neck for his brother man?

- Shaft!

Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes - Renaissance

Let me stay at the previous topic, because now I don't have to wait for a long time to have a real own flat. One night, on the day before yesterday, I was listening to this album, the lights were low in my room, and I got in a loose mood. Music which was produced by afro-americans usually has this sort of effect. In that mood, I continued my imagination in my mind, about that I have a big room, with big windows - with a great view to the city. If these parameters were true and the music were playing in the night, I won't long for anything else at that actual moment.

This album from 1977 can quickly pick you out from the greyness of weekdays and can create an exotic atmosphere around you. You'll feel that you're inside the music. Seven songs, famous pieces by Lonnie (don't get confused, there's an other Lonnie Smith - without Liston, he was a jazz organ player), but the album isn't too long. As I listened to other albums I realized that there are some well-known tracks by him which always repeat on the albums, except few other - shortly, one song can be heared on more albums.

When I saw its cover for the first time, I thank immediately that it must be... something cool, extraordinary, or something "very". The cover shows a whole attitude to life. I talked about the afro-american airiness: this pairs with a deep singing voice which flows ahead with the music. By its exciting arrangement these two make a culturally/musically notable event. His soft, phased and distorted elektrik piano sounds, the clanking bells, the brass section, which don't want to be loud, the rhythmic percussion patterns and a lot more keeps our attention alive very well. There's no more to say... Exotic. Transcendental. Standing high on the hill.

Space lady:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvBv2xxKtb4

A song of love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFzJPK2sPyo

Starlight and you:

Marvin Gaye - What's going on

A familiar figure standing in the rain, with a face touched by some kind of faint gladness and hope. Who is that? First, they didn't want to release the album, someone also considered it as "the worst record I ever heard". Now it's history.

Marvin Gaye's What's going on became a real hit, and this is the starting melody of this album. With the background conversations and dense vocals it's very vivid, full of emotions, and louder than the concert version. In that video, this song and the next, What's happening brother are played together in one track, connecting them very well with a contemplative part, by a monotonic drum pattern and an interesting piano solo. On the album, many songs are connected, there aren't any pauses between them, so it's a longer, painful lament about the actual world (1971) and the possible future. Fully emotional and well arranged. Save the children is a good example for the hopeless future: the declarative short words, and after that the longly singing powerless repeats can fascinate the listener easily. The genre "soul" is a good word for it, because it can really reach our soul while listening to it... listening to feelings about love, hope, passing by - a flow of music, which gets to the peak with the last song, Inner city blues (make me wanna holler) by a more serious atmosphere, and a little bit monotonic mood. For the end, there's a great reprise of What's going on, in a more silent, celebrational way to create a frame for the album.

There are some milestones in music. Nobody would have expected it, or wonder about it, they had just come, and continued writing the music history. What's going on also wrote a paragraph in that big, "never-wants-to-be-finished" book.

(from Save the children):

There'll come a time, when the world won't be singin'.
Flowers won't grow, bells won't be ringin'.

Inner city blues:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeWF0LC3R2o

Save the children (from ~3:00):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLSBB8EpyVg

What's going on / What's happening brother