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like many fellow artists and intellectuals – imprisoned by the US-backed dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985. Perform- ing before a well-dressed audience of univer- sity-educated São Paulo denizens, Zé is equal- ly biting with respect to local liberal preten- sions, including his own, as with Clase Operária, a self-critical satire of Brazilian intel- lectuals’ nostrums for the working class.


The DVD presents an incredible – indeed, terrifying – audiovisual surprise that cannot be revealed here, except to note Zé’s gleeful observation that “musicians are damned tricksters”. Plainly a big football fan, with Neto, Craque Da Copa, Zé reflects upon “all the wasted happiness” Brazilians have invested in their national teams over the years, but he takes on the issue in song any- way, slyly addressing the audience, “You have to do your damnedest for art.” There’s also a delightful parody jingle advertising his own recordings from stage, as he reassures the audience with a huckster’s mincing charm, “They’re based on patient research.”


And for smugly progressive international elites and world-trippers across the globe, there is Jimmy, Renda-se/ Moeda Falsa, a little reminder that Brazil is not only Latin Ameri- ca’s largest economy, but also a proud nation- al culture with a pointed sense of its own his- tory, quite weary of taking marching orders and shouldering stereotypes emanating from a condescending Global North. Zé and his upscale São Paulo audience sing along joyful- ly, and it’s a sight to behold. Titles in Por- tuguese, English and Spanish.


www.discmedi.com – distributed in the UK by Discovery: www.discovery-records.com


Michael Stone


WILLIE BUCK The Life I Love Delmark DE 805


DAVE WELD & THE IMPERIAL FLAMES Burnin’ Love Delmark DE 806


MISSISSIPPI HEAT Let’s Live It Up! Delmark DE807


Three new releases from the Windy City’s Del- mark records. Willie Buck’s CD is culled from the vaults: 12 studio tracks from 1982 that formed his only previous LP release augment- ed with five live, rough ’n’ ready, atmospheric tracks recorded at Robert’s 500 Room, 63rd Street, Chicago, dating from 1984. Willie’s easy style and strong warm voice – honed with 40 years experience on the South and West Side scenes – lifts some standard materi- al (Nineteen Years Old, I Live The Life I Love, Got My Mojo Workin’) without having to rasp the lyrics. But, as on Sweet Sixteen and Every- thing’s Gonna Be Alright, he can push it out when he wants. Backed by the guitars of Louis Myers and John Primer, the harmonicas of Lit- tle Mac Simmons and Dimestore Fred, the key- board of Big Moose Walker, the bass of Dave Myers, and the drums of Jerry Porter (studio) or Jodie North (live), Willie Buck delivers a set of blues as solid as a stick of rock with the let- ters C.H.I.C.A.G.O. embedded throughout.


The guitar style of Elmore James, J.B. Hutto and (his cousin) Lil’ Ed Williams has, in part, influenced the playing of Dave Weld who even calls his band ‘The Imperial Flames’ with a large nod to Lil’ Ed’s own ‘Blues Impe- rials’. Weld has invited Lil’ Ed to guest, play- ing rhythm guitar, a couple of solos, and to sing on one of the songs… Ed’s own Ed’s Boo- gie where Weld and Lil’ Ed go head to head on their guitars. Apart from Ed’s Boogie and J.B. Hutto’s Things Are So Slow, all the rest of the material comes from either Weld, the other band singer Monica Myhre (who deliv- ers her own Talk Dirty with commendable rel-


ish), or drummer Jeff Taylor, which makes for a nice fresh programme. The band’s line-up also includes veteran sax man Abb Locke, adding to the fine mix by nicely offsetting the guitars with his rich tenor blowing.


Despite their name, Mississippi Heat are a band of Chicago musicians who for almost 20 years (they formed in 1991), have honed a sharp modern blues style based around the songwriting of leader/ harmonica player Pierre Lacocque. Vocals fall to the impressive Inetta Visor (she’s been compared to Etta James!) while the rhythm chores are capably handled by bassist Stephen Howard and drummer Kenny Smith (son of Muddy Water’s drummer Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith). Traditional- ly the band has invited guest artists to join them for recording projects and here two of Chicago’s finest guitar players, Carl Weathers- by and John Primer, add their skills to the fine mix. Rounding out the package, Christopher ‘Hambone’ Cameron contributes excellent piano, clavinet and B3 organ, and the four- piece Chicago Horns (led and arranged by trumpeter Kenny Anderson) let rip on four choice numbers. Musically Mississippi Heat cover the bases from blues ballad to blues blast… with the opening title track Let’s Live It Up! roaring in like a turbo-charged tornado ripping through Lake Shore Drive!


www.delmark.com – distributed in the UK by Discovery: www.discovery-records.com


Dave Peabody


ABNOBA Abnormal Kilohertz Records KHZ10CD01


The North Italian band Abnoba mix folk with jazz and a bunch of other styles and Abnormal is their second album. The different styles are mixed together inventively and the listener is kept on their toes with the frequent abrupt changes in style or subtle, slow transitions in texture. Spasuttle begins as a fast jig, drops into a dub bass feel then moves into Frank Zappa-like arrangement with snatches of pipes, accordeon and piano; Self has a struc- ture reminiscent of the jazz ensemble Weather Report, but with repeated accordeon interjec- tions and La Dragona & La Marchialla mixes contemporary dance beats and bagpipes.


The six members of the band are all skilled musicians who move easily between styles and cover a wide range of instruments between them, including soprano saxophone, bagpipes, low whistle, accordeon, flute, per-


Abnoba


cussion and keyboards. Many of the tracks are instrumentals and the members of the band don’t sing, but they employ the guest vocalists Sabrina Pallini and Valeria Benigni on five songs; a far higher number of vocal perfor- mances than on their debut. The two bonus tracks include a live recording of Bofonchio and a reasonable remix of La Dragona.


The changes in style can be abrupt at times, there is the occasional burst of self- indulgent noodling and sometimes it feels like they are unnecessarily overcomplicating the arrangements, but generally they com- bine the traditional songs well with the vari- ety of styles and the jazz improvisation.


Abnoba have lost some of the freshness since their 2006 debut Vai Facile and their artistic direction seems more confused, but it is still an intriguing album with lots of ideas.


kilohertzrecords.com www.abnoba.it Michael Hingston


SKOLVAN C’Hoari Pevar Keltia RSCD297


If you discount the 2004 album Live In Italia which is live versions of tracks that were heard on their previous albums, then this – amazing- ly – is their first new studio album in ten years.


On it, we can hear that the mature band has come full circle. This time there is no funk brass to suggest that they were aiming to become a Breton version of La Bottine Souri- ante; there are no guest singers, though those that they have invited in the past have been amongst the best; the jazzy edge to their playing is very much underplayed here. No, this is Skolvan returning to where they started out – a fest-noz band playing tradi- tional and modern tunes and remembering that these tunes have a function: to be played for dancing. They remain just about the most exciting dance band unit in any form of western European dance music.


Breton dance music has call and response themes at its core and this role is mainly pro- vided by the interplay of old hands Youenn Le Bihan on piston and Bernard Le Dreau on soprano sax. One of the most exciting aspects of Skolvan was always the adventurous, inventive chording of Gilles Le Bigot on gui- tar and he continues to delight on this album. The relative newcomer is Régis Huiban on diatonic accordeon and he makes a firm con- tribution to the band’s middle ground.


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