Welcome back to business as Regular. I’ve passed through the portal that is Suoni Per Il Popolo, a month-long celebration of revelatory musical excursions. It was deeply inspiring to (re)connect with so many amazing artists and immerse myself in live music. A huge portion of the festival is archived in livestream format here, if you’re curious. Particular highlights for me included Charmaine Lee melting brains in a weird industrial space, R.A.P. Ferreira’s inimitable festival-closing performance and Chris Williams' absolutely transfixing set.
Now I’m back on my humble quest of providing you the perfect soundtrack for your porch, kitchen, car, garden, etc. in these beautiful summer months.
click on the covers to listen or go your own way ~~
Ana Mazzotti - Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974)
The first of only two albums from this Brazilian singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist, and damn if it isn’t absolutely perfect. Mood, tune, groove, flair, zazz, gusto, sparkles: it’s all here. Contributions from members of legendary jazz-funk trio Azymuth add sensational touches to Mazzotti’s already-stunning performances. A++. Feeling hard pressed to imagine a listener that couldn’t find something to appreciate here.
Anna Makirere - Tiare Avatea (1981)
Originally released regionally on cassette in 1981 and reissued by Little Axe on wax in 2017, this is the only known recording of teenaged Cook Islands vocalist Anna Makirere. Each song is brilliantly sun-kissed and bite-sized. These are ditties in the superlative sense. Real feel and good sway. The title translates to ‘Afternoon Flower’.
Otha Turner - From Senegal To Senatobia (2000)
I grew up in a relatively milquetoast situation when it came to music around the house. I got The Beatles, I got Motown, I got the Forrest Gump soundtrack. The one real scar I carry from my youth is from my dad’s predilection for white man blues (Johnny Lang, Delbert McClinton, I won’t go on…). It means that I have a real, profound aversion to the blues in pretty much any form. And yes, I know it’s basically the wellspring of everything contemporary. And yes, I’ve very slowly found things to love (Mississippi John Hurt, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Skip James). But I still just have this ~thing~ about it… which means that I get really excited when my ears are perked an artist like Otha Turner, who sits at such a fascinating cross section of blues and adjacent American traditions.
Turner is a fife player who draws from a lineage of southern fife and drum traditions + hill country blues; both heavily percussive, rhythmic and communal musics. Think shoestring, frying pan marching band music from the southern farmlands. He spent his entire life performing in and around Mississippi, finally recording three albums in his 90s before his death in 2003. I’ve linked the title track to the album because it’s my favorite, and there’s a couple others floating around Youtube. There’s also this really great six-minute film documenting Turner’s legendary Labor Day picnics that he organized annually at his home for over five decades, and which his family has carried on hosting after his passing.
Kevin Low & Fiona Carlin - The Gayfield Enterprise Demos (1986)
I gripped a copy of this while visiting Toronto’s Séance Centre brick and mortar last summer. The clerk was kind enough to take the time to chat with me and recommend a handful of things. I spent a couple hours in the shop sifting and listening, and walked away with six or seven absolute gems. The Gayfield Enterprise Demos represent a first, scrappy attempt at composing synth-pop with machines from Low & Carlin (post-punks who, in 1986, found themselves without a band and with a pocketful of dole enough to purchase new gear). There’s a nice tenderness to the tracks, owing to both the janky, tape-warbled instrumentation and Carlin’s charmingly off-key vocals. This is fully romantic, pseudo anthemic pop at what feels like ¾ speed. These demos sat in a closet unheard for decades, just gathering dust and juju, until Low and his son dug through his old cassettes during COVID lockdown, eventually issuing them publicly for the first time in 2021 on their own Seated Records.
Tatsuro Yamashita - Spacy (1977)
City pop: a genre I haven’t entirely sunk my teeth into. I borrowed a friend’s car last month to do airport pick-ups. There was an absolutely killer burnt CD in the dash, brimming with city pop hits. On-ramp funk. Speed limit grooves. Passenger side mystique. It sent me back to this gem that I discovered through the mighty In Sheep’s Clothing. If y’all have favorites in this glossy subgenre, send ‘em my way! I’m ready.
I’m super interested in feedback / dialogue / suggestions. If you have ideas about the newsletter, want to share music with me, have specific questions / requests, don’t hesitate to get in touch. And please: share this newsletter with a pal if you feel so inspired!
Yrs.,
Andrew P.
andrewdanielpatterson [at] gmail [dot] com