A few weeks ago, when it was 20°C and sunny, I asked a number of people if it was Fake Spring. Being relatively new to Montreal / Tiohtià:ke, I couldn’t be sure. Turns out there was a lot of flux to come. It snowed in late April and my heart sank, but now things really seem to be turning around (and I hope they are where you are too). A few clouds still loom, but everything’s blooming. Here are some selections reflecting the many faces of spring.
As ever, please consider supporting these artists / labels directly if you feel financially able.
click on the covers to listen ~~~
Drissi El-Abbassi - Raï Sidi Bel Abbes (1979-89)
A compilation of cuts from various cassettes by Algerian vocalist Drissi El-Abbassi released by forward-thinking, border-straddling Algerian/Egyptian label Nashazphone. An early proponent of Raï music, El-Abbassi is an important figure who is almost entirely unknown outside of North Africa. His voice is wonderfully emotive and the music has a softness that would dissolve during Raï’s more prominent, digitally-inflected era. Nice microtones, rattling rhythms. And that facial expression.
Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson - Ain’t That A Bitch (1976)
Genuinely could not believe this album the first time I put it on, had a grin on my face from start to finish. Such a smooth, consistent funk record, chalk full of memorable moments. How could it be so forgotten? No one can sell a song like Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson. I feel like his unique approach to plucking is a perfect metaphor for his whole style.
Reggie Andrews & The Fellowship - Mystic Beauty (1969)
A once-mythical West Coast record full of sparkling late-evening jazz reissued by the mighty Mad About Records. Lots of charming acoustic groove and Afro-Cuban influence throughout. Reggie Andrews would go on to have an important career as a producer / mentor working with the likes of Patrice Rushen, Earth Wind & Fire and J Dilla.
Rhythm & Sound - See Mi Yah (2005)
This LP collects a selection of work by legendary Berlin production duo Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald, with each track featuring an equally legendary and/or underground reggae vocalist. Ernestus and Von Oswald are much better known for their work as Basic Channel, and with that moniker, are largely seen as the apex of dub techno. Rhythm & Sound on the flipside, nod more attentively to the dub part of the equation. Heavy mist production with a laser focus. Blistering, smoked-out vocals. Big bass. Big mood.
Brìghde Chaimbeul - The Reeling (2018)
As someone who’s spent most of his life in Nova Scotia, I pretty much hate the bagpipes. And not even because of the bagpipes per se, but more for the gross touristy culture that surrounds them (and the degree to which the Culture Industry can’t seem to see beyond it) in Nova Scotia. But this… is one hell of a bagpipes record. Recorded live to tape in a historic church in the Scottish Highlands, it’s the debut of young small-pipes phenom Chaimbeul. The Reeling features contributions from experimental violinist Aidan O’Rourke and vocals from 82-year-old Rona Lightfoot, who sings in a phonetic style called ‘canntaireachd’ (Gaelic for ‘chanting’). The label, River Lea, provides a charming micro-doc offering a glimpse at the making of this instant classic.
Mustafa Skandrani - Musique Classique Algérienne (1965)
A breathtaking collection of solo piano pieces from Algerian instrumentalist and educator Mustafa Skandrani. Recorded in Paris the same year they were released, these captivating works are rooted in ‘istikhbars’, traditional Algerian vocal compositions. Skandari’s adaptation of the pieces to ivory was derided by the old guard at the time. They’re absolutely stunning, sitting somewhere between the fierce restraint of the Goldberg Variations and the saintly work of Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou.
Myriam Gendron - Not So Deep As A Well (2014)
This is the sound of someone looking straight at you and telling you, from a loving place, that the world is rarely fair or perfect; and yet what tender beauty lay therein. Montreal folk singer Gendron adapts the words of the one and only Dorothy Parker (with blessings from the NAACP) and turns them into unshakeable song. Put out by Feeding Tube Records who never cease to surprise.
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, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. And do consider share this newsletter with a pal if you feel so inspired!
Yrs.,
andrewdanielpatterson [at] gmail [dot] com