Soda started their career anchoring their sound on classic rock but evolved into synth heavy, mind-bending, ambiance-creating rock. Their style is recognizable across all their discography, composed of great guitar riffs, drums that give songs forward motion and sticky music motifs.

This is my favorite hour of Soda Stereo music:

Until the next adventure,

parra-yagnam

#music

Check out my Spotify playlist of (most of) Evans' music ordered chronologically (+1100 songs, 101 hours worth of music): The Quiet Genius – Bill Evans

“I believe that all people are in possession of what might be called a 'universal musical mind'.” – Bill Evans

I've been reading “Bill Evans: How my heart sings”, by Peter Pettinger (Yale University Press) Considered one of the finest jazz pianists in history, Evans' story is breathtaking. From his humble origins in Plainfield, NJ to his career in New York at the Village Vanguard and his European concerts (Paris, London and Switzerland being very prolific for him).

Bill's story shows us a quiet genius, a white kid in a predominantly Black setting. The one who made it not because he was the best performers or the most charming with the audiences but because of his musical intelligence and particular style. In fact, his compositions have become standards (e.g. Waltz for Debby to name one and Blue in Green to name another) and his playing style has been immortalized in the most successful jazz record of all time, Kind of Blue.

Most of all, for me, Evans' career is a reminder that life isn't perfect. A souvenir that life takes, sometimes, sharp unexpected turns both for good and bad. His musical life was tainted by heroin addiction – something that he learnt while on Miles Davis' band and later shared with his favorite jazz drummer Philly Joe Jones – and sore losses, like the passing of bass player Scott LaFaro whom he adored. However, he counted with great partners that helped him throughout hardship: Orrin Keepnews, producer for Riverside Records, and Helen Keane his manager and producer during his later years. In fact, one can see that Evans was someone who appreciated people in his life for he wrote several tunes for them. For example, “Re: Person I Know” for Orrin Keepnews (an anagram of his name); “Waltz for Debby” (for his niece); “Peri's Scope” (for one of his girlfriends); “One for Helen” (for his manager).

He was a virtuoso. Anecdotes of him recall Evans playing entire sets without using one of his hands because of some heroin shot gone wrong. But most interestingly, he thought critically and was interested in a varied range of subjects, from humor to philosophy. In fact, Evans even compared jazz improvisation to Japanese visual art on his sleeve note for Kind of Blue. However, when he played, he was the opposite of cerebral: he really hunched over the piano (he said his head had a special position in which it connected better with the instrument) and let his whole body play his harmonically melodious lines.

Over his career Bill worked with some of the most famous names in jazz. George Russell, Chet Baker, Julian ' Cannonball' Adderley, Charles Mingus and Art Farmer. He was praised for having changed the way trios functioned and credited with consistently leaving out notes on the low end of chords to make space for a more melodic functioning (instead of mainly time-keeping) of bass.

Beyond all critical acclaim, Bill Evans has allowed me to get closer to one of my favorite styles of music: jazz. I've been an aficionado for a long while, first because of my mother (she's the one that got me into jazz as a kid) but then because of my incursion into playing the Saxophone. However, I was one of these people that felt didn't fit anywhere. I wasn't knowledgeable enough to keep up with hardcore jazz fanatics: they made me feel stupid for not knowing all the theory behind it. And I wasn't a proper jazz musician either because my Saxophone skills were never that good. It is only now, a couple of decades later that I found acceptance and peace in enjoying jazz from the perspective of feeling and intuition thanks to one of Bill's quotes:

“It bugs me when people try to analyze jazz as an intellectual theorem. It's not. It's feeling.” – Bill Evans

His music made him the recipient of seven Grammy Awards and 31 nominations.

Bill, the quiet genius of jazz, I salute you.

See you in another adventure,

W.

#music

Here's my Mondo Grosso Spotify playlist and below you will find some of my comments on ten of my favorite Mondo Grosso songs.

(1) Spirit of Voyage with its mystical, almost eery, piano introduction sets the stage of what's to come. Percussion and bass come in and then you realize you are in the world of 90s acid jazz. When the horns and the vibraphone come in you feel you're in Young Disciple's, Galliano, Corduroy or even Brand New Heavies territory. From Japan comes out a very European acid jazz sound that makes you vibe.

(2) Closer, the homonym song to the 2004 album, a collaboration with the vocalist Monday Michiru, drags you in on a more R&B vibe with some Virtual Insanity type lyrics:

People don't really communicate with each other anymore ... the world is getting so virtual and people don't feel the pain anymore. We need to be touched to ease the pain, this is why the title of the album is called closer.

(3) A reinterpretation of Paulinho da Costa's Carnival of Colors is clearly a different jam. Borrowing from MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira), Samba and Bossa Nova colors, we hear a lively tune that might be perfect for a cocktail evening with some friends. Maybe even a hint to the Japanese diaspora in Brazil or even their fascination with their culture. To be thoroughly enjoyed with an Aperol at hand. The mastery of Shinichi Osawa as a great sampler – a music library – shines through with the choice of cover.

(4) 100% Woman Overtime from the Closer album follows the same R&B/Soul vibes as its homonym. The rhythm is moved forward by a thick bassline and accentuated in the off-beats of the percussion. The vocals are sweet but they contrast with lyrics that speak of the hardships of being a woman in the modern world: having to balance all aspects of life plus the expectations of society. 'Working hard to be a 100% woman overtime'.

(5) From 1995's 'Born Free', 'Move into the night' is a decade early to show some of the motives that we see in 'Closer'. The drums, bassline and vocal combo appears clearly here too. A different, move up-beat, less R&B like tune sounds refreshing within the mix.

(6) 'I can't go for that' from 'Closer' is one of the best re-interpretations that I've heard from this Hall & Oates classic. A stripped down version of the hook and a completely different more down-tempo vibe, this is another one that might go down easy to unwind after a hard day at work. It somehow still preserves the spirit of the original, in spite of only relying on the keyboards and sampled drums to drag you along.

(7) 'Invisible Man', from the 2004 single album, in its Mellow Yellow version sound to me like an instant 90s Acid Jazz classic. The elements of hip hop plus the horn section make up for an absolute jam. The type that you want to listen to when you are walking down the street at night. The original 'Invisible Man' seems flat in comparison to this version which, in ways, is simpler but more essential.

(8) The 'Invisible Man' album also includes a great tune called 'TREE, AIR, AND RAIN ON THE EARTH' that first appeared on their MARBLE album. In this version reminds me of Jamiroquai's 'Emergency on Planet Earth' – maybe because of the title (?) or maybe because of the bass, backup vocals and flute solo in Revolution 1993. The Brazilian style of 'TREE, AIR AND ...' bridge that sounds like a Pagode and the incorporation of a flute and a keyboard (Rhodes?) solo creates a great jazz ambiance.

(9) 'YELLOW NOTE (LIVE VERSION)' from their European Expedition Album is the most hard core acid jazz that you will find in this list. Sax, samples, percussion, keyboard and bassline all working tight to create a feel for the classic cadence and syncopation that you would expect from the most 'jazz' within a genre that borrows of soul/funk/hip-hop.

(10) We close with 'STAR SUITE (Shelter Album Mix). This is essentially music that tells bildungsroman story of a girl who rebels against her original culture only to find who she truly is again in the middle of the madness of the modern world. A beauty to listen intently to, for its over 10 minutes of duration.

See all of you in another adventure,

W.

#music

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'How is it possible that these guys are not ultra famous?' was the first thing that came to mind on a cold winter morning of 2020. I was listening to 'AM Waves' – Young Gun Silver Fox's album released in 2018 – a mixture of new sounds made old, with a West Coast aesthetic that reminisces 70s pop, rock & soul.

AOR or Yacht Rock is what this is, a genre that in it's purest form evoques the sights of sandy beaches, cliffs, blue oceans, convertible cars on an open highway with a cold breeze that combs your hair. This is the place, paradise if you will, where both Young Gun Silver Fox and Mamas Gun have taken me as we sheltered in place for months.

Less than a million reproductions on Spotify was the number I found on some of the AM Waves tracks when I discovered them. Chronicle of having me in the top 0.05% of listeners foretold, of course. The album hits all the right spots, from more dance oriented tunes like Kingston Boogie, passing through sweet soft-rock ballads like Mojo Rising. The sound is enveloping, the engineering work sublime and the craftsmanship of the songs shines through. Thoughtful lyrics is the cherry on top. It will make you want to hit repeat, repeat and repeat, again.

But this shouldn't come as a surprise since Platts played on Corinne Bailey Rae's first release and his associates in Mamas Gun include the musical director for Lisa Stansfield and a guitarist that has played with legends like Leon Ware. Mamas Gun has also supported amazing R&B/Soul acts like Ben L'Oncle Soul (magical Motown like French soul sing-songwriter), Raphael Saadiq and Beverley Knight. This musical pedigree – based on soul, rock and R&B – shines through in their compositions that I can only describe as 'jamais vûs' or 'timeless classics that sound awfully familiar but have never heard before'.

As with everything, artistry and fame have an odd relationship. Talent doesn't have a linear causal relationship with it – although maybe it should. Mamas Gun hit big in Japan – where AOR has still a considerable following – but we, in the west have been passing on the opportunity in spite of glowing reviews in newspapers and music magazines.

In short, a gem, to be treasured by all of us who enjoy the likes of Hall and Oates, Boz Scaggs, Joey Dosik, Steely Dan and, iconically, Robbie Dupree's hit Steal Away.

“When he poured that sweet, sweet wine. We were golden for the night. And every day was a time to celebrate.” – Kingston Boogie

Listen to my selection on Spotify: 'Andy Platts for when times are rough'

Follow them on social media, specially @younggunsilverfox and @mamasgun_uk

See you in another adventure,

W.

#music