Spotlight on Jorge Ben!

Sooks

In my opinion, he's one of the best Brazillian artists out there. He's best known for being ripped off by Rod Stewart, and writing Mas Que Nada... but there's so much more! This week I have a show entirely dedicated to the man... For show #57, something very special... one of my all-time favorite artists is the Brazillian guitarist and singer Jorge Ben. There are some artists that form a special part of any record collection, and for me, along with American artists like James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and others, I would include Jorge Ben. Not only are his own albums great, but because he is such a good song writer, the songs that he wrote were also covered extensively by other Brazillian (and international) artists with great success. In fact, the presence of a Jorge Ben tune on an album is reason enough to pick it up - you won't be disapointed! He has a certain warm tone that is both groovy and moving and deep, all at the same time.So while his albums are so good I could have just picked an LP and put it on, I wanted a bit more diversity... For this show there's Jorge Ben tracks from the late 60s to the mid 70s, with songs by the man himself, and all sorts of cover versions. If you're familiar with Jorge Ben, maybe there's some new tracks to check out, and if you're new to him, there's lots to listen to here. IF IT ROTATES Jorge Ben - Ponta de Lanca AfricanoClaudette Soares - Carolina Carol BelaJorge Ben & Toquinho - Carolina Carol BelaNelsinho e sua Orquestra - Chove ChuvaJorge Ben - O Namorada da ViuvaJorge Ben - Taj MahalErlon Chaves & Banda Veneno - Eu Tambem Quero MocotoJorge Ben - Quem Cochicha O Rabo EspichaGal Costa & Caetano Veloso - Que PenaZanini - A Quoi Tu JousLill Lindfors - Hor Min SambaElza Soares - Mas Que NadaElis Regina - Bicho do MatoJorge Ben - ComancheJorge Ben - Rita JeepJorge Ben - Cinco Minutos

spelunk

Hey man, just wanted to say thank you for this. Great work on the blog, keep it up!

Sooks

bump!

Sooks

I just finished the next show - give it 2 minutes to finish uploading, then have at it!

Songs with Feeling
First of all, thanks to all who got in touch with me about the Jorge Ben show, I really enjoyed making it, and I'm happy to hear that you liked it. As always, if you like or dislike something, let me know! This week is titled 'Songs with Feeling' - it didn't really intend to have a theme, but as the show was coming together I noticed that I was tending towards the deeper tracks in my collection - the show opens with a swinging track from Mary Lou Williams, playing here in a tight trio from 1976, and she's a really interesting figure in jazz, who, I think, didn't get the respect she deserved. Born in 1910, and recording all her life, she really spanned an immense range of jazz. There's also great stuff from Archie Shepp, Nina Simone, Odyssey, Larry T., the Tropicalia gang, and Alan Thicke's ex-wife, Gloria Loring making some psych moves from 1969.

IF IT ROTATES

Mary Lou Williams - Temptation
Archie Shepp - Blues for Brother George Jackson
Pharaohs - Freedom Road
Nina Simone - The Pusher
Curtis Mayfield - Stone Junkie
Tropicalia - Tres Caravelas
Gloria Loring - Darkness, Darkness
Odyssey - Battened Ships
Larry T and the Family - My Mother's Delight
Rance Allen Group - I Got to be Myself

Sooks

uh-huh