Talk About Listening

A place for you to read about listening to music. More accurately, a place for you to read about how I listen to music. Also, pictures of albums 'n' stuff.

[talkaboutlistening]

I have a new DJ set up on my soundcloud page! Recorded on a beautiful early Saturday evening here in São Paulo with some of the records I’ve found over the past few months. Heavy on the rare-groove funky Disco side, there should be some surprises and some not-so-surprises to those who’ve caught my latest DJ outings. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please leave a comment (here or there) if you do listen! #vinyldj #raregroove #djset #talkaboutlistening

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I’m spinning some records tonight at @tokyo.sp in downtown São Paulo for the one and only XXXBórnia party! Plenty of Japanese boogie, not to mention the celebration of Latry Levan’s birthday with a healthy dose of Disco, Soul, Funk and Surprise. Hope to see you there! #saopaulo #saopaulonights #vinyldj #mandagigs #talkaboutlistening

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When you can’t afford/find proper isolation and have to rely on your MacGyver instincts... They actually worked pretty well as far as isolation goes, although it felt like the turntables were on trampolines whenever I pressed the start button. The design could be improved, but notbad for about 10 bucks worth of rubber bands, old tins and tape! #isonoe #isonoproblemo #quickfix #talkaboutlistening #vinyldj #djproblems

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You know how there are certain foods - take the avocado, for instance - which have positive health benefits that are so simply powerful they have been known to catalyse the formation of cults? The same should be true about solo piano albums. As there is a growing number of avocado advocates whose life mission is to proselytise every single non-eater out there by exalting the wonders of that particular superfood, so should there be solo piano prophets doing the same about these superalbums. In addition to the improvement of a number of conversations, this would allow more people to understand just how good it is to listen to a piano player and his instrument in their most intimate, most anti-social setting. Being alone and unencumbered by foreign timbral and rhythmic impositions, a truly great pianist can dictate exactly the size of the sonic universe he wants to immerse the listener in. From Cecil Taylor’s thunderous jungles of atonality, to Thelonious Monk’s playgrounds of melody, great solo piano recordings have a deeply meditative aspect to them, demanding the listener to concentrate fully on every detail produced by the instrument whose vast range is at the pianist’s whim. The more you commit, as a listener, the more you’ll hear, and this is especially true of Paul Bley’s solo piano outings - 1973’s “Open ,To Love” being the most famous. Bley is a masterful user of space, bending it to his will among the selection of notes he is almost selfishly spare in presenting to his listener. What does come from his hands operating the piano’s keys (& strings) sounds hard edged, but carefully crafted. Somewhere between sensitivity and senselessness. Hear from this prophet, first-hand: if you’re interested in joining our cult, this is a great place to start. #paulbley #ecmrecords #solopiano #talkaboutlistening #jazz #jazzvinyl #nowspinning

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Earl “Fatha” Hines had a plaque on his one-of-a-kind Steinway piano which called him “a man who has never played a melancholy note in his lifetime on a planet that has often succumbed to despair.” How’s that for an endorsement? The truth is, by 1966, when “Once Upon A Time” was recorded, Hines was already in the midst of a *second* rediscovery, having been championed by columnist Stanley Dance, who convinced him to begin performing once again. This rediscovery allowed producer Bob Thiele to realize his ambitious project of putting together a band of greats with Hines at the piano, several past and present members of Duke Ellington’s orchestra, and a few other legends and youngsters. Those who managed to make it to the studio, that is. As if it were meant to be written - and it was, on the album cover, with embellishments - there was a huge transit strike going on in New York City (“Fun City”) making it extremely hard for the musicians to actually make it to the studio on the recording dates. Undeterred, even if delayed, most made it with a renewed vigor for playing, even if just to let off steam, with Hines, ever so melancholy-proof, working as a catalyst in the creation of amazing music. This is another one of those legendary sessions that could only have been put together by Thiele and released by Impulse!, and as usual it is the listener who benefits. One to own on vinyl, if only for that fantastic cover with a great story (& liner notes)! #earlhines #jazzvinyl #jazz #impulserecords #bobthiele #talkaboutlistening

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I think there’s a funny dose of poetic justice in the fact that I found my copy of Ben Webster’s “See You At The Fair” at a record fair. I have mixed feeling about record fairs - ours here in São Paulo are generally not so great - but every once in a while I’ll find something unexpectedly which will make me return to those frequently exhausting events. This is a cool record, not only because it’s another in the series of records on Impulse! giving veteran jazz musicians a chance to shine on the young-timers’ turf, but also because it has a few references to the New York World’s fair in its cover design, liner notes and musical content. Recorded in 1964, the music on this record has an unmistakable tone of period optimism to it, not just due to the idea of a better future laid out on over 600 acres of land in Flushing Meadows, but also due to Webster’s undoubted enthusiasm at the opportunity of a late-career break having made his name playing with Duke Ellington several years earlier. By 1964, Jazz was heading in exciting new directions, straying further and further from the music Big Ben was making in his younger days. “See You At The Fair” is Webster’s way of showing the listener that one mustn’t overlook the past in order to see an exciting future, and that just as the World’s Fair tried to prove, there was space in the landscape for all kinds of thoughts and interpretations - in politics, in ideology and why not, in music. He is joined here by Richard Davis on bass, Osie Johnson on drums, and Hank Jones and Roger Kellaway alternating piano duties, with Kellaway bringing in a Harpsichord to shake things up on a tune or two. It’s a killer session led by one of the giants of the Tenor Saxophone, and while it was not as well remembered as the World’s Fair itself, it deserves a good spot on any jazz lover’s record collection - or record fair shopping list! #benwebster #impulserecords #nycworldsfair #hankjones #rogerkellaway #richardavis #osiejohnson #jazz #jazzvinyl #nowspinning #talkaboutlistening

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Just like on a clear day you can see forever, on an Impulse! recording you can hear everything. Some make this more true than others, and organist Shirley Scott’s “On A Clear Day” is one of those. I don’t know if it’s the rare bare-bones but perfectly complementary organ/bass/drums trio format, or if it’s occasional engineer Bob Simpson trying to impress producer Bob Thiele and poasibly grab some of Rudy Van Gelder’s work, but to my ears this is just one of those recordings where everytime I listen to it it feels like the musicians are sitting in the room playing before me. It helps that the musical programming is fantastic! Ms. Scott was a prodigious organist, and this is but one of the examples of her masterfully graceful style on an instrument which historically allows for unpunished prolixity by some of her more overbearing (male) peers. Many people took the easy way out and attributed this quality in her style to a overly simplified and frequently backhanded ‘strength of gender’, though I believe it stemmed from her calm confidence and total knowledge of the instrument’s nuances. She is supported here by Ron Carter and Jimmy Cobb, both Miles Davis alumni (Carter was still playing with Miles at the time of recording) who are smart enough to let Scott shine by simply filling in the (relatively few) blanks in the sound frequency spectrum with a steady but relaxed accompaniment, and the veteran’s knowledge that not much more is needed to produce a great recording. Great listening for the end of a long weekend. #shirleyscott #roncarter #jimmycobb #impulserecords #jazz #jazzvinyl #talkaboutlistening #nowspinning

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Saturday marks my first official gig of the year following one of Brazil’s greatest selectors @milloskaiser - not a bad way to start 2018! I’ll be there dancing from 3 PM, and starting at 9PM, spinning some great Disco & House underground - strictly vinyl - through a delicious ARS rotary mixer! It’s gonna be a great time! If you’re in São Paulo, don’t miss it! Limited tickets still for sale - follow @donabalduina to know more! #gig #saopaulonightlife #vinyldj #festaselvagem #housemusic #discomusic #talkaboutlistening

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Been feeling under the weather, yet I still couldn’t get some sleep, so I recorded a set during this cloudy night here in São Paulo. I named it “Late Night, Low pH”. It features tinges of Acid and Balearica, and an inspiring message from a man called Sunshine... Come to think of it, it rather reminds me of my mind’s wanderings in bed - visiting a lot of places, but not really going anywhere. As always, strictly vinyl. Link in bio. Enjoy! #thegoldengoat #vinyldj #acidhouse #balearic #isitbalearic #talkaboutlistening

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Glow in the dark gadgets keeping me up way past bedtime. #rolandboutique #roland #rolandtr8 #juno106 #canyoufeelit #talkaboutlistening

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I was so busy having fun at the end of last year that I didn’t do one of those 2017 recap posts. Now it’s 2018 and it feels a little silly to go into retrospective mode, so I’ll stick to resolution mode instead. If all goes well, I hope to build on many of the things I managed to develop over the course of last year - particularly my DJing. I had over a gig a month last year which was very rewarding, surprising, and a little tiring too, and that whole experience taught me a lot. If all goes to plan this year may bring fewer, but even more rewarding opportunities to play some music for people to dance to, and hopefully I’ll get to know more wonderful people, venues & music along the way. I also hope to progress in the production front. I have still much to learn there, too, but having experimented with some software and equipment over the past year, and putting much effort into keeping my self-expectations low, I’ve managed to find a lot of happiness in tinkering about and learning new sounds. Among many of the resources that have helped me out there, I have to give a special shout out here to @sunshine_jones_ whose excellent music I stumbled across only this year, and whose even more excellent website and social media posts have given me much encouragement to just go out and make music. Messing about with synths has brought me similar joy (& calm) as drumming - something I also hope to increase this year - and who knows if by the end of this year I’ll have something worthy of a release? It’s something to work on, for sure. My radio show on radiosilva.org continues this year, and for those of you who understand Portuguese, I promise many great incursions into the world of Jazz music in the seasons ahead. My final resolution is to ramp up my writing both here, and on a web platform I’ve yet to fully decide on (tumblr is too limited...). If you enjoy what I write here, look for some longer pieces throughout the year. Lots to do, for sure, but a year is plenty of time! I hope you continue following my adventures in Music, and that you have great ones of your own in 2018! Have a great one! #talkaboutlistening (📸 by @paulo_suriani )

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They could have shut the music off after the Idjut Boys and everyone would have gone home absolutely happy, but they didn’t, and as the sun came up Ibiza legend José Padilla came on to bring in the morning with his signature blend of balearica. To be honest, I was completely spent after the previous set so I was happy to just sit and listen, and take it all in. Sometimes that’s all you can do. Sometimes it’s all you need. #josepadilla #balearic #mareh2018 #talkaboutlistening #marehNYE

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This was the scene as I left the venue today, with Noema getting people moving with his special blend of psychedelia and house music. It seems to me by now that everyone here at @marehmusic’s NYE feels a part of a tribe, and sets like these hammer the message down like nothing else. Admittedly I left a bit early to get some rest for the big New Year’s bash tomorrow, but it seems like everyone else was up for some dancing until the music stops... #noema #themagicmovement #mareh2018 #bardapraia #talkaboutlistening

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I realized today that it has been the best part of a year since I last recorded a set for my soundcloud page, which both surprised and disappointed me. I guess I’d been hoping to do it after an inspiring gig or two, but either business or laziness got in the way, so today I made one on a whim. I picked out some of my favorite Disco records - many of which are challenging to mix in the best possible way - and just tried to go with the flow. The result is up on Soundcloud for your hearing (and hopefully dancing) pleasure! Link in bio, and make sure to say hello if you do stop by! #vinylset #vinyldj #disco #discovinyl #thegoldengoat #talkaboutlistening

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I’ll tell ya, there’s a lot of great ways to start a long weekend. One of them is by getting home from work and finding that a record as good as The Necessaires’ “Event Horizon” is waiting in your mailbox! I wrote about this when @bewithrecords announced they were finally repressing it, but now that it’s here and I can finally spin it on my turntable it seems appropriate to once again express how incredible this almost-forgotten gem of new-wavish post-punky NYC rock really is. Followers of this page will no doubt know about my unabashed love of Arthr Russell’s music and musical projects, but the truth about The Necessaires is that it was truly the product of 4 guys who got together to “state the facts about life in America, like the Clash did about England, but not [being] so heavy about it.” At least those are the words of drummer Jesse Chamberlain to Melody Maker magazine, back in 1980. Russell was a latecomer to the group started by Chamberlain, bassist Ernie Brooks, and guitarrist Ed Tomney. Sure, Arthur’s mega talents provide some of the most left-field, inspired moments, but he is in a decidedly supporting position, adding flavor to the songs that are full of catchy melodies and hooks, elements which Russell would for the most part actively run away from in his later (and even previous) work. This is an album full of tunes you’ll catch yourself singing along to, like some of the best work of The Necessaires’ contemporaries the Talking Heads, or The Feelies. For those Russell mega-fans, his compositions “More Real” and “The Finish Line” are the songs to go for first, but I urge you to give the whole album a chance. I’m so glad this is out for all to find, as it’s treasure worth sharing. #thenecessaires #arthurrussell #postpunk #newwave #nycpostpunk #talkaboutlistening #vinyl #vinylreissue

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It’s no surprise - or it should be no surprise, at least not to those of you who have been following me for some time - that Brazil has one of the world’s greatest party scenes. Nevertheless, I feel compelled, through a weird sense of responsibility (it would be patriotism but I don’t think it’s that small), to try my best to showcase some of the rampantly talented and often underrated characters behind the endless growth of an already amazing scene. I was lucky enough to witness yet another marvellous moment tonight, thanks to @festaselvagem, who continue to surprise and delight in their choices of guest DJs. With a set that brought together an impeccable selection of songs that navigate restlessly somewhere within the orbits of Disco, House, Electro, and Techno, Curitiba’s Barbara Boeing simply amazed. Seems easy to say that any guest at a Selvagem party has earned their place among a select group of individuals, but the sequence of songs Barbara had us all dancing to tonight makes me happy once again to help bring attention to the world-class talent still unearthed here in Brazil. Anyone who hasn’t experienced a set by this wonderful DJ doesn’t know what they are missing. After today, consider me a frequent flyer! (sorry, I had to fit the pun in there somewhere) #barbaraboeing #festaselvagem #saopaulonightlife #disco #housemusic #talkaboutlistening

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Timmy Regisford. As real as a deal can get. I wasn't expecting to go hear him today, but stars aligned and I did, and danced my ass off to one of the best pure House music sets I've heard in a while. Fantastic indeed! #timmyregisford #theshelter #musicaimporta #housemusic #themaestro #talkaboutlistening #saopaulonights