SOUND CHECK.GECKO TURNER Gecko Turner (real name Fernando Gabriel Echave Pelaez) is a Spanish musician and singer-songwiter. Based near the border between Spain and Portugal, he has fronted several bands in his native Spain. Guapapasea, his first CD released in the U.S. : ``Guapapasea!'' (Quango) - Four stars The Spanish musician and former frontman front·man n. 1. also front man A man who serves as a nominal leader but who lacks real authority. 2. Music A leading singer with a group. of the Animal Crackers Animal crackers are a popular children's snack, in which the crackers are shaped like zoo animals. Animal Crackers may also refer to:
Flamenco guitar can also refer to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco. Both uses are documented on this page. . But the rest of the songs - including a soulful, seductive ``Dizzie,'' a tribute to the influence of Dizzy Gillespie Noun 1. Dizzy Gillespie - United States jazz trumpeter and exponent of bebop (1917-1993) Gillespie, John Birks Gillespie ; ``Sabes Quien Te Quiere''; ``Limon en La Cabeza''; ``Te Estes Equivocando''; ``Monka Mongas''; and ``Nina del Guadiana'' - have their own infectious groove. Turner's music seems to have few boundaries, and the musician himself has an interesting story. Check out his Web site at geckoturner.com, or the record company's, quango.com. - Rob Lowman RICHARD THOMPSON: ``RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson'' (Free Reed (Mus.) a reed whose edges do not overlap the wind passage, - used in the harmonium, concertina, etc. It is distinguished from the beating or striking reed of the organ and clarinet. See also: Reed ) - Four stars He's been anthologized, mythologized, psychoanalyzed, reissued and remastered so many times nobody can keep track. Here, though, is what could be the definitive Thompson close-up, an 86-song pirate booty
The weighty package ($64 on Amazon) is thematically arranged to cover 35 years of songs dealing in autobiography, observation and actual events, unreleased material, epic live workouts, essential tracks and covers, moving from Thompson's early days with Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are often credited with being the first English electric folk band. Formed in April 1967, with Simon Nicol, Richard Thompson, Ashley Hutchings and Shaun Frater, Fairport rapidly developed from playing cover versions of American 'west coast' style music to an to two tracks recorded at home for this project. In between, the adult portion of ``RT'' is a good deal more fun than it might appear. Thompson generates smiles with ``Now That I Am Dead'' and ``Madonna's Wedding,'' quickens the pulse with ``I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight'' and ``Shoot Out the Lights,'' and offers a memorably effective reading of Nick Drake's mournful mourn·ful adj. 1. Feeling or expressing sorrow or grief; sorrowful. 2. Causing or suggesting sadness or melancholy: the mournful sound of a train whistle. ``Time Has Told Me,'' perversely recorded in Hawaii with pedal steel pedal steel n. An electronically amplified guitar mounted on legs, with up to ten strings whose pitch can be altered by sliding a steel bar across them or by depressing pedals attached to them. Also called pedal steel guitar. accompaniment. As if all this wasn't enough, the U.K.'s Free Reed label (which specializes in all things Fairport) includes an entertaining 172-page book detailing Thompson's life, career and music, together with notes on every track and an extensive interview with the artist. - Fred Shuster LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO Ladysmith Black Mambazo (mämbäz`ō), choral group formed in 1965 in Ladysmith, South Africa, led by Joseph Shabalala. The group, which sings with a precise yet free-flowing phrasing, has consisted of 8 to 12 members. : ``Long Walk to Freedom'' (Heads Up) - Three stars The South African vocal group became known to audiences 20 years ago when Paul Simon used their intricate harmonies on his mega-selling ``Graceland.'' This album commemorates that anniversary, pairing Mambazo with guest stars (Sarah McLachlan, Taj Mahal among them) on a dozen new recordings of some of the group's best-known songs. Not all the collaborations fly, but the album's best moments - Emmylou Harris soaring through a gospel medley and the stirring ``Shosholoza,'' featuring a summit of South African artists List of South African Artists Individual artists A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Top of page — See also — External links A
B - Glenn Whipp NORMAN & NANCY BLAKE: ``Back Home in Sulphur Springs'' (Dualtone) - Three and one half stars Old-time country music has few greater exponents than these brilliant husband-and-wife picking partners. Though part of the ``O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' contingent, Alabama mountain boy Norman has been acoustically celebrating the Southern music heritage for decades on his own and with his cello-sawing wife (his first solo album was called ``Home in Sulphur Springs,'' and this is an intentional bookend project for an act that's thinking of retiring). The Blakes have issued an astoundingly rich album of mostly traditional songs, set in a kind of timeless musical Appalachia by their arid harmonies and distinctive string arrangements. It's just Norman and Nancy playing and singing, and it sounds like the whole melodic history of an entire region has made itself at home in their well-seasoned bones. - Bob Strauss CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Gecko Turner) (2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers) |
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