A periodic list of some of the most exciting, newly purchased CDs for our circulating collections.

Broke With Expensive Taste by Azealia Banks (2014)
Though this collection was released in 2014, it includes a few singles that Ms. Banks has been putting out since 2011. The impressively formulated "212" (named after Banks's favorite public library area code! kidding, maybe); 2012's "Liquorice," which reveals in glorious splendor the cultural fact that, unlike other "rappers" whose chosen last name may or may not be coincidentally identical to Azealia's first, Banks grew up surrounded by rap, gathering in cyphers with her friends after school, freestyle rhyming "off the dome", as the old-timers would say. And clearly, she had something, like Rakim had, or Biggy; just, a gift, to flow over the rhythm better than most: to pay attention to the elements of building a verse, what worked and what didn't; to come in and out of it, change up the phrasing, play with it, like good jazz instrumentalists do. And Ms. Banks has something else too, a gravitas that turns the machismo-ness of rap on its head. This ain't some female rapper merely adopting the macho stance of her male rapping counterparts; but more of a, "you think YOU'RE tough! Step aside, boy! I'm in charge now!" (to put it in a less profane way than you'll find on the CD, that is). 

So lest we forget that rap music and Hip Hop culture in general was born right here in New York City, out of its African American communities that turned to art to form an identity in a city that had economically turned its back on them, Banks comes along to remind us of that. It's a culture. It's got roots and history. And if you grow out of those roots, you're what can be called "legit".  Banks rather notoriously often lets her opinions known by way of social media, and one could surely argue that the whole twitter platform makes sharing our immediate reactions all to quick and easy, destroying any time we may have once had to reflect a little, but the biggest one of her feuds goes like this:

Can a white girl from Australia start talking in a New York street slang, put-on accent, "rapping" about dealing drugs and "capping" people, and it NOT come across as a grotesque caricature of race, the likes of which we haven't seen since the days of blackface minstrelsy?  Yet, so-called "twitter wars" can distract actual artists from talking and discussing actual issues. I mean, it is literally the worst platform to have a meaningful debate on meaningful issues. History is important, the history of culture is important. And cultural appropriation is a sticky subject, not to be ironed out here. We'll let bell hooks and/or the insightful Tricia Rose tackle that one. But an underlying issue that adds to Banks's anger is that sometimes music that is bad is more popular and makes way more money than music that is good. It's an injustice: yet, a certifiable fact. McDonalds sells way more hamburgers than you EVER will, even though I can promise you yours are way better. Popular in no way means good; and when one makes art, or anything I suppose, that can just be upsetting.

Regardless... lest you think this full-length LP is merely a collection of singles already released by Banks, it's way beyond that. In my opinion, it's the greatest, coolest, most exciting, impressive, enjoyable, groovin' collection of rhymes to come out of hip hop in, well, a long time. It's up there, this one, with the greats. You'll see, in time. I'd bet anything. And this young lady grew up right here, in our city, the birthplace of Hip Hop. You can hear that culture in her rhymes, and maybe she even checked a few CDs out from NYPL when she was comin' up, for inspiration. Who knows?

Regardless, this right here is "flow" people, right here=  (PREVIEW 1) (PREVIEW 2)

This World Oft Can Be by Della Mae (2013)
Della Mae are an all-girl bluegrass band, formed in the backwoods, podunk little town of... Boston, Massachusetts. Now for you folks who get tired of what some people call "country," because nowadays you can't even go out for sushi in Williamsburg without hearing Taylor Swift infiltrate your skull about how she's never ever getting back together with her boyfriend that you can't for the life of you figure out why you even know he exists in the first place; bluegrass musicians have something Ms. Swift doesn't need, complete mastery of their instruments. These ladies have paid their dues by playing many live shows throughout the country and the world (you may be surprised at how popular bluegrass is in other parts of the world, at least in Europe). Further, they write lyrics, good ones, evocative ones, ones you don't regret live in your head somewhere after you hear them. Their song "Empire," for instance, it tells through lyrical imagery the lost history of an old, abandoned gypsum mine:

Empire sits on the edge of a hill
Born out of a gypsum mine
Held at once 300 souls
And none of them were mine
Now they’re just ghosts in the streets
Wandering a land that sleeps
.....
The miners callused hands
The women who planted seed on the land
Empire met its end.

But really, do yourself a favor and let them tell it through their music, because it's the drive of the music that really brings this story to life. (PREVIEW)

Rough Guide to Unsung Heroes of Country Blues - Various (1920s-1930s)
There are so many well-known, traditional blues musicians, that one may not feel the need to dig any deeper into the genre if one has at least a dozen names and recordings to turn to when one feels the need; though digging, as we all know, is the only way to uncover hidden gems of ANY genre that don't seem to make it into the Pantheon. Well here, Rough Guide has done the digging for you. And it is worth it, because there is not only some fantastic music here, but some fascinating history as well. Let's just take the lead track:

The Henry Thomas track, "Fishing Blues," is an example of the use of "quills" (aka, panpipes) in blues music: not a common feature in the music of the more well-known blues masters. Thomas recorded a few tracks in the late 1920s, then virtually disappeared into obscurity (some say he died shorty thereafter). Yet, his music would stand the test of time and become very influential, his songs being covered by many:

Bob Dylan (re-worked Thomas' "Honey, Won't You Allow Me One More Chance" into his own version, included on the album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan).

Taj Mahal (recorded his version of "Fishing Blues," replacing the quills solo with his own amazing guitar picking).

But the biggest influence of Thomas must be traced through his song, "Bull Doze Blues." Listen to it, and for anyone familiar with classic rock, you will recognize that quills solo! Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson of Canned Heat had rewritten the lyrics, while staying musically true to the original Henry Thomas song, down to recreating that quills solo note-for-note for the flute (played by a one Jim Horn, who you may recognize from the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds sessions). Canned Heat played the song live at Woodstock. The song was re-titled "Going Up The Country", and the revised lyrics captured perfectly the nomadic, free-spirited lifestyle of 60s counterculture. And with its more than tip of the hat to the influences of roots music, and blues music specifically, the song became in the eyes of many the veritable theme song to The Woodstock Music Festival and the entire culture and era that moment would come to represent.

Long Way by Chastity Brown (2015)
There's something that warms my heart, and it ain't Katy Perry or Kanye. It's when talented musicians gain some notoriety and then use that notoriety to bring attention to worthy causes and charities. Ms. Brown has donated her talents to causes like building and improving on music and arts programs in the public school system, and community projects meant to assist the homeless. But this isn't a charity blog, it just makes the music, that is already really great, just, better somehow.

So about the music, you might not have thought you could combine these musical elements with any success: smooth R&B production, psychedelia, and (wait for it....), banjo. I don't know what to tell you. I didn't think it was possible either. We were wrong!  PREVIEW

Africa Express Presents Terry Riley's In C Mali by Africa Express (2014)
Terry Riley designed his minimalist composition, "In C," in 1964. It is no coincidence that this release came out exactly 50 years after the piece was written: an homage linked to its anniversary. It is written for an indefinite number of musicians, loosely instructed to play through a few phrases of music, repeating each phrase as many times as each musician sees fit. The result is that with each playing, it's different; each ensemble, a different orchestration. It has been recorded and played by both professionals and amateurs many times over. Having played this myself in high school band, I can safely say as well that the piece is rather forgiving: that provided with just a little wiggle room for improvisation (at least in so far as in-the-moment musical decisions being made), the result can be... interesting at the very least, even when played by a room full of amateurs.

But Africa Express brings something to the table my high school band did not. And that is, well, one, a group of musicians that all actually SHOULD be making music, instead of dropping out and joining the chess team or something. But more importantly, the many African musicians, playing a variety of traditional African instruments, give this particular recording a feel all other recordings of the piece don't have. The piece evolves more dynamically, ranging from downright danceable pulses to light string-led interludes. But the real joy for me are the polyrhythms achieved and locked in on in ways I dare say musicians tied to African rhythmic traditions are best suited. Polyrhythms evolve, fade, find hidden patterns that surprisingly manifest before you realize it, then disappear and are reborn as other patterns. It's quite mesmerizing, and may have been what led to the composer, Terry Riley himself, say of this release:

"I am overwhelmed and delighted by this CD. I was not quite prepared for such an incredible journey, hearing the soul of Africa in joyous flight, (feeding) the piece with ancient threads of musical wisdom... I could not ask for a greater gift for this daughter's 50th birthday." (PREVIEW)

Elements of Light by Pantha Du Prince (with Bell Laboratory) (2013)
If the agro sounds of dubstep get on your nerves, but perhaps you have some darkened corner of your musical house reserved for the day you come across electronic music that is actually enjoyable to listen to, you may want to check out Pantha Du Prince's "Elements of Light." Properly cataloged as "minimal techno", it is indicative of Kraftwerk's more poetic moments, without the at times comical robots singing about falling in love with computers. The result is an atmospheric yet groovy and, in this listener's opinion, relaxing and enjoyable exploration of electronic sound. (PREVIEW)