T.K. Ramamoorthy ~ Fabulous Notes & Beats of the Indian Carnatic-Jazz [1969, EM, 2011]

EM1091LP

A1. Gowla
A2. Ranjani
A3. Begada
A4. Mohana
A5. Natta

B1. Udaya Ravu Chandrika
B2. Byag Maya Malava Gowla
B3. Sahana
B4. Kanakangi
B5. Rasikapriya



Musicians taking part in this recording:

[Indian Instruments]

Veena ~ Ch. V. Kameswara Sharma
Gotuvadayam ~ D. Kittapa
Flute ~ K. Sanjeevi
Tabla tharang ~ N.V. Moorthy
Tape ~ J. Dass
Conch [senku] ~ Kuppuswamy
Ghatam ~ S. Narayana Iyer
Mridangam ~ C.P.S. Bhaskar
Chandai & sudha madhalam ~ N.C. Narayanan
Tabla ~ P.S. Lakshmanan
Jalra ~ P. Rajiah
Buyl bul Thara ~ Abubaker

[Western Instruments]

Bass clarinet ~ Varadharajan & Ganesan
Saxophone ~ Erric & Willy Horn
Piano ~ S. Ramalingam alias Babu
Guitar ~ Sadanadan
Double bass ~ P.I. Johnson
Trmpet ~ Newzealand
Drums ~ Tony D'Costa
Bongo ~ P.S. Lakshmanan



'Sly, syncretic combination of Carnatic raga & bachelor-pad lounge. Gossamer background blends worthy of any Esquivel record, snazzy licks on unique instruments, and a lilting, almost blushing sense of swing. Ramamoorthy is a violin player from Tamil Nadu. Like many large cities, Chennai has it's own film industry: Kollywood- named after the neighborhood where the studios are, Kodambakkam. Traditionally, it's known as a center for regional language movies (Telugu, Malayalam, etc), and by far the most famous composer from the area is Ilaiyaraaja. From 1952-65, Ramamoorthy was the elder songwriting partner of the more famous harmonium player and 'King of Light Music' MS Viswanathan (who seems to've played a fast Mort Shuman to his salt-of-the-earth Doc Pomus). Ramamoothy is still around, and recently gave expert singing advice (while wearing a kurta & missing half his teeth) on the Tamil answer to American Idol.' ~ weirdo

perch merch

likely me fav reish this year, which sez a lot i fink. this slab achieves errything you might hope to hear from such a promising title & remains uniquely true to carnatic melodies. one of john zorn's personal faves too, apparently. 320 snakey rips later

The Son of P.M. ~ Hey Klong Yao!: Essential Collection of Modernized Thai Music from the 1960s

EM1090

A1. Manohraluifai [Talung]
A2. Hey Klong Yao [Klong Yao]
A3. Ra Cha Khlong Jhao [Klong Yao]
A4. Horse Step Dance [Guaracha]
A5. Monkla [Ram Wong]
A6. Graw Taloong [Krao Talung] (Krao)
A7. Sad Chatree [Talung]

B1. Kaektoimor [Talung]
B2. Long Drum Song [Merenge]
B3. Phoo Yai Lee [A Go-Go]
B4. Talung Nang Yak [Talung]
B5. Thorance Kan Saeng [Talung]
B6. Chinese Fan Dance [A Go-Go]
B7. King Of Drums [A Go-Go]

P.M. Pocket Music [A1, A7, B1], Son Of P.M., The [A2 - A6, B2 - B7]
A collections of tracks from various singles and albums

'The groove is very much rooted in frenetic and rhythmic rock ‘n’ roll with discernible elements of pop, surf and exotica. It’s hard to pin down tracks like “The Horse Step Dance [Guaracha]” which has moments of Velvets like organ drone coupled with hypnotic latin bass and Ventures twang. “Sad Chatree [Talung]” is both intangible and otherworldly, coupling a relentless trance-inducing rhythm with an archaic Thai melody, which hovers and shimmers like an insect caught in hazy and perfumed smoke. There is much to be intoxicated here as this is music which defies rigid categorisation and easy interpretation. At times, the results are downright weird, “King Of Drums” sounds like the ghost of Lux Interior throwing primitive goo goo muck in a Thai temple. Odd and exotic indeed.' ~ asa

==> perch merch <==

had a request fer this fab new correktion of vintage thai 'shadow' toons & am more than happy to oblige. this one goes out to murky fecess :)

William Eaton ~ Music By William Eaton [1978, EM 2006]

EM 1059CD

'...Beautiful handmade looking sleeve, the design on the cover appears to have been done with a magic marker. If I was asked what the record sounds like I'd have to say it sounds somewhat like a cross between Fahey and Eno. It has a very sparse, mellow and cosmic vibe to it. Acoustic melodies drift in and out as what sounds like a harp or a zither through a delay pedal, echo, the sounds just hang in the air.' ~ waxidermy

gorgeous proto-new age private press folk strains from 1978, featuring 18 untitled tracks played on owl manner of odd guitars created & built by eaton himself. this was re-ished by EM a few years ago to like zero acclaim, which is a shame. some of the vibes are not unlike laraaji's celestial vibration in places, which coincidentally enuff came out the same year. i think optimism must've just been in the air for some cats, blissfully ignorant of how nightmarish the 80's would really become for hippies. the liner notes [thoughtfully incruded] are a thing of beauty in themselves, as billy endearingly traces his trajectory from playing guitar along to CSN & joni mitchell, to living out in the wilderness & finally discovering his passion for the intricacies of wood patterns & instrument building. in fact he is now a legit instrument maker. nice bio just hither

Bharat Karki & Party ~ International Music LP [1978] India

1 A Trip To Kathmandu 2:43
2 International Peace 2:41
3 Calcutta Calcutta 3:11
4 Come On Dance With Me 2:40

5 Forget Me Not 2:36
6 Dancing Rope 2:44
7 Arabika 2:52
8 In Loving You 2:51

This wild psych-funk trip is a private pressing from Calutta, India circa late 1970s. Bharat Karki & Party [a bit like Take That, with a wider worldview] commendably attempted a truly international style here, mixing Latin and Arabic themes with Western psyche-funk played on domestic Indian instrumentation like Sitar and various percussion. The result is a heavily intoxicating album featuring five singers and 10 players that feels completely unbound by borders and order, possibly assisted by some good drugs and the talents of a deft bunch of young musicians. If you like your psyche-funk euphoric, exuberant and glorious, this will give you a funny turn. Ace!

if you know more about India's psych scene, not indian classikal which is it's own brand of psych, but this kinda freak-out funkenfuzz type mess, testify! surely there must be more somewhere. 320 vinyl rip