Marhabahia

Someone once told me that windborne Saharan sands sometimes blow westward across the ocean, depositing in Brazil. I was skeptical, but as it turns out, it's true. In fact, that sand is an essential source of nutrients in Amazon rainforest soil, and those wind patterns may have everything to do with the severity of the Atlantic hurricane season. Fascinating, eh?

As part of this month's reminiscence of some of 2006's finer releases, we look at the highlights from the (loosely defined) second quarter. That these records all have North African or Brazilian origins is partly coincidental, partly revealing of my apparent bias for those styles.

I've already written about a couple of these records: Cheb i Sabbah's magnificent La Ghriba, a collection of remixes from his 2005 release, La Kahena, and the latest effort from the lovely Natacha Atlas, Mish Maoul. Both hold up well with repeated listening. "Hayati Inta" from Ms. Atlas is one of my favorite songs of the year, all medina attitude, big bass line and solid beats. It's a nice contrast to the more acoustic sound she's been bringing to her live shows lately. The Chakadoons' remix of Chebiji's "Toura Toura" is exciting not just for the new perspective on the track, but also for the discovery (mine, anyway), of this LA-based production team.

On the Brazilian side, I got a lot of mileage this year out of Love the Donkey, from Brazilian-born, Brooklyn-based bizarro Cyro Baptista and his ensemble, Beat the Donkey. I've heard Baptista's name for years, as his session work reads like a Who's Who of contemporary music, but it was catching them live at the inaugural GlobalFest that really got my attention. The stage set was a junkyard of found instruments. The sounds elicited from them by Baptista and Co. were incredible to hear and truly a sight to behold. While the CD, from John Zorn's Tzadik label, is missing the visual dimension, the music is there with all its crafty charms. "Tap on the Cajon" and "Caboclinho" are but two of the highlights from this immensely engaging record. There's also a decent version of Led Zep's "Immigrant Song".

But my favorite record from the 2nd quarter and maybe for the whole year is Tropicalia, a brilliant compilation from Soul Jazz. Subtitled "A Brazilian Revolution In Sound", this collection is a revelation in sound as well. Triggered in 1968 as a response to Brazil's military junta government and the Brazilian establishment in general, the Tropicalismo in many ways mirrored the domestic upheaval occuring in the US at the same time. The movement so empowered the Brazilian citizenry that it's leading fomenters, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, were exiled to London. The movement itself may have been short-lived, but the music still lives and breathes, as evidenced by every single track on this comp. In addition to Veloso and Gil, MPB legends Tom Ze, Os Mutantes, Jorge Ben and the incomparable Gal Costa lend tracks that are soulful, hard-hitting, timeless, edgy and fun. I really can't single out tracks here--they're all amazing. Run right out and get this one today.

Next week, we'll look back with longing at some of our favorites from Q3 '06. Until then, please consider checking out some of the above. Below, you'll find the link to our most recent program. (Playlist is here.)

TerraSonic - 09 December 2006

BTW--I'm always interested in hearing from you, the listener/reader. It's all about you, after all. What were your favorite records/tracks/artists in 2006? Talk to me, people...