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A few fans may find Latin roots-pop pioneer Lila Downs' return to old-fashioned, romantic ranchera music to be a retrograde move, but her commanding presence and the astonishing skill and economy with which she embellishes these old-school Mexican ballads with modern rock, electronica and even a tasteful dash of hip-hop will blow your mind, if you give it a close listen. Similarly, she weaves in the rich rhythms of Cuban son and Central American cumbia, reconciling and uniting several strands of Latin American popular music. The repertoire blends striking originals with classics from Jose Alfredo Jimenez, while Downs' dark, husky vocals give more than a mild nod towards the great Mexican diva, Lola Beltran, while Tex-Mex accordionist Flaco Jimenez anchors the album in a solid border vibe. You have to be willing to get into the style (and not everyone is, including plenty of folks who listen to other kinds of Latin American music...) But if you give it a chance, this is a pretty cool album, particularly how it points the way to a canny revitalization and modernization of one of the hemisphere's liveliest and most musically conservative genres. Oh, and Downs' old fans will not be disappointed: she's as authoritative, innovative and charismatic here as on anything she's done.

Wu Jinglüe 吳景略 名韜, 號縵叟 1907-1987 Yushan Elite master noted for his prominent role in the modernization and professionalization of the instrument.

The oud consists of a large soundbox connected to a short neck, distinguishing it from the long-necked lute family (tanbur, saz, baglâma, setar, tar). The body has a pear shape (the modern ones manufactured in Egypt accentuate this even more). Arabic tuning: D G A d g c Old English lute tuning: A D G b e a

New Orleans; Chicago; New York City; Kansas City; Swing; Big Band; Bebop; Cool Jazz; Hard Bop; Post-Bop; Free Jazz; Creative Jazz; Post-Modernism; Latin Jazz; Fusion Styles; Traditionalism; M-Base; Acid Jazz; New-Age Jazz; Post-Fusion; Post-Jazz; Post-Creativity; Rebirth; Digital Improvisation...

Dave Douglas - Trumpet, Adam Benjamin - Rhodes, Gene Lake - Drums. Marcus Strickland - Saxophones, Brad Joes - Bass, DJ Olive - Turntables. Moonshine, the newest album from trumpeter/composer Dave Douglas' Grammy-nominated band Keystone, is an album that moves musical genres forward into uncharted territory. The evolutionary/revolutionary aspect is found in the vibrant alchemy between Douglas' avant-garde leaning compositions, the relentless, polyrhythmic funk of drummer Gene Lake and bassist Brad Jones, the Sun-Ra-esque sonics of Adam Benjamin who plays a highly modulated Fender Rhodes and the post-post blowing of the front line featuring Douglas and saxophonist Marcus Strickland. But what puts this one over the top is the true integration of a DJ, in this case DJ Olive, into the constantly shifting improvisations of a cutting edge band. Rolling Stone called Keystone's 2005's self titled album, "a modernist requiem." Moonshine takes it a step further: a modernist recipe for the future sound of electronics, jazz, and new composition. "I think of it as Green Beat," says Douglas with a grin, referring to the organic way that the rhythms of vinyl, laptop, and drum set coalesce in this infectious, grooving new album. One forgets all the elements that go into this hybrid music, as each piece amounts to a masterpiece of modern jazz-informed composition and performance. There are many details buried in these tracks, and perhaps the most remarkable thing is that the basis for this recording was a single performance in front of a live studio audience. The state-of-the-art mutli-track recording of this session makes possible a hybrid of the best parts of studio isolation and live excitement. It allowed Greenleaf Music to raise to the highest level the post-production of these recordings.

List of Avant-Garde Jazz + Free Jazz Musicians / Bands | Page

A Space for Music ~ Music's New Instruments ~ Musical Inventors ~Tufts Winter 2007