Aguabella – Desire / Case Fuerte (Dynamite Cuts)
Dynamite cuts have accrued themselves a sterling reputation as a label that releases quality music on seven inch without compromise. Straddling Soul, Jazz, Rare-Groove and Latin, Malachi Trout has been hard at work licensing album cuts from the likes of James Mason, The Mighty Ryeders, Weldon Irvine and many more. The label generally reissues rare and inaccessible titles, solely on seven inch, a DJs delight and good news for the thrifty collector. The sevens always come in sealed picture sleeves with hi resolution scans of the original album artwork on and the pressings are generally on point. Speaking from experience here, after having had a number of them in my DJ bag over the last few years. It seems as though no expense is spared in the manufacturing of these and the titles are generally strong, although there have been some rather unusual choices (such as Hector Costita and Brian Augers Oblivion Express).
Aguabella was an Afro-Cuban conguero who was once described by Dizzy Gillespie as the John Coltrane of the conga drums, who emigrated from Cuba to the US in the 1950s. He played with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee to Eddie Palmieri and Cal Tjader, even performing live at the Whitehouse. Eventually, he moved to the West Coast after performing in Jorge Santana’s Latin rock band Malo, where he fell into education and taught undergraduate percussion classes in Afro-Cuban drumming at the University of California right up until his death in 2010. The A side Desire is a sunshine drenched West Coast Latin soul track—akin to some of Coke Escovedo’s material—put together with a vibrant horn section and plinkety plonk marimbas. Some great changes hit in the bridge that turn the track towards Latin Jazz, counterpointed by uplifting and soulful vocals that imbibe sweet harmonies. The feel of the track oozes with a Latin-infused funk, definitely a West Coast track in its spaciousness and optimism. Casa Fuerte, a cover of the Edu Lobo Original, is far more percussive and fast paced, a jazz dance track where Aguabella’s congas come to the fore. The song is a Brazilian samba, featuring a strong drum solo and diverse roster of percussion instruments on show such as woodblocks, timbales and agogo bells, which accent the deep South-American register of this track. A fast paced cut that wouldn’t sound out of place at a carnival celebration in Rio de Janeiro.
Buy the 7″ HERE
Check out the A side HERE
Check out the B HERE
Stone Alliance – Sweetie Pie / Sweetie Pie Live (Dynamite Cuts)
Stone Alliance were a Jazz trio made consisting of saxophonist Steve Grossman, bassist Gene Perla and drummer/percussionist Don Alias. In a similar vein to some of the 70’s fusion supergroups such as Return to Forever and Weather Report, Stone Alliance were founded by seasoned session musicians and well-regarded Jazzmen: a trio that lacks for absolutely nothing. They began their existence in 1964 when Perla joined Boston based band “Los Muchachos” of which Don Alias was conga player. During a stint in NYC through some of their many “loft” rehearsals, they encountered saxophonist Grossman, with whom they would establish the first incarnation of the group Stone Alliance. The trio recorded together on Grossman’s 1973 solo debut Some Shapes To Come, while Grossman and Alias would spend plenty of time recording and touring together in Miles Davis’ band—alongside their private endeavours. Stone Alliance released their eponymous debut album in 1975, produced by pianist Jan Hammer who sessioned on Grossman’s earlier album.
Released on PM Records, Perla’s record label, the overall sound makes for a heavy mixture of Latin rhythms and berserk melodic arrangements, spearheaded by Grossman’s wailing and incessant saxophone playing, offering up torrent solos at each turn underpinned by Perla’s moody and rigid bass work. Vaya Mulato and Samba De Negro are some of the finest tracks off the album, frantically percussive and up-tempo Jazz-Dance tracks with careering Afro-Cuban rhythms that undulate and pop alongside gritty Funk and Rock inflections. The best known track, Sweetie Pie, is the A side of this Dynamite Cuts single—with a live version taken from a performance in Bremen on the B—a track that hits hard immediately. It’s Bolshy, rude and playful at the same time, comping over a repetitive refrain that sounds like they’ve taken an instrumental warm-up and jammed over it in the studio until they’ve turned the phrase on its head, with the help of some lysergically altered inspiration. Long pauses punctuate the track, after which the instrumentalists come roaring into the fore, Grossman positively breathing fire through his horn while the rhythm section fumble around in a deep pocketed, sweltering groove that takes absolutely no prisoners. As soon as the mid-section is complete, the track returns to the initial phrase, which the players ebb out ‘til the elapse of the track. A sure fire headbopper, a caustic, stank face inducing number and a down-right nasty ass dance floor destroyer, filled to the brim with heavyweight melodics and a register that keeps on hammering away.
Buy the 7″ HERE
Listen to side A HERE
Listen to side B HERE
