Artist: Spaghetti Eastern Music
Title: Sketches of Spam
Label: Bad Egg Records
Genre: rock/post-rock/experimental
CD Review by Dawoud Kringle
Every now and again, my friend Sohrab Saadat (editor / publisher of DBDBD) just loves to give me music that challenges my ability as a reviewer. He did it again with Spaghetti Eastern Music‘s new release Sketches of Spam, the solo project of New York based musician Sal Cataldi.
Artist: Church of Betty
Title: Swirled World
Label: Shop Fang Records
Genre: psychedelic rock / progressive world chamber rock
Review by Dawoud Kringle
Brooklyn’s Church of Betty, the brainchild of sitarist / guitarist Chris Rael, was, from its beginning, an interesting anomaly. Being a sitar player myself, I was intrigued by his concept. COB first hit the scene in 1998. An impressive list of musicians who performed and recorded with COB includes tabla master and Rael’s longtime collaborator, Deep Singh. Their live performances brought theatrics and dance to their live sound. Rael’s sitar style, far from orthodox classical raga, nonetheless used raga as a framework he built on a pop / rock / folk / psychedelic foundation.
Artist: The Liberation Music Collective
Title: Siglo XXI
Label: Ad Astrum Records
Genre: jazz
CD Review by Dawoud Kringle
The idea of jazz as a catalyst for social change is not new. Throughout its history, jazz musicians have sought to use the art form to articulate societal ills, and present solutions (which almost always focus on spiritual realms, although a few use it as a platform for a political agenda, such as socialism). The most fascinating aspect of this is that, unlike other music genres, folk, rap, etc., many such “jazz activists” have sought to do this through instrumental music. This is unique to jazz. However, those who do this have become rare in recent years.
Artist: Kaos Protokoll
Title: Questclamationmarks
Label: Prolong Rec
Genre: nu jazz
CD Review by Dawoud Kringle
Kaos Protokoll is a Switzerland based electronica Jazz ensemble whose work has raised a few eyebrows in the past. Comprised of Benedikt Wieland (e-bass, effects), Flo Reichle (drums/electronics), Marc Stucki (saxophone, melodica, and effects) Kaos Protokoll’s new CD, Questclamationmarks is a departure from their first release Quick & Dirty. Whereas Quick & Dirty was straight forward in its punk ethic, Questclamationmarks takes the listener into their more refined and multifaceted potential.
Artist: Elikeh
Title: Kondona
Label: Ropeadope Records
Genre: Afropop
New Life in an Old Ceremony: Elikeh Experiences Its Kondona
Music can change everything. As the poet wrote, it has charms to soothe the savage breast. And it can also bring a band back from the dead, giving it a new spark of energy and creativity. For Washington, DC-based Afropop band Elikeh, the results of that musical resurrection are proudly displayed on the EP Kondona (released November 20, 2015).
