New Sound Quartet - "Bass Construction" (Marc Davis edit) (5:47)
The Saucer Planes - "Straight To The Point" (Marc Davis edit) (8:13)
Review: Producer, DJ, and revered collector Marc Davis returns to his Chi-Talo series with a much-anticipated second volume. The Chi-Talo series deals in split EPs; each entry draws on an ultra-rare Chicago house gem and an Italian disco record respectively (one for the A and one for the B), re-working both into an enduring dialectal retelling of each city's contemporaneous come-ups in the 1980s and 90s. This time around, we're met with a reconstruction of 'Bass Construction', first heard on the Italo disco album Crazy Colours by New Sound Quartet (1979). Then comes a wonky, handclapping rendition of The Saucer Planes' 'Straight To The Point', the original of which can hardly be found on the net at all, even now. Both are huge but humble versions, marking out the guidelines for yet more editors to come.
Review: Disco Dub Band's "For The Love of Money", a one-off collaboration between producer Davitt Sigerson and reggae musician Mike Dorane, has long been considered something of a classic by those who like their disco to come with a big dose of dub-wise flavour. Here the instrumental O'Jays cover, which originally appeared on the Movers label in 1976, is given the remix treatment by long-time fans Mr Bongo. The superb A-side, in which Dorane's instrumental talents take centre stage, naturally comes accompanied by the frequently played Dub interpretation, a typically wild and bass-heavy affair that sounds like it was mixed "live" in one take in true Lee Perry/King Tubby style. If it's not already in your collection, it should be.
Review: Mr Bongo present a staunch retro vision of Cuban-born violinist Alfredo De La Fe, one of whose sonographic creams was the debut salsa-and-more fusion album, Alfredo. Based between New York and Colombia, Alfredo worked with many of the greats in Latin music, including Eddie Palmieri, Willie Colon and Roberto Roena, as well as disco and soul icons Sylvester and Aquarian Dream. For a debut solo record, Alfredo is a real charm offensive, and a valiant experiment at that, mixing Latin dancefloor crunches with De La Fe's own, unusually additive violin, placed centre stage as he solos. The record - a favourite of legendary New York club The Paradise Garage - tonally shifts past the halfway mark, eschewing the A-side's chroma-jazzy clavier discombobulations for an early four-to-the-floor, daresay proto deep house excursion, 'Hot To Trot'.
Review: Paper Can't Wrap Fire is the third album from Melbourne/Naarm multi-instrumentalist Don Glori, and it is a rich mix of jazz, soul, funk and R&B, but also marks a bold evolution in the artist's own songwriting. The title is based on a Chinese proverb about truth and underpins reflective tracks like the soulful 'Brown Eyes,' satirical 'Disaster,' and introspective 'Flicker' Recorded in Naarm with friends and past bandmates, these sparkling sounds are brimful of the sort of life-affirming harmonies and dynamic musical interplay that makes you smile broadly, while the heartfelt lyrics make this town mark. Influences from the likes Azymuth, SAULT, and Jordan Rakei are all clear, but Don Glori crafts his own take on those sounds that speaks to both emotion and intellect.
Review: Over the course of two fine, full-length excursions, Don Glori (real name Gordon Li) has perfected a warm, breezy and frequently life-affirming trademark sound that cannily joins the dots between jazz, samba, MPB, jazz-funk and soul. He leans into the latter elements more on summery third set Paper Can't Wrap Fire, drawing on the talents of a wealth of Melbourne music friends across nine sublime tracks. There's much to admire throughout, from the sun-soaked jazz-funk/soul fusion of 'Brown Eyes' and summery head-nodder 'Janet', to the spiritual jazz joy of 'Song For Ants', the Brazilian brilliance of 'Precious' and the oceans-deep nu-jazz shuffle of 'Saturn's Return'.
Review: The third album from Melbourne/Naarm multi-instrumentalist Don Glori merges jazz, soul, funk and r&b and marks a confident leap forward in his songwriting journey. Anchored by a Chinese proverb about truth, Paper Can't Wrap Fire explores themes of honesty and introspection across standout tracks like the silky 'Brown Eyes,' the sharp-witted 'Disaster' and the meditative 'Flicker.' It was recorded with close friends and longtime collaborators and radiates warmth, spontaneity and rich musical chemistry. While nodding to influences like Azymuth, SAULT, and Jordan Rakei, Don Glori delivers a sound entirely his own and it is wonderfully intimate.
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