Cunao, Sangre y Arena

For those in search of something new yet laced with tradition, I would suggest to you the band Cunao and their new album Sangre y Arena. It is an outfit based in Los Angeles, filled with the spirit of traditional music from South America, centered on song form, vocals, acoustic guitar, violin, accordion, bass, percussion and etc. It is in the presence and beauty of the songs in performance, the instrumental strengths of the players and the whole-cloth success of the tracks that put Cunao in a special place. South American, African and North American rock elements join together in a very appealing sort of mix.

This is not their first album, but no matter. This one is very good and you can always look up their earlier efforts if you find Sangra y Arena as compelling as I do.

It has a new village kind of authenticity, yet it is a seamless blend that is all theirs in the end. Give it a listen! Then smile? Yes, definitely.

Grand Fatilla, Global Shuffle

Grand Fatilla is a quartet the likes of which you've never quite heard before. On their Global Shuffle (Grand Fatilla Records) they create a kind of pan-world music that takes on convincingly Greek, Italian, Baltic, Mideastern, South Asian, Northern African and Brazilian elements combined for a virtuoso, odd-tempoed, very swinging set of pieces.

The musicianship is strong. Grand Fatilla is Roberto Cassan on accordion, Matt Glover on electric mandolin, Fabio Pirozzolo on percussion and vocals and Mike Rivard on double bass and sintir. They take on originals, traditional melodies, a piece by Piazzolla, and a couple by Hermeto Pascoal, including a very nice arrangement of the seminal "Little Church," which some will remember from a version on Miles Davis' Live-Evil.

This is rousing virtuoso "world" music in a progressive mode. Accordion and mandolin get some finger twisting lines that take the breath away. But it's all good. It reminds you that fusion bands did not invent the asymmetrical strings of quick, complicated line-weaving. But then these folks are like a chamber world-fusion outfit, too. So it all comes together.

If you are into a lively adventure about what a group of talented instrumentalists can make of the world, this one will get to you and fast! Very recommended.

King Tears Bat Trip

Well now here's one today that catches my fancy. A group called King Tears Bat Trip and their self-titled album (Table & Chairs 012).

This is out music like nobody else does. It's a Seattle-based outfit. The album is download only, five bucks. The ensemble is headed by Luke Berman, who plays an out, detuned guitar throughout. It's him, four drummers, chango-percussion and a big sounding tenor sax played by Neil Welch.

The sound of the band on this two-cut, 40 minute album is uncanny. The four drummers and percussion set up a monstrous quasi-African-Haitian groove, the tenor and guitar play unearthly themes, and the tenor solos rip a hole in the heavens.

It's wonderfully huge and crazy. Go to the Table and Chairs website http://www.tableandchairsmusic.com/ to hear the music and order a digital download. A better quality sound version of one cut you can listen to at http://soundcloud.com/tableandchairs/stolen-police-car.

Wowie-zowie! I hope they do some more!