It’s Under The Stars people, spend some time with us—and big-band Ethiopian Jazz charts from mavericks in the field, writing and playing with up-and-coming Afro-funk collectives.
MULATU ASTATKE & HOODNA ORCHESTRA, TENSION (BATOV RECORDS)
Some combinations need to be purchased without hesitation; immediately on sight.
At least, that can be taken as Gospel for this upcoming heavyweight meeting of the giants. It’s already sold out on the Bandcamp page. But have no fear; we are about to give you BARS on why you need to hunt down this bouncy-swingy Ethio-jazz meets Afro-funk project.
Bandleader and vibraphonist Mulatu Astatke’s Mulatu Of Ethiopia, from 1972, is not just a seminal moment in music; it established this certain type of jazz, a version only found in fleeting moments on blaxploitation film soundtracks—more funk and groove-driven than typical American jazz riffing off Eurocentric classical music constructs. Astatke took the ancient five-tone scales of Asia and Africa and joined them into something unique and exciting: a mixture of three cultures—Ethiopian, Puerto Rican, and American. Such a stunner of chill you can’t help but envision Bill Murray and Jeffrey Wright puffing on that indica in “Broken Flowers.”
Subsequently, Astatke’s arrangements can be found repurposed in BADBADNOTGOOD and El Michaels Affairs’ obtuse versions of this type of jazz.
The 12-member Hoodna Orchestra, formed in 2012 on the south side of Tel Aviv, is a collective of musicians and composers who initially bonded over a shared love of Afrobeat, and swirl in psychedelic rock, hard funk, soul, jazz, and East African music into their sought-after releases: None other than Iggy Pop deems them shirt off cool.
This melding of the two on Tension, including production wizardry by and featuring Dap-King Neal Sugarman, on this six-track release sees Astatke in great form with a proper orchestra at his behest to deliver reserved moments on the vibes, projecting smoky and ceded skies over the desert in the 70MM meets 5K epic travelog that is “Tension.” If there ever was a tracking theme for Richard Rountree’s Shaft in a tux, soul-controlling a Range Rover through the desert with the AC on so his Afro doesn’t succumb to meltdown, this is that get down, for sure.
On the brassy, charming, big energy composition that is “Major,” we see this dream combo tipping the scales of the ‘riz meter, swimming quite effortlessly in pristine Mingus Big Band waters, with gregarious organ solos and very well-admonishing Ellingtonian charts. As put forth in the liner notes: “This is Ethio-jazz on turbochargers.”
Check here or wherever you buy or purchase vinyl; it’s worth the hunt.
ERYKAH BADU AT BILL GRAHAM CIVIC AUDITORIUM, SAT/16
We should all file Erykah Badu as a genre unto herself in the record store. Who else could take one of my all-time, and I do mean all-time, Squeeze joints, “Tempted,” originally performed by the blue-eyed soul champion Paul Carrack—also known for the late-night jammy jam that is “How Long“—and revamp the Difford and Tilbrook mod standard with Soulquarians and The Roots keyboard master-heavyweight producer James Poyser. Elevating an already perfect DNA structure to resemble peak ’70s Stevie Wonder production and vocal form?
Erykah (freakin) Badu.
That brain, that vocal instrument—encompasses jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, and electronic music—essentially carrying the culture forward. ‘Cause that’s what she has done for over a quarter-century. Always popping up during a busy career with Questlove, Q-Tip, Tyler, The Creator, the late J Dilla, and others, constantly engaging with new ideas, sounds, and vibes. She and Björk have a lot in common, remaining must-see artists that have stayed relevant over an ever-evolving career. Decoding an industry that sometimes, nope, most times gives women short shrift. You owe it to yourself to witness a true artist.
Grab tix here.
VOLUNTARY HAZING, BOTTOM OF THE HILL, NOVEMBER 21
It’s not that difficult of a concept people. Life is messy. You deserve light in your life.
Everyday.
The 12-piece South Bay Ska phenomenon that is Voluntary Hazing, will be knocking and cooking that fourth-wave resurgence, aka New Tone, upside your noggin at the vaulted Bottom of The Hill in a couple of weeks, playing new material from their recent debut release Addictive Little Sounds. (The outfit will be supporting co-headliners Bite Me Bambi and The Bar Stool Preachers.)
According to lead singer Kayla Renelle, the album title comes from the daily wares we all engage with in modern life. All those devices that blip the TikTok’s, that blap the Facebook friend, that alert us when some bad actor is being dragged on Twitter (I refuse to call it X, that’s blasphemous)—it’s a mirror of sorts, reflecting how busy and fussy life can be with the electronics we choose to maneuver through our humanity.
Only a group of self-proclaimed “band nerds” could come up with that concept and have the most comical, taking-a-piss outlook. Why? Cause they cool cousin…
So let’s march this shit right down Front Street, I got beans on the stove…
If you want or require pure fun in your life, I suggest you walk your ska-loving butt down to Bottom of the Hill on Thursday, November 21, get there early, boppers—doors open at 8, they go on at 8:30—and take in the joy of Voluntary Hazing. To quote my fave nerd show, “It is the way.”
Grab tix here.
