Levin/Minassian - Mingled Roots

Shrine by the side of the road from Bangalore to Madikeri, India.

Another tree pic, but we are going from baobab to roots in the mix, after all...

Mingled Roots by Tony Levin and Levon Minassian.

This tune is from Levin's 1995 album World Diary; while this album has substantially more surviving copies than, say, Laghonia's Et Cetera, it was a small enough release that Levin made all of the original CD covers himself by hand (they're a very nice brown paper kind of thing). Appropriately, the record plays more like a mixtape than a coherent album; there's even a clip of Levin's espresso machine that plays a recurring role.

This track is a duet between Levin (on upright bass) and Armenian doudouk player Levon Minassian, whose discography is, to say the least, sparse, but who has the presence to basically drive the track single-handed.

This tune is our first "slowdown" track; it's definitely for the serene listener at a serene moment. But rest assured that patience in listening will be rewarded!

Orchestra Baobab - Cabral

Baobab tree in Kimasso, Mali, 1996.

Cabral by Orchestra Baobab.

This track, from their new album Made in Dakar, features the spare guitar playing of West African legend (and Super Rail Band alumnus) Barthélemy Attisso, who apparently works as an attorney by day. Maybe there's hope for all us lawyers...

A new album by an old favorite. We have both been lucky enough to see this band live before their return to Senegal to play a standing gig Saturday nights at the Just 4 U Club in Dakar. Until we have the chance to visit, we'll just have to content ourselves with recordings (sigh).

Orquesta Joe Cotto - Descarga #4

For our fourth track, the appropriately-named Descarga #4 by Orquesta Joe Cotto, from the fantastic session album New York Descargas.

These descarga sessions began in Havana in the mid-50s, and were carried on in New York under the guidance of producer Al Santiago. The session list reads like a Who's Who of salsa: Cachao, Charlie Palmieri, the then-unknown Hector Lavoe, and many others. This selection is a pretty straight-up salsa tune, with an even blend of traditional son montuno and more New York-ish styles.

Dedicated to Emilio Pasha Valderrama Afsharipour, est. 23 April 2007!

El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico - No Es De Pena

No Es De Pena by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.

I really couldn't have come up with a better visual than the cover of this album, a live concert recording from 1984, when the members of one of the best-known salsa bands in the world decided on an unusual performing venue: Barrow, Alaska. The album earned them a Grammy nomination, as well as (no doubt) incipient frostbite.

Regina Spektor - 20 Years of Snow

After our hymn of preparation, a slow starting crescendo...

Trail behind Bridgton House, December 2005.

20 Years of Snow by Regina Spektor.

Mayur: This is from Regina Spektor's first (and only) album, Begin to Hope; a gift to Kate from our friends Ginger and Chris while she was in the hospital *yet* *again* (sigh) earlier this year. I'd missed it when it came out, though I saw it featuring in a lot of alt.music discussion. I promptly stole the album (I think that Kate's first sampling may come from this song on the blog!), and gave it a few spins through.

For me, this particular tune just perfectly captures the Tim Burton rush I get from the first snowfall, the crisp cider smells in the air, and the extraordinary quiet of cold nights. I can almost see Eileen and Rex's front yard already...

U Srinivas - Gananayakam

Gananayakam by U Srinivas. (To download or play the music file instead of the video, click HERE.)

In the long-standing tradition of South Indian music, this year's holiday music series opens with a prayer to the deity Ganesha, the Lord of Beginnings and the Overcomer of Obstacles.

Gananayakam (a reference to one of the names of Ganesha) is a Carnatic (South Indian classical) piece written by the medieval composer Muthuswamy Dikshitar and performed by the prodigy U Srinivas (a/k/a "Mandolin Srinivas") on the "double mandolin"; actually a Hawaiian ukelele that Srinivas adapted for Carnatic music. The use of western instruments for both Hindustani (north Indian) and Carnatic music is actually quite common; the violin was brought to India by the British and adapted for Carnatic music in the 18th century, and more recently, performers like V.M. Bhatt or Debashish Bhattacharya (steel guitar) and Kadri Gopalnath (saxophone) have brought new instruments into the fold. Hopefully we can all combine the best of tradition and innovation in our holiday celebrations!

About to begin...

Dear Friends and Family,

Kate and I are about to start sending you some holiday tunes via the blog for this year. Hope you enjoy!

Also, check out our friends Bill and Amy's music blog (whence we stole this idea), with new music for xmas '07, and new this year, Kate's card store and website!

Peace and Love,
Mayur