Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus

 

Artist: Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus

LP: Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus

Song: "Kavalie O Dam"

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Song: "Se Ou Mwen In Me"

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Happy New Year! I realize I'm arriving a little late with my greeting, but so much has already happened in 2021, I simply haven't had time to post anything. Our President tried to ruin our country with insidious lies, zillions of his devotees ransacked the U.S. Capitol Building with all of the country's representatives inside (while the President reportedly sat at home, watching the unfolding of events and eating popcorn), and my lovely Auntie Karen died of COVID-19. 

I know a new year is supposed to be the turning of a corner, the slate wiped clean and starting anew...but with so much smelly crap already being slung at us in 2021, I've decided to pretend that the new year begins on January 20th, with the ushering in of a new administration. Here's some music in the meantime from French-Guadeloupe artists Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus that I hope will bring you cheer.

 

[ Jacob F. Desvarieux and Georges Decimus in early 2014 ]

Gibson Brothers

Artist: Gibson Brothers

LP: 7" single

Song: "The Singer Not the Song"

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Just popping in to say Happy Veteran's Day and to post something randomly pulled from my collection. I found this one for just €2 on my trip to Barcelona back in the summer of 2018. My ears have loved everything they've heard by the Gibson Brothers. You can't really go wrong with a formula Wikipedia describes as a "mix of disco beats, Latin percussion, soulful vocals and a catchy tune." I'm very sad to learn that one of the three brothers, Patrick, died this past April from COVID-19.

[ Gibson Brothers ]

Exuma

Artist: Exuma

LP: Reincarnation

Song: "Brown Girl"

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Song: "Metastophaliese"

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Song: "Pay Me What You Owe Me"

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Exuma (aka. Tony McKay or, originally, Macrfarlane Gregory Anthony Mackey) is my favorite new discovery! Born on Cat Island in The Bahamas in 1942, McKay went to New York City to study architecture when he was 17. He promptly ran out of money and, according to Wikipedia, some friends gave him an old guitar and McKay began performing in Greenwich Village clubs alongside the likes of Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Richie Havens, and others. 

 

McKay had moved to New Orleans by the 1980s and performed regularly there at nighttime hotspots in the French Quarter. In the mid-1990s he lived for a time in Colorado, reportedly inspired by the area's peacefulness. As for posterity, Wikipedia says "McKay fathered many children..." which makes it sound like he's fathered so many that nobody's been able to keep track! Shout-out and thanks to my sister Chas for the birthday money that led me to the record store (as if there's not already a well-worn path) where I found Exuma's 1973 "Life" LP, which, in turn, inspired me to obtain this 1972 LP from seller Riffs-Ahoy on Discogs. It arrived yesterday! 

 

[ Tony McKay: February 18, 1942 — January 15, 1997 ]

Lionel and The Clipper Trio

Artist: Lionel and The Clipper Trio

LP: On a Calypso Cruise

Song: "Wings of a Dove"

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Song: "Clipper Lounge Cha Cha"

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Song: "Mary Ann"

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If magically given one hour to travel to any destination at any point in time, I can never decide if I would go back to 1998 to have another eggs, sausage patty and toast breakfast at The Hurricane Cafe, which has been destroyed, or spend my hour on board a calypso cruise enjoying a Lionel and The Clipper Trio show live and in person. I could even bring this 1973 LP to have it signed by Lionel and his gang! I wonder if I'd be allowed to split my time into two 30-minute segments. In that case, I think I'd first go to The Hurricane, and then zip down to my calypso cruise, since I'd probably end up with sausage grease all over my autographed LP if I attended the cruise performance first, followed by the egg and sausage breakfast. 

I don't know if the magic will allow it, but if it does I'll try to bring you with me, since that may be the only way you'll get to properly hear Lionel and his Clipper Trio. The LP was recorded in some annoying form of stereo that my mp3 producing mechanism is not able to grasp, so it sounds like the vocals are being performed from a separate cruise entirely, one that only occasionally passes by the ship we're lounging on with The Clipper Trio. In any case, that's Lionel Lotmore on vocals for "Wings of the Dove," and, not that you can hear him, but that's William Anderson handling the vocal duties on "Mary Ann." 

Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys

Artist: Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys

LP: Rhapsody In Rhythm
Song: "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue"
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Song: "Tara Lara"

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I was milling about in Tacoma this past Saturday afternoon after a family get-together for my 8-year-old nephew's birthday in Gig Harbor and before meeting my friend Ryan in the evening to see US at Grand Cinema. I finally paid a visit to the wonderful Tacoma Book Center, and then I popped in at House of Records, where I picked up this 1955 LP by Spanish piano master Geri Galian, who, frankly, I've never heard of before. But then it seems most people nowadays haven't. 

According to the album liner notes, Galian appeared in several hit Hollywood films of the 1940s and '50s, he performed at places like the Hollywood Bowl and Biltmore Theatre in L.A., and at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas...but now the poor guy doesn't even have a Wikipedia page! The sparkly magic he whips up at the piano keyboard is absolutely brilliant and exciting—it's like he's playing all 88 keys at once! I don't see any reason why this guy shouldn't still be famous. It's time for a Geri Galian revival! You with me? I'm putting in an order for bobbleheads and t-shirts.

Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Boys on YouTube:

[ "Jungle Rumba" ]  

[ Geri Galian and His Caribbean Rhythm Piano ]

[ House of Records / Turntable Treasures — Tacoma, WA ]

Facundo Rivero and His Quartet

Artist: Facundo Rivero and His Quartet

LP: Cha-Cha-Cha: The New Exciting Dance Rhythm From Cuba — double 7" EP

Song: "Negra Mi Cha-Cha-Cha"

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Here's a blast of cha-cha-cha from the middle of the 1950s, when it was a fresh new set of steps that challenged the mambo as the Latin dance of preference in American ballrooms across the land. There's not much to read about Facundo Rivero on the Internet (although I did unearth a handsome lad by that name who's got a Twitter account), but the musical Cuban Facundo Rivero was evidently a famous pianist and bandleader, born in Santa Clara, Cuba in 1910. According to this short Spanish language biography, Rivero played music in Cuba for a number of years, then went to Mexico in 1950, worked in a variety of countries, then landed in New York City for a while after 1959. He then alternated between New York and Miami, ultimately retiring to the warm climate of the Florida city. I find no mention of Facundo's death, so I can only assume he's still lazing around in the Miami sunshine and will be celebrating his 109th birthday at some point this year. 

Rivero is just one of the talented Cuban musicians springing the latest Latin dance craze on unsuspecting Americans in this double 7" EP that contains eight tracks simply bursting with cha-cha. Noro Morales, Ernesto Duarte, Tito Rodriguez and Al Castellanos are among some of the others. The ad on the back of the cover informs us that "EPs are the answer to 'The Music you want when you want it.'" I couldn't agree more. EPs are like the Spotify of 1955!

[ Facundo Rivero ]

Silvestre Mendez, El Rey del Canto Afro-Cubano y Su Orquesta

Artist: Silvestre Mendez, El Rey del Canto Afro Cubano y Su Orquesta

LP: Oriza (Afro-Cuban Rhythms)

Song: "Nueva Oriza"

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Song: "Laye Laye"
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Song: "Malambo"
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The other day after work I was in serious need of some vinyl retail therapy, so I stopped by Daybreak Records on my way home. This spectacular collection of Afro-Cuban rhythms from Silvestre (Mendez), the King of Afro-Cuban Singers (or Rhythms, or both!) and His Orchestra is one of the things I found. According to the online Seeco Album Discography, this LP (catalog #CELP-426/4260) was the label's final release of 1959. I've got the stereo version, which turned out kinda' crappy on my rinky-dink mp3 converter turntable. The horns and Sylvestre's lead vocals shine, but the backing vocals and cowbell (on "Laye Laye") aren't done justice here. You'll just have to come over to listen on my Gemini turntable instead. According to what I've found here, Silvestre Mednez was born in the Jesús Maria neighborhood of Havana in 1921. He left Cuba for Mexico in 1945 and never went back.

 [ Silvestre Mendez: December 31, 1921 — 1997 ]

Calypso Rose

Artist: Calypso Rose

LP: Splish Splash

Song: "Me Ein't Going"
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Record Archive is humongous. When I first laid eyes on its Tweety Bird yellow exterior walls, I figured there was simply no way that the entire building could be filled with record store. But it is. I felt like Charles Foster Kane in Xanadu when I stepped inside. It's got to be one of the vastest record stores I've ever seen. Anyway, after recovering from my awestruck state, I had only about 45 minutes to browse before they closed for the day. So of course I was back the next morning when they opened the doors to pick up where I'd left off. Even then I was only able to dig through a small fraction of the records they have for sale. 

It was at Record Archive that I finally found the ever-elusive 7" of Missing Persons' "Walking In L.A.," which I'd been hunting for since the 1980s; I found a Bohannon record I hadn't seen before, a couple of Billy Williams LPs, and a few other goodies too—including this 1970s album by Calypso Rose (she was called Linda McCartha Monica Sandy-Lewis, when she was born, so you can hardly blame her for the name change). Rose has been living in New York City since before I started looking for that Missing Persons single, and even earlier than that she was the first woman to win the Trinidad Road March competition. That was in 1977, and she won again in 1978 too! There's more to know about this dynamite diva on Wikipedia here.

[ Record Archive — Rochester, NY ]