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Monday 3 November 2014

Spain's Cosmic Country Rockers - Arizona Baby live in Gijon 1 / 11 / 2014

Arizona Baby - Photo Ricardo Suarez


Arizona Baby are a Spanish band who, believe it or not, do a really impressive line in Cosmic Americana.

Their brand of Gram Parsons / Byrds influenced psychedelic acoustic country rock really works well - especially in a live setting. For a band that only has two acoustic guitars, a drummer and no bass, Javier Vielba (lead vocals and guitar), Rubén Marrón (lead guitar) y Guillermo Aragón (percussion) have a surprisingly full sound and are reminiscent, both in look and style, of an acoustic Byrds circa 1971 .

Check out this video they did for the title track for the 2012 album The Truth.



Their 90 minute set at the Sala Acapulco in Gijon on Saturday night was outstanding. I really enjoyed them. Below are two highlights.

Their new album is called Secret Fires and is available on Subterfuge. Check it out. They have a knack for writing tunes that are both catchy and imbued with a sense of good cheer.









More stranger than known
20 years of the Xixon Sound

Horizonte Eléctrico - 10 Great contemporary Spanish bands...

Horizonte Eléctrico 2 - 10 Flamenco Rock Classics

Los Brincos - Glorious 60s Garage Beat Psych Pop...

Yé-yé! Spanish Nuggets - Ten 1960s Grarage, Beat and Psych classics from Spain. 

Sunday 2 November 2014

Tribute to Jack Bruce - Radio Kras "In Campo Aperto" (podcast)

Jack Bruce

Last Friday night I had the pleasure of appearing on Gimi's "In Campo Aperto" program on Radio Kras in order to pay tribute to one of the best British bass players of the last 50 years - Jack Bruce.

Here is the podcast of the program we put together (in Spanish)

It features a few tracks form a fantastic concert Jack did with the BBC Big Band in November 2008 along with unreleased performances by Cream at the Ricky Tick Club in April 1967, the Spalding Festival in May 67 and Detroit in November 1967.

The tracks from the Ricky Tick (Sunshine of Your Love, Hey Lawdy Mama, Sweet Wine and Rolling and Tumblin) are particularly blistering and feature a band still in good humour and before the excesses and arguments of the last year of their history set in.

The Detroit performance in November 1967 at the Grande Ballroom (featured here are Steppin' Out, Train Time and I'm So Glad) is an example of three outstanding musicians at their improvisational best and pushing rock music to its outer limits. This is not necessarily "easy listening" music. At the time (and perhaps even now) it must have seemed almost avant garde and occasionally formless. Free rock even. It's challenging stuff and I would say that the Detroit performance is arguably superior to the later official 1968 live releases.

We also play tracks from West Bruce and Laing's 1974 Live album and Jack's brilliant debut solo album "Songs For A Tailor."

Jack Bruce was an outstanding and innovative musician who helped to revolutionize late 1960s rock by incorporating jazz and improvisation. This perhaps led to excess in less imaginative hands but also it made it more intelligent and complex - and interesting. Here we celebrate his life and contribution.

The program itself was somewhat improvised and we played what we had to hand on the night. Jazz radio.

Hope you enjoy it.

The discussions are in Spanish. The music is universal....


Radio Kras "In Campo Aperto / Intergalactic Sofa" - Tribute to Jack Bruce
Click to play in a new window or right click and save link
https://ia902205.us.archive.org/23/items/Aperto311014/Aperto31-10-14.mp3

If the above link doesn't work go here and download http://radiokras.net/index.php?id=2335





Rope Ladder To The Moon documentary
Here is Tony Palmer's excellent 1969 documentary which we mention in the podcast. A young Jack Bruce shows us around the Scotland of his youth, plays tracks from Songs For A Tailor and talks about Cream, music and the future.






More stranger than known
Cream live at the Spalding Bar-B-Que, 29th May 1967

Peter Green - "A Mind To Give Up Living" - The Blues of despair...

The Intergalactic Sofa - A Radio Kras Podcast

Freak Out! In praise of Improv

My Radio Kras Podcasts - From Punk to Funk