Eclectic Summer 2020 welcomes the Dalai Lama, Little People & Rahel, Guappecartò, Eberhard Weber & more
Quite the eclectic week, if you ask me ;-)
Heyo! Thanks for opening this week’s Eclectic newsletter.
I couldn’t believe my eyes when Spotify informed me that the Dalai Lama of all people had released an album! 😆 I immediately shared it with my mom, who loves this stuff. Of course, she had already heard it!
Hopefully, you haven’t yet. It’s great, Eastern, spiritual stuff.
👉 NOTE
The best Eclectic listening experience is to open the Spotify playlist or YouTube playlist and start from the top. Let it wash over you while you work. Keep this open while you listen, and check back to learn about the artists and albums you’re discovering along the way.
The playlist is eclectic by design, which means it may not be suitable for every listening situation, like in the background of a friends’ gathering (unless they are also lovers of unique music!).
Enjoy.
Courage from the Dalai Lama
Little People & Rahel embracing
I first discovered Little People years ago in college through Spotify’s recommendation algorithm, which was excellent even back then.
Laurent Clerc was born & raised in Switzerland to the tune of a forward-thinking local radio DJ with his fingers on the pulse of the 90s NYC hip-hop scene. Later, he moved to the UK and discovered electronica, while also developing a highly cinematic sound thanks to some work scoring films and theatre.
All these elements are beautifully balanced in this week’s feature, creating a buoyant undercurrent for R&B up-and-comer Rahel’s flawless vocal performance:
(Funny, related story: When I was 20 years young and just starting to date this amazing wedding photographer studying film at NAU Flagstaff, I convinced the bouncer at the Green Room to let me see Little People perform live. They made me stand at the very back by the door, wearing a bright green wristband.)
Sorgen by Guappecartò x Blanchin Adele / Nattagh Jeremy
No, I didn’t pick this instrumental track because one of the artists shares my name 😂
I was listening through this 2019 release from Guappecartò, an Italian 5-piece hailed for their tremendous stylistic liberty, when this fascinating track came on. From the start, it’s a deliciously pleasant mixture of strings and winds, and it builds nicely into a fast yet soft rhythm.
It continues to build faster and faster, more and more complex, when suddenly about halfway through, it completely changes—God, I love a good switch-up. 🤤
Everything disappears to make way for a deep, dark rhythm, which builds back up into a truly head-nodding rhythm that is as intoxicating as it is unique. Listen for yourself:
Eberhard Weber plays the Colours of Chloë
Disclaimer: This is not new music by any means. Released in 1974, the four-track EP (of the same name) is a unique trip in experimental jazz of the 70s.
Colours of Chloë is an excellent, easy-listening jazz piece that captures Weber’s signature mixture of contrasting ostinato voices. It’s what you might call one of the more “accessible” tracks on the record, enjoyable to listen to and running just 7 minutes 51 seconds—versus, say, the 20-minute final track titled “No Motion Picture” that rotates through every possible combination of jazz sounds you can imagine! (If you’re feeling extra adventurous, give that one a listen too. 😉)
Unfortunately, the YouTube upload is only for “music premium” subscribers (oh, the eternal race for monetization!) but you can listen on our Spotify playlist as well as on a bootlegged Dailymotion upload (until they take it down).
So why did I decide to feature it?
Because it’s excellent jazz.
Because one of my favorite artists sampled it—40 Winks (instrumental hip-hop with a twist) on their 2011 release “It’s the Trip.” Give Sun Spots a listen too to hear the similarities & differences.
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Alright, that’s all, folks! Thanks for tuning in, hope you like what you’re hearing. Hit reply to let me know!
Have a great weekend,
-jtc