Quote from dasein on August 4, 2012, 09:41
Mercy, I could sit here all day and come up with various artists, but here are a few off the top of my head...
Umm Kulthum - If you're from the Middle East, the idea that Umm Kulthum is "a well-kept secret" is absurd... even decades after her death, she's insanely popular over there, on a level that rivals Elvis or The Beatles.
But in the West, she's criminally unknown and quality recordings are hard to come by. Much of what's available here are compilations of 3-4 minute songs in scratchy mono... these are good, but the really great stuff are live recordings of her famous weekly radio broadcasts.
The songs on these performances are usually 30-60 minutes long, and give her ample opportunity to showcase her jaw-dropping talents. She really does have it all: a gorgeous voice, unbelievable phrasing with a command of little microtonal inflections that a fretless or slide guitar player could spend a lifetime studying, and an emotive quality that crosses any language barrier. However difficult it may be to come across these recordings, trust me that it's worth it.
Marc Ducret - Lot of people know about Marc Ribot (deservedly so) but I see fewer people talk about Ducret. This is a terrible oversight, IMO... he is that rare player that combines undeniable virtuosity with an approach and sound that's entirely his own. I've seen him live several times in various Tim Berne groups and was floored on each occasion.
Otomo Yoshihide's NJQ - He's probably more famous in the Japanese noise scene, but he also has a really great jazz group as well. A really visceral group of players that I'd recommend to any fans of adventurous jazz.
Jody Stecher - A really terrifying musician. A virtuoso mandolin, guitar, fiddle, and banjo player. He's a master of Appalachian AND Hindustani and probably one of the few players who's played with David Grisman and Ali Akbar Khan. He's also a terrific teacher with several instructional videos. His duets with his wife Kate Brislin are a great place to start.
Lots of other examples I can't do full justice to...
Paul Bley's solo on "All The Things You Are" (from "Sonny Meets Hawk") - one of the "best secrets" in jazz
Robert Pete Williams
Hans Reichel
Lightnin' Hopkins "Herald Recordings"
Herbie Nichols
David Tronzo... the best slide player that nobody knows
Cedell Davis
Skip Spence's "Oar"
The Everyman Band (with a young David Torn)
And so on and so on..
+1 on everything Dassein said. He name-checked all those players I love, but am too senile to remember. 🙂
Hans Reichel is a serious genius. Oh crap — he was a serious genius. I had no idea till I pasted in that URL that he died last year! His radical guitar designs are a sound world unto themselves. And unlike a lot of experimental guitars, they actually sound, you know, good. RIP, Hans!
Quote from joe on August 19, 2012, 11:19
Bristol is cool for sure. I think the same Somerset chemicals are responsible both for the musical brilliance and the general depressive attitude. 😉
Wish I could dash out for a pint at the Arnolfini this afternoon...
'Sposed to be moving a stone's throw from Bristol (Bath) this time next year (my wife's from there, her Granny needs care). Ever been to visit the craziest guitar emporium in the world in Bristol? It's called Electric Ladyland and is run by this wild old fella' who used to work for the Who back in the day. Basically, he has every piece of classic gear you could ever dream up (Binson Echorec? How many do you need?), but he hates selling any of it. The good news is, that if he likes you, he'll let you borrow stuff indefinitely. My experiences playing with Shuggie Otis seem to have put me in his good books...
Snakefinger (Phil Lithman) played with The Residents but his solo albums are amazing he was an outstanding guitarist (one of the best I ever saw live) and his lapsteel work was revelatory. He died way too soon in1987 of heart problems. I can't recommend him too much.
Mallard was formed from the remnants of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band after he fired them in the 70's. The band included Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo) who's playing is unbelievable. There were 2 lps "Mallard" and "In a Different Climate" available as one CD on Virgin Records a must have for any one that loves guitar. There is also a bootleg of them live in Germany? AFAIR. As well as a video of thef show it is well done but the first song is rough because of a tuning problem with the keys. After that the show is excellent.
Many songs are on Youtube so look there first to get a taste.
Great stuff in this thread. There's a lot of great music out there that isn't heard as much as it should be. For me and a number of people, the band Silkworm (R.I.P., Michael, total ace of a dude) was hugely important. I'd describe them as a confluence of post-punk, Wire, Go4, and Crazy Horse, with some Television thrown in. Curiously, they just don't latch with people on first listen--they hear it and think "oh, this is rock music, ok, so what." Repeated listening might or might not stick, until one day when they're in just the right frame of mind, and then boom! Welcome to your new favorite band. (If you're not sure with the first link, stick with it to the 2-minute mark.)
The surviving members of Silkworm formed Bottomless Pit, which is in a similar vein, though which strikes me as more elegiac, rock music for broken-hearted adults.
My entry into the SKWM world was probably inevitable, but started with hearing a song from ex-SKWM member Joel R.L. Phelps on a crappy car radio one evening. Something about its quiet majesty made it through the teeny speaker, and I was hooked. Had to call the DJ to find out what it was. Joel's been out of music for the last six or seven or so years, but a sudden re-emergence took place this past fall. Joel's vastly underknown and underappreciated, I think. Here's a rather less quiet song.
Yet another player connected to the above bands is the great Chris Brokaw. I can't say enough about this guy as a guitarist, drummer, and songwriter. Just check these out:
Another direct inheritance from Silkworm is Austin TX's excellent band The Gary--I'd call them cask-strength American rock music. Like SKWM, there's something maybe too odd for a lot of people, but I hear melodies all over the place, in the overtones, in the interplay of guitar and bass...excellent dudes, too. I count myself as lucky to have been in this room: https://www.prfbbq.com/the-gary-live-at-prfbbq2012-3076
Over the last several years I've been more and more into Middle Eastern and North African music, possibly as the result of working for a while accompanying belly dancers. (Those were good gigs.)
Some highlights: Mauritania's brilliant Hammadhi Ould Nana, about whom pretty much everything I know is here:
From Niger, there's Group Inerane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv3BDgxuXh8 (From the music of Niger video by Hisham Mayet that first brought attention to them. I love this song.)
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Re: Best-kept secrets
