Wild Weekend Vol. 46

A warm welcome to the first edition of Wild Weekend in the year 2011. What´s cooking, doc? Got some rather obscure stuff for you this week, with nyabinghi drums and sitars no less. But there´s also a sizzling Ike Turner party hit featuring Lonnie ´The Cat´, and a steaming jazz duel between two undisputed sax greats. What more could you possibly want? Check ´em all out and for chrissakes... have a wild one.

But first there´s Lightnin´ Hopkins, wishing you all a very happy new year. Lightnin´ (1912-1982) was one of the most amazing blues guitarists to ever walk the earth. Could play acoustic and electric equally well. Mean singer, too. His recordings for Alladin, Modern, Herald and Folkways are all essential listening. Dig in. Going to play you some prime jazz now, from one of the best Sonny Rollins albums around: Tenor Madness (´56). Here´s the title track, with none other than John Coltrane sitting in. A blowing session to blow your mind.

Lightnin´ Hopkins - Happy New Year MP3

Sonny Rollins Quartet - Tenor Madness MP3

Anyone remember the Band Of Outsiders? Probably not, as these mid-eighties New Yorkers never made much of an impact anywhere. But as the beautiful Dutch Girl Concern shows, they could have been contenders. I´ve got their No Reflection compilation, well worth it if you can find it somewhere. Makes you wonder: where are they now? Write in, you guys. Meanwhile, we continue with the rootsy nyabinghi sounds of legendary Jamaican percussionist Bongo Herman. Which makes for a wickedly relaxed rasta instrumental.

Band Of Outsiders - Dutch Girl Concern MP3

Bongo Herman & Eric ´Bingy Bunny´ Lamont - African Breakfast MP3

"But you´re so high..." Way before Tina and super stardom, Ike Turner was a pioneering bandleader who paved the way for rock ´n´ roll with his tireless Kings Of Rhythm. One of the funniest early fifties projects he had a hand in was the fun novelty stomper I Ain´t Drunk by one Lonnie ´The Cat´. All together now people: "I ain´t drunk... I´m just drinking..." And we´ve come to the end of this Wild Weekend already with a psychedelic folk trip by Moonkyte. Groovy sitars drone way out! Find it on an remarkable compilation called Shifting Sands: 20 Treasures From The Heyday of Underground Folk.

Lonnie ´The Cat´ - I Ain´t Drunk MP3

Moonkyte - Way Out Hermit MP3

Enthusiastic And Likable

Back from my hols, but not really full of inspiration yet to be honest. Still in a laidback, beach bum kinda mood, you know how it is. But I can´t resist to draw your attention to some very interesting reading material in today´s edition of British newspaper The Observer. In a piece called The Thrill Of It All, novelist and music lover Nick Hornby stands up for music bloggers everywhere. Take notice, The Man, as the Arsenal-crazy writer of High Fidelity and About A Boy presents some serious arguments in favour of the likes of us...

An excerpt: "It took me longer than it should have done to work out that the internet is one giant independent record shop – thousands and thousands of cute little independent record shops, anyway – and they don't actually charge you for the music they stock. The MP3 blogs that stretch for miles and miles, as far as the eye can see, down that stretch of the net that isn't reserved for pornography, are staffed by enthusiastic and likable young men and women who absolutely don't want to rip the artists off: they are always careful to post links to iTunes and Amazon, and the songs they put on their sites are for sampling purposes only. (...) It works for me. I listen, and then I buy what I like, because owning music is still important to me". Right on bro! Read the full article here.

As a soundtrack to all this, here´s some stuff that might just be up mr. Hornby´s alley. Or yours for that matter. Featuring something old (the mighty Sonny Rollins), something new (a fresh ditty by the David Wax Museum), something borrowed (a crazy cover by Japrockers the Golden Cups), something blue (´Jesus, this is Iggy...´). And Brian Ferry & co of course. Oh, the thrill of it all...

Sonny Rollins Quartet - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World MP3

The David Wax Museum - Jalopy Heart MP3

Golden Cups - Hey Joe MP3

Iggy Pop - Turn Blue MP3

Roxy Music - The Thrill Of It All MP3