Currently Digging

Sonora Ponceña "Explorando"

Doug Beavers — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:28:54 +0000

Fania 1978

Swinging like crazy and creative-yet-always-accesible arranging by the great Papo Lucca. Particularly nasty arrangement of "Naci Moreno" and the great original "Canto de Amor" appear on this one. You'll be hooked!

Ivan Lins "Modo Livre"

Doug Beavers — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:22:06 +0000

Universal Music/Universal Latino 1974

Continuing with the Ivan Lins vein bigtime. This one is killing me even more. The harmonic usage here is a revalation, imho.

Q-Tip "Kamaal the Abstract"

Doug Beavers — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:18:15 +0000

RCA/Jive 2008

Really fresh stuff. Hip-Hop purists might say it's too "jazzy" with Kenny Garrett, Kurt Rosenwinkel and the like. Whatever. This shit is bad!

Ivan Lins "Depois Dos Temporais"

Doug Beavers — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:16:58 +0000

Universal Music/Universal Latino 1983

Perfect melodies. Perfect harmonies. Really inventive and fresh. Adventurous. I can't get enough!!

Stanley Clarke "The Stanley Clarke Band"

Doug Beavers — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:11:26 +0000

Heads Up International 2010

What can I say - I'm sucker for production. A sucker for big production. A sucker for virtuosity. But all very well done and very musical, I might add. I managed to run into this one on a Air Canada Flight out of O'Hare. I'm a big fan of the lead track, "Soldier".

Robert Glasper "In My Element"

Doug Beavers — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 03:59:39 +0000

Blue Note 2007

This record has been hypnotizing me for the past couple of months. I really love and identify with his harmonic vocabulary, along with the simmering and sometimes explosive rhythm underneath.