Jazz

Malia & Boris Blank - Convergence (2014)

2014-03-15T16:47:48Z

Malia & Boris Blank - Convergence (2014)


01. Celestial Echo (4:08)
02. Embraceable Moon (4:11)
03. I Feel It Like You (3:42)
04. Touching Ghosts (3:21)
05. Claire Cadillac (3:12)
06. Raising Venus (4:40)
07. Fever (3:28)
08. Smouldering Ashes (3:58)
09. Magnetic Lies (4:01)
10. Tears Run Dry (3:41)
11. Turner's Ship (6:43)

The king in Yello is back for his first collaboration in twenty-two years with some of the most stirring electro-jazz you’ll find outside of a Twin Peaks soundtrack. Yello has always been presented from a very male-dominated perspective, which is not exactly a surprise. The world of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank has long been known for the pitched-down vocal stylings of their ’81 cut “Oh Yeah“, an aural slice of minimalistic low-end that works just as well in a grind-heavy disco as it does to soundtrack a principal’s defeat. But it’s necessary to separate Blank’s work with Yello from this—his first collaborative work since the 1992 Billy McKenzie album Outernational. Though the instrumentals on Convergence bear many trademarks of the lighter sides of, for instance, 2009′s Touch Yello, Malawian singer Malia lends them an entirely different vibe than Meier’s uniquely smokey, melancholic baritone.

Of course, it just wouldn’t be a Blank canvas if the setting wasn’t drenched in the aura of after-hours jazz lounge of yesterday, and once again he paints a masterpiece of thickly-coated synthesized strings and ghostly percussion. The production values are, predictably, top-notch; if Blank has learned anything in his decades of music-making, it’s how to create atmosphere—and there’s plenty to spare on Convergence. There’s an out-of-time quality to the eleven tracks here, the same mysterious sort of implacable elegance one might find in the heavenly bodies that emerges from the opening sway of “Celestial Echo”and into “Embraceable Moon”‘s fragile skitteriness. It’s easy to see why the two artists felt like a collaboration would be a good fit. Malia’s vocals have just enough roughness to wear Blank’s compositions comfortably and confidently, whether she’s wrenching the heart on “Turner’s Ship“, themed around Joseph Mallord William Turner’s famed “The Slave Ship”, or healing it with the supernatural sultriness of “Touching Ghosts”. ---Shannon Glass, electronicbeats.net

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Malia - Black Orchid (2012)

2012-02-09T09:46:49Z

Malia - Black Orchid (2012)


01 – My baby just cares for you
02 – Don’t explain
03 – Baltimore
04 – Feeling good			play
05 – Four woman
06 – I love you Porgy
07 – If you go away
08 – I put a spell on you
09 – Keeper of the flame
10 – He ain’t comin’ home no more
11 – Marriage is for old folks		play
12 – Wild in the wind
13 – That’s all I want from you
14 – I’m going back home

British jazz vocalist Malia was born into a family of mixed African and English heritage in the small East African country of Malawi, which borders Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. Growing up with only the two local radio stations (one in the native tongue, the other in English) and her father's Beatles-heavy record collection, Malia was not exposed to a large variety of music. She did not develop the intense desire to sing and create music until her early teens, when for political reasons her family was forced to relocate to London. In this new land of plenty, Malia took great interest in the rich musical landscape that surrounded her, immersing herself in the dance-oriented new wave style that dominated the English music scene. Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday soon came into her world and transformed her life and world view, encountering influential black voices for the first time. She set her mind to becoming one of them one day. After finishing school Malia took work as a waitress while she organized a band to accompany her, singing ballads and jazz standards in bars and clubs around London. She came to a stylistic turning point in a New York café when she heard a pop-jazz track sung in French that had been produced by Berklee School of Music graduate Andre Manoukian. Malia was so entranced by the enticing mix of pop and jazz sensibilities that she contacted Manoukian to solicit his help. The pair fell in love with each other's musical ideas and potential, and set to work on Malia's debut album, Yellow Daffodils. Though the release features English lyrics, Malia gained enormous notoriety among French audiences. Her subsequent releases, Echoes of Dreams (2004) and Young Bones (2007), found favor among jazz fans across Europe thanks to Malia's unique, smoky vocal timbre and sensitive interpretation. Her records have climbed international soul and jazz charts as she maintains a busy touring schedule, appearing on some of the continent's most important stages. ---Evan C. Gutierrez, allmusic.com

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Malia - Malawi Blues Njira (2016)

2016-11-21T15:27:35Z

Malia - Malawi Blues Njira (2016)


01 – Malawi Blues Njira
02 – Love Is Holding Both Our Hands
03 – Chipadzuwa
04 – Let Me Breathe
05 – Disgrace
06 – The Seed
07 – Black Widow
08 – Moon River
09 – Friendship
10 – Wonder of the World
11 – Let Me Breathe (Bonus Track)

Double Bass – Dimitris Christopoulos
Drums, Percussion – Edwin Sanz
Guitar – Ahmed Fofana (tracks: A2)
Instruments [All] – Ahmed Fofana (tracks: B4)
Piano – Alex Wilson
Vocals – Malia

Malia’s sixth studio album, Malawi Blues/Njira, sees her clear, incisive voice again amplified in a soul-jazz context. ‘A record that I’ve long wanted to make… Right now the time feels right for this… I wanted songs that reflected my awareness and ancestry’, she sums up the vibe of the ten tracks on Malawi Blues/Njira.

The album features thoughtful, mostly slow-paced originals, with sparingly orchestrated piano supported by guitar and percussion, amongst them an almost minimalistic cover version of the classic ‘Moon River’. Right from the outset, Malia with Malawi Blues/Njira looks back to the sound of her childhood. ---amazon.com

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