That Secret Sauce

Settle Down

I wrote the main melody for the chorus of “Gratitude” one late evening after a session in the studio. I was just sitting and vibing, playing, reflecting on the day and then suddenly this melody just came to me out of nowhere, actually together with the baseline. And it came together with some simple words. I was singing in my head “og jeg takker,” which is basically “and I give thanks for that.” 

That moment of time, that was just everything, the feeling of being in the universe, where there’s this loving energy, just very present, and the feeling of being humble and grateful for being able to sustain myself by doing what I love, and the feeling of being grateful to have such a nice family, friends around me. I was just very grateful and humbled by simply being in that moment of time.

-Morten McCoy

Pre-order Bremer McCoy's forthcoming record Natten now: https://orcd.co/y5aebdj

And watch their new music video for Gratitude: https://orcd.co/bremer-mccoy-gratitude

Bremer/McCoy - “Gratitude”

Dr. Hooker - Forge Your Own Chains - 4.42

Som Imaginário are the stuff of MPB mythos. Integral to Brazil’s Clube Da Esquina movement in the early 1970s, a heady blend of progressive rock, folk, psychedelia, jazz and traditional Brazilian rhythm flows through the three studio albums the band recorded between ‘70 and ‘73. Flying the countercultural freak-flag amid the context of military dictatorship, the Brazilian prog lords shared much of the sense of experimentation and bountiful fuzz bequeathed by their Tropicalismo forbearers. But armed with genius composers, arrangers and stupendously high-level musicianship, Som Imaginário introduced a potent harmonic complexity to Brazilian popular music, which would inspire generations of artists to come.

On 4th October 1976, having finished a spell of recording and touring with Milton Nascimento, Som Imaginário performed a concert in celebration of Nature Day in Brasília. The recordings of the show would become “Banda Da Capital”, which, for the past half century, has laid dormant, waiting for its mystical power to be untapped.

Som Imaginário - Os Cafezais Sem Fim

Mr Bongo proudly presents the debut album from Tasmania-born, Melbourne-based, Finn Rees. Gliding across a swirling palette of saturated hues, Dawn Is A Melody feels vintage yet vibrant, new but familiar at the same time. A spiritual, deep and textured jazz record, tipping its hat to greats from the past, capturing memories and reformulating them into new ideas with the help of some of Melbourne’s finest talent.

Expert keys player for the likes of 30/70 and Elle Shimada, alongside one-half of Close Counters, this debut LP was Finn’s conscious departure from the realm of groove-based jazz. Instead, Dawn Is A Melody places the piano and arrangements centre stage, giving Finn and his fellow Melbourne crew freedom to explore the spaces in between, new emotions and alternate soundscapes.

In Finn’s own words: “My intention with Dawn Is A Melody was to create a world; a microcosm of colour. Something rich and beautiful that allowed the melodies and compositions to reach their full potential. It was driven by hope, curiosity and the search for beauty and reassurance in this ever-changing world. The emotion behind the music is really about the journey of life, growing up and changing, as well as my relationship with Tasmania’s natural landscapes where I grew up, a part of the world that is incredibly unique and beautiful.”

The album arcs between opening, middle and end. Beginning with the optimism of ‘Looking Up’ and ‘Lagoon’, the former a celestial, string and harp marbled slice of positivity, the latter a spiritual journey of exuberance and hope, Finn’s fingers dancing across the ‘70s Yamaha grand piano. From there the songs blossom outwards with the cinematic soulful journey of ‘It’s Behind Me Now’ and Brazilian-inspired ‘Expansion’, as the divine ‘Crossing’ signals a transition to a new realm. The energy is transformed from the rich cosmic textures to a more intimate and personal feeling with ‘Ablaze’, ‘Between Spaces’ and ‘As It Passes’ which blissfully fades down to simply piano and strings to close out the record.

Recorded at Rolling Stock in Collingwood, Melbourne, Henry Jenkins was drafted in as recording and mix engineer, his minimal vintage mic setups giving a live aesthetic and warmth to the arrangements. Lucky Pereira and Blakely McLean Davies form the rock-solid rhythm section, with a hand-picked line-up of other Melbourne talent on display, including Cheryl Durongpitikul on tenor sax, Siwei Wong on harp, Audrey Powne on trumpet and Allysha Joy on vocals to name only a few.

Plotting a course from Alice Coltrane, through Herbie Hancock, to Arthur Verocai, this is a debut nourished by the past but firmly made in the present. A record unable to be age-stamped, casting ambiguity as to when, what era and by whom it has been crafted. Like a vintage lens capturing a current scene, Dawn Is A Melody is warm and familiar yet focused on the here now.

Finn Rees - As It Passes

Love 2 Reel

A gentle, reflective track for piano and jazz kit. Evocative of summer, hazy days with a warm breeze

Warm Breeze

La noche en La Lonja se desplegaba como un telón de terciopelo mojado. Las farolas arrojaban halos dorados sobre los adoquines, y el agua de la última llovizna guardaba reflejos distorsionados de balcones y sombras. Lucas Darnel caminaba con las manos en los bolsillos, sintiendo cada crujido de su gabardina al ritmo de sus pasos.

En el aire flotaba una mezcla de sal, café tostado y algo más… ese perfume de madera húmeda que siempre le recordaba a secretos mal guardados. Al pasar frente a un portal oscuro, un murmullo se apagó de golpe. No vio a nadie, pero supo que no estaba solo.

El contrabajo invisible de la ciudad marcaba un pulso lento, y los saxofones parecían colarse entre las rendijas de las persianas. El puerto, a pocas calles, dejaba escapar un coro de gaviotas que se mezclaba con el tintinear lejano de amarras.

Mientras caminaba, pensaba en Aeloria. En su voz suave, en la manera en que había dejado caer las palabras “Es tiempo” como si fueran un anzuelo en mitad de la oscuridad. No sabía aún qué significaban, pero intuía que cada paso que daba lo acercaba a la respuesta.

Esa noche, Palma parecía observarlo a través de cada sombra, como si la ciudad misma conspirara para que no olvidara que, en este juego, el primer movimiento ya se había hecho.

1.-Paseando-por-las-noches-de-Palma

Blue Six - You Just Can t Stop

Record label. Record shop. Film label. Since 1989.