Abstract Index Playlist - September 30/10

Not feeling too inspired about blogging this week, but looking out on this grey day makes me want to put Pastor T.L. Barrett on repeat play. Actually, it's one of the few reissues that maybe I don't want on repeat play: I want it on vinyl and I want to walk across the room to flip the record. Though I'm not nostalgic/partial to LPs, this recording would kick ass on 180 gram vinyl.

Nevertheless, I have this beautiful slice of spacious, funky gospel in digital form and it still sounds plenty warm and life affirming. In brief, the term "holy grail" is bandied about this album from from Chicago in 1971. It's more religiously oriented than the "message music" fellow Chicagoans the Staple Singers were making around the same time. For sure it was recorded in more modest circumstances and intended for the choir's local audience. But Pastor Barrett had the help of some of Chess Records' great players such as Phil Upchurch, Gene Barge and Richard Evans, as well as a quality reverb unit turned up to 11. This album features soulful breaks all around, proceeds at a magnificent pace, and nearly skronks out at times when spirits are particularly high. After I dropped it to lead off the show, both Jason Palma and I just sat back and listened without speaking for a few minutes. He had his vinyl copy on hand and I must admit I felt the sin of envy.

Podcast

nobody knows - pastor t.l. barrett & the youth for christ choir (light in the attic)
san miguel de piuma - pena (secret stash)
tierra santa - sonora (no label)
ruas de grecia - munchi feat caballo (no label)
samba de palto - os ritmistas (mais um disco)
before & after light - cfcf (paper bag)
walk in the sky - bonobo rmx by aaron jerome (ninja tune)
kele dub - zazz (cegaci)
recife d'agua - digital groove (naive)
mexican hotbox - danuel tate (wagon repair)
bass drums - ramadanman (soul jazz)
kumble - arc djebe & zozodede (akwaaba)
higher man dub - glen brown (sunfire)
how can you mend a broken heart? - lenn hammond (udmg)
i'll let you go - dawn penn (pressure sounds)
set me free - 10 ft ganja plant (roir)
belladonna - suie paparude (local)
see birds - balam acab (k7)
pressure - quadron rmx by andi muller (plug research)
overcaffeinated and underfed - the kora band (oa2)
cannonball adderley's tattoo - lina allemano quartet (lumo)
mile high like - mary halvorson quintet (firehouse 12)
modupe (thundershowers) - the flaming souls (up up up)
voy a hablarte francamente - rodolfo (discos fuentes)