Land Of Kush / Big Mango, The
Album: Big Mango, The   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Land Of Kush   Added:Oct 2013
Label:Constellation Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2013-11-07 Pull Date: 2014-01-09 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Jan 12 Jan 5 Dec 29 Dec 22 Dec 15 Dec 8 Dec 1 Nov 24
Airplays: 2 2 1 1 2 2 3 4

Recent Airplay
1. Apr 29, 2023: Music Casserole
Drift Beguine, St Stefano
4. Jan 09, 2014: Rebop
Second Skin
2. Apr 08, 2023: Music Casserole
St Stefano
5. Jan 04, 2014: Around The Bend
Second Skin
3. Jan 09, 2014: Ranch... or Cool Ranch?
The Big Mango
6. Jan 03, 2014: World Tour
St Stefano

Album Review
Lestrygonian
Reviewed 2013-10-30
EXPERIMENTAL WORLD JAZZ, disparate influences blended into an epic jazz fusion stew. Written as “a love letter to Cairo” by leader Osama Shalabi after living a block away from Tahrir Square during the 2011 Arab Spring, the large ensemble finds intersections between free jazz, Middle Eastern / North African modes, and Brazilian tropicalia in a jazz-rock context. Female vocals from Montreal indie bands make most songs ideal for indie rock DJs as well. Often subtle and restrained, other times raucous and bombastic, the spirited top-notch musicianship makes for a wild ride throughout; there’s something here for everyone.
RIYL Zorn, Nels Cline Singers, Trilok Gurtu, Sao Paulo Underground, Ramzi’s Arabology show

1. (3:25) lots of random atonality, vocal ululations, electronics
2. **(5:43) Instrumental. Soft restrained solo keyboard for the first half, low synth drone accompanies skronky sax solo sounding like Pharaoh Sanders meets Colin Stetson
3. (7:30) Jangly jazz-rock romp with angelic vocals, looping guitar ostinatos and huge horn section
4. (2:16) Calm piano solo for the first half, then horns and vocals bring in a soft reprise of the theme from 3
5. (5:47) Piano and electronics-heavy jazz-rock, instrumental
6. (4:22) Epic and moody piece, starts mellow and builds into an impassioned dark electric ballad
7. ***(5:47) Instrumental, my favorite track. A noisy, fast jazz-rock take on percussive Gnawa style music with warped horn solos, incredible; ends with a long bowed bass solo
8. *(6:41) A rolling groove with dense string harmonies, call it orchestral Sephardic baroque-rock; shifts between Eastern polyrhythms and jazzy swung patterns.
9. (6:48) Straight 90s indie rock guitar riffs with some exotic percussion and blurred Joni Mitchell-esque vocals, builds in intensity until reaching soaring math-rock crescendos, ends with a lilting flute-driven folksy ditty

Track Listing
1. Faint Praise   5. Sharm El Bango
2. Second Skin   6. Mobil Nil
3. The Pit (Part 1)   7. St Stefano
4. The Pit (Part 2)   8. Drift Beguine
  9. The Big Mango