Hot Women

MISC WORLD – The great oddball cartoonist R. Crumb is, among other things, a devoted collector of old 78rpm records. Here is a compilation of female singers from “the torrid regions of the world,” recorded between 1927-1950, all pulled from Crumb’s personal stash. The liner notes give whatever information he’s been able to dig up, but a lot of times that isn't much. Great music, decent remastering job, VERY COOL!

Try any track. Fo’s Picks: 1, 3, 6, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18

1. Louisiana: Cajun blues with simple guitar + sawing accordion
2. Mexico: family string band, nasal group vocal (trio?), relaxed tempo
3. Mexico: hot Caribbean/rumba-style dance tune, nice lilting vocal.
4. Cuba(?): midtempo female chorus, very loose, lots of drums.
5. Martinique/France: perky uptempo vocal w/ guitar + clarinet
6. Brazil: quick samba with a semi-Dixieland sound in the band. Whee!
7. Chile: singing quartet + guitars, flowing uptempo rhythm, fun breaks
8. Spain: flamenco with powerhouse vocal, guitar, handclaps
9. Sicily: loud voice, Italian ballad with lively orchestra; a bit grating
10. Greece: Turkish feel (“Smyrna style”), moaning vox, quick fiddles
11. Greece: controlled “Rembetika style” dance, husky voice + trio
12. Algeria: powerful solo voice + oud(?), sparse but loud & strong
13. Algeria: rap-like trad vocal + breathy flutes. This will be sampled.
14. Tunisia: sparkling piano & strings vs. harsh vocal solos
15. Turkey: husky, soaring vocal + pipes & low string orch. Impressive.
16. N. Africa: sharp (falsetto?) vocal + violin & shaker; simple and bold
17. E. Africa: shouted/screamed vocal… hey, it’s 1930s Swahili punk!
18. Congo: layered vocal phrases & thumb pianos. Fascinating!
19. Madagascar: polite vocal duo w/ cute piano. Like an operetta.
20. India: ghazal with big vocal + trio, picks up speed
21. Burma: peppy, random-sounding band contrasts with deadpan voc.
22. Vietnam: loud twisty vocal with quiet plucked strings. Uptempo.
23. Hawaii: classic slack-key swing w/guitars + chorus; very nice
24. Tahiti: brief field recording. Solo voice, sounds like a work song.

[ Fo ] - 1/13/04