“Without music, life would be a mistake” – Friedrich Neitzsche
A reader and music lover from Trinidad has provided the Seriously Good Music for this week. Enjoy the selections, and let us know what you think.
“Tata Masamba” – Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca (1996)
“Tata Masamba” is an excellent album to introduce a neophyte to “African Rhumba”. This is one of those albums where you will find yourself listening to every song multiple times and soon singing along. “Mama Kiyelele,” “Prima Donna” and “Yiri Yiri Bon” are standouts but the entire album gets 5 stars…
“The New Standard” – Herbie Hancock (1996)
From the track 1 to 10, Herbie Hancock’s reinterpretation of these familiar songs can only be described as… 
“If This Bass Could Only Talk” – Stanley Clark (1988)
The title song with Stanley on the “Brown Bass” and the late Gregory Hines tap dancing sets the tone for the album. The interpretations of a classic such as Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” to Janet Jackson’s “Funny How time Flies” (with Freddie Hubbard) together with the material introduced for this outing are all excellent.
“Afrodeezia” – Marcus Miller (2015)
Together, the tour to the slave way station in Senegal and the song it inspired, “Goreé,” kickstarted a musical journey from West Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and the USA.
Many people will be surprised to learn that Marcus’ grandfather originated from Trinidad and Tobago and this helped him form a bond with another Trini descendant Ralph MacDonald. “Son of Macbeth” was dedicated to him.
From the tour after publishing this album – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acaIltShS2Q. A must watch and listen.
“Flight” – James Francies (2018)
Debut album for the talented keyboardist. Easy addition to any library with “Sway” the focal piece from the album.
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