On Obscure Music to a Canadian Ear
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Medium (Personal)
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2024/07/06
Canadian’s love themselves some Weeknd, some Drake — maybe less after losing to Kendrick Lamar, some Glenn Gould, Post Malone, Savrina Carpenter, Morgan Wallen, Billie Eilish, Eminem, Zach Bryan, and so on. Those chart toppers who make sick beats and smooth dance moods.
I haven’t commented on some obscure music, musicians, even specific songs that I tend to like or find myself returning, to listen once more. There’s a moving song if you get a quiet moment by Ablaye Cissoko called “Niani.” You might like it.
Ayub Ogada was a special musician, not merely for his talent and ways in which he characterized relations with his instrument, the nyatiti. He was peculiar in musical philosophy. In his community, music was relational, communal.
So, he described in as far as I can tell his last interview; he spoke of playing each time as a giving away of himself, then he would no longer be here — once he gave everything of himself if you finish the idea. It’s poetic, profound.
Given that I haven’t written much on artistic tastes or aesthetic preferences, obvious, Beethoven is a great Classical European composer and Bach, too. What about some individual songs, Scott? “Cool Tabla” by Downing and Mayer is okay, or “Denkilo” by Constantinople and Ablaye Cissok, or “Bugun Bize Pir Geldi” by Erdal Erzincan.
There is Erzincan’s “Kainatin Aynasiyim.” Of God’s green Earth, he was a talented one. Downing and Mayer’s “Elephant Race” was pretty good too. Norah Jones “Sunrise” is quite nice. Same with “Traces of You” with her sister. “Salterello” by Guillaume Dufay and Jordi Savall are good.
“Rich Spirit” by Kendrick Lamar is good. Same with “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal or “Ahead by a Century” by Tragically Hip. “Killing Me Softly” by Lauryn Hill or “Mupepe” by Zap Mama. “St. Paul’s Suite” by Gustav Holst has some nice bits in it.
“Umut/Gel Efendim Gel” by Arif Sag is also quite nice. “Big Pimpin’” by Jay-Z is alright. “Tsi Miova” by Rajery is good. “Tom Ford” by Jay-Z is a good repeatable song for work. “The Lark” played b Evgeny Kissin is good.
“Get It On The Floor” by DMX is great. “Blanco” by J. Balvin is good dance music. “Heartbeats” by Jose Gonzalez is sweet. “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree. I have lots of lists. If I get some more requests, sure, I’ll do a comprehensive personal analysis of music for me.
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