By 1964 surf music was swept away by the British Invasion, but without the internet and the relative difficulty for pop music to travel back then, many artists around the world were still releasing surf style singles. One of the most notable was from a British born Japanese singer named Emy Jackson.

After landing a job as a youth DJ for Radio Nippon, she was soon noticed by a radio director who contacted CBS records, and the rest is history.
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“Crying In A Storm” was written by Yasutoshi Nakajima and singer Reiko Yukawa, and was released in April 1965. It quickly stormed the charts around the world. 

With the passing of popular musicians Meatloaf and Ronnie Spector this past week, I was reminded of one musician we lost five years ago yesterday who never received as much attention as he should have.

Jaki Liebezeit was a German drummer and the driving force behind the experimental rock outfit Can. His fluid and cerebral approach to the instrument helped propel this influential band.
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 “Halleluhwah” is from their 1971 album Tago Mago. It’s a nearly nineteen minute long jam, and showcases his perfect timing and feel.

​In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1940, after living on the streets of Havana and crooning for food, Beny Moré got his big break. He was invited to sing on La Corte Suprema Del Arte (The Supreme Court of Art), a cutthroat radio program similar to our Gong Show. During his first appearance, Moré was humiliated by a loud church bell and dragged off the set. Moré would not be deterred, and months later, made his way back onto the show to win. The rest is music history.
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“Se Te Cayó El Tabaco” is the first song on his 1957 album Beny Canta Y Cuba Baila El Inigualable. Written by Moré, it’s a glance back at the hardships of life on the tobacco plantations of Cuba during the 1930’s, and it’s a fantastic track.   ​

Another sanitized year hiding under masks is over, and as I reflect upon the hundreds of excellent records released in 2021, one that stood out to me was Summer’s Over by Jordana and TV Girl.
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“Jump the Turnstile” is the third track from the EP and my favorite, and not just because it samples the Beastie Boys’ “3-Minute Rule.” It’s simply an earbud jaunt around Soho, and a glancing smile back to Bristol and the trip-hop days of the early 90’s.