Annie Oakley allegedly once said “Aim at a high mark and you'll hit it. No, not the first time, nor the second time. Maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect.” Such is the case with Norman Cook, a.k.a. Fatboy Slim.

In 1988, after the Housemartins broke up, bassist Norman Cook tried his hand at being a solo artist and released the single “Blame It On The Bassline.” This track was moderately successful in the UK and led to Cook forming Beats International. After several releases with them, the unauthorized use of the samples got Cook into financial trouble and they folded. Back to the drawing board again and Cook would form two more projects, Freak Power, and The Mighty Dub Katz, eventually settling on the moniker Fatboy Slim. Bullseye…
​
“Next To Nothing” was originally released as the b side to the 1996 single “Going Out Of My Head.” It isn’t one of the many Big Beat dance hits that Fatboy Slim would be known for, but it is a very interesting electronic song that I'm sure made his techno-headed contemporaries jealous.  I especially love how at the six minute mark, he folded in Funkadelic's “Get Off Your Ass And Jam,” a sample that Public Enemy famously used in their song “Bring The Noise.” It's that subtle touch and attention to detail that Cook couldn't ignore.

The music industry has greatly changed over the last thirty years. Genres and styles that were once separated by the limitations of radio and geography have morphed or been absorbed by a new generation of musicians via the internet and social media. No longer do bands need to spend hours in vans, hoping that their songs will find approval in far-away, more favorable markets.

“Bright Ahead” is from the latest album With You For Ever by Stray Fossa. It’s an excellent self-produced track with brilliant guitars and drifting vocals. It’s also miles away both stylistically and physically from Southern Tennessee, where the bandmates once called home.
​
Don’t sleep on this talented group. I expect great things, and hope they continue to record and release their excellent take on shimmery, delay driven, atmospheric rock. 

Tito Rodriquez was born in 1923 in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico. After his parents died in 1940, he moved to NYC to be with his brother. While there, he was hired as a bongo player for Eric Madriguera. Two years later, he joined Xavier Cugat’s band and after a stint in the US Army he was fronting his own band as a percussionist and vocalist. 

“Descarga Malanga” is the first song on the second side from his 1965 album Tito Tito Tito. It was released on United Artists at a time when the British invasion had a firm hold on America. I love this track and what it accomplishes. From the start you have a classic piano montuno rhythm that quickly gets overtaken by its Rumba roots. Then it abruptly switches back into a more traditional Guaracha only to be replaced by Latin Jazz and its serviceable trumpet solos. But they aren’t done, and this playful dialog between Guaracha and Jazz continues.
​
Tito Rodriquez was also an accomplished singer and I’m sorry I didn’t showcase his talent here; I just couldn’t help but share this gem of a track from a musician who is often overlooked by music enthusiasts.   

When most Americans think of Lebanon they are reminded of wonderful people from a brilliant ancient culture with fantastic food, or they harken back to the strained relations between our governments. Most Americans wouldn’t think of Jazz musicians or anything remotely funky.

Jacques Kojian was born in Lebanon to a musical family. His father played the clarinet, his brother was a conductor, and his younger brother was a well-known violinist. After taking up the piano at a young age, Jacques found success away from war torn Lebanon performing and recording with several well-known Armenian singers such as Paul Baghdadlian, Karnig Sarkissian, Manuel Menengichian, and Adis Harmandian.

One of his most interesting recordings was from 1972 for EMI Parlophone. Oriental Mood was an early fusion record combining elements of Jazz and Classical, with mostly traditional Western Asian compositions.

“Nassam Alaynal Hawa” or ‘The Fragrant Air’ is an interesting take on the classic Rahbani brothers / Fairuz love song “Nassam Alayna El Hawa” or ‘The Breeze Blew Upon Us’. It is just as airy as the title suggests, while offering hints into various genres of music that only one so talented and well-traveled could do.