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JANSMUSIC RECOMMENDED RECORDING

Respectable Groove: Mysterious Barracudas
Mr Sam SAMCD001

La Rotta della Manfredina; Trotto; Loose Connections; Les Barricades Mysterieuses; Mike's Tune; Strange Bird of Paradise; April Fool; Achavari Waltz; Chorinho; Henderson the Rain King; April 3rd; Drink to me only with thine eyes 

This is one of those CDs that I put on if I fancy something really upbeat.  It's full of energy, and I find it attractive because it's not a run-of-the-mill choice.  I guess it's something like Red Priest after too much whisky.  I hate to term recordings "crossover" because that tends to put people off.  Instead I will say that Mysterious Barracudas are a fantastic example of how music is there to be interpreted both by the listener or the musician.  The composers they work with have found inspiration from medieval dance tunes, contemporary jazz rhythms and Celtic folk melodies - tracks on this CD are arrangements of  lots of different material through the ages. The prevailing influence is jazz I guess.

The picture on the inside of the cover sums up what this CD is all about.  There is humour in every pore of this recording.   The CD takes its name, jokingly, from the 4th track, the Couperin tune, which is a fabulous arrangement, and is a musical representation of barracudas and other fish swimming in the sea. Like most of the tracks it lulls you into a hypnotic mood before hitting you with new ideas. Mike's Tune is a parody of an Irish dance tune; Mister Sam is my favourite, inspired by the Marriage of Figaro, very lilting, and carefree; April Fool is rhythmic and bouncing; Chorinho is full of laughter and high spirits, and so on.

The instrumentation is recorder, harpsichord, chamber organ, congas, double bass, cuica (what?) and misc percussion, and they weave this amazing sound world - out of which pop the familiar, in among lots of really interesting effects.  Each track says something different and conjures up another picture.  It may not be everyone's cup of tea. but I think this CD is brilliant.