Menahan Street Band – Make The Road By Walking
Track Listing:
1. Make the Road by Walking 2. Tired of Fighting 3. Home Again! 4. Montego Sunset 5. Karina 6. The Traitor 7. The Contender 8. Birds 9. Esma 10. Going the Distance Dunham Records (DUN 1000) |
It is not often that I blog about a record or CD purchase that I have made, but occasionally a new release comes out that goes the extra distance and really stands out among the rest. Last time, back in May 2007, it was Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's War/Mercury 10" single, this time it is the Menahan Street Band's Make The Road By Walking album. For me, this is the release of 2008.
To quote the wikipedia entry: The Menahan Street Band is a collaboration of musicians from Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, El Michels Affair, Antibalas and the Budos Band, brought together by musician/producer Thomas Brenneck to record hits in the bedroom of his Menahan St. apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. With influences reaching beyond the funk/soul/afrobeat architecture of their other projects into the more ethereal realms of Curtis Mayfield and Mulatu Astatke, the Menahan Street Band creates a unique new instrumental soul sound that is as raw as it is lush. Make The Road By Walking takes it name from an organization named "Make the Road By Walking" which is located around the corner from Menahan Street (on Grove Street) which "catalyzes change for low-income New Yorkers by working in five Impact Areas: Expanding Civil Rights and Civic Engagement; Promoting Health for all New Yorkers; Improving Housing and Fostering Environmental Justice; Winning Justice in the Workplace; Promoting Access, Excellence and Opportunity in Education." It sounds like every community could do with an organisation such as this. The "Make the Road By Walking" organisation, in turn, takes its name from the poem Proverbios y cantares XXIX by Antonio Machado (1875-1939): Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Searcher, there is no road. We make the road by walking. |
Mon, 15th Dec 2008 2:00:30 +01:00
Thanks for the review. I bought this CD on your recommendation and enjoy it.
I read your blog through http://planet.claws-mail.org/ because I'm user and fan of Claws Mail.
I also have 9 month old baby…not much older than yours.
UsingMon, 15th Dec 2008 9:39:10 +01:00
Hi Mark
UsingI'm glad your risk paid off!
BTW, it's Colin and Clo who have had a recent new arrival.
My best wishes go to both sets of parents and their little ones.