GUMBO #256 Sunday, January 7, 1996 / Midnight - 3:00am Best of 1995, Part One! KCRW Santa Monica, 89.9 FM KCRY Indio - Palm Springs, 89.3 FM KCRU Oxnard - Ventura County, 89.1 FM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Opening Theme: ALIAS RON KAVANA - Soweto Trembles (The Jo'burg Jig) [THINK LIKE A HERO/Chiswick Records] BIG SANDY AND HIS FLY-RITE BOYS - Hey Muchachita [SWINGIN' WEST/Hightone] *Great* Western swing from Anaheim, CA. NATHAN AND THE ZYDECO CHA-CHAS with MICHAEL DOUCET - Zydeco Hog [CREOLE CROSSROADS/Rounder] Top-notch zydeco like we've come to expect from Nathan, with marvelous fiddling from Beausoleil's Doucet on every track. THE BOTHY BAND - The Morning Star/The Fisherman's Lilt/The Drunken Landlady [LIVE IN CONCERT/BBC Records] Released in Ireland and the UK in the first moments of 1995, this rerelease of live material from the mid-70s ably demonstrates that this was one of the best bands ever. GOLDEN SMOG - Pecan Pie [DOWN BY THE OLD MAINSTREAM/Rykodisc] Okay, I slipped a new release in there, but technically we *did* get it in at the station in '96. Roots-fock from Jeff Tweedy of Wilco (lead vocals/songwriting on this track), Gary Louris and Mark Perlman, formerly of The Jayhawks, Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum, and a few other folks. OCTA CLARK - Dixie Rambler Special [YOU CAN'T GO WRONG ... IF YOU PLAY IT RIGHT!/Field Span Music] Brand-new release from this 92-year-old Cajun acordionist from Judice, Louisiana, and brilliant stuff it is, with several *new* tunes. Backing band includes Steve Riley and David Greely of the Mamou Playboys, Rick Michot and Christine Balfa. POI DOG PONDERING - Complicated [POMEGRANATE/Pomegranate-Bar None] FINALLY, we get a new Poi Dog record in the waning days of '95, and it's great stuff, although it didn't grab me as fast as VOLO VOLO did. THE OYSTER BAND - The Shouting End of Life [THE SHOUTING END OF LIFE/ Cooking Vinyl] The latest consistently terrific release from this venerable English folk-rock outfit. CHRISTY MOORE - Missing You [CHRISTY AT THE POINT LIVE/Columbia-Sony UK] The Owld Hoor does it up good, just himself and a guitar, and it doesn't get much better than this. MIKE SCOTT - City Full of Ghosts (Dublin) [BRING 'EM ALL IN/Chrysalis] The former Waterboy does all the writing, singing and playing on this delightful and charming solo album. THE OLD 97s - Victoria [WRECK YOUR LIFE/Bloodshot Records] *Great* insurgent country from this Chicago outfit. *Almost* made it into the Top 10 ... WAYNE HANCOCK - Double A Daddy [THUNDERSTORMS AND NEON SIGNS/DejaDisc] *Great* honky-tonk roots country. ANDERS OSBORNE & THERESA ANDERSSON - Pleasing You [LIVE AT THE NEUTRAL GROUND/Neutral Ground Coffeehouse] I only picked this up on my Christmas trip to New Orleans, and it instantly went into the Best of '95. Acoustic, folk and blues recorded live at this terrific little coffeehouse; this track featuring folk-blues from Swedish- born New Orleanian couple Osborne and Andersson, each of whom had a good release in '95. SPARKLEHORSE - Most Beautiful Widow in Town [VIVADIXIESUBMARINE- TRANSMISSIONPLOT/Capitol] Wildly dynamic band that goes from the sweet and quiet (like this track) to lots of fuzzy noise. PALACE MUSIC - New Partner [VIVA LAST BLUES/Drag City] Just *barely* edged out of the Top 10 as well ... more great, plaintive singing and songwriting from Will Oldham and co., out of Louisville KY G U M B O ' S T O P T E N A L B U M S O F 1 9 9 5 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Okay, it's kinda cheating, really being a Top 12, 'cause I stuck in a couple of ties. Picking only 10 top releases from last year was hard. 10. HEDNINGARNA - Tra (Silence Records) "VargTimmen" Mind-blowing Swedish band (featuring Finnish singers), playing traditional music plugged-in, fuzzed-up and wacked-out. (tie) PETER OSTROUSHKO - Heart of the Heartland (Red House Records) "Prairie Sunrise" Gorgeous music from the American heartland, composed by and performed on mandolin and fiddle by Peter O., Dean Magraw and a talented cast of musicians. 9. BEAU JOCQUE & THE ZYDECO HI-ROLLERS - Git It, Beau Jocque! (Rounder) "Beau Jocque Boogie" Driving, forceful, irresistable zydeco. It's no wonder he's the most popular zydeco attraction in southwest Louisiana, where you're lucky if you can get a parking spot within a half-mile of Richard's Club. 8. THE MAGNOLIA SISTERS - Prends Courage (Arhoolie) "Les Fils de Nonc Helaire", "Sur le Bord de l'Eau" "An all-girl Cajun band," as it was described to my by Ann Savoy, who fronts this group with fellow Eunice resident Jane Vidrine. It's a joy to hear this much female Cajun singing, with lush harmonies. Here are two songs, a re-working of the Amedee Breaux/ Joe Falcon song fromthe female point of view, and a haunting, a cappella duet on a song dating back to Brittany and pre-Acadian days. 7. SONNY LANDRETH - South of I-10 (Zoo) "Congo Square" Sizzling record from Lafayette singer/songwriter/slide guitarist. No one else sounds like Sonny. (tie) RICHARD BUCKNER - Bloomed (DejaDisc) "Rainsquall" Superb singer-songwriter from the San Francisco Bay area. Great songs, and nice touches of fiddle, dobro and steel guitar. 6. MARTIN HAYES - Under the Moon (Green Linnet) "Cloonagroe Reel/West Clare Reel" Second album from this stunning Co. Clare fiddler, who plays in a very lyrical, laid-back style the he learned from the old-timers. He can tear it up too, as he ably demonstrates on this set of reels. Fiddle and guitar doesn't sound any better. 5. WILCO - A.M. (Sire/Reprise) "Pick Up the Change" The first band to emerge from the breakup of Uncle Tupelo, this one with Jeff Tweedy on lead vocals and songwriting. Country-rock in a more pop vein than UT, but Jeff's singing and songwriting is as endearing as ever. 4. BLUE MOUNTAIN - Dog Days (RoadRunner) "Blue Canoe" Terrific American music, roots-country-rock from Oxford, Mississippi. Consistently good songwriting, great energy, quiet and noisy to boot. 3. STEVE RILEY & THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS - La Toussaint (Rounder) "Je M'en Fous Pas Mal", "La Toussaint" The fifth release from this young Cajun band, who continue to preserve the Cajun tradition while still taking Cajun music into the next century. They've written some great new songs and tunes for this record, and let their hair down with some rockin' arrangements. 2. CORDELIA'S DAD - Comet (Omnium) "Katy Cruel", "Old Virginia", "Gypsy Davy" Brillaint Amherst, Massachusetts band, most of whose repertoire comes from the Anglo-American folk tradition, and which they usually play plugged-in electric. This record, with the exception of one track, is completely acoustic, an contains stunning performances. Tim Eriksen's a cappella vocals on "Old Virginia" are a standout. 1. SON VOLT - Trace (Warner Bros.) "Windfall", "Route", "Tear-Stained Eye" Ex-Uncle Tupelo Jay Farrar's new band put out, in my opinion, the best album of 1995. American roots music at its finest, wonderful, emotionally involving songwriting, acoustic and electric guitars, fiddle, mandolin, dobro, lap steel ... and Jay's timeless voice. The only record of 1995 that made me cry. Rounding off the rest of the show ... TREME BRASS BAND - Hindustan [GIMME MY MONEY BACK/Arhoolie] Great, rollicking brass band music, in a release termed 1995's best by WWOZ's John Sinclair in New Orleans. SANJAY MISHRA with JERRY GARCIA - Monsoon [BLUE INCANTATION/Oasis] Indian guitarist teams up with Jerry on some of the tracks of this enchanting record. NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN with EDDIE VEDDER and RY COODER - The Face of Love [DEAD MAN WALKING/Columbia] An extraordinary piece of music from an extraordinary film. VARTTINA - Tumala [AITARA/Green Linnet-Xenophile] Latest release from the Finnish folkies, this time with drums and several new compositions.