"Eye Of The Spectre"
Chaino
Bacchus Archives, 2009
(Review by Jeff
Berkwits)
Was he--as claimed by
promoters--an African orphan saved by missionaries, or simply an American
born-and-bred bongo player masquerading as a savage? Chaino's background
may be shrouded in mystery, but in the late 1950s, when this recording
was originally issued, his exotic drumming and strange chants were considered
so sensual the album was marketed with the alluring (though largely meaningless)
subtitle "Unbridled Passions of Love's Eerie Spectre."
Just
over 50 years later, it's a peculiar yet still pleasing affair. About half
of the tracks sport foreign-sounding names like "Woo Din Ese" and "Seis
Nueve," although they're little different in tempo or timbre than numbers
labeled "Don't Do It To Me" or "Mating Calypso." Each of the 12 tunes feature
capable Latin or African rhythms coupled with distinctive grunts, moans
and whistles. Ultimately the package is more oddity than aphrodisiac, but
as a relic of a long-gone era it's weirdly appealing and, in its own way,
animalistic.
Buy this album from
A long-time aficionado of retro music and movies, Jeff Berkwits
has covered vintage sounds for numerous publications and websites including
Bachelor
Pad Magazine, Filmfax, Outré, and
Amazing Stories.
He can be reached at jeffberkwits@sbcglobal.net.
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