The Music Archivist

[gvopedz]

Michael Brooks, was an archivist, a music salvage expert. He worked deep into old age at Sony’s New York office: curating the company’s labyrinthine back catalogue…

Today it is the turn of Mongo Santamaría, a Havana-born conga drummer who died in 2003. Santamaría specialised in Afro-Cuban pop and Latin-flavoured covers of songs such as Proud Mary and My Cherie Amour. Matt rubs down the vault copy of his album Workin’ on a Groovy Thing and gives it a spin. I’m braced to dislike it but it sounds terrific….

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/21/my-father-the-music-archivist-sony-novel-catchers

 

[Daniel A]

Very nice article, thanks for posting!

A bit amusing that the illustration shows a consumer-level Sony reel-to-reel deck (if it's not a super clever reference to Sony, the rightsholder).

[Dan Gould]

Yes, very nice piece, thank you for posting this.

[soulpope]

Thnx for sharing ....

[mjzee]

This was a really good piece.  Thanks for posting it.

[felser]

5 hours ago, gvopedz said:

Michael Brooks, was an archivist, a music salvage expert. He worked deep into old age at Sony’s New York office: curating the company’s labyrinthine back catalogue…

Today it is the turn of Mongo Santamaría, a Havana-born conga drummer who died in 2003. Santamaría specialised in Afro-Cuban pop and Latin-flavoured covers of songs such as Proud Mary and My Cherie Amour. Matt rubs down the vault copy of his album Workin’ on a Groovy Thing and gives it a spin. I’m braced to dislike it but it sounds terrific….

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/oct/21/my-father-the-music-archivist-sony-novel-catchers

 

Mongo made Herbie Hancock a very rich jazz musician at a very young age. 

 

[Dan Gould]

11 minutes ago, felser said:

Mongo made Herbie Hancock a very rich jazz musician at a very young age. 

 

Not only that, but you gotta love Mel Brooks' shout out:

 

 

[medjuck]

IS this the same Michael Brooks who (with Cuscuna) put together the "Complete Billy Holiday on Columbia 1933-44" set?  I remember his notes on several other reissues. 

[Chuck Nessa]

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

IS this the same Michael Brooks who (with Cuscuna) put together the "Complete Billy Holiday on Columbia 1933-44" set?  I remember his notes on several other reissues. 

That would be "yes".