Il blog di Giuseppe Panella

BEI BEI & SHAWN LEE
“Year of the funky”
(Légère Records)

Gli appassionati della musica funk non si facciano ingannare dal titolo di questo nuovo album di Bei Bei & Shawn Lee in cui non è presente nessuna imponente sezione fiati, i riff ripetitivi delle chitarre “wha-wha” o i ritmi sincopati tanto cari a James Brown, George Clinton e Sly Stone. In Year of the funky a farla da padrone è il guzheng, strumento antico di 2500 anni dal

suono simile a quello di un’arpa seppur più acuto, che conferisce a ogni brano un ovvio timbro orientale. Già le prime note dell’introduttiva Love in Hong Kong rievocano atmosfere esotiche alle quali Shawn Lee ha saputo dare, con l’inserimento di una ritmica delicata quel tocco occidentale che rende l’album interessante anche a chi non ha mai avuto un approccio profondo con suoni tanto caratteristici. Bei Bei dimostra di essere una virtuosa del suo strumento e di riuscire a dare grande fluidità e originalità alle sue composizioni. L’antica tradizione cinese si sposa perfettamente con gli arrangiamenti creati da Shawn Lee e tutto ciò è marcatamente evidente nella già citata Love in Hong Kong, ma anche nella sognante Purple river, in Bossa rossa, nella title track, e nella suggestiva For your smile che conclude l’album.

Tracklist:

1. Love In Hong Kong
2. Kang Ding Love
3. Purple River
4. Bossa Rossa
5. Water Lotus
6. Year Of The Funky
7. Black Nylon
8. Danxia Disco
9. Soft Dream
10. Attenzione
11. See You Again
12. For Your Smile

Discografia Bei Bei:

2006 – Quiet Your Mind And Listen (Standby Productions)
2010 – Into The Wind (with Shawn Lee) (Ubiquity)
2017 – Year Of The Funky (with Shawn Lee) (Lègére Records)

Discografia Shawn Lee:

1996 – Discomfort (Talking Loud)
2000 – Monkeyboy (Wall of Sound)
2002 – Ape Breaks vol. 1 (Ubiquity)
2002 – Ape Breaks vol. 2 (Ubiquity)
2003 – Ape Breaks vol. 3 (Ubiquity)
2003 – Ape Breaks vol. 4 (Ubiquity)
2003 – Ape Breaks vol. 5 (Ubiquity)
2004 – Music And Rhythm (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2005 – Moods And Grooves (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2005 – Harmonium (Japanese pressing adds the bonus track “The Maiden’s Tale” Tommy Guerrero Remix) (Rush!)
2006 – Strings & Things (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2006 – Soul Visa (BBE)
2006 – Rockstar Games present Bully (Original Soundtrack) (Ultra)
2006 – Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads (Track “No Surprises”) (Barely Breaking Even Records and Rapster Records)
2007 – Voices And Choices (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2007 – Hits The Hits (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2007 – A Very Ping Pong Christmas: Funky Threats From santa’s Bag (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2008 – Miles Of Styles (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2008 – Clutch Of The Tiger (with Clutchy Hopkins) (Ubiquity)
2008 – Under The Sun (Original Motion Picture) (incluing 28 tracks of Shawn Lee and 11 tracks of Band Of Frequencies, Afro Dizzi Act, Low Pressure Soundsystem)) (Ubiquity)
2008 – Psychedelic Percussion (Pedigree Cuts)
2009 – Soul In The Hole (Ubiquity)
2009 – Soul In The Hole Instrumental (Ubiquity)
2009 – Lord Newborn And The Magic Skulls (Band formed by Mark Ramos-Nishita, Shawn Lee & Tommy Guerrero)
2009 – Fascinating Fingers (with Clutchy Hopkins) (Ubiquity)
2010 – Into The Wind (with Bei Bei) (Ubiquity)
2010 – Sing A Song (including tracks performed by Shawn Lee with Fanny Franklin, Marcus Malone, Bing Ji Ling, The Superimposers, Lord Large & Robert Bradley, Miles Bonny, Jeremiah, Princess Superstar, Paul Fryer) (Ubiquity)
2010 – Hooked Up Classics (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity)
2011 – World Of Funk (Ubiquity)
2011- Tabla Rock (Shawn Lee’s Incredible Tabla Band) (Ubiquity)
2011 – Celestial Electric (ESL Music) (with AM)
2011 – Organic Downbeats (with Alex Rizzo, Elliot Ireland, The Fingers Malone Ensemble) (Pedigree Cuts)
2012 – Reel To Reel (Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra) (Ubiquity) 302
2012 – Synthesizers In Space (ESL Music)
2013 – New York Trouble/Electric Progression (with Tim “Love” Lee, Barry Morgan, Herbie Flowers) (Tummy Touch Record)
2013 – Cars To Trucks (Ubiquity)
2013 – La Musique Numérique (Park the Van) (with AM)
2014 – Golden Age Against The Machine (BBE Records)
2015 – Outlines (Celestial Electric Music) (with AM)
2017 – Year Of The Funky (with Bei Bei) (Lègére Records)

(Pubblicato su Muzi Kult il 16/07/2017)