RECORDINGS : Quick Spins

CULTURAL SURVIVAL

David S¿nchez

Jazz saxophonist David S¿nchez no doubt gave thought to the effect it would have on his multiple Grammy-winning career when he recently moved to the Concord Picante record label. The Puerto Rican-born reedman, however, isn't out to woo a new audience with music that lacks substance, soul or a point of view.

"Cultural Survival" boasts several original compositions that demand and reward repeat listenings, including pieces inspired by the lives of sugar-cane plantation workers in Africa and the Caribbean ("La Leyenda del Ca¿averal") and the strife-torn residents of New Orleans ("The Forgotten Ones"). Twenty minutes long, "La Leyenda del Ca¿averal" is particularly ambitious, an absorbing album coda colored by African-influenced percussion and chants, spirited post-bop interplay and the now yearning, now passionate sound of S¿nchez's tenor.

Two of the album's highlights find the reedman paying tribute to piano masters Thelonious Monk and Eddie Palmieri. Having recently toured with Pat Metheny, S¿nchez is now fronting a band that prominently features a guitarist, Lage Lund. Winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Guitar Competition in Washington three years ago, Lund displays his harmonically subtle touch on a languid arrangement of "Monk's Mood." Latin jazz titan Palmieri, on the other hand, is saluted with a nearly 10-minute performance of S¿nchez's "Adoraci¿n," a performance distinguished in turns by a tension-building modal groove, the reedman's soulful phrasing and the dynamic pairing of drummer Henry Cole and percussionist Pernell Saturnino. It's also a treat to hear S¿nchez collaborating with guest pianist Danilo P¿rez on two tracks, especially the album's rhythmically taut title cut.

-- Mike Joyce

DOWNLOAD THESE:"Cultural Survival," "Monk's Mood"

WE STARTED NOTHING

The Ting Tings

The Ting Tings, an electro-pop boy-girl duo from Britain, are burning up iPod television spots with the bright piece of electro-disco, "Shut Up and Let Me Go." It's such a supremely catchy cut -- all '70s funk guitar riffs, rubbery bass lines and singer Katie White's sassy kiss-off to a former flame -- that it makes you think these two couldn't possibly top it. But on their debut album, "We Started Nothing," White and drummer Jules De Martino have crafted boundary-pushing pop by adhering to one oft-forgotten rule: Keep it simple.

The Ting Tings pack a wealth of musical styles into the album's short 37 minutes. Most of the time, the tracks are based on simple synthesizer fills, deliberately stupid guitar riffs and De Martino's deceptively simple drumbeats. (Think of him as the Captain to White's Tennille.) "That's Not My Name," for instance, features a cheerleader chant that cribs from Toni Basil's 1982 one-off "Mickey." "Great DJ" serves as an amped-up rallying cry for street kids who find purpose in the clubs. And "Keep Your Head" -- the album's standout -- wins big with clattering drums, staccato synth accents and White's effervescent, bratty vocals.

Like New York singer Santogold and the electro-psychedelic group MGMT, the Ting Tings are rookie artists who've released one of this year's most exciting debuts, creatively fusing elements of rock, electronica and hip-hop. If it turns out that this duo becomes a mere blip on the radar, then at least they've left us with a perfect soundtrack to some sweet summer parties.