Pop & Rock News

Official remastered re-issue of Jorge Ben's masterpiece from 1981 - Absolute Brasilian classic!

Sissoko is the undisputed master of tamani (the original talking drum), that he started to play since he was a child (thanks to the teaching of his grand-father Djeli Baba Sissoko and Djeli Maka Sissoko and Djatourou Sissoko) and from which he is able to extract all the notes simply with a one, natural movement. Baba Sissoko plays also ngoni, kamalengoni, guitar, balaphon, calebasse, hang and ... he sings!

He is from a great and ancient dynasty of griots from Mali: in the Malian tradition, griots are deputed to calm down hearts and souls, by means of music. Baba Sissoko has been the first one to introduce the sound of tamani in the modern music of Mali.

In the Baba compositions there is a great influence of Amadran, that is a repetitive and hypnotic musical structure typical from Mali by which, according to many researchers, blues was born.

Among others, he worked and cooperated with Habib Koite, Rokia Traore, Ibrahim Ferrer, Buena Vista Social Club, Don Moye and Art Ensemble of Chicago, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Enzo Avitabile, Miguel Anga Diaz, Omar Sosa, Chris Joris, Bob Stuwart, Aka Moon, Roberto Fonseca, Oumou Sangare, Philippe Caterina, Toots Thielemans, Kasse Mady Diabate, Afel Bocoum, Cheick Tidjane Chek, Toumani Diabate, Ballake Sissoko, Mighty Mo Rodgers, Antonello Salis and many others.

In the latest works, Baba enjoyed working with Luca Sapio (in the album "Three Gees"), hosting Corey Harris (Grammy winner, star of the well- known documentary "from Mali to Mississippi" directed by Martin Scorsese) . also his work with DJ Khalab, 'Khalab & Baba ", released in October 2015, won the track of the year award at the 2016 Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards, an annual ceremony by Gilles Peterson, DJ of the BBC.

Never content with the ordinary, Baba Sissoko started his personal outstanding musical journey in Bamako, Mali, several years ago. Carrying on his shoulders the legacy of a legendary dynasty of Malian griots and repeating to himself that 'It's getting closer and closer but I'm not there yet' he broke all the boundaries,

His most appreciated satisfaction came few years ago when he found out that his firstborn daughter, Djana, a young and super talented 18 years old, decided to follow his path and to join him in the mission to deliver his meaningful message of peace and joy to the world.

Consolidating the relationship with the Italian producer Luca Sapio they recorded a new album together called 'Fasiya' that magnifies this cross- cultural exchange where looking at the roots to shape the future is the key

If ever a record delivered the promise of new excitement this one is exactly that kind. Baba constantly explores new sounds, and as a result, has electronically transformed his traditional ngoni into one of the wildest fresh sounding lead instruments to hit the music world in years.

With his arsenal of handmade instruments, he provided a mystic way followed like a comet tail by Djana's sparkly soulful vocals where Bambara blends naturally with English and Franc¸ais.

For the occasion Max Weissefeldt (Poets Of Rhythm, Dr. John, Guy One) sat at the drums and lighted up some fiery high-life beats, solid ground for tentacular horns arranged by M. Claudio Giusti that skyrocketed the whole record into the sky.

All recorded in Luca's analog studio, the result is an organic music corner stone that fueled by new and vintage obscure gear panoramizing a new sound directed at anyone who wants to lost himself in a vibey sonic garden, but most of all at anyone who can feel the beat, that basically means everybody.

Cochemea Gastelum is coming home to connect with his roots. After nearly 15 years of touring the world with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, the saxophonist offers a deeply personal album of jazz and indigenous-influenced rhythms. All My Relations¸ out February 22 on Daptone Records, is 10 tracks of mesmerizing and spiritually ascendant instrumentation. The first single 'All My Relations' is available now.

'All My Relations is a way for me to explore my roots through music. Some of it is a memory that is imagined from a time and place I've never been ('Sonora') or a musical impression of ritual ('Mitote'),' Cochemea says. 'I felt compelled to add the way I feel when I go to ceremony, when I feel connected with my ancestors, to the musical narrative.'

A California native with Yaqui and Mescalero Apache Indian ancestry, Cochemea grew up surrounded by music but without knowing much about his heritage. Both his parents were musicians, and they gave their son a heavy name meaning 'they were all killed asleep.' Cochemea has spent much of his diverse musical career - as a soloist, musical director, composer and ensemble player - exploring and iterating on roots music, and All My Relations is a capstone meditation on his own ancestry.

Originally conceived during Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings' final year of touring, Cochemea and Daptone's Gabe Roth cast a varied but familial set of New York musicians to bring All My Relations to life. A large portion of the album was created through improvisation and collective writing, where its 10 musicians created a melodic, percussive conversation. 'It was a beautiful experience - people would start playing and we'd work up these arrangements on the spot, then record it.'

'In a sense, this record is a prayer for unity, love and the recognition that we are all part of a web, and everything we do effects everything else,' Cochemea says. 'These days there's so many lines being drawn, I wanted to focus on what unites us.'

Cochemea has a long history of uniting multiple genres with his powerful polyrhythmic sensibilities. His roots in jazz, Latin, funk and rock led to multiple tours with funk-jazz organist Robert Walter's 20th Congress, and connected him with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings for their 2005 Naturally tour. Cochemea also played tenor sax with The Budos Band and Antibalas, and Baritone sax on the Amy Winehouse sessions, before becoming a full-time Dap-King in 2009.

In between marathon tours, Cochemea recorded a critically acclaimed solo album of soul, funk, and afro-Latin jazz, The Electric Sound of Johnny Arrow, all while doing session work for the likes of Mark Ronson, Rick Rubin and Quincy Jones. He's performed alongside Archie Shepp, Beck, David Byrne, Public Enemy and The Roots. Cochemea was also a featured soloist in the award-winning Broadway play Fela!, which led to historic performances in Lagos, Nigeria.

***LP includes an insert with pics & liner notes, and comes as 2LP (45rpm) set which is limited to 1000 numbered copies + download card***

"I recorded 'Live Without Fear' on May 31 1979 with some of my friends. We drove up into Evanston from Chicago in 3 cars on a day that smelled good and spoke all day sunshine... to 'Live Without Fear' means to live in material reality with faith... Peace on you!" - Soji Ade' 2018

With a price of well over $1000 on the few occasions the original LP has hit the market, 'Live Without Fear' is a beautiful album of humble purity and peaceful spiritual jazz vibes that lives up to the hype. With the blessing of creator Soji Ade and colleague Kahil El Zabar, we're delighted to be able to finally share their music with you, 40 years since it was recorded. As so often with private pressings, few copies were pressed and those that were suffered from little or no distribution. However, with our new remaster and with added liner notes from Chicago music archivist Steven Emmerman, their message of love and spiritual unity can now be revealed and appreciated worldwide.

NOTE: The original LP was released with both sides approaching 30 mins in length. This is extraordinarily long for an LP and as such the quality of sound will suffer during playback. We have therefore taken the opportunity to release the album as 2 x 12" sides, each cut at 45rpm, and the sound quality has greatly improved as a result.

The Brazilian born master guitarist Bola Sete (literally translated to 'Seven Ball' and a snooker reference) originally studied music at the Conservatory of Rio while playing in his own jazz sextet and small samba combos. Sete spent time in Italy and also absorbed jazz influences as he was a avid fan of Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt. It was these influences, along with the local samba and bossa nova flavor he was absorbing on a daily basis in Brazil that form the foundation of his sound. This record, his debut album from 1957, combines those influences beautifully in a perfect jazz samba setting, a fully formed artist who had been a professional musician for years before releasing this album. Sete counted among his admirers and fans such disparate legends as Dizzy Gillespie and John Fahey, and one listen to this masterful debut will tell you why. An absolute essential on 180 gram vinyl.

Being introduced to the work of Ludovico Einaudi at a young age, Joram started composing and home recording his own neoclassical piano pieces. The thread that runs throughout his compositions is the minimalist character: repeating structures that slowly build and fade. The works are electroacoustic spaces of sound with a felt, warm, melancholic undertone - translating indefinable moods into music.

This is the latest new installment of Soul Jazz Records' on-going collection of Rastafarian music at Studio One, featuring classic material from legendary roots and culture artists The Gladiators, Horace Andy, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott and the Wailing Souls, alongside a superb selection of rarities from Sir Coxsone's musical empire made up of one-off and practically unknown Rastafarian artists who recorded on a myriad of Studio One off-shoot labels in the 1970s - The Manchesters, Mellodies, The Nightingales and others.
In this new collection, we see that once again the prescient Clement Dodd was a man who saw the wider picture. In the 1960s it was Sir Coxsone who identified the creative potential of The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, Heptones, Burning Spear and many, many others. In the 1970s Studio One released an untouchable selection of the finest as styles moved from reggae to deejay to dub and, in the latter half, the emergence of dancehall.
But what is also clear is that throughout this era Studio One released an incredible amount of roots music, and not just the most commercially obvious. For alongside the career-building catalogues of Burning Spear, The Wailing Souls, The Gladiators and so on, one needs to be an ardent Studio One collector to know some of the truly raw Rastafarian music featured here. Groups such as The Manchesters or The Nightingales feel as if they were recorded straight out of the churchical chants of the mansions.
Black Man's Pride explains the links between the ideology of Clement Dodd at Studio One and the Rastafarian faith, which was the creation of Afro-Jamaicans and concerned above all else with a black consciousness and empowerment, a rediscovering of the personal and racial identity of black people. The movement began in the 1930s and, in tandem with this black consciousness, called for a rejection of the British imperial culture that dominated Jamaica, while creating an identity based on a re-appropriation of an African heritage.
The Rastafari movement was like a pivot, bringing together and balancing many vectors of ideologies. Marcus Garvey's Back to Africa movement, trades union discourse, anti-colonialism and nation independence, maroon self-definition and independence, the spirit of African rebellion in the Caribbean. For Clement Dodd, a black man and producer growing up in Kingston in this era, Rastafari was simply a part of his everyday world - from witnessing Count Ossie's grounations to the faith of many Jamaican artists at Studio One - from the Skatalites onwards.
Featured here alongside these classic and rare tracks from Studio One are new and extensive sleeve notes with track-by-track notes by Rob Chapman, author of the acclaimed Downbeat Special and Never Grow Old Studio One books.
The album is released as double heavyweight gatefold vinyl (+ free download code), CD with slipcase and booklet, and digital album.

LP DELUXE EDITION includes: Pink vinyl / Poster / Redeem code, Ltd to 300 copies, LP includes redeem code / Ltd to 700 copies - PRAED's fourth album. This is the ultimate kit to prepare calmly for the sixth extinction! The Lebanese duo delivers a raging interpretation of the chaabi - popular Arabic music - using synthesizers, drum Machines, samples and other devices. The result is hypnotic and psychedelic, on the verge of trance. The clarinet of Paed Conca and the soaring lyricism of Raed Yassin sound like distant calls for help emerging from a world that is falling apart and slipping away. The record itself is enhanced by its sleeve - designed by the Lebanese artist Raphaëlle Macaron - printed in 5 Pantone colors making it as explosive as the music.

LP DELUXE EDITION includes: Pink vinyl / Poster / Redeem code, Ltd to 300 copies, LP includes redeem code / Ltd to 700 copies - PRAED's fourth album. This is the ultimate kit to prepare calmly for the sixth extinction! The Lebanese duo delivers a raging interpretation of the chaabi - popular Arabic music - using synthesizers, drum Machines, samples and other devices. The result is hypnotic and psychedelic, on the verge of trance. The clarinet of Paed Conca and the soaring lyricism of Raed Yassin sound like distant calls for help emerging from a world that is falling apart and slipping away. The record itself is enhanced by its sleeve - designed by the Lebanese artist Raphaëlle Macaron - printed in 5 Pantone colors making it as explosive as the music.

The Visit was recorded in 1970 in LA and it redefined the existing borders of the psychedelic movement, resulting in obscure and complex songs with mind blowing instrumentation and depth. Not really a solo album at all, as Smith is backed by eight very capable musicians. Much of the music is instrumental, achieving a mystical and 'psychedelic' atmosphere, although there are a few more mainstream tracks and some nice bluesy guitar work in places. The original pressing (especially with the amazing psychedelic poster) has skyrocketed in value in recent years. Another significant collectable from the California rock scene that will interest many.

Der junge Texaner Booker Ervin hat sich autodidaktisch am Tenorsaxophon
ausgebildet. Seine markante Tenorausprägung ist auf vielen Mingus-Alben der späten
fünfziger und frühen sechziger Jahre zu hören. Darunter sind die wegweisenden
Longplayer Ah Um, Blues and Roots, At Antibes und Mingus Five vertreten. Booker
Ervin gehört in die Tenorsax Hall of Fame. Wie bereits bei John Coltrane,
verkürzte ein tragischer Zwischenfall auch Ervins Karriere.
Auf The Book Cooks sind fünf Ervin-Originale und Poor Butterfly enthalten.
Darunter großartige Interpretationen wie der langsame Blues The Blue Book und der
schnelle Blues The Book Cooks. Booker Ervins Debüt als Kopf von Jazz-Combos
führte den Tenorsaxophonisten und Meister des intensiven Spiels mit Mitspielern wie
Zoot Sims, dem Trompeter Tommy Turrentine, dem Pianisten Tommy Flanagan,
dem Bassisten George Tucker und dem Schlagzeuger Dannie Richmond zusammen.

Charlie Rich war mit Sicherheit einer der größten weißen Blues-Sänger aller Zeiten. Er
war auch ein erfahrener Pianist, Songwriter und Performer. Rich veröffentlichte 1958
seine erste Single Whirlwind auf Sun Records. 1960 nahm er seine ersten Top 30 Singles
Lonely Weekends auf, gefolgt von Who Will The Next Fool Be, Sittin, Thinkin und
Midnight Blues.
Wenn es um künstlerische Integrität und musikalische Qualität geht, stand Rich mit den
anderen Sun Cats auf einer Stufe: Presley, Cash, Orbison, Perkins und sogar Jerry Lee
verehrten die umfassende und vielfältige Begabung von Charlie Rich.
Lonely Weekends umfasst 21 seiner besten Tracks!

Chris Potter, Jahrgang 1971, ist ein US-amerikanischer Jazz-Saxophonist und Komponist.
Potter spielte sein erstes professionelles Jazz-Konzert bereits mit 13 Jahren. Er veröffentlichte eine
Anzahl von Alben als Bandleader und nahm mit Jazzmusikern wie Kenny Werner, Red Rodney,
Marian McPartland und der Mingus Big Band auf. Das neue Album Circuits zeigt durch
elektronische Einflüsse eine neue Seite der Saxophon-Legende. Circuits bietet eine lebendige
Klangwelt aus Elektronik, unvergesslichen Melodien und überraschenden Elementen und
spricht sowohl die engagierten Potter-Fans als auch neue Hörer an.
Seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten begeistert Potters Kreativität, seine mühelose Virtuosität und sein
Sinn für Musik und Fans gleichermaßen. Nicht ohne Grund wird er als einer der besten und
einflussreichsten Saxophonisten und einfallsreichsten Improvistoren der modernen Zeit
bezeichnet. Chris Potters All-Star-Band besteht aus dem 23-jährigem Keyboarder und Blue Note
Artist James Frances, dem Drum-Virtuosen Eric Harland und dem Bassisten Linely Marthe.

Local Talk is proud to present the first of two 10" releases featuring music by Kyoto Jazz Sextet.Rising is taken from their second album 'Unity' released on Blue Note in 2017 and besides the beautiful original we've included a stunning remix by Ron Trent that catches you immediately.

Named after the rough and ready bars where labourers gathered to drink and dance, barrelhouse was a raucous form of piano blues that got the juke joints swinging.

From early pioneers such as Cow Cow Davenport and Speckled Red to the boogie-woogie legends Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons, this collection charts the rise and incredible influence of this good-time blues.

A classic collection of up-beat piano blues originating from the 'juke joints' of the rural Southern States featuring many legendary blues pianists including Leroy Carr, Cripple Clarence Lofton and Montana Taylor. Includes FREE

download card enabling you to download the full album as well as bonus barrelhouse blues tracks

'Let Me Ride / Still D.R.E' is the second 7' single from multiinstrumentalist Sly5thAve's 'The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute To Dr.

Dre' LP. This instalment offers a rework of Dre's notorious 'Let Me Ride' and the timeless 'Still D.R.E'.

The A-Side leads with 'Let Me Ride (feat. Jimetta Rose)' (despite being labelled as Still DRE..) This uplifting arrangement reimagines one of the closest tracks to

Sly5thAve's heart from Dr. Dre's iconic 'The Chronic' album. He explains: 'One of my favorite things about arranging hip-hop/pop music for an orchestra is

the opportunity to build up and take the composition through different worlds that are not completely unrelated but also not readily apparent.' Under his direction,

the undeniably smooth arrangements amplify the lessons in Dre's music which are held at their core. The B-Side holds 'Still D.R.E', Sly5thAve co-opts the timeless hook originally

released on Dr. Dre's '2001' album, amping up the score with guitars, symphonic cymbals and vibrant horn parts. Praising the original, he explains: 'The piano

riff and the production are undeniable'. Sly5thAve strives to find a balance between Dr. Dre's vison and his own interpretation, taking care to fine tune

the musical phrasing his approach pioneers a fresh way to shape the score. 'The challenge on this arrangement was pulling it into a new world that added

something to the original. Hence, the re-harmonized slow intro' Sly5thAve explains. Taken from Sly5thAve's 'The Invisible Man: An Orchestral Tribute To Dr. Dre'

which is already on its third pressing. Label artwork inspired by Dr. Dre's famous Aftermath vinyl designs used on releases by artists such as Dr Dre,

Eminem and many more. Wrongly labelled in a truly old-school style! (SIDE A - Still DRE plays Let Me Ride // SIDE B - Let Me Ride plays Still DRE)

Previous support from tastemakers such as Lauren Laverne, Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music) & Jarobi White (A Tribe Called Quest), to Noisey, NPR, and The Fader.

Tradition futuristic Cumbia travelsound through Caraibs, Africa, Andines, Spain, India, ... Superb open minded compilatio nbringing loads of bloody good tune... and a pure spirit :! ENJOY !

Here's something to set the pulse racing: a collaborative debut album (on Sound Signature, no less) from London broken beat veterans Dego and Kaidi Tatham. As with their previous joint releases on 2000 Black, Rush Hour, Eglo and, of course, Sound Signature, it's the duo's love of rich, jazz-fuelled musicality, sun-kissed melodies and loose, languid rhythms that shines through. There are naturally nods towards disco, boogie, jazz-funk, Afrobeat, hip-hop and classic "bruk", with a stellar cast list of guest musicians and vocalists swinging by to lend a hand. If Herbie Hancock decamped to Ladbroke Grove and made an album with Bugz In The Attic, it would probably sound like this. In our book, that's a very good thing indeed.

Here Introduce Amsterdam's fame Kid Sublime's new album The Padded Room.

Kid Sublime well known as the carrier of member of Rednose Distrikt ,that made fantastic fusion sounds of Hip Hop Jazz Beatdown sound.

Here Features soul vocalist Damani LeidsmanFlute player Han Litz(Kindred Spirits Ensemble)Percussion player Jos De Haas(New Cool Collective)Atlanta's soul collective The Dangerfeel Newbies.

Kid Sublime delivers fantastic black Dance Music Album with essence of SoulJazzFusionLatin..

This is quite LTD pressing .

Don't miss this

"Soul Jazz Records" are re-releasing keyboardist Eddie Russ's seminal debut deep jazz LP 'Fresh Out' in a limited edition - coloured vinyl of 1000 Copies worldwide. (Within download code)

Eddie Russ was an important figure to emerge from the vibrant underground jazz scene that thrived in Detroit in the early 1970's, existing in the cultural and economic desolation of the city after the departure of Motown in the late 1960's.

This scene included the musical collective Tribe (within members like Wendell Harrison, Marcus Belgrave, Phil Ranelin, Harold McKinney and Doug Hammond) and Kenny Cox's Strata Records. Eddie Russ's Fresh Out was first released in 1974 on the independent Jazz Masters record label.
 
As well as including the classic jazz dance cut The Lope Song, Eddie Russ's Fresh Out featured the debut of the group The Mixed Bag who subsequently recorded for both Tribe and Strata Records. Eddie Russ released two further classic jazz funk albums in the late 1970's, See the Light and Take a Look at Yourself. 

I Marc 4, the brilliant quartet that collaborated with Ennio Morricone, Nino Rota, Armando Trovajoli, Gianni Ferrio, Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani, Alessandro Alessandroni, and their fantastic sound, now again available on a unique and really representative release, their holy grail session: G.L.P. 1007 from 1971. The best and most valued volume of the GLP series featuring the fantastic modal madness of "André", "Peroche", "Suoni Distorti" and the milestone 'Alfio' feat the flute by Alfio Galigani. The music goes from insane Psychedelic tunes to Jazz, Funk and more Bossa and Lounge tracks with plenty of Fuzz guitars, amazing Hammond job, and totally catching drum Breaks. An insane trip into early gold Italian Psychedelic and Underground vibes with loads of laden beats and grooves with the mark of the legendary Italian quartet. Simply essential!

This rather mysterious Jazz recording, which dates back to 1971, was quickly put together in a studio session sandwiched between RAI orchestra rehearsals, film soundtrack recordings and various other projects that make up this incredible musical library, all recorded in that period by our best musicians. The unique particulars of this record are that the musicians are not named, except for a mythical 'Plakoti' but also the rights and the tapes seemed tohave strangely disappeared. After a period of accurate research, thanks to Maurizio Majorana (bass player for the Marc 4) we have been able to find the original recordings and also the musicians that played on it. Even though this recording was accredited to the Marc 4, by semi-official sources of the time, strangely enough only two of them are effectively present on this record Antonello Vannucchi on the Hammond Organ, Vibraphone and Piano and Roberto Podio on the Drums. The other two musicians are Giovanni Tommaso playing his mythical 'Pedrazzini' (ndr) double bass who already played together with Vannucchi as part of the famous 'Lucca Quartet' and then as the bass player of the group 'Perigeo' and Enzo Grillini, part of the Rai orchestra and a favorite guitar player of both Armando Trovajoli and Gianni Ferrio who, at the time, was considered one of the best Italian Jazz guitar player and who rarely recorded music outside of the RAI orchestra. The style of this record, thanks to this very particular group of musicians, contrary to many other Library recordings, is very jazzy and the very special sound reminds us of the Jazz organ of the Verve/Blue Note labels made in the Sixties. The Seven Men Label, another characteristic of this new edition, born from a partnership of 7 mysterious producers and musicians in order to produce background music, in fact, only produced four recordings and they are : '1' that you are already listening to, 2, AKA 'Il Cinghialetto' directed by Gianni Ferrio and played by the very best popular and classical musicians of the day, as the soundtrack of a theatre piece written by Grazia Deledda and to conclude there are two recordings made in the 1970's written by Bruno Canfora: 'Musiche di scena n°1' and 'Musiche di scena n°2'. To have been able to bring this recording out again, knowing about its ups and downs and how it was made, is even more important now, as we have been able to add yet another gem to the numerous reeditions of the 'Italian Library Music' over these past years.

Universal Beings is jazz drummer / producer Makaya McCraven's new album - his most ambitous, elegant and refned work yet.
Recorded at 2 intmate live sessions and 2 pop-up 'studio' sessions across the 'new' jazz hotbed cites of New York, Chicago, London, and Los Angeles, Makaya collaborated with an all-star cast of improvisers (15 musicians in total,
including Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Je Parker, Miguel AtwoodFerguson,Tomeka Reid, Brandee Younger and Carlos Nino) to create source material for the signature style of 'organic beat music' producton he debuted on the groundbreaking 2015 release In The Moment.
The result is this epic, 2xLP/CD set that represents another breakthrough in Makaya's career as a recording artst, as well as a defnitve new work of the excitng global groundswell of next-generaton, Black musicians re-vivifying and
re-artculatng 'jazz' in 2018.

Astral Jazz On Vinyl LP!

Includes The Magnificent "Upper Egypt And Lower Egypt"!

Pharoah Sanders possesses one of the most distinctive tenor saxophone sounds in jazz. Harmonically rich and heavy with overtones, Sanders' sound can be as raw and abrasive as it is possible for a saxophonist to produce. Yet, Sanders is highly regarded to the point of reverence by a great many jazz fans. He made his name with expressionistic, nearly anarchic free jazz in John Coltrane's late ensembles of the mid-'60s. The hallmarks of Sanders' playing at that time were naked aggression and unrestrained passion. In the years after Coltrane's death, however, Sanders explored other, somewhat gentler and perhaps more cerebral avenues — without, it should be added, sacrificing any of the intensity that defined his work as an apprentice to Coltrane.

Coltrane's ensembles with Sanders were some of the most controversial in the history of jazz. Their music represents a near total desertion of traditional jazz concepts, like swing and functional harmony, in favor of a teeming, irregularly structured, organic mixture of sound for sound's sake. Strength was a necessity in that band, and as Coltrane realized, Sanders had it in abundance.

Sanders made his first record as a leader in 1964. Tauhid is his first album after the death of John Coltrane in 1967.

"Tauhid marks the 1966 Impulse debut of tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, who had already gained fame as a flame-throwing saxophonist of the 'new thing' playing with John Coltrane. However, Sanders' tenor appearance doesn't saturate the atmosphere on this session, far from it. Sanders is content to patiently let the moods of these three pieces develop, whether it be through the percussion of Roger Blank and Nat Bettis, guitarist Sonny Sharrock, or his own piccolo. For those looking for Sanders' patented screeching tenor throughout, Tauhid will disappoint." - Al Campbell,

"'Upper Egypt And Lower Egypt' is so perfect that the rest of Tauhid tends to get forgotten, but the four shorter tracks which complete the album, totalling another 18:08, are also magnificent. 'Japan,' inspired by Sanders' tour of the country with Coltrane's band in the summer of 1966, is as pretty as pink lotus blossom. 'Aum' and 'Venus,' the first with Sanders on alto, are tougher and further out, before the concluding 'Capricorn Rising' re-establishes the album's peaceful opening vibe... In retrospect, the first cut was indeed the deepest, and for many devotees Tauhid remains Sanders' astral jazz muthalode, and 'Upper Egypt And Lower Egypt' his finest (quarter) hour." - Chris May, All About Jazz

"No longer bothered by the restrictions of convention, Sanders travels a course of rhythm here that re-appropriates its structure with every introduction of a new and different instrument. 'Upper and Lower Egypt' are forceful currents of hybridized energy, combining a skilled and disciplined structure in playing and a wild and unfettered sense of rhythm. Unregulated by any constrictive ideas of musical communications, Sanders performs with the abandon of an artist who is perfectly willing to let anyone sit down at his table, provided that they eat what is being served with a clean palate and an open mind." - Imran Khan, Pop Matters

South London virtuoso keys wizard Joe Armon-Jones returns with two freaked out dub versions, re-rubbing two entries from his debut for Brownswood earlier this year. 'Starting Today Dub' is stripped back and stretched out to maximum effect. 'Mollison Dub Vocal Version (Feat. Asheber)' spaces out the original and adds in extra vocals from West London dub staple Asheber.

His debut album, Starting Today, came out in May 2018. Part of the vibrant young jazz scene in London, it brought together a bunch of players under that umbrella. It was praised by Pitchfork, Loud and Quiet and CLASH. In the words of The Wire, it's "bass-rich music hustle straight out of the London soul-jazz-dance lineage.

OK:KO is a fresh quartet from Helsinki led by drummer Okko Saastamoinen. The band's spiritual and searching sound is characterised by their highly personal musical language and genuine teamwork, honed by continuous touring in between the band's 2017 debut and their second album "Syrtti", to be released on Helsinki's We Jazz Records on 22 February.

The ensemble includes some of the most sought-after talents of the young generation of Finnish jazz. Soulful sax player Jarno Tikka continues his rise to the top after his strong effort on the previous We Jazz LP, Alder Ego "II". Bassist Mikael Saastamoinen (no relation to Okko) is the current "Rising Star" of Helsinki's We Jazz Festival with his solo project Perussastamala, and while pianist Toomas Keski-Säntti may be the least known name here, he makes a strong mark with his thoughtful touch on the piano on several tracks on "Syrtti".

The OK:KO band sound has its origins on the spiritual pool of jazz, historically speaking, but the band brings forth a strong personal musical statement thanks to Okko Saastamoinen's memorable compositions and each musician's ability to bring their own vocabulary into the common musical language. Already a live favourite on the local scene, on "Syrtti" OK:KO shows that it's not a band of mere promise any longer - they deliver in the here and now.

OK:KO is a fresh quartet from Helsinki led by drummer Okko Saastamoinen. The band's spiritual and searching sound is characterised by their highly personal musical language and genuine teamwork, honed by continuous touring in between the band's 2017 debut and their second album "Syrtti", to be released on Helsinki's We Jazz Records on 22 February.

The ensemble includes some of the most sought-after talents of the young generation of Finnish jazz. Soulful sax player Jarno Tikka continues his rise to the top after his strong effort on the previous We Jazz LP, Alder Ego "II". Bassist Mikael Saastamoinen (no relation to Okko) is the current "Rising Star" of Helsinki's We Jazz Festival with his solo project Perussastamala, and while pianist Toomas Keski-Säntti may be the least known name here, he makes a strong mark with his thoughtful touch on the piano on several tracks on "Syrtti".

The OK:KO band sound has its origins on the spiritual pool of jazz, historically speaking, but the band brings forth a strong personal musical statement thanks to Okko Saastamoinen's memorable compositions and each musician's ability to bring their own vocabulary into the common musical language. Already a live favourite on the local scene, on "Syrtti" OK:KO shows that it's not a band of mere promise any longer - they deliver in the here and now.

The Seeds of Fulfillment by David Drazin (November 2018)

Andrew Venson founded Seeds of Fulfillment (SOF) in early 1978. In the 1960s he had played electric bass with Arthur Conley, and later the original Peaches and Herb. On the same bill with Big Brother and the Holding Company, he hung out backstage with Janis Joplin. Yes! Vince was hoping SOF would get all of us to the top. He composed three tunes for the band, and we always had a ball playing them.

Roger Myers is a marvelous drummer. We co-composed Namaste. Roger would settle on a drum pattern of four measures at a time that he wanted to keep, and I'd put chords and melody right on top of his pattern. When he layered a second drum pattern on top of the first one, we'd get two melodies at the same time. We thought we were going to collaborate on more songs this way, but it didn't happen.

Lee Savory is a very inventive jazz man. He's musically literate, and wrote excellent transpositions. I remember Lee's asking for my input while he was composing Tight Squeeze, but it was clear he had it down. Once when I was visiting a DJ who played the album in a local radio station, the total of checks next to Tight Squeeze for number of plays was by far the highest!

Randy Mather's sax playing always knocked me out. I could hardly wait to hear him solo. When he left SOF to go with Woody Herman's orchestra it was amazing, but true.

Jeanette Williams had recorded 45s for the Duke and Peacock label when she was 17 years old. Her powerful singing was incredible to me. When we needed an original for Jeanette, Vince composed it, and Roger's wife Linda wrote the lyrics.

In 1978 I was in my senior year at Ohio State University when I met Vince. He came into a bar called My Brother's Place where I was playing with a trumpet player named Bobby Alston. When I was a freshman at OSU I'd played in an off campus band called Akadama. Before that I played in my home town of Cleveland, Ohio in the Brush High School Stage Band and a jobbing band called The Midnight Combo.

Everyone in the band contributed something to Egg Cartons in a composition jam session. We rehearsed in Vince's basement, and he had covered the walls with egg cartons to make the room sound more like a recording studio. The Provider was inspired by Country Preacher by Joe Zawinul. In those days I especially admired the way Zawinul would get his soulful feelings across, but also loved Herbie Hancock and to a lesser degree Chick Corea too. It took two years (with a break of several months) for the band to conquer Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. It shows you what consideration and dedication is, that ultimately they felt it was worth learning.

We recorded at Fifth Floor Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio. While we were there I got to shake hands with Bootsy Collins, who was recording in the rooms downstairs at the same time. Years later, Fifth Floor burned down and all the master tapes were destroyed.

Carolina Lins & Os Planatos present an infectious reworking of the Kaiser Chiefs' classic 'I Predict A Riot'. Appealing to those who are fans of Musica Popular Brasileira, the Kaiser Chiefs and football alike, this track is a sweltering funky take on the British anthem.

Der Jazz Musiker John Coltrane wird mit einer Sammlung seiner Aufnahmen beim legendären Label
Prestige Recordings gewürdigt. In diesen limitierten Editionen finden sich Highlights wie die
berühmten Interpretationen von 'Lush Life', 'Spring Is Here', 'Lover', 'Good Bait', 'Stardust' und 'Love
Thy Neighbour'.
Das Set erscheint als limitierte 7LP Box und limitierte 5CD Box. MIt enthalten sind unter anderem
seltene Fotoaufnahmen und einer langen Notizen des Coltrane Experten Ashley Khan.

Due to popular demand, 22a presents the out of print Ruby Rushton LP's from 2017, in a deluxe gatefold vinyl format, strictly limited to 500 copies.

The Tenderlonious led jazz quartet Ruby Rushton and their 22a imprint have been at the forefront of the UK jazz scene since the release of their debut album 'Two For Joy' in 2015. The band transport you back to the 70s Headhunters era, whilst still adopting the spiritual concepts of John Coltrane and Yusef Lateef. Audiences can expect to be treated to high energy compositions, fusing flavours of afro beat, hip hop, and Latin jazz.

Both Trudi's Songbook Volume One and Two were met with mass acclaim in the summer and autumn of 2017. They received regular airtime and support from DJ's, tastemakers and radio stations across the world, including Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Bradley Zero, Jazz FM, BBC Radio 6 Music, Worldwide FM, NTS and many more. The huge support for the albums led to Trudi's Songbook: Volume Two being nominated for Jazz album of the year at the 2018 Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards.

With a brand new album due for release in March 2019, this limited edition, 2xLP, deluxe gatefold issue of Trudi's Songbook: Volume One and Two closes this chapter for the band and paves the way for new material.

Sarah McCoy-Fans nennen die Songs ihrer Künstlerin "Film-Noir-Pop" oder "Unterwelt-Jazz". Da geht
es um Liebe und Tod, Schönheit und Schrecken, vorgetragen mit einer Gänsehaut-Stimme
ohnegleichen.
Auch Pianist, Produzent und Multitalent Chilly Gonzales gehört zu den Fans der Sängerin. Jetzt hat er
ihr Debütalbum - Blood Siren' für Blue Note produziert.
Gonzales entdeckte sie auf der Bühne eines eleganten Pariser Clubs und war sofort begeistert von
ihrer exzentrischen Show und den gleichzeitig düsteren wie herzzerreißend schönen Songs. Noch am
selben Abend lud er sie zu Testaufnahmen mit Co-Produzent Renaud Letang (Feist, Manu Chao,
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Mocky, Jamie Lidell) ein. Die fielen großartig aus und kulminierten jetzt in einem
Album, das einen vom ersten Song an mit seiner Atmosphäre gefangen hält.
Zu ihren Vorbildern zählt Sarah McCoy neben Bessie Smith und Tom Waits auch Fiona Apple, Janis
Joplin und Aretha Franklin. All diese Größen mag man in ihren Songs tatsächlich wiedererkennen,
aber mit tiefschwarzen Balladen wie "Boogieman" macht Sarah McCoy von Anfang an klar, dass sie
unvergleichlich ist

Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential figures in the jazz scene. As a trumpeter, singer and composer he recorded some of the most famous songs the world would ever hear. This Collected release combines the songs from his early days with his big hits and collaborations with other artists.

Louis Armstrong was born and raised in New Orleans during the first 20 years of the 20th century. From 1920 onwards he became known as an inventive trumpet and corn player. With his recognizable voice and skilled scat singing he released classics like West End Blues' and Ain't Misbehavin''. The Black spiritual When the Saints Go Marching In' was famously recorded by him in 1938. During the '60s Louis was still a top performer, releasing some of his most famous songs, like What A Wonderful World' and Hello, Dolly!'. Even after his dead in 1971 he remained as popular as before and became known as one of the most influential artists in popular music. His effect on singers who came after him can be found in the performances he recorded with other artists. On the 2LP Collected you'll find collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Billie Holliday among others.

The Louis Armstrong Collected package includes a 4-page booklet with liner notes and is available as a limited first pressing of 2.000 individually numbered copies on green vinyl.

The second album from SpaceArk. More brilliant self-released, private-press jazz/soul from 1976 Los Angeles.

'SpaceArk Is' came out on Color World records in 1976, on a limited run of about 5,000 copies. It followed their self-titled debut (also available now on Mr Bongo) on the same original label, the year before.

For a handful of years in the Seventies, SpaceArk was one of the most promising and electrifying bands in Southern California. Although their music was far greater than the sum of its parts, those parts made for a very original style. R&b, soul, rock, pop, jazz, classical ... it all came together in blissful stream of intricate compositions that swept up crowds from US military bases to Northern Soul clubs around the UK.

SpaceArk wrote and performed more than 100 songs during their time together. Most of them were not recorded and are now either lost or forgotten.

Official Mr Bongo reissue with liner notes by Amar Patel. Licensed direct from Peter Silberg.

From 1932 to the late 1940's the period covered by this set, Cab had an orchestra that was about as swinging a band of solid senders as you'd find on the big-band circuit.

Cab projects, in his singing on records, something of the vital magic of his stage presence, a boundless exuberance and enthusiasm. His orchestral backing during the Thirties and Forties included many well-known names in jazz. At various times, Milt Hinton, Danny Barker and Cozy Cole were in his rhythm section.The reeds included the late, great Chu Berry as well as Ben Webster. Dizzy Gillespie was in the band, some members of which, at odd moments, served as a laboratory for the style to be called Bop. 'This whole new chord structure idea was interesting to me,' Milt Hinton recalled, 'and I would walk the new chords behind his playing.' Cab wasn't the least enthusiastic. Danny Barker quoted him as saying, 'I don't want you playing that Chinese music in my band.'

The main attraction, however, was always Cab—showman, singer, entertainer. Most audiences didn't even know that some of his sidemen were candidates for the jazz hall of fame. And that was as it should be. The musicians' first function was to provide musical backing and a musical setting for the man who was being called 'King of the Hipsters,' and this they did, wonderfully well. It was as Barry Ulanov noted in Metronome ( January, 1943) a band extraordinary in every respect, hailed for its 'clean musicianship, its jazz kicks, its brilliant showmanship.'
Excerpt from the sleeve notes by Charles Edward Smith