Pop & Rock News

'Runnin' For The Ghost' is the fourth album by New York based Big Mean Sound Machine and is probably their finest collection of works. The album features their usual Afro fused funk locked in jams with a sparkle of magical jazz. From the opening jam of 'Return Of The March' the scene is set for an aural listening treasure that won't fail to sink deep into your soul. The album has been a popular seller on pre-sale so for us in the shop and it's available to purchase for distribution. one not to be missed.

We're proud to introduce the new Superfly reissue of splendid deep independent jazz LP! Great from start to finish, this is the kind of record you want to play again and again! As usual, beautiful quality repress with paste on covers made in Japan, Obi and 180grs vinyl, limited to 1000 copies only!

We're proud to introduce the new Superfly reissue of super deep and obscure French only percussion LP! Deep and clubby, unknown but sought-after by top international DJ's, not a surprise when you hear the monster club tune 'Congo Expressions'! As usual, beautiful quality repress with paste on covers made in Japan, Obi and 180grs vinyl, limited to 1000 copies only!

Many musicians possess elements of genius, but it was the great Ray Charles who so fully embodied the term that it was bestowed upon him as a nickname. Blind since the age of six (from glaucoma), Ray Charles (Albany, Georgia, September 23, 1930 - Beverly Hills, California, June 10, 2004) combined elements of gospel, R&B and blues into a fervid, exuberant style that would come to be known as soul music.
This edition contains, for the first time on vinyl, Ray Charles' splendid 1960 live set at the Newport Jazz Festival, which was taped two years after his first appearance there (the 1958 concert issued on the Atlantic LP Ray Charles at Newport). By the time this 1960 performance took place, Charles had already left the Atlantic label, so the concert didn't originally make it onto an LP. The eclectic repertoire includes Neal Hefti's Lil' Darlin'', made famous by Count Basie on his classic 1958 Atomic Mr. Basie album. The studio versions of both Let the Good Times Roll' and Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying' were included on the 1959 album The Genius of Ray Charles, and bear arrangements by
Quincy Jones, which were played by a big band on the record and adapted to an eight-piece band for the concert.

We're proud to introduce the new Superfly reissue of classic spiritual jazz LP at cult label! Bill Lee's family band is a must have album for all spiritual jazz fans, including killer tunes such as 'Coltrane' or 'Attica'! As usual, beautiful quality repress with paste on covers made in Japan, Obi and 180grs vinyl, limited to 1000 copies only!

New Holywax reissue with the mighty Masada by Swiss maestro Graziano Mandozzi. This musical masterpiece has been written for the soundtrack of the Hans Kresnik Ballet with the same name in 1977. Expect experimental sounds, weird synths jams, twisted electronic jazz and banging psych funk throughout the album.

For a year, friends and producers Jean-Gabriel Becker and Susumu Muka have been meeting for collaborative recording sessions at Sounds And Sons studio in Shoreditch.

Susumu Mukai, originally from Kanagawa, Japan, has been involved in diverse projects such as Zongamin, Stalactite and Off World as producer and multi-instrumentalist. Mukai is also a member of bands including Fimber Bravo, Vanishing Twin and Floating Points. Jean-Gabriel Becker, originally from Paris, France, has been writing music under various names and in numerous projects, from Jeanga And George and Economy Wolf to Lux Prima to name only a few. He also composes extensively for films and television under his own name. The sessions for Eyes, their first EP together, unfolded as a musical dialogue between the duo - open-ended, discovering the sounds as they revealed themselves in an organic way. Although some influences can be heard, from acidhouse to krautrock, to jazz and psychedelia, the otherness of Eyes EP refuses to be categorised easily.

- Vinyl LP, pressed on 180gram virgin vinyl.

- Re-release of Clive Zanda's classic calypso jazz album, originally released in 1975.

- Recorded in Portz of Spain, Trinidad.

- Only 350 copies of the record were pressed in 1975.

- Extremely rare and much sought-after Caribbean record from that period.

- Comes with a reproduction of the original artwork.

- Inlay leaflet with extensive liner notes by Nigel A. Campbell, song-by-song notes and biographies of the accompanying musicians.



Cree Records is set to re-release jazz pianists Clive Zanda's classic calypso jazz 'Clive Zanda Is Here! With ''dat kinda ting''- Calypsojazz Innovations', originally released in 1975. Only 350 copies of the record were pressed in 1975 which makes it one of the most sought-after records from the Caribbean from that period today. With new distribution and manufacture being handled by German reissue speciality label Cree Records, this album - remastered and released as a vinyl LP - has the possibility of reaching a new global audience.

Clive Zanda, an elder statesman in the local jazz fraternity in the Caribbean, began his improvisations and fusion exercises with jazz and calypso back in the early 1960s when he was a student of architecture in England. On his return to Trinidad in 1971, he collaborated with Barbados-born QRC (Queen's Royal College in Port of Spain) teacher and indigenous jazz music advocate, Scofield Pilgrim to codify the new music that was beginning to shape a new generation of young jazz musicians. Their ''proof of concept'' was this album recorded at KH Studios with Michael 'Toby' Tobas (drums) and Michael Georges (bass) as a trio. With a new liner note essay by local music writer Nigel A. Campbell, the project overseen during the last year by Cree Records continues the renaissance of Trinidad and Tobago music of the dynamic 1970s.

Prash Mistry's endeavor as a producer, songwriter, performer, and engineer under his Engine-Earz Experiment alias is without doubt the project from which this rising star will be born. With the same sensibilities of the likes of Massive Attack and The Prodigy, Prash fuses varied genres and instrumentation, while enlisting an array of collaborators to create a distinct style of genre-hopping electronic music.

For Prash, Engine-Earz Experiment channels his skills and experience from working with a huge roster of artists including The Prodigy, Nitin Sawhney, Roots Manuva, and Grammy award winning jazz bassist, John Benitez, as well as touring with the likes of The Streets, Tricky, DJ Shadow (who cited Prash as a major influence during his 2016 Beats show), and Enter Shikari. This experience has allowed one of the UK's most flourishing artists to achieve a host of accolades already in his young career. Following on from these achievements with a string of Singles and E.P.s on labels like Skism's Never Say Die, Prash will release the debut Engine-Earz Experiment L.P., Symbol, on Flux Pavilion and Doctor P's Circus Records. Nestled between cinematic soundscapes, innovative production, and lucid songwriting, Symbol is a benchmark for everything Prash masters so
convincingly: musical eclecticism, unbounded production, and the help of a star-studded list of collaborators. From Kate Havnevik's defiant Blue Moon to Jenna G's fiery vocal parade in
Impossible, musicality, production and performance meld together seamlessly for an immersive and emotive listening experience. One of the many album highlights, Spirit Guide, features the vocal talents of former Dead Can Dance singer, Lisa Gerrard, whose collaboration with Hans Zimmer on the Gladiator movie soundtrack earned her a Golden Globe Award. Needless to say, Symbol is comprised of collaborations of the highest calibre.
Further pairings with Aloe Blacc in Secrets, and poet / rapper, Akala, in The Truth, proves the project's scope and ambition, while tracks Channeling, The Crossing, and Fly Away all display a high-octane production aesthetic - acting as a reminder that Prash's influences from the underground are just as important, much to the appeal of Engine-Earz Experiment fans, old and new. Symbol is a melting pot of different genres, majestically layered and divinely crafted sounds. It showcases Prash Mistry's unabated talent as a producer, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader, while the album is one of the first of its kind to be mixed with 5.1 and 9.1 Auro-3D technologies - set for release on
Blu-Ray special edition. The album is accompanied by a stunning visual anthology by film-maker, Drew Cox, featuring a narrative that interweaves all of the songs, and packaged in the work of prestigious artist, Nitin Shantilal Vadukul - whose previous work has portrayed His Holiness the Dalai Lama, former U.S. President, Barack Obama, and superstar rapper, Jay-Z. Rest assured the Engine-Earz Experiment is one that is guaranteed to garner the best results.

- First time on vinyl in original configuration since 1972!
- First three tracks are from the David Hemmings movie, Fragment Of Fear'
- Sought after the globe over with originals becoming increasingly hard to nab.

The story of Movements began in 1969 with JOHNNY HARRIS being hired as musical director for Lulu's BBC television show, A Happening For Lulu' which would feature a different artist

each week along with a featured instrumental section of JOHNNY HARRIS and his band playing popular hits of the day that were requested by viewers.

Lulu with JOHNNY HARRIS would go onto winning Eurovision in 1969 with Boom Bang A Bang' and Johnny was signed to a three album deal with the newly formed U.K arm of Warner Bros.
The first album in this deal was Movements in 1970. The second release for Warner Bros in the U.K

Movements was recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Producer and visual artist Myke Forte brings us 'Lessons' his progressive future-funk inspired instrumental EP. Proud winner of numerous beat battles, featured on Adobe website and a collaboration with Samsung x HYPEBEAST Myke has partnered up with world renowned illustrator Daniel Isles (Dirty Robot) to bring the audio/visual project 'Lessons' to life

Myke showcases his silky production skills displayed on the recent remix with prolific DJ/Producer Chris Read and Chicago MC Pugs Atomz released on UK Record Label BBE earlier this year. From tracks like "The Lightbulb" to "Fallen Star" Myke creates glistening, synth-driven electric-soul with each melody on this 9 track EP.

Lessons started out as a reminder that no matter what life throws at you, good or bad there is a lesson to be learnt. Myke has captured that from the titles of the tracks to the dynamic soundscapes featured on this contemporary and imaginative piece of work.

* 180 gram audiophile vinyl
* Includes 1 page insert with credits
* Jazz-Funk Fusion LP feat. Tony Williams & Jaco Pastorius
* Featuring the single "I Thought It Was You" and "Come Running To Me"

Sunlight by Herbie Hancockis a 1978 jazz-funk, fusion album. It features Hancock's vocals through a vocoder as well as performances by drummer Tony Williams and bassist Jaco Pastorius. This was when Hancock began heading towards a more mainstream Smooth Jazz/R&B fusion, similar to fellow Jazz-Fusion pianist Patrice Rushen.

The album produced a hit-single entitled "I Thought It Was You". As a whole the album tends to lay more toward funk than a jazz record, and is reminiscent of much of the electro-funk of the time. This release marks the beginning of the 80s electro-era style that was more refined in Herbie's later albums such as Future Shock and Sound-System.

'Root Down' is an exclusive and strictly limited 7" single for DJ Oonops' upcoming compilation 'Oonops Drops Vol.1'. The track will be available on the compilation too, but only on this 45 you'll get the instrumental version.

Oonops is hosting a monthly, successful broadcast show on Brooklyn Radio (NYC) since four years. A few months ago he selected the album 'Nautiloid Quest' for Agogo Records' new japanese signing Nautilus and worked together with them for this single. Oonops' idea behind this reinterpretation of 'Root Down' was a slower, jazzy laidback atmosphere combined with a female voice for the Beastie Boys lyrics. So he asked Nautilus' mastermind Toshi to arrange a new instrumental and German singer Fleur Earth to sing over this track.

Recorded and released in 1957, this may not be Charles Mingus' most often discussed title, but it is a wonderful set featuring five great Mingus originals and is an unpredictable and exploratory album. Featuring his core group at the time, along with the amazing pianist Bill Evans, this is crucial late 50s jazz that explores the outer reaches of bop music.

Rare stuff from John Coltrane recorded in 1957. The album features 'Trane' playing tenor on only 4 of the album's 8 tracks - making it kind of surprising that they used his name in the title
- but the album is a lesser-known batch of large group recordings that offer an interesting early chapter in his career. The main force behind the album is arranger Harry Tubbs - possibly not a name that's as sexy as John Coltrane, hence the billing.- but a worthy leader for the date, given the quality of the music.

Many of the other players here are small combo heroes who can also shine brightly in bigger groups - such as Donald Byrd and Art Farmer on trumpet, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Al Cohn on baritone sax, Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, and Oscar Pettiford on bass - plus Rolf Kuhn, making an early American appearance
on clarinet. Coltrane gets in some nice, but short moments on the date - but the bigger charm is the full ensemble work - on titles that include She Didn't Say Yes', Turtle Walk', At Home With The Blues', Seabreeze' and Love & The Weather'.

Union Cafe turned out to be the last collection of new material the original PCO recorded, originally released 1993.
This album retains the intimacy and charm of all previous works, featuring a recording of the electric Aeolian harp on Cadbury Hill, Somerset, and a piece dedicated to the memory of John Cage recorded at the Real World recording week in 1992.
Union Cafe is a vigorous re-statement of traditional Penguin musical values. The African inheritance was again rearranged in Kora Kora, Venezuelan cuatro strums infused Lifeboat, the sound of the deep South of America was subtly hinted at in Nothing Really Blue.

No musician embodies more the dramatic transformation in the British jazz scene over the past thirty years than Courtney Pine. His debut album, Journey To The Urge Within in 1987, was the first serious jazz album ever to make the British Top 40, notching up sales to qualify for a silver disc.

Aside from being the preeminent figure in the resurgence of British jazz, Courtney became a renowned presenter and broadcaster, best known for his long running radio show for BBC Radio 2, 'Jazz Crusade'. He was also awarded an O.B.E in the 2000 New Year's Honours, and was also made a C.B.E in 2009 for services to Music.

As an artist always looking to work outside of, and across established musical genres, it is easier to list the musicians and artists he hasn't worked with, and styles he hasn't fused with jazz, but now in 2017 Courtney releases a brand new album - the nineteenth of his career, one of his most varied and eclectic to date, ranging as it does from funk tinged foot tappers, to beautiful and tender ballads.

Black Notes From The Deep includes four tracks featuring another British music icon of equal repute, Courtneys' Freestyle Records label mate and an artist also honoured for his own creative endeavours, Omar Lyefook M.B.E. This is a musical pairing so wonderful it is hard to believe it didn't happen years ago, but the end results speak for themselves.

For this brand new album, Courtney assembled a line up of like minded instrumentalists, perfectly suited to his fresh and unique approach . With this absolutely rock solid group behind him, including Alec Dankworth on bass duties, the enviably talented Robert Mitchell on piano, with Rod Youngs providing his masterful drumming, this is a dream ticket line up to back Courtney. There is a welcome appearance by veteran jazz organist Ed Bently on In Another Time, and the gifted guitarist Chris Cobbson adds some beautiful textures on the The Morning After The Night Before.

The highlights within this album are many - but the exciting and fresh interpretation of Herbie Hancocks' Butterfly seems destined to be one of the most remarkable, featuring as it does Omars' fantastic vocal performance which rides sweetly on top of the dreamy backing vocals of Charleen Hamilton - and of course Courtneys' flowing, imaginative and creative solo perfects this modern version of a much loved classic.

Courtney has been lauded as the most original, ceaselessly creative and inventive British jazz musician since the start of his career over 30 years ago - and Black Notes From The Deep proves that he still is.

What makes a legend Ella Fitzgerald fans would say her music - 200-plus albums' worth of it, recorded over half a century, which continues to attract new converts. There's also a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded in 1960, the charitable foundation she founded in 1993, thirteen Grammy awards and a postage stamp, issued in 2007 as part of the US Mail's Black Heritage series. But what makes her the most popular female jazz singer was her distinctive, flexible, wide-ranging and accurate voice. She worked with all the jazz greats and performed at top venues all over the world. Here are 42 tracks to remember the much-loved and never to be forgotten 'First Lady of Song'.

'Voyager' is the third full-length album from LA's Moonchild, whose candid style of soul and newschool jazz has propelled them onto a swirling, emotionally charged journey of the heart. Since 2014 they have dedicated their time and energy into honing dreamlike and ethereal compositions which explore the intricacies of relationships with emotional nuance.

Since cementing themselves into the vibrant LA soul scene, Moonchild have released two albums and collaborated or toured with highly-respected names in the soul-jazz crowd including Stevie Wonder, Jill Scott, India.Arie, Leela James, The Internet (Odd Future's Syd tha Kyd & Matt Martians) and more. Along the way, Moonchild have accumulated a host of iconic supporters from Robert Glasper and Laura Mvula to James Poyser, Jazzy Jeff, Jose James, 9th Wonder and Tyler, The Creator who have all shown love for the band.
Praise for Moonchild...

Dirk Serries: electric guitar
Andrew Lisle: drums
Colin Webster: alto and baritone saxophone

Limited edition of 300

'Kodian Trio ... blasts through, mashing free improv clicks and clatters with free jazz-inspired hoots and hollers, all wrapped up in a waistcoat of gimlet-eyed punk attitude.' - Paul Margree, We Need No Swords

On Arise , Zara McFarlane returns to a buoyant UK jazz scene with a head-turning third album. Exploring the musical possibilities of British-Jamaican identity, it's a cultural exchange that's born of London's current musical climate. Released on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings, it sees her working with much-feted drummer and producer Moses Boyd. Both rose through London's Tomorrow's Warriors programme, a finishing school for many young vanguards of the live, ascendant jazz scene springing up across the UK capital. Sharing Caribbean family heritages, it's a product of their joint exploration of the meeting points between jazz and the rhythms of Jamaica, reggae, Kumina, calypso and nyabinghi, shaded with hints of the psychedelic.

Zara's breakthrough 2012 track, a jazz cover of Junior Murvin's 'Police and Thieves', provided a jumping off point to further explore the blurred, colourful territory in between jazz and roots-reggae. Covering Nora Dean's 'Peace Begins Within', she breathes a syncopated groove into a soulful, reggae classic. A beautifully poised version of the Congos' Fisherman teases out the poignant lyrical content of the 1977 classic. Meanwhile new, original compositions from Zara, like 'Fussin' and Fightin'' and 'Freedom Chain', combine a deep, reverberating bass with a steady-stepping roots rhythm. Album opener 'Ode To Kumina' touches on the kumina tradition brought to Jamaica by indentured labourers from The Congo in the later part of the 19th Century. Part of Zara's deeper research into her Caribbean heritage, it alludes to a deep-rooted culture encompassing music, dance and religion.

Similarly, 'Silhouette' arose from that same research, in this case, however, it was about how records and documents often get lost in Jamaica. It kind of came out of the idea of black history and blackness and feeling like you're trying to find yourself,' she explains. Trying to be proud of your history and who you are. And never forgetting the things that brought you to where you are.' Alongside drummer Moses Boyd on production, the album features a stellar line up of some of the key players on the London scene Binker Golding on tenor sax, Peter Edwards on piano, Shirley Tetteh on guitar, Nathaniel Cross on Trombone and an unusually restrained turn on Clarinet from Shabaka Hutchings.
Shared between all of them is a tendency to find the common points between different musical ilks: from US hard bop jazz, to dub and London-rooted hybrids and permutations, the band on Arise reflect the musical diversity of their home. Boosted by new platforms, like East London showcase Church of Sound and a newly-refreshed Jazz Café, the record surfs the momentum currently propelling jazz-influenced music in the UK.

For Zara, Jamaica's musical legacy is deeply intertwined with her sense of the place itself. Spending whole summers in the hills of Jamaica, it's the sounds and smells which she most vividly associates with her stays there. In particular the local sound systems which were an everyday feature of the local area, be it in shops or bars, each of the small local shacks would have a sound system where they'd play music through the day and evening.

From where my nan used to live, in Cauldwell there's a sound system almost opposite her house,' she says. So you feel this boom of the bass, and then all the smells of the hills and the greenery of Hanover. When you land in Jamaica and you go to walk off of the plane, the heat and the smells hit you and it feels like home away from home for me. When I hear Jamaican music, these are the senses that come.'

Andwella's Dream released one album, Love and Poetry, on CBS in the UK in the late 1960s that is highly regarded by some psychedelic collectors. It is an eclectic affair that touches upon a number of approaches--heavy progressive rock-tinged psychedelia with keyboards, fruity pop-psych with strings and fairytale-type lyrics, folk- and blues-informed material bridging psych and prog--common to British rock of the period. The group changed their name to Andwella and subsequently released a couple of albums under that name.

Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and producer Matthew Halsall has carved out a unique niche for himself as both a band-leader and producer delving deeply into the worlds of spiritual jazz and string-laden soul.

His latest project finds him playing with and producing the legendary LA jazz singer Dwight Trible, who first came to international renown with his 2005 Ninja Tune release Love Is the Answer. Trible, whose deeply soulful voice has seen him compared to Leon Thomas and Andy Bey, has worked with the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Horace Tapscott and Kamasi Washington (he sings lead vocals on the Epic) and brings a deep-rooted soulfulness to everything that he sings.

Inspirations features some of Dwight Trible and Matthew Halsall's favourite songs including brilliant versions of the timeless Bacharach classic What The World Needs Now Is Love featuring harpist Rachael Gladwin and the Nina Simone smash Feeling Good. A soulful reading of Donny Hathaway and Leroy Hutson's classic Tryin' Times and a heartfelt version of Coltrane's beautiful ballad, Dear Lord, with lyrics by Trible. Other highlights include a vibrant, soulful version of and a beautiful take on They also laid down two spiritual jazz masterpieces, a powerful re-working of Dorothy Ashby's Heaven and Hell (from the legendary The Rubiyat of Dorothy Ashby album) and a spine-tingling reading of the old folk song Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair. Finally the album is rounded out with and the traditional spiritual Deep River and the beautiful standard I Love Paris.


Inspirations is launched with a five date European tour featuring special guest Roger 'Chip' Wickham on saxophones and flute. April 28 & 29 - Duc des Lombards PARIS, April 30 - Flagey BRUSSELS, May 1 & 2 - Ronnie Scott's LONDON, May 4 - Band On The Wall MANCHESTER & May 7 - Funkhaus BERLIN (XJAZZ FESTIVAL).
Reviews and features from Jazzwise, Record Collector, Echoes, Mojo, Now Then Magazine, Blues & Soul, Sunday Times, Lira, Jazzthing (Germany), Nos Magazine, M Magazine and many more.Airplay from Gilles Peterson 6 Music, Jamie Cullum BBC Radio 2, Patrick Forge, Ross Allen, Jazz FM playlist, NDR in Germany, TSF in France and much more
On Line support from Jazz Standard, AllAboutJazz, World Wide FM, Written In Music and much more...

Exklusive Vinyl-LP, wieder lieferbar! Reissue eines exzellenten und sehr seltenen Vocal Jazz-Albums, aufgenommen im November 1965 im Studio Grunewald in West-Berlin, mit dem Quartett von Gunter Hampel (vib/ fl), featuring Bobo Stenson (p), Pierre Courbois (dr) und Victor Kaihatu (b). Die einzig reguläre LP von Europe`s finest female jazz singer', sorgfältig remastert mit original Cover-Design und Liner Notes, mit fantastischen Versionen von "Summertime", "Out Of Nowhere", "It`s Alright With Me "oder" Round Midnight". In memory of Inge.

2017 REPRESS! This was more a project than an actual band formed by German jazz drum legend Klaus Weiss. He formerly worked with another jazz legend from his mother country, Klaus Doldinger and gained fame in the German jazz circuit of the 60s and 70s. His 1971 works with NIAGARA was the offspring of the vision to create an orchestra made entirely of drummers and percussionists. Despite the fact that there is definitely no regular melody instrument to be heard on this album, the two lengthy compositions are arranged in such an enthralling way, that they have a rather catchy and memorable feel. Among the cult drummers featured on this album are Udo Lindenberg (yes, this icon of German rock and pop started as a drummer!) and session hero Keith Forsey. So what both compositions offer is an ever pulsating rhythm inferno, a maelstrom of different grooves and sounds. If you go for this album to find some pop tunes, you better change your mind. If you wish to be enchanted and hypnotized by a massive wall of percussion sounds and be dragged deeper and deeper into a state of trance, which is utterly addictive, you are welcome. This album goes deeper as most psychedelic rock with dreamy melodies and heavy organ work. You cannot compare it to anything else, so open your mind for the ultimate rhythm experience and join in if you dare. Only if you dare.

In early 1965, just as the West African High-life scene was starting to get boring, the revolutionary sound of Fela Ransome Kuti & His Koola Lobitos burst upon us. A strikingly original musician, Fela Kuti was trained at the Trinity College of Music in London. From the very first, he was influenced by those "greats" of the jazz world - Thad Jones and Miles Davis. He gained much practical experience gigging in his spare time with London-based jazz men. A very talented musician - Fela's primary instrument is the trumpet, but he is also a swinging pianist and rave vocalist, as well as a composer and arranger. A musicians' musician. To maintain his reputation as West Africa's leading musician, Fela continuously experimented with varying forms of High-life and other exotic rythmic patterns. The results of these experiments are evident on all the numbers on this LP. Even the old familiar tunes have that new and original High-life tempo that Fela has made his own. Many so-called original bands have found fleeting success on the West African scene - only to fade quickly into obscurity, but Fela's extreme talent has made him one of its perennial stars.

Nina Simone is regarded as one of the most influential recording artists of the 20th century. She was a pioneering musician whose career was characterized by fits of outrage and improvisational genius'. In naming Simone the 29th greatest singer of all time, Rolling Stone wrote that her honey-coated, slightly adenoidal cry was one of the most affecting voices of the civil rights movement', while making note of her ability to belt barroom blues, croon cabaret and explore jazz.'

The first LP in this solid turquoise limited edition presents a selection of Simone's finest studio recordings, LP two features songs from some of the passionate live performances for which Nina Simone was rightly famous.