Pop & Rock News

With "Transatlantic" the Ghent based latin jazz collective Compro Oro released their catchy debut in 2015. The band explored traditional latin and cuban rhythms intermingled with wild guitar riffs and exotic vibraphone infusions. Their recent feat "Bombarda" digs deeper into several ethnic music raditions and leaves the audience dancing on dark grooves with a tinge of psychedelica. Don't expect a merry salsa gang or mini skirt dancers sipping cuba libre's in the "noche caliente"-atmosphere of touristic Havana. Compro Oro offers wild, profound and uncanny flavours, slowly fermented in some dingy slum's basement.


A track like 'Miami was a nice place in the 80s' takes you to a dark sweaty beach bar, while 'Ababa Boogie' and 'Greetings from the colony' evoke a jungle trip on LSD. Or: a twang-American, psychedelic underground road trip to Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. This is psycho etno party music!

Compro Oro is:
Wim Segers (vibraphone)
Bart Vervaeck (guitar)
Matthias Debusschere (bass)
Robbe Kieckens (congas)
Frederik Van den Berghe (drums)

For a label that wasn't around long, Strata East achieved the same sort of label recognition that Impulse! or Blue Note managed to build. In other words, you knew what you were getting when you bought a record on the label, even if you didn't know the names on the outside of the cover. This is no exception. Who is Shamek Farrah Who knows Who cares It's the music that's important. This is the standard spiritually intense new jazz one learns to expect from the label, soaked in some Eastern influences but always with its ear to the street. Musicians took their roles as leaders and spokesmen very seriously back then. This very adult statement from a group of very serious men is no exception. However, what might be an average, forgettable session is rescued by the propulsive engine of Milton Suggs' bass. He adds the fire and the drive that keeps things interesting and prevents the music from wandering into a circular spiritual morass. For fans of the sound or the label, this can be heartily recommended.

2LP in gatefold with liner notes. 180gr vinyl. Download code included. A new, twenty-track compilation focussing on a twenty-year period (1950-1970) of modern jazz in the little kingdom, featuring the leading players from that era.

Due to the absence of its main players during the heydays of modern jazz, Belgium will not be remembered for a unique jazz sound or an extensive discography. However, the little country produced a number of highly talented musicians who played lead roles on the international jazz scene.
'Let's Get Swinging: Modern Jazz in Belgium 1950-1970' retraces their steps and presents some of their finest works, including guitarist Philip Catherine, saxophonist Jack Sels, multi-instrumentalist Jacques Pelzer and vibraphone player, percussionist and vocalist 'Fats' Sadi Lallemand.^

The title track features Boston based female singer songwriter Saucy Lady (well known for hit singles 'Touch It Rahaan Remix' and 'On The Floor').
Disco Town U-key "Do The Right Thing" puts a neo soul re twist on the title track by Japan's hot producer Yuki Monolog.
The EP contains both "Instrumental" and "Raw Vocal" mixes of down tempo, funk groover "Losing Streak" and a crossover into a more raw form of Tom's funk comes by way of the guitar driven and funky keys of "Live it Up".

After more than 10 years releasing music under the pseudonym of 'El_Txef_A' the enigmatic Basque musician

is ready to open a new era with his first solo record as Aitor Etxebarria.
Markak (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) is Aitor's first original work for Cinema. After the premiere of the documentary on the San Sebastian international film Festival , a limited amount of vinyls will be released this April coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Gernika (one of the main themes of the documentary).
Composed and recorded on the Basque Country, Aitor stopped for a few months his full schedule of tours to focus just on the film score.
If it's 'marks' what we're talking about, in the case of Gernika the bombing suffered on 26th April 1937 is a deep and lasting mark of profound symbolic value. For the creation a number of internal symbolic norms are essential, necessary to lend meaning to our enviroment. The creator creates on the basis of the stories he has received, the images, the feelings. Gernika's past is a field for creation amongst Gernika's young people. The documentary explores what these young creators 'have locked away inside them', their emotions. The bombing is a wall in the life of people, an interruption. It is a violence that breaks away from peaceful routine, a denial of the freedom to choose that a people and its inhabitants should have. Contrasting with this is democracy, the political system that guarantees the freedom of people.
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes in you once again

Blackman, multi-keyboard wizard played with the biggest names in fusion music including Lenny White & Twenny-nine'. As a leader and featured recording artist Don's keyboard, vocal and composing talents all came to shine on this debut LP, Blackman' originally released on Arista/GRP in 1982. The album became a sensation on the soul, jazz fusion, funk and rare groove scenes leading to it being constantly in demand since. In the UK Don performs every year at The Jazz Cafe' off the strength of this one album twenty years ago! In 2002 Expansion released his first solo album for Expansion Listen'.
Don toured the world with his band and The Marcus Miller Band', The World Saxophone Quartet', with jazz and bassist Tuero Nakamura.. His work on the acoustic piano and other keyboards was recorded on Mary J. Blidge's, Feel Like A Natural Woman' and Janet Jackson's That's The Way Love Goes' Nard' was sampled by Snoop Doggy Dogg' entitled Hustlers N' G's'.

Mario Biondi's songs always proved to be a perfect material for an electro / dance / dub rework, and "Stay with Me", the first single from his new 2-CD project "Best of Soul", is no exception: the A-side of this 12-inch EP is covered by two different versions of that song made by legendary DJ and producer Luca Trevisi a.k.a. LTJ Xperience. The other LP side includes "Stay with Me" original version and another unreleased track, "Never Stop Dreaming", also from the "Best of Soul" recording sessions, perfectly fitting Mario Biondi's distinctive style. A must have for both Mario's fans and dancefloor DJ's!

Simply put, this album is a must have for any listener yearning for exciting and fresh contemporary music. Essential listening for fans of Kamasi Washington, Yussef Kamaal and GoGo Penguin.

I first came across Ruby Rushton in 2011 when I saw them play live at a pub in south London. I was mesmerised by their performance that night. The music they were playing was fresh and exciting, it was unlike anything I had heard before! Soon after that night I happened to pass the sax player in the street, I stopped and asked what plans he had for the band, to which he replied "album soon come..."
It was four years before I heard that album. Recorded in 2011, 'Two For Joy' finally got its much-anticipated release via the 22a imprint in 2015 and it did not disappoint! Since then the band have had a number of gigs around London and Europe, including their celebrated Boiler Room appearance and a number of headline shows at London's Jazz Cafe.
Now into 2017 the band are preparing to release their second studio album, 'Trudi's Songbook.' Compromising of two parts, volume one will be released in May and volume two later in the year. I was given an exclusive preview of volume one and I can say with certainty that it is their finest work to date and one of the greatest recordings I have heard in a long while.
The album starts with 'Moonlight Woman,' a song that harks back to the Headhunters era, but with a contemporary twist - close your eyes and your transported to 70s Harlem, walking shoulder to shoulder with Richard Roundtree! 'Elephant & Castle' follows, a clear reference to south Londons Latin quarter, the tune has a distinct hustle and bustle quality. With a strong flute solo and upbeat rhythm section this tune is sure to have you clapping your hands and stomping your feet. The first side draws to a close with a tasteful Dilla inspired skit, 'Trudi's Mood,' which demonstrates the bands wealth of influences and leaves the listener eager to continue their sonic voyage, with Ruby Rushton at the helm.
Side two opens with a haunting ballad, 'Prayer For Yusef,' a song written in memory of the late Yusef Lateef. It starts softly with a bowed double bass and bamboo flute, accompanied by ghostly percussive noises and slowly rises to a large crescendo, with drums and piano in tow. It's a strong tune and a fitting dedication to the late, great Yusef Lateef. No sooner has Lateef's ballad gently faded away then 'Where Are You Now' kicks in. Starting with a cool, neck-popping 3/4 beat, and utilising a four-piece horn section, the rhythm section struts its stuff whilst flute and trumpet carve out a playful melodic line. Just as you settle into its hypnotic bounce the tune falls through a Monk inspired chromatic bridge and without warning reappears as a solid Latin groove, leading to strong solos from both sax and keys. The rhythm section charges through to the end, never lagging, and are rejoined by the four-piece horn section, which stabs its way to a tight finish. The album comes to a close as 'The Camel's Back' fades in with an eerie sax solo and free form drums, before settling into a catchy bass motif and quickly fading away, leaving listeners on the edge of their seats and wanting more. It's a great ending to an intoxicating joy ride through a multitude of genre defying styles!

Words by Rodriguez Guido

Simply put, this album is a must have for any listener yearning for exciting and fresh contemporary music. Essential listening for fans of Kamasi Washington, Yussef Kamaal and GoGo Penguin.

I first came across Ruby Rushton in 2011 when I saw them play live at a pub in south London. I was mesmerised by their performance that night. The music they were playing was fresh and exciting, it was unlike anything I had heard before! Soon after that night I happened to pass the sax player in the street, I stopped and asked what plans he had for the band, to which he replied "album soon come..."
It was four years before I heard that album. Recorded in 2011, 'Two For Joy' finally got its much-anticipated release via the 22a imprint in 2015 and it did not disappoint! Since then the band have had a number of gigs around London and Europe, including their celebrated Boiler Room appearance and a number of headline shows at London's Jazz Cafe.
Now into 2017 the band are preparing to release their second studio album, 'Trudi's Songbook.' Compromising of two parts, volume one will be released in May and volume two later in the year. I was given an exclusive preview of volume one and I can say with certainty that it is their finest work to date and one of the greatest recordings I have heard in a long while.
The album starts with 'Moonlight Woman,' a song that harks back to the Headhunters era, but with a contemporary twist - close your eyes and your transported to 70s Harlem, walking shoulder to shoulder with Richard Roundtree! 'Elephant & Castle' follows, a clear reference to south Londons Latin quarter, the tune has a distinct hustle and bustle quality. With a strong flute solo and upbeat rhythm section this tune is sure to have you clapping your hands and stomping your feet. The first side draws to a close with a tasteful Dilla inspired skit, 'Trudi's Mood,' which demonstrates the bands wealth of influences and leaves the listener eager to continue their sonic voyage, with Ruby Rushton at the helm.
Side two opens with a haunting ballad, 'Prayer For Yusef,' a song written in memory of the late Yusef Lateef. It starts softly with a bowed double bass and bamboo flute, accompanied by ghostly percussive noises and slowly rises to a large crescendo, with drums and piano in tow. It's a strong tune and a fitting dedication to the late, great Yusef Lateef. No sooner has Lateef's ballad gently faded away then 'Where Are You Now' kicks in. Starting with a cool, neck-popping 3/4 beat, and utilising a four-piece horn section, the rhythm section struts its stuff whilst flute and trumpet carve out a playful melodic line. Just as you settle into its hypnotic bounce the tune falls through a Monk inspired chromatic bridge and without warning reappears as a solid Latin groove, leading to strong solos from both sax and keys. The rhythm section charges through to the end, never lagging, and are rejoined by the four-piece horn section, which stabs its way to a tight finish. The album comes to a close as 'The Camel's Back' fades in with an eerie sax solo and free form drums, before settling into a catchy bass motif and quickly fading away, leaving listeners on the edge of their seats and wanting more. It's a great ending to an intoxicating joy ride through a multitude of genre defying styles!'

Words by Rodriguez Guido

Compiled by DJ, record collector and label boss Gilles Peterson, the tastemaking Brownswood Bubblers series returns. Released on vinyl for the first time, the idea remains the same - shining a light on new and under-the-radar talent.
The roll-call of artists who've appeared on the Brownswood Bubblers series is impressive. Boasting alumni like Flying Lotus, Dam-Funk and Floating Points, the compilations have long championed the rising stars of underground music. The first edition since 2014, Brownswood Bubblers 12 picks up where 11 left off - by looking to the acts set to make waves in 2017 and beyond.

With a whole three years having passed since the last Bubblers was released, too much exciting music has amassed to fit onto one release. For that reason, it's been split into two parts - making room for the whole, expansive spectrum of new sounds, this first part will be followed by a second in the coming months.
The new compilation arrives as Peterson's independent label Brownswood Recordings - from which the series takes its name - kicks off celebrations for its 10th birthday. With two compilations, Brownswood 10 and Brownswood 10 Versions, celebrating the label's shapeshifting legacy, the return of Brownswood Bubblers is a welcome look to the future.

Following his acclaimed collaboration on Strut with The Heliocentrics, the Father of Ethio jazz presents his brand new studio album, 'Mulatu Steps Ahead' for 2010! The album explores new directions in fusions of Western jazz with Ethiopian modes, moving forward the pioneering sound Mulatu developed during the '60s and '70s, showcased on the recent Strut compilation 'New York * Addis * London'.

For the new album, tracks were recorded with members of Either/Orchestra in Boston, with contributions by traditional Ethiopian musicians in Addis, members of The Heliocentrics and some of the UK's leading jazz and African players during the final sessions in London in November 2009.

Each track on the album tells its own story. The reflective, opener, Radcliffe, was composed specifically for the Radcliffe Institute during Mulatu's time lecturing at Harvard in Boston - the original score is now framed on the wall there. The Way To Nice was written and arranged on the tour bus during Mulatu's recent French dates - "with this track, you are travelling on a long journey, talking and thinking" explains Mulatu. "It was inspired by the many beautiful places on the coast road around Nice." Assosa adapts traditional music from the Assosa tribes in North-Western Ethiopia and Mulatu's Mood re-works a Mulatu jazz fusion composition from the early '90s into a new swinging Afro highlife arrangement. "I wanted to use West African styles within this version and try new ways of using the beautiful sound of the kora." Boogaloo and I Faram Gami I Faram reprise Mulatu classics with new, fuller scores and bonus digital track Derashe highlights the traditional diminishing scales of the Derashe people of Southern Ethiopia, a musical technique that would later feature in the classical compositions of Debussy and the jazz of Charlie Parker. "Many debate how this music developed but the Derashe have played these scales for centuries. It is an untold story."

We take things to another level with select cuts from the superb 'Girl & Robot with Flowers' album remixed by Linkwood, Vakula, Lumiarja, Cherrystones and Francis Doosoo's Borrowed Breath all on lustrous green vinyl!

180g audiophile repress of a 1985 SteepleChase duo recording that has become a classic, not only due to the strong music created by two of modern music's most original talents, but also for bringing pianist Paul Bley back to playing standard material.
"The intimate conversation between two of jazz's most enigmatic characters is played primarily on Baker's home turf. Baker, bless him, can crack your heart with a single note...Baker is alive and well...and still deliciously blue." - Joe Vanderford, Spectator Magazine
"This is introspective, and deserves undivided attention to be fully appreciated. Definitely one of the most relaxing moments ever captured on vinyl." - Mark Hurd, Option Magazine

DOUBLE BIRTHDAY RELEASE !! KARLRECORDS celebrates its 10th birthday, ZEITKRATZER even its 20th! And the party starts with the necessary re-interpretations of early compositions by electronic pioneers KRAFTWERK. CD on ZEITKRATZER PRODUCTIONS, 180gr LP on KARLRECORDS.

Founded in 1997 by REINHOLD FRIEDL, ZEITKRATZER have since been creating an impressive catalogue of recordings that embraces 20thcentury avant-garde composers (CAGE, STOCKHAUSEN, LUCIER) as well as electronic artists (CARSTEN NICOLAI, TERRE THAEMLITZ) or underground experimentalists like THROBBING GRISTLE or COLUMN ONE. In their 20thanniversary year, the critically acclaimed ensemble will release a series of diverse albums that will explore new grounds in the typical, adventurous zeitkratzer way - the first of these albums is dedicated to KRAFTWERK and their early, kraut-esque albums "Kraftwerk" and "Kraftwerk 2". As KRAFTWERK never re-released these albums, ZEITKRATZER gave its best to cover the first tranche of the songs (second tranche to come...,).

Recorded in Marseille / France in May 2016, the six tracks reveal a bucolic and even psychedelic aspect of the ensemble that's mostly known (or feared) for its interpretatory and aesthetic acerbity. And yet there's no doubt that "Songs From The Albums "Kraftwerk" And "Kraftwerk 2" turned out a true ZEITKRATZER recording in the best and full meaning!

zeitkratzer directed by Reinhold Friedl

An ingenious blend of showmanship and intelligence' - Sunday Times

'Upbeat, witty and rather beautiful' - Sunday Express

Evening Standard Albums of the Week

'Clever, and enormous fun' - Guardian

4/5 in Scottish Daily Express 'Far more akin to the lively new Orleans marching bands, this thrilling nine-piece group amalgamate the sounds of trumpet, trombone, sax, sousaphone and marching percussion with keyboards and rock and jazz sensibilities to ensure their parties go with a swing'.

i - 3/5 'Hackney Colliery Band offer an infectious tumult of horns and drums on Sharpener'

3/5 in Big Issue North 'Favourites of Gilles Peterson and Rob Da Bank, East London's Hackney Colliery Band have won praise for their lively reinvention of the brass band sound.'

'Their sound is getting richer' - UNCUT
Quotes: Times - 'Redefining the brass band format for the 21st century' Observer - 'The most fun, enjoyable music I know of' Craig Charles - 'Amazing' Huey Morgan - 'One of my favourite bands' Jamie Cullum - 'One of the best live bands we have in this country' Songlines - 'some seriously great musicians playing some seriously great music'
* After the stunning success of their critically-acclaimed third album Sharpener, which reached number 3 in the jazz charts and number 14 in the independent music charts, London's brass juggernauts Hackney Colliery Band blaze back onto the scene with their first live album, released 12th May.

* With BBC Radio 2 describing them as 'one of the best live bands we have in this country', their live shows have become legendary, selling out venues across the UK and Europe, and playing main stage festival shows (Womad, Wilderness, Love Supreme, Field Day) to huge popular and critical acclaim.

* Recorded over three shows in 2016 and early 2017, the recording captures the band on peak form. Playing largely original material from Sharpener and their second album Common Decency, they also dust off some crowd favourites including their unique mash up of Prodigy covers, rousing versions of Blackstreet's No Diggity and Nirvana's Heart-Shaped Box, and concluding with an acoustic version of Toto's Africa as they parade through the crowd at the end of the set.


* Hearing the band playing live is a very different experience from listening to their three studio albums; it becomes immediately obvious that, far from locked-down studio heads, these are some serious jazz improvisers, here stretching out on extended solos, and with a restless energy for pushing the groove and form in new directions. But this consummate musicianship and skill is always worn very lightly: the band have always managed to present complex music in an extremely playful, fun way, and to a very broad demographic, which on these recordings takes in young east London hipsters and Oxfordshire retirees with equal ease. Front man Steve Pretty's interactions with the crowd, particularly towards the end of the set, raise the energy levels still further, and those with a good ear can listen out for some heart-warming moments from the audience, like the somewhat slurry man a little bit too close to the sound desk microphone singing along to Heart-Shaped Box, or the room gradually falling silent during the mesmerising introduction to the album's only ballad Reawake.


* Alongside main stage sets at festivals like Field Day and Love Supreme and collaborations with Amy Winehouse, Fyfe Dangerfield, Eliza Doolittle, Jamie Cullum, Andreya Triana, Williams Fairey Band, Rhodes and DJ Yoda, they have performed live sessions on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM, and their performances have been festured on BBC Two (The Culture Show), Sky Arts (Brass Band Wonderland) and live at the BRIT, Mercury and Mobo Awards.

* And it's these quirks, these little imperfections, that make this album special. Rather than going through the recordings with a fine-tooth comb removing the trumpet cracks, sax squeaks or drum mishits which are inevitable in a 90-minute power set with seven brass musicians and two drummers, the production is minimal. This gives a rare 'warts and all' insight into how the band sound live.

* Steve Pretty, the band's frontman said: 'We've always prided ourselves on putting on a really great live show, and the exciting thing about live gigs is that anything can happen. Unfortunately, that means that if I missed a note somewhere, that will now live with me and annoy me forever, but we wanted a really honest portrayal, with no overdubs or excessive production, just capturing the energy of the room'.

* With the brass band revival in full swing, Hackney Colliery Band manage to occupy their own very distinctive space. Washes of Scandinavian-influenced electronica collide with extended contemporary jazz improvisation, dancefloor-friendly beats contrast with pounding rock rhythms, and Balkanesque melodies nestle up against soul and hip hop grooves. This set owes as much to modern European jazz and American alternative rock as it does to New Orleans second lines or the traditional British brass bands to which their name pays tribute.

* To celebrate the release of this unique live record, Hackney Colliery Band are playing their biggest headline show to date when they hit the legendary KOKO in London on 26th May. With all of their recent London shows selling out months in advance, including the 800-capacity Village Underground, and a few surprises and tricks up their sleeve, their KOKO show will undoubtedly be a real highlight of 2017, and a chance for fans to hear the real thing in person in one of London's most iconic venues.

Recorded in 1953 and 1954 with a veritable who's who of West Coast cool jazz including backing from Zoot Sims, Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, as well as arrangements from Jack Montrose, and Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker & Strings is a beautiful and airy collection of some of Baker's most sultry trumpet work. The string section perfectly complements the cool jazz quintet backing and makes this one of the Baker's finest and most unique sets. Essential.

At a time when bandleaders in Nigeria used titles as an affectation, Dr. Adolf Ahanotu was the real deal. He had a PhD in music compilation and Master's degrees in education and communication. He also played a mean tenor sax, an instrument he mastered touring Owerri with the Mirabels. Ahanotu's scholarly background is apparent in the impeccable arrangements and the way each track is labelled with its musical type. The banging opening track, 'Sensation' is disco, notes the helpful doctor. The legendary 'Ijere' is to be considered Remire or Afro Jazz. 'Litany of Freedom' is reggae, 'Cupid' is rock and 'Tropical Moonlight' classified as the blues. The mandatory ode to the nation, 'Happy Nigeria', is labelled as calypso. But these are not dry, scholarly pieces. 'Sensation' reeks of dance floor freakiness not the hallowed halls of academia. And listen to the pitch bend craziness on 'Injere'. Sure, Dr. Ahanotu had studied the rules. But he wasn't afraid to break them. From the freaked-out opening seconds of the title track you are left in no doubt: The doctor is in the house. Mastered and produced by Goddy Oku. - Peter Moore

The self-proclaimed funkiest band on the west coast of Africa, the Heads Funk Band, could arguably make that claim for the whole continent. Featuring the slick guitar of Felix 'Feladey' Odey, the slinky drumming of Eddie Offeyi and the swirling keyboard chops of Kevin 'Fortune' Coburn, nobody was funkier. And that's not even taking into account the dance floor monsters they were releasing at the same time as Akwassa. Cold Fire was their second album as the Heads Funk Band. Where their first album, Hard World, was in a hurry to get you on the dance floor, on Cold Fire the funk is given room to breathe. The title track has a dark ghetto groove, straight from the mean streets of New York. 'Got To Know' has a loose, feel good vibe. 'Put On Your Funky Shoes' and the instrumental, 'Funky Port Harcourt' live up to their names. With Feladey laying down a hybrid chicken scratch/wah-wah sound over Eddie Offeyi's assured drumming, and 'Fortune' Coburn supplying the free-range keyboards, this is a band at the height of their powers. Cold Fire is killer stuff and proof that in the mid-seventies Nigeria was producing the funkiest bands in the world. - Peter Moore

OFO The Rock Company (originally known as OFO The Back Company) were Nigeria's first acid-rock band. Blending Hendrix and Deep Purple with shamanism and a pro-black philosophy, they cut their teeth at Fela Kuti's Afrika Shrine, developing a fearsome live reputation that intimidated every other band in Lagos. No one wanted to follow the guys from OFO, not even Fela himself. Lead by the charismatic Larry Ifedioranma, OFO The Rock Company considered themselves a musical cult. Their live shows were a heady mix of mind-melting musicianship, mysticism and theatre. In 1973 the band tour Europe and Fonkafrika gathers together the best of those performance. The moments captured range from small intimate gigs in London, where you can hear the conversation amongst the crowd, to an astonishing gig in East Germany where they played before 900,000 people. The undoubted highlight is the extended prog-rock wig out of 'Ayaya,' recorded at the Berlin gig, before an obviously delighted crowd. See if you can pick out the moment where the band were joined on stage by a long-haired hippy who insisted on playing guitar. They didn't realize it at the time but it was Carlos Santana. It was in Europe that the band fell apart, riven in two by Ifedioranma's increasingly autocratic rule. Fonkafrica remains as a precious testament to what the band did best - playing loud and proud and putting on a show you would never forget. - Peter Moore

In 2017, the Finnish jazz scene seems to bubble with talent. One of the most prominent players in this mix is by definition, trumpeter Jukka Eskola. After over a decade of adventures in different spaces of jazz - from the dance floor burn of The Five Corners Quintet to the raw expressive modes of Mikko Innanen's small big band, Jimi Tenor's cosmic jazz and his own prime CTI styled solo recordings - Eskola takes things back to bare basics. And as usual, when it's done right, it's the best thing out there.

The Jukka Eskola Soul Trio is composed of Eskola on trumpet and fluegelhorn, Mikko Helevä on organ and the Stance Brother #1 Teppo "Teddy Rok" Mäkynen on drums. When Helevä needs to take a break from the bass pedals, the trio gets assistance from Ville Herrala on the upright. In addition, tenor saxophonist Timo Lassy features on "Hong Tong" and "Subterranean Variations" and Magnus Lindgren spices the groove with his flute on "Railyard Boogie".

The Soul Trio's album is a true delight for the lovers of mid to late 1960's American soul jazz from labels like Blue Note and Prestige. At parts the approach is even less sophisticated as on "For Anne Lee", where the group proceeds to lay down some of the rowdiest bar room hard bop. Creating an extra air of hipness, the package is completed with European Clarke-Boland'ish touches that hint at reinvention more than simple emulations. This record carries all the right ingredients for a grade A contemporary jazz album: virtuoso players, who know the heritage as well as how to play around it, and who know how to work as an entity surrendering strictly to the groove.

'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..

The first volume from the Nelson Records series by the infamous Italian Jazz quartet! - Seminal, deep Underground session by the legendary Italian Library studio combo with tones of sleazy sounds: from the Psychedelic guitar riffs, the crazy tough Funk and the groovy sharped beats to the lovely Jazz arranged theme music influenced by Samba, Bossa Nova and Easy Listening vibes of the time. I Marc 4 provided some of the best cinematic and theme music of the time, and this is one of their deepest productions. Top Italian Library LP production!

Limited edition of 500 copies exclusive for RSD 2017.

The toughest session by the great I MARC 4 Italian Jazz Library combo. Killer album and easily on the top 3 from the Nelson series with no weak tracks at all. 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. Another essential jewel released on our label!

Limited edition of 500 copies exclusive for RSD 2017.

Legendary album among Italian Library junkies and euro groove hunters by the great maestro and orchestra conductor Puccio Roelens, responsible of some for the Funkiest productions made in Italy. Music swings from Jazz to Funk and Psichedelia, with loads of terrific beats, laden grooves and top breakbeats simply to die for. Breathtaking Psychedelic Jazz arrangements / Lounge Funk tunes / catching Bossa / terrific drums groove. One of the most desired items of the genre is finally available for the Record Store Day 2017. HOLY GRAIL ALERT!

Limited edition of 500 copies exclusive for RSD 2017.

After two incredible EPs, Wayne Snow - the Nigerian-born, Berlin-based vocalist and songwriter - now presents his debut album on Tartelet Records. Freedom TV is the natural sequel to the Max Graef-produced tasters Red Runner (2014) and Rosie (2015); a project marinated in Afro-Caribbean, soulful grooves and topped by Wayne's effortless falsetto acrobatics. As the title suggests, Freedom TV is an album with themes of liberty, struggle and creative identity pumping through its veins. Within ten tracks, Snow fluently meanders between musical styles: from low-tempo soothers like album opener "Cooler" and "Fall" to the syncopated bruk of "The Rhythm" and cosmic funk escapades found on "Nothing Wrong". Production comes from three varied and solid sources. The tag-team between Snow and fellow Berliner, Max Graef

Peter Brötzmann - tenor saxophone
Fred Van Hove - piano
Han Bennink - drums, voice
Albert Mangelsdorff - trombone

Recorded during the Free Music Market, August 27/28th, 1971 in Berlin
produced by Peter Coverdesign by Peter Brötzmann
initially released on FMP in 1971

Peter Brötzmann - tenor saxophone
Fred Van Hove - piano
Han Bennink - drums, voice
Albert Mangelsdorff - trombone

Recorded during the Free Music Market, August 27/28th, 1971 in Berlin
produced by Peter Coverdesign by Peter Brötzmann
initially released on FMP in 1971

Joe Jackson's debut single, Is She Really Going Out With Him', was not an immediate hit, however, by the time his debut album Look Sharp! was released, the song had reached charts in the U.K. and U.S., earning him a gold record. For the follow-up, he produced the top 5 hit It's Different For Girls', Joe received the highest musical accolade of the Netherlands, the Edison Award.

After two edgy new wave pop records, his next tracks included some reggae influences such as the tracks One to One' and Mad At You', while Jumpin' Jive' - recorded with jazz musicians
- was full of old jump blues and swing tunes.

The huge commercial success came with his crafted pop songs Steppin' Out' and jazzy Breaking Us In Two' climbing the charts worldwide. Joe Jackson produced even jazzier hits in 1984 such as Happy Ending', (a duet with Elaine Caswell), Be My Number Two' and You Can't Get What You Want'.

The album Big World (1986), a live album of entirely new material including Home Town', was recorded during six concerts. It is not a regular live album though, the audience was asked to be quiet during the songs and the applause was edited out.

The pop song Nineteen Forever' was part of a larger construction from the album Blaze Of Glory, designed to tell a semi-autobiographical story. In 1991 Joe Jackson decided to abandon pop once and for all in favour of more serious music. It spawned the track Stranger Than Fiction'.

Joe Jackson - COLLECTED is a comprehensive series of sounds Joe Jackson has gone through, from old to new, this collection will never get boring!

As one-third of Yellow Magic Orchestra and an Academy Award-winning composer for his work on the soundtrack for The Last Emperor, synth pop innovator Ryuichi Sakamoto is among the most groundbreaking artists to have emerged since the late 70s. A musician's musician, Ryuichi Sakamoto
has created intriguing musical unions with artists such as David Sylvian, Iggy Pop, Tony Williams, Bootsy Collins, Jacques Morelenbaum and many others.

What kind of sounds/music' do I want to listen to'

async is the answer to this question Ryuichi has asked himself for the past several years. This is the album he is the most proud of which synthesizes all of his musical and sound interests. This is a journey through analog synth, the sounds of things and of places, an imaginary soundtrack to an
Andrei Tarkovsky film and many others musical surprises.

Reaching a near-mythical status amongst fans of free jazz's most worldly intrepid explorer, these seldom heard Paris soundtrack sessions known as 'Music, Wisdom, Love' have evaded collectors' grasps and confused historians for exactly 50 years.
Instigated in Paris in 1967 and filmed during Don's downtime on a visit to the Chat qui Pe^che nightclub in March 1967 (where he played with Karl Berger, Henri Texier and Jacques Thollot), the bulk of this cinematic portrait was filmed on the streets of Paris under the direction of creative all-rounders Jean-Noe¨l Delamarre and Nathalie Perrey who, as their careers bloomed, would become pivotal figures in underground French cinema - straddling La Nouvelle Vague, adult entertainment and cinema fantastique in what can only be described as speedball cinema.
As the supportive creative family that primarily played home to French vampire / horrortica director Jean Rollin, both Nathalie and Jean-Noe¨l, his brother Jean-Philippe Delamarre and a small team of other fans of oblique media would be responsible for a vibrant micro-culture that awkwardly flourished on the outskirts on the Parisian new wave - combining comic book culture, Lettrism, sexual liberation, psychedelic rock, graphic design and (with this record as prime example) free jazz and avant-garde music. What previously might have been regarded as an unlikely coupling, with the benefit of half a century of archival hindsight, this release documents the essential cosmic collision of two fantastic planets.
Available for the first time ever and licensed from producer and director Jean-Noel Delamarre himself.

tak €2 are eight fusion-jazz and ambient tracks, recorded by di erent cologne-based musicians, composed and arranged by Gianni Brezzo. The record comes in a crayon painted cover showing a holiday landscape with beach, sea, mountains and two sunshades.

Wildheart Recordings is Theo Parrish's new London-based label. 'Sound Signature releases for the body, Wildheart is for everything else' is Theo's pithy summary of his two labels' aims and compatibility.
Day Like This and Feel Loved are the first fruits of Parrish's work with the legendary Lagosian, Tony Allen. They met initially at the Red Bull Academy in 2007 in Toronto and linked again in 2010 when they spent a couple of days together in London, again courtesy of the RBA. (Their bond was forged further when they participated in the Honest Jon's Chop Up shows in London, France and Ireland at the end of 2011). Final work on the tracks was done in 2012 when Theo brought on board vocalist Eska, Andrew Ashong (following up from Flowers with another stellar contribution here, singing and playing bass) and guitarist David Okumu.
Day Like This is masterful modern soul music. At the point where Parrish's synth stabs into Tony's groove beneath a swirl of falsetto vocals, you know it - this is a Big Tune.
Feel Loved goes deeper and for some will hit harder. An epic sweep of synth this time, around which Tony plays with growing freedom and excitement - showing again that he is the best drummer on the planet - before a majestic coda brings things to a close.
Music for everything else indeed, but by all means for the body as well. For its first release, Wildheart is giving birth to a monster.
Exclusively distributed worldwide by Honest Jon's.