Back catalogue:

Review: 1969 was the year of release of this one and only album by Japanese jazz pianist Hideo Ichikawa, vibraphonist Hiroshi Matsumoto, bassist Kunimitsu Inaba and drummer Motohiko Hino, all in collaboration. A one-off coming-together, it centred on the valerian vibes of Matsumoto, whose star instrument, the vibraphone, was bound to take centre stage for its comparative novelty, not to mention the fact that Matsumoto himself had been practicing before the others. An honorary work, this urbane masterpiece hears tasteful vibraphonic panning in full stereo, as blue passing notes collide with expert steel brushings and untied chord playing, resulting in a unique but salubrious listen.

Review: 1970's Hello Herbie reunites The Oscar Peterson Trio with legendary guitarist Herb Ellis for what proved to be a timeless jazz masterpiece. Ellis, who played with greats of the genre such as Stan Getz and Ella Fitzgerald, was a key member of Peterson's trio from 1953-58. This album marks their reunion with Sam Jones on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. Featuring playful interplay between Peterson's virtuosic piano and Ellis' thoughtful guitar, the album is a testament to their musical chemistry and for this reissue has been remastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Christoph Stickel. The LP also includes original tape scans and new liner notes by jazz journalist Scott Yanow to add some extra perspective.

Review: Heart Trio features three devoted musicians - William Parker, Cooper-Moore, and Hamid Drake - dedicated to healing through sound. World-renowned bassist-composer William Parker has collaborated with Cooper-Moore and Hamid Drake for over 30 years, and since 2012, they've been core members of Parker's In Order To Survive quartet. Heart Trio marks their debut as a trio, with Parker on doson ngoni, dudek, and flutes, Cooper-Moore on ashimba and harp, and Drake on frame drum and drum kit. Their collectively composed music is for daily healing and centering, described by Parker as "heart and soul sound, dancing without pretense."

Review: There's a point in To All Sides They Will Stretch Out Their Hands when the nature of drone really makes itself clear. To the lazy ear that might easily be confused for 'Formula To Attract Affections', with its gorgeous waves of synth washing through your ears, like non-bio washing detergent. Others could assume it's the transient refrains of 'Dream Song of the Woman'. Neither are really true.

'In the Great Night My Heart Will Go Out' is quite possibly one of the greatest things you've ever heard sound like a walk home in the drizzle at 6AM. You can hear every detail of can against pave-ment, rat against wind, kebab against bin. And yet very little happens or changes within the noises. The sound of a British suburban street in the witching hours. Weirdly beautiful.

Review: It should come as no surprise that the latest from Icelandic musical fantasists Sigur Ros was originally composed in either the 14th or 15th Century, and is written in the Edda tradition, a term used to describe to manuscripts that together make up the main sources of Norse mythology and Skaldic poetry. After all, this is a band that have been singing in their own imagined tongue since before most people cottoned on to them.

It's certainly the group's most gothic effort to date, an orchestral epic that also features the artists and composers Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, Steindor Andersen and Maria Huld Markan Sigfusdottir, whose collective CV includes pioneering musical composition with computers and Rimur chanting. Their combined efforts feel steeped such timeless atmosphere your peripheral vision might as well be catching torchlights flickering off solid stone walls. Another work of extraordinary beauty, then.

Review: The latest volume in BBE's J Jazz Masterclass series is something of a stone-cold classic: then young Japanese pianist Makoto Terashita's 1983 album-length collaboration with legendary tenor saxophonist Harold Land. Somewhat surprisingly, this is the first time that the sought-after set has been reissued since, making it something of a must-have for serious jazz fans. Both players are clearly audible throughout the LP, with the accompanying bassist and drummer generally kept low in the mix. It's an approach that pays dividends from start to finish, with highlights including the poignant and picturesque "Dear Friends", the epic dancefloor flex of "Dragon Dance" and the raucous, high-octane thrills of "Crossing".

Review: Memphis crew Three 6 Mafia are one of the most vital forces in Southern rap, still reigning supreme more than 30 years since they formed. Back in 2000 they helped define the sound orbiting the group and their label with the Hypnotise Camp Posse compilation, bringing in all their different collaborations and configurations and other MCs riding on beats from DJ Paul and Juicy J. Gangsta Boo especially shines on the likes of 'We Ain't Playin' while Lord Infamous tears it up on 'Don't Make Me Kill'. This is the real deal, from the razor-sharp beats to the deadly flows from the extended Three 6 family, now pressed up on a double 12" with an insert.

Review: Bugge Weseltoft and Henrik Schwarz first crossed paths on 2011's Duo, a sophisticated blend of Schwarz's cosmic disco tendencies and Wesseltoft's exquisite jazz piano. It was understated, but brimming with inspiration, and it's widely hailed as something of a modern classic. As such, it's a treat to see the pair reunited for Duo II, once more on Jazzland, but if you were expecting a repeat of the first album, think again. With guest vocalists and musicians stirred into the stew, Schwarz and Wesseltoft explore all kinds of new terrain without losing that immediacy and delicacy that made their first joint effort so charming.

Review: Brazilian vocalist, musician and producer Hyldon De Souza Silva teams up with Adrian Younge on a brand new psychedelic Latin soul album, infused with the golden spirit of jazz, honouring both Hyldon's 60s and 70s opuses and Younge's trademark analog productions. With late drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti on percussion, this is yet another tribute to the "Black Rio" movement in Brazil, an intoxicating infusion of Brazilian MPB and Black American rhythm & blues. The effect is major yet seductive, riffing on insporations from Marvin Gaye to Tim Maya to flatten the embossed edges of bossa nova and erotic funk, with remarkably paced and measured drumming and swirling vocal lines.

Review: Brazilian music legend Hyldon teams up with producer Adrian Younge for the 23rd edition of Jazz Is Dead. A psychedelic soul album reimagining the magic of Hyldon's 60s and 70s work through a modern lens, Hyldon's vivant vocals and poetic storytelling are paired with the rich analogue production that made Younge's name, honouring the past and yet still keeping things afresh. It also stands as one of the final recordings of the late Ivan "Mamao" Conti, the iconic Azymuth drummer and Hyldon's longtime collaborator. Fusing MPB, tropicalia, and Black American r&b, we're slack-jawed with awe at this spiritual, which elutes from the ethereal 'Olhos Castanhos' to the cosmo-funk of 'Viajante do Planeta Azul'.

Notes: Stand-alone high resolution blu-ray audio disc featuring the stunning 50th anniversary 5.1 surround sound & stereo mixes of 'Space Ritual'. This legendary live album was recorded on the Hawkwind's UK Tour of December 1972, which followed the release of the band's recent studio album 'Doremi Fasol Latido'.

Region code: ABC (universal)

Notes: The birth and growth of the Jamaican recording industry...

Records have played an integral part in the history of Jamaican music and the importance of making records, as opposed to making music, can never be overstated.

These are the stories, told through first-hand accounts wherever possible, of the men and women... manufacturers, musicians, arrangers and record producers... who made the records and who made the sound of reggae available worldwide.

"An absolutely crucial survey of the origins of the Jamaican music industry replete with chapter and verse quotes from many of the pivotal movers and shakers. A wealth of new information, expertly marshalled: this is a book whose time has come."

Steve Barrow- Co-author of 'Reggae The Rough Guide'

"Noel Hawks' history of Jamaican studios and the characters involved provides an intriguing insight into the development of ska, rock steady and reggae. His lifelong love and deep knowledge of the music prove to be invaluable assets as he takes us on a journey from the primitive 'direct-to-disc' mento recordings of the Fifties through to the sophisticated roots and dub reggae of the Seventies. As both a music fan and a reggae business insider he has had access to the main players in the Jamaican music scene, and this book offers a genuine and unique insight into Kingston's studios and the producers and musicians who worked in them."

Chris Lane- Fashion Records

"Any music reference book should balance knowledge of an expert and enthusiasm of a fan in roughly equal measure. Noel Hawks' 'Jamaican Recordings' unquestionably succeeds in doing both. The wealth of facts and information that Noel has amassed in almost fifty years of researching and collecting reggae and its musical antecedents are presented here in a way that will show any reader that Noel still gets as much pleasure out of finding new classic music, not to mention acquiring new know how about it, as he and others among us did when we started our individual collector odysseys.

'Jamaican Recordings' is a fine read and a book that anybody with more than a passing interest in Jamaican recordings will need to add to their library right away."

Tony Rounce- Author & Music Historian

Format: 188 Page Hardback Book Illustrated throughout with period photos, artefacts & record labels