Back catalogue: All genres

Review: From Kon's forthcoming compilation on BBE entitled Kon & The Gang, this 12? sampler features two cuts taken from the LP and an exclusive remix from Boston producer and mix engineer Caserta, namely "Timeless" (Caserta mix)" a tasty serving of super deep and low slung disco goodness. A more functional edit for DJ use follows on "Timeless" (remix - Caserta mix)". On the flip Truccy (better known as Compost's Rainer Truby and Corrado Bucci) present "Closer", a gorgeous slo-mo house jam with a rolling groove fetauring all the good stuff: swirling Rhodes keys, groovy congas and hypnotic vox.

Review: Altera Vita is a remarkable duets recording featuring the talents of Kofi and Alina Bzhezhinska, who display their mastery of their respective instruments while also handling percussion duties. The album opens with the serene 'Tabula Rasa-Blank Slate,' setting the pace for a collection of six perfectly paced tracks that exude soul and spirituality. Kofi's well-timed explosions of power, particularly on 'Audite Me-Hear Me,' complement Bzhezhinska's fluid and water-like flow throughout the album, notably on 'Anima-Breathe.' While the album pays homage to jazz legends John and Alice Coltrane, it's primarily a tribute to the late Pharoah Sanders, evident in Kofi's composition 'Altera Vita (for Pharoah Sanders).' Originally released as a single, the album expands on this theme, delivering a powerful and moving masterpiece that honors the tradition of jazz spirituality. With its profound depth and emotional resonance, 'Altera Vita' stands as a respectful tribute to the enduring legacy of jazz legends.

Review: Having re-released Rim Kwaku's long lost Rim Arrives album, BBE follow it up with more dusty disco treasures from the Ghanaian hit maker's repertoire. From the blistering horns and thundering drum rolls of the near-nine-minute romp "Shine The Ladies" right the way through the looser, more Afrobeat-focussed "Peace Of Mind" by way of the emphatic Stevie Wonder-style showmanship of "I'm A Songwriter" it's a collection that still sparkles with soul 30 years after they were recorded. If you're unaware of Rim's story, you'd be wise to check it; from Quincy Jones endorsements to homelessness in the space of 24 hours, Rim's tales are as serious as his music is funky.

Review: It would be fair to say that the latest edition in BBE's 'J-Jazz Masterclass' series of reissues is exceedingly rare. In fact, when it first appeared on Smile Records in 1976, only 100 copies of Hideto Saski-Toshiyuki Sekine Quartet's "Stop Over" were ever produced. The album's rarity is impressive, but it's the quality of the all-acoustic set of hard-bop workouts that makes it an essential purchase. As you might expect, there's plenty to set the pulse racing throughout, from the high-octane rush of opener "Carole's Garden", where dizzying piano solos catch the ear, to the similarly hectic and arguably even more rush-inducing "Stop Over" (a ten minute cut of epic proportions), via the sweet, sparse and contemplative "Soultrane".

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: Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, Rainer Trueby compiled (or helped to compile) a string of Brazilian-focused compilations for his friends at Compost Records. It's perhaps surprising, then, that it's taken this long for him to get a chance to showcase some gems from his record collection. "Soulgliding" is as smooth, warm and glassy-eyed as you'd expect, with the German DJ/producer serving up a range of mostly obscure jazz-funk, soul-jazz, boogie and slow jam gems. Highlights are plentiful throughout, from the sparse-but-rich synth-soul of Patrice Rushen's "To Each His Own" and the sun-kissed shuffle of Bridge's "Next To Me", to the saccharine sweetness of Crystal Winds' "Lovers Holiday" and the low-slung jazz-funk bounce of "Memories Of Moments" by Demo Cates.

Review: We're prepared to argue with anyone on this, but Universal Robot Band's "Barely Breaking Even" is one of the best boogie-era disco records ever made. Its title was also the inspiration for the name of BBE Records, so it seems fitting that the label's 500th release is an all-star re-recording that brings together NYC house hero Louie Vega and original creators Leroy Burgess and Patrick Adams. Vega delivers vocal and instrumental versions of two distinctive passes: a slick, smooth, soulful and string-laden "Boogie Mix" rich in warm electronics and subtle nods towards the early '80s original, and a rolling "NYC House Remix" full of twinkling Fender Rhodes solos and atmospheric chords. As you'd expect, Burgess' re-recorded vocal is superb.

Review: .For the latest volume in the label's essential J-Jazz Masterclass series of reissues, BBE has opted to deliver a new edition of a hard-to-find 1973 collaboration between American pianist Mal Waldron and Japanese trumpeter Terumasa Hino. Originally released only in Japan, it comprises two lengthy compositions (one by each artist) performed by the duo and talented sidemen Isao Suziki (upright bass), Motohiko Hino (drums), Takao Uematsu (alto sax) and Uzi Inamuro (percussion). Waldron's LP-opening composition adds alternating, increasingly hectic solos to a gradually intensifying groove (a formula the storied pianist used extensively during this period of his career), before morphing and mellowing as the suite progresses. Hino's 'Black Forest', meanwhile, is more up-tempo and horn-heavy, with oodles of extra percussion and expressive, mind-mangling solos aplenty.