Back catalogue: Jazz

Review: KPM Music might just be one of the most expansive music libraries out there, boasting a whopping 30,000 exclusive music tracks for licensing. Some of their earliest pieces are being reissued by Measured Mile, the latest of which appears here in the form of a split 7" by four of the label's most treasured contributors. 'Viva La Tamla Motown' helms up the A-side with wonky, laboured drumming and an excitable rock n' rolly guitar and harmonica. 'Main Chance' brings up the B with a more loungeified flutey strutter.

Review: It was the iconic Copacabana Records that put out this classic MPB back in 1964. That makes 'Um Balanco pra voce' by Os Rouxinois one of the oldest releases in Mr Bongo's Brazil45 series and it is also one of the best. Arnaud Rodrigues wrote the tune which is a superb mix of exotic funk, bossa nova rhythms and quirky melodies from a five-track 7" of tunes that the band originally used to play on TV. On the other side, 'O Viajante' is the sort of irresistibly sunny sound that quickly wins your heart and is sure to light up any dancefloor.

Review: "Huxley's Howl" by Bay-area keyboard savant Howard Wales was originally released as a 7in single in the early '70s on his own Costal Records imprint. Luv N'Haight is proud to present the first official reissue of this classic slice of mid-tempo, instrumental funk, loaded with stabbing horns, explosive Hammond organ and heavy drums with a nice dose of psychedelic vibes to round out it out. The B-side "My Blues" chugs along at a slower pace, with a "bluesier" sound as the title suggests while keeping the same killer psych flavor as the A-side.

Known primarily for his work alongside Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia on their collaborative album "Hooteroll" while also appearing on the Dead's seminal "American Beauty" LP, Howard Wales had already established himself as a talented player during the mid-1960's working and touring with the likes of Ronnie Hawkins, the Four Tops and the Godfather of Soul himself James Brown. A true original and progenitor of the oft-used but mostly maligned "Acid Jazz" genre, Howard Wales paved the way for the psychotropically enhanced excursions of 70s' Jazz, Funk, Soul and fusion.

Review: Japan seems to excel at everything and anything it does, including reissuing golden jazz funk. This time out, Hysear Don Walker's "Complete Expressions Vol. 2" is mined for the two escapist and mellifluous tracks that make up this essential 7". Ryuhei The Man edits "Children Of The Night" into a smooth flowing bit of late night and romantic jazz funk. It rides on a pensive bass loop and has a subtle sense of drive, while the slower original is that bit more sentimental with its noodling chords and more meandering mood. Both sides are pure winners.

Review: Paul Murphy's Jazz Room Records serve up two underground dance floor hits from the London circuit here. Latin supergroup Wild And Infectious's 'Caliente' takes care of the a-side and has banging piano riffs and heavy bass laid down by Descarga originator Cachao, all run through with some superb driving vibes from Tany Gil with a big percussion meltdown from Walfredo De Los Reyes added for good measure. ON the reverse, The Vienna Art Orchestra serve up a great new version of a Bud Powell classic.

Review: Tyrone Washington's 'Submission' is a timeless gem that gets pressed up to 7" here both in original form but also with the masterful Kenny Dope remix on the flip. The A-side is a hard edge jazz number with squealing reeds and tumbling drums, chord stabs and an insistent and rather dark energy. Kenny makes it into a much more smooth number with drums that nails you to the floor. The sax stabs are more muted and fade into the background as the menacing chords come to the fore. Two vital tunes for the collection for sure.

Review: A unique slice of classic library music flies off the shelf. These four tracks were lifted from the classic library music series known only as 'Sounds Music Album Volume 18', and were made by the library maestro Klaus Weiss, the former jazz drummer who later turned to the trade after falling in with German music publisher Ring Musik. An eerie uncanniness cuts across these instrumentals, as Weiss' drumming provides steady boppage to serene yet dubious backings of strings and synth.

Review: Klaus Weiss was a German jazz drummer who left behind a rich legacy of library music, especially on the series of Sound Music albums for Golden Ring Records in the late 70s-early 80s. In the digging era, Weiss' impeccable grooves now fetch serious prices second hand, and so be thankful for the likes of Dynamite Cuts reaching over into the world of library music reissues to pull four perfect joints from unreachable realms back into the hands of real music fans. From low down nasty funk to space-age star gazing, Weiss packed a lot into these tracks, and now you can cop them on a sureshot 7".

Review: The work of legendary drummer turned library musician Klaus Weiss continues to be reissued. For this series, Dynamite Cuts are looking back on a mid-1970s series of EPs released by Weiss originally for the famous library Sound Music. Carrying a minimal production that still has appeal for the modern listener (don't Dynamite know it), the four tracks here are curt, squelchy and beat-centric, with highlights including the clavichord-wacky 'Frogs', the sonically obese 'Productive Facilities', and the space-age drum freakout 'Coordinates Meeting'.

Review: This great series from Dynamite Cuts continues to delve deep into the alluring world of library music. It is sound that captures real feelings and evokes all sorts of memories, even those that are imagined, with a single note or seductive groove. This collection is made of tracks from the German Library series Sound Music Albums which sell for over L150 if you can find a copy. There are four tunes in all, three from Klaus Weiss and one from Peter Thomas, all of which add up to another great collection and a must for serious music heads.

Review: The Whatnauts are best known for their evergreen classic 'Help Is On The Way', but they've got a mighty fine catalogue which goes deeper and further than just that tune. Here Dynamite Cuts gather up three essentials and press them to a 7" for your convenience, leading in with 1972's 'Why Can't People Be Colours Too?' from the Whatnauts On The Rocks album. When the break drops, you'll fully understand why it got picked - pure understated perfection. 'Souling With The Whatnauts' and 'Message From A Black Man' are both taken from 1970s Introducing The Whatnauts, offering up a more mellow, reflective side of this cult Baltimore group.

Review: Japanese imprint Ultra Vybe is midway through a seven-inch series focusing on some of the many gems tucked away on albums released by legendary U.S "funky jazz" label Groove Merchant in their early 1970s. Their latest picks are taken from pianist Larry Willis's 1973 set "Inner Crisis". You'll find the album's title track - a warm, mesmerizing and surprisingly melancholic fusion of restless organ lines, jammed-out electric piano solos, classic jazz horns and fussy grooves - on side B, with "Out On The Coast" on the A. This jaunty jazz-funk affair is far more hard-hitting, thanks in no small part to some rousing sax lines, blistering funk drums, razor-sharp jazz guitars and a seriously heavy bassline.

Review: Discodelic has established itself well with its first ten releases and now the 11th keeps up the momentum with a pair of funky psychedelic jams. First up is the Wilson Boys with their 'Funky Bocas' which pairs busy Afro rhythms with tight interwoven guitar lines and their impassioned vocal cries. It's a full flavour jam with oodles of charm and then on the flip is something just as solid. Alma Fuerte's 'Baila Muchacha' is a brilliantly loose jumble of raw rock guitars, shuffling samba rhythms, flame vocals and synth magic that will electrify the 'floor.

Review: Discodelic does not muck around when it comes to putting out their music on vinyl - they serve up a standard black version but often also a cured pressing alongside it. And that's what we have here - a yellow and red splattered vinyl 7" with a booklet featuring some backstory, and all heavily limited to just 100 copies. Musically this one packs a punch too with Wilson Boys opening up with 'Funky Bocas' - a busy Afro rhythm with tight interwoven guitar lines and big vocal cries. On the flip is Alma Fuerte's 'Baila Muchacha' with its hypnotic mix of aw rock guitars, shuffling samba rhythms and flamey vocals.

Review: Originally part of the 2014 album I Hope You'll Be Very Unhappy Without Me, 'Hit 'Em Like Ali' stands out as a vibrant and infectious track in Australian artist Chelsea Wilson's collection. Its energetic and riotous vibe has earned it a place as an unheralded modern deep funk classic. Spasibo Records now grants it a well-deserved single release on nice coloured vinyl. Co-produced by Jake Mason of Cookin' On 3 Burners, the heavyweight instrumental backing track, making its debut on the flip side, showcases Melbourne's top funk musicians. With blistering breakbeats, heavy horns, flanged guitars, and weighty bass, it's a track designed to captivate.

Review: American jazz singer and actress Nancy Wilson is still going, having accrued a queenly quantity of releases to her name ever since the late 1950s. She has recorded over 70 albums of jazz, soul, pop and r&b, not to mention an uncountable barrage of original ingles; among her choicest is Sunshine, which we'll have you know doesn't happen to be a cover of the Roy Ayers original. Instead, Sunshine is a more-than-sophisticated soul-jazz piece, opening with futuristic filter-swept synths and emerging into slinky lyrical ode to the unparalleled feeling of loving you, as opposed to anyone else.