Review: The legendary Roy Ayers has a wealth of great material to his name but Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981 might just be the cream of the crop. It's packed with gold that fuses soul and funk, jazz and disco into a load of killer cuts that never got their own release. There are husky vocal tracks featuring Merry Clayton on "Oh What A Lonely Feeling," "I Really Love You" and "What's the T?", sensual soul stirrers from Carla Vaughn such as "Mystic Voyage" and "Together Forever" and of course liquid synths and rhythm sections underpinning each of the tracks.
Johnny Hammond - "Los Conquistadores Chocolates" (6:01)
Bill Summers - "Brazilian Skies" (4:30)
Roy Haynes - "Quiet Fire" (8:11)
Willis Jackson - "Nuther'n Like Thuther'n" (7:27)
Louie Bellson & Walfredo De Los Reyes - "Sentido En Seis (Six Feeling)" (7:33)
Flora Purim - "Vera Cruz (Empty Faces)" (4:12)
Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes - "Visions Of A New World (Phase II)" (3:41)
Pleasure - "No Matter What" (4:49)
Fatback Band - "Njia Walk" (4:07)
Johnny Lytle - "Gunky" (4:31)
Patrice Rushen - "Jubilation" (5:54)
Cal Tjader - "Mambo Mindoro" (3:46)
Tania Maria - "Yatra-Ta" (4:21)
Dom Um Romao - "Braun-Blek-Blu" (4:50)
Review: Chris Bangs' varied and eclectic musical journey is a key reason he was chosen to curate a compilation for Ace. With a background ranging from space rock with The Mighty Om to DJ residencies across London, Bangs' career spans numerous genres, from jazz, funk, to soul. Bangs' DJ sets and parties - in such time-honoured venues as Special Branch in Brentford, London - were seminal in the evolution of the acid jazz genre alongside Gilles Peterson, where "acid jazz was never meant to be more than a pisstake". His foray into production, such as the proto-acid jazz classic 'Psychedelic Jack' with Peterson on vocals, cemented his legacy, but it's curation highlights such as this that really get our gears going. Hold tight as we scour early acid jazz brilliants from Gunky to Vera Cruz to Brazilian Skies to Jubilation.
Os Alquimistas Estao Chegando Os Alquimistas (3:12)
O Homem Da Gravata Florida (3:08)
Errare Humanum Est (4:51)
Menina Mulher Da Pele Preta (2:57)
Eu Vou Torcer (3:14)
Magnolia (3:13)
Minha Teimosia, Uma Arma Pra Te Conquistar (2:42)
Zumbi (3:32)
Brother (2:54)
O Namorado Da Viuva (2:03)
Hermes Trismegisto E Sua Celeste Tabua De Esmeralda (5:28)
Cinco Minutos (5 Minutos) (2:56)
Review: Brazilian Jorge Ben, you could say, is a musical equivalent to football superstar Pele. He is known around the world, is hugely prolific and had a style all his own. A Tabua De Esmeralda is the 11th album the great singer-songwriter and guitarist recorded and it came back in 1974. It was soon lapped up by fans and critics alike for its timeless blending of samba rock with his unique alchemy and sonic satire and found Ben redefined the vocal style he has showcased on previous work Forca Bruta. This time his vocals occasionally go off-grid and sit behind the beats to make for an alluring effect, while the album was also the last to use guitar quite as extensively.
The Sparkle In Your Eyes (feat Thee Sacred Souls) (3:23)
Review: Here comes a truly show-stopping swooner on Penrose, the sublabel of the ever-trusty Daptone Records. This is the first solo outing for Jensine Benitez, who is usually found singing with Thee Sacred Souls, a hard-gigging outfit who always send the crowd home elated after Benitez takes centre stage. With her bandmates on hand to provide back-up duties, we get treated to a pair of dreamy soul songs that capture a little 50s swing which gels beautifully with Benitez's arresting voice. Both tracks are downtempo lullabies perfect for those intimate, wind-down moments with the one you love. Trust us, this is some seriously romantic stuff.
Review: New York outfit The Budos Band return with their first full-length release on Diamond West, the new label founded by band members Tom Brenneck and Jared Tankel. VII was produced by Brenneck and engineered by Simon Guzman and has plenty of their signature taut, groove-driven tracks that blend Afro-soul, doom rock and 70s psychedelia. They were all recorded in California and feature the percussionist Rich Tarrana, who adds his own fresh texture without detracting from the raw, hypnotic MO of the band. As usual, this is music that is equal parts cinematic and visceral and is perfect for nocturnal drives and deep immersion. Now more than two decades in, The Budos Band are still able to surprise and compel.
Review: Donald Byrd's Kofi, part of the esteemed Tone Poet Vinyl Series, presents a compelling snapshot of the trumpeter's transition from hard bop to fusion. Recorded in December 1969 and December 1970 but only released in 1995, this LP captures Byrd at a pivotal moment in his career, straddling the line between traditional jazz and the emerging fusion genre. The 1969 session features Byrd's originals 'Kofi' and 'Fufu,' with Duke Pearson's electric piano adding a shimmering layer to the complex arrangements. The ensemble includes notable musicians such as Lew Tabackin on flute and tenor saxophone, Frank Foster on tenor saxophone, William Campbell on trombone, Ron Carter on acoustic bass among other strong musicians. The 1970 session continues this exploration with tracks like 'Perpetual Love' and 'Elmina,' featuring Wally Richardson on guitar and Mickey Roker on drums, along with Moreira and Dom Um Romao adding percussion. This reissue, curated by Joe Harley and mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog tapes, is pressed on 180g vinyl and housed in a deluxe tip-on jacket. The Tone Poet Series ensures exceptional quality in both sound and presentation, offering a definitive version of Byrd's adventurous work.
Review: Jazz fans take note: Both Directions at Once: The Lost Album more than lives up to its name. It features previously unreleased recordings by the late, great John Coltrane and his regular accompanying players (pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and Drummer Elvin Jones). The reels of tape the tracks were salvaged from were dated 1963, around the time that the quartet laid down some of its most forward-thinking work for the legendary Impulse label. Much of the material consists of original Coltrane compilations, though there are a few notable covers (including a great version of jazz standard "Nature Boy") dotted throughout. As you'd expect, Coltrane's performance is incredible from start to finish.
B-STOCK: Sleeve split at the top but otherwise in excellent condition
Dark Magus - Moja (25:23)
Dark Magus - Wili (25:10)
Dark Magus - Tatu (25:17)
Dark Magus - Nne (25:23)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve split at the top but otherwise in excellent condition***
Captured live in 1974, this performance at Carnegie Hall showcases Miles Davis at the height of his electric fusion era, blending jazz with rock in a fierce, exploratory manner. The show features the monumental 'Moja' and 'Wili,' each spread across two parts, with the band improvising freely and building intricate, pulsating rhythms. Davis's trumpet and organ create a swirling, unpredictable sound, while the guitar work from Pete Cosey and Reggie Lucas adds texture and energy. Tracks like 'Tatu' and 'Nne' display Davis's shift towards African-inspired sounds, experimenting with complex rhythms and haunting melodies. This is a tour de force, an unfiltered snapshot of Davis's creative genius.
Review: Celebrating 50 years of Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble's legacy, Open Me, A Higher Consciousness Of Sound And Spirit is their new full-length LP, ever-shifting the many gears and tempos of the jazz-blues continuum, in a dialectical state of perpetual spontaneity. Billed as an album of both ancient and future music in the same breath, it blends El'Zabar's original compositions with motifs from timeless classics by Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, and Eugene McDaniels. A healing vision of haphazard improvisations and percussive buildups to sublime peaks, all core members - Kahil El'Zabar, Corey Wilkes and Alex Harding, backed by James Sanders and Ishmael Ali - make for an essential contribution to the spiritual sonosphere.
Review: Hilton Felton's 'Be Bop Boogie' is a delightful classic from the man originally from Norfolk, Virginia. The jazz organ player worked with the likes of Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers as well as Eva Cassidy at points in his career, and his debut solo album from which this is taken is impossible to find these days. This rare groove jazz funk nugget was recorded in the same place as 'The Bottle' by Gil Scott heron and uses all of its seven minute play time to really get deep under your skin. On the flip is part 2, a rare Japanese 7" edition from 2011.
Review: New Zealand-born Lance Ferguson has been the beating heart of Melbourne's modern funk and soul scene for the best part of two decades. It's this that allowed him to gather many of the city's best musicians together to record "Rare Groove Spectrum", an album of fresh covers of rare and classic funk, soul and Latin jams. There are some killer versions to be found amongst the 11 tracks on offer. We're particularly enjoying the collective's riotous instrumental revision of Pleasure classic "Joyous", the strutting deep funk heaviness of "Egg Roll" (a similarly restless cover of a mysterious but much-played cut that should be familiar to dusty-fingered diggers and knowledgeable dancers) and the sumptuous summer breeze that is the combo's meandering take on Earth, Wind and Fire staple "Brazilian Rhyme". It is, though, all superb.
Review: Master drummer and producer Alexander Flood debuts his rhythmic first record on Atjazz, following up the sumptuous first single 'Life Is A Rhythm'. A truly exciting record on foliate green vinyl, this LP packs a production paradox, bringing both boomy bodyweight and a shape-cutting, 2-stepping sense of ease at the same time. With extra layers of perc in the rhythm section, with Brazilian percussionist Aduni on congas and Cuban percussionist Alexander Scull Castillo on bata, it's actually really the dance-flooring production that grabs us here, heard best in the plum chords and erratic pianos of 'Don't Wait For Me', and/or the live bruk ghost dance 'Sidestep'.
Review: James Gallardo & Sol released their collaborative debut album in 1975 in a burst of bright colour and next-level musicianship. There's a fiery, rockist spirit running through the over driven guitar cartwheeling through "Maranatha", but there's equal space for measured grooves and Gallardo's expressive horn playing. Mellower moments like "Patrice" let in a more soulful side of the project, while "El Que Se Fue" nods to the Latin roots of Sol. Expansive, bold and inventive, this is a treasure for jazz funk heads, marking the first official repress since the first copies slipped out many moons ago.
Review: This genuinely organic album, Godtet, recorded live in Studios 301, Alexandria, Sydney in 2016 is repressed for the first time in six years on the La Sape label. It celebrates the meditative potency of the (just over or under) two-minute track that begins, like 'Arp' or 'Hahahhaha', as ambient exploratory rhythmical waves leading into sounds to come. Like 'Hekkaz' where Tully Ryan and Dominic Kirk's percussive poundings and slappings pleasurably alert the listener to the more luxurious melodic mixture of Andrew Bruce's keys with Godrigues' lamenting guitar, playing harmonious echoey expressive beats. Here, one of the many stand out tracks 'Ensueo' is only matched by the even more groovy and halting 'Comedy', bassline by Jan Bangma. Recorded and produced by Godriguez and Jack Prest who also mixed and mastered this conceptual adventure into the world of rhythm and reverb where John Martyn meets Alfa Mist, Godtet lovingly foregrounds each band member's singularity, culminating in the exceptional self-titled final piece. A must for those who love a late-night listening session over and over again.
Review: Since bagging the 2014 Mercury Music Prize for sophomore set V.20, GoGo Penguin has become one of the most talked-about outfits around. The self-confessed "very modern piano trio" has succeeded largely due to their far-sighted ability to fuse more traditional jazz and classical music sounds with a surprisingly wide palette of influences, most notably dancefloor-focused 21st century electronic music. On A Humdrum Star, their fourth full length, the Manchester threesome has decided to take a "freer" and more "liberated" approach. The resultant music is every bit as exciting, entertaining and beguiling as you'd expect, with the full-throttle, high-octane dancefloor jazz of "Raven", atmospheric and undulating "Bardo" and gently jazz-funk influenced brilliance of closer "Window" amongst the highlights.
Jacob Velez & La Mambanegra - "Manana" (feat Nidia Gongora) (2:46)
Tonada - "Manezco" (3:17)
El Hijo Del Buno - "La Danza Del Espiritu" (feat Los Gaiteros De Pueblob Santo) (3:32)
De Mar Y Rio - "Bailen Y Gocen" (3:52)
Umu Obiligbo - "Udemba" (3:35)
Amadou Balake - "Massa Kamba" (4:33)
Joi N'juno - "Samemala" (5:18)
Conjunto - "Koemanoe Sani" (3:44)
Mendes Brothers - "Balumuka Palops!" (5:15)
Gaby Moy - "Ene Alengue" (5:53)
Poirier - "Teke Fren" (feat Waahli) (2:59)
Timothee Et Pot & Co - "Rentre Dans Ton Hlm" (5:24)
Locobeach - "Idea Desesperada" (4:05)
Review: This latest offering is a testament to Guts' curatorial flair, stitching together rhythms from across the globe. Each track is carefully chosen to highlight soulful grooves and infectious melodies, all while maintaining a sense of discovery. The release moves effortlessly between vibrant Afrobeat, laidback funk, and hypnotic Caribbean influences, creating a natural flow that feels like an intimate DJ set. This is music with heart and authenticity, a celebration of the dancefloor's rich diversity.
Review: A match made in heaven, set up by Capitol Records and now Decca, between two of the foremost tenor saxophonists of their era. A snapshot of a fabled but singularly monumental day in jazz history - October 16, 1597 - Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster documents the day the two musicians crossed paths and subsequently jammed it out in the annals of Capitol's studio, based in Hollywood. Made in the fallout of the same session recorded for Hawkins' own The Genius Of Coleman Hawkins, an with a rhythm section led by Oscar Peterson, the album brings a large ensemble cast to this dialectic meeting of minds, and is a deeply affecting anachronism.
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