Tramp Germany Vinilo y CD

Review: Thanks to the year being 2025, te jazz age of the 1920s is being centennially anniversaried the world over. But when recorded music took the world by storm from the 50s onwards, it was only a matter of time before such starlets Lu Elliott would make latent but no less powerful waves in the same early jazz sound, except this time around, the sonic vestiges of the time were preservable. Elliott, a jazz/blues singer and recording artist, was a onetime BB King and Duke Ellington posse member, having found her lungs playing in a band known as The Cubanaires before bronchi-ating out into mid '60s solo stardom with tunes such as 'Speaking Of Happiness'.

Review: Originally released in 1968, this debut 45 from the Reggie Sadler Combo would soon go on to become a verified bona fide Northern Soul classic in the UK. Fronted on vocals by the lesser-known but multifarious talent Reggie Sadler - variations on the Combo name also include the Reggie Saddler Family and the Reggie Sadler Revue - 'Hear My Song' is a pacey master-classic case study in effortlessness and penitence, in which the narrator begs for his baby's return to him. The star of the show, in our opinion, is 'For The Love Of Hunice', which offers a comparatively mellow, instrumental Hammond organ purr set to funk. Now available again thanks to this reissue by German label outcropping Tramp.

Review: This sizzling Hammond B-3 laced two-sider from Tommy Sims is a funk-infused gem that would make legends like Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff do a double-take. Bursting with soulful groove and rich, swirling organ tones, each side delivers brilliant vintage jazz-funk. The lead track lays down deep, bluesy riffs over tight drums and nimble bass, while the flip brings a more playful, upbeat vibe with sunny and infectious swing and crisp solos. Classic organ-driven soul-jazz never sounded better and this is proof that the mighty B-3 still reigns supreme when placed in the right hands.

Review: Some cynics say there's no romance *without* finance, but the one hit wondrous German funk and soulers Thirty Two Soul Band begged to differ. A formerly unreleased lowrider soul beauty from 1975, 'Finance Or Romance' was shelved for nearly half a century, but now it finally steps out of the vault and chooses love. Woozy horns collide with a plaintive groove that could've easily lit up any Eastside cruise: "what's it gonna be, what's it gonna be?". On the flip, 'Body Wave' also resurfaces for the first time since its scarce 7" run, a sultry midtempo cut, dusty fidelity intact.

Review: Tramp Records celebrate a whopper milestone, with the label's 125th record taking shape as a reconnaissant celebration of 1970s soul jazz and funk, forming part of the Praise Poems series. Launched to fare an interminable journey through the many privately pressed, furtively released and/or criminally undersung jazz-funk-soul records of yore, and with an international focus, this is a rather special case of one such compilation series making it to its tenth edition, and still retaining the kind of quality control and assiduity most comp-curators may only dream of. From the opening, ultra-headsy 'Fields Of Laughter' by the chartless American band Color Me Blu, to instrumental AOR from pianist George Melvin's short-lived Quintet, you can expect to hear super-rarities here, with some originals only having heard but two acetates to their names at first press.

Review: All good things must come to an end, and so it is that after ten acclaimed volumes, the Praise Poems series bows out with its 11th and final instalment. This one dives into the world of late 70s and early 80s power pop. From the unreleased gem 'Real Proof' by The Nails to the long-lost tracks by Fingerprints, Naked Rush, Fritz, Blue Rain and Holidaye, this compilation unearths rare energy. Highlights include The Scam's 'Don't Quit' produced by future Spotify exec William Garrett, and a track by Animal Logic, whose band name was famously bought by The Police's Stewart Copeland. A fitting finale.