Buscar:b legend

It’s been a little over ten years since Hailu Mergia re- emerged on the international music scene. Following the first in a series of his classic recordings reissued in collaboration with Awesome Tapes From Africa, Mergia assembled a band and began performing live again after many years driving a cab in Washington, DC. His first show back appeared on the front page of the

New York Times along with a stellar review and he took off from there performing his flavor of Ethiopian jazz all over the world in the years since, including Radio City Music Hall and Montreal Jazz Festival.

Finally, we have a recorded document of the keyboard player’s powerful DC-based trio—which practices each weekend in his basement—featuring Kenneth Joseph on drums and Alemseged Kebede on bass. Beautifully captured at one of their fiery live shows at the venerable Brooklyn non-profit cultural center Pioneer Works on July 1, 2016, the concert was recorded by PW staff and mixed by Ted Young with mastering by ATFA’s expert audio extraction collaborator Jessica Thompson. The performance clarifies what many people across the globe already know: in his fifth decade of music-making Hailu Mergia continues to push the boundaries of his remarkable abilities.

Mergia and his veteran band energetically and playfully unpeel layer after layer of harmonic and rhythmic interest out of a spectrum of Ethiopian repertoire. Modern jazz demands constant reinvention and improvisation, night after night creating new works out of known modes and classic standards. This band is unstoppable when it comes to turning age-old melodies (like “Tizita” or “Anchihoye Lene”) upside down and inside out until they emerge as molten new works, often spontaneously. Mergia’s original compositions (like “Yegle Nesh”) shine brighter than ever here as well. Moving from keyboard to organ to accordion to melodica, he deftly switches instruments—often during the same song. Mergia at 77 years old seems to be working harder than musicians half his age.

Pioneer Works Swing (Live) brings into focus the kind of onstage group improvisation and deadly solo passages that reach for places Mergia and the band have never gone, on festival and club stages across four continents.

Now that Mergia has released two new recordings along with four classic reissues, he is eager to let everyone hear what he’s been doing on the road since he re-took the global stage for his victory laps. So much more than an old act from yesteryear, Mergia balances his legendary Ethiopian recordings with good old fashioned sweat-soaked live concert triumphs such as the one we have here.

Wer kennt sie nicht, die Berliner Ska-Matadoren? Denn für viele gelten BLECHREIZ immer noch als die beste Live-Band Berlins! Sind sie nicht "ein Gemisch wie Nitro & Glycerin, das jeden Saal zum Kochen bringt"? - diese geballte Power macht jedenfalls das neue Album deutlich, dass jetzt von Smith & Miller Records auf Vinyl veröffentlicht wird. Gleich nach erstem Reinhören in den Tonträger wird klar, hier ist ein Ska-Dauerfeuer-Dampfhammer aufgelegt, bei dem man Gefahr läuft, sich die DocMartens-Sohlen durchzutanzen. Die ersten sechs Titel sind ein furioser Ritt auf dem Offbeat, bei dem die enorme Energie der Band deutlich wird. Neben ganz neu aufgenommenen Krachern, wie beispielsweise ihrem Ska-Hit "Bumble Bee" oder der legendären Arbeiter-Hymne "Which Side Are You On?" sind auch viele markante Blechreiz-Songs der Bandgeschichte auf dem neuen Album versammelt. Bei den ersten drei Titeln wurden BLECHREIZ von der Brass-Section der befreundeten Ska-Band "Memoria Insuficiente Ska" aus Bogotá in Kolumbien unterstützt. Ansonsten sind noch einige weitere Gäste bei den Aufnahmen mit dabei. Den Abschluss des Albums bildet mit dem Live-Song "Gewalt regiert" ein deutliches Statement gegen Nazi-Glatzen.

NORTHSIDE RECORDS join forces once again with MANDARIN DREAMS to present the debut of a new soulful star in the local night sky.
Introducing “Lord Knows,” a vibrant 7-piece outfit based in Naarm (Melbourne).
Their sound is a fusion of jazz, soul, R&B, showcasing an unfiltered energy that thrives in the flow state of improvised jams. Drawing inspiration from icons like D’Angelo, J Dilla, and Madlib, they’ve formed a sound that is steeped in nostalgia from the early 2000s neo soul era.
Led by singer Brandon DeLord, Lord Knows will bring a smile to your dial.
Their debut release features six soulful songs and artwork courtesy of legendary Naarm artist A.KID
The LORD KNOWS EP will be available on wax from April 20th, 2024, RECORD STORE DAY, with a performance closing out the day at NORTHSIDE RECORDS.
Enjoy a taste of the record with a download or stream of the lead single 'LOSING SLEEP' here.
Spread it like butter!
For the record stores, you can purchase wholesale copies for
We will make sure your order is fulfilled leading up to RSD. Get back to us on this email to put your order in. (Shipping available now for overseas)