Search:blues

Oriental Beat by Hanoi Rocks gets the redux treatment, officially mixed and revived from the original sessions, and released on March 17th on deluxe vinyl, CD and digital formats. The CD and vinyl come with the song lyrics, checked and approved by Michael Monroe. Dubbed the “re(al) mix”, this 40th anniversary edition was mixed by Petri Majuri at E-Studios in Finland in collaboration with the band. Vocalist Michael Monroe calls this release “the longest and slowest album project ever,” stating that “40 years in the making, it's not just a remix, but the REAL MIX supervised and approved by Hanoi Rocks”. Recorded in London, UK in 1981, for 200 pounds a day, Oriental Beat was made during the height of the British punk + New Wave movement, when the band was hanging out with everyone from Phil Lynott to the Damned. Hanoi Rocks’ original drummer Gyp Casino says of Oriental Beat that: “Back in the days we gave heart, soul and a bit of pain to make this record something else” but the sound of the album, originally released in 1982, did not match their efforts at the time. Bassist Sami Yaffa called it “the worst sounding album of our career” and Michael Monroe said that “the producer of the album didn’t have a clue what the band was about and his mix of the album was horribly wrong”. Oriental Beat’s original engineer Peter Wooliscroft, was not a rock producer, and according to Hanoi Rocks’ manager Richard Bishop he “tried to mix the album to sound like Spandau Ballet”. Released before the band could remix or rerecord it, as the label had run out of money, and the master tapes had gone missing, the band has always considered the original mix of Oriental Beat to be a “disaster”. With the tapes mysteriously showing up in the Universal vault recently, the band was finally able to mix and resequence the album the way they wanted it to sound. Oriental Beat is a defining masterpiece made when Hanoi Rocks was about to explode onto the world scene and written at the absolute peak of lead guitarist Andy McCoy’s creativity as a songwriter. Rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide says “only now, with stripping it down to the bare essentials and tweaking it to bring out what was really laid down it became our dream come true! THIS is what it's all about” as this definitive edition of Oriental Beat now fully displays the ultimate arrogance and attitude which defined the band.

Oriental Beat by Hanoi Rocks gets the redux treatment, officially mixed and revived from the original sessions, and released on March 17th on deluxe vinyl, CD and digital formats. The CD and vinyl come with the song lyrics, checked and approved by Michael Monroe. Dubbed the “re(al) mix”, this 40th anniversary edition was mixed by Petri Majuri at E-Studios in Finland in collaboration with the band. Vocalist Michael Monroe calls this release “the longest and slowest album project ever,” stating that “40 years in the making, it's not just a remix, but the REAL MIX supervised and approved by Hanoi Rocks”. Recorded in London, UK in 1981, for 200 pounds a day, Oriental Beat was made during the height of the British punk + New Wave movement, when the band was hanging out with everyone from Phil Lynott to the Damned. Hanoi Rocks’ original drummer Gyp Casino says of Oriental Beat that: “Back in the days we gave heart, soul and a bit of pain to make this record something else” but the sound of the album, originally released in 1982, did not match their efforts at the time. Bassist Sami Yaffa called it “the worst sounding album of our career” and Michael Monroe said that “the producer of the album didn’t have a clue what the band was about and his mix of the album was horribly wrong”. Oriental Beat’s original engineer Peter Wooliscroft, was not a rock producer, and according to Hanoi Rocks’ manager Richard Bishop he “tried to mix the album to sound like Spandau Ballet”. Released before the band could remix or rerecord it, as the label had run out of money, and the master tapes had gone missing, the band has always considered the original mix of Oriental Beat to be a “disaster”. With the tapes mysteriously showing up in the Universal vault recently, the band was finally able to mix and resequence the album the way they wanted it to sound. Oriental Beat is a defining masterpiece made when Hanoi Rocks was about to explode onto the world scene and written at the absolute peak of lead guitarist Andy McCoy’s creativity as a songwriter. Rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide says “only now, with stripping it down to the bare essentials and tweaking it to bring out what was really laid down it became our dream come true! THIS is what it's all about” as this definitive edition of Oriental Beat now fully displays the ultimate arrogance and attitude which defined the band.

Critically acclaimed rock group EELS announce
vinyl reissues of earlier records ‘End Times’, ‘Hombre Lobo’ and ‘Tomorrow Morning’, released via E Works / PIAS.
EELS will hit the road this Spring for the longawaited Lockdown Hurricane tour of Europe and North America, starting in March in Nottingham. The reissues follow EELS’ critically acclaimed
2022 record, ‘Extreme Witchcraft’, which found
praise at MOJO, NME, The New York Times,
Stereogum, SPIN and more. EELS have had one of the most consistently acclaimed careers in music. The ever-changing
project of principal singer / songwriter E (Mark Oliver Everett), EELS have released 14 studio albums since their 1996 debut, ‘Beautiful Freak’. In 2008, E published his highly acclaimed book,
‘Things the Grandchildren Should Know’, and starred in the award-winning ‘Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives’ documentary about the search to understand his quantum physicist father, Hugh
Everett III. Single LP on standard weight black vinyl in a
gatefold sleeve with matt machine varnish.

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Frightened Rabbit’s critically acclaimed Pedestrian Verse album, this special edition double vinyl release contains the original 12 track album with an additional 11 bonus tracks.
Disc 1 is pressed on clear vinyl and disc 2 is pressed on black vinyl.
The records are housed in a gatefold outer sleeve with a gold foiled motif on the front cover and printed inner sleeves containing album lyrics.

BLUE NOTE CLASSIC VINYL EDITION: Stereo, komplett analog von Kevin Gray von den Originalbändern gemastert, Optimal-Pressung (180 g), wattierte Innenhülle.

“Empyrean Isles” war 1964 Herbie Hancocks viertes Soloalbum für Blue Note. Obwohl der Pianist mit “Watermelon Man” von seinem Debütalbum “Takin’ Off” bereits einen echten Hit gelandet hatte, etablierte er sich erst mit “Empyrean Isles” endgültig als eigenständiger Künstler. Wie auf den vorangegangenen Alben
stellte Hancock ausschließlich eigene Kompositionen vor, aus denen vor allem der zeitlose Hit “Cantaloupe Island” hervorstach.
Dem Pianisten zur Seite stehen hier mit Bassist Ron Carter und Schlagzeuger Tony Williams zwei Musiker, mit denen er damals parallel auch im zweiten großen Quintett von Miles Davis
zusammenarbeitete. Zu ihnen gesellte sich außerdem der Trompeter Freddie Hubbard.

Der Saxofonist Sam Rivers hatte sich schon sehr früh in seiner Karriere durch bemerkenswerte Originalität ausgezeichnet. Nach einem kurzen Intermezzo im zweiten großen Quintett von Miles Davis, spielte Rivers im Dezember 1964 für Blue Note sein Debütalbum “Fuchsia Swing Song” ein. Das Repertoire bestand aus sechs Kompositionen von Rivers, die zwar fest im Post-Bop und Blues wurzelten, aber die avantgardistischen Tendenzen des Saxofonisten auch nicht leugnen konnten. Das Highlight des Albums ist
die atemberaubende Ballade “Beatrice”, die später sogar von den Tenor-Giganten Joe Henderson und Stan Getz aufgegriffen und interpretiert wurde

An elusive Soul/Funk masterpiece from mid-70s Lakeland, Florida. The Riley siblings; Carrie, Horace & James laid the foundation for the two songs they would bring to Auburndale's custom recording studio, Central Sound to be released on the Nashville/Florida label, 'Music City'. Jerome McNeil, William Freeman, Bruce Bolden & Sam Graham would complete the outfit and be collectively known as 'Carrie Riley & The Soul Fascinations'

It's been 15 years since Now Again & Jazzman showcased the Deep Funk rarity 'Super Cool' on their Florida Funk compilation, however it's James Riley's group harmony B-side, 'Living In A Lonesome House With You' that has remained at large, unknown, collectively showcasing the talent encapsulated by The Fascinations.

'During the early 70’s The Riley family members who formed the Fascinations (originally the Soul Fascinations), James, Horace and Carrie along with a few friends, were destined to develop and perform musically as music flowed through our veins. Our father was a musician who played piano and sang the blues. As children we gathered around an old upright piano after dinner to hear our father play and sang. By the time I was 14 and my brothers, James and Horace were 16 and 17, we had all learned to plan an instrument. My focus was on vocals with many role models to learn from in the music industry such as; Dianna Ross, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Mable Staple. My brothers loved the Commodores, Kool and the Gang, Rick James and Earth Wind and Fire. The Isleys’s were a favorite of ours also. James was the driver of our success in recording as he made sure we practiced for hours on end. Sometimes we would practice popular songs until 2 in the morning. James began to write songs and develop melodies that he would share with Horace and I. We would make suggestions for revisions such as arrangements and melodies. Before long we traveled to Miami where we recorded, Super Cool which was our title song, 'Living in A Lonesome House' and a few other tracks. 'Super Cool' is a song that is personal to me. It is a song about relationships and trust, while the Lonesome house song was about love affairs and breakups. So much great music came out of the 70’s. I am grateful that our music contributed to the industry during a time when great music was about love and relationships.

Lovingly
Carrie'

When Don Cavalli chants down Babylon : Don Cavalli has just done 4 brillant covers of Reggae Classics he loves in his own blues & rockabilly way.4 song EP : “Hello Carol” (Gladiators”) , “Fire Fire” (Peter Tosh) , “Door Pepper” (Burning Spear) & “Black Starliner” (Culture).

Bečva is a river located in the Eastern part of Czech Republic. In September 2020, several chemical leaks into the river caused the poisoning and subsequent death of 40 tons of wildlife in the waterway – an unprecedented catastrophe. Growing up in Přerov, Bečva was an ever-present part of Tomáš Niesner's youth and this environmental disaster affected him deeply. In an effort to understand the river better and inspired by Werner Herzog's 'Of Walking in Ice', Niesner set out on a journey from the spring of Bečva to its confluence with river Morava, a journey of over 100km. It was a romantic quest in wholly unromantic circumstances, an attempt to expiate the irreversible.

Bečvou, the album, is a travelogue of sorts, an aural chronicle of this journey. Arranged and composed around field recordings from the river banks, it also features Tomáš Niesner on guitar, zither and modular synthesizer, unlike many of his previous releases where he'd zero in on one instrument. Combining elements of fingerstyle guitar, musique concrete and drone, it's an elemental tapestry of enveloping textures, shimmering guitar motifs and soaring synth sounds. At one moment reminiscent of the meandering improvisations of East of the Valley Blues, at others calling to mind the ecstatic minimalistic compositions of Caterina Barbieri and oscillating between moods like dread and hope thoughout, Bečvou is Tomáš Niesner's most complete statement to date, fascinating in both concept and execution.

The live recordings included here are among the very best from Billie Holiday's final years
Part of the motivation behind the 1956 Carnegie Hall concert was to promote Billie's autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues.

The music was attuned entirely to Billie's character part, reinforced by readings from her book by Gilbert Millstein. Although recorded in 1956, the LP was only issued in 1961, almost two years after Billie's passing on July 17, 1959, at the age of 44.

Billie Holiday, vocals
Roy Eldridge, trumpet
Coleman Hawkins, tenor sax
Carl Drinkard, piano
Tony Scott, clarinet (piano on Lady Sings the Blues only)
Carson Smith, bass
Chico Hamilton, drums
Gilbert Millstein, readings from the book Lady Sings the Blues Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, November 10, 1956.

Es dürfte nicht überraschen, dass Van Morrison ein vom Skiffle inspiriertes Album aufgenommen hat, denn Van Morrisons Liebe zum Skiffle reicht bis in seine Kindheit zurück.
Er verbachte viel Zeit in dem berühmten Plattenladen Atlantic Records in Belfast, wo er Folk, Blues und Jazz aus dem frühen 20. Jahrhundert hörte.

Es dauerte nicht lange, bis Van Morrison in der Schule in einer Skiffle-Band spielte.
Mehrere Jahrzehnte später besinnt sich Van Morrison mit seinem neuen Album ”Moving On Skiffle”, das am 10. März 2023 erscheinen wird, wieder auf seine Liebe zu diesem Genre. Der Fokustrack ”Streamline Train” kündigt das kommende Album mit insgesamt 23 Titeln an.
Mit ”Moving On Skiffle” greift Van Morrison einen Musikstil auf, der Mitte der 1950er Jahre in Großbritannien explosionsartig aufkam, und
verleiht ihm ein Maß an Raffinesse und Soulfulness.

Es dürfte nicht überraschen, dass Van Morrison ein vom Skiffle inspiriertes Album aufgenommen hat, denn Van Morrisons Liebe zum Skiffle reicht bis in seine Kindheit zurück.
Er verbachte viel Zeit in dem berühmten Plattenladen Atlantic Records in Belfast, wo er Folk, Blues und Jazz aus dem frühen 20. Jahrhundert hörte.

Es dauerte nicht lange, bis Van Morrison in der Schule in einer Skiffle-Band spielte.
Mehrere Jahrzehnte später besinnt sich Van Morrison mit seinem neuen Album ”Moving On Skiffle”, das am 10. März 2023 erscheinen wird, wieder auf seine Liebe zu diesem Genre. Der Fokustrack ”Streamline Train” kündigt das kommende Album mit insgesamt 23 Titeln an.
Mit ”Moving On Skiffle” greift Van Morrison einen Musikstil auf, der Mitte der 1950er Jahre in Großbritannien explosionsartig aufkam, und
verleiht ihm ein Maß an Raffinesse und Soulfulness.

American trumpeter Blue Mitchell, as his name suggests, had a sound rooted mostly in the blues. He was a Blue Note artists who recorded this album in 1966 and included in it is 'Portrait of Jennie' which was a ballad originally written for the movie Portrait of Jennie in 1948. Guests Jimmy Heath, Tom McIntosh and J. Russell Robinson all feature across the six tunes which mix up modal harmonies with some lyrical moments and groove-driven and subtly funky rhythms. It's a rare one to find on vinyl so do not sleep on this reissue.

Three years after the release of his critically acclaimed album "Salone",
Bai Kamara Jr returns with "Traveling Medicine Man", a 13-track
collection of blues songs portrayed in Bai's unique style
In a descriptive, provocative and sometimes suggestive way, the tales of love, life,
relationships, politics and innuendo are meticulously explored by the
raconteur.''Traveling Medicine Man is the continuation of my introspective journey
through my roots and my perpetual quest to make my two homes, Africa and
Europe, coexist within me. The title was inspired by my maternal grandfather
Tinka Tanner Kargbo, born in 1901 in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. He
was educated by the Wesleyan Missionaries and later traveled with them across
the country to help provide medical care to villagers and townspeople. I was
fortunate enough to have spent some time with my grandfather when I was still a
child, and one of the things that fascinated me the most about him was his ability
to reconcile his Christian beliefs with his traditional African beliefs and
customs.'' (Bai Kamara Jr)For the making of this album Bai brought his touring
band, The Voodoo Sniffers, into the studio; these exceptional musicians
contributed to Bai's unique and evolving sound. With a percussive nature at the
heart of the arrangements this rootsy blues is spiced up with an afro vibe, making
you want to get up and dance more often than not. May your listening experience
be soothing and pleasurable with a healing effect

Following the tumultuous riots of the late 60's, youths in Washington, DC were looking for two things: positivity and an outlet to relieve tension. MUGO, aka "Music, Unity, Guidance, & Organization", offered just that. Formed by 8 high school friends during the summer of 71', this high-octane machine was driven by Manager and retired Marine Sgt. Reuben McNair Sr. His son, Reuben McNair Jr., was a leader within the group, and consequently wrote the B-side of their only public release. This cut, entitled "Space Travel", boasts a driving rhythm section as well as synthesizer overdubs likely to captivate even musically ambitious extraterrestrials. The flip, "Organize", became the group's unofficial theme song; submitting to the public a deft vocal response to rampant inner city blues.

The godfather of soul found himself dipping into jazz on this classic but lesser-known album, Soul On Top (Verse By Request Series). Now getting a proper reissue treatment it is sure to convert many new fans to his abilities across the six sizzling tracks from this 1969 album, which includes the classic 'It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World' and a new version of 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag'. Brown provides the vocals to a 18-piece big band set up that was led by drummer Louis Bellson and arranged by Impulse! star Oliver Nelson. Brown always said he was a jazzman at heart and this goes some way to proving that, with saxophonist Maceo Parker adding plenty of vital swing.

BBE Music’s highly-acclaimed J Jazz Masterclass Series continues with an album that unites three J Jazz legends with a young musician beginning their professional career. Recorded and released in 1986, ‘Approach’ is both sophisticated and experimental in equal measure, balancing serene ambient moments with thunderous and dynamic explosions of energy. ‘Approach’ was originally issued on the Art Union label and sees bass uber-maestro Isao Suzuki, percussion and drumming icon Masahiko Togashi, and keyboard wizard Hideo Ichikawa join together with neophyte guitarist Akira Shiomoto to deliver a first-class showcase of contemporary jazz across five tracks, demonstrating their individual talents working as one unified ensemble. Suzuki’s deeply resonant and pliant basslines move sinuously across the album, supporting Togashi’s ebullient flashes of percussion and Ichikawa’s lush textures and colourations; topping it all off is the young Shiomoto’s guitar adding melodic texture and shine. Opening with ‘Make Trip’, Ichikawa’s gentle introduction makes way for a change of gear as Suzuki’s bass drives the band along before Togashi’s drum and percussion centrepiece solo leads to the outro. The plaintive and bluesy ‘Otari’ follows next, with Ichikawa’s piano flowing around and between the rhythmic undertow from Suzuki and Togashi. Things turn slightly more experimental on ‘Mysterious’ as Suzuki, the piece’s composer, turns to arco bass effects and Ichikawa employs synthesiser and electronic textures to add colour to the palette.

American singer, actor, dancer, and civil rights activist Eartha Kitt was
celebrated for her highly distinctive singing style
Her recordings of "C'est Si Bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby"became instant classics and are presented here along with many other hits.

Limited edition audiophile pressing on 180gram premium vinyl.
Eartha Kitt epitomized the idea of the sex-kitten chanteuse, rising to fame with a nightclub act centred on her slinky stage presence and her throaty purr of a voice. As much as she enjoyed vamping it up, she also projected the image of an exotic international sophisticate. She brought a definite zest to her torch songs and Orson Welles once called her "the most exciting woman in the world".

Eartha Kitt , lead vocals on all tracks,

plus: Henri René Orchestra,
Maurice Levine Orchestra,
Shorty Rogers Orchestra,
Anton Coppola Orchestra.
New York, 1953-59

In the 1950s, Jamaican dancehall regulars were crazy about the haunting sounds of American Rhythm & Blues. But in the mid-1950s, Rock 'n' Roll began to replace RnB in America, and Jamaican dancehall owners like Duke Reid and Clement Dodd turned to local musicians to record their own versions of American RnB.
The trend of covering foreign hits exploded during the Ska heyday of the early 60s and continued through the Rocksteady and Reggay eras. Jamaican musicians have covered virtually every genre of music, from jazz and rock to film scores, television soundtracks, pop, classical music and more. Over the years, they have also recorded many "versions" of already existing covers. Cover of cover of cover…
Admittedly, some of these covers were futile but many were sublime as this new and eclectic collection of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggay nuggets, compiled by the very competent and very charming D.J. Héléa, brilliantly demonstrates. Attention we are here "undercover", there are no well-known covers. Some of the tracks selected are rare, others unknown or forgotten - but all are excellent and blended in an impeccable mix, in line with previous the Harlem Shuffle compilations... All Killer, No Filler!
REGGAY UNDERCOVER is an exciting musical kaleidoscope of Jamaican and Reggae music from the early 60s through to the mid 70s.
We hope you will enjoy listening to this album as much as we had composing it for you.
All aboard for REGGAY UNDERCOVER!