quête:dr bass

It began with a cassette tape entitled 'Pleased To Meet You' gifted to us at Sessa's Fasching, Stockholm show by Yann Dardenne, the multi-tasking tour manager/sound engineer/producer/merch stall worker and co-owner of Seloki Records. On first listen, the selection of underground Brazilian artists from the Seloki's roster was superb, however, one song stopped us in our tracks. The hauntingly captivating ' GOSTO MEIO DOCE' by Nina Maia and Francisca Barreto, gave us a taste of Nina's ethereal, addictive voice and we knew we needed to hear more. Born in Minas Gerais but now based in Sao Paulo, the 22-year-old has already packed a lot into a relatively short space of time. The singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer, has already collaborated on the soundtracks for six Brazilian feature films, including a track with the vocalists Maria Gadu, Iza, and Liniker. But things enter a new exciting era with this, her remarkable debut album entitled 'INTEIRA', which translates to English as 'whole'.

As much inspired by Billie Eilish and Rosalia, as Milton Nascimento and Toninho Horta and not sounding like other records coming out of Brazil, 'INTEIRA' is unique. Though rich in its Brazilian heritage, inspired by samba cancao, MPB, and the Clube da Esquina movement, it also channels influence from bands such as Portishead and Massive Attack, mixed with jazz, contemporary leftfield and electronic pop artists. Musically, it is not easily pigeonholed, with beautiful, well-crafted songs, sophisticated arrangements, eloquent vocals and intimate lyrics. Each track reflects different moments and stories from Nina's youth but with dialogues, feelings, and questions that span generations and resonate with all. This ambitious debut album is Nina's vision and sound, expressing herself without constraints and making music with her friends. Featuring a lineup of Thalin (drums), Valentim Frateschi (bass), Francisca Barreto (cello and vocals), Thales Hashiguti (viola and violin), Yann Dardenne (acoustic guitar and co-producer) and Nina on piano, Rhodes, guitar and production. The album led to a nomination in Paulista Association of Art Critics (APCA) award's 'Breakthrough Artist' category, who also listed 'INTEIRA' as one of the 50 best albums of 2024.

It also received support from Bandcamp Weekly and Jamz Supernova on BBC 6 Music. Released digitally by Seloki Records in Brazil in 2024, Mr Bongo in partnership with Seloki Records now present this new, deluxe worldwide edition that includes four additional songs. These comprise the brand-new exquisite 'MANHA', as well as an original twist on Vinicius de Moraes' classic 'Serenata Do Adeus'. Elsewhere you'll find a live recording showcasing Nina's remarkable energy on stage courtesy of 'DE DENTRO' and 'GOSTO MEIO DOCE' with the amazing musician/vocalist Francisca Barreto, where our whole story began. Here at Mr Bongo, we are honoured to release music by such a remarkable new talent - one whose musical trajectory is most certainly about to soar.

Tone DropOut are back with a 4 track EP of dance floor fillers, true to the tonedropout style expect breaks bleeps and deep dark grooves and bass lines old done with that old warehouse rave feel. Tracks from co owner SWEEN and Dan Beck aka THE HE-MEN and co-owner DAWL as well as good friend ASCOT

Sdban Records is proud to announce the first official reissue of Coal Mining, the 1978 debut album by Dutch jazz pianist René van Helsdingen. This album marks a significant milestone-the beginning of van Helsdingen's decades-spanning career as an innovative and independent musician.

Born in 1957 in Jakarta, Indonesia, but holding Dutch nationality, René van Helsdingen began classical piano studies in the Netherlands in the early 1960s. While initially following in his family's footsteps by enrolling in mining engineering at the Technical University of Delft, his passion for music ultimately prevailed. His academic path may have diverged, but it set the stage, both figuratively and literally, for what would become an extraordinary musical career.

Coal Mining was originally released on Munich Records, a respected Dutch jazz and roots label founded by music producer and musician Job Zomer. The album features a blend of jazz influences from giants such as Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, and Bill Evans, and showcases van Helsdingen's distinctive voice as a composer and pianist at the very start of his professional journey.

The record includes contributions from a rich ensemble of musicians, including Wim Essed (bass), Klaus Flenter (guitar), Børge Ring (double bass), Henk Zomer (drums), Martijn Nesenberend (drums), Dick Pluim (bass), and even a student orchestra formed during van Helsdingen's time at Delft University.

Often mistakenly referred to as Piano, a result of the album's back cover design prominentlyfeaturing the word, Coal Mining is both a literal and symbolic title. It alludes not only to van Helsdingen's brief academic past, but to the depth and labor of jazz creation itself: layered, gritty, and forged under pressure.

A year after the album's release, van Helsdingen moved to Los Angeles to continue his jazz studies. While living in Hollywood, he shared a house with future musical collaborators including Kent Brinkley, Essiet Okon Essiet, Brian Batie, John Rigby, Edmond Allmond, David Best and John Butler. Even in the early stages of his career, van Helsdingen displayed the entrepreneurial spirit that would define his path, self-releasing albums and even pioneering an early form of crowdfunding by selling 400 ad spaces on a record sleeve to finance an LP project. After his jazz studies in Los Angeles, he performed extensively in Europe, Canada, the U.S., Australia and Asia, often traveling with his own 'Stage bus', which housedboth a stage and instruments.

In August 2018, van Helsdingen was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Despite the physical challenges brought on by the condition, he continues to perform and compose music. His openness about the diagnosis-shared publicly in a 2019 documentary-has helped raise awareness of Parkinson's and the role of creativity and improvisation as tools for resilience.

Now, nearly five decades after its initial release, Coal Mining is finally receiving a well-deserved reissue. Introducing a new generation of listeners to the raw talent and visionary beginnings of a true European jazz original.

Identified Patient returns to Dekmantel for a third time with his Reset EP. The future-facing four tracker is another mutant fusion of bass and techno with low-end power with cerebral sound designs.

Job Veerman debuted on the Dekmantel UFO Series in 2019, returned in 2020 and has lit up the festival several times with transportative sets that balance power with precision. Like his productions on the Nerve Collect label, he co-runs with Gamma Intel, they are leftfield explorations of genre and tempo that find strange sensuality in often abstract ideas. Once again here, the Dutchman draws on eclectic influences to craft music that sounds like no one else but remains anchored by magnetic rhythms.

Opener 'Light' kicks off with a fuzzy synth line that slithers between syncopated drums. Whispered vocals drift through the mix as lurching basslines swell and collapse beneath them. The groove disassembles and reassembles in waves, propelled forward by bursts of glitchy, off-kilter percussion that's unsteady yet seductive. 'Scales' is a slow, menacing descent into rhythmic darkness. It sounds both ancient and futuristic with ghoulish vocalisations and filtered synths flickering like a badly wired circuit. There's a rave tension lurking throughout, but always in the shadows.

'Internal Pace' drives on but rides fluid, wobbly bass while tightly looped hits build the pressure. Layers of static and subtle distortion add grit to this unrelenting heads-down roller. Finally, 'Return' is a kinetic, razor-edged ride where jungle breaks collide serpentine melodies. Ethereal female coos drift in and out, brushing against spat-out vocal fragments so that tension crackles throughout this hallucinogenic trip.

With Reset, Identified Patient reaffirms his status as a singular voice who twists sound into evocative new worlds.

First time reissue of this French cold-wave / minimal-synth treasure.



November 1981 – In the heart of autumn, we set off in two cars along the Nationale 1 (!) to reach Choisy-le-Roi, where a 16-track studio was waiting for us—a place where, over the course of a weekend, we would finally be able to carve our own grooves into vinyl. We were quite nervous, as Guerre Froide had already been around for a year and a half. Our elders in Kas Product had already released two EPs—one with four tracks, the other with three—in 1980, even though they’d started only a few months before us. Admittedly, there wasn’t really a sense of urgency—some of us came from the punk movement, where the prevailing mood was still very much No Future, even if we’d long since stopped believing in it... And yet others had truly lost everything, like those from the generation before us. The reasons, ironically, were often the same: heroin and/or love—hard drugs, in both cases.

Speaking of which, I had a terrible stomach ache—due to nerves or some form of tension—which forced us to make a pit stop in the Oise region so I could rush to the toilet of a local café. That same stomach discomfort would hit me again once we arrived at the studio—whose name, incidentally, I’ve since forgotten...

We had gotten there thanks to the generous initiative of a friend, Sylvain S., known as “Perlin” (what a phonetic coincidence!?), who had specifically created the Stechak Products label to produce our record. Stechak because it was consistent with his earlier association called Tchernoziom, and Products as a plural tribute to the trailblazers from Nancy.

Guerre Froide originally consisted of four members: Fabrice Fruchart on guitar-synth (Korg MS-20), Patrick Mallet on bass, and Gilbert Deffais, known as “Bébert”, on Korg drum machine. At the time, I was already singing in a rock/post-punk band called Stress, and that’s how Guerre Froide picked up the bad habit of rehearsing in the same basement in Amiens as Stress. Within a month or two, we had half a dozen songs. We then had the opportunity to record a 4-track demo with a friend from Radio France Picardie, and to perform in October at a festival held at the Amiens municipal circus. Then came the now-legendary concert on November 11 at B.J.’s Club. After that, we self-produced and released 50 completely DIY copies of a cassette titled Cicatrice. A few concerts later—after Jean-Michel Bailleux had joined us on bass and Patrick had switched to guitar, which felt more natural to him—and with more concrete plans starting to take shape, we had to find a new rehearsal space and start renting a room.

Then came the moment when Fabrice told us he was leaving to go study in Lille... After the June 19, 1981 concert, which was naturally dubbed “Farewell to 2F,” Marie-José, Bébert’s wife, offered to take over on synth.

That’s when Perlin, who was a close friend of the Deffais couple and a great fan of our music, offered to fully finance the production of a 4-track 12-inch EP—covering the studio time, mastering, pressing, and artwork. What up-and-coming band would have turned that down? An improvised contract was signed with each member of Guerre Froide. The first step was choosing which four songs we would record. Berlin 81 was an obvious pick, having already become the group’s flagship track. We wanted to avoid reusing songs from Cicatrice, so the focus shifted to new material—some written before, some after Fabrice’s departure. Ersatz, for example, was his composition, but Mauve and Peine Perdue, which were also selected, were both written by Patrick.

Am 26. 9. 2005 erschien mit Fortschritt unser siebtes deutschsprachiges Album auf unserem bandeigenen Label Dritte Wahl Records. Zu hören gibt es 13 neue Songs, eine Coverversion des Rote Gitarren Hits Weißes Boot und eine plattdeutsche Fassung von Hoch im Norden. Musikalisch und textlich geht es quer durch den Gemüsegarten: Da gibt es schnelle, harte, politische Stücke, groovige Songs mit Geschichten aus dem Leben, Reggae-Beats bis hin zum vollakustischen Lied Auf der Flucht in dem es um Abschied, Hoffnung und natürlich auch um Busch"n (Bassisten und Gründungsmitglied von DRITTE WAHL) geht, der im Januar des Jahres 2005 nach schwerer Krankheit verstorben ist. Unterstützt wurden wir bei den Aufnahmen durch Kollegen von Corvus Corax, den Crushing Caspars, Daily Terror, Final Virus, Freygang, Höart! Höart! Höart!, Lady Godiva, Mainpoint und Tanzwut. Zwanzig Jahre später erscheint nun eine Jubiläumsausgabe des Albums auf Kassette.

UK sound system culture stays strong with the heavyweight new 7” release from Vibronics and veteran roots vocalist Tann-I Browne, dropping now on the SCOOPS label. Titled “COLD WORLD”, this is a hard-hitting vocal and dub cut.
A first-time collaboration between these two UK reggae powerhouses, “COLD WORLD” is a potent slice of UK Roots Vocal + Dub, driven by Tann-I Browne’s unmistakably rich and powerful voice and reality-driven lyrics. The production is signature Vibronics: an up-tempo, militant stepper riddim laced with deep bass, crisp percussion, and the unmistakable touches of future dub.
The B-side version strips it down and dubs it out in true Vibronics style—ready for sound system play at full power.
This release is pressed on 7” vinyl and presented in a full-colour printed SCOOPS label sleeve, making it a collector’s item as much as a sound system weapon.

Dirkschneider And The Old Gang (DATOG) wurde 2020 ursprünglich als einmaliges Charity-Projekt ins Leben gerufen, entwickelte jedoch schnell eine Eigendynamik und formierte sich zu einer Band, bestehend aus Udo Dirkschneider (Gesang, ACCEPT/U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER), Peter Baltes (Bass, Gesang, ACCEPT/U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER), Stefan Kaufmann (Gitarre, ACCEPT/U.D.O.), Mathias Dieth (Gitarre, SINNER/U.D.O.), Sven Dirkschneider (Schlagzeug, U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER) und Manuela Bibert (Gesang). Zwischen 2020 und 2021 sorgten die ersten drei Singles für große Aufmerksamkeit, woraufhin die Band weitere Songs schrieb und ihr Debütalbum aufnahm. Mit einem einzigartigen Gesangskonzept aus drei Stimmen, kraftvollen Riffs und stilistischer Vielschichtigkeit vereint DATOG klassischen Heavy Metal mit einer modernen, druckvollen Produktion.

Formed in Brussels in 2017, Milk TV has drunk from many sources, quenching an enormous thirst for inspiration to create a singular universe, imbued with nostalgia and cynicism towards Anglo-Saxon pop culture. That of cheap TV programs, giant milk bottle ads, but above all of the underground, from New York no-wave to the Californian noise scene. With "NEO GEO", a new album on Brussels label EXAG' Records, the trio take their music to even more versatile playgrounds, an art-rock kaleidoscope, perhaps more intuitive and effective than its predecessor. While the band's trademark bass chorus and jerky rhythms with a hint of exotica are still present, some tracks give way to a more punky, immediate energy.

Auf ihrem zweiten Album begibt sich die singapurische Dreampop-Band BLUSH auf die Mission, makellosen Pop zu kreieren, der die bittersüßen Momente des Lebens erkundet. Mit komplex komponierten Stücken, die zwischen Traumlandschaften und unberechenbaren Klängen schweben, verwandelt das Quartett Herzschmerz in etwas trügerisch Befriedigendes. Dieses neue Album ist das erste der Band seit ihrem Debüt ,Supercrush" aus dem Jahr 2023 und präsentiert eine verjüngte BLUSH-Besetzung, wobei die Stammmitglieder Soffi Peters (Gesang) und Daniel Pei (Bass) Darell Laser an der Gitarre mit ins Boot holen. Der langjährige vertraute Kollaborateur Jared Lim kehrt als Produzent und Gitarrist zurück.

WRWTFWW Records is extremely happy to present the official reissue of Safari's self-titled album from 1984. The Japanese jazz-fusion super gem is available now as a limited-edition transparent vinyl LP housed in a heavyweight sleeve with obi.

Originally released on fabled label VAP, Safari is a one-of-a-kind city pop-adjacent summer blend of AOR, smooth jazz, and sun-drenched boogie. The sole album from the all-star outfit was the brainchild of keyboardist Toshiyuki Daitoku and Japan-based Californian jazz-funk-latin-fusion bassist Gregg Lee. Together with a large team of experienced musicians, they created a lush, immaculately-arranged 8-track cruise filled with poolside grooves, breezy rhythms, and feel-good vocal harmonies.

Safari features the well-known title track which acted as the theme song for an 80s sports program on Fuji Television, the night-swim chill music tune "All Right in The Night", and the fan-favorite buoyant vacation hit "The Morning After".

The official reissue is fully licensed and sourced from the original masters, with an audiophile cut by Sidney Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios, ensuring the warm, pristine sound this lost treasure deserves.

Safari is the second release from WRWTFWW's City Pop Series, following Momoko Kikuchi's beach classic Ocean Side, also available on transparent vinyl LP. The series, complete with a visual identity designed by Lopetz/Büro Destruct, also comes with a limited merch capsule, and more sun-soaked gems lined up for the future.

KIPPE makes his debut release with "To The Lost Ones". An EP out of this world - rolling bass, dreamy chords and sound design from another planet form a cohesive world of his own.

A remix by SAMA fits perfectly into this world and rounds of the release with a burst of energy!

Vierfaches Vinyl (Frosted White Vinyl Colour) - oder CD-Box-Set, kuratiert von David Gedge, um vier kompromisslose Jahrzehnte The Wedding Present zu feiern. Nachdem sich die Alternative-Rock-Band The Lost Pandas aus Leeds Anfang der 1980er Jahre aufgelöst hatte, beschlossen Sänger/Gitarrist David Gedge und Bassist Keith Gregory, eine neue Gruppe zu gründen. 1985, inspiriert von Pop-Radio, Punk-Frechheit, The Velvet Underground und Davids ehemaligen Schulkameraden The Chameleons, gründeten sie The Wedding Present. Diese Band war - und ist bis heute - in jeder Hinsicht kompromisslos und unerschütterlich authentisch, und so wurde Gedge, ohne es zu beabsichtigen, zu einer legendären Figur der alternativen Musik. Er ist einer der wichtigsten Architekten und Begründer des alternativen Gitarrenrocks und der Mastermind hinter einem der reichhaltigsten, eingängigsten und beständigsten Kataloge der Popgeschichte. Vier Jahrzehnte später, mit 13 Studioalben, 20 Compilation-Alben und einer ganzen Reihe von Singles, EPs, Live-Alben und Radio-Sessions - und weiteren in Aussicht - ist "The Wedding Presen 40" eine feiernde Reflexion dieser komplexen und faszinierenden Band. Erhältlich als vier Vinyl- oder vier CD-Box-Sets, handelt es sich hierbei nicht um eine gewöhnliche Sammlung der ,beliebtesten" Songs, sondern um eine chronologische, akustische Reise durch Albumtracks, Singles und B-Seiten. Das atemberaubende Artwork wurde von Jonathan Hitchen zusammengestellt, der viele der Original-Plattencover der Band entworfen hat, und es gibt ausführliche Begleittexte von David Gedge selbst sowie dem renommierten Musikjournalisten Mark Beaumont NME, Guardian, Independent. Gedge's Kommentare bieten einen einzigartigen Einblick in die Arbeitsweise der Band und einen spannenden Track-für-Track-Leitfaden zur Jubiläums-Compilation. Inklusive 32-seitigem Hardcover-Buch mit ausführlichen Begleittexten von Mark Beaumont sowie Kommentaren zu jedem einzelnen Titel von David Gedge.




[b] 1.2YOU SHOULD ALWAYS KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FRIENDS [PEEL SESSION VERSION]


[e] 1.5MY FAVOURITE DRESS [LP VERSION]



[i] 1.9GIVE MY LOVE TO KEVIN [ACOUSTIC VERSION]




[n] 2.3BRASSNECK [SINGLE VERSION]





[t] 2.9CORDUROY [LP VERSION]





[z] 3.6SPANGLE [LP VERSION]



[xd] 3.10INTERSTATE 5 [LP VERSION]





[xj] 4.5TWO BRIDGES [LP VERSION]

[xl] 4.7I AM NOT GOING TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU [LP VERSION]
[xm] 4.8SCIENCE FICTION [LP VERSION]

Am 26.09.2025 erscheint beim feinen Wiener Indie-Label Voller Sound endlich das heiß erwartete Debüt-Album der New-New-Wave-Band Parc de Triomphe - als Vinyl mit grell-pinken Farbtupfern. Eine Reminiszenz an die 1980er- und 1990er-Jahre. Auf dem selbstbetitelten Album setzen sich Jörn Brien und Florian Knabenschuh in gewohnt düsterer Elektro-Pop-Manier mit der eigenen Vergangenheit auseinander. Themen wie Einsamkeit, Verletzlichkeit und die Angst vor Umbrüchen werden aufgehellt von Farb- und Hoffnungsschimmern. Druckvoll, treibend, wütend Musikalisch geht es bass- und beat-lastig zur Sache. In den oft tanzbaren Stücken werden der druckvolle Basslauf und die treibenden Beats von der markanten Stimme und einem ebenso einprägsamen Gitarrensound begleitet. Manchmal schrille, oft wütende, dann wieder ruhige, kühle Synthie-Klänge unterstreichen die Anleihen beim New Wave der 1980er. Passend zu den Texten, die sich nicht zuletzt mit DDR, Wende und den nachfolgenden Baseballschlägerjahren in Ostdeutschland auseinandersetzen. Aber keine Sorge vor zu viel Vergangenheit und Nostalgie. Im Gegenteil: Frei nach dem Bandmotto "Krawall! Elektro! Pop!" schlagen die Musiker mit ihrer melancholisch-düsteren Musik und den aufwühlenden, lyrischen Texten eine Brücke ins Hier und Jetzt. Die erzeugten Emotionen bewegen Jung und Alt. Radio-Airplay, Charts und TV Mit der EP "Harte Zeiten" haben Parc de Triomphe Ende 2023 ein erstes Ausrufezeichen gesetzt. Mit Airplay auf FM4, zahlreichen Konzerten und einem TV-Auftritt sowie Platzierungen in den Austrian Indie-Charts konnte sich die Band in der Wiener Indie-Szene schon einen Namen machen. Der Song "Westradio" lief beim beliebten Berliner Sender radioeins. Auf Spotify kommen die bisher vorab veröffentlichten Singles jeweils auf Tausende Streams. Auf dem Album "Parc de Triomphe" finden sich insgesamt 12 fein produzierte (Alf Peherstorfer) Songs, die eingängig, aber nie langweilig sind, straight, aber auf ihre Art trotzdem schräg. "Geschmackvoll, eingängig und wundervoll" FM4-Moderator Andreas Gstettner-Brugger schrieb zur Single "Harte Zeiten": "Die beiden deutschen Musiker, die sich in einem Wiener Park kennengelernt haben, produzieren hier einen geschmackvollen, eingängigen und wundervollen Song, der mich an Tocotronic, frühe Blumfeld und diverse Krautrockbands erinnert." Fazit: Fans deutschsprachiger Musik, die den New-Wave-Sound der 1980er-Jahre im modernen Gewand feiern und dem Indie-Sound der frühen 1990er-Jahre nicht abgeneigt sind, sollten "Parc de Triomphe" auf ihre Plattenteller legen.

AMBULANZ aus Leipzig liefern chaotischen Art-Punk, der zwischen kantigem, krautrockigem Experimentalismus und eingängigen, mitreißenden Melodien oszilliert. Zwei Stimmen spielen mit hüpfendem Bass und wirbelnden Synthesizern und balancieren dabei stets am Rande des Zerfalls. Ihre Songs beschäftigen sich mit Verlust, Angst, Drogen, flüchtiger Freude und einem Funken Hoffnung. Sie bewegen sich auf dem schmalen Grat zwischen zugänglicher Verrücktheit und Art-Haus-Freakout, ohne zu weit in eine der beiden Richtungen zu kippen. Diese Art von Balanceakt könnte leicht in Mittelmäßigkeit versinken - aber nicht hier. Unter der Oberfläche pulsiert eine unbestreitbare Lebendigkeit, die alles am Leben hält. Irgendwo zwischen Garage und Traum.

Wolfgang Muthspiel und sein Trio mit Scott Colley am Bass und Brian Blade am Schlagzeug („Zusammen haben sie etwas von der Empathie des Bill Evans Trios“ – Downbeat) starten mit einer feinfühligen
Interpretation von Keith Jarretts „Lisbon Stomp“ swingend in ihr drittes Aufnahmeprojekt, die vielleicht
abenteuerlichste Trio-Aufnahme der Gruppe. Auf dem gesamten Album richten der österreichische Gitarrist
und seine amerikanischen Mitstreiter das Augenmerk jedoch auf Muthspiels fesselnde Eigenkompositionen,
die lyrische Balladen („Pradela“, „Traversia“), subtile Folk-Einflüsse („Strumming“, „Flight“) sowie leicht
angeschrägten Kammerjazz („Weill You Wait“) und twangy Rock ’n’ Roll („Roll“) umfassen. Wie gewohnt
wechselt Muthspiel fließend zwischen akustischer und elektrischer Gitarre und präsentiert seinen sanften
Anschlag und seine fließenden Linien in einem Programm, das die gesamte Bandbreite des idiomatischen
Spektrums zu umfassen scheint, das er in den letzten Jahrzehnten entfaltet hat. Mit einer raffnierten
Interpretation von Paul Motians „Abacus“ als Finale des Albums schließt Muthspiel eine große Lücke in
der Geschichte des Jazz und von ECM. Das Album ist nach der japanischen Hauptstadt benannt, wo es
im Oktober 2024 aufgenommen wurde. Tokyo wurde im Februar 2025 in München abgemischt, und von
Manfred Eicher produziert.

"Recorded in 1959, Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges is heralded as one of the best of Mulligan’s recorded pairings with fellow instrumentalists. On this date, the two saxophonists are joined by a solid rhythm section of Claude Williamson (piano), Buddy Clark (bass) and Mel Lewis (drums), splitting the repertoire across three originals each from Mulligan and Hodges. The two complement the other throughout with the exception of Mulligan’s ‘What’s the Rush’, where the baritonist sits out altogether in favour of Hodges’ alto taking the spotlight.
Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging."

"Under the guidance of Norman Granz, Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan collaborate for the first time as the primary horns on Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi. Recorded in 1957, this record offers the unique opportunity to listen to the two jazz stars trade instruments on the first three tracks (‘Let's Fall in Love’, ‘Anything Goes’, and ‘Too Close for Comfort’) with Getz on baritone sax and Mulligan on tenor. The music gels with the help of a world-class rhythm section featuring Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. While a massive musical success, the duo never recorded again in this quintet format, making this record a rarity.
Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging."

Trailblazing outlet for forward-thinking Danish Jazz, April Records proudly presents the debut from trumpeter/composer Rolf Thofte; a vivid and personal record that blends lyrical melodies, inventive rhythms, and subtle harmonic exploration. Written while Thofte adjusted to fatherhood - the album captures moments of joy, reflection, and experimentation, brought to life by a handpicked quintet of Denmark"s most exciting young jazz talents. Martha"s Dance is set for release on September 19th, 2025 via April Records. The title track is a tribute to Thofte"s three-year-old daughter - a playful, clapping, goat-hoof-stomping tune in quirky 5/4 that channels the spirit of childhood joy and spontaneity. "It"s just a fun tune to play, and I feel like it really captures Martha"s spirit," says Thofte. "This band came together at a time when I was trying to get a foothold in a new life situation as a father, so it felt perfect to make this the title track." The album moves between moods and textures with elegance: from the rich harmonic language of "Vice Versa" - inspired by Wayne Shorter"s ability to cast simple melodies in shifting harmonic light - to the understated power of "Changing Tides," a piece about imperceptible gradual changes in our lives, nature, and politics. "Bendico," written in 15 minutes as a conservatory assignment, showcases Thofte"s gift for strong melodic statements, while "Dunkelflaute" evokes melancholic Nordic greyness through sparse, emotive phrasing. From the swaggering second-line feel of "The Big 5" to the hypnotic pulse of "All...", the album explores rhythm as both a driving force and a canvas for creative interplay. Throughout, Thofte"s trumpet and flugelhorn lead the ensemble with warmth and clarity. The quintet features some of Copenhagen"s top next-generation players: Andreas Toftemark (tenor saxophone), a powerhouse improviser and composer who brings NYC-honed energy and detail to the group dynamic. Rasmus Sorensen (piano), a rising star of the European scene, known for his sensitive, exploratory playing and fearless interaction. Jakob Roland (bass) and Henrik Holst (drums) - two of Thofte"s oldest musical collaborators - round out the rhythm section with deep swing, taste, and musical empathy.

Linval Thompson - Wicked Man

Vocals: Linval Thompson
Drums: Eduardo Fernandez
Percussion: Aurel Cade
Bass: Amando “Gottafunker” Gottardi
Horns: Soothsayers
Guitars: Vinney Ellis
Backing Vocals: Chardel Rhoden
Label: Roots Renegade Records (RRR017)
Produced & Mixed by Vinney Satta at Ellis Studios, Spain