Suche:japan blues

Jon Spencer teams up with Kendall Wind and Macky Spider Bowman - the rhythm section from Woodstock NY punk rock wunderkind The Bobby Lees - to chew bubblegum and kick ass. Two years after “Spencer Gets It Lit” (Marc Riley’s BBC6 Music Album of the Year, “hugely entertaining” MOJO, “a sonic witchdoctor who’ll blow your mind” UNCUT) there is still more work to be done saving rock'n'roll music. “Sick of Being Sick!” will be released on limited clear 45rpm Super-Stereo cut LP. Jon Spencer has been innovative force in the independent music scene since the mid-80s. An acclaimed live performer, he has toured all the continents except Antarctica and has amassed a dizzying discography as the leader of Pussy Galore, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Heavy Trash, and Jon Spencer & the HITmakers, as well as with Boss Hog, The Honeymoon Killers, The Gibson Brothers, and Taxi Girls. His collaborations include (but are not limited to) working with Steve Albini, Add N To X, Nicole Atkins, Beastie Boys, Beck, Bomb The Bass, R.L. Burnside, James Chance, Coldcut, Chuck D, Dan The Automator, Jim Dickinson, DJ Shadow, Einsturzende Neubauten, Guitar Wolf, GZA, David Holmes, Japanese Popstars, Dr. John, Calvin Johnson, Steve Jordan, Khan, Moby, Money Mark, The Muffs, The North Mississippi All Stars, Princess Superstar, Puffy AmiYumi, The Sadies, Nancy Sinatra, Solex, Solomon Burke, Speedball Baby, Rufus Thomas, UNKLE, Unloved, Andre Williams, and Bernie Worrell. His production credits include: Cheater Slicks, Demolition Doll Rods, Experimental Tropic Blues Band, Perrosky, Mike Edison, Jesper Munk, Sunshine & The Rain, The Bobby Lees, and Samantha Fish & Jesse Dayton.

Wendell Harrison, who reiterates his passion as a jazz musician with the "Rebirth" label name on this album, is joined by his friend Harold Mckinney, another leader of the Detroit jazz scene, on the brilliant "Winter" (M1), a piano-driven opening number. The opening number "Winter" (M1), with the brilliant piano of his friend Harold Mckinney, who is also a leader of the Detroit jazz scene, is followed by "Love Dream" (M2), a light Brazilian jazz song that blends Leon Thomas' warm vocals with a bossa flavor, and the spiritual and freaky "He's He's He's He's He's" (M3), which is a powerful bluesy tune. He's The One We All Knew" (M3), a spiritual and freaky tune that Wendell blows with great gusto. The second half of the album continues the momentum, with the fusion-like title track "Reawakening" (M4) with Wendell's flute playing a light, mellow melody, and the percussive beat and horn section intertwining in all directions to create the jet-black funkiness of "Tons & Tons Of Ofamp" (M5), which is a great example of the jazz sound of the band. Tons & Tons Of B.S." (M5), which is a performance of maturity! He also performed "Where Am I," a Wendell Harrison song that was featured on the Tribe-era classic "An Evening With The Devil," in an innovative arrangement featuring Leon Thomas' vocals, as if tracing his own career. It is a masterpiece suitable for the launch of the new label "Rebirth"!

We Could Be Flying" is a rare and classic album by KARIN KROG, a world-class jazz singer from Norway, which has been loved since its original release in 1975. The presence of New York pianist Steve Kuhn, who also composes four of the nine tracks, creates a masterpiece that combines a mellow, gentle comfort with a jazz-like groove. The album starts off with the title track "We Could be Flying" with its solidly sounding rhythm and soulful Karin's vocals, followed by "Meaning Of Love," and the album starts off with a sound that is sure to please fans of jazz-rock. The fourth track is a cover of Joni Mitchell's "All I Want," which not only has a pleasant jazz feel, but also a groove that reaches its peak with the interplay of drums and piano and other instruments, making it a must for fans of jazz, rock, and American music. The sixth track, "Raindrops, Raindrops," and "Hold Out Your Hand" also challenge the listener with a danceable samba style, making this an excellent album in its own right!

This is the first release from "Wenha", the successor label of "Tribe", which was established by Wendel Harrison in the 70's. This album is full of spirituality and blackness, and it retains the philosophy of "Tribe", but it also incorporates the smooth feeling of the early 80's. This is the first release from "Wenha", the successor label of "Tribe". This is the first release from Wendel Harrison's "Wenha" label, the successor to "Tribe" and a collector's item that has always fetched high prices for its original version, but it has been highly acclaimed not only for its rarity but also for its content, which has made many experts in the industry gasp in delight. This is a superb gem that has made many pundits roar not only in terms of rarity but also in terms of content! The players on the side include Phil Ranelin (Trombone), Harold McKinney (Keyboards), Roy Brooks (Percussion), and many other Detroit heavyweights, including Phil Ranelin (Trombone), who founded the Tribe together. The album starts with "Take Time Out" (A1) featuring soulful vocals, followed by the spiritual jazz "Pink Snowballs And Violet Skies" (A3) with its exhilarating bellow, and then the jet-black groove-filled jazz funk number "Where Am I?" (B1) is a truly historical document that beautifully captures the transition from the '70s to the '80s!
For this reissue, the 7inch "No Turnin' Back / Rocket Love" released at the same time on "Wenha" has been added to VINYL as a BONUS DISC, and a bonus track "Patrina's Dance" (B3) has been added to the LP. This is the latest reissue of the album in a completely new guise!








[h] C1. No Turnin' Back [7-inch]
[i] D1. Rocket Love [7-inch]

2024 Reissue

Although he rose to prominence in the NYC jazz scene, working as Nina Simone's exclusive touring pianist, he never blossomed as a solo artist, so he decided to take the plunge and create "Liberated Brother" on his own. This work, which was completed in just 2 days of rehearsal and 5 hours of recording with trusted musicians, is an important work that instantly boosted his popularity as a composer!

The opening title track, "Liberated Brother," is a Latin-taste instrumental covered by Weldon's mentor, Horace Silver. Freddie Hubbard, J.J.Johnson, Peter Hervorzeimer and others have covered "Mr. Clean", which has a complex melody but a memorable phrase. Stanley Turrentine covered jazz-funk "Sister Sanctified" with comical synth phrases, and the version was re-evaluated with the sampling of Boogie Down Productions' "My Philosophy". The album "A Tribute to Brother Weldon" released in 2004 on Stones Throw after Weldon's death covers Blakestra. And jazz funk with a strong blues taste, "Homey" is a super classic that was heavily played on the dance floor in the 90's. The simple and groovy drums with few sounds and the melancholy melodica played by Weldon are cool and very sophisticated songs, and I agree that it was useful in the rare groove scene.

A work that triggered the recognition of his talent as a composer, with such a large number of masterpieces recorded. Don't miss this opportunity!

We can"t really say that Japanese jazzmen benefit (not justify in fact) from a great international fame. However, trumpet player Terumasa Hino is an exception, undoubtedly because since the 70s he has collaborated with numerous Americanmusicians : Gary Burton, Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock ... On Into the Heaven, which was released in 1970, Terumasa Hino is surrounded by the same musicians as on Hi- Nology, released a year earlier : his brother Motohiko Hino on drums, Hiromasa Suzuki on electric piano, Kunimitsu Inaba on electric bass and Takeru Muraoka on tenor sax. The eponymous piece, which lasts more than 20 minutes, is a jazz fusion giving room to choruses and which is reminiscent of the music that Miles Davis then offered, in what we will call his "electric period". B side opens with "Love More Train", a brilliant and long hard bop song, while the album closes melancholy with the peaceful"Feeling Blues As YouAre Feeling".

Roy Porter released two albums in the 70's, "Inner Feelings" and "Jessica", which are now highly sought after as important rare groove albums. After a brief absence from the scene, he entered the 90s and challenged the times with a new Sound Machine! The killer funk tracks "Panama" and "Party time," which have been featured as sampling sources on numerous occasions, have been reconstructed by Roy Porter himself, and brushed up to sound with the texture of the 90s. It is no exaggeration to say that this album embodies the fusion of jazz and hip-hop that Robert Glasper and others have shown since the 2010s, 20 years ago.

We can't really say that Japanese jazzmen benefit (not justify in fact) from a great international fame. However, trumpet player Terumasa Hino is an exception, undoubtedly because since the 70s he has collaborated with numerous American musicians : Gary Burton, Roy Haynes, Herbie Hancock … On Into the Heaven, which was released in 1970, Terumasa Hino is surrounded by the same musicians as on Hi- Nology, released a year earlier : his brother Motohiko Hino on drums, Hiromasa Suzuki on electric piano, Kunimitsu Inaba on electric bass and Takeru Muraoka on tenor sax. The eponymous piece, which lasts more than 20 minutes, is a jazz fusion giving room to choruses and which is reminiscent of the music that Miles Davis then offered, in what we will call his "electric period". B side opens with "Love More Train", a brilliant and long hard bop song, while the album closes melancholy with the peaceful "Feeling Blues As You Are Feeling".

Wiederveröffentlichung der audiophilen 180-Gramm-Vinyl-Doppel-LP mit dem neuen Artwork-Layout von 2019 in kräftigem Grün. Neu gemastert von John Rivers im Woodbine Street Studio speziell für die Vinyl-Veröffentlichung. Does The Cosmic Shepherd Dream Of Electric Tapirs? ist nicht nur eine Frage, die eine Antwort verdient, sondern auch der Titel von Acid Mother Temples allererster Veröffentlichung auf Space Age Recordings. Als japanisches Soul-Kollektiv sind Acid Mothers Temple und The Melting Paraiso UFO so etwas wie ein Rätsel für die westliche Welt, und wahrscheinlich auch für östliche Ohren. Ihre Musik kann als Acid-Rock, experimentell, psychedelisch oder eine ganze Reihe von Genres beschrieben werden, je nach Stimmung des Hörers. Die lange erwartete Wiederveröffentlichung dieses wilden Angebots von AMT ist seit einiger Zeit vergriffen und kommt als solides grünes Doppelvinyl mit dem verführerischen, unzensierten Artwork der Originalhülle. Limitiert auf 500 Exemplare weltweit.

This is the second album recorded about a year after "Scenery". The delicate yet emotionally rich playing is still there, but this time it has more power, and the world that Fukui has depicted comes to life with clearer contours and a greater sense of depth. The sweet and sad melody of "Mellow Dream" and the dynamic and fast-paced "Horizon" are among the dazzling performances. In addition, the album features three original songs, compared to only one on the previous album, which allows the listener to enjoy Fukui's musicality even more. Considering its maturity and rich content, it is safe to say that this is a masterpiece that surpasses the first album. Regrettably, Ryo Fukui passed away in 2016. His delicate touch, rich tone, and beautiful compositions. We are deeply grateful to him for the "pleasant dream" he showed us.

Speed, Glue & Shinki’s last album has been reissued in a gorgeous specification that faithfully reproduces the original, including the entire volume band! Released in 1972. It is a two-disc set that became the last album. Famous for its tiger jacket. There are a lot of songs that seem to be centered on Joey Smith now, but Bluesy Rock is fully opened like the previous work. Although some lyrical songs can be seen, the D-side medley makes heavy use of the precious Moog synthesizer at the time. Guests include Michael Hanopol, Shigeki Watanabe, Hiroshi Oguchi. The 96khz24bit sound source mastered in 2017 is used for this analog conversion. The jacket is a single jacket × 2, a full-length band, a lyrics card, etc. The original is reproduced as much as possible.

Original pioneers of rare groove, PUSH, make a welcome return with an existing and exciting album. Originally released in 2004, now 20 years later it’s still alive and kicking. “Push People” is a cross pollenation of classic underground rare groove and contemporary feel good funk n' soul in the shape of heartfelt songs and incredible instrumental pieces. PUSH emerged from the underground London club scene in 1987, where they were at the heart of a community that thrived on JB inspired Funk, Blaxploitation soundtracks and raw soul-jazz. Push toured Europe and Japan and were regulars onstage at Gilles Peterson's legendary Dingwalls’ Talking Loud & Saying Something sessions. They have worked with the likes of Style Council's Paul Weller and Mick Talbot and have long provided the soulful foundation for the regular European tours of US divas like Candi Staton and Marlena Shaw. The triumvirate of key band members Crispin Taylor (drums), Ernie McKone (bass) and Mark Vandergucht (guitar) also doubled up as the rhythm section for the innovative Galliano – a conscious and wayward band that sold in excess of 800, 000 albums. PUSH are one of the mainstays of the Eighties Rare Groove and Acid Jazz scene alongside Brand New Heavies, Young Disciples and Soul II Soul. PUSH is on a mission, bringing a breath of fresh air and a wealth of musical experience into a very popular scene for people that "Feel the Funk!"

Gemma Blackshaw is a scholar, writer and curator currently Senior Tutor for research at the Royal College of Art. She has curated major exhibitions for galleries and museums in London (National Gallery; Wellcome Collection and Vienna (Leopold Museum; Wien Museum).
This is her debut album.

Who Will You Love is the debut collaborative album from The Dengie Hundred with Gemma Blackshaw. In 2023, The Dengie Hundred co-produced with Japan Blues two albums for Demdike Stare’s DDS label, and released the solo album Tube on London’s Sagome imprint; their solo debut Brackenbank appeared on Ethbo in 2022, when they also contributed to World of Echo’s Thorn Valley compilation. Here, they collaborate with Gemma Blackshaw on an album of smudged dream pop.

Gemma’s vocals were recorded from home at night on an old iPhone. Who Will You Love surfaces dark, desiring songs on the passion and exhaustion of looking after others. Emerging in simple rounds that expand with layers of field recordings, synths and drum machines, the songs include lullabies for baby boys and men, enchantments of wary lovers and spells of protection for a daughter.

Moving between her children and her lover, the mother sings of the demands of daily intimacy (play with me, carry me, sing to me…) that echo through adult relationships too.

Who Will You Love was mastered by Carim Clasmann, and mastered and cut for vinyl by Stefan Betke (aka Pole). Artist Alexis-Soul-Gray gifted Screen Memory of 2022, a painting on found paper, for the artwork. Mark Thomson designed the sleev

Nearly twenty-five years after disbanding, Gastr del Sol have unpacked their archive, stringing together an alternative view to their genre-melting 1993-1998 run.
This assembly of previously uncollected studio recordings and beautifully captured unreleased live performances forms a spacious ode to the flux that was their métier;
a further set of reinventions that continue to alter the manner in which we hear music, and literally everything else!

"The multi-talented Johnny “Guitar” Watson was known for his guitar skills and was one of the hottest blues artists during the 1950s. His 1977 funk album A Real Mother For Ya produced the same titled international hit song and features the additional “Nothing Left To Be Desired” and “Lover Jones”. Also included is the ""2020 Ben Liebrand Oldskool mix"" as a bonus track, which was not available on the original album. During his career, Johnny “Guitar” Watson influenced Jimi Hendrix amongst others and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Sadly, Johnny “Guitar” Watson passed away while touring Japan in 1996. A Real Mother For Ya is available as a limited edition of 750 individually numbered copies on white vinyl. "

A Real Mother For Ya by Johnny Guitar Watson, released 3 May 2024, includes the following tracks: "Your Love Is My Love", "Tarzan", "Lover Jones" and more.

This version of A Real Mother For Ya comes as a 1xLP.

TLM034 will be our 45th release since 1996 and 25th since reforrning the label in 2019. It seemed inevitable that this release would be one of our Best Of Various EPs featuring new and established artists as we have done previously. Starting off this milestone release we have the ever growing Cumulative Collective with AskaFara.

An Epic 10 minute track pushing all the right buttons for listening and the dancefloor alike. Featuring Cormac Fulton, Stefano De Santis, Takashi Nakazato, Ayumi Suzuki and Mitsuru Tanaka, musicians from England, Italy and Japan respectively. All brought together by head of the label Steve Conry who also produced and mixed the track with Stefano De Santis. Track 2 on the A side is by a new name to most, Takahiro Fuchigami with Strange Acquaintance. A beautiful broken beat track with a distinctively Japanese sound.

Onto side AA and that kicks off with Melchior Sultana and The Playground. Melchior has previously released on TLM in 2022 and 2023. For 2024 he delivers a superb jazzy deep house track in his own particular Mediterranean style. Next up is Brazilian multi instrumentalist Fabio Santanna with Melô Da Cuíca, a fantastic Brazilian Boogie track. Fabio came to our attention from his release Chega Mais Lincoln on Joutro Mundo’s superb Brazilian label Onda Boa. Finally rounding off the AA side is The Robinson from Italy with Song 1. A brilliant blues tinged broken beat track that gets better every time you hear it.

The Japanese alternative band lead by OORUTAICHI Urichipangoon's 2nd Album on vinyl first time.

Original CD was released in 2008.

2LP Gatefold and incert.

They crossover Jazz, Brazilian, Afrobeat and folklore, and on unique Japanese poetry.

Repress!

Mr Bongo are delighted to present an officially licensed re-issue of this underground Japanese rock rarity 'Uganda (Dawn of Rock)' by Akira Ishikawa & Count Buffaloes. This album has become highly sought-after amongst psych, prog and acid rock collectors and due to the rare nature of original copies they come at a hefty price tag.

The respected Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa was not messing around when he recorded the 'Uganda (Dawn of Rock)' album with his band the Count Buffaloes. For this offering, originally released in 1972 on Toshiba Records, Akira Ishikawa takes us on a deep tripped-out journey. 'Uganda (Dawn of Rock)' is a fusion of progressive and psych rock with African percussion workouts, dergy-wah wah blues-funk, and jazzy sensibilities; with different genres morphing and uniting as they progress.

A long way from his funk and afrobeat album 'Back To Rhythm’, re-issued on Mr Bongo in 2019, this record has a darker, deeper, abstract and experimental stoned tone with the listener being pulled into its vortex for the ride. This record doesn’t pull any punches.

For this album, Akira is joined by Hideaki Chihara on bass, guitarist Kimio Mizutani, sounding at times like an early 70s Peter Green, percussionist Larry Sunaga and composer Takeru Muraoka.

The album has become highly sought-after amongst psych, prog and acid rock collectors and due to the rare nature of original copies they come at a hefty price tag.

We are delighted to present an officially licensed re-issue of this underground Japanese rock rarity.

Available in 2 formats: Original LP in Box version & Tip-on Sleeve with OBI version.


• Highly sought-after underground Japanese rock rarity, originally released in 1972.

• Feat. Hideaki Chihara, Kimio Mizutani, Larry Sunaga and Takeru Muraoka.

• Available as the original LP in Box version & Tip-on Sleeve with OBI version.

The latest release on An’archives, Suikyō, documents a first-time meeting between three Japanese improvisers: Takashi Masubuchi on guitar and harmonica; Ayami Suzuki on voice and electronics; and Tomo on hurdy-gurdy. Recorded at Permian on the 29th of January, 2023, it’s a stunning, forty-minute long improvisation of rare artistic sympathy. Notably, it was the first time the trio had performed together, though Masubuchi and Suzuki have prior form as a duo; on the evening itself, the trio performance was preceded by solo sets from Suzuki and Tomo, which served as a kind of introduction, of sorts, to the broader aesthetic visions of two of the musicians on Suikyō.

Masubuchi, Suzuki and Tomo make for a fascinating trio, not only due to the shared musical sympathy that’s clear from their performance, but also due to their histories, and the way these dovetail on the music you hear on Suikyō. Masubuchi has recorded a number of stunning solo albums for guitar and has also improvised with a number of musicians: you can hear his responsiveness and thoughtful playing on albums alongside Suzuki, Taku Sugimoto, Straytone, Shizuo Uchida, Takahiro Kawaguchi, and more. Suzuki’s work for voice has been documented on several solo cassette releases, and in consort with Tetuzi Akiyama, Rob Noyes, Leo Okagawa, Aidan Baker and Tobias Humble. And Tomo’s music can be heard on a small clutch of solo CDs, as a member of Tetragrammaton and Archeus, and in collaboration with Junzo Suzuki.

The way their instrumental voices meld together on Suikyō, though, is evidence of a capacity both to draw from these histories, and to take these collective knowledges to new places. And sometimes, unexpectedly old places: Masubuchi notes that his guitar on this set took him back to the rock and blues he used to play, perhaps in earlier groups like Pelktopia, which he suggests contributes to “the psychedelic mood” of Suikyō. Tomo’s hurdy gurdy matches this by pulling drones out of the air or allowing melodies to slowly morph and envelop the listener – their development, at times, reminds me of troubadour music from Occitanie.

Suzuki’s presence is equally compelling and curious. Her voice is an eternally flexible instrument, and whether it sits unadorned within the soundworld magic’d into space by Masubuchi and Tomo, or slips between the cracks thanks to subtle use of electronic effects, it has a quality about it that is both otherworldly – at times, the voice soars and pirouettes – and thoroughly, deeply grounded, of this earth, a most human and intimate encounter. There is a lovely consort between Suzuki and Tomo, the voice and hurdy-gurdy shadowing each other: as Tomo notes, “the hurdy gurdy has been an instrument played to accompany singing since the Middle Ages.” For Suzuki, the performance was “psychedelic and hedonistic in a good way,” but it wasn’t simply given in to that experience: “we were at the same time looking at it from an objective point of view.”

That feels like the right way to approach Suikyō: as a performance that both sets the mind and ears spinning, but with a careful, thoughtful, and considerate objectivity to its moment-by-moment development. It’s also incredibly gorgeous. As a first encounter, it’s surprising in both its comfort and its challenge: and as Masubuchi says, the playing together feels just the way it had to be: “instinctive, unintentional, and inevitable.”

Boukou Groove – the soul-funk band from New Orleans – consisting of the charismatic singer/keyboardist/songwriter Donnie Sundal and the virtuoso guitarist/songwriter Derwin 'Big D' Perkins, is the best-kept American soul secret of the moment. Donnie, the frontman of Boukou Groove, is rightly considered one of the best white soul singers of the past fifty years. His soulful and funky voice evokes comparisons with greats such as Curtis Mayfield and Ronald Isley.
But let's not forget Big D, who is celebrated as one of the best guitarists in New Orleans. As a regular session musician, Big D regularly showcases his unique mix of jazzy and funky guitar playing on albums by icons such as Maceo Parker, Dr. John and Snarky Puppy. The latest album, 'Groovin'', released for the first time on vinyl under the 'Juicy Records' label, is a collection of their best work to date. After two successful tours in Japan with performances at the Live Magic! Festival and at the Blue Note in Tokyo, the album serves as a wonderful introduction before the European tour begins. While Donnie controls the vocals and bass role with his funky Moog Bass, Big D enchants with catchy guitar riffs and sublime guitar solos. Together with a talented drummer and sometimes horn players, they create an irresistible mix of New Orleans Funk, Southern Soul and Rhythm 'n' Blues. Boukou Groove has delivered one of the most enchanting modern funky soul records of this decade with 'Groovin''.