Suche:lin

Bas Jan return with a polished and poignant collection of perfectly-crafted pop songs that retains their authentic indie edginess. 'Back To The Swamp' is a heady tussle between their incorrigible DIY ethics and new responsibilities. Serafina Steer, Charlotte Stock, Emma Smith and Rachel Horwood cast an examining eye over modern times, lost love, Tarot intuition and long days in an everyday swamp. Awash with lush chorale effects, orchestral hewn loops, pin sharp electronic beats and sublime harmonies. Back To The Swamp is filled with thought-provoking stories, it's a reflective worldview. It's a polished and poignant collection of perfectly-crafted pop songs that retains their authentic indie edginess. These new studio recordings feature more accomplished pop production; filled with cerebral one-liners that pluck at the senses. And, there's a nod to an eclectic mix of influences; The Pet Shop Boys, Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Kate Bush, Heaven 17 and Jon Hassell by way of Brian Eno. Witches, Tarot readings, road signs, Salt-N-Pepa namechecks and a river all cried out, welcome to the swamp_ "Beautifully fractured art-pop" MOJO

Echoes, Spaces, Lines collects Trans-Millenia Consort, Plot Zero, and Spectre, the first three albums by the late West Coast composer, healer, and medium Pauline Anna Strom. Exploring all corners of the multiverse through transpersonal form and freedom, Strom’s first three albums share a singular sensibility, different streams flowing from the same oracular font. Echoes, Spaces, Lines establishes Strom’s rightful place in the canon of great synthesists. Restored and mixed from the original reels by Marta Salogni, newly remastered, and adding Oceans of Tears, a fully realized but previously unreleased album exclusive to this box set, these are the first official reissues and the definitive encapsulation of Pauline Anna Strom’s prolific and visionary early work. These four-disc LP and CD box sets include 12 and 16 page booklet containing liner notes, an unearthed interview with Strom, and unseen ephemera.

"Alles ist nur Übergang": So heißt das neue Album Max Riegers. Man kann dies als künstlerisches Credo betrachten, als Selbstbeschreibung, als ästhetisches Programm. Bei Max Rieger war es schon immer so; es ist immer schon alles im Übergang gewesen: im Werden, im Fluss. Seit über einem Jahrzehnt gehört er zu den prägendsten Künstlern im deutschen Pop, wandlungs- und erfindungsreich wie kaum einer sonst. Mit seiner Gruppe Die Nerven hat er dem elektrisch verstärkten Gitarrenrock hierzulande eine neue Gestalt und neue Schärfe geschenkt. Fünf Alben haben Die Nerven seit 2012 herausgebracht, zuletzt 2022 ihr schwarzes Album, finstere, harte, zugleich nihilistische und ironische Musik, getragen von großer Weisheit und dem Wissen um die Weisheit des Primitiven. Max Rieger ist auch ein großer Klangschöpfer, er ist jemand, der Musik und Ideen zu veredeln versteht, der sich ebenso inspirieren lässt wie er inspiriert. Für eine ganze Generation junger Künstlerinnen und Künstler ist er zu einem wichtigen, prägenden Partner und Mentor geworden, als Produzent und als unterstützender Songwriter. Er hat für Casper 2022 das Album "Alles war schön und nichts tat weh" produziert, Mia Morgan, Stella Sommer, Ilgen-Nur, Jungstötter und Drangsal gearbeitet und zuletzt mit den legendären Noise-Pionieren Swans. Wer die wahre Größe Max Riegers ermessen will, der - freilich - muss seine Soloalben anhören, die er unter dem Namen All diese Gewalt veröffentlicht. "Kein Punkt wird mehr fixiert" hieß das Solo-Debüt 2014, seither sind zwei weitere Alben erschienen, das majestätisch-weiche "Welt in Klammern" 2016 und das kühle "Andere" von 2020. "Alles ist nur Übergang" ist nun sein viertes Werk als All diese Gewalt, es führt die großen Linien des Rieger"schen Schaffens fort und hebt seine Kunst doch auf eine neue Ebene: So organisch, so schwebend hat seine Musik noch nie geklungen, so scheinbar anstrengungslos dahingespielt und zugleich intensiv, mit einem unwahrscheinlichen Gespür für Dramaturgien, für das rechte Maß zwischen dem Treibenlassen der Klänge und dem plötzlich alles ändernden Break.

"Alles ist nur Übergang": So heißt das neue Album Max Riegers. Man kann dies als künstlerisches Credo betrachten, als Selbstbeschreibung, als ästhetisches Programm. Bei Max Rieger war es schon immer so; es ist immer schon alles im Übergang gewesen: im Werden, im Fluss. Seit über einem Jahrzehnt gehört er zu den prägendsten Künstlern im deutschen Pop, wandlungs- und erfindungsreich wie kaum einer sonst. Mit seiner Gruppe Die Nerven hat er dem elektrisch verstärkten Gitarrenrock hierzulande eine neue Gestalt und neue Schärfe geschenkt. Fünf Alben haben Die Nerven seit 2012 herausgebracht, zuletzt 2022 ihr schwarzes Album, finstere, harte, zugleich nihilistische und ironische Musik, getragen von großer Weisheit und dem Wissen um die Weisheit des Primitiven. Max Rieger ist auch ein großer Klangschöpfer, er ist jemand, der Musik und Ideen zu veredeln versteht, der sich ebenso inspirieren lässt wie er inspiriert. Für eine ganze Generation junger Künstlerinnen und Künstler ist er zu einem wichtigen, prägenden Partner und Mentor geworden, als Produzent und als unterstützender Songwriter. Er hat für Casper 2022 das Album "Alles war schön und nichts tat weh" produziert, Mia Morgan, Stella Sommer, Ilgen-Nur, Jungstötter und Drangsal gearbeitet und zuletzt mit den legendären Noise-Pionieren Swans. Wer die wahre Größe Max Riegers ermessen will, der - freilich - muss seine Soloalben anhören, die er unter dem Namen All diese Gewalt veröffentlicht. "Kein Punkt wird mehr fixiert" hieß das Solo-Debüt 2014, seither sind zwei weitere Alben erschienen, das majestätisch-weiche "Welt in Klammern" 2016 und das kühle "Andere" von 2020. "Alles ist nur Übergang" ist nun sein viertes Werk als All diese Gewalt, es führt die großen Linien des Rieger"schen Schaffens fort und hebt seine Kunst doch auf eine neue Ebene: So organisch, so schwebend hat seine Musik noch nie geklungen, so scheinbar anstrengungslos dahingespielt und zugleich intensiv, mit einem unwahrscheinlichen Gespür für Dramaturgien, für das rechte Maß zwischen dem Treibenlassen der Klänge und dem plötzlich alles ändernden Break.

In the decade or so that hard-working New York quartet Sunwatchers have operated, the group has steadily & subtly refined their sound - a brain-blasting mixture of jazz, psychedelia, krautrock, punk, noise, & Saharan blues - into something that is avant-leaning enough to appeal to the discerning jazz & experimental music fan & weird & wooly enough to get the true heads' toes tapping. "Music Is Victory Over Time" is the band's 5th album, and fourth for Chicago-based Trouble In Mind Records, seeing the long-running lineup of Peter Kerlin (bass guitar), Jim McHugh (guitars), Jason Robira (drums), and Jeff Tobias (alto saxophone and keyboards) in prime form. Album opener "World People" is a classic Sunwatchers number whose title expresses their Anarcho-Internationalist ideology (and the atypically multi-culti make up of their crowds), with an underlying melodic resonance to New Orleans funeral marches à la Albert Ayler _ a triumphant call to arms to all peoples. Live fave "Too Gary"'s gang vocal shout punctuates a motorik rager named for a phrase often uttered by a badass eight year old skateboarder McHugh knew with a speech impediment (it means "that's too scary"). "T.A.S.C." (or "Theme For Anarchist Sports Center") is inspired by Sonny Sharrock's maligned 80's output & sounds exactly like a wrathful, mutant version of a prime-time athletic show theme, replete with the requisite "sitcom ending." The sun- scorched "Foams" - a longform piece intended to depict natural stuff like tides, nightfall, and time slowly passing, ancient, peaceful and slightly gross all at once - practically jumps out of the speakers, its palpable intensity crackling in your eardrums. The title of "Tumulus" might reference an ancient burial mound, but the music itself might be the group's most high-tech song to date, complimented by an arpeggiating sequencer, three different forms of tape delay and an electric saxophone; ecstatic, fiery & deeply spiritual. "There Goes Ol' Ooze" is a smoky creeper that lets Tobias & Kerlin take a walk for a while, with respectful nods to the Stones and Steve Reich. "Song For The Gone" closes out the album, showcasing a sincerely tender moment for the gang, as an expression of love and resolve for dear friends who had recently, tragically died. Its cascading, bluesy melody attuning itself to our own collective unconscious grief. Having the distinct pleasure of being the first band to record in John Dwyer 's new LA-based recording studio Discount Mirrors, "Music Is Victory Over Time" boasts a beefed up sound. The band worked closely with in-house engineer Eric Bauer - facilitator, troubleshooter, sonic obsessive, a legendary freak and a DIY lifer. The band also had full access to the studio's epic armory of gear: amps, axes (it's Dwyer's Eddie Harris model electric sax), synths, a bass guitar once belonging to Klaus Flouride of the Dead Kennedys. Crucial for the sounds and the vibe. The album art was created by Josh MacPhee, the activist artist, author, archivist and founding member of both the radical artist collective Just Seeds and Interference Archive, a public collection of materials from social movements based in Brooklyn. MacPhee's participation in the project works as a statement of Sunwatchers' progressive utopian intentionality, and organically underscores their involvement in revolutionary projects within and without of their hometown. Listening to "Music Is Victory Over Time", Sunwatcher's rebellious spirit & unbridled enthusiasm remain fully intact, but the secret sauce is their infectious irreverence in the face of the horrors of this world. Much of our best cultural commentary is Trojan-horsed to the general public via humor & satire & the band has a knack for lacing the ridiculous with the radical. It's good to have them back. "Music Is Victory Over Time" is released worldwide digitally via most DSPs, on CD, black vinyl & a limited "Sunflare" blue/red splatter vinyl while supplies last.

In the decade or so that hard-working New York quartet Sunwatchers have operated, the group has steadily & subtly refined their sound - a brain-blasting mixture of jazz, psychedelia, krautrock, punk, noise, & Saharan blues - into something that is avant-leaning enough to appeal to the discerning jazz & experimental music fan & weird & wooly enough to get the true heads' toes tapping. "Music Is Victory Over Time" is the band's 5th album, and fourth for Chicago-based Trouble In Mind Records, seeing the long-running lineup of Peter Kerlin (bass guitar), Jim McHugh (guitars), Jason Robira (drums), and Jeff Tobias (alto saxophone and keyboards) in prime form. Album opener "World People" is a classic Sunwatchers number whose title expresses their Anarcho-Internationalist ideology (and the atypically multi-culti make up of their crowds), with an underlying melodic resonance to New Orleans funeral marches à la Albert Ayler _ a triumphant call to arms to all peoples. Live fave "Too Gary"'s gang vocal shout punctuates a motorik rager named for a phrase often uttered by a badass eight year old skateboarder McHugh knew with a speech impediment (it means "that's too scary"). "T.A.S.C." (or "Theme For Anarchist Sports Center") is inspired by Sonny Sharrock's maligned 80's output & sounds exactly like a wrathful, mutant version of a prime-time athletic show theme, replete with the requisite "sitcom ending." The sun- scorched "Foams" - a longform piece intended to depict natural stuff like tides, nightfall, and time slowly passing, ancient, peaceful and slightly gross all at once - practically jumps out of the speakers, its palpable intensity crackling in your eardrums. The title of "Tumulus" might reference an ancient burial mound, but the music itself might be the group's most high-tech song to date, complimented by an arpeggiating sequencer, three different forms of tape delay and an electric saxophone; ecstatic, fiery & deeply spiritual. "There Goes Ol' Ooze" is a smoky creeper that lets Tobias & Kerlin take a walk for a while, with respectful nods to the Stones and Steve Reich. "Song For The Gone" closes out the album, showcasing a sincerely tender moment for the gang, as an expression of love and resolve for dear friends who had recently, tragically died. Its cascading, bluesy melody attuning itself to our own collective unconscious grief. Having the distinct pleasure of being the first band to record in John Dwyer 's new LA-based recording studio Discount Mirrors, "Music Is Victory Over Time" boasts a beefed up sound. The band worked closely with in-house engineer Eric Bauer - facilitator, troubleshooter, sonic obsessive, a legendary freak and a DIY lifer. The band also had full access to the studio's epic armory of gear: amps, axes (it's Dwyer's Eddie Harris model electric sax), synths, a bass guitar once belonging to Klaus Flouride of the Dead Kennedys. Crucial for the sounds and the vibe. The album art was created by Josh MacPhee, the activist artist, author, archivist and founding member of both the radical artist collective Just Seeds and Interference Archive, a public collection of materials from social movements based in Brooklyn. MacPhee's participation in the project works as a statement of Sunwatchers' progressive utopian intentionality, and organically underscores their involvement in revolutionary projects within and without of their hometown. Listening to "Music Is Victory Over Time", Sunwatcher's rebellious spirit & unbridled enthusiasm remain fully intact, but the secret sauce is their infectious irreverence in the face of the horrors of this world. Much of our best cultural commentary is Trojan-horsed to the general public via humor & satire & the band has a knack for lacing the ridiculous with the radical. It's good to have them back. "Music Is Victory Over Time" is released worldwide digitally via most DSPs, on CD, black vinyl & a limited "Sunflare" blue/red splatter vinyl while supplies last.

Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue, in collaboration with Corbett vs. Dempsey, one of the great albums out of the BAG galaxy recorded by Luther Thomas and a cohort of musicians including Joe Bowie, Charles Bobo Shaw, Floyd LeFlore and Lester Bowie. Recorded live in 1973 at The Berea Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, the album consists of two tracks, the formidable, aptly titled "Funky Donkey" and the spiritual "Una New York." Released as a private press on Thomas" own Creative Consciousness Records, it"s reissued here for the first time since the 70s, marking the recording"s 50th anniversary, and features original artwork, remastered audio and new liner notes by Howard Mandel.

"Alles ist nur Übergang": So heißt das neue Album Max Riegers. Man kann dies als künstlerisches Credo betrachten, als Selbstbeschreibung, als ästhetisches Programm. Bei Max Rieger war es schon immer so; es ist immer schon alles im Übergang gewesen: im Werden, im Fluss. Seit über einem Jahrzehnt gehört er zu den prägendsten Künstlern im deutschen Pop, wandlungs- und erfindungsreich wie kaum einer sonst. Mit seiner Gruppe Die Nerven hat er dem elektrisch verstärkten Gitarrenrock hierzulande eine neue Gestalt und neue Schärfe geschenkt. Fünf Alben haben Die Nerven seit 2012 herausgebracht, zuletzt 2022 ihr schwarzes Album, finstere, harte, zugleich nihilistische und ironische Musik, getragen von großer Weisheit und dem Wissen um die Weisheit des Primitiven. Max Rieger ist auch ein großer Klangschöpfer, er ist jemand, der Musik und Ideen zu veredeln versteht, der sich ebenso inspirieren lässt wie er inspiriert. Für eine ganze Generation junger Künstlerinnen und Künstler ist er zu einem wichtigen, prägenden Partner und Mentor geworden, als Produzent und als unterstützender Songwriter. Er hat für Casper 2022 das Album "Alles war schön und nichts tat weh" produziert, Mia Morgan, Stella Sommer, Ilgen-Nur, Jungstötter und Drangsal gearbeitet und zuletzt mit den legendären Noise-Pionieren Swans. Wer die wahre Größe Max Riegers ermessen will, der - freilich - muss seine Soloalben anhören, die er unter dem Namen All diese Gewalt veröffentlicht. "Kein Punkt wird mehr fixiert" hieß das Solo-Debüt 2014, seither sind zwei weitere Alben erschienen, das majestätisch-weiche "Welt in Klammern" 2016 und das kühle "Andere" von 2020. "Alles ist nur Übergang" ist nun sein viertes Werk als All diese Gewalt, es führt die großen Linien des Rieger"schen Schaffens fort und hebt seine Kunst doch auf eine neue Ebene: So organisch, so schwebend hat seine Musik noch nie geklungen, so scheinbar anstrengungslos dahingespielt und zugleich intensiv, mit einem unwahrscheinlichen Gespür für Dramaturgien, für das rechte Maß zwischen dem Treibenlassen der Klänge und dem plötzlich alles ändernden Break.

180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
INCLUDES 4-PAGE BOOKLET WITH LINER NOTES
SONG FAVOURITES FROM HER LEGENDARY FILM & RECORDING CAREERS, PERSONALLY SELECTED
BY MS. DORIS DAY

2-LP SET FEATURING 30 CLASSICS INCLUDING “PILLOW TALK”, “WHATEVER WILL BE,
WILL BE (QUE SERA, SERA)”, “SECRET LOVE”, “FOOLS RUSH IN” AND MANY MORE

AVAILABLE ON VINYL FOR THE FIRST TIME
LIMITED EDITION OF 500 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON ORANGE COLOURED VINYL

The late percussionist Milford Graves was one of the most unique artists the world has ever seen. Born in Jamaica, Queens in 1941, he began his career in the early '60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene. His focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era – he is, simply put, free jazz royalty.

In April 1966, the duo of Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, "This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with NYAQ (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven."

Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, "Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion."

The late percussionist Milford Graves was one of the most unique artists the world has ever seen. Born in Jamaica, Queens in 1941, he began his career in the early '60s as a part of New York's vibrant Latin jazz scene. His focus quickly turned inward, shifting towards a practice that explored the very nature of self. From his work in the New York Art Quartet and collaborations with Albert Ayler, Sonny Sharrock and more to his important contributions during NYC's loft era – he is, simply put, free jazz royalty.

In April 1966, the duo of Graves and pianist Don Pullen played at Yale University. As John Corbett writes in the liner notes, "This performance was something of a turning point for Graves. Until then he had been working in other people's bands or collective ensembles. He was phenomenally busy. In 1965 alone, he recorded with NYAQ (two LPs), Giuseppi Logan Quartet, Paul Bley Quintet and Lowell Davidson Trio, and he made his first recording released under his own name, Percussion Ensemble. Every one of these is important in its own way, but none of them quite anticipate how radical was the music that he and Pullen would unleash that evening in New Haven."

Originally released on the artists' own Self-Reliance Program label, this legendary one-night performance would be split into two volumes: In Concert At Yale University and Nommo. While rooted in African rhythms, Graves' music has its own sense of time. As the drummer stated in a 1966 DownBeat interview, "Time was always there, and the time I see is not the same as what man says time is. It works by impulsion."

By the early '70s, Milford Graves had more or less stopped gigging. Having learned his lesson the hard way in multiple-night runs like a legendary Slugs' residency with Albert Ayler, he knew that the level of energy that he put out during a performance would be difficult to sustain over the long haul. A concert was a kind of absolute ritual for him, after which he would be totally spent, emotionally and physically. Graves rarely left anything on the table. Any musical performance was an opportunity to present an amalgamated version of all the things he had learned. He was an innovator and a teacher at his core, and the concert venue was one of his first classroom settings.

In March 1976, Verna Gillis invited Graves to perform on WBAI's Free Music Store radio show. For the date, he chose to present a trio lineup which he had been occasionally playing – featuring two saxophonists who were dedicated to the drummer's vision. Hugh Glover is almost exclusively known for his work with Graves, while Arthur Doyle would gain exposure later for an obscure record that he made two years later, Alabama Feeling, which would become a highly collectable item among free jazz enthusiasts.

Originally released in 1977, Bäbi remains one of Graves' most seminal recordings. The music played by the trio was ecstatic. Extreme energy music, buoyant and joyful. It relied on Graves' new way of approaching the drum kit, in which he had opened up the bottoms of his skin-slackened toms and eliminated the snare. Graves' art was always unblemished by commercial interests, and this album is its finest mission statement.

Zero Years Kid is the alter ego of Joachim Badenhorst, one of the most fascinating and adventurous Belgian jazz musicians from the last 2 decades. He plays with the international band Carate Urio Orchestra but also as musician with Naima Joris or Chantal Acda.
Zero Years Kid started of as a solo project, but has grown into a full and organic live band.

Badenhorst sees Zero Years Kid as a kindergarten to explore other ideas and interests besides of jazz. Together with Jan de Vroede, Lennart Heyndels and Erik Heestermans he brings a colorful amalgam of hip-hop, pop, dance and r&b with playful and poetic lyrics in his native language: Dutch. Next to his clarinet and sax he adds samples and electronica which results in a surprising fantasy world where it is wonderful to wander.

In 2019 debut album Ongerijmde Rijmen was released. Successor Geen Grenzen is ready and will be released on November 10th of this year on Klein. Geen Grenzen is an ode to breaking boundaries, to color outside the lines and to don’t get hung up on expectations.
The title track is a rework of No Limits by 2Unlimited. The song got translated, slowed-down and distorted to the universe of Zero Years Kid. The album is a poetic and humorous trip with a melancholic twist, and themes like the covid pandemic, intense arguments that are forgiven, writers-block, desire and love.

“A piece of music never truly comes to An end. Revisiting a theme illustrates this idea that life goes on.” These are the words of Wayne Shorter, uttered in 2018 upon the release of Emanon, his final opus. On this record, the octogenarian uses dusky hues to shade in the passions of his youth - drawing and science-fiction, as well as the causes he has defended all his life - the fight against ecological upheaval and structural racism. This sentiment did not fail to resonate with Julien Lourau, who has reached a stage in life where he has begun to look back over certain pages written by the man he has always considered one of the masters of his trade. Five years later, this Parisian native has also chosen to revisit his glory days, offering reworked versions of specific tracks composed by his titular elder throughout the 80s. “When I play this music, I find myself back in my teenage bedroom. These are my standards, and they remind me of autumn in Rambouillet.” At that time, after practising his scales, Julien would also play Dungeons & dragons, and immerse himself in SF as well as heroic fantasy - epic influences which are not without a certain connection to the dreamworlds Shorter conjured up, as another fan of landscapes beyond the grasp of reality.

This album features four themes taken from Atlantis, which came out in 1985, and two from Joy Ryder, released three years later. To these, he has added a composition penned at around the same time for Sportin’ Life, the penultimate LP by Weather Report. This is rounded off by a tune taken

from Native Dancer, the record which, ten years earlier, in 1975, brought together this saxophonist who learnt his trade alongside Art Blakey, before joining Miles’ second quintet, and Brazilian Milton Nascimento.

“Between Native Dancer and Atlantis, Shorter did not release anything under his own name, but he took the time and care to really perfect his writing. Upon his return, he injected a very Brazilian form of subtlety into his compositions, especially rhythmically. And from a harmonic point of view, these themes are extremely sophisticated, and reveal truly singular colours. In fact, he decided to display the score as if it constituted the liner notes of Atlantis.”

Julien Lourau is a fan of every Wayne Shorter era, from his Blue Note days, where Mr Gone defined the bases of a truly unique repertoire, all the way to his final quartet - a reference like no other. He decided to focus on this “highly electric” period, which is not necessarily Shorter’s best known, nor his most widely appreciated - despite being a unanimous reference, Shorter has nonetheless never had a direct descendent. In Lourau’s line of sight there lies a desire to focus on typically South American tonic accents which characterise this repertoire, twinned with the ambition to switch up their actual sound “by attempting to open up onto a production highly influenced by eighties fusion". However, he admits that modifying the structures of these most unique of worlds constituted a fresh challenge. “There’s this labyrinthine harmonic system where you’ve no idea how it holds together, but where it’s actually impossible to touch the slightest element without the whole edifice wavering. It is in fact a very difficult thing to achieve!”

In order to successfully transcribe all this creativity free of obstacles, Julien Lourau once again called upon the help of Mathieu Debordes. From January 2023 onwards, Mathieu endeavoured to break down all the musical elements, on paper, before creating any actual music. The record was therefore constructed on the faith of these scores, without necessarily transiting through a creative residency - just two live gigs, to make sure the setup worked. Besides Mathieu Debordes and his synthesisers, Julien Lourau has assembled an ad hoc team by his side. On the bass, according to the track, we can hear erstwhile companion Sylvain Daniel or a new acolyte on the fretless bass, Joan Eche Puig.

Stéphane Edouard, on percussion, even dives headfirst into an unlikely proto-rap of sorts, on Pearl On The Half Shell (where, on the original version, Bobby McFerrin adjusted his interventions in a rather madcap style). Aesthete and drummer Jim Hart as well as pianist Leo Jassef also figure on this release - both were present on previous project devoted to label

CTI. “At sixteen, I wanted to sound like Michael Brecker rather than Ben Webster - that was equated with modernity in those days”, adds Julien with a smile, as for him, all this rings out a little like a logical next step, a joyful immersion into the fountain of youth. And if, for this record, he plays the soprano more than ever, the saxophone Shorter set in his sights on, he never tries to replicate an unattainable ideal note by note. What would be the point?

“Wayne Shorter is not just a saxophonist’s saxophonist. In fact, I don’t know a single person who has risen to challenge of his solos. I have not done it myself either, but on the other hand, I have retained a lot of his phraseology. His way of approaching the instrument reveals a more evanescent language, a work on colour and shape. Keeping this in mind has allowed me to gravitate towards certain elements, that in hindsight, I find echoes of in my work, even in Groove Gang.” Shorter etches out these phrases, creating a groove within which Lourau had traced subtle punctuation, managing, from a highly written base, to create fresh apertures, promises of a great escape. Emblematic of this standpoint, his regal version of Ponte de Areia, originally a wonderful dialogue between Milton Nascimento and Wayne Shorter. Here, the Frenchman takes liberties with the original melodies, without ever growing distant from the original spirit, extending one section with delicacy, offering a rubato development and then a groove “like a little suite”. Julien Lourau also renews with an accomplice from last century, Magic Malik, who lends his high-pitched vocals to the track. Though they had not recorded together for more than twenty years, the two of them got on as if they had only ceased collaborating yesterday, everything flowed naturally. The track was wrapped up in just one take, much like other themes, such as opener Who Goes There where the flautist deploys smooth, enchanted and smoky wisps.

Fundamentally, reflecting of the sleeve which features a child playing with a ball, image that could symbolise the sun just as much as the moon, Julien Lourau manages to translate the ambiguous candour which characterizes Shorter’s work - solar and crepuscular at the same time, that of a visionary and poet definitively situated outside of all chronology, but with whom Julien shares surprising and ‘timely’ coincidences. Shorter was born August 25, 1933, the same day as Julien’s father, “if we take time zones into account”, and who died on Lourau’s birthday, March 2, 2023. Should we take this as a random fact? Or could we not see here the sign of a destiny connecting the agnostic Frenchman to the man who, as a fervent Buddhist, believed in the transmission of his spiritual flow ?

Five groups, one mythical studio - documenting the emergence of a generation!

The initial postulate was simple: five groups, one emblematic studio and 24 hours for each to imagine and record two unreleased tracks with one objective - the will to document a French jazz scene in the midst of renewal.

In these last few years, several innovative currents have shaken up the world of jazz and attracted new fans. They have bubbled up from Los Angeles, impregnated with hip-hop culture (Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Thundercat), or from London, tinged with African rhythms (Nubya Garcia, Kokoroko, Ezra Collective). Meanwhile, in France, a new scene is emerging, carrying with it more of a dancefloor-oriented sound influenced by electronic music - an obvious kinship with the French Touch explosion of the late 90s.

Historically, every movement has been assimilated to a certain neighbourhood, to specific clubs where late at night, young guns stayed up to imagine the jazz of tomorrow - the Cotton Club for the jazz of the 20s, Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem for Be-Bop, the Black Hawk in San Francisco for West Coast jazz, Birdland in New York for Hard-Bop or a lot more recently, the Total Refreshment Centre which has been the playing field for the new London scene.

In Paris too, this new sound is associated with actual venues, places which have allowed these groups to form, create a repertoire and forge an aesthetic - Le Baiser Salé for Monsieur Mâlâ, La Gare/Le Gore for Photon, La Pêche in Montreuil for Ishkero, La Petite Halle for Underground Canopy and also le Duc des Lombards and le 38 Riv’ for Alex Monfort; it’s in a live context that this music will always continue to evolve.

Keeping this “live” spirit, with all its spontaneity, was actually the guiding line for the elaboration of this Studio Pigalle compilation. Each take was recorded in the most organic way possible, bringing all the musicians together in the same room to limit post-production alterations before the final cut was assembled, in just one day, by studio in-house sound engineer, Felix Rémy.

A feeling of urgency permeates a record guided by an artistic production taking care to crystalise the essence of this artistically free-range generation whose childhoods were rocked just as much by Bill Evans and Roy Hargrove as by J Dilla and Jeff Mills. One of the two tracks recorded is geared towards the dancefloor, and the other, more cosmic/ambient gives freer rein to individual interpretation.

There were therefore many possible ways of interpreting these guidelines for the five formations which number among the most distinctive on the current French musical landscape, and the occasion, for some, to rummage through their archives! With Transe (Mbappé) and Da Verdere (Vella), Monsieur

Mâlâ present us with two unreleased tracks issued from the very first rehearsals of the quintet reworked especially for this compilation. “Seen the aesthetic range of this group, it all worked out very naturally in the studio”, recounts keyboardist Nicholas Vella “Recording like they did in the sixties with all the channels live and working with small imperfections was a very interesting task, even when it came to the mix, we had to make do with the takes we had... “

“Our group is very recent, and with this session, in just two tracks, we had the opportunity to present the entirety of our musical universe,” says Photons pianist Gauthier Toux. “All too often, we assimilate this fusion between jazz and dance music to computers and post-production modifications. For “Dessine”, we kept the first take, and we must have recorded just three or four for the other track with more of a techno bent. In one day, we understood that we could play our entire repertoire live, from A to Z”.

“When the Komos label offered me this project, it immediately spoke to me”, remembers Alex Monfort “Straight away, I thought of “Since I Met You”, a track with a nine/four time signature which really is reminiscent of a new- soul groove, but with this extra cosmic vibe! I wrote the words to the chorus and Nina Tonji placed her voice on the track, adding her own verses. For “Tonight”, the up-tempo track, I wanted to head off in more of a hybrid direction inspired by Kaytranada or the Black Radio series by Robert Glasper. A cross-over between jazz and hip-hop which really does represent my world, and I also tried to place vocals centre stage (Emcee Agora)”.

“We truly resonated with the way Antoine Rajon imagined this compilation and the recording session”, confide Warren Dongué and Jérémy Tallon from Underground Canopy. “When arriving in this studio we felt as if we had gone backtothe70s! Inkeepingwiththespiritofthisera,heknewhowtoletus keep our spontaneity, without recording in too many takes, and that’s how we like to work”.

“We managed to adhere to the themes of the compilation without changing our instrumentation, we wanted to remain faithful to the sound of Ishkero on these new compositions and take them somewhere else” – says drummer TaoEhrlich -“Withoutaddinganyelectronics.Thesessionwassupervisedin a truly subtle and benevolent manner. From a human perspective, it was also a wonderful experience”.

Whether turned towards hip-hop, ethnic or electronic music, the artists featured on this Studio Pigalle compilation represent the eclecticism of a new generation in the process of writing the first chapters of its history. Open to experimentation, these artists continue to hold high an immutable love for improvisation and creation in the moment... another definition of the word Jazz!

Diese nie zuvor gehörte Aufnahme des legendären Tenorsaxophonisten "Little Giant" Johnny Griffin, der im Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club spielte und von Mitgliedern der Ronnie's House Band (Stan Tracey, Malcolm Cecil und Jackie Dougan) unterstützt wurde, erscheint auf AAA Vinyl. Das Album wurde bei Gearbox Records mit einer rein analogen Signalkette gemastert und direkt von den Originalbändern geschnitten, die 1964 im Club von Les Tomkins aufgenommen wurden. Die Hülle enthält Fotografien des geschätzten Val Wilmer und Linernotes von Richard Williams.

Cultural power house Jazz Montez is back with the second edition of its compilation series "Jazz Montez Presents". The album comprises nine tracks by artists from around the world: Àbáse, Bokoya, Debmaster, FloFilz, J.Lamotta, Karaba, King Owusu, Liraz, MC Yallah, The New Love Experience, Wolf Müller & Niklas Wandt and Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange. Inspired by the tradition of jazz, they collectively channel the power of music to transcend all borders and push the boundaries of pre-conceived genres. Each track was recorded in the analogue sanctuary Lotte Lindenberg in Frankfurt, Germany, mixed by D&B legend Kabuki and mastered by renowned producer and audio technician Wolfgang Gottlieb. The vinyl cover was designed by artist Clara Sipf and includes a booklet featuring texts by all participating artists as well as a picture story on music as a universal connecting force.

Geordie Kieffer doesn’t f**k around. The impish, self-proclaimed “God Father of Agro Pop” writes hard core pop bangers that bark and bite, drawing influence from both his questionable past and the city-wide playground of his L.A. hometown. His sound is something novel: a sexy and comedic dark romp through Pop, Hip-Hop and Electro that dives head first into your brain and just won’t get out.

After the breakout of his first two singles, “Red Line” and “Swinger,” a sold-out headlining tour in Canada, he’s ready to drop his debut album, Just Kill Me Already, a heavy hitting and ferociously playful Alt Pop jamboree of self introspection and bravado. Like a charming outlaw dwelling on the outskirts of pop music, Geordie Kieffer is dangerous and oddly refreshing. His music will no doubt inspire fist fights and flirtation, anger and elation

We at Real Gone Music have proudly represented Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme’s GL label for
over a decade. But now, we are very, very excited to announce that we are working with Steve and
Eydie’s son David Lawrence and his wife Faye to overhaul their entire catalog of recordings, offering
updated annotation and fresh remasterings straight from the original tapes! Last year, we inaugurated
our reissue campaign with their classic 1964 holiday release...and now we are very proud to announce
we are bringing That Holiday Feeling! to vinyl (green vinyl, that is)! You get 12 holiday favorites
including solo Steve (“The Christmas Song,” “Let Me Be the First to Wish You Merry Christmas”), solo
Eydie (“White Christmas,” “What Are You Doing New Years Eve”) and the duo’s trademark duet
renditions (e.g. “Sleigh Ride”). We’ve included a personal note from David Lawrence with liner notes
by Joe Marchese. Even if you already own this Christmas classic, the sound on this new edition—
remastered for vinyl by Eric Boulanger under David’s Lawrence supervision—will indeed spark that
holiday feeling. Limited to 750 copies!