Pop & Rock Vinyl New Releases - News

studio mule is back with another amazement, opening the roster towards sophisticated spiritual sounds on the crossroads of electrified jazz, oriental fourth-world spheres and deeply composed experimental sounds. this time the label welcomes japanese artist ya-sukazu sato aka yas-kaz, a university-trained percussionist, that gained global success as a composer for the internationally known butoh dance troupe sankai juku, that tours around the world since 1975. his infrequent musical amalgamation of ancient eastern genres, airy soundscapes, and ritualistic dance percussions perfectly accompanied the modern dance movements of an avantgarde dance group that is known for slow, mesmerizing dance passages, whose repetitive body movements sometimes focusing only on the feet or fingers. besides his theatre work, yas-kaz composed scores for japanese movies, performed live along stars like us-american jazz saxophonist wayne shorter or legendary japanese new-age musical group himekami and recorded a number of collabo-rative and solo albums.

with “virgo indigo”, studio mule reissues his third solo album, originally published on the japanese label canyon in 1986. the album opens with “djidanda”, a composition whose melodic drive and percussive groove reminds on moondog’s spirit. melancholic strings, loose guitar riffs, spiritual cowbells and wild, yet mild rhythms form a repetitive maelstrom that is made for all sorts of acrobatic body movements. it gets followed by the album’s title track “virgo indigo”, a spiritual jazz leaning arrangement featuring wayne shorter on the soprano saxophone, delivering a crystal-clear performance above tribal rhythms and traces of gamelan. the story-arc of the ten-minute long composition brings also minimalistic percussive moments, oriental ambient zones and some electronic drones, all calm and lively at the same time.

a versatileness, that marks the other four arrangements on the album, too. “kara-kira ~windscape iii~” comes around as an airy spiritual illusionist, that melds joyful flute notes with gentle chime melodies. the b-side’s epic opener “wadji” starts industrial, just to break down into a manic, again moondogish atmosphere full of darkish sounds and nebulous ambient deepness. subsequent yas-kaz enters with “notarinotari” the oriental zones, seducing with a jazz-laden romantic soundtrack mood. the final tune is yet another surprise, as “jasmin” is percussive driven neon cocktail bar pop, that features a hum-ming female voice and mesmerizing synth and guitar melodies. six tracks that introduce six different locations of yas-kaz’s ramified artistic work, which combines sweetish melodies, dynamic percussions, statuesque minimalism and world music traditions in spacious compositions that stay surprising until the very last second.

resh imprint Caldeira open their account with the first vinyl retrospective of Swiss composer Louis Crelier, whose FM sorcery and LinnDrum drama takes the listener away to an imaginary Africa.

Standing proud amid the sound waves, Caldeira emerges with a singular mission; to bring us music with hidden depth. Whether it’s a reissue or retrospective, archival or original, each release reflects the Michelin-grade tastebuds of label founder Camille Bertin AKA Plastic Bamboo.

Operating out of the shadow of Les Puces, the Saint-Ouen digger, DJ and producer has turned those in the know onto a wealth of zouk, boogie, proto-house and Balearic bombs over the past couple of years, but it seems he’s saved something truly special for this first release.

Rich with FM synthesis, infectious rhythms and evocative motifs, Rester Partir transports us to a fantasised Africa, found onstage at a Lausanne Theatre in 1985. Scoring a story about a 19th Century French missionary’s trip to Timbuktu, Swiss composer Louis Crelier created his own sonic landscape, capturing the exoticism and otherness of an imaginary Mali. Though the hypnotic rhythms and cascading mallets conjure images of the continent, the queasy keys, dubby idents and synthetic sonatas suggest something more interplanetary - picture James T. Kirk and Spock beaming down into the ochre dust of a ruined city.

Aided and abetted by a selection of ambient interludes, jazzy diversions and polyrhythmic excerpts from Crelier’s film work, as well as the exceptionally Balearic Deep In The Dale from TV series Alpine Academy, the largely unreleased compositions on Rester Partir finally break the fourth wall to find the wider audience they deserve.


Words by Patrick Ryder

Dynamite cuts 45s series is proud to release two Jazz gems by Kitty Winter Gypsy Nova – Feel it & New morning both taken from the mega rare and incredibly hard to LP.

Compilation of Bob Marley jazz covers in tribute to the reggae great.

• BGP’s contribution to Ace’s 45th Anniversary are these two perfect examples of modal jazz in their super-rare 7-inch versions, both fine examples of the genius of saxophone great Yusef Lateef.

• First up is his incredible arrangement of Alex North’s ‘Love Theme From Spartacus’. Released on his “Eastern Sounds” album, it has long been a favourite of collectors and DJs. The rare 7-inch edit is incredibly expensive to buy on original release and is reissued here for the first time.

• Equally difficult to track down is the studio version of Lateef’s ‘Brother John’, which he recorded whilst he was a member of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet and which was only released as the B-side of the single ‘Tengo Tango’. Lateef’s own version from his live LP for Impulse is a jazz dance classic; this version is an under-appreciated gem.

'How is it that one of Art Blakey’s greatest albums with the Jazz Messengers is so little known? The 1961 edition of the Messengers included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Jymie Merritt on bass. In February and May of 1961, this group (with pianist Walter Davis Jr sitting in on two tracks) entered Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in New Jersey and proceeded to lay down Roots & Herbs, a brilliant set of six Shorter compositions including the driving hard bop of the title track, the playful “Ping Pong,” and the clever “United.” The album was eventually released in 1970 and deserves a place among Blakey’s finest recordings.

*Artwork TBC* Modern Free / Experimental Jazz with heavy Brazillian rhythms and thundering electronics....

Continuing on with this dope edits & overdubs series, we’re thrilled to finally present the next in the series: Joaquin Joe Claussell Unofficial Edits & Overdubs 12” EP Series PT 4 of 6. - Cat# Circuit.LP-02-03. Keeping to the tradition of providing music enthusiast and DJ’s with the eclectic sounds that this series is known for providing; PT 4 features genre’s and sound in the likes of Comic Disco, Calypso Soul, Disco Funk and Jazz Fusion. The EP houses four compositions that have been extended for DJ play, as well as for longer listening enjoyment. This 12” is destined to become another essential piece in the Unofficial Edits & Overdubs lineage, but also for any record collectors or DJ who secures a copy. Comes with access to a very special FREE download code by email of the eagerly participated unreleased “Tears of Joy” Dub Mix. Produced and Mixed by Joaquin Joe Claussell

Nimbus, a local student band in Mecosta, Michigan, is one of the highest peaks of self released AOR/Mellow Fusion/Blue eyed soul! This 7 inch is cut out from the only work of Nimbus "Children of the Earth" which was released as private pressing vinyl and distributed just a few copies in 1980. P-VINE are very proud of releasing this EP as new one of Groove Diggers series.

After their successful cooperation in the band Arbeit Adelt! Dani Klein and Willy Lambregt started Vaya Con Dios, together with contrabass player 'Dirk Schoufs'. All three musicians shared the same passion for jazz, opera & gypsy/Balkan music, a combination of music styles that was hardly known in Belgium at the time.

Vaya Con Dios (Spanish for Go with God!') stood out for its mixing of these styles, as well as the distinctive voice of lead singer Dani Klein. He's one of the most successful Belgian music acts ever, having sold more than 7 million albums and more than 3 million singles.

Night Owls is the second studio album by Vaya Con Dios, originally released in 1990. The album was certified platinum in several countries, including Germany, France, The Netherlands and Belgium.
The album spawned several international hit singles like Nah Neh
Nah', What's A Woman' and Night Owls'.

As part of the Brewed In Belgium campaign, Night Owls is available as a limited, numbered transparent vinyl edition.

'The simmering groove of the 10-minute opening title track of Duke Pearson’s magnificent 1968 album The Phantom sets the stage for one of the most under-recognized gems of the Blue Note catalog.The pianist, composer, arranger, and Blue Note stalwart assembled a superb cast of musicians including vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, flutist Jerry Dodgion, guitarists Sam Brown and Al Gafa, bassist Bob Cranshaw and the magnificent percussion team of Mickey Roker, Victor Pantojo and “Potato” Valdes on drums and congas.
Other highlights include the crisp bossa beat of “Los Ojos Alegres (The Happy Eyes)” and the tender “Say You’re Mine,” which first appeared on Donald Byrd’s album The Cat Walk.

limited REPRESS OF 300 !

Our first reissue brings you the holy grail of Kraut Exotica recorded in 1978 for the tiny german Sound Starton label ,only 200 LP´s were ever pressed. Library albums flooded the market back than and this World Jazz gem simply got forgotten in the warehouse . A true one of a kind recording: traditional Indonesian folk songs reinterpretated by some of the best European jazz fusion players incl Milan Pilar (Catch Up, Niagara) ,conducted by the jewish german drummer legend Freddie Brocksieper.

Created in 2006, Setenta, the Latin Soul Band spreads a unique mix over the world scene. For their fifth album Materia Negra, the Paris-based band returns to its roots: hard Latin funk with plenty of Afro-Latin percussion upfront in the mix contrasted with accents of lush vocal harmony and warm, breezy melody. But at its core, there is something essentially darker, rougher and funkier than their previous releases, especially in the guitar and synth work, bluesy minor key arrangements, and lyrical content. It’s essentially a heavier feel with this record, influenced no doubt on the negative side by the current dark times being experienced across the globe due to the pandemic, subsequent economic downturn and the lack of effective government leadership and global solidarity to deal with the crisis. On the positive tip, the inspiring Black Lives Matter movement and international protests against oppressive governments, systemic racism, corporate greed, global warming and environmental exploitation no doubt have something to do with the serious feel of Materia Negra as well.

Another crucial aspect to this newfound toughness is what band member and Latin Big Note founder and director Osman Jr. states is the group’s desire to address DJs and dancers who appreciate the rawest songs from Setenta’s previous productions. The desire is to leave their mark on the decks and dance floors of the planet with a genre that “we defend by taking the torch extended by our mentors such as Joe Bataan: Latin Funk!” Setenta’s sound has always been soulful, with plenty of tropical Caribbean roots, but this time there is an even stronger Afro-centric theme and gritty psychedelic R&B angle, clothed in galactic, outer-space trappings, bringing to mind another forerunner, Mandrill, as well as the Afro-Futurist mothership vibe of Parliament-Funkadelic.

״It feels odd to call this self-titled release by Soul Supreme his 'debut album'; the Amsterdam-based keyboardist, DJ & producer has been
widely recognized for over six years now. With best known his 45 records reinterpreting music by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and Mos Def (sold out within a matter of days), and more recently his ATCQ 45Check The Rhime b/w Lyrics To Go(an instant success with two represses). But here we are, with his rst ofcial album with his own compositions and productions. Chasing more supreme sounds on this self-released LP.

The album nds Soul Supreme in a dizzying array of musical twists and turns. From the infectious house vibe on 'Rich in Soul' to broken beats on 'Keep Moving.' And from putting the soul in a synth on 'Mellow Thompson' as if the keys are singing over hip-hop drums, to the G-funk-inspace album closer 'Orbit.' And in good ol' Soul Supreme fashion, two reinterpretations of tracks he loves: French sample classic 'Huit Octobre 1971' by Cortex (sampled by MF DOOM, Madlib, Tyler, the Creator), and an ode to the late last year deceased L.A. jazz-fusion multiinstrumentalist Tony Palkovic ('Born With A Desire').
Let's skip the promotional gibberish of 'Sounds Like…' or 'For Those Who Dig…' This is Soul Supreme's ofcial introduction to Soul Supreme. Hope you're pleased to meet him.״

The latest release in the much loved Mr Bongo Record Club Series, Available on CD, 2LP Standard Vinyl & Special Edition 2LP Pink Translucent Vinyl.

Curating the tracks for a Mr Bongo Record Club compilation is always such a pleasure. At a time when the expression "Music is My Sanctuary" has an even greater cathartic impact for many people, we set out to make this volume an extra special one - like an old favourite mixtape or playlist.

For Volume 4 in this series we continue in the same mould as with previous editions, selecting current favorites and rare lost gems from the Brazilian, African, soul, funk, and disco genres. We present tracks from artists such as Azwon, Cindy & The Playmates, and Zé Roberto to name just a few. However, one main departure and progression to this edition is the first time inclusion of recordings by contemporary artists. These come from Matthew Tavares (of BADBADNOTGOOD fame), Wax Machine, and DJ Format & The Simonsound, which were originally featured on either limited private press vinyl releases or were previously only available digitally. We felt their inclusion was important and wanted to share these wonderful discoveries with a wider audience. They also complement, enrich, and fit perfectly with the flow and journey of the compilation.

Here at Mr Bongo we hope you will enjoy this selection of seventeen eclectic songs (in tempo and style) as much as we do, whether they make you move your feet, take you on a trip somewhere, or trigger a happy memory.

Released on 20/11/20 on double vinyl and CD with artwork illustration by Nicolas Burrows.

This is the super limited edition with the "Matizando la Salsa" 7'', one of the rarest Guaguancó 45s from Central America. This extra single was only made available through the purchase of the combo of both 7'', and it was limited to 100 bundles. Discodelic presents its third release in its exclusive limited-edition seven-inch series, the last piece in the Costa Rican Afro-Latin music trilogy. From Alajuela, the Vargas brothers aka Combo Guarajeo, one of the most incredible and talented groups from Central America. Their highly nuanced Latin Funk Jazz, mixed with psychedelic and fuzz scents, will blow your mind. Learn about the incredible history of these four brothers in the exclusive and extensive liner notes that accompany this edition.

The magic trio Mark de Clive-Lowe, Andrea Lombardini and Tommaso Cappellato deliver two sick BONUS tracks on a limited "aqua-marine" coloured 7inch beauty.
"Masina" and "Mizugaki" totally reflect and complete the vibe of LP.

Soul Jazz Records are releasing Brazil Funk Power – Brazilian Funk & Samba Soul, a limited-edition one-off pressing, exclusive for Record Store Day, collectors seven-inch box set, featuring ten superb, rare and classic Brazilian funk, boogie and Samba soul tracks cut across five individual bespoke 7" singles, all housed in a bespoke box set.

This release features music by Jorge Ben, Azymuth, Donato, Tim Maia, Novos Baianos, Cassiano and many more. Incredible and infectious heavy samba, funk and soulful Brazilian hypnotic dance tracks from some of the most important names in Brazilian music alongside some serious rarities.

All tracks have been digitally re-mastered and the singles come housed in a thick, heavyweight deluxe card box. This box-set is a
one-off pressing exclusively for Record Store Day.

Takashi studied for a long while in Cuba, learning Cuban folklore and Bata under the wing of greats like Adonis Panter Calderon, Barbaro Yordany Crespo Richard (Osain Del Monte) and Angel Boraño.
Ten Lovers Music feature five tracks on vinyl from his Japan only CD Clandestina album including a new version of Pista Libre. Takashi calls in a stella guest list of players across all 6 tracks on this release including Luisito Quintero, Roberto Quintero, Karl Vanden Bossche, Davide Giovannini and Calixto Oviedo. Vamos Dançar !!

Super-loud vinyl!

Amazing 1976 album where jazz meets world music !

An amazing document of the life experiment that was the Organic Music Society. This super quality audio, recorded by RAI (the italian public broadcasting company) in 1976 for television, documents a quartet concert focused on vocals compositions and improvisations. Here, Don Cherry and his family-community’s musical belief emerges in its simplicity, with the desire to merge the knowledge and stimuli gained during numerous travels across the World in a single sound experience. Don's pocket-trumpet is melted with the beats of the great Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, the Italian guitar of Gian Piero Pramaggiore, and the tanpura drone of Moki. A pure hippie aesthetic, like in an intimate ceremony, filters a magical encounter between Eastern and Western civiliziations, offering different suggestions of sound mysticism: natural acoustics in which individual instruments and voices are part of a wider pan-tribal consciousness. A desert Western landscape marries Asian and Latin atmospheres. Indigenous contributions with berimbau explorations find fossil sounds of rattles and clap-hands invocations. Influences of Indian mantra singing are combined with eternal African voices or with folkish-Latin guitar rhythms , while flute and drums evoke distant dances. In the Organic Music everything becomes an act of devotion and love, an ecstatic dwell in the dimension of a sacred free-rejoice.

Powerful new spiritual jazz from Chile on Soul Jazz Records!

This album comes as a very limited one-off unique pressing of 1000-edition vinyl, limited editon CD and digital release.

Enrique Rodríguez and the Negra Chiway Band group have an instantly powerful and unique sound that is reminiscent of the ensembles of Sun Ra and his Arkestra as well as Horace Tapscott and his Pan-Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, one that channels the righteous spirits of Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp and McCoy Tyner together with a stunning Latin rhythmical and new consciousness and percussive energy. Added to this are elements of the Samurai film soundtracks of Akira Kurosawa, Popol Vuh’s musical spirituality (especially their work with film director Werner Herzog), Tibetan Buddhism and over-blowing chants, that all combine to give a truly unique new sound.

Enrique Rodríguez is a composer, percussionist, keyboardist, and producer from Santiago, Chile, whose work shows many similarities with the music featured on Soul Jazz Records’ recent collection ‘Kaleidoscope - New Spirts Known and Unknown’, featuring new forward-looking jazz artists including Mathew Halsall, Theon Cross, Emma-Jean Thackray and Makaya McCraven.

Like all these artists, Rodríguez’s work is a progressive and experimental fusion of earlier influences that combine into a new and definitely 21st century ground-breaking sound that, on account of its South American setting, give the group its truly unique feeling. Hypnotic modal piano riffs, powerful brass and flutes, an army of Latin percussion instruments, and addictive vocal chants all combine in this powerful mix of radical 60s Afro-centric jazz, eastern spirituality and cosmology, and Latin American rhythmical movement.

TERRENG - a constitution of an open-ended landscape of contrasts defining space both in time and depth. a set of structuring elements forming by its positionally interaction a common platform created through its dimensional properties.

The drums and electronics on TERRENG trade off each other at times creating a sense of improvised space, but also comes together in parts to form a narrative structure of almost concrete sensibilities. Where the instrumental identities gradually bleed into each other to form a flowing texture of sonically defined terrain.

The multi-layered structure of the two tracks presented here draws upon a well of material, sources and references. Pandi and Wesseltoft build up a detailed and idiosyncratic work by the use of their constructive material. In parts quiet and open. In other parts chocked with information and intensity. Beautiful and fractured. Chaotic and meditative. TERRENG is a highly dynamic blend of improvisation, and a narrowly constructed electro-acoustic narrative.

Balazs Pandi is a versatile drummer with an almost encyclopaedic level of experience ranging from improvised music and modern jazz, to metal, noise and experimental electronics. Here he at times performs the role of improvising drummer trading off the collaborator, and at other times creates an almost ritually constructed sense of rhythmic space perfectly embedded within the overall structure.

Jon Wesseltoft is a musician and composer with a long history of work within the often overlapping fields of improvisation, sound-art, noise and electro-acoustics. He has a longstanding interest in musical systems and its concepts of representation, and psycho-acoustics and the phenomenology of sound and its narrative power. He has explored this interest in various forms ranging from solo work to various collaborations and projects to larger ensemble work.

First ever vinyl reissue of this French free jazz nugget recording by Sahib Shihab + Gilson Unit.

Paris, February 1972. A few months after having released Le Massacre du Printemps, Jef Gilson was back behind his keyboards for a completely different experience. Heading up his Unit, he was joined by Sahib Shihab, ex- partner to Gillespie, Monk and Coltrane, for a brief stroll in the desert. For three-quarters of an hour, the caravan passes by, evoking, one after the other, Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane, Pierre Henry and Karlheinz Stockhausen... Oh yes, and one other thing, we forgot to mention that Shihab’s saxophone is... amplified.

La marche dans le désert, (The Walk in the Desert) is first and foremost the meeting of two iconoclastic musicians: Jef Gilson, pianist who tried his hand in all forms of jazz (bebop, choral, modal, free, fusion...) collaborating with emblematic American musicians (Walter Davis Jr., Woody Shaw, Nathan Davis...) or French musicians who were on their way to becoming so (Jean-Luc Ponty, Bernard Lubat, Michel Portal, Henri Texier...), and Sahib Shihab...

Shihab is one of the many black American jazzmen who found refuge in Europe. After having played in the bands of Fletcher Henderson and Roy Eldridge, the saxophonist worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey and Tadd Dameron. He came to the old continent with the Quincy Jones orchestra, spent a few years in Copenhagen, returned to Los Angeles, then came back to Europe. When he met Jef Gilson, in February 1972, the saxophonist was happily touring with the Clarke-Boland Big Band.

La marche dans le désert, is therefore the opportunity for this supporting player to show what he was capable of. And it was some opportunity: with Gilson and his Unit (Pierre Moret on keyboards and Jean-Claude Pourtier on drums, with whom the pianist had just recorded Le massacre du printemps, but also with Jef Catoire on double bass, and Bruno Di Gioia and Maurice Bouhana on flute and percussion respectively), Shihab got maximum exposure.

To mark the occasion, he put aside his baritone saxophone to play a soprano... varitone. The amplified instrument, while losing nothing of its natural sound, was capable of generating the same presence as Gilson’s electronic keyboards. And it would change the face of modal jazz: in a forest of percussion, Shihab and Gilson go on a sensual walkabout that will remain with listeners for long after. Between the two takes of Mirage, Shihab, this time on baritone again, takes up the mantle once more of a style of jazz he was unable to strictly define: “For me there is only one type of music: good”. Let’s make one thing clear from the outset: La marche dans le désert, is definitely good.

Exclusive vinyl release! Impossible to find modern jazz 10inch LP from 1962 with an international reputation for being one of the most wanted collectors` phantoms'. First reissue in its original format, with nine precious recordings from the Atlantis Club at Klosterberg in Basel: Elsie on piano/ accordion/ vocals, with Siro Bianchi on bass/ clarinet and Kenny Schmidt on drums, swinging in between songs of the American Songbook - Stormy Weather', No Moon At All', Canadian Sunset' - and original material Atlantis Blues' or Baron Lazar'. Replica of this private pressing comes with original designs and artwork by Swiss painter Irène Zurkinden.

First ever vinyl reissue of this highly sought after French experimental jazz recording by the legendary Jef Gilson.

In 1971, the day after the death of Igor Stravinsky, Jef Gilson and his Unit (Pierre Moret and Jean-Claude Pourtier) made this curious homage to classical music. It is jazz, contemporary and electroacoustic music that the trio interrogate through a wild ‘noise’ session evoking as much John Cage as Pierre Henry, John Coltrane as the Percussions de Strasbourg, the Art Ensemble of Chicago as the Tacet by Jean Guérin.

Le Massacre du Printemps, (the Massacre of Spring) is a strange kind of homage to Igor Stravinsky, who had just died when, in 1971, Jef Gilson recorded this not-to-be-missed album of French experimental jazz. “Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end” the Russian composer was quoted as saying and here is Gilson offering us... six!

A funny bird (of fire) was Jef Gilson. Clarinetist who came up playing in the basement clubs with Claude Luter and Boris Vian, he turned to piano and multiplied his experiences in jazz: bebop, choral, modal, free, fusion... As a free spirit, Gilson welcomed many ‘up and coming’ French musicians in his bands (Jean-Luc Ponty, Bernard Lubat, Michel Portal, Henri Texier...) as well as being associated with Woody Shaw, Nathan Davis or Byard Lancaster. Later he would go on to create, Europamerica, a transatlantic formation in which Butch Morris, Frank Lowe, and Joe McPhee would play...

But for the time being it’s a massacre! With Pierre Moret on organ and Jean-Claude Pourtier on drums, Gilson improvises with style and gusto. On the eponymous title track of the album, he also plays tuba and invites Claude Jeanmaire to get involved on prepared piano. Spring, for the four musicians here, is windswept: billowing, rumbling, frantic, it sounds like Stravinsky played by the ‘Percussions de Strasbourg’ without a scoresheet!

After which, behind his electric piano, Gilson with Moret and Pourtier offers us five more “unpremeditated spontaneous expressions”, as he wrote on the back of the album sleeve. Five wily and electric expressions which are like the soundtrack to a film which could also have been played by the Art Ensemble or Jean Guérin. So, when, in the same text, Gilson expresses the hope that we will get “from this album the same pleasure that we had making it”, we can but reply: how could it be otherwise?

MANSUR is the newly initiated project by Jason Kohnen (ex-The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble) joined by Dimitry El-Demerdashi (ex-Phurpa) and introducing Martina Hórvath on vocals. The sound of MANSUR navigates between the waters of musical fantasy and reality - it morphs and blends traditional instrumentation with modern day electronica.

Horváth, El-Demerdashi and Köhnen return to their otherworldly worldbuilding with their debut album ‘Karma’ on Denovali. MANSUR leads the listener into mystical and magical unknowns, that lie far past the realms of material perception.

As astronomer Carl Saga once wrote “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”. Universal lessons of life, brought by teachings and teachers of ages. Unimaginary worlds in all our capacities of being created. MANSUR is the transformational vessel guiding you to these non-physical realms. The realms you seek are already there, it's up to you to find them.

After the outstanding success of the first single, the Argentinian producer Kevin Fingier is back with a must-have instrumental double sider.

A-Side presents 'Latin Dynamite', an explosive tune which could have been the soundtrack of Ramsey Lewis and Mongo Santamaría visiting Soho together around mid 60s. It's a perfect mix of Mod Jazz and Boogaloo with a very cinematic feel. On the B side we have the obscure and groovy 'El Basement', a stunning R&B dancer with a killer flute solo and a screaming Hammond.

"Great track, it adds some fresh sounds to the original Boogaloo and I loved it" - Joe Bataan

This single presents the first experience of the band recording using a Tascam reel to reel tape in El Parral studios in Buenos Aires. Kevin was able to experiment with 60's recording techniques and equipment such as the legendary microphone RCA 77DX as used in many of the recordings we enjoy for the 50's and 60's. This record shows the vision behind Fingier Records, an Acid Jazz Records subsidiary, which claimed from the beginning 'Underground Soul,

R&B, Boogaloo and Raw Funk'. Speaking about the label Kevin states "I don't want this label to be something strict, I want to explore the whole universe around Soul music, what happened before and after, and what happened at that same time, when people from other countries such as Puerto Rico, Brazil or Nigeria mixed their cultural music with Soul, Jazz and Funk.

Modern sounds for the 21st century featuring modal, progressive and esoteric contemporary jazz from the UK, Spain, Netherlands, Finland, USA, Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Sweden, Germany & Italy.

The first 12 volumes of our hugely popular Spiritual Jazz series have unearthed a wealth of historic recordings in the genre, collating a variety of works from the '50s to the '80s by artists from all around the world.

And so, with Volume 13, we turn our attention to what's happening NOW.

Over the course of 24 tracks and spanning 2 x 2LPs, we present an overview of the contemporary exponents of Spiritual Jazz; musicians who are intent on bringing something personal to the table, as much as they recognize the importance of those who have paved the way for them. We feature music recorded within the past 20 years and from 15 different countries, including modern classics from veterans Steve Reid and Idris Ackamoor, providing a vital link between the past masters and the enlightened new generation.

It's pioneers such as John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders et al, with their innovations in reaching another plane of consciousness that was and remains uppermost in the minds of exponents of Spiritual Jazz. Fittingly, several of the artists featured on this compilation, such as Cat Toren and David Boykin, are practitioners of the art of music therapy and sound healing, and have absolute conviction in the role of song as solace. The pioneers may no longer be with us, but their saintly selves loom large, shining a light in the darkness, inspiring many a brave new disciple today, as this album will testify: the new wave of jazz is gathering pace and still sounds fresh, vibrant and as relevant as ever.

One of the hands-down head-bangers of Makaya McCraven’s 2018 release Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape) was bubbling London-based producer/composer Emma-Jean Thackray’s contributed track, “Too Shy.” Slotted into the B-side of the DJ-style suite, Makaya’s finishing touch on the mixtape format of the collection meant that we would miss the full extension of Thackray’s work – which was intended, as she originally made it, to run a minute longer than it does on Where We Come From, and also include a half-time outro bonus beat. Being the banger that it is, it seemed appropriate to give Thackray’s original “Too Shy” its own focused format, and hence we (International Anthem) have partnered (once again) with our good friends at Total Refreshment Centre to present this 12” version on limited edition wax.

The B-Side of this 12” is a smoking re-work of another cut from the original CHICAGO x LONDON Mixtape, “Run ‘Dem,” courtesy of the one and only Gilles Peterson!

It seems that every major jazz artist has a one-off sort of record in their discography, be it with strings, voices, spoken word or - as in this case - a foray into the funkier side of jazz. Charlie Rouse (going here as Charles Rouse) gets his chance on Two Is One, a funky soul jazz excursion on Strata-East, the artist-run label where creativity and pushing boundaries was at the forefront. Playing mostly with a group of session musicians, Rouse put together an album that may stray a bit from his hard bop roots, but is nonetheless an enjoyable and at times inventive record. The style of music played here - sophisticated soul jazz with some post bop and spiritual jazz thrown in for good measure - is very much a product of it's time. 1974 saw a whole slew of artists stretching the boundaries of what jazz music could be, combining elements from the past two decades into electric jazz adventures. The piano-less group that Rouse put together is a funky one, with lots of rhythmic playing behind either the searching solos of Rouse on the tenor or some inventive electric guitar work from either George Davis or Paul Metzke who appear together on all but a couple of tracks. Cal Scott gets plenty of time to shine throughout on what sounds like an electrified cello, an unusual instrument for modern jazz to be sure, but one that manages to fit in just fine here.

The first side of the album is all slow burning soul jazz, highlighted by the opening track "Bitchin'" where Rouse shows off that he is more than capable of setting down soulful lines over a funky backbeat. The second side is where the group gets a whole lot more inventive, particularly on the title track where they mix some post bop madness with the soul jazz sound. "Two Is One" features different tempos throughout: in the "first section" the bass plays in 9/8 time, the drums in 6/8 time and the cello and tenor are in 3/4 time. For the "second section" the rhythm section switches to 7/8 time while cello and tenor move to 4/4 time. Stanley Clarke is on bass here and his deep and twisty electric bass line is placed prominently up front.

"Two Is One" is certainly the highlight of the album from a pure jazz standpoint, and it lives up to it's title, which according to Gene Lewis' liner notes is taken from a Thelonious Monk phrase meaning two people so in tune with one another that they become one. The album finishes off with "In His Presence Searching," a spiritually informed jazz number that is reminiscent of the work being done during this period by the likes of Pharoah Sanders and Gary Bartz, (while not being quite as out there as their best work). The tune is all rhythmic glory, with Rouse and Scott playing introspective and penetrating solos throughout. It's a nice album closer, and a good reminder that while Two Is One may be best known for it's funkier excursions, Rouse had a few tricks up his sleeve and the album, when taken as a whole, is a complete statement from a legendary jazz musician.

Recently unearthed tapes from the estate of Elsie Bianchi, recorded 1968 at Chateau Fleur De Lis in Atlanta/ Georgia. Unknown repertoire of her Swiss trio, with Elsie and Siro Bianchi performing on instruments they otherwise never recorded with: hammond organ, tenor saxophone and flute - including Now`s the Time', Pennies From Heaven', Alice In Wonderland', Swingin` Shepherd Blues' and even a French sung version of Take Five'. Probably the final and last issued music of Elsie Bianchi, carefully mastered for 6-Page-Digipack-CD and limited vinyl LP, including new sleeve notes and many forgotten pictures of the trio taken during the late 1960s in USA.

Re-mastering by: Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

An amazing session of spiritual soul jazz – and one of the rarest albums on Strata East! Shamek Farrah's soulful alto is matched with the free spiritual piano of Sonelius Smith, for a totally memorable session that virtually defines the essence of the Strata East sound! The music is free, but not too free; lyrical, but never indulgent; and always turning over with a fresh sense of imagination, and a soaring groove that's very much in the classic Strata East mode!

Musa Ancestral Streams remains a relative oddity in the pantheon of jazz's black consciousness movement -- a solo piano set of stunning reach and scope, its adherence to intimacy contrasts sharply with the bold, multi-dimensional sensibilities that signify the vast majority of post-Coltrane excursions into spiritual expression, yet the sheer soulfulness and abandon of Stanley Cowell's performance nevertheless vaults the record into the same physical and metaphysical planes. Cowell's energy and touch are remarkable, as if guided by divine power, and for all the music's structural spaciousness and rhythmic freedom, not a note feels out of place, let alone excessive. Most intriguing is "Travelin' Man," an overdubbed "duet" featuring Cowell on both acoustic and electric piano that underscores his uncommon affinity for space and presence.

C.O.R.N! is the debut album by Nick Acorne and Patrick Wurzwallner aka. C.O.R.N! Eclectic mixture of genres and styles. C.O.R.N! is unexpected, unbelievable, unpredictable and always groovy. C.O.R.N! is “Rick and Morty” in music.

180 gm vinyl re-issue for the connoisseur.

Anyone listening to contemporary jazz piano is very likely to tune
into the legacy of Bill Evans, particularly when confronted by the
work of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and Brad
Mehldau. These artists collectively display various elements of
his style, ranging from reflection to subtlety and taste in the
extreme. His importance to the development of jazz is
unquestionable, the words of British jazz critic Barry McRae
being the perfect summation: 'A brilliant pianist who somehow
managed to disguise the fact, Bill Evans never paraded his
technique but, like all true virtuosi, he made no mistakes. His
home was the piano trio and he brought to piano, bass and
drums an orchestral awareness and expansiveness that belied
the size of the group.'

'Oblique is one of only two quartet sessions the great vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson recorded for Blue Note (the classic Happenings being the other).
Both albums featured the seminal pianist Herbie Hancock and drum master Joe Chambers, with the only variable in the line-up here being bassist Albert Stinson. Hutcherson’s breezy opener “‘Til Then,” Hancock’s tremendous “Theme From Blow Up,” and Chambers’ adventurous “Oblique” are standouts of a session that, taken as a whole, is an incredible journey from hard bop grooves to exploratory sonic tone poems. Recorded in 1967, the album wasn’t first released until 1979.