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Here comes Experiment, new album by French quartet band,
TRIBEQA, affirming their special sound mixing elements of Afro,
Jazz and Hip-Hop together.

At a point in time when Johnny Winter had only recently recovered from past addictions and blues giant Muddy Waters had faced a decline in his career with illness and the collapse of Chess records in 1975, it was Steve Paul of Blue Sky records who would appear as saviour to both musicians. The results of his investment soon paid off and Winter's childhood dream to play alongside his hero Muddy waters was soon realised. Waters' comeback album was a return to his original Chicago sound. Its raw, expressive feel harked back to his Chess Records days, and the outstanding musicianship and intimate exuberance exceeded all expectations, earning Waters a Grammy in the process.
The Hard Again tour combined the respected powerhouse of Waters, Winter and Cotton with musicians from the Hard Again sessions. Hard Again cast a further four albums with Blue Sky before Waters would leave in 1983. Although this particular collaboration was short-lived, it has provided blues fans a rare opportunity to indulge in the work of two hugely important musical figures whose respect for each other is evidently unflinching.

Jackie Brown is proud to have Italian jazz wizard Marcello Claudio Cassanelli on board. Marcello a jazz pianist, with master degree in jazz music at the G.B. Martini Conservatory, had a successful and well know contemporary jazz album « Overtour » from 2018, for which was well received from both audience and critics, such as Jazzit magazine.

Marcello, along with Antonio Rapa on drums and Blake C.S. Franchetto on the bass, recorded a jazz-funk EP for Jackie Brown, with strong influences of house and disco music. It's a five track EP, with A side tracks « Welcome » and « Shark » sound like IDs from Theo Parish funk and disco sets. B side holds three tracks, with slower tempo, but with swing and groove perfect for sunset chill.

From the legendary Omicron label secret archives, one of the rarest and nearly impossible to find album signed by Piero Umiliani. Gli italiani e l'industria is the soundtrack of a mysterious TV documentary by Romolo Marcellini broadcasted in 1967, and never appeared again from then, which was focused on virtue and vice of Italian post-economic boom industrialization. The music perfectly reflects the contrasts of the Italian society of that period, equally divided by consumerism and alienation, with a number of tracks deliberately easy-jazz and pop-beat on the one hand (with gorgeous ballads for vibraphone, like Natascia or Negozi alla moda, and killer organ tracks, like Music Box, later reused in some movies of the 70s, as Aragosta a colazione), and on the other with a bounce of compositions ultra-jazz, close to free jazz, with electronics and avant-garde solutions that Umiliani will explore completely in the further years (it is not by chance that 3 of those tracks are also included nine years after in a new library Umiliani's LP named Atmospheres). An essential album of easy-listening and experimental sound, necessary to

comprehend the richness of a genius of Italian soundtracks.

Kobe Session was a special improvisational performance created by Jeff Mills for the Exhibitionist 2 DVD project. Along with 3 other musicians, with a limited amount of preparation and rehearsal time, their objective was to create, shape and perform ompositions in front of a live audience setting. Debuting in Tokyo, Sept 18 2015 at Terrada Warehouse during TodaysArt JP, this live recordings was captured in Kobe, Japan the following night on September 19th 2015 at Kobe Art Village Center.High quality record series: 180g vinyl 48k 32bit, Mastered for High Fidelity Sounds, Pure virgin vinyl

Unearthed by The Mighty Zaf for BBE Music, Into A New Journey by Ambiance is an impossibly rare and sought-after private label spiritual jazz masterpiece from 1982 with Latin, Brazilian and Afro overtones. Ambiance was the ‘nom de guerre’ of an ever-shifting jazz collective headed up by Nigeria-born, LA-tutored multi- instrumentalist, arranger, producer and photographer Daoud Abubakar Balewa. Balewa studied composition and jazz improvisation at the feet of innovators such as Frank Mitchell (Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers), Jackie McLean (Blue Note) and other masters from the golden Blue Note era. Although he favoured alto, soprano and tenor, he was equally happy on flute, keyboards, and Latin and Brazilian percussion. What’s more, he had the knack of using musicians who were bold enough to welcome being part of such multi-faceted sessions: guitarist Jim Lum’s flexibility suits the theme of this album perfectly, as does prolific Japanese soul-jazz drummer Danny Yamamoto; the stunning Hawaiian pianist Kino Cornwell (Yamamoto’s colleague from funk-fusion supergroup Hiroshima); and the wonderful Jean Carn-like tones of Daoud’s wife, jazz vocalist Monife Balewa. From the band’s reading of Joe Henderson’s modal masterpiece Black Narcissus, through the deep multicultural percussive jazz-dance workout that is the title track, and on to the three-octave vocal embellishments of Monife, on her own composition Something Better as well as on the Chick Correa fusion classic 500 Miles High, nothing here is generic, nothing taken for granted, nothing comfortable or predictable. All of the half-dozen or so albums recorded and released by Daoud and Ambiance during just six years of frantic creativity between 1979 and 1986 are well worth seeking out, but in BBE Music’s opinion Into A New Journey is the pinnacle: spiritual jazz worthy of the very best practitioners of the genre, by an obscure group of ludicrously talented artists on a tiny, self-financed indie label with an equally tiny promo budget: that’s what great jazz is all about.

Bowman Trio returns with a strong double-sider 7". The trio delivers their trademark loft jazz with remarkable energy and swing on "The Chase (Version 1)" and "The Hillary Step". Both are fresh studio cuts which serve as tasters of the Helsinki trio's new music in anticipation of their second full-length expected to be released in 2019.

The 7" vinyl version comes with beautiful "old-school" heat-pressed label and generic brown sleeve.

Chameleon Collective is an Anglo-Portuguese creative hub, formed in 2015, which takes its inspiration from the late 70s jazz influenced pop music of west coast America, paying tribute to the music and vibes of Steely Dan, The Crusaders, Herb Albert, Joni Mitchell, Sergio Mendes, George Duke and Miles Davis.

The album 1979 is our musical homage to all things LA West Coast during the late 70s. Born from a love of bands and producers from an era perhaps defined by Steely Dan and their work with Roger (The Immortal) Nichols, it is influenced by the orchestrations of Sergio Mendes and Herb Albert and the emotional intensity of Joni Mitchell.

Each of us having a long history in recording of our own, we sought out analogue-based studios where microphones still mattered and based our songs on open chord structures that enabled each musician to add their own layer of unique harmony. After the initial scratch pad sessions jamming on piano and bass to create the building blocks from which we assembled each song’s structure. Some are based around the normal verse, chorus, verse chorus format but others, such as After You, evolved to become longer, more free-form pieces.


To ensure each of us was free to react to each other’s performances as they were added, the first performance to be recorded and defined was Gary O’Toole on drums, bringing his unique blend of technique and creativity to each song’s rhythm part. Next came Jed’s piano and organ. His original Hammond, recorded in the studio of Portuguese legend Rui Veloso, colours the music of the album in warm and unique shades while the piano offers also many highlights. Scott Garland was next with his brass parts and wonderful solo’s alongside Matt Holland’s incredible trumpet – inspired by the 70’s work of Tom Scott and Michael Brecker – in a brass section that flows like liquid gold throughout the sound of the album.

We needed a very particular kind of feel and groove from the guitars – and we had the good fortune to have the talents of Tim Froud and Ronnie Johnson weaving incredible solos and rhythm grooves into each arrangement that were somehow as tight as they were loose.



But the really unique moment for us was first hearing the songs sung by fellow Chameleon Maria Leon, recorded with a special vintage microphone Neumann U67 after our early writing sessions in which she wrote and sang each song lyric almost simultaneously, before seamlessly layering up her voice in banks of backing vocals where desired.



Finally… The mixing!

After a four-year journey working away at each song until we at last reached a point where we knew it was finished as a recording, we had the grace of Andy Bradfield to mix it. Crafted in layers of sound, the final arrangements and details blended together in a magnificent yet transparent way.



Have a look at the unique artwork that Digital artist Claire Stone at Jump Design has created to accompany each song – we have written much more about the inspiration behind each song and how we went about recording it.



We hope you enjoy listening as much as we did making it!

Freed from the personal vaults of Francois Tusques himself, the previously unreleased come the recordings from the La Chasse Au Snark (The Hunting Of The Snark) sessions. Featuring a stellar all-star cast of the crème de la crème for French avant-garde and free jazz musicians including Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin, Daniel Laloux, Jean Frenay, Jean Vern, Michel Kurylo, Annick Astier, Lambert Terbrack, Jacques Thollot, Aldo Romano and Noel Mcghie.

To complete the package Finders Keepers have officially licenced a number of illustrations by none other than Tove Jansson, the creator of Moomin Valley and its magical inhabitants, who was comissioned in 1959 to illustrate a Swedish edition of Lewis Carroll’s miniature masterpiece.

In 1967, 1968 and 1969 most of my works were happenings loosely based on Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting Of The Snark, a not-so-cryptic poem that, to my mind, gave clues to free the theatre in the same way the “new music” had freed jazz. It never made it to record and I gave up on the idea when I met Sunny Murray and Alan Silva when they arrived in Paris in the summer of ‘69. Few concert venues would have anything to do with us but we didn’t want that kind of connection with the public – famous or not (Jacques Higelin joined on occasion!) – which more often than not would join us on stage to bang percussion, sing, dance, freak out. Our favorite part was when we shut down the lights near the end, silently left the stage, and when the light went on for the curtain... The public had formally taken our place.

Galleries, museums and art/theatre/dance festivals, on the other hand, were open to this early multimedia event – complete with films, masks and early electronic devices (Bernard Vitet, the trumpet player, brought an early portable reverb system to the proceedings). The reels and cassettes we rescued from my basement are rather evasively labelled and the following data is far from precise. The core group was me on piano, Bernard Vitet on trumpet and electronic treatments, Beb Guérin on double bass, Daniel Laloux (who later had tremendous success in film, theatre and voice acting) as MC, Jean Frenay and Jean Vern (who did the artwork for le nouveau jazz) on saxophones, Michel Kurylo, Annick Astier, Lambert Terbrack and my then wife Françoise Tusques “singing” and “acting”, so to say. Jacques Thollot, Aldo Romano and later Noel Mcghie were on drums.

I know for sure side A is a studio recording carried out in august 1968 by the comité action musique, an activist group of artists and engineers aiming to reclaim the means of production from the “record industry”. The line-up is me, Vitet, Guérin, Laloux, Frenay, Vern, Astier, Françoise Tusques, no drums (everyone doubling on percussion), and Michel Portal on bass clarinet and saxophone as guest. Side C is a montage of the surviving bits of the happenings that took place at La Vieille Grille between August 1967 – March 1968 (sometimes on a daily basis in ‘68!), the museum of modern art during the May ‘68 demonstrations, and the Biennale Of Paris in February 1969. Sides B and D are less theatre oriented and may have been recorded either at the American center in October 1968, the international students center in November 1968 (Barre Phillips on bass and Barney Wilen on sax guested on these dates but I’m not able to confirm they are on the tapes), or in the winter and spring of 1969. However, the cassette for side b only read “Snark 1969”...

The name of the group (it changed every time it ventured out), the title of the concerts and accordingly the cuts on these LPs were all lifted randomly from Lewis Carroll’s poems and novels. Back then, I described what we did in this way: “Composers, directors, writers, band leaders, those people are vampires sucking the blood of musicians and actors. They are byproducts of the current state of our society. Yet, someone who has something to convey needs performers... Unless a cultural revolution happens soon, I think it’s impossible to overcome those contradictions. Therefore, I wish that this rendition of the hunting of the Snark would be the last ever rendition of any work of art, and that the next stage of evolution is that any individual craving for expression will have the physical and intellectual means to create without constraints, to freely associate with others, without bearing the weight of so-called geniuses and nobodies. We want to bring to the stage the same revolution that happened in jazz with the new music.

Francois Tusques

Kate NV is the project of Russia-born recording artist, songwriter, and producer Kate Shilonosova. Best known in her hometown of Moscow as the lead singer and founder of the post-punk garage band Glintshake, Kate NV is also a performer in the experimental Moscow Scratch Orchestra and releases music under an alternate alias, NV. "Room for the Moon" is Kate NV's third album and second for RVNG Intl. "Room for the Moon" was inspired by memories of 70s/80s Russian and Japanese pop music and movies. The album finds Kate NV singing in Russian, French, and English. She collaborated with musicians Jenya Gorbunov (bass guitar), Vladimir Luchanskiy (saxophone), Quinn Oulton (bass guitar, saxophone), Nami Sato (Japanese Narration), and Marco Passarani (marimba). "Music knows what she wants," says Kate NV. On "Room for the Moon", the lyrical follow up to the buoyant minimalism of 2018's "FOR", NV follows this muse in fluid expression, harmonizing her lunar lullabies with a starry compositional choreography. NV says, "I always let music express herself without pressure, and with or without voice."

Following their sublime 2019 collaboration, “Sakla Beni”, production king Kutiman and Turkish songstress Melike Sahin reunite on Anatolian psych anthem, “Elmi Tut (Hold My Hand)”. And a simple revival this is not. The Turkish & Middle Eastern psych sound of Erkin Koray, Baris Manco, Selda Bağcan, Omar Khorshid & Aris San is brought bang up to date with swathes of hallucinatory synths, filtered basslines, hard-as-nail drum breaks and Kutiman’s magic touch.

Having met in Istanbul in 2017, Şahin and Kutiman rapidly developed a beautiful chemistry. Şahin’s striking voice inspired Kutiman to create a genuine yet modern Anatolian psych sound and the resulting 2019 single, “Sakla Beni”, became a global hit, championed by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne. Meanwhile, the modern Anatolian sounds of bands such as the Netherlands-based Altın Gün and the contemporary Middle Eastern-influenced psych of Khruangbin, have taken the world by storm. Kutiman and Şahin’s follow-up is destined to win even more hearts!

We are very proud to present THIS IS TECHNO JAZZ. VOL 1, a genre defining collection of music from artists coming from the jazz and techno scenes like Distant Echoes, TUN, Tensal, Mattia Prete, VSK, Fabrizio Rat, Gianluca Petrella, Flat Maze, Luigi Ranghino, Wrong Assessment, Irakli, Key Clef and more. Together, these contemporary innovators perfectly define the label's vision for jazz and techno fusions.

This label is all about drawing on the rich heritage of two of the most visionary and experimental genes in music: jazz and techno. Taking inspiration from the freeform creative nature of those two musical worlds, artists on the label mix tradition with modernity, improvisation with experimentation, and create a new sound known as techno-jazz. THIS IS TECHNO JAZZ. VOL I will showcase these ideas across 11 tracks (10 tracks in vinyl limited edition to be released in September).

Dystopian label associate and Out-er co-owner Distant Echoes opens up with 'Faction 200' featuring Gianni Denitto on sax. It is a cosmic adventure with freeform sax lines driving above rippling synths and broken beats. Milan based Wrong Assessment has built up a fine discography over the last five years, releasing his moody techno on the likes of Planet Rhythm and Dynamic Reflection. His deeply hypnotic sounds here feature the experimental jazz quartet Gamapawa, with swirling pads drifting about to make a mysterious atmosphere as distant trumpets bleed in and out of the mix and walking bass recalls the atmosphere of 70's jazz fusion. Heavy and industrial sound designer and audio engineer VSK then remixes the Torino Unlimited Noise trio's 'Jason' into a loopy, glitchy, unresolved bit of deep techno with thoughtful jazz chords and plenty of dubby bass weight.

Tensal is next and links with Torino Unlimited Noise for 'Devourer of Senses', a straight-ahead slice of linear techno that is powerful but also intriguing thanks to the off-grid keys, increasingly intense synths and dark sax motifs. Lecce's techno dreamer and forward thinking DJ, promoter and producer Mattia Prete offers 'Burning Man' Ft. Israeli pianist Uri Gincel and Berlin based experimental guitar player Daniel Calvi. It's a cavernous and absorbing track with freeform jazz drums and heavy drones that zones you out. Dreamy and abstract techno man Chevel can make all forms of techno, and here remixes Antares Mates's 'Movimento 2' into an experimental track with bright synths, sharp sax phrases and melodic rain over a jittery beat that suspends you in the cosmos. Producer and piano player Fabrizio Rat and brilliant trombone player Gianluca Petrella are another accomplished Italian pair and their 'Turn' is an elastic deep techno track designed to melt your mind with its dancing hi hats and increasingly manic trombone hits.





Irakli & Daniel Calvi's contribution is a dark and menacing piece with sci-fi synths that make for a turbulent intergalactic soundtrack, and 'Petardo Boy' by producer Stefano Mori and pianist Uri Gincel aka Flat Maze (who released their Dick Dunker EP on this label last year) is a tender and intimate techno cut with gentle keys and a sense of playfulness in the wonky chords. Last of all, synth magician Key Clef and piano legend Luigi Ranghino are label regulars who close things out with 'Piano Movimento 1', which layers up intricate phrases of jazz piano, evolving echos of drum machines and surging bass. It's poetic, intense, and thrilling.

The digital edition of the release includes also a bonus tracks by Finnish duo Aki Himanen on trumpet and electronics, and Aleksi Kinnunen on drums. “Dystopian morning jam” is an hypnotic progression of tight drum textures and dreamy trumpet phrases which slowly build up to a powerful final musical catharsis.

This is a collection of avant-garde music that breathes new life into both jazz, and techno, with fantastic results.

Gondwana Records are delighted to announce the 6th release of our '7" Series', our first ever 7" vinyl collection series. Featuring bespoke artwork from Gondwana Records designer Daniel Halsall, cut at Calyx in Berlin, and manufactured at Optimal. This one is limited to strictly 300 copies and housed in a reverse board printed sleeve with classic 'dinked' centre holes.

The release also comes with a limited edition postcard

Dwight Trible and Matthew Halsall first met by chance at a festival in South Africa. Dwight sat in with Matt's band for an impromtu jam and a friendship was born. The result was Dwight's 2017 recording for Gondwana Records, Inspirations, produced by and featuring Matthew Halsall and members of the Gondwana Orchestra. With the LP long sold -out we've decided to shine a light on the first two tracks from the album. Together they make a glorious, deep, soulful 7" with a timeless message. On Side A we have, Dwight's impassioned take on Bacharach and David's classic What The World Needs Now is Love and on the flip we have a low-slung take on Donny Hathaway and Leroy Hutson's Tryin' Times. Both feel even more relevant now than they did when written. Just 300 copies and no re-press on this one - so don't miss out.

We Jazz Records continues their 7" series with a new release by Oaagaada, a fresh quartet from the rural parts of Southern Finland. "Oag-ada / A Swimming Trip" appears on 30 October and presents the band's ability to create fiery and flowing jazz music with strong avantgarde leanings. Think Art Ensemble Of Chicago on their groovy mode and add a strong DIY mentality, four people in a room creating music in the now. The lows are low and the highs are high, with the trumpet firmly on the red, adding just the right amount of blurriness into the picture. Perhaps it's not "lo-fi jazz" per se, but rather music which is more concerned with other things than the cleanest of hi-fi imagery. This is "real jazz for real people".

The quartet includes Tuure Tammi (trumpet), Sami Pekkola (sax), Tero Kemppainen (bass) and Simo Laihonen (drums). Laihonen has recently appeared on We Jazz Records with Stanley J. Zappa and previously with Black Motor, and more Oaagaada can be heard on the recent "We Jazz Live Plates" album "Lonna 2019".

True to We Jazz style, the 7" single comes with old school heat-pressed labels and a plain brown paper sleeve.

Climate - atmosphere is what we say. Soul with beautiful expression, is what they say in the modern jazz scene in the US. It's a necessary component for good jazz, as well as for swing. But to achieve an organic atmosphere which is therefore vital and alive, a relationship of intentions and views, and a congeniality of thoughts are needed. When Tommasi was in Rome for a few days and had Santucci and Scoppa listen to the latest pieces he had composed, the three musicians ideas, aspirations, and agreement in taste appeared to exist right off the bat, and the idea to do an album together was born almost instantly.

Now, with all things said and done, a certain climate seems to have been achieved, with no lack of a swing enriched with heat and energy. The two horn players, who up until now have played and recorded with a band from Rome, the Modern Jazz gang, have really and fully understood the spirit of the pieces written by Tommasi, and even if it's the first time they have met with the trio of the pianist from Trieste, they demonstrate that they have merged and combined into one, more than anyone had hoped for. The album was recorded by forging ahead and overcoming various obstacles like that of a geographical distance that they were not used to (the horn players reside in Rome, and the others in Turin, Bologna, and Lucca); but now that the project has been achieved rehashing the difficulties that they had to get past in order to finish the piece is no longer important (and nor is it well wished for).

Take Five is probably one of the jazz titles that is best-known to a mass audience. It was composed by Paul Desmond and it appeared on the album Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet.

Pianist Brubeck had studied veterinary medicine before turning to music, and in 1949 he formed an octet, and then in 1951 his famous quartet with Paul Desmond playing saxophone. He signed with Columbia in 1954 and built up an excellent reputation, but in 1959 he became famous around the globe thanks to two titles, Take Five and Blue Rondo à la Turk.

In France, the singer Claude Nougaro made the quartet’s work popular when he wrote the French lyrics for versions of Three to get ready (adapted as Le jazz et la Java) and Blue Rondo a la Turk (with the title A bout de souffle). Dave Brubeck was “quiet man”, far from the legends and excess often linked with jazz: he would spend six decades in a world where life, and jazz, was “cool.”

In the 1960’s when Atlantic, Stax and Motown were at their peak; a little-known label in Norfolk, VA headed up by Noah H. Biggs, called Shiptown, was also giving young kids a chance to perform. Mr Biggs owned many labels locally and viewed many of the releases as a chance to showcase young, talented artists and performers in order to get them placed at larger national record companies. As a result, many of Shiptown’s releases can be extremely hard to track down with most pressings limited to 200 or less.

One of the last releases on Shiptown came in the mid 1970s by The Grooms, a few years before the passing of Mr Biggs. The only single the band ever released consisted of a phenomenal A Side, a mid-tempo funk track with amazing vocals and a killer horn arrangement called ‘Slow Down’. This is a track that’s hard to define - it takes inspiration from so many soulful genres. On the flip is a devastating beat ballad called ‘I Deserve A Little Bit More’. This track builds to a spine tingling crescendo. Raw soul at its best, with a wonderfully gritty mix of tight harmonies and unhinged emotion.

If this one doesn’t move you, check your pulse.

Harlem Pop Trotters is one of the best jazzfunk albums in the French library, and one of the grooviest too. Written & produced by Jean Claude Pierric & François Rolland for Les Tréteaux in the mid ‘70s, this real masterpiece is now reissued on Underdog Records (Janko Nilovic, Martial Solal) in a rare colored edition!

On October 14th 1989, Horace Tapscott, founder of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, performed alongside his close friend and musical partner Michael Session at the Théâtre du Chêne Noir in Avignon, France. This was during a tour in which they traveled across Europe. The duo presented compositions by Leimert Park musicians Jesse Sharps, Nate Morgan and Tapscott himself. The stark instrumentation of this concert led to minimal arrangements of compositions typically performed by much larger ensembles. The result is a one of a kind experience where Tapscott & Session challenged each others abilities and pushed the music to new boundaries. This is the first physical release from The Village, a label dedicated to releasing West Coast spiritual jazz.

Alabaster DePlume is a Manchester UK-born, London-based bandleader, composer, saxophonist, activist and orator.
He's a resident at the legendary London creative hub Total Refreshment Centre, a recording artist for the off-grid Scottish Hebridean island label Lost Map, and now the latest arrival into Chicago-based International Anthem's growing family of progressive musical explorationists.

Anteloper is a duo of psychedelic sonic compatriots starring a pair of raggedy celestial sound warriors: trumpeter jaimie branch and drummer Jason Nazary. These longtime friends and collaborators met as young explorers and consider their electronic duo a continuous experiment into the unknown sonic abyss. Recent results have come back as mind-bendingly abstract head boppers, improvised organisms guided by a unique desire to hear what hasn't been heard before. This is music made of and for the moment, tipping towards the future, moving feet to the new-new beat.

Top drawer cosmic-tinged, timeless jazz funk from Elixia, "Soho Phaze-/Soho Nights",
gets the remastered reissue treatment on "Record Shack".

"Soho Phaze" wasn’t going to be light on the effects was it? "Going heavy on the phaser" would have been an understatement, but what could have sounded like an endlessly swirling soup of effects turned into a breathtaking, intergalactic, early ‘80s jazz funk dream.

On the flip ‘Soho Nights’ keeps the effects subdued letting the squelching synth lines, feverish stabs and pure funk bass do the strutting. Both Sides still do the damage to this day, with DJs such as Nick The Record, Joey Negro, Mark Grusane, Medlar & Faze Action all regularly drawing for the mystique and mastery of this 12" big tip!

...

For the third instalment of their record label, Social Joy invites the London based band, Natural Lateral, to step into the records label family with their first LP.. The name "Cogito Ergo Jam" meaning, "I think therefore I jam" sums up its essence and beautifully weaves together different strands of musical roots and forms. Echoing jazz legends like Azymuth, Roy Ayers and Lonnie Liston Smith but always in search of new musical territories, this release takes the listener into a feel-good and fiery sensation of musical freedom. Natural Lateral's tremendous energy in the studio is felt throughout on every track of the LP, giving these recordings a beautifully intimate insight into the phenomenal vision of the band.

‘Is Love Enough?’ is the band’s sixth studio album and was recorded at Paul Weller’s Black Barn Studios in Surrey and produced by Stone Foundation’s founding members Neil Jones and Neil Sheasby. It continues their fruitful collaboration with Paul Weller who produced 2017’s Street Rituals and played on 2018’s ‘Everybody Anyone’ both of which have streaming figures in the millions. Paul contributes lead vocals to ‘Deeper Love’ and also prominent backing vocals on ‘Picture A Life’. He also joins the band and plays guitar on three other tracks (‘Af-Ri-Ka’, ‘Help Me’, ‘Love’s Interlude (II)’).
Stone Foundation are renowned for their collaborative approach and this time is no exception. Legendary actor Peter Capaldi provides a spoken word coda to the album, reading words by Vincent Van Gogh written about love. Additionally, two rising stars of the soul scene feature on the record. Durand Jones joins for a lead vocal on ‘Hold On To Love’ and Laville sings lead on ‘The Light In Us’.

After being out of print for several years, Duval Timothy’s phenomenal ‘Brown Loop’ has finally been reissued. Recorded in New York in the winter months of 2016, this brand new edition features a slightly adjusted track listing. The release date is 2nd of October 2020, which happens to be the multidisciplinary artist’s birthday. Duval has asked me to write a few words about his record.

I often find myself listening to Duval’s music when traveling. On an airplane for example, where the comforting piano pieces are set starkly against the sound of the world passing by, the constant engine humming, air conditioning running. Or when I’m walking through a city I’ve not been to before, the music blending into the continuous noise of cars and motorbikes, anchoring me when I find myself in unknown surroundings. Grounding me, one note at a time, in contrast to a city that does the exact opposite. Duval’s compositions bring a sense of comfort where there is detachment. It’s the soundtrack for an immigrant (such as myself), alienated from wherever he came, but someone who also doesn’t fully belong to the place he set off to.

I heard Duval describe the music of Brown Loop as ascending a mountain, and after you reached the top you come down to the other end. Through rhythmic repetitive patterns, the music builds. Within the pieces, melodies stray away from the theme, into unknown territories, but always find their way back to a comfortable home. Most elaborately this happens on my favourite piece, Hairs. The patterns and melodies on pieces such as Through The Night and (recently added to the vinyl version) G are stripped down to their very essence.

It is not just jazz, it’s pure hip hop, as the hooks are reminiscent of the shards of melancholy legends like Dilla, Pete Rock and Havoc used in their best work. In terms of repetition, the music is also very techno. And like in all good techno, the patterns (perhaps contrary to popular belief) ooze humanity and emotion. But most of all Duval’s Brown Loop is a very personal record. it takes courage to expose your inner self like that in the most minimal of compositions. But once you find the right notes, the right pattern, music is the most beautiful thing in the world.

The wildly-talented keys player returns with a luminous jazz-funk masterstroke

Tipping a hat to Herbie Hancock and Mad Scientist alike!



Bass-heavy dub and contemporary club culture are the foundations for Joe Armon-Jones’ phenomenal second album. “Turn to Clear View” builds on the celebrated keys player’s singular vision, exhibiting a sound with flourishes of R&B, hip-hop and p-funk, and featuring regular bandmates Oscar Jerome, Moses Boyd and Nubya Garcia. He builds on his close-knit core personnel with guest spots from artists he’s long admired, including Georgia Anne Muldrow (Brainfeeder, Stones Throw), Obongjayar (XL) and Jehst.

From character-fuelled raps to Afrobeat-influenced jams, Armon-Jones channels the diversity of the ascendant scene that surrounds him. Co-produced with longtime collaborator Maxwell Owin, the record has a carefully plotted feel that reflects their meticulous approach. The duo carefully perfected every touch, with Armon-Jones ever-present throughout the mixing and mastering processes. Between his highly acclaimed solo career and his work with the influential Ezra Collective, Armon-Jones is building on a rush of acclaim – winning Session of the Year at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards and being nominated for UK Act of the Year at the Jazz FM Awards. His electric, open-ended live shows have brought him to Glastonbury, SXSW, Boiler Room and a sold-out headline show at London’s Village Underground.

Legendary labels Decca Records and Blue Note have joined forces for Blue Note Re:imagined; a brand new collection of classic Blue Note tracks brought together for the first time, reworked and newly recorded by a selection of the jazz scene’s most exciting young talents today. Representing a bridge between the ground-breaking label’s past and future, the project will feature contributions from a rollcall of internationally acclaimed jazz, soul and R&B acts-Shabaka Hutchings, Ezra Collective, Nubya Garcia, Mr Jukes, Steam Down, Skinny Pelembe, Emma-Jean Thackray, Poppy Ajudha, Jordan Rakei, Fieh, Ishmael Ensemble, Blue Lab Beats, Melt Yourself Down, Yazmin Lacey, Alfa Mist, and Brit Award-winning Jorja Smith.

This is the next 7’’ singles installments with Steam Down’s version of Wayne Shorter’s Etcetera (ft. Afronaut Zu) and Yazmin Lacey’s version of Dodo Greene’s - I’ll Never Stop Loving You.

Berlin-based Swedish saxophonist Otis Sandsjö returns with the eagerly-awaited sequel to "Y-OTIS". On "Y-OTIS 2", released by Helsinki's We Jazz Records on July 24, Sandsjö and his close associate, bassist/producer Petter Eldh (of Koma Saxo), deepen their vision of genre-bending, forward-looking "liquid jazz" of tomorrow. The core group also includes Dan Nicholls on keys and Tilo Weber on drums, and also featured on the album are Swedish jazz greats Jonas Kullhammar (of Koma Saxo) and Per "Texas" Johansson, cellist Lucy Railton and trumpeter Ruhi-Deniz Erdogan.

Diving deeper into "Y-OTIS 2", you'll find details and ideas galore. The album is an inviting and inspiring audio mosaic, which links back into the previous Sandsjö/Eldh collaborations, namely "Y-OTIS" and "Koma Saxo". The result is a balanced album which quenches your thirst while making you more thirsty in the process. In other words, the many micro moods and sonic levels herein invite repeated listening, while the underlying rhythmic approach is informed as much by hip hop and electronica as by jazz, making the music approachable in a very natural way.

It seems unnecessary to pull the album apart by name-checking individual tracks but just for the sake of easy introduction, the single cuts "tremendoce", "ity bity" and "abysmal" offer one idea of signposts along which to navigate. "tremendoce" brings in Swedish jazz great Jonas Kullhammar (of Koma Saxo) and Per "Texas" Johansson, introducing an infectious flute loop integrating into the Y-OTIS sound, making it organic to the bone. "ity bity" could be built on a new wave synth sample (but it's not) and "abysmal" brings more serene, even ambient-sounding sonic pathways onto the map. It all belongs together, and makes for a sound that is instantly recognisable and constantly fresh. This is "Mauerpark liquid jazz" for the new decade.

Bristolian promoters Worm Disco Club have been championing South-Western talent since their inception in 2014. Having collaborated with Glastonbury Festival on their notorious 'Wormhole' stage and hosted the likes of The Comet Is Coming, The Heliocentrics and The Mauskovic Dance Band at their regular club night, the name has become synonymous with quality groove laden goodness, percussive madness, jazz, psych and beyond. Now proudly presenting their label Worm Discs, the collective recruit some of Bristol's most notable emerging talent for an exploration into the new wave of Jazz emanating from the city. As Andrew Hayes, (Run Logan Run) explains : "Bristol has always had its own sound, but there's been a new crop of young players come through over the past five years that's revitalised the scene and expanded its expectations about what jazz music means. Featuring the likes of Waldo's Gift, Run Logan Run (Montreux Jazz Talent Award winners), BaDaBoom, Lyrebird and Alun Elliot, 'New Horizons' channels the seismic energy of the sonically rich landscape into 12 progressive, psychedelic, impeccably crafted tracks.

Unreleased for many years, and now on two LPs, here's the famous Chet Baker's concert in Koln in October 1955 featuring pianist Dick Twardzik, bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Pete Littman, plus guests on a couple of tracks, German reed specialists Hans Koller and Willi Sanner respectively on tenor and baritone sax. A particularly soulful performance based on a strong and varied tracklist comprising some of Baker's favorite standards such as "My Funny Valentine" and "I'll Remember April" plus Twardzik's original "Yellow Tango". This concert is also sadly remembered as one of Twardzik's last performances before his premature death for an overdose just 12 days later.

“dego & 2000Black Remixes / Fish Factory Sessions” features two remixes from renowned broken beat innovator dego and 2000Black of “Sour Face”. One rooted in Brazilian funk and boogie and the other delving into a deeper Bruk realm, the reworkings showcase the versatility of the original track. Taken from Bryony Jarman-Pinto’s critically acclaimed debut LP ‘Cage and Aviary’, “Sour Face” focusses on the wider frustrations of everyday life; “of break ups, environmental issues, the album and myself” she confesses.
Alongside a selection of beautifully recorded as-live sessions of album tracks from the songwriter and vocalist, performed with a full band at London’s legendary Fish Factory Studios. “The sessions were meant to feel live, like a performance.” Bryony explains, “All the musicians have put their ideas into the songs, transporting them to somewhere beyond the album versions and allowing them to take on a new life”. Released last summer, the much-anticipated ‘Cage and Aviary’ was written over the course of three years and created with long-time friend, collaborator and Tru Thoughts label-mate Tom Leah AKA Werkha. Tying together personal reflection to wider social issues, the album gives an intimate insight into what it means to come of age in today’s world. Sophisticated song writing layered with jazz, soul and elements of folk charmed many major tastemakers including Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum, Lauren Laverne, Tony Minvielle, Toshio Matsuura, Laurent Garnier, Clash, The Telegraph, Bandcamp and EARMILK.

After "Divertimento for tenor saxophone and small ensemble" (Alien Transistor) and "The Anatomy Of Melancholy" (Disko B) the two members of the Tied & Tickled Trio Johannes Enders and Carl Oesterhelt now publish their third collaboration HEART OF DARKNESS (Themes and Variations). 16 compositions, variations / improvisations for duo or chamber music ensemble;

"Extremely interesting blend of jazz and non-jazz; Great ad hoc jazz improvisations on jazz-informed patterns " (Thomas Meinecke)

Johannes Enders - Tenorsaxophon
Carl Oesterhelt - Keyboards, Perkussion, Analog Synthesizer, Treatment

Gertrud Schilde - Violine
Joerg Widmoser - Violine
Andreas Höricht - Viola
Klaus Kämper - Violoncello
Thomas Wollenweber - Violoncello
Benjamin Schäfer - Kontrabass
Stefan Schreiber - Sopransaxophon
Salewski - Perkussion
Zoro Babel - Perkussion

Sonor Music Editions is happy to launch the first official vinyl reissue of one of the finest and sought-after Latin Jazz albums ever made in Italy in the 1970s - "BLACK SOUND FROM WHITE PEOPLE" by the prince of Italian Funk, Augusto Martelli. An amazing, top-notch recording from 1972 that also includes stellar players like Tullio De Piscopo's rolling drums, sleazy flute by Giancarlo Barigozzi and dope basslines by Pino Presti. For sure the pinnacle of Augusto Martelli's music and the best album from his long career as composer, conductor, arranger and TV presenter. "Black Sound From White People" delivers a plenty of groovy euro Funk tracks played with a clear black music influence, from swirling Jazz-Funk to Fusion, percussive jams with more Samba and Latin beats, funky Latin Jazz chock-full of Psychedelic flutes. A really essential piece from the Italian Funk music production.

»Sonic Healing« is the third full-length release by Martin Steer’s Bad Stream project. While the concept was started by one person in response to a singular situation, it fully came to life as a product of collective imagination. For the album, Steer sent a single guitar loop to twelve musicians from the extended network of his ANTIME label who improvised with the recording, which was later collaged by Steer into a single, 39 minute long track that stylistically ranges from feverish jazz to brooding ambient and abstract electronica. Together with the Iranian artist Arash Akbari’s vivid animations based on generative algorithms and real-time processing, »Sonic Healing« does not ask how one person can deal with turmoil in their life alone, but how we can create new forms of being together with art as a mediator.

Trad Vibe Records is proud to announce the Cassettes of the three first albums by French Jazz-Funk band, Cortex: Troupeau Bleu, Cortex Vol.2 and Pourquoi, all originally recorded between 1975 and 1978.

This is the very first time that these 3 masterpieces will be available together in Tapes. This French Jazz group has become a cult classic for Jazz-Funk addicts worldwide. From the US to Japan and across the world, many are the stars of Hip-Hop, Rap and Electronic music, who have sampled the compositions of Alain Mion with Cortex. These 3 albums have become mythic collectable classics and a favorite for international funk collectors for years! Everyone will now be able to discover or re-discover this trilogy; and one of the finest and most representative bands from the French Jazz scene of the 70

Maestro Opolopo makes his debut on GAMM with two classy (and jazzy) reworks that draw comparisons with his classic Gregory Porter remix from back in the day.

On the Pharoah Sanders rework he samples and gets creative with 4 (!) different versions of this original jazz dance classic...nothing short of brilliant!

On the B side Opolopo gets deep in Brooklyn with a moody and raw version of the Roy Ayers' classic. A def late night jam!

Parisian label Chuwanaga curated by Clémentine & Saint-James is back in the production game with fresh music from Ishkero, maybe the hottest Jazz-Fusion band of the capital city. Going from Jazz-Funk to Afrobeat through Prog and Psychedelic influences, Brume infuses together killer grooves, irresistible melodies and excellent musicianship. The 12inch, coming with its beautiful illustration, reveals a uniformly good yet diverse musical journey. Behind Ishkero, you’ll find five young and gifted musicians with strong jazz knowledge: Tao Ehrlich (drums), Adrien « Dridri » Duterte (flute & percussion), Antoine Vidal (bass), Victor Gasq (guitar) and Arnaud Forestier (keys). With its strong evocation power fuelled by their youthful energy and creativity, Ishkero’s music is a one-of-a-kind variation on the Jazz genre. Fusion at its best potential! Expect intense rhythmic sections, virtuoso solos, lush FX sections and robust arrangements. Used to play a lot live, the musicians developed a vigorous connection that really shines on stage and during studio sessions. Collectively with Saint-James as their co-producer, they recorded Brume in summer 2019 at Studio Delta (Paris) with sound engineer David Cukier aka Greita (Disques Flegon). The first track, "Triple B", is an ode to 70’s jazz-funk carried by Jeff Mercadié’s Sax performance. "Tonik Gin"’s mighty jazz-rock groove which comes afterwards brings the genre to its emotional climax. B side starts with the main track "Brume", bringing together long-tailed reverberated guitars and Mizell-like piano chords for a very warm and hazy effect. As the last track, "Gare De l’Ouest" is a nice jazz variation on the Afrobeat genre, again with Jeff Mercadié on Saxophone.