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PAROV STELAR – VOODOO SONIC THE TRILOGY PART 1/3

PAROV STELAR GOES VOODOO!

Concerts by successful musicians often have an air of church-mass: Fans pay homage to their idols, hailing them, giving the impression of following them blindly. Parov Stelar, a globally successful musician from Austria, is one such artist. Is this art of seduction a kind of Voodoo, Black Magic even? Who can tell? It makes no difference whatsoever, as to his fans Parov Stelar easily passes as a High-Priest of grooves, perfectly able to offset their frenzy.

In Voodoo, Bondieu, a higher being communicates to the masses through priests called Loas. Parov Stelar manages to do so with his music. The seed for „Voodoo Sonic“ had been sown. At the same time the idea to replace the conventional album with several EPs emerged as well, allowing greater musical freedom and the possibility to explore the many sonic landscapes of „Voodoo Sonic“.

„Go Wake Up“ is the first track coming from the Parov Stelar Voodoo-universe. The song is a close collaboration with Lilja Bloom who has been more than Parov Stelar’s muse for a long time. And in true Voodoo fashion the song’s groove grabs you immediately, never letting go again.

„Voodoo Sonic“, the EP’s title track, with its compelling samples is pure Parov Stelar, driving and danceable whereas Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest fame) emerges as quite some Voodoo-seducer in „Number One MC“. With „The Fall“ the EP comes full circle as it is another collaboration with Lilja Bloom. It’s a cinemascope-like sound that truly marks the song as something special. Voodoo Sonic – The Trilogy Part 1/3 – now available as 12”.

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.

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

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

To kick off the dawn of a new decade and their first release of 2020 in fine style, Phuture Shock Musik very proudly present ‘La Búsqueda’ - the debut album from
multi-skilled musician Damián Botigué aka to the long player format. Barcelona-based producer and Karmasound.

Having released his first 12” ‘Probabalidades’ EP on the Bristol imprint to wide acclaim in 2018, followed by a solid sophomore effort ‘Can See Thru You’ one year later; whilst also contributing to recent projects by label mate Cyclonix and Wolf Music signee Pedro, Karmasound has steadily gained momentum to graduate to the long player format.

Comprised of ten tracks steeped in existential themes, ‘La Búsqueda’ stands out as the producer’s most personal and accomplished work to date, where jazz - particularly of the 70’s Latin fusion/funk variety – is a key source of its inspiration in terms of sound, yet with a contemporary electronic-infused spin and loosely within a broken beat context. Besides taking cues from the above styles, each composition is informed by Botigué’s soulful, interstellar sound that combines live instrumentation with analogue studio gadgetry and a vast range of influences; including hip hop, soul, Afro-Latin, electronica and the forward-thinking sensibilities of the early 00’s West London sound. This rich musical diversity running throughout the LP, strikes a fitting balance between the past and the future that aligns with Phuture Shock’s sonic vision.

A reissue of an Indian soul/disco/funk gem from 1982. The material was engineered at the Living Room Studios in Calgary, Canada.

Pacific Shore makes modern melancholy hip-hop-soul-jazz with love. The duo’s "road music” evokes a dreamlike and cinematic musical journey. In the studio and on stage, the duo shows that machines, live instruments, and vocals can make electronic music organic, warm, and alive.


Immersed in the studio for a while, the duo are back with the album "Two Kingdoms", their biggest project so far. Without complex, these 17 tracks transport us between vaporous pop/funk groove and hybrid experimentations. A lively, moving and poetic work in search of a certain sense of life on Earth.


As Ying and Yang the album is a combination of two interdependent chapters, we find the voice of their faithful friend and collaborator Sarah Linhares on the tracks Overboard, Knees Wet, Borders among others. As well as the very intriguing Majin Blobfish on Light & Shade and the appearance of a new voice from Pacific Shore on several titles: Two Kingdoms, Home, A Part of Me...

U Know Me Records proudly presents a special album showcasing Polish drumming scene - each track was produced by a different drummer - these are their portraits.

official video promo: https://youtu.be/qxuTYjMRUMM

In the 21st century drummers imperceptibly switched from the background to the front line, despite popular music not exactly pandering to them. In the early days of rock culture this joke made the rounds "What's the last thing a drummer says in a band?" "Perhaps we could play one of my songs…?"
In popular music the drummer became the first to compete with machines. They were the first band members that consequently began disappearing, however, as contemporary electronic music took hold, they were also the first to return. First they were incorporated into compositions but gradually - took centre stage. Thanks partly to the ubiquitous culture of Hip Hop recognising the drummer's role as key in any recording, alongside the eclecticism of new music, which demanded fluid transitions between musical forms, a drummer's adaptive skills – as a trained multi instrumentalist – became truly impressive. This new generation of drummers seen on Polish stages today are exceptional even against the backdrop of today's unusually creative and well-educated music scene which rejects narrow minded or genre-centric views.

This album exhibits portraits from the cream of today's Polish drummers. Kovalevo Tone Bank by Michał Bryndal tags the 1980's, the era which began stealing drummers' bread. Incidentally, the heavy groove laid down by the artist references a hit by Wham!, the same hit in which the group decided to cut the drummer's part because he was late and replace him with a LinnDrumm machine. Hubert Zemler in The Life and Death of Ben Bekele and Łukasz Moskal in Father Sparrow show they've found themselves perfectly in close cooperation with electronic instruments.
Multifaceted improvisors - Qba Janicki (Kabina projekcyjna) and Jan Młynarski (Roj) - transform their drums kits into multifunctional devices capable of delivering wildly diverse palettes of sound. Rafał Dutkiewicz (Displaced) showcases drums as the lead instrument on a club track. Marcin Rak (Alpaka) does the same, but with the conventions of Funk and Hip Hop, whereas Krzysztof Dziedzic (Vagabonde) gravitates towards the edges of jazz. Each of them here is a leader and… plays one of their songs.

Bartek Chaciński
(translation: Sean Palmer)

We are very proud to presents this official and first ever reissue of The First Coming, by Twylyte ’81, an extremely rare and underrated Soul-Jazz album produced and released in 1981. Twylyte ’81 was a 3 pieces band composed of Frank Jones Jr., Alfred Brown Jr. and John
Belzaguy, who, except for John, have never recorded anything else than this incredible album. The First Coming is primarily standing out by a superb composition, mixing touch of Soul, Jazz, and Disco together. It secondly shines thanks to the amazing deep and spiritual
voice of the band leader, Frank Jones Jr., whose vocals style can sometime remind of John Lucien. Even more impressive is the fact that these 3 fellas were all less or close to 18 years old when composing and recording this beauty. As did others brilliant hidden projects such as Ted Coleman Band, or Minority Band, it was also useful for Twylyte ’81 to receive the support of JSR Records, a kind of non-profit label dedicated to help young bands and artists in recording and producing their own records. Here are a few words from Al Brown Jr. about this release: “After 38 years, I still have the euphoric feeling while listening to this album. I would say that this was one of my greatest achievements. I want to say "Thank you" Pascal Rioux and associates for sharing the group's vision with the rest of the world. I pray the listeners will feel a portion of what we tried to convey through these songs. When I first began this project, I thought it was just killing time. Being 17 years old at the time, I didn't see the music we worked on being recorded. We (Frank and I) were in a basement practicing each song. Who knew that this music would be recorded let alone picked up 38 years later? I still remember every beat, drum roll, every stop/start; everything. Wow, the nostalgia of it all. I wish this album much successful and I hope in the future I can perform this album live.

Born in Paris, raised in Vienna, resident in Ibiza, saxophonist and composer Muriel Grossmann embodies the borderless, pan-continental energies of contemporary European jazz. Her music emerges from the lineage of European jazz that's absorbed the progressive music of Coltrane, Dolphy and Sanders. Today, she cites players such as Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young in the same breath as the masters of the avant-garde, and her playing marries the directness and eloquence of the older generation with the questing, spiritualised playing epitomised by Coltrane. The roster of musicians she has played with is long, and includes veteran European avant-gardists including Joachim and Rolf Kühn, Wolfgang Reisinger and Thomas Heidepriem, and she works tirelessly with contemporary groups and big bands across the continent.

Since her first recordings in the early 2000s, Grossmann has released a dozen albums as leader, featuring sounds ranging from hard-swinging modernist jams to free improvisation, expansive spiritual work to rhythm-focussed Afrocentrism. But at the centre of her work is a thread of pure and heartfelt spiritual music in the modal tradition defined by Coltrane and close collaborators like Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane. You can't play this music successfully if you don't mean it – like the music of her contemporary Nat Birchall, Grossmann's engagement with the Coltrane tradition is sincere and deep. Her music resonates within the tradition – more than just a style, it adds a new chapter to the story of modal and spiritual jazz in Europe.

This Jazzman set draws a selection from her 2016 album Natural Time ('Your Pace', 'Peace For All') and from 2017's Momentum ('Elevation', 'Chant' and 'Rising'). Featuring her regular quartet of Radomir Milojkovic (guitar) Uros Stamenkovic (drums) and Gina Schwarz (bass), the music on Elevation is pure sound, soul and spirit!

- LP only with thick tip on sleeve- Download card included inside

"Timeless and innovative... a musical genius" Mike Gates, UK Vibe

"A listening experience akin to transcendence" Andrew Jones, Down Beat

"Vibrant, passionate, exhilarating. A monument of spiritual jazz" Mark Sarazzy, Impro Jazz

"A journey that takes off like missile, passes through meditation, reaches nirvana and ends with thanksgiving" Elliot Simon, NYC jazz records

"Timelessly beautiful" Christian Bakonyi, Concerto

“Lost Reflections / Orientation” is a split album by Austrian beatmaker and producer Mr.Käfer. The LP consists of two digital EP’s: “Lost Reflections” (January 2019) and “Orientation” (Mai 2020). One year ago we released “Lost Reflections” a nine track mini-album by Mr.Käfer and Californian saxophonist Gavin Lord on tape and digital. Packaged with a great artwork by Berlin illustrator Rahel Süßkind (KO-OP, Money $ex Records). Since then Mr.Käfer did finish his music studies in Salzburg (Austria) and moved to Cologne (Germany) where he did an internship at Melting Pot Music. He has released two solo albums / EP‘s on Tape Invader and Chillhop Music and a collabo projects with Flitz&Suppe and DDob. With his new EP “Orientation” Mr.Käfer is stepping into new directions. Throughout five songs Mr.Käfer reflects on his North-African roots (he is half Austrian, half Algerian) and adds new sounds, vibes and tempi to his music. To orchestrate his vision Mr.Käfer has assembled a full band consisting of Makkako (guitar), Ruff I (double bass) and Christian Höll (saxophone). Christian Höll has also co-wrote and co-produced the EP together with Mr.Käfer. The visuals for “Orientation” have been created by UK artist Tilly Mint – best known for her artworks for Yazmin Lacey and C.Tappin.

Sven Libaek's Inner Space is, simply put, one of the most legendary soundtrack recordings in the history of Australian music. Released in 1973, soundtracking a documentary series on underwater life by Ron & Valerie Taylor, it now stands proud as a key album of 'underwater music', one of the most rightly and righteously revered fields within soundtrack and library music circles.

Endlessly inventive, gorgeously melodic, at times oceanic, at times amphibian, at other times in some mysterious pelagic zone, Inner Space sits proudly alongside such classic underwater OST's and libraries as Egisto Macchi's Fauna Marina, the Sonoton Underwater Music series, the Ittologia and Biologia Marina twin-set, and Danielle Patucchi's Men Of The Sea, Alla Scoperti Del Mare and Uomini E Squali.

Considered to be one of the unsung masters of Australian Film music, Sven Libaek composed for many Australian Films and TV series in 1960's and 70's. Inner Space is considered amongst his finest.

Featuring the best Australian jazz musicians including Don Burrows and John Sangster, they masterfully range from the incidental to the improvisational as they create a whirlpool of sublime aquatic jazz exotica. Notably, in 2004 the soundtrack had a second lease on life when several tracks were used in the Wes Anderson film. 'The life aquatic with Steve Zizzou'.

Tape / Cassette



Fließgewässer is the alias of Spain-based artist Philipp Heinzelbecker, who became part of the OM family somewhen in autumn 2019, when OM-stalwarts Hager/Kaputt, the overwhelmingly great William Luke Valerio and Fließgewässer shared a gig. A short power breakdown that evening killed Heinzel’s synthesizer, which was his main source of sound. He then started to throw himself into a freestyle set with machines lent by the other musicians – and he dove headfirst into a slowly-building, neo-baroque organ impression of melancholic beauty and an emotional openness that affected the whole room.

This was a fine example of how Fließgewässer functions – Heinzelbäcker incorporates what surrounds him and transforms it into sound. „Firat | Dîjla“ works just as that. An impromptu session with Marta Morant on clarinet and Nicolas Dobson on drums that started after watching a documentary on the ruthless building of dams in south-east Anatolia by Turkey’s demagogic president Reccep Tayyip Erdogan, with additional synth work overdubbed afterwards, turned into a stream of free-flowing new age sounds with references to anatolian folk music popping up here and there, tender percussion improvs and refined clarinet expressions.

The sole track on the B-side of the tape – „Below the stork’s nest“ – is a sombre elegy, alternating between an endless dulcimer rite, surfacing field recordings, a trumpet resembling the cornet work of Cosey Fanni Tutti and: a violin. The original version of „Firat | Dîjla“ featured a lot of quotes from the BBC-produced documentary „So Water is Turkey’s Oil“. Shying away from the fear of copyright infringements, we asked Heinzel to remove them; about half a day later, in true Fließgewässer fashion, he sent a whole new set of files with him playing a deranged violin instead of the original quotes. That was the final point, the being-struck-by-lightning-moment when we knew this one was perfectly finished. Glimpses of Hassell’s fourth-world music spelled out over european post-industrial music like Coil, and, within the flushes of deeply honest consternation which interweave the whole recording, a very political set of songs.

This 10th anniversary release of Spaven's 5ive on vinyl for the first time celebrates one of the UK's most phenomenally talented drummers. With roots in the UK club and hip-hop scenes, Richard Spaven brings a fresh approach to the instrument that's at once modern and traditional.

Combining machine-like accuracy with jazz-influenced improvisational sensibilities, Spaven's drumming landed him gigs with vastly varied artists such as Guru, Flying Lotus, The Cinematic Orchestra and jazz/hip-hop vocalist Jose James. His brilliance is evident beyond his world-class performance abilities as he's equally impressive in production and compositional territories.

Spaven's signature drum sound often sees him combine high-pitched, crisp snares, round jazzy toms and small punchy bass drums. His cymbal choices are a sonic contrast of dry, lower-pitched hi-hats, rides and crashes.

Altogether, the drummer's tone could be described as a nod to the past while keeping an ear to the future.

Spaven's 5ive is released as a limited clear vinyl edition for Record Store Day 2020.

Young Berlin- Potsdam based nine-Piece WANUBALÉ follow up their debut Album "Phosphenes" with two brandnew Songs on this 12"!

Masterfully plush guitar textures! This colorful collection spotlights guitar virtuoso Barnes and his octet’s tremendous technique, astounding agility, tender touch, and impressive improvisations across a dozen pieces that run the gamut of musical emotions.
Gaiety, romance, melancholia, and more are expressively explored in this firstever reissue of brilliant, gem-like jazz. Packaging: LP Blue vinyl

The 2nd release on 45 Loves sees a killer live disco joint with a super upfront 'Good Times' bass line driving the track along, add in sparse vocal snippets, subtle horns and spacy synths and we have an 80's jazz/funk/disco flavored jam brought right up to date.
Dancefloors were made for this, quality stuff. The flip is another fusion cut, dropping the tempo and creating an electro/disco/rap affair. Very limited

Presented by Mitsuko & Svetlana Records, distributed by WRWTFWW Records.

A golden era gem from the master himself.

Archival reissue of long lost treasure from genius pianist and composer Masahiko Satoh whose resume includes hundreds of legendary albums and collaborations with Midori Takada (Lunar Cruise and Ton•Klami) among many others.

Very rare soundtrack of a 9-episode suspense drama that aired on TV in 1969 and 1970. Filled with exquisite jazz, soul-jazz, folk-jazz, and mystery-jazz, plus groovy affairs, classical moods, and 70s flair.

Highly recommended to Japanese jazz collectors, soundtrack collectors, Masahiko Sato collectors, lovers of rare gems and wearers of vintage trench coats.

All compositions and arrangements by Masahiko Sato
Masahiko Sato: piano, keyboard
Yoshiko Goto: vocal
Kiyoshi Sugimoto: guitar
Kunimitsu Inaba: bass
Yasuo Arakawa: bass
Akira Ishikawa: drums

Originally released in November 1970 as an LP on Toho Records (BL-1001)

Danish duo Bremer/McCoy-Morten McCoy keyboards and loops and Jonathan Bremer acoustic bass-make music that is a meditative and intense blend of jazz and dub created entirely via analog process. No computers involved; they record everything straight to tape in their own studio.
These two childhood friends tour with their own soundsystem, originally left over from a dub band they were both in, to ensure adequate depth in the lower frequencies

For the first time on LP, Maestro Morricone's full score for Uccidete il vitello grasso e arrostitelo. A 1969 giallo-noir, full of cruel twists, directed by Salvatore Samperi. This almost unknown soundtrack wasn't released at the time and the original master tapes were carefully archived in the vault of legendary C.A.M. label. Conducted by Bruno Nicolai and featuring voices by Edda Dell'Orso.The maestro delivers one his best scores from the late 60's. A psych-baroque journey with typical beat arrangements, crazy organs solos, wah-wah guitars and tense harpsichord phrases. Including the previously unreleased "Shake introspettivo". Remastered from the original master tapes. Limited Edition.

Finnish composer and multi-instrumentalist Jimi Tenor has joined forces with Bureau B to release "NY, Hel, Barca" - a retrospective compilation spanning the years 1994 - 2001. The double LP features early works and selected tracks from his first six albums, long since deleted. Having disbanded Jimi Tenor And His Shamans, the artist embarked on a solo career in the early 1990's, recording his debut work "Sähkömies" on rudimentary equipment in a small New York apartment. The album was released in 1994 on the Finnish imprint Sähkö, who also issued Tenor's sophomore work "Europa" a year later, expanding on the ideas articulated on the first disc.

In spite of the experimental nature and free form of these early recordings, Tenor's instinctive grasp of pop appeal, his spontaneity and whimsical sense of humour are clearly in evidence.

On the back of a game-changing performance at the Love Parade in Berlin, Jimi Tenor scored his first hit with "Take Me Baby", entering the charts and signing a deal with the seminal electronic label Warp Records. The three Warp albums - "Intervision" (1997), "Organism" (1999) and "Out Of Nowhere" (2000) - were touchstones in the electronic club music scene of the period.

Effortlessly blending jazz, synthesizer sounds, Afrobeats and drum machine dubs, Jimi Tenor created a distinctive sound which he himself rewired and renewed. Not that his compositions were overly academic, on the contrary - they often resembled free-flowing, sporadic sketches, with an infectiously irrepressible touch of the absurd.

The 20-tracks on "NY, Hel, Barca" document key stages of Jimi Tenor's remarkable creative path, underlining the prolific and varied nature of his artistic output. Then as now, he shines like a satellite hovering over the European pop landscape.

"ZP44" Vinyl The first Time on a 7" Single!

There are not enough Superlatives to describe this Classic-Piece of Music ... It has- and always will evoke happy Memories! Recorded in 1995- and featuring ultra-soulful Vocals of James Robinson with MJ himself blowing a saxy Storm!

On the Flip-Side we present a brand new recording, never heard before until now. SOAKIN’ IN THE SUNSHINE feat. the Superb-Voice of David Caceres, escapism to tropical Climes is the name of the Game here, much needed at present ...

Mercury Prize-nominated Portico Quartet has always been an impossible band to pin down. Sending out echoes of jazz, electronica, ambient music and minimalism, the group created their own singular, cinematic sound over the course of three studio albums, from their 2007 breakthrough 'Knee-Deep in the North Sea', and 2010 John Leckie produced 'Isla', to the self titled record 'Portico Quartet' in 2012. Now rebooted as Portico Quartet after a brief spell as the three-piece Portico, the group are set to release their fourth studio album Art In The Age Of Automation this August on Manchester's forward thinking indy jazz and electronica label Gondwana Records. It's an eagerly anticipated return, with the band teasing both a return to their mesmeric signature sound and fresh new sonic departures in their new music. So much so that their four-night run at Archspace E8 (June 22-25) sold out in less than an hour as fans from around the world scrambled for tickets to hear the return of Portico Quartet. Support from Gilles Peterson, Jamie Cullum and similar minded DJs around the world. Airplay from TSF France. Features in Jazzism, Jazzthing, Jazzwise and beyond. Reviews in the Guardian, Mojo, Uncut and more. Full servcing to the Gondwana Records international DJ and radio mailing list.

JAF Trio emerges on Helsinki's We Jazz Records with their debut LP on 3 July. The young Finnish-Danish band includes saxophonist Adele Sauros (of Superposition), bassist Joonas Tuuri (of Bowman Trio)
and drummer Frederik Emil Bülow. After a string of lauded live performances over the past couple of years (the band was awarded with the "We Jazz Rising Star" accolade at We Jazz Festival in 2017), the trio is now ready to present their first studio work.

Sound-wise, JAF Trio has an approach which brings the band very close to the listener, "loft jazz" style. The sax, bass and drums are right there at the forefront together, creating a remarkably strong presence. The original material of the band has depth and groove alike, at times leaping forward with giant steps, at times calming things down to really stretch time. The music is very melodic and rhythmic, as withnessed by single tracks "Ninth Row of the Fifth Floor" and "Dark Sparkle". There's a sense of playfulness in the repetitive riffing on "Something New" and an air of sombre melancholy on "Shades of Tomorrow".

"JAF Trio" will be released by We Jazz Records on 3 July on vinyl, CD and digital. The vinyl version comes in a heacy-duty "old school" tip-on sleeve. The cover design features the artwork "Red" by Finnish visual artist Maija Lassila.

Emerging London-based collective SEED Ensemble are pleased to announce the release of their long-awaited debut album 'Driftglass' released Feb 8th on the Jazz re:freshed label.

Formed in 2016, SEED Ensemble is a ten-piece project led by composer, arranger and alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi. Already a giant on the UK jazz scene, she's known for her work with jazz septet Nerija (Parliamentary Jazz Award Winners 2017 Best Newomer) and afrobeat jazz group Kokoroko. A BMus Hons Composition graduate from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, she is currently Mercury Musical Developments' and Musical Theatre Network's most recent Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer Scheme recipient.

Combinng jazz with inner-city London, West African and Caribbean influenced groove, Cassie's Kinoshi's SEED Enesmble explores a blend of genres through both original compositions and arrangements.

Collaborators on this project include Theon Cross (tuba), Sheila Mauric-Grey (trumpet), Chelsea Charmichael (tenor saxophone) all brilliant up and coming young London jazz musicians and one of London's leading guitarists Shirley Tetteh

Compositions such as 'The Darkies' are a riposte to a resurgence of 1950's-style racism while 'WAKE (for Grenfell)' is dedicated to victims of a social schism

Kinoshi recently contributed to the BBC4 documentary 'Jazzology with Soweto Kinch'

About The Word Collected Works

The Word is one of the better-kept secrets of 1980s Austrian disco music. Yet once you put the needle on this record, you notice that it sounds oddly familiar. The awe-inspiring signature piece “Lobster” has the same analogue, slow-moving aesthetic as Zenit’s timeless “Waiting” that was featured on Edition Hawara’s first release. The same goes for the three other wonderfully unconventional, proto-electronic songs: “Easy”, “All my life” and the eponymous “the word”. And there are even more commonalities with Zenit’s LP: The vocals are Linda Sharrock’s, who here teamed up with Karl “Charly” Ratzer and Peter Ponger, the twin brother of legendary Falco producer Robert Ponger. The result of this collaboration is, well, also quite legendary. How this kind of sound emerged in Vienna in 1984 is still a bit of a mystery, but clearly all the stars were aligned when Sharrock, Ratzer and Ponger were jamming in the studio. We at Edition Hawara are very proud to share this secret with you. Just as there are very few lobsters in landlocked Vienna, there are very few records like this

out there.

Lascelle 'Lascelles' Gordon - the driving force behind Vibration Black Finger – astonishes us yet again with a magnificent second album. Once more his inspiration is drawn from the obscure spiritual jazz collectives of the 1970's where he employs a vast array of like-
minded collaborators to create a listening experience infused with an ever-present undercurrent of personal expression and cultural empowerment that's as enriched with ideas as it is progressive in its form.

Having earned his chops as founding member of the Brand New Heavies, Campag Velocet and Heliocentric World, Lascelle's latest album Can You See What I'm Trying to Say bursts with energy and vivid contrasts, flowing effortlessly between beat-laden grooves, oscillating improvisations, soulful recitations, audio verité and moody atmospherics. The album drops like a post-hip-hop reimagining of foundational genres, with a prayer to the future.

''Can You See What I'm Trying to Say' is a quote from Marion Brown, the great alto saxophonist' explains Gordon. 'The album was put together over the last three years, not in the conventional way of going into the recording studio with musicians, but starting from ideas I had on various formats (cassettes, mini disc, DATs & reel to reel). I also used field recordings. I did a lot of home recording with long time musical friends Ben Cowen & Diana Gutkind, some of them going back 20 years. The voices of my nieces (heard on Law of the Universe) were recorded 25 years ago. 'Only in a Dream' and 'Empty Streets' are the only songs that were recorded live in the studio.'

'I was blown away by the New Life Trio 'Empty Streets' (from 1978) and was fascinated by the vocals' continues Lascelles. 'I always thought it would be great to cover this tune'. Such is the power of this song, it's used to open the album, with vocalist Ebony Rose turning in a thoroughly haunting vocal performance. While not a concept album as such, Lascelles has nonetheless conceived and presented Can You See What I'm Trying to Say to be heard as a complete listening experience, with each track blending into the next, resulting in a seamless expression of music.

Following 'Empty Streets', some instrumental interludes segue into a dimensional drift of beats, space synths, horns and electronics; there's a vocal reprise of 'Acting For Liberation', sung with gusto by Maggie Nichols, and then there's the album's momentous finale, 'Only In A Dream', which takes off as an ominous drone before a delicious bassline from the late Ken Kambayashi transforms it into an intense, soaring epic which finally descends onto another world.

In a career spanning several decades, Lascelle Gordon remains an omnivorous musical force, whether as DJ, collaborator or radio broadcaster. As amply demonstrated on Can You See What I'm Trying to Say, he refuses to rest on his laurels and continues to impress with music that is as rich, vital and contemporary as anything he's done before, covering an incredible amount of musical ground in the process.

'As always I've made a conscious move towards making deep, heavy music' he says, 'Music without meaning seems.

Red Vinyl

Directly influenced by the film noir tradition and the hardboiled detective novels of yesteryear, Aging craft gloom heavy mood music that aspires to create a cinema without image. ‘Sentenced To Love’ is the pinnacle of the band's work.

Led by David McLean, Aging’s fourth album is a direct continuation of the music he was commissioned to make during his 2017 Samarbeta Residency with The Crime Scene Ensemble, a 15 piece band of actors and jazz musicians formed to live soundtrack the short stories of pulp fiction writer and collage artist Phil Carney. Chronicling tales full of obsession, longing, double crosses and murder, the same thematic and melodic gravitas is present in ‘Sentenced To Love’, largely due to a handpicked selection of musicians from Manchester’s avant-garde and experimental music scenes being involved in both.
 Whereas previous records by the band have largely been improvised, the six brooding scenes that complete ‘Sentenced To Love’ reveal a new compositional rigour and emotional weight, whilst still retaining pockets of nocturnal improvisation, each carefully crafted to create their own distinct and filmic sound world. From the low lit, dive bar blues of ‘Nights In Amber’ to the gun out chase theme of ‘The Trapped Man’, the nameless cowboy ghost story ‘A Shadow On My Name’ and the redemptive odyssey of ‘Cursed With The Thirst’, Aging’s detailed mise-en-scene full of brass, double bass, simmering drums and reverb drenched guitars conjures the pantheon of noir cinema. This is no truer than on the album’s title track, a vampiric torch song whose crescendo soars with Ali Bell’s lamenting, tremulous vocals, which act as a midnight confession of a doomed romance.

In an age where most musicians are attempting to free themselves from limitations, Aging’s ‘Sentenced To Love’ stands proudly as a genre record, one evoking the tradition of the jazz ballad, designed to swallow the listener into the dark cascade of its drama.

-Indo-Coreana, unearthed Korean-Indo Ethno Fusion project-

Better known for his work as a critic, Kim Jinmuk has introduced some of the deepest Contemporary and World music in Korea through his own label and series of Meditative works offering crossovers of Ethnic sonorities.

His personal body of work also covers a wide spectrum as he kept searching for creative ways to express himself, that’s when in early 90s he first started to show interest in Indian traditional music bringing him to cross over frontiers with the Gayageum & Ajeng legend Baik In-Young and the Gayageum player Lee Min Young to meet talented Indian Traditional instruments musicians from Prune and organise collaborative sessions giving a yet unheard deep fusion of sounds.

Directing the sessions and taking care of the compositions Kim Jinmuk found a cross-cultural sweet spot given birth to no-less than 3 full length albums.

In most realisation there is a profound sense of both meditative atmospheres and rhythmical elements with a rarely found balance in between these. When most Ethnic and traditional oriented pieces have a tendency to stick into their own standards “Indo-Coreana” is rather highlighting the artistry of this cross-cultural fusion.

Comet Is Coming band leader Shabaka is back with The Ancestors on 'We Are Sent Here By History', follow-up to their 2016 breakout, 'Wisdom of Elders'.

The project was formed in early 2016, leading to their debut album later that year ‘Wisdom of Elders’; a document of sessions combining Hutchings with a group of South African jazz musicians he’d long admired. His connection to the group was Mandla Mlangeni (bandleader of the Amandla Freedom Ensemble), whom he’d flown there to play with over the past few years. ‘We Are Sent Here by History’ is a meditation on the fact of our coming extinction as a species. It is a reflection from the ruins, from the burning.

A questioning of the steps to be taken in preparation for our
transition individually and societally if the end is to be seen as anything but a tragic defeat. For those lives lost and cultures dismantled by centuries of western expansionism, capitalist thought and white supremist structural hegemony the end days have long been heralded as present with this world experienced as an embodiment of a living purgatory.

Founded in 1972, SteepleChase Records is one of the most significant and prolific European jazz record labels. With a catalogue running to well over 200 titles, the Copenhagen-based imprint has recorded and released music from some of the greatest names in jazz, including Dexter Gordon, Andrew Hill, Jackie McLean, Horace Parlan, Chet Baker and Stan Getz.

Starting out by recording visiting Americans when they performed at the legendary Café Montmartre, founder Nils Winther was encouraged to start the label by none other than the great Jackie McLean, who was the first artist to release a record on the new imprint. From there, Steeplechase rapidly grew into one of the foremost labels to document European jazz with all its distinctive originality and style.

With a particular emphasis on recording front rank American artists who had chosen the expatriate life in Europe, Steeplechase was first in line to document the sounds of the greats as they developed in exile. Featuring in-demand tracks from the likes of Billy Gault, Johnny Dyani and Khan Jamal, and unearthing deep cuts from greats like Jackie McLean and Mary Lou Williams, our Spiritual Jazz 11: Steeplechase pays tribute to one of Europe's most important jazz labels.

Within the genetic makeup of Darker Than Wax, jazz is the key. After nearly 8 years of existence as a label, Darker Than Wax are proud to present a record that truly contributes to the pantheon of jazz music. Welcome to Nomad's Land - a sprawling, dreamy, brutally honest album from British pianist and producer Dominic J Marshall.

Genes and Spirits: herald of a new South African jazz.When pianist and composer Moses Taiwa Molelekwa died in February 2001, fans and fellow musicians alike were swept away by grief. He was so young - not yet 30 - and had shown such musical promise. Genes and Spirits was his second album, released a year before his death. While the composer's voice and pianist's touch are instantly recognisable from his debut, Finding One's Self, the ideas underlying the music mark a conscious step into the unknown: what he called 'finding a range of rhythmic alternatives,' inspired by the rhythmic complexity he was hearing in both pan-African music and the New Music he had been exploring in Europe; and by the possibilities of electronic club music - jungle in London, and kwaito in Soweto.Inspired like many of his musical age-mates by the optimism of the post-liberation 1990s in South Africa, Taiwa crafted what he described as ragga with a kalimba groove; Tswana vocals over a programmed drum track; a duet with Chucho Valdez and more, across eleven tracks combining the talents of multiple South African and world musicians, including Valdez, Flora Purim and Cameroonian drummer Brice Wassy. With Genes and Spirits, Molelekwa was stepping into the kind of genre-busting territory we associate today with players such as Robert Glasper, but he was doing it almost a decade earlier: asserting a new jazz identity that was young, popular and African. This re-release also includes one additional track, Wa Mpona, recorded for, but omitted from, the original release.Remastered by Frank Merritt at the Carvery, Genes and Spirits is presented as a deluxe gatefold sleeve including new liner notes by Gwen Ansel.

Debut EP by The Jivers including vocal talent Anqui and remixes by DJ Moodz, Don Pascal and Fred Spid

Libreville Records is proud to present a focus on legendary electronic swiss project Mega Wave Orchestra in the form of a compilation LP including unreleased material.Originally released privately in Geneva in 1988 as a box set containing five LPs by The Mega Wave Orchestra and five prints by the artist H. Richard Reimann. The Mega Wave Orchestra, the brain-child of musician, mathematician and composer Christian Oestreicher, was conceived as an multi-media electronic music big-band. It was comprised of seven multi-instrumentalists Christine Schaller, Vincent Barras, Jacques Demierre, Olivier Rogg, Rainer Boesch, Roger Baudet, and Benoit Corboz, with Oestreicher as arranger and producer.The Mega Wave Orchestra created a new hybrid music. It was a music with roots in the jazz and classical traditions, but one which also drew on the sonic freedom of musique concrete and the kind of total experience offered by psychedelia. The diverse backgrounds and specialisms of each of the band leaders/writers resulted in a wide variety of music across the five discs: from austere drones and granular aural detail to warm oddball fusion and gorgeous but cracked vocal jazz. There are useful contemporary comparisons to be made: zoned synth jazz like the Azimuth LP on ECM or Karin Krog’s Freestyle; Larry Heard’s sequencer dreamtime; the Valium minimalism of Pep Llopis or Jun Fukamaki; Dexter Wansel’s shimmering arrangements for Loose Ends, or even the FM sheen meets cold war threat of Donald Fagen’s Night Fly. Here, too, is the sound of music technology about to snowball and define its own aesthetic, unknowingly prefiguring auteurish bedroom producers like Black Dog or The Detroit Escalator Company.Lovely crafted tip-on sleeve. Remastered from Master tapes. 600 copies.

Award-winning bassist Daniel Casimir and vocalist Tess Hirst release their debut album via pioneering London-based record labe Jazz re:freshed. Following the success of Daniel Casimir's critically acclaimed debut EP 'Escapee' which featured Hirst on vocals and fellow rising stars on the scene Moses Boyd, Joe Armon-Jones and Shirley Tetteh, this album - 'These Days' is inspired by the duo's London surroundings, delivering thought-provoking lyricism, neo-soul and modern jazz

Casimir, a former Birmingham Conservatoire student, has collaborated with Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Benet McLean, Lonnie Liston Smith, Nathan Facey, Shane Forbes, Chihiro Yamanaka, Ashley Henry, David Lyttle, Nubya Garcia, The Tracey Quintet (Meantime Jubilation), Tom Harrison (Unfolding In Tempo), Jasmine Power (Stories And Rhymes), Camilla George and Art Blakey Jazz Messenger saxophonist, Jean Toussaint.

Named Young Jazz Musician of the Year by the Musicians' Company in 2016, Casimir has received plaudits for his arrangements and recital, while Hirst has made a name for herself with her vocals on the jazz circuit having moved between London, Leeds and LA to hone her craft. What sets Hirst apart as a musician is not only the originality of her music but her perspective of herself as an artist. She is an Ethnomusicology Graduate of SOAS and her writing style walks us through her upbringing in West London and down the halls of academia

Casimir and Hirst fuse traditional jazz sounds into beautiful compositions, narrating their way through a political and cultural landscape across these twelve tracks. The frenzied groove heavy'Security' addresses the need to trust one another and how we protect ourselves personally, while the rich atmospherics of 'Freedom' combined with Hirst's vocals, explore liberation and the rejection of duty - from a female perspective.

At the heart of 'These Days', Casimir plays with a passion and power that resonates throughout each composition. His knack for complex chord changes are highlighted in 'What Did I Do', bringing an energy and enthusiasm to the track while Hirst decries our changing capital. Elsewhere, references to John Agard's poem 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don' in 'The Magic Money Tree', explore the past and its relevance to now while a re-imagining of Charles Mingus' 'Fables Of Faubus' further ensures this theme remains central to the essence of the album.

Daniel Casimir and Tess Hirst have already received radio support from BBC Radio 3, BBC Music Introducing and Jazz FM, along with coverage in the London Evening Standard and Jazzwise Magazine

'Don't Let Them' interpolates elements of 'Fables Of Faubus' written by Charles Mingus (c) 1959. Published by Jazz Workshop Inc. Administered by BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

More Jazz-funk, Latenite Breaks, Cinematic Prog & Psych From Italian Untapped Film Music Archives (1968-1978) - Lp 180gr. + Cd Bonus Ltd. Ed. 500 Copies

A New Stunning Chapter Of The Esterno Series, Dedicated To The Rediscovery Of Rare And Unreleased Soundtracks And Library Music From Italy.

While The Previous Volumes Consisted Of Unreleased Material From The Mythical Rca Italy Archive, The Research Has Been Extended Thanks To Some New Mysterious Sources, Unveiling Some Of Best Kept Secrets From The '60s And '70s.

The Result Is A Deep Journey Into The Secret History Of Italian Library Music, Dedicated To Sounds That Were Designed For A Cityscape Pervaded With Action, Car-chases, And High-

Tension Scenes Set In Smoky Nightclubs. Jazz-funk, Deep Breaks, Prog And Psych Flavors From Some Of The Most Hip Names From The Italian Scene: Alessandro Alessandroni, Piero Piccioni, Carlo Pes And I Marc 4, Sandro Brugnolini. This All-star Cast Is Completed By Silvano D'auria, Here With Another Terrifying Unreleased Track After The Shocking 'sortilegio', Presented For The First Time In Volume Uno.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble’s liveshows were known for their transcendental journeys, mixing live improvisation with the structure form studio album songs. TKDE always worked with a complex live set up, linking multiple laptops, channeling, effects and looping systems to recreate the intricate sound of their music. During the period from 2007 till 2011 many live performances were recorded, and decided was to release a compilation of songs as a live album. In 2012, a year before the split of the project, the live album was released digitally to show the diversity and flexibility of the band live.

"The album presents a series of tracks recorded from shows over the last five years, doubling as essentially a "best of" and insight into the live TKDE experience. (...) And it is exactly this weaving of disparate threads, often in an unexpected and chaotic fashion, that make TKDE so fascinating. Compositions can - and do - traverse through multiple genres, as one would expect from a pooling of such eclectic backgrounds." (4.5 / 5 Resident Advisor)