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(...)The music on this album, in spite of the unorthodox instrumentation and exotic titles, should prove itself readily accessible to any listener with an open mind and an interest on the fascinating and original fusion of different musical cultures which it represents. (...) from original liner notes

One of the most compelling albums ever recorded by Ahmed Abdul-Malik! The set's got a style that's very strongly in keeping with the eastern moods' of the title - with less of a jazz sound than some of Abdul Malik's other work, and more spare, exotic instrumentation overall. The group on the set is a trio - Ahmed on bass and oud, Bilal Abdurrahman on alto, Korean reed flute, and percussion, and William Henry Allen on bass and percussion. With that kind of lineup, you can imagine the feel - lots of spare rhythms, with snaking reed work over the top, done in a very evocative way - and although there's less jazz than usual, the alto sax solos still give the record enough of a jazz component to set it apart from straight world music. The album kicks off with a surprisingly great, and incredibly haunting take on Summertime', then rolls into some really wonderful original tunes that include Ancient Scene', Magrebi', and Shoof Habebe'.

Taken from the same legendary sessions that resulted in A Night in Tunisia, this classic LP features the 1960 version of The Jazz Messengers starring trumpeter Lee Morgan, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Bobby Timmons. The title cut is the most impressive performance, but this excellent program of high-quality hard bop also allows listeners to hear three obscure Wayne Shorter compositions and Lee Morgan's forgotten Johnny's Blue. (...) (AllMusic)

Re Mastered limited edition vinyl with bonus Cd which contains 2 bonus tracks Take 3 of the title track & Take 3 of Memories of You

The music stretches the boundaries of bop, is never predictable and, even if this is not one of Mingus' more acclaimed dates, it is well worth acquiring for the playing is quite stimulating.



This sextet session dates from 1957, when the volcanic bassist and composer was first assembling his Jazz Workshop. Mingus had already put together the core of the band that would reach its summit two years later with Mingus Ah Um, including saxophonist Shafi Hadi, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and drummer Dannie Richmond, who would be with Mingus's bands for the next two decades. The music has Mingus's distinct stamp, the rhythmic aggressiveness, sudden time (and mood) shifts, contrapuntal themes, and a palette of sounds that reaches back through bop to early jazz for the vocalizing, plunger-muted horns. His bass often sounds like articulate thunder as he presses his musicians toward a unique musical vision. Completing the group are two striking soloists: the seldom-heard trumpeter Clarence Shaw, best known for his work on Mingus's contemporaneous New Tijuana Moods, who combines thoughtful hesitancy and melodic daring, and pianist Bill Evans, whose distinctive musical presence and lyric imagination add to Mingus's often dense harmonies. The turbulent "West Coast Ghost" and the emotionally charged "Celia" stand out.

On February 9, 1953, Dizzy Gillespie played a live concert at the Salle Pleyel in Paris that was recorded, though when excerpts were first released, there were only enough used to fill one 10" LP. Gillespie close to his best -- as he is here -- is very good indeed,

The first ten of the 16 Gillespie-led studio tracks are much in the same vein, though not quite as lively as the concert material. This studio version of "Clappin' Rhythm" stands out as a highlight. The final six of the Gillespie-led studio recordings finds the sextet supplemented by the Paris Operatic String Orchestra (with arrangements by Michel Legrand), and are good as bop-meets-orchestration goes, though orchestral arrangements don't play to Gillespie's strengths. The eight final cuts on disc two represent pianist Wade Legge's sole session he did as a leader, with the rhythm section of bassist Lou Hackney and drummer Al Jones. Though not too similar in tone to the Gillespie-led numbers that dominate this compilation -- it's well-done if typical early-'50s bop, with the piano to the fore -- it does round out this extended snapshot of the music Gillespie and his band were creating in Paris during this month.

On February 9, 1953, Dizzy Gillespie played a live concert at the Salle Pleyel in Paris that was recorded, though when excerpts were first released, there were only enough used to fill one 10" LP. Gillespie close to his best -- as he is here -- is very good indeed,

The first ten of the 16 Gillespie-led studio tracks are much in the same vein, though not quite as lively as the concert material. This studio version of "Clappin' Rhythm" stands out as a highlight. The final six of the Gillespie-led studio recordings finds the sextet supplemented by the Paris Operatic String Orchestra (with arrangements by Michel Legrand), and are good as bop-meets-orchestration goes, though orchestral arrangements don't play to Gillespie's strengths. The eight final cuts on disc two represent pianist Wade Legge's sole session he did as a leader, with the rhythm section of bassist Lou Hackney and drummer Al Jones. Though not too similar in tone to the Gillespie-led numbers that dominate this compilation -- it's well-done if typical early-'50s bop, with the piano to the fore -- it does round out this extended snapshot of the music Gillespie and his band were creating in Paris during this month.

(...) This album points the way to the future. It is prophetic because George Russell felt compelled to make it so. Jazz is changing, the sixties could well be a crucial decade,' says the composer. One thing is certain. A variety of sound and rhythms, many of which are alien to what audiences are used to, will nd their way into jazz. Unaccountably, things we hear around us every day, very humans things, have either disappeared or been left out of jazz as we know it.

Progress is inevitable. Today's musical palette is just not adequate. ALL feelings relative to life and beauty cannot be validly expressed with techniques now in vogue. What is more, jazz is an evolving art, it is not meant to be restricted. The very nature of the music and its history indicate this The jazz music of the future What will it be like Well, the techniques are going to get more complex, and it will be a challenge for the composer to master the techniques and yet preserve his intuitive approach. And it will be a challenge to the improviser to master these techniques and also preserve the intuitive, earthy dignity of jazz (...) From the original liner notes of Burt Korall you can understand the revolutionary meaning of this wonderful LP from the great George Russell! Finally available again on ACV!

FLIES 12 Amedeo Tommasi - H. Caiage (Gerardo Iacoucci) CARNET TURISTICO Lp 180gr. Ltd. Ed.

From the legendary DENEB series, one of the grooviest Italian library ever. Amedeo Tommasi and Gerardo Iacoucci (alias H. Caiage) at their best. An explosion of heavy organ sounds, jazz & psych-beat, with killer drumming breaks and mellow tunes. Highly recommended for dj! Original Artwork by Luca Barcellona and exclusive liner notes by Gerardo Iacoucci himeself.

Mulligan Meets Monk documents the 1957 meeting of two sharp musical minds. Though the pairing may seem unlikely, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan -- whose cool, West Coast style blends dexterity with laid-back grace -- and Thelonious Monk -- whose radical, angular piano playing and thoroughly modern compositions are blueprints for the possibilities of bop -- sound remarkable together. In fact, it is the contrast between the players' styles that lends this set its balance and appeal. The program, which includes four compositions by Monk and one by Mulligan, is unassailable. Mulligan acquits himself admirably on the Monk classics "'Round Midnight," "Rhythm-a-ning," and "Straight, No Chaser," unfurling his smooth tone over their zigzagging melodies and ambitious scalar architecture. Mulligan's "Decidedly," a bright bop workout, fits easily alongside Monk's tunes, especially with the help of Monk's off-kilter, accented comping. Bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Shadow Wilson lend solid support to the spirited playing of the two leaders, making this top-notch session -- with its great tunes, chemistry, and soloing -- a true classic.

The sound visionary Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick has been pioneering in the mercurial acid jazz scene, and as a talent factory, Incognito has rolled out the red carpet for vocal prodigies, such as Jocelyn Brown and the best musicians from the British groove community.



Short-lived musical trends have done nothing to damage the popularity of this multi-cultural band with their driving rhythms and elegant melodies and they have become a trademark all over the world, especially live.



In this vein, Bluey Maunick celebrated Incognito's 30th birthday on stage at the London INDIGO2 with a thrilling concert in summer 2009. It was a fantastic night: with their blend of soul and jazz, funk and fusion almost 30 musicians, with several surprise guest appearances, electrified the audience. Thanks to the contagious energy and the virtuoso solo numbers, each song became something special. And as if this band hadn't given us enough variety already, the strings of the Millenia Ensemble provided a delightful additional interplay of sound.

Are you ready to swing with the great Lester Young A bunch of killer tracks from one of the all-time great tenor saxmen teaming up with pianist Oscar Peterson and his trio: guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer J.C. Heard. Includes his finest performances of the '50s Ad Lib Blues, Just You, Just Me, Tea for Two, (Back Home Again in) Indiana, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Stardust, There Will Never Be Another You, I Can't Get Started , and more. A really great collection!

STATI D'ANIMO vol.2 aka FEELING originally released on CAM CmL series in 1973. A totally KILLER Italian Library album with the most outstanding Funk & Jazz-Funk vibes and female vocals to die for, knitted drum patterns and top-notch Vintage dancefloor Funk tunes ever. Moody & Funky Score music for action, movement and romantic scenes. Some of the real best came out from Italy - ITALIAN FUNK LIBRARY KILLER!

This 1962 recording is one of the prize items of the free-jazz movement as it flowered in California. It teams flutist Prince Lasha and alto saxophonist Sonny Simmons, who cowrote all the songs and play with an esprit de duo that reflects their long-term partnership. Lasha, who also played saxophone, was a childhood friend of Ornette Coleman and became part of his circle in Los Angeles. Simmons, a Louisiana native who grew up in Oakland, came under Coleman's influence while honing his own terse, lyrically heated style. Though the overall sound of The Cry! very much proceeds from Ornette's harmolodic new thing' (while absorbing earlier styles ranging from Ellington 'exotica' to Waller 'erotica') it's a racier vehicle that takes hairier turns. Propelled by the clean and steady dual basses of Gary Peacock and Mark Proctor (on three tracks, Peacock goes it alone), Lasha and Simmons harmonize with as much zip and warmth as they put into their solos. (Lloyd Sachs)

This was Billie Holiday's penultimate recording and the last of her albums to appear during her lifetime. It is one of her most flawed, yet, at the same time, an essential recording. Timeless and unbearably emotional, this is an album that somehow documents her life in a manner never achieved by the many penned portraits or that glossy Hollywood on-screen portrayal. An essential - often astounding - recording, it was finally inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2000.

If you're looking for the influence of Italy on popular music it's interesting to compare the careers of two great Italian-American singers, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. While Ol' Blue Eyes steered clear of recording much Italian-based music, his pal was happy to embrace his cultural heritage. This is a compilation of well-loved Italian love songs - second nature to a man who, like Sinatra, was the proud product of Italian immigrant parents. The result is a happy hour (and more) in the company of an acknowledged master. Enjoy this superb collection including "Volare", "Sway", "Arrivederci, Roma" and many more in coloured vinyl.

John William Coltrane is today recognised as one of the most influential figures in the history of jazz. Yet when he first appeared in the ranks of Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra at the end of the 1940s, no-one would have predicted this diffident young man in his early twenties would, within a decade, become an iconic musician dedicated to taking music into hitherto undreamt-of dimensions. This album captures John Coltrane at the peak of his solo career, though of course, there was more significant music to come.

Recorded in 1957 and released in 1961, Soul Meeting is the second studio album by Ray Charles and Milt Jackson. The two men, one a jazz icon and the other a true giant of American music combine on this marvellous record to make a highly memorable album. A must have for any jazz enthusiast.

Gill Scott Heron, Live from the Village Gate, New York, 1976.
New York's WRVR-FM captured a treasured broadcast by Gil-Scott Heron. A highly-revered artist whose work has remained headily influential over many respected hip hop contemporaries. His appearance alongside Brian Jackson and the Midnight Band at the Village gate in 1976 has since garnered widespread affection and admiration amongst collectors, fans and critics alike. This landmarkappearance was primarily aimed at promoting Arista's imminent release of their 1976 LP It's Your World. This monumental performance comprised of only six songs in comparison with the ten of It's Your World, but the energy and spirit of that performance evoked acute political and spiritual awareness, rampaging through global and local injustices with humility and conscience firmly intact. Live On Vinyl's retrospective spotlight captures Heron's on-stage persona and energy exposing an explosive chapter in the life and career of a lyrical legend. Featuring the complete WRVR-FM broadcast, fully re-mastered.

Following the success of SLEEP, Max Richter reveals his latest recording project - a new album entitled Three Worlds: music from Woolf Works. It's drawn from his music to Wayne McGregor's award-winning Royal Ballet production Woolf Works - inspired by the works of Virginia Woolf. Woolf Works returns to the Royal Opera House, London, from 21st January to 14th February, with a worldwide cinema broadcast on 8th February.

COMPILED BY PETE PASQUAL, ERICA OLSON & DJ KINETIC

Following on from acclaimed compilations like 'Down Under Nuggets' and 'Heavy Soul' (and two other new titles 'Running The Voodoo Down' and 'Dodgy Bossa (& Silly Sambas)' - details below), Festival Records presents another deep dig into the archives, this time shining a light on rare Australian soul-jazz, jazz-funk, and freaked-out groove rock from the late '60s and '70s.

BACK ON THE STREET AGAIN - AUSTRALIAN FUNK, SOUL & PSYCH (MOSTLY) FROM THE FESTIVAL VAULTS is a stunning 20 track CD and 2LP release that highlights a point when the previously disparate styles of rock, jazz and soul all started influencing each other, and exciting new genres were created. To quote the liner notes (by DJ Kinetic):

Australia produced some amazing music during the 60s and 70s that sat outside of the normal rock mould. Avant guard artists like John Sangster pushed boundaries and experimented with the fusion of local and overseas influences, artists like Dalvanius recorded soaring disco music that was lost amongst the popular music of the time, only to be rediscovered by DJs overseas who were searching for unknown sounds, composers like Brute Force and His Drum took risks and recorded left-field funky sounds hidden within their more mainstream compositions, and popular artists like Billy Thorpe occasionally strayed from their A&R directions and took leaves from the books of American artists who were largely unknown in Australia at the time. Beneath the veneer of bland rock and roll lay an unknown multitude of funky sounds hidden from mainstream view.

In addition to the artists that Kinetic mentions (and the compilation features two John Sangster tracks - stunning versions of 'Hair' and the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life'), the collection includes iconic names of the era like the Daly-Wilson Big Band (featuring Kerrie Biddell), Renee Geyer and the Johnny Rocco Band. '60s sides from Ross D Wyllie and The ID (featuring Jeff St John) reveal the various styles' roots in American rhythm & blues, and the unexpected inclusion of some legendary Australian rock outfits like Tamam Shud and Blackfeather reveals the psychedelic and progressive rock influences at play. The full range of the music is highlighted by the inclusion of both cabaret/daytime TV performer Al Styne and outrageous Kings Cross club act Count Copernicus & The Cosmic Fire as well as the in-house studio 'pops' orchestra, Festival Studio 24 Orchestra.

Co-compilers Pete Pasqual, Erica Olson and DJ Kentic to undertake interviews with specialist media around release. Facebook ad's around release.

COMPILED BY PETE PASQUAL, ERICA OLSON & DJ KINETIC

Following on from acclaimed compilations like 'Down Under Nuggets' and 'Heavy Soul' (and two other new titles 'Running The Voodoo Down' and 'Dodgy Bossa (& Silly Sambas)' - details below), Festival Records presents another deep dig into the archives, this time shining a light on rare Australian soul-jazz, jazz-funk, and freaked-out groove rock from the late '60s and '70s.

BACK ON THE STREET AGAIN - AUSTRALIAN FUNK, SOUL & PSYCH (MOSTLY) FROM THE FESTIVAL VAULTS is a stunning 20 track CD and 2LP release that highlights a point when the previously disparate styles of rock, jazz and soul all started influencing each other, and exciting new genres were created. To quote the liner notes (by DJ Kinetic):

Australia produced some amazing music during the 60s and 70s that sat outside of the normal rock mould. Avant guard artists like John Sangster pushed boundaries and experimented with the fusion of local and overseas influences, artists like Dalvanius recorded soaring disco music that was lost amongst the popular music of the time, only to be rediscovered by DJs overseas who were searching for unknown sounds, composers like Brute Force and His Drum took risks and recorded left-field funky sounds hidden within their more mainstream compositions, and popular artists like Billy Thorpe occasionally strayed from their A&R directions and took leaves from the books of American artists who were largely unknown in Australia at the time. Beneath the veneer of bland rock and roll lay an unknown multitude of funky sounds hidden from mainstream view.

In addition to the artists that Kinetic mentions (and the compilation features two John Sangster tracks - stunning versions of 'Hair' and the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life'), the collection includes iconic names of the era like the Daly-Wilson Big Band (featuring Kerrie Biddell), Renee Geyer and the Johnny Rocco Band. '60s sides from Ross D Wyllie and The ID (featuring Jeff St John) reveal the various styles' roots in American rhythm & blues, and the unexpected inclusion of some legendary Australian rock outfits like Tamam Shud and Blackfeather reveals the psychedelic and progressive rock influences at play. The full range of the music is highlighted by the inclusion of both cabaret/daytime TV performer Al Styne and outrageous Kings Cross club act Count Copernicus & The Cosmic Fire as well as the in-house studio 'pops' orchestra, Festival Studio 24 Orchestra.

Co-compilers Pete Pasqual, Erica Olson and DJ Kentic to undertake interviews with specialist media around release. Facebook ad's around release.

Metromonk is the third solo album from celebrated Hang player, percussionist, producer and composer, Manu Delago. The LP finds this boundary-testing artist distilling and delicately exploring extremes of dynamics and mood, manipulating the Hang in experimental and inventive ways, the many voices and tones of this rare instrument are given top billing among a minimalistic palette of beats and acoustic sources. Additional touches come from vocalists Douglas Dare (Erased Tapes), Pete Josef (Sonar Kollektiv, Reprazent) and Isa Kurz, and legendary trumpeter Erik Truffaz (Blue Note), while Matt Robertson (Björk, The Streets, Bat For Lashes) reprises his regular role as co-producer.
I wanted to create fresh, electronic soundscapes that are generated through live performance and therefore feel organic and human', Delago explains. Almost all of the effects on the Hang are applied live during one-take performances. It may initially sound like programming or production, but it's all happening there in the moment'.
In its deft treatment of temperaments and dynamics, the album diverges into two sections, which Delago thinks of as the inner world of head, heart and soul versus the lively hips and feet - or, alternatively, mountains versus metropolitan city (the two main geographical backdrops to his life). This meeting of worlds is reflected in the album title, which he hit upon when he saw a Buddhist monk gliding through the busy streets of Bangkok.
The world's leading Hang player, Manu Delago has had over five million YouTube views and featured heavily in BBC Radio documentary on the instrument. While his last album saw him diversifying with multiple layers of synths, electronic production and a wide range of instruments, 'Metromonk' restores his virtuosic Hang playing to centre stage.

Metromonk is the third solo album from celebrated Hang player, percussionist, producer and composer, Manu Delago. The LP finds this boundary-testing artist distilling and delicately exploring extremes of dynamics and mood, manipulating the Hang in experimental and inventive ways, the many voices and tones of this rare instrument are given top billing among a minimalistic palette of beats and acoustic sources. Additional touches come from vocalists Douglas Dare (Erased Tapes), Pete Josef (Sonar Kollektiv, Reprazent) and Isa Kurz, and legendary trumpeter Erik Truffaz (Blue Note), while Matt Robertson (Björk, The Streets, Bat For Lashes) reprises his regular role as co-producer.
I wanted to create fresh, electronic soundscapes that are generated through live performance and therefore feel organic and human', Delago explains. Almost all of the effects on the Hang are applied live during one-take performances. It may initially sound like programming or production, but it's all happening there in the moment'.
In its deft treatment of temperaments and dynamics, the album diverges into two sections, which Delago thinks of as the inner world of head, heart and soul versus the lively hips and feet - or, alternatively, mountains versus metropolitan city (the two main geographical backdrops to his life). This meeting of worlds is reflected in the album title, which he hit upon when he saw a Buddhist monk gliding through the busy streets of Bangkok.
The world's leading Hang player, Manu Delago has had over five million YouTube views and featured heavily in BBC Radio documentary on the instrument. While his last album saw him diversifying with multiple layers of synths, electronic production and a wide range of instruments, 'Metromonk' restores his virtuosic Hang playing to centre stage.

In 1974, a brash young designer called Augustus Kerry Taylor had an idea. He'd gather together the hottest musicians in Ghana and record an album of the heaviest and funkiest sounds coming out of America. And this time, he wouldn't just design the cover, like he'd done with Fela Kuti, he'd even release it on his new label, Emporium, as well. Local Accra legends Joe Wellington, Jagger Botchway, Leslie Addy, Officer Toro, Oko Ringo, Soldier and Steve answered the call. They were christened the Kelenkye Band and gelled immediately. Moving World, is a funky, disparate album that exudes a rare warmth, enthusiasm and togetherness. 'Moving World' and 'Brotherhood of Man' are hard, grinding funk. 'Jungle Music' has a more soulful groove. There's also a bit of reggae, 'Dracula Dance', and old-skool highlife, 'Wale Tobite'. Accra's leading DJ, Charlie Sam, declared his mind 'well and truly boggled.' The Kelenkye Band never recorded another album. Augustus Kerry Taylor shut down Emporium and went back to designing album covers. But in Moving World they delivered a perfect moment of funk alchemy that has rightly become the Holy Grail of 70's Ghanian groove.

In 1974, a brash young designer called Augustus Kerry Taylor had an idea. He'd gather together the hottest musicians in Ghana and record an album of the heaviest and funkiest sounds coming out of America. And this time, he wouldn't just design the cover, like he'd done with Fela Kuti, he'd even release it on his new label, Emporium, as well. Local Accra legends Joe Wellington, Jagger Botchway, Leslie Addy, Officer Toro, Oko Ringo, Soldier and Steve answered the call. They were christened the Kelenkye Band and gelled immediately. Moving World, is a funky, disparate album that exudes a rare warmth, enthusiasm and togetherness. 'Moving World' and 'Brotherhood of Man' are hard, grinding funk. 'Jungle Music' has a more soulful groove. There's also a bit of reggae, 'Dracula Dance', and old-skool highlife, 'Wale Tobite'. Accra's leading DJ, Charlie Sam, declared his mind 'well and truly boggled.' The Kelenkye Band never recorded another album. Augustus Kerry Taylor shut down Emporium and went back to designing album covers. But in Moving World they delivered a perfect moment of funk alchemy that has rightly become the Holy Grail of 70's Ghanian groove.

DJ Sotofet has rearranged two Finnish jazz funk classics from mid 70's that came out in original form on Jazzpuu in 2001.

A score as iconic as Jackie O herself by experimental British musician Mica Levi, best known for her ethereal score to 2013's sleeper hit Under the Skin.


Jackie is the upcoming biographical film from Chilean director Pablo Larraín. Starring Natalie Portman (Black Swan) in the title role, the movie follows Jacqueline Kennedy from the days when she was First Lady of the White House to the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Critically lauded since its debut at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Best Screenplay Award, Jackie also received the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival and is a heavy favourite going into awards season.

The score to Jackie was composed by experimental British musician Mica Levi, best known for her ethereal score to 2013's sleeper hit Under the Skin. Mournful and eerie with a touch of the surreal, Levi has delivered an unmistakable musical tapestry every bit as iconic as Jackie O herself.

The legendary Screamin' Jay Hawkins was one of pop's most colourful characters, a one-man circus sideshow with some of the most memorable routines - and props - the music world had ever witnessed. Yet the author of the R&B standard 'I Put A Spell On You' was also an accomplished and serious musician, as his many vintage recordings demonstrate.

While Hawkins recorded prolifically during the 1950s and 1969s, he only released three long-players during that same period. The second of these, The Night And Day Of Screaming Jay Hawkins' is not only the rarest, but was for many years considered the strangest. Recorded in London in 1965 with UK session men and issued the following year on Shel Talmy's Planet label, the record's fascinating blend of louche lounge balladry, frantic R&B workouts and cool club groove is now regarded as a quintessential mod-jazz artefact.

Ace's The Planet Sessions' sees the first official reissue for this overlooked gem, and the original album's running time is doubled with unissued stereo variants, alternate takes and a pair of exciting outtakes, all drawn from the original Abbey Road session tapes. Detailed notes spell out Hawkins' various UK sojourns during the mid-1960s. All in all, The Planet Sessions' is not only a reappraisal, but a reaffirmation of the bizarre genius of Screamin' Jay Hawkins

The latest project from two-thirds of Saint Etienne is a compact disc and deluxe double LP of English music that represented the transition from psychedelia to prog as the 60s moved into the 70s. Most of it is not an easy listen, but it's always interesting, melodic, melancholy, with jazz and folk touches.

While America may have licked its wounds at the turn of the seventies by turning to singer-songwriters, purveyors of homilies like teach your children well', Britain wasn't so ready to give up the trappings of psychedelia. And while the UK counterculture may have shed its faith in something bigger', it wasn't about to chuck out the mellotron.

This is how the day after the sixties felt: damp, fuzzy-headed, neither optimistic nor pessimistic but more than a little lost. British bands would mirror the ennui of the new decade with a new kind of music.

Lavishly put together, with two of Peter Mitchell's iconic photographs of 1970's Leeds.

The double LP is on 180g clear vinyl with a heavy card sleeve.

Though she had been performing professionally since the late 1920s, as a teenager in Harlem, during its Renaissance, the immortal Billie Holiday didn't play a single night on the European continent until 1954. It was in that year that the great journalist and musician Leonard Feather, and a Swedish promoter organized the Jazz Club U.S.A. tour, named after Feather's wildly popular radio program. Featuring Red Norvo, Sonny Clark, and more, the centerpiece of Jazz Club U.S.A. was, undoubtedly, Lady Day. Recorded at various dates across the tour, Lady Love shows Holiday still had it, despite the turmoil, and drug and alcohol abuse, her voice remained strong, a stunning document of one of America's greatest treasures on her first ever tour of Europe. Reissued on 180 gram LP with download code, with 5 bonus tracks.

Repress !

Max Roach's 1960 masterwork, We Insist!, is a suite based on the Civil Rights Movement, and involves variations on the theme of the struggle for African Americans to achieve equality in the United States, a struggle that is still all too relevant still. Roach began composing with lyricst Oscar Brown Jr. in 1959, with the initial intention of having the suite performed in 1963, on the 100th anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation. Featuring the wonderful Abbey Lincoln on vocals, as well as Booker Little, Julian Priester, Coleman Hawkins, Olatunji, and more, We Insist! is a truly stunning album, one that knows no equal from that time or since, reissued on 180 gram LP with download code.

* Independent recording artist, Hasan Robinson has turned in his second album under the banner of Bil Basmala. He sits comfortably in the left field / electronic genre showcasing a more original adult contemporary and smooth jazz mixture.
* 'On The Edge Of Forever' contains all the essential blends of artistic 'strangeness' of style. The production: Dusty, intricate loops and samples. Hard jazz, deep funk sounds, but taken so far and so deep from the source as to be absorbed and transformed... Like some alternate reality where Dolphy and Mingus invented the MPC and jazz never ended, and kept on going' (Elamttic)

* But who is Bil Basmala It's hard to say... Information is scant. But that's what the crate diggers love - scarcity... And records like 'On The Edge Of Forever' don't come along very often. It might as well been made by a ghost whose only tether to our corporeal world is the invention of ambient neo soul. For fans of DJ Shadow, Dilla, Mushroom Jazz, and Steely Dan. You need this.(Outside the heard)

* Will that 'level' be reached in Bil Basmala's 'On The Edge Of Forever', Hasan's release-ready album for 2013 Well, the scope remains open for conjecture. But what we do hope is that this brings him his due acknowledgement. Will his style translate to the stage That is the discussion of another day. As of now, we keep our fingers crossed along with Hasan for Bil Basmala 'On The Edge Of Forever'.

New album of previously unreleased music recorded 1962 at Auditorium Maximum/ Freie Universität in Berlin. Austrian genius Friedrich Gulda on piano and baritone saxophone, leading a 13-piece, top-shelf lineup of players featuring Benny Bailey, Erich Kleinschuster, Georg Riedel, Fatty George, Arne Domnérus and Ack van Rooyen. Sparkling modern jazz in front of an excited audience, including Parker`s Anthropology', Monk`s Round About Midnight' plus original material by Gulda and Riedel, with world premiere of Music For Three Soloists And Band'. It is the rhythmic drive, the risk, the absolute contrast to the pale, academic approach I had been taught'. (F.Gulda in New York Times).

New label digging up rare and previously unavailable on 45 funk & soul bombs. First release explores Brazilian and Latin, serving up the jazz-dance monster "Toque De Cuica" by legendary percussionist Airto Moreira, with the dancefloor shaking "Cosa Nostra" by Erlon Chaves and his band doing damage on the B-side.

Original 1960's style instrumental Jamaican jazz, ska, reggae & rocksteady from Portland, OR. Features ex-members of THE
ISRAELITES & CHECKERED CABS. A must for fans of THE SKATALITES, BROOKLYN ATTRACTORS, WESTERN STANDARD TIME, and more. Ten tracks on heavyweight vinyl full color picture sleeve.

JUMP UP and PORK PIE team up to release German ska/reggae legend's Christmas album in a deluxe edition. 13 track LP with bonus color vinyl 7" single and piano sheet music to the title track. A super fun ska/reggae record for the season, includes MEL TORME's "CHRISTMAS AGAIN" and "I SAW MOMMY KISSING".

Black Truffle is thrilled to announce Reverse Tree, the new LP from the acclaimed duo of Eyvind Kang and Jessika Kenney, two musicians who have established themselves as powerful voices working at a unique intersection of contemporary composition, improvisation, and Asian traditional music forms. Either individually or as a pair, they have worked in contexts ranging from performances of traditional Persian and Javanese music to collaborations with Sunn O))), but their work together as a duo (documented on The face of the earth and Aestuarium, both released on Ideological Organ/Editions Mego) most clearly represents the central concerns of their diverse practices: a music of the inner life of sound, demanding ritualistic focus and promising heightened sensations.
On Reverse Tree, the duo expand their work together into the realm of the chamber ensemble, presenting two side-long works that feature Kenney's voice and Kang's viola alongside a multitude of other instrumentalists. Kang's Thoughts on Being Exiled to the Frontier, for Lord Wei, inspired by a text by the Tang dynasty poet Hsueh T'ao, features an all-star international ensemble: Kang, Kenney, maverick Israeli conductor Ilan Volkov on violin, Icelandic cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir, and guitarists Oren Ambarchi and Stephen O'Malley. The piece is primarily composed of irregular patterns of pizzicato notes and guitar harmonics, gently falling in and out of sync and providing a subtly unstable support for Kenney's voice, which sings long, wavering tones, at times reminiscent of Michiko Hirayama's classic performances of Scelsi. Drawing on 20th century instrumental techniques, alternate tuning systems, non-western music and the experience of nature (the irregular rhythms of the piece calling to mind nothing so much as drops of rain), the piece opens a space both serene and subtly uneasy.
Kenney's 'Elm features Kenney and vocalist Nova Ruth (of Filastine & Twin Sista) alongside an ensemble of strings and Seattle's Gamelan Pacifica, performing on Javanese instruments tuned to the slendro scale. An uncanny timbre created by bowing the keys of the Gamelan's instruments, supported by bowed harmonics from the strings, is heard consistently throughout the piece. After a long introductory section in which this harmonic cloud slowly descends from shimmering high notes to rumbling bass, the vocalists enter, singing a slow and stately setting of a 19th century Surakarta poem (attributed to Mangkunegara the IV). The melody is sung as a rich and wavering heterophony, with the ensemble sometimes rising up to support individual notes. The poem deals with the idea of a form of knowledge achieved through deeds, as a practice and state of the heart. This is music in slow motion, in which, in Kenney's words,

Fonit's "B 85", part of the legendary Serie Usignolo, which bears the signatures of the mysterious Coscia (perhaps a moniker of accordionist Gianni) and Formini, is another cult library music release: an orchestral pop record whose tracks are curiously recommended to accompany 'viewings of vast parks, footage of agriculture, ads, moving crowds and congested traffic jams, American working-class districts' with hilarious titles such as "Dayda", "Schizzo", "Palmas", "Murlak" (which casts an incredible fuzz guitar), "Bronx" and "Ciresa Facaud". In two words: a must!

Occulti Music presents Everything Fades 12-inch record by Ukrainian drum & bass producer Sunny Crimea and German beautiful singer Identified.
On the A-side of the record we can find lounge version of the song. And drum & bass version on the B-side.
Wonderful artwork for this record as usual by incredible Russian artist Anna Tikhomirova.