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Next up on Africa Seven is the second instalment of our series of Manu Dibango CD re-issues from the Fiesta label. Manu Dibango is probably the most famous musician from Cameroon and quite possibly one of the most internationally well-known African musicians ever. Manu Dibango is a most versatile musician, having played and recorded almost every style of music you care to mention - soul, reggae, jazz, spirituals, blues, African, electro.

Manu DiBango originally trained in classical piano, His musical career began in Brussels and Paris in the 1950. The 1960s finds him in Congo as a member of African Jazz led by Joseph Kabasele (Le Grand Kalle). He formed his own band in Cameroon in 1963, moving to Paris in 1965. His international breakthrough came in 1972 with international hit "Soul Makossa". This went on to be inspire the chant in Michael Jacksons "Wanna Be Startin Something" (and many others).

For the "Sun Explosion" album we are off to 1978, Paris. Six years after is international breakthrough with Soul Makossa, Manu is on a roll after scoring a couple of films the previous year Manu returns to the studio with long term collaborator and producer Rolande Le Couviour and Claude Achalle engineering to work on an artist album.

The albums four tracks, which are all lengthy, straddle a series of styles from the lazy, reaggae jazz of opener "Anty", to the more traditional "Manu" afro-funk-jazz sound of "Matumba". Remember its 1978 and Disco is in the air. Spin the record over to the B-side and you hear the sounds of the times have made their way into string epic, funky "Motapo" and the driving brass and funky xylophone on "Sun Explosion". A record that sounds surprisingly at home in todays current musical climate.

One Plus Oneis the five track debut EP by Melbourne bandThe Do Yo Thangs- a collection of sensual slow jams and bumping future soul dominated by rich, four-voice harmonies.

One Plus One is equal parts performance and programming, drawing from a broad palette of live instruments and electronic sounds. At the front, Hugh and Audrey alternate lead vocal duties, supported by harmony singers Maddie Otto and Tiaryn Griggs. Backing them, the guitar sound is classic soul but the plethora of synthesizers and 808 kick drums is definitely not, nodding equally to Vangelis or Hiatus Kaiyote. The more you listen, the more intricacy is discovered. The writing uses jazz elements and odd rhythmic devices, but it's all tucked away - there's nothing that intrudes into the foreground or interferes with the song's abilities to speak to an audience.

- Debut release from HopeStreet Recordings latest signing, The Do Yo Thangs.

- Features a limited run 7" vinyl pressing with 'One Plus One' and 'Indecisive'. Includes full artwork cover.

- 7" includes digital download of the full 5-track EP.

- 'One Plus One' accompanied by an official video clip.

It was 'Praise Poems 3' which introduced collectors and music lovers worldwide to Wanda Stafford. Most people have not heard of her before her inclusion on the aforementioned album. We loved this tune right from the beginning so it was just a matter of time to release it on 45. Finally here it is, and together with the b-side it is a monstrous double-sider which is looking for its equal.

Intensity was the final album of altoist Art Pepper's early period and was released when he was already serving a long prison sentence due to his addiction to heroin. Assisted by pianist Dolo Coker, bassist Jimmy Bond, and drummer Frank Butler, Pepper was just starting to show the influence of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman in his style, freeing up his playing and displaying a greater intensity during his improvisations. Ironically, Pepper sticks to swinging standards such as I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me,' Gone with the Wind,' and I Wished on the Moon' as points of departure on this interesting and largely enjoyable set.

With Clifford Jordan on tenor, John Handy on alto, Jane Getz on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums, Charles Mingus went into San Francisco and whipped up a storm. This LP contains two compositions over 23-minutes each: New Fables' and Meditation (For A Pair Of Wire Cutters).' New Fables' features a ten-minute solo from Jordan, some fine ensemble work, and a solo encounter from Handy. Mingus changes the mood as he sees fit, and one would describe these different styles as avant-garde (in 1964), blues, flamenco, and straight-ahead jazz. Handy's work is stirring, deeply imaginative, technically thrilling, and a harbinger of what was to come the following year at Monterey. In Meditations' Mingus bowing the bass in the cello range with that certain sad quality, Jane Getz playing loose, free, and exciting, much as she does today, and a moment where Mingus joins Getz for a fourhanded piano romp. The piece is a flowing ballad, but there are constant changes throughout(...) (allaboutjazz)

This 1963 date is titled for Dexter Gordon's living in self-imposed Parisian exile and recording there with two other expatriates and a French native. Along with Gordon, pianist Bud Powell and Kenny Klook' Clarke were living in the City of Lights and were joined by the brilliant French bassman Pierre Michelot. Gordon is at the very top of his game here. His playing is crisp, tight, and full of playful fury. Powell, who at this stage of his life was almost continually plagued by personal problems, never sounded better than he does in this session. His playing is a tad more laid-back here, but is nonetheless full of the brilliant harmonic asides and incendiary single-note runs he is legendary for. The rhythm section is close-knit and stop-on-a-dime accurate.

20 years, 8 studio albums and the BaBaZuLa magic continues... Still fresh and innovative, not surrendering to musical boundaries. "Do NOT Obey", one of their strongest efforts to date, is a collection of songs of protest, caring, love and rock'n'roll, created in the hands of Istanbul's best psychedelic band of the 21st century.

BaBaZuLa is the face of modern Turkish Music, blending the sound of electric saz, dub and traditional shamanistic rituals into a hypnotic urban psychedelia. Poetry and theatrical aspects are also a plus. After several changes in the line-up since their formation in 1996, they recorded their 8th studio album. Do NOT Obey' was recorded in Istanbul with the current members Murat Ertel, LeventAkman, Can Aydemir, ÖzgürCakirlar and MelikeSahin. The album also features ErenDevranErtel, Elena Hristova on vocals, PeriklisTsoukalas on Electric Oud and FarukGiley on Drums as special guests.

1963 Ford Futura on the cover is owned by Murat Ertel (the founder of BaBaZuLa). Photos of the attractive cover design were taken by Dilan Bozyel at Auto Repair and Maintenance CenterIn Istanbul where BaBaZuLa's studio is located.

Released on 180gr. Heavy Black Vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

Features 'What the Funk' from Seeds, Roots & Fruits (Not found on the 12 Inch). Unreleased bonus track 'Strictly Wax' is vinyl only and will not be released digitally

George Benson's debut on Warner Bros. Records, Breezin' topped the Pop, Jazz and R&B album charts in Billboard and spun off two hit singles, the title song (which has become a smooth jazz standard) and "This Masquerade," which was a top ten pop and R&B hit.

Inventions & Dimensions is the third album Herbie Hancock ever released as a leader and proof that he was not an artist who was willing to be pigeonholed. Featuring a quartet made up of a bassist and two latin percussionists, Inventions & Dimensions explores the possibility of latin percussion outside the context of a latin jazz album. Comprised of post-bop and modal compositions all from the pen of Hancock, this is a beautiful album that shows the promise of a young and confident pianist and composer who would blossom into one of the most celebrated talents in jazz history. Essential.

Inventions & Dimensions is the third album Herbie Hancock ever released as a leader and proof that he was not an artist who was willing to be pigeonholed. Featuring a quartet made up of a bassist and two latin percussionists, Inventions & Dimensions explores the possibility of latin percussion outside the context of a latin jazz album. Comprised of post-bop and modal compositions all from the pen of Hancock, this is a beautiful album that shows the promise of a young and confident pianist and composer who would blossom into one of the most celebrated talents in jazz history. Essential.

The Miles Davis Quintet's 1960 European tour featuring John Coltrane marked the end of the most dynamic front line partnership since Dizzy Gillespie And Charlie Parker. This edition features the Quintet's complete April 8 1960 performance at Kongresshaus in Zurich Switzerland. Miles And Trane really stretched out on these tunes averaging about 14 minutes per song - superbly backed by Wynton Kelly - Paul Chambers & Jimmy Cobb. John Coltrane formed his first quartet as a leader at New Yorks Jazz Gallery in May 1960. After a short trial with Steve Kuhn on piano, McCoy Tyner joined the group. Coltrane also began playing the soprano saxophone during his tenure at the Jazz Gallery. It features Tranes first recordings ever with McCoy Tyner.

As the title implies, this McCoy Tyner release is a low-key, after-hours affair. Far removed from the intensity of work with then-boss John Coltrane, Tyner stretches out on a fine mix of standards and bebop classics. The pianist, of course, always had his own fleet and rich way with ballads, in spite of the galvanizing marathon solos he became known for on live dates and his later experimental recordings with Coltrane. His ballad style is even touched with a bit of sentimentality, which thankfully is kept in check by a bevy of tasteful lines. Backed by the topnotch rhythm tandem of bassist Steve Davis and drummer Lex Humphries, Tyner finds the room to develop classic statements on highlights like Monk's 'Round Midnight,' Ellington and Strayhorn's Satin Doll,' and Parker's Star Eyes.'. Ballads & Blues qualifies as one of the pianist's most enjoyable early discs.

1. Satin Doll
2. We'll Be Together Again
3. 'Round Midnight
4. For Heaven's Sake
1. Star Eyes
2. Blue Monk
3. Groove Waltz
4. Days Of Wine And Roses

Few artists in the music profession are as unclassifiable as Nina Simone. During her long career she tackled material from a variety of styles, garnering an audience that included soul devotees, folk followers, R&B lovers and even jazz buffs. 1962's Nina Simone Sings Duke Ellington helped consolidate her reputation as a singer/musician to be contended with and represents the first of two albums she recorded devoted to the work of one supremely talented individual - the other being Billie Holiday.

Given the status of the Duke's tunes, often allied to definitive performances, the decision to include a smattering of lesser-known melodies was probably a wise one. "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me," "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good," "Solitude" and "It Don't Mean A Thing" had long been favorites Ellington circles, but lesser lights like "The Gal From Joe's," "Merry Mending" and "You Better Know It," really allowed Nina the chance to put her own stamp on them. Given its dedication to the compositions of one man, Nina Simone Sings Duke Ellington may be viewed as a curio - but it is one never to be ignored.

This 2LP-set from Vinyl Passion collects Stevie Wonder's first two albums - The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie and Tribute to Uncle Ray - both released in 1962 when he was just 12-years old and then known as Little Stevie Wonder. The all instrumental Jazz Soul of Little Stevie showcases the young artist's already developed songwriting and instrumental chops while it's follow-up Tribute to Uncle Ray finds Stevie paying respects to his musical hero Ray Charles with his now signature vocal abilities front and center.




















[T] 20. I Call It Pretty Music But The Old People Call It The Blues [Part 1]
[U] 21. I Call It Pretty Music But The Old People Call It The Blues [Part 2]

A funky collection of Bossa Nova, Samba and Brazilian Jazz, The Beat Of Brazil gathers 21 superb grooves recorded between 1961 and 1982, including classic tracks by Brazilian stars Elis Regina, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, gems by the likes of Jon Hendricks, Herbie Mann and Louie Ramirez , as well as cult artists Banda Black Rio, Azymuth and Osmar Milito.






















[] 21. Flora Purim: Islands In The Sun (Interlude)

Limited#

The 4th Solo Album by Reknown Danish Film Music Compose Pederknow for Releases on Mo Wax, Ninjatune, Grand Royal, Ubiquity Records and his Scores , Breaking Bad' Amongst Others. The New ALbum featues and Instrumental original' Part and a 2nd Guest Version LP featuring Peders favorite danish singers: Coco from Quadron, Jonas Bjerre from Mew, Oh Land, Mikael Simpson, Jacob Bellens, Sleep Party People and more. The record is a return to more dusty and crunchy sound of his awardwinning debut And He just Pointed to The Sky' from 2007 released on Ubiquity Records. Peder began his career as a scratch DJ, household remixer for the Beastie Boys and one half of legendary danish Comedy team Gramsespektrum' (who released grammy awardwinning platinum albums in Denmark). Now he's a singer that makes dusty David Lynchian 50s music from your sweet nightmare and a filmcomposer with music featured in Breaking Bad". Plus as a director he was chosen for Saatchi & Saatchi's New Directors Showcase, Cannes Lions 2014.. This is his 4th solo album and his first on vinyl The record includes an original version and a guest version hidden inside with allmost the excat same layout. The Guest version have the same songs sung by Peders favorite danish singers: Coco from Quadron, Jonas Bjerre from Mew, Oh Land, Mikael Simpson, Jacob Bellens, Sleep Party People amongst others.

Spanish jazz-funk / prog-psych holy grail from 1976 featuring the crème de la crème of Spain's session musicians of the time.

Pepe Sánchez is a real legend when talking about drumming in Spain. From his beginnings in the 60s jamming with Pedro Iturralde, Tete Montoliu and Vlady Bas at the influential Whisky Jazz Club in Madrid, to recording in Miami with Diana Ross or Barbra Streisand, from working under the wings of Rafael Trabucchelli, Waldo de los Ríos, Augusto Algueró and Mancini to playing live with Barry White...Not forgetting his incursions in progressive rock with Araxes or doing session work for seminal Spanish albums like Gipsy Rock' by Las Grecas among others.

Pepe and his group of friends (Manuel Gas, Juan Carlos Calderón, Pepe Ébano, Tito Duarte, Juan Cano...) were the most requested Spanish session musicians of the time, appearing in countless recordings. In the mid-70s, he was approached by the Marfer label: the idea was to create an instrumental album based on Flamenco music and Spanish folklore but with a modern approach, adding electric guitars, electric bass, drums...Pepe recruited some his friends, all of them top session musicians with a jazz / pop background and the result was Regresión', his first solo album, released in 1976. It's an incredible fusion of jazz, funk, rock, flamenco and psychedelic / progressive sounds highlighted by the powerful drumming of Pepe, the wicked fuzz-wah guitar of Carlos Villa (Vainica Doble, Las Grecas), the sax / flute of jazz giant Pedro Iturralde and Manolo Morales (Jayme Marques, Bebu Silvetti...), the piano of Eddy Guerin (Tete Montoliu, Santisteban, Jayme Marques, Manuel Gas...), the trumpet of Juan Cano (Vlady Bass, Juan Carlos Calderón...) and José Luis Medrano (Dolores, Márquez...), the percussion of Pepe Ébano (Elkin & Nelson, Manuel Gas, Camarón, Max B, Santisteban)...
Includes the monster rare groove /funk track Sentimiento' and more!

Monoswezi weave traditional African songs and instruments with cool Scandinavian jazz. Zimbabwean mbira and vocals are enriched with Mozambican percussion and embellished with Nordic sax and sympathetic rhythm section

Mention Brazilian jazz to most music fans and the inevitable bossa nova images flood into view: the beach, the female whisper-vocal, the rimshot snare drumming, the chord-plucked acoustic guitar, possibly a little mutedbatucada percussion, breathy alto saxophone and cabaret-vamp piano. It's an image ineluctably stuck in the 1960s, when most aspiring Brazilian musicians looked to America's West Coast 'cool jazz' scene for inspiration, listening to artists such as the Modern Jazz Quartet, Chet Baker, Paul Winter, Jimmy Giuffre and Stan Getz.
Of course there were Brazilian jazz musicians in the 1960s whose work was highly original and owed little or nothing to bossa nova, obvious examples being Victor Assis Brasil and Dom Salvador, the only two 'old-school' players present in this compilation - their presence I hope demonstrating the continuity of Brazilian jazz explorations way beyond bossa-jazz. There were also artists drawing inspiration from native Indian, regional folkloric and liturgical sources: Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti made (and still make) thrilling and bizarre jazz that owed nothing to 'conventional' Brazilian jazz, or indeed 'conventional' jazz of any kind.
Brazil's millennial musicians, however, use a different palette from that which has gone before. Disillusioned with the vapidity of manufactured national pop - pagode, axé, lambada, brega and the rest - they started digging for rare soul, funk, reggae and hip hop records for inspiration, an entry-point to the Blue Note and soul-jazz classics of America's east coast, as well as richer meat - Sun Ra, Roland Kirk, Pharaoh Sanders and afrobeat. They also started listening more to European jazz: a fascinating 'full-circle' effect, because earl twentieth century choro jazz was strongly influenced by European music in template if not in tempo.
The large majority of players on this compilation are under 30 years old, most from São Paulo and Rio De Janeiro. Many have played with each other and are familiar with each other's work - as were Rio's 1960s bossa nova community. But the sheer range, energy and boisterousness of the approach is thrilling.
Iconili, Nomade Orquestra, Höröya and Bixiga 70 are essentially gafieira (dancehall) orchestras - with all the discipline, skill and 'listening to each other' that it implies - playing from a different songbook: a repertoire inspired by Nigeria, Guinea, Ethiopia, the Caribbean and New York. Thiago França's sharp-elbowed genius makes itself felt in his solo work as well as in the more modal Space Charanga and European fans may know Thiago from the touring combo Metá-Metá. Juçara Marçal and Karina Buhr's voicings explore similar territory to Carla Bley while Tulipa Ruiz's sparkling Roy Ayers-style jazz-funk contribution wouldn't be out of place on the 1980s London dancefloors of Dingwall's, the WAG or the Electric Ballroom.
There had to be a hip hop track - so many Brazilian millennials got into jazz via hip hop - and new teenage sensation Tassia Reis was a no-brainer.
And it's no mistake that the collection is sandwiched between contributions from young Turks Fernando Moura & Ary Dias and (for this compiler, at least) probably the most complete mainstream jazz musician that Brazil has ever produced, Victor Assis Brasil.
Innovative music is alive and kicking in millennial Brazil: although it never really left the building.

Gilles Peterson has said of Nat "One of the best musicians in the UK, no question" And Nat's last album (Invocations, on Jazzman Records) was featured in his best of 2015 show. Nat's music is regularly featured on Gilles' radio shows, as well as BBC Radio 3 shows, Jazz on 3 and Jazz Line-Up, plus Jamie Cullum's Radio 2 show and shows like Gideon Coe on BBC 6 music and a recent BBC Radio 4 documentary about John Coltrane's iconic album A Love Supreme.

Creation is Nat Birchall's eighth album and his most fully realised to date. The group assembled for this recording features two drummers, Johnny Hunter and Andy Hay, and along with Nat, pianist Adam Fairhall and bassist Michael Bardon they create a sound and energy perfectly matched to reveal the deepest messages within the music. From the opening bars of Love In the Cosmos to the closing diminuendo of Light Of All Worlds the music stretches and soars, taking the listener both deep within themselves and also to the furthest reaches of space/time on a journey of profound emotional expression that ultimately uplifts the spirit.

Soul diva Madeline Bell was born in the US, but during the '60s she settled in the UK. As a session vocalist and with her band Blue Mink, her vocals have been heard on countless records ranging from the Rolling Stones to Joe Cocker to Elton John (eugh - she must have done that one for the money), and as an individual she has made several singles and LPs. Then in 1976 she found some spare moments to record for the Themes library label in London, the very label that gave us two of the most sought-after library LPs of all time, namely the two volumes of the Hanged Man 'Drama Suite'. Collaborating with veteran librarian Alan Parker, they came up with an irresistibly catchy & soulful samba but with an intriguing jazzy & punchy edge to it - and that's what we have here! Play it: hear the clear, vivid sound. One side is vocal, the other instrumental. First commercial release, and first time on 7" vinyl.



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After spending much of the '70s humping his congos around New York as a session musician, Nigerian Aleke Kanonu pulled in some favours to record an album of his own. The result was Aleke, a criminally obscure Afrobeat/Funk/Jazz masterpiece featuring Buddy Williams on drums, George Davis on guitar and a cameo from Wynton Marsalis on flugelhorn. There are only four tracks on the album but they are all killers. N'Gwode sounds like Fela Kuti and Manu Dibangu hanging out with Bobby Womack, probably somewhere across 110th Street. 'Keep New York Clean' struts like Shaft after a successful bust. And 'Mothers Day' keeps things sweet and soulful, before Wynton Marsalis brings back the groove with his flugelhorn on 'Home Sweet Home'. Until recently you would have had to take out a second mortgage to get hold of Akele. And sold a kidney for the Happiness/Nwanne, Nwanne, Nwanne 12'' Kanonu released a year later. Thankfully PMG has re-issued the LP and the EP, with the CD version containing both. - Peter Moore,

One the best album by legendary french pianist Jef Gilson, recorded in 1963 & 1964 with Jean-Luc Ponty on violin, Daniel Humair on drums, Jean-Louis Chautemps & Pierre Caron on tenor sax, Guy Pedersen & Henri Texier on bass A Superb line up for this beautiful album including 2 splendid versions of Chant-Inca' (an hidden cover of Pharoah Sanders Creator has a Masterplan'). Essential French spiritual/avant jazz. Gilson was the brilliant mind behind a number of incredible, yet over-looked recordings during the late sixties and early seventies. His music spanned from big band and large led ensemble work to his later explorations with African influenced spiritual jazz. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies.

Recorded live at Town Hall, NYC in May of 1958, this historic concert (organized by Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg) was a retrospective of Cage's work from 1934 to the present. Here Cage's interest in technology, Eastern philosophies, and the concept of silence' and chance' as related to composition come to the fore as he plays some of his most significant and controversial pieces of his career, several of which ( Six Short Inventions for Seven Instruments', She Is Asleep', Music for Carillon', and Concerto for Piano and Orchestra') were performed here for the first time ever. Includes booklet with comments by Cage himself. Limited edition of 500 numbered copies.

Mary Afi Usuah trained as an a opera singer at the prestigious St Cecilia Academy in Rome and spent 13 years touring Europe with artists like Duke Ellington and Deep Purple. She matched vocal chops with Robert Plant performing with Led Zeppelin and blew away the top names on the Lagos scene when she returned to Nigeria. She also broke a few hearts with her killer smile, if some accounts are to be believed. African Woman marshals these experiences into an exceptionally powerful and diverse album. From the Tina Turner stomp of 'What's A Woman To Do', to the Aretha-style musings of the title track, Mary takes everything she learned on the road to tell her story about her continent in a distinctly African manner. The boys from Akwassa were on hand to ensure that everything was kept extra tight and funky. Mary Afi Usuah only released two albums but she is undeniably one of the greatest female singers the African continent has produced. African Woman serves as her legacy, along with the remarkable number of Nigerian female singers she mentored and inspired. - Peter Moore


"I met MARY AFI USUAH in 1979 while I was the lead singer with TEE MAC COLLECTION. We were based at SURULERE NIGHT CLUB in Lagos, Nigeria. She came in from Calabar in the Cross river state. She was a beauty with her afro hair and had a very strong voice and very powerful on stage. Her performance was electrifying. She did a lot of shows with us and together we got the crowd rocking. A very dark complexioned lady, she was full of life and love. Her smiles would sweep any man off her feet instantly and I immediately recognized a talent that go all over the world. Her music is a blend of African rhythms, soul and funk with heavy bassline. I am glad to let you know that the vynil you have in your hands now contains music that will tickle all ears for a very long time. Happy listening."
Steve Black

Brazil is a country of great musical talent especially in the field of rhythm oriented music. The rich tradition of samba sounds among others will certainly prove that. By the 1970s of course other styles came into the music lover's perception. Funk and soul swashed down south from the bigger US metropolises and infected a whole generation of musicians including Miguel De Deus and his fellows. As a result the former OZ BRAZOES (Latin acid rock with fuzzed out guitar) rhythm guitarist and his crew delivered their now classic sole album "Black soul brothers" in 1977, a hot blooded, steaming masterpiece of raging ghetto funk spiced up with soul eruptions on and a Latin American flavor. A rather explosive cocktail in times of slick disco music. The Latin elements tend to be more like a support for the groovy soul and funk than a bearing pillar of the whole sound. They still give the songs exciting twists and turns. The non stop rhythm pulsations would certainly feel different without any Samba influence. And so the album presents a permanent steaming dance beat that will swallow you when you put this hottie on your turntable. A never ending swirl of rhythm patterns, bass notes, brass section harmonies and commanding vocals pushes you to your physical limits. A few more relaxed songs let you breathe some fresh air but the spell of this music lasts upon your soul. You want to go wild and crazy and have your lame high school party turn into a loose and lethal freak out Play some wicked Latin funk like "Flaca louca" with its beautiful interplay of utterly melodic female vocals and dirty, screaming male vocals, your desired result will be the case. An ingenious crown jewel of 70s funk that will appeal to each fan of early FUNKADELIC, BLACK MERDA, BETTY DAVIS.









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* On the back of two hugely successful albums and almost constant touring, HCB's new LP 'Sharpener' shows the band on more confident form than ever, with powerful new electronic elements and a dance floor sensibility adding to the jazz, rock and soul for which they are known.

* Building on the strength of their critically-acclaimed original writing, 'Sharpener' has a powerful set of originals at its core, alongside a trio of leftfield covers in the shape of Nirvana's 'Heart-Shaped Box', Kwabs' 'Wrong or Right' and Three Trapped Tigers' 'Cramm'. It's a record that resounds with humour, charm and the hum of the glorious variety of musical genres that emanate from their hometown.

* Album opener 'Jump Then Run' echoes the sound of the legendary Moondog, while 'Gather Your Wits' is a roof-raising rumble of brass and rebellious behaviour. 'Wrong or Right', a soulful version of London soul star Kwabs' great tune, comes to life with juicy menace before 'The Morning', an uplifting anthemic arrangement, builds into joyous hedonism. 'When You Know' gives space to the band's superb jazz chops, while album title track 'Sharpener 'is a big, bold, brassy and utterly mesmerising affair.

* It's perhaps the band's outstanding arrangements which sets them apart. From the intricacies of 'Timelapse' to the introspection of 'Reawake', from the punky rock groove of I't's Normally Bigger' (based on a true story) to the rave jazz of 'Bread and Circuses', the arrangements throughout showcase writers Olly Blackman, Luke Christie and Steve Pretty's contrasting styles, able to switch from screaming energy to moody introspection, from cutting-edge jazz to dancefloor rave, and proving that Hackney Colliery Band is not just another party brass band blowing through the usual pop covers.

* Alongside main stage sets at festivals like Field Day and Love Supreme and collaborations with Amy Winehouse, Fyfe Dangerfield, Eliza Doolittle, Jamie Cullum, Andreya Triana, Williams Fairey Band, Rhodes and DJ Yoda, they have performed live sessions on BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM, and their performances have been festured on BBC Two (The Culture Show), Sky Arts (Brass Band Wonderland) and live at the BRIT, Mercury and Mobo Awards.

* With 'Sharpener' their most exciting work to date, a tour taking in more venues than ever before and a collaborative EP out in the autumn, 2016 looks set to be a huge year for Hackney Colliery Band.

Do not complain. The legion of Excitements fans DOES exist in places near and far in this world-gone-insane so if you are ready to be recruited you're in luck. Miraculously, these workaholics of rhythm, who conquered and claimed more than fifteen countries just for the sheer thrill of it during their last tour, found a break and the action of their troubled agenda. It seemed only logical to throw their road sharpened revue into the studio to commit to wax their finest album to date entitled "Breaking The Rule".

After more than two years on the road and 200 sweat soaked performances since the release of their second LP "Sometimes Too Much Is Not Enough", this third LP certifies that the big combo from Barcelona can do whatever they please: either caress you or kick you in the stomach-or both. The steamroller rhythm section is one powerful structure pounding under searing guitars, roaring horns and all reigned over by the voice of Koko that claws at their hypnotic gyrations with wild abandon. This new Excitements bag, as expected, is THE satisfier with high voltage rhythm and soul floor shakers and lease breakers-"Everything is Better Since You're Gone", "Fire", "Hold On Together"-ripping spear-hurling R & B - "Chicken Picking" "I'd Rather Feel The Pain", "Did I Let You Down", heartbreaking ballads and mid-tempos - "Breaking The Rule", and "Take It Back" and a pair of rhythmical postcards- a tribute to what once were the noisy streets of New Orleans ("Mojo Train") and restless nights in a Havana boarding house ("Four Loves").
And do not, do not fear, inside this explosive cocktail of sonic chaos, a strange sweet harmony prevails through all and each of the grooves of the record. And as always, all wrapped up, signed, sealed and delivered with the elegantly filthy production of Mike Mariconda.

Do not complain. The legion of Excitements fans DOES exist in places near and far in this world-gone-insane so if you are ready to be recruited you're in luck. Miraculously, these workaholics of rhythm, who conquered and claimed more than fifteen countries just for the sheer thrill of it during their last tour, found a break and the action of their troubled agenda. It seemed only logical to throw their road sharpened revue into the studio to commit to wax their finest album to date entitled "Breaking The Rule".

After more than two years on the road and 200 sweat soaked performances since the release of their second LP "Sometimes Too Much Is Not Enough", this third LP certifies that the big combo from Barcelona can do whatever they please: either caress you or kick you in the stomach-or both. The steamroller rhythm section is one powerful structure pounding under searing guitars, roaring horns and all reigned over by the voice of Koko that claws at their hypnotic gyrations with wild abandon. This new Excitements bag, as expected, is THE satisfier with high voltage rhythm and soul floor shakers and lease breakers-"Everything is Better Since You're Gone", "Fire", "Hold On Together"-ripping spear-hurling R & B - "Chicken Picking" "I'd Rather Feel The Pain", "Did I Let You Down", heartbreaking ballads and mid-tempos - "Breaking The Rule", and "Take It Back" and a pair of rhythmical postcards- a tribute to what once were the noisy streets of New Orleans ("Mojo Train") and restless nights in a Havana boarding house ("Four Loves").
And do not, do not fear, inside this explosive cocktail of sonic chaos, a strange sweet harmony prevails through all and each of the grooves of the record. And as always, all wrapped up, signed, sealed and delivered with the elegantly filthy production of Mike Mariconda.

As with so many alto saxophonists who forged their careers during the Fifties, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was
influenced by Charlie Parker. But it is to his credit that soon after he forged a style which became his very own. As has
often been noted, there was a joyous quality about his playing that very few of his contemporaries could or chose to
match.

Sinatra left us in 1998 after a stellar, near six-decade career, but his legend lives on through his music. Many
f his signature songs have been collected here in a compilation that includes songs from most of his 1961-62 albums,
augmenting them with earlier American Songbook classics. Settle back and lend an ear to the excellent tracks
presented here and sung by a true one-off.

When Downbeat reviewed Miles Ahead in 1957, the magazine awarded five stars and commented: 'This is an
extraordinarily well done album with absolutely no point which you can wish for more. Miles' solos throughout
have an almost ascetic purity about them.' But Miles was delighted by a more personal assessment. In his
autobiography he remembered: 'After Miles Ahead came out, Dizzy (Gillespie) came by one day to see me and
asked for another copy of the record because he had played his so much he had worn it out in three weeks.'
Enjoy this incredible LP including "Springville", "New Rhumba" and "My Ship".

T-Bone Walker is one of the greatest blues singers of all time. He's not a shouter, he's a singer and he's steeped in
the blues tradition. Walker went throught what has become the classic pattern of apprenticeship of the blues
singer. He's also a guitar player of considerable ability, with a really compelling rhythm and an intensity that is
almost frightening. But it is as a blues singer that T-Bone will be remembered. Enjoy this superb LP including
"Mean Old World", "T-Bone Blues" and "Stormy Monday Blues"