Monday, July 23, 2012

NEW RELEASES - HOZAN YAMAMOTO, BAMALOVESOUL PRESENTS ON DECK, WILL DOWNING

HOZAN YAMAMOTO - STANDARD BOSSA: ORIENTAL BOSSA SOUNDS - A UNION OF KOTO, SHAKUHACHI & BIG BAND

Incredible work from the Japanese scene of the end of the 60s – a record that mixes together traditional instrumentation, bossa rhythms, and groovier jazz touches – all in a sublime blend that would have been a feather in the cap of A&M or Verve Records at the time! The work here is really unique – bits of koto and shakuhachi amidst the fuller, soaring backings of the New Herd of Toshiyuki Miyama – who themselves are supported by some extra Latin percussion! The mix of modes is wonderful – a strong bossa undercurrent that keeps the whole thing gliding along nicely – thanks in part also to a great array of tunes from Brazil, Europe, and the US. Titles include "Constant Rain", "Mas Que Nada", "Sunny", "Il Bacio", "Un Homme Et Une Femme", "Vivre Pour Vivre", and "Agua De Beber". ~ Dusty Groove

BAMALOVESOUL PRESENTS ON DECK (VARIOUS ARTISTS) 

A wonderful compilation put together by BamaLoveSoul – who are among the greatest champions of the best, deepest soul in the contemporary landscape! This diverse set is 10 strong with excellent underground soul, laidback instrumentals and otherwise solid sounds – all of which we're hearing for the first time – and we'd like to thank our friends down in 'Bama for that! On Deck has a global reach and a great ear for timeless, genuinely soulful music – whether it's done with subtle electronics, acoustic instrumentation or a bit of both. It's all good – which seems to be real impetus for inclusion here – that, and everyone on it deserves to bust out to a wider audience. Let's help make that happen! Includes "Lost In Memory" by Soia, "Fourteen" by Ta-Ku, "Underestimated" by Diggs Duke and ProbCause, "When The Time Is Right" by Byron The Aquarius, "Get On Through" by Mr Bird feat Greg Blackman, "Better" by Nicholas Ryan Gant, "BrookLon (BK Meets UK)" by Ahmed Sirour, "Be Felt" by Xolisa, "Run The Fantastic Race" by Tall Black Guy and "End Of The Universe" by Freddie Joachim. ~ Dusty Groove

WILL DOWNING - TODAY

The warm soul sound of today – courtesy of the legendary Will Downing! The set's the second in Downing's trilogy of soulful expression EPs, and it's got a wicked sound that's even better than the Yesterday volume – all original tunes by Will, co-written with Chris "Big Dog" Davis, who provides some great production on the set – the kind of lush but tight groove that always works perfectly with Will's vocals – mellow, but never too much so – and always with this gentle rhythm that glides along wonderfully with the vocals! Downing's never sounded better, and our hat's off to him for putting out such great music on his own label. Titles include "One Step Closer", "Sexy", "Like Last Night", and "The Blessing". (Tracks on CD pressed out of sequence.) ~ Dusty Groove

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