NEW RELEASES - FAY HALLAM & BONGOLIAN, STAFF BENDI BILILI, MICHEL LEGRAND

FAY HALLAM & BONGOLIAN

One of the coolest projects we've heard from Bongolian in years – a great collaboration with vocalist Fay Hallam, who really helps his grooves find a great sense of focus! Unlike other efforts of this nature – the usual "soul diva with funk group" outing – Fay and Bongolian have gone for a sweet approach that's somewhere in the best mod modes of the 60s, but which also have some nice early 80s touches too – almost the kind of mod revival energy you'd find filtered through the London scene in the years after punk – but put together with the kind of deeper contemporary sound we'd expect from Bongolian – a real respect for the right recording styles for Hammond organ, bongo beats, and other key instrumental touches. Fay is great, too – with a vocal approach that almost has a Swing Out Sister kind of ear for really classic inflections, but without ever sounding like a copycat style at all – a rare balance that really makes the music sparkle! Titles include "Shallow Moon", "Lost In Sound", "Freefall", "Dancing", "Lights Are Coming Down", "Get Off The Bus", "I Can't Cry", and "Gathering". (Limited numbered edition of 500 copies.) ~ Dusty Groove

STAFF BENDA BILILI - BOUGER LE MONDE

A real smoker from Staff Benda Bilili – a record that really grooves right from the start, and which more than holds its own as a musical text – even away from the group's unique stature! Tracks are mostly upbeat, and filled with a frenzy of percussion and guitar – and vocals that leap into the fray boldly, often stating political messages with a misleadingly catchy quality. Titles include "Osali Mabe", "Sopeka", "Bilanga", "Tangu I Fueni", "Kuluna Gangs", "Souci", "Djambula", and "Ne Me Quitte Pas". ~ Dusty Groove
 

MICHEL LEGRAND - MICHEL LEGRAND RECORDED LIVE AT JIMMY'S

One of a few key efforts done by Michel Legrand for RCA in the 70s – sessions that stand out as some of his best jazz work from the decade, and which present Legrand in unfettered brilliance, both as a player and arranger! This live date still has the original compositions and sense of arrangement that we love so much in Legrand's soundtrack work – but it's also looser and freer, with more room for improvisation to expand upon the gentle warmth of Michel's imagination. Legrand is on piano – both electric and acoustic – and other players include Phil Woods on alto, Ron Carter on bass, Grady Tate on drums, and George Davis on guitars. Legrand sings a bit, in his beautiful sort of way – scatting wonderfully on a version of "Orson's Theme", and performing the lyrics on the haunting "Blue Green Grey & Gone". Other titles include "Organ Eyes", "I Will Wait For You", and "Watch What Happens". (Blu Spec CD.) ~ Dusty Groove