NEW RELEASES - RON CARTER, RED HOT + FELA, SHIRLEY SCOTT

RON CARTER – THE BASS AND I

A beautiful illustration of the strength of Ron Carter as a leader – that way he has of firmly directing a combo from the place of the bass, yet always in a subtle way that never overpowers the rest of the group! The balance here is wonderful – as Ron's tones really come through clearly in the mix, and soulfully set the tune from the start – yet the lead lines are often taken by the piano of Stephen Scott, who dances delightfully alongside the creative drum work of Lewis Nash – already a heck of a great player at this point in his career. Steve Kroon comes in with a bit of added percussion – but never too much – and titles include "Double Bass", "Mr Bow Tie", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "I Remember Clifford", and "Blues For DP". (SHMCD pressing.) ~ Dusty Groove

RED HOT + FELA (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

One of the hippest entries in the Red Hot series so far – a set of tracks dedicated to the legendary Fela Kuti – felled by AIDS after years of influential grooves – still being felt strongly by the rich array of artists collected in the set! Most tracks are contemporary, but feature a strong influence of the 70s modes of Fela's generation – those sharp percussive lines at the bottom of the tracks, soaring Afro-styled horn passages, and a righteous energy that really drives the whole thing all the way through! The package was put together in support of AIDS/HIV awareness, but is hardly an act of charity – as it's overflowing with great cuts that more than make the set stand as an Afro Funk collection on its own. Most tracks are remakes of older Fela numbers – and titles include "Buy Africa" by Baloiji & L'Orchestre De A Katuba, "Yellow Fever" by Spoek Mathambo & Zaki Ibrahim, ""Gentleman" by Just A Band & Baja, "Go Slow" by King, "Sorro Tears & blood" by Kronos Quartet & Kyp Malone, "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" by My Morning Jacket, "Afrodisco Beat 2013" by Tony Allen & M1, and Lady" by Tune Yards, ?uestlove, and Angelique Kidjo. ~ Dusty Groove

SHIRLEY SCOTT - SUPERSTITION

One of the coolest, grooviest albums ever from Hammond giant Shirley Scott – a set that's got a fair bit of funk in the mix, and a really rich array of inventive lines on the keyboards too! The tracks are longer than usual, and really step past the more familiar Shirley Scott modes of the 60s – opening up into more righteous 70s territory in the company of Chess/Cadet Records – with arrangements from Richard Evans that are as sophisticated as they are funky! Evans plays bass on the record – in a combo that also features both Jimmy Ponder and David Spinozza on guitar, Jimmy Owens and Art Hoyle on trumpets, and Grady Tate on drums. The album features some great drum breaks on Shirley's versions of "Superstition" and "Lady Madonna", and includes a totally great cover of "People Make The World Go Round", the killer originals "Hanky's Panky" and "Liberation Song", and a sweet take on "Last Tango In Paris". ~ Dusty Groove