Monday, December 15, 2014

NEW RELEASES: WADADA LEO SMITH & ECO D’ALBERI - JUNE 6TH, 2013; THEO PARRISH – AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE; JOHN GIBBS AND THE UNLIMITED SOUNDS OF STEEL ORCHESTRA - STEEL FUNK

WADADA LEO SMITH & ECO D’ALBERI - JUNE 6TH, 2013

One of the boldest albums we've heard from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith in years – a set that takes us right back to his key contributions of the 70s! The recent performance has Smith's trumpet in the company of an Italian quartet – with tenor and sopranino sax from Edoardo Marraffa, piano from Alberto Braida, bass from Antonio Borghini, and drums from Fabrizio Spera – all players who are never entirely free, and instead have the cohesion of some of the best New York groups from the loft jazz years – right drown to the overall conception of each track, and even the way the material was recorded. Smith sounds brilliant in the setting – still attuned to the textural experiments that have made other recent records great, but playing with a power that's definitely old school, and wonderfully soulful too. Titles include "Red Earth", "The Zebra Goes Wild", "Decision Says The Source", "Full Moon", and "Above The Tree Line". (Hand numbered, limited edition of 500!)  ~ Dusty Groove

THEO PARRISH – AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE

The first proper album from Detroit club genius Theo Parrish in years – a set that has Theo working way at the top of his game – doing conscious club music, but imbued with a compelling mood and artful quality, all while never undercutting the floor-shaking rhythmic sensibility of the music! There's relatively spare quality to much of the set that makes it all the more interesting – not a single misplaced beat, note, or bit of vocal to be found – and even the longest jams are perfectly lean, but really have a way of keeping things changing up in this really great way. As longtime fans of Theo Parrish, we find it pretty damn rewarding that he continues his creative reign a good couple of decades into his career. 3LP vinyl version features 9 classic level numbers, with no more than 2 jams on per side: "Footwork", "Cypher Delight", "Ah" feat Marcellus Pittman, Ideeyah & Duminie Deporres, "Make No War", "Creepcake", "Drive", "Fallen Funk", "Be In Yo Self" feat Ideeyah & Duminie Deporres and "Helmut Lampshade". (Comes in a great tri-fold sleeve, too!)  ~ Dusty Groove


JOHN GIBBS AND THE UNLIMITED SOUNDS OF STEEL ORCHESTRA - STEEL FUNK

One of the coolest, funkiest steel drum albums ever recorded – a really legendary set that played big on the New York club scene of the late 70s – and which has been the delight of collectors for years to come! Other steel pan bands in the Caribbean played funky styles in the 70s, but few ever got the music just as right as John Gibbs – a man with a great ear for fresh sounds borrowed from the disco underground of the time, then mixed with island elements that had a bit more background – with resulting grooves that still stand strong all these many years later! The whole album's a gem – no snoozy versions of "Yellow Bird" to get in the way – and titles include "Steel Funk", "Theme From Shaft", and "Trinidad & Tobago". Other titles include an instrumental take on "Steel Funk", "Brazil", "Street Cries", and "Cast Your Fate To The Wind" – plus an LP bonus track of "J'Ouvert" from a 12" single! ~ Dusty Groove


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