Monday, March 07, 2016

NEW RELEASES: THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977; ANENON – PETROL; MAYA – JAZZ A GO GO

THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977

Plenty of street funk and just a bit of jazz here – all served up in the kind of killer funky collection we've always loved from the BGP label! As with some of their other gems, this set goes way beyond the obvious – and digs deep to not just feature rare singles and album tracks, but also include some never-issued recordings from the same period – which makes the set every bit as important for collectors of vintage 45s as it is for newcomers just looking to get a funky taste! There's a hard, deep vibe to most of these tracks – definitely some of the righteous message promised by the cover and title, but also just some plain old funky elements too – served up with lots of sinister guitar lines, heavy drums, and a mix of instrumental riffing and hard soul vocals. Titles include a special instrumental DJ edit of "A Joyful Process" by Funkadelic – plus "Dose Of Soul" by Chet Ivey & His Fabulous Avengers, "Do It" by Billy Sha Rae, "Music For The Brothers" by The Solicitors, "What's The Matter With The World" by Dave Hamilton, "Chains" by Blacks & blues, "Things Gonna Get Better" by Clarence Coulter, "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" by Pretty Purdie & The Playboys, "One Man's Loss" by Vernon Garrett, "125th Street & 7th Ave" by Richard Groove Holmes, "Mucho Macho" by Macho, "Push On Jesse Jackson" by The Pace Setters, "Shorty The Pimp" by Don Julian, and "Payin Dues" by Ruby Delicious. ~ Dusty Groove

ANENON - PETROL

The cover's got a fuzzy picture of a tenor on the front, and the sound here has some nicely fuzzy currents to match – a compelling blend of jazz music with almost a larger sense of sonic space – a bit like a small combo trying to perform their version of Disintegration Loops! The core sound comes from Brian Allen Simon – who plays the tenor on the front, but also adds in Fender Rhodes, Polysix, and a bit of laptop work too – alongside additional violin from Yvette Holzwarth, bass clarinet from Max Kaplan, and drums from Jon Kyle Mohr – musicians who seem more of the larger soundscape of Simon's electronics than core members of the quartet. The approach is quite unique – almost jazz electronica, although without all the lameness that term might invoke – and titles include "Body", "Lumina", "CXP", "Mouth", "Hinoki", "Machines", and "Petrol". ~ Dusty Groove

MAYA – JAZZ A GO GO

Jazz a go go, and Paris a go go too – as singer Maya served up a wonderful tribute to female French pop of the late 60s – done at a level that's mostly jazz-based at the core, but which often hits all the right groovy rhythms to fit the tunes! Most of the lyrics here are in French – although there are a few English language tunes too – and the cool combo in the back uses a cool mix of piano, organ, guitar, flute, tenor, and accordion in shifting ways – all to illuminate the tunes with the right sort of rhythms and instrumental touches, as Maya steps back for modes that recall older work by singers like France Gall, Christiane Legrand, Nicole Croisille, and Francoise Hardy. Titles include "Jazz A Gogo", "Comment T Dire Adieu", "I Will Wait For You", "Paroles Paroles", "L'Amour C'Est Pour Rien", and "Les Champs Elysees". (HQ Hi Quality CD pressing.)  ~ Dusty Groove


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