NEW MUSIC: LEON WARE – MUSICAL MASSAGE (REMASTERED & EXPANDED); JAZZTRONIK – KEYSTROKE; MATHIAS LANDEAUS - FROM THE PIANO

LEON WARE – MUSICAL MASSAGE (REMASTERED & EXPANDED)

Amazing stuff! Arguably Leon Ware's greatest record – and one of the greatest Motown records of the 70s! The record is a beautiful set of interwoven mellow soul tracks, recorded right on the heels of Marvin Gaye's I Want You album, which was written and conceived by Ware, then taken at the last minute by Marvin! For this set, Ware creates a very similar sound – mixing together smooth keyboards with subtle bits of funk and electronics, all wrapped up in his own sweet warm vocals, which sound better here than on any other album. The whole thing's filled with loads of beautiful tracks, including "French Waltz", "Journey Into You", "Phantom Lover", and the great "Turn Out the Light", written with Minnie Riperton. Plus, this reissue features 5 previously unissued bonus tracks – Leon's original versions of "Comfort (aka Come Live With Me Angel)", recorded with Minnie Riperton, and "I Wanna Be Where You Are", both done by Marvin Gaye on I Want You, plus the tracks "Don't You Wanna Come", "Long Time No See", and "You Are The Way You Are". ~ Dusty Groove

JAZZTRONIK – KEYSTROKE

Beautiful sounds from Jazztronik – a set that reminds us why we first fell in love with his music so many years ago! The album mixes wonderful keyboard lines and warmly soulful vocals – the former from the man himself, Ryo Nozaki – the latter from guests who include Valerie Etienne, Eliana, Love, Kaori Takeda, and Sumire – singers whose presence is interspersed with instrumental tracks that further the lyrical vision of Nozaki's music! Nozaki's really upped his vision here – and not only works in strings on some of the more soaring numbers, but also creates these gentler, poetic passages at mellower moments – all blended together at a level that makes this the most sophisticated Jazztronik set we've ever heard. Titles include "Now", "DGA", "Lost Melody", "Parade", "Warp", "The City Beyond", "Peach Boy", and "A New Phase Of Life". ~ Dusty Groove

MATHIAS LANDEAUS - FROM THE PIANO

The title and cover really get to the heart of the matter here – as the album's definitely from the piano, but not just the keys – as pianist Mathias Landeaus has a way of playing that can really open up the whole instrument! Some numbers are beautifully lyrical and poetic, but others have this offbeat ear that's still quite musical, but which uses inner parts of the instrument, and possibly some "prepared" piano as well – to create these amazing sounds that balance things out wonderfully with his more introspective solos! The whole thing's very unified – none of these are just experiments for experiment's sake – and it's been years since we've heard a player able to merge older expressions and new ideas so easily like this. A few moments feel electronic, but the notes claim that every sound here was made on Mathias Landaeus' 1910 Steinway – and titles include "Just Like Our Children", "Yellow Circle", "Pedagogen", "Grasshoppers & Some Other Bugs", "Angels In Our Car", "Piano N Piano", "Jens", "Last Song On Earth", and "The Male Isolation Pattern".  ~ Dusty Groove