NEW RELEASES: DERRICK HODGE - THE SECOND; DERRICK HARRIOTT – REGGAE, FUNK & SOUL 1969-1975; JIM SNIDERO – MD66

DERRICK HODGE – THE SECOND

Derrick Hodge blows our mind yet again – and reminds us with this set that he's way more than just a bassist who's known for his earlier work with Robert Glasper! Instead, Hodge takes on a whole host of different instruments – and often provides most of the music on most of the tracks, thanks to the magic of overdub – including some sweet piano and keyboard passages that have a very Glasper-like sense of soul, but which also reflect the more open range of some of Derrick's musical ideas! Some tunes have a very open, spacious quality – others are more rhythmically focused – and the set features some instrumentation from Marck Colenburg on drums, Keyon Harrold on trumpet, and Marcus Strickland on tenor. Titles include "Clock Strike Zero", "For Generations", "Transitions", "Song 3", "The Second", "Heart Of A Dreamer", "Going", "Don Blue", and "Underground Rhapsody". ~ Dusty Groove

DERRICK HARRIOTT – REGGAE, FUNK & SOUL 1969-1975

The title certainly gets it right – as Derrick Harriott serves up a wonderful mix of sounds that owes plenty to American funk and soul of the early 70s – some cool Kingston covers of famous US tunes, and some other originals that are equally groovy overall! The set's one of the best that we've ever heard from the Dub Store label – and almost has a Soul Jazz level of track selection – really wonderful work that either features Derrick in the lead, or working with some hip contemporaries, in a groove that's totally great – neither straight reggae, but also quite far from more familiar funk and soul too. Titles include "Black Moses" by The Preacher, "Tougher Than Tough" by I Roy, "Brown Baby" by Derrick Harriott, "Hell Below" by Crystal Generation, "Going Back Home" by The Chosen Few, "Psychedelic Train" by Derrick Harriott, "Slippery" by Karl Bryan & The Crystalites, "Home Sweet Home" by Bongo Herman & Les, "Rescue The Children" by Junior Murvin, "Phoenix" by Noel Brown, "People Make The World Go Round" by The Chosen Few, and "Message From A Black Man" by Derrick Harriott. ~ Dusty Groove

JIM SNIDERO – MD66

Fantastic work from reedman Jim Snidero – wrapped up tight here in the frontline with trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, a pair who come off with a hell of a lot of focus and power right from the very first note! Sipiagin's horn provides this farther reach for Snidero's ideas – really pushing his alto strongly as the pair weave wonderful lines at the start of the tune, then break off into their solos – driven by excellent work from bandmates Andy Laverne on piano, Ugonna Okegwo on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. The album's got a fresh, bold sense of power that reminds us that jazz, once again, is all about bringing the right folks together in the right way! Titles include "MD66", "Recursion", "Free Beauty", "Who We've Known", "Blue In Green", "Unified", and "Purge". ~ Dusty Groove