NEW RELEASES: JOSE MAURO - OBNOXIOUS; JACK TEMPCHIN – ONE MORE SONG; NINA SIMONE – WHAT HAPPENED, MS. SIMONE? (DVD+CD)

JOSE MAURO - OBNOXIOUS

Today, very little is known about Jose Mauro and as a result those searching for some kind of insight on the man behind the music must attempt to glean what they can from the music itself. One rumour claims he died in a car accident shortly before the album’s release, a fact that could have lent his brief musical career a touch of mythology were it not for how scant the details concerning any other aspects of his life are. The political turmoil from which the album emerged is significant also; recorded during an era of oppressive state censorship, the album, like all the Quartin catalogue, is the result of steadfast defiance in the face of a crushing military dictatorship. While many musicians of the era fled the country, preferring their prospects in the affluent, liberated USA, rebellious, young musicians like Mauro chose to stay and reflect their anger at the authorities through thinly veiled protest songs such as the stirring ‘Apocalipse’. Herein lies the basis for a more dramatic theory; that Mauro was in fact abducted by the military! Whatever the truth, the mystery remains unsolved, and all that remains is his bewitching music. 

Today, Obnoxious retains its strange, otherworldly appeal – A firm favourite amongst a small circle of deep diggers including Madlib, Gilles Peterson and Floating Points. Jose Mauro’s mournful and melancholic vocals create a dark, brooding atmosphere that stands in contrast to the usual joyfulness and high-spirited rhythm of the more prominent Brazilian music of the era. Despite this air of foreboding, Mauro’s confident baritones, chord patterns and sumptuous arrangements have the ability to induce in the listener an almost trance-like state of ecstasy. Mauro’s long hidden masterpiece, a complex and uniquely stunning work is being offered the chance to be heard by the wider audience it has always deserved. A second Jose Mauro release, A Viagem Des Horas, compiling more incredible tracks unreleased in Mauro’s lifetime, will follow, alongside other unreleased jewels from the Quartin catalogue, from the likes of Piri and Victor Assis Brasil.

JACK TEMPCHIN – ONE MORE SONG

Jack Tempchin is known for penning some of the most durable tunes in American music, including hits with such artists as the Eagles (“Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Almost Gone”), George Jones, Glenn Frey, Glen Campbell, and many others. “The threads that weave through Tempchin’s earlier work and his newer material are the quality office narrative storytelling and the crystalline musical sound of every one of the songs.” - No Depression – Includes: Slow Dancing; Singing In The Streets; Old River; Around Midnight; Circle Ties That Bind; So Long My Friend; Still Looking For A Way To Say Goodbye; Streets Of Midnight; I Got Her Right Where She Wants Me; Song For You; and Tumbleweed.

NINA SIMONE – WHAT HAPPENED, MS. SIMONE? (DVD+CD)

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 2016 Oscars, Best Music Film at the 2016 Grammy Awards, and winning Best Documentary at the American Film Institute Awards in 2016, documentary film What Happened, Miss Simone? connected with critics and fans alike with its deep examination of the legendary Nina Simone. Available as a DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, and on Digital Formats, with additional bonus interviews not included in the main film. CD includes: I Loves You Porgy; Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood; I Put A Spell On You; Strange Fruit; Sinnerman; Mississippi Goddam; Little Girl Blue; Don't Smoke In Bed; My Baby Just Cares For Me; Lilac Wine; Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair; Night Song; Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out; Feeling Good; and Ne Me Quitte Pas.