SHARON JONES & THE DAPKINGS – SOUL OF A WOMAN
The fantastic final album from Sharon Jones – a wonderfully
deep talent who was taken from us all too soon! The set's maybe the ultimate
setting for Sharon's incredible voice – as it features both her longtime core
combo, the Dap-Kings – as well as additional backings from the Bushwick
Philharmonic – a small ensemble of strings who really help elevate the music to
classic status! If you're worried that the strings might soften the sound, the
very first note of the record will put your mind at rest – as will the heavy
drums that mark just about every track, and keep things hard and funky
throughout. If anyone ever doubted that the Daptone label was our modern
equivalent of Stax Records or Atlantic, this will certainly be the set to
change their mind – and will also stand forever as a bittersweet reminder of
all the greatness that Sharon Jones gave us over the years. Titles include
"Searching For A New Day", "Rumors", "Matter Of
Time", "Sail On", "Just Give Me Your Time", "Come
& Be A Winner", "Call On God", and "These Tears". ~
Dusty Groove
ALEXIS FFRENCH – HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Alexis Ffrench has high ambition. This exceptional pianist
and composer who trained at the Purcell School, the Guildhall School of Music
and Drama and the Royal Academy, wants to bring joy to a world of troubled
times. He also wants to change the way people perceive classical music and to
help make it more inclusive and democratic, more relevant to the society in
which we live. “I was watching the Last Night of the Proms recently and was
struck by the lack of diversity in the audience” he says in the thoughtful
manner in which he considers everything. “The next day, a commentator said:
‘Who says classical music is dead?’ and I was taken aback. There are no new
audiences coming to classical music and I want to change that. It’s incredibly
important to me. We all have a duty, no matter what colour we are, to speak out
and encourage positive change.” With aspirations as bold as those, it’s
fortunate that Ffrench has the personality, dedication and talent to bring
about such a change. His success has made Ffrench a Spotify-era oddity: a
classical musician who has had over 50 million streams of his independently
released music. Now this sharp-dressed man with a laser-focus resolve that
belies the fairy-dust in his fingers is ready to step things up. Earlier this
year he signed with Modest! Management, home to a brace of all-conquering pop
acts, including Little Mix, Olly Murs and Niall Horan. Alexis Ffrench has
released his own piano improvisation on a classic Christmas track “Have
Yourself A Merry Little Christmas”.
GERARDO FRISINA – MODERN LATIN JAZZ
The title's a great one here – as Gerardo Frisina has been
one of the few contemporary artists trying to find a fresh voice for Latin Jazz
– which he does beautifully by blending classic albums and a more current sense
of club! The 2CD package brings together unreleased material with tracks from
many of Frisina's vinyl-only releases – making for the CD debut of most tracks
here, and the first appearance of a few others! All the numbers share that
wonderful sensibility that Gerardo's had in his music for years – a way of
taking acoustic elements and reworking them through modern rhythm programs –
then topping them anew with fresh acoustic elements that often include a fair
bit of jazz-based instrumentation! Almost all the work here is instrumental –
with some fantastic percussion at the core, lots of warm Fender Rhodes – and
other contributions on tenor, trumpet, flute, guitar, and vibes. Unreleased
tracks include "Oyela", "Get On Up", "Uma Danca",
and "Delirium" – and other titles include "Superstrut",
"Passion Dance", "Voice Of The Jungle", "Samba
Skindim", "Donke De", "African Nite Life",
"Mulata", "Blue Latin", "Incanto", "The
Obsession", "Tin Tin Deo", "Moderno Primitivo",
"Space In Time (new version)", "African Seeds (rework)",
and "Baracoa". ~ Dusty Groove
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