Wednesday, January 31, 2018

NEW RELEASES: THE SOULTREND ORCHESTRA - 84 KING STREET; GERRY HEMINGWAY / SAMUEL BLASER - OOSTUM; JONATHAN BUTLER – SARAH, SARAH: THE ANTHOLOGY

THE SOULTREND ORCHESTRA - 84 KING STREET

The Soultrend Orchestra is the brainchild of author and arranger Nerio “Papik” Poggi (who has produced more than 20 albums in the last 10 years and has collaborated with several Italian and international artists including Mario Biondi , Matt Bianco, Sarah Jane Morris, Wendy D Lewis and Tom Gaebel) accompanied for this new project by producer and composer Luigi Di Paola with whom Papik has been working for over twenty years. The first abum from Soultrend was released in 2011 and was titled ‘Groovy Nights’. The new album is entitled ’84 King Street’as the band gets bigger and presents a more ambitious project than the previous one. The main inspiration is clearly the disco sound of Nile Rodgers & Chic who have been so popular of lately with a worldwide rebirth of their musical style. More than 35 musicians and singers have taken part in the recording of the Orchestra’s album. Among the featuring vocalists are, Lucy Campeti (from the Duo Groovy Sistas), who has worked with Gabin, Franco Micalizzi, Gloria Gaynor and Mario Biondi; Ely Bruna, (who has featured in most of Papik’s projects); Frankie Lovecchio, (who has collaborated with Claudio Baglioni, Delegation, Mario Biondi, Mike Francis and Amy Stewart); the soul Band ‘Adika Pongo’, who in 2011 released an album for the historic UK soul label Expansion Records; Frankie Pearl (from the Duo ‘Groovy Sistas’), a very talented singer; Letizia Liberati (‘More Blonde’), Isabella Canana, Dario Daneluz, all three well-known Italian session vocalists, and to complete the list are the soul duo Janine Johnson and Eli Thompson, aka ‘Westcost Soulstars’. The title “84 King Street” refers to the address of New York legendary “Paradise Garage” disco where Larry Levan (world renowned Disco DJ) was the main resident and where Disco Music had its highest peak in popularity during the second half of 70’s.

GERRY HEMINGWAY / SAMUEL BLASER - OOSTUM

A really great setting for drummer Gerry Hemingway – an album that has him improvising live with trombonist Samuel Blaser – a fantastic musician who's one of the freshest trombone talents we've heard in years! In previous comments, we've liked Blaser to a modern day heir to the genius of 60s trombonists like Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur – and those words definitely hold true here, as Blaser delivers a wondrous balance between new sounds and tuneful moments, fresh ideas and a longer tradition on his horn – all in ways that make Hemmingway sound even more creative than usual. The album features six duets, all recorded live in a church during a jazz festival in the Netherlands – with titles that include "Spoor", "Rogue", "Mettle", "Bloos", and "Balloon".  ~  Dusty Groove
.
JONATHAN BUTLER – SARAH, SARAH: THE ANTHOLOGY

Classic 80s soul from Jonathan Butler – an artist who didn't emerge on the global scene until halfway through the decade, but one who'd already had plenty of recordings on his home turf of South America! Butler was part of the great Pacific Express group in the late 70s, and also recorded as a younger artist too – but by the time of these tracks for Jive, he was a fully-formed soul singer and guitarist, easily able to take on both the American and UK worlds of soul – where he shined brightly as a triumphant force to emerge during the generation of Apartheid. Unlike other South African artists crossing over at the time, Butler's got a vibe that's much more suited to the American soul world of the period – as you'll hear on this well-done collection of 32 tracks from his big crossover years. The set's got just about every key track from these years, including duets with Vanessa Bell Armstrong and Ruby Turner – and titles include "7th Avenue South", "Haunted By Your Love", "Baby Please Don't Take It", "I'll Be Waiting For Your Love", "Gentle Love", "Afrika", "Take Me Home", "Sarah Sarah", "One More Dance", "Barenese", "Say We'll Be Together", "What Does It Take", "Welcome Home", "No Strings No Ties", "True Love Never Fails", "Song For Jon", "If You're Ready", "Melodie", "Crossroads Revisited", "I Miss Your Love Tonight", "Holding On", "Lies (ext version)", and "Love Songs Candlelight & You". ~ Dusty Groove


No comments:

Post a Comment