RYAN PORTER – THE OPTIMIST
Seriously stunning work from trombone player Ryan Porter and
a young, but already amazing group of LA jazz funk players from the West Coast
Get Down collective he co-founded – including Kamasi Washington, Cameron Graves,
Miles Mosely and others – recorded at Kamasi's Inglewood, CA home studio!
Recorded in 2008 in the confines of "The Shack" – the tight quarters
garage studio at the Washington family's home – the sound is very much the
resonantly soulful, spiritual jazz funk that sowed the seeds for work to come
from the whole collective. Most tracks feature Kamasi on tenor sax, Mosely on
upright bass, Graves on piano & Rhodes and a revolving cast of drummers
including Tony Austin, Robert Miller and Aaron Haggerty. Titles include
"The Psalmist", "Obamanomics", "Strugglesville",
"The Instrumental Hip-Hoppa", "Deja Vu", "Night Court
In Compton", "K-Wash", "Anaya", "Little
Sunflower", "Impressions" and "Chocolate Nuisance".
(Limited edition 3LP set! Includes download.)
~ Dusty Groove
ORQUESTA AKOKAN - ORQUESTA AKOKAN
A record that may well single-handedly mark the huge shift
in American/Cuban relations in years to come – as the set's a tremendous
project between the New York forces of Daptone Records, and the overlooked
genius of the younger scene in Havana! Make no mistake, this isn't your usual
Daptone funk – but instead, the label has found a way to allow this group to
really rise to the height of their powers – no overdone trappings, as they
might get on a bigger label – and instead, a raw sound that's very classic –
yet without sounding slavish to any ideals of Havana in the pre-Castro years
either. There's such wonderful warmth and energy on the record – as both singer
Jose Pepito Gomez and the musicians find this perfect balance – percussion
that's nice and raw, horns that are tight but have modern inflections, and a
production style that's warm and woody, but never slick at all. Includes
"Mambo Rapidito", "La Corbata Barata", "Un Tabaco Pra
Elegua", "Otro Nivel", "La Cosa","Yo Soy Para
Ti", "A Gozar La Vida" and more. ~ Dusty Groove
ROXY COSS – THE FUTURE IS FEMALE
Roxy Coss's second album as a leader for the Posi-Tone label
– and it's her strongest to date, both by design and in performance! Where her
Chasing The Unicorn album set up a whimsical sensibility, this one obliviously
sets up a tone of strength and determination – undercurrents of all her work
we've heard thus far, but are front-and-center thematically here. The titles
are strident and topical, while the sound is timeless, with some thematic
touches – like the almost foreboding intro to "Mr. President" that
leads into marching drums, or the slyly easygoing swing that starts
"Feminist AF" leading to some of the most energetic soloing by Roxy
on the whole set – but she never casts off the neo-classic jazz she's always
had such a strong voice for. Recorded in a single day with her excellent band
including Alex Wintz, Miki Yamanaka, Rick Rosato and Jimmy Macbride, titles
include "Nevertheless, She Persisted", "Little Did She
Know", "She Needed A Hero, So That's What She Became",
"Females Are Strong As Hell", "#MeToo","Nasty Women
Grab Back" and "Ode To A Generation". ~ Dusty Groove
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