New Music Releases: Selenites Band, Aldorande, Cotonete & Di Melo

Selenites Band - Ethio Jazz Groove Project

An album that definitely lives up to the title – as the music here is rooted in classic Ethiopian modes, but also has the freer flow of a contemporary funky jazz ensemble! There have been other Ethio-styled albums from current groups in recent years, but this set may well be one of the best – as the group really leave room for plenty of their own sense of expression, which includes some nicely roomy solos, especially on baritone sax! Other instrumentation includes Fender Rhodes, moog, flute, bass, drums, guitar, and some guest organ – and titles include reworks of classics by Mulatu Astatke and some of his contemporaries – "Yegelle Tezeta", "Yekatit", "Muzikawi Silt", "Yekermo Sew", and "Antchim Endelela".  ~ Dusty Groove / (Hand-numbered limited edition of 300!).

Aldorande - Aldorande

A jazz funk killer from Aldorande – a French quartet that features some mighty nice keyboards from Florian Pellissier, who we also really love on his own recordings too! The style here is different than those, though – very tight rhythms with a slightly cosmic core – almost jazz funk taking things back from the broken beat generation, finding a way to move with energy learned from that scene, but in a style that's more cohesively funky – classic and contemporary at the same time! The group get a bit of help from added horns at points, and there's also a bit of vocals on the set too – but the main energy comes from the fantastic mix of keyboards and rhythms at the core. Titles include "Praia Do Destino", "Rayon Vert", "Because Of You", "La Fin Est Un Commencement", "Beauty Island", and "Sous La Lune".  ~ Dusty Groove

Cotonete & Di Melo - Atemporal

A legendary soul singer returns to the fold – the mighty Di Melo, who's best known for one killer Brazilian funk album in the 70s – working here with superb support from contemporary French combo Cotonete! Di Melo's vocals maybe sound even better than before – with a raspy charm that only deepens the soul, and which has this tremendous power, even if you can't understand his Portuguese lyrics – and Cotonete provide grooves that move between tight funk and airier moments, often drenched in Fender Rhodes, which gives the whole thing the right sort of 70s echoes to take us back to Di Melo's classic material. Really tremendous, and long overdue – with cuts that include "Canto Da Yara", "Papos Desconexos (parts 1 & 2)", "Linhas De Alinhar", "Verso E Prosa", "Kilario", and "Mulher Instrumento (parts 1 & 2)".  ~ Dusty Groove