New Music: Summer Of Soul, Straight From The Decks 2, Curtis Mayfield, Andrew Cyrille / William Parker / Enrico Rava

Summer Of Soul – Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised

The long-overdue release of a set of famous soul performances – all done at the Harlem Cultural Festival in the summer of 1969 – and issued here on record for the first time ever! The festival has become something of a legend – and finally got exposure on the screen, thanks to a directorial effort by Questlove. But in the film, most of the music was shown in shorter snippets – and this album corrects that by presenting the full performances of some of the key tunes in the movie, plus other great material too! The music is a great mix of soul, jazz, gospel, and Latin – and titles include "Are You Ready" and "Backlash Blues" by Nina Simone, "Together" by Ray Barretto, "Sing A Simple Song" and "Everyday People" by Sly & The Family Stone, "My Girl" by David Ruffin, "Hold On I'm Coming" by Herbie Mann, "Why I Sing The Blues" by BB King, "Uptown" by The Chambers Brothers, "Don't Cha Hear Me Callin To Ya" and "Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In" by The 5th Dimension, "Oh Happy Day" by Edwin Hawkins, "It's Been A Change" by The Staple Singers, "Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Gladys Knight & The Pips, and "Precious Lord Take My Hand" by Mavis Staples & Mahalia Jackson. ~ Dusty Groove

Straight From The Decks 2 - Various Artists

Any DJ set will tell you, unconsciously or not, it's about the author. The records selected and the way they're presented, they should make the audience really feel the DJ’s state of mind and learn about him or her in that moment. The appetite for digging, the quest for the a new or forgotten rarity is really what makes a DJing so special to me. Time stretching is a thing that in my opinion too many DJ’s have made a pact with. This digital steamroller runs over rhythm, fixing the tempo while leaving behind an agonising drummer whose only crime was getting slightly carried away and moving the BPM forward a little. Subsequently removing all the charm and life out of a track. My conception of music and DJ sets is the exact opposite. Since the first volume of 'Straight From The Decks', my DJ sets have been redesigned, refreshed and improved. I still don't have any preexisting plans, I let them evolve naturally, following my new desires.In this second 'Straight From The Decks' selection, you’ll find 7” vinyl records available to everyone, sitting proudly next to some rarities found online acquired through nerve-raking auction battles. There are also two exclusive remixes, along with titles that until now were only available digitally. Sixteen titles which have become the heart of my sets throughout this past year. ~ Pura Vida Guts

Curtis Mayfield - Very Best Of Curtis Mayfield (blue vinyl pressing)

Groundbreaking work from the legendary Curtis Mayfield – a set that brings together some of the best tracks from his initial run as a solo artist on his own Curtom Records – work that's forever set the standard for righteous, message-oriented funky soul! Every cut here is a gem, and the selection of tracks is great – certainly some of the classics, but also some that aren't as well known, but equally groovy – stretched out here in a double-length set list that includes "Move On Up", "The Makings Of You", "Pusherman", "Future Shock", "Kung Fu", "Can't Say Nothin", "So In Love", "If There's A Hell Below We're All Going To Go", "Get Down", "Freddie's Dead", "Superfly", "We Got To Have Peace", "Do Do Wap Is Strong In Here", "Do Be Down", "Between You Baby & Me", and "Only You Babe". ~ Dusty Groove

Andrew Cyrille / William Parker / Enrico Rava - 2 Blues For Cecil

Three legendary improvisers – coming together in a set of music that reminds us that with work like this, they're maybe even more essential than ever! All three players have risen to new heights in recent years – giving us music under their own names that really re-affirm their place in the jazz cosmos – but here, working together on longer improvisations, they seem to knock it out of the park even more – especially Rava, whose trumpet really seems set on fire in the company of William Parker's bass and Andrew Cyrille's drums! The title of the record is a reference to two of the album's long tracks dedicated to Cecil Taylor – but in a way, the whole thing serves as such – as the trio really work forward to negotiate new space in the improvising territory opened up by Taylor many years back – on titles that include "Overboard", "Enrava Melody", "Blues For Cecil No 1", "Improvisation No 1", "Ballerina", "Machu Picchu", and "Top Bottom & What's In The Middle". ~ Dusty Groove