Monday, July 04, 2022

New Music: David Versace, Laura Cream & Bill Coon, Brenda Rothwell, Risco Connection

David Versace - Okra

'Summer Party' is the first offering from David Versace’s forthcoming debut LP ‘Okra’. The sharp four minute track hooks like Kamal & The Brothers swinging back and forth between samba with the breadth of the Australian landscape organically intertwined. Perfectly illustrating the rest to come of the LP. Part Jazz, Samba and Ambient excursion and experiments.​David Versace is an Australian multi-genre keyboardist, composer and producer based in Meanjin, Queensland. Growing up in a very musical household it was always important to express and embrace all types of music and sonics. His sound ranges from Jazz and Samba to ambient works and the odd dance-floor heater. David also plays in Meanjin nu-jazz dance outfit First Beige.Since late 2019, he has self released around 20 different tracks and with the most recent signing to La Sape Records, David is excited to announce his debut solo album 'Okra' a conceptual body of work that flows through a culmination of raw organic concepts conceived in the moment, and his most elegant an articulated work yet. 

Laura Cream & Bill Coon - Stringsongs

National Jazz Award winning guitarist Bill Coon and acclaimed Canadian vocalist Laura Crema have collaborated on a book of genre-spanning  original songs. Their offering draws on jazz, Latin, country, and folk music, and evokes a wide range of moods, from carefree exuberance to haunting melancholy. The sumptuous sonic interplay between Laura, Bill, and their renowned collaborators Peggy Lee & Jon Bentley creates a lush, layered, and thoroughly mesmerizing sound. Their new album Stringsongs developed organically, the product of a longstanding musical friendship developed over the course of countless dates with a wide variety of bands. Fittingly, their first song began life as Benni, an instrumental Coon had written for a dear friend. Coon asked Crema if she was interested in writing some lyrics to help capture the essence of friendship and loss – themes which became essential leitmotifs for their entire collaboration. \

Brenda Rothwell - Destiny

Released just before the pandemic, Anglo-Canadian bassist/composer Brendan Rothwell’s 2019 smash single, “Keep on Keepin’ On” – which made him the first indie artist to hit #1 on all three SmoothJazz.com Airplay Charts – offered the musical hope and encouragement we needed to navigate the global challenge. Always evolving and full of surprises, this multi-faceted artist – who was inspired to play bass when he heard Marcus Miller’s groundbreaking work on Miles Davis’ TUTU – infuses his easy-grooving, buoyantly funky and often soulfully meditative third album Destiny the intimate and emotionally direct, heart to heart nature of Brendan’s compositions, Destiny presents twelve master-crafted tracks with titles designed to spark our musical imaginations. www.smoothjazz.com

Risco Connection - Risco Version

We're going back to 1979 at Strut HQ today as we release the first ever official compilation bringing together the reggae / disco singles of Risco Connection, formed by ex-Studio One house drummer "Drummie" Joe Isaacs. Isaacs had created history at Studio One, playing on countless pre-reggae classics before moving to Canada in 1968. “We were among of the first Jamaican musicians to go there,” he explains. “With Risco Connection, we wanted to try something new, songs with a crossover between disco and the rocksteady feeling." Musicians included Isaacs on drums and percussion, bassist Clarence Greer, guitarist Tony Campbell and keyboardist/singer Glen Ricketts. Isaacs also called on a number of great independent vocalists including Merlyn “Lorna” Brooks, (‘Caught Up’), Otis Gayle and Juliette Morgan (‘Bringing The Sun Out’ and ‘Sitting In The Park’). The dub of Risco’s dynamite cover of McFadden and Whitehead’s ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now’ became a firm favourite of David Mancuso at his famed Loft parties. ‘Risco Version’ brings together all of the vocal versions, dubs and additional tracks from the singles and features liner notes by journalist Angus Taylor including an interview with Joe Isaacs. Audio is restored by Sean P and cut loud and proud by The Carvery.


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