John Raymond & Real Feels Expand on Original Compositions & Indie-Rock Meets Jazz Arrangements for Sophomore Studio Album Joy Ride

In the unfettered world of the jazz musician, having a long-time working group with a unique identity and sound is a rare thing. But for over four years now, Minnesota-born trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer John Raymond has done just that. His bass-less trio Real Feels, which includes guitarist Gilad Hekselman and drummer Colin Stranahan, evokes a sense of home, companionship and comfort that his Midwest roots might suggest. However, bringing together three musicians from three distinct musical backgrounds make the group a model of what defines American music -- a melting pot of influences tied together by a close bond of warm-hearted kinship. Their newest album Joy Ride accomplishes this in its fullest sense.

The majority of the music on Joy Ride was written during a self-imposed, month-long retreat in which Raymond spent hours composing each day. Among the priorities for the music was Raymond's desire to connect to his listeners, so rather than compose "heady" or complex songs, he focused on simplifying and writing music that people could sing along with. When the group was ready to record the new music, Raymond brought in Matt Pierson as producer to help streamline the recording process and help craft a stronger musical presentation.

The recording begins with the title track, "Joy Ride," a jaunty original that keeps both the band and the listener on the edge of their seats for the entire tune. The group's interpretation of Paul Simon's "I'd Do It For Your Love" provides a perfect setting for Raymond's flugelhorn on the sing-song melody and intriguing harmonic underpinning. Raymond's "Follower" evokes a Radiohead-esque vibe, with a steady groove and winding, mysterious melody. Justin Vernon's music is a huge influence on Raymond, as he was in Eau Claire when Bon Iver was just in its nascent form. Taking hints from a live Bon Iver performance in Brooklyn, the trumpeter rearranged "Minnesota, WI" into an incredibly poignant and resonant piece which features Hekselman stretching over his own guitar loops. The group's take on the hymn "Be Still, My Soul" starts out calm but gradually becomes more edgy and dissonant, ending with a collectively improvised release of acoustic and electronic sounds.

The bare, yet moving original "Fortress" further reinforces Raymond's indie-rock influences. Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" is a perfect pop song set up with a repetitive guitar riff that the group modulates both harmonically and metrically throughout. Raymond's soulful "En Route" is a lighthearted piece that breezily traverses the musical back roads. A tribute to a Minnesota legend, Raymond's pastoral take on Bob Dylan's iconic "The Times They Are A-Changin'" (to this day, still a powerful political statement) subtly shifts and bends, yet retains, the essential sentiment of the song. The recording concludes with "Hymn," a duo performance with Hekselman leaving the listener with yet another simple and sincere melody resonating in their ears.

"From the very beginning this band has had a special connection, not only to each other but also to listeners -- both jazz and non-jazz inclined," Raymond states. "The process of recording this album gave way to an even more tangible realization of this connection, and upon completion we all remarked to each other how unique this music was going to be." The urge to create a band with a deep chemistry was of high importance to John Raymond. The desire to play music that develops a unique and memorable connection to the listener was also a priority. Both of these are on full display in Joy Ride, a distinctive and highly listenable new recording that will further establish Raymond and the group as an important voice in jazz today.

Originally from Minneapolis, MN, John Raymond grew to appreciate musicians who wanted not only a connection with their audience but also with their associates on the bandstand and, taking this to heart, the trumpeter applied the sentiment when he created his own band, Real Feels.

Raymond moved to New York City after spending some time time studying music in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He was able to establish himself in the New York scene playing alongside well-known musicians like Billy Hart, Orrin Evans, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dan Tepfer and Linda May Han Oh among others. He also began to establish himself as a bandleader by releasing four albums since 2012, all of which receiving critical acclaim including nods from the Stereogum, New York Times, and Downbeat Magazine who named him a Rising Star Trumpeter in 2016.

Raymond formed Real Feels in 2014 by piecing together a trio comprised of flugelhorn, guitar and drums. Influenced by albums done by Art Farmer and Jim Hall, as well as the collaborations of Ron Miles, Bill Frisell and Brian Blade, Raymond called guitarist Gilad Hekselman who was a frequent contributor in Raymond's past projects. Raymond's decision to play as a trio without a bassist allowed Hekselman free reign to interpret the harmony of the compositions any way he chose. Providing the glue between Hekselman's harmony and Raymond's melody would be drummer Colin Stranahan, a formidable but elastic timekeeper who had an instant connection with Raymond and Hekselman. Together, the group would go on to release two albums in 2016, the self-titled Real Feels and a live follow up Real Feels: Live, Vol. 1.

John Raymond & Real Feels Upcoming 2018 Tour Dates:

January 17 - 18 / Indiana University Residency / Bloomington, IN

January 19 / Rudy's Jazz Room / Nashville, TN

January 20 / The Velvet Note / Atlanta, GA

January 21 / White Horse Black Mountain / Asheville, NC

February 7 / Jazz Standard / New York, NY

February 10 / The Liberty / Cincinnati, OH

February 11 / Mabel Tainter Theater / Menomonie, MN

February 12 / The Icehouse / Minneapolis, MN

February 13 / Jazz Showcase / Chicago, IL

February 14 - 15 / Luther College Residency / Decorah, IA

February 16 / The Mill / Iowa City, IA

February 17 / Noce / Des Moines, IA

April 4 / Twins Jazz Club / Washington, D.C.

April 5 / The Bop Stop / Cleveland, OH

April 6 / Cliff Bells / Detroit, MI

April 7 / BLU Jazz / Akron, OH

May 10 / The Dark Room / St. Louis, MO

May 11 / Dazzle Jazz / Denver, CO

May 12 / The Nash / Phoenix, AZ

May 14 - 15 / Blue Whale / Los Angeles, CA

John Raymond & Real Feels · Joy Ride 

Sunnyside Records · Release Date: February 9, 2018

Cult combo CALIBRO 35 announce the new studio album “DECADE” and celebrate 10 years

Italian cinematic funk cult band CALIBRO 35 announce the release of their sixth studio album “DECADE”, which will hit the streets worldwide on February the 9th 2018 on Record Kicks. Today the band unveils the first teaser, taken from the recording sessions at Milano’s Officine Meccaniche, album’s artwork by Solo Macello and tracklist.

“DECADE” marks 10 years of Calibro 35’s releases and it’s the very first album recorded by the band with an orchestral-inspired enlarged line-up that features horns, strings and percussions. Mixed and recorded by CALIBRO’s usual suspect and Grammy Award winner for The Muse Drone album Tommaso Colliva “DECADE” is CALIBRO 35’s “time capsule” and it is as rare and complex as a timeless work.

Active since 2008, CALIBRO 35 enjoys a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent band around. During their ten years career, they have been sampled by Dr. Dre on his Compton album and Jay-Z, they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat, Headhunters and as unique musicians they've collaborated with, amongst others PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (Jet).

Described by Rolling Stone magazine's as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that happened to Italy in the last years", Calibro 35 now count on a number of aficionados worldwide which includes VIP’s fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin’ Criminals).

Ray Brown Jr Shines On New International Jazz Recording

SRI Jazz is proud present a new album by Ray Brown Jr, cementing his place as one of the leading jazz vocalists performing today. Called a cross between Billy Eckstein and Al Jarreau, Ray Brown Jr. is the heir - apparent to the title of the best smooth jazz vocalist of our time and is the “Featured Artist” on the label’s website http://www.srirecords.com.

His new album is simply titled “This Is Ray Brown Jr .” , as it showcases this superb artist as he glides through thirteen creative renditions of classic jazz and blues songs combined with Ray’s warm and charming vocals making it this one of the best vocal jazz albums of the year.

Ray is one of those rare journeymen singers who, like his famous Mother (Ella Fitzgerald), is more at home performing than anywhere else. Most recently he has been working non - stop throughout Europe , Australia and the Ukraine ( where this album was recorded ) to sold out shows of adoring audiences with a terrific band of talented musicians who are thrilled to be working with this amazing artist.

“ This Is Ray Brown Jr ” was recorded at Fonia Recording Studios, Lviv, Ukraine during March & August 2017 with engineer Yuriy Melnik . Ray’s band of veteran musicians included Yuriy Seredin on piano, Andrew Arnautoff on bass, Frank Parker on drums, Dimitry Kovalenko and Vlad DeBriansky (on loan from the American Music Academy) on guitars, Bogdan Humeniuk on saxophone and Andy Valentine on percussion.

“I’ve worked with some of the greatest names in Jazz and I’ve worked with Ray for many years and, as far as I’m concerned, this is Ray’s best work. This album is the culmination of the talents of Ray Brown Jr. and his years of non - stop performing. The man just keeps getting better as he is never satisfied and always wants to improve. This album ranks up there with his critically acclaimed SRI Jazz duets album, Friends And Family ”, stated Shelly Liebowitz, veteran producer and label President .

SRI Jazz, SRI Records and Flamingo Jazz are all part of SRI Label Group, celebrating twenty years of providing quality, collectible Blues, Jazz, Country and Rock & Roll from major artists past and present. As one of the first websites on the  internet to offer great new and collectible music, srirecords.com has established itself as a music pioneer on the internet. With industry veteran Shelly Liebowitz at the helm, SRI has strived to provide a standard of excellence in the world of music.

Visit THE JAZZ NETWORK WORLDWIDE "A GREAT PLACE TO HANG" at: http://www.thejazznetworkworldwide.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Quartet Records and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents a very special new edition of Burt Bacharach’s timeless classic soundtrack for the 1967 James Bond spoof Casino Royale to celebrate its 50th anniversary

The infectious main theme performed by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass is just the starting point of an epic comedy ride that includes such highlights as the unforgettable “The Look of Love,” sung by Dusty Springfield, or the epic fight music at the end of the film. Produced by record industry legend Phil Ramone, the original soundtrack LP offered selected highlights, expertly edited to showcase the best parts of the entire score. Thanks to the legendary sound quality of the stereo copies, this record became one of the most highly sought-after collectibles in the industry.

Previously released on CD by several labels, including us (twice, both now out of print), this edition is an important landmark for this legendary score, and we can proudly say that it now sounds better than ever. This new edition has been produced, restored and mastered by wizard engineer Chris Malone, rebuilding the score from the ground up. Malone’s work has focused on addressing unintended technical anomalies (such as filling dropouts and covering analogue splices) rather than broadly applying a modern sound palette. He has eschewed dynamic range compression and retained the brilliance of the original recording. Because the LP program derived from the original film recordings (with some edits made for a more pleasure listening), we have included it on our CD and added all the music composed by Bacharach that was not on the LP to make a 77-minute CD. The bonus tracks are in mono (music stems are still the only available source to date), but Chris has worked them in a very different mood from our previous edition, respecting the mono without adding any stereo reverb and carefully restoring each track in a very warm way. We can say the sound is day and night compared with our previous edition. Live and learn.

  

This release includes a bonus track making its CD debut: the promo-single version by Mike Redway, and arranged by Bacharach, of the song “Have No Fear, Bond Is Here.” The CD also showcases all-new, exclusive liner notes from film music writer Jeff Bond, and new art design by Nacho B. Govantes in a 20-page full-color booklet.

. .

Burt Bacharach, Casino Royale: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack – 50th Anniversary Edition (Quartet Records, 2017) (Quartet Records / Screen Archives)

The Remastered Original Album (Stereo)

Casino Royale (Main Title) – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

The Look of Love – Dusty Springfield

Moneypenny Goes for Broke

Le Chiffre’s Torture of the Mind

Home James, Don’t Spare the Horses

Sir James’ Trip to Find Mata

The Look of Love (Instrumental)

Hi There, Miss Goodthighs

Little French Boy

Flying Saucer/First Stop Berlin

The Venerable Sir James Bond

Dream On James, You’re Winning

The Big Cowboys and Indians Fight at Casino Royale/Casino Royale (Reprise) – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Bonus Tracks (Mono)

Casino Royale (Main Title) – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Open Cars Converging/To the Bond Chateau

The Black Rose

James Bond in Scotland

The Widow Duty of Lady Fiona/Wassail

The Grouse Shoot

Mimi’s Lament

Gymnasium Training

The Look of Love (Film Vocal) – Dusty Springfield

Proposals, Super 8 and Costumes

Sir’ James Trip to Find Mata/Temple Dance

Sitar Background

Old Berlin House/Mata Hari School for Spies

Bond Arrival in France

Vesper in the Shower

Le Chiffre’s Magic Act

Vesper’s Kidnapping

End of Torture Sequence

Fight in Casino Manager’s Office/Dr. Noah’s Headquarters/The LSD Room

The Big Fight at Casino Royale (Film Version)

Seven Bonds in Heaven/End Title (Have No Fear, Bond is Here) – Mike Redway

Have No Fear, Bond is Here (Single Version) – Mike Redway (Deram DM 124-A, 1967)

LEF Creates Soundtrack for Dystopian Multi-Media Project HyperSomniac Features Super Band with Bill Laswell, Nils Petter Molvaer, Eivind Aarset

Singer-composer Lorenzo Esposito Fornasari (LEF) has made his mark as a powerfully expressive singer through a series of potent RareNoiseRecords releases, including Obake's Draugr, Seven Mutations and their 2011 self-title debut, Owls' The Night Stays, O.R.k.'s Soul of an Octopus, Somma's 23 Wheels of Dharma and Berserk's 2013 self-titled debut. But his own debut as a leader, the intriguing multi-media project HyperSomniac, is easily his most ambitious and impressive undertaking to date. LEF's music serves as the soundtrack for a dystopian tale, which he wrote with Pier Luigi Rocca, of a future society based on mind control. An online comic with stark, startling drawings by Nana Octopus Dalla Porta, is underscored by LEF's appropriately dark soundtrack performed by an all-star band featuring American bassist Bill Laswell, Norwegian guitar visionary Eivind Aarset, Norwegian future jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer, thunderous Norwegian drummer Kenneth Kapstad (of Motorpsycho), British saxophonist Rebecca Sneddon (of Free Nelson Mandoomjazz) and Norwegian organist Ståle Storløkken (of Supersilent, Motorpsycho and Reflections in Cosmos).

"I wanted to collaborate with a few extremely talented musicians I had the privilege to work with in the recent past." LEF explained. "That was also important for the sound I aimed to. I worked with Bill in the past on two projects led by my brother-in-music Eraldo Bernocchi - Somma and Ashes. Bill is god, enough said. Nils Petter Molvaer was in the Somma lineup as well. I'm a big fan of his unique and peculiar sound. Eivind had an important role in Berserk! We played live several times together and I also provided vocals to a piece from his last solo album. He is simply one of the most talented and visionary musicians out there. A lot of people are trying to emulate his peculiar guitar style and sound, but he is truly an original. I deeply love his musical view, which is somehow complementary to my own approach. Kenneth is a groove machine and has a very impressive personal style. Ståle is a keys and Hammond organ wizard and Rebecca was just the perfect sax player we were missing for the kind of sound I had in mind. She also provided the voice-over to all the HyperSomniac videos."

While LEF's visionary project might recall similarly ambitious dystopian tales like The Who's Tommy or Pink Floyd's The Wall, HyperSomniac has a wholly fresh spin on the multi-media process. "My first solo is in many ways inspired by the mighty records that I loved in my youth - Pink Floyd among the others," LEF explained. "And the fact that it took me more than a good couple of years to release this project, I guess this kind of approach might have something in common with The Wall and Tommy. But there's more to say. HyperSomniac started as a concept and a story I wanted to tell. On one side, I wanted to investigate the obscure dichotomy between material and the immaterial along with the human mind's power for changing, distorting, even melting down reality in order to create visions and dreams. On the other side, I wanted to describe a dystopian future as possible result of the paranoid chaos of the current era. This could be the main affinity for me in creating HyperSomniac."

"It took me several weeks, months maybe, to elaborate the script," LEF added, "and thought it could work well to illustrate the story as some form of highly stylized drama. Nanà Oktopus Dalla Porta's drawing style was just perfect to elaborate a dark visual part, thus I had to re-write the script several times to communicate the exact way I imagined every scene. Later on I learned how to mold 3D models to animate the drawings and Pier Luigi Rocca (who helped me from the very beginning) is still writing the code to make the whole story live as an interactive web comic which will actually be the only way to read the full story."

The online interactive graphic novel HyperSomniac will be presented officially on November 14th on www.hypersomniacproject.com, and will be available to the public to read episode by episode from the end of January 2018.

The album HyperSomniac be available to pre-order from that date and will be officially released on December 8th, 2017. From the dark intimacy of the creepy and compelling "It's Alright" and "A Glimpse of Emma" to the tender opening of "Let the Sun Fall Apart," which is juxtaposed against the heavy metal-laden crescendo, this album soundtrack carries an operatic sweep. And the super band behind LEF delivers with pummeling power on highly-charged numbers like "Parallel Powers," "Therapy" and "First Day of Work."

"Having scored several soundtracks for music, art installations and advertisements, I see music itself as if part of a bigger vision," said LEF. "That's why we decided to produce a feature movie The Nightless City (directed by Alessandra Pescetta) for the Berserk! album (with Lorenzo Feliciati featuring Gianluca Petrella, Jamie Saft, Cristiano Calcagnile, Eivind Aarset and many other friends). Later on I started experimenting with 2D and 3D modeling and animations to produce the animated video for the O.R.k. tune 'Pyre'. Both of those projects gave me a strong connection to the world of movie production and had an effect on my solo multimedia project HyperSomniac."  

 

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem Presents The Savory Collection Volume 4: Bobby Hackett and Friends

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem's Savory Collection will release Vol. No. 4: Bobby Hackett and Friends exclusively on Apple Music and iTunes on December 15. The full multi-volume collection of historical archives will feature swing era jazz artists at the height of their artistry and previously unissued performances, all captured in superb sound quality by sound engineer and technical genius Bill Savory. Starting today, a sample track is available on Apple Music, and the album is available for pre-order on iTunes.

For 30 years, Loren Schoenberg, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem's founding director and senior scholar, chased down these essential recordings. This edition further emphasizes the importance and excitement of this series, of which the eminent documentarian Ken Burns said: "It's hard to think of many other historical discoveries that equal the incredible amount of new and vital information that comprises the Savory Collection."

"In being an integral part of this project since its inception, Apple Music is helping to ensure this wonderful music is not simply limited to jazz collectors' shelves but reaches a broader audience as well," said Schoenberg, of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.

As the title emphasizes, the outstanding cornetist Bobby Hackett is prominently featured -- on three tracks with his own ensembles and four as a participant led by the fine clarinetist Joe Marsala, with whose group Hackett made his initial impact on the New York scene in 1937. Admired by trumpet giants from Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis throughout his 40-year career, Hackett was already leading his own ensembles by the time of the recordings that open this album after gaining notoriety through his performance with Benny Goodman in his legendary 1938 Carnegie Hall concert.

Here he joins baritone saxophonist Ernie Caceres and pianist Joe Bushkin, with Carmen Mastren, Sam Shoobe and George Wettling on guitar, bass and drums respectively, all under Marsala's keen leadership for a quartet of rollicking extended pieces filled with dynamic ensemble work and inspired solos. These late 1937 recordings contain the popular standards "California, Here I Come" and "The Sheik of Araby," as well as blues classics "Jazz Me Blues" and "When Did You Leave Heaven" (also covered by heavyweights like Big Bill Broonzy and Bob Dylan).

A Hackett ensemble's participation on a 1938 Paul Whiteman radio broadcast bring us the beautiful Gershwin ballad "Embraceable You" and a stomping take on Kid Ory's "Muskrat Ramble," with Hackett joined by the brilliant Pee Wee Russell on clarinet, arranger/valve trombonist Brad Gowans, the piano/bass/drums team of Dave Bowman, Clyde Newcombe and Andy Picard, and legendary guitarist Eddie Condon -- whose equally legendary "Condon's Mob" included Hackett as an integral member. Two years later Hackett got together with an NBC house band to add his own brief but memorable contribution to the "Body and Soul" legacy (to be extended seven years later with his beautiful solo on Frank Sinatra's unforgettable version).

Listeners will also discover three extremely rare recordings by the immortal pianist Teddy Wilson's 13-piece orchestra, virtually unrecorded in live performances. Recently discovered and to this point the only excellent high audio quality (superb, at that) recordings of this group, these 1939 items feature such masters as tenorman Ben Webster, trumpeters Doc Cheatham and Shorty Baker, altoist/clarinetist Rudy Powell and the sparkling rhythm section of Al Casey, Al Hall and J.C. Heard on guitar, bass and drums. With Wilson's majestic virtuosity front and center, the band was structured for smooth transitions and elegant voicings, employing the rare -- for its time -- two trumpet/two trombone brass section creating a uniquely singing dynamic that was as graceful as its leader's singular artistry and presence.

Powell wrote and arranged the lyrical and intricate "Cocoanut Groove," while Wilson arranged the delightful "Sweet Lorraine" and the romping "Jitterbug Jump;" the former marked by a lovely saxophone quartet and warm ensemble, with beautiful solos by Wilson and Webster; and the tenorman stretching out with an appropriately explosive offering on the latter.

Martin Block, famed for hosting terrific jam sessions (including the aforementioned Joe Marsala excursions) also hosted the two loosely structured, but highly energetic 1939 jams here, led by the spectacular trombone titan Jack Teagarden. Joined by Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Kenneth Hollon on tenor, pianist Bill Miller, guitarist Teddy Bunn, Johnny Williams on bass and the drummer and wildman scat-singer Leo Watson, they tear into two pieces perfect for jamming - Andy Razaf and Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose" and the Harry Warren/Johnny Mercer's then-current hit "Jeepers Creepers." As an added highlight on the latter, Johnny Mercer makes an unusual appearance alongside Teagarden and Watson for a highly spirited vocal trio.

This delightful album closes with three pieces (taken from two separate radio broadcasts) by one of the most popular of the Swing-era big bands, the Glenn Miller Orchestra -- all featuring the leader's right-hand man (and eventual successor after Miller's tragic wartime death) Tex Beneke on tenor sax and vocals. From 1938, Miller's arrangement of "By the Waters of the Minnetonka" follows in the tom-tom driven spirit of Benny Goodman's fabulous Carnegie Hall version of "Sing Sing Sing." The 1940 broadcast gives us two of Miller's most iconic pieces, "Tuxedo Junction" and "In the Mood." Although less jazz-oriented than the band would become after Hackett joined shortly after this broadcast, the exuberant sense of swing and joy that made the Miller orchestra so wildly popular is fully apparent throughout.

Of this latest essential release, co-produced by Loren Schoenberg and Ken Druker, with the superb original recordings raised to perfection through the restoration and mastering wizardry of Doug Pomeroy, Schoenberg says: "To be able to share never-before-heard music created by great American artists such as Teddy Wilson and Bobby Hackett is such a thrill -- just like an old wine, they improve with age! So much of the music of the Era was played in the musical equivalent of capital letters; these performances are such a joy to hear from bands that played with the lower-case letters too; so relaxed and flowing."

NEW RELEASES: RON CARTER - GOLDEN STRIKER; HERBIE MANN - THE VERY BEST OF HERBIE MANN: IT'S A FUNKY THING; OHIO PLAYERS - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION PLUS...

RON CARTER - GOLDEN STRIKER

Ron Carter, for almost seven decades, the clever and sympathetic double bass player from Ferndale, Michigan, has been considered one of the most important, most creative and brilliant representatives of his profession and as the most recorded bass player in jazz history with over 2,221 albums on which he has performed. With his philosophy of absolute professionalism and reliability, he rose to become a model for entire generations of jazz musicians. Jazz bassists seem almost perfectly made for festive occasions. They exude elegance, nobility, discretion and prudence, reconcile and bring together. The diplomats of jazz. Consequently, what could be more fitting than to issue the new CD of the Golden Striker Trio on the occasion of Ron Carter's 80th birthday, recorded in the beautiful Theaterstübchen in Kassel, Germany in late October 2016? A gift for the many fans of the bass player, but also for himself. Because this trio has been one of Carter's favorite band line-ups since the beginning of the new millennium, despite or perhaps due to some changes. Perhaps the most serious resulted from the loss of the pianist Mulgrew Miller, who died suddenly at the age of only 57 years in 2013. In his place, Donald Vega now sits on the piano stool and plays with guitarist Russell Malone. From the universe of limitless music, Ron Carter has long since returned home to the songs of the Great American Songbook and his own originals. Hear Mr. Carter and his trio perform at their best on this special recording. Enjoy the birthday party! Track List: Laverne Walk;Candle Light; Golden Striker; Samba de Orfeu; Eddie s Theme; A Nice Song; and My Funny Valentine.

HERBIE MANN - THE VERY BEST OF HERBIE MANN: IT'S A FUNKY THING

Herbie Mann revolutionized the use of the flute in jazz. His legacy is revered for pushing the boundaries (like Miles Davis did) blending jazz, rock, funk, soul, and pop. This is the first collection to feature rare single edits of Herbie’s hits including “Philly Dog,” “A Man and A Woman,” and “Memphis Underground.” The CD also includes the hits “Hijack” and “Superman.” Featured vocalists include Tamiko Jones, Carmen McRae, Cissy Houston and Little Milton. Nine tracks are making their CD debut. 

OHIO PLAYERS - THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION PLUS...

For the very first time you can now get your hands on a Definitive Collection of the Funk sensation that was The Ohio Players. Robinsongs are proud to be the first label to combine the Capitol, Westbound, Mercury, Arista & Boardwalk repertoire to make this unique compilation, but we did not stop there, we have also included material from Band members: Junie Morrison, Sugarfoot & Shadow (Billy Beck, Clarence Willis & Diamond) to give you a total career overview of this exceptional Funk Band. This package also includes a 28-page colour booklet, that includes an essay by Christian John Wikane a New York based music journalist, with contributions by the band's drummer and architect of the Ohio Players beat James "Diamond" Williams. Robinsongs have divided the package in three parts "The Early Years", "The Golden Years" & "The Later & Solo Years", the early years kicks the package off with two tracks from the Capitol Records album "The Observations In Time" where we can see the direction that the Band is heading, onto Westbound where the Band recorded their breakthrough single 'Funky Worm', a R&B #1 which featured Junie as the voice of Granny, other standout Westbound tracks are 'Pleasure', 'Pain' & 'Ecstasy', DISC ONE finishes with two cuts from their first Mercury album "Skin Tight" including the hit 'Jive Turkey'. DISC TWO kicks off with arguably the band's biggest hit 'Fire' which went to #1 in the R&B chart and the Album went to #1 in the Billboard album chart, three other #1 singles feature on this disc 'Sweet Sticky Thing', 'Love Rollercoaster' and 'Who'd She Coo' which was also the Bands only UK chart single. 

NEW RELEASES: FELA KUTI - VINYL BOX SET COMPILED BY ERYKAH BADU; MANKUNKU QUARTET – YAKHAL’ INKOMO; MAYLEE TODD – ACTS OF LOVE

FELA KUTI - VINYL BOX SET COMPILED BY ERYKAH BADU

Knitting Factory Records is proud to release the next installment of the long-awaited vinyl reissues from the FELA KUTI catalog. The inimitable Erykah Badu personally selected the seven albums featured in this fourth box set, which have been remastered from their original vinyl pressings. The artwork for each album has been meticulously recreated from original album artwork, alongside vintage vinyl label artwork. This box set includes: • 7 LPs, Yellow Fever (1976), No Agreement (1977), JJD (1977), VIP (1979), Coffin for Head of State (1980), Army Arrangement (1984), and Underground System (1992). • 20-page full-color booklet featuring: seven personal essays written by Erykah Badu, seven in-depth commentaries by veteran music journalist and Afrobeat historian, Chris May; song lyrics; and never before published photos of Fela Kuti • 16x24” Poster designed by Nigerian artist Lemi Ghariokwu, the creative force behind 26 of Fela Kuti‘s album covers

MANKUNKU QUARTET – YAKHAL’ INKOMO

Saxophonist Winston 'Mankunku' Ngozi's 1968 masterpiece Yakhal'inkomo stands in the front rank of global jazz recordings. A certified jazz classic in South Africa, it has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and has never been out of print. But like so many other crucial South African jazz LPs, it was never released outside the country, and went unheard at the time by the wider world. This reissue is the first time that this truly essential jazz recording has been properly available outside South Africa. Mankunku's masterwork is one of those rare recordings whose audience saw at once that it embodied the spirit of the age. The title, 'Yakhal'inkomo', refers to the bellow made by a bull just before it is sacrificed, and the mourning cries of its fellow cattle as they see it struck down. For South African listeners, the reference was understood as a cry against the violence and brutality of the times, and an act of mourning for all those who were suffering under the barbarity of apartheid. Mankunku's horn spoke eloquently and profoundly for and to an oppressed people, and like Coltrane's A Love Supreme, the album became the musical touchstone for a generation. From today's historical vantage point, Yakhal'inkomo appears as not just an indispensable lost element of the international jazz canon, but as one of the towering cultural documents of its time. Fully licensed, and packaged with a new sleeve note by Francis Gooding and prevoiusly unpublished photographs from the Basil Breakey archive, this trail-blazing release on Jazzman allows Mankunku's classic work to gain its deserved place on the international stage.

MAYLEE TODD – ACTS OF LOVE

Toronto-based songwriter, vocalist, producer, and multi-disciplinary artist Maylee Todd is best known for music that incorporates elements of disco, funk, soul, electronic, and experimental sounds. Her previous two albums Choose Your Own Adventure (2010) and Escapology (2013) brought her on tour across North America, Europe and Asia, charting worldwide, and establishing her as a breakout Canadian indie artist. Her third studio album Acts of Love sees Maylee wholly embracing technology and taking on the role of producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, recording and playing the bulk of the music in her home studio. From a sonic standpoint, the new album marks a departure from the harder-edged sounds of her previous work, boasting a more stripped down, synth-based production approach, with hypnotic beats and undeniably poppy hooks. The 17 track album covers a wide range of timely, topical and universal subject matter, including gender bias (From This Moment), addiction (One of These Days), solitude (Lonely), forgiveness (Eye To Eye), polyamory (Goat Wut U Need) and virtual reality (Virtual Life). This record is a bedroom record. I spent the winter writing and learning software, so creating can be limitless, explains the self-professed augmented reality nerd. Acts Of Love is essentially a tale of Maylee's metamorphosis, of constantly mutating and evolving musically, with the ultimate goal being to enlighten listeners on the symbiotic relationship between music, technology, performance art and human nature.

OTIS REDDING: THE DEFINITIVE STUDIO ALBUM COLLECTION

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of Otis Redding topping the charts with his signature song, "(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay." Unfortunately the single's success was bittersweet, as Redding tragically passed away in a plane crash just weeks before its release. Leading up to the "Dock Of The Bay" milestone, Rhino will introduce a new vinyl collection that brings together all seven of the iconic soul singer's studio albums. Big O's biggest hits are all here, from "Pain In My Heart" and "These Arms Of Mine" to "Respect" and "Try A Little Tenderness."

The albums included in the collection are: Pain In My Heart (1964), The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (1965), Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965), The Soul Album (1966), Complete and Unbelievable...The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul (1966), King & Queen - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas (1967), and The Dock of the Bay (1968).

All of the LPs replicate the original packaging, from the sleeve artwork down to small details like the original record labels (Volt and Stax) and catalog numbers, all housed together in a side-loading slipcase. Several of these albums are long out-of-print and back on vinyl in mono for the first time in years.

The music follows Redding's career from his 1964 debut Pain In My Heart up to The Dock of the Bay, which was released in February 1968, just a few months after the singer's untimely death in December 1967. Despite his short career, Redding recorded songs that helped define soul in the Sixties and beyond.

The albums are packed with Top Ten R&B hits: "Chained And Bound," "Mr. Pitiful," "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and his cover of the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Another obvious highlight is "Respect," a song Redding wrote and recorded in 1965, which later become a massive hit for Aretha Franklin. Another essential is "Tramp" from his unforgettable duets album with Carla Thomas, King & Queen. As it happens, that's also the last album the singer would release during his lifetime.

Redding's music career began fatefully in 1962 when an unexpected opportunity to record two songs led to a contract with Stax Records in Memphis. Throughout his career, the singer was backed by the legendary Stax house band: keyboardist Booker T. Jones, guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, and drummer Al Jackson Jr.

www.otisredding.com

  

OTIS REDDING: THE DEFINITIVE STUDIO ALBUM COLLECTION

Album Listing

Pain In My Heart

The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads

Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul

The Soul Album

Complete and Unbelievable...The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul

King & Queen - Otis Redding & Carla Thomas

The Dock of the Bay

Jazz Vocalist Jeff Baker's 5th Album "Phrases"

Jeff Baker Phrases After a seven-year hiatus from recording, contemporary jazz vocalist Jeff Baker is preparing to release Phrases, his fifth and most ambitious album to date. The new CD, due from OA2 Records on January 19, marks Baker's debut as a composer, with seven of the album's songs featuring his music and lyrics.

The album takes its title from Baker's use of what he calls "prompts" from favorite works of fiction, poetry, and song, among them texts by Pablo Neruda, J.D. Salinger, and Salvador Plascencia. Those cues could be no more than a line of poetry or a snatch of dialogue, or a real-life verbal exchange that caught his ear.

"The musical side of composing -- creating melodies, reharmonizing music -- has always come pretty easy to me," Baker explains. "But in attempting lyrics, I always felt burdened by not being Joni Mitchell. How could I express myself without sounding trite or silly? I found that if I gave myself prompts, I could create stories around them and find my voice as a lyricist. My aim was to tell stories in which people could hear their own experiences."

The deeply reflective, lushly nuanced music on Phrases is performed by a stellar septet whose front line includes alto saxophonist Steve Wilson and trumpeter Marquis Hill. Protean drummer Brian Blade provides the recording with its ebb, flow, and pulse. Pianist Darrell Grant both plays and serves as musical director and co-producer while Baker's longtime friends Clark Sommers and Geof Bradfield appear on bass and tenor saxophone, respectively. Young guitarist Gregory Uhlmann, a former student of Jeff Parker, is one of the album's stand-outs. The listener can hear how the musicians are drawn to the singer in their inspired, beautifully shaped solos.

Phrases was recorded in Chicago in May 2017 at Vijay Tellis-Nayak's Transient Sound following a live performance at the hip Fulton Street Collective. "Jazz musicians talk all the time about their 'Dream Bands,'" says Baker. "Here I am, getting to record with my actual Dream Band! I wrote this music with these musicians in mind, and I am beyond humbled that they've agreed to be part of this project."

Born in 1979 in Boise, Idaho, Jeff Baker was 13 when the Seattle-spawned grunge rock movement hit. But while his friends were thrilling to Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Jeff was discovering Dizzy Gillespie's Live at the Village Vanguard. "It was the best thing ever," he says. "I learned every song and taught myself to sing with them. Singing jazz, the idea that a vocalist could be an instrumentalist and take the music to different places on a lark, was a real revelation to me. My goal became to be equal and in line with instrumental players."

Jeff's teachers and mentors "made sure I had opportunities to experience the music at the highest levels!" Chet Baker (no relation) was a major discovery for him, as were Mark Murphy and Johnny Hartman. The music of wide-ranging artists such as Sting and Peter Gabriel resonated deeply with him, as did that of Bonnie Raitt (whose "Not Cause I Wanted To" he covers on Phrases) and minimalist master Steve Reich, whose influence can be felt in the moving harmonies, piano ostinato, and streaming eighth notes on "People of Paper."

Jeff Baker Baker attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, on a singing scholarship, sang in the jazz and classical choirs, and studied opera and musical theater. With plentiful opportunities to perform, he continued educating himself as a jazz vocalist. Backed by Idaho musicians, he recorded his first album, Baker Sings Chet, largely to raise money to attend graduate school. He never went, but working in the studio, he says, "became kind of my graduate school."

The Chet Baker project, released on Origin Records' OA2 imprint, did well enough to enable Baker to make another record, Monologue, for which Origin head John Bishop hooked him up with versatile Seattle pianist Bill Anschell. It proved to be a fruitful collaboration. Baker and Anschell teamed up on two more acclaimed albums, Shopping for Your Heart (2007) and the gospel-infused Of Things Not Seen (recorded at the same time as Shopping, it was released with re-recorded vocals in 2009).

In 2012 Darrell Grant, a distinguished member of the music faculty at Portland State University, helped Baker land a position at PSU, where the singer was instrumental in building what came to be a renowned jazz vocal program. Baker also co-founded and is director of the PDX Jazz Forward Competition.

"We live in an incredible time for creative, genre-defying music," says Baker. "Artists like Laura Mvula, Becca Stevens, Jacob Collier, The Fellowship Band, and so many others are changing the way we think about jazz and contemporary songwriting. It's a privilege to write and make music at this time. Phrases is my humble contribution to this ever evolving conversation."

 

Seal And Frank Sinatra Duet On Christmas Single "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town"

Today, British soul legend Seal has released a duet with one of history’s most iconic artists, Frank Sinatra, via UMe. Performing the Christmas classic, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” Seal and Sinatra sing side by side, in perfect harmony, creating a unique, one-off single, just in time for the holidays. The dream collaboration, granted by Frank Sinatra Enterprises, is out today, ahead of Sinatra’s birthday next Tuesday, December 12.

Today, British soul legend Seal has released a duet with one of history’s most iconic artists, Frank Sinatra, via UMe. Performing the Christmas classic, “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” Seal and Sinatra sing side by side, in perfect harmony, creating a unique, one-off single, just in time for the holidays. The dream collaboration, granted by Frank Sinatra Enterprises, is out today, ahead of Sinatra’s birthday next Tuesday, December 12.

The dream collaboration, granted by Frank Sinatra Enterprises, is out today, ahead of Sinatra's birthday next Tuesday, December 12. The festive single will be accompanied by an exclusively commissioned video to premiere next week, showcasing both artists at their very best.

Seal said: "To play with Frank's musicians on Standards was quite something, but to perform with the man himself is beyond words."

Tina Sinatra said: "Dad's Christmas recordings are as significant to his vast musical legacy as his signature saloon songs. The new Sinatra and Seal duet of 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' is a joyous hoot and 'sings' to the spirit of the season."

Originally written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, the track was first performed in 1934. Over the years it has been covered by more than 200 artists and sold millions of copies, becoming the archetypal Christmas standard known the world over.

This single continues Seal's recent affiliation with Ol' Blue Eyes, following his album Standards, which features legendary pianist Randy Waldman. The album also includes other legends, Chuck Berghofer (bass player with Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles) and Greg Fields (drummer with Quincy Jones and Stevie Wonder).

The songs were recorded in the famous Capitol Studios (the very studio where Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and many others have recorded), and United Studios, which was established by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra.

It's a natural successor to Seal's series of soul records, made a decade ago which sold more than five million copies around the world. Standards hears Seal's signature, velvety warm vocals bring to life classics made popular by Sinatra (including "Luck Be A Lady," "I've Got You Under My Skin," and "It Was A Very Good Year"), Ella Fitzgerald ("I'm Beginning to See The Light"), and Nina Simone ("I Put A Spell On You"). Elsewhere, there are lush orchestral moments captured on "Smile" (Charlie Chaplin) and the Cole Porter gem, "Love For Sale."

The sound of Seal's new album is also shaped by three renowned collaborators: Grammy®-nominated British producer Nick Patrick (who has worked with luminaries including Tina Turner and Marvin Gaye and enjoyed huge chart success with his pioneering Elvis orchestral albums), multi Grammy®-nominated arranger Chris Walden, and legendary engineer Don Murray.

Columbia/Legacy Recordings Announce Release of Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 on March 23, 2018

Available in 4CD boxset and digital configurations, Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 brings together, for the first time in an authorized edition with state-of-the-art production, five mythic concert performances as heard by lucky audiences during the epochal Spring 1960 Jazz At The Philharmonic European Tour.

Showcasing the musical chemistry shared by Miles and Trane, The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6 offers five of the best recorded shows from that pivotal 1960 tour (Coltrane's last as sideman): two shows from Paris's L'Olympia Theater on Monday, March 21; two shows from the next night at Stockholm's Konserthuset; and one from Copenhagen's Tivolis Koncertsal three days later, on March 24.

The box set was produced by the multi-Grammy winning team of producers Steve Berkowitz, Michael Cuscuna and Richard Seidel. And mastered by multi-Grammy winning Sony Music engineer Mark Wilder. The set is authorized for official release by the Miles Davis Estate, the John Coltrane Estate, and Columbia Records/Legacy Recordings.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane were each implementing their own jazz revolutions at the time these recordings were made and the electrifying sonic frisson produced by the sometimes-competing/sometimes-intertwining musical visions of the artists perplexed contemporary jazz fans--many of whom were just getting acquainted with the recently-released and now iconic Kind of Blue.

"Much happened on that 1960 tour onstage and off, including powerful, emotionally charged performances in which one can hear the swinging, divergent energy of a band, and the unfiltered reactions of the European audiences: the crowd responses are indeed an inherent part of these historic performances," writes Grammy Award®-winning music historian Ashley Kahn in his in-depth revelatory liner notes penned especially for this collection. "The common judgement on this music is that it represents a great jazz ensemble audibly straining to hold itself together...An equally convincing interpretation of the 1960 situation is that Miles and his quintet were redefining what a great band could sound like, and how much music it could contain—at one time, in one concert, even in one tune. It's not that the bandmembers were so much apart, but rather that each were more themselves within the same unit—that divergence could co-exist and make music together."

The  repertoire performed in this collection is a veritable Miles Davis "Greatest Hits" including " 'Round Midnight", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Walkin' ", "All Of You" and "Oleo", all of which he had made his own and had been performing for some time. As well as more recent additions to the repertoire which were composed by Davis – "So What" and "All Blues" --  both from Kind Of Blue.

The Final Tour is essential listening, an invitation to travel through time to experience the enduring beauty and magic of Miles and Trane at the peak of their collective powers. The ensemble includes Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Jimmy Cobb (drums), all of whom had been performing together since the Kind Of Blue album.

The Final Tour closes with a rare contemporaneous audio interview with John Coltrane (conducted by Swedish deejay Carl-Erik Lindgren). "Do you feel angry?," asks Lindgren. "No, I don't," says Coltrane. "I was talking to a fellow the other day, and I told him, the reason I play so many sounds, maybe it sounds angry, I'm trying so many things at one time. I haven't sorted them out."

Originally broadcast on European radio in March 1960, these concert recordings have been long sought after and prized by collectors and are now officially available at last as the latest installment in Columbia/Legacy's acclaimed Miles Davis Bootleg Series.

For 12" vinyl collectors and audiophiles, Columbia/Legacy will release The Final Tour: Copenhagen, March 24, 1960 as a single 12" vinyl album.

A 2LP 12" vinyl edition of Miles Davis & John Coltrane - The Final Tour: Paris, March 21, 1960 will be reissued exclusively through Vinyl Me, Please as part of their new VMP Classics subscription featuring the best jazz, blues & soul reissues on 180g black vinyl with exclusive listening notes. Available by signing up at http://www.vinylmeplease.com/

The first five volumes of The Miles Davis Bootleg Series have enjoyed numerous honors and accolades:

Live in Europe 1967: The Bootleg Series Vol. 1 (released September 2011) was the most acclaimed historic jazz box set of 2011, receiving a "5-star" review from Down Beat magazine, where it was voted Historical Album of the Year in the Down Beat 2012 Readers and Critics Poll.  The album was ranked #1 reissue in the Readers Poll of JazzTimes magazine while the Jazz Journalists Association voted it Best Historical or Boxed Set.  The set peaked at #3 on Billboard's Top Jazz Album Charts.

Miles Davis Quintet – Live In Europe 1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 2 (released January 2013) won the Jazz Journalists Association Historical Record of the Year, voted Historical Album of the Year in the Downbeat Readers and Critics Poll, and #1 reissue in both the Critics and Readers polls of JazzTimes magazine. Like its predecessor, the album also peaked at #3 on Billboard's Top Jazz Album Charts.

MILES AT THE FILLMORE – Miles Davis 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 (released March 2014) won the Jazz Journalists Association Historical Record of the Year, voted the #1 Historical Album of the Year in the 2014 Downbeat Critics Poll, #3 Historical Album of the Year in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll, and included in Rolling Stone's Best Reissues of 2014 list with a 4.5/5 STAR rating. The set peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top Jazz Album Charts.

MILES DAVIS AT NEWPORT 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (released March 2015) was voted the #1 Historical Reissue in the 2015 JazzTimes Critics Poll and won Historical/Reissue/Vault Release in the 2015 JazzTimes Readers Poll. The set was also named in Downbeat's "Best Albums of 2015" list, received 4 Stars in the Historical category and in Downbeat's Critics Poll was the winner in the Historical Album category. The set won the 2016 NAACP Image Award for the Outstanding Jazz Album category.

Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5 (released October 2016) was #2 Historical Album of the Year in Downbeat's 65th annual Critic's Poll (August 2017 issue) and #6 Historical Album of the Year in Downbeat's 82nd Readers Poll (December 2017 issue).

MilesDavis.com

Wally Badarou The Unnamed Trilogy, Vol. 1

Wally Badarou's The Unnamed Trilogy Vol.1; a collection of recent solo work presented for the first time as a limited edition vinyl and select digital release. Wally Badarou is a visionary musician who over the years has forged a history that is immensely storied, diverse and creatively rich. He has not only released timeless solo material such as the incredible Echoes LP in 1984 (part of which reached a new generation of music fans when the track Mambo was sampled for Massive Attack's Daydreaming), but has also recorded on classic albums with luminaries such as Grace Jones, Sly & Robbie, Mick Jagger, Fela Kuti, Robert Palmer, Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru and Talking Heads to name just a few. Both co-founders of Diskotopia have been huge fans of Mr. Badarou's work since before the label's inception and are elated to present The Unnamed Trilogy Vol.1 to the world at large.

Opening track Fisherman (I - Theme) rolls out with an assured strut that pulls you straight into a surging overflow of digi-funk bubble and laser-precise glide tactics. Infectious as it is fluid in its arrangements, Fisherman (I - Theme) is an excellent example of Wally Badarou's ubiquitous sound; highlighted here through the multi-timbral interlocking grooves that balance both the natural and synthetic elements seamlessly like the flow of ocean tides.

Daiquiri Diaries (Vintage Extended) enters with a striking metallic riff before a poetic electric piano takes the lead over insistent drums, soaring strings and warm pad swells. Only a synthesizer specialist such as Badarou would be able to create comparable transcendental magic from such simplicity, transfixing the listener whilst giving a masterclass in restraint. Make no mistake however, this is late night celestial soul music for Balearic excursions into the outer mind's eye.

The nautical beginnings of Awa develop effortlessly into convivial carnival vibes which could easily soundtrack any number of global gatherings. Combining field recordings of lapping waves, a fluid digital kalimba lead, expertly layered polyrhythmic percussion and sun-soaked flourishes throughout, Awa becomes near meditative in its effortless ebbs and flows.

As The Unnamed Trilogy Vol. 1 comes to its close Higher Still … takes an introspective step to the side giving us a cinematically beautiful allegory for the modern age. Equal moments of reflection coincide with transformative key changes as we can equate our own journeys in life to the arrangement here: At once entered into existence in such a distinct manner to have then gone through irrevocable changes and thusly transformed into a new state of consciousness altogether, we remain Higher Still …

NEW RELEASES: HERMETO PASCOAL & BIG BAND – NATUREZA UNIVERSAL; SOUL ON FIRE – THE DETROIT SOUL STORY 1957 - 1977; THE CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB 5

HERMETO PASCOAL & BIG BAND – NATUREZA UNIVERSAL

Continuing genius from the legendary Hermeto Pascoal – an album of strongly jazz-based arrangements – done with all the dynamic energy of Hermeto's earlier music, but also maybe tuned a bit towards the Duke Ellington or Gil Evans worlds of tone and color! There's nothing particularly Ellingtonian about Pascoal's music here – but there's a warmth and soul that's very striking – particularly in the way the horns come together, often with a voice that's more unified than on some of his more experimental recordings – soaring together to unlock some really beautiful spirits in the tunes! All the other players are younger, and most tracks feature at least one instrumental soloist – shifting out from the pack and really expanding the chromatic energy of the performance. Titles include "Brasil Universo", "Choro Arabe", "Viva O Gil Evans", "O Som Do Sol", "Apresentacao", "De Cuba Lanchando", and "Piramide". ~ Dusty Groove

SOUL ON FIRE – THE DETROIT SOUL STORY 1957 - 1977

Not the complete Detroit soul story, but a set that's even more interesting than that – as the huge package looks at a wealth of lesser-known tracks from the farther reaches of the scene – mostly with a focus on the kinds of underground 60s cuts that made the Motor City so great! A good deal of the work here is from the labels of producer Robert West – who's probably best known for the Lu-Pine label singles, but also worked with other imprints too – a number of which are included here in a package that goes out of its way to present tracks that go way past the usual Motown-styled modes! There's a good deal of group soul work here, and many of the numbers are from the earlier part of the decade, and show a soul scene that still had plenty of grit, despite the later famous Detroit production policy. Also, many of the tracks are presented in a way that features two tracks or more by a single artist in a row – as if you're flipping over both sides of a single – and the box has a huge booklet that really details all the music too! There's 86 tracks in all – including some unissued numbers from the 60s – and the package features work by Ed Robinson, Sax Kari, The Conquerors, The Falcons, Marv Johnson, Tornados, Delores Maxwell, Don Juan & The Vulcans, The Minor Chords, The Rayber Voices, The Knight Hawks, The Fourmost, The Corvells, Gene Martin, Mack Rice, Eddie Floyd, Betty Lavette, Tina Marvel, Just Brothers, Eddie King, The Precisions, Tony & Tyrone, and many others! You might know a few of these tracks – but you'll also find plenty more to discover. ~ Dusty Groove

THE CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB 5 (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

Volume 5 of Craig Charles' Funk & Soul Club compilations is something of a milestone - so let me take you through just some of the highlights of this latest trunk of funk which also includes some 100% exclusive tracks not available anywhere else!. The Traffic have a knack of rendering well known sounds into a re-grooved grooves - and their contribution is a crispy, deep fried instrumental version of the Rick James classic Super Freak! The Andy Tolman Cartel make musical time travel a reality - because when you listen to You What! you're transported back to the early 70's and chasing crooks down alleyways because you're in a TV cop show! The recently departed Charles Bradley - the screaming eagle of soul, was a man who had it tougher than most. He spent decades as James Brown impersonator, a homeless person on the unforgiving streets of New York City before signing Daptone Records aged 62. Included here is his beautiful track Change For The World. Tanika Charles gorgeous Endless Chain proves that Canada's soul scene is a firing as anywhere else right now. Stir into the mix The Niteshifters' slice of NY style delicious disco Show Me What You've Got and a new exclusive Body by Kylie Auldist, we have all your disco demands covered. Carleen Anderson is a genuine legend, James Brown said She's not just good, she's phenomenal and Begin Again from her recent remarkable solo album Cage Street Memorial, is a beautiful gospel and jazz tinged slice of acoustic alchemy that will sooth your soul. Also includes are the gritty organ grooves from The Scone Cash Players, The Filthy Six and legend Brian Auger, rocking rhythm & soul from The Hawkmen, ultra rare afro funk from Ginger Johnson & His African Messengers, neo Northern from Nicole Willis, stonking rap & soul from The Allergies and Lack Of Afro too.