New Music: Pastor Champion; Jembaa Groove; Malka Family; Nautilus

Pastor Champion - I Just Want To Be A Good Man

Pastor Wiley Champion is a gospel singer with a hell of a voice – the sort that could have instantly made him a huge soul singer, if he ever chose to leave his faith – but which is maybe even more powerful here directed towards a spiritual sort of setting! The album's a very lean effort, especially for a contemporary album – recorded to two track analog tape in a church in Oakland, but with crisp fidelity that lets the vocals really come to life once the songs begin – as Champion sings with light backings from his own guitar, plus a bit of keyboard, bass, drums, and tenor. The whole thing is wonderfully without any sense of cliche – and has none of the slavish attempt to sound "authentic" that you might fear from a contemporary record like this – just the pure, unadulterated power of a singer who's worked in obscurity for decades, finally getting his due. Titles include "To Be Used By You", "Storm Of Life", "I Know That You've Been Wounded", "He'll Make A Way", "I Just Want To Be A Good Man", and "Who Do Men Say I Am".  ~ Dusty Groove

Jembaa Groove - Susuma

A great criss-crossing of cultural roots, in the best mode of other projects on the Agogo label – such as some of their Latin and Brazilian-tinged recordings! This time around, though, the inspiration is from West Africa – core styles that are taken up by a group from Berlin, and woven into some new contemporary textures from the European underground – drums and percussion warmed up with keyboards, saxes, and guitar – all nice and jazzy, and almost offering up a contemporary small combo take on the music of Ghana and Mali – similar to recent recordings from other groups that take on older Ethiopian styles. Eric Owusu handles the lead vocals, and the percussion – and titles include "Adesane", "Amale", "Bassa Bassa", "Mokole", "Aawoya", "Suban", and "K33 Momi".  ~ Dusty Groove

Malka Family - Superlune

The great return of a classic French funk group – one who gave us some great records in the 90s as part of the Kif Productions imprint – born again here with a sound that's even warmer and more groovy than before! The group's as much of a soul group as a funk one – blending together great vocals, heavy basslines, and horns that match the best of the 70s – with all these jazzy currents in the instrumentation that mark these guys as real masters of their instrumentation! Vocals are in French, but with a universally soulful vibe – and the whole thing's got a snapping, joyous groove that rivals the collaborative spirit of some of our favorite late 70s Funkadelic albums. Titles include "Pipo Freak", "Toucher Toi", "Poulet Cut", "Super Lune", "Passe Passe", "Blue Funk", "Sur La Lagune", "Vie La Teuf", "A L'Abri Du Succes", and "Music". ~ Dusty Groove

Nautilus - Reconnection

There's a pile of vinyl on the cover of this album from Japanese trio Nautilus – and that's maybe a good way to get at the sound of their style – as the group work heavily from an old school mode, while still pushing things into some more contemporary rhythmic territory too! The approach is somewhere between old school jazz trio work and some of the choppier styles of the young generation of Japanese trios – yet still with a lot more focus on the solo side of things, which some of those other groups are lacking! Much of the energy of the record comes from the piano and keyboard work of Mariko Nakabayashi, next to the bass of Shigeki Umezawa and drums of Toshiyuki Sasaki – on titles that include vocal appearances from Hanah Spring on "I Want You" and "It's A Shame", Ayaca on "Part Time Lover", and Kei Owada on "Empty Faces" – plus a nice take on the classic "Little B's Poem", and the cuts "The Eye Of The Hurricane", "Sweet Love Of Mine", and "Nebulosa". ~Dusty Groove

New Music: Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few; Gerald Clayton; Alabaster DePlume; Sure Fire Soul Ensemble

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few - Cosmic Transitions

A long-awaited full length statement from saxophonist Isaiah Collier – a player who's been making magic on the Chicago scene in recent years, and who steps forth boldly here as a leader with a vision that cannot be denied! The set was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio, on John Coltrane's birthday – and while it might be tempting to credit those forces with the power of the record, we'll decline – as we've seen Isaiah live, and heard all the promises he has to offer – promises not only delivered on here, but taken to the next level – so that the rest of the world will get a chance to hear the righteous power of this young talent at work! Collier blows both tenor and soprano, and the group also features Jeremiah Hunt on bass, Mike King on piano, and Michael Shewoaga Ode on drums – a quartet who are wonderfully woven together in their exploration of new jazz frontiers. Titles include "Invocation", "Forgiveness", "Humility", "Understanding", "Truth & Guidance", and "Mercury's Retrograde".  ~ Dusty Groove

Gerald Clayton - Bells On Sand

Pianist Gerald Clayton has always been a musician who's followed his own path in music – making different-sounding records right from the start – but it's also clear that he's really finding his way ahead in recent years, as this second album for Blue Note will attest! Clayton has a very spacious approach to the piano – not one that's sleepy or uncareful – but instead this way of waiting, thinking, and building the sound up in just the right way – much more rhythmic at the core than an ECM pianist might sound, as there's a lot of organic energy in the music next to contributions from John Clayton on bass, and Justin Brown on drums – pushed even further at times when vocalist Maro joins the group, or saxophonist Charles Lloyd sits in. Titles include "Peace Invocation", "Water's Edge", "Daumunt De Tu Nomes Les Flors", "That Roy", "Rip", and "There Is Music Where You're Going My Friends" – the last of which might be a good way to sum up Clayton's journey! ~ Dusty Groove

Alabaster DePlume - Gold

There's few folks who can put together an album like Alabaster DePlume – and even amidst the heady company of his labelmates on International Anthem, it seems like DePlume has a really special way of mixing live performance with a whole host of studio-based conceptions! Alabaster's previous album was already a groundbreaking effort – but this set really pushes things over the top, with this really hypnotic blend of words and music, recorded at London's Total Refreshment Centre – at a level that's every bit as genre-breaking as any other work we've heard from that legendary locale. It's kind of impossible to describe the sound here in words – as DePlume mixes his tenor, guitar, and voice with a host of different instruments – contributions from London contemporaries on tablas, cello, electronics, guitar, and a range of other elements – including other voices added to the mix. Titles include "Don't Forget You're Precious", "I'm Gonna Say Seven", "Do You Know A Human Being When You See One", "I'm Good At Not Crying", "Now Stars Are Lit", "I Will Not Be Safe", "Who Is A Fool", and "The Sound Of My Feet On This Earth Is A Song To Your Spirit". ~ Dusty Groove

Sure Fire Soul Ensemble - Step Down

Deeply funky work from the Sure Fire Soul Ensemble – one of those special groups that always seems to bring a little something extra to their work – not just a straight copy of old school funk instrumental styles, but instead a rich, fresh approach that's very much their own! The sound is lean, but there's also this sort of majesty in the music – and understated quality that comes from the careful application of horns next to the funky elements at the core – almost with the flavoring that you'd hear in an older Ethio Funk record, but without any East African flavors either. The approach is a bit hard to describe, but it grabs you right away, and makes you know you're listening to something that's really a cut above – on titles that include "Omnificent", "Time To Rebuild", "Step Down", "High Times", "Gandys", "In Common", "Love Age", and "Thomas The Cat". ~ Dusty Groove

ALMALÉ new album "Hixa mía"

Born on the viola da gamba, Almalé discovers ancient music with a new air for our modern ears. Minimalism, jazz and Latin rhythms on a Renaissance and Baroque origin by authors such as Santiago de Murcia or Stefano Landi.

Almalé is a sound collage. The violagambist and vocalist Pilar Almalé gives her name to this project that she directs by the hand of the violinist Thomas Kretszchmar, the guitarist Alex Comín and the percussionist Fran Gazol. Four musicians as different as they are professionals and marked by their experience, which offer a unique and groundbreaking sound as a result.

Almalé arises from the repertoire of ancient music: medieval, Renaissance and baroque but with a new and different proposal: with influences of jazz, world music, Cuban rhythms, improvisations of a manouche violin ... offering as a result a fresh and young, suitable for all ears, from the most classic to the less conventional. The album combines a repertoire of old music arrangements with new compositions by Pilar Almalé.

Pilar Almalé is a multidisciplinary artist. Violagambista specialized in ancient music, he has opened the doors to other instruments such as his own voice, the medieval vihuela and the sraj, as well as other styles such as folk, world music or jazz.

He has toured important national and international stages as part of noted early music festivals. In 2017, he worked on the national tour of the piper Carlos Núñez and shared the stage with musicians such as Jordi Savall or Dulce Pontes.

Of multidisciplinary training, his education ranges from the "classical" Conservatory (Conservatorio Zaragoza and Sevilla, and Conservatorio Superior de Vigo), through the Degree in Fine Arts at the University of Seville, initiation to theater, contemporary dance with Ana Continent or the performance of sraj at the Official School of Music in Varanasi (India). She received a scholarship from the Cooperation Office of the University of Seville for two consecutive years to teach music and cello to children in India and Bolivia.

He currently has other projects such as Caranzalem, with the flutist Elena Escartín and Ceci n’est pas Baroque, with the violagambist Patricia Rodríguez. He is a performer and vocalist in the Aragonese folk group Biella Nuei.

DAVID VIÑOLAS RELEASES NEW ALBUM '5ET'

The restless and eclectic drummer David Viñolas, surrounded by a cast of great musicians from the jazz scene, presents a new quintet project. It comes after his debut album "Cap al capvespre" (Quadrant records, 2014), of recording together with the pianist Sergi Sirvent the two volumes of "Recreacions tímbriques: De Mompou a Bartók" (Selffish records, 2020), or "Nucli trio "(Errabal jazz, 2021) among others.

In this work we find a majority of his own compositions, written in time and now arranged for classical quintet formation (trumpet, saxophone, piano, double bass and drums) and some standard. A repertoire inspired by tradition and approaching the freshness and warmth of the 60's formations, making the quintet sound like a group, without protagonism, where all the members stand out equally.

Among the pieces that make up this album, we find "MR Smiles", an original song by the versatile Jordi Rossy, to which David Viñolas wants to acknowledge the influence and inspiration that this musician has given him, and two standards, the classic "Days of wine & roses" and "Ruby my dear", which has the special collaboration of Rita Payés on voice and trombone, both also arranged by himself, where he has turned them around, looking for a more personal air. 

Blind from birth, his interest in music was soon awakened, when he began to study classical piano and musical language at the Municipal School of Centelles (Barcelona, Spain). At the same time, he is part of the group of grallers of the giants of the town where the gralla and the box alternate, already showing a special devotion to the latter.

His restless spirit led him to explore other paths and, apart from classical harmony, as a young man he entered fully into modern music studying at the Taller de Músics, at the Pasaje Musical Studies Center, receiving private classes and also self-study: Drums, combo, piano, percussion, harmony and arrangements are some of the disciplines that he has cultivated at the hands of great musicians such as TToni Pagès, Marcelo Valente, Javier Feierstein, Alberto Cabello, Marc Vernis, José Reinoso, Raül Reverter, David Mengual, Marc Miralta, Santi Serratosa, Joào Balào, Tapan Bhattacharya, Marko Djordjevic, Rui López Nussa, Jo Krause, Calixto Oviedo, among others.

Already in full musical and personal maturity, immersed in the different aspects that drums offer him as an instrument, in February 2004 he resides in New York where he trains with Ernesto Simpson, Johny Almendra and Jeff Ballard. His open and eclectic look led him to found projects such as the drum trio "Stick in trio" or the percussion and dance group "Essència", with which he explored the paths of jazz, flamenco, rhythm as a musical concept, etc.

During his career he has collaborated, played and recorded works with musicians and projects such as Sergi Sirvent, Marta Roma, Roberto García, Omar González, Santi Careta, Feliu Ventura, "Funkystep & the Sey Sisters", Adrià Plana, El velda, "Badabadoc", Cobla Lluïsos de Taradell, "Tarasca", Marc Cuevas, Dave Juarez, Acari Bertran, Raynald Colom, Joan Asensio, David Leiva, Joana Serrat, Raül Reverter, "Etna quartet", "Baraka project", "Omelé", "La Cava Big band" dirigida per Marc Vernis, "Kibor", "Dijous paella", "Dúmbala canalla", "La transfrontaliere de l’amor", among others. These projects have led him to tour Catalonia, Spain, France, Andorra, Cuba, Turkey, Portugal, Austria, etc.

Currently he is part of "Nucli trio", Sergi Sirvent & David Viñolas, "Col·lectiu Soroll" and leads his own projects David Viñolas 5ET, David Viñolas trio and David Viñolas solo drums. He is also active in other formations as a sideman.

LIBÉRICA, new project by MANEL FORTIÀ (feat. Antonio Lizana) presents 'ARRELS'

ARRELS Is the first album of Libérica, a new project led by the Catalan double bass player Manel Fortià, who after a season living in New York and having played with great jazz icons such as Dave Liebman, Eliot Zigmund, Ari Hoenig or Chris Cheek among others, decides to return to his homeland and Delve into the traditional Catalan repertoire without letting go of the musical effervescence of the jazz mecca, where its multiculturalism has always led to the merging of different styles to create new ones. With this philosophy, Libérica seeks common ground between traditional Catalan song and flamenco, using free jazz as a conducting vehicle. The renewal and updating of folklore is necessary and helps to keep it alive.

It is an album that revisits the great standards of traditional Catalan song, the result of the nostalgia lived by Manel Fortià in recent years in the United States. Somehow there the need to seek his musical roots is awakened and he begins to incorporate into his repertoire some Catalan hymns such as 'El Cant Dels Ocells', which also covers with flamenco sounds together with the singer Magalí Sare, 'La Dama d'Aragó' or 'Els Tres Tambors' in the key of flamenco and jazz, mixing their lyrics with traditional songs that speak of the same themes but with different words.

During the time that Manel Fortià lived in the United States, he met the legendary pianist Chano Dominguez, a clear reference in flamenco-jazz and with whom he now works regularly. He is one of the musicians who inspires him the most, makes him grow his passion for this genre and has more desire to continue experimenting in this direction, which his mentor Javier Colina had already awakened when he was a student at the Taller de Músics (Barcelona). 

The voices of the Catalan Pere Martínez and the Cádiz-born Antonio Lizana represent these two coexisting worlds within the Peninsula that meet in Liberia in an organic and free way thanks to jazz, which could be said to have become an integrating music and a universal language during the last decades.

The Libérica group, apart from having the stellar collaboration of the Cádiz saxophonist and cantaor Antonio Lizana, an exceptional musician with a long international career and who has established himself as a benchmark in his style, also has two of the new values ​​of flamenco-jazz made in Catalonia such as the singer Pere Martinez and the pianist Max Villavecchia from 'Los Aurora'. In addition to the international collaboration of one of the new revelations in European modern jazz, the French drummer Raphael Pannier (Miguel Zenón, Aaron Goldberg, etc.), resident between Paris and New York.

Manel Fortià says: “In a society in which we find more and more rules that trap and control us, music is one of the few spaces where we can still be free. This is one of the reasons why Libérica was born, to help us connect with our roots from the air and make us travel through them to discover new paths and find common ground between them ”.

Libérica is a co-production of Manel Fortià, La Marfà Creation Center and the Auditori de Girona. The Fira Mediterrania de Manresa opted for this project last October, programming it as one of the festival's highlights.

New Music: Carlton Jumel Smith; Grupo Baquedanu; Antoine Berjeaut; Christina Dahl Trio

Carlton Jumel Smith - Devoted To You

Carlton Jumel Smith is back on Timmion Records, doing what he does best: grooving, testifying and romancing his way into your heart. His last album for the label '1634 Lexington Avenue' left many contemporary soul fans in awe -  some in tears of joy - and they will be pleased to know that he has something new cooking in 2022. Carlton and Cold Diamond & Mink bring out a new trilogy of tracks that will be first available as a digital EP and soon after on three separate vinyl records flipped with instrumental versions. ‘Devoted To You’ packs everything you could want from a mid-tempo jam. A steady tambourine beat rides a mellow groove, leaving Carlton all the pockets he needs to fill with his ever-funky but delicate delivery. ‘Heaven In My  Arms’ is a melodic beat ballad of the highest order, which should sweep fans of lowrider soul off their wheels, while ‘Loveliness Of You’ has sunday soul written all over it. 'Devoted To You' will be available as a digital EP - the songs will then be released on 3 different 7" singles.

Grupo Baquedanu - Toma Cinco

Grupo Baquedanu’s’ "Toma Cinco" is a hidden pearl in the recording history of Venezuela. “Take Five”, the groundbreaking jazz classic by Dave Brubeck is covered by one of the best saxophonists in the country's history, Santiago Baquedano (1931-2008), along with his group, Baquedanu's. Baquedano established himself as one of the finest sax players in Venezuela during the 50s and 60s when he worked with local band-leaders like Pablo Armitano, Willie Pérez, Willy Gamboa and Luis Alfonso Larrain. As his reputation grew he began playing wider, touring Latin America as well as travelling through Spain, the Middle East, the US and Puerto Rico. The name of musicians he has accompanied is vast but includes Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour, Xavier Cugat, Tom Jones and Paul Anka. In the mid-70s he decided to return to Venezuela with the intent of creating his own music, and find his own flavour. Thus, he formed Grupo Baquedanu’s in 1977 and released his version of “Take Five”. Noticeably, he changes the signature 5/4 of the original into 4/4, allowing for a looser adaptation that passes through Latin rock, funk, disco and psych, the perfect recipe for a sophisticated Venezuelan audience who, crucially, also wanted to dance. “Toma Cinco” is the second single from Color de Trópico Vol. 3, the latest instalment of El Palmas Music’ illuminating journey into Venezuela’s musical gems of the 60s and 70s.

Antoine Berjeaut - Chromesthesia 

Following the critically acclaimed album Moving Cities, recorded and produced with Makaya McCraven, Antoine Berjeaut - a stalmart of the European jazz scene - returns with Chromesthesia. Crafted together with some of the most innovative musicians of the French jazz circuit, this exciting new album will be out June 3rd through French-Japanese record label MENACE.Chromesthesia (or sound-to-color synesthesia) is a type of synesthesia in which sound involuntarily evokes an experience of color, shape, and movement. Antoine Berjeaut seeks synesthetic resonances between sound and colors, guided by the intuition that he can write music while using concepts and processes inherent to graphic art; playing with contrasts and nuances the way he plays with scales and keys, and tracing melodic lines in a constantly moving world, both graphic and sonic. “I see songwriting and composition as an ephemeral musical gesture, something like a sonic calligraphy which I hope to be as fluid as possible” Berjeaut explains.Echoing the compositions, London-based Lory Louves’ original paintings invoke a graphic and spatial dimension to music, through his “internal eye”. For the album’s opener “PPDQ”, Berjeaut goes for a cinematic immersion, with a spiritual jazz feel. Recorded in one take with Enzo Carniel (keyboards), Arnaud Dolmen (drums) and Csaba Palotai (guitar) - at the heart of the pandemic when the French government didn’t allow gathering of more than 4 people (“PPDQ” stands for “Pas plus de quatre”; “No more than four in english) - it features a prominent and enveloping flugelhorn solo, sidechained Rhodes synth lines, organic and nuanced drumming, a floating guitar and cutting-edge arrangement. Aptly named “Life in Ocre” (which refers to the colors of brass instruments and horns) is a solar tune which combines field recordings, Prophet synth sequences, a Lo-fi aesthetic and subtle beat music. Third single “Meeting Point” is as conquering as progressive and showcases the band’s wonderful interplay, with the addition of Gauthier Toux on synths. It encapsulates the ambition of Chromesthesia, Antoine Berjeaut’s very personal take on 21st century jazz - urban, poetic and technological - and one of the most forward-thinking and effortless records of the year.

Christina Dahl Trio - Souls of the Wind

In this musical meeting, a unique expression is created in harmony by three dynamic and creatively creative musicians. Christina Dahl Trio consists of three artists, each one with great personality, who together create an original universe of compositional music and improvisation. The trio is not afraid of experimenting with the musical expression and to seek out the nooks and crannies of the musical landscape. The music has a spectrum of sound facets and expresses itself from the simple lyrical to the more complex layers of musical lines and pulse. The trio thrives in its span and adventurous stories are told and put to life in this musical tone univers that is intuitively conveyed and ranges from deep, inner peace to chaos and wildness - clear, beautiful moments to smoldering, intense and whimsical colors of foggy tone language. The music is composed by Christina Dahl and is created from inner pictures and storylines. The music is portrayed by the trio in a mutual, organic, musical image that reflects the eternal dynamics and changeability of the human and life.

 

Celebrating 50 years of Black Uhuru

Legendary Grammy Award Winner Black Uhuru to Celebrate 50th Anniversary with the release of latest album New Day.

To celebrate their 50th-anniversary, the legendary godfathers of reggae Black Uhuru, along with Chico Roots-Rock crew Dylans Dharma, are partnering with SoCal independent label LAW Records to announce the release of their latest album New Day (to be released May 13, 2022). 

One of the most prolific Jamaican reggae bands in history, Black Uhuru has earned an impressive collection of music industry accolades over the years including winning the first-ever Grammy Award for reggae music with eight other Grammy Nominations to boot. Their enduring success, along with having the highest reggae record sales after Bob Marley and the most songs in the genre sampled by other artists, has mad the name Black Uhuru synonymous with the reggae genre as a whole. The upcoming New Day LP carries on Black Uhuru's powerful legacy of conscious roots reggae that started in Kingston, Jamaica, and has now continued around the planet to influence new generations of emerging reggae artists for five decades!

“The band is legendary,” says Black Uhuru founder & bandleader Derrick “Duckie” Simpson. “We’ve been around for over 50 years.  We started when we were youth and the band has come right through all these years in abundance.. There have been a couple of changes over the years with some guys left to do other things, and a couple of lead singers passed through the band: Don Carlos, Michael Rose, Junior Reid, and then Don Carlos again, and Andrew Bees now for like 25 years.  This album is my second up front doing lead vocals.”

“Celebrating 50 Years of Black Uhuru” will kick off with Black Uhuru’s release of the new single “Brand New Day'' (dropping  March 18, 2022) along with the full album pre-order also starting on March 18, 2022. Featuring the band’s iconic founder Duckie Simpson — back out front with his earthy, soulful baritone, trading verses with Dylan Seid of Chico-based Roots-Rock crew Dylans Dharma — the track is a rewrite of a Dylans Dharma song by the same name, with new verses by Duckie that were inspired by events he encountered during his time living in California in 2019. 

After an extensive cross-country US tour, Duckie had retreated to Helltown, a rugged mountain community in the hills of Butte County in Northern California. What he found there was sheer devastation after the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California's history (known as The Camp Fire) had just ravaged the entire area. Duckie was deeply inspired as he witnessed the small community come together with love and positive energy to regenerate and rebuild what was lost. With this deep respect and appreciation, Duckie collaborated with Dylan Seid to musically paint the ties that bind in that unique mountainside community.

The “Brand New Day” single is the second Black Uhuru collaboration with Dylans Dharma following last November’s single “From Jamaica to Here”, an unexpectedly groove-inducing cover of a 1976 folk song by English singer-songwriter Ralph McTell entitled “Clare To Here”.

The new album will also feature collaborations with long-time Black Uhuru frontman and solo artist in his own right Andrew Bees as well as a cover by CA-based singer-songwriter Baharat Karmakar, whose song "I Can See the Light" about The Campfire, inspired the New Day project.

The New Day album captures Black Uhuru at their enduring best, passing the torch even as their flame continues to burn strong, in alignment with the LAW Records mission of discovering and developing a new generation of emerging reggae artists, while simultaneously tracing a living historical connection between the genre’s future and its legendary Jamaican roots.  Owned and operated by the prolific artist/entrepreneurs of reggae-rock band Pepper (Yesod Williams, Kaleo Wassman, and Bret Bollinger), SoCal independent label LAW Records has gained a well-earned reputation as the tastemaker label when it comes to American reggae and reggae-rock. As trailblazers and the unofficial ambassadors of a music scene they are largely responsible for creating, the LAW team has been equally invested in developing the next generation of reggae-rock artists and connecting the genre’s wide-open future with its legendary Jamaican roots. 

“Strategically,” says LAW General Manager Paul Milbury, “what we want to do is connect the burgeoning American-Cali reggae scene back to the original legends, who helped create the scene that inspired this one: Black Uhuru is foremost among those legends. We really want to introduce the old to the new and the new to the old, to ensure the newer generation of reggae fans are aware of the legends and their importance, and hopefully introduce the older reggae fans to some newer artists who are pushing the contemporary reggae scene forward.”

From humble beginnings in Kingston, Jamaica’s Waterhouse District, Black Uhuru took their reggae across the globe and won the unsurprising honor of becoming the best-selling reggae act in history — second only to Bob Marley and the Wailers. Black Uhuru toured with the Rolling Stones and the Police, then bust down the barriers all on their own, barriers that have too often kept reggae stars out of the American mainstream. Several of their albums sold tens of millions of copies, including the GRAMMY-winning Anthem. The BBC called them “THE name to drop.”

In 2018, Black Uhuru returned to the studio for the first time in 15 years to record a new album. As The World Turns. Featuring original songs and strong cameos, it was one of the first times in years Duckie Simpson, iconic founder of the band, had stepped out in front again. To support the album, the band headed out on an East Coast US Tour with stops in major cities New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, & Boston, which culminated in the band’s appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts.

Not long after, Black Uhuru was approached by LAW Records: “Teaming up our label with Black Uhuru is mind-blowing,” says LAW Records founding partner Yesod Williams, “like to the point where it doesn’t even seem real. This is arguably the most legendary name in reggae, a band whose music helped shape me, my band, and the whole state of Hawaii in the 80s and 90s where we grew up.  As I approach this from my fandom perspective, I’m in complete awe. When I approach this from the perspective of LAW, ‘none will escape’. The task at hand is to reinvigorate the world with the Mighty BU, and we won’t stop till Duckie’s magic on “Jamaica To Here” is heard across the world, from now till forever!”

Black Uhuru was one of the first bands to seriously incorporate dub elements into their songs, with its undulating, up-front bass lines, and this single tips the hat to this approach. After spending five decades making music, Black Uhuru still manages to maintain their signature sound, keeping everything on tape, old-school:

“Everything was old-school analog,” says Simpson. The basic tracks were recorded at Helltown Studios in Helltown, California, with both Duckie and Dylan Seid on lead vocals. Then Simpson took the recordings to Leebert Cougar Studio in Kingston, Jamaica to do overdubs and mix in backing vocals by Niki Burt and Elsa Green, guitars by Leebert “Gibby'' Morrison, horns by Everald Ray, and drums by Rolando Alphanso Wilson.

Most of the early production was done by Duckie and Horace “King Hopeton” Campbell of Double Lion Studio (who also played keyboards on the album and is featured on the track Gal Next Door) then the tracks were sent off to be mixed by Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Forde of Ajang Music. Robert Oyugi of Ujama Designs oversaw the process as Project Manager and Artistic Director, while Dylan Seid, Dharma LaRocca & Kopavi Cannon were the Executive Producers.

“Fifty years is a big achievement for any band, and we are so proud to be a part of Black Uhuru’s 50th-anniversary celebration,” says Yesod Williams of LAW Records, “We firmly believe in the magic of music at LAW and honoring where it came from. And in our mission here, we are gonna make sure it is known how integral Black Uhuru has been to modern reggae, Cali Reggae, alternative reggae, and just music in general. We are living i a  “Brand New Day” and this album is the perfect beacon to bring us back together in love.”

Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns

As an orchestra awaited, jazz singer Marsha Bartenetti entered the iconic Capitol Studios confident yet carrying a heavy burden. The vocal interpreter was tasked with recording a collection of songs by the songwriting team of Jane McNealy and Alice Kuhns that McNealy selected to preserve a legacy, possibly the album that would be the final musical statement from the composers who’ve spent more than fifty years writing music for records, theater, film and television. Inspired by her stage four cancer diagnosis and Kuhns’ declining health, McNealy handpicked music from her catalogue of jazz, pop, soul, funk and folk tunes and spared no expense to record them as she’s always intended them to sound. The album, “Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns,” was released on April 1.

Bartenetti was drawn to be “the voice” of the project by the duo’s evocative lyrics that tell stories that resonate. Surrounding the singer’s elegant, inviting and expressive voice are lavish orchestrations and deft arrangements crafted by Mike Watts.

Earlier this month, the album opener, “Why Does The Sky Keep Changing,” dropped as a single and a video was lensed that will premiere in conjunction with the album release. The dramatic number written for the McNealy & Kuhns-penned musical “Gauguin” is illumined by sublime strings and Bartenetti’s impassioned, captivating performance.

“Marsha Bartenetti sings McNealy & Kuhns” is a jazz vocal album capable of standing alongside a collection of contemporary classics and standards culled from the great American songbook. Bartenetti, who is also an actor and a prominent voiceover artist, exquisitely renders the emotion apropos of the weighty assignment with aplomb. 

 

Canadian Jazz Singer Mary Lou Sicoly Spices Up a Timeless Standard with New Release of “Blame It On My Youth”

Holding on to a slice of childhood innocence should never be ill-advised as it can enhance the sweet moments in our lives, and make the inevitable sour times easier to swallow. With that in mind, JUNO Award-nominated Canadian jazz vocalist Mary Lou Sicoly is serving up a deliciously spicy take on romantic naivete with the release of her new single, “Blame It On My Youth” — available now.

Written by Oscar Levant and Edward Heyman in 1934 and recorded throughout the decades since by the likes of Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Nat King Cole, Connie Francis, Chet Baker, Holly Cole, Aaron Neville, and Jamie Cullum, “Blame It On My Youth” has stood the test of time as a relatable tale of guileless love.

“I fell in love with the lyrics and, of course, the gorgeous melody,” Sicoly notes as to why chose to record this classic. “Being raised in a household where a sense of humour was the recipe for keeping young at heart, I’ve always had a sense of whimsy.”

That sense of whimsy found its way into the recording as well. Originally a ballad, Sicoly’s bright version of “Blame It On My Youth” is full of sunshine and rhythm. It’s an intriguing musical dichotomy of a lyrical lament set against a very festive soundscape. For that unexpected, bold and ear-pleasing treatment, Sicoly gives full props to her longtime musical director.

“This song was arranged by my brilliant Musical Director, John Ebata,” Sicoly shares. “In a completely different style than the original, he gives it a Latin feel — cradled in a blend of colourful percussion and driving, Cuban-style bass which makes the vocals pop.”

“Blame It On My Youth” is the first single from Lemon Meringue Pie, the 10-song debut album Sicoly and Ebata started working on pre-pandemic. For these two past JUNO nominees, it’s been a labour of love and much needed creative focus over the past two uncertain years. Lemon Meringue Pie will see its highly anticipated release on May 10th with a launch concert at Toronto’s famed Jazz Bistro. It will be as much a celebration of a great musical partnership as it will be for the music itself.

“I feel that collaborating and working with people has to begin with a mutual respect for each other’s talents as well as a genuine chemistry that allows the flow of ideas to make good music,” Sicoly says. “I am blessed to have that dynamic both with my Musical Director and the musicians with whom I work.”

Lemon Meringue Pie may be Sicoly’s debut jazz album but that’s just the latest accomplishment in a career that has seen some wonderful milestones so far for the Toronto-based singer/songwriter. She has written and recorded five children’s albums, including the JUNO nominated Chase a Rainbow. Sicoly, Ebata and Nova Scotian vocalist Mark Riley recently toured a “classic duets” album and, currently, Sicoly, Ebata and Dora Award winning multi-instrumentalist, composer and vocalist Waleed Abdulhamid are working on an equity, diversity and inclusion project called “Songs For Humanity.”

Also an esteemed music educator, Mary Lou Sicoly is a recipient of the CARAS (JUNO) Award for Music Education, a TVOntario Award for Innovation in Music Education and was the 1999 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. A presenter at several education conferences, Sicoly has also toured the Arctic with “Strings Across the Sky”, leading music camps in Tuktoyaktuk and Iqaluit.

From singing with her dad’s dance band in Sault Ste. Marie to jingles and commercial spots, to performing in various solo, ensemble and big band shows everywhere from the CNE to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Mary Lou Sicoly has years of diverse and exciting performances behind her and many more ahead of her too. A tour to support Lemon Meringue Pie is in the works for Ontario and the Maritimes later in 2022/2023.

Now, with “Blame It On My Youth”, Sicoly is offering a first bite of her upcoming album that is bursting with flavour, zing, and a lot of the ingredients found in her own personality.

Punku, Sylvia Falcón and Grimaldo del Solar, Release "Ancestral" (Novalima Remixes)

Six Degrees Records has announced the debut single from Punku, a new project created by Sylvia Falcón and Grimaldo del Solar (Novalima) that mixes Andean traditional music with traditional instruments and modern genres including electronic music and rock. “Ancestral,” the first single from their upcoming album, evokes an ancestral ceremony in the middle of the high amazon jungle that is haunting and beautiful at the same time. “Ancestral” also gets a driving remix from Novalima, keeping Sylvia’s hypnotic vocals over dubbed-out basslines and infectious rhythms. The single with the Novalima remixes is out now and can be listened to here: http://punku.lnk.to/novalimaremixes with a stunning music video (https://youtu.be/p3UVzMZD6vM).

Sylvia Falcón is an innovative singer who brings a wealth of talent and history to the duo. Her music has travelled from the traditional songs of the Peruvian Andes, through the mestizo folk melodies and the Andean coloratura repertoire that made Yma Sumac (whose life centennial will be celebrated in 2022) well known around the globe. Sylvia’s impressive vocal range (4 octaves) of high, mezzo and low frequencies can be appreciated in her four solo studio albums; Killa Lluqsimun "When the Moon Rises" (2008), Inkario (2014), Fantasía Pokcra (2016) and Qori Coya "Golden Lady” (2018). Sylvia Falcón was born in Lima and has developed a strong bond with the Andes due to the influence of her parents, who were born in Huancavelica and Ayacucho provinces. From a very early age she demonstrated the artistic virtues that were developed throughout her childhood and adolescence. Sylvia Falcón is also an anthropologist focused on the study of traditional musicians in the Peruvian Andes. As an artist she is devoted to capturing and projecting the beauty of the ancient Inca culture. 

Grimaldo is a Lima born producer and musician, who started playing guitar at 14. Soon after he worked with many bands that played a pivotal part in the 80s underground metal hardcore punk, and the 90s psychedelic/acid-rock Peruvian scenes. During the late 90s, Grimaldo started exploring traditional Peruvian music through an electronic music lens, which led to creating Novalima, a collective that fuses traditional Afro Peruvian music with DJ culture. Their discography spans 5 albums and numerous remix projects, which led them to touring internationally at major festivals and events. Novalima has inspired a generation and has revolutionized the music scene in their native Peru by bridging a longstanding divide between the mainstream and the minority Afro-Peruvian community, who have struggled against discrimination and cultural dissolution for generations. 

Grimaldo was experimenting with new quechua rhythms with Novalima. He found Sylvia Falcón and invited her to collaborate on the single Chusay. After working together at several concerts with Novalima, Grimaldo and Sylvia wanted to join forces to continue a new sound they were developing and Punku was born. 

Grimaldo shares how “Ancestral” is a perfect introduction to their project. He states, “this single is special because it's not the typical kind of music we would create. It is not exclusively about traditional Peruvian songs, like the ones Sylvia sings as a soloist and it is not the electronic music that I create in Novalima either. The whole project  came out without any planning. Unconsciously, we both were looking to make music that connects to mother earth and our historical ancestors.” The results are Andean electronic music with intense vocals and soft atmospheres. 

The duo concludes, “we deeply believe in music as an extraordinary healing medium, especially in these times challenging the world. We hope our entire musical project contributes to reflecting a tiny ray of light uplifting the spirit. As Punku is a new project created just before COVID, the quarantine has helped us to work on the recordings without any time or pressure.” 

“Ancestral” is just a taste of what’s to come from this exciting new project. Stay tuned for more music, videos, and the debut album from Punku dropping in Spring 2022 on Six Degrees Records.

Brian Auger uncovers back catalogue gems in 'Auger Incorporated' (jazz-rock / fusion)

For over 50 years, Brian Auger has been a musician’s musician. Jazz pianist, bandleader, session man, Hammond B3 innovator, and key player in the rise of jazz/rock fusion, Brian has done it all and then some. An incredible gentleman with one of the most varied careers in music, he has incorporated jazz, early British pop, R&B, soul and rock into an incredible catalog that has won him legions of fans all over the world.

Auger’s unique musical career started at a very early age, learning to read notes and copy the player piano in his family’s house in London. By the age of eight he was being invited to play at all sorts of parties, but aside from playing the pop tunes of the day, Brian’s ears lit up when he started listening to his older brother’s record collection with names like Count Basie and Duke Ellington. With his fondness for jazz piano came a gig in London on the West End, and from there the self-taught musician started playing regularly, drawing a number of big name artists who were touring London, such as Billie Holiday.

Playing in clubs, Auger won the Melody Maker jazz poll in 1964 and became a commodity in swingin’ London’s burgeoning music scene. Auger was particularly intrigued with technique, and, in 1965, when he heard Jimmy Smith albums, he decided to get involved with the Hammond B3, an organ few British musicians could play, largely because the bulky instruments were virtually non-existent in England. Around this time, the Yardbirds called Auger for session work, resulting in the song “For Your Love” which went straight to number 1 and kickstarted the Yardbirds recording career, as well as making Brian an in demand session man around London.

In 1965, Brian’s exposure got a huge boost when he got call from Long John Baldry, asking him to put a band together. Auger rounded up guitarist Vic Briggs, and John got Rod Stewart. Brian also recruited a young, mod singer named Julie Driscoll. The band had a wide range of influences; Julie was into a range of things from Nina Simone to Motown, where Rod was a mix of Chicago blues and Sam Cooke and Long John was straight Chicago blues or gospel. They called themselves Steampacket. Sadly, Rod’s manager, Brian’s manager and John’s manager feuded over whose label the record should come out on, so they never really recorded anything and the outfit collapsed in 1966 after only one year. However, a live concert video exists of Steampacket playing the Reading Jazz and Blues Festival in 1965, and it is truly a rocking’ experience today.

After the band broke up, Brian decided to focus on various musical styles and founded the Brian Auger Trinity, a combination of blues, Motown and Messengers. In November 1967, their first album, Open, was released in France, and the French just went crazy. As Brian explains, “All of a sudden we were booked at the Montreux Jazz Festival as the headliner in 1968—no rock-jazz band had ever done that, these were pure jazz festivals. Following that, we got the Berlin Jazz Festival the same year—one of the most purist of all.” 

The next album, Definitely What, was Brian’s solo album and was released the same year that Brian and Julie’s hit “This Wheel’s On Fire” went to number 1 in England. After the success of that track, the Trinity obtained a large following, particularly in Britain, with Julie being the lead vocalist. Her soulful voice and mod look, made her the “it” girl of the moment and one of the poster girls of the mod years.

Streetnoise, the third album, was done in 1969 in preparation of Auger’s first US tour which was “a musician’s dream!”, as Brian fondly remembers. Creating their own works, along with a take on the Jose Feliciano version of “Light My Fire”, it all fell together: to this day it is considered one of the Trinity’s finest albums, and contains a number of stand out tracks. The euphoria of the American tour soon dissipated however, when the manager’s mis-management dealt Auger a big blow upon returning from the U.S. Brian was handed a bill for 5,000 UK pounds by manager Gomelsky, and that was the end of that. He did one more album with the Trinity called Befour released in 1970, but recorded without Julie, as she had decided she needed complete rest after the trauma of the Gomelsky fiasco, and her promising career never recovered.

Brian wanted to continue with cutting-edge music, so the Oblivion Express started up in 1970. Versatile Jim Mullen asked to be the guitar player and Barry Dean was selected as bass player, with Robbie Macintosh (who later found fame with the Average White Band) as the drummer. Brian initially did the vocals, but fearing he wasn’t up to par, then asked Alex Ligertwood to join as lead singer. Alex joined up in ’71, after Oblivion had already done one album, A Better Land, so Ligertwood’s first album as vocalist for the Oblivion Express was Second Wind.

The band collapsed suddenly when Alex moved to Paris where his wife preferred to live, and MacIntosh was hired by AWB. In preparation for a European tour, Auger got Godfrey Maclean on drums and conga player Lennox Laington and magically Jack Mills appeared. The new line-up of Oblivion Express rolled into the 1970s, cutting Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” as well as originals “Light On the Path” and “Happiness Is Just Around the Bend” on the Closer To It album in 1973. Believing in his music, Brian contacted his agency to see if they could book a tour of America. They could, and Brian went into credit card debt to finance it, in spite of label RCA trying to dissuade him.

The tour was a success, and Closer To It was followed by Straight Ahead, which also landed on both the R&B and jazz charts. The Express opened for Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin and others, bridging rock, jazz and R&B genres, and sometimes did straight R&B gigs. Oblivion Express kept rolling through most of the 70s, until the group finished touring in 1977. In 1976 and’ 77, Brian was voted the Number One Jazz organist in the world in Contemporary Keyboard magazine, largely behind the strength of his live playing with Oblivion Express. Visiting London in 1977, Auger invited Julie Driscoll to do another album again, and thus the album called Encore came about in 1977, and one more with Julie followed. After a year off, Brian did Planet Earth Calling after being approached by Head First Records.

From 1979 to 1983, Auger settled in California and took it easy for a while, taking music courses at Marin College and San Francisco State. It also gave him an opportunity to spend more time with his family, playing occasionally in local clubs. “People weren’t knocking the doors down at the time because punk and disco had suddenly come in, you know, and “anything that smacked of jazz, you can forget it”, Brian remembers of the dreaded disco era. In the mid-80s, however, Brian toured Europe again, especially Italy and Switzerland, and released Keys to the Heart in 1987.

Brian would have been content touring Europe occasionally, but fate intervened once again. In ’89, he got a call from Eric Burdon (of the Animals), who needed someone to put a band together. During the next four years, Auger was able to tour the whole world (even going behind the Iron Curtain). But Brian grew dissatisfied with how Burdon wanted to stick to Animals repertoire, and in 1993 Auger decided to leave Burdon and concentrate on his own music. In the mid to late 1990’s, Auger formed his own family version of the Oblivion Express, with his children Karma on drums and Ali performing as the lead vocalist, along with a bassist and guitarist Auger has selected. Before releasing Auger Rhythms, his first career retrospective, Brian toured Europe, where he drew large crowds at several jazz festivals, including a two night gig at the famed Montreux Jazz Festival.

So the career of this most incredible man has come full circle. In so doing, Brian is always amazed at the undying affection his fans have for him and the body of work he’s created in nearly forty years of recording and touring. “It always amazes me”, he laughs. “We’ll be playing in some small town in Europe and a small club or town hall. We’ll be loading in and doing sound check and I’m always a bit nervous that no one will show up. Then the sun goes down, and suddenly the hills are alive with the sound of my B3, and fans come out of the woodwork. Many have the old albums they want autographed”.

There is no one on the planet quite like this amazing guy who still comes to a gig ready to play, and not just walk through a set of oldies, but inject his music with the fire and passion that only a true original brings to the bandstand or studio. Brian Auger is a true original, and we are fortunate to have him and his musical legacy as a vibrant part of today’s music scene.

The Bogie Band ft. Joe Russo | 'The Prophets In The City'

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo releases its debut album, The Prophets In The City, via Royal Potato Family. A collaboration between old friends, the New York City-based collective merges tenor saxophonist Stuart Bogie's fiery arrangements with Joe Russo's dynamic drumming. Utilizing only wind and percussion instruments, they are joined by a supporting cast of musicians whose resumes run through some of New York City's most beloved bands, including Antibalas, The Dap-Kings, Red Barat, Budos Band, St. Vincent and David Byrne's American Utopia. The resulting efforts on debut album, The Prophets In The City are riotous and jubilant, pushing the boundaries of instrumental music.

"The music we've created here revels in the human mysteries that unfold in New York City, basking in its connections, ironies, and myths," explains Bogie. "Through observing its humanity, we hope to invoke the underlying world of the spirits."

Indeed, The Prophets In The City presents a soundtrack to life in NYC that is at once ancient and immediate. The collection's nine tracks paint images of crowded streets, joy and fury together on the sidewalk, golden light shining through scaffolding, and characters that carry mysteries and truths in their hearts. The dynamic arrangements are built on the propulsion of Russo's drumming, alternating through transcendental minimalism, raucous humor and revelatory wonder; passages of bold gleaming brass ring back and forth in overtone rich harmonies, conjuring new melody in the listener's imagination.

"These are deep, thoughtful, beautiful and powerful compositions that could have only come from the mind and heart of Stuart Bogie," says Russo. "I'm so proud of this record and can’t wait to share it with the world." 

Stuart Bogie has worked with artists such as Arcade Fire, TV On The Radio and Iron & Wine, though he's best known for his time as member/conductor of Antibalas. He also wrote the score for the Oscar nominated film, How to Survive a Plague. Russo's career has included performing and recording with Furthur, Gene Ween Band and Benevento/Russo Duo. He currently leads his own group, the highly-regarded Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD).

The Bogie Band featuring Joe Russo celebrates the release of The Prophets In The City with an album release performance tomorrow, Saturday, March 26 at Brooklyn Bowl. They return on Friday, July 1 to play Peach Music Festival in Scranton, PA. 

New Releases: Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble; The Electric Jazz Room; Spirits Rejoice; Dennis Bovell

Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble - Le Le (LP)

Recorded in the 1980's and snapped up upon arrival in Europe by the Soho Boho's, Acid Jazzuals,Cuboppers, Jazz Massivists and Mojo Jazzmuziker, "Le-Le" by The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble is a unique one off Spiritual Soul-Jazz outing with Avant Garde touches and more than a hint of Afro-Cuban Orientalism.The percussion drenched title track has that special Worldwide Sound and the Cool Jazz Get Down Groove of "Wet Walnuts and Whipped Cream" is a DJ's delight, whether played over the Airwaves or to a crowded Dancefloor. An adventurous jazz outfit that has been playing around Philadelphia since its formation in 1979. The Ensemble was founded by Warren Oree, an acoustic bassist, producer and composer who continues to lead the band. Eclectic and far from predictable, on this album the Ensemble has embraced a variety of acoustic and electric jazz styles combining them with African and Middle Eastern influences and mixed together with the "New Thing" have managed to make a timeless underground classic.

The Electric Jazz Room - The Electric Jazz Room E.P. (feat. Walpataca & Vienna Art Orchestra) (LP)

Two Underground London Jazzfloor hits from Paul Murphy's Jazz Room Records.On the A side Latin Supergroup's wild and infectious "Caliente" with Paquito's Banging piano riff and heavy Bass Line action from Descarga originator Cachao overlaid with Driving vibes from Tany Gil and a Percussion Meltdown from Walfredo De Los Reyes. On the B side the Vienna Art Orchestra provide a dark and mysterious version of the Bud Powell classic "Un Poco Loco" keeping that Be-Bop Afro-Cuban vibe but adding that East of the Border darkness you'd expect from a sound recorded at the time the city was on the Cold War fault line. Gilles Peterson (Worldwide / Brownswood): "Paul Murphy found almost every jazz dancefloor classic. He is the original messenger of jazz. He opened the door to an alternative way of being a Dj. The rest is history.

Spirits Rejoice - African Spaces (LP)

A defining musical statement in South Africa’s jazz canon – pinpointing the moment of social and musical ferment in which the country’s terms of engagement with jazz were irreversibly changed. Forged when township kids were facing down bullets this is an electric mulberry funk – slick, intense and complex. Heavyweight 180g vinyl with remastered audio, inner sleeve with new photographs and additional liner notes by Francis Gooding. At a distance of more than forty years, the radicalism and significance of African Spaces can be seen more clearly. Ambitious, uncompromising, and resolutely progressive, it represents a unique high-water mark in South Africa’s long musical engagement with the newest developments in American jazz – a response to the cosmic call of Return To Forever, and an answer to Miles’ On the Corner. Spirits Rejoice drew together some of South Africa’s most abundantly talented and forward-thinking jazz players and created  a complex and challenging jazz fusion that shifted the terms of South Africa’s engagement with jazz towards new music being made by pioneers such as Chick Corea, Weather Report, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny and others. African Spaces, their debut recording, is one of the key documents in the South African jazz canon. Emerging in the aftermath of the 1976 Soweto uprising, and taking its place alongside the crucial mid-1970s music of Malombo, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Batsumi, it is a defining but unsung musical statement of its era.

Dennis Bovell - Dubmaster: The Essential Anthology

A massive tribute to the long career of Dennis Bovell – the British artist who first rose up in the late 70s group Matumbi, then went on to share his production talents with a host of other artists in the decades that followed! This double-length set brings together a career-spanning set of tracks that all were handled by Bovell – a first half that features his own recordings under a number of groups, and a second half that features Bovell production and studio work with a range of other artists too – including some rare and unissued material, in a package put together by Dennis himself! Titles include the Bovell cuts "Choose Me" with African Stone, "Za Lon" with 4th Street Orchestra, "Blood Ah Go Run" by Matumbi, and cuts "Brain Damage", "Chief Inspector", "Dub Master", "Silly Dub", "Caught You In A Lie", and "Oh Mama Oh Papa" – all issued under Bovell's name. The second half features titles that include "African Queen" by Errol Campbell, "Africa Is Our Land" by Joshua Moses, "Take Five" by Young Lions, "Hooked On You" by Delroy Wilson, "Differentah" by Errol Dunkley with Julio Finn, "Silly Games" by Janet Kay, "Get Up Stand Up" by I Roy, and "Can't Go Through With Life (dancehall version)" by Marie Pierre. ~ Dusty Groove

Louie Vega – Expansions In The NYC – Various Artists

What is it about New York City, that concrete jungle that continually inspires the creative spirit? From Warhol’s Factory to Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage to David Mancuso’s Loft, collectives that celebrate and nurture unfettered, organic artistry have been absolutely intrinsic to the story of this sprawling metropolis. Its latest chapter is being written at the hands of ‘The Maestro’, Grammy Award winner Louie Vega and his Expansions NYC parties, the sound documented in his latest album Expansions In The NYC (Nervous Records).

Starting in February 2019 in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues, Vega’s Expansions NYC parties have their origin not in his revered prowess as a DJ but rather his whole-hearted appreciation of the different elements of the dance floor surrounding him: the dancers, the musicians who bring their instruments to join him ad-hoc on the night, the small, dedicated crowd of clubbers whose ears to the ground keep them informed on the underground party information. The events included 6-hour DJ Sets with Louie under his select curation, and would usually end with 3 AM jam sessions involving keyboardists, guitar players and poets all performing in front of a jam packed crowd. In just a few short years the Expansions NYC events have evolved into an NYC-clubland institution, an intimate celebration of house, funk, disco, afro, R&B and more.

As with his parties, so goes his album. The collective vibe that forms the beating heart of Expansions NYC parties is absolutely front and centre in Expansions In The NYC, Vega drawing in one of the most comprehensive lists of collaborators in recent memory. House heavyweights Honey Dijon, Joe Claussell, Moodymann, Kerri Chandler and Anané rub up against legendary vocalists Bernard Fowler, Cindy Mizelle, Lisa Fischer, Audrey Wheeler and Tony Momrelle. Gospel royalty BeBe Winans and Debbie Winans, pop icon Robyn and rising star Karen Harding sit alongside disco-era champions Unlimited Touch, Cuban jazz pianist Axel Tosca, Nico Vega, Two Soul Fusion with Josh Milan and Vega and underground legend DJ Spinna. At the centre of it all, fingerprint on every beat, touch on every groove, sits a master at work, weaving the individual threads into a rich dance music tapestry.

“In the past few years I’ve found new inspiration both from the musicians I’m working with and the audiences coming to see me at my DJ shows,” Vega says. “So for me this album represents new beginnings, bringing together a beautiful mosaic of artistic perspectives to express musically what we call Expansions In The NYC.”

At its heart, Expansions In The NYC is a love letter to New York, as much as melting pot as the city it represents, the scope of its line-up possible only because of the influence and reverence of Vega the artist, the DJ, the producer, the curator. In creating this album, Louie Vega has once again utterly enriched the lives and libraries of music lovers the world over, far beyond the hustling streets of NYC that have so indelibly left their mark on his work.

Manel Fortià | "Despertar"

Barcelona-born bassist Manel Fortià bridges his Mediterranean and Spanish roots with the sounds of modern New York jazz on his trio album Despertar, available May 12, 2022 via Segell Microscopi/Altafonte Distribution.

Meticulously composed and produced by Fortià, Despertar presents a musical self-portrait based on a selection of spirited originals, all inspired by his experiences while living in New York City between 2016 and 2020. The composer creates a mellow and personal music which touches on influences as varied as Charlie Haden, Keith Jarrett, Maurice Ravel and Paco de Lucía, among others.

Fortià’s extraordinary trio features two of the most prolific European jazz personalities of the new generation. Multi-award winning Spanish pianist Marco Mezquida (Lee Konitz, Dave Liebman, Bill McHenry, Chicuelo, Noa), understands Fortià's music deeply and performs with elegance and dynamism. The connection between these two artists and their ability to listen deeply was showcased on their critically acclaimed 2015 duo album My Old Flame. Rounding out the trio is the revelatory French drummer Raphaël Pannier (Miguel Zenón, Aaron Goldberg, François Moutin) with whom Manel recorded the 2018 album Bulería Brooklyniana mixing Brooklyn jazz underground with flamenco. Joining them on that album was pianist Albert Marquès. With his huge palette of textures and sounds, Pannier brings the music to another level, infusing vital and foundational energy into the rhythm section.

“This album is very important to me because it reflects one of the most transcendent moments in my artistic life. I feel that living in NYC changed me tremendously and I grew a lot there,” Fortià says. “It is also the first time I recorded a full album featuring all my compositions. That I can share playing them with two of my favorite musicians with whom I have a great connection personally and musically, is like a dream come true.”   

The Spanish title "Despertar" translates into “awakening,” which references the last tune of the album, while, in contrast, the first one is called "Dormir" ("fall sleep"). Between these tracks we are on a dreamy journey of vital experiences, traveling to different places and moments in a very imaginative way that brings about the magic of Mediterranean culture. 

Like Charlie Haden, Fortià is an extremely melodic and open-minded player, executing performances on the upright bass with deep sound and precision, dropping guideposts, marking turns and grounding the journey while adding the occasional weighty statement on his compositions. His sound on the instrument is his major virtue, easily recognizable as his own. He can play a variety of styles and rhythms without losing his personality. Mellow and powerful, straight and flexible, sober and free, laid-back and energetic... all of these contrasts coexist in his playing. Inside his music we can find New York modern jazz but also some Mediterranean colors, hints of flamenco as well as European classical influences.  

Between the Bach choral-inspired opener "Dormir" and the powerful meditative suite "Despertar," we have seven different episodes of an exciting dream unfolding in NYC. The energetic groove of the JFK AirTrain ("Circular") drives us from the airport to the melancholic, impressionist neighborhood Astoria ("Saudades") where Manel lived while in New York. Then we travel to Harlem with the beautiful gospel-inspired “Espiritual,” an homage to Black American music, where Manel's solo travels from the bottom of his upright bass to heaven. Next is the deep ballad with a Spanish touch called "El Día Después," dedicated to La Rambla de Barcelona where there was a terrorist attack in 2017 while Fortià was in New York, suffering in the distance. We then travel to the iconic Grand Central Station at rush hour which is represented by the frenetic and dynamic song "Crescente.” A calm after the storm arrives courtesy of two beautiful tunes with South American flavors: "Aires de Libertad" is dedicated to Prospect Park, an area of Brooklyn where historically a huge group of jazz musicians have been living, and "Simple" to the Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens, where we find a huge Colombian community. This musical "American Dream,” is Manel’s self-portrait of life as an immigrant artist during his time in the United States.

Recorded and mixed at El Local Studios (Girona, Spain) by Marc Piña and mastered at Sear Sound (NYC, USA) by Grammy-Award winning sound engineer Jeremy Loucas, Despertar has the perfect balance of sounds between Europe's beautiful harmonies and America's energetic rhythms, bringing us on a journey of different colors and contrasting climates. 

The striking album art highlights original objects the Argentinian artist Fran Pontenpie conceptualized and built after listening to the music and then photographed for the album. On the cover is a wooden upright bass bridge transformed into a human who is awakening from the bass. On the back are four clouds created from bass tuners. Inside is a plant that has three pairs of eyes, for every member of the trio. Pontenpie's visual contributions enhance the listening experience and make the album a unique piece of art. 

Barcelona/NYC-based upright bassist Manel Fortià is in a fruitful moment of his artistic life. His melodic sense, rhythmic precision and creativity have made him one of the most unique and original musicians of the new generation.  In addition to leading his own projects, Fortià is a versatile and in-demand sideman.

His recent work as a leader includes: Despertar (2022, Microscopi) playing fresh own compositions inspired in New York alongside his new European Trio featuring Spanish pianist Marco Mezquida and French drummer Raphael Pannier. Arrels (2021, Microscopi), the debut recording of his new free-flamenco-jazz Libérica project, Antonio Lizana, the award-winning saxophonist and singer from Cádiz. The album was in the top 10 of Best Jazz Albums of 2021 by the prestigious Enderrock magazine. Fortià’s original folk-jazz duo album Fang i Núvols (2020, Microscopi) with the talented Catalan singer Magalí Sare was also critically acclaimed. 

Throughout his career, Manel Fortià has performed with jazz luminaries such as Dave Liebman, Chris Cheek, Eliot Zigmund, Bill McHenry, Ari Hoenig, Arturo O’Farrill, Chano Dominguez, Stephane Belmondo, Scott Hamilton, Dena Derose and Raynald Colom, among many others, at some of the most prestigious international festivals such as Vitoria Jazz Festival (Spain), SudTirol Jazz Festival (Italy), NYC Mediterranean Jazz Festival (USA), Jazz in Sardegna (Italy), PortaJazz Festival (Portugal), and Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival (Spain)… as well as in famed jazz clubs like the Blue Note and Zinc Bar (New York), Bimhuis (Amsterdam), Pizza Express (London), An Die Musik (Baltimore), Hot Five (Porto), and Cafe Central (Madrid).

In addition, he has appeared in more than 50 albums as a co-leader and as a sideman, including Estándares with Grammy Awarded pianist Chano Dominguez and Antonio Lizana, My Old Flame in duet with Marco Mezquida and Bulería Brooklyniana with Marquès/Fortià/Pannier trio. 

Fortià has been recognized with multiple awards such as the “Jazzer 2020” from the Jazzing Festival of Barcelona. He has also been a finalist at “Terra i Cultura 2019” with Magalí Sare, and a three-time finalist at Castelló Jazz Contest (2012-2014). He won the Jazz Fusion Contest (2013) with Tak! In addition, he combines a performing career with his teaching role at the prestigious ESEM - Taller de Músics in Barcelona and in the Jazz Department of Girona Conservatorium.

He also has been involved with social justice music projects happening in the U.S. including Freedom First (Justice for Keith Lamar), which fights for human rights and equality, led by the musician-activist Albert Marquès featuring Arturo O’Farrill, Salim Washington, Caroline Davis among many others.