Monthly Archives: May, 2020

PACIFIC BREEZE 2: JAPANESE CITY POP AOR AND BOOGIE 1972-1986.

Pacific Breeze 2: Japanese City Pop AOR and Boogie 1972-1986. Label: Light In The Attic Records. Release Date: ‘15th’ of May 2020. In May 2019, Seattle-based Light In The Attic Records released Pacific Breeze: Japanese City Pop, AOR and Boogie 1976-1986 to widespread critical acclaim. This lovingly curated compilation was what many music fans had …

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CULT CLASSIC: LITTLE RICHARD-THE SECOND COMING.

Cult Classic: Little Richard-The Second Coming. Little Richard, who passed away on the ‘9th’ of May 2020 aged eighty-seven, was a flamboyant showman, a strutting, preening peacock and musical pioneer, whose career was transformed when he released Tutti Frutti as a single in October 1955. It reached number two on the US R&B charts, sold two …

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CULT CLASSIC: CESAR 830-CESAR.

Cult Classic: Cesar 830-Cesar. Originally, Cesar Ascarrunz came from Bolivia to California to study economics and psychology. He wanted to continue his education and the University of California, in Berkeley seemed the perfect place. When he arrived in California in 1960, he was twenty-five. Although interested in music, he couldn’t play an instrument. This changed in …

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DR. LONNIE SMITH-ALL IN MY MIND.

Dr. Lonnie Smith-All In My Mind. Label: Blue Note Records. Forty-six years after he left Blue Note Records, Dr. Lonnie Smith returned in 2016 and released a new studio album Evolution. It was released to critical acclaim and marked the homecoming of the last of the great soul-jazz organists. His career began in 1960, and …

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NKEM NJOKU AND OZZOBIA BROTHERS-OZABIA SPECIAL. 

Nkem Njoku and Ozzobia Brothers–Ozobia Special. Label: BBE Africa. Tabansi Records was founded in Nigeria in 1952, and filled a void when major labels like Decca and later, Philips closed the doors on their Nigerian operations. Chief Tabansi, who lent his name to what would become Nigeria’s most important label, recorded artists and then pressed …

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ISLANDMAN-KAYBOLA. 

Islandman-Kaybola. Label: Music For Dreams. Three years ago in 2017, Islandman released their debut album Rest In Space to widespread critical acclaim. Since then, the Turkish trio have been busy, and have crisscrossed the globe playing gigs in clubs and at festivals. They’ve also spent the best part of two years recording their much-anticipated sophomore …

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ROY BUDD-THE INTERNECINE PROJECT.

Roy Budd-The Internecine Project. Label: Trunk Records. By 1974, London born jazz pianist, arranger, bandleader and composer Roy Budd was twenty-seven, and had been performing professionally since the age of fifteen. A year later, he formed his own quartet, and in 1967,  released his debut album Roy Budd At Newport. The young pianist was a …

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DUKE ELLINGTON, CHARLIE MINGUS, MAX ROACH-MONEY JUNGLE.

Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach-Money Jungle. Label: Blue Note Records. On Monday, September the ‘17th’ 1962, bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach made their way to Sound Makers Studio, in New York. The two friends were en route to a session where they would record an album with one of the giants of …

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CULT CLASSIC: CLAUDE LOMBARD-CHANTE.

Cult Classic: Claude Lombard-Chante. By 1969, twenty-four year old Belgian chanteuse Claude Lombard had been involved in the music industry for seven years, and had already written several scores and appeared as a session singer on numerous singles.  Claude Lombard had also represented Belgium at Eurovision Song Contest and released a number of singles during …

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CULT CLASSIC: ISAAC HAYES MOVEMENT-DISCO CONNECTION.

Cult Classic: Isaac Hayes Movement-Disco Connection. Disco. Never has a musical genre divided opinion like the D word.   It’s been described as musical Marmite. People either love disco, or they loathe it. There’s no in-between. However, forty years ago, in 1976, disco’s star was in the ascendancy. Artists were jumping onto the disco bandwagon. …

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MASAHIKO SATO-KAYOBI NO ONNA. 

Masahiko Sato-Kayobi No Onna. Label: Mitsuko and Svetlana Records. By 1969, Tokyo-born composer and pianist Masahiko Sato about to turn twenty-nine, and had been a professional musician since he was seventeen. He had started out accompanying magicians, singers and strippers in a cabaret in Ginza, a district of Tokyo. Now eleven years later he had …

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GRANT GREEN-NIGERIA.

Grant Green-Nigeria. Label: Blue Note Records. On January the ’13th’ 1962 Grant Green journeyed to New Jersey, and what were by now the familiar environs of the Van Gelder Studio. He was twenty-five and had already recorded eight albums for Blue Note Records since he signed for the label in 1960. Grant Green had his …

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