Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
DR JOHN-IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
Dr John-In The Right Place. Label: Get On Down. Format: LP. Very few musicians or bands can be accurately described as an overnight success. That is something that hardly ever exists except in the minds of a few tabloid journalists . The reality is that most bands need to do the hard yards and hone …
VICTOR CHUKWU-AKALAKA-/UNCLE VICTOR CHUKS AND THE BLACK IROKOS-THE POWER.
Victor Chukwu–Akalaka /Uncle Victor Chuks and The Black Irokos–The Power. Label: BBE Africa. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘6th’ November 2020. By 1977, Victor Chukwu was regarded as one of masters of Igbo highlife and over the next two years recorded two of his most important and rarest albums. The first was a solo album Akalaka, …
HORACE SILVER QUINTET-FURTHER EXPLORATIONS BY THE HORACE SILVER QUINTET.
Horace Silver Quintet-Further Explorations By The Horace Silver Quintet. Label: Blue Note Records-Tone Poet Series. Format: LP. By 1950, composer and pianist Horace Silver was twenty-two and living in Hartford, Connecticut, where he had formed his own trio. They were already a familiar sight in the local clubs and are were quickly establishing a reputation …
CULT CLASSICS: SIDIKU BUARI-FEELINGS AND SIDIKU BUARI AND HIS JAM BUSTERS.
Cult Classics: Sidiku Buari-Feelings and Sidiku Buari His Jam Busters. There aren’t many people who forge a career in sport and music, but Ghanian-born Sidiku Buari managed to do just this. He was a silver medallist in the 400 metres at the 1963 All-Africa Games held in Dakar, Senegal. Two years later, in 1965, he …
WHO WAS WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR?
Who Was William Onyeabor? Enigmatic. That was the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor who died on January 16th 2017 aged just seventy. That day, Nigerian music lost a musical pioneer. However, he was also one of the most mysterious, elusive and enigmatic musicians in musical history and much of his life was shrouded in …
BOBBY HUTCHERSON-THE KICKER.
Bobby Hutcherson-The Kicker. Label: Blue Note Records-Tone Poet Series. Format: LP. Less than three years after Bobby Hutcherson made his recording debut, the twenty-three year old vibraphonist recorded his debut album The Kicker for Blue Note Records in 1963. This was the start of the most prolific period of his long and illustrious career. Over …
NIMBUS SEXTET-TRAP DOOR.
Nimbus Sextet-Trap Door. Label: Acid Jazz Records. Format: Single from the album Dreams Fulfilled released “23rd October 2020. For the best part of six decades, Scotland has enjoyed a vibrant and eclectic music scene and has produced many successful artists and bands that have gone on to enjoy commercial success and critical acclaim. This began …
JIMMY SMITH WITH STANLEY TURRENTINE-PRAYER MEETIN’.
Jimmy Smith With Stanley Turrentine-Prayer Meetin’. Label: Blue Note Records-Tone Poet Series. Format: LP. When Jimmy Smith entered Van Gelder Studio on February the ‘8th’ 1963, he was about to record his fourth album in a week. This meant that he had fulfilled the terms of his contract with Blue Note and could sign with …
MINA-THE QUEEN OF ITALIAN POP-CLASSIC RI-FI RECORDINGS 1963-1967.
Mina-The Queen Of Italian Pop-Classic Ri-Fi Recordings 1963-1967. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Mina Anna Mazzini was born in Busto Arsizio, in Italy, on the ’25th’ of March 1940, and by the time she was eighteen, Mina as she was now billed, had already embarked upon a career as a professional singer and released her …
KENNY CARTER-SHOWDOWN THE COMPLETE 1966 RCA RECORDINGS.
Kenny Carter-Showdown-The Complete 1966 RCA Recordings. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. When twenty-five year old Kenny Carter signed to RCA Victor in 1965 this was an opportunity for the balladeer to kickstart his career. He had only released two singles in the early sixties but neither Hey Lover nor Will My Baby Be With Me …
AL GREEN-GREEN IS BLUES.
Al Green-Green Is Blues. Label: Fat Possum Records Format: LP. The day that Al Green met Willie Mitchell in 1969 was, without doubt, the most important day in the twenty-two year old singer’s career. His career had stalled and he someone who could get it back on track. Willie Mitchell was the man to do …
CULT CLASSIC: IKARUS-IKARUS.
Cult Classic: Ikarus-Ikarus. In Greek mythology, Icarus, the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, who created the Labyrinth, met a tragic ending. Icarus and Daedalus were desperate to escape from Crete. So Daedalus constructed wings made of feathers and wax. As Icarus prepared to make his escape, Daedalus warned his son of complacency and hubris. …
CULT CLASSIC: ARTURIO RUIZ DEL POZO-COMPOSICIONES NAVITAS
Cult Classic: Arturo Ruiz del Pozo-Composiciones Nativas. Nobody knows what life has in store for them when they embark upon the adventure that is life. Arturo Ruiz del Pozo, who was born in the Peruvian capital Lima, in 1949, had no idea that he would become one of Peru’s leading avant-garde musicians and release a classic …
IF I HAVE TO WRECK L.A.-KENT AND MODERN RECORDS BLUES INTO THE 60S VOL 2.
If I Have To Wreck L.A.-Kent and Modern Records Blues Into The 60s Vol 2. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. As the sixties dawned, musical tastes were changing and soul music’s popularity had started to grow. By then, new independent labels were being founded all across America and labels like Stax, Atlantic and Motown became …
STANLEY TURRENTINE-THAT’S WHERE IT’S AT.
Stanley Turrentine-That’s Where It’s At. Label: Blue Note Records. In September 1962, twenty-eight year old saxophonist Stanley Turrentine released That’s Where It’s At which was his fifth album for Blue Note Records. It was his much-anticipated followup to Dearly Beloved which at the time, many critics hailed as his finest album. That’s Where It’s At …
CULT CLASSIC: ADELBERT VON DEYEN-NORBORG
Cult Classic: Adelbert Von Deyen-Norborg. After Adelbert Von Deyen released his debut album Sternzeit on Günter Körber’s Sky Records in 1978, the label became his home for the next nine years. This was the most productive period of Adelbert Von Deyen’s career. His creativity blossomed and he released eight studio albums and one live album. …
CULT CLASSIC: CANNED HEAT-ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS.
Cult Classic: Canned Heat-One More River To Cross. When Canned Heat released heir ninth album, The New Age, on the ‘8th’ of March 1973, it marked the end of an era for the band. It was their swan-song for Liberty Records. After six years and nine studio albums Canned Heat were about leave Liberty Records. …
CULT CLASSIC FOUND: EBO TAYLOR-PALAVER.
Cult Classic Found: Ebo Taylor-Palaver. In the history of Ghanian music one man looms large, Ebo Taylor. He’s a colossus of Ghanian music who deserves to be described as an innovator and as someone who went on to influence future generations of Ghanian musicians. Nearly forty years later, and Ebo Taylor’s influence is still being …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 