Author Archive: dereksmusicblog

VICTOR ASSIS BRASIL-ESPERANTO AND TOCA ANTONIA CARLOS JOBIM.

Victor Assis Brasil-Esperanto and Toca Antonio Carlos Jobim. Label: Far Out Recordings. Victor Assis Brasil was born into a middle class family in  Rio de Janeiro, on the ‘28th’ of August 1945, and from an  early age, expressed an interest in music. Seeing their son’s interest in music, Victor Assis Brasil’s parents decided to foster …

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CHESS NORTHERN SOUL-KEEP ON DANCING.

Chess Northern Soul-Just Keep On Dancing. Label: Kent. Nowadays, hardly a week goes by without a new  Northern Soul compilation being released into what an increasingly competitive marketplace. Some weeks, there are several Northern Soul compilations released and the competitions suddenly becomes even more fierce.  That comes as no surprise, as record labels big and …

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EL POLEN-FUERA DE LA CIUDAD-VINYL.

El Polen-Fuera De La Ciudad (Vinyl). Labe: Buh Records. Sadly, not every influential and innovative band enjoys a long and illustrious career, and instead, their career is short-lived. That was the case with the groundbreaking Peruvian rock band El Polen who released just two albums between 1972 and 1973. This includes their debut album Cholo …

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MOUNTAIN-FLOWERS OF EVIL AND MOUNTAIN LIVE: THE ROAD GOES EVER ON.

Mountain-Flowers Of Evil and Mountain Live: The Road Goes Ever On. Label: BGO Records. By the time Long Island based hard rockers Mountain began recording their third album Flowers Of Evil, their first two albums had just been certified gold. This success began with  their 1970 debut album Climbing!, and continued with the followup Nantucket …

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FREDDIE HUBBARD-GLEAM.

Freddie Hubbard-Gleam. Label: BGO Records. By the time thirty-six year old Freddie Hubbard arrived in Japan, in March 1975, he was already regarded as one of the most influential trumpeters of his generation. That had been the case since the early sixties when, Freddie Hubbard’s career began, and he brought what was a new perspective …

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BERT JANSCH-L.A. TURNAROUND.

Bert Jansch-L.A. Turnaround. Label: Earth UK. On New Year’s Day, 1973, Glasgow-born Bert Jansch announced his intention to leave folk-jazz band Pentangle, and concentrate on his burgeoning solo career. This resulted in the headline: “Pentangle Split” featuring on the first edition of Melody Maker released in 1973. For some of Pentangle’s fans, this came as …

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DAVID AXELROD-SONGS OF EXPERIENCE.

David Axelrod-Songs Of Experience. Label: Now Again Records. By 1968, composer, musicians and producer David Axelrod was just about to embark upon a solo career after nine years working in the music industry. Buoyed by the experimental climate of popular music, David Axelrod wrote and recorded what was akin to a suite-like tone poem that …

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TEENAGE FANCLUB-GRAND PRIX AND TALES FROM NORTHERN BRITAIN-VINYL.

Teenage Fanclub-Grand Prix and Tales From Northern Britain. Label: Sony Music. There aren’t many Scottish bands have enjoyed the longevity and commercial success that Teenage Fanclub have enjoyed over the past three decades.. Scotland’s Kings of jangle pop have been together for twenty-nine years, released ten albums and toured the world several times.  Still though, Teenage Fanclub still going strong, and on the “10th” of August …

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SUPER ELCADOS-TOGETHER IS ALWAYS A GOOD VENTURE-TAMBOURINE PARTY VOLUME 2.

Super Elcados–Togetherness Is Always A Good Venture-Tambourine Party Volume 2. Label: Mr Bongo. During the early sixties, a  musical revolution took place in Ghana, when musicians started combining elements of West African musical genres including highlife and fuji music which they fused with American funk and jazz. Playing an important part important part in this …

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EL POLEN-CHOLO (MUSICA ORIGINAL DE LE BANDA DE SONIDO-VINYL.

El Polen-Cholo (Música Original De La Banda De Sonido) Vinyl. Labe: Buh Records. When El Polen was formed by brothers Juan Luis and Raul Pereira in 1969, little did anyone realise that their new band would become one of the most important and influential in the history of Peruvian music. That was until El Polen …

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SANDY DENNY-LIKE AN OLD FASHIONED WALTZ-RECORD STORE DAY 2018 EDITION.

Sandy Denny-Like An Old Fashioned Waltz-Record Store Day 2018 Edition. Label: Island Records. Sandy Denny left Fairport Convention in December 1969, and in early 1970, decided to form a new band. The new band became Fotheringay, who released their eponymous debut album in June 1970. Critics hailed Fotheringay a masterful debut, and the album sold …

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MARY LOVE-LAY THIS BURDEN DOWN-VINYL.

Mary Love-Lay This Burden Down-Vinyl. Label: Kent. The day that Mary Love  entered a talent contest in a local club was that the day that her life changed. She sang a cover of Etta James’ Somebody’s Got A Hold On Me and won. This resulted in Mary being hired to sing every Thursday.  She was paid $8 a …

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GRANT GREEN-SLICK! LIVE AT OIL CAN HARRY’S.

Grant Green-Slick! Live At Oil Can Harry’s. Label: Resonance Records. Nowadays, guitarist Grant Green is best known for the jazz and soul-jazz albums that he recorded for Blue Note Records during the sixties. However, that was only part of the Grant Green story, and by 1969, he had changed direction and was playing jazz-funk.  This …

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HUGO FATTUOSO-Y BARRIO OPA.

Hugo Fattoruso-Y Barrio Opa. Label: Far Out Recordings. Composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Hugo Fattoruso, was born in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo on the ‘29th’ June 1943, and formed his first band Trío Fattoruso in 1952 aged nine. Sixty-six years later and Hugo Fattoruso is still involved in music and recently, released a new album …

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GARY MCFARLAND-THE IN SOUND AND SOFT SAMBA.

Gary McParland-The In Sound and Soft Samba. Label: Ace Records. Composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist Gary McParland was born on October the ’23rd’ 1933, in Los Angeles, but moved to Grants Pass, in Oregon as a fifteen year old. After graduating from high school,Gary McParland headed to college where he became interested in jazz.  Despite …

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MUSIC CITY BLUES AND RHYTHM.

Music City Blues and Rhythm. Label: Ace Records. For anyone with even a passing interest in blues music, Ace Records’ new compilation Music City Blues and Rhythm will be of interest to them. It features twenty-eight tracks from the vaults of the Music City label, which was based in Berkeley, California. That was where the …

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BOPPIN’ BY THE BAYOU-FLIP, FLOP AND FLY.

Boppin’ By The Bayou-Flip, Flop and Fly. Label: Ace Records. Nowadays, the compilation market is without doubt, one of the most competitive in the music industry. Every week hundreds of compilations are released by labels in America, Europe and Britain. Some are released by major labels, while others are lovingly curated and released by smaller …

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EMANATIVE-EARTH.

Emanative-Earth. Label: Jazzman Records. Three years after the release of their third album The Light Years Of The Darkness in 2015, British jazz collective Emanative return with Earth, a new album of ambitious genre-melting music. It finds Emanative channelling the spirit of Sun Ra, but also drawing inspiration from Floating Point’s unique brand if cinematic …

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THE LIGHTMEN-FREE AS YOU WANNA BE.

The Lightmen-Free As You Wanna Be. Label: Now Again Records. Before founding The Lightmen, drummer, bandleader and political activist Bubbha Thomas had toured the length and breadth of America playing in R&B revues. The rest of his career had been spent working alongside the legends of jazz and playing on sessions for Peacock and Back …

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ANA SILVERA-ORACLES.

Ana Silvera-Oracles. Label; Gearbox. When London born singer-songwriter Ana Silvera released her debut album The Aviary to widespread critical acclaim in March 2012, great things were forecast for one of the rising star’s of British Nu Folk. Since then, critics and music fans have looked forward with anticipation to the followup to The Aviary. They’ve …

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