Author Archive: dereksmusicblog

RAMSEY LEWIS-FUNKY SERENITY, RAMSEY LEWIS’ GOLDEN HITS, SOLAR WIND AND SUN GODDESS.

Ramey Lewis-Funky Serenity, Ramsey Lewis’ Golden Hits, Solar Wind and Sun Goddess. Label: BGO Records. Not many recording artists spend sixteen years signed to the same label, but bandleader, composer and pianist Ramsey Lewis had signed to Chess Records in 1956, and his band Ramsey Lewis and The Gentlemen Of Swing their debut album later …

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VAN MORRISON-THE ALTERNATIVE MOONDANCE-RECORD STORE DAY 2018 RELEASE.

Van Morrison-The Alternative Moondance-Record Store Day 2018 Release. Label: Warner Bros Records. Many critics and record buyers believe that it’s sacrilege to change a classic album in any way, and held their hands up in horror when it was announced that Giles Martin was remixing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Steven Wilson must have …

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SPIRITUAL JAZZ VOLUME 2: EUROPE (ESOTERIC MODAL AND DEEP EUROPEAN JAZZ 1960-1978.

Spiritual Jazz Volume 2: Europe (Esoteric Modal and Deep European Jazz 1960-1978). Label: Jazzman Records. Twenty years ago, in 1998, Jazzman Gerald was one of a number of people who noticed that the demand for old jazz, funk and soul albums and singles was outstripping the supply, which meant that many record buyers were being …

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GRANT GREEN-SLICK! LIVE AT OIL CAN HARRY’S-RECORD STORD DAY 2018 EDITION.

Grant Green-Slick! Live At Oil Can Harry’s-Record Store Day 2018 Edition. 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 …

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SPIDER-JAZZ.

Spider-Jazz. Label: Trunk Records. Anyone who grew up in the late-sixties will have fond memories of the original series of Spiderman cartoon series, which was created by Grantray-Lawrence Animation, and made its television debut on ABC-TV in 1967, just five years after the crime fighting superhero made his debut in Marvel Comics. Spiderman was created …

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DUENDE LIBRE-DRIFT.

Duende Libre-Drift. Label: Self-Released.  In May 2017, Seattle-based Duende Libre who are led by bandleader, composer and keyboardist Alex Chadsey, self-released their genre-melting eponymous debut album. Buoyed by the response and reception to Duende Libre, the trio began work on the followup, Drift, which has just been self-released, and is the latest chapter in the …

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MIMAN-ULME.

Miman-Ulme. Label: Motvind Records. Over the last few years, Norway’s eclectic music scene has been thriving, as familiar faces and new bands release albums of ambitious, exciting and innovative music. This includes the improv trio Miman, who recently released their much-anticipated debut album Ulme, on Motvind Records.  Having released Ulme, Miman embarked upon a European …

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SPLASHGIRL-SIXTH SENSE.

Splashgirl-Sixth Sense. Label: Hubro Music.   When Splashgirl released their fifth album Hibernation, in February 2016, their star was already in the ascendancy and the Norwegian doom jazz trio had already released a quartet of ambitious and innovative albums. Four became five when Hibernation was released to critical acclaim, and was hailed as Splashgirl’s finest hour and as …

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RANDY MEISNER-ONE MORE SONG AND RANDY MEISNER.

Randy Meisner-One More Song and Randy Meisner. Label: BGO Records. Musical history was made in September 1971, when Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bernie Leadon and twenty-five year old Randy Meisner formed The Eagles and signed with David Geffen’s new label Asylum Records. Little did David Geffen realise that he had signed one of the biggest …

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TOM WAITS-HEARTATTACK AND VINE.

Tom Waits-Heartattack and Vine. Label: Anti. In June 1980, thirty year old Tom Waits began work on his sixth studio album, Heartattack and Vine, which was the last album he released on David Geffen’s Asylum Records. The Asylum Records’ years had been frustrating for Tom Waits, who had released his debut album Closing Time in …

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CZECH UP! VOLUME 2: WE’D BE HAPPY.

Czech Up! Volume 2: We’d Be Happy. Label: Vampi Soul. Nowadays, competition within the compilation market is fierce, and each week hundreds of compilations are released by record companies across the world and are competing for the compilation pound, dollar or Euro. However, not all compilations are equal, and some of these compilations are more …

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FRODE HALTLI-AVANT FOLK.

Frode Haltli-Avant Folk. Label: Hubro Music. Release Date: ‘15th’ June 2018. Album Of The Week. Frode Haltli was born in Levanger, in the municipality of Trøndelag, on the ’15th’ of May 1975, and by the time he was seven, had already started to play the accordion. The young  Frode Haltli proved to be a prodigious …

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UNDER THE INFLUENCE VOLUME 6: A COLLECTION OF RARE SOUL AND DISCO COMPILED BY FAZE ACTION.

Under The Influence Volume 6: A Collection Of Rare Soul and Disco Compiled By Faze Action. Label: Z Records. Every time an independent record label releases a new compilation there’s always the hope that this will be the first instalment in a long running and successful series. Sadly, that hardly ever happens, and the majority …

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CHUCK JACKSON-THE BEST OF THE WAND YEARS (VINYL).

Chuck Jackson-The Best Of The Wand Years (Vinyl). Label: Kent Soul. By the time Pittsburg-born Chuck Jackson signed to Wand Records in 1961, he was just twenty-four,  and was already an experienced singer, who many within the music industry thought had a great future ahead of him. Chuck Jackson’s career began four years earlier in …

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ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM-TIDE AND STONE FLOWER. 

Antonio Carlos Jobim-Tide and Stone Flower. Label: BGO Records. Nowadays, Brazilian pianist, singer and songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim is regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Bossa Nova in fifties, which he internationalised in the sixties with the help of some American jazz musicians. They fused Bossa Nova and jazz to create a …

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BOB STANLEY AND PETE WIGGS PRESENT PARIS IN THE SPRING.

Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present Paris In The Spring. Label: Ace Records. People across Europe were shocked when they saw the pictures in newspapers and reports on television of the civil unrest in May 1968, and couldn’t believe that Paris was burning and at one point, it looked as if the French government was about to …

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ON THE SOUL SIDE.

On The Soul Side. Label: Kent Soul. Thirty-five years ago in 1983, Kent Records, which had been founded a year earlier in 1982, released their sixth release, On The Soul Side on vinyl. It was the fourth compilation that Ady Croasdell had compiled for Kent Records. The previous compilations had all been well received and …

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CHANCHA-VIA CIRCUITO-BIENAVENTURANZA. 

Chancha Via Circuito-Bienaventuranza. Label: Wonderwheel Records. Four years after Chancha Via Circuito released his critically acclaimed third album Amansara which introduced his genre-melting music to a new and wider international audience, one of music’s mavericks returns with the eagerly awaited followup Bienaventuranza which has just been released by Brooklyn based Wonderwheel Records. Bienaventuranza marks the welcome …

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WESTBOUND DISCO.

Westbound Disco.  Label: Westbound Records. By 1969, Armen Boladian was a familiar face within the Detroit music scene, and the musical impresario was about to launch a new label Westbound Records. This came as no surprise to those that knew Armen Boladian who previously, had founded and run the Fascination label and the Record Distribution …

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KRONIKI FILMOWE: POLISH LIBRARY MUSIC 1963-1978.

Kroniki Filmowe: Polish Library Music 1963-78  Label: GAD Records. Over the last few years, there’s been a resurgence of interest in library music, with British and European independent record labels releasing lovingly curated compilations that are welcomed by a coterie of musical connoisseurs who have a passion for library music. This includes DJs, producers and …

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