Author Archive: dereksmusicblog

OLA KVENBERG-STEAMDOME.

Ola Kvernberg-Steamdome.  Label: Grappa. Release Date: June ‘8th’ 2018. Three years after award-winning Norwegian fiddler Ola Kvernberg released his critically acclaimed album The Mechanical Fair, he will return with the much-anticipated followup Steamdome, which will be released by Grappa on June the ‘8th’ 2018. Steamdome is another album of innovative and imaginative music from Ola …

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GRANT GREEN-FUNK IN FRANCE FROM PARIS TO ANTIBES 1969-1970.

Grant Green-Funk In France From Paris To Antibes 1969-1970. Label: Resonance Records. In 1967, thirty-five year old guitarist Grant Green was in the throes of heroin addiction, and it looked as if he was fighting a battle he had no chance of winning. Grant Green was a shadow of the man who had arrived in …

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MILLIE JACKSON-STILL CAUGHT UP.

Millie Jackson-Still Caught Up. Label: Southbound Records. There’s nothing worse than not hearing how a story ends, and that was how many record buyers felt after hearing Millie Jackson’s critically acclaimed fourth album Caught Up, which was released in 1974. Caught Up was essentially a concept album, but in truth was like a musical soap …

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KETIL BJORNSTAD AND ANNELI DRECKER-A SUITE OF POEMS.

Ketil Bjørnstad and Anneli Drecker-A Suite Of Poems. Label: ECM Records. Nowadays, part of the modern music industry is populated by third-rate wannabes, who in truth, have no right whatsoever to call themselves musicians. Many of this new breed of musicians, are DJs who also laughingly refer to themselves as a ‘producer’ despite having absolutely …

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RYO FUKUI-SCENERY AND MELLOW DREAM.

Ryo Fukui-Scenery and Mellow Dream. Label: We Release Jazz Switzerland. Ryo Fukui, who was born in Biratori, Hokkaido, in Japan, on the ‘1st’ of June 1948, was a late starter when it came to the piano and unlike most of the musicians he encountered during a career that spanned five decades, had never learnt to …

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CUASARES-AFRO-PROGRESIVO. 

Cuasares-Afro-Progresivo. Label: Pharaway Sounds. In 1972, a new Argentinian band Cuasares, entered the recording studio and began work on what became their debut album Afro-Progresivo. This was the latest project that was masterminded by arranger, composer and pianist Waldo Belloso who previously, had been a member of Los Abrodo Brothers and recorded a sexploitation soundtrack …

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GEORGE JONES AND THE JONES BOYS-LIVE IN TEXAS 1965.

George Jones and The Jones Boys-Live In Texas 1965. Label: Ace Records. By 1985, singer-songwriter George Jones was approaching his fifty-fourth birthday and was once again, one of the giants of country music, and had thirteen number one country hits to his name. This included the four he had released since he made his comeback …

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DON ELLIS-SHOCK TREATMENT AND DON ELLIS AND HIS ORCHESTRA AUTUMN.

Don Ellis-Shock Treatment and Don Ellis and His Orchestra-Autumn. Label: BGO Records. Bandleader, composer and trumpeter Don Ellis’ life was changed forevermore in 1974, when he was diagnosed with an abnormal heart condition, and a year later, in 1975, suffered his first heart attack which very nearly cost him his life. Fortunately, Don Ellis recovered …

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NUKE THE SOUP-DEEPER.

Nuke The Soup-Deeper. Label: Meteor Records. Released Date: ‘30th’ of May 2018. Singer, songwriter and musician Mark Davison founded Cubic Feet in the eighties, and his new band released their debut single Across The River in 1989, which was the start of a recording career that spanned three decades and saw the band enjoy a …

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THE BEGINNING OF THE END: THE EXISTENTIAL PSYCHODRAMA IN COUNTRY MUSIC (1956-1974)-RECORD STORE DAY 2018.

The Beginning Of The End: The Existential Psychodrama In Country Music (1956-1974)-Record Store Day 2018. Label: The Iron Mountain Analogue Research. For Records Store Day 2018, staff at record labels all over the world had been working hard for many months on nearly 500 reissues and lovingly curated compilations, which were due to be released …

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THELONIOUS MONK-MONK RECORD STORE DAY 2018 EDITION.

Thelonious Monk-Monk. Label: Music On Vinyl. By the time Thelonious Monk began recording Monk, which was his seventh album for Columbia Records, the forty-seven year old pianist was a vastly experienced musician who had already released over twenty albums on Blue Note, Prestige and Riverside Records. However, since Thelonious Monk signed to Columbia, he had recorded …

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SHIRLEY DAVIS AND THE SILVERBACKS-WISHES AND WANTS.

Shirley Davis and The Sliverbacks-Wishes and Wants. Label: Tucxone Records. Two years after Shirley Davis and The Sliverbacks released their critically acclaimed debut album Black Rose in March 2016, the London-born soul diva her backing band return with their much-anticipated sophomore album Wishes and Wants which has just been released by Tucxone Records. The release of …

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STEVE TIBBETTS-LIFE OF.

Steve Tibbettss-Life Of. Label: ECM Records. Although Minnesota born composer and guitarist Steve Tibbetts signed to ECM Records in 1981, the  pioneer of sound-forming has only released nine albums for Manfred Eicher’s Munich-based label. This includes Life Of which has just been released by ECM Records, and is the much-anticipated followup to Natural Causes, which was …

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MOTOWN FUNK 2-RECORD STORE DAY 2018 EDITION.

Motown Funk 2-Record Store Day 2018 Edition. Label: UMC. By 1959, Detroit based songwriter, producer and future musical impresario Berry Gordy Jr had already discovered The Miracles and started to build a successful portfolio of recording artists. There was only one problem, what would Berry Gordy Jr do with these talented artists and groups? It …

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DATASHOCK-KRAUTER DER PROVINZ.

Datashock-Kräuter der Provinz. Label: Bureau B.  Release Date: ‘25th’ of May 2018. Ever since Datashock was founded in the city Saarlouis, in Southwestern Germany in 2003, the neo-hippie-spook-folk collective’s lineup has been fluid, with members leaving and joining the group over the last fifteen years. By the time Datashock entered the studio to record the …

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JOHNNY RIVERS-NO THROUGH STREET.

Johnny Rivers-No Through Street. Label: BGO Records. As 1983 dawned, Louisiana born singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Johnny Rivers had just turned forty, and had been a professional musicians since 1956. Back then, he was still known Johnny Ramistella when formed he his own band The Spades, who later that year, released their debut single. …

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TOO SLOW TO DISCO BRAZIL COMPILED BY ED MOTTA.

Too Slow To Disco Brazil Compiled By Ed Motta. Label: How Do You Are.  It was back in 2014 when the German label How Do You Are released the first instalment in the Too Slow To Disco compilation series, which  was one of the first compilation series to revisit West Coast sound, which provided the …

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LINDA PERHACS-I’M A HARMONY RECORD STORE DAY 2018 EDITION.

Linda Perhacs-I’m A Harmony Record Store Day 2018 Edition. The Linda Perhacs story is a case of what might have been for the seventy-five year old singer-songwriter who nowadays, is regarded as the true Queen of psychedelic folk. Linda Perhacs career began in 1970, when she released her debut album Parallelograms on Kapp Records. Sadly, Parallelograms which nowadays, is regarded …

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TEMPLE-TEMPLE.

Temple-Temple. Label: Mental Experience. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, there’s been many short-lived record labels, including small, obscure local labels founded to release privately pressed albums, to regional labels that released just a handful of singles before closing their doors for the last time. Other labels lasted slightly longer, but were hardly …

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MELVIN SPARKS-TEXAS TWISTER-RECORD STORE DAY EDITION.

Melvin Sparks-Texas Twister-Record Store Day Edition. Label: Tidal Waves Music. Although American jazz and blues guitarist Melvin Sparks enjoyed a career that spanned five decades, the most fruitful period of his career was the seventies, when he released five albums between 1970 and 1975. Melvin Sparks’ career began at Prestige Records, where he released a …

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