Category Archives: Jazz Fusion
MASAYOSHI TAKANAKA – AN INSATIABLE HIGH.
Masayoshi Takanaka – An Insatiable High. Label: Universal Music Japan. Format: Vinyl. By late 1977, Japanese guitarist and composer Masayoshi Takanaka was rapidly evolving from a respected session player into a titan of the West Coast-meets-Tokyo fusion scene. Takanaka’s third album ‘An Insatiable High’ was recorded at Larrabee Sound Studios in Los Angeles. The album …
HADLEY CALIMAN – IAPETUS.
Hadley Caliman – Iapetus. Label: Wewantsounds. Format: Vinyl. American jazz saxophonist and flutist Hadley Caliman enjoyed an expansive, decades-long career as a premier sideman, visionary bandleader, and dedicated educator. Celebrated for his robust, expressive tone and sophisticated post-bop harmonic fluency, Caliman stood as a vital force within the West Coast jazz, modal, and Latin fusion …
IDRIS MUHAMMAD – POWER OF SOUL.
Idris Muhammad – Power of Soul. Label: Music On Vinyl. Format: LP. Drummer Idris Muhammad’s solo career began at Prestige, where he was also a member of the label’s house band. Truly talented and versatile, Muhammad was primarily a jazz drummer. However, he also played on everything from funk, fusion and soul to disco, jazz-funk, …
LOS RETROS-ODISEA.
Los Retros-Odisea. Label: Stones Throw Records. Format: Double Vinyl. Mauri Tapia, operating under the moniker Los Retros, has officially broken past his bedroom-pop cocoon. Released in April 2026 on Stones Throw Records, ‘Odisea’ marked the 25-year-old Oxnard multi-instrumentalist’s highly anticipated debut full-length album. It represents a massive, intentional pivot away from his original dusty, lo-fi …
MARC MAC PRESENTS VISIONEERS – DIRTY OLD HIP HOP.
MARC MAC PRESENTS VISIONEERS – DIRTY OLD HIP HOP. Marc Mac Presents Visioneers – Dirty Old Hip Hop. Label: Omniverse. Format: 2 x LP. In 2006, Marc Mac, one of the founders of the celebrated and pioneering drum n bass and broken beat duo 4hero, released ‘Dirty Old Hip Hop’ the debut album by his …
THE BEST OF BLACK JAZZ RECORDS: 1971-76.
The Best Of Soul Jazz Records: 1971-76. Label: Soul Jazz Records. Format CD. During the late-sixties and early seventies, many small independent jazz labels were founded in towns and cities across America. Sadly, many were short-lived affairs with some releasing just one album and others closing their doors having released just a couple of albums. …
RONNIE McNEIR-MAKES A MOVE.
Ronnie McNeir-Makes A Move. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. It’s always exciting to discover a lost album. I’ve discovered a number of lost albums over the years, and still, it’s exciting to listen to an album that was recorded forty or more years ago. It’s like going back in time, and eavesdropping on the session. …
CHRIS BANGS PRESENTS THE PLAYBOX.
CHRIS BANGS PRESENTS THE PLAYBOX. Chris Bangs Presents The Playbox. Label: BGP. Format: CD. Release Date: 30th May 2025. Initially, DJ Chris Bangs started off as a guitarist with space rockers the Mighty Om. However, he soon realised that his talents lay elsewhere. That came in 1982, after meeting Gilles Peterson, who was playing his …
PAUL WELLER PRESENTS THAT SWEET SWEET MUSIC.
Paul Weller Presents That Sweet Sweet Music. Label: Ace Format: CD. Release Date: 28th March 2025. From an early age, soul music has played an important part in Paul Weller’s life. He grew up listening to, and buying soul singles. This was just the start. Then during his ten years with The Jam, the group …
THE LIFE AND CAREER OF ERIC GALE .
The Life and Career Of Eric Gale. Jazz guitarist, sideman, songwriter and producer Eric Gale was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, on September 20th, 1938. His grandfather was English and he also had relatives in Venezuela and Barbados. During the holidays, Gale spent time in Britain visiting family. This gave him a different worldview. …
DAVID AXELROD-SONGS OF INNOCENCE.
David Axelrod-Songs Of Innocence. Label: Oldays Japan. Format: CD. Release Date: 22nd March 2024. By the time David Axelrod began work on his debut album Songs Of Innocence in 1968, the thirty-seven year arranger, composer, drummer and producer old had enjoyed a chequered career. He had started off as a boxer, before changing direction and …
FOLK, FUNK AND BEYOND-THE ARRANGEMENTS OF JOHN CAMERON.
Folk, Funk and Beyond-The Arrangements Of John Cameron. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘26th’ May 2023. John Cameron came to prominence in 1966 after he arranged Donovan’s Sunshine Superman. The arrangement was a fusion of jazz, folk and proto-psychedelia, and when the single was released, it topped the US Billboard 100 and launched …
CULT CLASSIC: NORIKO MIYAMOTO WITH ISAO SUZUKI-PUSH.
Cult Classic: Noriko Miyamoto With Isao Suzuki-Push. During a long and illustrious career, double bassist Isao Suzuki was one of the most important and influential Japanese jazz artists of his generation. His career began in 1956, and over a career that spanned seven decades he released over fifty solo albums. That’s not all. He also …
NORIKO MIYAMOTO WITH ISAO SUZUKI-PUSH.
Noriko Miyamoto With Isao Suzuki-Push. Label: BBE Music. Format: CD. During a long and illustrious career, double bassist Isao Suzuki was one of the most important and influential Japanese jazz artists of his generation. His career began in 1956, and over a career that spanned seven decades he released over fifty solo albums. That’s not …
NIMBUS SEXTET-FORWARD THINKER.
Nimbus Sextet-Forward Thinker. Label: Acid Jazz Records. Format: CD. It was just over three years ago when Nimbus Sextet signed to Acid Jazz Records in the spring of 2019. A lot has happened since then. The group recently released their sophomore album Forward Thinker, and are now regarded as one of the leading lights of the …
LUKE UNA PRESENTS E SOUL CULTURA.
Luke Una Presents E Soul Cultura. Label: Mr. Bongo. Format: CD. Each week, countless new compilations are released into what’s become an increasingly competitive marketplace. These compilations are released by indies and major labels in the hope that this is the start of a lucrative and long-running series. However, the reality is that most will …
CULT CLASSIC: HENRY FRANKLIN-THE SKIPPER.
Cult Classic: Henry Franklin-The Skipper. When pianist Gene Russell and percussionist Dick Schory founded Black Jazz Records in Oakland, California, in 1969, the nascent label’s raison d’être was “to promote the talents of young African American jazz musicians and singers.” This was only part of their vision for their new label. They were determined that …
CULT CLASSIC: DOUG CARN-INFANT EYES.
Cult Classic: Doug Carn-Infant Eyes. Although Gene Russell and Dick Schory founded Black Jazz Records in 1969, two years passed before the nascent label released its first album. This was Gene Russell’s sophomore album New Direction which was released in 1971. It was the first of twenty albums by a label that was very different …
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