Category Archives: Jazz Fusion

STEVE POTTS-MUSIQUE POUR LE FILM D’UN AMI. 

Steve Potts-Musique Pour Le Film D’Un Ami. Label: Souffle Continu. Format: CD. Sadly, musical history is littered with artists whose music never received the recognition that it deserved. Often, it’s only much later that their albums start to find the audience that they so richly deserve. That was the case with Alice Clark, Gram Parsons, …

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NIMBUS SEXTET-DREAMS FULFILLED .

Nimbus Sextet-Dreams Fulfilled. Label: Acid Jazz Records. Format: CD. The roots of the Glaswegian-based contemporary jazz combo can be traced to Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, where pianist, keyboardist and bandleader Joe Nichols was studying at Edinburgh University. That was where he met his long-time collaborators drummer Alex Palmer and bassist Mischa Stevens. They’ve been performing together …

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ALAIN BELLAICHE-SEA FLUORESCENT/KIRLIAN EFFECT.

Alain Bellaïche-Sea Fluorescent/Kirlian Effect. Label: Souffle Continu. Format: CD. Alain Bellaïche was born in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, but spent his childhood in Cannes, on the French Riviera which was where he discovered music and played his first concerts.  Initially, he played in friends’ houses where he was guaranteed a captive and appreciative audience. …

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ROLAND HAYNES-2ND WAVE.

Roland Haynes-2nd Wave. Label: Real Gone Music. Format: CD. Forty-five years ago in 1975, Roland Haynes released his debut album 2nd Wave on the Detroit-based Black Jazz Records. The label was founded by Gene Russell and Dick Schory and released twenty albums between 1971 and 1975. 2nd Wave was the label’s penultimate release and it …

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NIMBUS SEXTET-DREAMS FULFILLED .

Nimbus Sextet-Dreams Fulfilled. Label: Acid Jazz Records. Format: LP. The roots of the Glaswegian-based contemporary jazz combo can be traced to Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, where pianist, keyboardist and bandleader Joe Nichols was studying at Edinburgh University. That was where he met his long-time collaborators drummer Alex Palmer and bassist Mischa Stevens. They’ve been performing together …

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QUICKSAND-HOME IS WHERE I BELONG.

Quicksand-Home Is Where I Belong. Label: Magic Box. Format: LP. Musical history is littered with examples of groups who only ever released one album during their what proves to be a short-lived career. Especially, during the late-sixties and early seventies when many record companies had unrealistic expectations. All too often, when a band’s debut album …

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DOUG CARN FEATURING THE VOICE OF JEAN CARN-SPIRIT OF THE NEW LAND.

Doug Carn Featuring The Voice Of Jean Carn-Spirit Of The New Land. Label: Real Gone Music. Format: CD. Doug Carn was one of the first artists that Gene Russell and Dick Schory signed when they founded Black Jazz Records in 1971. His debut solo album Infant Eyes was the nascent company’s third release and featured …

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DEUTSCHE ELEKTRONISCHE MUSIK 4: EXPERIMENTAL GERMAN ROCK AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC 1971-83.

Deutsche Elektronische Musik 4: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Music 1971-83. Label: Soul Jazz Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘16th’ October 2020. Nowadays, the period between 1968 and the early eighties is regarded as a golden period for German music, and saw groundbreaking artists and groups like Amon Düül, Can, Cluster, Deuter, Faust, Harmonia, Neu!, …

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ANDREW WASYLYK-FUGITIVE LIGHT AND THEMES OF CONSOLATION.

Andrew Wasylyk-Fugitive Light and Themes Of Consolation. Label: Athens Of The North. Format: LP. When Dundee-based writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wasylyk released his fourth album Fugitive Light and Themes Of Consolation on the Athens Of The North label this brought to an end a journey that began back in 2017. That was when he …

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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 …

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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.  …

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AMBIANCE-INTO A NEW JOURNEY.

Ambiance-Into A New Journey. Label: BBE MUSIC. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘19th’ September 2020.  During the seven year period between 1979 and 1986, Ambiance led by Nigerian born multi-instrumentalist Daoud Abubakar Balewa released six albums on the LA-based private press label Da Mon Records. It was a self-financed business that released short runs of Ambiance’s …

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MOTORPSYCHO-THE ALL IS ONE. 

Motorpsycho-The All Is One. Label: Rune Grammofon. Format: 2CD. Motorpsycho was formed in Trondheim, in October 1989 and released their debut album Lobotomizer in 1991. Since then, they’ve been one of hardest working and prolific bands in Norway. Last year, the Norwegian rockers released two albums and toured Norway and Europe twice. That would’ve been …

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DAWAN MUHAMMAD-DEEP STREAM.

Dawan Muhammad-Deep Stream. Label: High Jazz. Format: LP. By 1979, jazz wasn’t as popular as it was during the fifties and early sixties. That was the golden age for jazz, and saw countless classic albums released on labels like Blue Note, Verve and Impulse! These albums sold in large quantities and were profitable for the …

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SOUL LOVE NOW: THE BLACK FIRE RECORDS STORY, 1975-1993.

Soul Love Now: The Black Fire Records Story, 1975-1993. Label: Strut Records. Format: CD. Many people who love music dream of owning and running their own record company. However, not everyone who decides to found a record company is qualified or suited to do so. They don’t have the skillset or experience that’s required and instead …

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ORCHESTRA COMETA-DAYDREAM AND MISCELLANEA.

Orchestra Cometa-Daydream and Miscellanea. Label: Cometa Edizioni Musicali. Format: LP. Over the last few years, interest in library music released between the sixties and early eighties has grown, and albums released by labels like KPM, De Woife, Amphonic, Conroy and Sonoton have become highly collectable. This is ironic as these albums were never meant to …

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CULT CLASSIC: DAVID AXELROD-SONGS OF INNOCENCE.

Cult Classic: David Axelrod-Songs Of Innocence. 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 finding work in film and television. However, in …

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BOILLAT THERACE QUINTET-BOILLAT THERACE QUINTET +3.

Boillat Thérace Quintet-Boillat Thérace Quintet +3. Label: We Release Jazz. Format: CD. Release Date: ’10th’ July 2020. By 1974, the Swiss jazz scene was thriving, and the Montreux Jazz Festival which had been launched in 1967, was in its eight year. The organisers had surpassed themselves with what was an all-star lineup Between the ‘2nd’ …

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GREG FOAT-SYMPHOMIE PACIFIQUE.

Greg Foat-Symphonie Pacifique. Label: Strut Release Date: ‘3rd’ July 2020. Prolific and versatile are words that describe London-based Greg Foat, who nowadays, is regarded as one of Britain’s top jazz pianists and composers.  His career began back in the noughties, and in 2009, he founded The Greg Foat Group who went on to release five …

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HEDVIG MOLLESTAD-EKHIDNA.

Hedvig Mollestad-Ekhidna. Label: Rune Grammofon. Format: CD. In May 2018, award-winning Norwegian guitarist, vocalist, bandleader and composer Hedvig Mollestad was thirty-six and one of the leading lights of the vibrant Nordic music scene. Her band the Hedvig Mollestad Trio had already released five albums and had already recorded their sixth album Smells Funny. Despite the …

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