Category Archives: Jazz

ONENESS OF JUJU-AFRICAN RHYTHMS-VINYL.

Oneness of Juju-African Rhythms-Vinyl. Label: Strut. After five politically charged years living on the East and West coast of America, bandleader James “Plunky” Branch returned to his home town of Richmond, Virginia, where he formed Oneness of Juju won released their Afro-jazz classic‘African Rhythms’ on the Black Fire label in 1975.  Now some forty-three years later Strut …

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MUSICA PER L’IMMAGINE II: LOST ITALIAN LIBRARY MSUIC OF THE 1970s/80s

Musica Per L’Immagine II: Lost Italian Library Music Of The 1970s’/1980s. Label: Fly By Night Music, Nowadays, music is no different to fashion with tastes constantly changing as hipsters go in search of what genre is currently fashionable.  This includes library music which has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity over the last couple of years. That is why a number of record  of British and European independent record …

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MADELEINE PEYTROUX ANTHEM.

Madeleine Petytroux-Anthem. Label: Decca. Twenty-two years after singer-songwriter Madeleine Petytroux released her debut album Dreamland in 1996, she recently returned with her eighth album Anthem. It’s the much-anticipated followup to her 2016 album Secular Hymns which was released to plaudits and praise. Just like Secular Hymns, Anthem finds Madeleine Petytroux breathing life, meaning and emotion …

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VENEZUELA 70 VOLUME 2: COSMIC VISONS OF A LATIN AMERICAN EARTH: VENEZUELAN EXPERIMENTAL ROCK IN THE 1970S AND BEYOND.

Venezuela 70 Volume 2: Cosmic Visions Of A Latin American Earth: Venezuelan Experimental Rock In The 1970s and Beyond. Label: Soul Jazz Records. During the seventies, Venezuela was one of the most prosperous countries in South America after oil was discovered in the North West of the country in 1914. Soon, there was the equivalent …

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THE LIBRARY MUSIC FILM: MUSIC FROM AND INSPIRED BY THE FILM.

The Library Music Film: Music From and Inspired By The Film. Label: Legere Recordings Germany. During 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 …

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EMANATIVE-EARTH-VINYL.

Emanative-Earth-Vinyl. 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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DJ SHADOW-PRIVATE PRESS.

DJ Shadow-Private Press.  Label: UMC. On September the ’16th’ 1996, DJ Shadow released his critical acclaimed landmark debut album Endtroducing…..on the label Mo Wax Recordings. Endtroducing….which featured uptempo jams and slow, dark and broody tracks was inspired by early hip hop and was hailed as a genre classic-in-waiting.  It was no surprise when Endtroducing….was certified …

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LEFTO PRESENTS JAZZ CATS

Lefto Presents Jazz Cat Label: Sdban Ultra Belgium. Each and every week hundreds of new compilations are released into what’s become an increasingly competitive compilation market. Many of the compilers hope that their compilations will be the first in a long-running series. However, only a few of these compilations will return for a second instalment. The …

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GEIR SUNDSTOL-BRODLOS.

Geir Sundstøl-Brødløs. Label: Hubro Music. Since Geir Sundstøl’s career began thirty years ago in 1988, he’s been the equivalent of a musical hired gun and has featured on over 300  albums. This includes the albums he recorded as member of Rovers, and then Morris. Mostly, though, Geir Sundstøl has worked as a session player over …

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MOD JAZZ RIDES AGAIN.

Mod Jazz Rides Again. Label: Kent Dance. Twenty-two years ago in 1996, Kent Dance an imprint of Ace Records released a new compilation Mod Jazz which celebrated the music that the Modernists listened to during the sixties. Mod Jazz was released to plaudits and praise and was  a trip down memory lane for the original …

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WESTBOUND SUPER BREAKS-ESSENTIAL FUNK, SOUL AND JAZZ SAMPLES AND BREAKBEATS.

Westbound Super Breaks-Essential Funk, Soul And Jazz Samples And Breakbeats. Label. Westbound Records. Back in 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 …

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50 YEARS MPS.

50 Years MPS. Label: MPS. In 1958, German engineer and producer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer founded a new record label SABA (Schwarzwälder-Apparate-Bau-Anstalt). Over the next ten years,  SABA  released 40 jazz albums. However, in 1968, SABA’s parent company was sold to the American GTE Corporation.  Sadly, the new owners had no interest in SABA’s recording business, …

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THELONIOUS MONK-MONK.

Thelonious Monk-Monk. Label: Gearbox Records. Over the last few years, the fashion has been for a minimalism within the hipper home, and it has been fashionable to declutter and adopt a less is more look. Some people have been so keen to declutter that they don’t seem to care about what they thrown away. However, …

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TIM MAIA-1970-1978: THE FIRST TEN ALBUMS.

Tim Maia-1970-1078: The First Ten Albums.  By 1978, charismatic Brazilian singer-songwriter Tim Maia’s career was at a crossroads and he was worried about what the future held for him. Tim Maia found himself financially embarrassed, after  a couple of musically barren years.  He had spent much of the money he earned on cars, musical instruments …

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ONENESS OF JUJU-AFRICAN RHYTHMS.

Oneness of Juju-African Rhythms. Label: Strut. After five politically charged years living on the East and West coast of America, bandleader James “Plunky” Branch returned to his home town of Richmond, Virginia, where he formed Oneness of Juju won released their Afro-jazz classic‘African Rhythms’ on the Black Fire label in in 1975.  Now some forty-three …

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TAKEO MORIYAMA-EAST PLANTS  

Takeo Moriyama-East Plants. Label: BBE Music. Release Date: ’28th’ September 2018. Following the commercial success of BBE Music’s critically acclaimed compilation J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984, the UK-based label decided to release a new series featuring J Jazz classics. The latest instalment in the series is Takeo Moriyama’s 1983 cult classic East Plants. …

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DAVID AXELROD-SONGS OF INNOCENCE VINYL

David Axelrod-Songs Of Innocence-Vinyl. Label: Now Again Records.   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 …

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THE DELI-JAZZ CAT

THE DELI-JAZZ CAT The Deli-Jazz Cat Label: Cold Busted Record Company. Each and every week of the year, major and independent record labels in across the world release new albums onto a fiercely competitive and crowed global marketplace. It’s a market where often, resources are scarce and the consumer can only afford one of two …

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RALPH THOMAS-EASTERN STANDARD TIME.

Ralph Thomas-Eastern Standard Time. Label: BBE. Back in 1980,  Ralph Thomas released his debut album Eastern Standard Time  on the obscure Zebra Jazz imprint. Sadly, this spiritual jazz cult classic failed to find  the audience it deserved until much later.  By them, copies of Eastern Standard Time  were almost impossible to find, and when a …

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THE POPOL VUH STORY

The Popol Vuh Story In West Germany in the early seventies, a number of groundbreaking bands were formed including one of the most important, innovative and influential bands in the history of German music, Popol Vuh. Over the next three decades Popol Vuh. established a reputation for releasing ambitious and innovative  music that influenced the next generation of musicians. This was the case from the release of Popol Vuh’s 1970 debut album …

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