Category Archives: Jazz

SUE BARKER-AUSTRALIA’S BEST KEPT MUSIAL SECRET.

Sue Barker-Australia’s Best Kept Musical Secret. Forty-two years ago, in 1977, Adelaide-based singer Sue Barker released what’s without doubt, one of the greatest soul-jazz albums in the history of Australian music. That album was Sue Barker, which was released on Marcus Herman’s label Crest International. The release of Sue Barker should’ve been the start of …

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LIGHTHOUSE-1969-1974 THE RISE OF LIGHTHOUSE.

Lighthouse-1969 1974 The Rise Of Lighthouse. In 1968, Skip Prokop the former drummer and vocalist with the Canadian psychedelic rock band The Paupers, met Brooklyn born keyboardist Paul Hoffert in a New York nightclub. The men bonded over their mutual love of music. However, when they parted company at the end of the evening, they …

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CLAUDE LOMBARD-CHANTE.

Claude Lombard-Chante. Label: Sommor Records. By 1969, twenty-four year old Belgian chanteuse Claude Lombard had been involved in the music industry for seven years, and had already written several scores and appeared as a session singer on numerous singles.  Claude Lombard had also represented Belgium at Eurovision Song Contest and released a number of singles …

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THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF JUNIE-FROM OHIO PLAYER TO SOLO ARTIST, FUNKADELIC AND BEYOND.

The Life and Music Of Junie-From Ohio Player To Solo Artist, Funkadelic and Beyond. In 1970, most sixteen years in Drayton, Ohio, were still at high school and were making plans for college or the world of work. Some were worrying about being drafted, and heading for Vietnam to fight in a war that America was struggling …

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BOBBY HUTCHERSON-HIGHWAY ONE, CONCEPTION: THE GIFT OF LOVE AND UN POCO LOCO.

Bobby Hutcherson-Highway One, Conception: The Gift Of Love and Un Poco Loco. Label: BGO Records. Less than three years after Bobby Hutcherson made his recording debut, the twenty-three year old vibraphonist released his debut album The Kicker on Blue Note Records in 1963. This was the start of the most prolific period of his long …

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SUE BARKER-SUE BARKER.

Sue Barker-Sue Barker. Label: Playback Records. Forty-two years ago, in 1977, Adelaide-based singer Sue Barker released what’s without doubt, one of the greatest soul-jazz albums in the history of Australian music. That album was Sue Barker, which was released on Marcus Herman’s label Crest International. The release of Sue Barker should’ve been the start of …

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SOUL OF A NATION (AFRO-CENTRIC VISIONS IN THE AGE OF BLACK POWER: UNDERGROUND JAZZ, STREET FUNK AND THE ROOTS OF RAP 1968-1979).

Soul Of A Nation-(Afro-Centric Visions In The Age of Black Power: Underground Jazz, Street Funk and The Roots Of Rap 1968-79). Label: Soul Jazz Records. On the ‘4th’ of August 2017, Soul Jazz Records will released their eagerly awaited new compilation, Soul Of A Nation (Afro-Centric Visions In The Age of Black Power: Underground Jazz, …

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GIL SCOTT-HERON-THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED…PLUS.

Gil Scott-Heron-The Revolution Will Not Be Televised…Plus. Label: BGP. After releasing a trio of studio albums on Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions between 1970 and 1972, Gil Scott-Heron signed to Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell’s Strata-East Records. By then, Gil Scott-Heron was well on his way to becoming America’s conscience. Gil Scott-Heron was a poet, …

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GRINGA-LETTERS FROM A.BROAD.

Gringa-Letters From A.Broad. Label: gringamusic.com  One of the most exciting, up-and-coming new bands in San Francisco’s live scene is Gringa, a five-piece female band who recently, have been winning friends and influencing people with their unique, genre-melting sound. The basis for Gringa’s irresistible, hook-laden sound are the rhythms from the music of Brazil and the …

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BERT MYRICK-LIVE ’N WELL.

Bert Myrick-Live ’N Well. Label: BBE. Every record collector has an album that has continued to elude them for many years. Finding it is the equivalent of finding the holy grail. They’ve searched for years, and never come close to finding that elusive and rare album. It gets that they can’t pass a record store, …

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JOHN ARMSTRONG PRESENTS AFROBEAT BRASIL.

John Armstrong Presents Afrobeat Brasil. Label: BBE. Not many independent labels are still going strong after twenty-one years. Especially considering how different the musical landscape is. The music industry has been transformed during the last twenty-one years. As a result, there have been a few casualties along the way, and some familiar faces are no …

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SEAFARING STRANGERS: PRIVATE ROCK.

Seafaring Strangers: Private Rock. Label: Numero. As the sixties drew to a close, the Rolling Stones were one of the most successful bands of the decade. They were preparing to release their Let It Bleed, on the ‘5th’ of December 1969. It was the Rolling Stones eighth album in Britain, but their tenth album in …

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MODERNISTS: MODERNISM’S SHARPEST CUTS.

Modernists: Modernism’s Sharpest Cuts. Label: Kent Dance. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, youth cults have come and gone. Some have proven to be nothing more than passing fads, and nowadays, are mere footnotes in cultural history. Some youth cults have endured, and played an important part in British culture. However, none of …

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OTE MALOYA-THE BIRTH OF ELECTRIC MALOYA ON REUNION ISLAND 1975-1985.

Oté Maloya-The Birth Of Electric Maloya On Reunion Island 1975-1985. Label: Strut. Nothing ever stays the same. That is certainly the case in music. It has been since the birth of rock ’n’ roll just over sixty years ago. Since then, every musical genre has continued to evolve and reinvent itself, in an attempt to …

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THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SEA LEVEL.

The Life and Times Of Sea Level. By August 1975, all wasn’t well within The Allman Brothers. It hadn’t been for the last couple of years. That was despite The Allman Brothers being at the peak of their popularity. Their last three albums had sold over a million copies and were certified platinum. Meanwhile, The Allman …

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TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 3.

Too Slow To Disco Volume 3. Label: How Do You Are? During the last few years, there has been a resurgence in interest in the West Coast sound which sadly, fell from grace in the late seventies. Before that, the West Coast sound had won over the hearts and minds of record buyers, and provided the …

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INNERPEACE-RARE SPIRITUAL FUNK AND JAZZ GEMS: THE SUPREME SOUND OF PRODUCER BOB SHAD.

Innerpeace-Rare and Spiritual Funk and Jazz Gems: The Supreme Sound Of Producer Bob Shad. Label: Wewantsounds. During his long and successful career, Bob Shad always managed to see the big picture musically, and as a result, was always step ahead of the competition. In doing so, this allowed him to survive and thrive for forty …

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THE ORCHESTRA SOLEDAD-VAMONOS/LET’S GO.

The Orchestra Soledad-Vamonos/Let’s Go! Label: BBE. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, 2.6 million people lived within Brooklyn’s seventy-one square miles. By 1970, it was largest and most densely populated of New York’s five boroughs. Brooklyn was also a cultural melting pot, with Irish, Italian, Jewish, Greek, Chinese, Polish, Russian and Latino neighbourhoods.  …

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JUNIE-THE COMPLETE WESTBOUND RECORDINGS 1973-1976.

Junie-The Complete Westbound Recordings. Label-Westbound Records. By 1973, nineteen year old Walter “Junie” Morrison Jr. was a member of one of the most successful funk bands of the early seventies…The Ohio Players. He had joined as a sixteen year old, and played on their sophomore album Pain, which was released in February 1972. Pain proved to …

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DJ MARKY-INFLUENCES VOL 2.

DJ Marky-Influences Vol. 2. Label: BBE. DJ Marky has come a long way since he started DJ-ing in his hometown of São Paulo, Brazil over twenty-five years ago. He made his DJ-ing debut at the age of the tender age of twelve. Little did he know that he had just made his first tentative steps in what …

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