Category Archives: Jazz
OREGON-OUT OF THE WOODS AND ROOTS IN THE SKY.
Oregon-Out Of The Woods and Roots In The Sky. After releasing seven albums for Vanguard between 1972 and 1978, Oregon had signed to Elektra. The four members of Oregon knew that this was the opportunity of a lifetime. Elektra were one of the biggest record labels in the world, and had the marketing expertise and …
ZEPHYR-BACK TO COLORADO AND SUNSET RIDE.
Zephyr-Back To Colorado and Sunset Ride. Like many bands who don’t reach the heights that their music deserves, the story of Zephyr is one of what might have been. They released a trio of albums between 1969 and 1972, which nowadays, have a cult following. This includes Zephyr’s sophomore album Back To Colorado and their …
GABRIELE POSO PRESENTS THE LANGUAGE OF TAMBORES (A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY THROUGH THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF DRUMS).
Gabriele Poso Presents The Languages Of Tambores (A Spiritual Journey Through The Cultural Heritage Of Drums). Many children are bitten by the music bug early on in life. This is often the start of a lifelong love affair with music. Soon, they’re spending all their free time listening to music. Then when they receive their …
HEAT EXCHANGE-REMINISCENCE.
Heat Exchange-Reminiscence. Heat Exchange’s root’s can be traced to a Toronto high school, in the late-sixties. That was when four school friends decided to form a blues band, which they named Cloud. Just a couple of years later, and Cloud were one of the top bands in Toronto. Several record labels were chasing Cloud’s signature. …
THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2016-PART 1.
The Best Compilations Of 2016-Part 1. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking back at the music released during 2016. The final part of this annual series looks at the compilations released during 2016. Just like previous years, thousands of compilations were released during 2016. They cover literally every musical genre. Quite simply, there …
THE BEST REISSUES OF 2016-PART 6.
THE BEST REISSUES OF 2016-PART 6. Melissa Manchester-Home To Myself, Bright Eyes, Melissa and Help Is On The Way. It was almost inevitable that Melissa Manchester would end up embarking upon a musical career. The Manchester family were a highly creative family, with music playing an important part in everyday life. So it was no …
THE BEST REISSUES OF 2016-PART 7.
THE BEST REISSUES OF 2016-PART 7. Sun Ra-Jazz By Sun Ra Volume 1. During a career that spanned six decades, it’s estimated that Sun Ra released around 125 albums. This includes Jazz By Sun Ra Volume 1 which was released by Poppydisc for Record Store Day 2016. It was one of three Sun Ra albums …
THE BEST REISSUES OF 2016-PART 8.
THE BEST REISSUES OF 2016-PART 8. The Charlatans-The Limit Of The Marvellous-Vinyl. Between 1964 and 1969, The Charlatans’ star shawn bright. They were larger than life mavericks who looked like a cross between 19th Century, wild west outlaws and Victorian dandies. This carefully cultivated image soon began to prove popular with the audience at their …
JIMMY SCOTT-I GO BACK HOME-A STORY ABOUT HOPE AND DREAMING.
JIMMY SCOTT-I GO BACK HOME-A STORY ABOUT HOPE AND DREAMING. Prior to his death on June the 12th 2014, Jimmy Scott was one of the last links to what’s considered by many as the golden age of jazz. Jimmy Scott was a friend of Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. She was also a huge admirer …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2. Ches Smith-The Bell. Up until the New York Winter Jazzfest in 2014, Ches Smith had always been a sideman. That night, he led his own trio. Two years later, Ches Smith’s move from sideman to bandleader was complete when he released The Bell on ECM. He assumes the …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 4.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 4. Jóhann Jóhannsson-Ophee On Orphée, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s turned his attention to the beauty and the process of creation. Orphée features Jóhann Jóhannsson tracing a path from darkness into light. Inspiration for Orphée comes from the opéra bouffe Orphée aux enfers (Orpheus in the Underworld). It was written by Ludovic Halévy, …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 6.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 6. Qluster-Echtzei. Forty-seven years after he first co-founded Kluster, Hans-Joachim Roedelius keeps the memory of Kluster and Cluster alive with Qluster. They released their sixth album Echtzeit on Bureau B during 2016. Echtzeit marks a stylistic departure from Qluster. It’s much more ambient sounding album. Qluster combine elements of …
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 7.
BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 7. Sunanna-Triangle. Triangle is Susanna’s eleventh album and first for four years. It was released on Susanna’s own SusannaSonata label, and is no ordinary album. Not by a long chalk. Instead, Triangle is a twenty-two song cerebral epic, where Susanna muses and meditates on mortality and religion. It’s a powerful album, …
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 1 For years, I’ve been writing about the Nordic Wave scene, which is, without doubt, one of the most eclectic and vibrant in Europe. During that period, I’ve witnessed the rise and rise of the Nordic Wave. There’s no sign of the bubble bursting. Quite the opposite. This latest …
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2.
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 2. Hedvig Mollestad Trio-Evil In Oslo. In July 2016, the Hedvig Mollestad Trio released two albums. This includes the live album Evil In Oslo. It was released by Rune Grammofon and is the Hedvig Mollestad Trio’s first ever live album. Evil In Oslo is a tantalising taste of the …
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3.
BEST NORDIC WAVE ALBUMS OF 2016-PART 3. Nicklas Sørensen-Solo. Ever since 2010, Copenhagen based instrumental rock trio Papir’s star has been in the ascendancy. One of the men behind Papir’s success was guitarist Nicklas Sørensen, who released his debut album Solo on El Paraiso Records. He set out to experiment on Solo. However, on other …
BEAT FUNKTION-GREEN MAN.
BEAT FUNKTION-GREEN MAN. Originally, Beat Funktion were formed in 2007 to play a one-off concert at a Swedish nightclub. For the six musicians involved, they were looking no further than that one concert. Little did the members of the Beat Funktion realise, that they would still be together ten years later. A lot has happened …
FAREWELL WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR.
FAREWELL WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR. Enigmatic. That was the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor who died on January 16th 2017 aged just seventy. Nigerian music lost a musical pioneer. However, William Onyeabor was, without doubt, one of the most mysterious and elusive musicians in musical history. There’s a good reason for this, Much of William Onyeabor’s life …
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