Category Archives: Jazz

THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 4.

THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 4. DOUG PAISLEY-STRONG FEELINGS. Doug Paisley is a refreshing alternative to much of music that’s released nowadays. He’s not the result of major label hype or the winner of some tedious talent show. These are the type of artists who nowadays, are hyped as the future of music. …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 5.

THE FIFTY BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2014-PART 5. SUPERSILENT-12. Four long years have passed, since Supersilent released their eighth album 11 on Rune Grammofon. Since 2010, Supersilent’s fans have eagerly awaited the next chapter in the Supersilent story. At last, the wait is over. Supersilent recently released their ninth album 12, on Rune Grammofon. 12 …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST REISSUES OF 2014-PART 1.

THE FIFTY BEST REISSUES OF 2014-PART 1. 2014 is almost over. So it’s that time again, time for me to choose my fifty best reissues of 2014. To do that, I’ve listened to a mountain of music. Eventually, I came up with fifty albums. Here they are. GATO BARBIERI-THE THIRD WORLD.  Bob Thiele signed Gato …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST REISSUES OF 2014-PART 2.

THE FIFTY BEST REISSUES OF 2014-PART 2 CRYSTAL WINGS-FIRST FLIGHT. The story behind Crystal Wings began in 1981. That’s when Crystal Wings released their debut single, Signs Of Winter’s Time. This was a Paul Coleman and Joyce Alicia Lagrone composition. It was recorded at Chicago’s Streeterville Recording Studio. Producing Signs Of Winter’s Time was Paul …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST REISSUES OF 2014-PART 5.

THE FIFTY BEST REISSUES OF 2014-PART 5. GEORGE RUSSELL PRESENTS THE ESOTERIC CIRCLE. With Norwegian music going through something of a renaissance, it’s fitting that George Russell Presents The Esoteric Circle has reissued by BGP Records, a subsidiary of Ace Records. George Russell Presents The Esoteric Circle was one of the most important albums in …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 1.

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 1. As 2014 draws to a close, it’s time to compile my fifty best compilations of 2014. So, here goes. A BLUES TRIBUTE TO CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL. A Blues Tribute To Creedence Clearwater Revival was the third instalment in Cleopatra Records’ Tribute To series.  Twelve tracks from Creedence Clearwater …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 2.

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 2. DISCO: A FINE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT DISCO, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE 1978-82. After the death of disco in 1979, boogie and Modern Soul provided the soundtrack to dance-floors. This includes the music on Soul Jazz Records’ compilation Disco: A Fine Selection of Independent Disco, Modern Soul and Boogie …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 3.

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 3. KENT’S CELLAR OF SOUL VOLUME 3. Eight years after the release of Kent’s Cellar Of Soul Volume 2, Kent Soul have belatedly released the followup, Kent’s Cellar Of Soul Volume 3. It’s been well worth the wait. The Kent’s Cellar Of Soul seems to mature like a fine …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 4.

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 4. NEW ORLEANS SOUL: THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF NEW ORLEANS SOUL 1960-1976. Over the past ten years, Soul Jazz Records have been documenting the history of New Orleans’ funk. They’ve released a number of lovingly compiled, and critically acclaimed compilations. These compilations were some of the best compilations of …

Continue reading

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 5.

THE FIFTY BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2014-PART 5. STRANGE BREAKS AND MR. THING III. One of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed compilation series made a welcome return in May 2014. That’s Strange Breaks and Mr. Thing III. It’s been a long time coming. Five years in fact. So, after a five year back, Mr. …

Continue reading

ATLANTIC JAZZ LEGENDS-20 ORIGINAL ALBUMS FROM THE ICONIC LABEL.

ATLANTIC JAZZ LEGENDS-20 ORIGINAL ALBUMS FROM THE ICONIC LABEL. Mention the great jazz labels, and automatically think of Blue Note, Impulse, Capitol Records and of course, Atlantic Records. It was founded in 1947, by Ahmet Ertegün and Herb Abramson. Eight years later, in 1955, Ahmet’s brother Nesuhi joined Atlantic Records. By then, Atlantic Records had …

Continue reading

CRYSTAL WINGS-FIRST FLIGHT.

CRYSTAL WINGS-FIRST FLIGHT. For many people, their introduction to the music of Crystal Wings was on BBE Music’s 2011 compilation, The Real Sound Of Chicago and Beyond: Underground Disco and Boogie. It featured It Ain’t Easy, a track from Crystal Wings one and only album, First Flight, which was a private pressing released back in …

Continue reading

CRAIG PEYTON GROUP-PYRAMID LOVE.

CRAIG PEYTON GROUP-PYRAMID LOVE. For Craig Peyton, the founder member of Band X, 1976 was the most important year of his nascent musical career. It was the year Band X released their debut album The Best Of Band X. However, The Best Of Band X a private pressing, wasn’t a commercial success. Instead, this innovative, …

Continue reading

BAND X-THE BEST OF BAND X.

BAND X-THE BEST OF BAND X. Back in 1976, musical maverick, Craig Peyton, was an up-and-coming musician, songwriter, arranger and producer. His latest musical vehicle was Band X, which he founded with Alan Grzyb, Victor Preston and Joey Bellomo. However, originally, Craig was a jazz drummer and vibraphonist. Then when synths started making inroads into …

Continue reading

VERCKYS ET L’ORCHESTRE VEVE-CONGOLESE FUNK, AFROBEAT AND PSYCHEDELIC RUMBA 1969-1978.

VERCKYS ET L’ORCHESTRE VEVE-CONGOLESE FUNK, AFROBEAT AND PSYCHEDELIC RUMBA 1969-1978. There’s a very good reason Georges Mateta Kiamuangana a.k.a Verckys, can remember the 5th of April 1969. It was the exact date he founded Orchestre Vévé. He’d just returned from Paris, where he suffered a life-threatening illness. At the time, Georges was a member of …

Continue reading

HOUSTON PERSON-HOUSTON PERSON 75 AND GET OUT’A MY WAY.

HOUSTON PERSON-HOUSTON PERSON 75 AND GET OUT’A MY WAY. Growing up, Houston Person played the piano. Later, Houston switched to tenor saxophone. However, Houston Person never dreamt of being a musician. That wasn’t how he saw his future. Instead, Houston joined the US Army. During his tour of duty, Houston was stationed in West Germany. …

Continue reading

SARAH VAUGHAN-A TIME IN MY LIFE.

SARAH VAUGHAN-A TIME IN MY LIFE. By 1971, when Sarah Vaughan released A Time In My Life on Mainstream Records, she had established a reputation as one of jazz’s premier vocalists. She had come a long way since winning the Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, in 1942. Back then, Sarah was just eighteen. The …

Continue reading

BLUE MITCHELL-BLUE MITCHELL.

BLUE MITCHELL-BLUE MITCHELL. Despite  a recording career that spanned twenty-nine years, and over twenty albums,  Florida born trumpeter, Blue Mitchell, never enjoyed the same critical acclaim that many of his contemporaries enjoyed. Blue wasn’t perceived as a groundbreaking musician. However, he enjoyed a successful career, touring widely and releasing a string of successful albums.  His …

Continue reading

HADLEY CALIMAN-HADLEY CALIMAN.

HADLEY CALIMAN-HADLEY CALIMAN. Although Hadley Caliman had worked as a sideman for Dexter Gordon and Art Farmer, he didn’t release his eponymous debut album until he was thirty-nine. This wasn’t down to a lack of talent. Far from it. Hadley Caliman was one of the most talented tenor saxophonists and flautists of his generation. Instead, it …

Continue reading

NIPPON GIRLS 2-JAPANESE POP, BEAT AND ROCK ’N’ ROLL 1965-1970.

NIPPON GIRLS 2-JAPANESE POP, BEAT AND ROCK ’N’ ROLL 1965-1970. It was five years ago, that Big Beat International, a subsidiary of Ace Records, released Nippon Girls- Japanese Pop, Beat and Bossa Nova 1966-1970 to critical acclaim. For many people, this was their introduction to the  groovy, eclectic sounds of sixties Japanese pop. What an …

Continue reading