Category Archives: Jazz
BLO-CHAPTER ONE.
BLO-CHAPTER ONE. The first thing that strikes you about BLO’s Chapter One, the latest vinyl rerelease from Mr. Bongo Records, is the cover. Naive, psychedelic, lysergic and surreal, it’s a min-masterpiece. It’s up there with some of the best album covers in music history. So good is the album cover, that I’m sure many people …
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE.
DAN HARTMAN-RELIGHT MY FIRE. Nostalgia it seems is the future. Everyone it seems wants to relive the music of their youth. So a few years ago, major record companies started releasing classic albums. Now it’s no longer just classic albums being released. A whole host of new reissues labels have been founded. They’re digging deep, deeper than before. Every …
NEU-NEU!
NEU-NEU! There aren’t many artists who after leaving one of the most pioneering groups in musical history, end up founding another groundbreaking group. That’s what happened to Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother. They had both been members of Kraftwerk, but left in 1971. After leaving Kraftwerk, they founded Neu, another German Kratrock band. Neu went …
LARAAJI-CELESTIAL MUSIC 1978-2011.
LARAAJI-CELESTIAL MUSIC 1978-2011. Although Laraaji is one of the most innovative musicians of his generation, he remains one of music’s best kept secrets. That’s despite releasing nearly thirty albums. Many of these albums showcase Laraaji’s unique ambient sound. Best known for playing the zither, Laraaji’s music is best described as a fusion of ambient, experimental …
HAITI DIRECT.
HAITI DIRECT. Mention Haitian music, and most people will think of either voodoo or Rara. That’s two stereotypical examples of Haitian music most people think of. There is, however, more to Haitian music than that. Much more. Especially during the sixties and seventies. Back then, Haiti was enjoying one of the most rich, vibrant and …
PETER KING-MILIKI SOUND.
PETER KING-MILIKI SOUND. It’s almost ironic that Peter King, one of Nigeria’s best musicians, is better known in Europe and America than in his home country. Peter King’s is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most talented musicians. His name is synonymous with his Miliki Sound, a captivating fusion of African musical genres and influences. …
EBO TAYLOR-CONFLICT.
EBO TAYLOR-CONFLICT. When the history of Ghanian music is written, one man will loom large, Ebo Taylor. He is a colossus of Ghanian music. Ebo is best described as an innovator who went on to influence further generations of Ghanian musicians. Nearly forty years later, Ebo’s influence is still being felt not just in Ghanian …
BUSHMAN’S REVENGE-THOU SHALT NOT BOOGIE!
BUSHMAN’S REVENGE-THOU SHALT NOT BOOGIE! Never before have I heard of a band named after a range of hot sauce. That’s until I came across Norwegian trio Bushman’s Revenge. The band discovered Bushman’s Revenge during a trip to South Africa back in 2003. During that trip, they enjoyed several memorable encounters with Bushman’s Revenge. It …
THE BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2013-PART 1.
THE BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2013-PART 1. On the last day of the year, I always publish my list of the best albums I’ve reviewed during 2013. This year, I’ve expanded it to my top thirty albums. That’s a reflection of the quality of music released during 2013. What follows is an eclectic selection of …
THE BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2013-PART 3.
THE BEST NEW ALBUMS OF 2013-PART 3. RODDY WOOMBLE-LISTEN TO KEEP. Back in 2006, when Roddy Woomble, the lead singer of Idlewild, released his debut album My Secret Is My Silenced, Idlewild had just enjoyed the most successful period of their career. Their third album, 2000s 100 Broken Windows was certified silver, while 2002s The …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 1.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 1. As the year draws to a close, I’ve been compiling my lists of the best releases of 2013. So far, I’ve chosen the thirty best box sets of 2013 and the fifty best compilations of 2013. Now I’ve decided to turn my attention to reissues, …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 2.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 2. DAMON- SON OF A GYPSY. For any collector of psychedelia, if they’re lucky enough to find a copy of Damon’s Son Of A Gypsy, it becomes one of their most prized possessions. Finding a copy is another thing. Copies are rarer than hen’s teeth and …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 3.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 3. GEORGE JACKSON-OLD FRIEND-THE FAME RECORDINGS VOLUME 3. Prolific. That’s the best way to describe George Jackson. As a songwriter, he wrote over three-hundred songs. This includes penning tracks for James Carr, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Clarence Carter, Z.Z. Hill, Candi Staton, Bettye Swann, Ann Peebles, …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 4.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 4. LOVE COMMITTEE-LAW AND ORDER. Love Committee were one of many Philadelphia soul groups formed in the sixties. Their original lineup featured Larry Richardson, Joe Freeman, Norman Frazier and future-Temptation Ron Tyson. Later, Michael Bell replaced Larry Richardson. Having released their debut single Think About Tomorrow …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 5.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 5. OMAR SOULEYMAN-WENU WENU. Prolific. That’s a good way to describe Omar Souleyman. After all, how many artists have released over 550 albums? However, not all that glitters is gold. Many of these albums Omar has released are recordings of him singing at weddings. They’re sold …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 6.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 6. THE CURTIS COUNCE QUINTET-EXPLORING THE FUTURE. One of jazz’s best kept secrets is hard bop and West Coast jazz double bassist Curtis Counce. He may not have enjoyed the longevity of many of his contemporaries, but was one of the leading lights of West Coast …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2013-PART 1.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2013-PART 1. Considering how many compilations have been released during 2013, picking the fifty best compilations wasn’t easy. After all, I’ve listened to hundreds of compilations. They’ve come from the four corners of the globe, featuring every musical genre known to man. This includes everything from Acid House, …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2013-PART 2.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2013-PART 2. CAN YOU JACK? CHICAGO HOUSE AND EXPERIMENTAL HOUSE 1985-1995. Can You Jack?Chicago House and Experimental House 1985-1995 isn’t a new compilation. Not at all. It was originally released way back in 2005. Now eight years later, just as the Chicago House is about to celebrate its …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2013-PART 3.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2013-PART 3. HALL OF FAME VOLUME 2. Without doubt, one of the most influential record labels in the history of Southern Soul is Fame Records. It released some of the most important music in the history of not just Southern Soul, but soul music. Then there’e the music …
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