Category Archives: Jazz
VISIONEERS-HIPOLOGY.
VISIONEERS-HIPOLOGY. After a long wait of six year since the release of Dirty Old Hip Hop, Marc Mac under the guise of Visioneers is back with the follow-up Hipology, a double album,due for release on 11th June 2012, on BBE Music. However, during the intervening six years, Marc hasn’t been resting on his laurels. Far …
JEAN CARN-WHEN I FOUND YOU LOVE.
JEAN CARN-WHEN I FOUND YOU LOVE. This year has been a good vintage for anyone who loves Philly Soul. First came the release of Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits, then came the release of Philadelphia International Classics: The Tom Moulton Remixes. Then just two weeks ago came the Magnus Opus, the Philadelphia International: 40th Anniversary Box …
M.F.S.B.-SUMMERTIME.
M.F.S.B.-SUMMERTIME. Recently, when reviewing The O’Jays’ Message In the Music, I mentioned how that 1976 was a pivotal year for Philadelphia International Records and their legendary house-band M.F.S.B. From the very first album Philadelphia International Records released, M.F.S.B. provided the album’s heartbeat. These musicians included bassist Ron Baker, guitarist Norman Harris and drummer Earl Young. …
HARVEY MASON-GROOVIN’ YOU.
HARVEY MASON-GROOVIN’ YOU. By the time Harvey Mason signed a five year recording contract with Clive Davis’ Arista Records in 1976, Harvey was one of the most in-demand session drummers. He was seen as the go-to guy for anyone needing a top-class drummer. This saw Harvey playing on albums by Minnie Riperton, Donald Byrd, Chick …
EDDIE LEVERT-I STILL HAVE IT.
EDDIE LEVERT-I STILL HAVE IT. Never before, has an album title been more apt than Eddie Levert’s debut solo album I Still Have It. What Eddie Levert still has, is one of the best voices in R&B music. Eddie proves the maxim that form is temporary, but class is permanent. After joining The O’Jays in …
MICHAEL KIWANUKA-HOME AGAIN.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA-HOME AGAIN. When a new artist is compared favorably to some of the biggest names in music, then generally, people start to take notice. However, for those of us somewhat long in the tooth, we wonder whether, this is just the marketing department of a record company trying just a bit too hard to …
BILLY PAUL-EBONY WOMAN.
BILLY PAUL-EBONY WOMAN. Billy Paul played a hugely important role in the success of Philadelphia International Records. Not only was his 1972 album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul the first album released on the newly founded Philadelphia International Records, but his classic single Me and Mrs Jones gave the label their first number one single. …
THE FUTURES-THE GREETINGS OF PEACE.
THE FUTURES-THE GREETINGS OF PEACE. I thought that since the Philadelphia International Records-The 40th Anniversary Box Set was due out on 21st May 2012, that I’d revisit a few of the artists that’ll feature on the box set. This has included The Jacksons, first post-Motown album The Jacksons, which gave them the most successful album …
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW-ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK.
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW-ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK. Like many people, one of the most memorable parts of The Last Picture Show is the soundtrack. For me, it’s not just the music typifies the era, it’s the way director Peter Bogdanovich uses and deploys the music in such an evocative way. During the film, the music wafts out …
SNOWBOY PRESENTS NEW VINTAGE VOLUME 1.
SNOWBOY PRESENTS NEW VINTAGE VOLUME 1. When those little shiny discs drop through the door, it’s a bit like Forest Gump’s box of chocolates, “you never know what you’re gonna get.” With Snowboy’s new compilation Snowboy Presents New Vintage Volume 1, this is the ultimate box of chocolates, with every one a sumptuous soft center, …
GINA CAREY-LOVE LETTERS TWO.
GINA CAREY-LOVE LETTERS TWO. Just three months after releasing her sixth solo album Love Letters, Gina Carey returns with another album Love Letters Two. This is a combination of old and new songs. There are four songs apiece from Gina’s two previous albums, 2011s Melodic and 2012s Love Letters. The three new songs, You, Being …
ODYSSEY-HANG TOGETHER.
ODYSSEY-HANG TOGETHER. Not only was Odyssey’s 1977 eponymous debut album Odyssey, the group’s most successful album, it featured their biggest hit single, Native New Yorker. This was a song that would forever become synonymous with Odyssey, reaching number twelve in the US Billboard 100 and number six in the US R&B Charts. Spurred on by …
BILLY PAUL-GOING EAST.
BILLY PAUL-GOING EAST. After releasing Feelin’ Good At the Cadillac Club on Gamble Records in 1968 and Ebony Woman on Neptune in 1970, Billy Paul signed to a newly formed label in Philadelphia, founded by two songwriters, musicians and producers. The label was Philadelphia International Records and the two founders were Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. …
BILL WITHERS-JUST AS I AM.
BILL WITHERS-JUST AS I AM. How Bill Withers came to become one of the biggest artists of the seventies and eighties, is a fascinating story. Born in 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Bill’s father died when he was twelve years old. Aged eighteen, Bill joined the US Navy, where he spent nine years. It …
CEU-CARAVANA SEREIA BLOOM.
CEU-CARAVANA SEREIA BLOOM. Back in 2005, when Céu released her eponymous titled debut album Céu on Opius Music I’ve been following her career with interest. Since then, she’s released two further albums, 2009s Vagarosa and 2012s Caravana Sereia Bloom. Given just how talented a singer, songwriter and musician Céu is, I’ve always felt that she …
TOM BROWNE-MAGIC.
TOM BROWNE-MAGIC. The story of jazz trumpeter Tom Browne’s career is a quite remarkable one. Born in Queens, New York in 1954, Tom’s first choice of instrument wasn’t the trumpet. Aged eleven he’d originally started learning the piano, before being inspired to switch to the trumpet by his collection of jazz albums. By 1975, Tom …
PATRICE RUSHEN-PATRICE.
PATRICE RUSHEN-PATRICE. By the time Patrice Rushen signed to Elektra Records after releasing three jazz albums for Prestige she decided to change her style and sound. Previously, the three albums she’d recorded for Prestige, 1974s Prelusion, 1975s Before the Dawn and 1976s Shout It Out had been traditional jazz albums. Now signed to Elektra, Patrice …
PHAROAH SANDERS-LOVE WILL FIND A WAY.
PHAROAH SANDERS-LOVE WILL FIND A WAY. During a solo career that started in 1964, with the release of his debut album Pharoah’s First, Pharoah Sanders has released over thirty solo albums. As if this isn’t impressive enough, he’s accompanied jazz legends John and Alice Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and Don Cherry. Pharoah’s other collaborations have included …
BLACULA-MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK-GENE PAGE.
BLACULA-MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK-GENE PAGE. Forty years ago, in 1972, it was a classic year for Blaxploitation films and soundtracks. Starting with Super Fly, with a seminal Blaxploitation soundtrack provided by Curtis Mayfield, Across 110th Street was the next big Blaxploitation film, with none other than Bobby Womack providing the soundtrack to the movie. …
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