Category Archives: Jazz
LOS TRANSATLANTICOS-FIRST TRIP.
LOS TRANSATLANTICOS-FIRST TRIP. As most people who regularly read this blog will have realized, I’ve quite an eclectic taste in music. Over the years, I’ve explored and enjoyed all types of music. One of these genres I discovered over twenty years ago, is world music. Whether it’s Latin, African or Caribbean music, I’ve explored and …
MATHIAS STUBO-MATHIAS STUBO.
MATHIAS STUBO-MATHIAS STUBO. During the first few months of 2012, BBE Music have been on a roll, releasing a mixture of compilations and artists albums, which have included some great releases. Among the compilations, there’s been the release of Al Kent’s five disc disco Magnus Opus The Best of Disco Demands, Henry Street Records’ founder …
BUDDY MILES-ALL THE FACES OF BUDDY MILES.
BUDDY MILES-ALL THE FACES OF BUDDY MILES. During his career, Buddy Miles was a member of Ruby and The Romantics and The Ink Spots before founding The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield in 1967. Then in 1969, Buddy Miles became the drummer for Jimmy Hendrix’s newly formed The Band of Gypsys. Although the band was …
CLIFFORD COULTER-THE BETTER PART OF ME.
CLIFFORD COULTER-THE BETTER PART OF ME. During a ten year period, Clifford Coulter released three solo albums. The first two of these albums 1970s East Side San Jose and 1972s Do It Now! Worry About It Later, were both released by one of the most prestigious jazz labels, Impulse Records. After this, it would another …
TEENA MARIE-STARCHILD.
TEENA MARIE-STARCHILD. In 1983, Teena Marie released her fifth album Robbery, which was the first album for her new record label Epic. Robbery hadn’t matched the commercial success of her three previous albums for Motown, only reaching number 119 in the US Billboard 200 and number thirteen in the US R&B Charts. Undeterred, Teena Marie …
BOSSA RIO-BOSSA RIO.
BOSSA RIO-BOSSA RIO. Back in 1969, Bossa Rio released their now legendary album Bossa Rio on Herb Albert’s A&M Records. The album was produced by Sergio Mendes, who’d brought Bossa Rio to A&M. After signing with A&M, their first appearance was on Cannonball Adderley’s album Cannonball’s Bossa Nova, released in 1962. This wouldn’t be Bossa …
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS-THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET.
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS-THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY BOX SET. One of the most eagerly awaited and much anticipated box sets finally hits the shops on 21st May 2012. In case anyone doesn’t realize what I’m talking about, this is the Philadelphia International Records-The 40th Anniversary Box Set, a mammoth ten disc box set, released by Harmless Records …
BILLY PAUL-WAR OF THE GODS.
BILLY PAUL-WAR OF THE GODS. A year after the release of Billy Paul’s most commercially successful album 360 Degrees of Billy Paul in 1972, an album that featured the Grammy Award winning number one single Me and Mrs Jones, Billy released his follow-up album War of the Gods. By this time, Philadelphia International Records had …
BRYAN LOREN-BRYAN LOREN.
BRYAN LOREN-BRYAN LOREN. Bryan Loren, whose eponymous debut album Bryan Loren was rereleased on 26 March 2012 on BBR Records, is much more than a singer, he’s also a talented multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer and songwriter. Some people would call Bryan a prodigy, learning and mastering various instruments, and then writing songs while still in his …
LATIN CONCRETE: A MODERN LATIN RHYTHM SUITE-MIXED AND COMPILED BY CHRIS READ.
LATIN CONCRETE: A MODERN LATIN RHYTHM SUITE-MIXED AND COMPILED BY CHRIS READ. So far this year, BBE Music have continued their policy of releasing an eclectic selection of quality music, starting with Al Kent’s The Best of DIsco Demands, a five disc box set crammed full of disco delights. This was followed by the classic …
ELBOW BONES AND THE RACKETEERS-NEW YORK AT DAWN.
ELBOW BONES AND THE RACKETEERS-NEW YORK AT DAWN. Back in 1983, when Elbow Bones and The Racketeers released their debut single A Night In Yew York it sounded like the soundtrack for a forties nightclub, with its big band sound given a contemporary eighties twist. You could imagine the smokey atmosphere where movie stars, hustlers …
THELMA JONES-THELMA JONES.
THELMA JONES-THELMA JONES. Although Thelma Jones’ career started in 1967, when she released her first single The House That Jack Built on Barry Records, it wasn’t until 1978 that she released her debut album Thelma Jones. Produced by legendary producer Bert DeCoteaux, who previously, had produced Marlena Shaw, Linda Lewis and The Main Ingredient Thelma …
SEARCH-SEARCH I.
SEARCH-SEARCH I. Recently, I’ve reviewed two albums which were originally released on Philly World Records. These were Terri Wells’ Dreamin’ and Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes’ Talk It Up (Tell Everybody), remastered and rereleased by BBR Records. Founded by Peter Pellullo, a businessman who’d owned the Alpha Recording Studios since 1977, Philly World Records …
DON RAY-GARDEN OF LOVE.
DON RAY-GARDEN OF LOVE. Although Don Ray played an important role in European disco music, working with Marc Cerrone and Alec Constandinos, Don only ever released one solo album, Garden of Love, released in 1978. Garden of Love was co-produced by Marc Cerrone, who released albums like Love In C Minor, Cerrone’s Paradise and Supernature. …
SHUGGIE OTIS-HERE COMES SHUGGIE OTIS.
SHUGGIE OTIS-HERE COMES SHUGGIE OTIS. Shuggie Otis’ debut album Here Comes Shuggie Otis, really is a remarkable album. Why I hear you ask? Well, it’s a highly accomplished album from an artist who was just sixteen years old when he recorded Here Comes Shuggie Otis. By then, Shuggie was almost a seasoned musician, having performed professionally …
TERRI WELLS-JUST LIKE DREAMIN.’
TERRI WELLS-JUST LIKE DREAMIN.’ Anyone who loves the Philly Sound will know the voice of Terri Wells, whose 1984 album Just Like Dreamin’ will be released on February 27 by BBR Records. From an early age, Terri Wells’ life revolved around music, starting with singing in churches in her hometown of Philadelphia, before forging a …
DENIECE WILLIAMS-THIS IS NIECY.
DENIECE WILLIAMS-THIS IS NIECY. Deniece Williams, whose legendary debut album This Is Niecy has been remastered and will be rereleased by BBR Records on February 27, never had any intention of becoming a singer when she was growing up. Quite the opposite, with Deniece heading for a career in medicine. She was was born and …
JOHN CAREY-SMOOTH, SOULFUL AND FUNKY.
JOHN CAREY-SMOOTH, SOULFUL AND FUNKY. It’s not often that a husband and wife both release new albums at the same time. This is what happened when John and Gina Carey both released new albums earlier in February 2012. While Gina released her beautiful, sixth album Love Letters, John Carey, The Urban Soul Guitarist released his …