Category Archives: Soul Jazz
MASAHIKO SATO-KAYOBI NO ONNA.
Masahiko Sato-Kayobi No Onna. Label: Mitsuko and Svetlana Records. By 1969, Tokyo-born composer and pianist Masahiko Sato about to turn twenty-nine, and had been a professional musician since he was seventeen. He had started out accompanying magicians, singers and strippers in a cabaret in Ginza, a district of Tokyo. Now eleven years later he had …
GRANT GREEN-NIGERIA.
Grant Green-Nigeria. Label: Blue Note Records. On January the ’13th’ 1962 Grant Green journeyed to New Jersey, and what were by now the familiar environs of the Van Gelder Studio. He was twenty-five and had already recorded eight albums for Blue Note Records since he signed for the label in 1960. Grant Green had his …
SUN RA-CELESTIAL LOVE.
Sun Ra-Celestial Love. Label: Modern Harmonic. Nowadays, maybe music journalists are guilty of using the words innovator and musical pioneer all too freely, but that is the perfect description of the inimitable Sun Ra. He’s quite rightly regarded as one of the true pioneers of free jazz and a truly innovative and influential musician who pushed musical …
STANLEY TURRENTINE-COMIN’ YOUR WAY.
Stanley Turrentine-Comin’ Your Way. Label: Blue Note Records. When bandleader and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine entered Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, in New Jersey on January the ’20th’ 1961, he was twenty-six and about to record what would eventually become Comin’ Your Way. It was the third time he had made this journey since he had signed …
ALEX ATTIAS PRESENTS LILLYGOOD PARTY! VOLUME 2.
Alex Attias Presents LillyGood Party! Volume 2. Label: BBE Music. Release Date ‘20th’ March 2020. Thirty-two years ago in 1988, Alex Attias decided to embark upon a career as a DJ in his home city of Lausanne, Switzerland, and began playing an eclectic selection of dancefloor friendly music. This didn’t come as a surprise to …
CULT CLASSIC: MELVIN SPARKS-TEXAS TWISTER.
Cult Classic: Melvin Sparks-Texas Twister. Although American jazz and blues guitarist Melvin Sparks enjoyed a career that spanned five decades, the most fruitful period of his career was the seventies, when he released five albums between 1970 and 1975. Melvin Sparks’ career began at Prestige Records, where he released a triumvirate of albums between 1970 …
CULT CLASSIC: JOHNNY HAMMOND-GEARS.
Cult Classic: Johnny Hammond-Gears. Johnny “Hammond” Smith’s recording career began in 1958 and a year later he released his debut album Have You Heard. This was the first of two albums Johnny “Hammond” Smith released during 1959. Over the next sixteen years, Johnny “Hammond” Smith released another thirty album. His thirty-second album was Gears, which …
YESTERDAY HAS GONE-THE SONGS OF TEDDY RANDAZZO.
Yesterday Has Gone-The Songs Of Teddy Randazzo. Label: Ace Records. The name Teddy Randazzo means different things to different people. To some, he’s the singer who had Billboard 100 hits with 1958s Little Serenade, 1960s The Way Of A Clown and Big Wide World in 1963. He featured in rock revues alongside Chuck Berry and …
MELVIN SPARKS-FIVE FRUITFUL YEARS 1970-1975.
Melvin Sparks-Five Fruitful Years 1970-1975. Although American jazz and blues guitarist Melvin Sparks enjoyed a career that spanned five decades, the most fruitful period of his career was the seventies, when he released five albums between 1970 and 1975. Melvin Sparks’ career began at Prestige Records, where he released a triumvirate of albums between 1970 …
EMANATIVE-EARTH-VINYL.
Emanative-Earth-Vinyl. Label: Jazzman Records. Three years after the release of their third album The Light Years Of The Darkness in 2015, British jazz collective Emanative return with Earth, a new album of ambitious genre-melting music. It finds Emanative channelling the spirit of Sun Ra, but also drawing inspiration from Floating Point’s unique brand if cinematic …
MOD JAZZ RIDES AGAIN.
Mod Jazz Rides Again. Label: Kent Dance. Twenty-two years ago in 1996, Kent Dance an imprint of Ace Records released a new compilation Mod Jazz which celebrated the music that the Modernists listened to during the sixties. Mod Jazz was released to plaudits and praise and was a trip down memory lane for the original …
RAMSEY LEWIS-FUNKY SERENITY, RAMSEY LEWIS’ GOLDEN HITS, SOLAR WIND AND SUN GODDESS.
Ramey Lewis-Funky Serenity, Ramsey Lewis’ Golden Hits, Solar Wind and Sun Goddess. Label: BGO Records. Not many recording artists spend sixteen years signed to the same label, but bandleader, composer and pianist Ramsey Lewis had signed to Chess Records in 1956, and his band Ramsey Lewis and The Gentlemen Of Swing their debut album later …
MELVIN SPARKS-TEXAS TWISTER-RECORD STORE DAY EDITION.
Melvin Sparks-Texas Twister-Record Store Day Edition. Label: Tidal Waves Music. Although American jazz and blues guitarist Melvin Sparks enjoyed a career that spanned five decades, the most fruitful period of his career was the seventies, when he released five albums between 1970 and 1975. Melvin Sparks’ career began at Prestige Records, where he released a …
SOHO SCENE ’66-JAZZ GOES MOD.
Soho Scene ’66 Jazz Goes Mod. Label: Rhythm & Blues Records. By 1966, the mods with their carefully cultivated image were still a familiar sight and sound in towns and cities the length and breadth of Britain as they rode around on their Lambretta or Vespa scooters. They still sported tailor-made suits, button-down collar shirts, …
SOHO SCENE ’60-JAZZ GOES MOD (RECORD STORE DAY EDITION).
Soho Scene ’60 Jazz Goes Mod. Label: Rhythm & Blues Records. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, youth cults have come and gone,with some proving to be nothing more than passing fads, that nowadays, are mere footnotes in cultural history.There are some youth cults that have endured, and played an important part in …
DYLAN IN JAZZ-A JAZZ TRIBUTE TO BOB DYLAN.
Dylan In Jazz-A Jazz Tribute To Bob Dylan. Label: Wagram France. Record companies big and small are always looking for new ideas for a compilation, and over the past twenty years tried all sorts of new concepts with varying degrees of success. This has included genre specific albums, ranging from funk and fusion to jazz, …
THE HERBALISER-BRING OUT THE SOUND-VINYL EDITION
The Herbaliser-Bring Out The Sound-Vinyl Edition. Label: BBE Music. As October 2012 dawned, Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba had been making music as The Herbaliser since 1995, and were now regarded as UK hip hop’s most exciting live band. The two members of The Herbaliser were also preparing to release their seventh studio album There …
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