Jazz /
Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol.I
Tip! “Japanese jazz has been recognized and celebrated by music lovers worldwide for decades. The origins of this trend may be traced back to the rare groove movement that flourished in the 1990s, but its current deep and wide popularity seems to be connected to the fact that Japanese people have been reevaluating their own jazz since the mid-2000s, locally referred to as WaJazz ("Wa" meaning Japan but also the Shōwa emperor period, from 1926 to 1989). Since the beginning of the 2000s, there has…
Sunrise
* 2022 stock * New York-born drummer Stu Martin made a name for himself at the age of sixteen by playing with many of the great bands - those of Billy May, Jimmy Dorsey, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Maynard Ferguson and Quincy Jones, among others. In the 1960s he moved to Europe where he played with the greatest musicians of the time such as Jean-Luc Ponty, the Kühn brothers, Martial Solal or John McLaughlin. A very complete drummer adapting to all forms of jazz, he was part of the John Surman a…
Flute Music
James Newton’s 1977 self-released solo-debut, ‘Flute Music’ is an unheralded gem of the 70’s jazz underground. An album that showcases a diverse range of styles and fervent cross-pollination, while retaining a clear sense of direction and cohesion. An artist funnelling their wild expression into multiple facets of “The New Music”, crafting an auspicious and artistic debut. Newton would later go on to record with revered jazz labels like India Navigation and ECM, and collaborate with fellow creat…
Functional Stereo Music
Rob Franken was a talented Dutch, journeyman keyboardist of the 70s. Among other things, he is considered the first Dutch jazzman to make ‘good use’ of the Fender Rhodes and synthesizer.These 3 CDs compile a full six vinyl lps worth of previously unreleased commercially music. Much of the music is electric trio, but some sessions use extra percussion and even sax or trumpet. The description below explains what this music is, but it’s much better than simply ‘music for elevators’ and it certainly…
Umbra
Rare jazz funk ,fusion Lp. Private label from 1978.Hailing from Knoxville, Tennesee, Joel Fairstein has earned critial praise as Jazz pianist, composer, producer, and studio musician. His first album, "Umbra", an LP recorded at age 24 with eighteen sidemen has since become a sought-after collector item.First ever worldwide reissue.Transfered directly from mastertapes.
Freaky People
Al Doum and the Faryds continue their journey toward a New Direction. Now, they live in a futuristic Garden of Delights, inhabited by strange bright bubbles, golden wheels, water secrets and mysterious plants. From their home of Love & Nature, they set out to travel the Universe to forge a new Being together. Their typical blend of Spiritual-Jazz, Psychedelia and Afro-Latin Rock remains on the same wave, accentuating the collective rite of liberation and expansion of the spirit. There's certainl…
Troupeau Bleu
* 2021 Repress * Troupeau Bleu is the 1st and most famous album which had been recorded by the French Jazz-Funk band legend, Cortex. The obscure French jazz group that's been a favorite of grooves collectors for years! Reissued last in 2008 by Underdog Records, it’s now back in stock in a final limited repressing of 500 copies, reissued by Trad Vibe Records under official license from Alain Mion. In 1974, Alain Mion, Alain Gandolfi & Jeff Huttner formed the mythical band, Cortex, who then record…
Theme From Zoltan / Mister E
Another highly collectable Nathan Davis release on SABA, also recorded in 1965, ‘Happy Girl’ has remained unissued on vinyl since the 1960s. The date gathers together another top drawer line-up, with Woody Shaw on Trumpet and Larry Young, the Coltrane of the organ, uniquely found on piano for this session. Jimmy Woode again supports on bass, with a furious Billy Brooks on drums. ‘Theme From Zoltan’, a fierce modal original by Shaw, was recorded by Young the following year on his classic Blue Not…
Sconsolato / Just Give Me Time
Although considered to be the greatest jazz singer the world has ever known, Mark Murphy remained underground with a cult status. Perhaps the pinnacle of his recording career was Midnight Mood released by SABA in 1968, aligning his unique vocal skills with the Clarke-Boland Octet. With the arrangements of Francy Boland, Kenny Clarke playing offbeats and between-beats, and individualists like Sahib Shihab and Ake Persson, the backing on this date provided a unique dialogue for Murphy. After the l…
Faces (1977) & Bonus Tracks
Gabor Szabo's Faces, recorded for Mercury in 1977, is a distinctly jazz-fusion album. It was produced by trombonist and former Crusaders member Wayne Henderson, with the rhythm section coming from the soul-jazz-funk band Pleasure, with whom Henderson was working for the Fantasy label at the time. Built on gripping rough funk grooves, the music leaves plenty of room for Szabó's elegant guitar lines and meticulously constructed solos. The album, which was rather neglected when it was released, can…
Echoes of Africa
Highly recommended, a true Revelation! After a long hiatus since the homonymous 2006 release on Schema Records, The Invisible Session is back with Echoes Of Africa to be released on the newly-launched Space Echo label. Initiated in 2006 by Schema Records’ co-founder and musician Luciano Cantone, The Invisible Session’s influences are rooted in Black music. Written in collaboration with trombonist and multi-instrumentalist Gianluca Petrella, and with lyrics by poet, rapper, and MC Martin Thomas P…
Thrust
* 180 gram vinyl * The cover of Thrust reveals a lot of the album. Herbie's sitting comfortably his spaceship controlled by a synth froman alien world, reachingto the clouds and beyond. Well, that's what his stature was in 1974 - one of the seminal renewers of Jazz by incorporating new electric instruments like theARP synthesizer.
Thrust is the follow up to Head Hunters using the same band except for drummer HarveyMason, who is replaced by Mike Clark, a Jazz great in his own right.
Again, only f…
New Grass
Albert Ayler's 1969 album New Grass has been misunderstood from the day of its release. The album finds Ayler experimenting with soul music and digging back into his R&B roots (he started his career playing saxophone with Chicago bluesman Little Walter), fusing it with the avant-garde free jazz (the one element of the record which garnered consistent praise) and adding the vocals of Rose Marie McCoy, The Soul Singers and Ayler himself. As if predicting the divisiveness of the record to follow, A…