Jazz | Fusion 74 Items

Squama regulars Enji and Popp join forces on ‘Nant’, the debut LP by their newly minted duo ‘Poeji’, exploring the confines of Post-Dub and Downtempo.
2022’s 3-track EP ‘031921 5.24 5.53’, released as a limited run of dubplates, was the first testament to their open approach to writing, which takes only very basic ideas and relies on non-verbal communication to define form and pace.
Enji’s vocals are less centre-stage than on her solo endeavors, piercing through reverb plates and guitar pedals while Simon inked his signature set of wooden and metal percussions with chains of tape echoes and analog delay.
Listening to ‘Nant’ as a snapshot of Poeji’s artistry at a certain time and place can instill a sense of gratitude within the listener that something so fleeting can be captured.

After many years working as a buyer for several record stores, DJ Chintam opened his own Blow Up shop in 2018 in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. A member of the Dayjam Crew and a specialist of soul, funk, rare groove and disco music, Chintam is also an expert of the home-brewed Wamono grooves. He supervised and wrote the legendary Wamono A to Z records guide book together with DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite.

For this brand new chapter in the highly acclaimed Wamono series, our man Chintam goes digging into the vaults of one of the most revered Japanese labels: Trio Records. Established in 1969 by audio manufacturer Trio Electronics, now known as Kenwood, the label - and its subsidiaries such as Showboat and Trash - released high quality music spanning a large variety of genres including rock, jazz, fusion, soundtracks and popular songs, until its end in 1984. Through the eight tracks selected here, Chintam unearths some dope drum breaks, heavy bass lines and funky horns, for an essential selection of jazz funk fusion and rare groove vibes produced on Trio between 1973 and 1981.

Put the needle on the record, turn up the volume and dig right now into the Wamono sound - the cream of the Japanese jazz, funk, soul, rare groove and boogie music developed throughout the years since the sixties in Japan! 180g heavy vinyl pressing, reverse board jacket.

● Fully licensed Trio Records masters.

● Mastering and lacquer cut by Jukka Sarapää at Timmion Cutting Lab, Helsinki, Finland.

● Signature artwork by Yoxxx.

Blue Note Records has announced an August 23 release of Celebration, Volume 1, the first in a series of archival releases that the legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter curated before he passed away in 2023. This thrilling 2014 live recording captured Shorter’s acclaimed quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade at the Stockholm Jazz Festival in Sweden. The intrepid set includes some of the band’s favorite vehicles of exploration including “Zero Gravity,” “Smilin’ Through,” “Orbits,” “Lotus,” and “She Moves Through The Fair.” The album is introduced today with the single “Edge of the World (End Title),” a theme by composer Arthur B. Rubinstein from the 1983 film WarGames.

A Singular Blend of Dynamic Post-Pop & Electronic Production
Featuring The Vibraphonist’s Remarkable Quartet
Special Guests Gerald Clayton and Marquis Hill
Named One Of Downbeat's 25 For The Future

“His music is fresh, it speaks to everyone. Never heard anyone play vibes like that before.” -Herbie Hancock

“Best vibes player I’ve heard...” -Quincy Jones

In discussing Elements of Light, his fifth album as a leader, the vibraphonist-composer Simon Moullier often returns to a specific term: unfolding.

“This is an important word — the unfolding of a song,” says Moullier, who was born in France and lives in New York. “It’s something I’m very attached to, and something I’m always working on.” As he explains, many of his essential influences —Wayne Shorter, Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Ravel, — have been masterful unfolders in their writing. Moullier admires the movement and design in their music and harmony, the way one section of a tune leads into the next, everything flowing in a natural, beautiful, inviting way. Even the most serious intellectual musical concepts are rendered with a directness, a simplicity that can captivate a general audience. “For me, no matter how complex an idea can get,” he says, “clarity is always key.”

That’s a mature, evolved outlook for a millennial jazz musician to embrace, and it’s shared among Moullier’s youthful quartet featuring pianist Lex Korten, bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Jongkuk “JK” Kim. What’s more, these musicians of astonishing technical facility interact with the selflessness and good taste that Moullier’s song-focused music requires; to say it another way, they use their virtuosity to make the bandleader’s compositions sound as human and affecting as possible — never to preen.

Kosmos is the third full-length record for Luaka Bop from the uncategorizable Danish band of Jonathan Bremer (on acoustic bass) and Morten McCoy (on keys and tape delay).

Since Jesper Munk's debut album in 2013 the German singer-songwriter has made a name for himself as multi-

instrumentalist , "in the paths of Jack White and Dan Auerbach," as the Rolling Stone Magazine puts it, playing

music that ranges from Blues and Soul to heartfelt Pop and indulging Jazz, all this with a very unique, post-Punk

edge. His new album Taped Heart Sounds offers an evolution of Munk's sound: warm, gentle and soft vibes that

go deep. "If there is a way to give you a hug in form of an album, this is how I'd attempt to do so," says Munk.

Recorded in an offbeat band room in Berlin with The Cassette Heads, the album brings together classics reaching from Blues to Rock'n Roll. Twelve songs of legendary artists who have influenced and inspired Munk since his early days, including Tom Waits, JJ Cale, Etta James, Hank Williams, Willie Dixon, Jacques Brel, and Mocky.
The entire album was recorded with a Tascam Portastudio 8-Track Cassette Recorder which brought an original and authentic sound to each song: "The technical limitations immediately liberated all other aspects of the recording," Munk says. "It shows how much of making music is just listening and without a screen to catch your eye, you really have no choice but to do so." All Songs face realness and live from these volatile moments that reveal vulnerability and musical generosity. The outcome of this analogue experiment is a very personal album, both inspiring and consoling.
Taped Heart Sounds courageously opens with Donnie & Joe Emerson's Baby; a song so iconic that it actually cannot be enhanced. However, Munk's interpretation stands out and has a presence that gives the song a life of its own - made for walking. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, All the World Is Green, I'd Rather Go Blind, Head in the Clouds - what follows is a journey through Blues and Soul that is so vital and "now" that End of the Line may be the final track but certainly not the end of the story.
The album wouldn't be what it is without collaboration and partnership. Munk's special thanks go to his fans who helped to crowd-fund the recording. "On top of having had a real fun learning experience it all felt like a community project with real support from friends, the Cassette Heads, incredibly inspiring guests, and from Miles Deico, a wonderfully open and able engineer," so Munk about the making of the album.
Taped Heart Sounds is Jesper Munk's 4th album, following acclaimed debut album For in My Way it Lies (2013), CLAIM (2016), and Favourite Stranger (2018). Released via Billbrook Records, Hamburg-based Distributor Wordandsound's new label, the album is available for pre-order now - for purchase on vinyl and CD. The first single 'Baby' is going to be released on November 19, 2021.

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs

Includes original inner sleeve. Cover with hype sticker

Water damage on bottom left corner.

Cover closer to VG+

Japanese pressing. OBI is missing, with insert.

Japanese pressing. OBI is missing.

Cover with tear on the back

Pressing defect between A3/A4 but plays through, otherwise in VG+ condition.

Japanese pressing. Promo. Few paper scuffs. Light foxing on cover.

Record is in excellent condition.

Writing on cover.

Japanese pressing with OBI! Few paper scuffs.

Cover with saw cut. Vinyl with heat mark on the first track of each side.

Original EU pressing. With insert. Vinyl closer to VG+

Edge wear.

Japanese pressing without OBI. Few paper scuffs. With insert

Stamp on back cover. Signed by the artist.

Cover has slight edge and corner wear and a small writing on back cover, close to VG+. Vinyl has light scuffs and hairlines. US reissue from the 70ies.

Cut corner. Pressing defect on A2 & B2 otherwise VG. Includes original inner sleeve.

Original US pressing. Cover with seam splits. Vinyl with many scuffs and hairlines

Cover close to VG+

Cover with cut corner, writing and seam split / torn seam. Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs

Gatefold cover has slight wear. Early German reissue. Vinyl is dense with surface scratches and scuffs--will likely cause pop, clicks , and/or background noise

Writing on cover.

Cover close to VG+

Taped spine. Vinyl with light scuffs and hairlines. Cover edge and ring wear.

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs. Cover with ring wear

signed dedication by Sam Taylor inside gatefold. No Obi, with insert.

US original.

Cover close to VG+

Vinyl with scuffs and hairlines

Gatefold cover has a small writing on back cover. moderate storage wear. Vinyl is dense with light surface scratches and scuffs--will likely cause pop, clicks, and/or background noise

close to NM. 1973 reissue.

Japanese pressing. OBI is missing.

Writing on back cover. Vinyl with scuffs and hairlines. Gatefold is close to VG+

Pop-up book cover in beautiful condition just some small writings on front and back cover.

Writing on back cover. punch out hole.

Writing on back cover.

Cover with ring wear

Red vinyl is dense with light surface scratches and scuffs--will likely cause pop, clicks, and/or background noise. Cover in nice condition, just some slight edge wear and discoloration, writing on rear, no splits, tears...

Japanese pressing. close to NM

US original.

Tape on cover, writing and long open seam splits. Vinyl with many scuffs and marks.

Small sticker and writing on front cover, water stains on back cover.