Jazz | Fusion 108 Items

"Spirit To All" is the latest record by Polish bassist and composer Wojtek Mazolewski and his famed Quintet (WMQ), Mazolewski"s distinctive voice and vision are highly lauded and widely recognised for his contribution to the resurgence in Polish jazz and improv music on a global, crossover scale.

Recorded in just one day, Tripwire is the latest album from saxophonist and composer Will Vinson.Realising a long-held ambition to record a chord-less trio album, Vinson is joined here by bassist Matt Penman, one of today"s most adventurous bass players, and drummer Eric Harland, known for his impressive work with the world"s jazz luminaries.Special guest tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana also joins for two tracks. The record captures the energy of returning to the studio and playing for the first time since the Covid-Pandemic lockdowns, and further cements Vinson"s reputation as a virtuosic risk-taking leader.Tripwire skilfully brings together Vinson"s vision of freedom and collaboration into a cohesive album that documents the highly charged reunification of musicians, masterfully captured during a one-off recording session.

1964 was one of the most momentous years in the musical life of Wayne Shorter. Early in the year the saxophonist was still a member of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, appearing on classic Blue Note albums like Free for All and Indestructible. Shorter made his own auspicious label debut that spring with Night Dreamer and quickly recorded the impressive follow-up JuJu. That summer he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, cementing a line-up that would become one of the seminal bands in jazz history. And when Shorter entered Van Gelder Studio with Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Elvin Jones on Christmas Eve 1964 they created a masterpiece with Speak No Evil, a transcendent set of six Shorter originals including the swinging title track, “Witch Hunt,” and sublime ballad “Infant Eyes.”

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.

The compilation Memoriez takes you on a trip through dance tracks from the era where music clubs in Belgium & Europe were hot and trend setting. This will be a limited edition on 600 pieces, pressed on 180 gram high quality 12" black vinyl.

The compilation Memoriez takes you on a trip through dance tracks from the era where music clubs in Belgium & Europe were hot and trend setting. This will be a limited edition, pressed on 180 gram high quality 12" black vinyl.

Underground Canopy is Hip-hop fed, Groove infused, Jazz band based in Paris, France. Uncut Gems is a raw exploration of what makes the cornerstone of our world. Dug up from a year long of free playing and experimentations at the Uchq, these pieces were brought to the surface, like diamonds in the rough, through the direct and spontaneous energy connecting us. These precious moments, these ‘gems’, were invented and collected during the sessions attended by all the members of Underground Canopy. They are now presented to you, in the form of this authentic record, illustrated by the heartfelt imagery of Davor Gromilovic’s artwork which perfectly synthesizes the visual incarnation of the project.

Tomin is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, bioinformatician, and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His primary instruments are the flute, trumpet and alto clarinet, and he participates in the creative music scene as a performer, improvisor, composer and fan. Outside of music, he works in computational genetics, with a focus on oncology.

Tomin is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, bioinformatician, and poet from Brooklyn, New York. His primary instruments are the flute, trumpet and alto clarinet, and he participates in the creative music scene as a performer, improvisor, composer and fan. Outside of music, he works in computational genetics, with a focus on oncology.

Two miraculous collections of melodies that only Takeshi Shibuya can express, recorded on a piano that only he can play. These two gems, recorded directly to 2-track using a 24-bit DVD system and with excellent sound quality, are now available on LP for the first time! Long-awaited reissue of two solo piano works by Takeshi Shibuya recorded at Hanzomon TFM Hall on June 4, 2007. As the title suggests, these two superb pieces are divided by two selections: "pieces with beautiful melodies" and "pieces highlighting great composers who composed jazz standards". The selection of songs in "famous melodies" focuses on 7 songs with beautiful melodies, and includes the standards "Danny Boy" and "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," and other songs.

Two miraculous collections of melodies that only Takeshi Shibuya can express, recorded on a piano that only he can play. These two gems, recorded directly to 2-track using a 24-bit DVD system and with excellent sound quality, are now available on LP for the first time! Long-awaited reissue of two solo piano works by Takeshi Shibuya recorded at Hanzomon TFM Hall on June 4, 2007. As the title suggests, these two superb pieces are divided by two selections: "pieces with beautiful melodies" and "pieces highlighting great composers who composed jazz standards". The selections in "famous composers" highlight the great composers of jazz standards, and has a total of 7 songs including "Come Sandy," "Skating in Central Park," etc.

Soren Skov Orbit"s debut album, "Adrift", is at once subtle and profound. The saxophonist and his collaborators have created something quite special and consistently deep. This record may not easily be classifiable, but the most interesting music creeps between the lines.

Where does pop start and experimental music end? Instead of drawing lines, Red On keeps on exploring the spaces in between these supposed poles with his latest album Phantom Easy, a record that offers moments of pure beauty as well as unpredictable, uncontrollable wilderness.

The spaces Red On moves in aren’t per se terra incognita, but have been explored in recent years by like-minded musicians such as How To Dress Well, Fever Ray, or Dawuna, as well as artists that are affiliated with Präsenes Editionen, where Red On’s album is published, such as Martina Lussi, Belia Winnewisser, or Magda Drozd. Yet, Phantom Easy is an exploration of its own: The melancholic album, which is informed by pop, electroacoustic music, rhythm-focused jazz, and krautrock, is carried by Red On's voice, which appears in ever-changing stages of alienation. The wistful tone of the twelve tracks is reinforced by single phrases sung by Red On that, through their repetition, develop an urgency that can hardly be escaped. The result is pop music that is brave enough to embrace the adventure; or experimental music that doesn’t shy away from offering catchy hooks and grand melodies.

Three years have passed since the previous album "Candy Dream", and the sixth album "Will"

Shuya Okino, who leads Kyoto Jazz Massive and Kyoto Jazz Sextet, and is not only a DJ / composer / song selector but also a lyricist who is active in a variety of fields such as writing and sound branding, demonstrated his multi-faceted skills as a lyricist.

The emperor of Japanese funk, Osaka = monorail, which has already been made into 7 inches and has been well received, JB funk "The Jet Leg" featuring Ryo Nakata of the monorail, Nancy Wilson's singing and Mellow dancer "I'm In Love" cover song known for Mr./Ms. singing in Eryka Badu's "Honey" Seoul / The album containing all 9 Q.A.S.B. sounds, which develops a wide range from funk tunes to city pop, has finally been completed after 5 years of production!

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.

Released in 1971 on Impulse and recorded with two different ensembles, "Thembi" marked a departure from the slowly developing, side-long, mantra-like grooves Sanders had been pursuing for much of his solo career. Instead, it offers an intriguingly wide range of relatively concise ideas resulting in something of an anomaly in Sanders' prime period. Verve BY Request Series: remastered, audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl from Third Man Pressing/Detroit, Gatefold Sleeve.

When PAINKILLER started in 1991, their first two albums “Guts Of A Virgin” and “Buried Secrets” (both released on extreme metal label Earache) were heavy attacks blending grindcore and free jazz that brought together the musical backgrounds of the three protagonists: drummer MICK HARRIS had just left grindcore legend NAPALM DEATH, JOHN ZORN explored new extremities with his NAKED CITY project while BILL LASWELL had as a member of roaring free jazz quartet LAST EXIT ( PETER BRÖTZMANN / SONNY SHARROCK / RONALD SHANNON JACKSON) proven that he was not only a visionary producer but also an accomplished bassist. But it is their 1994 double album “Execution Ground” that remains the opus magnum of the brilliant trio: ZORN’s unmistakable shrieking saxophone, HARRIS’ pounding drums and LASWELL’s growling sub-bass lines were given heavy mixing desk treatment, resulting in extended tracks that are no less intense than their early works but display the full range of the musicians’ skills. Soaked with reverb and delay, avant-jazz, grindcore, dub and ambient melt into eerie tracks of haunting atmospheres - even more so in the ambient versions of disc 2.
Mastered and cut by RASHAD BECKER at D&M Berlin, “Execution Ground” is now available on vinyl for the very first time as 2x 180gr LP incl. a download code and insert in a limited edition of 500 items.

Nobuo "Hara", whose real name is Nobuo Tsukahara, is a Japanese saxophonist who became known in 1951 with his big band, the Sharp & Flats. Together they recorded more than a hundred album during their career. Hozan Yamamoto is, for his part, a Shakuhachi player, a traditional Japanese flute, enjoying such recognition in his country that he was awarded a Living National Treasure in 2002. The first record bringing together the two musicians is a live recorded in 1967 during the Newport Jazz Festival. It was a year later, in 1968, that New Jazz in Japan, their first studio recording, was released. Accompanied by the ower of the Sharps & Flats, Nobuo Hara"s tenor sax and Hozan Yamamoto"s shakuhachi respond subtly to give this record, which had not been reissued since 1971, a completely unique style.

SOURCED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES: MOBILE FIDELITY 180G 33RPM SUPERVINYL LP
REVEALS MULTIPLE LAYERS OF RHYTHM, VISCERAL BASS, AND PIONEERING PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe

Miles Davis' boundlessly influential On the Corner was so far ahead of its time upon release in 1972, the jazz cognoscenti rejected its groundbreaking concoction as middling in nature. Yet time has a way of righting wrongs and shifting views by adding needed context and perspective to visionary ideas, music, and approaches — the likes of which fill Davis' boldest and most controversial — undertaking. Designed to bring the focus back on the groove and bottom-end frequencies, the funk-loaded On the Corner revolutionized jazz. It also set new standards for record production, presaging remixing and electronica by more than a decade. And the work has never sounded more thrilling thanks to this very special pressing.

Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g 33RPM SuperVinyl LP of On the Corner exposes the internal mechanisms, free-associated playing, and then-unmatched studio techniques in vivid fashion. The low end, crucial to every composition here, is both heard and felt, with locked-in bass lines and low-range percussion conveyed as taut, solid, and visceral passages. You can discern the multiple layers of rhythm Davis employed on complex tracks such as "Black Satin," as On the Corner stands as his first effort to use overdubbing and multiple tape machines. As a pioneer, Davis likely would’ve loved MoFi’s groundbreaking SuperVinyl profile that features the lowest-possible analogue noise floor as well as pristine transparency, dead-quiet surfaces, and superb groove definition.

New degrees of spaciousness and airiness — equally important to the musique concrete arrangements — give the impression Davis and Co.'s creations float in space. Instruments are portrayed in three-dimensional manners, rhythmic loops retain tonal purity, and horn solos skitter across an extra-wide soundstage that takes listeners into Columbia's Studio E. Mobile Fidelity's SuperVinyl LP captures Teo Macero's innovative production — and the trumpeter's cutting-edge aural collages — in definitive fashion.

Heavily inspired by Sly and the Family Stone, On the Corner portrays street vibes and remains Davis' Blackest-sounding record. The conscious attempt to connect with youthful audiences tapped into rock and funk is evident not only on the colorful cartoon cover art depicting hot-pants and zoot-suit revelers, but in the music's emphasis of recurring drum and bass grooves. Distinct from Davis' earlier fusion experiments, the record's long-misunderstood set dials back improvisation in favor of beats, loops, and atmospherics that generate trance-like effects. While Davis utilizes his band for core duties — Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock prominently figure — he also relies on an all-star cast of side-men for concentrated soloing and additional support.

With rhythm providing the basic foundation, other notes fall into place, with their positioning steered by Macero and Davis' editing-room techniques. Looking to the manipulation-based work of Karlheinze Stockhausen and teaming with Stockhausen disciple Paul Buckmaster, Davis re-imagines what grooves constituted and could accomplish throughout On the Corner. The shapes of the songs become completely transformed as they progress. Faint melodies, spacey chords, chunky riffs, wah-wah fills, and repeated motifs bounce in and out of a sonic funhouse that wouldn't be out of place at a Harlem block party.

Exotic, intrepid, and filled with Davis' "jungle sound," On the Corner remains daringly hip more than four decades later.

MoFi SuperVinyl

Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analogue lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are virtually indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

Meshell Ndegeocello’s new album after her internationally successful Blue Note debut “The Omnichord Real Book” (Grammy “Best Alternative Jazz Album”, Deutscher Jazzpreis “Album Of The Year International”) is an intellectually and musically gripping homage to legendary author James Baldwin and his topics such as racism and sexuality. "No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin" is a genre-bending work full of deep passion and equally deep grooves and will be released on Baldwin’s Centennial: August 2, 2024. Features frequent collaborators Justin Hicks, Kenita Miller, Abe Rounds, Jake Sherman, Jebin Bruni, and Julius Rodriguez, as well as powerful spoken word performances by Jamaican poet and activist Staceyann Chin.

Meshell Ndegeocello’s new album after her internationally successful Blue Note debut “The Omnichord Real Book” (Grammy “Best Alternative Jazz Album”, Deutscher Jazzpreis “Album Of The Year International”) is an intellectually and musically gripping homage to legendary author James Baldwin and his topics such as racism and sexuality. "No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin" is a genre-bending work full of deep passion and equally deep grooves and will be released on Baldwin’s Centennial: August 2, 2024. Features frequent collaborators Justin Hicks, Kenita Miller, Abe Rounds, Jake Sherman, Jebin Bruni, and Julius Rodriguez, as well as powerful spoken word performances by Jamaican poet and activist Staceyann Chin.

Legendary Japanese guitarist Masaki Matsubara’s two solo albums will be reissued on Pure Virgin Vinyl by Canyon/agharta label, which is known worldwide for its “city Pop” works in recent years! Scheduled for release on August 3rd 2024! A City POP classic album “sniper” featuring vocals of popular AOR singer Jesse Barish, known as the composer of Marty Balin’s hit single “Hearts”, which was also a worldwide hit tune. “Painted Woman” includes the popular song “Silly Crush”, features Eric Tagg of Lee Ritenour band on vocal, which has been played 2.5 million times on Spotify (as of March 2024) and is enjoyed by listeners worldwide, including in L.A. and Jakarta, Bangkok, Santiago, Seoul, etc. These are two masterpieces that the world has been eager to see reissued. For inquiries about products, please contact local record stores.

Legendary Japanese guitarist Masaki Matsubara’s two solo albums will be reissued on Pure Virgin Vinyl by Canyon/agharta label, which is known worldwide for its “city Pop” works in recent years! Scheduled for release on August 3rd 2024! A City POP classic album “sniper” featuring vocals of popular AOR singer Jesse Barish, known as the composer of Marty Balin’s hit single “Hearts”, which was also a worldwide hit tune. “Painted Woman” includes the popular song “Silly Crush”, features Eric Tagg of Lee Ritenour band on vocal, which has been played 2.5 million times on Spotify (as of March 2024) and is enjoyed by listeners worldwide, including in L.A. and Jakarta, Bangkok, Santiago, Seoul, etc.

Lee Morgan’s 1968 album "Taru" found the trumpeter at a crossroads exploring a variety of styles from modal jazz and post-bop to beautiful balladry and funky boogaloos. The band here is notable for the elevating presence of guitarist George Benson and the addition of tenor saxophonist Bennie Maupin.

BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION: Stereo, produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a Gatefold Sleeve with deluxe tip-on jacket.

If you listen to LA LOM's music with your eyes closed, you might find yourself in a world somewhere between shimmering tropical heat and a black and white Hollywood crime thriller. Music with the “twang” of rockabilly, the sensuality of Latin American rhythms and the raw sound of modern independent music, which has already found prominent fans such as Beck and Vampire Weekend. Behind LA LOM, abbreviation for The Los Angeles League of Musicians, are the three LA-born musicians Zac Sokolow (guitar), Jake Faulkner (bass) and Nicholas Baker (drums/percussion). In 2019 they got together to play at the historic Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard, by now they perform concerts in front of thousands of people, released the first digital singles of their Latin and soul instrumentals and attract countless fans to their popular social media profiles. Their album debut on Verve Records was produced by Elliot Bergman (Cage the Elephant, Major Lazer, Wild Belle).

"Sisu" marks the beginning of a new chapter for esteemed Estonian pianist and composer Kristjan Randalu - as his first large ensemble project recording. It"s also the debut outing for the New Wind Jazz Orchestra conducted by Wolf Kerschek and features special guest trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and guitarist Ben Monder.

What would Louis Armstrong sound like if he were a contemporary artist? Probably Jumaane Smith... acclaimed Trumpeter, Vocalist, and long-time bandmember/featured guest artist with Michael Bublé. Comprised of original works and new arrangements by Jumaane Smith, this deeply emotional album seamlessly traverses jazz, blues, and contemporary soul, with nostalgic echoes of classic albums from those genres. Smith has performed on 5 GRAMMY Award-winning records (selling more than 60 million copies), 2 Emmy Award-nominated TV performances, the GRAMMY Awards with Stevie Wonder, in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story (trumpet solo actor), at The White House, on the Today Show, Tonight Show, Oprah, Good Morning America, and American Idol. He has worked with musical legends such as Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, ArethaFranklin, Christian McBride, Kamasi Washington, Alicia Keys, Jon Batiste, and many more.

Jorge Ben is a name that any lover of Brazilian music will be very familiar with. He is widely regarded as the James Brown of Brazilian music and is famed for writing the Brazilian anthem ‘Mas Que Nada'. For the duet ‘Carolina, Carol Bela' he teamed up with the singer and guitarist Toquinho. Toquinho is best known for his collaborations, as composer and performer, with bossa nova poet Vinicius de Moraes.

'Carolina, Carol Bela' featured on the album Toquinho by Toquinho. It was originally released in 1970 on the small independent Brazilian label, RGE. The song was sampled by DJ Marky and XRS for their Drum & Bass track ‘lk’ (V Recordings, 2002). This went on to be a huge chart hit across the world, and a number one hit in the UK.

João Donato is a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist. He has collaborated with many of the greats of Brazilian Music, including Tom Jobim, Astrud Gilberto and Gilberto Gil. He was one of the few Brazilian artists who went over to perform in the States during the bossa nova boom of the late 60’s. The song ‘A Rã’ was originally released on his seminal album Quem é quem, (emi, 1973), an album that is full of great tracks and was considered as one of the 100 best albums of all time by the Rolling Stone magazine.

Saxophonist John O"Gallagher has carved out a formidable reputation as a musician and composer who seeks to expand beyond the frontiers of jazz and into new territories of improvisational concepts. His list of collaborators is a who"s-who of adventurous improvised music. Recently he"s extended into an actual new territory, moving to Lisbon, Portugal in 2021. This new record Beast captures him playing in front of a live audience with a new multi-generational ensemble of musicians from the fertile European improv scene. Rhythm section duties are handled by the Portuguese team of Ze Almeida on bass and drummer Joao Lencastre. Joining the band on piano is the German musical polymath Samuel Gapp, so that this recording marks the first time in John"s prodigious and storied career that he has recorded as a leader with the classic piano quartet line-up.

João Donato need no presentation his one of the of tropical groove masters from all eras. Albums like A Bad Donato, Quem é Quem or Lugar Comum from his 1970's Works are legendary. This one is a homage to that era and João Donato returning to his Tropical Jazz Funk Groove original style. It is known that good albums generate good shows, but in the case of this album, we can do the opposite. "Donato Elétrico" began to take shape following a show performed by the artist in 2014, at Sesc Pinheiros (São Paulo, Brazil). On that occasion, the musician released the emblematic album "Quem é Quem" on stage, after a delay of more than 40 years. For this late release, Donato invited young musicians from São Paulo, with whom he had already been working on the idea of a new project, and who helped him recreate the original atmosphere of "Quem é Quem", full of grooves, whose essence was in the João's electric piano.

Local jazz scenes keep evolving into new interesting variations, and this album by Copenhagen collective Jiyu, is no exception. A dusty brass opening, old as the sun, followed by a guitar/flute theme, driven by a lazy boom-clack beat, quickly outlines this hybrid-jazz sound, blown in from the future. The blend of dreamy, mellow jazz, hip hop, downbeat, bossa nova vibes, and cinematic electronic soundscapes, has caught the listeners attention worldwide, and the digital singles “So Many Moons to Go”, “King of Mañana” and “Parallel Dreams”, have made it to some serious jazz playlists on Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal. The album have been supported by radio dj’s in UK, DK, IT, ES and more… Jiyu is produced by guitar player and composer Emil Jonathan Søegaard A.K.A Low Pressure and former Stereo Deluxe recording artist EMO. The fellow musicians are, Bo Rande on trumpet, Lukas Rande on flute and sax. Carsten Skov on Vibraphone. Lennart Ginman on upright bass. Kinck on vocal, Thomas Dietl on drums, and AC. Woodman on Wurlitzer-piano.

"When Losing a Dream To Reality" is the debut album from Swedish alto saxophonist and composer Hannes Bennich. Bennich is one of the most interesting new voices on the Scandinavian scene and presents all-original compositions for his first outing written for his band of pianist Britta Virves, double bassist Tomas Sjödell and drummer Emil Norman. Special guest vocalist Helen Salim joins for one track.

The discography of the phantom Gruppo Sound exceeds over thirty titles published in an undefined time frame between the Eighties and the Nineties. However, there is very little information about this curious pseudonym. it is possible to find a library music album by Gruppo Sound inside the Canopo, Deneb, Flower, Monosound Records and Teams catalogues, all managed by Flipper Music publishing group, but both the creators and the musicians have never been the same. Gruppo Sound is only a collective name, maybe to identify a certain number of 'new' productions characterized by an electronic background And, not by chance, the author of “New York City” is a single artist, the multi-instrumentalist Gabriele Ducros. Son of the prolific composer Remigio Ducros, he first followed his footsteps in the field of music libraries and soundtracks and then become the author of many tracks for television commercials of a certain relevance, winning some international awards. “Some of these tracks may have been associated with a pornographic film. Others were, however, made as brief comments for a theatrical show, perhaps never made”, remembers Gabriele Ducros. What unites the thirteen pieces is the same musical language, which derives from a widespread funk and jazz matrix. Both genres are thus declined through a different approach and taste, in line with the fusion trends of the time, when the early synthesizers were used by few artists. A handful of electric guitar notes for a 'urban' mood, the acoustic ones from a dreamy morning awakening. Electronic keyboards to arouse a sense of nostalgia in the listener, while flute and saxophone always punctuate different atmospheres. A computer melody, a theme for children and a sophisticated ode to the fusion sound of the Big Apple, perhaps true source of ispiration of the work. “New York City” is not a concept album, but one of the best cross-sections of Gabriele Ducros' great creativity.

Fire! have always been about finding the essence by getting to the core of the music. Their 8th album sees the trio - for the first time on record - stripped down to the bare-bones essentials; with no flutes, no electronics, no guests and no extras, recorded live in the studio to analogue tape - the Steve Albini way - with the master himself at the controls in Electrical Audio in Chicago. Thus, this album stands as a true testament to the group´s expressive power and glowing intimacy. Musically, Testament can be seen as an extension of their previous full length album Defeat, released two years ago, to the month. A solitary bass figure from Johan Berthling, quickly joined by a stout drum groove, gets it all going in a familiar fashion before Gustafsson adds desolate cries and whispers from his baritone sax. This approach is even more honed on the second track, with the most simplistic groove you´re likely to hear in jazz and Gustafsson shifting between extended, lonely, tortured lines, only once abrupted by a series of short bursts. The third track starts with loose and relatively lively drums that continue throughout, but the mournful saxophone maintains a subdued atmosphere. Track four is a real beauty with the trio slipping into a trance-like dream state before shifting gear halfway into its nine minutes. The final track is the most dynamic of the lot, shifting between bursts of energy and lyrical beauty.

Did someone say Summer? Sicily is what Cuba is to the Caribbean, sun, sea, easy and friendly people with lots of troubles! You won't find anything better around that identifies the summer more than this album by Enzo Randisi who at the beginning of the 80s put together a Swing Ensemble as a tribute to that "cheerful" movement of Jazz music. But Enzo and his fellas just couldn't stay on track and put in the best that the alternative Palermo area could offer in that historical period, like the sisters Cinzia and Loredana Spata, who brought the production to a next level in the vocal version of All Blues or in Chic Corea's Spain. But what really struck us was Charles Cables' version of "Quite Fire" (here missspelled as "Quite Fair"), released a few months earlier only in Japan and which would only become famous in the 90s with the Acid Jazz movement, and this tells us a lot about how hungry Enzo and Riccardo were of musical knowle, to be able to find some pearls in a city with basically no record shops and isolated...well...it's on an island!

Not macht erfinderisch! Das Album “Heavy Sounds” war eigentlich als Trio-Session mit dem Gitarristen Larry Coryell geplant gewesen. Als dieser aber kurzfristig erkrankte und nicht im Studio auftauchte, spielten Schlagzeuger Elvin Jones und Bassist Richard Davis ad hoc eine fast zwölfminütige Duo-Version von “Summertime” ein. Die restlichen Nummern nahm das Gespann einen Tag später mit Verstärkung des Saxofonisten Frank Foster und des Pianisten Billy Green auf, wobei Elvin Jones in “Elvin’s Guitar Blues” höchstpersönlich den Gitarrenpart übernahm. Es sollte seine einzige Aufnahme als Gitarrist bleiben.

Verve BY Request Serie: remastert, audiophiles 180-Gramm-Vinyl von Third Man Pressing/Detroit, Gatefold Sleeve.

“There is a German satellite falling to earth!” a woman’s voice urgently announces. “She says, what if it hits me? Welcome to anxiety group.” A dense cloud on the horizon heralds a fresh onslaught from that infamous swarm of free jazz killer bees, a new project from self-described “conceptual kleptomaniac post digital free jazz outfit” Drone Operatør. Riding hard along the line between experimental electronics, blockbuster sound design and the loosest jazz improvisation, this rogue’s gallery of players, headed up by art world provocateurs Paul Barsch and Tilman Horning, take the fevered pulse of the relentlessly flattened now and note down four key observations which presented together make up Welcøme TO Anxiety Group. Coaxing lively theatricality from a continually provoked altercation between acoustic instrumentation and synthetic sound, each of the project’s four tracks provides a new perspective on what it means to improvise through technological mediation. “Here we are now,” write Drone Operatør. “22 after 2k. mp4 flex to 32bit float. The sax - the heart. The quadcopter - the brain. Duo d'Allemagne not wasting a life time learning jazz standards.” To open proceedings, our faithful operatør whips up exquisite dissonance with ‘Bot Møther’, smashing together squalls of saxophone and ripples of percussion with the sounds of sci-fi artillery, like an amphetamine-fuelled, midnight jam hammered out oblivious to an ongoing alien invasion. Slowing to a furtive creep for ‘German Satellite’, picking out keenly felt anxiety in suggestive plucks, stuttering clacks and strained wails, their cosmic warning signalling a neurotic climax before settling back into a post-coital skitter, flourishes of keys, both digital and analogue, harmonising with Drone Operatør’s weary welcome to the group. Eschewing the electronic completely for the cacophonous gallop of ‘Røhrstøck’, we’re invited to hold on for dear life during a mad scramble towards the ‘The Vessel,’ a staggering sequence of tumbling synthetic chimes, embellished with peals of ornate sax that flare up and out to illuminate the track’s irregularity, alternately submerged and retrieved through a subtle manipulation of filters. It’s a session that has to be heard to be believed, crammed with as much difficulty and as much revelation as any good therapy should. As Drone Operatør describe: “From iconic spamming to intellectual nonsense. Always never predictable, never not cheesy. Battery life cycles full of joy. You say you like free jazz. We don’t believe you.” Welcøme to Anxiety Group will be released on July 29th, 2021 by Participant, on limited edition clear red vinyl, and digital download via the Participant Bandcamp. The release will be accompanied by a series of films by Drone Operatør, featuring editing, FX, and CGI by digital artist Darío Alva. Text by: Henry Bruce Jones Participant is a record label and creative studio run by filmmaker William Markarian-Martin and conceptual artist Richie Culver

There is the contemporary music tradition, and then there is Dan Samsa. Seamlessly blending classical, techno, jungle and jazz, the musical pioneer joyfully imagines his debut album Contours as a genre-defying exploration far beyond the borders of sound as we know it.

The cheerful ragtime combination of piano, banjo, tuba, and drums was first presented on record more than 80 years ago by members of the Lu Watters Yerba Buena Jazz Band (including pianist Wally Rose). Their recording of the "Black and White Rag" caught on and helped to kickstart the first ragtime revival wave in the 1940s. In 2024, Brian Holland and The Ragabonds revive the instrumentation - but with plenty of surprising twists! Upon first hearing the Ragabonds' take on Scott Joplin's "The Ragtime Dance," jazz pianist Jeff Barnhart exclaimed "I never want to hear it any other way!" The playlist is a mix of old and new compositions spanning nearly a century, yet every track sounds fresh and contemporary in these performances by The Ragabonds. If you have a pulse - and a heart capable of soaring - prepare to smile until your face hurts as you listen to Brian Holland and The Ragabonds. Musicians include: Brian Holland (piano), Katie Cavera (banjo), Paul Hagglund (tuba), and Gareth Price (drums). Includes liner notes by Jeff Barnhart. 14 tracks. 51 minutes. 180 gram vinyl. Limited edition of 500.

Bolbec, brand new project of childhood friends and multi-instrumentalists Axel Concato and Barth Corbelet, present their debut record, "Victime De L"aube", on Batov Records. Drawing on their wide blend of musical tastes, from spiritual jazz and folk to classical and electronic sounds, to create an imaginary soundtrack that could easily sit beside the best of Piero Piccioni or Michel Legrand.

Bobby Hutcherson’s cutting-edge 1969 session "Medina" found the vibraphonist with a remarkable band featuring Harold Land on tenor saxophone & flute, Stanley Cowell on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums. The set presents original compositions by Hutcherson, Cowell, and Chambers.
BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION: Stereo, produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, and packaged in a single sleeve with deluxe tip-on jacket.