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180-Gram Vinyl Limited Edition of 500 copies. The music here marks a fundamental chapter in the evolution of Jesús "Chucho" Valdés' career and development into one of the finest jazz pianists in the world. The concepts that he brought to fruition in the Quinteto Cubano de Jazz, the Orquesta Cubana de Música Moderna, and Irakere, have their roots in the band Chucho formed at the beginning of the 1960's, which due to limited distribution has received little attention from specialists and jazz lovers alike. Chucho's album Jazz Nocturno was recorded in the early 1960's. During the years in which he worked for the Havana Musical Theater Orchestra, he formed his own combo with friend Carlos Emilio Morales on guitar, Paquito D'Rivera on sax and clarinet, Enrique "Kike" Hernández on bass, Emilio del Monte on timbales, Julio Vento on flute, Alberto Valdés on trombone, and Oscar Valdés on congas. It is worth noting Chucho's exclusion of the traditional drum set, considering his intention to play jazz. THE COMPLETE LP + 3 BONUS TRACKS - 180-GRAM VIRGIN VINYL - LIMITED EDITION OF 500 COPIES

ind is 12 pieces written and performed by CTM and produced by Jakob Littauer.

The album consists of cello compositions with few exceptions - a daf enhancing the rhythm, a distant memory of the kora, a pensive flute or folly sounds. The softness of the acoustic instruments is counterplayed by concise compositions and hyperreal productions.

The music presents itself as part spirit, part form; the movement in the moment, repetition, anticipation, what happened and what is to come. It's a sensuous search into stretched out moments, captured and held in one’s hand for a little while. It finds play and devotion, love and light.

Dedicated to Jannis Noya Makrigiannis

Uniquely personal, yet gently relatable…

Istanbul-based drummer and composer Danae Palaka’s first album “Velox” is a retrospective journey into the artist’s own roots.

Born in Athens to a musical family partially hailing from Istanbul, Danae’s relocation to the city of her ancestry in 2021 became a key influence in the creation of Velox.

Produced in a collaborative effort with producer Nikos Dervisis, Velox showcases Danae’s dense and energetic drumming style, influenced by Afrobeat and Anatolian rhythms, contemporary jazz and electronic music.

Developed by Palaka’s necessity to perform solo with a drum-kit and a sampler, the album wraps you with complex rhythms, evolving textures and polyphonies that resemble some vaguely remembered childhood memories, tales told by the elders and Danae’s exploration of her family roots, as well as her own personal experiences with Istanbul’s multi-layered structure intertwining past and present throughout its 8 track course. In Danae’s own words: “This album is built on feelings and thoughts about places, memories, animas and circumstances and aspires to transmit certain feelings to the listener; a superpower I wish I had since I was little. Each song is a small universe of its own but also part of a whole. Velox is a sphere, a glowing warm star that I hold in my palms, whose energy expands when loved and supported.”

Proudly presenting, ‘Калі ты запытаеш (If You Ask)’, a brand new, blissed-out pop production with a ‘70s AOR touch, by the ever-on-point Soyuz (союз). Coming at a period between albums, the single features guest appearances from the sensational musicians, Biel Basile (O Terno, Sessa) and Anthony Ferraro (Toro Y Moi, Astronauts, Etc.). Friends of the band, they add their signature touch on the drums and synth respectively. To complete the package, Soyuz back the title track with a short but sweet, Wurlitzer-laden, MPB-tinged number, ‘Tenório’.

‘Калі ты запытаеш (If You Ask)’ tells the story of lost dreams. A track that can be interpreted either as a bittersweet longing for childhood times, or for a native place you can’t return to. For the writer Alex Chumak he suggests, "In my case, as in the case of many Belarusians, it’s both".

For this song, Alex chose to sing in his native Belarusian tongue. As he explains this language "to me feels underrepresented in pop music, also it’s a beautiful legacy and sonority that I wanted to share with the listeners of our project around the world". One of the key inspirations was a Belarusian band “Песняры” (“Pesniary”), who produced a host of great progressive folk, jazz fusion and AOR, from the ‘70s to the ‘90s, predominantly sung in Belarusian.

Another key influence was the music coming out of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais in the ‘70s, drawing inspiration from the sentimental and harmonious music of Beto Guedes, Lô Borges, Fernando Oly and Wagner Tiso.

Having parted ways with their drummer Anton, Soyuz needed to find a new way to produce songs. The answer was to go remotely. Alex contacted the brilliant Biel Basile, who had recorded Sessa's contemporary classic ‘Estrela Acesa’, in which Alex also participated. Utilising Biel and Sessa’s newly built studio in São Paulo, Soyuz had Biel record the drums directly to tape to get the rich sound they were after. Adding the final magic into the mix, California’s Anthony Ferraro provided a beautiful Solina String Ensemble synth arrangement, with drummer/recording engineer Albert Karch expertly assisting with the production.

To capture the essence of the single visually, Alex and the Brazilian one-man-industry visual artist Gabriel Rolim, spent a blazing sunny May day in Berlin shooting film and stills – one of which became the perfect cover image. We hope you enjoy this little nugget of Soyuz mastery, a sweet taster to savour while the new album is recorded.

For a little over two decades, The Motet have cultivated a fervent fanbase through immaculate live performances and a seamless blend of funk, jazz, soul, and rock. This unique style and cohesive musical chemistry have led to sold-out shows across the nation - including six headlining slots at Red Rocks and sets at festivals such as Bonnaroo, Bottlerock, Electric Forest, Bumbershoot, Summer Camp, and High Sierra. But even after their 20+ years of accolades and recognition, the legendary outfit - composed of Dave Watts (drums), Joey Porter (keys), Garrett Sayers (bass), Drew Sayers (keys and saxophone), and Ryan Jalbert (guitar) - are still exploring new sonic and thematic ideas. Now, the band has now released their 10th studio album, All Day.

Set for release at the height of the season it’s dedicated to, ‘Music For Autumn Lovers’ by Adam Scrimshire is an eight track album of lush, mostly acoustic based, minimal instrumentals eliciting a mixture of feelings for this special time of year.

Four tracks originally released on an EP in 2022 are joined by new compositions ‘Hawthorn’, ‘Hazel’, ‘Willow’ and ‘Blackthorn’. Gently finger-picked acoustic guitars cosy up alongside pianos, synthesisers, strings and horns; filtered through an autumnal hue of susurrous production and effects. In turns comforting, melancholic and evolutionary; it feels like an album that can be kept being made and remade forever, like a season in itself.

Both a relentless creator and inspiring champion of new music; South London based Scrimshire has been recording, producing and DJing since the mid 2000s. Amongst his credits, he was featured by the Guardian as one of three producers behind the new wave of UK soul, alongside Inflo (Michael Kiwanuka, Sault, Lil Simz) and Swindle (Joel Culpepper, Greentea Peng, Kojey Radical). His bold 2023 album ‘Paroxysm’ was a response to the absurdity of the breakdown in the UK government, picking up an Album of the Week award on Huey Morgan’s BBC 6 Music show, and 2021’s beautiful ‘Nothing Feels Like Everything’ received an Album of the Year nomination at the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards. Scrimshire also somehow finds the time to support a wealth of talent on his label Albert’s Favourites, formed with Dave Koor and Jonny Drop, where they have recently released albums by And Is Phi, Huw Marc Bennet, Inês Loubet, Irini Arabatzi, Jonny Drop & Andrew Ashong, and Qwalia.

In his music, Simon Moullier makes an enticing proposition: what if the language of horn player —from Coltrane to Bird to Clifford Brown— could be transmuted for the vibraphone?

“If I could, I think I would have chosen a horn,” he has said. “I chose the vibraphone because I was a percussionist, and it was a more immediate way for me to get to what I was hearing.”

Moullier began developing this rapprochement when he picked up the vibraphone as a teenager. It’s on full display in his previous album, 2023’s Isla, which features pianist Lex Korten, bassist Alexander Claffy, and drummer Jongkuk Kim.

Inception —Moullier’s second trio record, following 2021’s Countdown— marks an extension of this language. Accompanied by bassist Luca Alemanno and returning drummer Jongkuk Kim, Moullier performs a gently rolling yet urgent program of standards. The material is drawn from some of the most masterful composers of the 20th century: Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Charles Mingus, Billy Strayhorn, Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, and Michel Legrand.

The seed for this trio was sown in 2017, when Moullier attended the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance in Los Angeles. While performing with his quintet at the now defunct Blue Whale, Moullier decided to perform a blues as a three-piece. “We really dug the trio thing,” he says. “We went back and started developing that concept.” Inception kicks off with Silver’s “Ecaroh”—“Horace” backward. “His harmony is very dark,” Moullier says. “I’ve always liked that character of music.”

Following “Ecaroh” is Tyner’s “Inception,” the title track of the magnificent pianist's 1962 debut album —itself a trio date. “It was a great fit,” Moullier says. “Not only for the arrangement and the style, but the register of where the vibraphone sits with the bass.” “Desafinado” reflects Moullier’s profound appreciation for Brazilian music; at some point, he’s eyeing an album of all Brazilian music. As for Mingus’s “Peggy’s Blue Skylight,” Moullier imbued it with an Oscar Peterson-style arrangement.

As for “Lush Life,” “Doing a solo recording is a challenge I’ve always wanted to meet in a studio context,” he says; he had in mind the solo piano language of Bud Powell or Art Tatum. Moullier’s take on Davis’ blues “Pfrancing” recalls his trio’s genesis in the form. ‘Lost” is a tribute to its author, the late Shorter. “It’s such a deep world to dive into,” Moullier says. “There’s so much mystery and beauty, and so many stories.” “You Must Believe in Spring” reflects Moullier’s French roots. The album closes out with a lone Moullier original —“RC,” or “rhythm changes.”

“It was very challenging for me to record an uptempo in the studio,” Moullier says. But Inception is a series of “little challenges.” “We wanted to develop the trio sound and expand on the possibilities” he adds —whether that regards his instrument, arrangements, or tempo. But mainly, “We’re just having a lot of fun playing together!”

In that sense, Inception is a bridge to untold future realms. But on its own merits, it’s a realm worth lingering in.

—Morgan Enos

German jazz pianist Jutta Hipp is one of the most intriguing yet little-known figures in Blue Note history. Shortly after moving to NYC in 1956 she recorded the charming live trio album “At The Hickory House” with bassist Peter Ind and drummer Ed Thigpen. Vol. 1 presents a set of standards and bebop themes that showcases her hip, lightly-swinging style.
This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is mono, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THE WHOLE* PIERO UMILIANI’S PRODUCTION ON HIS LIUTO RECORD LABEL IS COLLECTED IN A UNIQUE 19-CD BOXSET!

The boxset includes a set of 18 albums for a total of 19 CD’s (the last one in the series is a double CD) enclosed in faithful reproductions of the original sleeves, plus a 72-page booklet with rare photos, two essays about Umiliani and his music production written by Maurizio Corbella and Niccolò Galliano, and a detailed discography and full tracklist section. This release has been fully approved by the Umiliani family.
* * *
Without Umiliani’s contribution, Italian jazz, film music and library music would lack some of the key identifying features we associate them with today, thanks to his ability to carve out a distinctive sound identity from his personal craft, the studio he built and the trust he gained from his collaborators. This identity for many simply encapsulates the cipher of an unrepeated age of Italian popular music.
At the Sound Work Shop studio (opened in 1968) Umiliani conceived the majority of his projects and hosted the recording sessions for numerous movie soundtracks, pop hits and library music albums by the most remarkable musicians in Rome — including himself. In this exciting environment, he had the opportunity to experiment with many different styles, from funk to psychedelic rock, from disco to avant-garde, from easy-listening to electronic music, following the ever-changing needs of the soundtrack and library music industries. He therefore mastered an extreme variety of genres, moods and atmospheres, often mixing up their peculiar features to achieve unusual combinations in albums conceived both for production purposes and for home listening.
Umiliani’s ability to reinvent the concept of musicianship in the fast-moving society of his time made him a modern musician in the most complete sense of the term, by putting himself in charge of every facet of his work, from the conception to the production, the recording, the publishing and even the packaging of his own music.
In less than two decades, Umiliani released almost 80 records on the three labels he established between the mid-1960s and the early 1970s: Omicron, Liuto, and Sound Work Shop, besides all the music he was simultaneously composing for movie productions, licensed and published by Italian major companies.
This box set allows us to fully appreciate this little-known side of Piero Umiliani in an unprecedented way: his ability to seamlessly intertwine his musical creativity with his vision as a producer and publisher emerges clearly from this series as a unique feature of this composer. This corpus altogether constitutes a remarkable contribution to the so-called Italian sound of the 1970s, covering areas such as library music and film music and a plethora of genres such as jazz, funk, psychedelia, prog, easy listening, electronic music and much more!

For the first time ever, the whole Piero Umiliani’s production on his Sound Work Shop Record label is collected in a unique 17-Cd Boxset! The boxset includes a set of 17 CD’s enclosed in faithful reproductions of the original sleeves, plus a 72-page booklet with rare photos, two essays about Umiliani and his music production written by Maurizio Corbella and Niccolò Galliano, and a detailed discography and full tracklist section. This release has been fully approved by the Umiliani family. Without Umiliani’s contribution, Italian jazz, film music and library music would lack some of the key identifying features we associate them with today, thanks to his ability to carve out a distinctive sound identity from his personal craft, the studio he built and the trust he gained from his collaborators. This identity for many simply encapsulates the cipher of an unrepeated age of Italian popular music. At the Sound Work Shop studio (opened in 1968) Umiliani conceived the majority of his projects and hosted the recording sessions for numerous movie soundtracks, pop hits and library music albums by the most remarkable musicians in Rome — including himself. In this exciting environment, he had the opportunity to experiment with many different styles, from funk to psychedelic rock, from disco to avant-garde, from easy-listening to electronic music, following the ever-changing needs of the soundtrack and library music industries. He therefore mastered an extreme variety of genres, moods and atmospheres, often mixing up their peculiar features to achieve unusual combinations in albums conceived both for production purposes and for home listening. Umiliani’s ability to reinvent the concept of musicianship in the fast-moving society of his time made him a modern musician in the most complete sense of the term, by putting himself in charge of every facet of his work, from the conception to the production, the recording, the publishing and even the packaging of his own music. In less than two decades, Umiliani released almost 80 records on the three labels he established between the mid-1960s and the early 1970s: Omicron, Liuto, and Sound Work Shop, besides all the music he was simultaneously composing for movie productions, licensed and published by Italian major companies. This box set allows us to fully appreciate this little-known side of Piero Umiliani in an unprecedented way: his ability to seamlessly intertwine his musical creativity with his vision as a producer and publisher emerges clearly from this series as a unique feature of this composer. This corpus altogether constitutes a remarkable contribution to the so-called Italian sound of the 1970s, covering areas such as library music and film music and a plethora of genres such as jazz, funk, psychedelia, prog, easy listening, electronic music and much more!

Why you'll love it...
Jazz is an art form that routinely asks performers to be the guy behind the guy. Louie, Basie, Dizzy all played for others before they became names themselves. Another famous guy behind the guy, Teo Macero, has a little less complicated, but he had more to do with shaping and re-shaping modern music than just his work with Charles Mingus. Part of the reason “Take Five” is considered one of the most famous songs of the 20th century is how Dave Brubeck and his Quartet played it, but it’s also because Macero was behind the glass, slowly turning knobs moving things up at some points, and down at others. It would be enough to produce Time Out, but he also helped mold Thelonious Monk’s sound during his time on Columbia in the 1960s into one of the master’s most fruitful periods. The man also produced Bitches Brew — yes, Bitches Brew, too! Macero isn’t one of the marquee names in the Bible of American Music, but he was an apostle for several of its greatest prophets. Then, in 1957, came Teo. Macero’s warm tenor sax playing is a big part of that, but so is Mal Waldron’s piano, Teddy Charles on the vibraphone, Jerry Segal on drums, and, trusted Mose Allison sideman. Everybody on this album knew exactly what they were meant to do, and they came together to create something lovely that deserves more appreciation than it has been given since its release in ’57.

Why you'll love it...
The phrase “standards album” was unheard of in 1973, yet within 20 years it had become common parlance in the careers of artists going back to the basics to underscore their vocal prowess. With A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night, Nilsson created the template of the solo contemporary singer accompanied by a live orchestra, which set the bar for what followed from Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Bryan Ferry, and countless others. The decision to make an album like this one would have been unusual for any contemporary artist around at that time, but it was especially strange for Nilsson. His two most recent rock albums had been incredibly successful, and RCA was surely clawing for another guaranteed hit, but, for Nilsson, this was just another twist and turn in his career.



It is mind-boggling how far ahead Harry Nilsson was in recording A Little Touch. But where other musicians have turned to a standards album as a way to extend or even resurrect their career, Nilsson made one at his absolute artistic peak. No one has had the guts to do it like he did, before or since — and Nilsson knew it.

Peridot' dives right in, and so I will. It’s a gemstone, peridot, and may become your favorite gemstone (as it has mine since I’ve dug in to its history and cultural significance). I like volcanoes and volcanic land formations. 'Peridot,' the musical piece presented here by Powers/rolin, is soundtrack to memories of in-person witnessed lava floes and the infinite parade of Herzogian docu-footage of rivers of fire and constructive destruction. There are edits or augmentations evident, creating (or revealing) form, in the tradition of Teo Macero’s work on In A Silent Way. Because rarely does the beauty of a musical moment survive the translation from performance to recording without losing that crucial thing that made it a once-in-a-lifetime happening without judicious and usually minimal manipulation. We overdub, we mix, we edit. We master, we distribute. If you’ve ever been out in the woods with some friends and come upon a little place in a creek that’s just big enough to get in for something resembling a ‘swim’ but is more like a ‘dip’, and no-one has brought costumes designed explicitly for swimming so some begin to disrobe completely, and then you do too even though you feel awkward and never really wanted to be naked around these people (or, really, almost anyone) but do it anyway, and the embarrassment never really goes away during the whole time you luxuriate in the cold water but almost does again and again as something in you realizes that this is the best and greatest juxtaposition of flesh with moving water that could ever have happened, if this has occurred to you in your life then now you have musical accompaniment for the sorting-through of that memory. In recent years, again and again, Powers/Rolin does it right & natural, and somehow I always think of sunlight and ’sunlight’ simultaneously when I listen to their recorded work. In the great tradition of deeper side twos, 'Albatross' feints at providing respite from the momentum when really it uses your newly-turned cognitive soil to sow the real seeds: be here now, again; stay stripped, start crying if you have to or want to; there are forces at play inside of you and outside of you (yes, in Ohio, of all places) that recognize and respect the value of nakedness in mind and body and can instinctually lash that value to timbre, tone and harmony in the service of beauty."—Will Oldham, April 2024.

Right in time before the second European Tour and Nautilus' new studio album »Pacific Voyage« this little secret 45 has landed. It's a pure gem with a song which didn't make it on the album due to time problems and now shines like a jewel in full and mature quality. Backed with a Soul Supreme Remix with consistently highest quality.

The A-side starts with a jazzy version of Leon Ware's soulful masterpiece »Why I Came To California« sung by Californian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and physician Eki Shola in her unique interpretated way backed with fresh vocals by German tv actress and singer Denise M'Baye. In harmony with the strongly grooving instrumental framework by Tokyo-based Jazz trio Nautilus, them all together create their own refreshing version of the original and catapult the song into the present.

On the B-side the »Pacific Voyage« album song »What You Won't Do For Love«, an absolutely classic by Bobby Caldwell which was sampled by 2 Pac and Aaliyah gets the Nautilus treatment, in this case a funky forward 90's feel remix with heavy basslines for big soundsystem by Amsterdam-based, keyboardist, DJ & producer Soul Supreme. The vocals are sung by uprising Japanese star R&B and Soul singer-songwriter Ryuto Kasahara who worked together with Grooveman Spot and DJ Mitsu The Beats on this latest releases.

You know the deal: get this limited doubled-sided heat on black and exclusive yellow recycled vinyl before it's gone.

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.

This one has been in the works for quite some time. A statement compilation showing what Full Circle is about, paying homage to the very roots of psychedelic dance music. A little town in India, which was a haven to a bunch of hippie outcasts, was throwing freeform outdoor parties since the day those freaks put their flag down. What was once a gathering around live music blew up into a rave as electronic music started to appear, paving the way to what would eventually become Goa Trance.

Full Circle, the duo project of Alexis Le-Tan and Joakim, started 10 years ago when Alexis accidentally discovered that some of his old Goa Trance records he was about to sell sounded great when played at the wrong speed : 33rpm instead of 45rpm. He called his long-time friend and collaborator Joakim to work on edits of those tracks that became the sound signature of this DJ duo : a slow, heavy and trippy sound that would eventually infiltrate the fringes of the underground club scene via like-minded DJs such as Vladimir Ivkovic, Jane Fitz, Ivan Smagghe and many more.

10 years later and a bunch of releases and remixes behind them, Full Circle decided to tell the story of how this Goa sound came to life. At a time when Trance has made a major

comeback and infiltrated pretty much all the sub-genres of club music, it felt right to look back at where it all started - going full circle, when Trance was not Trance, Goa was not Goa but the seeds of tripped out dance music were being sown.

After all, there are countless compilations about Balearism, the Italian Cosmic scene,The Loft, The Paradise Garage etc but none about the roots of this Goa sound.

This is a compilation of the best tunes played by the pioneer Goa DJs like Laurent, Goa Gil, Mike Maguire amongst others, between the late 80s and early 90s. Proto House, New Beat, early Techno, Industrial, with a distinct psychedelic tone, a few arpeggios here and there, acid lines, chopped up vocals, all elements of what would later constitute a genre of its own.

This beautifully packaged compilation includes liner notes by Tom Colebrooke and excerpts from Tom and Alexis’ interview of Mike Maguire of Juno Reactor fame, one of the pioneers of Goa Trance.

Check the liner notes for more info about the early Goa history !

An exciting new collaboration between New Mastersounds Hammond organist and Madrid based guitarist Lucas De Mulder plus drummer Luke Flowers (Cinematic Orchestra). Recorded at Joe's home studio on his cherished C3 Hammond (where The New Mastersounds' latest album "Old School" was recorded Galáctico will delight vintage jazz-funk fans with nods to Jimmy Mcgriff, Dr Lonnie Smith,George Benson etc etc. Joe and Lucas worked together on Lucas's album "Feel the spirit" in 2019 on Color Red label based in Denver. The trio will be launching the record at the Saint Paul Soul Jazz festival in the south of France on 7th July and continue to play a series of other fgigs through-out the summer The album starts with the frenetic James Brown groove of Double Take - a catch jazz guitar head that builds moving up in key to a frenetic hammond solo punctuated by The Haggis Horns. Track 2 is the Meters-esque "Hey!" The only English language vocal track on the record and at that only one word Next up is "El Gato" featuring Sam Bell on Congas and Atholl Ransome and Malcolm Strachan from the Haggis Horns a latin four to the floor vibe with solos traded throughout Guinnee Drop is a swaggering funk jam with Luke Flowers funk drums breaks a feature The only cover on the album is Sixto Rodriguez' Sugarman - Lucas and Joe were both inspired by his story and loved the song so much it had to go on the album with a mellow instrumental twist The title track "Galáctico" is has funky soundtrack tune - the horns are back and take the track out with some blistering solos "Retiro" inspired by the park near Lucas's pad in Madrid is a laid back boogaloo vibe and has Sam Bell on Congas and an upright piano solo from Tatton "Dame Lo Que Tienes" - The first single from Joe Tatton's second album "Give me what you got!"- led by a funky guitar riff followed by a cutting hammond melody - a little "Meters, Booker T, The Crusaders "! "Moonbow" a hypnotic slower tune with a nod to Khurangbin The final track on the album is "Lost on You" A Breezy George Benson nod along Out on vinyl, CD and digital on 5th July !

A few words for the album Moment’s Aeternity: a 12/8 composition celebrating the raw power of the “moment”, marked by whirling improvised moments between drums, bass clarinet and Harris P’s Armenian duduk.

Pajko, fire in the forest on the mountain: in Sokratis own words: “I have a really vivid memory as a child. I was staring at the Djena mountain from my window in Archangellos which sits on the Pajko mountain. A little beam of light shone far in the horizon; it was a fire that in my little eyes looked as if the giants of Almopia were trying to communicate with each other using phryktoria (a way of contacting through fire in Ancient Greece).”

Footprints of some Giant Steps: While the classic compositions of two true Jazz Giants- Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane- are certainly different, they do both connect in a mystical way. Rearranged in 5/8 combining half of each melody and half of each one’s chord progression, keeping the form of the piece for improvisation, still in 5.

Oson Zeis Fainou (Seikilo’s Epitaph): found in a tomb stone in the Northeast of Greece, this is the only melody saved from the ancient times. It is accompanied by lyrics contemplating the meaning of life: Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν τὸ τέλος ὁ xρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ. ‘’While you live, shine don’t feel blue for anything because our life is short and time demands an end.’’

Here is to Oghene K: ’’Hey man, where is the groove?’’, he would say, just to trigger another wave of inspiration for Sokratis. Oghene was a true force of nature, a well of kindness, a masterful artist that left this world too early. This one is for him.

Balkan Riff (for Milcho Leviev): Milcho Leviev (1936-2019), was a long-time friend and collaborator and a true inspiration for expression, creativity and colorfulness. Expressing the deep sentiments evoked by the Balkan sound and history, this is a sorrowful dialogue between bass clarinet and contrabass.

Spirits of Djena: one of the most esoteric and personal moments of the album. Composed and recorded during the challenging times of the COVID-era, you can hear the baritone and tenor saxophone firmly grounded on a crispy, hypnotizing contrabass groove.

Sokratis Votskos Quartet Kostas Anastasiadis / Giorgos Klountzos - Chrysidis: Drums Leandros Pasias: Piano Vaggelis Vrachnos: Contrabass Sokratis Votskos: Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet and Compositions

Sokratis Votskos is a jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, educator, and bandleader from Greece. Deeply invested in unearthing the folk sounds and heritage music of Greece and Eastern Europe, he weaves these into modern jazz compositions though the use of melodies, polyrhythms, and his reedy, timeless tone. He leads the Sokratis Votskos Quartet, he is one half of Kolida Babo and member of the Reggetiko Project. A highly regarded sideman and ensemble player, he has worked extensively with renowned jazz musicians with several highly acclaimed releases (MiC, Jazzman, Walt Disney and now Fair Weather Friends Records).

He has performed his music in numerous venues and festivals worldwide from Vinterjazz in Copenhagen, to the EFG London Jazz Festival where he performed at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s alongside Greg Foat.

He is also an archaeoacoustics researcher and enthusiast, having completed his Master studies on the field of ancient ritualistic caves of Greece research.

Leandros Pasias was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. At age 10 was introduced to piano, continuing his studies at the Modern Conservatory of Thessaloniki and later at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the department of jazz piano.Ηe holds a classical harmony diploma and a BA at the Department of Music Studies at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. In 2020 he received jazz improvisation lessons from Aaron Parks.

With a series of appearances in multiple international jazz festivals, Leandros has collaborated with a wide range of musicians from Nicolas Masson and James Wylie to Marina Osk, Ivo Papasov and Haris Lambrakis, among others.

A member of the Yako Trio, he released “OdesSea” on Fair Weather Friends Records (2021).

Vangelis Vrachnos was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1989. While he started playing the bass at the age of 12, alongside his brother, his studies would commence a few years later. Introduced to double bass at the age of 23, he undertook jazz double bass studies at the Codarts Αcademy of Rotterdam. He has participated in several festivals such as the Technopolis and Odessa international jazz festivals. Since returning to his hometown, in 2015, he has been a founding member of Mordana and Yako Trio and has collaborated with a series of musicians like James Wyllie, Sokrates Votskos and Dimitis Agelakis, among others.

Kostas Anastasiadis is a tireless researcher, that has been diligently studying Tradition and its evolution, creating a fresh amalgam of sound moods. His mature improvisational virtuosity highlights a uniquely individual artistic expression and was recognized with the ̈Unique Individual Stylist" award by the PIT (Percussion Institute of Technology) in Los Angeles, California. He has been associated with various ensembles that have garnered significant interest in the global music scene. As an educator, he is the founder of "The Harmony of Rhythm" musical method, which aims to explore and establish the elements that constitute the concept of rhythm.

Giorgos Klountzos-Chrysidis was born in Thessaloniki in 1991. Following studies at the Modern Conservatory of Thessaloniki, he moved to France and the Conservatoire de Nice. With performances at well-known festivals like Nice Jazz Festival, Nuits du Sud and Jazz à Vienne, he had the opportunity to meet the American drummer Leon Parker, who encouraged him to move to Paris, where he spent the next two years under his tutoring and guidance.

In 2016, came a defining moment in his career as he traveled to New York for the first time. He participated in the quartet of saxophonist Diego Rivera for a series of performances and attended lessons by Rodney Whitaker and Randy "Uncle G" Gelispie at Michigan's State University.

Collaborations include Xavier Davis, Ricky Ford, Nicolas Masson, Diego Rivera, Craig Bailey, Baptiste Herbin, Marc Abrams, Pantelis Stoikos, Antonis Anissegos, David Lynch, Ziad Rajab and Ivo Papasov, among others

HHV Exclusive edition on red wax, limited to 75 copies worldwide.

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.

"Cross My Heart" is a tribute to the harmonica player and singer James Cotton, one of Boney Fields" heroes and companions on the road, is certainly the most representative track of this thrilling groove mood that authentic blues musicians know how to infuse. Boney Fields possesses that almost funk tone matured enough to tickle our ears and make us tap our feet. By revitalizing, for example, "The Thrill Is Gone" in the spirit of its original author (Roy Hawkins), Boney Fields perpetuates the tradition of spirited orchestras of yesteryears without compromising the modernity of its irresistible tempo. Much more personal than all his previous albums, "Just Give Me Some Mo" is also the expression of introspection, that of a man who remembers without drowning in dark nostalgia. He thinks of the courage of his mother bravely facing obstacles in an unequal America. "Back in the Day" is not a sad song. It makes one stronger and nurtures faith in the future. This melody is certainly the most touching of the six compositions written by Boney Fields. From "Control of you" to "Something" holding me" or "I know yes I Know" he invites us into his intimate biography, the story of a large family shaken by inevitable upheavals that must be faced, the destiny of a combative musician who resists adversity. Boney Fields chose to let his soul speak. This effort of truth had to be supported by the artistic direction of a master. By enlisting Sebastian Danchin for the production of this album, Boney Fields turns to a historian of African-American culture whose keen ear has already won over Little Milton, Mighty Mo Rodgers, Toni Green, and Jean-Jacques Milteau, among others... Their exchanges uncovered a perfect understanding of "Chicago Blues" the brassy vigor of which they experienced firsthand 40 years ago. Surrounding oneself with the right people is quite a challenge. Fortunately, Boney Fields knows how to spot true talents. He was convinced that the Senegalese guitarist Hervé Samb would also be a good musical director. Ha...

Tucked away in a corner of northwestern Europe and so small you could drive through it in minutes without noticing you were ever there, Luxembourg is often overlooked. This is also true for Luxembourg’s music scene, and even more so in the early 1980s. Aside from a string of victories at the annual Eurovision song contest or the mighty Radio Luxembourg that had for decades been blasting jazz, rock and other modern music into stolid Western European ears, very little else seemed to be going on. But even in a country of barely 350,000 people, musical adventurers had picked up on the spaced-out jazz-funk of bands like Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi, Weather Report, George Duke, and the electric Miles Davis. Under the leadership of trumpet player Gast Waltzing, a handful of them put together a band called “Atmosphere” and used the sound of their inspirations as a launchpad for their own musical exploration.

What you hold in your hands is a “best of” the Atmosphere band, which released two albums and a 7” single between 1981 and 1986. Privately pressed and long out of print, with original copies very hard to come by even in their country of origin, these records have for years been unheard by anyone outside hardcore collector circles. With no master tapes available, it was a real labor of love to track down the best quality vinyl copies and to reissue a selection of our favorite tracks in professionally remastered form.

Editions de Lux is a new label dedicated to unearthing and releasing records we love and believe deserve more attention, with a focus on Luxembourg and the surrounding countries. We are just the latest in a long line of immigrants who have come to work in Luxembourg and who are trying to find our own path into the heart of this mysterious little country that has much more to it than dark forests, medieval castles, rusting steel mills, and shadowy banks.

Early Life Forms is a new quartet fronted by Belgian guitarist and sound wizard Vitja Pauwels, and on the 26th January, they are set to release their self-titled debut album via W.E.R.F. Records; a stunning, one-off live show recorded with American guitarist Marc Ribot (Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Wilson Pickett, Marianne Faithfull, The Black Keys, John Zorn).

Having already earned his spurs as a sideman with artists including Naïma Joris, Bombataz and Lara Rosseel, rising Belgian star Pauwels released his debut album 'Day at Half Speed' in 2019, which explored the possibilities of acoustic guitar and live electronics. This experiment became a new artistic path for Pauwels and showcased his musical versatility, with second album 'Drift By, Sink In', released to critical acclaim in 2022.

The same year, Pauwels was invited as special guest by the Brand! Festival, Mechelen, to showcase new material and he came up with the idea of putting together his 'dream' live band which included his hero Marc Ribot, one of world's most accomplished and acclaimed guitar players. Reaching out to him via videos and early demos for this new recording project, Ribot liked what he heard and agreed to perform with Pauwels and his new project Early Life Forms in what would be the band's first ever live show.

Joined by Frederik Leroux (baritone guitar), Laurens Dierickx (Hammond organ) and Casper Van De Velde (drums), during the lead up to the festival, Pauwels wrote a number of songs he felt would work for the live show, with the only agreement being that there would be no rehearsals ahead of the performance, only a brief soundcheck beforehand with Ribot. The music was stripped down to its essentials - compelling melodies, themes, and clear forms but with the possibility to change direction at any given moment. "The music was played and heard for the first time, and it felt like a birth of something that needed to be alive. We felt connected in the right state of mind - relaxed and focused - and it all happened in a rush of shared energy. No ego's or fear, only connection and the music", states Pauwels.

Drawing on latin, jazz, cuban, and rock with a touch of exoticism and cinematic explorations, 'Early Life Forms' cites Ry Cooder, Henry Mancini, Los Lobos, Ennio Morricone and of course Ribot, as heavy influences. There is something existential, primary, something epic and at the same time youthfully uncomplicated, which is strongly associated with the music. From the mischievous and imaginative 'My Little Renaissance' to the adventurous and hypnotic 'Latin Dancer', 'Early Life Forms' is overflowing with sharp twists and turns, with Ribot's heavily rhythmic, distorted guitar amplifying the cinematic feel to the sound. The on-stage relationship between each member of the band and Ribot is childishly uncomplicated, something primary but always epic. The music is left to the moment and the magic of their first encounter with their hero Ribot. "Marc's commitment in the music was better than I could have hoped for. What he played was with 200% intention, putting the rest of us in a state of hyperfocus. Given the fact that it was a one-time thing and a recording, we took risks without 'overplaying' or overthinking it. Right before the gig, we felt an urge to play, Marc said, "Let's rock!!" and we hit the stage", says Pauwels.

RSD First, Limitation: 2500

This rare mono mix of drummer Max Roach’s 1958 album features Booker Little (trumpet), Ray Draper (tuba), George Coleman (tenor sax) and Art Davis (bass).
This limited edition pressing uses (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, is pressed on 180g black vinyl at Fidelity Record Pressing and is housed in a tip-on jacket.

Small light scuff on side B.
Cover as new with slightly worn corners.

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series)

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records!

Iconic musician and singer Ray Charles' classic 1957 album!

Includes the hits "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "Ain't That Love" and "I Got a Woman"

180-gram 45 RPM double LP

Mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman

Pressed at Quality Record Pressings and RTI

Tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing

Ray Charles' self-titled 1957 album was one of the first handful of LPs issued by Atlantic (and was later retitled Hallelujah I Love Her So). As AllMusic reviewer Bruce Elder notes, the album is weighted about three to one in favor of Charles' own compositions, with the hits "Hallelujah I Love Her So" and the pounding, soaring "Ain't That Love," which opens the LP, its raison d'etre.

Charles does just as well with his interpretations of others' work, most notably the ominous, gospel-focused rendition of "Sinner's Prayer" (which offers a virtuoso piano performance, and comes courtesy of the pen of Charles' former mentor Lowell Fulson) and Henry Glover's wrenching ballad "Drown in My Own Tears," which is topped out on each verse by a gorgeous chorus. "Funny (But I Still Love You)" offers a guitar break played in such an understated fashion that it almost doesn't seem so much a part of R&B as it was usually being offered in 1957 as it does a part of Charles' early career output.

The second side of the LP is even better, opening with the title track, a number that is almost too ubiquitous in its various cover versions — the original has a mix of urgency and playfulness that's absolutely bracing, and the album carries this mood forward with "Mess Around," an Ahmet Ertegun-authored piano- and sax-driven romp with Charles at his most ebullient as a singer. "This Little Girl of Mine" offers him in a surprisingly light, almost acrobatic vocal mode, while "Greenbacks" is a knowing, clever cautionary narrative that is almost a throwback to 1940s-style R&B. "Don't You Know" is as salacious a piece of R&B as one was likely to hear in 1957, and "I Got a Woman" closes the record out on a pounding, driving note.

All the hallmarks of a top-notch Analogue Productions reissue are here for you to savor: Mastered directly from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman and cut at 45 RPM. Pressed on 180-gram at Quality Record Pressings and RTI, and housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

Search Party is the debut album from pianist, Rupert Cox. Rupert has made a little following for himself already being a respected player for Myele Manzanza, China Moses, Chris Hyson and many more. His debut album swings between laidback contemporary jazz and swirling electronics. There are mellow and moving moments alongside joyful, uplifting melodies and dancing rhythms. The record has already won support from people like Deb Grant on BBC Radio 6 Music and is slowly developing an ardent following.

After the success of the first Alessandroni Proibito box set, which sold out in pre-sale before it even hit the stores, Four Flies is proudly back with Volume 2 of the compilation. This new release too features five exclusive 7-inches, housing a total of 10 seriously rare tunes. All previously unreleased in physical format, the tracks have been carefully selected from the soundtracks of five obscure Italian films from the late ‘70s – sexy flicks that flirted with the line between erotic and explicit, and which are now largely forgotten, having been out of circulation for decades.

As was the case with the previous volume of the compilation, Alessandroni's music rises above the films' flimsy plots, improvised actors, and amateurish production, exuding his distinctive touch thanks to the (typically Italian) artisanal approach he took to his musical craft. The composer let his creativity run free, playing with his instruments at home as if he were in his own little amusement park; trying to have fun and produce something entertaining and captivating with just the few means at his disposal.

This creative freedom turned even budget limitations into musical strength. Armed with just a 4-track Teac, Alessandroni recorded the rhythmic elements first and then added layers of melodic variations on top, at times relying on wordless vocals provided by skilled family members (Alessandroni himself in “Racing”, or his wife Giulia De Mutiis in “Ticket”), and at others on affordable or readily available instruments from the Italian folk tradition, such as the mandolin, the accordion, the melodica, or the diatonic harmonica. And of course, let’s not forget his unmistakable guitar! Whether classical or electric, it's the heartbeat of every track in this compilation, from the seductive suspense of “Luci Rosa” (i.e., ‘pink lights’) to the groovy disco-funk of “Snake Disco (Reprise)”, all the way to the brilliant proto-wave of “Climax.” To top it off, a splash of DIY electronica – think minimalist drum machines and quirky synths – injects a modern feel into what we now call Italian erotic sound.

This time as well, the box set comes with artwork by Eric Adrian Lee, along with a matching 30x70cm folded poster inspired by the insert-size posters that used to deck out movie theaters.

Alessandroni Proibito Vol. 2 (Music from Red Light Films 1976-1980) is being released in a limited edition of just 400 copies and will never be reissued. So, be quick – it's first come, first served!

Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series)

Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Atlantic Records!

Milt Jackson and John Coltrane's only joint recording

180-gram 45 RPM double LP

Pressed at Quality Record Pressings

Gatefold old-style "tip-on" jacket by Stoughton Printing

Vibraphonist Milt Jackson and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane make for a surprisingly complementary team on this 1959 studio session, their only joint recording. AllMusic notes that with fine backup by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Connie Kay, Bags and Trane stretch out on two of Jackson's originals (including "The Late Late Blues") and three standards: a romping "Three Little Words," "The Night We Called It a Day," and the rapid "Be-Bop." The highlight of the set is the eponymous opening track, which just oozes late-night cool.

This deluxe 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP reissue from Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) is a gem and will be a must-have for all jazz music fans.

Little-known in his time, recognition has grown in recent decades for the pianist Herbie Nichols’ unique style which was introduced on a series of innovative Blue Note releases in the mid-1950s including Herbie Nichols Trio featuring Max Roach on drums and bassists Al McKibbon and Teddy Kotick.

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 deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

KAU (previously KAU trio.) is an instrumental trio based in Brussels. Representing various European backgrounds, the Belgian capital and melting pot proves to be a never ending source of inspiration for the band. Taking influences from jazz, groove and dance music, their aim is simple but straightforward: to make your heads bob. The formula they use to do so has been the same since their early days: improvisation, never ending jam sessions and an open-mindedness towards various genres and styles. This gives their music an organic and vibrant feel. Furthermore, the three boys' long-lasting friendship is at the heart of it all, always relying on what brings them together: their love for music. The KAU cycle is bound to repeat itself and to birth something new - over and over again.

"The Cycle Repeats" is KAU's debut album, due on September 22 on Sdban Ultra, the home of Echt!, Black Flower, Glass Museum, Stuff. and more. It represents a milestone in the band's musical journey: it's their firm decision to present a strong and unified trio playing music that stands out through the combination of 80's synths, acoustic drums and electric bass. Moreover, the album succeeds in capturing the energy of their infectious and legendary live shows.

Highlights are album opener "Kampala", which has a throbbing bassline, jazzy synths and heavily modified arpeggiators at its core. The album's first single "Little Steps" starts with a strong hip hop groove, morphing into Herbie Hancock-style chords. "Amulet" is inspired by breakbeats, fast paced grooves and pentatonic bass lines. Both "Kautokeino" and "Alaska" are an invitation to travel to the utmost remote places of this earth, using intense sequencing and suffocating subbasses into an epic finish, probably demonstrating the trio in its most sincere form.

In short: with André Breidlid on drums, Matteo Genovese on bass and Jan Janzen on synths, KAU are a trio of childhood friends with a pan-European identity, whose music reflects the city they grew up in: unapologetic, richly diverse and with a spontaneous groove underlining it all. With their new album "The Cycle Repeats" they directly aim for your dancing shoes and souls.

Memory is malleable. The day you met the person you love, what color shirt was she wearing? At precisely what angle did the sunlight strike his face? How exactly did they glow? These little details are precious, but the strange thing is, the more you cherish them, the more they change. Each recollection is another potential touch point where stories can shift—each replay degrades the truth. Reality's rough edges smooth, with time. Objectivity is a myth: cameras and recording devices all contort image and sound. There's no way to know exactly how things were. And yet we still tell the stories, to try to capture how things felt, even though the truth is always slipping through our fingers.

Lemon Quartet's second albumArts Festseems to unconsciously circle this thematic territory. Full of loose, yet lush repetition, it seems to function like memory—each dizzy melody recalling and rewriting what came before, subtly shaping each piece as time passes. Not that they seem especially concerned with the passage of time anyway. They space out, they work in the realm of feelings, scribbling melodious abstractions that feel familiar. Rich with compassion, harmony, and gestures toward ecstatic—if not objective—truth, it's full of the sort of pieces that demand you return to them, but sound a bit different each time, new details overtaking familiar comforts. Are you hearing them for the first time? Or just for the first time in a long time? Either way, drift away, and try to remember…

Although there is an element of mystery to almost all jazz musicians, few are ever quite as enigmatic as Maulawi Nururdin. A legendary band leader and reedist to his disciples, information about Maulawi’s personal life and early years is so scarce that even his birth name remains unknown. What is known is that Maulawi was a tougher-than-nails Chicagoan by birth, inescapable mentor to others, and a virtuoso jazz musician unlike any other.

The earliest notes in Maulawi’s history begin on the south side of Chicago as a close associate of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians with Aacm pioneers Muhal Richard Abrams, Fred Anderson, Billy Brimfield and Roscoe Mitchell. From the beginning, Maulawi was a self assured leader, unafraid to boot other musicians off stage, commandeer their instrument, and give them an impromptu lesson on how to play it right. An intimidating figure in his signature beret and goatee, Maulawi wasn’t a stranger to the streets, and often spent his free time driving around, hipping his protégés to real life on the Chicago south side. But it would be his reputation as a musician, and not a streetwise bandleader, that would bring Maulawi to the doors of Strata Records.

“Maulawi could really, really play,” says percussionist Adam Rudolph, who, at 16 years old, began practicing and playing with Maulawi in the early 1970s. It was Rudolph who would introduce Maulawi to Strata’s Charles Moore, a meeting which would lead to Maulawi’s selftitled 1973 debut, the first album recorded by Strata by an artist from outside of Detroit.

True to the mysterious nature of Maulawi, even the story behind the recording of Ortunds is in dispute. They were either part of the 1973 sessions for Maulawi, recorded in a single night in Chicago, or from an unmixed session that took place in the Streeterville neighborhood at a later date. History aside, Ortunds never fails to astonish. Composed by Maulawi himself, Ortunds is an album of mostly Pop and R&B songs, all elevated by tip-toe funk tempos and Maulawi’s wildly inventive soprano saxophone. Tracks include Thom Bell and Linda Creed’s “People Make The World Go Round,” as well as the Burt Bacharach and Hal David-penned classic, “I Say A Little Prayer.” The title track is a drum and bass driven showcase, the perfect platform for Maulawi to strut his sublime expressionist style on the Saxophone. The album ends with a real find – a rarely heard spoken recording of Maulawi himself, introducing the players and defining the title Ortunds as “full, clearness, strength and smoothness.”

This deluxe edition of Maulawi Nururdin’s previously unknown and unreleased album has been painstakingly recovered and remastered from the original master tapes, and features cover art by Ge-ology (G Young).

The Belgian vibraphonist Guy Cabay has played with Toots Thielemans, Philip Caherine or Raoul Faisant. Composer, arranger, musicologist and singer, he also wrote and recorded two extraordinary albums in Liege Walloon. Tricatel is happy to make them available at last, 46 years after their publication. "Gravity kills us. Perhaps that is the meaning of Adam's Fall. We are condemned to be Newton's apple, not the balloon carried away by the wind. But it happens nevertheless that, by the grace of music in particular, we escape gravity, that time escapes time, that another breath inflates our lungs, so much lighter than the one that usually suffocates us. We don't take light music seriously, and that's good. Only serious music deserves to be treated so badly. Guy Cabay's music flows from a purer source and speaks to us in a more tender voice. One can obviously describe it as one labels export product. Origin: Belgium. Ingredients: jazz, bossa nova, tropicalism, song - proportions may vary. Calorific value: none. Non-perishable product. But this would say as much about what this music really is as if, in. order to evoke what the foggy blue of a Norman sky inspires, one were to take note of the variations in the percentage of humidity in the atmosphere at Etretat and make a learned presentation on the laws of refraction. Guy Cabay did pass through Brazil and still lives there a little, a Brazil that is not the one ofcartographers or travel agencies, a Brazil that is as real as the Far West in which Fenimore Cooper's child readers lived, as blurred and limpid as a dream. It is not the Amazon thatflows through this Brazil, but the Ourthe, a tributary of the Meuse, which makes it morefamiliar, stranger and even more poetic. To let oneself be bathed in this melancholichappiness, to let oneself be carried by this river is sweet, as sweet as the fluid consonants of the Walloon language, this 'd' which becomes 'dj' in his mouth, as in Portuguese, by the way. To know how to create melodies that hold on a note like Jobim's samba, like a fildeferist above a waterfall of chords, is not given to everyone. It is a gift. Knowing how to lace others on dozens of points, as on Tot a-fet rote cou d'zeur cou d'zos, a poignant encounter between Randy Newman and Robert Wyatt, is another. These are not the only ones that the fairies offered to Guy Cabay and that, by an almost miracle, he offers us again today. Hearts up." Bertrand Burgalat

A kind of hush pervades throughout Standards Vol VI, the latest release by The National Jazz Trio of Scotland, the ironically named project helmed by Falkirk’s musical polymath, Bill Wells, that is neither a trio, nor a jazz band. If this collection of ten covers probably comes closest to the latter in its late night renditions of actual standards, the presence of long-term NJToS member and collaborator Aby Vulliamy as the record’s lone vocalist adds to its solitary air. This follows Standards Vol IV (2018), which featured fellow NJToS co-founder Kate Sugden as primary vocalist, while Gerard Black, a member of the group since 2016, took centre stage in similar fashion on Standards Vol V (2019). Wells has long been a fan of Vulliamy, both of her work as a viola player with numerous collaborators, and as a singer.

Vulliamy played viola on Everything’s Getting Older, Wells’ 2011 collaboration with Arab Strap vocalist Aidan Moffat. Wells went on to play melodica on Vulliamy’s solo record, Spin Cycle, released on Karaoke Kalk in 2018. With the intent of producing the saddest heartbreak record ever made, Wells sourced a back catalogue of miniature epics, reinterpreting each tale of everyday yearning to make a canon of melancholy loungecore designed for nights in alone, if not always lonely. Beyond the concept of isolation behind Standards Vol VI, practical concerns added to the affair, with Wells recording backing tracks at home in Glasgow, while Vulliamy added her voice from her home in Yorkshire. The result on Standards Vol VI is a thing of quiet beauty that sees Wells and Vulliamy reimagine a panoply of pop classics in their own aloof sounding image.

Shades of Margo Guryan and Claudine Longet abound in Vulliamy’s delivery over Wells’ woozy, low-slung guitar and piano, with samples culled from a session with Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake. Little electronic percussive clicks and hisses lend things an even more otherworldly air on a record bookended by opener, Donovan’s proto hippy classic, Catch the Wind, and Dixieland miniature, Careless Love. The eight points in between take in a first half led by The Beatles’ normally jaunty We Can Work it Out, flipping the loveable mop-tops’ perky optimism for something more soul searching. This is followed by I Wish You Love, Albert Beach’s English language version of French songwriter Charles Trenet’s evergreen, Que reste-t-il de nos amours. The Bee Gees lost classic, To Love Somebody, is up next, with more impossible to answer questions coming in Why Can’t I?

The latter is a Rodgers and Hart composition that first appeared in the duo’s 1930 Broadway musical, Spring is Here, in which the show’s two heroines commiserate each other over their shared loneliness. Wells stumbled on the song in a tatty Rodgers and Hart songbook, which, like its subjects, had been left on the shelf before he and Vulliamy brought it in from the cold. The second half of Standards Vol VI leads with Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s much covered evocation of a pre dating app era from their 1964 hit musical, Fiddler on the Roof. This is followed by Billy Rose and Dave Dreyer’s showbiz staple (with Al Jolson also taking a credit), Me and My Shadow. While made famous by showbiz double acts ranging from Frank and Sammy to Robbie and Jonathan, here it flies decidedly solo. Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael’s Skylark comes next, a song inspired by Mercer’s yearning for Judy Garland. We hear ya, bub. The most downbeat take on Bacharach and David’s The Look of Love you’re ever likely to hear comes next, ushering in the short farewell of Careless Love, before the lights are turned out forever. Yeah, well. Whatever gets you through the night…

I’m Ready is Lucky Peterson's most bluesy and arguably one of his most accomplished records, the first in the series on Verve after leaving Alligator Records. Recorded in 1992 and produced by John Snyder, the album brings a decidedly modern twist to blues standards such as Muddy Waters' "I'm Ready", Willie Dixon's "You Shook Me", Little Walter's "It Ain't Right" and Howlin' Wolf's "Who's Been Talking". They blend happily with Peterson's original compositions such as "Junk yard", "Tribute to the king", "Nothing but smoke" or "Spankin' leroy". On Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond organ, guitar and vocals, this versatile and gifted musician is at his prime here.



This 140-gram vinyl is the first international vinyl reissue, pressed at Optimal, and is presented in a wide-spine, single-sleeve jacket.

Since the release of the highly acclaimed album Mamari (2021), the Muito Kaballa project has continued to develop.

The new album Little Child (2022) starts with a cracker called Inside Outside. The song addresses the hypocrisy and double standards of the European Union when it comes to refugee policy. The group works together with the renowned German/Nigerian musician Ade Bantu and the Angolan guitarist Juresse Amie Tieti Ndombasi and picks up their listeners where they were parked with Mamari. Fat grooves with clearly recognizable Afrobeat influences.

However, the musical journey leads step by step away from the usual sounds of the band. Already the second track Dansez! Dansez! shows that. The sound leads to Angola, Congo and a bit of Mali. The band stacks so many rhythms on top of each other that the word poly appears in a whole new light. It becomes clear that the nine deal intensively with the music that is the source of their inspiration. The gifted guitarist Juresse Amie Tieti Ndombasi puts the icing on the cake with his sound.

Let's continue with No = No. Here at last it becomes clear: Muito Kaballa has escaped from his drawer and is now in free flight, somewhere between jazz, fusion, afrobeat and whatever. But who cares? The sound is convincing, the feet shake to the beat and cannot be calmed down even with great effort and the message "Don't protect your daughter, educate your son" can't be said often enough.

The next song, Memories, reveals completely different sides of the band. While the sound is suddenly much more relaxed and, let's call it jazzy, the lyrics also become much more intimate and poetic. "Keep in mind, it makes you blind, starring in the sun". We don't find out what memories Niklas Mündemann, composer of the song, has in mind here but that shouldn't bother us. We just put on our sunglasses and let ourselves be carried away by the almost epic track, which with its ten minutes of playing time leaves nothing to be desired in terms of diversity. Sophisticated listeners will wonder if Niklas Mündemann listened to a bit of Kamasi Washington while composing. Maybe even a lot? Be that as it may - a special treat in the piece: the trombonist Saskia-Marleen Dahms, who makes a guest appearance on this song, rounds off the sound of the brass section again.

Last but not least, we come to the namesake of the album: the song Little Child builds on the mood of the previous track and rounds off the musical odyssey with a good portion of goosebumps. But the song doesn't just leave its mark on the surface, no, it also gets under your skin. While the melody has considerable catchy tune potential, it is above all the lyrics and the message that grab you here. Niklas Mündemann wrote the song during a phase of mental depression. Above all, psychotherapy helped him to think more positively again and to comfort his own inner child. We've all heard about that child in us. But when was the last time we hugged it? The song Little Child is the perfect accompaniment for this, because when you hear it, you immediately feel hugged, pressed and safe. Another highlight are the incredibly beautiful solos, played by Benjamin Schneider on guitar and Saskia-Marleen Dahms on trombone.

That's the end of the album and, to be perfectly honest, you don't feel left out in the rain, but you do feel left out in a (warm) shower. Time flies when you hear Muito Kaballa's new album and in the end you want more. 4 remixes for the dancefloor are delivered by French producer Kuna Maze, Polish/Angolan duo Lua Preta, French producer La Dame and Brazilian producer Badsista, tipping the remix balance into more female input.