This 12" version of "Features" is an absolute Italian masterpiece in both it's arrangement & production--excellent sonics too. The synth bass coupled with the acoustic rhythm guitars is something not heard too often, and works fantastically here. Excellent!
The Frightnrs have plenty more to say here – and they say it in a really
sharp-edged approximation of older rocksteady modes! The group are
contemporary, but like the best acts on Daptone, they've got an
instantly classic feel – thanks to instrumentation and production that
take us right back to late 60s Kingston, but with some of the sharper
funky currents we've come to expect from the label! And while The
Frightnrs may pitch themselves as an old school reggae act, they're also
one that have a heavy dose of soul – almost a late night New Jersey
current to their music at times – as if the All Platinum/Stang label put
out their own version of Jamaican soul.
One of the few rare albums on the Maple label – a 70s imprint that's
known for some incredible funk and soul! Despite the title, the set's a
record that sounds a lot more down-home than uptown – thanks to
hard-wailing vocals from Gloria Barnes herself, and a nicely rough-edged
quality to the instrumentation overall – supposedly handled by Lee
Moses and The Ohio Players – the latter of whom wrote a few of the songs
too! The album's one of the few on Maple – and in a way, it's almost a
female soul counterpart to the Lee Moses record on the same label –
done in a similar mix of rootsy modes and east coast indie soul –
occasionally sweet at points, but mostly deep soul overall.
In 1970, international recognition came when Bob and Marcia recorded
Nina Simone’s ‘Young, Gifted and Black’, which sold 1/2 million in the
UK and Europe, and still receives frequent airplay today. BOB &
MARCIA became household names, appearing on Top of the Pops and touring
extensively. They had another UK Top Ten single and two albums for
Trojan Records. These two albums are now reissued on one cd. The cd
offers an interesting bonus track: the Jamaican mix of ‘Young, Gifted
and Black’, the hit song without the annoying strings that were added in
London.
Wonderful -- and one of our favorite soundtracks ever! The score was
written by German jazzman Peter Thomas -- and has a mad mad mad style
that blends together jazz, early electronics, bossa nova, Hammond organ
-- and a dozen other musical touches you'd never really expect to
encounter up in space! But it's the future, circa 1966 -- and what
better way to explore that territory than by taking the mod grooves of
the 60s, and "space-ifying" them a bit? The whole thing's tremendous --
funky, groovy, magical -- and one of those albums we've treasured for
years!
Terry Callier's first album for Cadet -- and the kickoff of one of the
greatest three album runs that any soul artist ever recorded! This
one's got a different feel than the later two, as it takes songs by
Terry, and structures them with these little musical "seque" tracks in
between every song, done in a sparer folksy style that recalls Terry's
roots in the Old Town scene in Chicago. At the time, Terry was making
the transition from folk artist to soul singer -- and he'd been picked
up by Jerry Butler and The Dells as a promising young songwriter, one of
the best talents of the second generation of Chicago soul stars. The
record's a stripped-down affair that features a small group with Charles
Stepney on harpsichord and organ, Callier on guitar, and backing vocals
by Minnie Riperton, Shirley Wahls, and Kitty Haywood.
Classic 70s female soul – and one of the best albums ever recorded by
Love Unlimited – a trio of ladies recording with Barry White during his
glory years! The album's got a really incredible approach – partly in
the mode of older female group soul, but also done with a hipper, more
righteous style – one that pushes the sound past older standards for the
music, yet which falls into none of the disco cliches of the time.
Taste :
Love Unlimited - Share A Little Love In Your Heart
A wonderful album of Joao Gilberto's early bossa tracks from Brazil!
The album's one of the first few that he ever recorded, and it's a
masterpiece of understatement, recorded with arrangements by a young
Antonio Carlos Jobim, and a soaring bossa sound that would soon make
history.
One of the sweetest electric records to come from 70s Brazil – the
fabulous first effort from the Azymuth trio, and work that's hardly been
matched again! Although the group here have plenty of the warm
keyboard touches of their more famous later work, they're also moving in
territory that's a bit more abstract as well – using some noisier
electronics amidst the smoother ones, to create a style that's somewhere
between fusion, electric funk, and some of the more soaring Brazilian
rhythms of the post-bossa years! The keyboards of Jose Roberto Bertrami
are worth the price of admission alone – and include Fender Rhodes,
Arp, and clavinet – plus bits of Hammond organ too!
Οι Μοντέλο '63 με τον ομότιτλο δίσκο τους ηταν δημιούργημα του κιθαρίστα Τάκη Μπαρμπέρη γνωστού από jazz projects όπως οι Iskra και οι Jazz Fusion Quintet. Οι Μοντέλο '63 ενίοτε ακροβατούν μεταξύ μελαγχολίας και σοβαρότητας, χαλαρότητας και ελαφρότητας, με μουσική την οποία δεν μπορείς να χαρακτηρίσεις απλά pop, αλλά νεοκυματική pop με αρκετές πειραματικές rock φόρμες. Τα κομμάτια είναι ντυμένα με έξυπνο στίχο κοινωνικο-ερωτικού περιεχομένου. Όπου δεν υπάρχουν στίχοι, υπάρχουν πανέμορφα instrumental όπως το "Της Σελήνης". Βέβαια δεν πρόσθεσαν πολλά στην πολύπαθη ελληνική rock σκηνή, παρά μόνο αυτή την κυκλοφορία. Παρ' όλ' αυτά, είναι ένα ευχάριστο άκουσμα καθώς θα σας έρθουν στο μυαλό συγκροτήματα του ελληνόφωνου rock από τον Παύλο Σιδηρόπουλο ώς την Λευκή Συμφωνία.
One of the best albums ever recorded by percussionist Guem -- an
enhanced session that has him working with the Zaka Percussion group, an
ensemble of 6 percussionists that can handle a wide variety of
instruments. The tracks are all driving and heavy -- with plenty of
conga work from Guem, mixed in with assorted other touches that bring
out weird melodies and other percussive twists!
Rare funky fusion by this overlooked French guitarist -- recorded in New
York with a really unusual group, and in a setting that has Alain
Bellaiche providing a bit of vocals too! The sound is great --
different than some of the more jamming rock fusion of the European
scene at mid 70s -- maybe in part because the keyboardist on the set is
John Hicks, an artist who doesn't usually do records like this -- and
who brings in some wonderful elements on acoustic and electric piano,
and a bit of organ too! There's also all sorts of great percussion
touches from the enigmatic Fabiano -- vibes, celeste, bells, and more --
in addition to drums -- plus bass from Worrell Jones, who keeps things
nice and tight throughout. Alain sings on most tracks, in this flowing
style that's more soulful than slick -- never overdone, and almost just
another warm musical element in the mix.
Super-righteous work from William S Fischer -- the ultra-hip arranger
who was one of the most important forces in the late 60s underground
soul jazz scene! Fischer is best known for his work with Eugene
McDaniels, Eddie Harris, and Les McCann -- almost akin to the sorts of
collaborative influence that David Axelrod had with Cannonball Adderley
or Lou Rawls, but with a style that was decidedly darker, and trippier.
This album's one of the few ever recorded under his own name --
originally done for the tripped-out jazz imprint Embryo, and featuring a
unique blend of moog, strings, funk, and soul! Billy Cobham plays
drums and percussion on the set, Bill Robinson sings on a few numbers,
and Walter Sear adds in some extra moog next to Fischer's own work --
but the real brilliance comes from the overall concept -- funky one
minute, laidback and trippy the next, very much in the spirit of some of
the righteous crossover funk, soul, and rock recordings coming from
McDaniels and Axelrod at the time!
A record that's got to be one of the coolest recorded in Calgary during
the early 80s -- as it offers up a really unusual blend of modes that
definitely lives up to its title, and which also borrows a bit from
Indian music as well! Singer Rupa Biswas fronts a group that's equally
strong on the instrumental tip, and which allow for plenty of room in
the tracks to let the players stretch out and solo -- in a blend of
keyboards and guitar with more traditional sarod and tablas! Rhythms
are mostly upbeat, but in ways that are more interesting than the
"disco" title implies -- especially in 1982 -- and the whole thing's
maybe first a funky fusion record, which then borrows a bit from Indian
percussion, then adds in Rupa's vocals in the lead.
The distinguished UK label has dug up yet another tasty soul nugget,
this from Nigeria's disco boogie scene. Originally released in 1980, Tee Mac'sNight Illusion
is one of the foreign private press joints that even the most
knowledgable diggers might not be aware of. Produced in tiny numbers on
the enigmatic artists' own S.K.J. imprint, the record is still unknown outside its native country. Thankfully Soul Jazz
comes to the rescue (again!) and gives this lost masterpiece a long
overdue reissue. From Soul Jazz: "The timelessness of this soulful,
ground-breaking funk jazz lost masterpiece Night Illusion leads to
comparisons with James Mason’s legendary lost classic album Rhythm of Life, with his unique individualism and intensity hinting at the boogie funk of groups such as Mass Production and Slave so loved by artists such as Moodyman and Theo Parrish. While Fela Kuti is now a cultural icon of Nigerian music throughout the world, the recent crossover success of William Onyeabor
shows just how much undiscovered Nigerian music remains waiting to be
explored outside of the country. Tee Mac was born in Lagos, the son of a
Nigerian princess and a Swiss diplomat. He picked up the flute at age 7
and ten years later was studying classical musical in Switzerland under
his uncle the composer J.J. Direndirger. Returning to Lagos, Nigeria in 1970 he formed the heavyweight afro rock group Tee Mac and Afro Collection (which included Johnny Haastrup on keyboards and The Lijadu Sisters on vocals). This band was famously joined by the legendary Cream drummer Ginger Baker
who came to Nigeria to play with them in 1971 (captured in the film
Ginger Baker in Africa). At age 24, Tee Mac moved to Germany where he
co-wrote and recorded the European disco group Silver Convention
(whose ‘Fly Robin Fly’ became number one in the USA charts). This
enabled him to return to Nigeria where he formed his own label SKJ
Records to release his self-financed album Night Illusion...
Sweet warm grooves from the mighty Blackbyrds - a set that has George
Duke working with the group, giving them some of the electric vibe of
his own great work! The sound is less sharply funky than the early days
of the group, but still mighty nice.
*This cover shows up for the first time on the web.
One of the most soulful sessions we've ever heard from Japanese pianist
Masabumi Kikuchi -- a brilliant quintet outing that features some really
great work on tenor and soprano sax! Kikuchi's piano is usually enough
to grab our attention, but the album's got a great added bonus in the
presence of Kosuke Mine on soprano sax and Hideo Miyata on tenor -- both
players whose horns bring in some added sharpness to the date, and
further underscore the spiritual elements in Kikuchi's music -- almost
with the same mix of reeds and driving rhythms you'd find in the
post-Coltrane work of Elvin Jones.
One of the most unusual albums ever cut by the legendary Latin jazz
trombonist Juan Pablo Torres – and one of the grooviest, too – a special
set that was recorded in Milan in the mid 80s, with backings by a sweet
group who do a great job of blending Latin rhythms, clubby grooves, and
just the right touch of jazz! Juan's on trombone in the lead – working
with the Algo Nuevo group, which features the mighty Gonzalo Rubalcaba
on piano, Fender Rhodes, and other keyboards – plus trumpet work from
Adalberto Lore, who balances out Torres' sound in a really great way!
There's both a mix of electric and acoustic percussion on the set, and
the groove is more 80s club than 70s disco – and also comes across with
the style of some of the more unusual hybrids that you'd be likely to
find on the Areito label during Juan's generation in Cuba.
A really unusual record from early 70s Japan -- one that features vocals
from erotic actress Reiko Ike -- done in a mode that's very similar to
her sexy appearances on screen! And in fact, when we say "vocals",
maybe "vocalizations" should be more the case -- as many of these tracks
are sexy grunts, groans, and exclamations -- mixed with a bit of more
conventional singing -- set to instrumentation that's groovy and jazzy,
and which has some nice soundtrack modes in the styles -- all almost
like an audio equivalent of softcore porn, with a quality that's enough
to make Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin blush!
Heavy funk from a hip Japanese combo -- one that features lots of drums
and percussion from leader Akira Ishikawa, plus plenty of guitar,
keyboards, and hard-riffing horns! Akira's taking most of his cues here
from American funk of the early 70s -- work by Incredible Bongo Band,
BT Express, and others -- but he often serves up the music with a fair
bit of conga work at the front of the arrangements, in a way that takes
familiar tunes and gives them a much rootsier, earthier kind of groove!
The approach is unique, but totally great -- and the album's a funk
album unlike anything else we can think of -- quite unusual even for the
experimental Japanese scene of the time.
Damn soulful work from Tony Joe White – exactly the kind of set that
shows why he was so great at skirting both the borders of rock and soul
music at the end of the 60s! There's a really fresh, new groove going
on here – a vibe that shows an artist who's spent a decade drawing in
all the best elements of Memphis and Muscle Shoals, with a slight touch
of Nashville country at times too (no surprise, given the Monuments
Records release of the set) – but also a more biting singer/songwriter
ethos that really pushes the whole thing out to a much bigger rockish
vibe! Drums are amazing – played by Jerry Carrigan with an especially
funky quality on side one – and the tunes are a mix of great originals
by White – many of which would be covered by others in years to come –
plus some well-chosen covers, too. Tracks include "Soul Francisco",
"Willie & Laura Mae Jones", "Polk Salad Annie", "Aspen Colorado",
"Who's Makin Love", and "Scratch My Back".
The first solo album from Johnny Bristol - a genius soul talent who did
a bunch of great work for Motown as a writer and arranger, breaking out
here on his own! Like so many other behind the scenes talents from the
late 60s, Johnny turned out to be an excellent soul artist in his own
right -- even though he only got to cut a rare few albums during the 70s
-- and this debut album already has him emerging straight away as a
fully-formed talent! The vibe is a great mix of Detroit and California
Motown -- arranged by HB Barnum, and produced with a style that's tight,
but still open and fluid too. Backings mix soulful strings with sweet
harmonies -- and lots of the tunes have a great 70s mellow soul groove.
One of Cal Tjader's lesser-known Latin sessions from his Fantasy Records
years -- a nice little cooker with some great arrangements from Eddie
Cano, who also plays piano on the set! The album features two different
groups -- one a more familiar Tjader quartet with Lonnie Hewitt on
piano and Jose Lozano on flute -- the other a slightly larger group led
by Cano, featuring Eddie on pian, Modesto Briseno on flute and alto, and
Tony Terran on trumpet. Tracks are shortish, but plenty darn great --
and Cal's vibes get some great company from the piano and horn players
on the date.
One of Chick Corea's greatest moments on record – the self-titled album
by the legendary Return To Forever group – a combo that included Joe
Farrell on saxes, Flora Purim on vocals, Airto on percussion, and
Stanley Clarke on bass! The sound is archetypal 70s fusion at its best –
filled with soaring electric keyboard work from Chick, and plenty of
great Brazilian touches by Airto and Flora. Farrell's reeds help the
tunes get a really sharp edge, especially once they get going – and the
whole album is an electric piano classic through and through, filled
with great titles that include "Sometime Ago/La Fiesta", "Return To
Forever", "Crystal Silence", and "What Game Shall We Play Today".
A well-titled album from trumpeter Don Ellis – as the set soars to the
skies from the very first note! The album's got a dynamic energy that
almost beats Don's American work of the time – lots of funky rhythms,
and a cool MPS groove that shows the label's strong 70s legacy of larger
group jazz recordings! Like other MPS dates of the time, there's a
nice mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation in the lineup – bass
and guitar that kick the rhythms up strongly, plus keyboards and
electrified strings that bring in their own unique sounds.
If slo-mo electronic disco with a Balearic
twist is your bag, then this team-up between London-based duo Payfone
(AKA James Day and Phil Passera) and vocalist Kyd Nereida is one to
check for sure. Nereida's wistful vox are the star of the show here, and
sit atop a warm and velvety musical backdrop that's definitely more
suited to poolside chillin' or post-club sofa-surfing than it is to
peaktime dancefloor abandon - though that's not to say its bass-y,
keys-flecked groove isn't infectious. Things take a turn for the spacier
on a brace of rerubs from label boss Mudd, while a radio edit completes
the package.
The Coyote lads take a moment to chill from their ever-steady output on
their Is It Balearic? label to drop this pearler for the Magic Wand edit
series. It won't take a private gumshoe to work out the source material
for 'Kate's Bush (Nocturnal Edit)', but you won't have heard the
original simmering quite like this brooding version before. 'Kool Kats'
is dripping in yacht rock delight with Mercurial vocal trysts over the
top, while 'Lee Sure (Black Hashish Dub)' takes things far out into pure
sundown wind-down territory. 'El Verano' completes the set with a
beautiful, dusty lick of 70s funk, complete with sultry trumpet and the
lightest of FX touches.