This week, Nick and Leon have rounded up crates of records that shine in jazz excellence, unsurprisingly, and there’s a healthy mix of current releases and reissues to dig into to get the blood flowing (if you’re not already watching Hammer Time wink wink).
Every few weeks, there’s always a new shipment of wax goodies to be discovered, and it’s no surprise that the choices cover so many bases that sorting through them all might be a tad overwhelming for some of you.
With this assumption, this is where I’ll be coming in, shining a light on just a handful of the stellar picks that the TAV team has brought in. If your post-CB budget is tight — whose isn’t, really? — this is exactly the place to be. (plus the store’s extended their 15% discount if that helps)
Blue Note’s Tone Poet series: how the label is telling a different story with new vinyl reissues.
In this edition of Select's, we decided to hit up the elusive people from See You At One to pick out 6 titles from our Online Catalog that is sure to nourish your curious palette. The picks highlight some of the forgotten gems at the vault ranging from Doom, Spiritual Jazz, New-wave Funk, and Leftfield Electronica, truly representing their musical mood as a collective. All picks here are hypnotic in some way and we suggest taking the time to zone into each album at your own pace :) Check it out!
$39.00
A particularly strong set by late-period Miles Davis, this LP is highlighted by a surprisingly straight-ahead performance titled "Mr. Pastorius." In addition to Davis and his new altoist Kenny Garrett, various guests (including Marcus Miller, guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly, Joey DeFrancesco on keyboards, Rick Margitza on tenor, pianist Joe Sample, and bassist Foley) get their chances to play next to the great legend who is in top form. An excellent effort, it was really his last studio recording with his regular band. – All Music
The third and final collaboration between Miles and Miller, resulted in a heady mix of go-go, zouk, funk and jazz-swing. It also saw Miller mix electronic instruments with live musicians. Amandla features a number of strong numbers including the ballad title track, the opening joyous number “Catémbe”, the bitter-sweet “Hannibal” and the superb “Mr. Pastorius,” which sees Miles, Miller and drummer Al Foster playing jazz-swing on a soulful tribute. – The Last Miles
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Label: Warner Bros. Records – 0081227944339 |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue |
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Country: Europe |
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Released: 2016 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Jazz-Funk |
$39.00
Recorded when he was only 19, Candy was one of the first albums (along with The Cooker, recorded the same year) where Lee Morgan showed his own unique style. His prodigal technical virtuosity had already been proven at this time in the Dizzy Gilliespie band, but Morgan's first solo ventures had been remarkable only because of his young age. Here, the influence of some of Morgan's mentors can be seen, but instead of just emulating the style of older trumpeters like Clifford Brown, he has begun absorbing bits and pieces of the phrasing and style of a wide range of musicians, from Gillespie to Miles Davis, then using them to forge his own sound. Morgan places himself front and center here -- there are no other horns to carry the melodic lines, leaving him quite exposed, but he manages to perform beautifully. – All Music
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Label: Blue Note – BLP 1590, Elemental Music – ERLP 1021 |
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Series: Blue Note Collection – |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Mono, 180 Gram |
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Country: Europe |
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Released: 2015 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Hard Bop |
$39.00
Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard burst upon the Blue Note scene in June 1960 with his auspicious debut album Open Sesame. Within 6 months Hubbard had already recorded a follow-up (Goin’ Up) and appeared as a sideman on sessions with Tina Brooks (True Blue), Hank Mobley (Roll Call), Kenny Drew (Undercurrent), and Jackie McLean (Bluesnik). Hubbard’s bravado style was already fully formed on Open Sesame with his brilliant tone and jaw-dropping technical prowess at the helm of sterling quintet with tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Clifford Jarvis. Highlights of the set include the hard-charging title track, a stunning ballad performance on “But Beautiful,” and a grooving version of “One Mint Julep.” – Blue Note
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Label: Blue Note – ST-84040, Elemental Music – ERLP 1045 |
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Series: Blue Note Collection – |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, 180 Gram |
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Country: Spain |
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Released: 2016 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Hard Bop, Modal |
$39.00
Royal Flush is a winning hand played by trumpeter Donald Byrd, arguably the best recording date under his leadership.
The opener, Byrd's "Hush," sets the tone for the entire session, which emphasizes uncommon restraint, nuance and subtlety without for an instant losing its soul. An infectious, gospel-inflected blues in C, "Hush" opens with a rhythmic structural pattern that is maintained through each of the solos: eight bars of stop time (in the manner of the Harlem Globetrotters' "Sweet Georgia Brown"), followed by a four-bar shuffle-rhythm trailer. Byrd's minimalist, alternately sly and plaintive solo serves to set the stage for the laconic statements of Pepper Adams' baritone sax and Hancock's piano which, contrary to expectations, reveals not the slightest trace of overplaying on what must have felt like a momentous occasion for the recent college graduate.
"I'm A Fool To Want You," the only standard on the program, is both ballad- and trumpet-playing of the highest order. If it truly was Ava Gardner who elicited from Sinatra the torch song that has frequently been called his most deeply felt performance, she must have had the same impact on Donald Byrd, who turns in the instrumental equivalent of Sinatra's reading, right down to Old Blue's "breathless" phrasing. The trumpeter takes the song through only once, melding extraordinary technique with sensitive musicianship when he employs circular breathing to extend the two most important notes of the bridge, practically effecting the suspension of time at the point where the lyric laments a love lost.– All About Jazz
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Label: Blue Note – ST-84101, Elemental Music – ERLP 1019
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Series: Blue Note Collection –
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo, 180 Gram
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Country: Europe
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Released: 2015
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Genre: Jazz
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Style: Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz, Post Bop
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$39.00
Among 33 albums recorded with American jazz, blues, soul and funk trumpeter Blue Mitchell as a leader, Bring It Home To Me from 1966 is the thirteenth. This is not only an excellent album, but also the artistic peak of Mitchell's discography. The album mixes modal harmonies, lyrical moments and groovy, even funky rhythms. This album is very rare on LP format and very hard to find with a restored analog sound. Blue Mitchell is here joined by Junior Cook on tenor, Harold Mabern on piano, Gene Taylor on bass and the great Billy Higgins on drums. The artistic direction is strong, the aesthetic is powerful. – Forced Exposure
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Label: Blue Note – BST-84228, Elemental Music – ERLP 1038 |
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Series: Blue Note Collection – |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo, 180 Gram |
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Country: Europe |
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Released: 2016 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Hard Bop |
$0.00
Classic Jimmy Smith - Easy and on Cruise Control
Bucket! is an album by American jazz organist Jimmy Smith featuring performances recorded in 1963 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1966.
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Label: Blue Note – BST-84235, Elemental Music – ERLP 1023 |
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Series: Blue Note Collection – |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo, 180 Gr |
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Country: Europe |
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Released: 2015 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop |
$39.00
Brown Sugar marks a turning point for Freddie Roach: It's the moment he decided to get dirty, funky, and soulful. Previously, he had plenty of funk in his playing, but he was tasteful, at times a little bit too tasteful. On Brown Sugar, he simply burns. The album is devoted to blues, R&B, and soul, with the title track (the lone original on the album) functioning as a rallying cry of sorts. Roach is hotter than ever, but he never overplays or overloads the organ; whether it's slow blues or smoking R&B, he gets deep into the groove and works it hard, without neglecting to contribute compelling solos. And if you're looking for compelling solos, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson proves that he is as exceptional with R&B and soul-jazz as he is with hard bop. Clarence Johnston, Roach's longtime drummer, provides stable support and guitarist Eddie Wright has his moments as well, helping make Brown Sugar the standout item in Roach's catalog. – All Music
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Label: Blue Note – ST-84168, Elemental Music – ERLP 1046 |
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Series: Blue Note Collection – |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo, 180 gram |
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Country: Europe |
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Released: 2016 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Soul-Jazz |
$39.00
For his third album on Blue Note, Big John Patton decided to expand his band to quintet. Retaining the services of his longtime colleagues, guitarist Grant Green and drummer Ben Dixon, he hired tenor saxophonist Fred Jackson (who also played on the previous work "Along Came John") and trumpeter Richard Williams. – All Music
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Label: Blue Note – BST 84174, Elemental Music – ERLP 1040 |
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Series: Blue Note Collection – |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, 180 Gram |
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Country: Europe |
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Released: 2016 |
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Genre: Jazz |
$39.00
Grant Green always brought out the best in Big John Patton. Almost any record that featured the guitarist and organist was dominated by their scintillating interplay, and it always sounded like they were trying to top each other's blistering, funky solos. Patton and Green rarely sounded better than they did on Got a Good Thing Goin', a 1966 session that functioned as a showcase for the pair's dynamic interaction and exciting, invigorating solos. In particular, the duo's mastery is evident because there are no horns to stand in the way -- only drummer Hugh Walker and conga player Richard Landrum provide support, leaving plenty of room for Green and Patton to run wild. All five numbers -- two originals by Patton and Green, two pop covers ("Ain't That Peculiar," "Shake"), and Duke Pearson's "Amanda" -- are simple blues and soul-jazz songs that provide ample space for the guitarist and organist to stretch out. And they do stretch out -- as a pair, they have never sounded so fiery or intoxicating. – All Music
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Label: Elemental Music – ERLP 1029, Blue Note – ST-84229 |
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Series: Blue Note Collection – |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue, Stereo, 180 Gram |
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Country: Europe |
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Released: 2016 |
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Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul |
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Style: Jazz-Funk |
$55.00
Pale Cocoon’s Mayu (繭) was originally released in 1984 as a cassette box set by Pafe Record in Japan, but sunk into obscurity after its release, only to garner a strong cult following nearly two decades later during the advent of the music blog era. Within the world of Mayu, sounds of the Japanese landscape in summertime parallel swirling synthesizers and noise; shimmering guitar sounds take the shape of a snowflake.
The compositions themselves were informed heavily by Belgian symbolist art and Japanese literature - occasionally evoking the likes of Woo, Durutti Column, Picky Picnic, and other 80s Japanese experimental & ambient music - though Mayu’s singular atmosphere was relatively peerless and quite ahead of its time. The album’s symbolist tendencies blur the lines between nature and noise to create something absolutely magical - a world truly of its own.
Incidental Music and conatala are proud to present Mayu, remastered by Makoto Ohshiro and published for the first time on vinyl since its original cassette release on Pafe Record in 1984. Mayu will be available on 2LP vinyl pressed by Pallas, CD, and digital formats in mid May, 2020. - Incidental Music
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Label: Incidental Music (5) – INC004, conatala – conatala-001 |
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Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Album |
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Country: Japan |
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Released: 15 May 2020 |
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Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop |
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Style: Experimental, Minimal, Ambient, Post-Punk |
$39.00
After having released two mixtapes of Boogalooesque interpretations of hip-hop sampled favourites and 80’s anthems, Karate Boogaloo have released Carn the Boogers on College of Knowledge Records, years after its recording back in 2017. Unsurprisingly, the album is named after the fan cry that the Boogers invented themselves; one which echoed throughout the amphitheatre as loyal fans flung their boots to the sky at Meredith 2019, and that became an unspoken mutual bond between audience members squashed like sardines at Northside Records’ annual tribute to funk-legend James Brown on Christmas night at The Curtin.
The LP itself cruises through deep-funk, cinematic soul and library music with 12 tracks that flow into each other with effortless ease and with titles as noteworthy as the album. Marriage For All or None At All is the opening track of the LP, the most dance-floor ready complete with washy synth-lines, arpeggiating electric guitar and an up-tempo groove.
In all, Carn The Boogers is a captivating debut LP from Karate Boogaloo that reminds us that the four-piece band have truly carved their own unique sound full of drunken guitar lines, wishy-washy synths and syncopated stabs from bass and drums alike. Here’s to a 2020 with new KB music! - Verve Zine
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Label: College Of Knowledge Records – COK005 |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition |
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Country: Australia |
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Released: 08 May 2020 |
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Genre: Funk / Soul |
$39.00
Guitarist John Scofield celebrates the music of his friend and mentor Steve Swallow in an outgoing and spirited recording, made in a day in New York in March 2019 - “old school” style as Scofield says, while acknowledging that more than forty years of preparation led up to it. John was a 20-year-old student at Berklee when he first met and played with the bassist, and they have continued ever since. “I love these songs”, says Scofield of the selection of Swallow compositions explored here – a broad range including classics such as “Hullo Bolinas”, “Eiderdown”, “Falling Grace” and “Radio”, as well as lesser-known works. The rapport between Scofield and Swallow is evident in every moment. John: “Sometimes when we play it’s like one big guitar, the bass part and my part together.” Behind the drum kit, Bill Stewart, a close associate of Scofield’s since the early 90s, is alert to all the implications of the interaction. “What Bill does is more than ‘playing the drums,’” Scofield says. “He’s a melodic voice in the music, while also swinging really hard.” – ECM Records
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Label: ECM Records – ECM 2679, ECM Records – 086 8394 |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album |
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Country: Germany |
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Released: 10 Jun 2020 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Contemporary Jazz |
$45.00
Born in Paris, raised in Vienna, resident in Ibiza, saxophonist and composer Muriel Grossmann embodies the borderless, pan-continental energies of contemporary European jazz. Her music emerges from the lineage of European jazz that's absorbed the progressive music of Coltrane, Dolphy and Sanders. Today, she cites players such as Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young in the same breath as the masters of the avant-garde, and her playing marries the directness and eloquence of the older generation with the questing, spiritualised playing epitomised by Coltrane.
The roster of musicians she has played with is long, and includes veteran European avant-gardists including Joachim and Rolf Kühn, Wolfgang Reisinger and Thomas Heidepriem, and she works tirelessly with contemporary groups and big bands across the continent.
Since her first recordings in the early 2000s, Grossmann has released a dozen albums as leader, featuring sounds ranging from hard-swinging modernist jams to free improvisation, expansive spiritual work to rhythm-focussed Afrocentrism. But at the centre of her work is a thread of pure and heartfelt spiritual music in the modal tradition defined by Coltrane and close collaborators like Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane.
You can't play this music successfully if you don't mean it – like the music of her contemporary Nat Birchall, Grossmann's engagement with the Coltrane tradition is sincere and deep. Her music resonates within the tradition – more than just a style, it adds a new chapter to the story of modal and spiritual jazz in Europe. - Jazzman
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Label: Jazzman – JMANLP119 |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation |
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Country: UK |
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Released: 15 May 2020 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Modal, Soul-Jazz |
$48.00
The Jazz-Funk cult classic reissued!
Experience Unlimited (also known as simply E.U.) was a Washington, D.C.-based go-go/funk band that enjoyed its height of popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s. Fronted by lead singer/bassist Gregory "Sugar Bear" Elliot, the group has had a fluctuating membership over the years, but they have maintained a fairly loyal following. – Wiki
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Label: Now-Again Records – NA 5176-LP-ST |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue |
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Country: US |
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Released: Jun 2020 |
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Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul |
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Style: Jazz-Rock, Jazz-Funk, Soul, Funk |
$45.00
This compilation is a showcase of this period and the various forms of modern jazz indicative of the scene, from modal and deep spiritual jazz through to avant-jazz film soundtracks and the unique sub-genre ‘Eco Jazz’ (a distinctive style which drew vivid inspiration from Australia’s natural environment). Featuring essential tracks from celebrated Australian jazz icons such as John Sangster and Alan Lee, the collection also asserts the importance of other often overlooked groups including Jazz Co/op and The Brian Brown Quintet amongst others. Pyramid Pieces is the first entry in a new series that will explore the largely unheard yet incredible sound of Australian modernist Jazz. - The Roundtable
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Label: The Roundtable – PYR01 |
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FormatP: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Stereo |
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Country: Australia |
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Released: 12 Jun 2020 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Modal |
$39.00
UK jazz dance hero Paul Murphy teams up with BBE Music to deliver his first compilation on the label: a blazing selection of up-tempo jazz titled ‘The Jazz Room’.
Lauded by none other than Gilles Peterson as “the original messenger of jazz who found almost every dancefloor classic”, Paul began DJing in 1970s London. His passion and unique playing style placed him at the epicentre of an emerging jazz-dance scene in the city, popping off in spots like The Horseshoe (aka Jaffas), The Wag, The 100 Club, The Blue Note and The Electric Ballroom, where he founded the now famous ‘Jazz Room’, after which this album is named.
Paul’s influence on UK Jazz culture simply can’t be overstated, from his short-lived but much beloved imprint Paladin Records to his unswerving support of home-grown talents such as Working Week, Morrissey Mullen & Paz.
As a DJ, his musical selections still live large in the memories of those who experienced them. As Coldcut’s Jonathon More put it “Paul Murphy used to play the most frenzied and far out funky jazz at my Meltdown warehouse parties”.
‘The Jazz Room’ nicely encapsulates the reason so many greats feel moved to wax lyrical about Paul Murphy’s ear for dance-floor jazz, which is very clearly undimmed after decades behind the decks. Deftly mixing contemporary sounds with trusted bullets that his 1980s audiences will remember well, these tracks are vibrant and potent, with a couple of fiery live recordings thrown in for extra energy and sweat. - BBE
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Label: BBE – BBE465CLP |
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Format: 2 × Vinyl, LP, Compilation |
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Country: UK |
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Released: 04 Oct 2019 |
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Genre: Jazz, Latin, Funk / Soul |
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Style: Afro-Cuban Jazz, Afrobeat, Soul-Jazz, Free Jazz, Latin Jazz, Modal |
$36.00
A Periplus around mediterranean savors from Pellegrino on his debut mini-album, a multi-flavored cocktail of fast-moving disco groovers, spacey jazz-fusion experiments and sun-bleached funky melters
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Label: Early Sounds Recordings – EAS011 |
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Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Mini-Album, Repress, Green Sleeve |
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Country: Italy |
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Released: Mar 2020 |
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Genre: Electronic, Jazz, Funk / Soul |
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Style: Afrobeat, Tribal, Disco, Funk, Fusion |
$36.00
Pellegrino presents his new project “Zodyaco”.
Inspired by the ancient mythology of the stars and their deep influence on the sea life, the record is the result of nocturnal jams in the wake of the Italian jazz-funk tradition, exotic fusion and Mediterranean mysticism.
A tribute to the stars and their reflections on the sea. - Bandcamp
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Label: Early Sounds Recordings – EAS019
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Format: Vinyl, 12", Mini-Album
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Country: Italy
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Released: 2018
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Genre: Electronic, Jazz, Funk / Soul
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Style: Jazz-Funk, Fusion, Disco
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$48.00
“All of the music recorded in this album is both personal and very purposeful to me, because it is the first step toward honesty about what and how I want to play. I’ve done a lot of other albums, a lot of different ways for a lot of different people and now, with the help of the Creator, in whom all things are possible, I have done one for me too.”
Having self-raised funds to make the record, with complete control over the masters, and with her dream band together, Scott recorded at Blue Rock Studio in November 1974. Harold Vick, often referred to as one of the “unsung tenor saxophonists” of his time, was cherry picked to bring Scott’s vision to life. Throughout his career, he released records on Blue Note, RCA as well as performing and recording with a string of legendary artists such as Ray Charles, and Aretha Franklin. Completing the dream trio was highly sought out drummer Billy Higgins, who is the most recorded drummer in the history of Blue Note Records, having played on 45 Blue Note albums. The key to their success was that Higgins tuned his drums to fit with the organ’s bass sound which, of course, Scott played with her feet.
– Bandcamp
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Label: Arc Records (13) – ARC3LP |
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Reissue |
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Country: UK |
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Released: 22 May 2020 |
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Genre: Jazz |
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Style: Bop, Fusion, Jazz-Funk |
