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Born in Ipanema, schooled in bossa nova and steeped in capoeira’s heady blend of martial arts, dance and traditional music, Selva has some rich cultural credentials to draw from. But it’s his imagination and willingness to push the musical boundaries that gives him that individual edge within the swelling ocean of Brazilian pop. In previous bands he has worked with globetrotting rhythmicist and producer Maga Bo and in 2016 teamed up with Bruno Hovart (aka Patchworks) who according to Selva reminded him how to “dig those laid back Rio vibes”. It’s that partnership and their musical connectivity which sparked his second offering after 2017’s Natureza, the deceptively smooth but instantly uplifting Navegar.

Navegar is an album that deals in hope and optimism, it’s got endless bounce and energy, but it also underlines that getting to those good times is never easy … and that’s some achievement. – Back Seat Mafia

This is a thoughtfully considered album of quiet, confident R&B: it doesn't jump out at you, but rather gets in you. Produced by John Carroll Kirby, the like-minded artist and collaborator with Frank Ocean and Solange Knowles, it features restrained percussion from Kanye West’s Sunday Service drummer Lamar Carter. Celestial soul as a break from chaos, these are quietly challenging songs as timeless as they are contemporary.

“What a rare and cool challenge it was for me to help Eddie re-emerge after a long hiatus,” says John Carroll Kirby. “I was excited to produce a record for him that captured the chill, laid-back wisdom and easy vocal mastery he has that you don’t see that much these days.”

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Lead single “My Mind Is Out of Its Mind” finds a deep groove to try and contain spiraling heartbreak, while the sweet and fizzy “Trouble” balances the downcast “Hurt” and more tender “Papa.” But even the project’s lightest moments feel sincere and mature. Altogether: a truly unifying release, coming from a man who's earned the right to share such a regal, romantic sound. - Bandcamp

1.Killer and cult electro funk hip hop musical U.F.O. from 1987 Japan!

2.Highly sought-after record reissued for the first time since its original release

3.Sound restoration, mastering and lacquer cut by Timmion Cutting Lab

4.180g heavy vinyl pressing, reverse board print

5.Comes with a 4 pages insert including the original Japanese one, an interview with Hoodoo Fushimi (in English and Japanese), exclusive pictures and the album's lyrics translated in English.

1987, Kanagawa, not so far from Tokyo, Japan. Minoru Fushimi teaches his high-school classes during the day. Back from work, he transforms into "Hoodoo" Fushimi, turns on the drum machines, the synthesizers and the sequencers, blends them with his own shamisen playing and builds a cult album: Kenka Oyaji is born and becomes a milestone in Japan's early hip hop and electro-funk history, now reissued for the first time since its original release, in collaboration with Hoodoo Fushimi himself. Essential!-  Bandcamp

Favorite Recordings and Charles Maurice proudly present the 5th edition of the AOR Global Sounds compilations series: 8 rare and hidden tracks, produced between 1977 and 1984 in various parts of the world. Started in 2015, the AOR Global Sounds series was born from the will of Charles Maurice (aka Pascal Rioux) to share his longtime love for the AOR and WestCoast movement and highlight its influence for many artists in the late 70s and early 80s. In this 5th volume, he selected again highly forgotten productions, deeply infused with Disco and Soul flavors.

Half of the compilation’s tracklist is naturally coming from the US, homeland of this music style, while the other half is made of productions from all over the globe, from France or United Kingdom to Venezuela. And for most of these beautiful songs, it came from artists and bands rather unknown and often released as private press. – Favourite Recordings

This is the first stop on Sven Wunder’s musical journey. Wunder takes the listener somewhere around the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea, around the Levantine Sea, where he paints a colourful portrait and illustrates the regions flora through sound. The fruitage is a vivid bouquet where Wunder fuses colours and pigments by using traditional and modern instruments merged with arrangements and melodies that stretches from popular to folk music by portraying tulips, red roses, hibiscus, hyacinths, chamomile, magnolia, daisies etcetera. With both fine and thick brushes are these flowers being pictured in a both modern and classic idiom. The outcome is prismatic. It stands between Anatolian rock and European jazz-funk with ponderous drum patterns, groovy organs, far-out synthesizers, enchanting Saz and impetuous bass lines. Eastern Flowers sweeps through time and space and points towards the future. It could appeal both psych and prog listeners, folk or jazz aficionados and as well the gourmet hip hop connoisseurs. - Bandcamp

Hot on the heels of their ‘Sampled Funk’ selection, the folks at Wagram apply the same approach to soul, lounge and easy listening, raiding the crates for those smooth grooves, gospel scorchers and tearjerkers that generations of producer have flipped for high quality hip hop and house. Perfect for wax nerds, sample spotters and bar DJs, this collection features jamz from Ray Charles, Timmy Thomas, Dusty Springfield and Etta James.

The Nineteenth Whole were an Indianapolis-based funky jazz outfit who were part of a very vibrant scene. Jazz guitar legend ‘Grant Green’ had originally hailed from there and he recruited the members of the 19th Whole as his rhythm section for live dates. (Green also discovered the other great Indianapolis jazz outfit Funk Inc. at about this time.) The attention that followed their work with Green allowed the Nineteenth Whole to sign with producer Bob Porter (responsible for many superb jazz productions for Prestige and Atlantic) on Eastbound, a label he had set up with Detroit independent Westbound Records.

Fronted by Billy Wooten’s distinctive vibes, joined by guitar legend Cornell Dupree (you all know his opening riff on the intro of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’) and percussionist Buddy Caldwell (THE session musician for respected labels such as Prestige & Muse) makes Smilin’ an organ funk groove classic at its best!

Recorded in 1972 by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder (known for recording Miles Davis in the early 1950’s and the countless work he did for Blue Note, Prestige, Verve .. and many others) at the Indianapolis club that gave the band their Eastbound name: ‘The Nineteenth Whole’. Production on the album was handled by Bob Porter (responsible for many superb jazz productions for Prestige and Atlantic).

Presented here are five lengthy soul-jazz pieces (including material from ‘Sly Stone’, ‘War’ & ‘The Jackson 5’) with funky grooves and some of the best sparkling organ & guitar licks you’ll ever hear. This album sets the stage for a constant shift in grooves, a collage of earthy Funk, Soul, Rock and Jazz Fusion straight outta 1972… an emotional ride packed with the main ingredients for a ‘get down’.

The Nineteenth Whole’s first (and only) album was originally released in 1972 on Eastbound Records, super rare and fetching large sums on the collectors market, now finally back available as a limited (500 copies) deluxe vinyl edition. – Tidal Waves Music

To catch the attention of our discerning, critical and cynical ears, any demos that people send to us here at Jazzman have to be pretty damn good. Yes they all get listened to, but very few make it this far as an official Jazzman CD and vinyl release. In fact the last time we released some recently-recorded music was a couple of years ago with the Natural Yogurt Band, which we were happy to see become an instant success. You see, we're quite fussy because in this day and age we can't afford to lose money by putting out a so-so record. We also have to like it a LOT, not just because we'll have to listen to it over and over again, but because we want you to too! So here is our next attempt at world domination, the debut album by The Greg Foat Group. DARK IS THE SUN Recorded in Sweden, 'Dark is the Sun' is a concept album based on themes and variations by British pianist/composer/arranger Greg Foat, who has created an intriguing blend of non-contemporary jazz sounds with classic scoring techniques. An exotic array of unorthodox instrumentation was utilized, including harpsichord, tubular bells and a 15 piece choir. With musical reference and influence from such luminaries as Bruno Nicolai, Michel Legrand and Serge Gainsbourg as well as a firm nod towards UK jazzmen Michael Garrick, Keith Mansfield and Alan Hawkshaw, the result is highly-listenable, enduring and fulfilling for those who like real music played with real instruments. - Jazzman

Following their coronation as Best New Band at the 2019 Austin Music Awards, Black Pumas release their second single “Fire,” the follow-up to their Song Of The Year-winning “Black Moon Rising.”

Black Pumas is led by the creative partnership between Grammy Award-winning guitarist/producer Adrian Quesada and 27-year-old songwriter Eric Burton. Burton is a relative newcomer who arrived in Austin in 2015 after busking his way across the country from Los Angeles, while Quesada has a storied reputation for playing in bands like Grupo Fantasma and Brownout while also producing acclaimed projects like 2018’s ‘Look At My Soul: The Latin Shade Of Texas Soul.’

After the two connected via friends in the Austin scene, they began to collaborate on a new sound that transmutes soul into something idiosyncratically modern. Reminiscent of Ghostface Killah and Motown in equal measure, this original sound ensured that Black Pumas’ weekly residency at C-Boys quickly became “the hottest party in town” (Austin-American Statesman). - Bandcamp

Of all the artists who recorded for the Black Jazz label, keyboardist and composer Doug Carn was the most prolific, releasing four albums for the imprint. 1972's Spirit of the New Land was his second Black Jazz release, but the first one (of two) to co-feature his wife, vocalist Jean Carn, in the album title; we've chosen to lead with this record from Carn's catalog not only because it's the most collectible of the bunch, but also because it showcases his innovative approach of adding lyrics to jazz standards. Thus, both Miles Davis' 'Blue in Green' and Lee Morgan's 'Search for the New Land' are blessed with spellbinding vocals from Jean Carn set to her husband's words, while Doug Carn originals like 'Arise and Shine' and 'My Spirit' soar with spiritual fervor on the wings of his wife's five-octave range.

Along for the ride are a stellar cast of players, including trumpeter Charles Tolliver, co-founder of the Strata-East label; saxophonist George Harper, who played with Herbie Hancock and Jimmy Smith among others; trombonist Garnett Brown, who appears on albums by Roland Kirk, Albert Ayler, and Art Blakey among his hundreds of album credits; tuba player Earl McIntyre, whose discography spans from Carla Bley to the Band; and drummer Alphonse Mouzon, founding member of Weather Report. – Real Gone Music

The official Mr Bongo reissue! 

A1. Eu Hoje Acordei Com A Luz Do Sol 2:50 / A2. Salamandras 4:44 / A3. Preludio Em Si Bemol Menor 1:50 / A4. Viver 3:15 / A5. Só 3:53 / A6. Sem Nome 3:35 // B1. Primitivo 5:40 / B2. Irracional 3:12 / B3. Papa-Mama 4:27 / B4. Imagem 3:12 / B5. Yélris 1:35

Brazilian arranger and composer Hareton Salvanini was born in Bauru and grew up in Campinas. S.P 73 is his first LP – he worked tirelessly with his right man and brother, Ayrton, was a theatre director. The 'Hareton + Meta' EP was written and recorded for one of Ayrton’s productions – Hareton wrote the music, Ayrton the lyrics – which was given out at performances. – Mr Bongo

Alice Clark's highly sought-after Soul Jazz classic produced by Mainstream Records' Bob Shad in 1972. Featuring such classics as "Don't You Care" and "Never Did I Stop Loving You" and remastered from the original tapes, this release is the first official reissue of Alice Clark’s original album for decades, a long-overdue release of one of the best Soul albums ever recorded. – Bandcamp

Harleighblu X Starkiller is a formidable link-up between British soul/electronic singer Harleighblu and LA duo Starkiller (the production outfit of C.E. Garcia & Alfredo E. Fratti, members of Adrian Younge’s Venice Dawn). A science fiction film in sonic form, the ‘Amorine’ LP tells a tragic future love story in which high drama collides with a cool, clean, sci-fi atmosphere via hip hop sensibilities that draw on musical references from psychedelic funk to DJ Shadow to Portishead. – On Bandcamp

The Houston heroes have spent a decade quietly crate-digging and pushing the boundaries. Now, with album three, they've broken through.

No wonder Khruangbin, who make psychedelic music that travels between eras and continents, have become low-key stars in the past decade. Guitarist Mark Spreer and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson played in a gospel band together at St. John’s United Methodist Church in downtown Houston – the same church that Beyoncé, Solange and the rest of the Knowles family frequent.

‘Mordechai’ is Khruangbin at their most grounded and energetic, the tempo slightly raised with vocals infiltrating nearly every track — all three members sing throughout. The band artfully showcase their musical knowledge to create a project which marks a clear distinction for the largely instrumental band. With ‘Mordechai’, Khruangbin have at once expanded their horizons while rooting their latest project in a sound they’ve made their own. - NME

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

For The Time Being is Hanging Up The Moon’s fifth release and first EP. The four tracks within were written shortly after their return from a trip which saw them performing in Japan and Taiwan.

Inspired by that experience as well as the warm friendships struck up along the way, the songs are uncharacteristically upbeat in their instrumentation. The lyrics however retain the wistfulness so signature of Hanging Up The Moon, touching on loss and resignation — a musical counterpart of the fleeting smile elicited by forgotten old photographs of treasured times.

For The Time Being is released by Big Romantic Records and features Skip Skip Ben Ben’s Lin Yiloh 林以樂, a friend made on the trip and a fellow musician under the label. - Bandcamp

Manço, Bağcan and Koray have all influenced Altin Gün, but their foremost inspiration is Neşet Ertaş, a Turkish folk musician whose musical legacy is invaluable. Comparisons are almost impossible to make but imagine someone with the same impact and status as Bob Dylan or George Gerschwin and you’re getting close. Many of the songs he wrote have become standards in Turkey, national treasures which are cherished up until the present day. Altin Gün retain the lyrical and thematic structure of Ertaş’s songs, though they often alter their time signatures and add fuzzy bass sounds, sweltering organ sounds and raw saz riffs. Ertaş wrote the majority of the songs on the album even if these are hardly recognisable after all the work Altin Gün have done on them.

The songs have universal themes such as love, death, desire and destiny. It is touching music that makes you want to move and massages your soul all at once. Music that sounds familiar but different. Music that’s deeply emotional even for someone who doesn’t speak a word of Turkish.

Let Altin Gün open that door for you and get ready to indulge in their fresh and beautiful sound. - Bandcamp

From local imprint Darker Than Wax, reaching out worldwide!

Nomad’s Land is essentially an honest reflection of the artist’s life experiences - inspired by people, relationships, psychedelic experiences, and human existence. The album also represents Dominic’s first outing as a vocalist, bouncing between soulful singing, spoken word, and freestyle rap. This vocal element is crucial to the album’s impact, adding a layer of heart and truth to these deeply personal compositions.

Deep diversity can be found throughout the record, from the sino-grime inflected Time Unremembered, to the lush piano-trio vibes on Feeling, to the glitchy breakbeat jazz hybridity of DMT. Yet despite these seemingly disparate shades, Nomad’s Land is a singular statement and front-to-back listening experience, unified by beautiful production and grounded in raw musicality.

With early support from Alex Barck (Jazzanova), Soul Clap, Simbad, Ennio Styles, and Jad & The (Beats of No Nation) 

On this day in 1959, Ray Charles recorded "What'd I Say." Improvised at the end of a concert (it would end up closing most of Charles' shows for the remainder of his career), the song became the performer's mainstream breakthrough and first gold record. The album of the same name features nine more stirring selections including “Jumpin' In The Morning,” “Tell Me How Do You Feel” and “Rockhouse, Parts 1 & 2.” With redoubtable saxophonist David Newman among the backing band, Brother Ray is at the top of his game and clearly reveling in it – WHAT'D I SAY truly is the birth of soul. - Rhino Records

DJ, record label impresario and former Swedish champion b-boy, Mad Mats knows a thing or two about finding good music. As well as iconic underground imprints Raw Fusion and GAMM, Mad Mats is a partner in the highly regarded Local Talk label, making it highly probable that most of the world’s influential DJs have at least one of his discoveries in their record bags.

For his first compilation on BBE, Mats has put together a diverse selection of cuts; from reggae, hip hop and soul to boogie, electronica and house, reflecting his open-minded approach to DJing. “The compilation is very mixed, just like how I like to DJ...all freestyle. Yes, I play a lot of house clubs nowadays because of Local Talk, but at heart I've always been a so called "eclectic" selector. Most of these tracks are tunes I’ve played all over the years, sprinkled with some brand new discoveries.”

Coming from a strictly vinyl background, when Mats embraced Serato around 2005, he carried his crate digger’s mentality with him. Believing firmly that digging should always about the discovery of great music regardless of the format, the concept of ‘Digging Beyond The Crates’ was born.

Ranging far and wide in terms of genre and tempo, the album is tied together by one common factor; this is feel-good music made for dancing. “I'm just as hungry (probably even more so) to find my personal gems as I was back in the day, I just look for them with more variation. This album is dedicated to those select few individuals, just like myself: highly driven music lovers, collectors and DJs that truly are DIGGING BEYOND THE CRATES!” – BBE on Bandcamp

For years, the music of UK vocalist Olivier Daysoul has been burning bright. A deep-voiced songwriter with a penchant for collaboration, the man has worked alongside Onra, Bibio and Hudson Mohawke in the studio and logged many a mile on the road with Oddisee‘s live backing band. If R&B were a kitchen, Olivier could rightly say that he’s worked every single station, from savory to sweet. But now, a change is happening. For his new Black Music project, the “Daysoul” moniker is being shed; Olivier is taking up his proper surname – St. Louis – as his new artistic identity, and from the sound of things the effect has been one of revitalization.

It only takes a few seconds for opener “Ain’t Cool” to find its stride, coasting Curtis Mayfield-like on the breeze. Things time travel to the late 90s on “Dog In Man,” which features a Dilla-level drum chop and more syrupy vocals. “Ship is Going Down” is an all-sneering strut, while EP closer “The Proud” gradually unfolds as a patient, tender ballad. With just one short and sweet record, the new Olivier St. Louis has already proven that there’s no groove he can’t bend to his melodic will. - Okayplayer

Man of the Woods is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake. It was released on February 2, 2018. The production of the album was handled by Timberlake, The Neptunes, Timbaland, Danja, J-Roc, Eric Hudson, and Rob Knox. The album sees Timberlake experimenting with elements of R&B, funk, pop, soul, and Americana. The album is named after his son Silas, whose name means "Man of the forest". The album's first single "Filthy" was released on January 5, 2018, followed by "Supplies" and "Say Something" on January 19 and 26, respectively. The album track "Man of the Woods" was also accompanied by a music video.

The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200, while "Filthy" and "Say Something" reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. To promote the album, Timberlake embarked on his sixth concert tour, The Man of the Woods Tour in March 2018. The single "Say Something" received a nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. – Wiki

Quality soul record from the one and only Esther Phillips :) 

Esther Phillips never had the most aesthetically pleasing or ear-ravishing of voices - her sound, unique as it was, was unorthodox to say the least: raspy, tart, adenoidal and, perhaps worst of all, it possessed a quivering vibrato that on occasion resembled a bleating lamb on the way to the slaughter house. And yet for all those apparent deficiencies, there remained something ineffably beautiful about Phillips' delivery - but that beauty, as with Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, came from the emotion she injected into her performances and which shaped her phrasing and dictated her timing.

In 1972, Phillips went into the studio with Taylor at the helm and cut 'Alone Again, Naturally,' an album that also picked up a Grammy nomination and which is considered by many critics and fans as the chanteuse's best long player. Given its elevated status in the Phillips' canon, it's tantamount to a crime that the album was only briefly available on CD via the now defunct Reel Music label in 2008. But thanks to Soul Music Records in alliance with Real Gone - who've brought out some great vintage soul reissues recently - the waiting is over and 'Alone Again, Naturally' with its lucid, remastered sound is back in the racks.

Gabriel Garzón-Montano became famous when Drake sampled his voice for “Jungle,” but his debut album stands on its own, heavy on pearly funk and pop, live instrumentation and harmony.

Montano's album marks him as part of a current of rising singers pointedly and successfully ignoring the latest wave of hip-hop/R&B hodgepodge. This varied group includes Guordan Banks, who landed a No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B chart in 2016; Yuna, whose album Chapters spawned a pair of radio hits; and KING, who recently earned a Grammy nomination for last year’s We Are KING. Montano has been tactful about his tenuous connection with Drake in interviews, but Jardín represents a soft rebuke to the star—as well as a rich, buffed debut from an adept young artist. - Pitchfork

Great little oddity of a reissue here by Mad About Records! Mike Selesia - Flavour is a literal trip to listen to. Recorded in one day, apparently while under the influence. Holding down solid soul jazz grooves and venturing into far out explorations, it’s a hybrid of early 60s Coltrane, early 70s Miles Davis and Ravi Shankar here. Check it out!  

 Super-funky business from Nigerian-born multi-instrumentalist, Peter King; fuses funk, jazz and highlife vibrations. ‘Omo Lewa’ follows his ‘Miliki Sound’ album, also available on Mr Bongo. Recorded in London, originally released in 1976 by Orbitone, this is one of his finest records. 

Released November 8, 2019 Licensed from Clinton Roberts.

Official Mr Bongo reissue. – Mr Bongo