Crucial Material – Best Releases Of The Week (April 29th, 2019)

Sending All Our Love Out.

Quality and care, that’s our commitment and this week is no different. Stunning new music spanning MPB, Psych, Spiritual Jazz, Afrobeat, Machine Soul, Boogie, Balearic and Downtempo grooves.

As always, if you like something you hear, buy it. Your purchase supports the artists and labels whose work you enjoy.

Abdullah Sami “Peace of Time”

Genre: Spiritual Jazz
Label: Spiritmuse Records
Buy: Vinyl / Digital
Stream: Spotify

The new London-based jazz label Spiritmuse Records has reissued the highly obscure 1978 spiritual avant recording ‘Peace of Time’ by alto saxophonist and percussionist Abdullah ‘Mudon’ Sami. Originally recorded in August of 1977 and released the following year as a limited 300 quantity run on Sami’s own label, this album is one of the true “holy grails” to come out of New York’s underground jazz scene during the seventies.
-Selected by TJ Gorton

Ezra Collective “You Can’t Steal My Joy”

Genre: Jazz / Afrobeat
Label: Enter The Jungle
Buy: Vinyl / Digital
Stream: Spotify

One of the leading groups on the London jazz scene returns with their debut full-length album, following two highly-acclaimed EP releases. The new record, featuring drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, electric bassist TJ Koleoso, tenor saxophonist James Mollison, trumpeter Dylan Jones, and keyboard wizard Joe Armon-Jones, continues to expand on the group’s sound, fusing together soulful jazz melodies, funky Afrobeat rhythms, hip-hop beats, and dub grooves.
-Selected by TJ Gorton

The Pendletons “You Do You / Life To Me” 7’

Genre: Modern Funk/Boogie/Soul
Label: Bastard Jazz
Buy: Vinyl / Digital
Stream: Spotify

The Pendletons take a bold step with their first full forthcoming length album, 2 Steps Away, releasing this spring on the Bastard Jazz imprint. Recorded in San Francisco with a rock-solid band consisting of some of the best musicians in the Bay Area, including guitarist Carl Locket (Shalamar, Rick James) and Star Creature recording artist Elive, the duo taps into a classic soul/boogie sound that rides a wave of ‘70s and early ‘80s funk with ease but somehow remains true to the excitement of those classic recordings without being overly nostalgic
– Selected by Walla P

Nimbus “Children Of The Earth”

Genres: Jazz / Soul / Funk
Label: Providenciales
Buy: Vinyl / Digital
Stream: Spotify

Providenciales Records launches with reissue of an AOR Holy Grail from 1980. ‘Children Of The Earth’ was recorded and self-released by Nimbus, a 4-piece band from Detroit. At the time of it’s release the band pressed 1,000 copies for local distribution only. This would limit the band’s reach, until, of course, now. The 2019 update has been fully re-mastered, but is also limited to only 500 copies, and the digital release includes an unreleased bonus track. Tip – ‘What You Mean To Me’ is an absolute gem.
– Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Altin Gun “Gece”

Genres: Psyche / World / Folk
Label: Glitterbeat
Buy: Vinyl / CD
Stream: Spotify

Turkish Psych-Folk band Altin Gun follow up their stunning 2018 LP with ‘Gece’. Like its predecessor, the motif on ‘Gece’ is cultivated across 10 tracks, and that motif, as the title suggests, is night fall. The album’s recordings are heady, potent, energetic, and showcase electronic sounds and distortion in heavy doses. It’s not all guts and glory though. Gentler, softer moments can be heard near the LP’s mid-section, which acts as a gateway of sorts into a full-on Turkish-Psych-meets-Italo-Disco-excursion to close out the album.
– Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Blair French “Patio Pastels”

Genres: Downtempo / Balearic
Label: Nu Northern Soul
Buy: Vinyl / Digital

Is it Summer yet? That’s the question ‘Patio Pastels’ both asks and answers. Detroit is probably the last place in the U.S. one would think of when considering the musical style that is Balearic, but it is poignantly clear that Blair French is on a mission to change that. On ‘Patio Pastels’ Mr. French delivers sun-drenched tune after sun-drenched tune, and considering the EP is a 6-tracker with 4 tracks clocking in at an average of 5 minutes and a lead-off track that clocks in at slightly over 8, it’s really a mini-LP. Oh, and the answer this smooth-playing mini-LP gives to its own rhetorical question – Yes.
– Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Emerson “If You Need Me Call Me”

Genres: Machine Soul / Funk / Boogie
Label: Kalita
Buy: Vinyl

Kalita came through big for Record Store Day with release of ‘If You Need Me Call Me’. Emerson & Leora Sandidge’s unreleased recordings from 1988 can now get the attention they rightfully deserve. Alongside are two previously released tracks which didn’t get wide release originally. In fact, ‘Sending All My Love Out’ and ‘Why Are You So Cold’, the two which did get pressed privately in ‘88, were seemingly meant to be used as a promotional disc leading up to the eventual release of the full LP, as can be seen on the 7-inch label info. Again, kudos to Chris Webb and the Kalita crew for putting in work to finally deliver this to the world – UPS!
– Selected by Jake Stellarwell

V/A “Summer Sessions”

Genres: Ambient / Downtempo / Balearic
Label: Music For Dreams
Buy: Vinyl / Digital

Kenneth Bager’s Music For Dreams imprint releases what it calls “A collector’s edition for the Balearic/Downtempo/Sunset DJ”. ‘Summer Sessions’ comprises six horizontal recordings from 6 different artists, most of which have yet to be pressed to wax and others previously unreleased. Dropped specifically for Record Store Day, the release is limited, but the brilliance heard in its grooves are not. Somewhere between where the sun meets the sea and the sea meets the shore is where this compilation lives. Serene, sensitive, shiny, sweeping.
– Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Wilfred Percussion “S/T”

Genres: Bossa Nova / World / Jazz
Label: Libreville Records
Buy: Vinyl

Turkish by birth, Roman by location, Brazilian by style – this is Wilfred Percussion. Recorded and self-released by Wilfred Copelo in 1983, the untitled album never reached a wide audience, and as I write this only 15 Discoggers own the original recording. Liberville Records rights this wrong with a fully re-mastered reissue of 600 copies. The LP contains original compositions and covers of Brazilian Jazz and MPB. A Caipirinha pressed to vinyl, the album is sublimely delicious and subtly intoxicating.
– Selected by Jake Stellarwell

Schemes “Schemes EP”

Genre: Soul / Jazz / Hip-Hop
Buy: Digital
Stream: Spotify / Apple Music

A fluid mix of Soul, hip-hop and R-n-B rooted in jazz is what ephemeral band Schemes brings to the table with their one time self-titled release. The band is made up of session musicians and arrangers who took their pop hit royalty cash to finance a free spirited musical endeavour. The result is a silky ride through some fertile creative minds that have made a truly solid album appear out of thin air.
– Selected by Asma