The Story behind Tom Browne’s “Funkin For Jamaica (N.Y.)” (1980)
One of Queen’s finest, jazz trumpeter, Tom Browne, recorded what would become a Billboard #1 R&B chart topper back in 1980 – a funky, soulful laden track titled “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)” This is a nice little feature giving us some insight into the studio when Browne and his band …
Gilles Peterson pays tribute to crucial German Jazz label MPS
via MPS: Gilles Peterson has a special love affair with MPS. To be exact, it goes back more than three decades to the London of the 1980’s when Gilles stood at the beginning of an exceptional career as DJ, Radio personality, and producer. At that time he was already interested …
Forgotten Treasure : Kenny Barron “Sunset to Dawn” (1973, Muse Records)
Kenny Barron is a jazz pianist whose inspired and elegant playing is only surpassed by his output. Still active today, he has released close to 50 albums and has recorded with Sonny Fortune, Ron Carter, John Stubblefield, Bobby Hutcherson, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Hanes, Yusef Lateef and …
Future Classic: Carlos Niño & Friends “Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening!”
via Leaving Records: Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening! is the fourth in an ongoing series of highly collaborative records by Carlos Niño & Friends, and features Madlib, Kamasi Washington, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Iasos, Luis Pérez Ixoneztli, Dexter Story, and more! Los Angeles’ Carlos Niño is the exalted producer, composer, percussionist, DJ, …
Forgotten Treasure: Ryo Kawasaki “Selected Works 1979 to 1983”
via NuNorthern Soul: The five pieces of music you will hear on this selected works EP have been carefully chosen by NuNorthern Soul’s Phat Phil Cooper, culled from the long and highly varied recorded career of Ryo Kawasaki. His boundary pushing catalogue of music, the exemplary musicians he has recorded …
Forgotten Treasure: Herbie Hancock “Nobu” (1974)
As you put the needle on this record, you realize after a few seconds that it really wouldn’t take very much to transform this gem into a Techno track perhaps hidden deep in the Underground Resistance back catalogue. Add a heavier kick drum and bassline and voilà! All the techno legends …
Exclusive Premiere: MISC “Misc”
Spring is near and the MISC jazz group (formerly known as the Jerome Beaulieu Trio, winners of the 2013-2014 Radio-Canada Jazz Newcomers) will release their eponymous record on March 18th on the Bonsound Label. Pianist Jérôme Beaulieu, drummer William Côté and bass player Philippe Leduc have come together perfectly on their third full length …
Future Classic: Gogo Penguin “Man Made Object” (Blue Note Records)
via Blue Note: It’s been an astonishing couple of years for GoGo Penguin, the UK trio of drummer Rob Turner, double bassist Nick Blacka and pianist Chris Illingworth. Their trademark mash-up of minimalist piano themes, deeply propulsive bass lines and electronica-inspired drums has seen their 2014 album v2.0 shortlisted for …
1974 – Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters Live in Germany
Here an absolute treasure for you. One of the finest moments in Jazz/Funk/Fusion history with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters group in 1974 in Bremen, Germany for the “Musikladen” TV Special. Hancock’s HeadHunters albums ushered in a new era of jazz that appealed to a far wider audience – making jazz listeners …
Forgotten Treasure: Chris McGregor ”The African Sound” (1963)
via Jazzman: One of the most important African records of all time gets its first ever worldwide release on Jazzman! Chris McGregor’s Jazz – The African Sound is a lost global jazz classic, and a true holy grail for collectors of jazz and world-jazz. A cornerstone of South Africa’s illustrious …
Gone but not Forgotten: Paul Bley (1932-2016)
Another Jazz Giant has passed and this one truly hits close to home. Pianist Paul Bley founded the Jazz Workshop in Montreal, performing and recording with the likes of Charlie Parker and Lester Young. In 1953, he conducted for the Charles Mingus and His Orchestra album the same year Mingus …
Forgotten Treasure: Oliver Nelson “The Blues and the Abstract Truth” (1961)
Oliver Nelson is a legendary jazz arranger with a strong playing pedigree (he played tenox sax with Quincy Jones in the early 60s) that really came into his own on his timeless and most revered record ”The Blues and the Abstract Truth”. This is a very special record personally as …