Yearly Archives: 2006

Alex Cowen aka TM Juke returns with his second installment on Tru Thoughts. I’m pleased to say he has produced another corking track with Alice Russell -“So Good”. Other guests include Elmore Judd on the ace “Electric Chair”, Kinny on the quirky “Damn” and Sophie Faricy on the excellent single “Come Away”- you may have heard Sophie recently on the road with Bonobo. Instrumentals are covered and make sure you check out “Pencils for Dolphins”. Alex has done himself proud.

Simon Harrison

Red Astaire was the alias that kicked off the surge of re-edits and of course Gamm records. Some three years later the Red Astaire album is here. There is something commercial about “Soul Search” and given the right airplay, I’m certain it could go mainstream. Maybe Tru Thoughts is the label to give it the big promotional push. With good lyrics and beats with splatterings of soul, reggae and hip-hop, this could turn Cruger into a sought-after producer. Only time will tell.

Simon Harrison

It’s with great anticipation that Vikter Duplaix returns. I’ve been a huge fan since Critical Point’s “Messages” and I had high hopes. One thing for sure, Duplaix has a wonderful voice, but “Bold & Beautiful” took me a little by surprise. I was expecting a mix up of styles, when in reality this is a more soulful, downbeat affair, except for “A Life Worth Living” and “I See The Sun”, with the latter finally seeing its official release. It’s two years since the bootleg surfaced, yet it still sounds good as ever. With expectations so high, I was expecting to be blown away, yet it’s a great album that will grow on you over time.

Simon Harrison

On their debut album Owusu & Hannibal serve up a platter of twisted down-tempo electro-soul. ‘Delirium’ and ‘What It’s About’ from the 12" are present but my advise is to check ‘Lonnie’s Secret’ which really draws you in after a couple of plays, the blissful ‘Elephants’ and the super slinky 80s influenced 2 stepper ‘Le Fox’.

Andy Allen

After impressing with their version of Tubby Hayes’ ‘Down In The Village’ for Raw Fusion, the Japanese jazz quartet now deliver their debut long player. The said cut is here along with the title track which also featured on that 12" plus ‘Ipe Amarelo’ and ‘1000 Days Of Spirit’ from their new single also out on Raw Fusion. Other tracks of note are the percussive ‘Skeleton Coast’, ‘Lucky Luciano’ which has a lovely Latin swing and the monster dancer ‘Giant Black Shadow’. The album is produced by Masato Komatsu aka Slowly, who has just released a version of Lesette Wilson’s ‘Caveman Boogie’ featuring Quasimode, which is also worthy of your attention.

Andy Allen

More quality Japanese jazz gear, this time from Indigo Jam Unit, who are essentially a trio with Yoshichika Tarue on piano, BJ (Katsuhiko Sasai) on bass and Isao Wasano and Kenichi Tateiwa alternating on drums. These guys can really swing which is evidenced on the sizzling ‘Palette’, the hypnotic ‘7th Feeling’ and the Latin tinged ‘Teardrop’. They are equally at home though on the slower material, ‘Snow’, a stunningly beautiful piece, being a good example. The standard of musicianship on show here is exceptional but you’ll have to be quick, as this is a seriously limited release.

Andy Allen

Produced by Ed Motta, Jazzinho’s sophomore set is another solid selection of Brazilian rhythms, incorporating elements of soul, funk and jazz along the way. Ed’s influence is apparent throughout and best savoured on the joyful opener, ‘The Lagoon Monster’, ‘Humano, Desumano’, ‘Maria Mulata’ and the awesome bass heavy groove of ‘Da Tempo ao Tempo’, which is also appears with a Nicola Conte rework.

Andy Allen

Gilles delves into the Impulse archives and surfaces with a fine and varied selection. On the spiritual tip there’s Pharoah Sanders’ ‘Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah’ with vocalist Leon Thomas, Michael White’s ‘The Blessing Song’ from his 1972 ‘Pnuema’ album, the Abbey Lincoln fronted ‘Lonesome Lover’ by Max Roach and the inspirational ‘Wise One’ from John Coltrane. Art Blakey represents with the firing ‘Alamode’ and the quality continues with the likes of Oliver Nelson’s ‘Patterns’, ‘Three Flowers’, a gorgeous waltz by McCoy Tyner, Milt Jackson & Ray Brown’s dreamy ‘Enchanted Lady’ and the gentle bossa of ‘See You Later’ from Dave Mackay & Vicky Hamilton. And to top it all off, Yusef Lateef’s take of ‘First Gymnopedie’, one of the most beautiful pieces to have ever graced these ears.

Andy Allen

Following last months’ 10" release Kindred Spirits deliver the full album in celebration of what would have been John Coltrane’s 80th birthday (23rd September 2006). The tracks from the 10", ‘A Love Supreme’ by Dwight Trible and ‘John Coltrane’ from Our Cry For Peace featuring Dwight are included along with Clifford Jordan’s original of the latter and Rufus Harley’s outstanding take on the former. Pharoah Sanders’ ‘Prince Of Peace’ takes its rightful place as do the two versions of ‘Naima’ from 4Hero and Mark De Clive-Lowe featuring the voice of Bembe Segue. There’s also Karin Krog & Nils Lindberg’s haunting ‘John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme’, Billy Gaunt’s ‘Mode For Trane’, the incredible spoken word outing, ‘Liberation Of The Spirit’ from Kamau Daaood and the epic ‘Duke And Trane’ by Heikki Samarto Ensemble, Gregg Smith Vocal Quartet & Long Island Symphonic Choral Association. This is a truly stunning collection and a fitting tribute to jazz’s number one son. My only criticism would be the lack of information in the sleeve notes about some of the more obscure tracks.

Andy Allen

When writing reviews sometimes I will listen to an album two or three times to try and find the words to describe my thoughts and come up with new ideas of how to say an album is worth buying. I’ve had “Positivity” for a few weeks now and even though I love this to bits, I’ve really struggled putting pen to paper. Positive Flow is the brain child of Jesse Reuben Wilson and features lovely vocals from Donna Gardier and Zena Edwards. Soul shines through at the heart of all the productions whether the beats are broken, 4/4 or the more traditional smooth sound. A 12″ sampler was released with four corkers and don’t be thinking they were the best tracks because there’s another seven to blow you away.

Simon Harrison

After two ace singles the Deeper Wider Higher collective deliver their debut album and what a treat. With a whopping 17 tracks in total which includes a few remixes thrown in for good measure, this keeps up the quality we’ve come to expect from Counterpoint records. “Follow Me” mixes soul and jazz with beautiful vocals from Genifa Edwards, a name I’ve not heard of before but I’ll certainly keep my eyes pealed for future projects. This is a must for fans of Fertile Ground and The Rebirth and given time will easily generate as much hype and respect. I hope these guys get on the road soon and show us what they are made of.

Simon Harrison

A few years ago Will Holland went in search of Spanky Wilson to feature on his 2001 album “Mishaps Happening”, and of course the anthem “Don’t joke with a hungry man” bowled everyone over. I would have loved to have seen his face when she agreed to record an album with him: he must have been smiling for weeks. The Quantic Soul Orchestra side of Will’s productions is funk at its best and with Spanky on vocals it was never ever going to fail. The tracks are not obvious and do take a little getting used to but to me it’s another classic Quantic collaboration.

Simon Harrison

If I was a betting man I would have put money on Natalie’s single with TY “That’s the way I like it” being a massive hit and maybe even hitting the charts. In reality I’ve seen it playlisted on a few radio shows but I think that’s it. It may have appeared on MTV but I think this proves that nothing is certain and that real talent more often than not gets missed nowadays. Natalie has featured on a number of projects recently, including the Heritage Orchestra album and many live shows in and around London. “Secret Garden” may not grab you at first but tracks like “Butterfly”, “Secret Garden” and “That’s the way I like it” will stick in your head for days, due to the catchy chorus and lyrics. I found it rather funny that Tony Blackburn was mentioned in the press sheet for playing Natalie’s tracks but if her music gets played on radio, it can only do good.

Simon Harrison

Aim aka Andy Turner is one producer whose productions I’ve always looked forward to hearing. Ever since his first 12″s on Grand Central, he’s always been a name to watch out for. My interest is because I was brought up in a town not far from where Andy was brought up and still resides. I do remember seeing him at clubs around the area, back in the day. Whenever I have read reviews of his work, funnily Barrow-In-Furness always seems to get a mention and he way well be the only producer in the area making music. “Flight 602” is his third album and proves yet again he is a quality beats producer and serves up plenty of funkiness for prevailing dancefloors, especially with “Birchwood”, “Smile” both of which should find a home with Quantic fans. Niko, Turner’s wife features on vocals and gives the album a little more depth and variety. This is a great way to kick off Atic Records.

Simon Harrison

Malena Perez comes with a strong album of deep Latin house, which will appeal to lovers of Osunlade, who incidentally handles some of the production along with Alix Alvarez and Carlos Nino (Build An Ark). It features the singles ‘Free To Fly’, ‘Chase The Butterflies’ with both the original and Kenny Dope remix present here and ‘Praise The Day’. The down-tempo groove of ‘Surrender’ and the breezy ‘Tomorrow’ are also deserving of your attention but the real standouts are ‘Confession’, an infectious flute and organ laced piece and the 4 Hero influenced ‘What Do I Do’.

Andy Allen