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Various Artists: Nueva Vision [Sonar Kollektiv]
Compiled by Jazzanova and Erik Ott ‘Nueva Vision’ shines the spotlight on Cuba’s EGREM/Areito label between 1971 and 1989. Across 17 tracks it covers a variety of styles including jazz dance delights such as Chucho Valdes’ ‘Triton’ and ‘La Sombra’, the latter of which has an air of Bossa Tres’ ‘Imprevisto’ about it, mellow jazz-fusion with Emiliano Salvador’s ‘Angelica’ and Orchestra LA 440’s ‘Y No Me Ire’ and full on Jazz-funk in the shape of Ricardo Eddy Martinez y Expreso Ritmico’s ‘Mi Conga es laque es’. Psychedelic folk-funk is represented by Grupo Tema IV who serve up ‘Tema 4’ and ‘Yayabo’ and there’s also the superb 2-step soul cut ‘De tu amorme enamore’ from Yo, tu, el y ella. Also available is a 6 track 12" for the vinyl junkies.
Life Force: Fearless Warriors [Sonorama Records]
Originally released in very small quantities on the private Numu Numu label in 1981 ‘Fearless Warriors’ was the debut recording by Life Force, an Atlanta based group founded by Joe Jennings and Howard Nicholson. Thanks to Sonorama this spiritual jazz-fusion rarity now gets a welcome reissue. The set sits somewhere between Pharoah Sanders and Jeff Lorber’s early material and features the solid mid-tempo grooves ‘Wow’, ‘Sister Bea’ and the brilliant title track plus the bright and breezy ‘To Pharaoh With Love’, an awesome jazz dancer which should find favour at nights such as Messin’ Around and The Jazz Rooms.
Jill Scott: The Real Thing: Words And Sounds Vol. 3 [Hidden Beach Recordings]
There’s no denying that Jill Scott is one of the most significant artists to have emerged in the past decade but since her classic debut ‘Who Is Jill Scott?’ she has never quite captured the same sense of magic. That’s not to say her subsequent releases haven’t featured some great moments, they have and ‘The Real Thing’ is no different. ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Only You’ are strong cuts on a funky mid-tempo tip but my personal favourites here are the rich down-tempo arrangements of ‘Insomnia’ and ‘My Love’. Well worth investigating for these tracks alone.
Jose James: The Dreamer [Brownswood Recordings]
Fresh for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label is the stunning debut long player from Jose James. Jose possesses a distinctive smoky quality to his voice which sits perfectly on this 10 track selection of largely down-tempo jazz works. ‘The Dreamer’ which initially appeared on ‘Brownswood Bubblers Vol. 1’ is present and correct along with the original mix of ‘Blackeyed Susan’. Other highlights include ‘Love’, a slightly funkier outing with a live, almost drum ‘n’ bass rhythm and an inspired version of ‘Nola’ originally performed by Bill Lee and Ronnie Dyson on the Spike Lee movie soundtrack ‘She’s Gotta Have It’. Touch down anywhere on this album though and you won’t be disappointed. If I had to make one slight criticism it would be that ‘Equinox’ and ‘Resolution’ from the limited edition 10" haven’t made it on to the set.
The Nostalgia 77 Octet: Weapons Of Jazz Destruction [Tru Thoughts Recordings]
Benedic Lamdin keeps the pressure on with yet another exquisite release under the guise of The Nostalgia 77 Octet. Again this is deep jazz of the highest order and features outstanding moments such as the funked up ‘Journey Home’, ‘Chola’, a stunning waltz and the modal ‘Stars’ fronted by vocalist Sophie Smith. Sophie also graces ‘One Step Out’ and ‘To Have Or To Be?’, two spiritual outings. Not to be overlooked though are the gentle meanderings of ‘Medusa’ and ‘When Love Is Strange’.
Robert Strauss: Mr. Feelings [BBE Records]
Robert Strauss follows up his debut album ‘Quasars & Phasars’ (Freerange) with an even stronger set. Whilst contemporary, ‘Mr. Feelings’ is heavily influenced by the feel-good grooves of 80s soul. With boogie bombs like ‘Music Is My Life’ fronted by Richie Henessey, ‘Miami Jammin’ and ‘Hot Like An Oven’ featuring the legendary Leroy Burgess. This should be huge.
Doug Hammond: A Real Deal [Heavenly Sweetness]
Renowned jazz artist Doug Hammond makes a welcome return with his first studio album in 20 years. With Doug on drums, sanza and vocals accompanied occasionally by Kirk Lightsey on piano this is an extremely sparse set but one that retains the magical quality of his 70s recordings for Tribe. ‘A Real Deal’ is consistent throughout but the tracks particularly worth mentioning are ‘Dope Of Power Suite (Four Tet Club Mix)’, ‘Rizz Biz’, ‘Moves’ and the stunningly beautiful ‘A Tear’.
N-Side: Jazz Opera [Shalamar Records]
It’s been two years since jazz poet Norman A. Woods, AKA N-Side first came to my attention via ‘Three Voices From The N-Side’. That particular set brought together tracks from three separate but at that time unreleased albums, one of which was ‘Jazz Opera’ so it’s great to see the full set finally see the light of day. ‘Jazz Opera’ is N-Side’s tribute to drummer William Richard “Smiley” Winters who worked with some of jazz music’s all time greats including Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Lester Young and John Coltrane. It features original music conducted by Winters himself and performed and recorded in 1973 by Les Oublies De Jazz Ensemble with Ed Kelly (Theresa Records) on piano. The music is interspersed with commentary by Winters taken from a previously unreleased interview. Together these elements form the basis for N-Side to deliver his unique and thought provoking poetry to great effect. ‘Vanguard Five’, ‘The Art Of Traveling Black’, ‘Voices’ and the title track are all essential listening but each track is a masterpiece in it’s own right. Although this CD is not yet widely available, do yourself a favour and track it down. (Try cdbaby).
N-Side: Just A Broke Brotha’ Tryin’ To Come Up [Shamamar Records]
The second release this month from N-Side and one which sees him take a slightly different path. Of course his distinctive poetry delivery is present and correct but the musical accompaniment, largely provided by Ricardo Love journey’s into soul/hip-hop territory. ‘What Comes From The Mouth Of A Fool, ‘Hero, I Know’, ‘Discovery (A Gift Within A Verse)’ and ‘Hidden Scars And Movie Stars’ work particularly well and deserve to receive serious attention from the organic soul fraternity.
Olivier Peters Quartet feat. Joan Johnson: Wings Of Spring [Celeste]
Recorded in 1980 but not released until 2001, Olivier Peter’s ‘Wings Of Spring’ now gets a welcome repress. Olivier’s sax takes the lead on this consistent set with the title track being one of the standouts. It’s the tracks featuring the captivating vocals of Joan Johnson which really shine though such as the Latin tinged ‘Full Moon’ and the supreme jazz dancer ‘Kekay’ on which Johnson lets rip in scat mode.
Bobby Matos: The Best Of [Ubiquity Records]
This retrospective of Bobby Matos’ recordings for the Ubiquity/Luv N Haight subsidiary Cubop is a must for any fan of Latin jazz. Much of the material here is aimed directly at the dance floor and whilst you can’t help being drawn in by the intoxicating rhythms it’s the gentler moments which appeal to me the most. His versions of John Coltrane’s ‘Naima’ and Pharoah Sanders’ ‘The Creator Has A Master Plan’ are both outstanding as is his take on Miles’ ‘So What’. If you’ve overlooked Bobby Matos in the past and feel the urge to acquaint yourself with his music, then this album is a great place to start.
The Dragons: BFI [Ninja Tune]
Although recorded in the late 60s this is the first ever release of this album. It came about following DJ Food’s discovery of The Dragons’ ‘Food For My Soul’ on an old surfing movie soundtrack. He eventually tracked down the band to find they had recorded a full album of material which until now had never been issued. ‘BFI’ is very much based in psychedelic rock but with heavy doses of funk and jazz thrown in for good measure. ‘Food For My Soul’ is definitely the strongest cut on show but not to be overlooked are ‘Are You There?’, ‘Sunset Scenery’ and ‘Your Way Too’.
Clara Hill’s Folkwaves: Sideways [Sonar Kollektiv]
The third album from Clara Hill, as the title suggests, is a folk orientated affair which although is a pleasant, overall lacks the impact of her previous outings. That’s not to say there aren’t any great tracks here, there are, particularly the duet with Thief, ‘About You’, the Minnie Riperton influenced ‘Wonderful World’ and the Marc Mac produced ‘Everything’. It just would have been nice to have a few more tracks of this standard included.
Various Artists: Secret Love 4 [Sonar Kollektiv]
The fourth volume in the ‘Secret Love’ series and yet another quality selection of modern tripped-out folk delights. Midlake’s ‘Roscoe (Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve Mix)’, ‘Duet’ by Breaks Co-Op, Roe Beck’s ‘Atlantic’ and ‘The Loved’ from Paul Weller are tracks I was previously unfamiliar with but all instantly hit the spot. Also included is Clara Hill’s ‘About You’ from her new ‘Folkwaves’ album, ‘Down Down’ by Thief, Nostalgia 77’s Little Steps and ‘Twice’ by Yukimi Nagano’s new project Little Dragon.
Quasimode: The Land Of Freedom [Geneon Music]
Japanese jazz quartet Quasimode follow up their debut ‘Oneself-Likeness’ with another first rate set packed with firing jazz dance material. ‘The Man From Nagpur’, ‘For Self Defense’, ‘Percussion Revolver’ and ‘Dark Beauty’ featuring Mika Arisaka all hit the spot but what makes this album so special is a guest appearance from my favourite female jazz vocalist bar none, Carmen Lundy. She graces the spoken word intro ‘Over The Horrizon’, the immaculate ‘Object In The Mirror’ and a new version of her classic ‘Time Is Love’. Need I say more!