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Killiam Shakespeare: A Town Called Elsewhere [Ropeadope]
There were a flurry of great lps dropping in 2015 so you’re forgiven if you missed the debut of Killiam Shakespeare. The Philadelphia based band is led by the duo of Keyboardist Corey Bernhard and drummer Steve McKie. Their debut unleashed a collection of spaced out funky compositions that defies genres and proved to be deeply satisfying. Their sophomore release “A Town Called Elsewhere” builds on that debut and demonstrates a maturity in their sound. There are hypnotic instrumentals to savor like “Barry’s Prophecy” and Salt & Pepper Wings”. There’s some vocal contributions that lift these compositions another notch as well. Chris Turner’s vocals are perfectly suited for the emotive “WDTKAL”. Amber Navran of Moonchild lends her sublime vocals to “The One”. The disc wraps up the funky string laden “Milk, Honey, Blood & Tears”. This is one of a handful of bands separating themselves from the pack. The textures and the melodies will linger with you long after the song is over. You need to get familiar with them
Lucky Brown & The SG’s: Mesquite Suite [Tramp]
Joel Ricci aka Lucky Brown returns with his third full length release for Tramp records. “Mesquite Suite” is filled with dusty instrumental analog tinged funk. The disc opens with “Lone Heart”, a slow burning funk tune in the tradition of the Menahan Street Band. “Justice” has an infectious organ grinding groove layered with sweet flute rhythms. “Glancing Meteors” is driven by funky drumming and tasty guitar licks topped off with swaying horns. A solid recording filled with inspiration from Mulatu Astatke and the aforementioned Menahan Street Band. Lucky Brown’s third lp may very well be his best.
Various Artists: From The Archives Vol. 2 compiled By Volcov [BBE]
Neroli label founder Enrico Crivellaro aka Volcov demonstrated a deft ear for hidden gems with his first Volume of archives. With “From The Archives Vol 2” he compiles another impressive array of compositions ranging from soul to house and jazz infused rhythms. In a crowded field of 70s and 80s compilations Volcov decided to focus on tunes released within the last fifteen years and the ones that made the cut are simply superb. That’s evident from the start with the sorely underrated Carleen Anderson’s “All That Glitters”. This simmering jazz tinged soul burner showcases one of the unique voices of the past twenty years. “On Space” from Ron Trent is a homage to french violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. This dreamy atmospheric gem has a touch of fusion and is heavy on groove. “The Blue Room” from Quentin Kane & Simon Sheldon is an infectious up-tempo nu soul track that gets an elevated remix from Kaidi Tathum. Other highlights include Volcov’s edit of “Lawra” by drummer Tony Williams and the soulful beauty “Let The Music Play” from Collective Peace. This disc flows with one supreme track after another. As far as compilations go, this is one of the best you’ll hear this year. Highly recommended.
Anthony Joseph: People Of The Sun [Heavenly Sweetness]
Poet/musician Anthony Joseph’s latest release is his first recording in his native island of Trinidad. For Joseph the time is right spiritually to reconnect with his homeland. He has also bought his band along for the trip from France, not an easy task but the results are well worth it. There’s much to savor here starting with the opening track. “Milligan” (The Ocean), a heartfelt tribute to his Father begins with burning grooves from bassist and composer Andrew John and vocals from Ella Andall’s Orisha. Joseph’s poetic words of wisdom dance along side the spirited percussion and horn rhythms. “Dig Out Your Eye” brims with seductive soprano sax rhythms from premiere reedist Jason Yarde, who also serves as producer. “People Of The Sun” is bursting with soca, steel pan, jazz and funk rhythms. One listen and you’ll be transported to the island of Trinidad soaking in the sun and absorbing this superb collection of music. Joseph is one of our great story tellers and this album is evidence of that.
Brandon Coleman: Resistance [Brainfeeder]
Brandon Coleman has been very busy this year. When he wasn’t in the studio working on his debut he was serving as the keyboardist for tenor titan Kamasi Washington. He’s featured using the vocoder on “Vi Lua Vi Sol” on Kamasi’s latest LP “Heaven And Earth”. With his debut “Resistance” he utilizes the vocoder over an collection of funk and boogie grooves while invoking some of his influences. The opening tune “Live For Today” is an infectious foot stomping boogie tune. “Sexy” is tasty funk that’s reminiscent of Roger Troutman (Zapp). “Sundae” is an obvious nod to Herbie Hancock’s fusion era that’s elevated by N’Dambi’s vocals. This is a promising debut from a rising talent from the progressive Brainfeeder label
Various Artists: Backstreet Brit Funk Vol.2 Compiled by Joey Negro [Z Records]
Leave it to premiere DJ Joey Negro to assemble another enormous selection of rare gems. Brit Funk Vol.2 has dusted off some hidden UK funk tracks from the late seventies and early eighties that will have you searching for your platform dancing shoes. There’s plenty to savor from this double lp that features several unreleased tracks. Among the highlights are Eastbound Expressway’s “Never Let Go”, a late seventies funk groove with a break beat that certainly jump started parties back in the day. “Ease Your Mind” by Touchdown has an infectious uptempo groove and swirling horn rhythm that has found it’s way into several DJ’s playlist today. “You Gotta Get It” by Congress is another banger with a wicked synth laden bass groove. Eight years after Vol.1 Negro hits the mark once again.
John Coltrane: Both Directions At Once – The Lost Album [Impulse]
This is comparable to finding buried treasure. Or as Sonny Rollins said, “It’s like finding a new room in the Great Pyramid”. I’m referring to the recently discovered recording by the infamous John Coltrane quartet. These are compositions that Coltrane recorded on March 6, 1963 the day before his duet recording with Johnny Hartman. At this stage in his relationship with Impulse he had the ability to come into the studio and record whenever he wanted. The result of this session is seven tunes, three of them untitled. The album opens with “Untitled Original 11383”, a fiery tune with Coltrane on Soprano. The quartet is in peak form with Elvin Jones pulsating polyrhythms and McCoy Tyner’s soloing provide superb support. “Untitled Original 11386” finds the quartet hitting hard on the Latin flavored melody. “Villa” is a bluesy number with Coltrane recording alternative takes on Tenor and Soprano. What can be said about this quartet that hasn’t been said already. Just another tremendous record by one of the best quartets of all time. Don’t hesitate to purchase.
Serge Gamesbourg: Boston Goes Disco! [BBE]
“Boston Goes Disco” is a deep drive into the underground world of late 70s early 80s Boston Disco. Boston native DJ/Producer Serge Gamesbourg shines a light on forgotten tunes from Massachusetts. Among this 20 track release are a few notable selections. “All In Good Time” by Wildlife is your typical blueprint disco number with swirling strings and a funky groove. Gamesbourg’s edit of funky bass driven “I’m Gonna Get You” is a highlight. The Christopher Michael Band’s “You Make Me Happy” bridges the gap between funk and Disco. Gamesbourg’s edits and reworks breathes new life into these tunes. For Disco afficionados you’ll certainly find some gems throughout this disc.
Jonny Drop: The Only Sound [Albert’s Favourites]
Drummer/beatmaker Jonny Drop’s last solo release “Beat Tape” demonstrated a niche for soulful hip hop infused grooves. Since then he formed the jazz funk band The Expansions where his sound continues to evolve. On his latest solo record it’s evident that his growth as an artist has gone to another level. “The Only Sound” is a warm imaginative soulful journey ripe with beautiful vocals, quality samples and instrumentation. “The Looking Glass” is an blissful mid tempo beauty that features heavenly vocals from Sarah Williams White. Grace Walker blesses the soulful guitar driven “Flashlight”. “Moon Food” is tinged with psychedelic rhythms and features premiere reedist Tamar Osborn on flute. Drop seamlessly blends live drumming with loops and beats so you can’t tell one from the other. It all adds up to an superb listening experience that you’ll have on repeat
Various Artists: Cosmic Forest – The Spiritual Sounds of MPS [MPS]
“Cosmic Forest”, Nicola Conte’s latest compilation is a journey into the vaults of Musik Produktion Schwarzwald (MPS). The German label has a catalogue of approximately 500 albums filled with Spiritual jazz composed by premiere musicians from around the world. MPS founder Hans Georg Brunner recognized the wave of 60s spiritual jazz and re-positioned the label to reflect the trend. It must have been a daunting task to choose from this collection but Conte has done an impressive job. The hypnotic “Evolution” is filled with intense rhythms by saxophonist Nathan Davis who lived in Germany during the sixties. “Revelation” is another highlight. Influenced by Eastern mysticism trumpter Hannibal Marvin Peterson’s blistering solos are augmented by swirling piano melodies and percussion. The meditative “Soledad” De Murcia” has a Latin feel courtesy of Pianist Michael Naura and vibraphonist Wolfgang Schluter. There’s no filler here, just a superb collection of tunes you’ll want to get familiar with from an underrated label
Nat Birchall Meets Al Breadwinner: Sound Almighty [Tradition Disc]
Manchester based Tenor Saxophonist Nat Birchall has carved out an impressive resume of spiritual jazz recordings, specifically on Matthew Halsall’s Gondwana label. On “Sound Almighty” he teams up with Al Breadwinner & the Breadwinners, a reggae group also based in Manchester. Birchall’s fluid horn floats seamlessly across the Breadwinners rhythm section that features Vin Gordon on Trombone, David Fullwood on Trumpet and Stally on Baritone sax. Founder Al Breadwinner’s guitar rhythms and percussion bring it all together. The ten track disc flows with meditative traditional reggae dub rhythms. Among the highlights are “Ancient Wisdom” and “Freedom Skank”. “Amiak Dub” is hypnotic dub at it’s best. An impressive collaboration that’s worthy of repeated listens.
Jazzanova: The Pool [Sonar Kollektiv]
There are a select number of groups that can remain relevant despite not releasing an album within the last decade but Jazzanova is one of the exceptions to that rule. Team members Alex Barck, Claas Brieler, Axel Reinemer, Jorgen Von Knoblauch and Stefan Leisering have anything but idle as they’ve been working on various projects. Their growth as musicians are evident on this release. “The Pool” embarks on a myriad of musical styles with assistance from an impressive group of friends old and new. One of those new friends is rapper Oddisee who kicks off the disc with the brooding albeit painfully short hip hop gem “Now”. “Follow Your Feel” is an upbeat soulful tune featuring Pete Josef on vocals. “Sincere” is filled with minimalist synth grooves and features up and coming vocalist Noah Slee. Jamie Cullum’s uplifting vocals will pluck your heart strings on the haunting ballad “Let’s Live Well”. There’s much more here to savor and that’s no surprise. A Jazzanova album has never disappointed and this one is no exception.
Soothsayers: Tradition [Wah Wah 45s]
The South London Afro Dub collective Soothsayers have been enlightening listeners about social issues through stimulating dub rhythms for two decades. “Tradition” is their first full length release for Wah Wah 45s and it’s filled with thought provoking messages layered over a thumping sounds system. “Sleepwalking” is inspired by Fela Kuti so having Dele Sosimi on vocals makes perfect sense. “Take Me High” is filled with hypnotic guitar rhythms and features the falsetto of Cornell Campbell. “Natural Mystic” starts out with a warm flute solo followed by hypnotic horns and percussion that will take you on a journey to the Motherland. Overall an engaging record loaded with strong instrumentation and good vibrations.
Children Of Zeus: Travel Light [First Word]
Tyler Daley and Konny Kon, better known as Children Of Zeus have been in the game for two decades. Daley appeared under the moniker Hoodman and Kon appearing in a number of groups as a DJ, beatmaker and MC. They first met in 2005 and soon after released three critically acclaimed singles and an EP on First Word records. Their impressive full length debut features an array of talented artists emerging from the burgeoning soul scene in Manchester. “Travel Light” is drenched in laidback rhodes driven hip hop soul and the results are deeply satisfying. Daley’s smooth tenor vocals are a complement to Kon’s hard hitting rhymnes. On “The Story So Far” Konny and Mc Mstr1 trade bars over a soulful hip hop inspired neck snapping drum beat. “The Heart Beat” is mellowed out 70s soul well suited for Daley’s vocals and Kon’s poignant verses. Up and coming vocalist LayFullStop lays down blissful vocals on “Fear Of A Flat Planet” and “Hard Work” is dub style lovers rock. Each of these thirteen tracks pack a punch and will be worthy of repeated listens. This is a very strong debut and certainly of the best lps of the year.
Web Web: Dance Of The Demons [Compost]
The quartet from Munich follow up their sparkling debut “Orqcle” with another winner. “Dance Of The Demons” incorporates spiritual and vintage Ethopian jazz rhythms highlighted by Moroccan based singer Majid Bekkas. Bekkas, one of the premiere voices of Gnawa-Music makes his presence felt throughout the disc. “Agowu” is a fiery tune that showcases Bekkas and is driven by pianist Roberto Di Gioia’s sweeping solos. “Sandia” explodes with rumbling percussion from Di Gioia and intense drumming from Peter Gall. Bekkas also introduces the Gembri, similar to an upright bass on “Marcoc Blues”. Tony Lakatos’s tenor is a warm presence but his soprano is especially pleasing on the title track. This quartet can not only swing hard but they display the ability to back up a singer as moving as Bekkas. This disc is filled with adventurous tracks and prolific performances and is simply a delightful listen. You need this in your collection.