Would anyone of my readers like to hear two hours of music from the albums shown above? Most of these albums can be found either on this blog or on the vintage jazz-not-jazz site in case you’re not familiar with some of the covers…stay tuned for more infos coming soon.

Soulfuldetroit.com is a site that tells us more about soul music from the past from Detroit, hence the title I suppose. And no, they don’t focus on Motown but on obscure artists. There’s also an article about the love of the Northern Soul scene for these forgotten gems.
[via Number One Songs In Heaven]

While I always loved Blaze from the first time I’ve heard them back in 1990 with the release of their 25 Years Later album on Motown, they’ve recently lost some credibility for me with their (for my ears) rather uninspiring remix of Curtis Mayfield’s Freddie’s Dead. But with this release on Defected I’ll forgive them the previous plunder. Soulheaven Presents Blaze is an inspiring mixed CD (actually two mixed CDs and a bonus CD - unfortunately there was no info available about the tracks on the bonus CD on my promo copy) or (unmixed) double pack vinyl. The tracklisting is impressive (see below) and actually this compilation couldn’t have arrived at a better time with Northern Germany finally getting a glance of summer with temperatures rising. And these songs just provide a perfect soundtrack for this summer.
Disc 1 starts with the summer vibes of Trüby Trio’s Jaleo, Abicah Soul Project’s Diablo and Oreja’s Vazilando before we get some harder dancefloor stuff you might not associate with Blaze at first thought. But with Blaze’s own Most Precious Love and Alexander Hope’s Big Mistake you’re soon in vocal house heaven. And that’s where Disc 2 continues bringing us even more exclusive and previously unreleased stuff than the first disc.
In a nutshell highly recommendable for your summer party, for yourself and it will save you a fortune not to buy the single 12″es.

Tracklisting of Soulheaven Presents Blaze:
Disc: 1
1. Truby Trio - Jaleo/ 2. Abicah Soul Project - Diablo/ 3. Oreja - Vazilando/ 4. Battle - Mystic River/ 5. Three Kings feat. Jaygun and Bashy - Shake dat Booty/ 6. Jerome Sydenham and Dennis Ferrer - Sandcastles/ 7. Vince Watson (F… U! FCOM) - Meaning of Life/ 8. Louie Vega feat. Ursula Rucker – Journey’s Prelude & DJ Choco - C.U.B.4. (Unreleased Exclusive)/ 9. Blaze feat. Barbara Tucker - Most Precious Love/ 10. Alexander Hope - Big Mistake/ 11. Panyard - Baby 3 Times/ 12. Jerome Pinder - Breathe/ 13. M.A.S. Collective feat. Judy Peterson - Release Yourself/ 14. Dajae - Time
Disc: 2
1. Ian Friday – Carib’s Leap (Unreleased Roots Mix)/ 2. Stephanie Cooke - Love Will (Unreleased Roots Mix)/ 3. Stephanie Cooke - What Makes the World Go Round/ 4. Mr. A.L.I. feat. Carla Prather - Cast Your Spell/ 5. 280 West feat. Diamond Temple - Fly (Roots Vocal Mix)/ 6. Nikki Lawrence - Dreamer/ 7. Martino - Do What Feels Right/ 8. Tortured Souls - Fall In Love/ 9. Jon Cutler feat. Pete Simpson - Runnin/ 10. Kings of Tomorrow - Another Day/ 11. Kerri Chandler - Bar A Thym/ 12. Monique Bingham feat. Studio Apartment - Flight/ 13. Jeremias Santiago - Discover/ 14. Blaze - Gloria’s Muse (Danny Krivit Remix)/ 15. Divinity - Love Will Stay
released 2005 by Defected Records

For more infos visit defected.com.

[If you want to discuss the Blaze’s music, you can leave your comment below and also use the forum]

Watch jazz-not-jazz for a review of Nadir and his album Distorted Soul 2.o. Meanwhile learn more about Nadir on his website and on cdbaby.com.

Coming soon on jazz-not-jazz is a review of the UK release of Blaze’s Underground Dance Artists United for Life project. SuSu Records has licensed the Keep Hope Alive album and added a bonus disc with a selection of new remixes and unreleased tracks.

Smash Hunter aka DJ Smash recently wrote a lenghty comment to my rather short mention of the Motown Remixed album.
I think the issue of remixing vs cover versions vs originals is a good topic for discussing. So instead of hiding my answer to Smash’s comment in the old posting I rather answer with this posting and encourage you to tell us your opinion in a comment.

Hi Smash,

Thanks for the detailled comment. Yes, I’m a thief. I’ve stolen the name of this website. Actually I wanted to have something with jazz in the url when I started discovering the internet but I was years too late so every simple url like jazz.xxx or jazzman.xxx was already taken. So I came up with jazz-not-jazz which also was a term sometime ago to describe a musical genre. But I also have an old Eightball compilation with a Jazz-Not-Jazz track on it.
Of course my comment is a little bit pointed but if you have a closer look at the reviews written here you’ll find out that this isn’t a method to recruit new readers. In fact there are only a few records that get blasted here (Verve Remixed 3 or Mayfield : Remixed being the exceptions). To some extent they are also influenced by the way the major labels these days act and try to re-sell old stuff instead of discovering and investing in new artists. In the end there will be no evolution in music if musicians don’t come up with original compositions.
You’re right about Motown songs being redone within the Motown circle. Though for me these versions are still cover versions where you have more creative input with another singer singing a song (hopefully) differently and maybe giving it a totally new meaning. That of course describes the best way to do a cover version. We both know that this doesn’t happen too often. But they are out there. For example Was (Not Was) released a decent cover of Papa Was A Rolling Stone years ago, Regina Carter did the same with Cassandra Wilson on vocals in 2000.

I doubt that each remixer of the songs on Motown Remixed or the other compilations came up with the idea “Oh, I wanna remix Papa Was A Rolling Stone (or song XY)” for themselves and then asked Motown what they think of it. I’m sure it was the label that brought this idea to the remixers.
I haven’t heard the Motown Remixed album, but I’ve heard the Mayfield : Remixed and Verve Remixed 3 and for my ears they both were just terrible (with the only exceptions of Ashley Beedle’s and Louie Vega’s remixes) and sound like the remixers just took the cash offered by Rhino/Warner and Universal and put some dancebeats under the original vocal track.

Don’t get me wrong I do like a good remix of a song. If you could see the endless shelves of records (mainly 12″ singles) here, you’d know what I mean.
And as I’ve mentioned in the Mayfield review releasing just a 12″ with one or two good remixes of a classic may be fine. But a whole album? If A&R people can’t come up with new musicians they come up with the remix idea.
This may be a way to bring yesterday’s music to today’s young audience and to hope they will be curious about the originals and discover Motown’s back catalogue (and maybe that’s what the original artists and songwriter hope too) but therefore the label has to re-release every album ). But I doubt that it will work. For me decent cover versions always did a much better job discovering music from the past. Ruby Turner for example was the artist from whom I’ve first heard Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours. Yes, I’ve heard of Stevie Wonder before but didn’t know at that time that he wrote and recorded this song many years ago.
If you advertize a record with remixes from the “hottest music producers and remixers in the world” you state at the same time that it’s just about selling the record. And the best way to do that is using the big names? If it were all about the music Motown should have come up with a contest giving the vocal tracks away and selecting the best results from people who really love the songs. But to do that we need a change of paradigms in the music business. Because of file sharing major record labels avoid giving away something like the plague. Major labels will never win their self-declared war against peer-to-peer networks or filesharing. Pandora’s box has been opened and they better start re-thinking their business model or they will be extinct like an old dinosaur. If you give something you will get something back. Certainly not from the geek that copies everything like there’s no tomorrow but he won’t ever find the time to really listen to music and discover its beauty anyway.

Having an Irish mother and an African American father Monique Debose found herself in a troubled childhood not really feeling black or white and searching for some guidance. Writing songs and recording worked as a kind of therapy for others before like Cherokee demonstrated on her first solo album I Love You…Me in 1999. And recording and performing worked for Monique as well. She’s finally found and accepted herself and therefore doesn’t want to limit herself musically. That’s why her debut album Choose The Experience Vol. I: Ready For Love takes you on a voyage with rock, soul, jazz and pop. The result is always heartfelt and 100% Monique (she wrote all songs and produced them together with Brandon Coleman). Although some people who feel more at home with soul and jazz may find the more rock orientated songs a little disturbing.
Recognize, the album’s opener, is such a song, but if you listen to the lyrics you’ll find out that doing this as a rock song fits (”All she ever wanted was to find her place, all she ever needed was to be recognized/ Recognize she’s alive, and she may not be at her best now, but God knows she tries“). Of course this song also acts as a way to get your attention as Monique confesses in Now That I Have Your Attention.
And from now on things get really good for soul music fans with the warm and organic soul of Walk Away or Monique’s story of a broken heart that finds new hope (Ready For Love). Captivity is another winner with its jazzy feeling.
Monique looses me with the more rocky Promise Of Forever or the MOR pop appeal of Where Do I Stand? or Love Will Be There but she gets me again with the followings interludes and On Your Way, a pleasant midtempo song.
All in all an this is an interesting and musically varied debut album from an artist to watch out for.

Tracklisting of Choose The Experience Vol. I: Ready For Love: 1. Recognize/ 2. Now That I Have Your Attention/ 3. Walk Away/ 4. Ready For Love/ 5. Captivity/ 6. Promise Of Forever/ 7. Where Do I Stand/ 8. Taking A Moment (Reprise)/ 9. Choose The Experience/ 10. On Your Way/ 11. Are You Ready For Love?/ 12. Love Will Be There/ 13. Ready For Love (Alternate Take) | released 2005 by Monique Debose

For more infos visit moniquedebose.com and cdbaby.com.

[If you want to discuss the Monique Debose’s music, you can leave your comment below and also use the forum]

Six years after his debut album Soul Catcher Olu finally resurfaced this year with his sophomore set Beautiful Place, that shows us that beautiful music makes a beautiful place even more worthwhile. And I hope you enjoy the following interview with Olu on this, er, beautiful blog.

Q: You’ve been off the scene for some years. Please tell me why have you parted company with Gee Street and what did you do since 1999?

Olu: Well, Gee Street dissolved and their parent company, V2 Records took over. They wanted me to do another record with them but I wasn’t impressed with their marketing/promotional abilities, and I wanted to find a label that was stronger in those areas. Since 1999, I’ve been living life. For a while I looked for a new label and couldn’t find the right fit. So I finally put it out on my own label.

Q: Who or what has influenced you and your music style in this six years hiatus?

Olu: I guess the streets of New York have had a lot of influence on my album “Beautiful Place”. Aside from seeing the world I’ve also spent a lot of time in the city. Seeing Harlem go from a semi-dangerous place with flavor and excitement, to a safe, bland neighborhood with a McDonald’s on every corner. It’s kind of a shame, they tear down historic buildings to build car dealerships and parking lots. I guess my longing for the real Harlem influenced this record a lot.

>>>continue

Only mentioned a few days ago and thanks to Ornella in Italy here’s a short review of the Yoruba Soul mix of Gwotet.
Last year Justin Time released Gwotet by David Murray featuring Pharoah Sanders as a 12″ single remixed by Rare Moods (aka Doctor Rockit). And this year they please us with a deep remix by Osunlade. The Yoruba Soul mix features everything those in the know love about Osunlade, i.e. a driving afro-inspired rhythm that’s supported by David Murray’s saxophone with Larry Heard/Mr. Fingers inspired overdubs that become prevalent towards the end. So all you DJs out there you know what’s best to follow when you include Gwotet in the mix.

 

Here’s a website full of labels of old 78 rpm singles covering a timespan from 1900-1960.
[via spreeblick]

Canadian label Justin Time Records will release an Osunlade remix of David Murray’s Gwotet on June 7, 2005. For more info visit the label’s website and 3dfamily.org

One of my favourite jazz singers, Carmen Lundy, will release a DVD of a live performance at the Madrid in June. Carmen was supported on that date by her brother Curtis Lundy, Bobby Watson, Phil Upchurch, Nathan East, the LA String Quartet and many others. More infos will hopefully be available on her website soon.

Put on your dancing shoes, your fancy shmancy dress and visit the discomuseum! Despite it’s nearly antique design (well, one year online is adequate to five years in real life and this site looks so 1997) this site is surely a labour of love by someone who seems to know everything about disco and dance music. Where else will you find a list of 12″es issued by labels like Casablanca, Buddah, or Atlantic? There’s even an lengthy article about Marlena Shaw.

Come back soon for a contest on jazz-not-jazz. In conjunction with Defected Records jazz-not-jazz will give away five copies of Defected In The House Eivissa 05 that will be released June, 6. This 3 CD/3 LP compilation was compiled and mixed by Simon Dunmore and will include 18 exclusive upfront tracks and a Special Collectable Deep Down and Discofied mix. I haven’t heard the album yet but looking at the tracklisting things look very promising especially with the inclusion of three of my all-time-favourites with Jon Lucien’s Would You Believe In Me and Teena Marie’s Portuguese Love on Disc 3 and Disc 2 including Donny Hathaway’s The Ghetto.
For your information visit defected.com and have a look at the complete tracklisting of the CD version:

Disc 1:
1. Roland Clark ‘The First Time I Met House’ (Introduction)
2. Kings Of Tomorrow ‘Another Day’ (Fanatix Remix)
3. DJ Tekin Feat. Beth Trollan ‘Wait Forever’ (Original Mix)
4. Fred Everything Feat. Rise Ashen ‘Light Of Day’
5. Glen Lewis Feat. Mjojo & Bongani ‘Life Everlasting’ (Dennis Ferrer’s Passion Of C Vocal Mix)
6. Vivian Green ‘Emotional Rollercoaster’ (Osunlade Late Night Mix)
7. Wahoo ‘Holding You’
8. Isolèe ‘Beau Mot Plage’ (Freeform Reform Parts I & II)
9. Dennis Ferrer ‘Reach For Freedom’ (DF’s vocal Mix)
10. Stereo Mutants ‘Latin Spirit’
11. Kerri Chandler ‘Bar A Thym’
12. David Harness & Charles Spencer ‘Hoopla’
13. Chuck Love ‘Back In My Life’
14. Carolyn Harding ‘Strength’ (Freeform Five Remix)
15. Jamie Lewis Presents Michelle Weeks ‘Be Thankful’ (Jamie Lewis Dub Cut)
16. Hanna Haïs ‘Rosa Nova’ (Scientific Soul’s Sax in Rio Dub)
17. Martin Solveig ‘Everybody’ (Club Mix)
18. Inner Life ‘Ain’t No Mountain’

Disc 2:
1. Mark Knight & MTV Feat. E-Man ‘A New Reality’ (Intro)
2. Shawn Christopher ‘You Can Make It’ (Ron Carroll’s Original Mix)
3. Voices Of Life ‘The Word Is Love (Say The Word)’ (Silk’s Radio Anthem)
4. Melba More ‘My Heart Belongs To You’ (Ron Carroll’s BMC Vocal Classical)
5. Majik Johnson ‘Feel Alright’ (Vocal Mix)
6. Kem ‘Love Calls’ (DFA Remix)
7. Lenny Fontana Presents Octah’via ‘The Way’
8. King Unique ‘Love Is What You Need (Look Ahead)’(Knee Deep Classic Club Mix)
9. Andry Nalin & Gregor Wagner Presents Bush II Bush ‘Piano Track’ (Original Club Mix)
10. 6400 Crew Feat Tony Hewitt ‘To The Bridge’
11. Playgroup Feat. KC Flightt ‘Front To Back’
12. Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto ‘Black Sugar’ (Original Mix)
13. Soul Rebels ‘I’ll Be Good’ (Ron Carroll Remix)
14. Cerrone Feat. Jocelyn Brown ‘You Are The One’ (Jamie Lewis Remix) (Danny Marquez Edit)
15. Second Crusade ‘May The Funk Be With You’
16. Donna Hathaway ‘The Ghetto’ (Album Version)
17. Carinhoso Project ‘Hypnose’
18. Stereo Mutants ‘Tropical Rain’ (Original Mix)
19. DJ Spen Presents DJ Technic ‘Gabryelle’ (Spiritual South Remix)

Disc 3:
1. The Jammers ‘What Have You Got to Lose’
2. Tomorrows Edition ‘You Turn Me On’
3. Sinnamon ‘Thanks To You’
4. Inner Life ‘Moment Of My Life’
5. Kinky Foxx ‘So Different’
6. Paris ‘I Choose You’
7. Aaron Neville ‘Hercules’
8. Bill Withers ‘Harlem’
9. Ray Baretto ‘Pastime Paradise’
10. Jon Lucien ‘Would you Believe In Me’
11. Teena Marie ‘Portuguese Love’
12. M.F.S.B ‘Mysteries Of The World’
13. Chantal Curtis ‘Get Another Love’
14. Melba Moore ‘Standing Right Here’
15. Thelma Houston ‘I’m Here Again’
16. Earth, Wind & Fire ‘Brazilian Rhyme’
17. Cerrone ‘Music Of Life’

 

LAL are actually two people, vocalist Rosina Kazi and her flat mate Nick Murray. Rosina describes LAL’s music as “the new Canadian sound represented by a first generation of immigrants, heavily influenced by European and North American culture.”
The fact that LAL are not part of the well-off and respected Canadian (white) society is certainly one of the reasons why LAL are addressing environmental issues and problems of social justice in their songs. They also have dedicated the two releases Brown Eyed Warrior and Dancing The Same to activists for social, environmental and human rights justice and Dancing The Same is explicitly dedicated to Digna Ochoa, a leading Mexican human rights lawyer.
Musically LAL reminds me of 3 Generations Walking or obscure Guidance releases that mixed house, electro, dub, lounge and soul to good effect.
The original version of Brown Eyed Warrior is a good example, it’s a slow dub influenced groove that emphasises Rosina’s message. Personally I prefer the original but if you’re looking for a version that’s a little faster then the Moonstar Remix may suit you. The Murr Long-Edit somehow loses me with its hip hop/Funky Drummer beats.
Dancing The Same is LAL’s ode to individuality. Fellow Canadian Abacus does a very good job with his remix, transforming the song into a soulful house winner. Nu Era and Somitik take the song into electro/off beat territories while the original version of Dancing The Same again shows that Rosina and Nick know how to blend various musical styles into their own sound.
Both songs are available on 12″ and were taken from LAL’s album Warm Belly High Power.

Tracklisting of Brown Eyed Warrior: 1. B.E.W. Epilogue (Murr Long-Edit)/ 2. Brown Eyed Warrior (Original)/ 3. Brown Eyed Warrior (Moonstar Remix)
Tracklisting of Dancing The Same: 1. Dancing The Same (Abacus 12″ Vocal Mix)/ 2. Dancing The Same (Nu Era vs Somtik Mix)/ 3. Dancing The Same (Original) | released 2005 by Public Transit Recordings

For more infos visit ptrmusic.com and lalforest.com.

[If you want to discuss the LAL’s music, you can leave your comment below and also use the forum]

While I was lamenting in the recent interview with Yolanda Charles that the producer field is mainly a male domain, I have totally forgotten about Angela Johnson, who’ve written, arranged and produced most songs of her debut album They Don’t Know on her own and also played the keys and did the drum programming. Her sophomore release Got To Let It Go gives us even more of Angela with her producing all twelve songs. Listening closely to her new album it’s obvious that Angela has made an important development musically, that makes her one of the outstanding and most talented singer, songwriter, producer, arranger in the soul/funk genre.
Her debut was an impressive album but Got To Let It Go is even better. Angela sounds more mature this time giving us songs that are more sophisticated with a raw cutting edge.
With twelve great songs it’s hard to pick a favourite but why not start with the album’s opener. If you’re not entranced by the uptempo gospel influenced On My Way then you should really ask yourself if you like soul music after all. Or take the driving jazz funk of Whatever It Takes with horn section and lots of percussion.
Early Bird is an interesting song. It’s not only a warm and majestic jazz fusion song with violin, horns and congas but it also features Tricia Angus on lead vocals. This song may be an indication what we can expect from Angela’s forthcoming project as a producer, with guests including Rahsaan Patterson, DJ Spinna and Deni Hines.
Of course there’s also the Angela Johnson present we know and love from her debut album and her collaboration as part of Cooly’s Hot Box (Where’s The Love? and Home Away From Home are good examples here). Furthermore Angela delivers a beautiful ballad with Tell Me that just oozes soul.
If you only buy a small number of records every few months make sure Got To Let It Go is amongst them. You will hardly find a more classy soul record this year (or any year) that sounds better from start to finish.

Tracklisting of Got To Let It Go: 1. On My Way/ 2. Anything/ 3. I’ll Always/ 4. Got To Let It Go/ 5. All I Need/ 6. Let’s Get Together (feat. Jeremy James)/ 7. You’re Here With Me/ 8. Early Bird (feat. Tricia Angus)/ 9. Tell Me/ 10. Where’s The Love?/ 11. Home Away From Home/ 12. Whatever It Takes | released 2005 by Dome Records

For more infos visit angelajohnson.com, purposerecords.com and domerecords.co.uk.

[If you want to discuss the Angela Johnson’s music, you can leave your comment below and also use the forum]