The wonderful Martha Redbone, who impressed me almost a year ago with her album Skintalk, has signed to Dome Records and will release Skintalk in the UK/Europe on March 6. The tracklisting will be the same as on the original US release. So there’s no excuse for you this time not to get Skintalk, which is full of timeless songs like Atlas, Talk About, Future Street or God Created Woman.
Prior to the album, Dome will also release Future Street as a single on CD single and vinyl.
And if you’re in London on March 2, then make sure to catch Martha’s first UK appearance at London’s Jazz Café.

Nina Vidal recently impressed me with her single Do It Again. The good news is that she’s already working on new material with her musical partner Caté. In her jazz-not-jazz interview Nina also talks about her musical influences, the difficulties of being an independent artists, her work as a session singer and much more.

Q: Please tell me a little bit about yourself. How you discovered your love for music, who has influenced you and why did you pursue a career in music.

Nina Vidal: My mother started me in piano lessons when I was about 7 years old. From an early age I became excited about making music. That feeling has stayed with me all these years. I was also really into poetry when I was younger. I wrote poems from an early age. I think a natural progression for me was to combine my love of writing music and writing poems into songwriting. Although I’ve always wanted to be a musician I feel like in a lot of ways having a career in music was not my decision. I’m not creating this life. It’s being given to me. God pulls me along this path, and that is something I believe wholeheartedly. The more I resist the stronger the pull. And it makes no sense that I would resist because I’m doing what I love. I’ve learned to stop fighting it and go with the flow. Some artists that have moved and inspired me include Antonio Carlos Jobim, Anita Baker, Sade, Keith Jarrett, and Tracy Chapman. I’m influenced by a lot of things - Music, nature, love, life, and intangible things.

Q: How content are you with the reactions Do It Again gets?

Nina Vidal: Do It Again was just one of those songs that flowed out of me without much intervention from myself. Those are the best songs, the ones you don’t ponder over while you’re writing it, you just let it flow out of you without thinking. I’m very pleased that “Do It Again” touches people the way it does. It makes me happy to give people a warm feeling with music.

>>>continue

One of the joys of having a website like jazz-not-jazz is that you can be found via google and other search engines. And that’s just what Jonny Enright and Emmanuelle Shoniwa did recently. And the good news is that both Grupo X and YoYo Honey are still making music and will soon release new music.

Grupo X has previously released the album X-Posure in 2000. It was a straight ahead Latin Jazz album with the exception of Brand New Love which is a stunning soul/fusion song with Lisa Millett giving one of her best vocal performances on records.
According to Jonny Enright Grupo X will release a new album titled Food For Your Latin Soul (again with Lisa Millett on vocals) on March 20th on Loft Recordings. For more info visit grupo-x.com and watch jazz-not-jazz for a review and interview.

YoYo Honey has only released one album back in 1992. The terrific Voodoo Soul. The title track and its reprise version are still two of my favourite tunes (but please don’t ask me for the almost endless list of favourite tunes…ha ha). Most of you may be more familiar with Groove On that has been available in various remixes. Mani Shoniwa has lately been active for the Blacksugar label producing 3 Style’s Way U Move. He’s planing to release a new YoYo Honey album in April. Featured artists will include Bootsy Collins and Jocelyn Brown. So stay tuned for more coming soon on jazz-not-jazz.

The World Soul Project is a collective of musicians and singers who have a welcome organic sound and who bring us their own blend of soul and jazz with a major Brazilian influence.
The core of this band are five muscians: Gerard Harris (guitar), Ben Flint (piano, keyboards), Barry Campbell (bass), James Sexton (drums) and Ekpe (percussion). On five songs they are joined by six singers: Will Graves (a Memphis soul singer), Patricia Reis, Adriano Faquini (both native Brazilians), Kimko Joy and Vicki Newsum, a Stax session singer.
All songs are original compositions recorded at Gerard Harris’s studio in Memphis,TN.
With 13 songs on offer there’s enough to keep any fan of independent quality music happy.
The album’s opener, which is also the closer in a live version, is a nice brazilian influenced sunny tune summing up the main message of the World Soul Project (Someday We Will All See Freedom/ From Hunger, from Sorrow, from War and Sickness/ Someday We Will All See Freedom, Peace on Earth).
Kinshasa is an instrumental with a slight South African touch while Your Eyes is one of the highlights for soul music fans. Here we have Will Graves singing on a jazzy soulful tune. Watch out for the solo album Love Stories from Will coming soon in 2006!
Other highlights include Love Divine, a fine soul song sung by Kimko Joy somewhere between 70s Doug Carn and today’s Fertile Ground. Also worth mentioning is Esperando with Patricia Reis, Adriano Faquini and Vicki Newsum on vocals, that carries on with the Brazilian vibe of Someday.
All in all this is a very strong debut release by the World Soul Project. The only objection may be the sound on a few tracks which have a raw demo feeling. But then you know this album isn’t produced to death and the muscians really came together for the joy of making music.

Tracklisting: 1. Someday/ 2. Kinsasha/ 3. Whisper Now/ 4. Your Eyes/ 5. Intrigue/ 6. Love Divine/ 7. Night Moods/ 8. Hard Left/ 9. Crank Up the Dog/ 10. Esperando/ 11. Don’t Give Up On Me/ 12. Almost There/ 13. Someday (live) | released 2005 Ben Flint/Gerard Harris

For more infos visit cdbaby.com, willgraves.com and Ben Flint’s site on IUMA [if you’re getting an 403 or time out error like me try the web archive.]

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

In conjunction with radiopellenera jazz-not-jazz presents a weekly show with quality soul, jazz and house music.
There has been a little re-scheduling when the show will first be aired. Tuesday is now the day the jazz-not-jazz week starts on radiopellenera.
You can catch the show every Tuesday from 07:00-09:00 (UTC+1) and if you missed it it will be repeated on Friday 12:00-14:00 (UTC+1) and Sunday from 13:00-15:00 (UTC+1) . For conversion to your local time zone have a look at the wikipedia or at radiopellenera’s schedule on live365.com.

Here’s the playlist for the show starting tomorrow, Tuesday 31st:

Sirius B Project: Love Has A Place In Time (from Sirius B Project)
Jazzhole: Ndolo (from Circle Of The Sun)
Natural Selection: Now You’re Gone (from Come On Over
World Soul Project: Almost There (from World Soul Project)
Afra Behn: Looong Green (from Premier Cru Music Sampler)
Vikki Wright: Wait On You (from Tales From The Amazon)
Sandra St. Victor: They’re Cool (from Gemini Both Sides)
Dione Taylor: A Beautiful Friendship (from Open Your Eyes)
Bernadette Seacrest & Her Yes Men: Nobody’s Crying (from Live)
Ruth Brown: False Friend Blues (from R+B)
Dee Robinson’s Black Pearls: Sounds Like The Blues To Me (from The Voyage)
Denise LaSalle: Fast Hands And A Dirty Mind (from Love Me Right)
Shirley Brown: Stuck On Stupid (from Woman Enough)
Terry Callier: Ordinary Joe (Live) (from Alive)
Russell Taylor: For Tiny (from Soulstar Vol II)
Francisco Mora Catlett: AJ’s Blues (from River Drum)
Pedro Giraudo: Contrapuntren (from Desconsuelo
Luis Mario Ochoa: Bacuranao (from Cimarrón
Snowboy: Mediodia Hasta Tarde (from New Beginnings)
Context: If I Had A Band (from Stay On The Groove - 20 Modern Funk Anthems)
Offworld feat. Vanessa Freeman: Astro Black (from The Myth Lives On - Sun Ra Dedication)
Oneness Of Ju Ju: River Luv Rite (from Space Jungle Luv)

Philadelphia! As vintage movie buff I will always remember W.C. Fields and his quotes about Philadelphia like “Last week, I went to Philadelphia, but it was closed.” or in a conversation with a hangman “Have you any last wish?” - Fields: “Yes, I’d like to see Paris before I die. (pause) Philadelphia will do.”
Musicwise Philly looks like the place to be these days with lots of good musicians. Natural Selection is another fantastic collective of musicians hailing from the city of brotherly love. And a name you should keep in mind!
Alesia Dessau formed Natural Selection in 1996 as a jazz quartet. But by 2006 they have adopted an organic lively soul sound which will certainly appeal to fans of Fertile Ground, Seek, Jazzhole or Sirius B Project.
Altogether eleven musicians participated on this album. Attentive readers of this website will remember Monica McIntyre from the Monica Dillion album All I Have Is A Moment. On Come On Over she appears as cellist and background vocalist. And it’s her cello that grabs your attention on the albums opener Meant To Be, a powerful midtempo soul song. Just like on Monica Dillon’s album I think the cello is a great instrument to give a soul song more depth and that goose pimples feeling. And I wish it could be heard more often in this context.
Naturally Alesia’s impressive voice and songwriting talent have a equal contribution to the greatness of this album. And actually I could praise all eleven songs here, they are all quality stuff with a capital Q. Take Get Through for example, a great soul song with an uplifting message. Now You’re Gone is another winner with its warm instrumentation and Alesia’s emotional vocal input. The beautiful ballad Come Into My Love with its heartfelt lyrics adds further proof that this is simply a must have album for any true soul music fan.
Come On Over is an album I can recommend wholeheartedly and it’s already one of my favourite albums for 2006.
I began this review with W.C. Fields, so why not close it with a quote from him: “All things considered, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”

Tracklisting of Come On Over: 1. Meant To Be/ 2. 10/15/01/ 3. Get Through/ 4. Come On Over/ 5. Unity/ 6. Now You’re Gone/ 7. Fly Away/ 8. Sweet Intruder/ 9. Come Into My Love/ 10. Make It Easy/ 11. Time To Say Goodbye | released 2005 Natural Selection

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

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

In conjunction with radio42.com and rautemusik.fm jazz-not-jazz presents two hours of simply great music every Friday 19:00-21:00 UTC+1 (you don’t have to convert it for Germany…that’s Friday 13:00-15:00 in NYC, Friday 10:00-12:00 in San Francisco and Saturday 04:00-06:00 in Sydney). The links of the audio stream can be found on radio42.com or rautemusik.fm (look for #Musik.Lounge there).

The first hour this week features vintage house music and the second hour is a guest mix by Lofty, head of Chillifunk and part of Notenshun). Here’s the playlist for Friday, 27th:

Akema: So In Love
Gary Vonqwest: Victim Of Love
Peter Black: How Far I Go
Rickey Dillard: Love Injection
Ten City: Right Back To You (ext.)
Fingers Inc. Distant Planet (Distant Club Version)
Vivian Lee: Music Is So Wonderful (Original 12″ Bottom Line Version)
Donell Rush: Symphony (Symphony In E-Smoove)
Rudolpho: Touch Me
Chillifunk Radio Guest Mix by Lofty:
EWC: The More I Get (Teddy´s House Groove)
Nathan Haines: Earth Is The Place (DJ Gregory & Julian Jabre Voxy Pass)
Jody Watley: Photographs (East West Horny Vibes Dub)
DSL: Soothe Your Soul (Original Club Mix)
Notenshun: Amarante (Phil Asher’s Restless Soul Remix)
Automagic ft Aswan: The One That Got Away (Audionasty Dub)
Verna Francis: Look (Franck Roger Remix)
Vanessa Freeman: The Way (Restless Soul Dub)
Nathan Haines ft. Lyric L: Doot Dude (Ashley Beedle Buff Boy Vocal Remix)
Marathon Men: Tell Me What You Know (Notenshun Remix)
Marathon Men: Funkaddicton
H-Man: Return Of The H-Man (F**k Em Mix)

Courtesy of Jon Freer (mosoul.co.uk) here are twenty-two reviews of available and soon to be released 12″ singles (sorry no cover shots or tracklistings this time):

Ramjac feat. Natalie Gardiner – Arise (Ramjac)

Ramjac has taken a production leap of faith here and by doing so has created the first broken soul masterpiece of 2006. “Arise” is coloured by synths that are so deformed, you’d assume there was a lot of dust stuck to your needle. Somehow, these disfigured synths fit perfectly under Natalie’s meditative vocals, and there’s even an instrumental for maximum distorted pleasure. Flip for the unkempt percussion and restrained key work of “Sweetest Child of Mine”, which is thankfully a polite soulful gem, and not a cover of a heavy rock track.

Various – Hot As Hel! EP (Nine 2 Five)

Clearly a reference to the Finnish city where the artists hail from and not a reference to the immorality of their music, “Hot As Hel!” sells Helsinki pretty well to broken soul lovers. Katriina is incredulous at the loss of love on “Spared Your Kiss”, where her silky vocals lie across teardrop keys and unhappy strings. J-City’s “All You Give” is a brilliant persuasive number, with clear-thinking brass, repeating keys and proto-D&B percussion. Present Sense’s “Nature Girl” sends awkward lurve vocals over stumbling percussion and spacey synths.

Rondenion – Blue Rhodes Dances (Still Music)

Tokyo based Hirofumi Goto aka Rondenion debuts on Still Music with a tasty four tracker of Detroit respecting out-there House cuts. The fine “Blue Rhodes Dances” is a leisurely groovester, with unhurried beats and pondering keys. “Machine Dolls” works curious keys over beats that are crooked at the start, but are straightened out by the end, whilst “Shake Dance” is a pressurising synth led excursion. “Parallel Translation” rounds off the EP with some serious Theo style percussion, contorted keys and emotion expressing vocals.

Timo Lassy – African Rumble / High At Noon (Ricky-Tick)

Sax fanatic Timo Lassy gets the chance to speak his mind on this 12″, released on the new Jazz supporting Ricky Tick label. The ace “African Rumble” sees supporting percussion and a chiming piano make room for Lassy’s sax exertions. An authorative sax barks orders over an in-line piano, bass and percussion display on “High At Noon”.

Dalindèo – Go Ahead, Float / Voodoo (Ricky-Tick)

With a passion for Brazilian percussion and an obvious heartfelt love of expressive Jazz, Dalindèo create a powerful musical fusion. “Go Ahead, Float” lets a tight-lipped trumpet battle it out with an overexcited flute over reliable guitar work and rugged percussion. The haunting “Voodoo” puts the flute in the spotlight, as regimented percussion, enjoying life guitars and a complimentary trumpet work wonders behind the scenes.

Laurentius – Karate (Samba SciFi RMX) (Needs)

Lars Bartkuhn of Frankfurt’s super-deep Needs crew displays his musical martial arts on this fine single track release. Digitised violin type strings put up a considerable fight, battling satisfying chords, pleasing keys and energetic beats.

Jonny Miller – Cold Air (Phuture Lounge)

Manc broke beat don and all round nice guy Mr. Miller debuts on Phuture Lounge with a three tracker of typically rhythmically elaborate compositions. “Rise” is a considerately keyed number, where malfunctioning computer fx spew their juices over active beats and a bad-tempered bassline. “Cold Air” is subtle as the title suggests, with slight keys and bass questions providing the chill, whilst “9-8-0″ winds dizzy synths and unruly keys over a delightfully messy drum track.

David Borsu – Move (Counterpoint)

To be honest, this standard broken House outing from talented Belgian producer David Borsu isn’t in the same league as his astonishing “Monster EP”. Sure “Move” features nu-soul goddess Navasha Daya of Fertile Ground fame, but in spiritually unconscious party mode and lacing a standard bass and beats combo, even the angelic Daya fails to dazzle. It’s not all doom and gloom though, because broken remix master of the moment Mark de Clive-Lowe supplies a couple of super remixes, where inquisitive keys, oddball synths and crunchy beats work their magic.

The Politik – Money (Don’t Let It Catch Ya) (Antipodean)

Fractured soul vocal Queen Bémbé Ségué hooks up with the super talented Mark De Clive-Lowe, this time to mark the dawn of their Politik partnership. The vocal version sees Bémbé’s wise words coat a gruff bass guitar, falling keys and sparkling beats. The instrumental lets deft guitars, gooey keys and unapologetic percussion shine.

V/A – The Freesoul Sessions (Antipodean)

Born out of a freestylin’ live extravaganza with a wealth of talented musicians, Mark De Clive-Lowe’s Freesoul Sessions makes its vinyl debut. Fluidous keys and crazy synths take centre stage on an energetic broken stormer, which is logically titled ‘Part 1′. A fun-loving bass guides blind keys in the right direction on ‘Part 2′, as the tempo is slowed right down for ‘Part 3′, where keys smile at sluggish beats and a post-funk bass.

Antonio Ocasio feat. Mustafa Akbar – Higher Love (Counterpoint)

Tribal Winds head Antonio Ocasio comes correct with an expertly orchestrated super-deep escapade. Afrocentric percussion, active keys and a magical fute sit behind Mustafa Akbar’s craving on the vocal version. Shakin’ beats, loveable keys and sweet sax groovings colour the heated ‘Calor Mix’.

Faze Action pres. Orto feat. Vanessa Freeman – Waiting Is Over (Papa)

Funked up disco reshapers Faze Action have opted for a name change to ‘Orto’, in order to put out some broken jazz tunes. “Waiting Is Over” is a cleanly made fractured jazzer, with spot hitting keys, ear catching strings and rousing vocals. 83 West supply a couple of tasty House interpretations, where the synths push further and strings reach higher.
[note: also read my review of Waiting Is Over here - Dirk]

Sexicanz vs. MegaDank 4200 – Futuristic Funk (Deepfunk Records)

The mysterious Sexicanz open their account on Deepfunk, bringing the inimitable MegaDank with them. The sassy Sexicanz track on this EP is “More Bass”, where messy synth lines and imposing vocals bow down to a commanding bassline. The Dankster gives us a tightly rapped bass groover entitled “Futuristic Funk”, which becomes a jingling live bass effort when rejigged by Sprayfonk.

The Separatists – Audiomer (Soma)

It’s been a while, but the scarily named Percy X is back and here he hooks up with Marco Bernardi for a serious Techno onslaught. The winner on this EP is the title track, where stinging synths battle seriously ill keys for supremacy.

Sons And Daughters – Dance Me In / La Lune (Optimo RMXS) (Domino)

Adored by the style press and trend-centred muso’s, Optimo prove their worth on this 12″, where they split up to remix a couple of tracks by Sons And Daughters. The ‘Naum Gabo’ remix of “La Lune” by JG Wilkes and his production partner James is a fine reinterep, where raspy guitars, a fuzzy bass and courteous beats meet. JD Twitch & The Truffle Club’s mix of “Dance Me In” will get heavy rotation, courtesy of its stern guitar work, radiant beats and figure hugging bass.

Sean Dimitrie feat. Felicia Lee – Dr. Doo Yoo (Reverberations)

This cheeky little record sees vocalist Felicia Lee recount an encounter with a rather too attentive Doctor. In original form, her rude rap coasts over sitting back keys, diva wails and a bad bass. Fred Everything’s Remix adds a heavier bass and jagged synths, whilst Asad Rizvi’s darker version invites a scowling bass to join the party.

The Rurals – Tree Of Tension (Digi-Pêng)

It sounds like these forgotten Rurals tracks were made some time ago, but there’s nothing wrong with well-produced past embracing House. The highlight is the ridiculously minimal yet on point “Space”, where wistful keys are backed by cymbal heavy percussion. “Tree Of Tension” is a nervy keyed thumper, whilst “Jimmy Le Funk” marries demanding brass with live bass delving.

Verb T & Harry Love – Delusion (Silent Soundz)

UK Hoppers Verb T & Mr. Love launch a three pronged attack with this EP on the Silent Soundz imprint. “Delusion” coaches the listener over agile strings and simple beats, whilst “Make It Hott (Please)” is an exhibition of bravado and “Hypnotizm” fascinates.

Kano – Brown Eyes / Signs In Life (679)

Rising star Kano has culled these couple of hot cuts from his unit shifting first LP. “Brown Eyes” is a startlingly honest declaration of love, backed by kind keys, a Kanye style sped up vox lick and cut beats. “Signs In Life” cautions those living fast lives, with Kano’s street tales moving over strained strings and a negative bass. The bonus track is a remix of “Sometimes” featuring Klashnekoff, where crying woodwind and a bass barely in motion do the damage.

Haftor Medbøe Group – Sampler (Linn)

Liberating jazz with classical curtseys and subtle electronic poking is perhaps the most accurate way to describe the music of the Edinburgh based Haftor Medbøe Group. A sugary sax weaves a syrupy trail over well-mannered strings and close to ground percussion on “Little Auk”. The pretty “Spor” receives a pulse from its percussion, which sits contently under flexing guitars and flourishing strings. “In Perpetuity” stretches out, as guitar notes are plucked over a bed of level brass, shining strings and melodica kisses.

Choi – The Way We Are (Younglee & Jake Sax RMX) (Equatorial)

Ok_Ma get on the remix tip, brushing up a cut by Choi for Melbourne’s Equatorial imprint. Charming keys and fizzing synths work their magic under some rather pleased vocals on their re-rub of “The Way We Are”.

Test Icicles – What’s Your Damage? (RMXS) (Domino)

French House darlings Alan Braze and Digitalism give those Punked-up screamers a good seeing too. Braxe and Fred Falke’s remix is rather too polite, as a sea of courteous synths and civil percussion submerges those irate vocals. Digitalism give Test Icicles a deserved kick in the balls and thus their deliciously fierce remix comes complete with sandpaper guitars, whipped beats and smeared vocals.

Dee Robinson is a poet and she has previously released WomanFlower, an album you could file under spoken words with a soul/jazz background.
The recently released The Voyage by the Black Pearls project has a different approach. Though it features some spoken words it’s basically a soul album. The idea to this album was born when several friends of Dee performed songs on her birthday party. A few days later Dee teamed up with producer N’Visible Man and nine fellow musicians to form the Black Pearls. The result is a very good collection of musically versatile songs with all but one song being original compositions by Dee. At times The Voyage reminds me of better Malaco/Southern Soul releases by Denise LaSalle or Shirley Brown for example.
The introductory A Black Pearl Is finds Dee praising the virtues of black women while the soulful midtempo groove of the 80s inspired Truly introduces Jasmine who does a little bit of Shirley Brown on this song with alternating singing and talking.
Tonya Taylor is another new name for me, who guests on the equally appealing I Never Knew. Actually Dee has chosen all her fellow musicians wisely. And there’s no argueing about the vocal input of Dee’s nine Black Pearls. Personal highlights include Bonnie Harvey on Sounds Like The Blues To Me. Bonnie reminds us why soul has its origins in Rhythm & Blues [that was of course before the acronym R&B became Black Pop]. Bonnie also impresses on the catchy Sing A Prayer.
Thressa Gardner, a mezzo soprano, does an interesting and rather unusual version of Gershwin’s Summertime giving it the opera treatment in a medley with Dee’s own Sweet Pearl Of Summer.
Also worth mentioning is Delores Major’s hypnotic electric violin solo on Slowrocker’s Groove…somehow reminiscent of a slow Isley Brothers song with a violin instead of a guitar. By the way, Dee also recorded a version of this song with Maurice White on saxophone on her WomanFlower album.
Altogether The Voyage is a very good showcase of black music with its inclusion of soul, blues, neo-soul/R&B and even hints of smooth jazz. Of course, it’s also a strong showcase for the talented “Black Pearls” involved here. This album truly offers something for every fan of black music without being undetermined.

Tracklisting of The Voyage: 1. A Black Pearl Is/ 2. Truly/ 3. I Never Knew/ 4. Sometimes Right Now/ 5. Fine Lines/ 6. Sounds Like the Blues To Me/ 7. Summertime/Sweet Pearl of Summer/ 8. Maybe This Time/ 9. Black Pearl Strut/ 10. It’s Never Too Late/ 11. Sing a Prayer/ 12. Slowrocker’s Groove | released 2005 Dee Robinson

For more infos visit theblackpearls.net, cdbaby.com and mentaltainment.com.

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

I’m sure, you’ve noticed it…blog.jazz-not-jazz.com has just been revamped. I hope you all like the new design. I’ve tested this new design in Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer and haven’t found any problems yet. But if you encounter some troubles with the new design please let me know so I can improve it.
On the left side you now find an additional column with randomly chosen pictures of albums or artists. The pictures are all linked to the corresponding reviews/interviews.

Courtesy of Jon Freer (mosoul.co.uk) here are ten reviews of available and soon to be released albums (sorry no cover shots or tracklistings this time):

V/A – Joe Claussell: Translate (NRK)

One of the few people in our musical world willing to make bold statements and stand up for what they believe in, Claussell has made his mark with his devoutly spiritual outlook. This compilation, a brave release for NRK, captures the essence of the man; revealing his concern at the state of our earth, his fascination with life outside our world and a love of intense techy records. In recent times his production work has taken on a rawer and more overtly African feel, highlighted by the output of his Sacred Rhythm label and shown here by the inclusion of the unprocessed demo version of “Eno”. This is not a conventional mix compilation by any stretch of the imagination, with sounds of nature, beguiling effects and spoken word episodes appearing alongside the super deep musical fare and expected filtering action. Slam Mode’s “Umri (Pacifica)” is a sensitively stringed life praising number, whilst Âme’s “Rej” is a tense keyed banger. Forceful synths and inviting vocals colour King Britt’s gorgeous revision of Soul Dharma’s “Flower”, one of only ten or so actual full-length tracks on this CD, which contains 49 aural instalments. Emotionally consuming, this cosmic voyage is a true representation of Claussell’s current musical tastes and outlook on life.

Various – The Best Of Ten Year 1996 – 2006 (Chillifunk)

Over a 10 year period, Chillifunk have released a wealth of hot House records and a side serving of intriguing nu-jazz and neo-soul. Headed by the diminutive Lofty, with more than a little help from the influential soul-soothing Dr. Bob Jones, the label has stayed true to its philosophy, releasing genuinely “Soulful Music For Funky People”. This commemorative collection, which is spread over two CDs and comes with a bonus mix from Notenshun, revisits key moments from the label’s glowing back catalogue. Standouts from the first disc include Ashley Beedle’s magically synthed refix of Nathan Haines feat. Lyric L’s “Doot Dude” and DJ Deep’s gracefully keyed “Inner Peace”. Highlights on the second CD include Terry Caller & East West Connection’s slow burning “Tomorrow In Your Eyes”, and Phil Asher’s playfully guitared remix of Notenshun’s “Amarante”. An essential piece of UK House history.
[also read my review of this compilation and don’t forget to listen to my personal best of Chillifunk this Friday on radio42 - Dirk]

Shawn Lee – Soul Visa (Grand Scheme)

The charming Shawn Lee stops playing table tennis with his breaks loving orchestra in order to pick up his guitar and deliver this proper album. Dripping with soul, indie and folky flavours, this collection of love-hate songs should win the talented and distinctively voiced fella quite a few more fans. “Some People” places thoughtful vocals over honest guitars and shining keys. “Mexican Stand Off” could be the soundtrack to a quick-firing western scene, with bendy guitars, wondering vocals and pattering drums providing the ammunition. Cute guitars and fidgeting drums work wonders on the confessional “Throwin’ Shadows”. A wonderfully unprocessed and sincere offering.

V/A – Drum & Bass Arena Classics (Ministry Of Sound)

Easily the most recognisable face in D&B, Goldie takes time out from running Metalheadz and making TV and film appearances, in order to select a wad of old and new school classics for this D&B arena birthday comp. Celebrating the ten years of informing via the information super highway, dark bass stormers rub shoulders with shining melodic numbers on this double CD set. The first disc features Adam F’s melting key laced “Circles” alongside heavier efforts such as DJ Die’s punishing “Clear Skyz”, where a hard nosed bass and tight percussion do the damage. Highlights from C D two include the deadly “Shadow Boxing” from Nasty Habits, and Alex Reece’s “Pulp Fiction”, where tense trumpeting rides a shadowy bass and slick beats. This is a compilation of real classics, from the man whose “Timeless” album gave many their first taste of speedy breakbeat and bassline led music.

Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators – Keep Reachin’ Up (Timmion)

Mixing carefree party starters with deep introspective thinkers, this is a rather wonderful album from neo funk Queen Nicole Willis and her band of merry of Finnish players. Teeming with retro cool, this album, full of addictive songs, will have you singing along in no time. The adamant “If This Ain’t Love (Don’t Know What Is)” has Nicole demanding a display of emotion, over hopeful keys, a nonchalant bass and smilin’ horns. “Blues Downtown” offers advice, as a melancholic organ gets an angry bass and opinionated brass to keep a watchful eye. “Holdin’ On” is a firm declaration of love, where a pushy organ and bright guitars apply the pressure. Overseen by eccentric Jazz guy Jimi Tenor, who just happens to be Mr. Nicole Willis, this album packs a knockout soulful punch.

Alif Tree – French Cuisine (Compost)

Parallels are often drawn between food and music, which makes sense, as either can be delicious or disgusting. Here, Alif Tree goes a step further than most, by actually suggesting delicacies that should be sampled, whilst one tucks into his album of deeply moving jazz hop experimentalism. “Deadly Species” spreads Nina Simone’s broken-hearted vocals thinly over a bed of far away gazing keys, despairing strings and dusty bass movement. “Enough” sees complaining vocal refrain move over windswept beats, as poignant strings add to the aroma. Flavoursome piano keys do the work on “My Soul”, where apocalyptic strings and brass crashes attempt to unsteady the diner. This album is a mouth-watering platter of fine jazz-coated electronic treats.

Reel People – Second Guess (Defected)

After a few personnel changes, with the glorious “The Rain” and a couple of other newbies replacing a few original album tracks, Reel People’s 2003 debut is now ready for a bigger audience. The album has been tweaked a little in the production department and thus overall feels a little smoother than on its Papa release too, which perhaps removes a little raw appeal, but should nevertheless win the group more devotees. Happy go lucky synths, punching drums and cleansed vocals makes “The Rain” the pick of the new tracks. Vocalist Angela Johnson’s admiration can be felt on “Can’t Stop”, where open percussion and a purring bass do a great backing job. Twinkling piano keys and nimble percussion meet behind emotional vocals on the excitable “Butterflies”. As a special treat for new fans and no doubt in order to entice admirers who own the original album, Defected have included a bonus disc, which charming live interpretations and fine remixes from Phil Asher and Dennis Ferrer.

Jordan Fields – 2084 (Nice+Smooth)

2084 may be a little far into the future for most of us to look, but here Mr. Fields considers what we might hear towards the end of the 2000’s. If Jordan’s vision is correct, we’ll be dancing to intriguingly coloured and excitingly passionate House, downbeat and midbeat tunes. “A Rainbow Dub” watched crushed vocals slip in between pleased with themselves keys and quick-fingered live bass movement. Giorgio Moroder’s “The Chase” has been covered many times before, but here Jordan Fields supplies a pretty impressive update, where innocent key work and a dizzying bass triumph. A piano sings quite beautifully on the casual “Nu York Afterdark”. An appealing vision of our musical future.

V/A – Fred Everything’s House Of Om (Om)

Jumpy bumpy bleepy burpy House is the flavour of Fred Everything’s contribution to the House Of Om series. With each compiler getting the chance to deliver their take on House, this happy bumpin’ selection has a trackier stance than the recent shiny House offerings from Kaskade and the Groove Junkies. Town & Country give us “Love Could Be”, where heavy filtration obscures optimistic vocals and reformed keys. Natural Rhythm’s “Own Thing” watches a fluttering flute dance with wavering keys, over slurping fx and reliable bass drops. A high-spirited bass is impossible to control on Brett’s ‘Summer Dub’ of “Everything Is Changing” by Robbie Hardkiss. Quality animated House.

Matthias Vogt Trio – Changing Colours (INFRACom!)

The man behind the gorgeous [re:jazz] project drops an album of neo jazz entitled “Changing Colours”. A world away from his Housey Motorcitysoul output, this album does make reference to modern electronic production ideals, but in all honesty is a jazz album with a capital j! Wholesome pianos and measured bass movements colour “The Look Into Your Eyes”. “Circle of Friends” is characterised by emotion-filled piano work, intricate bass weaving and never stopping percussion. Sad keys and raindrop type cymbals get blown along on “Down The Wind”. Unfortunately, the vocal tracks on this album are let down by poor English, but there are some lovely instrumental moments here.

In conjunction with radiopellenera jazz-not-jazz presents a weekly show with quality soul, jazz and house music. You can catch the show every Sunday from 13:00-15:00 UTC+1 and if you missed it it will be repeated on Tuesday (07:00-09:00 UTC+1) and Friday (12:00-14:00 UTC+1). For conversion to your local time zone have a look at the wikipedia or at radiopellenera’s schedule on live365.com.

Here’s the playlist for the show starting Sunday 22nd. This time it’s all about jazz music. Enjoy!

OuterZone Band: Suny (from 1er Cru Promo Sampler)
Speak In Tones: Speak In Tones (from Subaro)
Robert Mitchell’s Panacea: Witness II A Blues Future (from Voyager)
Tia Imani Hanna: Fiona’s Cousin (Band Version)(from The Book Of Tia)
Michael Adkins: Infotation (from Infotation)
McCoy Mrubata: Amasabekwelanggeni (from Africa Straight Ahead)
Lois Deloatch: Perpetual Motion (from Closure)
Alice Coltrane: Los Caballos (from Eternity)
Pedro Giraudo: La Viudita (from Desconsuelo)
Andile Yenana: Sydney’s Etude (from Who’s Got The Map?)
Voice: Sweet Anathi (from Africa Straight Ahead)
Curtis Lundy: All Things Being Equal Are Not (from Against All Odds)
Lyman Medeiros And The Lower Level: Big City Dreams (from The Funky Supervillain)
Empyreal Coalition: One Of A Kind (from 1er Cru Promo Sampler)
Francisco Mora Catlett: Amazona (Dawn/Main/Epilogue/Sunset)(from River Drum)

Lately there have been quite a few bass players (like Lyman Medeiros or Rob Thorsen) reviewed on this site with some outstanding albums. Desconsuelo, the second big band album by Pedro Giraudo, is another great album by a bass player. Pedro was born and raised in Cordoba, Argentina, and moved to New York City in 1996, where he worked in a great variety of musical projects. In April 2000 he and his fellow musicians formed the band Mr. Vivo and this tight 13-piece big band provides a unique mix of jazz, improvisation, South American music and Argentine folk songs. All eight songs on this album are original compositions by Pedro. The remarkable thing with Desconsuelo is that this album is labeled as a Pedro Giraudo record yet he never pushes to the fore with his bass playing. Of course, the bass is present on the songs but you hardly hear Pedro as soloist contrary to Will Vinson or Tatum Greenblatt for example. So there’s not much ego involved here. We all know that this only benefits the music when the musicians involved know how to communicate and are really interested in doing so while playing. That’s why this album is so inspiring and it’s hard to pick a favourite here.
As a fan of long and epic songs I especially like the title track Desconsuelo, that is divided into three pieces. The hard-hitting latin inspired Mate Amargo fades to the slow and melancholy Con Un Nudo En La Garganta. The last part of this triology, La Bronca features a fine solo performance by Ryan Keberle on trombone.
La Vuidita with its nearly nine and a half minutes is another latin jazz winner that shows the quality of the horn section again with solos by Luke Batson and Will Vinson (saxes).
Primer Intento, which features Sofia Tosello on vocals, is an interesting (and good) song. Starting with a rather lugubrious feeling it soon turns into a swinging jazz song. Since I don’t speak Spanish, I wish Pedro would’ve included an English translation of the lyrics.
Altogether a great album by a talented band with a distinctive sound that should appeal to fans of jazz and Latin jazz alike.

Tracklisting of Desconsuelo: 1-3. Desconsuelo (1. Mate Amargo/ 2. Con Un Nudo En La Garganta/ 3. La Bronca)/ 4. La Viudita/ 5. Primer Intento/ 6. A Dario Iscaro/ 7. Ese Grito/ 8. Contrapuntren | released 2006 by Pedro Giraudo

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

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

In conjunction with radio42.com and rautemusik.fm jazz-not-jazz presents two hours of simply great music every Friday 19:00-21:00 UTC+1 (you don’t have to convert it for Germany…that’s Friday 13:00-15:00 in NYC, Friday 10:00-12:00 in San Francisco and Saturday 04:00-06:00 in Sydney). The links of the audio stream can be found on radio42.com or rautemusik.fm (look for #Musik.Lounge there).

Yes, I know there’s the ultimate compilation celebrating Chillifunk’s 10th anniversary compiled by Bob Jones and Lofty. But I just couldn’t play only this sampler for my show on radio42. That would’ve been a little bit shiftless. So here’s my personal collection of favourites from the Chillifunk label. Enjoy!

Verna Francis: Pause (from Down To Earth)
Vanessa Freeman: Show Me (from Shades)
East West Connection: Tomorrow In Your Eyes (feat. Terry Callier)(from Nothing Can Hold Us Back/ The Best Of Ten Years)
Notenshun: Soul Music (feat. Sandy Mill)(Listen Now Deepness)
Ultra Naté: Feel Love (original)
Nathan Haines: Wonderful Thing (from Sound Travels)
Verna Francis: Sunshine (Musipella)
East West Connection: More I Get (Surgery Soul Mix)
Notenshun: Chilli In Rio (from Moving On)
Snowboy: The Riots Of Hadleigh (from New Beginnings)
Restless Soul feat. Nathan Haines: After Ours (Ibadan Sfere Dub)(from The Best Of Ten Years)
UC Heights feat. Anthony Flanagan: Never Lost Faith (Deep Mix)(from Hot Sauce 2)
Vanessa Freeman: Shades (Rebirth Remix)
East West Connection feat. Daniel Vacchio: High On Life
T. Kolai: NKosi (from Teak All Eye)
Nathan Haines: O Misterio (Yam Who Vocal)
Interns feat. Snowboy: It’s About Time (from Moving On)
East West Connection feat. Sandy Mill: We’re Moving On (from Moving On)
Nathan Haines: Earth Is The Place (Francois K. Re-edit)

This is a sampler of songs the label Premier Cru Music wants to release in 2006. And like the River Drum album by Francisco Mora Catlett this just oozes class and quality proving that Premier Cru is an apt choice of name.
Auricle are George Katsiris and Borahm Lee. Do Ai is a nice downtempo song that fuses electronic and soul with a female singer while the instrumental Goodbye Studio offers more soul with a live feeling.
An artist you should look for in 2006 is Afra Behn. Looong Green and Seasons:Spring are great modern soul songs somewhere between Sylk 130, Alma Horton and Alison Crockett.
Empyreal Coalition are an all-star experimental jazz ensemble. With featured artists Roy Ayers, MeShell Ndegeocello and Bobbi Humphrey you know that you get nothing than quality. If the two songs Babalu Aye and One Of A Kind by the Empyreal Coalition are exemplary of a future album than we will soon hear a renaissance of deep and spiritual moving jazz music.
The two ¡Brasil! cuts are from a forthcoming compilation of Brazilian music from the 60s and 70s compiled by Jonathan Williams. Carcara could’ve easily appeared on a 60s movie (you know the ones with a music score by Henry Mancini for example). The instrumental Bamba is a nice midtempo track with a groovy key solo.
The OuterZone Orchestra features Francisco Mora Catlett, Carl Craig, Craig Taborn and Marshall Allen. Suny is a spacey future jazz slow groove which may need some time to appeal to you (well, I needed some time). Carl Craig’s edit of Empyreal Coalition’s Babalu Aye isn’t bad and takes the song into a new direction but, alas, for me it looses something of the spirituality and magic the original version has.
[edit: and here I was wrong and got confused. The two songs have the same name but that’s actually the only connection. This Babalu Aye is just a different version of the album edit from the Outerzone Band. Well, in these days you really never know if a song with the same name isn’t a remix of another. Especially if a good remixer deconstructs a song and comes up with something totally different from the original. Mea culpa!]
All in all Premier Cru will certainly have a very good year with some strong releases. And I have have a few artists more to look for in 2006.

Tracklisting of 1er Cru: 1. Auricle - Do Ai/ 2. Auricle - Goodbye Studio/ 3. Afra Behn - Looong Green/ 4. Afra Behn - Seasons: Spring/ 5. Empyreal Coalition - Babalu Aye/ 6. Empyreal Coalition - One Of A Kind/ 7. ¡Brasil! - Carcara/ 8. ¡Brasil! - Bamba/ 9. OuterZone Band - Suny/ OuterZone Band - Babalu Aye:Carl Craig Edit | Promo 2006 Premier Cru Music

For more infos visit premiercrumusic.com.

This album has been released sometime in mid-2005 but was brought to my attention only recently by Phoenix from the Premier Cru Music label. And I’m very glad she told me about Francisco Mora Catlett and his label. A label, I have never heard of before, but whose name should make then a guarantor for first class music. From what I’ve heard of Premier Cru so far they really live up to their name.
Francisco Mora Catlett is a drumer/composer who’s a former member of both Sun Ra Arkestra and Max Roach’s M’ Boom Band. Fans of electro/techno/modern jazz may also know him from his collaboration with Carl Craig’s Innerzone Orchestra (Bug In The Bassbin) or from his appearance on the Sun Ra Dedication The Myth Lives On on Kindred Spirits.
River Drums is Francisco’s follow-up to World Trade Music from 1999 on the Community Projects label. And what an inspiring record it is. Francisco offers a unique blend of jazz, Latin and Afro-Cuban jazz with lots of drums (naturally!), percussion and horns. The album starts with three different versions of Afra-Jum. Hard to decide which one’s better…the first turns into a furious uptempo tour de force after five minutes, the second is on the jazzier side while the third takes on where the first version left you.
The highlight for me is the Amazona suite. The main part was released as a 12″ on Kindred Spirit in 2004 by the way. But this new version with Prelude and Epilogue gives it a new, spiritual direction picturing a day from sunrise to sunset. The Prelude features a great string quartet giving this song a welcome orchestral feeling. The main part is a joyous Brazilian dancer with Teresa G. Mora on vocals. The Epilogue marks the end of the day with its slow groove. Luckily the record doesn’t end here. The percussive Rumba Morena offers more quality music for example.
Francisco even manages it to convince me that steel drums can sound good in the right context like on Old Man Joe. His versatility can also be heard on the traditional jazz tune AJ’s Blues.
If you picked up Speak In Tones’ Subaro last year and like the Latin and percussive stuff Masters At Work and Joe Claussell do then you shouldn’t miss River Drums. And open-minded fans of Latin jazz that leaves more than enough room for improvisation and broadens musical borders must have this highly recommendable album anyway.

Tracklisting of River Drum: 1. Afra-Jum/ 2. Afra-Jum/ 3. Afra-Jum/ 4. Samba (Conga de Amor)/ 5. Amazona Prelude (Dawn) 6. Amazona/ 7. Amazona (Epilogue/Sunset)/ 8. Rumba Morena/ 9. El Morro/ 10. Old Man Joe/ 11. AJ’s Blues (for Ali Jackson)/ 12. King of Lighting (Drums Solo)/ 13. ¿Por Que Paro?/ 14. Hasta la Vista | released 2005 by Taiko Drum Music / Premier Cru Music

For more infos visit premiercrumusic.com.

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