‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

In the ‘Blue Note Classic Vinyl’ series.

Luminously communicative improvisations by pianist Anja Lauvdal and drummer Joakim Heibø, juggling bristling ecstasy and desolate reflection. Impressive; warmly recommended.

Janneau contributed to François Tusques’ 1965 landmark Free Jazz sessions. He was a stalwart of Jef Gilson’s big band in the years leading up to this first album as leader in 1975, with Jenny-Clark on bass and percussions, Bernard Lubat on drums, and Michel Grailler from Magma on spaced-out synths. The compositions are all FJ originals: check the monumental Droit d’Asile, the spooky Theme For An Unknown Island, and the homage Mr J.C. For Ever.

‘Verve By Request.’

‘Turbocharged highlife from 1980s Ghana… It opens in fine style with Nka Bom, horns sharply descending over a disco bassline, with a triumphant electric piano solo and a lengthy percussion interlude. Other highlights include the growling Gbenta, with a bluesy bassline and machine-gun drumming, and the trumpet voluntary and dubby choral singing on Moonlight Africa’ (Financial Times).
Produced by Eno, who discarded his own contributions as ‘clumsy and unnecessary compared to Edikanfo’s witty, light funkiness… What they’d given me was finished — there was nothing else I could add.’

‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

His first LP, recorded for Uno Melodic in 1981, produced by Roy Ayers.
En route the saxophonist had recorded with Mongo Santamaria, Jon Lucien and Dom Salvador. That’s him on James Mason’s Sweet Power Your Embrace; and he played on various Ayers LPs, including Vibrations and Lifeline.
Treasured for its gorgeous, mellow opener.

Her landmark rewiring of Zulu maskanda, in 1999. Tough, grooving sufferers about heartbreak, abuse and money worries, from a woman’s point of view.
‘Unlike many African music albums produced at the time, Urban Zulu is tight, with every inch of the vocals worked over to powerful, husky perfection. Rarely pretty but exquisitely detailed, Urban Zulu is intense, angry, and bewitching.’

An early seventies South African expression of the London Beat scene, mixing in R&B, funk and moon-stomping, organ-led reggae. The 45s Reggae Shh! and Reggae Meadowlands were big underground hits on the Mod scene.
Featuring top-notch South Africa session musicians like guitarist Johnny Fourie and keyboardist Zane Cronje.

The multi-faceted genius of Eugene ‘Yonachak’ Cline, producer, multi-instrumentalist and singer from St Lucia, beautifully presented by Hornin’, with top-notch, live-and-kicking sound, in a gorgeous sleeve.
It’s a gripping, crazy mix. Deep, mid-seventies roots, Half Moon style, extended, with an instrumental, and ace dubs; nuts but banging late-eighties digi; off-the-wall rasta-soca fire.
Great stuff.

Legendary Harlem soul and funk from 1973 — the RAT was the house-band at the Apollo —  with bags of lo-fi charm and sublimated Isaac Hayes to its ‘unabashedly sincere songs that perfectly encapsulate the era’s heady milieu of black pride and cultural awareness, and the plaintive emotion of struggling to realise dreams whilst navigating a city and neighbourhood in decline.’
Painstakingly prepared according to the remit of this series; with excellent notes.

Amongst the greatest sitar players in history, recorded in Japan in 1974, accompanied by Manick Das on tabla, and Namita Chatterjee on tambura.