An essential, five-star Blue Note; warm, lyrical and flowing. Adderley was in Miles Davis’ group at this time — over the next year they would record A Kind Of Blue and Milestones — and the trumpeter pays back generously, choosing the tunes, and playing at his very best.

‘10/10 Pop music as it should be: beautiful, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting’, NME; ‘*****’, Mojo.

Wayne Shuler always recorded Bettye with a black audience in mind, and despite the high proportion of country songs these are definitely soul records, though like nothing else from the time. Bettye never sings with the desolation of O.V. Wright, the hurt of Percy Sledge, or the sheer pain of the final Linda Jones records. There’s a southern feel to these Swann-Shuler recordings, but they also have a light, almost poppy quality to them. Sometimes they sound like the missing link between Muscle Shoals and Motown.

The LP here is a worthy reissue by Music On Vinyl of the classic Honest Jon’s compilation, on its twentieth anniversary; the CD is from back in the day.

1965-67 recordings for John Dolphin’s Los Angeles label, including — amongst numerous original compositions by Bettye herself — the classic chart-topper Make Me Yours.

This is the first-ever overview of Bettye Swann’s career, from Money to Capitol, Fame to Atlantic. The stuff with Wayne Shuler on our own compilation is some of the greatest soul music there is — but this is a must for its inclusiveness, and full of treasures.

‘... compelling and eccentric mix of lopsided funk, freaky jazz and African disco, which gets through more rhythms than some people hear in a lifetime’, Time Out ; ‘***** pure bliss’, Kevin ‘The Bug’ Martin, Muzik.

The first of three 10” comprising Charlotte Courbe’s third album; her compelling return to Honest Jon’s after two decades, laced with surprise and subversiveness, and a refreshing, unique candour.
After a cancer diagnosis last year, Charlotte felt the urge to produce and release new music. “It became like a vital thing.”
MRI Song and Planet Ping Pong were recorded during chemotherapy. Mind Contorted is a duet with Terry Hall, also featuring Terry’s son Theodore and Noel Gallagher on guitars, in a cover of Daniel Johnston. The song Fourteen Years is the oldest inclusion, announcing a fresh, freer direction.
The sleeve exclusively presents new work by John Stezaker, in the first of a triptych.

“I put out the first Le Volume Courbe single in 2001… she reminded me of a female Syd Barrett…  real psychedelic soul” (Alan McGee).
“Inspiring originality, fiercely independent, beautiful music, always years ahead of its time. I remember hearing Charlotte’s music for the first time and being immediately taken by the freshness, great melodies and utterly unique approach” (Kevin Shields).

Tearaway soca from the studio of Darryl Braxton, mixing it up with ragga and rave vibes.

With the Loose Lips MC in full flow, and complete with a Spinna house version. On percussion, Miguel Fuentes brings classic Philly vibes courtesy of the MFSB family.

West London broken beat meets JA dancehall. A Co-op classic by this Bugz mainstay.

Essential Afrika 70 recordings, produced by Fela Kuti.

Beautiful, insurgent, fabulously danceable jazz music from South Africa, flowing out of the penny-whistle kwela bands of the 1950s. (Kwela means ‘get moving’, in Xhosa.)
Bra Gwigwi played alto and clarinet alongside Hugh Masekela and Kippie Moeketsi in The Jazz Dazzlers; also in The Jazz Maniacs and The Harlem Swingsters. He came to the UK from Johannesburg as an actor and clarinettist in King Kong — a musical about a Zulu boxer — which opened in London in February 1961.
Recording in January 1967, at Dennis Duerden’s Transcription Centre, he is joined here by Dudu Pukwana, Chris McGregor, Laurie Allan, and Ronnie Beer, all from The Blue Notes. Ladbroke Grove legend, and mainstay of our London Is The Place For Me series, Coleridge Goode plays double bass.

No less than sixteen shots of jubilant, jump-up mbaqanga. Check the Ethiopian vibe of Mra (which became core repertoire of The Brotherhood of Breath). Listen to Nyusamkhaya, and try to get it out of your head. Impossible.
Lovely notes by Steve Beresford, too.

‘The South African folk music that makes people glad to be alive!’

Full, bone-heavy horns, swirling organ and rocking nyabinghi drumming; and with a storming dub.

An exclusive mix, featuring the original Light Of Saba drummers; with two new instrumentals, one in a more laid-back grounation style, the other blood-and-fire; and a chant, upful and defiant.

From this veteran of the Count Ossie group and The Light Of Saba — ‘These are my recordings from the last couple of years, blazing grounation roots reggae.’

An unexpectedly upful, shuffling, percussive rug-cutter, with the Light Of Saba veteran bringing a little go-go to the grounation, and a deft, lovely dub mixed by Moritz von Oswald.