Record Shopping Etiquette
The do’s, the don’ts, and best practices when it comes to shopping for vinyl.
Listen back to this past Saturday, April 19th BeatCaffeine Radio show on Motion FM, hosted by TJ Gorton. The broadcast includes a number of jazz dance classics from Jeff Lorber Fusion, Mark Murphy, Wayne Henderson, Sonny Fortune, Seawind and Kamal Abdul Alim, Brazilian flavored selections from Valeria Lobao and Bill Summers, “nu jazz” gems by Jazz N Palms, Trüby Trio, one of my all-time favorite tracks “Take Vibe” from Golden Brown and more!
Following the group’s impressive contributions to some of the most recent recordings from Ghanaian highlife legend Pat Thomas, the Accra-based Kwashibu Area Band has released their highly-anticipated debut album on London’s Soundway Records, titled Love Warrior’s Anthem.
This Saturday, April 12th is Record Store Day 2025, which over the last several years, has greatly become the prime day for many labels to release limited-edition or never-before-released vinyl albums, singles, compilations and reissues — often (even to BeatCaffeine’s disliking) on color vinyl. You can even make the argument that this annual event has become more like “record label day” or “new vinyl collectables day”, given its evolution. While the day usually attracts many hardcore collectors (sometimes camping out for 10-12 hours or more), shops also often see a large influx of casual music fans and even a few that might be buying their first record. Regardless, these are all great things.
Listen back to this past Saturday, April 5th BeatCaffeine Radio show on Motion FM, hosted by TJ Gorton. The broadcast includes a number of jazz dance classics from Gábor Szabó, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Ted Curson, Brazilian flavored selections from Tamba 4, Cal Tjader and Charlie Byrd, “nu jazz” gems by Joyce Elaine Yuille, Gerardo Frisina, Malena Pérez and much more!
This week’s BeatCaffeine Weekly Record Rundown includes the highly anticipated new album from Italian “nu jazz” pioneer Gerardo Frisina, the latest balearic jazz-funk 7inch single from Jazz N Palms, Nat Birchall’s brilliant new dub offering, and the incredible debut album from UK-based group Knats.
This week’s BeatCaffeine Weekly Record Rundown includes the much anticipated sophomore release from rising London-based pianist Sultan Stevenson, the latest brilliant offering from legendary UK producer and multi-instrumentalist Kaidi Tatham, an impressive new album from upcoming vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, and an eclectic full-length from keyboard wiz and Ezra Collective member Joe Armon-Jones.
London’s Far Out Recordings has unearthed and released a previously lost 1978 session featuring legendary Brazilian drummer Edison Machado and his incredible, yet short-lived sextet ensemble, Boa Nova.
New York-based Frederiksberg Records has recently reissued the extremely rare 1984 spiritual soul-jazz private press album, Looking For Love, by Hebrew Israelite vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Margeeah Aharon.
Listen back to this past Saturday, March 22nd BeatCaffeine Radio show on Motion FM, hosted by TJ Gorton. The broadcast includes a tribute to the late great soul-jazz legend Roy Ayers, as well as a number of jazz dance classics from Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Southern Energy Ensemble, Airto & Flora Purim, and Jon Hendricks, new tracks from Marcello Cassanelli, The Lewis Express & Chip Wickham, the forthcoming reissue by Frederiksberg Records of Margeeah and much more!
This week’s BeatCaffeine Weekly Record Rundown includes the incredible soul-jazz collaboration between The Lewis Express and flautist Chip Wickham, the latest offering from forward-thinking British-Bahrani trumpeter Yazz Ahmed, a beautifully lush album from North Carolina trio Okonski, and the fifth volume of legendary producer and DJ John Beltran’s must-buy-them-all Back to Bahia series.