Category: FEATURED RELEASES
Following the release of last year’s superb 12inch for the Space Grapes label, and before that, their breakthrough 2022 debut recording Trasforma, the Italian jazz-funk trio Collettivo Immaginario returns with their highly-anticipated sophomore release for Domanda Music, titled Oltreoceano.
Catching up on some recent standout releases, here is BeatCaffeine’s weekly record rundown (just a few days late) featuring the latest by Melbourne-based “future-jazz” collective Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange, Emma-Jean Thackray’s highly personal and eclectic album Weirdo, Italian saxophone great Emanuele Cisi’s brilliant new offering on the Right Tempo label, and Ten Lovers Music latest Best of Various EP.
Paul Murphy’s Jazz Room Records follows up last year’s massive 7inch release of Takumi Moriya Black Nation’s take on Joe McPhee’s “Shakey Jake” with a new 10inch single from the Japanese producer and bassist featuring his brilliant new rendition of Terumasa Hino’s 1981 jazz dance classic “Merry Go Round”.
Over the last several years, legendary UK jazz dance and soul DJ, and now radio broadcaster, Colin Curtis has been releasing a slew of superb EPs under his Colin Curtis Presents imprint. For his first release of 2025, he puts out the much anticipated new recording from multi-instrumentalist and producer Tom Funk‘s cosmic jazz-fusion project The Sultan’s Swing.
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.
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.
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.
In what has become one of the most anticipated albums of the year in many jazz circles, the expansive 11-piece Manchester-based group Ensemble C, led by acclaimed composer and pianist Claire Cope, has released a brilliant new album to coincide with March 8th’s International Women’s Day, titled Every Journey.
The superb Analog Africa label has recently released an expansive 2xLP retrospective on Beninese legend and “The King of Modern Agbadja,” Gnonnas Pedro, titled Roi De L’Agbadja Moderne 1974-1983.
When it comes to an EP release, Steve Conry’s Ten Lovers Music seems to have mastered the format with their ongoing Best of Various, and now more recently, The Coin series. The UK-label has just put out Volume 3, which includes selections from Italian pianist and producer Marcello Cassanelli, and a new project from Caruso with Helen McCormack.
The legendary Marshall Allen, who has been a member of the Sun Ra Arkestra since 1958 and led the iconic group since 1995, has remarkably at the age of 100 just released his debut solo album, titled New Dawn on the Brooklyn-based label Mexican Summer .
