Record Shopping Etiquette
The do’s, the don’ts, and best practices when it comes to shopping for vinyl.
BBE celebrates 60 years of music from Brazilian legends Airto Moreira and Flora Purim with 5LP Box Set
For over six decades, there has arguably not been a more pioneering duo that has brought together the sounds of Brazilian jazz, fusion, and samba more so than Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. Through their own collaborations and individual works, the legendary musical tag-team and longtime life partners have over time gained a vast global fan base that includes everything from UK’s jazz-funk and jazz dance scenes, to experimental jazz and Brazilian-rooted music fans. This month, the London-based label BBE is releasing the highly anticipated 5LP Box Set, titled A Celebration: 60 Years – Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories, highlighting some of their most notable tracks.
BBE’s superb Japanese Jazz compilation series returns, dives into the Nippon Columbia label
Since the release of the series’ first compilation back in 2018, in addition to two follow-up compilation recordings and a growing number of select album reissues, BBE’s J Jazz has become the most definite collection exploring innovative and rare Japanese jazz. Curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, the highly anticipated fourth compilation dives deep into one of the biggest and most diverse labels in Japan, Nippon Columbia.
London trumpeter Nick Walters returns with jazz-fusion recording ‘Marine Mood’
Over the last few years, trumpeter, composer and bandleader Nick Walters has become one of the prominent figures among the creative London jazz scene. Following up on the superb releases that focused on the incorporation of traditional Indian sounds (Padmāsana), and the exploration of sounds from space (Singularity), he returns with a revitalization of his sextet, who last appeared together on his 2019 album Active Imagination, with a brilliant new recording on his D.O.T. label, titled Marine Mood.
Atlantis Jazz Ensemble return with spiritual soul jazz ‘Celestial Suite’
In much anticipation, the Ottawa-based collective Atlantis Jazz Ensemble return with a brilliant new recording on Marlow Records, titled Celestial Suite. Originally spawning as a project by pianist Pierre Chrétien and alto saxophonist Zakari Frantz of The Souljazz Orchestra back in 2013, this represents the group’s first release since their 2016 breakthrough album Ocean Suite.
UK’s Mr Bongo reissues two essential Brazilian gems
For over the past 30 years, the Brighton-based record shop and label Mr Bongo have been at the forefront of reissuing rare Brazilian gems from the past, from their Brazil 45 series to full-length albums, notably Arthur Verocai’s 1972 self-titled “holy grail”. Over the last month, they have recently added two more must-own releases to the list in Minas‘ 1983 private press bossa nova recording Num Dia Azul, and Mário Castro Neves and his group, Samba S. A.‘s 1967 breezy samba self-titled classic.
Energy Exchange Exchange releases highly collaborative jazz dancefloor-focused debut
Residing from Berlin, London, and Melbourne, the Energy Exchange Ensemble (EX Ensemble) has been making waves throughout 2023 with a number of dancefloor-focused digital single releases that have regular rotation from notable DJs like Gilles Peterson, Kev Beadle, Colin Curtis and others. In much anticipation, the highly collaborative collective have recently released their debut, simply titled Energy Exchange Records Vol 1.
Tommaso Cappellato’s Los Angeles-based cosmic jazz trio Explorare release debut album
Italian drummer and producer Tommaso Cappellato, who is also the visionary behind the superb label Domanda Music and a frequent collaborator with Mark de Clive-Lowe, Dwight Trible and others, has just released the debut album from his new Los Angeles-based trio Explorare, which includes bassist Tony Martin and keyboardist Diego Gaeta.
French saxophonist Léon Phal releases superb new jazz-funk album ‘Stress Killer’
French saxophonist Léon Phal follows-up his 2021 debut recording Dust to Stars on Kyudo Records with a superb new LP, titled Stress Killer on Heavenly Sweetness, which brings together jazz and club culture.
Jazzman Records unearths rare private press gems on Spiritual Jazz 14
Over the span of the last two decades, in which Jazzman Records has been issuing their incredible Spiritual Jazz series, the London-based label has issued a number of volumes that have focused on some of the most groundbreaking and prolific jazz labels, including Blue Note, Prestige, Impulse!, and Steeplechase. For the latest release, titled Spiritual Jazz 14: Private, label owner Jazzman Gerald dives deep into the well and unearths rare gems that didn’t come out on a label and were ultimately released as a private press recording.
Acid Jazz pioneer Max Beesley returns with long-awaited ‘High Vibes’ debut full-length
UK-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Max Beesley, who has performed alongside notable artists like Incognito, The Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai, Paul Weller and others, has returned with his ‘High Vibes’ and releases the project’s debut full-length on Légère Recordings, titled Zeus. This marks the first release for the project since he put out two classic 12inches under the same alias on Boogie Back Records during the height of the acid jazz movement in 1993-1994.
