Record Shopping Etiquette
The do’s, the don’ts, and best practices when it comes to shopping for vinyl.
Chicago drummer Daniel Villarreal teams up with Jeff Parker and Anna Butterss on rhythmic ‘Lados B’
Chicago-based drummer Daniel Villarreal follows up last year’s breakthrough solo debut Panamá 77 with a superb new album on International Anthem, featuring guitarist Jeff Parker and bassist Anna Butterss, titled Lados B.
Isaiah Collier releases brilliant direct-to-disc spiritual jazz album on Night Dreamer
The London-based Night Dreamer label continues their string of incredible Direct-To-Disc recordings with arguably their best session to date, featuring Chicago multi-instrumentalist and composer Isaiah Collier with a superb group that includes gospel soul singer Jimetta Rose, AACM and former Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpet player Corey Wilkes and others, titled Parallel Universe.
Mr Bongo launches new Cuban Classic Series with reissue of Grupo Los Yoyi’s 1977 fusion gem
For over 30 years, Mr Bongo label and record shop has been at the forefront of some of the most notable Brazilian, African, hip-hop, and Latin reissue releases. The UK-based label and record shop continue their high quality output of rare material as they launch their new Cuban Classic Series, beginning with the hard-to-find reissue of Grupo Los Yoyi’s 1977 fusion gem.
Tommaso Cappellato’s Collettivo Immaginario releases massive disco-house 12inch ‘Tempo Al Tempo’
Following up their superb breakthrough 2022 debut album Transforma, the Italian-rooted Collettivo Immaginario, which is led by Italian-born Los Angeles-based drummer, producer and DJ Tommaso Cappellato, turn up the dancefloor heat on the group’s brand new limited-edition 12″ single Tempo Al Tempo.
Greg Foat teams up with Finnish saxophone legend Eero Koivistoinen on ‘Feathers’
Building off the foundation of his previous Finnish collaborative recordings for the Jazzaggression label, London-based composer and cosmic jazz keyboard wiz Greg Foat has once again teamed up with a superb cast of Finland-based musicians, including legendary saxophonist Eero Koivistoinen on a brilliant brand new album titled Feathers.
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.
