Record Shopping Etiquette
The do’s, the don’ts, and best practices when it comes to shopping for vinyl.
London-based, Ukrainian-born harpist Alina Bzhezhinska follows up her critically acclaimed 2018 debut album Inspiration (Ubuntu Music), with a superb new full-length release featuring the HipHarpCollective on the BBE label, titled Reflections.
The London-based collective Natural Lateral, led by Aziz Mustafa (aka Tom Funk), follows up their breakthrough 2019 debut Cogito Ergo Jam with a brilliant and highly-anticipated new recording on the Social Joy label, titled Tapestry Of Life.
Formerly Chicago, and now Hawaii-based percussionist, composer, and producer Makaya McCraven has just released an incredible expansive new full-length album, titled In These Times, that has been over seven years in the making.
In just a short period of time, Italian-born Los Angeles-based drummer, producer and DJ Tommaso Cappellato‘s Domanda Music label has quickly established itself with some strong releases, including Rosa Brunello’s recent Sound Like Freedom recording, which is definitely one of the best albums of 2022. The label continues their string of impressive releases with a superb debut full-length, titled Transforma, from another of Cappellato’s collaborative projects, Collettivo Immaginario.
Over the last several years, there haven’t been many artists that have been able to release the sheer number of quality releases as composer and pianist Greg Foat. The London-based artist returns with his longstanding Greg Foat Group for the ensemble’s first full-length album in 6 years, titled Blue Lotus.
Following this past Spring’s fantastic 12″ tribute to the great Lonnie Liston Smith, and a number of superb releases for the Lovemonk label, saxophonist and flautist Chip Wickham, who divides his time between Spain, UK and the Middle-East, has released his debut full-length album on Matthew Halsall’s Manchester-based Gondwana Records, titled Cloud 10.
Australian-based keyboardist, composer and producer David Versace, who also plays in the Meanjin nu-jazz group First Beige, has released an incredible debut album on the Melbourne label La Sape Records, titled Okra.
In what has certainly been one of the most anticipated releases of the year, Chicago’s International Anthem has unearthed and released the eponymous debut album, titled Step On Step, by the late great producer, arranger, and composer Charles Stepney (1931-1976), featuring never-heard-before 4-track tape demo recordings. During the 60s and 70s, Stepney was a essential contributor to some of the greatest recordings of that time by Earth, Wind & Fire, Terry Callier, Ramsey Lewis, The Dells, The Rotary Connection, Deniece Williams, Minnie Riperton, Marlena Shaw, Muddy Waters, and so many others.
Continuing the streak of putting out must-own releases, Paul Murphy and his label Jazz Room Records are reissuing Carlos Franzetti’s hard-to-find jazz dance classic album Graffiti, which was originally released on Guinness Records (not related to the drink) in 1977.
Back in 2017 for Record Store Day, Mr Bongo put out an official reissue of Arthur Verocai’s 1972 “holy grail” masterpiece. Since then, the UK-based label has reissued the album a number of times. Now celebrating it’s 50th Anniversary, Mr Bongo has put together an expansive special edition package commemorating it’s initial release.