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Veteran sambistas Jair Rodrigues and Elza Soares are joined by two of the new wave - City Of God star Seu Jorge and Luciana Mello plus 40 (yes 40) of Brazil’s best musicians to reinterpret 11 classic samba songs plus a couple of new ones. My pick is Seu Jorge who does a geat version of Dorival Caymmi’s ‘Samba Da Minha Terra ‘ . Refreshing. Graham Radley

Samba is sometimes characterised outside Brazil as an endless explosion of larger ensemble percussion as witnessed at the Rio carnival. However, this is only part of the story and one that ignores its more modest roots. Samba is a more complex mix of multiple tempi, sometimes slow and mournful and sometimes faster and uplifting. What is beyond doubt is that despite modest beginnings when it was largely rejected by the Brazilian middle classes, samba has become the national music of Brazil and so many sub-genres have evolved as a direct result of samba’s pervasive influence. This present compilation celebrates just a fraction of the numerous facets of samba at a time when there is a vigorous re-investigation of its origins and golden era from the 1930s through to the 1950s. Stars of the calibre of Marisa Monte and Joyce have recently devoted whole albums to reworking specific samba styles. Of the artists on ‘Sambistas’ the album is broadly divided between established veteran sambistas such as Jair Rodrigues, Elza Soares and Jair Oliveira and newer upcoming singers including ‘City of God’ actor/singer Seu Jorge and Luciano Mello.

For the former Jair Rodrigues made his name in the 1960s as part of a famous television/recording duet with arguably Brazil’s greatest ever female singer Elis Regina on the ‘O Fina da Bossa’ show and LPs. Here he offers a delicious old school samba on ‘Juizo final’ a song co-written by samba legend Nelson Cavaquinho while his impassioned vocals also featiure on ‘Batuque nacozinha’ with lovely flute and collective vocal accompaniment. Elza Soares is best known for her 1960s recordings and marriage to Brazilian footballing legend Garrincha. Her versatlitiy is displayed on the laid back ‘Minhas madrugadas’ and on the uptempo ‘Incompatibilidade de genios’, which is a contemporary samba from the 1980s that was a hit for the crack songwriting pairing of Joao Bosco (who sang the original) and Aldir Blanc. Old and new stars alike combine on the rootsy ‘Samba da doca’ with Seu Jorge and Jair Oliveira sharing vocal duties on this homage to the brassy samba gafieira style. Rising star Luciano Mello contributes three songs of which the evergreen ‘Falsa Biaana’ impresses and re-affirms the songwriting skills of Bahia’s most distinguishged wordsmith, Dorival Caymmi. This is an authentic slice of samba that champions its roots and one hopes that a second volume will follow, perhaps with two of its greatest veterans Martinho da Vila and Paulinho da Viola as active participants. Tim Stenhouse

Qu’es aquo l’occitan? What is Occitan? If this language looks unfamiliar, then it is because Occitan is part of the Romance family of languages, similar to Catalan and Spanish, but was spoken throughout the south of France until the 1789 revolution after which time it was largely relegated to the countryside and instead what we know call French took over as the national language. Marseille-based group Moussu T are part of a cultural and linguistic revival that champions the use of the language and on releasing their latest album, ‘Home sweet home’ have used this as the backdrop to their folksy-retro sound which is given a cosmopolitan twist with a mixture of acoustic instrumentation (banjo, washboard) and more exotic sounds (Brazilian berimbau and the Medieval-sounding cougourdon).

Social and cultural themese comprise the majority of the songs and catchy they are too. Tipifying proceedings is ‘Mar e montanha’ which praises the people and places that make up the linguistic boundary that is Occitania while ‘Camarada’ evokes the literary heritage of the troubadours (an early example of we might crudely refer to now as crooners)and ‘Labour song’ adds in references to the Spanish civil war. Marseille is an extremely cosmopolitan city in the twenty-first century with its inhabitants are made up of multiple identities from North Africa to Italy, Greece and further afield. The Cuban-inspired song ‘A la Ciotat Pt.2’ features guitar and vocal ensemble whereas on ‘Lo Chaple’ the legendary Marseille group Massilia Sound System are sampled on a track that questions what has been done to this city. On the country-folk of ‘Il fait beau’ and the ballad of the title track, one wonders whther the band has been influenced by the dust-bowl era of folk singers from Woody Guthrie onwards. In sum this is one of the year’s most pleasurable listens from a truly original band with a highly distinctive repertoire. Qu’es aquo l’occitan? It’s the language of Occitania! Tim Stenhouse

Toots Hibbert is one of the institutions and founding blocks of Jamaican popular music, singing for over forty years, and this welcome re-issue provides us with an opportunity to take in his early ska offerings reocrded at Federal studios. This was in fact the Maytals’ second album following on from ‘Never grow old’ for Coxsone at Studio One and is a delight from start to finish. Soulful is a word that aptly describes the music on this album and ‘Love is a special feeling’ gets proceedings off to a storming start with its catchy groove. Minor key ska is to the fore on ‘It’s you’ which unsurprisingly was issued as a 45 and features the distinctive group harmonies. Uplifting melodies abound on ‘You make me feel the way you do’ with lovely trumpet while the influence of deep southern US soul is felt on ‘It’s no use’. There is no lessening of quality on the generous six bonus tracks and of these ‘When I laugh’ impresses.  Percussive drumming on ‘Bam Bam’ rounds off a milestone album in the evolution of reggae. Detailed sleeve notes courtesy of Steve Barrow and original cover photos make for an indispensable re-release. Tim Stenhouse

In recent time there has been an extensive re-evaluation of soul-jazz organist Reuben Wilson and of his incursions into jazz-funk for Cadet. While the high point of his career remains ‘Love Bug’ cut for Blue Note in 1969, Wilson went on to record a series of albums for the label including this offering in 1971. In contrast to previous albums, ‘Set us free’ was more expansive in its use of instrumenation with added percussion courtesy of congocero Ray Armando, jazz harp, reeds, vocals from female trio Essence and the arrangements of Wade Marcus. The title track is an Eddie Harris composition wh ich is an excellent vehicle for Wilson to stretch out. By this time soul music was in full flight and it should come as little surprise that Wislon should cover two popular songs of the era, ‘Mr Big Stuff’, a hit for Jean Knight and Marivn Gaye’s ‘Mercy mercy me (The Ecology)’, which had only recently been released at the time. Soul fans will find much to appreciate in these covers with vocal chants from Essence embellishing the sound. There is some easy listening material as on ‘We’re in love’ and blues-inflected pieces such as ‘Sho-nuff mellow’ with guitar solo which is, perhaps, the most faithful to the overall Wilson sound. Tim Stenhouse

Jeremy Steig was a relatively little known flautist whose main claim to fame came much later in the 1990s when the track ‘Howlin’ for Judy’ was a hit on the jazz dancefloor scene. This compilation brings together the two albums he recorded for Blue Note and Solid State while under the control of Liberty. The title track is a wonderful piece of left-field inspired jazz and in truth nothing quite matches this. However, ‘Mint Tea’ evokes the influence of Roland Kirk and is an extended excursion for Steig. Throughout proceedings Steig is accompanied by a pared down accompaniment of Eddie Gomez on bass and Don Alias on drums and percussion. The recordings might have benefited from the occasional variation of piano or guitar. There is no questioning the skill of Steig, or the intensity of his playing as witnessed on ‘Alias’. However, as whole this compilation is little too one-dimensional and one is left wanting a temporary rest from the relentless flute improvisations. Tim Stenhouse

The Three Sounds underwent a major stylistic change after mid-1967 with an accompanying minor change in personnel. Until then they had performed as classic jazz trio with a bluesy feel and had recently recorded the superb live album ‘Live at the Lighthouse’ in June 1967. Thereafter strings were added, flute and vibes introduced, and the drum pattern was more akin to that of the emerging funk sound pioneered by James Brown. Chicago-based producer Monk Higgins was clearly influenced by the soul orchestrations of the windy city and ‘Elegant Soul’ is a superior example of soul and jazz styles merging. Aided by the writing of fellow producer See Ervin and separate songwriter Virginia Bland, compositions range from extended workouts to tight blues-inflected grooves. The longest of these, ‘Sittin’ Duck’ weighs in at over nine minutes. For jazz fans the strings are far from intrusive as illustrated on ‘Do it right now’ with occasional background chants. A left-field winner is to be found in ‘African Sweets’. All in all arguably the best of the late period studio recordings Gene Harris and the band made for Blue Note. Tim Stenhouse

Whether as a member of the classic Jimmy Smith combo on seminal albums such as ‘Midnight Special’ and ‘Back at the Chicken Shack’, or as a leader in his own right, Stanley Turrentine recorded his very best sides for Blue Note. In this 1961 recording, the group is pared down to a trio with then wife Shirley Scott on hammond organ and the excellent Roy Brooks on drums fresh from explorations in the Horace Silver band. It is a testimony to the ensemble playing that there is a depth to the overall sound and Scott would return to the trio format in the early-mid 1970s on albums for Cadet and Strata East respectively. The opener ‘Baia’, a Brazilian tune penned by Ary Barraso, was covered by John Coltrane and here Turrentine only plays a latin theme at the beginning and ending of the piece. He clearly knew how to play with the melody and extract the maximum from it. A trio of US songbook tunes including ‘My Shining Hour’ and ‘Yesterdays’ displays Turrentine’s ability to stretch out on a tune. Larry Young would in the mid-late 1960s take a leaf out of Shirley Scott’s dramatic style of playing. An all round effort from Stanley Turrentine who would continue to record the tenor-organ format for another few years. Tim Stenhouse

Sonny Clark was a pianist who recorded almost exclusively for Blue Note and typified the superior late 1950s bop on the classic ‘Cool Struttin’ as well as performing as sideman on Jackie McLean’s ‘A Fickle Sonance’, Dexter Gordon’s ‘Go’ and Stanley Turrentine’s ‘Jubilee Shout’. By the early 1960s he was fighting a drug addiction that would take his life in January 1963. In 1961, however, when this album was made, Sonny was on top form and surrounded by an enviable line up of the cream of Blue Note studio musicians including Billy Higgins on drums, Charlie Rouse on tenor and Tommy Turrentine (brother of Stanley) on trumpet. The opener ‘Somethin’ special’ is a blues-inflected piece with melodic solo from Rouse and the clear lyricism of Turrentine. Miles Davis’ and John Coltrane’s modal explorations were in the early 1960s being digested by the jazz community and ‘Melody for C’ is a fine example of this.

In contrast ‘Midnight Mambo’ pays homage to the big band Latin sound of Machito and Tito Puente and illustrates how easily jazz could incorporate Afro-Cuban rhythms. Ike Quebec guests on the ballad ‘Deep in a dream’ and as ever it is the economy of style that impresses one with the tenor’s playing. Sonny Clark was an underrated pianist whose main influences were Bud Powell and Horace Silver in the evolution of bop and the soulful licks of the blues, but who by the early 1960s had a clearly individual style. It is a tragedy that he was unable to experience some of the innovations that took place in jazz from the mid-1960s onwards.
Tim Stenhouse

Great album of seriously heavy music.  The album flows beautifully and showcases some great music makers from more exposed names like Benny Sings, Tiombe Lockhart and Heavy through to relatively unknowns like Flako & Shaunise, Sandie Black and Oliver Day Soul.  Deep joy comes from the Japanese god that is Mitsu The Beats with dabbling by Dwele and the monster track here courtesy of Coultrain with ‘Girl of my Dreams’ - a killer jazz groove.  All in all, the albums just proves that in today’s financial climate there can still be great music made and great music released.  Top marks start to finish. Steve Williams

Love this, there’s a nice raw feel to the production so the music and songs can shine centre stage and they do superbly. The feel is folk meets singer songwriter meets subtle rock but it’s the songs and their delivery (Roddy Womble takes most lead vocals) that make this enchanting and moreish. Guests include Norman Blake and Francis MacDonald of Teenage Fanclub, Philip Selway of Radiohead, Heidi Talbot, Donald Shaw of Capercaille, Andy Cutting (BBC folk musician of the year) and Michael McGoldrick. Have a listen to ‘Into The Blue’ or ‘Moments Last Forever’ – magic. Graham Radley

Soundtrack to the film Tropa De Elite (Elite Squad) composed by Pedro Bromfman. The film tells the story of two childhood friends who decide to join Rio de Janeiro’s Military Police Department and in turn they then try out for a Special Operations Squad whose mission is to take down the drug-lords that plague the city. The music reflects this urban scenario with a mix that features MC Junior, MC Leonardo, Bateria da Rocinha, Barbatuques and styles that range from ambient to thrash punk. Excellent. Graham Radley

Terrific one man blues band who is a fine singer, guitarist and blues harpist. He’s not against inviting some classy friends to join him either including David Bromberg and Mike Katz with my pick going to to his take on Rory Gallagher’s ‘Going To My Home town’ joined by Brian Miller on mandolin. Great stuff. Graham Radley

A celebration of 50 years of bossa nova, this 14 track compilation has a well rounded selection with Elis Regina, Carlos Lyra and Joao Donato among the artists helping to flex those limbs. Nostalgia for all the right reasons. Graham Radley

Great mix of artists on this collection with Jamal Porto and Rasha from the Sudan, Les Orientales, Souad Massi and Maurice El Medioni from Algeria, Zaman from Palestine, Zein Al-Jundi from Syria, Charbel Rouhana and Hani Siblini from Lebanon, Mousto Largo from Morocco and Tiris from Western Sahara. Superb traditional music, highly recommended. Graham Radley

Adriano Adewale might have been born into one of the world’s biggest urban sprawls (Sao Paulo) but his music is deeply rooted in a rural Africa and its offshoots around the world. The name of this debut album “Sementes” (meaning ‘seeds’ in Portuguese) is both apt and evocative. For me, the overwhelming feeling is a sense of organicness (the album feels like it has been nurtured rather than composed) and also a very natural acoustic quality to the recording. You can feel the hands of the musicians, not the producer or the technology. Nothing feels forced or out of place. It really is a beautiful, sumptuous, sound. The album’s artwork by Claire Curtis really sets the scene too using woodcuts and subtle natural painting.  When Adriano selects his instruments for each track it’s with the surety of knowing the exact sound required. In our minds the interplay of wood, skin and seeds paints rippling landscapes of sound; I hear (or is it see?) stands of dry grass, bubbling rills, clattering rushes, dusty plains broken by smooth hills, distant forests washing up against purple-tinged mountains, diamond -crusted indigo skies, thick water-storing trees, cattle, villages, birds, rocks, paths that disappear into hollows, bleached bones, vibrant green shoots in red soil, men, women and children, generations of peoples, endless stories rooted in the earth.

Add the unmistakeable springs of musical water that burst forth from Kadialy Kouyate’s kora, Marcelo Andrade’s sometimes playful, sometimes mournful flute and saxes and Nathan Thomson’s fluid double bass and all these stories come to life. This is music that each can listen to and take something personal away from: each person their own landscapes, their own stories.  This is just my overriding experience of this album. However, there are other voices here too. Virtuoso guitarist Antonio Forcione adds his talent to one track and the album’s producer, Gilad Atzmon adds his accordion and clarinet to various tracks also.

Adriano says that the album is a reflection of his surroundings, his experience of living in London, his childhood in Brazil, his friends. However, it also addresses his wider environmental concerns, issues of faith and also African-Brazilian and European identity. It is well known that after spending time in Africa he rid himself of his previous surname - Pinto - and decided to choose for himself something that better reflected who he was, who he wanted to be and so the two new surnames: Adewale (from the Yoruba culture of West Africa) and Ituana (from the indigenous language and cultures of Tupi-Guarani in central South America).  Without interviewing him personally, I can’t tell how he approached each individual track, what the tunes mean to him personally, what his story is, but I can try and give my impressions; ultimately you must come up with your own.

The album starts off with the sprightly Sempre, featuring Adewale’s smile-inducing vocals (I’ve no idea what he’s saying, but it sounds uplifting!). Throughout the track (and the whole album) his drumming never dominates the whole sound of the band, even when he’s crashing around a whole variety of percussion instruments. It’s always the band and the album that come first, never “Look at me: I’m a Drummer”. Sign of a good bandleader in my book.  Next is the serene, timeless Domingo featuring Kadialy Kouyate’s stately kora playing and, later, Marcelo Andrade’s flute (loving the subtle accordion and clarinet lines from Gilad Atzmon also) over an understated percussive figure and repeated bassline. Quite hypnotic.

Comboio has a more obvious Brazilian start with its bouncing surdo 2/4 beat, busy tarol (a rattly Brazilian snare drum) and martial reeds but then descends into something darker, Atzmon’s clarinet being particularly unsettling; maybe that’s city-life, I don’t know, but it ain’t for me!  Family Album starts with the sound of Adewale calling out, as if to family, friends - nobody seems to answer. Has everyone gone away? Slowly kalimba, kora and flute start to speak into the space as other voices, whispers, ghosts maybe, appear from the thin air. Listen, make up your own story . . .

Assim is another of those musical soundscapes that makes you want to lay back in the shimmering heat, close your eyes and drift off down the river created by the crystalline kora and thick, pulsating double bass, whilst Adriano’s udu (clay drum) nudges at you like a huge fish and the zephyrs of Gilad’s clarinet spin you in circles, round and round, down the river, toward the horizon . . .

Passa Por Mim cracks along, driven by the peculiarly dry quality of the pandeiro (Brazilian tambourine played on the skin) over a jaunty flute melody.  Telefone, in my ears, is a midnight jazz-tango - if not in rhythm, then in emotional tone; with Andrade’s soprano sax rising up into the air like a voice lifted in both love and lament - gorgeous! Beautifully underpinned by the rest of the band and with extra accompaniment from Atzmon’s lush, romantic accordion, as close as the warm, dark, pressing night.  Encanto - has one of the catchiest melodies on the album, alto sax and clarinet uniting as one over Thomson’s throbbing bass-line and Kouyate’s kora. Adriano’s ‘old boss’, Antonio Forcione, contributes some wonderful guitar solos on this track which makes you wonder what they’d come up with if the guitar and kora were allowed to spar directly against each other.  Sementes closes with a short track called Together, featuring Adewale on pipes (I think they are long bamboo tubes hit at the ends with a flat paddle to produce a percussive but quite eery sound almost like a giant guitar being plucked) and also Kadialy Kouyate’s vocalisations over soprano sax and Maasai flute from Thomson.

I’ve mentioned Thomson’s double bass which infuses the album with a warmth and presence similar to that found in the work of someone like Danny Thompson. But if you read the credits carefully you’ll notice that he also contributes standard flute, an alto flute and a Maasai Flute to the album, as well as Kalimba (thumb piano).  At first the album felt ‘friendly’ to my ears, but didn’t leap out; with each fresh listening, I hear more and more layers and see more details in the landscape. Fresh horizons open up, I elaborate my stories. It gets deeper, richer.  My recommendation? Buy the album, stay at home, go on a journey. Glyn Phillips

With the fiftieth anniversary of the advent of the bossa nova sound we have a timely reminder in this five CD box set of Stan Getz’s contribution to the genre. Bossa nova mania hit the US in the mid-1960s as both and musical and dance craze, and every conceivable artist from pop to easy listening music recorded their fare share. Within the jazz sphere the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and the Paul Winter sextet were more successful than most. However, the unquestioned master interpreter was Stan Getz. Over a series of five albums he explored its various forms and in so doing showcased some of the new and classic composers of Brazilian music, notably the creative genius that was Antonio Carlos (more affectionately known by Brazilians as Tom)Jobim. Bossa nova and Getz were made for each other and the music fitted like a glove into his expanding repertoire. When re-assessing the albums as a whole, the vastness of the enterprise readily becomes apparent. Getz recorded all five LPs within a two year period before setting off on lengthy tours round the globe to popularise the sound. Of the earliest recordings, the debut, ‘Jazz samba’ has a special place. From the opening bass solo on ‘Desafinado’, it heralded a new wave of sound that would have an unprecedented impact on music.

Thereafter Brazilian music would be primarily associated with this fusion of jazz and samba. The collaboration with guitarist Charlie Byrd was very much a vision of bossa nova from an American perspective, but one in which the reflective musings of Byrd and the contemplative wailing of Getz were visionary on pieces such as ‘Samba Triste’. In contrast the big-band outing ‘Big Band Bossa Nova’ served as an introduction to the orchestral skills of Gary McFarland who delivered here on his early promise and included the additional talent of guitarist Jim Hall and pianist Hank Jones. Getz and Mc Farland were possibly inspired by the Gil Evans and Miles Davis collaboration on ‘Sketches of Spain’ and Getz is on top form on the original bossa tune ‘Chega de Saudade’ and the delightful ‘Bim Bom’. For sheer unadulterated pleasure, however, the album recorded with guitarist Laurindo Almeida, comprsing lesser known tunes is a revelation to this writer’s ears. This was a magical collaboration helped in no small measure by the outstanding Brazilian percussionist including Edison Machado on drums. This sound might now be termed hard bossa and it was ironic that it took a native of Sao Paulo (Rio being the home of bossa nova) to unlock the genie from the bottle. Tracks such as ‘Outra Vez’ and ‘Maracatu-too’ are testimony to this superlative duo in action. Of the reamining two albums, ‘Getz/Gilberto’ is of course a well loved old chestnut and one that includes the vocal genius that is Joao Gilberto. Nobody typified the voice of bossa nova better. Curiously, though, it was his then wife Astrid who scored a worldwide hit with Getz on the unforgettable ‘Girl from Ipanema’. A final album, following up on the earlier success of the Getz/Byrd album, ‘Jazz Samba Encore’, this time with the collaboration of guitarist Luis Bonfa, met with more critical acclaim. The 5 CD set is attractively packaged in case with separate digipak gatefold sleeves, original notes and graphics. No extra tracks. Tim Stenhouse

For almost a decade Stan Getz became associated internationally with the bossa nova sound. However, in 1966 he returned to a more straight ahead sound when recording a live album with Roy Haynes and Gary Burton in 1966. The following year he recorded his first studio set and this resulted in arguably his finest album of the entire decade contained herein. A new creme de la creme line up included a young Chick Corea on piano, the great Ron Carter on bass and Grady Tate filling in for an ill Roy Haynes on drums. Three of the five compositions were new with two from the pen of Corea (’Litha’ and ‘Windows’) and one from Mike Gibbs (’Sweet Rain’). Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder with the production genius of Creed Taylor, this is an outstanding outing that covers all of Getz’s musical moods. Melodicism is the name of the game on ‘Windows’ with Corea stretching out while on Dizzy Gillespie ‘Con Alma’ the piece is transformed into a waltz-like reverie. On ‘O Grande Amor’, a Vincius de Moraes and Tom Jobim song, Getz revisits briefly the bossa nova territory and pays tribute to the two writers who typified everything that was best in contemporary Brazilian music. Throughout Getz’s tenor playing is plaintive and warm, caressing the melody. By the time this album had been recorded, Getz was off on another tangent, this time exploring a harder north-eastern Brazilian sound live with Baden Powell. Tim Stenhouse

With a new line up comes a new lease of life and the recent live concert on Radio 3 augured well for the latest formation and new album of Dave Holland’s group. That this more than lives up to its promise is due in no small part to the fact that the line up rates as one of Holland’s finest ever. In particular it was a stroke of genius to have engaged the considerable piano skills of Mulgrew Miller in the band, thus breaking with the tradition of a vibes player that has endured for a decade or so. Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin adds new vigour while Antonio Hart cements his reputation as one of the finest alto saxopohone players around. Factor in the non-negligeable talents of drummer Eric Harland and Robin Eubanks on trombone and you have both a formidable and cohesive formation in place.

What really impresses on this release, however, is the sheer variety of styles that are covered. Extremely catchy and accessible is the groove-laden ‘Modern Times’ that bears the influence of Horace Silver in his Blue Note prime and this will surely garner radio airtime. Likewise the melodic title track, a tribute to drummer Ed Blackwell, ends the album on a high note. In between these two pieces there is the cool jazz of ‘Lazy Snake’, the Latin tinge that permeates ‘Sum of all parts’ on which the band effortlessly shifts from samba to hard bop, and the blues-inflected ballad ‘Processional’ that infuses warmth. By far the longest piece on the album, ‘Rivers Run’ has a decidedly free-jazz feel and is a tribute to saxophonist/flautist Sam Rivers. Holland has reinterpreted several compositions on this album that have been recorded previously by earlier formations and it is the extent to which these tunes have been reinvigorated in the new line up that makes this such an enjoyable experience. Expect this latest offering from Dave Holland to figure prominently among the end of year best jazz albums. Indeed in the fullness of time it may just be hailed as a contemporary classic. For the time being, though, it is a winner of an album from start to finish. Tim Stenhouse

From early beginnings at the Blue Note label, through the apprenticeship in Miles Davis’ seminal groups, and on to electronic wizzardry as part of the Headhunters, Herbie Hancock has condensed a great deal of diverse and vituosic music into a long career spanning five decades. While a single CD of his work can never truly claim to be comprehensive (even a double CD would only barely touch the surface), this CD does provide an overview to the multiple facets of his musical talents. The classic Blue Note sides are represented here by two pieces that illustrate the impressionistic lyricism of his compositions with ‘Maiden Voyage’ betraying the influence of Debussy and Ravel, while ‘Cantaloupe Island’ with its hypnotic repetition has become one of Hancock’s most sampled pieces and is the choice cut from ‘Empyrean Isles’. Chronologically the compilation skips almost a decade, taking in ‘Wiggle Waggle’, before focusing on the jazz-fusion sound of ‘Chameleon’ when Hancock was in his element exploring the outer limits of the synthesizer within improvised music.

The 1980s witnessed a two-pronged approach from the pianist. One the one hand he acted and performed in a retrospecitve of his earlier period in the film ‘Around Midnight’ and from this ‘Chan’s Song’, written by Jean Hancock, is featured. On the other Hancock fused hip-hop rhythms with jazz on ‘Rock it’ which became a sizeable chart hit and is included here with a live version. Of the last fifteen years ‘The New Standard’ is strangely omitted as is the duet album with Wayne Shorter. However, the recent tribute to Joni Mitchell is represented by two versions of ‘River’, the former a duet with Corinne Bailey Rae, and the second a live rendition including the vocals of the composer herself. Herbie Hancock has always strived to avoid being pigeon-holed into playing one type of music, incurring the wrath of so-called jazz purists in the process, and has featured on countless soul/pop albums including Stevie Wonder’s ‘Songs in the Key of Life’. Wonder repays the compliment with vocals on ‘St. Louis Blues’. The imminent UK tour promises to be a much anticipated revisiting of the pianist’s vast and eclectic repertoire. Tim Stenhouse

In this the fiftieth anniversary of the advent of bossa nova, it is, perhaps, pertinent to reflect on what followed directly afterwards. Bossa nova took elements of US jazz and refined (some would say watered down)traditional samba. Younger artists such as Jorge Ben had taken on board this fusion in earlier works, most notably ‘Mas que nada’, but were eager to explore and combine new American rhythms and associated closely with soul (and later funk). It is in this light that one should view ‘Jorge Ben (1969)’ as an album that marks the transition from the imitation of a prevailing musical trend (bossa nova)to the work of an innovator who would pioneeer what became known as samba rock and one that has long been a rare collectors item. By 1969 Ben had gained notoriety as a composer with ‘Cade Tereza’ featuring on a traditional samba album by ‘Os Originais do Samba’ (released on CD in recent years in Brazil)and with ‘Pais Tropical’ which became a hit for Wilson Simonal.

For ‘Jorge Ben’ the singer-songwriter enlisted the backing of Trio Macoto and this would be the first of a series of recordings together during which time Ben found his distinctive sound. Arrangements came courtesy of Rogerio Duprat, synonymous with the tropicalia movement, but here never over-intrusive and allowing plenty of space for Ben and Trio Macoto to stretch out. Evidently Ben had come under the influence of the then emerging black consciousness movement in the States and this is reflected in the ‘black is beautiful’ message behind ‘Criola’ and in the lyrics to ‘Take it easy my Brother Charles’, both instantly catchy songs. Perhaps the album’s highlight, however, is the stirring ‘Bebete Vaobora’ with solo guitar intro, impassioned vocals and sparse brass combining to wonderful effect. The signature tunes ‘Pais Tropical’ and Cade Tereza’ are faithfully reproduced whereas ‘Que Pena’ differs from the later 1980s hit duet between Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso in that it is taken a decidedly quicker tempo. For this re-issue excellent graphics with the original (and legendary)front and back cover are supplemented by detailed notes on the recording. By the time ‘Jorge Ben’ had been released, Ben had left his early works such as ‘Mas que nada’ behind and was intent on creating something closer to the roots of samba, but that at the same time would appeal to a younger audience. He would fully achieve his goal five years or so later with the release of ‘Africa, Brasil’. Tim Stenhouse

Following on from the catchy 45 ‘I feel good’ comes the album from Beres which is actually the first he has recorded in some four years. Hammond has always prided himself on his soulful vocals and indeed cut an album early in his career that is now considered a modern masterpiece with soul fans. During the mid-late 1970s he was an integral member of the Zap Pow band that cut some classic roots songs, but Beres has long since departed from that genre. Here he opts for a pop-reggae approach possibly aimed at the US market and this is a qualified success. Key songs include the theme driven ‘Dark clouds’ and ‘Talking Africa’ while his best vocal performance is reserved for ‘I’ll live again’. Sometimes the songs are just a little too sugar sweet for mainstream reggae fans and by offering fewer songs Hammond would have made the album more cohesive as a whole. Nonetheless Beres Hammond’s vocal credentials are impeccable and for long-term fans there will be something to cater for their tastes. Tim Stenhouse

Amid the mid-1980s digital revolution a number of new producers emerged and of these George Phang was among the most consistent. The first two volumes on offer testify to the calibre of singers and DJs who recorded under Phang. Volume one features dancehall favourite Barrington Levy with two cuts while Frankie Paul who was a pivotal figure in the digital era offers another brace of tasty numbers. Other younger singers would emerge from the mid-1908s onwards and of these Little John has stood the test of time extremely well. While DJs were less prominent from 1984, Phang still believed in their prowess and consequently Josie Wales and Yellowman are both featured here. Volume two adds quality singers such as Frankie Jones, Michael Palmer and Admiral Bailey. George Phang stuck to a similar format with his production chores and it certainly paid dividends in the dancehall. Another two volumes will follow. Tim Stenhouse

One of the off shoots of the Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon, Omara Portuondo has in fact led a parallel career since the 1970s and recorded regularly in Cuba before and after the worldwide success of Cuban traditional music. This latest album sees Omara return to the classic Cuban repertoire with a number of guest musicians and singers. Portuondo had tended to shift between styles from bolero to feelin’ and has tended to stick to a more laid back from of Cuban music. Melancholic ballads sung in Spanish are acceptable up to a point provided there is variety elsewhere to compensate. On this album Portuondo invites a number of guest ranging from Cuban pianist Chucho Valdes and singer-songwriter Pablo Milanes, one of the pioneers of the nueva trova sound, to Camerounian singer and guitarist Richard Bona. By far the catchiest numbers on this album are the uptempo ones, particularly the pared down reworking of a Brazilian classic, ‘’O que sera’ in collaboration with its original composer and singer Chico Buarque. A reworking of Silvio Rodriguez’s ‘Rabo de Nube’ remains faithful to the original and the most impressive ballad is ‘Lo que me queda por vivir’. Tim Stenhouse

Colombia is a country of music aficionados whose indigenous rhythms serve as the base for multiple musical styles that are largely unrecognised outside of its borders. This compilation is thus a handy thermometre of the genres that have dominated in the decade between 1998 and 2007. On the Pacific coatline of Colombia one finds influences as diverse as west African highlife and Palm Wine, Cumbia and even Dixieland-style. A perfect illustration of the heady fusion of sounds is Grupo Bahia who, ithin a song such as ‘Cantare’, change tempi and rhythm several times. Key to the overall sound is the use of an African percussion instrument the malimba along with jazzy horns and a guitar solo Carlos Santana would be proud of.

In contrast the rapid currulao rhythm is exemplified by the best known artists on the compliation, Peregoyo y su Combo Vacana with ‘La Iguana’. For a long time Afro-Colombian rhythms were deingrated in the country and considered inferior to commercial salsa. However, in the late 1990s attitudes changed and a plethora of artists were encouraged to record. An outstanding example is the catchy ‘La Oya’ by La Revuelta that begins as a jazz-inflected intro, but quickly transforms into an infectous Afro-Colombian piece with chanted horns. With excellent recording quality and informative and detailed bi-lingual notes, mark this down as one of the year’s most enlightening discoveries. The CD fills an important gap in the Latin music market and one hopes there will be more music of this calibre to follow. Tim Stenhouse

Formerly on the collectable Blue Thumb label, this long deleted re-isssue captures Hugh Masekela in excellent form on what was originally a double LP from 1972 recorded in London. Co-produced by Crusaders producer Stewart Levine and composer/musician Caiphus Semenya, Masekela was forced to record in exile because of the political situation in South Africa throughout the 1970s. This album assembles a stellar group of American-based and exiled South African musicians. The former include bassist Eddie Gomez and pianist Larry Willis. Extended numbers predominate on this CD which is great value at almost eighty minutes. Among key tunes are the Willis composition ‘Inner crisis’ which has a Headhunters feel with Willis playing electric piano while Masekela’s ‘Maseru’ has something of a Latin feel to it and trumpet playing that recalls early Freddie Hubbard. Political themes were never far from Masekela’s repertoire and ‘Blues for Huey’ is a tribute one of the principal figures in the black consciousness movement in the States. A more reflective side to the ensemble is found on ‘The Big Apple’ with Larry Willis demonstrating the kind of keyboard skills on acoustic piano that would later be an integral feature of Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache band. Hugh Masekela recorded for numerous labels and it is heartening to know that one of his most coherent albums is now available once again to a wider public. Tim Stenhouse

The late 1960s in Britain witnessed musical and fashion fragmentation into two opposite camps: mods and rockers. The former worshipped the soul-jazz sounds coming out of America, notably the hammond organ of artists such as Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff that would invariably be heard on jukeboxes in condensed 45 format. Added to this influence was the gritty southern soul of independent labels like Stax in Memphis and the newly emerging sound of reggae from Jamaica. British studio arranger and keyboardist Alan Hawkshaw was soaking up all these influences and offered his own take on the new sound in 1968 with the project contained herein. The resulting album ‘The Champ’ and especially its title track would compare most favourably with music recorded across the Atlantic and in turn would be sampled two decades later by US hip-hop artists. Hawkshaw is best known for his arrangements of music for Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, and later for his jingles and theme tunes on British television.

As leader, however, his finest moment came with ‘The Champ’, a series of tightly arranged and perfectly executed slices of jazz-inflected organ. Alongside the devastating title track, the Mohawks take on Wilson Pickett’s ‘Funky Broadway’ impresses. Little wonder, then, that another hammond organist, Reuben Wilson, should record the number for Blue Note around the same period. Otis Redding was arguably the most respected soul singer at the time and his ‘Sweet soul music’ is interpreted in fine soul-jazz fashion. Heavy bass and organ combine wonderfully on ‘Dr. Jekyl and Hyde Park’ while Hawkshaw stretches out on hammond on ‘Beat me til’ I’m blue’ which in many ways is a precursor to the sound he created for Serge Gainsbourg. Six bonus cuts are added of which the percussion heavy ‘Pepsi’ and New Orleans-inspired ‘Ride your pony’ stand out. Impressive gatefold sleeve and notes on Hawkshaw’s career round out a timeless classic that is finally available in both CD and vinyl formats. Tim Stenhouse

This release highlights the very worthy cause of the chronic lack of sanitation in Africa. This UK-based project is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Dean Brodrick and the music inspired by a trip to Mozambique. Calling in a number of guest musicians including Brazilian vocalist Monica Vasconcelos, themes are based around the concept of water. From a musical perspective the instrumentation is in large part Latin-tinged (though vocals are in Portugese) with the 1950s big band Cuban style of ‘Agua pura’ impressing. Jazzy mambo sounds permeate ‘Eu vivo neste mundo’ (’I live in this world’)while catchy accordion playing is a highlight of ‘Drinking water’. Clearly this is not exclusively a music project and its main purpose is to highlight the daily needs of millions of Africans. For every CD sold, one pound is donated to the campaign and equates to a lifetimes santation for an African citizen. Tim Stenhouse

Covering 1973-1975 this is funk & sato from Benin’s obscure labels often recorded in the most basic of ways. This is music for the people, people who want to dance to this raw mix of horns, guitar, organ on a driving bedrock of bass and drums. It’s amazing where all this brilliant music keeps coming from but you end up wondering how you’ve not come across it before. Thanks AnalogAfrica – keep them coming. Graham Radley

Until recently Benin was a relatively unknown country from a musical perspective and our knowledge was restricted to present day diva Angelique Kidjo. However, during the 1970s independent labels released some sumptuous music and the first volume of a two-part series by enterprising UK label Analog Africa is devoted to one of the key bands of the era in Benin, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. Myriad influences come to play in this intoxicating mix, but elements of Nigerian juju and Afro-Beat, US funk and soul and Latin rhythms are all evident. However, the distinctive sound of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo is due to the voudous religious component in the form of the indigenous sato drums and the disonnant guitar riffs that are omnipresent on these recordings. Key tracks include the brass-laden ‘Se we non nan’, the juju-influenced ‘Assibari’ and the funk riffs on ‘Aho ba ho’. Weighing in at seventy-five minutes, this is an excellent value compilation of one of Africa’s least known bands. Tim Stenhouse

Sam Rivers strided the stylistic gap between post-bop and free jazz to great effect on a series of classic albums in the mid-late 1960s for Blue Note such as ‘Fuschia Swing Song’ and ‘Contours’. In addition he was briefly a member of Miles Davis’ band and as a sideman featured on the superb Larry Young album ‘Into Something’. This late 1960s release featured a fascinating line up of four horns and no piano with Rivers shifting between tenor, soprano and flute. He enlisted a stellar cast of Julian Priester on trombone, James Spaulding on reeds and Cecil McBee on bass. Tracks cover a wide variety of styles from the melodicism of ‘Paen’ and the beautiful flute duet with Spaulding on ‘Involution’ to the freedom of Afflatus’. One hopes that the vastly underrated album ‘A new conception’ is re-issued a some point to complete the Rivers repertoire on Blue Note. Tim Stenhouse

Located predominantly in central Transylvania, gypsy music has combined Romanian as well as Hungarian melodies, and the folk songs from the region have served as the inspiration for Hungarian classical composers of the calibre of Bartok and Kodaly. In fact by virtue of their nomadic lifestyle and marginal status, gypsy music tends to cut acorss national boundaries. On this latest edition, which updates a previous compilation of the genre, we have a rich variety of sounds. Internationally the best known band is Taraf de Haidoucks and as the first part of their name might suggest, there is something of an oriental flavour to their music. This is typified on ‘Parlapup (Sa va spun de un bautor)’. There is a tendency for gypsy communities to reside in the same street and consequently these are referred to as ‘musicians’ street. Instrumentalists of note abound and are exemplified here by clarinetist Mielu Bibescu on ‘Mite mite’ accompanied by guitar and Toni Iordache playing the uniquely sounding kunan (a kind of zither with Middle Eastern origins) on ‘Cantec si Breaza (ca la fantanele)’. Musicians often play at weddings to earn a living and have an instinctive knowledge of the repertoire. Moldavian brass band Fanfare Ciorcalia fuse traditional and contemporary folk sounds (adding drums) and here contribute two excellent songs ‘Alili’ and ‘Kan marau la’. For an authentic introduction to grass roots gypsy music from central Europe, this compilation should be your first port of call. Tim Stenhouse

Previously chronicled in the original studio edition which has earned critical acclaim and introduced many to his music, Bhattacharya has pioneeered the use of the slide guitar within the field of Indian classical music and became a ‘pandit’ or master at the age of forty. Furthermore he has come to prominence equally as a member of the revived and renewed line-up of Shakti under the aegis of John McLaughlin.

This latest CD features an entirely new selection of pieces recorded live in trio format, but indoors with, as a bonus, the live studio concert on DVD. Excellent audio and visual quality enable the viewer to appreciate the trio’s ensemble playing and of the five lengthy pieces, the opener ‘Usha’ and ‘Aanadan’ stand out as particularly fine examples of Bhattacharya’s craft. The only drawback is there is no interview with Bhattachrya explaining how he has adapted the Hawaian slide guitar to Indian classical music. That would have greatly enhanced our understanding. Otherwise an excellent illustration of one of the new masters of Indian music.Tim Stenhouse

Puerto Rican born tenor saxophonist David Sanchez has over a fifteen year period explored his musical folk roots of bomba and plena in a variety of contexts, but has steered away from the Latin jazz formula. Indeed his last recording was devoted to Latin classical composers and involved work with a symphony orchestra. Now on the Concord label, he has returned to a more abstract, jazzier sound, and one that reflects the influence of the tenorist he sounds closest to, namely Sonny Rollins. Sanchez employs his own band with long-time collaborator Adam Cruz on drums and guitarist Lage Lund filling the space normally employed by piano. However, piano is in evidence on three tracks, two of which feature Danilo Perez. The majority of the lengthy compositions are Sanchez’s own and perhaps he does not yet possess the lyricism of say a Michael Brecker or Kenny Garrett to carry this off wholly successfully. The uptempo piece ‘Adoracion’ is actually the same title of a famous Eddie Palmieri composition and part way through Sanchez plays a riff from the original chorus, with Cruz impressing on polyrhythmic percussion. Lund stretches out on ‘Coast to Coast’ with Metheny-esque guitar licks while Perez accompanies Sanchez and the band on the Michael Brecker sounding waltz ‘Mambo Azul’. In general while technically accomplished, some of the tracks simply lack warmth and tend to drag on for too long. It is on the laid back ‘Monk’s Mood’ that the soulfulness in Sanchez’s tenor playing comes to the fore and in future he should concentrate on this aspect of his playing.Tim Stenhouse

In 1978 Chick Corea undertook a concert tour with Herbie Hancock the result of which was the acclaimed piano duet evening. Thirty years on Corea repeats the formula, this time with upcoming Japanese pianist Hiromi and what a winner of a collaboration it is too. Based on live recordings at the Blue Note club in Tokyo from 2007, this is the latest in what historically has been an intense relationship between jazz musicians and Japan and one that stretches back several decades to the like of Horace Silver with the ‘Tokyo Blues’ album, or Dave Brubeck and his ‘Impressions of Japan’. For Corea it is over forty years ago that he visited Japan as part of Stan Getz’s group in 1967. The connection with Hiromi goes back a decade to when the Japanese pianist was only seventeen. Now a maturing musician, Hiromi and Corea played together again at the 2006 Tokyo Jazz festival and a year later decided to record an album.

Compositions are shared between the two with Corea’s ‘Windows’ receiving a sumptuous treatment that conveys all the beauty of the original while ‘Deja Vu’ and ‘Place to be’ by Hiromi are surprisingly lyrical pieces from the pen of a relatively young pianist. The sensitive quasi-classical feel to Jobim’s ‘How insensitive’ is another highlight and Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ becomes an extended improvisational number. Only ‘Concierto de Aranjuez/Spain’ disappoints with Corea’s latin-tinged theme being over-elaborate. Otherwise this ranks alongside last year’s Hank Jones and Joe Lovano live duet, and the Bebo Valdes and Diego El Cigala collaboration as one of the finest duet albums of recent years. Tim Stenhouse

Rio-based trio Azymuth have been together on and off for the best part of thirty-five years and with this latest recording have come up with one of their best all round albums in over a decade at least. They have returned to the grittier groove of their early Milestone albums and this ideally suits the band. The opener and title track is a tribute to keyboard legend Herbie Hancock and his composition, and they remain faithful to the original with subtle use of strings and lovely fender rhodes playing from their own keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami. However, it is the mid-tempo groove of ‘Os cara la’ and ‘Triagem’ that typify the Azymuth sound and the former may become a dancefloor favourite with its fine funk bass from Malheiros and use of vocoder vocals. Where Azymuth have added to the original concept of the group is in the jazzy colouration of instrumentation as in ‘Caitutu’ which is a short samba with gorgeous flute, or the light and breezy folk-influenced ‘Meu doce amigo’. A percussion breakdown courtesy of the renowned Robertinho Silva is on offer on the brass-led ‘Avenida Rio Branco’ with Bertrami exploring on fender. The laid back mood of ‘New dawn’ rounds out a terrific recording and one that will rate among the finest Azymuth have recorded thus far. Tim Stenhouse

Excellent release from yet another wonderful Malian artist, with great production, from Yves Wernert and Philippe Berthier, neatly mixing the rural sound with a raw funkiness and Western dance loops. Gael Le Billan is a major player as well, not only as an arranger but also adding a whole range of playing from acoustic guitar to sax to this album of many flavours. Issa Bagayogo is clearly with this CD ready to find a bigger audience, I recommend you are one of them.
Graham Radley

Issa Bagayogo has been a recording artist for just over a decade and thus far has primarily focused on rootsy acoustic Malian music. While generally well received, his music has yet to be perceived among the premier league of African singers. This may be about to change with the release of ‘Mali Koura’, a stunning collaboration between West African and French musicians and one in which the exceptional production chores have resulted in the musical marriage of two continents where creativity, sensitivity and mutual respect are all in evidence. Not unlike the production talents of Manu Chao with Amadou and Mariam in bringing the music of the latter to a wider audience, multi-instrumentalist Gael Le Billan and producers Yves Wernert and Philippe Berthier have come up with a winning combination. Recorded at Issa’s home in Wassalou, south west Mali, but with further instrumentation added at the supremely eclectic Le Billan’s home in Nancy, eastern France, this is a highly inventive mix of tradition and new technology.

Possibly the stand out track is the infectous ‘Poye’ with its lovely use of percussion in harmony with the duet vocals and Malian violin thrown into the rootsy mix. However, this is an exceptionally strong album throughout. The uplifting ‘Dibi’ impresses with keyboards acting as surrogate brass while ‘N’Tana’ is a busy, bustling song that incorporates complex rhythms that build in intensity. Contrast these with the altogether jazzier feel to ‘Ahe Sira Bila’ with nice use of guitar and the opener ‘Sebero’ with a stronger emphasis on electronics, and you have a superbly well balanced and diverse album. Unquestionably one of the world roots albums of the year and a major surprise arriving at the very end too.Tim Stenhouse

Congolese guitarist Franco is still widely revered as Africa’s greatest musician and this Stern’s compilation is a great insight as to why. The opening track ‘Esengo ya mokili’ was made at the age of 15, after he had come to attention as a brilliant street busker who built his own guitar at the age of 7. The double CD takes us through 27 more years with 28 tracks in total and extensive sleeve notes. Some called him Godfather others the Sorcerer but we should just call him genius and revel in the brilliant music he created. Graham Radley

Congolese guitarist and band leader Franco ranks alongside Fela Kuti as one of the true giants of African music. Indeed it is arguable that the influence of the former on numerous countries music on the African continent has been greatest of all. Had it not been for Franco’s untimely death in October 1989 when the concept of world roots music was still in its infancy, he may have become as household a name as members of the Buena Vista’s. Thankfully he left as his legacy an extensive discography and it is from this that Sterns have selected a first volume of his early period weighing in at over two and half hours. Even this only scrapes the surface of Franco’s genius, such was the prolific nature of his recording career. The evolution of his music is evident in the contrasting styles between CDs 1 and 2. The first focuses on the early years from the mid-1950s when Franco was searching for an individual style to the end of the 1960s when Congolese music was about to undergo a major transformation with the policy of ‘authenticity’. From this formative period key tracks includ ‘On entre O.k., on sort k.o.’ which is typical of Franco’s 1950s sound. Noticeable during this period is the influence of Cuban music, but here transposed into a uniquely Congolese hybrid. Whereas Cuban instrumentation would include flute, violins and piano, Congolese rumba would favour electric guitars and reverb. The influence of Cuban music was pervasive and on ‘Tcha tcha tcha de mi amor’ is a delicious slice of Congolese Cubanissimo with a nod towards the great Grand Kalle.

Political and cultural changes were afoot from the mid-1960s onwards in the newly independent Congo. With the coming to power of Mabutu in 1965 a new policy of ‘authenticite’ was implemented and this impacted upon music as in other cultural domains. Secondly, an unprecedented period of growth and confidence was characterised by the commonplace slogan ‘My Mercedes is nicer than yours’. It was into this new era that Franco had found his own distinctive sound as exemplified on the 1970 song Marie Naboy’. By the early 1970s Franco, along with long-term rival Tabu Ley Rochereau, had significantly extended the length of songs with the use of the ‘sebene’ section, and indeed Franco cut some of his most enduring music from this period. Vocalist Sam Mangwana had joined the band and the combination of his sweet vocals and Franco’s guitar virtuoso along with brassy horns resulted in an irresistable and cohesive sound that listeners will be enthralled by. From the melodic lyricism of ‘Cherie Brandowe 2’ to the Afro-Cuban feel of ‘Mabele’ with its beautiful use of brass and especially saxophone, through to the endless guitar riffs on the lengthy ‘Liberte’ and the anthemic ‘Azda’, Franco was in his golden era and the compilation could easily have filled two CDs alone with additional gems from the era.
A lavish forty-eight page booklet with incisive bi-lingual notes from musicologist Ken Braun and original photos of Franco and band members round off an indispensable guide to the early part of le grand maitre’s career. Tim Stenhouse

Following on from last year’s debut masterpiece ‘Around’, Tu Sheng Peng return with another excellent slice of contemporary roots reggae. If anything the Jamaican presence is even more impressive this time and features some of the cream of the crop vocalists still alive (Clinton Fearon of the Gladiators, Derek Harriott, Michael Rose, Rod Taylor)and a whole host of DJs from Prince Jazzbo, Tappa Zukie and daddy U-Roy to Ranking Joe, U-Brown and Joseph Cotton. As before the aim is to create an acoustic, authentic and organic roots feel from the 1970s and one would be hard pushed to find a similar band that can convincingly recreate this sound in Kingston. One of the albums surprises is the pairing of reggae producer and singer legend Derek Harriott with Bunny Brown on ‘I’m a believer’. This was a masterstroke and from the lovely fender intro is an absolute gem of a song. Likewise the welcome return to recording of Rod Taylor, now permanently settled in France, who is back on top form on the rootsy ‘Love grows’. It would be a mistake, however, to think that French singers cannot convey the feeling of roots reggae. Ras Daniel Ray, lead singer of the band, offers a superlative modern anthem in ‘Vision Land’ with accompanying righteous lyrics. This receives a DJ version over the same riddim courtesy of Joseph Cotton. An added bonus is the instrumental piece ‘True love can never die’, which showcases the considerable talent of the recently departed trumpeter and long-time member of the Skatalites Johnny Moore. He will be greatly missed and this will serve as a fitting memory to him. One hopes that at some point promoters will see fit to bring the Tu Sheng Peng live act to the UK. Tim Stenhouse

This is the second album from Eliane Elias this year and this time is devoted to paying tribute to the fiftieth anniversary of the advent of bossa nova and pianist-singer Elias returns with an impressive homage that largely avoids the cliched pitfalls, and reinforces what a wonderful interpreter of the Brazilian repertoire she is. Carefully avoiding a tribute exclusively to Jobim (only three of his compositions are included), Elias showcases a number of other composers who were influential during the bossa period (Geraldo Pereira, Joao Donato, the great Joao Gilberto) as well as giving the bossa treatment to a few old chestnuts from the great American songbook. Using largely a Brazilian band of trio (Paulo Braga on drums, Marc Johnson on bass)plus Oscar Castro Neves on guitar and various guests plus British orchestrations from Abbey Road, Elias impresses on the pared down songs that use minimal or no orchestration. These include the wonderful ‘Falsa Baiana’ where Elias excels on vocals in Portugese, the delightful ‘Minha Saudade’ and the piano-led ‘A ra’ (’The frog’). Of course the better known pieces of the bossa songbook are not forgotten either and Elias delivers a cool version of ‘Girl from Ipanema’, a faithful take on ‘Desafinado’ and ‘Chega de Suadade’ for good measure. One cannot help but think that an artist as talented as Elias should be let loose on other post-bossa projects of Brazilian music and her ability to breath life into Brazilian ballads is ilustrated on the laid-back ‘Estate’ (’Summer’)that features Toots Thielmans on harmonica. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by the inner and outer sleeve cover photos of the diva in pose. Eliane Elias is a musician of integrity who deserves to be heard in a variety of settings. Tim Stenhouse

Take a centuries old 40-string North Indian instrument notoriously difficult to play, a 75-strong Philharmonic orchestra, two choirs, some of the finest jazz and rock musicians around, stir in African kora, Indian bansuri bamboo flute and tabla and then add just one man with a unique vision.  What you get is music on an epic scale that is as bewitching as it is indefinable, as exquisitely filigreed as it is muscular.  Welcome to the world of Surinder Sandhu. 

His music takes in the classical traditions of India, Africa and Europe and blends in jazz and rock and roots - but it becomes something far beyond that.  This is not mere hyperbole.  Sandhu’s third album “The Fictionist” defies categorisation, yet it deserves a place not just on the shelf, but in the minds of all those to whom music is more than just wallpaper. This album is a jewel of an opus.  Highly recommended. Glyn Phillips

Following up on the critically acclaimed first volume, this second instalment explores in further depth the long overlooked relationship between the compositions of country music and the soulful interpretations of the world of deep soul and soul-blues, and is a joy to behold. For those not already initiated to the cross- fertilisation of genres, country and black music have always been unofficial, but consensual bedfellows (and ones that compliment each other perfectly), and have evolved separately on either side of the railroad track. Indeed through the medium of radio even in geographically segregated neighbourhoods in the States, the music of the other half was always readily accessible. This new volume is great value at over seventy-one minutes and includes some of the cream of the crop of soul and blues vocalists. Sixties icons such as James Brown, Solomon Burke and Joe Tex feature as do a trio of ladies including Ruth Brown, Margie Joseph and Tina Turner. Of these Brown impresses with her radical jazz-blues reworking of Tennessee Waltz’ and Margie Joseph weighs in with a lovely take on Dolly Parton’s ‘Touch your woman’. Among the discoveries Lou Johnson cut some of the rootsiest southern soul for Atlantic at Muscle Shoals typified by the blues-inflected selection ‘She still thinks I care’, while in O.B. McClinton we find a voice ideally suited to country songs as illustrated on ‘Talk to my children’s mama’. Soul-blues legend Clarence Frogman Henry cooks up a storm on ‘I told my pillow’ with instrumental accompaniment reminiscent of late 1950s B.B. King.

Detailed bi-lingual liner notes courtesy of deep soul aficionado Jonathan Fischer place the music in its rightful historical perspective and help to shed light on why so many soul and blues singers from the 1940s and 1950s have been influenced by the incredibly souful hues of rootsy country singers like Patsy Cline, Lefty Frizell and the incomparable Hank Williams. As ever with Trikont classy gatefold cover and photos of the artists are to the fore. Tim Stenhouse

Blind Malian couple Amadou and Mariam rose to prominence with their last CD ‘Dimanche a Bamako’, which was recorded by Manu Chao. This time the production duties fall to Frenchman Antoine Moreau with one song produced by non other than Damian Albarn. However, the overall sound is very much that of the previous album with both a deliberate and creative attempt at fusing rootsy Malian music with modern rock-influenced and on this level alone it succeeds. Little wonder that Mojo magazine have made it their album of the month and this will certainly appeal to a wider audience and one not normally accustomed to West African sounds. Uplifting songs with high tempo rhythms predominate here as illustrated on the funky ‘Unissons-nous’ with Nigerian-UK based singer Kezia Jones guesting, or ‘Compagnon de la vie’ with its catchy riff and lovely hammond organ. However, on a lengthy album that weighs in at over sixty-five minutes and fifteen songs, the most impressive compositions that depart from the script and offer an alternative side ot the couple. The hypnotic groove of ‘Magoss’ with jazzy inflections on bass clarinet and inventive flute is a highlight as is the use of Malian violin on the haunting mid-tempo ‘Bozos’. Possibly the most traditional sounding piece is ‘Djuru’ with the use of kora over a heavy backbeat. Factor in more guest vocals from French rocker Juan Rozoff on ‘Je te kiffe’ and Damon Albarn’s layered electronica on ‘Sabali’ and you have an inspired album that will surely catapult Amadou and Mariam into the big time in the English-speaking world.Tim Stenhouse

Youngest son of Fela Kuti, Seun has largely avoided the international limelight for some time while honing his live skills with various members of Fela’s Egypt 80 band. Indeed as barely a teenager Seun opened as a live act for his father at the legendary Shrine venue in Lagos. The result is a superb, hard hitting debut album that contains all the urgency of Fela’s albums and more of a cutting edge in sound than that of older brother Femi. Like his father, Seun uses vernacular pigeon English to get across sometimes complex messages in the most concise and direct manner possible.

Produced by ace pan-African specialist Frenchman Martin Meissonnier (of Khaled and King Sunny Ade production duties), this album does not hold back in it’s critique of African governments and society. This is exemplified on ‘Don’t take that shit to me’ which is in essence a political tirade against corrupt and incopmetent government in Africa. The title track makes some trenchant observations on social conditions in Nigeria and the subtle use of keyboards and gorgeous melody creates an infectous and intoxicating rhythm. Seun Kuti is, however, not only sending out negative messages, but also encourages his (African) listeners to overcome psychological enslavement on ‘African problems’. In general the album impresses with its variation in the use of tempo and by no means all tracks are taken at breakneck speed. Clearly there is a sophisticated musical mind at work here behind these unconpromising social messages. French national radio is already heralding this as one of the best albums of the year and it is certainly a prime contender for project that most closely resembles the socio-political as well as musical edge that characterised so much of Fela Ransome Kuti’s output.Tim Stenhouse

Japanese art form invariably combines different aspects and one of the main forms of Japanese theatre, ‘kabuki’ incorporates elements of dance, drama, music and pantomine. Within this form, Geza music refers to the off-stage music of kabuki theatre, but can also be adapted from noa theatre. Musicians in kabuki tend to be positioned in two separate locations; on stage with the principal instruments such as the shamisen, flute and drums; a separate small room concealed by a bamboo curtain where percussion instruments are played and actors often provide the sound effects. The music itself is to this listener’s ears folkloric in sound and pared down to the bare minumum. Particularly impressive is the flute and koto solo on ‘Aikata’. Impressionistic in tone, the music is inextricably linked to the play unfolding on stage. The instructive and extensive inner sleeve notes provide much needed historical context for the newcomer to this form of music. It should be pointed out that the music here is best appreciated in conjunction with viewing a film tale of traditional kabuki theatre and the ‘47 Ronin’ is one of the all-time classics. Tim Stenhouse

Originally recorded in 1966 by traditional music specialist Yuize, this CD showcases the rootsy stringed instrument that is the Koto. In fact the koto is an approximately six foot, thirteen-stringed instrument and one that has to be played with three ivory picks that are placed on various fingers of the right hand. There is debate over whether the instrument arrived in Japan from China during the fifth century. What is beyond dispute, however, is the sheer beauty and meditational sound of the koto. Shinachi Yuize is a world-renowned practitioner of the instrument and one who has recorded with other classical musicans from throughout the world, notably Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin. Among the five extended pieces, three are instrumental solo compositions while the remaining two are koto plus vocals and it is the former that impress most of all. The opener ‘Zangetsu’ typfies the haunting koto sound in all its glory while the lengthy ‘Midare’ incorporates several sections and explores a wider musical canvass. One minor gripe is the cover photography which is a little dull in black and white and lacking in clarity. Given the wonderful cover on the original vinyl, it seems strange this was not reproduced in full. Otherwise this is an excellent release that, because of the spiritual nature of the recording, will appeal to an audience beyond those interested exclusively in the Far East, and in particular jazz fans will find much to appreciate in the virtuosity of the playing contained within. Extended inner sleeve notes significantly enhance the listener’s understanding.Tim Stenhouse

Seattle born pianist Aaron Parks has packed a lot into his relatively young (twenty-four)years. From jazz mentors of the calibre of Kenny Barron, Fred Hirsch and latterly a tenure in Terence Blanchard’s band, to university studies begun at the tender age of fifteen, Parks is one precocious talent. On his debut for Blue Note he takes in multiple influences that range from Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter on the jazz side to Bjork, Radiohead and Talk Talk in the world of rock. In this respect he is like many of his contemporaries and not dissimilar to Brad Mehldau. What is interesting about the quartet is the interplay between guitarist Mike Moreno and piano on the one hand, and the subtle use of electric keyboards and drums on the other to create a layered, sometimes rock-inflected groove. In this respect there is a nod to EST in attitude, but in the sound created this is far more in the vein of a pared-down version of Pat Metheny in a quartet setting.

Beautiful ensemble work permeates ‘Karma’ with musicians playing off each other to wonderful effect whereas ‘Nemesis’ is characterised by a catchy and effective simple piano riff after which the guitar takes off. The expansive ballad ‘Praise’ showcases the refinement and maturity in Park’s piano style. No standards and all originals makes for an accomplished debut that promises a great deal for the future. Last year Robert Glasper was rightly hailed as a major new talent. This year the mantle must surely be passed on to Aaron Parks and one looks forward to the trajectory in development of his next releases.Tim Stenhouse

Mixed at Joe Gibbs studios by one half of the Mighty Two, Errol Thompson (but devoid of the special effects typical of the Mighty Two dub albums), ‘Dub I’ originally came out on an extremely limited edition LP in Jamaica in 1975. It was briefly released in the UK, albeit in a highly disguised form in the early 1980s, but has remained a collectors must have among dub cognoscenti because of its uncompromising pared-down sound. Pressure Sounds have reproduced the orginal minimalist sleeve with a crystal clear re-mastering, adding five extra dub and instrumental tracks.

Ivan ‘Jimmy’ Radway is something of an elusive figure even in reggae circles and certainly has not been prolific on the production front. However, what he has lacked in sheer quantity, he has more than made up for in the superb quality of the recordings and attention to detail. Some of the finest roots 45s were cut by Radway including ‘Black Cinderella’ by Errol Dunkley and ‘Mother Liza’ by Leroy Smart as well as various DJ cuts to the aforementioned by the likes of Big Youth and I-Roy. The genius of ‘Dub I’ was to bring all these classic riddims together and reproduce them in beautifully crafted and relatively short dub versions. Impressive are dub cuts to ‘Dub is my desire’ (originally Leroy Smart’s ‘Happiness is my desire’) and ‘Big Youth version’ (a dub cut to ‘Cinderella’). Of the extras, the instrumental ‘Tina May’ stands out and offers some nice trombone soloing from Vin Gordon over a heavyweight rhythm as does ‘The great Tommy Mc Cook’ by the legendary Skatalite member. Another winner of a re-issue from the premier UK label championing quality roots recordings. Tim Stenhouse

Another tasty Dancing Turtle release with this husband and wife duo from the remote central highland region of New Guinea now exiled in the UK. The journey here was brought about by the dreadful difficulties they faced from the occupying regime of Indonesia including imprisonment for peacefully raising the banned national flag of West Papua. Rooted in the sacred rituals of the Lani Tribe the songs are emotive tales of their journey, of life, of traditions and ensure a legacy for a tribe whose future is of great concern. Folk music from the heart. Graham Radley

Oh just listen to ‘Chan Chan’ kick in on CD one and they’ve got you in the palm of their hands, pure magic. Produced by Ry Cooder, from a concert in 1998 as the group made their American debut, even though they were in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. This is very much a moment in time as they never all played together again and sadly members like Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González and Company Segundo were soon to pass on. Double CD, 16 tracks, music just doesn’t get any better than this. Graham Radley

Ten years on from the world-wide explosion of interest in the Buena Vista Social Club, it is fascinating to revisit the the first concert that the collective played in the United States and at the prestigous Carnegie Hall in New York to boot. Fortunately World Circuit recorded it for posterity and it does not disappoint. Long-time Buena Vistas in this country will remember the atmosphere at the Jazz cafe gig in London, and the week long fesitval of Cuban music at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. A decade earlier it would have been unthinkable that a bunch of Cuban musicians from the 1950s and beyond could have become a world-wide phenomenon, let alone be allowed to play in the States given political differences pervasive at the time. The concert swept away any such considerations and the music contained within catches the Buena Vistas at their absolute peak with the extended collective in all their glory.

The double CD provides plenty of space for the expanded repertoire of the band to be showcased, and in uptempo numbers such as the classic ‘Mandinga’ and the instrumental ‘Siboney’ with refined piano playing from Ruben Gonzalez we hear them at their absolute zenith. Shifts in tempo abound on ‘Almendra’ while the campesino country style of ‘Orgullecida’ allows the duet between Compay Segundo and Omara Portuondo to shine through. This is a trip through the classic Cuban songbook with songs such as ‘Cuarto de Tula’ that Celina Gonzalez made famous, but here transformed into an eight minute Latin big band number with vocals shared by Ferrer, Pio Leyva and Puntillita. Mid-tempo burners such as ‘De camino a la vereda’ swing like crazy and cha cha cha’s of the calibre of ‘La enganadora’ oscillate between instrumental and vocal passages. Of course the hit numbers are featured and ‘Chan Chan’ is a particularly fine rendition while ‘Quizas Quizas’ conjurs up the magic that Nat King Cole once injected into the song. With a deluxe thirty page booklet, the whole phenomenon is beautifully chronicled with musicians and writers alike providing commentaries. An indispensable slice of timeless nostalgia. Tim Stenhouse

Formed by Jordanian vocalist Shireen Abu-Khader to celebrate Arabic folklore. Their description on the sleeve notes as a ‘ modern folkloric chamber group’ sums them up well, the music is traditional with new arrangements but keeping the vocals very much to the fore on these Sufi influenced songs. Beautiful. Graham Radley

Rough Guide once more exel with their mix of old and new, try these to give you a snapshot of where they are coming from: Joe Arroyo y La Verdad, Radio Cumbia, LA-33, Colombiafrica, Mojarra Electrica and Grupo Saboreo. 15 tracks in all and they all have one vision, dance and party until you drop. Very good. Graham Radley

Gotan Project’s live recordings are something of a cause celebre (for essential viewing see their previous live DVD which is an ideal accompaniment)and the combination of acoustic instrumentation and electronic beats have resulted in a cult fan base and a welcome re-invigoration of the classic tango sound that is already enjoying a renaissance in its native Argentina. This new offering captures two separate live performances from distinct tours, one resulting the first album during a concert in London in 2003, and the second from a more recent live gig in Switzerland, 2007, focusing on the ‘Lunatico’ album. In luxurious digipak format with gatefold sleeve, the recordings are every bit at stylish as the ever inventive packaging. With only one noteable change in the line up for the latest tour, this being a new pianist Lalo Zanelli, the sound is remarkably good for a live session and consistently strong throughout. There are no less than three separate versions of their signature tune ‘Santa Maria(Del Buen Ayre) and two versions of the latest dancefloor hit ‘Diferente’ with a faithful rendition of ‘Triptico’. As an introduction to the group’s distinctive sound, this is exemplary music. Tim Stenhouse

As part of the ongoing series of re-issues comes the latest instalment of classic Stan Tracey sides. This focuses on live recordings from the mid to late 1970s, with the leader’s compositional skills to the fore, and captures Tracey and the larger ensembles in top form. By this period Stan Tracey had completed his long stint as house pianist at Ronnie Scott’s and was beginning to explore freer jazz forms in both duet and larger ensemble formats. Comprising three separate recordings, the one on CD2 features a set from the Salisbury Arts festival. The octet formation was born out of three commissioned pieces for the festival and showcases a mouthwatering line up of British jazz from the era including trumpeter Harry Beckett and reed players Trevor Watts, Alan Skidmore and Don Weller respectively. Of the extended numbers, ‘Peg-leg Bates’ impresses with its heavy emphasis on swing while ‘Ballad for St. Ed’ reveals the influence once more of Ellington in Tracey’s playing. The line up would be modified slightly on other dates with bassist Dave Green and saxophonist Peter King featuring among others.

The first CD from an earlier concert at Bracknell is more blues-inflected while being in the post-bop style and is characterised by a winning combination of stabbing horns and melodic compositions. Excellent saxophone solos and highly improvised piano intros make for highly enjoyable listening with a bonus being the unreleased encore of ‘Chiffik’. 2009 will see Tracey revisit some of the octet suites and if this is a taster of what is to come it should prove be both essential viewing and listening in the new year. A previous BBC Omnibus documentary featured the octet formation during the original period.  Tim Stenhouse

Cap Verdean veteran singer Cesaria Evora has become known to an international audience at a relatively late stage in her career, but in her early twenties at the begining of the 1960s had already become the darling of national radio on the islands. This luxuriously packaged CD with extensive tri-lingual liner notes pulls together various sessions that were previously unissued and were found by chance among master tapes. Now lovingly re-mastered they represent a priceless document of Cesaria’s early career when she was struggling to make end’s meet. In fact at this time she did not even have enough money to pay for a pair of shoes and this led to her being nicknamed ‘the shoeless diva’, and also explains why to this day when performing live she does so in her bare feet.

The CD reveals that even in her youth Evora’s voice was almost fully matured and in a pared down setting that allows us to marvel at the sheer musicality of Cape Verdean morna which in influence is close to Portugese fado (the influence of the great Amalia Rodrigues is evident), but also to Cuban and Congolese rumba, and even classic Brazilian samba. From the mournful lament of ‘Mar Azul’, a song revisited in recent years, to the uplifting exuberance of ‘Terezinha’ and the forbidden fruit uncovered in ‘Frota probido’ and the anthemic cavaquinho inflections of ‘Beirona’, this is a re-issue richly deserving of repeated listening. Probably the rootsiest CD to emerge of 1960s music since Guillermo Portables’ ‘El Carretero’ in the mid-1990s. Tim Stenhouse

Only real Xmas release we’ve had through this year, a well rounded collection that has Ray Charles doing ‘Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer’ and the intriguingly titled ‘Wrap Yourself in a Christmas Package’ which I’ve not heard of before but was apparently first brought out in 1961 by Charles Brown (who is featured on this CD with ‘Santa’s Blues), here it’s covered by Randy Greer and Ignasi Terraza Trio. Other tracks come courtesy of Mighty Blue Kings, Riff Riffin, The Dukes of Dixieland, Ramsey Lewis, Emilie-Claire Barlow and BB King. Graham Radley

Christmas. That joyful time of year when everyone rushes around like demented rabbits in search of the perfect present and one has to suffer the annual ravings of the in-laws. For a truly alternative take on the Christmas message and to celebrate the less savoury, and some one say more realistic aspects of the festive period, Trikont have unearthed a second volume of festive rantings and one which is the audio equivalent of cinema’s Billie Bob Thornton’s ‘Bad Santa’ meets Will Ferrell’s ‘Elf’.

The compilation covers the whole gamut of Americana focusing predominantly on classic soul and blues, but not forgetting the rootsy side of country with bluegrass ably represented. From the Stax vaults comes a timely reflection by the Staple Singers in ‘Who took the merry out of Christmas?’ and a superb ‘Gee whiz, it’s Christmas’ from Carla Thomas whereas Big John Greer in full festive mood affirms ‘We wanna see santa do the mambo’. More unusual are the countrified takes on the festive period with a downside ‘Blue Christmas’ from Ernest Tubb’ and a more upbeat ‘Christmas time’s a-coming’ from Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. For the truly esoterical, however, sample the French language questioning of Santa’s very existence on ‘Je et tu ne croient plus au Pere Noel’ by Marianne Dissard and Ampiro Sanchez, the alternative disco of ‘Christmas Wrapping’ from the Waitresses (later massacred by the Spice Girls) and the melodic punk of Japanese duo Coconami on ‘Sleigh Ride’. Add in some gospel courtesy of Sons of Heaven, blues from Jimmy Witherspoon and Sonny Boy Williamson respectively, and you have a genuinely eclectic interpretation of Christmas that will have the relatives running for cover.  Tim Stenhouse

From the same label that introduced us to the sounds of Lura and more recently the earliest recordings of Cesaria Evora comes a new album from a legendary figure in Angolan music, but one who has strangely not caught on with a wider audience until now. Bonga has enjoyed a long and distinguished career and during the 1970s released two classic albums adored by African music cognoscenti: Bonga ‘72 and Bonga ‘74. However, he is equally well known in his native Angola as both a footballer (for the inimitable Benfica of Lisbon)and as a political activist as spokesman for the Angolan Liberation Movement or MPLA. In fact it was in this latter role that Bonga was forced to flee the dictatorship of Salazar and seek refuge first in Portugal and then in Paris. The latest album, fittingly recorded in Lisbon and Paris, is arguably his best in a couple of decades and what makes this music such a treat is the multiplicity of influences on offer. Bonga’s style is known as semba which in practice is a variation on the classic Brazilian samba, particularly with the use of the cavaquinho string instrument, and the lilting rhythms that accompany this genre. One of the albums highlights is the mournful ‘Kipiri’ which takes a leaf out of Cape Verdean morna while the opener and title track is a laid back blues-inflected burner of a song. In stark contrast the uptempo ‘Zukada’ with its gorgeous background harmonies is influenced by Antillean dance music, ‘Mana Minga’ by Congolese soukous and ‘Aguenda’ by traditional Brazilian samba. Perhaps strongest of all the faster tempos on ‘Bairro’ is the joyous accordeon-led ‘Makanisa’ which hints at Columbian vallenato. In sum Bonga’s singer-songwriter talents are admirably showcased here and the album from start to finish is both a listening and dancefloor treat. Tim Stenhouse

Detroit rightly earned a reputation for some of the classiest soul music and this wonderful mid-1970s album does little to dissuade one of this view. Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie began his career as one of many aspiring musicians and singers at Motown, and indeed cut a couple of late 1960s 45s for the label in addition to performing for a time as in-house pianist. However, by the early 1970s Wylie had decided to focus on his songwriting skills and instead began a fruitful collaboration with the Holland brothers on Motown subsidiary Invictus. Thus by the time it came to record the album contained within in 1974, Wylie had not only acquired substantial experience as a songwriter, but could also count upon the support of some of the cream of session musicians on offer. The all-round strength of the album songs and its timeless feel is testimony to the multiple skills deployed here. Add in the formidable writing skills of one Lamont Dozier, the arrangements of Paul Riser and Gene Page, and a classy album was always on the cards. Soaring strings and gorgeous harmonies abound on ‘Lost Time’ and the opener ‘Singing about you and me’. Wylie’s vocals are not dissimilar to those of Dozier and his rasping voice is used to good effect on the mid-tempo stormer ‘Georgia’s after hours’. A terrific left-field track is the instrumental ‘How did I lose you’ which sounds like something off a Marvin Gaye soundtrack album. Inspired vocals and arrangements are in abundance on ‘ESP’ and one cannot fail to be impressed by the beautifully crafted production. An exceptionally strong album, then, by a musician’s musician and this uplifting and neglected masterpiece is fully deserving of re-issue. Tim Stenhouse

Eugene McDuffy, better known as Brother Jack McDuff, is an Illinois-born hammond B3 organist who is equally at ease with blues, soul and funk-inflected grooves as he is with jazz. He forged his early reputation as an organist for the Prestige label and in particular for his recordings alongside crack band members comprising guitarist George Benson, saxophonist Red Holloway and drummer Joe Dukes. McDuff, however, also played as sideman with a host of top jazz musicians including Roland Kirk, Yusef Lateef and Sonny Stitt among others.

By the late 1960s the traditional organ jazz combo was undergoing new influences, primary amongst them being the new drum beats pioneered by James Brown’s band and the emerging sound of soul. This was reflected in the two albums McDuff recorded at this period for Blue Note with the grittier ‘Down Home Style’, taking a leaf out of the Stax label, and on the superb ‘Moon Rappin’’, where improvisation and funky licks merged effortlessly. Jack McDuff was shifting at this stage between the legendary Blue Note and other labels, but then began what proved to be a long-term collaboration with the jazz subsidiary of Chicago’s Chess label, Cadet.

It is from this fruitful collaboration that ‘Gin and Orange’, recorded in 1969, derives. Clearly McDuff’s music was in a transitional period with not only the aforementioned soul and funk influences, but equally those of psychadelic rock. A new style characterised by heavy bass lines, with greater emphasis placed upon the rhythm, came to the fore. It was not uncommon at this time to hear jazz 45s on jukeboxes and the boogaloo-inspired title track was an obvious attempt to garner wider public appeal.

Easy listening mid-tempo grooves can be heard on the lilting ‘On the case’ while repetitive groove-laden irffs abound on ‘Get it up’. Long-term fans of the organist will be attracted by arguably the catchiest self-composition, ‘With the wind’, harking back in sound to the classic mid-1960s combo while ‘Channel One’ is uptempo and classic McDuff territory on which nice guitar licks and hammond solos predominate. Among his Cadet recordings, then, ‘Gin and Orange’ surely rates as one of McDuffs most eclectic albums. While it did not quite reach the dizzy heights of ‘Heatin’ System’ (richly deserving of a re-issue again) or ‘Natural Thing’, it nonetheless showcased the new McDuff sound and as a difficult enough album to find is a welcome discovery for the listener.
Tim Stenhouse

Jazz and Spain have enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration and this has ranged from pianists such as Pedro Iturralde and Chano Dominguez, flamenco-fusion such as Jorge Pardo, through to enterprising labels such as Fresh Sound out of Barcelona and its championing of homegrown talent like Perico Sambeat. The Discos Calandria label, however, is far well less known to the public save for a few connoisseurs and it is therefore a welcome discovery to find the sides contained within this compilation that are the brainchild of Antoliano Toldos. After settling in Madrid at the age of twenty, Toldos had a break into the music industry after Spanish national television placed him in charge of composing and recording duties for the test patterns between programmes. Toldos recruited top musicians such as Iturralde and began producing a series of singles on his Calandria label. The first jazz sides were recorded in 1967 and this is serves as the starting point for ‘Iberico Jazz’. Clearly Spanish jazz musicians at the time were influenced by American jazz and in particular the Blue Note label, and more generally the genre known as Latin-jazz. This is reflected in the superb grooves of the Conjunto Selif on ‘Tom Jazz’, which has a catchy rhythm in the same vein as ‘Watermelon Man’, with an impressive Freddie Hubbard-like trumpet solo to accompany it, and the percussive-heavy ‘Trompeta Loca’ with Wes Montgomery-influenced guitar licks and the feel of ‘Cantaloupe Island’. Equally impressive are Quinteto Monteliro with the compilation’s title track that takes a leaf out of the Les McCann piano book while ‘Opaco’ offers a decidely flamenco feel on trumpet and hints at what Miles Davis might have sounded like if surrounded by the cream of Spanish jazz musicians. Big band bossa permeates the length of ‘Flauta ‘blue’’ from Quinteto Diamont alongside more mainstream jazz from the collective. Conjunto Segali provide a modal flavour to the floating ‘Jazz Progressivo’ and brass a la Roland Kirk on ‘Jazz a las tres’. All in all, this is an excellent jazz compilation that will appeal to fans of jazz-dance, funky jazz and plain old opened-minded jazz alike. Tim Stenhouse

Having forged a reputation as a television and film arranger and composer, pianist Janette Mason has recorded a second album that is both a breath of fresh air and a mature and wholly engaging listen. Compositionally this is an overall work of great sophistication and one where sheer musicality wins out. Possibly the influence of pianists such as Herbie Hancock, Ahmad Jamal and Keith Jarrett in knowing how to create space has impacted upon Mason. Certainly this is very American sounding. A varied selection of self-composed pieces includes the beautiful ‘Mae’s Song’, a ballad dedicated to her musician mother and one that EST would have been proud of. The catchy and inventive re-working of ‘Sweet Dreams’ is indicative of Janette Mason’s inventive mind and the shift between chorus and bass/piano vamp makes for fascinating listening. Soulful is the only way to describe ‘The Blues walked out’ and accomplished ensemble playing permeates proceedings with the subtle use of hammond organ in the background providing layered texture. With a shifting tempo on the title track, a larger brass ensemble piece, what a great way to end the album and hint at potentially new areas for the leader to explore in future albums. An exquisite album of depth and new ideas successfully transmitted to the listener. Tim Stenhouse

After recording the seminal ‘A Love Supreme’, John Coltrane embarked upon an intensive period of ‘recording activity’. The five albums contained within were recorded within a three year period and more was to follow. The classic quartet remained (just about) intact, but already there were clear indications of the changes afoot both in terms of future personnel and evolving musical ideas. In many ways ‘Meditations’ was the logical spiritual follow up to ‘A Love Supreme’. The modal feel of ‘Compassion’ features stirring solos from McCoy Tyner and Jimmy Garrison while on the romantic ballad ‘Love’’Coltrane proved, if ever proof were required, that he was always capable of moments of intense beauty. In contrast ‘Consequences’ hinted at what was to come and is considerably freer in outlook whereas the relatively short piece ‘Serenity’ focused on the melodic improvisation of the quartet collectively.

The earlier album ‘John Coltrane Quartet Plays’ is an interesting item in the Coltrane discography and parallels with the Atlantic album ‘My Favourite Things’ are inevitable given the deconstruction of both ‘Chim Chim Cheree’, from the ‘Mary Poppins’ soundtrack, and, a relative newcomer to the American songbook at the time, ‘Nature Boy’. Both feature ‘Trane on soprano saxophone and are radical reworkings of the original songs. Extensive original liner notes courtesy of the avant-garde and decidely left of centre musical historian Frank Kofsky provide a fascinating outlook on the recording industry at the time.

One album that is out on a limb among the others is the live recording at the Newport Jazz Festival from 1963. Part of the concert featured the classic quartet, another with an entirely different line up of musicians including vibist Bobby Hutcherson, tenorist Archie Sheep (a long time fan of ‘Trane)and the vastly underrated drummer Joe Chambers. Four out of the five compositions were penned by Shepp with only one piece, ‘One down, one up’ written by Coltrane himself and featuring the classic quartet with modal musings by Tyner and ably assisted by Elvin Jones with the predictable fireworks on polyrhythmic drums. Of the Archie Shepp pieces, the unsually structured ‘Le matin des noire’(sic)impresses with its building of tension between vibes and drums.

‘Kulu Se Mama’ contains moments of great beauty as well as a good deal of freer activity. This is illustrated on the gorgeous ballad ‘Welcome’ which is notable for the building and release of tension between Tyner and Jones, while ‘Trane is here at his most melodic. In a freer form ‘Vigil’ is essentially a duet between Jones and Coltrane while the title track is a fiery affair augmented by reeds from Donald Garrett and Pharoah Sanders. Again from 1965 ‘Ascension’is a big band album, but not in any conventional sense of the word. Like ‘Africa Brass’ it is an attempt at a larger ensemble work and one that includes the talents of Marion Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp. This is by no means a casual listen and in many ways follows on from Ornette Coleman’s ‘Free jazz’ recording.

These newly re-mastered albums have undergone a minor change in their digipak format with notes contained within the gatefold sleeves exactly as the original vinyl was. There are no additional tracks or notes save for a second and preferred version from Coltrane of ‘Ascension’. This is truly timeless spiritual music for decidedly spiritless current times. Revisiting these old chestnuts one cannot fail to be impressed by, on the one the one hand the great urgency inherent in the music, but equally the sheer beauty contained within them. Chronologically this represents a relatively brief period in ‘Trane’s overall and prolific career. Yet within this one finds a diversity of approaches, formations and styles. This alone is testimony to the true great of musical mind that John Coltrane possessed. Tim Stenhouse

This is the second album by the duet for the Blue Note and marks a departure from the first which was heavily inspired by the sound of Brazilian tropicalia and 1960s psychadelia. Aiming far more at the pop end of musical matters, though still retaining some of the the easy lounge feel of the debut, The Bird and the Bee focus far more on the production side and string-laden songs such as ‘Witch’ and liad-back ‘Ray Gun’ offer a touch of sophistication. On the other hand there is a degree of ingenuity in ‘You’re a cad’, inpsired by the Muppets theme and ‘Diamond Dave’ hints at Swing Out Sister, though not nearly as soulful.  Undoubtedly there is a certain floating quality to the songs overall, but they are quite forgettable and one wonders whether an audience for easy listening music of this nature exists. There may well be a niche in the market for this kind of music, but it is not one that that this writer is overly familiar with. Tim Stenhouse

With a fabulous live act comprising tango dancers and band, Tango Siempre have released a trio of acclaimed albums of which the latest is not only among their finest, but arguably also their most diverse thus far. The group has undergone a change in line up with long-time bandoneonist Pete Rosser replaced by Italian Paolo Russo. From gorgeous laid-back milonga with a Cuban feel such as ‘Milonga poliritmica’ to subtle beat-laden tango electronica on ‘Only human’, expressing the inner angst of the genre, Tango Siempre provide ample evidence of the sense of humanity that has always permeated their recordings. It is, perhaps, the left-field ‘Belo Horizonte’ that has the best chance of securing late night listening with its prominent use of double bass and expressive bandoneon playing. Added in to the bargain is a piece inspired by the marching funeral bands of southern Italy and the austere sounding ‘Dance of Death’. This is an album that will appeal to a wide and eclectic audience, with jazzy improvisations, refined western classicism and rootsy grooves that take the innovations of maestro Astor Piazzolla as their starting point. The philosophy of the group is amply typified by ‘A matter of life and death’ on which their passion for the genre and care to reflect the sheer diversity of tango speaks volumes. If the latest endeavours from Gotan Project make you want to explore the rootsier side of tango, then this CD could just be for you. An emotionally charged recording to simply wash away those financial blues. Tim Stenhouse

Similar to fellow tenorist Kenny Garrett, Joshua Redman has now entered mid-career territory and has been exploring different aspects of the tenor on recent albums as illustrated on ‘East’. On his latest album he returns to more familiar ground on this trio-led outing which recalls the mid-late 1950s recordings of Sonny Rollins in format. Unquestionably this is accomplished playing and Redman is ably assisted by bassists Larry Grenadier and Reuben Rogers and drummers Brian Blade and Gregory Hutchinson. Redman has largely opted for self-penned compositions, but unlike Garrett in a studio setting, these do not always exude the same warmth that one might expect from a normally soulful saxophonist. Mournful is the word that springs to mind on hearing the somewhat austere version of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight (Sonata)’ and Redman’s own pieces ‘Ghost’ and the bop-inflected ‘Round Reuben’ leave one feeling somewhat downbeat. Where the trio collectively shine are on ballads such as ‘Just like you’ and ‘Little Ditty’ where the blues are certainly not forgotten and prove to be uplifting. As with other premier contemporary jazz artists, Redman’s skill at playing extended and intricate notes has never been in question. However, his ability to communicate in a soulful manner does require further reflection.  Tim Stenhouse

From Ipanema Beach, with a sound that rocks and funks its way through core Brazilian rhythms, with a touch of psychedelic thrown in too but really there’s so much going on here it’s hard to define (in a good way). They are a seven piece band that distance themselves well away from all stereotypical notions of Brazilian music and have made a CD that’s distinctly their own sound, I’ll just leave you to ponder what that sound actually is because there’s such a mixture from track to track that you often wonder if it’s a different CD. Well worth checking out. Graham Radley

Superb release from Bonga with a nice balance of moods and rhythms which range from where his native Angolan semba shows influences of morna from the Cape Verde to changing gear so that soukous guides us to the dance floor. Now in his 60’s but this is a real return to earlier form. Recommended. Graham Radley

Excellent compilation of material covering 1965 to 1977. The band had a core line up of the amazing Jerry Malekani on guitar, Freddie Nkounkou and Mbilia Casino on vocals plus in the earlier days Panda Gracia on bass and then, once they moved onto the French Caribbean, Jean Serge Essous on sax. The music was groundbreaking as they mixed many styles including rumba and soukous and then calypso and reggae, this of course was glorious music for the dance floor and this collection comes highly recommended. Graham Radley

Tracks from Cote d’Ivoire, Cape Verde, South Africa, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau. Ba Cissoko with Tiken Jah Fakoly give us the sweet melodic side of reggae with ‘On Veut Se Marier’ while Majek Fashek’s ‘Man Of Sorrow’ has a real feel of Marley. Very good. Graham Radley

Coba Coba is an Afro-Peruvian expression akin to ‘Go for it!’ and Novalima do that in all the best ways. The band have at their roots a bedrock of Afro-Peruvian rhythms and melodies which they freely envelop with a mix that incorporates Latin, dub and electronica. Special guests include New Zealand nu-jazz keyboardist Mark de Clive-Lowe, Cuban hip-hop group Obsesión while producer Toni Economides ( Nitin Sawhney and Bugz In The Attic) brings it all together with just the right feel of soulful roots meets edgy grooves. Have a listen to tracks like ‘Coba Guarango’ and be prepared to be moved. Top stuff. Graham Radley

Follow up to ‘3 to get ready’ from Chris Bowden, Neil Bullock and Ben Markland which opens with a fine take on Miles Davis’s ‘Freddie The Freeloader’.
Further jazz staples include Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘Chega de Saudade and Wayne Shorter’s ‘Isotope as well as a bonus DVD track of Billy Cobham’s ‘Red Baron’ Great straight ahead playing and whilst it’s not on the wild side the quality glows through and embraces you. Graham Radley

This is a vocal and instrumental suite by John McCusker, performed by a brilliant line up of Britain’s finest musicians.Originally commissioned by the PRS Foundation, the Scottish Arts Council and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Under One Sky explores the many different traditions, genres and influences at work across the UK folk scene and incorporates them into 7 pieces of music. McCusker’s hand-picked ensemble includes Graham Coxon , Roddy Woomble, Julie Fowlis, John Tams and Jim Causley also feature among the singers while the instrumentalists include Iain MacDonald, Andy Cutting Ian Carr and Emma Reid. Evocative music which shines especially on ‘S Tusa Thilleas’ sung by Julie Fowlis and ‘Long Time Past/Lavender Hill’ with lead from Roddy Womble. Excellent. Graham Radley

Jazz dance DJ Nicola Conte is best known for his compilations of new artists and collection of rare vinyl. However, in recent years he has become increasingly interested in producing and performing on acoustic jazz. On this new album he goes beyond the normal dance oriented music to produce a supremely well rounded release that incorporates vocal, big band, modal flavours and left-field compositions. Latin polyrhythms and big band horns abound on ‘The Nubian Queens’, one of the albums’ many highlights, with the excellent vocals of Jose James and on the big band vocal piece ‘I see all shades of you’, featuring the vocals of Alice Ricciardi. The instrumental ‘Macedonia’ allows the musicians to really stretch out with pianist Pietro Lussu impressing with some McCoy Tyneresque licks and horns reminiscent of the Jazz Messengers. Long-time fans will love the dancefloor beat of ‘Black is the graceful veil’ and this is a possible song to be lifted for 12” release. In a similar vein is a big band version of ‘Caravan’ while the intimate bossa ‘Paper Clouds’ has an easy lounge feel to it. Further variety comes in the form of ‘Red sun’, which is laid back with lovely flute and the vocals of Kim Sanders, and ‘Karma Flower’ with a Pharoah Sanders inspired Eastern intro that floats along like the vocals. The title track has a modal feel that recalls Miles’ late-1950s recordings with the subtle use of harp. A stellar cast includes alto saxophonist Greg Osby, an array of other American, Finnish and Italian musicians and Conte himself on guitar, clearly influenced by the Blue Note grooves of Grant Green. By far the most complete album recorded by Conte thus far. Tim Stenhouse

This project was initiated by vocalists Julie Fowlis and Muireann Nic Amlaoibh and inspired by them both growing up in Gaelic-speaking communities, the former in North Uist and the latter in county Kerry, Ireland. In the case of Nic Amhlaoibh this is doubled by working for the Irish-language television channel TG4 that prides itself on championing traditional Irish music on the island of Ireland and further afield in its diaspora communities.

The music contained within celebrates and to an extent chronicles the very real historical musical links that exist between Ireland and the highlands of Scotland. As such it provides a fascinating insight into the connections that distinguished folk musicians such as Andy Irvine and Bert Jansch have frequently alluded to in their music. This is no better illustrated than on ‘Uist-Kerry Set: Bu chaomh leam bhith fuireach’ which includes a tune of Scottish music that was transported to West Kerry when Gaelic-speaking Scottish guards were stationed there. Bi-lingual lyrics enable one to better understand the storytelling quality of the Irish/Scots Gaelic language and above all it is the sheer lyricism of the musical exploration that shines through on this fine recording. Tim Stenhouse

With the Rio carnival imminent, Far Out have wisely decided to cheer us up with some rootsy samba, several songs of which have never previously been released in this country and make this essential listening at an affordable price to boot. The fact that it has been compiled by Brazilian specialist DJ Cliffy gives this additional crediblity and there are some terrific discoveries to be heard here. Teresa Cristina is not a name familiar to most, but along with her Grupo Semente has devoted her attentions to showcasing the music of samba legend, Paulinho da Viola. The result is the beautiful ‘Foi un rio que passou en minha vida’, an album highlight. Likewise Roge is not an obvious choice, but one who clearly has a great future ahead of him as illustrated on the fabulous ‘Swingue do samba’. More familiar Brazilliance is to be found on ‘Carolina’ by Seu Jorge, by far the best known of modern samba artists. Of great interest is the solo project of Nereu with group Swing, founder of Trio Mocoto, who of course backed Jorge Ben during his classic period in the 1970s and in ‘Maria Jose’ provides an example of what became known as samba rock and later samba funk. Elza Soares typified a more commerical form of samba from the mid-1960s onwards and here is accompanied by singer-songwriter Joyce on guitar. It would be impossible to have a samba compilation without some fiery larger ensemble percussion and this compilation does not disappoint with Grupo Batuque and Dom Um and Jair de Castro on various instrumentation. In a more laid back and melodic vein is the song form of samba known as samba-cancao and somewhat surprisingly it is Wilson das Neves in his more unlikely role as vocalist with the Ipanemas who illustrates the sub-genre. Extensive sleeve notes chronicle both the origins of samba and shed light on the artists contained within. Tim Stenhouse

Setting off the seventieth anniversary of arguably the most prestigious label in jazz history, and certainly the one by which all others are measured, comes this fitting tribute from a collective of present day musicians. It was the mid-1980s renaissance of Blue Note via the Pathe-Marconi vinyl re-issues from France and Bertrand Tavernier’s wonderful ‘Round Midnight’ (criminally still not available on DVD over here)that introduced a younger audience to the fabulous recordings of hammond organists Jimmy Smith and Big John Patton, the hard bop musings of Art Blakey, Jackie McLean and Lee Morgan, and the accessible yet avant-garde genius of Andrew Hill, Sam Rivers and Larry Young. This set of classic compositions on the label revisited focuses attention on the 1960s and in particular the hard-bop and modal sounds. The rhythm section is none other than Bill Charlap’s trio, a modern day Blue Note stalwart, and provides the required cohesion around which the other musicians are able to stretch out. These include tenorist Ravi Coltrane, altoist/flautist Steve Wilson and guitarist Pete Bernstein. While no single recording can ever fully represent the totality of music on offer on such a vast back catalogue(the 1950s catalogue in particular is deserving of a separate tribute), this tribute does enable one to enjoy the compositions of pianists of the calibre of Hancock, Monk, Silver and Tyner. Where the ensemble work best is on the modal and mid-tempo numbers and this is no better illustrated than on the delicious ‘Little B’s Poem’, a Bobby Hutcherson composition with sensitive flute playing from Wilson and fine ensemble performances all-round. The Grant Green piece ‘Idle Moments’ is rarely revisited and one wonders why. Here Pete Bernstein has the opportunity to solo with horns playing in unison. In a more uptempo vein, Horace Silver’s ‘The Outlaw’ is one of his less frequently covered pieces, but here is given a lovely Latin vamp before reverting to bop albeit with a continuous Latin tinge. The title track, a classic Jazz Messengers tune, receives a faithful rendition with polyrhythmic drumming even if the urgency of the original is near impossible to match. Unquestionably the 1960s was a fertile period for Blue Note and this is amply demonstrated on this recording which is far superior to the 1990s tributes by various artists and the ‘Blue Spirits’ compilation of Japanese artists that coincided with the sixty-fifth anniversary. Tim Stenhouse

To coincide with a much anticipated live performance in London, Jane Birkin’s latest album is a musical reflection on her childhood. Long-time pianist Fred Maggi remains from the superb 2002 CD ‘Arabesque’ which re-worked the Gainsbourg repertoire so convincingly in a Middle Eastern/North African feel. Jane Birkin has spent virtually all her adult life in France and has become the Anglo-Francaise par excellence, combining an infrequent acting career with singing. The almost whispering delivery has become her trademark and not one she is likely to foresake as illustrated on ‘Il fait nuit’. Birkin has clearly been listening to other contemporary singers and the catchy ‘Periode bleue’ is the kind of song that Carla Bruni might have attempted with instrumentation to match while ‘Prends cette main’ has a pared-down country-folk feel that is very much in vogue. Reminiscent of her Gainsbourg-produced debut ‘Di doo dah’ with use of strings is ‘Maison etoilee’.
It is the sad side of love which is never shared that is exposed on ‘14 fevrier’ while the title track is an intimate expose of her childhood memories. Political consciousness is showcased on ‘Aung San Suu Kyi’, the sole composition sung in English. All in all a strong album and one that cements her already established reputation.  Tim Stenhouse

Here is a compilation of Bill Frisell’s works that will appeal to a broad canvass of listeners and not exclusively those of a jazz persuasion. The CD chronicles a decade of beautifully crafted songs on a series of thematic albums that range from country folk and blues to pared down acoustic jazz, and above all it is the melodic nature of the compositions and the sheer virtuosity of the playing that comes shining through. As Elvis Costello writes in the inner sleeve notes, Frisell defies petty categorisation and this thrilling overview reinforces the argument of the guitarist being a master practitioner of Americana. Multiple influences abound from John Fahey on the gorgeous rendition of the Carter family favourite ‘Wildwood flower’ to the decidedly Pat Metheny feel of ‘Gone just like a train’ and in general a jazzier nod to the works of Ry Cooder. Formats oscillate between trio and solo outings and somehow Frisell finds his own voice with songs that are predominantly from his own pen. As a whole this works extremely well and for newcomers to Bill Frisell is an ideal place to begin visiting his back catalogue. Tim Stenhouse

After a wait of six years, Oumou Sangare finally delivers a new album and what a triumph it is too. Sangare returns to the funk-driven Wassalou sound, produced by Cheikh Tidiane Seck, but this time the sound is augmented by the use of flute and percussion from Magic Malik. As ever the songs are message laden and Sangare pulls no punches in standing up for her always forthright views. Little wonder, then, that she is now a UN ambassador in addition to supporting an orphanage for street children in the Malian capital of Bamako. Several of the songs fall into the category of hypnotic mid-tempo grooves, notably the title track and ‘Sukunyou’, and on compositions such as ‘Kounadya’ female background vocals provide inspirational harmonies with a new maturity to Oumou’s delivery and a lovely hammond organ solo courtesy of Seck. More reflective is ‘Senkele te sira’ and the lilting ‘Djigui’ with flute accompaniment while ‘Wele wele wintou’ is a quasi-Afro Beat rhythm with understated use of the ngoni. The uplifting ‘Sounsoumba’ is a call for harmony within marriage and in general the overall tone is a positive one. Already making waves in France, this promises to be Oumou Sangare’s most accomplished set thus far.  A winner from start to finish. Tim Stenhouse

With a March UK tour already underway, Gilad Atzmon returns with a nostalgic homage to the country whose music he grew up with from labels such as Blue Note and Prestige to artists of the calibre of Miles, Coltrane and Parker. Multi-reed player Atzmon has made the UK his home from the mid-1990s and in his career thus far has focused on a musical melting pot of influences from bebop and Middle Eastern schools. Here the regular quartet belongs firmly in the former, but with the luscious strings of Sigamos String Quartet to add an extra dimension. There is an interesting mix of five standards from the great American songbook and six originals. Of the former ‘What is this thing called love’ is a quartet piece with lovely fender rhodes and the wailing alto saxophone of Atzmon. Taken at a slower pace than per usual, ‘I didn’t know what time is was’ is reminiscent of Charlie Parker with the use of strings and the sound of the fender conveys an eery ambiance while ‘April in Paris’ is more conventional with acoustic piano soloing. The new compositions hardly sound out of place with ‘If I should love you’ featuring an interesting use of drums on a quasi waltz whereas ‘Tuto Tango’ impresses with its selective use of strings and straight ahead intro before kicking into a tango three minutes in. There is a subtle use of electronica on a couple of cuts, particularly the title track, and a final piece, ‘Refuge’, that reminds us that Atzmon has not altogether forgotten his Middle Eastern roots. Accomplished playing all round. Tim Stenhouse

Based on the concept of musical feuding in the studio between DJs who respond to one another with often humourous tirades on 45s, the latest compilation alludes to a tradition that actually predates reggae in Jamaica. In fact it is a tradition that harks back to the origins of African American folk music in the United States, yet from the 1960s became synonymous with the sound system culture of Kingston. Notable adversaries at the time included ‘confrontations’ between Derrick Morgan and Prince Buster on the one hand, and Lee Perry and Prince Buster again on the other. In extreme cicrumstances verbal fisticuffs could lead to physical violence. Happily, the only squaring up on this album is of largely good natured banter and is focused on witty put downs of one aonther by legendary DJs I Roy and Prince Jazzbo. This series of musical ripostes originated when the latter antagonised DJ Big Youth on vinyl, a supporter of Big Youth took exception to this and reputedly assaulted Prince Jazzbo outside Randy’s in Kingston. Consequently producer Bunny Lee urged I Roy to go into the studio and recount events. This in turn elicited a response from Prince Jazzbo and so the saga began to unfold. All stood to profit commercially from the 45s and the compliation features the DJ cuts, their instrumental versions backed by the Aggrovators and Revolutionaries, and even a couple of original vocals from Johnny Clarke and Derrick Morgan (who also contributes a verbal jibe at I Roy!). Needless to say there is joyful music and hilarity along the way. This is another episode, albeit a minor one, in the larger reggae jigsaw effectively put together by Pressure Sounds with a suitably cowboyesque duel on the cover to illustrate proceedings.  Tim Stenhouse

Australian multi-instrumentalist Nathan Riki Thomson has concocted a fascinating fusion of traditional East African music with jazz-inflected grooves on this debut album. This comes across as a modern day equivalent of the Strata East label and its more experimental side. Aided by a trio comprising two percussionists and Thomson on bass, assorted flutes (the North African ney and exotic sounding mahsai) and a multitude of other instruments (plus guitarist Antonio Forcione on selected pieces), the album explores the relationship between African folkloric music and jazz.
This is an avenue that has been previously explored among others by percussionists Art Blakey and Elvin Jones, and saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. Traditional melodies have been adapted, though several pieces are self-penned by Thomson. Thomson has lived and worked in Africa for five years and has amassed a wealth of practical experience in addition to working on soundtrack music for film, theatre and television in the UK.
The atmospheric ‘Song for Otso’ sets the tone for the album with the mix of double bass and kalimba while on the freer ‘Cheza’ the bass predominates along with bass and alto flutes. In contrast ‘Illalla’ is a modal piece with wordless vocals. Thomson does not restrict himself to African percussion alone and on ‘Bus to Bagamoyo’ we hear the Afro-Brazilian instrument the berimbau used to fine effect. Perhaps the most successful fusion of Western and African sounds is to be found on ‘Waiting for Rain’ which is reminiscent of Pharoah Sanders spiritual flavoured Theresa recordings with the use of viola, harmonium, bass flute and vocals. Decidely left-field, yet surprisingly melodic and accessible, this will appeal to music lovers in search of more esoteric sounds.  Tim Stenhouse

A new album after last year’s triumphant release and this one is based around the concept of the different stages in a male-female relationship with occasional and relatively short poem interludes recited by Marsalis himself. Stylistically this is one of Marsalis’ most diverse and stride piano, swing, post-bop and Afro-Cuban all feature at some point in proceedings. It is the waltz-like groove of ‘The sun and the moon’ which immediately attracts one attention with soulful, gospel inflections on tambourine that have become a trademark of previous releases. In contrast ‘School Boy’ begins as a ragtime piece with stride piano from excellent new band member Dan Nimmer accompanying Marsalis on trumpet before transforming into a modern bop composition. Possibly the first half is over-laden with poem recitations, but this is compensated in the second part of the album by the extended, virtual non-stop suite. This commences with ‘First crush’ which convincingly creates a romantic ambience, continuing with blues licks on piano on ‘First slow dance’. If ‘First kiss’ is something of a disappointment, strangely lacking in emotion, then ‘First time’ more than makes up for this with an Afro-Cuban flavour that begins as a danzon before upping the tempo into a spicy, fiery mambo that Machito or Tito Puente would have been proud of. Possibly the most impressive track on the whole album, however, is reserved for the longest peice, ‘The razor rim’, weighing in at over twelve minutes. This modal-influenced composition serves as a vehicle for Marsalis’ gorgeous restrained playing with Latin tinges kicking in after three minutes and excellent tenor soloing from Walter Blanding. The verdict may still be out on Marsalis’ influence on the evolution of jazz, but this latest release demonstrates that he is still active and creative both as a composer and performer. Tim Stenhouse

Formerly keyboardist and founding member of UK trip hop band US3 that re-worked Herbie Hancock’s classic piece on ‘Cantaloop’, Gareth Williams now debuts in his own right with an excellent overview of his acoustic, and to a lesser extent, electric piano skills. Williams has clearly taken in multiple musical influences that range from pianist Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau to progressive rock. The sensitive touches displayed on the modern standard ‘Giant steps’ bodes well for the future and he does not overpower the listener with technique. Furthermore his own compositions reveal a souful performer who is particularly adept on ballads. This is demonstrated on the Bill Evanesque ‘Izelda’ and on the specific tribute to the piano legend, ‘Evans the Piano’, where the trio stretches out. Other more contemporary future directions are hinted at on ‘Holey Moley’ with Jaco Pastorius bass licks. Perhaps the fender tracks are non-essential at present and one wishes the bass solos could be reduced in length. However, there is much to appreciate on this first offering and this is certainly a notch above the average piano trio outing.  Tim Stenhouse

Here is an unexpected and most pleasant surprise. A previously unreleased trio session of Joyce in Paris from 1976 at the peak of her creative powers. Along with bassist/guitarist Mauricio Maestro and percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, this folk inpsired project cooks from start to finish.
The purity of Joyce’s voice is reminiscent of early Gal Costa, but the instrumentation is decidely jazzier. There are two bona fide classic songs in ‘Banana’ (possibly the original version and fresher than ever in its pared down form)and ‘Clareana’ that became a staple tune of Joyce’s concert repertoire. However, this post-tropicalia album works as a whole with an intriguing suite in three parts that is at once reflective and of the lesser known compositions, ‘Nacional Kid’ is a catchy rootsy piece with bongo and guitar intro while ‘Chegada’ features duet vocals and guitar accompaniment. Musical proceedings are enhanced by a gorgeous authentic 1970s Tropicalia-influenced sleeve cover courtesy of Andy Votel.
A welcome addition, then, to the Brazilian music catalogue and this paved the way for the seminal ‘Feminina’ only four years later.  Tim Stenhouse

Detroit born and based trumpeter Gene Shaw does not count among the best known practitioners of the instrument, such was the competition that reigned during the 1950s and 1960s. However, this rare debut album for the jazz outlet of Chess, Argo, is a fine example of Shaw’s compositional and musical talents. Argo scored some major successes with pianists Ahmed Jamal and Ramsey Lewis, yet Shaw went largely unnoticed. Previous to this recording Shaw played on the epochal Mingus album ‘Tijuana Moods’, but thereafter largely disappeared from the jazz scene before re-surfacing as a leader with this album. As a whole the recording combines modal grooves with a more restrained take on the hard bop format. Taken at a slower tempo, but with a similar feel to ‘Milestones’ is ‘Autumn Walk’ with tenorist Sherman Morrison emphasizing the beat. In the latter post-bop is ‘A.D. Blues’ with its distinctly Jazz Messengers inspired theme and understated soloing from Shaw and Morrsion. Indeed this piece has a distinctly Blue Note feel and alongside the omnipresent Miles Davis, Blue Mitchell was clearly an influence upon Shaw’s playing. The Latin-bossa intro to ‘Marj’ leads into a nice duet of trumpet and saxophone playing off one another while ‘Six Bits’ is a waltz-like piece with Shaw taking the lead with a reflective piano solo from Morrison. It is surprising that the album did not enable Shaw to join the premier league of jazz trumpeters, but is remains as an overlooked document of his unquestionable prowess.  Tim Stenhouse

Modern soul singer Ronnie McNeir is a multi-talented musician who has combined songwriting, singing and keyboard playing duties throughout his career. Indeed he began his musical training as a pianist before setting off to California where he met Kim Weston who was instrumental in securing an album deal for him with RCA. As McNeir explained in a 1990s interview for UK Vibe, despite the early local success of the album he did not feel the label marketed it sufficiently well, “I did my first album, 1972. It was on RCA records and they didn’t push it...Although it was doing well. It went to no. 1 in Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Louisville’. The album as a whole works convincingly as a concept one and where between individual songs musical interludes and raps interweave, doubtless taking a leaf out of the Isaac Hayes approach at the time. In time the eponymously titled album would become a modern soul classic that fans would search for. Of immediate interest is ‘In summertime’ with its fender-driven intro and beautifully constructed harmony while on the uptempo stomper ‘I’m so grateful’, there are gospel overtones with McNeir’s voice emerging to the fore and overall a Motown feel in evidence. With the use of tambourines for effect, ‘Gone away’ is another song with the underlying influence of Detroit. The musical collage feel to the album is created by the instrumental interludes and dialogues between songs and clearly the recent release at the time of Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s goin’ on’ exerted an influence upon musicians at the time. This is illustrated by ‘Daddy’s comin’ home’, a lovely mid-tempo number that draws upon the Gaye classic, even though the laid back delivery of the vocals hint more at Leroy Hutson. The presence of Gaye is felt also on ‘Trouble’s a loser’ with the instrumentation similar to that of Marvin’s soundtrack album ‘Trouble man’ and came out the same year as McNeir’s album so he may possibly have heard it before recording. McNeir would go on to record for the Motown side label Prodigal in 1975 and he recorded a self-titled album for the main label a year later. However, he remained outside the mainstream and it was left to British soul fans to champion his cause as a leader with ‘Everybody’s in a hurry’ being a particular favourite among modern soul fans. Ronnie became part of a later re-incarnation of the Four Tops and as a producer worked with the likes of Smoky Robinson, David Ruffin and Teena Marie among others.  Tim Stenhouse

This is a new avenue for John Scofield on his latest project, a tribute to the gospel songs he has listened to for many years that takes in the compositions of the Reverend Jems Cleveleand, Thomas Dorsey and even country great Hank Williams. However, it is given a gritty blues feel and one with a distinctive New Orleans sensitivity, being recorded in the Crescent city with some of its finest studio musicans. While a vocal-led album, there is plenty of space for Scofield to solo and in parts this is reminiscent of Robert Cray while in others it reminds one of a Santana project. As such this will appeal to a wide audience beyond the confines of the guitarist’s faithful. Among the standout songs are a terrific version of ‘Motherless Child’ featuring the soulful vocals of Jon Cleary on which Scofield lets rip with a guitar solo, and which morphs into a catchy reggae beat two thirds in. A churchy ambience is felt on ‘It’s a big army and Scofield obviously displays an empathy with the genre. As he explains in the reasoning for the project: ‘Gospel music is the fraternal twin to R & B and I’ve long been a huge fan so I decided to record some of the pieces I like best’. The gentler side to his playing is displayed on the Hank Williams ballad, ‘The Angel of Death’ and he stretches out on ‘His eyes on the sparrow’. All in all a coherent and well executed album which seamlessly moves from blues, funk to post-bop and reggae, and that would benefit greatly from live gigs to convey that spicy New Orleans beat. Tim Stenhouse

This is a highly inventive duet between pianist Liam Noble and drummer Paul Clarvis and one that stands out from the solo, trio or quartet formats normally associated with the piano. The former musician is a well respected pianist on the UK jazz scene and has accompanied among others vocalists Christine Tobin and Anita Wardell. On this pared down, intimate recording, the pair of instrumentalists cover an eclectic range of repertoire from the great American songbook through ragtime and on to more contemporary singer-songwriter territory that takes in Don McLean, Paul Simon and even Gillian Welch. That the apparently disparate pieces come together into a cohesive whole is testimony to the undoubted talent of Clarivs and Noble. Standards are sometimes taken at a decidely quicket tempo than per usual as on ‘Shadow of your smile’ with the pair trading off one another lick and the stripped down instrumentation allows the underlying melody to shine through.
Pianist Noble has taken in most of the modern jazz influences from Bill Evans and Monk to Jarrett, but on the delicious take of Simon’s ‘So long, Frank Wright’ plays very much in the vein of Brad Mehldau. Matters are concluded by a minimalist take on Moondog’s ‘Paris’ with Clarvis excelling on sticks. A fine collaboration and one that indicates that good things do come in small offerings. Tim Stenhouse

Multi-instrumentalist Bob James has sometimes been unfairly stereotyped as a formulaic smooth jazz exponent, but this excellent value set bears testimony to a wide and varied career, and one in which James has been prepared to make regular stylistic and personnel changes. CD 1 focuses on the mid-1970s recordings on CTI and this established James as a gifted composer and arranger. Several cuts from the first three albums became heavily sampled among hip-hop and rap artists and ‘Nautilus’ and Westchester Lady’ rate among the very best and catchiest of 1970s fusion. In fact it was an instrumental version of Roberta Flack’s ‘Feel like makin’ love’ (with the original vocal featuring similar personnel) that became a hit for James and this unexpectedly resulted in his solo career taking off after numerous sideman duties. Of course most casual fans will know him best through ‘Angie’, the title track to the US series ‘Taxi Driver’.

While James is not a virtuoso soloist in the vein of Herbie Hancock or McCoy Tyner, it was the combination of his arrnaging and keyboard skills that singled him out as a unique talent and in this respect more akin to Clare Fischer or Quincy Jones. CD 2 takes the story on throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Possibly further cuts from the commercially successful ‘Sign of the Times’ could have been included. However, the compilation provides a useful overview of his career, very generously timed, and with extensive liner notes that feature original photos and album covers. As an intorduction to Bob James’ craft, it could hardly be bettered.  Tim Stenhouse

Legendary singer-songwriter, pianist and master producer Allen Toussaint has delivered one of the finest albums of his glittering career with this jazz-inspired project, devoted to the great jazz writers from Jelly Roll Morton and Duke Ellington through to Django Reinhardt and Thelonius Monk. In so doing he has enlisted the collaborative talents of Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Don Byron on clarinet and Marc Ribot on guitar and this works wonderfully well. Factor in on a song apiece the talents of fellow pianist Brad Mehldau and tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman and you have a magnificent array of the jazz world’s major exponents on offer. While this is not the first foray into jazz that Toussaint has made (the 2005 indie label ‘Going places’ preceding the present album), it is by far the most successful. Classic renditions of evergreen blues and jazz compositions abound and this is amply illustrated on the instrumental ‘Singin’ the blues’ which features appropriately blues licks from Toussaint andthe gorgeous tone of Payton. An album highlight is the take on ‘St. James Infirmary’ on which the acoustic guitar of Marc Ribot is outstanding and he obviously delights in trading licks with Toussaint. Indeed it is the degree of collaboration between musicians that makes the album so cohesive and on Ellington’s ‘Solitude’ guitar and piano duet alone, showcasing a side to Ribot’s playing seldon heard previously. Likewise the contemplative ballad ‘Day dream’ allows Toussaint to team up with Redman and so compelling is the end result that the two should seriously consider an entire album between the two of them to rival the Hank Jones and Joe Lovano collaborations. This will go down as one of the most effective recent interpretations of the New Orleans jazz style and the Crescent city continues to exert a major influence on countless artists from Elvis Costello (with whom Toussaint worked on the ‘River in reverse’ album in 2006), Jools Holland to Tom Waits, and of course just about every conceivable musical form.  Tim Stenhouse

Following on from ‘Half the prefect world’, released some two years ago, Madeleine Peyroux returns to form with a melancholic yet gently uplifting album and one that showcases her excellent songwriting talents. One again production chores are down to regular band member Larry Klein who first came on board with the second album. The opener ‘Instead’ is an obvious candidate for a single and the pared down instrumentation sets the scene for the album as whole which borders on old-time jazz, blues and folk among other influences. One again keyboardist Larry Golding excels, particularly on the blues-inflected hues of the title track, one of the album’s most immediate songs. Highlighting the variety of songs on offer is the mid-tempo ‘To love you all over again’, which could easily have been penned during the early 1970s folk-rock boom. Ballads are equally in evidence and ‘Love and treachery’ works most effectively with a lovely wurlitzer piano solo. The extraordinary musical career of Madeleine Peyroux, which has taken in busking on the streets of Paris, now seems on a more conventional trajectory and this latest offering will appeal to a wide audience beyond the confines of jazz and to all fans of quality Americana.  Tim Stenhouse

Legendary Ethiopian keyboardist Mulatu Astatke came to the attention of a wider audience via the musical soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s film ‘Broken flowers’. This new recording on the Strut dance label, part of a collaborative series, intriguingly pairs him with band the Heliocentrics and on the whole it is a collaboration that works surprisingly well, and one that respects the vast Ethiopian tradition. It is the Latin-influenced ‘Cha Cha’ that immediately impresses with a heavy rhythm section, distinctive Ethiopan-sounding horns, and relentless grooves.
Equally hypnotic and gaining in intenstity as the track progresses from a leisurely intro is ‘Dewel’ with a nice saxophone solo into the bargain.
Contrast that with the oriental flavour of ‘Phantom of the panther’ featuring a lovely keyboard solo from Astatke. Far from oriental in approach is ‘Chinese New Year’ which can be best descibed as an off-key jazz trip hop of a groove. Another highlight is the mid-tempo riff laden ‘Eskete dance’ with subtle use of horns. Not all the tracks have an Ethiopian influence and ‘Blue Nile’ is a drum heavy groove that will appeal to long-time fans of the Heliocentrics. This could prove to be one of those slow burner albums that ends up providing the soundtrack to early summer.  Tim Stenhouse

This 1958 session predates the epic ‘Kind of Blue’ by one year and features half of that classic line up. In many ways the recording is a precursor to the Coltrane ‘Ballads Album’ with the notable difference that ‘Standard Coltrane’ showcases four extended standards on a superior blowing date, and as such enables the listener to enjoy the sheer beauty of ‘Trane’s playing with sensitive accompaniment on piano arriving in the shape of Red Garland and trumpeter Wilbur Harden. In fact the album was originally issued four years after the recording date to cash in on Coltrane’s new found success. Taken at a slower tempo than per usual and meandering for over ten minutes, ‘Invitation’ is transformed into a leisurely blues with lovely bass soloing from Paul Chambers. Trumpeter Harden is featured at length on the Rodgers and Hart composition ‘Spring is here’, playing in unison with Coltrane. Perhaps the jewel in the crown is the ballad ‘Don’t take your love from me’ with a beautifully restrained solo from Garland. Clearly the pianist had a natural empathy with the tenor saxophonist. New sleeve notes from jazz writer Ashley Kahn shed new light on the historical importance of the session and the re-mastering by original engineer Rudy Van Gelder is clear. No extra tracks.  Tim Stenhouse

Two separate 1950s sessions are grouped together on this album including an earlier 1953 set that unites Miles Davis with the great Charlie Parker under a pseudonym and a 1956 date with Sonny Rollins and members of the line up that would record the seminal ‘Saxophone Colossus’ in the same year. The former is not in fact an original Rudy Van Gelder recording, but is fascinating for its pairing of a young Miles with an end of career Parker alongside tenorist Sonny Rollins and piainst Walter Bishop. On the now jazz standard ‘Round Midnight’, Davis states the theme with elan and is followed by solos from Rollins and Parker. The composition clearly made an impression on the young trumpeter for he would revisit it at various stages of his career subsequently. Evidently the telepathy between band members is more apparent on the second date with Flanagan and Rollins understanding each other wonderfully as on ‘No line’. In fact there is relatively little playing by Miles. While not essential Miles Davis, this provides compelling evidence of how his sound developed and and as such will make enjoyable listening for the jazz and Miles Davis aficionado alike.  Tim Stenhouse

The follow up to the excellent ‘Techari’ from 2006 and a subsequent triumphant tour, Ojos de Brujo return with ‘Oacana’ (gipsy term for ‘now’)that is every bit as good as its predecessor and once again demonstrates the diverse take on traditional Catalan rumba and flamenco influences. Over a series of albums Ojos de Brujo have created a distinctive sound and identity, and now on a major label the rootsy indie feel to their music remains undiminished. Dancefloor action is guaranteed on ‘Rumba del adios’ that successfully fuses Catalan rumba with old school salsa horns. An even more interesting collaboration is that of inviting members of legendary Cuban band Los Van Van, including ace pianist Roberto Carcasses, on the riff laden ‘Busca la bueno’ with piano vamps and percussion added in for good measure. For a slice of authentic flamenco given a modern twist ‘Correveidible’ is simply irresistible and features a piano solo that shows the Cuban guests elsewhere have made their mark on the evolving Ojos sound. The maturity in Ojos’ repertoire is illustrated in the subtle groove that is ‘Baraka’ where rumba and bolero meet (an example in Spanish of ‘iba y vuelta’ or ‘coming and going’ flamenco where influences from outside the Iberian peninsular are incorporated before returning in a revitalised form of the genre) while Indian classical flavours are in evidence on ‘Tantas flores’. Fetching cartoon graphics on the cover and a lavish gatefold sleeve with bilingual lyrics complete an extremely well rounded set. Catch them if you can at a very limited number of concerts ending in Liverpool at the beginning of May.  Tim Stenhouse

Long-time arranger for Kurt Elling and pianist Laurence Hobgood has released an album that highlights his own talents and in the intimate setting of bassist Charlie Haden and the occasional vocals of close collaborator Elling. Stylistically influenced by the romantic tradition of piano jazz playing perfected by Bill Evans, it is the apparent simplicity in style that immeidately impresses. However, in leaving space and playing the right notes lies the real skill and this is one of the album’s strengths. Of the three original compositions, ‘When the heart dances’ stands out and ‘Leatherwood’ reveals the refined side to Hobgood’s writing skills. Otherwise it is an immaculate selection of the American songbook with a reflective and even mournful take on ‘Que sera sera’. Meanwhile Haden supplies his own composition on ‘First song’ on which he takes a lovely bass solo and, as ever, Hobgood is very willing to share musical space. Elling excels on ‘Stairway to the stars’ which is an ideal ballad vehicle while Hobgood stretches out on an extended solo before Haden joins in on ‘New Orleans’. While not possessing a highly individual sound, Hobgood is a truly gifted arranger and accompanyist, and on this recording for hi-fi specialist label Naim has delivered a varied album in a minimalist setting and one which provides great pleasure with repeated listening.  Tim Stenhouse

In his early twenties Dexter Gordon was one of the most promising tenor saxophonists alongside Wardell Gray and Teddy Edwards on the West coast jazz scene. However, his much heralded first albums gave way to a serious drug addiction during the early to mid 1950s and by the time he had sorted himself out he was hitting the big 40. This is where the collaboration with Blue Note begins and it was a new mature sounding Gordon that emerged to execute a series of immaculate albums for the label. These vary in format from the classic quartet to quintet including trumpet and even quintet with vibes. Six key albums released at the time are previewed alongside two later issues and all cover the period 1961-1965. Most of the favourites are here such as ‘Love for Sale’ and ‘Cheesecake’ from the seminal ‘Go’, the Latinesque hues of ‘Soy Califa’ from ‘Swingin’ Affair’ and even the summery sound of ‘Le Coiffeur’ from ‘Gettin’ Around’. Gordon recorded two albums in Europe for Blue Note and from ‘Our Man in Paris’, ‘Night in Tunisia’ features Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke in an all-star cast. None of the sessions from the film ‘Round Midnight’ in which Gordon starred and earned a grammy nomination are featured, nor are the live sessions from the mid-1960s that Blue Note Denmark issued. A 1965 date with Freddie Hubbard, ‘Clubhouse’ is showcased. The timing overall is generous with even an eighteen minute plus track included in the digipak format. Bizarrely the inner sleeve features Roland Kirk who plays no part in proceedings. Recording dates are indicated, but no notes. This compliation serves as an excellent introduction to the craft of one of jazz’s greatest exponent of the tenor saxophone.  Tim Stenhouse

Way back in the 1970s it was the tradition for aspiring singers and groups in Jamaica to preview songs in front of a producer in the open air back yards of Kingston. Makasound hit upon the idea of reviving this practice, introducing a series of artists with minimalist instrumentation and showcasing some of roots reggae’s greatest practitioners. Volume two provides highlights of the aforementioned and includes Congo member Cedric Myton, Junior Murvin and Linval Thompson as well as groups of the calibre of the Mighty Diamonds and the Viceroys. Indeed it is some of the lesser known musicians that impress most with Kiddus I supplying a superb performance of his classic ‘Graduation in Zion’ with sparse instrumentation giving this cut a dubby feel that original producer Lee Perry would have appreciated. Of course the major names come up trumps with Chinna radically reworking Junior Byles’ ‘Fade away’ as a ballad and the Viceroys delivering an excellent ‘Yahoo’. Perhaps the most interesting finds are the new artists such as Matthew McAnuff (son of Winston?) with his delicious ‘Be careful’ and Barry Ford of long forgotten English roots group Merger and a lovely guitar/melodica take on ‘Rebel’. As ever the sound quality is excellent and the extra unreleased items make this one for the long, lazy summer days and evenings ahead.  Tim Stenhouse

World roots fusion music is a rapidly expanding sub-genre and keyboardist and programmer Garry Hughes and pianist Andrew Mackay have come up with a bold and fascinating East-West musical cross-pollination that successfully combines the orchestral side of Indian classical with the contemporary beats of electronica. Less jazzy than say Shakti, but using the layered strings as effectively as Alice Coltrane did in the early 1970s, this project is truly twenty-first century in its conception with Indian musicians in three cities, Mumbai, Chennai and London, adding their contributions and the sound as a whole being mixed in Wales. The modal bass line on ‘Strange constellations’ serves as the backbeat for the sensitive combination of keyboards and strings. On the repetitive jazz guitar riff of ‘Man at dusk’ inventive keyboards and Indian bansuri swing in unison. Perhaps, the musical experiments of Bill Laswell have proved inspirational for Hughes and Mackay and this is no more evident than on ‘Journey’ where dub and percusssion fuse with the haunting bansuri over a composition that has an epic cinematic quality to it. Indeed one wonders whether the pair would be usefully employed on a film score at some future recording. Vocals and strings come together effectively on ‘Junaan’. Only on a few tracks does the electronica side take over to the detriment of the traditional Indian one. Overall a supremely confident and well executed project that brings music from the Indian sub-continent into the new millenium while respecting its centuries old tradition.  Tim Stenhouse

Long-time Azymuth keyboard wizzard Bertrami embarked upon a solo career as long ago as 1983 with the superb ‘Blue Wave’ and has returned to leader duties with a more upfront and varied album/project than one might expect.
Brazilian grooves from the 1960s and 1970s are showcased here with a fender and acoustic bossa trip on ‘Joanna’ and especially on ‘No tempo da bossa’ where Bertrami clearly feels at home. The title track in contrast is pure jazz funk soundtrack with its use of horns while ‘Laranjeiras’ is a reprise of one of the keyboardists’ older compositions. What is surprising is Bertrami’s delight at playing old-style samba-jazz as on the acoustic tambourim-led ‘Choro’, or the cha cha cha feel of ‘Danca de salao’ which is given a modern updated twist. Of course the reflective side to Bertrami’s craft is not forgotten and he solos on electric piano on ‘Brillante’ and on acoustic piano and organ on ‘O Rescador’. Excellent recording quality throughout enhances the musical pleasure.  Tim Stenhouse