Review: Kaymany & Asestar hail from Rome, a city where many musicians spend most of their days producing sounds for the television industry and even shopping malls. That's part of the reason the country has such a reparation for great jazz-funk sounds and now adding to that cannon are Kaymany & Asestar. 'Effimera' is glossy and feel good disco with retro future chords, while 'Digressione' has a Bob James style energy to it with its high speed funky bass and incidental chords. 'Capao' closes in Latin fashion with manic keys and more plucked and funky bass slaps making you shake every limb.
Basil Kirchin & Jack Nathan - "Viva La Tamla Motown" (3:50)
Alan Parker & William Parish - "Main Chance" (3:05)
Review: KPM Music might just be one of the most expansive music libraries out there, boasting a whopping 30,000 exclusive music tracks for licensing. Some of their earliest pieces are being reissued by Measured Mile, the latest of which appears here in the form of a split 7" by four of the label's most treasured contributors. 'Viva La Tamla Motown' helms up the A-side with wonky, laboured drumming and an excitable rock n' rolly guitar and harmonica. 'Main Chance' brings up the B with a more loungeified flutey strutter.
Review: Spanish reissue label Rocafort present this wonderful slice of highlife from Konkolo Orchestra, this time on nice blue wax as well as a plain black version. It's not exactly clear where, or indeed when, exactly the band came from, but their sound is all you need to worry about. 'Blue G' is a lilting, shuffling message of love and support for future generations, and from the message to the effervescent musicality, it's a no-brainer. On the flip, 'That Good Thing' is an instrumental that spirals outwards on the sweetest keys, joyous brass and dreamy guitar, driven by a pattering drum section to radiate good vibes wherever it's played.
Seun Kuti & Sampa The Great - "Emi Aluta" (Zamrock remix) (3:31)
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 - "Emi Aluta" (feat Sampa The Great - 45 edit) (3:55)
Review: Afrobeat virtuoso Seun Kuti is soon to release his highly anticipated album, Heavier Yet (Lays The Crownless Head) later this year. It features guest appearances from Damian Marley and Sampa The Great so promises to be a global sensation. Ahead of that, we get a taste of things to come from his distinctive Afrobeat sound with this powerful new work on Milan's Record Kicks. First up here with get the bubbly rhythms of 'Emi Aluta' (Zamrock remix) then 'Emi Aluta' (feat Sampa The Great - 45 edit) comes complete with some hard bars.
Review: On the latest instalment in their essential Jazz is Dead series, musical polymaths Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad have joined forces with Katalyst, a Los Angeles-based collective of musicians whose work is inspired by their 1960s Californian predecessors Afrikan People's Arkestra and Union of God Musicians Ascension Association. What's an offer is undeniably impressive and, at genuinely life-affirming, with the assembled cast doing a superb job of joining the dots between spiritual jazz, soul-jazz, horizontal jazz-funk and deeper, more sun-kissed flavours. Highlights are plentiful and include, though are no way limited to, the breezy 'Juneteenth', the languid dancefloor shuffle and sustained electric piano motifs of 'The Avenues' and the morning-fresh wonder that is 'Daybreak'.
Review: The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble's eponymous album, led by saxophonist Sean Khan, is a captivating tribute to the late 60s and early 70s folk revival, reimagined within a jazz framework. With guest vocalists like Jacqui McShee, Rosie Frater-Taylor, and Kindelan, the album breathes new life into compositions by iconic artists such as Pentangle, Sandy Denny, John Martyn, and Nick Drake. Khan's mastery of the saxophone shines throughout the album, bridging the gap between jazz and folk with finesse. The recent singles, including 'Solid Air' featuring Rosie Frater-Taylor and a mesmerizing rendition of Nick Drake's 'Parasite' with Kindelan, offer a taste of the ensemble's innovative approach to these classic tunes. Driven by Khan's dedication to pushing musical boundaries, The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble promises to be a compelling addition to his repertoire, seamlessly blending the timeless allure of folk music with the improvisational spirit of jazz.
Review: Journey Through Life witnesses Afrobeat pioneer, pallbearer and powerhouse Femi Kuti's very latest transformation in sound, as we witness the artist turn vividly, self-reflectively inward. The LP proposes a rare self-produced window into Femi's personal evolution, spanning childhood memories to fatherhood and, of course, the unshakable presence of family. As he puts it: "At the end of the day for me family is all that matters. The essence is to manage such events and let love prevail." Long celebrated for his uncompromising political voice, Femi leans evermore into an already evident vulnerability, revisiting earlier material through several, pylonic stylistic anchors: his signature horn-laced grooves, not to mention themes of personal legacy and posterity.
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