PAT THOMAS レコード& CD

Review: Mukatsuku presents the second volume of killer Ghanaian highlife/afrofunk monsters this time focusing on two artists legendary in the genre. First up first time on a 45 from 1980 is '' What Is Life '' from the Ebo Taylor & Uhuru Yenzu album ''Conflict Nkru! ''. Amazing brass,flute and afrocentric rhythms lay the path for the track once heard never forgotten. On the flip first time ever on a 45 Pat Thomas who features on volume 1 of the series comes correct with possibly the best version (and there are a few ) of ''Gyae Su'' . With its jangly african guitar licks and infectious chorus lines the feel good factor is set to maximum. Another dope afro burner on Mukatsuku and sure to sell out fast. 500 hand numbered copies and no repress. As supported by DJ Koco from Japan and Jonathon Moore (Coldcut )

Review: Comet's ongoing "Highlife Re-Edit" series is perfect for those who want a little contemporary pizzazz alongside their Afro-disco grooves and dancefloor-ready highlife classics. Like its predecessor, the series' latest volume boasts cuts from highlife legends Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas. The former's punchy, breezy and trumpet-laden highlife-jazz cut "Peace On Earth" can be found on side A, alongside a dreamy Monsieur Scott version that drags the track further towards leisurely jazz-house territory. The Pat Thomas track showcased on side B is "We Are Coming Home", a righteous highlife/funk fusion effort rich in dense percussion and eyes-closed rock guitar solos. The accompanying 2 Paris Septembre Re-Edit brilliantly re-invents it as a bustling broken beat affair laden in shimmering synths and squelchy electronic bass.

Review: Comet's "Disco Highlife" re-edit series continues with an EP that draws together original tracks and reworks from two of the Highlife scene's biggest stars: Ebo Taylor and Pat Thomas. The latter can be found on side A, with the tipsy, synth-driven highlife-boogie fusion of "Enye Woa". This is in turn re-edited by LeonxLeon, who has not only extended the original track but also added some superb new spacey synth solos. Turn to the flip for Ebo Taylor's richly percussive, Hammond-laden disco-highlife bubbler "Atwer Abroba" and Leo Nanjo's brilliant remix, which re-imagines the track as a rubbery chunk of Highlife-house drenched in dub delays.

Review: Recorded and initially released in 1976, Stage 2 was one of a trio of killer albums that highlife legend Pat Thomas recorded with the Marjarita backing band. Although amongst his most popular sets in his native Ghana, the album has never been released outside Africa - until now. This remastered edition, which comes pressed on clear vinyl, is therefore long overdue. It remains a superb set all told, with Thomas and his collaborators serving up a fuzzy, sometimes fiery fusion of Afro-Soul, highlife, Afro-funk, rocksteady, reggae and Afro-rock. Thomas is in terrific form throughout, delivering effortlessly soulful and impassioned vocals that turn an otherwise excellent album into a genuinely terrific one.

Review: Pianist Pat Thomas has been an integral part of the British jazz scene for the best part of 25 years. In that time, he's performed with and alongside countless scene stalwarts, rising stars and experimental fusionists. The Elephant Clock of Al Jazari is his first solo album since 2013's Al-Khwarizmi Variations, and takes a similarly improvised approach. Yet while Thomas's previous free-jazz piano improvisations have tended to result in relatively short pieces, the four tracks here are notably lengthier. This merely offers Thomas an opportunity to showcase the full depth of his impressive piano-playing skills, while delivering jaunty, all-action pieces that refuse to settle on one riff, motif or rhythmic sequence. The results are hugely entertaining and surprisingly evocative, despite the album's formidable free-jazz approach.