Review: Following on from their release of Graham Collier's outstanding performance from Stockholm Jazz Days in 1969, thoughtfully curated label My Only Desire turn their attention to Brit Jazz with a new series of 7" records shining a light on less-heralded talents. Kevin Figes is a saxophonist, flutist and composer who has previously played with the likes of Keith Tippett and released an album on Pig Records in 2021. Here, he's playing with a full band line-up including Riaan Vosloo on bass, Tony Orrell on drums, Jim Blomfield on piano, Raphael Clarkson on trombone and Peter Judge on trumpet. The two pieces - one composed by Elton Dean and the other by the aforementioned Tippett - are a fine tribute to the legacy of British jazz.
Review: The Yoruba Singers reinterpreted Guyana folk music and infused it with Afro-roots and culture on this double A-side 7". Now for the first time every it gets reissued on vinyl. This release came a year after the group's debut album Ojinga's Own and were recorded in Barbados and released on the Green Shrimp label. They were big regional has with dancers lapping the grooves throughout the Caribbean and South America. The sounds are said to be the building blocks for what went on to become known as the Champeta Criolla sound in the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
Review: Correcciones Calypso returns from a generous hiatus with the fourth edition of its acclaimed edit series, replete with four re-edits that veer from the subtle to the downright brazen. Thomass Jackson and INigo Vontier invite the French duo Youkounkoun to open proceedings with an insane early 80s edit full of big drums and exotic touches that's been blowing dancefloors all around the world for the past years - and definitely resides in the brazen category, despite a lot of work having gone into it. Olta Karawame make their debut on the series with a powerful, compact edit full of ballsy keyboard riffing and a military-sized kick drum that is guaranteed to have heads banging . To complete the release label bosses Thomass and INigo deliver edits of their own with their characteristic sound, giving this EP maximum a value for money factor and entertainment from start to finish.
Review: The always busy Record Store Day 2024 release schedule has turned up another pearler here as Ann Young and Yuki Ohno Trio's 'Speak Low' gets a special reissue on 7" courtesy of Nippon Colombia. 'Speak Low' is a cut that showcases Young's expressive vocal style in all its glory as it implodes and explodes over 100-mile-an-hour double bass and light, airy triages, hi-hats and feathery drums. On the flip is another standout vocal jazz cut 'On Green Dolphin Street' that makes this an essential cop.
Review: Brownswood Recordings return to focus on Yussef Dayes and co. for their latest release. Live At Joshua Tree is Dayes' latest live album, capturing the jazz musician and drummer's stellar live performance while posted up slap-bang in the middle of Joshua Tree National Park in California, USA. With the music canopied by this natural desert amphitheater, the sound of the album is fittingly warm and dry, catching the tones of every instrumentalist to a muted, temperate T: there's bass from Rocco Palladino, sax by Malik Venna, keys by Elijah Fox and percs by Alexander Bourt. Make sure to catch the live video version of the album on YouTube.
Review: Made up of Jun Miyake and Ichiko Aoba's live sessions held in Tokyo in November 2016 and the following February 2017, Pneuma consists of valuable recordings that had only been released in high-resolution format for distribution; the record is now finally released in vinyl format here on P-Vine. The first performance in January featured Tatsuhisa Yamamotoon on drums and the second in February made up a quartet formation with the addition of bassist Hitoshi Watanabe. The two ultra-talented musicians provide us a glimpse into how the music of Jun Miyake and Ichiko Aoba is made and this record breathes into their practice a new life.
Review: The celebration of this series continues with a reissue of the second installment of the legendary Christmas salsa album. Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe returned here to bring the unique sounds that made Volume I a Latin music classic. For this one, Colon and Lavoe were joined by renowned cuatro player Yomo Toro and legendary percussionists Milton Cardona and Jose Mangual Jr. Together, they crafted salsa versions of beloved Puerto Rican Christmas songs while mixing traditional musica jibara with Cuban guaguanco, son montuno and African-American jazz. It delivers on all fronts with vibrant, festive blends that bring real Puerto Rican authenticity to salsa fans worldwide.
Review: Those interested in Japanese cartoons should know Space Adventure Cobra. First broadcast in 1982, it is now considered one of the country's finest animated TV series. This triple-vinyl box set celebrates Kentano Haneda and Yuji Ono's music from the series, combining compositions featured on the show with unheard extended versions and tracks that never made the cut first time round. Musically, it's a mix of Japanese disco, sax-sporting lounge jazz, jazz-funk, neo-classical movements and eccentric interludes, all doused in layers of cosmic dust and stargazing colour. The release also comes packaged with a 12-page booklet telling the story of the series and the making of the appealing, endlessly entertaining soundtrack.
Jiro Inagaki & Soul Media - "That's How I Feel" (3:38)
Soul Media - "Memory Lane" (4:23)
Jiro Inagaki & The All-Stars - "Barock" (3:06)
Jiro Inagaki & Aki & Big Soul Media - "Guru" (6:23)
Soul Media - "Painted Paradise" (6:44)
Jiro Inagaki & His Friends - "Express" (No SE version) (3:34)
Review: Japanese jazzmasuta Jiro Inagaki is graced by a stunning new tribute album via 180g, Legends, which celebrates his 90th birthday in 16-track compilation form. Made up entirely of works made between 1968 and 1980, and selected by DJ and producer Yusuke Ogawa, this is an album made almost entirely of Jiro's best-known instrumentals, not least a formerly unreleased version of the standout 'Express'. The recordings are impeccable, and this is a standard which does not waver over the entire 12-year period this LP spans.
Review: Israeli funk quartet Sababa 5 and Japanese singer-cum-bellydancer Yurika Hanashima join forces again on 'Kokoro', a combination of two song suites: four brand new concoctions and four beloved older tracks. Sababa 5's unique combination of Middle Eastern funk and Mediterranean rhythm makes a surprisingly sensational combination with Japanese Jazz-fusion sensibilities. Opening track 'Empty Hands' is a string-led proposition by Yurika: When your hands are empty, you hold everything you need. The guitars are expressive without overpowering Yurika's gentle vocals - it's the perfect track for a sunny drive home. The real selling point here is the clutch of tracks from Sababa and Yurika's storied past, namely 'Tokyo Midnights, a jangly, groove-filled song describing a smoke-filled, drink-fueled night through the capital. This version is pressed on classic black vinyl, but has been in high demand on the artist's own store - so act fast.
Review: Girl Talk completed a celebrated trilogy of albums by Tsuyoshi Yamamoto as it followed on from Midnight Sugar and Misty and solidified his standing as one of Japan's premier jazz pianists. While Yamamoto continued to record and perform with producer Takeshi "Tee" Fujii for over a decade, Girl Talk marked a high point in his career. Together, these three albums set a standard in Japanese jazz and recording quality. Yoshihiko Kannari's engineering at Tokyo's AOI Studios is renowned for its clarity and energy, qualities that earned Girl Talk the prestigious Swing Journal Critic Poll "Jazz Disc" Engineering award in 1976.
Review: In 2002, the Japanese government recognized bamboo flute maestro Hozan Yamamoto as a "living national treasure". It was in honor of his lengthy career in music, and in particular the way he championed a traditional Japanese instrument even when he was turning his hand to Western music. "Beautiful Bamboo Flute", an album first released in 1971 and almost impossible to find since, is a superb example of this. It sees him deliver haunting, emotional and life-affirming solos over funky jazz, big band and fusion backing tracks that tend towards the fresh and funky. It's an unusual blend, but also an invigorating and exciting one.
Review: An overlooked spiritual classic in two parts, Yamash'ta & The Horizon were a one-off project consisting of a hat-trick of musicians seeking to perfect their craft. In 1971, Hideakira Sakurai, Masahiko Satoh, Stomu Yamash'ta and Takehisa Kosugi gathered in Japan to perform an invite-only concert to a handful of friends. Deep and distinctive electric shamishen becomes a sonic centrepiece over the course; handled by Sakurai, the sound is haunting, like a lone voice amidst a sea of percussive nymphs. Sloshing koto, percussion and eruptions of awe from the crowd all dominate the moments of downtime; a timeless snapshot of Fluxus Japan.
Oki Itaru Trio/Ono Yuji Trio / Kasai Kimiko - "Theme Of The Unknown People" (12:03)
Review: This remarkable live jazz workshop brings together the talents of Yosuke Yamashita, Itaru Oki, Yuji Ohno and Kimiko Kasai for an unforgettable listen. Recorded in 1970 as part of Victor's "Japanese Jazz" series, this album showcases three powerful trios-Yamashita, Oki, and Ohno-with vocalist Kasai and each artist contributes their own unique style. Yamashita led the scene with his vibrant playing, Oki brought fresh perspectives from Osaka, Ohno's versatility spanned modern to new jazz and Kasai's vocal prowess was just beginning to bloom at this time. Together, the seven artists create a dynamic two-disc trip that is full of the famous originality and intensity of Japanese jazz.
Theme Of Lupin III, II (Blues Harp version) (2:03)
Happening 1 (3:28)
Theme Of Lupin III, II (Ending version) (1:13)
Afro Lupin '68 (instrumental version) (1:06)
Lightning Time & Lighting Time After (3:04)
Guitar Suspense (2:18)
Yeah! Lupin & Action Lupin (1:30)
Lyrical Disturbance (2:57)
Lupin Walkin' (TV original) (2:30)
Happening 2 (2:56)
Theme Of Lupin III, II (Ending instrumental version) (1:23)
Review: With roots that date back to 1967, when Weekly Manga Action magazine decided to take a punt on a new character, master thief Lupin III, grandson of gentleman robber Arsene Lupin, and his criminal gang, Takeo Yamashita and Otomo Yoshihide's collaborative soundtrack has cult status written all over it. While not made to accompany the core Lupin III series, the music here featured on the critically acclaimed Lupin Zero, a saga that takes us back to the early years of the protagonist - a young boy opening the door on a life of crime in mid-1960s Japan. On record, that sounds like a flamboyant and intoxicatingly heady brew of jazz, psychedelic rock, electronic experimentation and pure groove. As vivid as both the original printed cartoons and the subsequent screen adaptations that continued the legacy.
Review: Unlike previous instalments in the 180g label's Wamono series, this isn't a compilation in the strictest sense of the term, but rather a retrospective. It showcases a range of killer jazz-funk and rare groove tunes recorded at Nippon Columbia studios in the mid 1970s by arranger Kiyoshi Yamaya, koto legend Toshiko Yonekawa and shakahuchi master Kifu Mitsuhashi. Highlights come thick and fast throughout, from the mellow, slow-burn lusciousness of 'Nanbu Ushioi-Uta' and the up-beat, guitar solo-laden brilliance of 'Hohai-Bushi', to the all-time Japanese jazz-funk classic that is 'Saitaro-Bushi' and the solo-laden brilliance of 'Asadoya Yunti', whose dazzling Fender Rhodes solos are reminiscent of the early '70s work of the late, great Billy Preston.
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