Back catalogue: Jazz

Review: An exciting, previously unreleased live recording of the iconic US jazz bassist Charles Mingus captured in Buenos Aires in June 1977. The performance features a stellar lineup with Ricky Ford on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, Robert Neloms on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums, and now comes transferred from the original tape reels, recorded by engineer Carlos Melero, having been meticulously mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. This limited-edition triple album set is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Le Vinylist, and comes with an elaborate booklet featuring newly commissioned liner notes and interviews with artists influenced by Mingus. Released in with the authorisation of the Charles Mingus Estate, this is an exclusive offering for Record Store Day 2025.

Review: The iconic bounty hunter returns with a soundtrack as unforgettable as the character himself. This edition combines the original eight-cue program, originally released by RCA Records alongside music from the series' first film, with the complete film score in mono, all meticulously remastered by Claudio Fuiano and Daniel Winkler. The vibrant packaging includes front cover art by Renato Casaro and a portrait of Morricone by Fuiano. The vinyl version is pressed on transparent white and orange wax, housed in a striking gatefold sleeve. Often overshadowed by its predecessor and successor, this film features a compelling narrative combined with Morricone's masterful composition. The score has pre-written themes, including a haunting motif tied to a musical pocket watch, seamlessly woven into the storyline. Popular in its era, the music inspired covers by Hugo Montenegro and Billy Strange, further cementing its place in cinematic history.

Review: Renowned DJ and selector MURO is a Jedi-level compiler and this new collection of his delves into Victor's extensive archives to spotlight a world of Japanese jazz, fusion and AOR. It take sin plenty of internationally known names like Yasuko Agawa on the sunset sounds of 'L.A. Night', Sadistics who offers the more psyched out guitar leans of 'On the Seashore', Yuji Ohno's neo-Balaeric bliss-out 'The Dawn of Seychells' and Hiroshi Fukumura's soul soothing Ry Ayres-style melodies on 'White Clouds.' These are luxurious sounds and timeless tracks with MURO's signature funky perspective making this a brillaint choice for brighter, warmer days.

Review: Fourth Wave's latest compilation feels like a musical postcard from Japan's vibrant underground, gliding through genres with effortless charm. Mari Nakamoto's 'Day Dreaming' sets a tranquil mood with her airy vocals drifting over soft, dreamy instrumentals. Yudai Suzuki's 'Midnight Calling' brings smoky sax riffs and laid-back grooves, perfect for late-night introspection. Yasuhiro Abe's 'Night Fish' dives into psychedelic waters, swirling with hypnotic melodies and unpredictable rhythms. Maki Asakawa's 'Kohi Hitotsu' radiates raw emotion, her voice rich with longing. Yuji Ozeki's 'Futaribun No Yume' blends traditional Japanese sounds with modern electronics, crafting a sound both timeless and futuristic. Jin Kirigaya's 'Matenro Monogatari' closes the collection with cinematic depth, its sweeping arrangement lingering long after the final note.

Review: Recorded at the storied Slugs' Saloon in Manhattan's Lower East Side, this unified collection captures the Charles Tolliver-led Music Inc quartet in blistering form. New York runs through the musiciits restlessness, density, sharp corners. Tolliver, a Brooklyn-born trumpeter with a militant edge and lyrical touch, fronts a group that helped define the forward-looking jazz of the early 70s. Beside him are Strata-East co-founder Stanley Cowell on piano, bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Jimmy Hopps, all embedded in the New York avant-garde at the time. On pieces like 'Felicite' and 'Wilpan's', they stretch out with blistering force, melting structure into raw, insistent groove. Even in quieter momentsi'Ruthie's Heart', or the shadowy 'Repetition'ithere's a tension that never quite releases, the sense that every note is carved in real time. This is the first time both volumes are presented as one continuous document, expanded with three previously unreleased tracks. It's a vital capture of a quartet thinking collectively, improvising with unrelenting intensity and total mutual trust. The sound, newly remastered, gives space to the grit and nuance of the live sessioniCowell's cascading runs, McBee's deep pull, Hopps' unpredictable propulsion. There's no studio polish here, just a direct line to the spirit of a time and place, when New York jazz burned fast, political and free.