Jazz charts

Review: Rhythm, blues and funk outfit The Blackbyrds were formed in Washington, D.C. in 1973, and as we have noted numerous times over at Juno, their music hardly saw the light of day around the time, save for a re-formation in 2012 after renewed interest brought their music back to light. The Washington fusion group were initially mentored by trumpeter Donald Byrd, but their sound came to differ from his sultry and slow tones, working in a more melancholic yet upbeat style, and flowery trumepeteering to boot. This 7" comes in stunning new vinyl quality, showing off a further two lost instrumentals, 'Rock Creek Park' and 'Gut Level'.

Review: Mr. K's series of edits continues. Any self-respecting music head is well familiar with the Most Excellent Unlimited series from Mr K aka Danny Krivit by now, and the latest entry into it is another doozy on 45rpm. The A-side features an edit of the title tune from a 1972 Ralph Bakshi animation originally played by a top crew of San Francisco area musicians. It is a steamy funk workout in a Latin jazz style with plenty of reverb and DJ friendly grooves. Flip it over and you'll find a gem from Philadelphia's Executive Suite which In Mr. K's hands is lit up with addictive strings and driving rhythms that never let up.

Review: Given that Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker's Cuba: Music and Revolution - Culture Clash in Havana is one of the standout compilations of 2021, hopes are naturally sky-high for this speedy sequel. Like its predecessor, volume 2 focuses on music and made and released on the Caribbean island between 1975 and '85, this time round largely focusing on rare fusions of salsa, Latin jazz, disco, soul and funk, mostly licensed from records that have never been available outside Cuba. It's another stunning selection all told, with highlights including the heady Cuban disco/salsa fusion of Orquesta Los Van Van, the fiery disco-funk of FA 5, the heavily percussive hedonism of Luis Carobonell and the fuzzy psychedelic rock of Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del ICAIC. In a word: essential.

Review: Enois Scroggins was an American funk and gospel singer from Tulsa, Oklakhoma who developed his own style that he called 'E-Funk'. He passed away in 2019 due to a heart attack, but his legacy certainly lives on, with French label Dd Lahouve Production reissuing some of his finest work here from back in 2012. The neon-lit boogie-down vibe of 'Under My Skin' (featuring Misty Lane) will get you moving with its proper west coast flavour - he was said to be based in Los Angeles for most of his career. On the flip, the low slung disco funk of 'Love Is You' (vocal) provides more reliable mood music.

Review: Earlier this year, French disco and jazz-funk combo Chatobaron joined forces with fellow Parisian Dimitri From Paris for the rather good 'I Like (The Music That You Play)'. While that was a wholehearted disco workout, this speedy sequel sees the band (and their high-profile collaborator) explore their West Coast jazz-funk influences via an inspired workout full to bursting with killer instrumental solos, dusty grooves, memorable motifs and a genuinely killer, cowbell-sporting percussion brerak. This time round, there are no Dimitri From Paris remixes; instead, dubbed-out disco favourites the Idjut Boys are on hand to smother the track in tape echo and dub delay. The result is a typically spaced-out, low-slung affair that naturally makes the most of the band's killer bassline and layered percussion sounds.

Review: This latest is a reissue of a Congress Productions EP featuring their seminal 'Neptune'. The much-sampled early 80s jazz-funk classic comes in original form next to two unreleased cuts. The first is a rare boogie cut 'Live It Up' that has been extended for more dancefloor heft having first been dropped under the D'aile' alias as a B-side. Then comes 'Kevin's Funk' which is named in reference to Incognito trumpet player Kevin Robinson, who played as part of a Congress-associated line-up for this session.