BBE レコード& CD

Review: Rio de Janeiro's Grupo Ebano is an all-female gospel vocal collective that dropped their self-titled debut album back in 1997. It only came on CD and in limited runs but is one that has grown and grown in terms of allure for collectors so now BBE have pressed it up to wax. It blends the best of boss nova and MPB across a suite of all-original songs written by band leader Gil Miranda. They are all hugely melodic and stylish with hints of 60s and 70s Brazilian classics that deliver positive, uplifting and soulful messages in the lyrics. It's a sure-fire winner with both tastemakers and dancers alike.

Review: Aderemi Kabaka's Roots Funkadelia is a magical bit of rather overlooked but classic Kabaka all the way from 1976. It was recorded at Island Studios London then mixed in L.A. during a golden period for the Motown studios. That quality shines through on the record, not least thanks to the appearance throughout of the 'mean machine' which was an alias of legendary Motown artists The Commodores' brass section. An original of this will cost you well over 500 quid so do not sleep on this quality reissue from BBE as it is a brilliant bit of Afro-funk for those who know.

Review: Almost entirely ignored at the time of its original release, Nigerian drumming maestro Remi Kabaka's legendary original LP Son Of Africa has gone down in legend as the defining solo statement of an incendiary drummer, whose contributions to music across the jazz and rock spectrums is credited and felt strongly to this day. A founding member of Afro-jazz band Osibisa, Kabaka is credited for his work with many a Rolling Stone and Beatle, but it's his solo work on this Afro-funk rare gem that really gets the least easy to please among us going. An Afrofuturist statement to the core, its jubilant vocal chants and defiant trumpet lines are but mere pepperings over the boxy, banging body that is Kabaka's live Afrobeat quads.

Review: BBE unearth another batch of rare and underexposed disco cuts on Off Track Vol 3. Compiled by the crate digging New York/Boston based duo Kon & Amir, the release gives an authentic representation of Brooklyn’s ghetto, funk and afro music scenes. Sophisticated tracks for real music heads

Review: Jump 'N' Funk started life as a small event in New York, organized by Rich Medina in order to pay tribute to the genius of Fela Kuti. Since then, parties have been held across the world, with Medina and guests showcasing music by, or inspired by, the Nigerian Afrobeat legend. This debut Jump N Funk compilation follows a similar formula, delivering both purist Afrobeat cuts (see Fela's punchy "Stalemate", and "Na Oil" by son Seun and his band, Egypt 80), and tracks in other styles that draw heavily on the style. Highlights in the latter category include the hazy Afro hip-hop of Aquil, a tasty Afro-house dub of River Ocean's cover of Timmy Thomas' classic "Why Can't We Live Together", and the lazy, sun-kissed glory of Kutiman's "Bango Fields".

Review: You might know Airto Moreira and Flora Purim as the King and Queen of Brazilian Jazz and for good reason. They have spent more than the last half decade putting out some of their homeland's finest and most richly rewarding jazz albums as well as playing exhilarating live shows all over the world. They have found favour with jazz lovers everywhere as a result, from Japan's concert halls to the UK's jazz-funk scenes. If You Will was their last album back in 2022 and it got a Grammy, and now A Celebration: 60 Years - Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories brings together some of their best work from over the last 60 odd years. Essential stuff.

Review: Airto Moreira and Flora Purim are known as the legendary King and Queen of Brazilian Jazz. For the last 60 years they have been serving up rich and vivid albums as well as playing exhilarating live shows all over the world. They have fans all over the world from Japan's concert halls to the UK's jazz funk and jazz dance scenes and their latest album in 2022, If You Will, was nominated for a Grammy, proving that they very much still have it. A Celebration: 60 Years - Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories is a collection of their many best bits from over the years.

Review: Having re-released Rim Kwaku's long lost Rim Arrives album, BBE follow it up with more dusty disco treasures from the Ghanaian hit maker's repertoire. From the blistering horns and thundering drum rolls of the near-nine-minute romp "Shine The Ladies" right the way through the looser, more Afrobeat-focussed "Peace Of Mind" by way of the emphatic Stevie Wonder-style showmanship of "I'm A Songwriter" it's a collection that still sparkles with soul 30 years after they were recorded. If you're unaware of Rim's story, you'd be wise to check it; from Quincy Jones endorsements to homelessness in the space of 24 hours, Rim's tales are as serious as his music is funky.

Review: Prepare yourself for a wry chuckle, as we impart the fact that the compilation you see hyperlinked before you was not at all prepackaged, with work cut out for its curators. Rather, it came from the source, having first manifested as a pile of Ghanaian highlife LPs buried at the bottom of DJ Jerry Frempong's wife's garden. Frempong is the son of one of one of the most prominent former Ghanaian-British label owners, Anthony Roberts Frempong of Asona Records, whose founding movements in the South East London district of Peckham proved highly popular helping disseminate highlife music in the English capital. BBE Music owner Pete Adarkwah caught wind of the serendipitous discovery and approached Jerry to discuss the reissue of this historic catalogue, which you hear here. The sweetest of early and untrodden highlife highlights are heard here, including sparklers by Kantata, Jewel Ackah, Sam Yeboah, Mr Cee and even Thomas Frempong himself.

Review: The Jazz Room is a hotly curated selectors' V/A compiled by jazz expert and BBE label owner Paul Murphy. Following the success of the original comp first released in 2019, this one comes up after a full four years' worth of curating and mulling, and aims to represent the full range of both classic and contemporary jazz sounds, from New Orleans to Latin jazz, in quick succession. Consisting of contemporary jazz versions of the likes of Fela Kuti, Raul Monsalve and, for some reason, The Human League, said contributions by the likes of Cruisic and Clare Fischer aim to trace the - yes, the - comprehensive throughline of jazz from past to present, all while refusing to abstain from BBE's trademark eclecticism. Highlights include 'Rebel No. 23' and Fast 3's Hammond-organ-injected 'Don't You Want Me'. Most importantly, no track goes without a driving, bright-bursting mood of energy.

Review:  Waaju & Majid Bekkas's Alouane exemplifies the power of collaboration during challenging times. As bringing overseas artists to the UK grows increasingly difficult, this record bridges cultural and generational gaps while capturing the vibrant energy of live collaboration post-Covid-19. Conceived by Waaju bandleader Ben Brown, the album features his expansive arrangements of traditional Gnawa songs and blends Bekkas' musical prowess with Waaju's signature grooves and trippy delays. Bekkas, a key figure in Moroccan Gnawa music, had never collaborated with a UK band until this project. Alouane, meaning "colours" in Arabic, reflects the seven integral colours of Gnawa music, each invoking different spirits.