Soul Jazz レコード& CD

Review: Brown Sugar are pioneers of the British reggae scene, particularly within the lover's rock niche. The group's fine discography has been honed in on by the great folk at Soul Jazz who put together a superb compilation I'm In Love With A Dreadlocks back in 2018. It focused on the booth of the Lovers Rock scene in the late 70s and now the title track from it gets pressed up to its own tidy 7". The super deep and luscious original is backed with a fine instrumental to remind us just how pivotal this group really was.

Review: Count Ossie is one of the true forefathers of Jamaican music as we know it, setting a template for the spiritual, drum-focused sound of Nyabinghi as a musical extension of Rastafarian religious practice. From an outsider community in Wareika Hill, Ossie and his fellow players were slowly integrated into Jamaican music culture and went on to record singles for the likes of Coxsone Dodd, but it was with the formation of The Mystic Revelations Of Rastafari and the recording of Grounation in 1973 that Ossie cemented his legacy. Now Soul Jazz are reissuing this landmark album as a triple-12" pressing with a bonus 7" and accompanying magazine - all the better to understand the context and meaning of this incredible work.

Review: The latest collection from the mighty Soul Jazz draws together a myriad of different styles favoured by black British sound systems, not only reflecting the roots of different communities reaching these shores but also the UK twist that that music has received as result. Reggae forms the backbone of the collection, from the blissful consciousness of Pebbles' 'Positive Vibrations' to the more protest-orientated Brown Sugar's 'Black Pride' and Tabby Cat Kelly's 'Don't Call Us Immigrants'. But the presence of Shut Up & Dance, Ragga Twins, Ray Keith aka The Terrorist and Digital Mystikz helps show the uniquely British areas into which sound system culture evolved - rave, breakbeat, jungle and dubstep.

Review: Studio One are already undoubtedly the most eminent label and studio to have ever put the reggae of Kingston, Jamaica on the map. As if it wasn't obvious enough, this new 2xLP compiles the most legendary productions to ever ooze from the Studio's walls, thanks to the guidance of producer Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd. Rare music from Horace Andy, Jackie Mittoo and Sound Dimension all abound on this ground-shaking CD, which lies somewhere on the intersection between funk and dub.

Review: First released way back in 2005, Soul Jazz Records' tribute to the female artists and vocalists who recorded at the legendary Studio One studio in Kingston, Jamaica, returns on CD for a limited time. It's a compilation that's well worth picking up, for two equally valid reasons. Firstly, it features some of Jamaica's greatest female solo singers and vocal groups - the likes of Marcia Griffiths, the Soulettes, Angela Prince and Jennifer Lara. Secondly, the mix of styles on offer - not just rocksteady and roots reggae, but also dub, ska and disco-reggae - delivers an enjoyable lesson in the vibrancy of Jamaican music during the 60s and '70s. Throw in a chunky booklet packed with insightful liner notes, and you have a genuinely must-have compilation.