Soul Jazz レコード& CD

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: 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: Legendary U.S jazz drummer and Black Panther Steve Reid and his band, The Legendary Master Brotherhood, are best known for their cult classic debut Nova from back in the late 70s. He also played in Sun Ra's Arkestra, was a Motown session drummer and backed James Brown at the Apollo. His other album Odyssey Of The Oblong Square is no slouch either though. It is a deep spiritual jazz classic from the master drummer and Vietnam conscientious objector. This special one-off reissue comes on lovely gold vinyl meaning those long and often fruitless searches for a hard to find original are no more.