Sun Ra Arkestra saxophonist Knoel Scott reaches for the sky to release debut studio album "Celestial" with long-time collaborator Marshall Allen.
Recorded in mono direct to tape and cut on a Scully lathe at the all- analogue Artone Studios in the Netherlands, "Celestial" marks Scott’s first major studio release after more than 40 years at the vanguard of modern jazz.
Tracklist
1.1Les Funambules
1.2Celestial
1.3Conversation With The Cosmos
1.4Makanda
1.5Blu Blues More
Recorded in mono direct to tape and cut on a Scully lathe at the all- analogue Artone Studios in the Netherlands, "Celestial" marks Scott’s first major studio release after more than 40 years at the vanguard of modern jazz.
Tracklist
1.1Les Funambules
1.2Celestial
1.3Conversation With The Cosmos
1.4Makanda
1.5Blu Blues More
More records from Night Dreamer
With over 60,000 recordings to his name, Scientist (born Hopeton Overton Brown) is one of the most influential figures in dub. From Studio One to King Tubby’s, Channel One to Tuff Gong, he worked at Kingston’s premier studios, pioneering recording techniques and elevating the dub mix into an art form in his own right.
Tracklist
1.1Jail House
1.2Tribute To King George
1.3Missing You
1.4Be Thankful
1.5Cosmic Dust
1.6Higher Meditation
Listen: https://soundcloud.com/night-dreamer-776234267/sets/direct-to-dub/s-YqQWIEd1ggl?si=26b2f5c704cc4493b859c2e675dc1e5c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing More
Tracklist
1.1Jail House
1.2Tribute To King George
1.3Missing You
1.4Be Thankful
1.5Cosmic Dust
1.6Higher Meditation
Listen: https://soundcloud.com/night-dreamer-776234267/sets/direct-to-dub/s-YqQWIEd1ggl?si=26b2f5c704cc4493b859c2e675dc1e5c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing More
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Joe McPhee / Mette Rasmussen / Dennis Ty - Death or Dinner?
2
Joe McPhee / Mette Rasmussen / Dennis Ty - Sun Gore
3
Joe McPhee / Mette Rasmussen / Dennis Ty - Destilled Edible
4
Joe McPhee / Mette Rasmussen / Dennis Ty - Light My Fire
Black Truffle is pleased to welcome free jazz legend Joe McPhee back to the fold with Oblique Strategies, a wild trio recorded in Antwerp in 2018 in the company of Mette Rasmussen’s fire-breathing alto saxophone and Dennis Tyfus’s post-Fluxus antics on tape, voice, and percussion. Rasmussen and Tyfus have previously recorded together as Bazuinschal, and some similar strategies are on display here: mysterious metallic scrapes, extended tones in which voice and sax become indistinguishable, comic explosions of varispeed tape. With McPhee on board, however, proceedings are more sumptuous, with the two horns moving fluidly from expeditions into the extremes of their instruments’ registers to pointillistic note-splatter and Ayler-esque folk melodies; we even get to bask in some of the slow-motion free blues that McPhee has now been playing for half a century. McPhee is heard primarily on tenor, Rasmussen mainly on alto, but with Rasmussen doubling on sundry objects, and the whole trio contributing vocals, certainty about who is doing what becomes nigh impossible. The recording and production add to this hazy unclarity. Where much contemporary improvised music aims at dryly clinical hi-fi, the lively reverberant space of Oblique Strategies calls to mind the less-than-pristine sonics of classic free jazz artefacts like John Tchicai’s Afrodisiaca or McPhee’s own Underground Railroad. A further dimension of oblique unpredictability is added by subtle changes in the sense of space: at times merely a reverb tail glimpsed between phrases, at other points the whole mix seems to be momentarily swallowed up in slap-back, blurring the lines between acoustic instruments and the decayed fidelity of Tyfus’ tape playback. Spread across four pieces ranging from four to nineteen minutes in length, Oblique Strategies moves with anarchic swagger from explosions of clattering cymbals and bellowing horns to near-silent episodes of mysterious rumble and clunk. ‘Death or Dinner?’ opens the record with a lovely duet of climbing melodic patterns shared between the two saxophones, played with a buzzing oboe-like tone. A long, wavering note sung by Tyfus cues the first of countless changes of direction, eventually leading to a crescendo of watery splutters and duelling saxes. At points Tyfus’ keening resemble the signature moves of his friend and collaborator, Ghédelia Tazartès; at others, his tape-sped huffs and puffs possess a rawness reminiscent of Henri Chopin or Gil Wolman. The dialogue between wailing saxophones and vocal cries, punctuated by percussive thuds and crashes, can at times feel less like a musical performance and more like the calls of some mysterious forest creatures, possessing a primordial energy that might remind some listeners of the outdoor antics of Brötzmann and Bennink’s Schwarzwaldfahrt.
Oblique Strategies can also be delicate at times, as on the beautiful third piece, ‘Destilled Edible’, dominated by a slow, microtonal melody played with a breathy tone resembling a shakuhachi. The closing side-long ‘Light My Fire’ ranges across classic improv call and response, skittering trumpet blurts, inept cymbal clatter, mock-operatic vocals, and crude tape manoeuvres. Momentarily pausing at the ten-minute mark for an interlude of ghostly room sound and crackling texture, its closing moments unfurl a glorious dual saxophone finale, the almost epic tone subtly undermined by Tyfus quietly tapping out swing rhythms. Arriving in a striking sleeve adorned with Tyfus’ drawings, Oblique Strategies is an invigoratingly free-spirited blast of improvisation. More
Oblique Strategies can also be delicate at times, as on the beautiful third piece, ‘Destilled Edible’, dominated by a slow, microtonal melody played with a breathy tone resembling a shakuhachi. The closing side-long ‘Light My Fire’ ranges across classic improv call and response, skittering trumpet blurts, inept cymbal clatter, mock-operatic vocals, and crude tape manoeuvres. Momentarily pausing at the ten-minute mark for an interlude of ghostly room sound and crackling texture, its closing moments unfurl a glorious dual saxophone finale, the almost epic tone subtly undermined by Tyfus quietly tapping out swing rhythms. Arriving in a striking sleeve adorned with Tyfus’ drawings, Oblique Strategies is an invigoratingly free-spirited blast of improvisation. More
1
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Emergency (9:35)
2
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Beyond Games (8:20)
3
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Where (12:09)
4
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Vashkar (4:58)
5
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Via The Spectrum Road (7:50)
6
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Spectrum (9:52)
7
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Sangria For Three (13:08)
8
The Tony Williams Lifetime
- Something Spiritual (5:38)
Territories: Worldwide no restrictions
Format Notes: 2023 first time vinyl reissue, 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork
Track List:
A1 Emergency 9:35
A2 Beyond Games 8:20
--
B1 Where 12:09
B2 Vashkar 4:58
--
C1 Via The Spectrum Road 7:50
C2 Spectrum 9:52
--
D1 Sangria For Three 13:08
D2 Something Spiritual 5:38
Release Notes:
Miles Davis: "I could definitely hear right away that this was going to be one of the baddest motherfuckers who had ever played a set of drums.”
The Tony Williams Lifetime's Emergency! is a furious, stunning, seminal album. In 1969, it's explosive sound divided critics in both jazz and rock but is now rightly regarded as groundbreaking. A musical statement so bold and irreverent that it was revolutionary, it's one of the most important records you will ever hear. With Emergency!, provocative percussionist Tony Williams unified the most vital sounds of the era and galvanised the creation of jazz fusion. A sprawling double LP that shattered the boundaries between jazz and rock, it forged fresh frontiers by unleashing dense, courageous and fantastically mysterious music.
The group was founded by Tony Williams, a member of Miles Davis’ radical 1960s quintet, out of his desire to fuse the influences of modern jazz and rock music. To effectively meld the scorching bop of Coltrane with the raging rock of Hendrix, in the process crafting, as Mojo put it, "jazz-rock's equivalent of Are You Experienced?". The album's urgent title was profoundly significant for Williams: “It was an emergency for me to leave Miles and put that band together (...) and I wanted to play an emerging music that was my own." The band he formed was one hell of a power trio, comprising nothing but raw virtuosity: Williams's colossal drumming, John McLaughlin's pioneering, aggressive guitar playing and Larry Young's freeform organ work.
The album's sound is incredibly fierce and inordinately intense. Indeed, the group were famed for playing “louder than rock’n’roll”, as Herbie Hancock said of going to hear them live in 1969: "This is something new...It was exciting and very arresting. It snatched you. It yanked you out of your seat.” Ian Carr, of Nucleus, was equally impressed: "The only other comparable band that existed ...They were incredibly loud, but we liked what they were doing. Fundamentally they had a different approach from ours, with some very highly arranged things that featured Larry Young's organ blending with the guitar, as well as intricate passages where Tony doubled the melody on the drums."
Like all the very best records, Emergency! takes multiple listens for your brain and body to decipher everything going on, to truly process and appreciate the details that our senses are throwing at us. It's a mesmerising, rough sound yet the intuitive interplay of all 3 musicians is super-tight. The tunes are strung out and jamming but retain a tight rhythmic focus.
The incendiary title track immediately presents jazz-rock’s chaotic birth. After Williams's ominous snare-roll signals the brewing storm, the snarling band blasts its way through the gate in truly breathtaking fashion, fuzzed-up wahed-out guitar riffs vying for prominence with gnarled, insistent organ. Thrillingly, Williams manages to both acrobatically crash over every element of his drum kit while keeping the whole groove undeniably funky. "Beyond Games" is a gloriously volatile freeform, featuring Williams' bugged out vocals, whilst the 12-minute "Where" is another deep, wild jam. It's disorientating and humid with weird rhythms, abrupt vibe shifts and semi-classical lines running between guitar and organ. It's like nothing else you've ever heard, absolutely vital.
With the buoyant “Vashkar”, we begin to experience jazz-rock's many angles; imaginative melodics, taut dynamics and as torrent of searing heat. Perhaps the most economical track on Emergency!, it's the most instant. In a recent retrospective review in Pitchfork, Emergency! received a monumental 9.0 ranking. The writer Hank Shteamer correctly gushed: "Driven by a tumbling Williams pulse, the trio dances through the complex stop-start theme, ending each iteration with a dramatic full-band rest. Then, in the middle of McLaughlin’s scrambling solo, Williams starts playing an embryonic version of an extreme-metal blastbeat, alternating snare and bass in rapid succession while rising precipitously in volume, as Young joins in with shuddering note clusters. During Young’s solo, the organist seems to incite Williams to repeat the move with his increasingly frenzied lines, and soon all three musicians are hurtling toward a supernova climax." WOW!
The laconic "Via the Spectrum Road", a brilliant pop-psych tune, was sampled by Showbiz & AG on their classic debut LP. It oscillates between a tranquil funk groove and strutting improv interludes. The pyrotechnic jam "Spectrum" wakes things up again with pure, molten jazz lava and crazy soloing from all involved. A breathtaking, kaleidoscopic 13-minute cycle through ferocious noise, "Sangria For Three" is a sublimely frenetic detonation of distilled (acid) jazz rock. To quote Shteamer again, "Don’t let the track’s breezy title fool you: As much as, say, “Sister Ray” the year before or “Fun House” the year after, this is punk before punk." Closer "Something Spiritual" finishes this jaw-dropping set with a driving, unrelenting heavy guitar and organ freakout, backed high in the mix by Williams's untamed funk before unsettled dissonance rides us out.
Listeners will be struck by the timelessness of Emergency!; dank, trance-inducing voodoo jazz that's intellectually challenging at the same time as viscerally thrilling. The blurred cover photo, whereby the convulsing vibrations of this sonic apocalypse ensure it looks exactly as the record sounds - out of focus - has been delicately restored at Be With HQ. Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios, the magnificent grit and spontaneity remains dizzyingly intact. If you're a jazz fusion fan and don't already have this, consider ownership of this record as an Emergency!
More
Format Notes: 2023 first time vinyl reissue, 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork
Track List:
A1 Emergency 9:35
A2 Beyond Games 8:20
--
B1 Where 12:09
B2 Vashkar 4:58
--
C1 Via The Spectrum Road 7:50
C2 Spectrum 9:52
--
D1 Sangria For Three 13:08
D2 Something Spiritual 5:38
Release Notes:
Miles Davis: "I could definitely hear right away that this was going to be one of the baddest motherfuckers who had ever played a set of drums.”
The Tony Williams Lifetime's Emergency! is a furious, stunning, seminal album. In 1969, it's explosive sound divided critics in both jazz and rock but is now rightly regarded as groundbreaking. A musical statement so bold and irreverent that it was revolutionary, it's one of the most important records you will ever hear. With Emergency!, provocative percussionist Tony Williams unified the most vital sounds of the era and galvanised the creation of jazz fusion. A sprawling double LP that shattered the boundaries between jazz and rock, it forged fresh frontiers by unleashing dense, courageous and fantastically mysterious music.
The group was founded by Tony Williams, a member of Miles Davis’ radical 1960s quintet, out of his desire to fuse the influences of modern jazz and rock music. To effectively meld the scorching bop of Coltrane with the raging rock of Hendrix, in the process crafting, as Mojo put it, "jazz-rock's equivalent of Are You Experienced?". The album's urgent title was profoundly significant for Williams: “It was an emergency for me to leave Miles and put that band together (...) and I wanted to play an emerging music that was my own." The band he formed was one hell of a power trio, comprising nothing but raw virtuosity: Williams's colossal drumming, John McLaughlin's pioneering, aggressive guitar playing and Larry Young's freeform organ work.
The album's sound is incredibly fierce and inordinately intense. Indeed, the group were famed for playing “louder than rock’n’roll”, as Herbie Hancock said of going to hear them live in 1969: "This is something new...It was exciting and very arresting. It snatched you. It yanked you out of your seat.” Ian Carr, of Nucleus, was equally impressed: "The only other comparable band that existed ...They were incredibly loud, but we liked what they were doing. Fundamentally they had a different approach from ours, with some very highly arranged things that featured Larry Young's organ blending with the guitar, as well as intricate passages where Tony doubled the melody on the drums."
Like all the very best records, Emergency! takes multiple listens for your brain and body to decipher everything going on, to truly process and appreciate the details that our senses are throwing at us. It's a mesmerising, rough sound yet the intuitive interplay of all 3 musicians is super-tight. The tunes are strung out and jamming but retain a tight rhythmic focus.
The incendiary title track immediately presents jazz-rock’s chaotic birth. After Williams's ominous snare-roll signals the brewing storm, the snarling band blasts its way through the gate in truly breathtaking fashion, fuzzed-up wahed-out guitar riffs vying for prominence with gnarled, insistent organ. Thrillingly, Williams manages to both acrobatically crash over every element of his drum kit while keeping the whole groove undeniably funky. "Beyond Games" is a gloriously volatile freeform, featuring Williams' bugged out vocals, whilst the 12-minute "Where" is another deep, wild jam. It's disorientating and humid with weird rhythms, abrupt vibe shifts and semi-classical lines running between guitar and organ. It's like nothing else you've ever heard, absolutely vital.
With the buoyant “Vashkar”, we begin to experience jazz-rock's many angles; imaginative melodics, taut dynamics and as torrent of searing heat. Perhaps the most economical track on Emergency!, it's the most instant. In a recent retrospective review in Pitchfork, Emergency! received a monumental 9.0 ranking. The writer Hank Shteamer correctly gushed: "Driven by a tumbling Williams pulse, the trio dances through the complex stop-start theme, ending each iteration with a dramatic full-band rest. Then, in the middle of McLaughlin’s scrambling solo, Williams starts playing an embryonic version of an extreme-metal blastbeat, alternating snare and bass in rapid succession while rising precipitously in volume, as Young joins in with shuddering note clusters. During Young’s solo, the organist seems to incite Williams to repeat the move with his increasingly frenzied lines, and soon all three musicians are hurtling toward a supernova climax." WOW!
The laconic "Via the Spectrum Road", a brilliant pop-psych tune, was sampled by Showbiz & AG on their classic debut LP. It oscillates between a tranquil funk groove and strutting improv interludes. The pyrotechnic jam "Spectrum" wakes things up again with pure, molten jazz lava and crazy soloing from all involved. A breathtaking, kaleidoscopic 13-minute cycle through ferocious noise, "Sangria For Three" is a sublimely frenetic detonation of distilled (acid) jazz rock. To quote Shteamer again, "Don’t let the track’s breezy title fool you: As much as, say, “Sister Ray” the year before or “Fun House” the year after, this is punk before punk." Closer "Something Spiritual" finishes this jaw-dropping set with a driving, unrelenting heavy guitar and organ freakout, backed high in the mix by Williams's untamed funk before unsettled dissonance rides us out.
Listeners will be struck by the timelessness of Emergency!; dank, trance-inducing voodoo jazz that's intellectually challenging at the same time as viscerally thrilling. The blurred cover photo, whereby the convulsing vibrations of this sonic apocalypse ensure it looks exactly as the record sounds - out of focus - has been delicately restored at Be With HQ. Mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios, the magnificent grit and spontaneity remains dizzyingly intact. If you're a jazz fusion fan and don't already have this, consider ownership of this record as an Emergency!
More
1
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 4 (2:03)
2
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 5 (2:03)
3
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 6 (2:10)
4
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 7 (1:48)
5
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 8 (3:50)
6
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 9 (2:45)
7
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Piano + Piano (2:30)
8
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Auto Rythmiques (3:45)
9
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 10 (2:00)
10
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Rythmiques N° 11 (2:10)
11
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Océan Horizon (2:45)
12
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Super Carrousel (1:40)
13
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Gay Shopping (2:10)
14
Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison - Suspense N° 1 (3:50)
Territories: Worldwide no restrictions
Format Notes: Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Rythmiques N° 4 2:03
A2 Rythmiques N° 5 2:03
A3 Rythmiques N° 6 2:10
A4 Rythmiques N° 7 1:48
A5 Rythmiques N° 8 3:50
A6 Rythmiques N° 9 2:45
A7 Piano + Piano 2:30
B1 Auto Rythmiques 3:45
B2 Rythmiques N° 10 2:00
B3 Rythmiques N° 11 2:10
B4 Océan Horizon 2:45
B5 Super Carrousel 1:40
B6 Gay Shopping 2:10
B7 Suspense N° 1 3:50
Release Notes:
Wow! Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison's Rythmiques is another iconic release in the hallowed Tele Music catalogue. First appearing in 1973, it features tense funk, blunted jazz and heavy breaks all the way. Considered the rightful sequel to Continental Pop Sound, it's a vital album for producers and DJs; and you can probably guess that RHYTHM is central to the record's presentation. And you can really taste what's rhythm, to borrow a phrase. French drummer, percussionist and composer Pierre-Alain Dahan was a key member of the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Mallia et al!) and Jef Gilson Septet whilst his partner here, Mat Camison, was a pioneering synth LORD. So, you know this Be With reissue is absolutely crucial.
The album picks up from where Continental Pop Sound left us, opening with the tense, stabbing thriller-funk of "Rythmiques N° 4". The dubbier "Rythmiques N° 5" is no less electric and definitely has a spacey air of wonky funk about it with the slightly off-kilter rolling piano. "Rythmiques N° 6" is more percussive-focussed with a brilliantly hypnotic opening that really stretches the drama out. “Rythmique N° 7” alternates between fast-paced, skipping drums and slo-mo funk, always with the clavinet high up in the mix. Wicked. The dope jazz of “Rythmique N° 8” truly mesmerises with licks of electric piano, funky bass flourishes and varied percussion. “Rythmique N° 9” has great, sloppy-yet-hard intro drums which sound like something Daft Punk could've pilfered circa Human After All, punctuated by a guitar rock refrain that repeats til the end but is never overdone. The A-Side closes with the beautiful, melancholic "Piano + Piano", a reflective jazzy piano track which could easily open a wide-ranging set this autumn and many after it. Stunning.
Opening Side B, "Auto Rythmiques" is a hectic yet compelling funk workout but it's all about the frankly devastating breakbeats on “Rythmiques N° 10 & N° 11” with effortlessly twisted funk bass lines over open drum breaks and enough tension and rhythmic switch-ups to keep your neck-snapping and your mind lifted. Downright essential. Taking leave from the heavy funk break action, the pastoral "Océan Horizon" is perhaps an unfairly overlooked highlight. A gorgeous, softly-aquatic, ambient gem, it's gently percussive with warm, floaty keys decorating the mellow rhythmic bed. The mercifully brief "Super Carrousel" is harmless fun-fair-funk but perhaps best skipped over whilst the intriguingly titled "Gay Shopping" is another throwaway exercise in inexcusable jaunt whilst. To close out this memorable set, thankfully, we're left with "Suspense N° 1" to get us back on course with its unsurprisingly tense mix of urgent stringed instruments that flirt with rhythm and melody yet the longer the track goes on. Deep.
One of the very best French drummers ever, Pierre-Alain Dahan began his career at the Blue Note in Paris with Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon and Daniel Humair. Some start, eh?! He also participated in the recording of Serge Gainsbourg's cult album 'La Ballade de Melody Nelson' before going on to make countless KILLER library funk records and be a key member in the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Sauveur Mallia et al), Jef Gilson Septet (alongside Henri Texier) and many more. Some pedigree.
The audio for Rythmiques has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.
More
Format Notes: Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Rythmiques N° 4 2:03
A2 Rythmiques N° 5 2:03
A3 Rythmiques N° 6 2:10
A4 Rythmiques N° 7 1:48
A5 Rythmiques N° 8 3:50
A6 Rythmiques N° 9 2:45
A7 Piano + Piano 2:30
B1 Auto Rythmiques 3:45
B2 Rythmiques N° 10 2:00
B3 Rythmiques N° 11 2:10
B4 Océan Horizon 2:45
B5 Super Carrousel 1:40
B6 Gay Shopping 2:10
B7 Suspense N° 1 3:50
Release Notes:
Wow! Pierre-Alain Dahan & Mat Camison's Rythmiques is another iconic release in the hallowed Tele Music catalogue. First appearing in 1973, it features tense funk, blunted jazz and heavy breaks all the way. Considered the rightful sequel to Continental Pop Sound, it's a vital album for producers and DJs; and you can probably guess that RHYTHM is central to the record's presentation. And you can really taste what's rhythm, to borrow a phrase. French drummer, percussionist and composer Pierre-Alain Dahan was a key member of the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Mallia et al!) and Jef Gilson Septet whilst his partner here, Mat Camison, was a pioneering synth LORD. So, you know this Be With reissue is absolutely crucial.
The album picks up from where Continental Pop Sound left us, opening with the tense, stabbing thriller-funk of "Rythmiques N° 4". The dubbier "Rythmiques N° 5" is no less electric and definitely has a spacey air of wonky funk about it with the slightly off-kilter rolling piano. "Rythmiques N° 6" is more percussive-focussed with a brilliantly hypnotic opening that really stretches the drama out. “Rythmique N° 7” alternates between fast-paced, skipping drums and slo-mo funk, always with the clavinet high up in the mix. Wicked. The dope jazz of “Rythmique N° 8” truly mesmerises with licks of electric piano, funky bass flourishes and varied percussion. “Rythmique N° 9” has great, sloppy-yet-hard intro drums which sound like something Daft Punk could've pilfered circa Human After All, punctuated by a guitar rock refrain that repeats til the end but is never overdone. The A-Side closes with the beautiful, melancholic "Piano + Piano", a reflective jazzy piano track which could easily open a wide-ranging set this autumn and many after it. Stunning.
Opening Side B, "Auto Rythmiques" is a hectic yet compelling funk workout but it's all about the frankly devastating breakbeats on “Rythmiques N° 10 & N° 11” with effortlessly twisted funk bass lines over open drum breaks and enough tension and rhythmic switch-ups to keep your neck-snapping and your mind lifted. Downright essential. Taking leave from the heavy funk break action, the pastoral "Océan Horizon" is perhaps an unfairly overlooked highlight. A gorgeous, softly-aquatic, ambient gem, it's gently percussive with warm, floaty keys decorating the mellow rhythmic bed. The mercifully brief "Super Carrousel" is harmless fun-fair-funk but perhaps best skipped over whilst the intriguingly titled "Gay Shopping" is another throwaway exercise in inexcusable jaunt whilst. To close out this memorable set, thankfully, we're left with "Suspense N° 1" to get us back on course with its unsurprisingly tense mix of urgent stringed instruments that flirt with rhythm and melody yet the longer the track goes on. Deep.
One of the very best French drummers ever, Pierre-Alain Dahan began his career at the Blue Note in Paris with Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon and Daniel Humair. Some start, eh?! He also participated in the recording of Serge Gainsbourg's cult album 'La Ballade de Melody Nelson' before going on to make countless KILLER library funk records and be a key member in the legendary Arpadys, Disco & Co, Voyage, Tumblack (with Wally Badarou, Sauveur Mallia et al), Jef Gilson Septet (alongside Henri Texier) and many more. Some pedigree.
The audio for Rythmiques has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.
More
1
MFSB - Manhattan Skyline 4:27
2
MFSB - Mysteries Of The World 5:27
3
MFSB - Tell Me Why 3:57
4
MFSB - Metamorphosis 5:16
5
MFSB - Fortune Teller 6:08
6
MFSB - Old San Juan 4:27
7
MFSB - Thank You Miss Scott 4:14
8
MFSB - In The Shadow 3:37
Territories: Worldwide no restrictions
Format Notes: 2023 reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1. Manhattan Skyline 4:27
A2. Mysteries Of The World 5:27
A3. Tell Me Why 3:57
A4. Metamorphosis 5:16
--
B1. Fortune Teller 6:08
B2. Old San Juan 4:27
B3. Thank You Miss Scott 4:14
B4. In The Shadow 3:37
Release Notes:
Mysteries Of The World is the stunning final studio album from legendary Philly supergroup MFSB. Expertly co-written and produced with the mighty Dexter Wansel, it features the untouchable, sparkling masterpiece "Mysteries Of The World". The whole album is truly exquisite; a stylish, classy collection of pure Philly soul and orchestral jazz-funk.
MFSB, an acronym for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, was formed by producers Gamble & Huff of Philadelphia International Records. The band's roots can be traced back to the house band at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios, where they played on numerous hit records by artists like The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and The Stylistics. Mysteries Of The World comprises slick jazz-funk grooves, mostly penned by Wansel, who produced a fair chunk of the album in a similar style to his space-funk records. MFSB's smooth sound is retained but it receives a fresh, elegant and jazzy upgrade. While this album is as mellow as the rest of the latter-period MFSB recordings, it never forgets the group's soul music underpinnings.
Swaggering, well-timed horn blasts, sweeping strings and a percolating, hard thumping slap-bassline combine to devastating effect on amazing opener "Manhattan Skyline". It's a sexy mid-tempo instrumental which sets us up nicely for what follows. Essays could be written analysing the perfection of title track. Arguably the finest jazz-funk instrumental ever made, it's absolutely magnificent. Featuring musicianship of the highest calibre, the band play with their trademark tight discipline, cooking up a syncopating rhythm with an array of exploratory keyboard riffs wrapped around a punchy bassline sent from heaven. It sounds like house music, it's that ahead of its time. The string intro is sumptuous, hypnotic and divine and that's all before the beat hits. The track fuses classical, jazz and funk into a musical journey that you never want to end. Absolutely flawless, it's a dramatic disco dancefloor killer.
Says Dexter Wansel himself: "You know, of all the songs I wrote/produced/arranged for MFSB, this is for me the most different. I think it's an experiment in rhythmic, soft sonic synth and live string and harp combinations. I composed it in an effort to blend a funky groove, along with synthesis, and orchestral sounds. There are 3 synthesizers: Oberheim 4 voice, Polymoog, and of course Arp 2600v. And, as I remember, I recorded the track with the rhythm section, string, harp and flute players first. Then I added synthesis."
The profound elegance remains in abundance on the slinky, harp-laced "Tell Me Why"; Carla Benson's beautiful voice truly shines on this sophisticated cut. The side closes out in dramatic style with the string-drenched "Metamorphosis". It's a staccato, Blaxploitation groove workout featuring wah-wah guitar, creeping basslines, rich horn solos and soulful vocals drifting in and out of the mix. The bouncy, irrepressible "Fortune Teller" opens the B side in the bass-heavy orchestral funk style before the beautiful "Old San Juan" glides in, a Balearic-adjacent track with intricate arrangements, building its mellow soul groove around an atypical flamenco guitar hook. Melancholy, guitar-led instrumental "Thank You Miss Scott" is a real highlight, with gorgeous flute, string and percussive elements whilst closer "In the Shadow" works an otherworldly synth line into its bossa nova groove.
An essential record for fans of Philly soul and groovy jazz-funk, Mysteries Of The World was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios. The stunning artwork, the work of renowned illustrator Robert Giusti, was restored at Be With HQ to round out this beautiful reissue.
More
Format Notes: 2023 reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1. Manhattan Skyline 4:27
A2. Mysteries Of The World 5:27
A3. Tell Me Why 3:57
A4. Metamorphosis 5:16
--
B1. Fortune Teller 6:08
B2. Old San Juan 4:27
B3. Thank You Miss Scott 4:14
B4. In The Shadow 3:37
Release Notes:
Mysteries Of The World is the stunning final studio album from legendary Philly supergroup MFSB. Expertly co-written and produced with the mighty Dexter Wansel, it features the untouchable, sparkling masterpiece "Mysteries Of The World". The whole album is truly exquisite; a stylish, classy collection of pure Philly soul and orchestral jazz-funk.
MFSB, an acronym for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, was formed by producers Gamble & Huff of Philadelphia International Records. The band's roots can be traced back to the house band at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios, where they played on numerous hit records by artists like The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and The Stylistics. Mysteries Of The World comprises slick jazz-funk grooves, mostly penned by Wansel, who produced a fair chunk of the album in a similar style to his space-funk records. MFSB's smooth sound is retained but it receives a fresh, elegant and jazzy upgrade. While this album is as mellow as the rest of the latter-period MFSB recordings, it never forgets the group's soul music underpinnings.
Swaggering, well-timed horn blasts, sweeping strings and a percolating, hard thumping slap-bassline combine to devastating effect on amazing opener "Manhattan Skyline". It's a sexy mid-tempo instrumental which sets us up nicely for what follows. Essays could be written analysing the perfection of title track. Arguably the finest jazz-funk instrumental ever made, it's absolutely magnificent. Featuring musicianship of the highest calibre, the band play with their trademark tight discipline, cooking up a syncopating rhythm with an array of exploratory keyboard riffs wrapped around a punchy bassline sent from heaven. It sounds like house music, it's that ahead of its time. The string intro is sumptuous, hypnotic and divine and that's all before the beat hits. The track fuses classical, jazz and funk into a musical journey that you never want to end. Absolutely flawless, it's a dramatic disco dancefloor killer.
Says Dexter Wansel himself: "You know, of all the songs I wrote/produced/arranged for MFSB, this is for me the most different. I think it's an experiment in rhythmic, soft sonic synth and live string and harp combinations. I composed it in an effort to blend a funky groove, along with synthesis, and orchestral sounds. There are 3 synthesizers: Oberheim 4 voice, Polymoog, and of course Arp 2600v. And, as I remember, I recorded the track with the rhythm section, string, harp and flute players first. Then I added synthesis."
The profound elegance remains in abundance on the slinky, harp-laced "Tell Me Why"; Carla Benson's beautiful voice truly shines on this sophisticated cut. The side closes out in dramatic style with the string-drenched "Metamorphosis". It's a staccato, Blaxploitation groove workout featuring wah-wah guitar, creeping basslines, rich horn solos and soulful vocals drifting in and out of the mix. The bouncy, irrepressible "Fortune Teller" opens the B side in the bass-heavy orchestral funk style before the beautiful "Old San Juan" glides in, a Balearic-adjacent track with intricate arrangements, building its mellow soul groove around an atypical flamenco guitar hook. Melancholy, guitar-led instrumental "Thank You Miss Scott" is a real highlight, with gorgeous flute, string and percussive elements whilst closer "In the Shadow" works an otherworldly synth line into its bossa nova groove.
An essential record for fans of Philly soul and groovy jazz-funk, Mysteries Of The World was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios. The stunning artwork, the work of renowned illustrator Robert Giusti, was restored at Be With HQ to round out this beautiful reissue.
More
1
Robert Rockwell III - Todos Nosotros (All Of Us)
2
Robert Rockwell III - On The Edge
3
Robert Rockwell III - Androids
4
Robert Rockwell III - Elvin's Waltz
5
Robert Rockwell III - Pentandria
SPACEY FUSION GROOVES WITH THE LEGENDARY BOBBY LYLE
180-gram black vinyl
Hardcover sleeve
OBI Strip
Obscure and Rare album of Spacey Fusion grooves, played by a group that includes Robert Rockwell on reeds, plus Bobby Lyle on piano and electric piano. Lyle's presence gives the album a nice groove.
Bob Rockwell, born in Miami, Oklahoma, is an American jazz saxophonist who emigrated to Denmark in 1983 and has lived ever since.
Tracklist:
SIDE A: A1. Todos Nosotros (All of Us) - A2. On The Edge
SIDE B: B1. Androids - B2. Elvin's Waltz - B3. Pentandria More
180-gram black vinyl
Hardcover sleeve
OBI Strip
Obscure and Rare album of Spacey Fusion grooves, played by a group that includes Robert Rockwell on reeds, plus Bobby Lyle on piano and electric piano. Lyle's presence gives the album a nice groove.
Bob Rockwell, born in Miami, Oklahoma, is an American jazz saxophonist who emigrated to Denmark in 1983 and has lived ever since.
Tracklist:
SIDE A: A1. Todos Nosotros (All of Us) - A2. On The Edge
SIDE B: B1. Androids - B2. Elvin's Waltz - B3. Pentandria More
(clear pink color vinyl / LP with OBI) Fresh reissued magic of Funky Stuff, formerly a rare exquisite by jazzmaster Jiro Inagaki, originally released in 1975. An enduring, pioneering fusion of jazz, funk, soul and rock - the album features some of the best and most acclaimed Japanese musicians of the time, enlisting the talent-wares of Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Akira Ishikawa on drums and Takeru Muraoka on sax.
TRACKLIST
A1. Painted Paradise
A2. Funky Motion
A3. Breeze
A4. Scratch
B1. Funky Stuff
B2. One For Jiro
B3. Gentle Wave
B4. Four Up
INFO
Fresh reissued magic of Funky Stuff, formerly a rare exquisite by jazzmaster Jiro Inagaki, originally released in 1975. An enduring, pioneering fusion of jazz, funk, soul and rock - with influences from Herbie Hancock, James Brown and Santana - the album features some of the best and most acclaimed Japanese musicians of the time, enlisting the talent-wares of Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Akira Ishikawa on drums and Takeru Muraoka on sax.
Originally released in 1975
Features a cover of “Funky Stuff” by Kool & The Gang
All songs written and arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki
Pressed on Pink Vinyl
Tenor Sax, Alto Sax, Flute, Producer – Jiro Inagaki
Electric Piano – Hiromasa Suzuki
Drums – Hajime Ishimatsu
Bass – Akira Okazawa
Guitar – Hiroshi Yasukawa
Trombone – Takashi Imai More
TRACKLIST
A1. Painted Paradise
A2. Funky Motion
A3. Breeze
A4. Scratch
B1. Funky Stuff
B2. One For Jiro
B3. Gentle Wave
B4. Four Up
INFO
Fresh reissued magic of Funky Stuff, formerly a rare exquisite by jazzmaster Jiro Inagaki, originally released in 1975. An enduring, pioneering fusion of jazz, funk, soul and rock - with influences from Herbie Hancock, James Brown and Santana - the album features some of the best and most acclaimed Japanese musicians of the time, enlisting the talent-wares of Hiromasa Suzuki on keyboards, Akira Ishikawa on drums and Takeru Muraoka on sax.
Originally released in 1975
Features a cover of “Funky Stuff” by Kool & The Gang
All songs written and arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki
Pressed on Pink Vinyl
Tenor Sax, Alto Sax, Flute, Producer – Jiro Inagaki
Electric Piano – Hiromasa Suzuki
Drums – Hajime Ishimatsu
Bass – Akira Okazawa
Guitar – Hiroshi Yasukawa
Trombone – Takashi Imai More
Unearthed by Mike Peden for BBE Music, Per Husby Septett’s ‘The Peacemaker’ is a beautiful, deep and under-the-radar small big band set recorded in 1976 by the elite of Norway’s jazz cognoscenti, led by pianist and band leader Per Husby.
More
apan has produced some exceptionally talented jazz drummers and among them is Tatsuya Nakamura, who joins the BBE Music J Jazz Masterclass Series with his album ‘Locus’ from 1984, a session covering several bases, from heavy percussive samba to meditative avant-ambient. This is the album’s first ever reissue, although a track from ‘Locus’, ‘1/4 Samba’, was included on J Jazz vol. 3.
Nakamura began his drumming career as a teenager, inspired after seeing the documentary film “Jazz on A Summer’s Day” and listening to his idols Art Blakey and Miles Davis. By his early twenties, Nakamura was working with such luminaries as free jazz guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, pianist Masaru Imada and band leader & composer Mitsuaki Kanno. In the mid-70s, like several other Japanese jazz players, Nakamura decided to make the move to New York where he studied drumming with Roy Haynes, and performed with members of the AACM and players from the loft and free jazz scenes including Richard Davis, George Adams, John Hicks, and Pharaoh Sanders. Returning to Japan, Nakamura continued playing as leader of his Japanese band The Jazz Fellows and in 1979, he went into the studio as leader for the classic “Where Is The Quarter” session featuring Masaru Imada, Hideto Kanai and Kenji Mori... more
A1. Locus (12:16)
A2. Wow (07:50)
B1. ¼ Samba II (11:43)
B2. Ballad (07:58) More
Nakamura began his drumming career as a teenager, inspired after seeing the documentary film “Jazz on A Summer’s Day” and listening to his idols Art Blakey and Miles Davis. By his early twenties, Nakamura was working with such luminaries as free jazz guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, pianist Masaru Imada and band leader & composer Mitsuaki Kanno. In the mid-70s, like several other Japanese jazz players, Nakamura decided to make the move to New York where he studied drumming with Roy Haynes, and performed with members of the AACM and players from the loft and free jazz scenes including Richard Davis, George Adams, John Hicks, and Pharaoh Sanders. Returning to Japan, Nakamura continued playing as leader of his Japanese band The Jazz Fellows and in 1979, he went into the studio as leader for the classic “Where Is The Quarter” session featuring Masaru Imada, Hideto Kanai and Kenji Mori... more
A1. Locus (12:16)
A2. Wow (07:50)
B1. ¼ Samba II (11:43)
B2. Ballad (07:58) More
1
Guy Pedersen - Prétexte Pour Indicatifs (3:29)
2
Guy Pedersen - Purgatoire Mood (Interlude) (0:25)
3
Guy Pedersen - Purgatoire Mood 1 (3:55)
4
Guy Pedersen - Purgatoire Mood 2 (4:12)
5
Guy Pedersen - Christophus Colombus (3:57)
6
Guy Pedersen - Bass In Love (2:39)
7
Guy Pedersen - Sing Song Bass (2:31)
8
Guy Pedersen - Petit Moujik De Nuit (2:57)
9
Guy Pedersen - Kermesse Non Héroique (13:15)
Territories: Worldwide no restrictions
Format Notes: Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Prétexte Pour Indicatifs 3:29
A2 Purgatoire Mood (Interlude) 0:25
A3 Purgatoire Mood 1 3:55
A4 Purgatoire Mood 2 4:12
A5 Christophus Colombus 3:57
A6 Bass In Love 2:39
B1 Sing Song Bass 2:31
B2 Petit Moujik De Nuit 2:57
B3 Kermesse Non Héroique 13:15
Release Notes:
Guy Pedersen's magical Maxi Music, originally released on cult Parisian library label tele Music in 1972, is psyche-rock and jazz-funk gold. It's a vital Pederson outing, oscillating between the rough and the smooth, but always with those hypnotic grooves. It's a start-to-finish winner, yet the final 13-minute-long opus will blow minds. Trust!
Stirring opener, "Prétexte Pour Indicatifs" is so mighty, it was covered by Keith Mansfield on "Hot Property" from Big Business/Wind Of Change on KPM. It's a track in 4 deliberate parts, the first a rapid tour de force, the second and third presenting organ-and-wah-wah-drenched slo-mo funk workouts and the fourth a return to the frenetic energy of the opening bars. Phew, pretty sensational. "Purgatoire Mood (Interlude)" is a beautiful segue into the stunning horn-laced, swift-paced aggressive jazzy excellence of "Purgatoire Mood 1" and the more poetic "Purgatoire Mood 2". Fast-paced funk beats and dramatic interplay!
"Christophus Colombus" is another song with multiple sections; the intro a rapid wah-wah-enhanced psych-rock statement that truly thrills before settling into a more steady yet no-less unrelenting guitar-funk showcase with wordless vocals and, later, reflective guitar and piano in gorgeous harmony. Closing out this electrifying side, the elegant "Bass In Love" is a soft'n'sultry slo-mo funk instrumental, as rough cello, jazzy piano and salacious, breathy vocals combine to create the scent of lingering heat to pretty rousing effect.
Ushering in Side B, "Sing Song Bass" is a slow starter but, once the drums kick in brilliantly, we're treated to a deeply melodic, propulsive, organ-flute-piano-bass gem - it's truly memorable and absolutely fantastic. The wonky, delirious psych-pop of "Petit Moujik De Nuit" is a curiously compelling number but it serves, for us at least, only as the pre-curser to the phenomenal closing track. An absolute beast that totally slays all before it!
Yes, despite Maxi Music being that rarest of library records - a record that can stand up on its own from front to back - it really does contain that *one* absolute killer track. And Peterson saved the best until last. The real highlight - can you imagine there's better?! - is the blazing psych-rock funky burner that is the infamous 13 minute thriller "Kermesse Non Héroique". Containing a wicked flute solo it genuinely sounds like something off the first Dungen album. Yes, that good. What a way to go out!
The audio for Maxi Music has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.
More
Format Notes: Part of Tele Music Reissue Campaign, 2023 first time reissue, 140g vinyl
Track List:
A1 Prétexte Pour Indicatifs 3:29
A2 Purgatoire Mood (Interlude) 0:25
A3 Purgatoire Mood 1 3:55
A4 Purgatoire Mood 2 4:12
A5 Christophus Colombus 3:57
A6 Bass In Love 2:39
B1 Sing Song Bass 2:31
B2 Petit Moujik De Nuit 2:57
B3 Kermesse Non Héroique 13:15
Release Notes:
Guy Pedersen's magical Maxi Music, originally released on cult Parisian library label tele Music in 1972, is psyche-rock and jazz-funk gold. It's a vital Pederson outing, oscillating between the rough and the smooth, but always with those hypnotic grooves. It's a start-to-finish winner, yet the final 13-minute-long opus will blow minds. Trust!
Stirring opener, "Prétexte Pour Indicatifs" is so mighty, it was covered by Keith Mansfield on "Hot Property" from Big Business/Wind Of Change on KPM. It's a track in 4 deliberate parts, the first a rapid tour de force, the second and third presenting organ-and-wah-wah-drenched slo-mo funk workouts and the fourth a return to the frenetic energy of the opening bars. Phew, pretty sensational. "Purgatoire Mood (Interlude)" is a beautiful segue into the stunning horn-laced, swift-paced aggressive jazzy excellence of "Purgatoire Mood 1" and the more poetic "Purgatoire Mood 2". Fast-paced funk beats and dramatic interplay!
"Christophus Colombus" is another song with multiple sections; the intro a rapid wah-wah-enhanced psych-rock statement that truly thrills before settling into a more steady yet no-less unrelenting guitar-funk showcase with wordless vocals and, later, reflective guitar and piano in gorgeous harmony. Closing out this electrifying side, the elegant "Bass In Love" is a soft'n'sultry slo-mo funk instrumental, as rough cello, jazzy piano and salacious, breathy vocals combine to create the scent of lingering heat to pretty rousing effect.
Ushering in Side B, "Sing Song Bass" is a slow starter but, once the drums kick in brilliantly, we're treated to a deeply melodic, propulsive, organ-flute-piano-bass gem - it's truly memorable and absolutely fantastic. The wonky, delirious psych-pop of "Petit Moujik De Nuit" is a curiously compelling number but it serves, for us at least, only as the pre-curser to the phenomenal closing track. An absolute beast that totally slays all before it!
Yes, despite Maxi Music being that rarest of library records - a record that can stand up on its own from front to back - it really does contain that *one* absolute killer track. And Peterson saved the best until last. The real highlight - can you imagine there's better?! - is the blazing psych-rock funky burner that is the infamous 13 minute thriller "Kermesse Non Héroique". Containing a wicked flute solo it genuinely sounds like something off the first Dungen album. Yes, that good. What a way to go out!
The audio for Maxi Music has been remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the original, iconic Tele Music house sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.
More
1
Tete Mbambisa - Umthsakazi (The Bride)
2
Tete Mbambisa - Stay Cool
3
Tete Mbambisa - Black Hero's
4
Tete Mbambisa - Dembese (Dedicated To Cyril McGabane)
5
Tete Mbambisa - Unity
Repress!!
The album Tete’s Big Sound emerged during a golden age for local South African jazz recordings in the 1970s. Issued by the independent As-Shams/The Sun label in 1976, it was the first album attributed to pianist Tete Mbambisa as a solo artist. Yet, Mbambisa was already a seasoned composer, arranger, bandleader and performer by the mid-1970s - an artist at the peak of his powers who had patiently cultivated his craft to create his enduring debut.
Born in 1942 and raised in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, Mbambisa’s childhood home also served as the family’s small business - an informal tavern where social gatherings orbited around his mother’s carefully curated music collection and live performances by a local pianist. His musical roots are thus deeply embedded in marabi - the syncopated piano sound of urban black South African culture in the 1950s that took cues from American jazz, blues and ragtime while fostering the sensibilities that would shape modern South African jazz.
A self-taught musician, it was as the leader of the vocal group The Four Yanks that Tete Mbambisa’s music career began in earnest in the early 1960s. Mbambisa humbly recalls to this period as his education in harmonic structure but his special talent for musical arrangement was quickly recognised and widely admired. With encouragement from Abdullah Ibrahim, he dedicated himself to the piano and was a member of the award-winning Swinging City Six ensemble in 1963 (with the added distinction of receiving the Cold Castle Festival’s piano prize). Mbambisa went on to assemble and record with The Soul Jazzmen in the late 1960s and the group’s sole release Inhlupeko (1969) joined Winston Mankunku’s Yakhal' Inkomo (1968) and Chris Schilder’s Spring (1969) to create a wave of aspirational modern South African jazz albums that expanded the ambitions of artists and labels in the 1970s.
As a record store owner with a direct relationship to the jazz scene, producer Rashid Vally led the charge for the independent labels with early 1970s releases by Gideon Nxumalo and Abdullah Ibrahim on Soultown Records. Rebranding as As-Shams/The Sun for the release of Ibrahim’s Mannenberg - ‘Is Where It’s Happening’ in 1974, Vally’s breakout success found himself at the
helm of an autonomous production enterprise with access to mainstream studios, manufacturing and distribution. As-Shams/The Sun quickly earned a reputation as the home of the vanguard of local South African jazz, offering an unmatched platform for artists to create without compromise and attracting a host of South African jazz luminaries, including Mbambisa, as a consequence.
Leading on piano, Mbambisa enlisted the support of a five-piece brass section with guitar, bass and drums for the January 1976 recording session at Gallo Studios in Johannesburg that yielded
Tete’s Big Sound. The arrangements were meticulously prepared and confidently executed but there was more at stake than personal reputation for Mbambisa as a jazz creator in 1970s South Africa as Vusi Khumalo, writer of the album’s original liner notes, passionately extolls. Tete’s Big Sound was an affirmation of black excellence in modern arts and culture that calmly dismantled the doctrine of a regime that denied equality to black citizens on the basis of race. And while much of Mbambisa’s early work was guided by black heroes from the United States, Tete’s Big Sound articulated a voice that was both proudly South African and unmistakably his own. Reissued in collaboration with Tete Mbambisa and As-Sham/The Sun, Mad About Records’ 2021 edition of Tete’s Big Sound marks the album’s very first international release.
Using a quartet format, Mbambisa recorded a second album for As-Shams/The Sun entitled Did You Tell Your Mother in 1978 and unreleased sessions from this period have yet to be fully issued.
In recent years, Mbambisa has released a pair of live recordings in partnership with the Music Research Centre at the University of York. Turning 80 in 2022, Tete Mbambisa lives in Cape Town and continues to enchant audiences with ad hoc special appearances.
Text by Calum MacNaughton
Under License and Courtesy As-Shams/The Sun Records
___________________________________________________
Mad About Records wants to thank the generosity and collaboration of Rashid Vally and Calum MacNaughton.
___________________________________________________
All Music Composed & Arranged by Tete Mbambisa
Tete Mbambisa - Piano
Barney Rachabane - Alto Sax
Duku Makasi - Tenor Sax
Aubrey Simani - Tenor Sax
Freeman Lambatha - Baritone Sax
Tex Nduluka - Trumpet
Enoch Mthalani - Guitar
Sipho Gumede - Bass
Dick Khoza - Drums
Recorded in the Gallo Studio, Johannesburg (South Africa)
Recording Engineer: Peter Ceronio
Produced by Rashid Vally More
The album Tete’s Big Sound emerged during a golden age for local South African jazz recordings in the 1970s. Issued by the independent As-Shams/The Sun label in 1976, it was the first album attributed to pianist Tete Mbambisa as a solo artist. Yet, Mbambisa was already a seasoned composer, arranger, bandleader and performer by the mid-1970s - an artist at the peak of his powers who had patiently cultivated his craft to create his enduring debut.
Born in 1942 and raised in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, Mbambisa’s childhood home also served as the family’s small business - an informal tavern where social gatherings orbited around his mother’s carefully curated music collection and live performances by a local pianist. His musical roots are thus deeply embedded in marabi - the syncopated piano sound of urban black South African culture in the 1950s that took cues from American jazz, blues and ragtime while fostering the sensibilities that would shape modern South African jazz.
A self-taught musician, it was as the leader of the vocal group The Four Yanks that Tete Mbambisa’s music career began in earnest in the early 1960s. Mbambisa humbly recalls to this period as his education in harmonic structure but his special talent for musical arrangement was quickly recognised and widely admired. With encouragement from Abdullah Ibrahim, he dedicated himself to the piano and was a member of the award-winning Swinging City Six ensemble in 1963 (with the added distinction of receiving the Cold Castle Festival’s piano prize). Mbambisa went on to assemble and record with The Soul Jazzmen in the late 1960s and the group’s sole release Inhlupeko (1969) joined Winston Mankunku’s Yakhal' Inkomo (1968) and Chris Schilder’s Spring (1969) to create a wave of aspirational modern South African jazz albums that expanded the ambitions of artists and labels in the 1970s.
As a record store owner with a direct relationship to the jazz scene, producer Rashid Vally led the charge for the independent labels with early 1970s releases by Gideon Nxumalo and Abdullah Ibrahim on Soultown Records. Rebranding as As-Shams/The Sun for the release of Ibrahim’s Mannenberg - ‘Is Where It’s Happening’ in 1974, Vally’s breakout success found himself at the
helm of an autonomous production enterprise with access to mainstream studios, manufacturing and distribution. As-Shams/The Sun quickly earned a reputation as the home of the vanguard of local South African jazz, offering an unmatched platform for artists to create without compromise and attracting a host of South African jazz luminaries, including Mbambisa, as a consequence.
Leading on piano, Mbambisa enlisted the support of a five-piece brass section with guitar, bass and drums for the January 1976 recording session at Gallo Studios in Johannesburg that yielded
Tete’s Big Sound. The arrangements were meticulously prepared and confidently executed but there was more at stake than personal reputation for Mbambisa as a jazz creator in 1970s South Africa as Vusi Khumalo, writer of the album’s original liner notes, passionately extolls. Tete’s Big Sound was an affirmation of black excellence in modern arts and culture that calmly dismantled the doctrine of a regime that denied equality to black citizens on the basis of race. And while much of Mbambisa’s early work was guided by black heroes from the United States, Tete’s Big Sound articulated a voice that was both proudly South African and unmistakably his own. Reissued in collaboration with Tete Mbambisa and As-Sham/The Sun, Mad About Records’ 2021 edition of Tete’s Big Sound marks the album’s very first international release.
Using a quartet format, Mbambisa recorded a second album for As-Shams/The Sun entitled Did You Tell Your Mother in 1978 and unreleased sessions from this period have yet to be fully issued.
In recent years, Mbambisa has released a pair of live recordings in partnership with the Music Research Centre at the University of York. Turning 80 in 2022, Tete Mbambisa lives in Cape Town and continues to enchant audiences with ad hoc special appearances.
Text by Calum MacNaughton
Under License and Courtesy As-Shams/The Sun Records
___________________________________________________
Mad About Records wants to thank the generosity and collaboration of Rashid Vally and Calum MacNaughton.
___________________________________________________
All Music Composed & Arranged by Tete Mbambisa
Tete Mbambisa - Piano
Barney Rachabane - Alto Sax
Duku Makasi - Tenor Sax
Aubrey Simani - Tenor Sax
Freeman Lambatha - Baritone Sax
Tex Nduluka - Trumpet
Enoch Mthalani - Guitar
Sipho Gumede - Bass
Dick Khoza - Drums
Recorded in the Gallo Studio, Johannesburg (South Africa)
Recording Engineer: Peter Ceronio
Produced by Rashid Vally More
1
The New Jazz Orchestra - Big P
2
The New Jazz Orchestra - Shades Of Blue
3
The New Jazz Orchestra - So What
4
The New Jazz Orchestra - If You Could See Me Now
5
The New Jazz Orchestra - Tiny's Blues
6
The New Jazz Orchestra - Milestones
7
The New Jazz Orchestra - Django
8
The New Jazz Orchestra - Maria
9
The New Jazz Orchestra - Western Reunion
In the mid-60’s London scene, the NJO was one of those unavoidable and big-band groups (originally started as Clive Burrows Orchestra), where almost everyone who was anyone on the scene or almost transited through the group, which was normally the vehicle for composer Neil Ardley. You’ll find in the WR album, among others, stellar names like Ian Carr (of RCQ and Nucleus fame), Barb Thompson, Tony Reeves, John Hiseman (all three of future Colosseum fame), Trevor Watts (future Amalgam) plus a bunch more of lesser-known, but no-less gifted musicians like Paul Rutherford, etc. The line-up would fluctuate to include many other household names.
The New Jazz Orchestra was formed in December 1963, its name reflecting both the youth of its members - their average age was only 23 - and their mission to perform the new kind of orchestral jazz that was then developing in America but still to be heard in Britain. The personnel included such (then) non-jazz instruments as flute, horn and tuba in addition to the standard brass, saxes and rhythm line-up of the big band. This is the NJO's first album, recorded in March 1965 before an invited audience to make the young band feel at ease.
The NJO was the offspring of a popular weekend jazz club, the "Jazzhouse" based at the Green Man, Blackheath (demolished to make way for Allison Close) where the "house" band was the Ian Bird Quintet (initially comprising Ian Bird, tenor sax; Clive Burrows, baritone sax; Johnny Mealing, piano; Tony Reeves, bass and Trevor Tomkins, drums - Mealing and Tomkins left to join the newly formed Rendell-Carr Quintet and were succeeded by Paul Raymond and Jon Hiseman respectively.
The ensemble featured many London-based jazz musicians, such as Harry Beckett, Jack Bruce, Ian Carr, Dave Gelly, Michael Gibbs, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jon Hiseman, Henry Lowther, Don Rendell, Frank Ricotti, Paul Rutherford, Barbara Thompson, Trevor Tomkins, Michael Phillipson, Les Carter, Tom Harris, Trevor Watts and Lionel Grigson. Ardley, Gibbs, Carter, Rutherford, Michael Garrick, and composer Mike Taylor all contributed pieces and arrangements.
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Under exclusive license Universal Music Portugal
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Directed By, Leader – Neil Ardley
Alto Saxophone – Barbara Thompson
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Trevor Watts
Baritone Saxophone – Sebastian Freudenberg
Bass – Tony Reeves
Bass Trombone – Peter Harvey
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Flute, Alto Flute – Les Carter
French Horn – Mick Palmer
Piano – Lionel Grigson (tracks: 5), Mike Barrett (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 10)
Tenor Saxophone – Dave Gelly, Tom Harris
Trombone – John Mumford, Paul Rutherford
Trumpet – Bob Leaper, Mike Phillipson, Tony Dudley
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ian Carr
Tuba – Dick Hart
Producer – Ray Horricks More
The New Jazz Orchestra was formed in December 1963, its name reflecting both the youth of its members - their average age was only 23 - and their mission to perform the new kind of orchestral jazz that was then developing in America but still to be heard in Britain. The personnel included such (then) non-jazz instruments as flute, horn and tuba in addition to the standard brass, saxes and rhythm line-up of the big band. This is the NJO's first album, recorded in March 1965 before an invited audience to make the young band feel at ease.
The NJO was the offspring of a popular weekend jazz club, the "Jazzhouse" based at the Green Man, Blackheath (demolished to make way for Allison Close) where the "house" band was the Ian Bird Quintet (initially comprising Ian Bird, tenor sax; Clive Burrows, baritone sax; Johnny Mealing, piano; Tony Reeves, bass and Trevor Tomkins, drums - Mealing and Tomkins left to join the newly formed Rendell-Carr Quintet and were succeeded by Paul Raymond and Jon Hiseman respectively.
The ensemble featured many London-based jazz musicians, such as Harry Beckett, Jack Bruce, Ian Carr, Dave Gelly, Michael Gibbs, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Jon Hiseman, Henry Lowther, Don Rendell, Frank Ricotti, Paul Rutherford, Barbara Thompson, Trevor Tomkins, Michael Phillipson, Les Carter, Tom Harris, Trevor Watts and Lionel Grigson. Ardley, Gibbs, Carter, Rutherford, Michael Garrick, and composer Mike Taylor all contributed pieces and arrangements.
________________________________________________
Under exclusive license Universal Music Portugal
________________________________________________
Directed By, Leader – Neil Ardley
Alto Saxophone – Barbara Thompson
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Trevor Watts
Baritone Saxophone – Sebastian Freudenberg
Bass – Tony Reeves
Bass Trombone – Peter Harvey
Drums – Jon Hiseman
Flute, Alto Flute – Les Carter
French Horn – Mick Palmer
Piano – Lionel Grigson (tracks: 5), Mike Barrett (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 10)
Tenor Saxophone – Dave Gelly, Tom Harris
Trombone – John Mumford, Paul Rutherford
Trumpet – Bob Leaper, Mike Phillipson, Tony Dudley
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ian Carr
Tuba – Dick Hart
Producer – Ray Horricks More
(Pressed on Black vinyl, LP with OBI, originally released in 1970) 2023 pressing Japanese Import of the Japanese Jazz-Funk classic. The drums of fire scorch the age. With his young and talented Sound Limited, Takeshi Inomata heralds the arrival of the golden age of jazz rock in high spirits.
TRACKLIST
A1. Theme~Mustache
A2. Tak's Tune
A3. Joint
B1. Monster
B2. Lullaby For Yuh
B3. Scotland Scene
B4. Theme
INFO
The drums of fire scorch the age. With his young and talented Sound Limited, Takeshi Inomata heralds the arrival of the golden age of jazz rock in high spirits. Drummer Takeshi Inomata, who led the Japanese jazz scene with his precise stick work and musicality with an eye on the times, formed Sound Limited at the end of the 1960s, influenced by the brass rock music that was flourishing at the time. He said, “I wanted to fuse jazz and rock and bring together young musicians to play music with vitality. I want this group to be a group with a large scale that is not confined to the small frame of modern jazz,” he said, launching a new axis. Their first album, “The Sound of Sound Limited” (1970), became their masterpiece. It is a masterpiece that is full of energy and enthusiasm throughout the album, starting with “Theme~Mustache,” which has become one of the most beloved and iconic songs of the band.
Drums, Music Director – Takeshi Inomata
Electric Bass – Jun Suzuki
Electric Guitar – Ryo Kawasaki, Shigenori Kamiya
Flute – Toshiaki Yokota
Mixed By – Eiji Uemura
Organ – Yusuke Hoguchi
Tenor Saxophone – Takao Uematsu
Trombone – Shigemichi Domoto, Takashi Imai
Trumpet – Shunzo Ohno, Takashi Kumagai More
TRACKLIST
A1. Theme~Mustache
A2. Tak's Tune
A3. Joint
B1. Monster
B2. Lullaby For Yuh
B3. Scotland Scene
B4. Theme
INFO
The drums of fire scorch the age. With his young and talented Sound Limited, Takeshi Inomata heralds the arrival of the golden age of jazz rock in high spirits. Drummer Takeshi Inomata, who led the Japanese jazz scene with his precise stick work and musicality with an eye on the times, formed Sound Limited at the end of the 1960s, influenced by the brass rock music that was flourishing at the time. He said, “I wanted to fuse jazz and rock and bring together young musicians to play music with vitality. I want this group to be a group with a large scale that is not confined to the small frame of modern jazz,” he said, launching a new axis. Their first album, “The Sound of Sound Limited” (1970), became their masterpiece. It is a masterpiece that is full of energy and enthusiasm throughout the album, starting with “Theme~Mustache,” which has become one of the most beloved and iconic songs of the band.
Drums, Music Director – Takeshi Inomata
Electric Bass – Jun Suzuki
Electric Guitar – Ryo Kawasaki, Shigenori Kamiya
Flute – Toshiaki Yokota
Mixed By – Eiji Uemura
Organ – Yusuke Hoguchi
Tenor Saxophone – Takao Uematsu
Trombone – Shigemichi Domoto, Takashi Imai
Trumpet – Shunzo Ohno, Takashi Kumagai More