BBE Music are proud to reissue one of the most elusive and sought-after Afro-Funk LPs of all time: SON OF AFRICA, by REMI KABAKA.

Now a proud 85 years of age and enjoying retirement in America, Remi was the cornerstone of British West African music in the 50s, 60s and 70s, along with Ginger Oloronso Johnson, Fela Kuti and others. But while Ginger played mambo and cha cha cha in Soho clubland and Fela released his early ‘highlife jazz’ records on the Melodisc label, Remi Kabaka was fully ensconced in the UK Rock world, playing sessions and live shows with The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and countless others.

As the 60s became the 70s, Kabaka developed yet another string to his bow: the development of a UK based West African Funk scene, that found its genesis in the legendary Osibisa, but with an influence and an inspiration that spilled over into every contemporary Brit Funk band from Cymande and the Equals to The Average White Band, Matata and beyond.

SON OF AFRICA was originally released by Chris Blackwell’s Island records in 1976, to little acclaim, very few reviews, and with almost no promotion. African music was a hard sell when the 70s Black British record market wanted reggae first and foremost, and with Bob Marley on the books, Island understandably had other priorities at the time. The record disappeared. Until it reappeared in the early 2000s, as a £700-plus collectors’ item.

Tracklist:
1. Kabaka
2. New Reggae Funk
3. Sure Thing
4. Future of a 1000 Years
5. All Black Festival
6. Aqueba Masaaba
7. African Hustle
8. Meteorite
9. Blue Lago
10. Follow Your Needs More

Sugar Honey Iced Tea! is the highly anticipated debut album from musclecars, set for a May 2024 release on BBE Music. Having already established their presence in the club scene, from the joyous atmosphere of their Coloring Lessons parties to their residency at Nowadays in NYC, and with genre-bending performances worldwide, musclecars are eager to unveil this new world they've intentionally crafted.

This forthcoming album comprises 13 tracks that sonically come together to offer a profound lens into the Afro-American experience. Themes range from joy, to loss, intimacy, helplessness, perseverance, and all the facets that lie in between. From the very first tune, musclecars set the tone with an exploration of afro-dystopia, carrying listeners through the entire album whilst creating imaginary futures born out of self-preservation and self-discovery.

Through their practice of sonic storytelling, native New Yorkers Brandon Weems and Craig Handfield use this album to speak to the nuances of their daily lives and their environment. Join them on this musical journey as they delve into a collection that captures the essence of the black experience with authenticity, emotion, and rhythm. This album stands as one of their favorite bodies of work in recent memory, and they're so excited to share it with you. More

5LP (with 20 page booklet)

Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, the legendary King and Queen of Brazilian Jazz, have captivated audiences for over six decades with their vibrant albums and exhilarating live performances. With a dedicated global fan base including the UK’s jazz funk and jazz dance scene to Japan’s concert halls, the power couple continues to make waves in the industry – Flora’s ‘If You Will’ (2022) album was even nominated for a Grammy!

The duo met and came together musically in Sambalanço and the Sambrasa Trio. The mixture of Airto’s rural Brazilian background and percussion talents and Flora’s classical training and involvement in the underground Bossa Nova movement, created a unique blend of sounds that resonates across generations. They have not only collaborated with music legends like Miles Davis and Chick Corea but have also produced ground-breaking music alongside the likes of Hermeto Pascoal.

Despite facing numerous challenges, including Flora’s arrest and incarceration in 1974, the duo’s close connection with friends-musicians like Thelonius Monk and Cannonball Adderley, their persistence and absolute passion for music have propelled them to the pinnacle of success. They worked with renowned musicians like Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, George Duke and producers such as Orin Keepnews and Creed Taylor.

Having been a part of numerous prestigious ensembles, including Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations ensemble, Airto and Flora’s journey is a testament to their innovation and devotion to their craft. This collection offers a glimpse of that incredible journey, showcasing their extraordinary talent and unique sound and it’s also the first comp scanning their 60 year careers.

Compiled by Straight No Chaser editor/publisher Paul Bradshaw & Totally Wired Radio presenter Roberta Cutolo.

LP –
Tracklist
DISC 1
SIDE A
1. Jeito Bom de Sofrer – Flora Purim
2. Papo Furado (Jive Talking) – Airto Moreira
3. Xibaba (She-Ba-Ba) – Airto
4. Andei – Airto
5. Back Streets Of Havana – Airto Moreira

SIDE B
1. Flora’s Song – Airto
2. San Francisco River – Flora Purim
3. Vera Cruz – Flora Purim

DISC 2
SIDE C
1. Celebration Suite – Airto Moreira
2. Casa Forte – Flora Purim
3. From The Lonely Afternoon – Flora Purim
4. Black Narcissus – Flora Purim

SIDE D
1. When Angels Cry – Airto Moreira
2. O Sonho (Moon Dreams) – Airto Moreira
3. Summer Night – Flora Purim

DISC 3
SIDE E
1. A Secret from the Sea – Flora Purim
2. O Cantador / I Just Want To Be Here – Flora Purim
3. Light As A Feather – Flora Purim
4. O Canto da Sereia – Flora Purim

SIDE F
1. Open Your Eyes You Can Fly – Flora Purim
2. Hot Sand – Airto
3. Parana – Airto Moreira
4. Jump – Airto

DISC 4
SIDE G
1. Fingers (El Rada) – Airto Moreira
2. Toque de Cuica – Airto Moreira
3. Romance of Death – Airto Moreira
4. Peasant Dance – Airto

SIDE H
1. Samba De Flora – Airto
2. Amajour – Airto Moreira
3. The Road is Hard (But We’re Going To Make It) – Airto Moreira

DISC 5
SIDE I
1. Above The Rainbow – Flora Purim
2. Love Lock – Flora Purim
3. What Can I Say? – Flora Purim
4. Musikana – Airto

SIDE J
1. The Happy People – Airto Moreira
2. Dom-Um (A Good Friend) – Airto Moreira
3. Hungry on Arrival – Outernational Meltdown
More

With J Jazz volume 4, the BBE J Jazz Bullet Train continues its journey traversing the expansive landscape of modern Japanese jazz. Volume 4 is the latest in the universally praised compilation series exploring the best, rarest and most innovative jazz to emerge from the Far East. Please take your seats for a first-class ticket to J Jazz central.

This latest station stop off is with the famed Nippon Columbia label, one of the biggest labels in Japan, whose jazz output embraces every possible style imaginable. Focussing on the key years 1968-1981, J Jazz volume 4 sees compilers Tony Higgins and Mike Peden dig even deeper into their record collections and pull-out tracks that span styles ranging from solo to big band, jazz classical interpretations and heavy jazz rock, to febrile post-bop, white hot samba fusion, and modal psychedelic wig-outs.

J Jazz volume 4 features icons such as drum master Takeo Moriyama, keyboard magi Hiromasa Suzuki, Fumio Itabashi, and Masahiko Satoh, and guitar wizards Kazumi Watanabe and Kiyoshi Sugimoto, alongside big band maestros and innovators Nobuo Hara and his Sharps and Flats, and Toshiyuki Miyama’s New Herd. Thunderous basslines nestle alongside glistening runs of electric piano, bubbling synths and air-tight drumming as the heavy psychedelic modal blues of Jiro Inagaki flows with the infectious samba grooves of Takashi Mizuhashi featuring Herbie Hancock; Shigeharu Mukai’s fusion funk epics take the music to another level and Mikio Masuda’s driving keyboard rhythms brings the heat to an incendiary dancefloor zone.

With 7,000 words of extensive sleeve notes, J Jazz vol 4 comes in a triple 180g vinyl set inside a deluxe gatefold sleeve with obi strip plus a 4 page insert. The double CD features two bonus tracks not on the vinyl edition. Mastered at the Grammy-nominated Carvery Studio by Frank Merritt, this latest collection is a worthy successor to the preceding three volumes that have set the bar so high.

J Jazz is curated for BBE Music by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden.

Tracklist LP:

1. Exchange – Takeo Moriyama
2. The Ground For Peace – Jiro Inagaki & His Soul Media
3. Chakkiri Bushi – Nobuo Hara and his Sharps & Flats, Hozan Yamamoto
4. Trial Road – Tomoki Takahashi
5. A Muddy Muffin – Masahiko Sato
6. Samba de Negrito – Takashi Mizuhashi & Herbie Hancock
7. Scramble – Hiromasa Suzuki
9. Prelude To The Afternoon Of A Faun – Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats
10. Jones Street – Kiyoshi Sugimoto
11. By The Red Stream – Hiromasa Suzuki, Jiro Inagaki & Big Soul Media
12. Kaleidoscope (Edit) – Mickie Yoshino & Kazumi Watanabe
13. Ougi Denju-shiki – Toshiyuki Miyama and His New Herd
14. Toppu – Shigeharu Mukai
15. Mickey’s Samba – Mikio Masuda

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

Curated by Reference Point residents Mark GV Taylor and George Arthur, this 15 track compilation album features tracks the pair have played at their peripatetic, Europe wide events since 2012.

Stretching from the 1970s to the present day the Reference Point compilation spans a whole range of genres, tempos, languages and grooves where the quality of music is paramount whether $1.00 bin records or $1000 rarities.

Reference Point, 'a place to hear the music', is a truly trans-global album with music from Argentina, Brazil, Oakland, Detroit, Texas, London and more, including tracks from private press albums, from artists who have played at Reference Point events and from current
artists such as MF Robots and Caixa Cubo.

Releasing as a CD, digital and a double LP, Reference Point is another essential compilation from BBE Music and one that belongs in the collection of all collectors and lovers of great music

Tracklist:
1. Jeff Scott – Mystery of You
2. Caixa Cubo – Palavras
3. Peter Gallway – I Had a Friend
4. Bell Helium – We Don’t Have to Talk About It
5. Litto Nebbia, Los Músicos del Centro – Como Aprendi a Soportar Tus Inseguridades
6. Joe Thomas – A Place In Space
7. Crosswind – Heaven
8. Bugs Beddow – Life
9. Astronauts, etc. – I Know (Demo Version)
10. JR Quintet – Factory Rhythms
11. MF Robots – Make the Call (Extended Version)
12. April Fulladosa – For Us
13. Kirk Reed – California (Shawn Lee Mix)
14. The Ambassador College Band, The New World Singers – Smile Upon Your Brother
15. John Standefer – Easter Suite (Edit) More

BBE Music are proud to reissue one of the most elusive and sought-after Afro-Funk LPs of all time: SON OF AFRICA, by REMI KABAKA.

Now a proud 85 years of age and enjoying retirement in America, Remi was the cornerstone of British West African music in the 50s, 60s and 70s, along with Ginger Oloronso Johnson, Fela Kuti and others. But while Ginger played mambo and cha cha cha in Soho clubland and Fela released his early ‘highlife jazz’ records on the Melodisc label, Remi Kabaka was fully ensconced in the UK Rock world, playing sessions and live shows with The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood and countless others.

As the 60s became the 70s, Kabaka developed yet another string to his bow: the development of a UK based West African Funk scene, that found its genesis in the legendary Osibisa, but with an influence and an inspiration that spilled over into every contemporary Brit Funk band from Cymande and the Equals to The Average White Band, Matata and beyond.

SON OF AFRICA was originally released by Chris Blackwell’s Island records in 1976, to little acclaim, very few reviews, and with almost no promotion. African music was a hard sell when the 70s Black British record market wanted reggae first and foremost, and with Bob Marley on the books, Island understandably had other priorities at the time. The record disappeared. Until it reappeared in the early 2000s, as a £700-plus collectors’ item.

Tracklist:
1. Kabaka
2. New Reggae Funk
3. Sure Thing
4. Future of a 1000 Years
5. All Black Festival
6. Aqueba Masaaba
7. African Hustle
8. Meteorite
9. Blue Lago
10. Follow Your Needs More

Enter the realm of Illa J, the musical force shaking the foundations of the industry. His latest offering, ‘No Traffic’, is a testament to his boundless talent and versatility, showcasing his singing, production and rapping abilities on 19 tracks written and produced entirely by Illa J himself. This album marks his debut on BBE Music and a new chapter in his musical journey.

Tracklist:
1. No Traffic feat. Dank
2. Off The Tap feat. Zay Bcuz & Nicx Rhett
3. Relapse
4. Brag
5. Circus
6. Doin It
7. Not Ever feat. Harleighblu
8. Star Struck
9. Shine Your Light feat. Sam
10. Snaps
11. Get Down (Feat. Amp Fiddler)
12. Og Funk
13. Calvin Vm: Interlude
14. Showin’ Love feat. Kid Gotti
15. Good Life
16. Funny
17. Plaques feat. Maine Soul
18. Boom Bap feat. Frank Nitt
19. Mentions feat. Serious & Joz B More

Celebrating two decades of IF Music's scrupulous curation through its record shop, a thriving website, album reissues and compilations in collaboration with BBE Music, parties and radio shows, “IF Music Presents You Need This: 20 years” is a 9 track, double vinyl LP beautifully put together by Jean-Claude.

Coming, as it does, as the 9th release in the “You Need This” series of compilations curated by Jean-Claude, this album features music that ranges from 1980 (Christine Schaller's spectacular “Fidji”) to exclusive tracks from the likes of Emanative & Liz Elensky (‘Fall Into
Me’) and Tenderlonious (‘Dennison Point’) which both bring us up to the present day.

It is Jean-Claude's remarkable ear for music that, as with all the previous “You Need This” releases, creates a wonderfully coherent journey through the decades across the four sides of this masterpiece of a compilation album.

As mentioned earlier “You Need This: 20 Years” will be released as a double LP pressed on 180 gramme heavy vinyl, cut at 45rpm and on digital. Whether this starts, adds or completes your collection of Jean-Claude's “You Need This” series of compilations, “20 Years” is a
must-have and indeed, you really do need this!

Tracklist:

Tamar Osborn - "Sunday Sea Improvisation"
Christine Schaller - "Fidji"
Emanative & Liz Elensky - "Fall In To Me" (alternate version)
Atilla Engin Group - "Turkish Showbiz"
Tenderlonious - "Dennison Point"
Sylvain Kassap - "Adelie (For Lady D)"
Ola Szmidt - "We Are Not Invisible"
Greetje Bijma Kwintet - "Big Kalimba"
Sarathy Korwar - "At The Speed Of Light"
More

In association with DJ Amir‘s 180 Proof Records, BBE Music continues to bring the rarest of music to jazz heads everywhere with its latest Strata gem, Maulawi Nururdin’s Orotunds, a virtually unknown and previously unreleased album.

Although there is an element of mystery to almost all jazz musicians, few are ever quite as
enigmatic as Maulawi Nururdin. A legendary band leader and reedist to his disciples, information about Maulawi’s personal life and early years is so scarce that even his birth name remains unknown. What is known is that Maulawi was a tougher-than-nails Chicagoan by birth, inescapable mentor to others, and a virtuoso jazz musician unlike any other.

The earliest notes in Maulawi’s history begin on the south side of Chicago as a close associate of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians with AACM pioneers Muhal Richard Abrams, Fred Anderson, Billy Brimfield and Roscoe Mitchell. From the beginning, Maulawi was a self assured leader, unafraid to boot other musicians off stage, commandeer their instrument, and give them an impromptu lesson on how to play it right. An intimidating figure in his signature beret and goatee, Maulawi wasn’t a stranger to the streets, and often spent his free time driving around, hipping his protégés to real life on the Chicago south side. But it would be his reputation as a musician, and not a streetwise
bandleader, that would bring Maulawi to the doors of Strata Records.

“Maulawi could really, really play,” says percussionist Adam Rudolph, who, at 16 years old, began practicing and playing with Maulawi in the early 1970s. It was Rudolph who would introduce Maulawi to Strata’s Charles Moore, a meeting which would lead to Maulawi’s selftitled 1973 debut, the first album recorded by Strata by an artist from outside of Detroit.

True to the mysterious nature of Maulawi, even the story behind the recording of Ortunds is in dispute. They were either part of the 1973 sessions for Maulawi, recorded in a single night in Chicago, or from an unmixed session that took place in the Streeterville neighborhood at a later date. History aside, Ortunds never fails to astonish. Composed by Maulawi himself, Ortunds is an album of mostly Pop and R&B songs, all elevated by tip-toe funk tempos and Maulawi’s wildly inventive soprano saxophone. Tracks include Thom Bell and Linda Creed’s
“People Make The World Go Round,” as well as the Burt Bacharach and Hal David-penned classic, “I Say A Little Prayer.” The title track is a drum
and bass driven showcase, the perfect platform for Maulawi to strut his sublime expressionist style on the Saxophone. The album ends with a real find – a rarely heard spoken recording of Maulawi himself, introducing the players and defining the title Ortunds as “full, clearness, strength and smoothness.”

This deluxe edition of Maulawi Nururdin’s previously unknown and unreleased album has been painstakingly recovered and remastered from the original master tapes, and features cover art by GE-OLOGY (G Young).
More

Gather together beneath the sun as we journey through the rhythmic sands of time, Paul Hillery, an esteemed collector and vinyl hunter, presents his follow-up to the highly acclaimed ‘We Are The Children Of The Sun‘. Andrew Male of MOJO Magazine calls the album “One of the most emotionally uplifting and hazily beautiful compilations of recent years.”

“Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun” is a shimmering collection of rare finds, reminding us that we have more to connect us than to divide us. The music encompasses a broad range of sounds, starting in Cajun country with Will & James Ragar, their handmade acoustic guitars allowing for soaring vocals. Along with many of the tracks featured on this compilation, “As the Day Grows Tired” is reissued on vinyl for the first time.

Experience the previously unreleased cover of “Milk and Honey” featuring Kat Barnard and Greg Foat, a versatile mainstay of the UK jazz scene. Discover the first-ever vinyl release of “Kayenta Crossing” by William Eaton Ensemble, capturing the austere presence of Monument Valley. Immerse yourself in Wendy Grace’s jazz-folk masterpiece “More Than Hope” and the acoustic ambience of “Golden Hour” by Aria Rostami.

Paul Hillery and BBE present a compilation of styles and genres, fusing together to make private press wants accessible as a springboard for further listening pleasures. “Once Again We Are the Children of the Sun” is an eclectic selection mixing styles, year and tempo, painstakingly gathered and presented with a great deal of love.


Tracklist
Side 1
1. Will & James Ragar - "As The Day Grows Tired" (2:36)
2. Forest - "Crazy Days" (5:16)
3. Cunningham Corner - "Free & Easy" (5:13)
Side 2
1. Bengt Liedman - "Tight Tonight" (4:34)
2. Corill - "Soul Shadow" (4:38)
3. Varela - "Come & Take Me By The Hand" (6:12)
Side 3
1. Just Us - "Just A Thought" (4:51)
2. Mike Baumann & Thom Huntington - "Time" (4:47)
3. Darrell John - "Write Your Lucky Number" (4:09)
Side 4
1. The Freeze Band - "Going Back In Time" (5:51)
2. Godspeed - "Ice Cold" (3:10)
3. Orion - "Moonshine" (4:43)
Side 5
1. William Eaton Ensemble - "Kayenta Crossing" (5:03)
2. The Greg Foat Group - "Milk & Honey" (feat Kat Barnard) (5:08)
3. Wendy Grace - "More Than Hope" (4:18)
Side 6
1. Aria Rostami - "Golden Hour" (4:04)
2. Bugatti & Musker - "Fate" (demo) (3:24)
3. Garth Fletcher - "Peace Train" (4:14)
4. Mark Capanni - "If Life Was A Ferris Wheel" (3:21)

More

Taken from the album ‘Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit – Reimagined by Jazzanova’, BBE Music, DJ Amir and 180 Proof records present the 3rd single from this monumental project.

This release features remixes by Japanese Club Jazz pioneers Kyoto Jazz Massive, and Genre Blending New Yorkers, musclecars.

Kyoto Jazz Massive were enlisted to remix the Jazzanova reimagining of Sam Sanders’s iconic song Face at my Window. Their mix adds an intimate Jazz Club feel to vocalist Sean Haefeli’s recording, which highlights the dynamics of Sean’s voice. The subtle tempo increase maintains the feel of the original and adds a punch to the brass section, making the track an entirely new experience.

musclecars add that traditional New York / Chicago House vibe to Jazzanova’s reimagining of Kenny Cox’s ‘Beyond the dream’, and the result is a skippy afro/latin dancefloor filler which can go on forever. musclecars demonstrate their genre blending superpowers on this mix which adds a garage swing to a jazz record, definitely going to be a jam for the dancefloors in 2023.

Both remixes showcase the importance of DJ Amir’s unearthing of these strata gems, and Jazzanova’s reimagining, how they have breathed new life into one of Detroit’s hidden gems – Strata Records. They will definitely on board new audiences to the treasure trove that is Strata, and the iconic stories surrounding the often overlooked record label.

A1. Face at My Window (Kyoto Jazz Massive Remix)
A2. Face at My Window (Yoshi’s Edit)
A3. Face At My Window Jazzanova feat. Sean Haefeli

B1. Beyond the Dream (musclecars’ Reimagination)
B2. Beyond The Dream
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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.

Tracklist:

Side 1
1. Eternal Buzz Brass Band - "Sounds Good" (6:40)
2. Cesar's Salad - "Manteca" (6:50)
3. Chip Wickham - "Rebel No 23" (7" edit) (3:58)
Side 2
1. The Stance Brothers - "Roll Call" (3:56)
2. Cruisic - "Jazz Carnival" (4:39)
3. Daniel Crawford - "Water No Get Enemy" (5:38)
4. Los Po-Boy-Citos - "Fried Neckbones & Some Home Fries" (4:50)
Side 3
1. Raul Monsalve Y Los Forajidos - "Black & Decker" (4:50)
2. Clare Fischer - "African Flutes" (8:12)
3. Cheick Tidiane Seck - "Niger Mambo" (8:00)
Side 4
1. Florian Pellissier Quintet - "The Hipster" (5:30)
2. Take Vibe - "Golden Brown" (3:09)
3. Fast 3 - "Don't You Want Me?" (8:27) More

Tracklist
Side 1
1. "Sunrise" (14:41)
Side 2
1. "Watarase" (12:05)
Side 3
1. "Exchange" (20:45)
Side 4
1. "Hush-A-Bye" (10:20)
2. "Good Bye" (5:07) More