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Search Result for Genre JAZZ
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2CD
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BF 024CD
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$19.50
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RELEASE DATE: 6/18/2021
In 1968, Don Cherry had already established himself as one of the leading voices of the avant-garde. Having pioneered free jazz as a member of Ornette Coleman's classic quartet, and with a high-profile collaboration with John Coltrane under his belt, the globetrotting jazz trumpeter settled in Sweden with his partner Moki and her daughter Neneh. There, he assembled a group of Swedish musicians and led a series of weekly workshops at the ABF, or Workers' Educational Association, from February to April of 1968, with lessons on extended forms of improvisation including breathing, drones, Turkish rhythms, overtones, silence, natural voices, and Indian scales. That summer, saxophonist and recording engineer Göran Freese invited Don, members of his two working bands, and a Turkish drummer to his summer house in Kummelnäs, just outside of Stockholm, for a series of rehearsals and jam sessions. Long relegated to the status of a mysterious footnote in Don's session-ography, tapes from this session, as well as one professionally mixed tape intended for release, were recently found in the vaults of the Swedish Jazz Archive, and the lost Summer House Sessions are finally available over fifty years after they were recorded. On July 20, the musicians gathered at Freese's summer house included Bernt Rosengren (tenor saxophone, flutes, clarinet), Tommy Koverhult (tenor saxophone, flutes), Leif Wennerström (drums), and Torbjörn Hultcrantz (bass) from Don's Swedish group; Jacques Thollot (drums) and Kent Carter (bass) from his newly formed international band New York Total Music Company; Bülent Ateş (hand drum, drums), who was visiting from Turkey; and Don (pocket trumpet, flutes, percussion) himself. Lacking a common language, the players used music as their common means of communication. In this way, these frenetic and freewheeling sessions anticipate Don's turn to more explicitly pan-ethnic expression, preceding his epochal Eternal Rhythm dates by four months. The octet, comprising musicians from America, France, Sweden, and Turkey, was a perfect vehicle for Don's budding pursuit of "collage music," a concept inspired by the shortwave radio on which Don listened to sounds from around the world. Using the collage metaphor, Don eliminated solos and the introduction of tunes, transforming a wealth of melodies, sounds, and rhythms into poetic suites of different moods and changing forms. The Summer House Sessions ensemble joyously layers manifold cultural idioms, traversing the airy peaks and serene valleys of Cherry's earthly vision. The double-CD version includes a bonus CD with a track featuring Jacques Thollot joined by Lindqvist, Tommy Koverhult, Sune Spångberg, and others.
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LP
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BF 024LP
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$27.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 6/18/2021
LP version. In 1968, Don Cherry had already established himself as one of the leading voices of the avant-garde. Having pioneered free jazz as a member of Ornette Coleman's classic quartet, and with a high-profile collaboration with John Coltrane under his belt, the globetrotting jazz trumpeter settled in Sweden with his partner Moki and her daughter Neneh. There, he assembled a group of Swedish musicians and led a series of weekly workshops at the ABF, or Workers' Educational Association, from February to April of 1968, with lessons on extended forms of improvisation including breathing, drones, Turkish rhythms, overtones, silence, natural voices, and Indian scales. That summer, saxophonist and recording engineer Göran Freese invited Don, members of his two working bands, and a Turkish drummer to his summer house in Kummelnäs, just outside of Stockholm, for a series of rehearsals and jam sessions. Long relegated to the status of a mysterious footnote in Don's session-ography, tapes from this session, as well as one professionally mixed tape intended for release, were recently found in the vaults of the Swedish Jazz Archive, and the lost Summer House Sessions are finally available over fifty years after they were recorded. On July 20, the musicians gathered at Freese's summer house included Bernt Rosengren (tenor saxophone, flutes, clarinet), Tommy Koverhult (tenor saxophone, flutes), Leif Wennerström (drums), and Torbjörn Hultcrantz (bass) from Don's Swedish group; Jacques Thollot (drums) and Kent Carter (bass) from his newly formed international band New York Total Music Company; Bülent Ateş (hand drum, drums), who was visiting from Turkey; and Don (pocket trumpet, flutes, percussion) himself. Lacking a common language, the players used music as their common means of communication. In this way, these frenetic and freewheeling sessions anticipate Don's turn to more explicitly pan-ethnic expression, preceding his epochal Eternal Rhythm dates by four months. The octet, comprising musicians from America, France, Sweden, and Turkey, was a perfect vehicle for Don's budding pursuit of "collage music," a concept inspired by the shortwave radio on which Don listened to sounds from around the world. Using the collage metaphor, Don eliminated solos and the introduction of tunes, transforming a wealth of melodies, sounds, and rhythms into poetic suites of different moods and changing forms. The Summer House Sessions ensemble joyously layers manifold cultural idioms, traversing the airy peaks and serene valleys of Cherry's earthly vision. The double-CD version includes a bonus CD with a track featuring Jacques Thollot joined by Lindqvist, Tommy Koverhult, Sune Spångberg, and others.
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2CD
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BF 023CD
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$19.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 6/18/2021
In the late 1960s, the American trumpet player and free jazz pioneer Don Cherry (1936-1995) and the Swedish visual artist and designer Moki Cherry (1943-2009) began a collaboration that imagined an alternative space for creative music, most succinctly expressed in Moki's aphorism "the stage is home and home is a stage." By 1972, they had given name to a concept that united Don's music, Moki's art, and their family life in rural Tagårp, Sweden into one holistic entity: Organic Music Theatre. Captured here is the historic first Organic Music Theatre performance from the 1972 Festival de jazz de Chateauvallon in the South of France, mastered from tapes recorded during its original live broadcast on public TV. A life-affirming, multicultural patchwork of borrowed tunes suffused with the hallowed aura of Don's extensive global travels, the performance documents the moment he publicly jettisoned his identity as a jazz musician. The five-person band -- Don and Moki Cherry, Christer Bothén, Gérard "Doudou" Gouirand, and Naná Vasconcelos -- performed in an outdoor amphitheater and were joined onstage by a dozen adults and children, including Swedish friends who tagged along for the trip and Det Lilla Circus (The Little Circus), a Danish puppet troupe based in Christiania, Copenhagen. The platform was lined with Moki's carpets and her handmade, brightly colored tapestries, depicting Indian scales and bearing the words Organic Music Theatre, dressed the stage. As the musicians played, members of Det Lilla, led by Annie Hedvard, danced, sang, and mounted an improvised puppet show on poles high up in the air. In a fairly unprecedented move, Don abandoned his signature pocket trumpet for the piano and harmonium, thereby liberating his voice as an instrument for shamanic guidance. The show opens with him beckoning the audience to clap their hands and sing the Indian theta "Dha Dhin Na, Dha Tin Na," and the set cycles through uplifting and sacred tunes of Malian, South African, Brazilian, and Native American provenance -- including pieces that would later appear on Don's albums Organic Music Society and Home Boy (Sister Out) -- all punctuated by outbursts of possessed glossolalia from the puppeteers. "Relativity Suite, Part 1" notably spotlights Bothén on donso ngoni, a Malian hunter's guitar, prior to Vasconcelos taking an extended solo on berimbau. A vortex of wah-like microtonal rattling, Vasconcelos's masterful demonstration of this single-stringed Brazilian instrument is a harbinger of his work to come as a member, with Don, of the acclaimed group Codona.
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2LP
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BF 023LP
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$32.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 6/18/2021
Double LP version. In the late 1960s, the American trumpet player and free jazz pioneer Don Cherry (1936-1995) and the Swedish visual artist and designer Moki Cherry (1943-2009) began a collaboration that imagined an alternative space for creative music, most succinctly expressed in Moki's aphorism "the stage is home and home is a stage." By 1972, they had given name to a concept that united Don's music, Moki's art, and their family life in rural Tagårp, Sweden into one holistic entity: Organic Music Theatre. Captured here is the historic first Organic Music Theatre performance from the 1972 Festival de jazz de Chateauvallon in the South of France, mastered from tapes recorded during its original live broadcast on public TV. A life-affirming, multicultural patchwork of borrowed tunes suffused with the hallowed aura of Don's extensive global travels, the performance documents the moment he publicly jettisoned his identity as a jazz musician. The five-person band -- Don and Moki Cherry, Christer Bothén, Gérard "Doudou" Gouirand, and Naná Vasconcelos -- performed in an outdoor amphitheater and were joined onstage by a dozen adults and children, including Swedish friends who tagged along for the trip and Det Lilla Circus (The Little Circus), a Danish puppet troupe based in Christiania, Copenhagen. The platform was lined with Moki's carpets and her handmade, brightly colored tapestries, depicting Indian scales and bearing the words Organic Music Theatre, dressed the stage. As the musicians played, members of Det Lilla, led by Annie Hedvard, danced, sang, and mounted an improvised puppet show on poles high up in the air. In a fairly unprecedented move, Don abandoned his signature pocket trumpet for the piano and harmonium, thereby liberating his voice as an instrument for shamanic guidance. The show opens with him beckoning the audience to clap their hands and sing the Indian theta "Dha Dhin Na, Dha Tin Na," and the set cycles through uplifting and sacred tunes of Malian, South African, Brazilian, and Native American provenance -- including pieces that would later appear on Don's albums Organic Music Society and Home Boy (Sister Out) -- all punctuated by outbursts of possessed glossolalia from the puppeteers. "Relativity Suite, Part 1" notably spotlights Bothén on donso ngoni, a Malian hunter's guitar, prior to Vasconcelos taking an extended solo on berimbau. A vortex of wah-like microtonal rattling, Vasconcelos's masterful demonstration of this single-stringed Brazilian instrument is a harbinger of his work to come as a member, with Don, of the acclaimed group Codona.
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LP
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WELLE 107LP
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$25.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 6/11/2021
Billy Harper is one of the great tenor saxophonists in the post-Coltrane mold. Originally from Houston, TX and with a degree from the venerable University of North Texas College of Music, Harper emerged on the New York City jazz scene in the late 1960s performing with Art Blakey, Max Roach, Lee Morgan, and others. Known for his soulful and propulsive tone, Harper was already a highly regarded and prolific session man before the release of his debut album as a leader on the cult favorite Strata-East label in 1973. Recorded in 1975, Black Saint was the second album for Billy Harper as bandleader and is the most acclaimed and fully realized of his long career. The inaugural release of the Italian label Black Saint -- to which the album lent its name -- is comprised entirely of Harper compositions; the peaceful and subdued opener "Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance!," the swinging and fiery "Croquet Ballet" and the side-long epic "Call Of The Wild And Peaceful Heart." Harper's group features trumpeter Virgil Jones -- a graduate of Roland Kirk's mid-60s groups and session player for McCoy Tyner, Charles Tolliver, and others -- along with Joe Bonner on piano, David Friesen on bass, and Malcom Pinson on drums. Black Saint is too melodic and swinging to be free jazz but too forward-thinking to be described as modal post-bop; Harper's advanced compositional sense and galvanic tenor work make this an album of pure fire music. This is a beautiful album back into print on its original format for the first time in over 40 years.
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CD
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ZORN 074CD
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$20.00
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RELEASE DATE: 5/14/2021
Rich in musical associations yet utterly singular in its voice, joyous with an inner tranquility, the music of Natural Information Society is unlike any other being made today. Their sixth album in eleven years for eremite records, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is the first to be recorded live, featuring a set from London's Cafe OTO with veteran English free-improv great Evan Parker, & the first to feature just one extended composition. The 75-minute performance, inspired by the galvanizing presence of Parker, is a sustained bacchanalia of collective ecstasy. You could call it their party album.
This was the second time Parker played with NIS. Joshua Abrams: "Both times we played compositions with Evan in mind. I don't tell Evan anything. He's a free agent."
The music is focused & malleable, energized & even-keeled, drawing on concepts of ensemble playing common to musics from many locations & eras without any one specific aesthetic realization completely defining it.
"The rhythms that Mikel plays are not an exact reference to Chicago house, but that's in there," Abrams says. "I like to take a cyclic view of music history, can we take that four-on-the-floor, & consider how it connects to swing-era music? Can we articulate a through line? I dee-jayed for years in Chicago & lessons I learned from playing records for dancing inform how I think about the group's music. The listener can make connections to aspects of soul music, electronic music, minimalism, traditional folk musics, & other musics of the diaspora as well. It's about these aspects coming together. I don't need to mimic something, I need to embody it to get to the spirit, to get to the living thing."
For jazz fans, the sound of Parker's soprano & Jason Stein's bass clarinet might evoke Coltrane & Dolphy, even though they didn't necessarily set out to do that & they play with complete individuality. Abrams sees a bridge to the historical precedent, too. "Since we first met in the 1990s, one of the things that Evan and I connected on was Coltrane's music," he says. "I hoped that we would tap into that sound world intuitively. In this case, I think that level of evocation adds another layer of depth, versus a layer of reference."
Indeed, this is a performance in which the connections among the ensemble & the creative tension between improvisation and composition build into a complex mesh of associations & interactions. While the band confines itself to the territory mapped out by Abrams' composition, they are remarkably attentive & responsive, making adjustments to Parker's improvisations. When Parker's intricate patterns of notes interweave with the band, the parts reinforce one another & the music rockets upward. Sometimes, Parker's lines are cradled by the group's gentle pulse & an unearthly lyrical balance is struck.
Drummer Mikel Patrick Avery is locked-in, playing with hellacious long-form discipline, feel & responsiveness. Jason Stein's animated, vocalized bass clarinet weaves in & out with Lisa Alvarado's harmonium to state the piece's thematic material; the pulsing tremolo on the harmonium brings a Spacemen 3 vibe to the party. Abrams ties together melody & rhythm on guimbri, a presence that leads without seeming to. Like his bandmates, he shifts modes of playing frequently, improvising & then returning to the composed structure.
"As specific as the composition is, the goal is to internalize it & mix it up," Abrams says. "The idea is to get so comfortable that we can make spontaneous changes, find new routes of activity, stasis & byways every gig. It's like a web we're spinning. If someone makes a move, we all aim to be aware of it, make room for it. Experiencing & listening is what it's about, & Evan supercharges that."
& "supercharged" is the word for this album. With Parker further opening up their music, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is the sound of Natural Information Society growing both more disciplined and freer, one of the great bands of its time on a deep run.
Mastered by Helge Sten, Audio Virus, Oslo. Lacquers by Dubplates & Mastering. Liner Notes by Theaster Gates.
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NAKED 022LP
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$17.50
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RELEASE DATE: 5/14/2021
One more step into the eclectic world of Krzystof Komeda. This is the second Naked Lunch release dedicated to the music of the great late Polish pianist and film music composer. An outstanding compilation based on Komeda's early production featuring a variety of live and radio recordings between 1957 and 1962. Four different line ups including the Komeda trio, quartet and sextet, plus another quartet shared with tenor sax player Bernt Rosengren. A bunch of true pioneers for Jazz in Eastern Europe searching for the perfect synthesis between the American stylistic influence and a distinctive Slavic lyricism.
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LP
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SDBANU 019LP
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$25.00
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RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021
LP version. White/blue marbled vinyl. Gent three-piece Steiger are set to release new album, The New Lady Llama via groove-obsessed label Sdban Ultra. A 21st century piano trio who continue to exemplify the spirit of exploration in their sound, if the critically acclaimed albums And Above All (2017) and Give Space (SDBANU 007CD/LP, 2018) prove anything, is that Steiger is not just a band, but a continuous work-in-progress. On The New Lady Llama, Gilles Vandecaveye-Pinoy (keyboards), Kobe Boon (bass), and Simon Raman (drums) eagerly explore the outer margins of jazz and dive into other universes (contemporary music, electronica, pop, free improvisation), yet remain faithful to the genre's long-standing core principle; that of a flexible transformation. Winners of the 2017 Gent Jazz Festivals' Jazztalent award, Steiger were one of twelve acts asked to perform at the prestigious 12 Points Festival in Dublin in 2018 and recent residencies at Vooruit (Ghent), Flagey (Brussels) and deSingel (Antwerp) have allowed the band the opportunity to incorporate new ideas into the music including prepared piano, harpsichord, and synths. Collaborating with Australian contemporary electronic and avant garde composer Joe Talia (Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke), Talia was granted the freedom to remodel/remix the material that the band designed during their residencies. The end result: an electro-acoustic exploration that blurs boundaries. The New Lady Llama is the next step in Steiger's fascinating evolution as the trio continue its path of renewal and enterprise. Tracks like new single "Lambda" display a stronger emphasis on sound exploration. Steiger are not afraid to experiment with off-kilter sounds and atmospheres as they seek to explore unfamiliar territory. Striking is also the increased use of contrasts. The music keeps construction and deconstruction, form and abstraction, in a remarkable balance. "Just A Rite" for example is full of rapid twists and turns taking something straightforward and turning it on its head with stunning results. Elsewhere, "Sun Dog" and "Absolution of a French Fry" muddy the confines of the organic and the electronic resulting in something deeply cohesive and compelling.
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FARO 222LP
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$23.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021
LP version. First of two LPs. Far Out Recordings present Mora! and Mora! II. Mexican-American percussionist and former member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Francisco Mora Catlett originally recorded and released his debut solo LP as a private press in 1987, but the sequel he recorded over the course of the next few years was shelved for decades to follow. A pan-American melting pot of hypnotic Afro-Cuban rhythms, frenetic batucadas, and fiery sambas, Mora! I & II are holy grails of Latin jazz, masterminded by an unsung hero of the genre. Mora grew up in Mexico City where he began working as a session musician for Capitol Records in 1968, before moving to study at Berklee Music College in Boston, MA in 1970. He very briefly returned to Mexico City with the best intentions of cultivating an avant-garde movement in the city, but when the Sun Ra Arkestra came to perform, Mora ended up leaving with the band to tour. Settling in Detroit, Francisco set to work on his self-titled debut, gathering an ensemble of musicians including keyboardist Kenny Cox, founder of the legendary Strata Records, bassist Rodney Whitaker (Roy Hargrove Quintet) and percussionists Jerome Le Duff, Alberto Nacif, and Emile Borde. The album openly embraces and unites the broad spectrum of improvisation, rhythm, and jazz that has thrived throughout the American continents for centuries. In Mora's own words the album intended to "manifest the African heritage presence in the American continent." Epitomizing this outlook, album opener "Afra Jum" deploys a melody based on Haitian, African, and Native American motifs, which is expanded upon by the soulful excellence of the Detroit veterans Cox and Whitaker, amidst a backdrop of Afro-Cuban inspired percussion. The sequel Mora! II was recorded shortly after with an expanded line-up that included trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave, famed for his work with Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, and others. Continuing the concept of the first album, the follow up moves deeper into South America with the samba jazz dance belter "Amazona", led by the rich vocals of Francisco's wife Teresa Mora. The "Afra Jum" concept is further explored, with the original motifs beefed up by the additional horns, and interspersions of Sun Ra inspired rumbling free improvisations. This follow up album remained shelved until 2005, when Mora put it out as a now obscure CD titled River Drum.
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CD
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FARO 222CD
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$15.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021
Far Out Recordings present Mora! and Mora! II. Mexican-American percussionist and former member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Francisco Mora Catlett originally recorded and released his debut solo LP as a private press in 1987, but the sequel he recorded over the course of the next few years was shelved for decades to follow. A pan-American melting pot of hypnotic Afro-Cuban rhythms, frenetic batucadas, and fiery sambas, Mora! I & II are holy grails of Latin jazz, masterminded by an unsung hero of the genre. Mora grew up in Mexico City where he began working as a session musician for Capitol Records in 1968, before moving to study at Berklee Music College in Boston, MA in 1970. He very briefly returned to Mexico City with the best intentions of cultivating an avant-garde movement in the city, but when the Sun Ra Arkestra came to perform, Mora ended up leaving with the band to tour. Settling in Detroit, Francisco set to work on his self-titled debut, gathering an ensemble of musicians including keyboardist Kenny Cox, founder of the legendary Strata Records, bassist Rodney Whitaker (Roy Hargrove Quintet) and percussionists Jerome Le Duff, Alberto Nacif, and Emile Borde. The album openly embraces and unites the broad spectrum of improvisation, rhythm, and jazz that has thrived throughout the American continents for centuries. In Mora's own words the album intended to "manifest the African heritage presence in the American continent." Epitomizing this outlook, album opener "Afra Jum" deploys a melody based on Haitian, African, and Native American motifs, which is expanded upon by the soulful excellence of the Detroit veterans Cox and Whitaker, amidst a backdrop of Afro-Cuban inspired percussion. The sequel Mora! II was recorded shortly after with an expanded line-up that included trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave, famed for his work with Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, and others. Continuing the concept of the first album, the follow up moves deeper into South America with the samba jazz dance belter "Amazona", led by the rich vocals of Francisco's wife Teresa Mora. The "Afra Jum" concept is further explored, with the original motifs beefed up by the additional horns, and interspersions of Sun Ra inspired rumbling free improvisations. This follow up album remained shelved until 2005, when Mora put it out as a now obscure CD titled River Drum.
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SDBANU 019CD
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$15.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021
Gent three-piece Steiger are set to release new album, The New Lady Llama via groove-obsessed label Sdban Ultra. A 21st century piano trio who continue to exemplify the spirit of exploration in their sound, if the critically acclaimed albums And Above All (2017) and Give Space (SDBANU 007CD/LP, 2018) prove anything, is that Steiger is not just a band, but a continuous work-in-progress. On The New Lady Llama, Gilles Vandecaveye-Pinoy (keyboards), Kobe Boon (bass), and Simon Raman (drums) eagerly explore the outer margins of jazz and dive into other universes (contemporary music, electronica, pop, free improvisation), yet remain faithful to the genre's long-standing core principle; that of a flexible transformation. Winners of the 2017 Gent Jazz Festivals' Jazztalent award, Steiger were one of twelve acts asked to perform at the prestigious 12 Points Festival in Dublin in 2018 and recent residencies at Vooruit (Ghent), Flagey (Brussels) and deSingel (Antwerp) have allowed the band the opportunity to incorporate new ideas into the music including prepared piano, harpsichord, and synths. Collaborating with Australian contemporary electronic and avant garde composer Joe Talia (Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke), Talia was granted the freedom to remodel/remix the material that the band designed during their residencies. The end result: an electro-acoustic exploration that blurs boundaries. The New Lady Llama is the next step in Steiger's fascinating evolution as the trio continue its path of renewal and enterprise. Tracks like new single "Lambda" display a stronger emphasis on sound exploration. Steiger are not afraid to experiment with off-kilter sounds and atmospheres as they seek to explore unfamiliar territory. Striking is also the increased use of contrasts. The music keeps construction and deconstruction, form and abstraction, in a remarkable balance. "Just A Rite" for example is full of rapid twists and turns taking something straightforward and turning it on its head with stunning results. Elsewhere, "Sun Dog" and "Absolution of a French Fry" muddy the confines of the organic and the electronic resulting in something deeply cohesive and compelling.
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LP
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FARO 223LP
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$23.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/30/2021
LP version. Second on two LPs. Far Out Recordings present Mora! and Mora! II. Mexican-American percussionist and former member of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Francisco Mora Catlett originally recorded and released his debut solo LP as a private press in 1987, but the sequel he recorded over the course of the next few years was shelved for decades to follow. A pan-American melting pot of hypnotic Afro-Cuban rhythms, frenetic batucadas, and fiery sambas, Mora! I & II are holy grails of Latin jazz, masterminded by an unsung hero of the genre. Mora grew up in Mexico City where he began working as a session musician for Capitol Records in 1968, before moving to study at Berklee Music College in Boston, MA in 1970. He very briefly returned to Mexico City with the best intentions of cultivating an avant-garde movement in the city, but when the Sun Ra Arkestra came to perform, Mora ended up leaving with the band to tour. Settling in Detroit, Francisco set to work on his self-titled debut, gathering an ensemble of musicians including keyboardist Kenny Cox, founder of the legendary Strata Records, bassist Rodney Whitaker (Roy Hargrove Quintet) and percussionists Jerome Le Duff, Alberto Nacif, and Emile Borde. The album openly embraces and unites the broad spectrum of improvisation, rhythm, and jazz that has thrived throughout the American continents for centuries. In Mora's own words the album intended to "manifest the African heritage presence in the American continent." Epitomizing this outlook, album opener "Afra Jum" deploys a melody based on Haitian, African, and Native American motifs, which is expanded upon by the soulful excellence of the Detroit veterans Cox and Whitaker, amidst a backdrop of Afro-Cuban inspired percussion. The sequel Mora! II was recorded shortly after with an expanded line-up that included trumpet legend Marcus Belgrave, famed for his work with Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, and others. Continuing the concept of the first album, the follow up moves deeper into South America with the samba jazz dance belter "Amazona", led by the rich vocals of Francisco's wife Teresa Mora. The "Afra Jum" concept is further explored, with the original motifs beefed up by the additional horns, and interspersions of Sun Ra inspired rumbling free improvisations. This follow up album remained shelved until 2005, when Mora put it out as a now obscure CD titled River Drum.
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RCD 2220CD
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$14.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/23/2021
Still only 29 years old when composing and recording this album, Kjetil Mulelid is one of the brightest talents in Norwegian jazz, and these days that really says something. In Kjetil's childhood home they had a subscription for a Classical Masterpieces CD collection. One that especially caught his attention, and would be played repeatedly, included the most melodic piano music of Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy. At the same time his elder brother introduced him to "old" rock like Led Zeppelin and Queen, winning him over and getting him interested in the guitar rather than the piano. When he later applied to music education in high school with electric guitar as his main instrument, the teachers asked if he played other instruments. He duly played a song on the piano, and heard nothing more of it. Months later, thinking he was enrolled as a guitarist, he was (to his horror) introduced to the class as a pianist. A classically trained piano teacher played him some gospel and boogie woogie and introduced him to some simple pentatonic hooks on a C major blues. He hadn't really touched the piano in a very long time, but the same night he started experimenting and improvising around what she had shown him, and from that moment he was all into the piano and would dig further into improvisation and jazz. Kjetil was skeptical when Rune Grammofon first suggested a solo piano record back in early 2018, but the idea slowly grew on him and when the pandemic exploded and other plans had to be scrapped, he suddenly had the time as well as the means to do it. So, the bulk of the album was written in a hectic lockdown period and recorded on a steaming hot June day in the legendary Athletic Sound studio on their unique and characteristic Bösendorfer grand piano from 1919. Of the piano Kjetil says the sound is one of a kind, very clear and not typically "perfect" like most new ones. Very well recorded and mixed, it gives you the impression that you are sitting next to him and not in a concert hall. In turn joyful, playful and elegant, the album fully shows Kjetil's harmonic and melodic mastery and the influence from those early introductions to the classical masters. Whether staying with the tune or taking off on improvised flights, there is an ease and assurance in his playing that betrays his young age.
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JMAN 125CD
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$14.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/23/2021
Taking cues from Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane at their most delicate, renowned Welsh harpist Amanda Whiting's mesmerizing Jazzman full-length After Dark arrives as soft as moonlight to gladden the soul and delight the ear -- without forgetting to bring the swing. Summoning the nocturnal mood suggested by the album's title, Whiting's harp flows and cascades, dances and alights, broods and haunts, informed by a deep understanding of both classical and jazz music, ultimately revealing a top-drawer composer with rare melodic gifts at the top of her game. From the melancholy opening track "Time Stands Still" to the more rhythmically unorthodox "Who Knows" to the achingly beautiful title track, the album is underpinned by a supportive band, John Reynolds on drums and Aidan Thorne on bass, who are perfectly suited to engage in an effortless, intimate musical dialogue. Already an inveterate international jazz festival performer with Matthew Halsall's Gondwana Orchestra, Whiting has supported and performed with a diverse range of DJs and jazz and pop artists including Jamie Cullum, DJ Yoda, Rebecca Vasmant, True Jazzchild, Danii Minogue, Jazzanova, and Chip Wickham (who features on three tracks on After Dark, adding a touch of the graceful warmth for which he has been so justly acclaimed). And as jazz harp teacher at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and RNCM, Amanda is as warmly received in the lecture hall as the concert hall. Be sure to expect more from Amanda in the not-too distant future.
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PFM 116LP
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$20.00
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RELEASE DATE: 4/23/2021
Pleasure For Music present a reissue of spoken-word artist Ken Nordine's was 1957 album, Word Jazz. His debut album is strongly influenced by jazz. A highly eclectic mix of smooth voice narration, sort of zen-beatnik texts, and west coast jazz arrangements as results of a fruitful collaboration with cellist Fred Katz group featuring the likes of Paul Horn on sax, flute and clarinet, and Chico Hamilton on drums and percussion. Still an innovative piece of work between spoken word, poetry, and jazz.
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LP
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JMAN 125LP
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$25.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/23/2021
LP version. 180 gram vinyl; tip-on sleeve. Taking cues from Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane at their most delicate, renowned Welsh harpist Amanda Whiting's mesmerizing Jazzman full-length After Dark arrives as soft as moonlight to gladden the soul and delight the ear -- without forgetting to bring the swing. Summoning the nocturnal mood suggested by the album's title, Whiting's harp flows and cascades, dances and alights, broods and haunts, informed by a deep understanding of both classical and jazz music, ultimately revealing a top-drawer composer with rare melodic gifts at the top of her game. From the melancholy opening track "Time Stands Still" to the more rhythmically unorthodox "Who Knows" to the achingly beautiful title track, the album is underpinned by a supportive band, John Reynolds on drums and Aidan Thorne on bass, who are perfectly suited to engage in an effortless, intimate musical dialogue. Already an inveterate international jazz festival performer with Matthew Halsall's Gondwana Orchestra, Whiting has supported and performed with a diverse range of DJs and jazz and pop artists including Jamie Cullum, DJ Yoda, Rebecca Vasmant, True Jazzchild, Danii Minogue, Jazzanova, and Chip Wickham (who features on three tracks on After Dark, adding a touch of the graceful warmth for which he has been so justly acclaimed). And as jazz harp teacher at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and RNCM, Amanda is as warmly received in the lecture hall as the concert hall. Be sure to expect more from Amanda in the not-too distant future.
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LP
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RLP 3220LP
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$26.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/23/2021
LP version. Still only 29 years old when composing and recording this album, Kjetil Mulelid is one of the brightest talents in Norwegian jazz, and these days that really says something. In Kjetil's childhood home they had a subscription for a Classical Masterpieces CD collection. One that especially caught his attention, and would be played repeatedly, included the most melodic piano music of Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy. At the same time his elder brother introduced him to "old" rock like Led Zeppelin and Queen, winning him over and getting him interested in the guitar rather than the piano. When he later applied to music education in high school with electric guitar as his main instrument, the teachers asked if he played other instruments. He duly played a song on the piano, and heard nothing more of it. Months later, thinking he was enrolled as a guitarist, he was (to his horror) introduced to the class as a pianist. A classically trained piano teacher played him some gospel and boogie woogie and introduced him to some simple pentatonic hooks on a C major blues. He hadn't really touched the piano in a very long time, but the same night he started experimenting and improvising around what she had shown him, and from that moment he was all into the piano and would dig further into improvisation and jazz. Kjetil was skeptical when Rune Grammofon first suggested a solo piano record back in early 2018, but the idea slowly grew on him and when the pandemic exploded and other plans had to be scrapped, he suddenly had the time as well as the means to do it. So, the bulk of the album was written in a hectic lockdown period and recorded on a steaming hot June day in the legendary Athletic Sound studio on their unique and characteristic Bösendorfer grand piano from 1919. Of the piano Kjetil says the sound is one of a kind, very clear and not typically "perfect" like most new ones. Very well recorded and mixed, it gives you the impression that you are sitting next to him and not in a concert hall. In turn joyful, playful and elegant, the album fully shows Kjetil's harmonic and melodic mastery and the influence from those early introductions to the classical masters. Whether staying with the tune or taking off on improvised flights, there is an ease and assurance in his playing that betrays his young age.
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HONEY 017LP
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$19.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
Honey Pie Records present a reissue of American jazz/blues vocalist Lorez Alexandria's For Swingers Only, originally released by the Argo label in 1963. The opener "Baltimore Oriole" is still considered a rare-groove forerunner. Personnel on this session include: Lorez Alexandria (vocals), Ronald Wilson (tenor saxophone, flute), John Young (piano, arranger), George Eskridge (guitar), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Phil Thomas (drums).
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LP
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LPWEIN 011LP
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$27.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
LP version. "Every now and then I meet a bull who announces itself with its horns ('Le Corna'). But it doesn't scare me, it moves and dances, it runs away. Archery ('Tiro') is its favourite ('Rito') hobby, and my bull likes tea. It always eats round roti ('Chapati') together with its bull ('tori') friends who all have bristling hair like hedgehogs and succulent plants. My bull keeps different things in the vegetable gardens ('Orti') and in the wineskins ('Otri'). Then there is the tail ('la coda'), and it is always the last thing I see." Personnel: Giancarlo nino Locatelli - Bb clarinet, Alto clarinet on "Otri" and "Itro (Take1) - La Coda"; Andrea Grossi - double bass; Cristiano Calcagnile - drums, percussion.
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2LP
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MTE 074-75LP
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$38.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
Rich in musical associations yet utterly singular in its voice, joyous with an inner tranquility, the music of Natural Information Society is unlike any other being made today. Their sixth album in eleven years for eremite records, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is the first to be recorded live, featuring a set from London's Cafe OTO with veteran English free-improv great Evan Parker, & the first to feature just one extended composition. The 75-minute performance, inspired by the galvanizing presence of Parker, is a sustained bacchanalia of collective ecstasy. You could call it their party album.
This was the second time Parker played with NIS. Joshua Abrams: "Both times we played compositions with Evan in mind. I don't tell Evan anything. He's a free agent."
The music is focused & malleable, energized & even-keeled, drawing on concepts of ensemble playing common to musics from many locations & eras without any one specific aesthetic realization completely defining it.
"The rhythms that Mikel plays are not an exact reference to Chicago house, but that's in there," Abrams says. "I like to take a cyclic view of music history, can we take that four-on-the-floor, & consider how it connects to swing-era music? Can we articulate a through line? I dee-jayed for years in Chicago & lessons I learned from playing records for dancing inform how I think about the group's music. The listener can make connections to aspects of soul music, electronic music, minimalism, traditional folk musics, & other musics of the diaspora as well. It's about these aspects coming together. I don't need to mimic something, I need to embody it to get to the spirit, to get to the living thing."
For jazz fans, the sound of Parker's soprano & Jason Stein's bass clarinet might evoke Coltrane & Dolphy, even though they didn't necessarily set out to do that & they play with complete individuality. Abrams sees a bridge to the historical precedent, too. "Since we first met in the 1990s, one of the things that Evan and I connected on was Coltrane's music," he says. "I hoped that we would tap into that sound world intuitively. In this case, I think that level of evocation adds another layer of depth, versus a layer of reference."
Indeed, this is a performance in which the connections among the ensemble & the creative tension between improvisation and composition build into a complex mesh of associations & interactions. While the band confines itself to the territory mapped out by Abrams' composition, they are remarkably attentive & responsive, making adjustments to Parker's improvisations. When Parker's intricate patterns of notes interweave with the band, the parts reinforce one another & the music rockets upward. Sometimes, Parker's lines are cradled by the group's gentle pulse & an unearthly lyrical balance is struck.
Drummer Mikel Patrick Avery is locked-in, playing with hellacious long-form discipline, feel & responsiveness. Jason Stein's animated, vocalized bass clarinet weaves in & out with Lisa Alvarado's harmonium to state the piece's thematic material; the pulsing tremolo on the harmonium brings a Spacemen 3 vibe to the party. Abrams ties together melody & rhythm on guimbri, a presence that leads without seeming to. Like his bandmates, he shifts modes of playing frequently, improvising & then returning to the composed structure.
"As specific as the composition is, the goal is to internalize it & mix it up," Abrams says. "The idea is to get so comfortable that we can make spontaneous changes, find new routes of activity, stasis & byways every gig. It's like a web we're spinning. If someone makes a move, we all aim to be aware of it, make room for it. Experiencing & listening is what it's about, & Evan supercharges that."
& "supercharged" is the word for this album. With Parker further opening up their music, descension (Out of Our Constrictions) is the sound of Natural Information Society growing both more disciplined and freer, one of the great bands of its time on a deep run.
Mastered by Helge Sten, Audio Virus, Oslo. Lacquers by Kevin Gray, Cohearent Audio, So Cal. Liner Notes by Theaster Gates. LPs pressed on premium audiophile-quality vinyl at RTI.
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SOW 005LP
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$23.00
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RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
Sowing Records present a reissue of Dorothy Ashby's debut album, The Jazz Harpist, originally released in 1957 by the Regent label. Recognized as the woman who gave the harp a jazz voice, here, Ashby is at the head of a highly distinctive combo featuring Frank Wess on flute, Eddie Jones or Wendell Marshall on bass and master Ed Thigpen on drums. The Jazz Harpist is an unprecedented mix of evocative classic sounds and jazz soul, awarded by AllMusic as her first and best album, period! Clear vinyl; edition of 300.
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LP
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ESPDISK 5055LP
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$23.00
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RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
OPTO S formed in early 2018 in Brooklyn, but the genesis was almost ten years in the making. Argelis Liriano (The Boonies, Last Ones, Ghost Beaters) and Diana K (Hamish Kilgour Band, Giggle The Ozone, Ghost Beaters) befriended each other at Brooklyn basement psych-punk shows and had already been jamming for eight years within the confines of various rehearsal spaces when Diana responded to a social media post by Charles Dodson (Pelvi$$, Ghost Beaters) putting out feelers for a synth-driven new band that would draw on influences such as Sun Ra, Suicide, Oneida, and Silver Apples, to name a few. Charles and Diana had met separately through shows, and all three later determined they had been to many of the same shows, whether they knew each other or not at the time. They found that they were all native New Yorkers. The chemistry was instantaneous and the first few shows were booked within months. Credits: Argelis Liriano - bass, vocals; Charles Dodson - synth, guitar, vocals; Diana K - drums, percussion; with Ben Jaffe - tenor saxophone on "Lucifer Crawl" and "Downlow". Recorded in concert at The Broadway on January 4, 2020 and The Footlight on February 12, 2020. Mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound in Maplewood, NJ Produced by OPTO S and Steve Holtje.
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CD
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CDWEIN 011CD
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$20.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
"Every now and then I meet a bull who announces itself with its horns ('Le Corna'). But it doesn't scare me, it moves and dances, it runs away. Archery ('Tiro') is its favourite ('Rito') hobby, and my bull likes tea. It always eats round roti ('Chapati') together with its bull ('tori') friends who all have bristling hair like hedgehogs and succulent plants. My bull keeps different things in the vegetable gardens ('Orti') and in the wineskins ('Otri'). Then there is the tail ('la coda'), and it is always the last thing I see." Personnel: Giancarlo nino Locatelli - Bb clarinet, Alto clarinet on "Otri" and "Itro (Take1) - La Coda"; Andrea Grossi - double bass; Cristiano Calcagnile - drums, percussion.
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SOW 006LP
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$23.00
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RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
Sowing Records present a reissue of Jack Wilson's debut album as a bandleader, originally released in 1963 for Atlantic label. Features a young Roy Ayers on vibraphone, bassist Al McKibbons and drummer Nick Martinis. Jack Wilson was a fine and often underrated pianist and composer who played with many great names such as Gene Ammons, Jacki Mclean, Esther Phillips, Lou Rawls, Johnny Griffin, Ertha Kitt, Lambert Hendricks & Ross, Antonio Carlos Jobim. This is a lively studio session opening up with a beautiful rendition of Jobim's classic "Corcovado" and followed by Wilson's five originals. A great debut album full of warm, sophisticated and yet highly dynamic jazz vibes. Clear vinyl; edition of 300.
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LP
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JMAN 041X-LP
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$25.50
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RELEASE DATE: 4/16/2021
Recorded in Sweden, Dark is the Sun is a concept album based on themes and variations by British pianist/composer/arranger Greg Foat, who has created an intriguing blend of non-contemporary jazz sounds with classic scoring techniques. An exotic array of unorthodox instrumentation was utilized, including harpsichord, tubular bells and a 15-piece choir. With musical reference and influence from such luminaries as Bruno Nicolai, Michel Legrand, and Serge Gainsbourg as well as a firm nod towards UK jazzmen Michael Garrick, Keith Mansfield, and Alan Hawkshaw, the result is highly-listenable, enduring and fulfilling for those who like real music played with real instruments. Special 10th anniversary edition comes in tip-on gatefold sleeve with cover art in bronze, including archive pics & new liners. 180 gram vinyl; includes download card.
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