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viewing 1 To 15 of 15 items
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2LP
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ND 010LP
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Following up on his Night Dreamer debut, accomplished pianist Nicolas van Poucke returns with a recording of the works of Chopin. Originally entering the studio with the intention of recording the Chopin pieces, van Poucke's technical skill and emotional depth resulted in producing two direct-to-disc recordings, the other being a Beethoven record released in 2022 on Night Dreamer. Although an unusual method of recording for this style of music, the one-take process was met by van Poucke head-on, balancing the fine lines of emotion and detail, and following in the footsteps of the greats who once recorded in this way. Van Poucke says: "[Chopin]'s music has long held a special place in my heart and remains central to my repertoire. A towering figure in the history of piano music, Chopin's genius has left an indelible mark on the world of pianism. His Etudes Opus 10 were a seminal moment in the development of the art of the piano and are studied by every serious pianist at some point in their development. This new album features a selection of Chopin's works that showcase his mastery in various forms... [H]is skills as a master of the small form are evident in such pieces as the haunting Nocturne Opus 32 No. 1, four Mazurkas Opus 33, the mysterious and harmonically daring Prelude Opus 45, and three Waltzes Opus 64, including the celebrated 'Minute' Waltz, the equally renowned 'Waltz' in C-sharp minor, and my personal favorite, the 'Waltz' in A-flat major." The album also features two of Chopin's larger works, the Polonaise in Fsharp minor Opus 44, a dark and volatile composition that stands as one of his most energetic pieces. Its bold and defiant main theme, as Franz Liszt once noted, is like 'the repeated roar of artillery, as if we caught the sounds from some dread battle waging in the distance'... A charming and innocent idyllic Mazurka is inserted in the middle of the piece, infused with the sweet perfume of lavender and marjoram... The other larger work on the album is the Ballade in G minor Opus 23, a composition that I deeply adore for its narrative power and dramatic sweep. As the final piece on the album, it is a fitting and dramatic conclusion to this collection of Chopin's works."
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2LP
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NIGHT 020LP
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Restocked. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Isaiah Collier connects with the divine ancestors on a transcendent Direct-To-Disc session, Parallel Universe. A saxophonist by trade whose multi-instrumental talents and compositional prowess have stretched the limits of the form, Parallel Universe represents a new chapter in Collier's musical journey. Having already performed with a diverse range of musicians such as Chance The Rapper, Waddada Leo Smith, Chicago jazz royalty Angel Bat Dawid, and his own band The Chosen Few, Collier's latest work as a bandleader explores the shared musical heritage of the African diaspora with a sense of grace and assurance that belies his years. Embracing the risk and vulnerability that comes with the live process, Collier and his band tapped into the frequencies of improvisation that fired up so many of the most timeless jazz recordings. Name-checking Sun Ra, Ras G, J Dilla, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, Gil ScottHeron, Whitney Huston, Aaliyah, and Frankie Knuckles, the opening track of Parallel Universe imagines a genreless musical lineage that resonates with the polyphony of stories his band bring to the table, from Chicago and beyond. Featuring gospel soul singer Jimetta Rose, AACM, and former Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpet player Corey Wilkes, blues-rooted guitarist Michael Damani, regular collaborators Julian Davis Reid, James Russell Sims and Micah Collier, the eight-track album bristles with a sense of love and understanding between players at the top of their game. With vocals sung in Yoruba -- inspired by a gift from legendary saxophonist Kenny Garrett -- "Village Song" soars between rhythms and references, from Afro-Cuban syncopation to the deep triplet swing of mid-'60s Coltrane. Laying the foundations for the album as a whole, the result is truly exhilarating.
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2LP
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ND 013LP
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Balearic folktronica meets percussion genius on a unique one-take recording that finds Turkish downtempo specialist Islandman in triple conference with legendary percussion innovator Okay Temiz, and contemporary saz virtuoso Muhlis Berberoğlu. Recorded in Amsterdam for Night Dreamer's ground-breaking Direct-To-Disc series, the session captures the innovative brilliance of the great Okay Temiz in full flow over Islandman's trademark Balearic-tinged production, alongside the modern Anadolu folk sound of Berberoğlu's saz. Expanding beyond their electro-acoustic DJ formula into a wider sound world of experimental instruments, neo-traditional rhythms and folk improvisation, Islandman's vision on this Night Dreamer disc seeks to reconnect cerebral downtempo beatmaking with the folkloric and ritual bedrock that their music has always rested on. Bandleader Tolga Boyuk's vision has always been expansive, and the link-up with Night Dreamer was a chance to try out a more spontaneous style of playing and recording. Known for his inventive genius on percussion instruments ranging from the berimbau to the bricklayer's trowel, Turkish percussionist and drummer Okay Temiz is one of the world's foremost improvising musicians. In the course of a career stretching back to the mid-1960s, he has collaborated with jazz greats including Don Cherry and Johnny Dyani, led his own Oriental Wind unit, and played with countless musicians across dozens of genres. Approached for the project by Islandman's drummer Eralp Güven, the always open and experimental Temiz was enthusiastic to participate. To complete the unit, Boyuk turned to Muhlis Berberoğlu. The session unfolded with controlled unpredictability. Boyuk arrived at the studio with simply produced tracks, and from there the ensemble let improvisation and organic synergy take control. The brilliant wildcard was the effervescent imagination of Temiz, who came equipped with an eclectic mix of homemade instruments including an electrified flute made of industrial bathroom piping, and a shaker with a contact mic wired to a wah-wah pedal. Combined with Islandman's subtle and responsive beat-science and Berberoğlu's scintillating agility on the saz, Temiz's visionary rhythm force leads the session into unknown territories of improvised future-folklore, strictly for the heads.
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LP
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ND 015LP
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Sun Ra Arkestra saxophonist Knoel Scott reaches for the sky to release debut studio album Celestial with long-time collaborator Marshall Allen. Best known for his long-standing role in Sun Ra Arkestra, saxophonist, composer, vocalist and performer Knoel Scott is a jazz legend in his own right. A celebration of his tight knit relationship with Arkestra leader Marshall Allen, Celestial marks Scott's first major studio release after more than 40 years at the vanguard of modern jazz. Building on a career that has seen Scott record and perform alongside jazz greats such as Sun Ra, Charles Earland, Lou Donaldson, and Leon Thomas, the five-track album is steeped in the composition and performance styles of the African American jazz tradition, from blues and be-bop to the cosmic avant-garde. Recorded in mono direct to tape and cut on a Scully lathe at the all-analog Artone Studios in the Netherlands, Celestial brings together an inter-generational ensemble including bright sparks of the UK jazz scene, Charlie Stacey and Mikele Montolli, alongside Arkestra alumnus Chris Henderson. For Scott and Allen, it represents the culmination of decades of collaboration. The album begins in explosive style with the hard grooving "Les Funambules", a prime example of Scott's ability to walk a tightrope between hard bop form and raw improvisation. The session then orbits around Scott's composition "Celestial", an interstellar 12-minute space walk that was originally written for the Sun Ra Arkestra with strings but was never recorded. Featuring Marshall Allen on the otherworldly EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), Celestial also hears Scott in full voice, reciting lyrics written by Arkestra vocalist and lyricist Arnold "Art" Jenkins. "The song is a testimony and a memorial to Art and his artistry, as much as it is an example of my own," Scott explains. Following the collaborative spirit of the album, Scott's composition "Makanda" pays tribute to educator and mentor Dr. Ken "Makanda" McIntyre, an associate of Eric Dolphy and a formative influence in Scott's musical life. A homage to the way McIntyre incorporated various idioms of African American music into his compositions, "Makanda" blends funk, Afro-Cuban, and swing styles into a powerful and coherent whole. Alongside Knoel's original recordings, the session features two improvised tracks led by Marshall Allen, which speak to the deep musical friendship between the two. Scott describes "Conversation with the Cosmos" and "Blu Blues" as "a testimony to Marshall's incredible improvisational contribution, and his ability to read and conjure all kinds of music and bring the best out of musicians."
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LP
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NIGHT 012LP
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Keyboard player and pianist Charlie Stacey fuses jazz-piano virtuosity with dark synth textures and grooves on his first solo project -- a direct-to-disc, one take recording for Night Dreamer Records. One of the UK's leading keys players, Charlie Stacey improvisational skills are unmatched. Known for his work with Yussef Dayes and fellow Tomorrow Warrio's alumni such as Moses Boyd, Stacey's technical prowess and ability to jump between genres has quietly gained the young pianist a reputation as one of the most advanced players around. Fronting a band for his debut recording under his own name, Stacey had to bring that knack for improvisation to the fore. Alongside his regular band of Oscar Ogden (drums), Tom Driessler (bass), and Jay Phelps (trumpet), Stacey was joined in the studio for the first time by vocalist Vula Malinga -- who has performed with Basement Jaxx and Incognito -- and Holland-based Senegalese percussionist, Mamour Seck. Together, the group forged four sprawling jams from the white heat of the direct-to-disc recording process. As an agile and highly adaptive performer and composer, Stacey allowed the new line-up to shape the sound in unexpected ways. What began as a Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock instrumental tip erred instead towards old school jazz scat in places, ethereal RnB and Kamasi Washington-esque lyrical space-ballads in others. From the soulful acid jazz sound that Malinga brings to opening track "Music is Healing", to the Afro-Cuban twist on Stacey's signature "Charlie's Tune", there is a spontaneity to the recordings that give them a collective urgency true to the essence of the jazz tradition. Drawing on the sounds of classic jazz-funk keyboard players like Chick Corea and George Duke, "Rivers of Gondor" pays tribute to what Stacey calls "the imaginative world of JRR Tolkien", with all its dark and wistful folk-inspired turns. A staple of Stacey's live sets, it is joined on the B-Side by "Mamour's Tune", which was written and recorded on the day and foregrounds the astonishing rhythmic and melodic character of Marmour Seck's playing. As a touring live musician, Stacey relished the opportunity to record with the same levels of jeopardy. A riot of collaborative improvisation and acrobatic syncopation, Stacey's Night Dreamer Session captures a singular coming together of musicians from across the jazz world, performing at the peak of their creative powers.
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LP
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ND 011LP
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"The stakes are high; if I mess up the last bar, the whole recording is ruined." As Dutch pianist Nicolas van Poucke acknowledges, there is an electricity in the room whenever the lathe is on. Direct-to-disc recording generates tension and release unlike other methods, not least in the final moments of a 20-minute solo piano recital. Described as "the young freethinker" of his generation, van Poucke relished the challenge. Having spent day one setting up to record works by Frédéric Chopin, van Poucke changed tack on day two to perform two Beethoven piano sonatas -- "Sonata No. 12 Opus 26 in A flat major", and "Sonata No. 23 Opus 57 in F minor", also known as the "Appassionata". For many the latter is one of Beethoven's most important and challenging works. Recorded in a single continuous take, van Poucke's recital bristles with energy, control and improvisatory flair. The nature of the recording also sets it apart. Classical pianists have long negotiated the line between technical precision and emotional intent. Outside the rigors of the concert hall, live recordings of classical works are a rarity, and contemporary studio recordings tend towards the meticulously edited. The detail afforded by hi-fi digital clarity is often preferred to the warmth and feel of an analog process. This was not always the case. Drawing on his love for the playing of Cortot, Horowitz, and Fischer during the so-called "golden age" of pianists in the early-mid 20th century who would have likely recorded direct-to-disc before the advent of tape, van Poucke was inspired to follow in their footsteps. "When playing music, one goes from one place to another," he describes. "In a performance, everything that happens in the moment affects what will happen in the next bar or chord. A different nuance, shading, sound quality, inflection might put something that happened in a different light." The immediacy of the recording is striking, the resonant quality of the open Steinway grand delivering a sound as close to live as possible. Nicolas agrees: "In the end, it was a super intense, risky, highly-strung, but a beautiful and joyful experience." For fans of great jazz soloists like Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans as much as for classical aficionados, van Poucke's recordings make the best of the process in capturing a sense of timelessness in the music. Tip-on sleeve; 180 gram vinyl.
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2LP
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NIGHT 003LP
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2020 release. The sixth instalment of Night Dreamer's acclaimed Direct-to-Disc series welcomes Anadolu psych legends BaBa ZuLa into Haarlem's Artone Studio to cut an uncompromising live set of fuzzed-out psychedelia, infused with the inimitable dub-wise experimentalism that has cemented them as one of the global underground's most exciting and original bands. BaBa ZuLa describe their sound as "psychedelic Istanbul rock 'n roll" -- a heady mixture that laces the classic Anadolu psych sound with modern electronics, dub-wise studio smarts, and fiery left-field sonic radicalism.
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LP
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NIGHT 009-1LP
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2020 release. Stunning career overview session by Turkish psych originators Moğollar, their first new recordings for over a decade. Formed at the end of 1967 with five young musicians, Moğollar were the original Anadolu psych originators. They were the first Turkish pop band who tried to blend the microtonal folklore and traditional instruments of rural Anatolia with Western pop and rock; they were the first Turkish psychedelic band to achieve overseas recognition. More than fifty years after first forming, Moğollar materialized in the Artone Studios to give a masterclass in fuzzed-out folklore and Turkish psychedelic roots for Night Dreamer's Direct-to-Disc series -- a fitting follow-up to Night Dreamer's BaBa ZuLa set, coming straight from the group who laid the foundations of the genre. The first LP in a two-part release.
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LP
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NIGHT 009-2LP
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2020 release. Stunning career overview session by Turkish psych originators Moğollar, their first new recordings for over a decade. Formed at the end of 1967 with five young musicians, Moğollar were the original Anadolu psych originators. They were the first Turkish pop band who tried to blend the microtonal folklore and traditional instruments of rural Anatolia with Western pop and rock; they were the first Turkish psychedelic band to achieve overseas recognition. More than fifty years after first forming, Moğollar materialized in the Artone Studios to give a masterclass in fuzzed-out folklore and Turkish psychedelic roots for Night Dreamer's Direct-to-Disc series -- a fitting follow-up to Night Dreamer's BaBa ZuLa set, coming straight from the group who laid the foundations of the genre. The second LP in a two-part release.
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LP
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NIGHT 006LP
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2020 release. Emma-Jean Thackray, an outstanding figure in the UK jazz scene, releases Um Yang, her long-dreamed project dedicated to the Taoist philosophy of duality and harmony. A highly ambitious and personal record that sees Thackray leading a septet featuring Soweto Kinch and Steam Down's Wonky Logic, recorded straight to vinyl. Championed by Gilles Peterson, Theo Parrish and Jamie Cullum, Thackray has firmly cemented her place among a new wave of exciting young musicians, collaborating with Makaya McCraven, Junius Paul and Angel Bat Dawid, and still finds time to host her monthly radio show on Worldwide FM.
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LP
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NIGHT 002LP
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2020 release. Hailed by none other than Seun Kuti as "one of the best things to come out of Lagos," Nigerian trumpeter, composer and bandleader Etuk Ubong has developed an original style he calls "Earth Music". Weaving together a unique combination of not only Afrobeat, highlife and jazz. Invited by Night Dreamer to record at Haarlem's Artone Studio, he assembled an international ensemble of the highest caliber to record his compositions direct-to-disc capturing his enigmatic live performance in its most natural and explosive form. Ubong is joined by another Lagos-based musician, Michael Awosogo, also on trumpet, and a hand-picked group of UK and Netherlands-based musicians who recorded the whole album in just one sitting on the last day of the five-day session.
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LP
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NIGHT 007LP
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2022 limited restock. Orchestrated by Gilles Peterson following their performances together at his We Out Here festival, legendary jazz saxophonist Gary Bartz and ensemble Maisha have recorded for Night Dreamer's third Direct-to-Disc session. With his 50 years of musical experience ahead of the band, the musical synergy captured between the Blue Note artist and the young sextet has been captured in this unique and stirring recording. The album features three tracks that were sketched, arranged and performed within the recording session alongside alternative versions two of Bartz's original compositions from the early '70s: the haunting "Uhuru Sasa" and the spiraling jazz-funk of his "Dr Follows Dance".
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2LP
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NIGHT 004LP
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2020 release. On their Night Dreamer debut, the sensational drummer, percussionist and composer Sarathy Korwar and his all-star UPAJ Collective gain brand new ground in their mission to rebalance spiritual jazz with authentic Indian classical music. "UPAJ" means "to improvise" in Hindi, and recording direct-to-disc at Artone Studios with almost no preconceived directions, they truly capture the "spirit of spontaneous improvisation," as Sarathy puts it, like never before. Fluent on both tabla and drums, Korwar has firmly established himself on the UK jazz scene and far beyond, playing with the likes of Shabaka Hutchings and Hieroglyphic Being.
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LP
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NIGHT 005LP
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2020 release. Seu Jorge and Rogê revisit 30 years of friendship on new Direct-to-Disc recording with Night Dreamer. Contemporary Brazilian legend Seu Jorge has teamed up with his close friend and fellow musician Rogê for his latest project, a new album, cut direct-to-disc for Night Dreamer Records at Artone Studios. The record captures the intensity of the duo's relationship, setting the conditions for an extraordinarily intimate recording, encapsulated by "Caminhão" -- the first song the duo ever wrote together 25 years ago. Inseparable legends who need each other's skills to shine brightest.
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LP
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NIGHT 001LP
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2019 release. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 cut direct-to-disc session for Night Dreamer debut. Seun Kuti, youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, and leader of his father's Egypt 80 band, entered the Artone Studio in Haarlem, Holland, in 2019 to cut a Direct-to-Disc session in a single take. The first to be released on the Night Dreamer label, the session brought some of the foremost Afrobeat musicians in the world together, many of whom cut their teeth playing with Fela himself. Playing without the safety of multiple takes Seun and Egypt80 cut all four tracks (two per side) in a single take without rehearsal on the second day, improvising with all the focus and relaxation of a band in the midst of a world tour. A snapshot of a legendary outfit at the top of their game.
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