Jazz / Soul / Funk

In May 1972, the wave of anger and the thirst for freedom that had swept the world in 1968 arrived in Madagascar. The Malagasy youth took the opportunity to exile in search of a brighter future. Several of them, all jazz musicians and often polyintrumentalists, came to Paris with their afro hair and bellbottoms. Their names were Sylvin Marc, his cousin Ange "Zizi" Japhet, Del Rabenja, Gérard Rakotoarivony and Frank Raholison. By chance, they crossed paths with pianist and bandleader Jef Gilson, who they had already met as kids during a series of concert and workshops in Tananarive four years earlier. Gilson was far from an unknown on the French jazz scene. He had played with Boris Vian and André Hodeir at the end of the forties, he was one of the first French composers to move away from the New-Orleans style to try his hand at bebop, had launched numerous young stars (Ponty, Texier, Portal...), was a polemical critic for Jazz Hot, had opened for Coltrane at Antibes/Juan Les Pins, and was part of the Double Six... But it was tough to make a living playing personal compositions and Jef, who didn’t have enough money to return to the island and continue mining the seam of Malagasy jazz, saw an opportunity to relaunch ‘Malagasy’. He had his recording studio in the Les Halles area, at the Foyer Montorgueil, where he was teaching jazz to a choir. He set to work with the new Malagasy group, working on a repertoire and reviving some of his compositions from the 50s/60s ("Requiem Pour Django", "Dizzy 48", "Anamorphose" here renamed "Salegy Jef" as a nod to an ancestral rhythm reworked in a contemporary style...), and also included more recent tunes ("Newport Bounce" which opens this current album is a reworking of a track called "Interlude", recorded in 69 with the drummer from Miles Davis’ first quintet, Philly Joe Jones). The group Malagasy 73 gigged a lot. One of their concerts was recorded on the 14 March in a club, ‘Le Newport’, in rue Grégoire de Tours, Saint Germain des Prés, not far from the ‘Kiosque d'Orphée’ where Gilson worked at the beginning of the 60s when he brought bebop and avant-garde jazz to the attention of a generation of musicians with his records imported from USA. This meeting between two generations and two cultures created a new mix between jazz, traditional music and electric funk. Jef Gilson had reinvented himself yet again, and it wouldn’t be the last time.

This is a remix of a song by Madvillain, a very popular hip-hop duo consisting of MF Doom & Madlib, by Four Tet, one of the best diggers in the world. It was released as a promo in 2005 without a jacket and has been out of print for many years, but now it's back with a jacket! ! An exceptional electronic funk masterpiece that reconstructs the songs included in the album "MADVILLAINY"! An instrumental version is recorded on the B side.

Transversales Disques, an important label under the direction of Jonathan Fitoussi of INA-GRM, has been making every effort to reissue rare archival recordings of music concrete, library music, and avant-garde jazz. Transversales Disques is proud to present the first official analog release of a rare and previously unreleased live performance by the Afro-American saxophonist Archie Shepp, a giant of avant-garde jazz who is known for his work with Cecil Taylor and John Coltrane. This masterpiece captures the pivotal moment when one of the great giants of free jazz was transforming into funkier, fusion-tinged tunes and more straightforward bops on the border of spiritual jazz. The historical importance and raw beauty of this album still has a timeless appeal. This is a must have for all music lovers. Mastered from the original master tape. Includes exclusive liner notes and gorgeous photos from the sessions.

Drummer Frank Derrick III (born 1950) grew up in Harvey, Illinois in a musical family_his father Frank Derrick Jr. was a professional musician and arranger who played with notables such as Duke Ellington and Earl Hinges. Frank Derrick III began playing the drums when he was ten years old and at the age of nineteen, he was already playing professionally in the renowned Chicago jazz scene. Frank has led a multifaceted national and international music career. He is a virtuoso performer, composer, and educator. Next to his own recordings he has performed and recorded with numerous legends and artists including Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Eartha Kitt, Roberta Flack, Donna Summer_and countless others. Frank Derrick III toured worldwide with Cab Calloway for ten years and was the drummer for 'The David Letterman Show' on NBC. He is also no stranger to symphonic fans around the world (he was a member of many renowned symphonic 'giants' such as The Royal Philharmonic). As an educator, he served as Chairman of Percussion at 'Henry Street Settlement' in New York, presents master classes, is the respected author of 'Focus On Technique For Drummers', is a contributing author to various educational publications, and is the Drum set editor for 'The Percussive Arts Society'. Last but not least_he was honored with an A.S.C.A.P. Special Award. Frank has a WIDE range of musical experience_his precision, driving rhythmic style and "Straight Ahead" jazz compositions make him unique and a master of his craft. He is a powerfully swinging (yet tasteful) drummer who always makes sure his skills 'serve' the music he's performing. On the album we are proudly presenting you today (You Betcha!) you'll find recordings written by both Frank Jr. and Frank III. All songs are performed by one of his many incarnations: "THE FRANK DERRICK TOTAL EXPERIENCE". Some serious all-star players from the likes of Bill Payne (John Cale-Lionel Richie) and Edwin Williams (Syl Johnson) can also clearly be heard backing up Frank here on this exceptional album. You Betcha! was recorded in 1974 at the legendary Chicago nightclub Fiddler's. The sound quality is top-notch and intimate with a noticeable vibe that conveys the enthusiasm of the audience. Only 1000 copies of this album were privately pressed back in 1974, so it comes as no surprise that this record continues to be one of the rarest sought-after vinyl albums by jazz collectors worldwide. If you enjoy uplifting and hard-swinging jazz, slightly mysterious at times (bordering on the spiritual), lots of funky/soul influences and bouncing energetic grooves_then this is a highly recommended gem for your record collection (and a must-have for seekers of rare grooves).

Outernational Sounds present the first legitimate vinyl reissue of Nate Morgan's Journey Into Nigritia, originally release in 1983. A major statement from a crucial figure on the Los Angeles jazz underground -- Journey Into Nigritia is pianist Nate Morgan's spiritualized deep jazz classic. How many 16-year-olds would have the confidence to walk up to a revered bandleader at a gig, and inform him that one day they'd be playing together? As improbable as it sounds, this is how pianist Nate Morgan introduced himself to the great Horace Tapscott, founder of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. The teenage Morgan had heard Tapscott's Flying Dutchman LP The Giant Is Awakened (1969) being played by Greg Kufahamu on local Los Angeles radio station KUSC, and Arthur Blythe's wailing sax had gone straight to the heart. Morgan showed up to all the Arkestra shows he could find. He was already studying with Joe Sample and Hampton Hawes and playing in local bands, but the draw of the Tapscott's band was too much for the gifted young pianist: "I could only take about two or three more concerts before I had to run up on stage. When I first introduced myself to Horace, he tells everybody that I said, 'Yeah, I'm Nate Morgan. I'm going to play with you all.' Not that I want to, but that I'm going to." Over the next decade and beyond, Morgan would become a central figure in Tapscott's UGMAA (Union Of God's Musicians and Artists Ascension), bringing new figures into the fold (like Jesse Sharps), running jam sessions, and eventually being given the task of organizing the Arkestra songbook. During the early 1970s he also worked commercially, doing a stint with Rufus and Chaka Khan and appearing on Willie Hutch's Foxy Brown soundtrack (1974). Into the 1980s and 1990s he remained active, keeping the UGMAA flame alive and working tirelessly around LA, including collaborations with Bone Thugs N' Harmony; he was also part of the early 2000s LA jazz collective Build An Ark. A true musician's musician, Morgan died in 2013. Journey Into Nigritia, featuring fire-breathing reedsman Dadisi Komolafe, was the first of two LPs Morgan recorded for Tom Albach's storied Nimbus West imprint. A committed, spiritualized work that showcases Morgan's heavy composing as well as his McCoy Tyner-influenced and technically flawless playing, Journey features dedications to Coltrane ("He Left Us A Song") and Cecil Taylor ("Study In C.T."). Surging, modal jazz from the LA underground, Journey Into Nigritia is a crucial recording by an unsung jazz legend. Fully licensed from Nimbus West founder Tom Albach.

While he was working on the repertoire for the new version of his group Malagasy, with young Malagasy musicians he had met in Paris in 1972 (and who can be heard on the album "Malagasy At Newport-Paris"), Jef Gilson realised that two of his new discoveries, in addition to being established polyinstrumentalists (who both had sharpened their skills in the legendary seja-jazz band from La Réunion, Le Club Rythmique), were also skilled composers. They were capable of reinventing jazz and traditional Malagasy music, adding influences from the new generation inspired by pop, rock and funk into the mix. He offered them the chance to share the two sides of an album recorded on his own label, Palm, alongside their compatriots. Ange "Zizi" Japhet, Gérard Rakotoarivony and Frank Raholison. This is how Del Rabenja and Sylvin Marc came to record this "Madagascar Now / Maintenant 'Zao". The first side really showcases the valiha (a small Malagasy harp) of Del Rabenja who uses the occasion to pay homage to the sadly missed Rakotozafy, often called the Django Reinhardt of the instrument. His three compositions are full of spirituality and invite an almost trance-like state. But Rabenja is equally a very good tenor saxophonist and organist on the other tracks. The other side displays the full range of talents of the multi-instrumentalist and composer Sylvin Marc, who moves from bass to drums, from vocals to percussion and offers four compositions ranging from free jazz to cosmic groove. At the same period the five men could also be found amongst the cast list of the mythical albums, "Funny Funky Rib Crib" by Byard Lancaster and "Soul Of Africa" by Hal Singer & Jef Gilson. Later, Sylvin Marc would play bass for Nina Simone on her album "Fodder On My Wings" in 1982, then join the team of violinist Didier Lockwood, while Del Rabenja would be part of Manu Dibango’s and Eddy Louiss’ orchestras for a long time and would even be at the front of the top 50 at the end of the 80s with David Koven. He would also be the special guest of the Palm Unit trio (Fred Escoffier, Lionel Martin, Philippe "Pipon" Garcia) on their first album, an homage to the œuvre of Jef Gilson, in 2018

This is a 1972 album by Rufus Harley, a unique bagpipe player for a jazz musician. This is a spiritual jazz funk album with a psychedelic world of bagpipes and organ.

Liquid Liquid continued toward dance-floor perfection with their third EP. 1983's Optimo features the band's best-known songs and remains a high water mark for post-punk aficionados. The title track positively erupts when the bass enters, forcing even the stiffest person in the room to move. While it would be an understatement to say that "Cavern" may sound familiar (due to its gross sampling in Grandmaster Melle Mel's "White Lines"), Liquid Liquid were indeed the originators of this iconic New York riff.

Original compositions inspired by the words of Omar Khayyam, arranged and conducted by Richard Evans. It is an oriental and exotic masterpiece that reflects Eastern thought while incorporating elements of African music, such as kalimba, with Japanese koto and harp. Recorded at Ter-Mar Studios, Chicago, November, 1969 - January, 1970. Published by Wiljean Music

Whether it’s Hip Hop, it’s face pointed reverentially to the Old School, or House stealing Disco riffs by the truck load, people are increasingly intrigued by back-in-the-day. And common to both the aforementioned scenes and much more is one person, Arthur Russell, a man some regard as the best songwriter of the 20th century. In 1981 Arthur set up Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov. The first release was the album “24-24 Music” as Dinosaur L. If you’re wondering about the name it would appear Arthur would often use the names of extinct or near-extinct animals. On one production credit he’s “Killer Whale, whilst the logo for Sleeping Bag is a Koala bear! Will remembers how they came up with the name for their label. “We were joking about names, and James Brown was on with “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag” and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag in my apartment and I kind of made a joke about that, and Arthur said that was a great idea for the name of the company!” The line up was pretty much the same as the Loose Joints sessions, (which boasted the Ingram Brothers rhythm section) and a similar stream-of-conscience approach was taken with the recording itself. Russell arranged the beats so there’d be a change every 24 bars (hence the title) and the band would have to improvise the songs over the top. He also made sure he went into the studio when there was a full moon! The album is again very experimental, and makes occasional uneasy listening but the same magic is very much in evidence. Arthur would continue to be involved in production and mixing duties for the label, but parted company with Socolov in 1985. Arthur sadly died of AIDS in 1992 leaving behind many songs; as one obituary put it, it was though he simply vanished into his music.

Limited color vinyl (Marble Orange & Red)/ Gatefold sleeve specifications. The masterpiece "Kaleidoscope" released in 2000 released from the DJ Food project devised by the founder Coldcut. Produced by then-members Kevin Forks, aka Strictly Kev, and Patrick Carpenter, aka PC, this work sets it apart from DJ Food's original concept of providing DJ material, and the future of beat music. It was a perfect work as if I had foreseen. Twenty years after its release, Kev and PC celebrated the 20th anniversary of Kaleidoscope by discovering different versions, different mixes, and unpublished ideas from past archives and original recording session material. It was decided to put together a mixed sound source, make improvements and make it into a work as "Kaleidoscope Companion", and release it as a 4-disc LP together with the original album.

The opening "The Ents Go To War" has a gloomy arrangement and heavy drums, "Skylark" has a hypnotic dance between the bassline and the snare, and "Zoom Zoom" has a whimsical percussion. The airy synthesizer is impressive. In addition, "Kaleidoscope Companion" is full of moments that fans will be surprised at. The big band meets easy listening "Hip Operation" was reused in the first version of Sukia's "Feelin'Free" remix, and "A Strange Walk" was included in the compilation "Xen Cuts". An unreleased version of the remix. "Stealth" is another version of the Gentle Cruelty Remix of "The Aging Young Rebel", also included in "Xen Cuts".

Another version of DJ Food's signature song, "The Crow (Slow)," extends the melodic theme to a calm soundscape that eventually blends into another dub version. The 13-minute-long "Quadraplex (A Trip To The Galactic Center)" is made by stitching together various takes from different synthetic tracks. Closing Kaleidoscope Companion, Boo Hoo is an early short version of The Sky At Night that conveys the cinematic mood of the album.

It's not a new DJ Food album, it's an album that wasn't born at the time. In another reality, these songs may have been on Kaleidoscope, but now, 20 years later, they will be released as an adjunct to the original album. --Strictly Kev

William Hooker is a free jazz drummer/composer who has been active in the New York loft scene for over 40 years, and has collaborated with Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, Jim O'Rourke and other members of Sonic Youth. William Hooker's first album, released on his own Reality Unit Concepts label in 1977, has been reissued for the first time on the prestigious Superior Viaduct label. This is a great album. This is amazing. This is not a sharp free improvisation, but rather an obscure piece of music that is quite dusty and deep, reflecting the black power of the social and political background of the time, and the growing spirituality that can be seen in the artwork. It's a spaced-out version of Rashied Ali or Milford Graves, and despite the large number of notes, it's very meditative and easy to get lost in.

The End is the Three 6 Mafia album that took them to the next level and eventual Grammy and Academy Awards. Available for the first time on vinyl. This newly remastered limited edition double LP on translucent Orange vinyl.

Limited edition green and yellow colored vinyl. A supergroup that arguably revolutionized the future of rap in Memphis, and rap itself, Three 6 Mafia was formed in the early '90s by mixtape DJs who had made a name for themselves as one of the top acts in the area. The End, a 1996 masterpiece by Three 6 Mafia, formed by mixtape DJs who had made a name for themselves as top acts in Memphis in the early '90s, proved that Memphis rap was commercially viable, and former member Koopsta Knicca's 1999 gangsta rap masterpiece was miraculously released on vinyl for the first time. It was remixed, edited, and remastered from the solo material that had been available only to underground audiences long before he became famous as a member of Three 6 Mafia, and became an instant hit. This is the long-awaited official vinyl release of one of the most sought-after albums in Memphis rap!

Totally absorbing new album flush with ambient-jazz-electronic touches from Vegyn, following their production chops for Frank Ocean, Travis Scott and JPEGMAFIA with an ear-snagging new showcase on London’s PLZ Make It Ruins.

Affiliated with James Blake and Frank Ocean and known for work on some of the most prominent, boundary-probing rap releases of recent years, Vegyn brings a refreshingly optimistic, laid-back, dreamy aesthetic to the table in ‘Only Diamonds Cut Diamonds’. If this album had reached ears this summer it would have bene among the season’s most played, but as it stands it’s going to keep us warm all winter with its collaged mosaic of fleeting field recordings, Satie-esque melodic wist and sparingly used but super crispy R&B/hip hop snap.

A big, big look for fans of Klein, Gila, BoC, Oli XL.

A masterpiece from 1959, the highest point of modern jazz in music history. Bill Evans compared the improvisational nature of the music to Japanese caligraphy. The bottomless silence and infinite possibilities of this extreme tension are hard to find in any other music or musician.

Previously unreleased recordings by various lineups drawn from Derek Bailey, Tristan Honsinger, Christine Jeffrey, Toshinori Kondo, Charlie Morrow, David Toop, Maarten Altena, Georgie Born, Lindsay Cooper, Steve Lacy, Radu Malfatti and Jamie Muir.

Journalists often make the brief history of Free Improvisation conform to the idea that the history of music is a nice straight line from past to present: Beethoven… Brahms… Boulez. Thus Derek Bailey, Evan Parker and John Stevens — together with Brötzmann and co across the Channel — were the trailblazing ‘first generation’, forging a wholly new language alongside contemporary avant-garde and free jazz. Figures like Toshinori Kondo and David Toop, willing as they were to incorporate snippets of all kinds of music, were the pesky ‘second generation’, happily cocking a snook at the ‘ideological purity’ of Bailey’s non-idiomatic improvisation.
‘Company 1981’ shows up the foolishness — the wrongness — of such storylines. Check the eclectic collection of guests Bailey invited to Company Weeks over the years. He had clear ideas about the music, but he was no ideological purist.

One of the founders of Fluxus, Charlie Morrow injects blasts of Cageian fun into half the recordings here, whether blurting military fanfares from his trumpet, or intoning far-flung scraps of speech. Cellist Tristan Honsinger and vocalist Christine Jeffrey join in the joyful glossolalia, while Bailey, Toop and Kondo contribute delicious, delicate, hooligan arabesques, by turns.
The remainder are performed by a different ensemble: Bailey, bassist Maarten Altena, former Henry Cow members Georgie Born and Lindsay Cooper on cello and bassoon, the insanely inventive Jamie Muir on percussion, and trombonist Radu Malfatti, showing his mastery of extended technique. Were that not enough, there’s the inimitable purity of Steve Lacy’s soprano ringing high and clear above the melee. Glorious!

There’s always been this idea that Free Improvisation is somehow Difficult Listening, but when the doors of perception are thrown open and prejudice cast aside, you realise that it’s not difficult at all. “Is it that easy?” chirps Morrow, at one point. Indeed it is.
Enjoy yourself.

Originally released as a double CD in 2010, Wallahi Le Zein! has persisted as a cult classic, a collection of a rarely heard and utterly unique underground music scene, raw and unfiltered.

The LP, cassette & digital version we now present is intended as an immersive entry into this music: gnarled and virtuosic electric guitars weave hypnotically throughout melismatic sung poetry and exclamations, pulsing hand drums, party chatter, buzzing rigged desert sound systems, and all manner of the ambient sounds of Nouakchott wedded to oversaturated cassette in all its swirling, breathing, psychedelic glory. Operating entirely outside of any local recording industry, these songs were collected from bootleg tape stalls, wedding souveniers, and networks of musicians, expertly curated, researched and produced by Matthew Lavoie.

Drawing from the deep well of Mauritanian classical music, the gamut of musical modes and the tidinitt lute repertoire are transposed to the electric guitar - often with frets removed or additional frets installed, “heavy metal” distortion pedals and phasers built into guitar bodies, blurring the lines between Haratine and Beydane musical cultures, the ancient and the futuristic. At times transcendent and transfixing, and conversely a furious and cascading intensity that commands jaw-dropping attention.

Moondog (1916-1999) is a rare figure whose music, with its vitality and creativity born from the depths of humanity, has influenced all kinds of people, from jazz to experimental music. This is a co-release by [Mississippi Records] and [Lucia Records]! This is a treasure trove of material from live performances on the road, where even the breath of the spirit dwells, to Schwartz's studio, to the rooftops of New York City. The songs on this album were selected directly from the original tapes stored in the Library of Congress, and have never been released before. The album includes a previously unreleased version of "Why Spend The Dark Night With You? The complete version of "Nocturne Suite" and "On The Streets Of New York" EP, which was released on 7". This is a collection of extremely rare material. The liner notes include a never-before-seen interview with Moodog by Tony Schwartz. Includes liner notes with a complete, unpublished interview with Moodog by Tony Schwartz. an old-school tip-on cover.

This collaboration by Tokyo producers/musicians Shintaro Sakamoto and VIDEOTAPEMUSIC is the first of two EM Records 12-inch vinyl-only “tribute releases” in support of the film “Bangkok Nites”, produced by Kuzoku. Based on samples from Dao Bandon, Hongthong Dao-udon, Phairin Phonphibun, Thailand and Tokyo dreamworlds meet in these songs.

New York-based Arlene Farber, who later had a bit part in The French Connection, was renamed Arlene Tiger by future husband, Jerry Gross, for the lurid Female Animal, one of the exploitation films he directed and distributed in the late 60s and early 70s (here under the alias Juan Carlo Grinella). With a debauched plot about the raunchy misfortunes that befell an attractive peasant girl (with Gross appearing as a pimp), the film benefitted from a lush soundtrack by the Clay Pitts Orchestra, written and conducted by the enigmatic Pitts himself (the alias of US composer Derek Ware). This easy listening LP is a true stunner of the genre, a must-have for all fans of lounge music, as well as original exploitation soundtracks.

Includes the classic song "The Thief", which has been covered by Radiohead! The 13th album was recorded in 1968 when Malcolm Mooney, the first vocalist of German Rock Gods Can, was in the band, and was not released until 1981. By 1968, the band had already foreseen the arrival of post-punk, no-wave and even electronica, and their edgy psychedelic sound was already in full swing. This is a masterpiece that fully showcases their edgy psychedelic sound.

In his long career Dick Hyman has covered a great variety of music fields, from Broadway through music for film and television to jazz, classical, pop, and electronic music.

"The Age of Electronicus" originally released in 1969 is one of his Electronic Pop jewels. A breathtaking sequence of reworked hits of the day including outstanding electro-versions of Lennon McCartney's classics such as "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La- Da" and "Blackbird" and Bacharach's "Alfie" A whole feast of analog Moog sounds, primitive drums machines, repetitive bass lines and lots of robotic beats. All packaged in a memorable, colourful album cover.

Jon Hassell, a genius who just released a remastered version of the famous experimental music history "Vernal Equinox" in March of this year as a memorable debut work, "Listening To Pictures (Pentimento Volume One)" The latest work, "Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two)" has been released!

"Pentimento" means "in a painting, the original image, format, and brush flow that has been modified or overlaid reappear." The term accurately describes his innovative style of "painting", creating a new, indescribable, addictive palette by layering subtle differences.
Given the traditional Hassel, this title can be interpreted in many ways. But perhaps the most plausible interpretation at this point is the human instinct to sing and have fun in the face of repeated difficulties. It's the future blues that sang uncertainties and ever-changing shapes. On this album, Hassel is once again adventuring to create new forms and variants of music, incorporating elements of the "fourth world" of the past. It's a thrilling window-like work where you can see what the world's music will be like in the future.

"Jon Hassell is the most influential composer of the last 50 years. His invention, called'Fourth World Music', gives a deep respect to the music of different cultures around the world. He paved the way. His work had a great influence on other artists, through which his musical tastes changed dramatically. His unique intellectual contribution is also noteworthy. He is a patient and eloquent theorist and a great musician. "-Brian Eno

Jon Hassell's greatness in contemporary music history is comparable to Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, or The Velvet Underground. --The Wire Magazine