Jazz / Soul / Funk

NYC発のバンドSay She Sheの最新作からフロア映えする2曲を抜き出した強力な7インチ。グループの代名詞である3人のハーモニーが大きく広がり、ファンクのベースラインが全体を強く前へ押し出すキラートラック「Cut & Rewind」とストリングスやホーンが煌めくアップビートなディスコ・ファンク「Disco Life」を収録。70’sディスコの質感を現代的にアップデートしたディスコデリックなサウンドが際立つ、Say She Sheの個性が凝縮された一枚。

Live at KEXP! is a studio‑live recording captured during Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio’s appearance on Seattle’s KEXP, offering the most direct and unfiltered experience of the band’s signature sound.

The first and best from The Barrino Brothers! The group found success on the post-Motown Holland-Holland-Dozier operated label Invictus in the early 70s, but this is their first on Dave Hamilton's Detroit-based TCB label. The A-side, "Just A Mistake", is great, but the real gem is on the flip. "I'll Take My Flowers Right Now" features some soaring vocal work and a monster driving beat. Grab doubles, you won't regret it.

A 7-inch release in which Cold Diamond & Mink—the renowned house band of Finland’s prestigious Timmion Records—reimagine one of the label’s standout singer Emilia Sisco’s popular singles as an instrumental.

Meitei’s 2020 album 'Kofū' was the bold bookend to an expedition, where sounds were first navigated and then subverted in 2018’s 'Kwaidan' and 2019’s 'Komachi'.

All three albums were Meitei’s attempt at immersive storytelling, reimagining moments of Japanese history he felt were being washed away – not least by the unforgiving sands of time – through wistful compositions that stretched across ambient music, hauntology, and musique concrete.

When it came to finalizing 'Kofū', Meitei found he was left with over 60 fully realized tracks, bursting with ideas that fired in divergent, curious directions. Meitei was content with the 13 tracks he had selected. But when it came time to begin his next album, he found that it had been sitting in front of him all along. He realized his work wasn’t over yet.

Meitei sounds right at home celebrating the past he first reimagined in his previous work. The merriment is palpable in its first two tracks of 'Kofū II' – a loop of cheery whistling amidst the clanking of wood leads into strings, cricket sounds and flutes, all united in bustling harmony.

'Happyaku-yachō' is where it comes into focus. Pitch-shifted vocal samples roam around in the crowded sonic field. “My image of this music is that it expresses the vibrant mood of Edo's merchant culture,” says Meitei, “where old Japanese dwellings were densely packed together in a vast expanse of land.” The affair becomes bittersweet as the track leads into the desolate 'Kaworu', a compositional piece lifted from his 'Komachi' sessions – a final requiem to his late grandmother.

The album is bursting with spectral vignettes of wandering samurais, red lanterns, ninjas, puppet theatres, poets, even a vengeful assassin ('Shurayuki hime', known to Western audiences as ‘Lady Snowblood’).

'Saryō' is as elegant and refined as you would expect. It induces stillness in its repetition, with each synth note a brushstroke. It was inspired by a Sengoku-era tea house he once visited, designed by national icon Sen no Rikyū. Meitei tied it to the reaction he felt while poring over the ink paintings in his grandmother’s house. “The decayed earthen walls and faded tatami mats gave me an emotional impression,” he says. “And the cosmic flow of time drifting in the small room. I decided to put my impression of this into music.”

In 'Akira Kurosawa', an appropriately thunderous track, Meitei finds deep resonance in his vast filmography, which drew equally from Japan’s rich heritage and troubled circumstances post-WWII.

'Kofū II' is not a leftovers album, nor is it a straightforward companion piece. In this album, Meitei has his biggest reckoning with the Japanese identity yet. Over the years, he has attempted to peel back what he believes has defined Japan and its people. After seeking answers with three full-length albums, his fourth poses more questions.

If his first three albums inspired a sense of longing – or, perhaps inevitably, fed an irreparable nostalgia doomed to history – 'Kofū II' compels us to reassess our relationship with the past. By constantly looking back, are we ever afforded a clearer present? After capturing the “lost Japanese mood”, where does that leave its country in the modern world? Meitei offers no immediate answers with 'Kofū II'. It forces you to sit with its disparate moods, to meditate amidst the textured fragments.

'Kofū II' will be released on 180g LP, CD and digital format on December 10, 2021 (LP expected to land January 28, 2022) via KITCHEN. LABEL. Both LP and CD format are presented in a debossed sleeve with obi strip and include a 16-page insert with words in Japanese and English from Meitei, printed on premium paper stock with design by KITCHEN. LABEL founder Ricks Ang, and is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama in Tokyo, Japan. 

Makaya McCraven, a leading drummer, composer, and producer in contemporary jazz.

Having gained prominence through his works released by International Anthem, as well as reimagined versions of Gil Scott-Heron and Blue Note recordings, this leading drummer, composer, and producer in contemporary jazz has released a compilation of four EPs titled ‘Off the Record’ through XL Recordings, International Anthem, and Nonesuch. The album features recordings of pure improvisation captured during live performances, with the space and presence of the audience reflected in the sound. It is composed of four EPs—‘Techno Logic,’ 'The People’s Mixtape,‘ 'Hidden Out!,’ and ‘PopUp Shop’—that are independent yet organically interconnected.

This work follows his 2022 masterpiece ‘In These Times,’ which the GRAMMY Awards described as “the most ambitious work in Makavely's career.” It revisits the essence of “organic beat music” that Makaya established in his 2015 debut album ‘In the Moment,’ and further developed in ‘Highly Rare’ (2017), 'Where We Come From' (2018), and ‘Universal Beings’ (2018). Makaya reconstructs his live recordings into his unique sound world through editing, overdubbing, and post-production at his home studio in Chicago. The compilation of these four EPs, ‘Off the Record,’ is not merely a collection of tracks but a documentary work celebrating the creative and collaborative moments of music that could only have been born from being present in that space.

Compiling freshly unearthed, previously unreleased 1967 recordings from Fred Beckerlee's The Contemporary Jazz Quintet, 'Action A B C E' is another eye-opening free jazz set from Alga Marghen's new sub-label FormalIbera. RIYL Noah Howard's 'The Black Ark' or Peter Brötzmann's 'Machine Gun'. The Contemporary Jazz Quintet aren't exactly obscure - they were one of Denmark's first avant-garde jazz groups - but they still deserve more attention than they've historically received. Long-time favorites of the beardiest Discogs beards (1969's 'T.C.J.Q.' has been known to hit almost 2000 bones), the five piece made some significant technical leaps, pioneering electric jazz a year before Miles Davis. It was this revelation in fact that led sax player Beckerlee and his band - bassist Steffen Andersen, drummer Bo Thrige Andersen, trumpet player Hugh Steinmetz and multi-instrumentalist Niels Harrit - to scrap the 1967 studio recordings that were initially planned as a follow-up to their debut album 'Action'. These long-lost sessions have finally been dug up, and it provides a crucial bridge between their energetic earlier material and the fusion-tipped, studio-polished 'T.C.J.Q.'. Harrit plays musical saw on the opening jam, warbling next to Steffen Andersen's fictile bass prangs and Beckerlee's weeping horns. Bo Thrige Andersen's percussion is gentle at first, but he leads the charge in the second half, splattering unhinged rhythms that the rest of the players inevitably follow - even Harrit, who matches Beckerlee's manic blasts with sci-fi quivers. And on the flip, the five-piece take a more textural approach, mimicking tidal patterns with their non-hierarchal movements wherein the instruments swell and eddy rather than grandstanding. It's revelatory gear for fans of space-y second gen free jazz and another fine archeological excavation from FormalIbera.

fully remastered from the original tapes** A mysterious sound aurora on the magical paths of the infinite universe of percussion, originally released in 1985 and then almost completley lost. Moon On The Water were a trio of percussionists based in Italy - David Searcy and Jonathan Scully, both American tympani players in the Scala Philarmonic Orchestra, with the legendary Italian jazz drummer Tiziano Tononi, who worked with everyone from Roberto Musci, to Muhal Richard Abrams, Pierre Favre (who later joined the group), Andrew Cyrille, Barre Phillips, and Steve Lacy. Drawing on a diversity of experience, joined collectively by a unified love of rhythm and sound, they assembled a percussion record of the highest order - an unclassifiable work which should be legendary, and leaves you confounded that it’s not.

Within the history of efforts dedicated to percussion, Moon On The Water’s debut stands apart. A singular work, made remarkable by the diversity and range of its sonorities and structures. The scope of its ambition is startling. Utilizing the full intellect, experience, and talent of its creators, it employs field recording against a stunning array of instrumentation - seemingly everything from which rhythm and resonant tone could be drawn. The result renders a remarkable effect. From the delicate pulse of nature, deep resonances and carefully placed tone, intricate structures and tempos as slow as they go, across its movements the album rewrites how composition for percussion should be understood, before giving way to consuming and ecstatic rhythms which reference the Brazilian tradition of Batucada, various trance and ritual traditions of Africa, and drum solos from Free Jazz and Rock. This is as good as percussion records get. A lost marvel - accessible while distinctly avant-garde. The throbbing pulse of creative joy, distilled onto two sides of wax.

Ecstatic elements of Japan ambient minimalism dialogue with contemporary music solutions (Varèse, Ligeti), in the stream of a harmonious fusion of ancient and modern. It’s a propitiatory ceremony of supernatural things that open portals of blissfulness, tribal and shamanic darkness, timeless jungles. Between amazon fires and African safaris, we float in the Asian rivers of meditation, lost in water games, echoes of caves and rocks in the night, synergies of frogs, birds, snakes, marimbas, chimes, gongs, and tubular woods.

The album also includes one of the sickest percussion jam we’ve heard from 1980’s Italy: the mystically-named In the Land of the Boo - Bam. Exploring a wide range of percussions, from mallet instruments to drums, the band tightly builds a hypnotic jam with a strong Mediterranean feeling, maybe partly provided by the «Tullio de Piscopo-esque» drumming pattern. As the song goes by, the vibe gets more and more shamanic, often changing directions before climaxing in an epic final. True uplifting trance music!

An amazing document of the life experiment that was the Organic Music Society. This super quality audio, recorded by RAI (the italian public broadcasting company) in 1976 for television, documents a quartet concert focused on vocals compositions and improvisations. Here, Don Cherry and his family-community’s musical belief emerges in its simplicity, with the desire to merge the knowledge and stimuli gained during numerous travels across the World in a single sound experience. Don's pocket-trumpet is melted with the beats of the great Brazilian percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, the Italian guitar of Gian Piero Pramaggiore, and the tanpura drone of Moki. A pure hippie aesthetic, like in an intimate ceremony, filters a magical encounter between Eastern and Western civiliziations, offering different suggestions of sound mysticism: natural acoustics in which individual instruments and voices are part of a wider pan-tribal consciousness. A desert Western landscape marries Asian and Latin atmospheres. Indigenous contributions with berimbau explorations find fossil sounds of rattles and clap-hands invocations. Influences of Indian mantra singing are combined with eternal African voices or with folkish-Latin guitar rhythms , while flute and drums evoke distant dances. In the Organic Music everything becomes an act of devotion and love, an ecstatic dwell in the dimension of a sacred free-rejoice.

Portland's finest practitioners of Great Black Music offering to the planet! All Is Sound could not be a more apt title for this. Through saxophone, cello, piano, and flutes The Cosmic Tones Research Trio created a truly beautiful record. All Is Sound breaks new ground. At its heart, it's healing/meditation music, but the Gospel and Blues roots are in there too...as well as hints of forward-looking Spiritual jazz. As sincere a record as you could ever hope for. Music is indeed the healing force of the universe.

Chanteur et musicien algérien, Lili Boniche est né le 14 mars 1921 à Alger et décédé le 6 mars 2008. Il était célèbre pour sa contribution à la musique judéo-arabe et particulièrement associé à la musique chaâbi, un genre musical populaire en Algérie qui mêle des influences arabes, berbères et françaises. Eliaou Élie Boniche, de son vrai nom, a grandi dans une famille juive séfarade et a commencé à s'intéresser à la musique dès son plus jeune âge. Sa carrière musicale a vraiment décollé dans les années 1940 et 1950, où il a enregistré de nombreux succès qui ont contribué à populariser le répertoire judéo-arabe. Son style unique mêlait des éléments de la musique arabe, du jazz et du tango, créant ainsi une fusion musicale captivante. Il est largement reconnu pour sa maîtrise du luth et sa voix distinctive. Les paroles de ses chansons étaient souvent poétiques et reflétaient la vie quotidienne, l'amour et la culture de son époque. Lili Boniche a laissé une empreinte indélébile sur la scène musicale d’Afrique du Nord. Son héritage perdure à travers ses enregistrements, qui continuent d'être écoutés et appréciés par les amateurs de musique du monde entier. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Algerian singer and musician Lili Boniche was born in Algiers on March 14, 1921, and died on March 6, 2008. He was famous for his contribution to Judeo-Arabic music, and particularly associated with chaâbi, a musical genre popular in Algeria that blends Arab, Berber and French influences. Born Eliaou Élie Boniche, and he grew up in a Sephardic Jewish family and became interested in music at an early age. His musical career really took off in the 1940s and 1950s, when he recorded numerous hits that helped popularize the Judeo-Arabic repertoire. His unique style blended elements of Arabic music, jazz and tango, creating a captivating musical fusion. He is widely recognized for his mastery of the lute and his distinctive voice. His lyrics were often poetic, reflecting the everyday life, love and culture of his time. Lili Boniche left an indelible mark on the North African music scene. His legacy lives on in his recordings, which continue to be listened to and enjoyed by music lovers the world over.

Saxophonist, flautist and producer Chip Wickham casts a formidable shadow across the UK jazz landscape. Originally from Brighton, Chip Wickham first came to prominence in the UK breakbeat scene playing with the likes of Nightmares On Wax and Graham Massey. But at heart Chip has always been a jazz musician (he played on Matthew Halsall’s debut album 'Sending My Love' in 2008 beginning a relationship with Gondwana Records that now spans 17 years) and now dividing his time between the UK, Spain and the Middle-East, he has made a name for himself with a series of beautifully crafted solo albums that draw equally on hard swinging spiritual jazz, the classic sounds of 60s British jazz and the more contemporary sounds of artists such as Jazzanova, The Cinematic Orchestra, and Nicola Conte.

'The Eternal Now’ is Chip’s most progressive recording to date and represents a heartfelt ode to submitting oneself to the practice of creating art, and the freedom that’s derived from letting go.

Co-produced by Matthew Halsall, 'The Eternal Now' features two mainstays of the Manchester scene, legendary drummer Luke Flowers of The Cinematic Orchestra and well-loved bass-player Sneaky who played on Mr Scruff’s classic Keep it Unreal. Largely flute-led it’s his most rhythm heavy offering to date taking the listener on an expansive journey that touches on the influences of Lonnie Liston Smith, Sven Wunder, David Axelrod and even library music as Chip pushes his sound into exciting new spaces without ever losing the soulful groove and heartfelt melodies that make his music so loved.

Recording Personnel

Chip Wickham: alto flute, flute, soprano saxophone & tenor saxophone

Peach: vocals

Eoin Grace: trumpet & flugelhorn

George Cooper: Fender Rhodes

Simon ‘Sneaky’ Houghton: double bass

Luke Flowers: drums

Christophe Leroux: cello

Snowboy: congas & percussion

Mohamed Oweda: violin

Lia Wickham: vocals

Gondwana Records

One of the most important works in hip-hop history, Nas's legendary 1994 debut album, Illmatic. Nas, hailing from Queensbridge, New York, crafted lyrics at the age of 20 that blend the harsh realities of the streets with poetic imagination, achieving an astonishing level of perfection. The album features a lineup of producers including DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor, and Q-Tip, with beats rooted in jazz and soul samples, blending hard-hitting rhythms with lyrical depth. In just 10 tracks and under 40 minutes, the album condenses the aesthetics and realism of East Coast hip-hop. It is a masterpiece that maximizes the potential of rap as an art form and serves as definitive proof of hip-hop's establishment as an art form.

During his time with the Yosuke Yamashita Trio, he poured his heart and soul into every single note. In the early 1970s, he wove flashes of inspiration and impulse into his melodies, blowing with powerful intensity. And now, on this album, Seiichi Nakamura undergoes yet another transformation. As he himself says, “It’s the feeling of sharing a space together and soaring freely like a bird. That’s the ideal,” the overlapping sounds and pauses richly expand the space, through which Nakamura’s saxophone dashes with exuberance. The expansive and exhilarating “Wolf’s Theme,” inspired by author Kazumasa Hirai’s “Wolf Guy” series, “Harappa,” where a nostalgic melody shines against a laid-back groove; “Body & Soul” and “I Can’t Get Started,” which weave together standards with care and elegance; and “Viva Giappone,” with its delightful sense of dynamism and openness—here, Nakamura’s ideal is magnificently realized. Featuring Toshiyuki Daitoku, Aki Takase, and Ryojiro Furusawa.

One of the most stunning and unique albums of the Ethiopian golden age of jazz, never re-issued in full until now! This album was the only LP released by the mysterious Aselefech Ashine and Getenesh Kebret, two young women backed by one of the hardest-charging jazz and funk bands of the Ethiopian scene. The record was a huge hit in Ethiopia in 1976, but the artists never released another album. We managed to track them down and bring this amazing record back to the world. Dizzying close harmonies and indestructible grooves on this lost classic from Ethiopia's Golden Age. Aselefech Ashine and Getenesh Kebret, two young women raised in the bustling cosmopolitan milieu of late-empire Addis Ababa, released one single and a full-length LP in 1976 before disappearing from the music business entirely. Originally released on Kaifa, the label responsible for some of the heaviest and funkiest Ethiopian records of all time, Beauties was a hit, selling out in a few days. But it came out at the beginning of two decades of darkness and oppression in Ethiopia, and this is the first full reissue of this overlooked classic. Beauties is at once totally unique and an amalgamation of all that came before it during Ethiopia's explosive two decades of creativity in the 60s and 70s. Fans of Ethio-jazz will hear Mulatu in the dark, minor-key piano runs, turning in on themselves on songs like "Amlak Abet Abet" and "Metche Neow." Interlocking percussion and rock steady basslines are a signature of the Army Band, which also backed greats like Tlahoun Gesesse and Mahmoud Ahmed. Arranger Teshome Sisay is also an incredible flutist, playing with both sensitivity and swagger on tracks like the majestic "Ayinouma." But the vocals are the most stunning part. Aselefech and Getenesh met at the legendary Hager Fikir Theatre in Addis, where centuries-old Ethiopian culture combined with the modern music of the capital's elite. Trained in traditional music, their dual vocals lead in extremely close harmony, intertwined and infinitely creative in their phrasing. By the time this record was released, the Derg Regime was imposing strict crackdowns on music and artistic expression. Targeted as allies of the deposed Emperor Haille Selassie, the artists (and most musicians) had to keep a low profile. This is one of the last great releases of the Ethiopian Golden Era. Though she was never able to release a second record, Aselefech Ashine is proud of her work. From her home in Addis she says: "I have full confidence that this album will be popular and a hit when it is released again now!" We are proud to release this album in collaboration with Domino Sound in New Orleans and through direct license from the artists. Old-school "tip-on" jacket faithfully recreates the amazing original artwork, lyric translations, photos, and an interview with Ashine accompany.

Late night '60s R&B caught on tape at Jim Kirchstein's jack-of-all genres Cuca studio. Released on minuscule pressings into the Wisconsin wilderness, these 26 sasquatch-rare tracks uncover the soulful paths between the Chicago, Milwaukee, Rockford, and Rockford scenes. Featuring Harvey Scales, Step By Step, Betty Moorer, Seven Sounds, Twiliters, Birdlegs & Pauline, Esquires, Artie & The Pharaohs, and Fantastic Six, this 2xLP tells an alternate history of soul music that could only happen in the Hinterlands on Highway 12.

"You and Me” by Penny & the Quarters simply refused to stay lost. For 40 years, the song sat silent in a box of reels before heartthrob Ryan Gosling selected it to star in 2010's indie weeper Blue Valentine. The power of the track set off an international treasure hunt in pursuit of the mysterious artists behind it. Since then, “You and Me” has soundtracked thousands of weddings, spawned hundreds of YouTube covers, and tugged heartstrings for scores of advertisements and films. Fifteen years after Eccentric Soul: The Prix label became Numero’s worst selling compilation, we’ve reanalyzed the tapes and selected 11 equally-as-fascinating rehearsals caught by engineer Clem Price in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. Please note: Physical items are o

In the midst of the UK house rave-olution of the early-’90s, London’s V4 Visions imprint documented the confluence of street soul, deep house, swingbeat, and jungle sounds emanating from the clubs and pirate radio signals. Over the course of half a decade, V4’s unparalleled 12” output referenced every significant Black British music scene; from lovers rock to jazz-funk, sound system reggae to hip hop, new jack swing to garage, from artists Ashaye, Julie Stapleton, Maureen Mason, Rohan Delano, The Wades, and Endangered Species. This 18-track double LP is the first critical overview of the label, with extensive notes by Simon Reynolds, era-defining photographs, and fresh remasters, all housed in a glorious foil-stamped gatefold tip-on sleeve. Is this a dream?

A crate staple for any lover of feminine funk, Beehive Breaks gathers 15 sultry singles from across the Numero-verse. From Sandy Gaye's Cruella-synched "Watch The Dog That Brings The Bone" to James Brown's soul sister #1 Marva Whitney, teenage girl gangs The Trinikas and Promise, Miami's queen of soul Betty Wright, plus a previously unissued belter from Chicago's Sonics Band, Beehive Breaks picks up where sister funk left off.

The latest mixtape LP, “Even The Devil Smiles,” comes from rapper and producer IDK (Jason Mills).

A key work from the golden era of Impulse! Records, Love in Us All is a 1974 masterpiece by spiritual jazz seeker Pharoah Sanders, now reissued on vinyl. As the title suggests, this album is a sonic journey of devotion and transcendence toward the “love within us all.” A powerful balance of mysticism and compassion, chaos and serenity—this is truly music shaped by love and the cosmos. An eternal resonance, more vital now than ever.

Boas festas ✨ Wishing you all a beautiful Christmas and a strong, joyful start to the new year from Groningen & Luanda. We’re very happy to finally share some long-awaited news: after five years, we’ve completed the order for the "Turma Da Benção" album at the pressing plant — and the vinyl is officially on its way! It’s been a long journey, but we’re incredibly grateful for everyone’s patience, trust, and support along the road. Pre-orders are now open. To celebrate the season, we’d love to share “Boas Festas” & "Réveillon" two incredible tracks from this forthcoming album, a project rooted in the legacy of Conjunto Angola 70 and co-produced by Paulo Flores. They are included in the vinyl pre-order. More details about the album and upcoming release will follow soon. For now, we hope this track brings you a moment of warmth, reflection, and celebration over the holidays. Thank you for your support during this journey. Onwards into the new year 🖤❤️ Much love, Keep On Pushin Records

Following the 2016 release of "Ethiopian hit parade vol.1", Francis Falceto, founder of the Ethiopian series and Heavenly Sweetness continue their work of reissuing the Ethiopian hit parade series on vinyl. These are very rare vinyls, published at the time in only 300 or 400 copies. After releasing about fifty singles and his first LP (Ethiopian Modern Instrumental Hits AELP 10), the late Amha Eshèté, who passed away this year, undertook in 1972 to collect his best productions released on singles in a series of albums that have become mythical (and unobtainable in original). The first four volumes of Ethiopian Hit Parade were released in September and October 1972, and the fifth in January 1973. The one you have in your hands is volume 2. 1. GETACHEW KASSA "Tezeta (slow+fast)" This double version of "Tezeta", by its success and the controversy it fuelled between outraged conservatives and the young pop guard, stands as a symbol of pre-revolutionary Ethiopia - light music trend. Its fast part is very representative of the upheaval in Ethiopian society: Gétatchèw Kassa gives a version that is totally contrary to tradition, but so much in the tone adopted by the young Ethiopian anti-conformists of 1972. This "Tezeta" was, moreover, Ethiopia's biggest recording success - around 5,000 copies, whereas the big hits had a ceiling of 2 or 3,000 copies, and the small hits a few hundred. 2.MULATU ASTATKE "Munayé” In the Ethiopian musical landscape, Mulatu Astatqé is a personality totally apart, atypical, unique in his genre. Musician, arranger, composer, innovator, mover and shaker, his true uniqueness certainly lies in his action for instrumental music, which is not an Ethiopian tradition. This title "Munayé" is in fact the title that opens the album "Ethiopian modern instrumental hits". He is joined on piano by Girma Bèyènè, Testa Maryam Kidané on tenor sax and Andrew Wilson on guitar, Ivo on bass, Tesfayé "hodo" Mékonnen and Girma Zémaryam on drums, and the strings are undoubtedly those of the Police String Orchestra. 3. TESHOME METEKU "Yezemed yebaed" & "Mote adeladayou" Tèshomè Meteku was something of a meteor. Brother of saxophonist Téwodros Meteku, he recorded only four songs, four exceptional jewels, before leaving for Sweden to continue his studies. He is surely one of the voices that best matched Mulatu Astatqé's arrangements. 4. ABAYNEH DEDJENE "Balendjèrié 5 & 7. ALEMAYEHU ESHETE "Alteleyeshigneme" & "Temhert bété" Along with Mahmoud and Tlahoun Gèssèssè, Alèmayèhu Eshèté is one of the most prolific singers in the Ethiopian discography. A leading vocalist with the Police Orchestra since 1960, he was one of the first artists to leave the institution to join the young guard of independent orchestras, such as the Soul Ekos, or the Alem-Girma band which he founded with the pianist and arranger Girma Bèyènè. Often referred to as James Brown or the Ethiopian Elvis for his looks and stage presence, as well as for his music, Alèmayèhu has long symbolised modernist Ethiopia, enamoured of Rhythm and Blues and Soul music, without abandoning the roots that are so unique to the thousand-year-old Abyssinian nation. 6. MENELIK WOSSENACHEW "Belew bedubaye » 9. ESSATU TESSEMMA and SEYFU YOHANNES "Fikir bekumena » Like Tlahoun Gèssèssè and Abaynèh Dèdjèné, Essatu Tessemma was also a singer attached to the Imperial Body Guard Band, until the 1974 revolution. A native of Soddo Wélayta, he died in the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, Sèyfou Yohannes has left us very few traces (only 6 tracks recorded on vinyl). Born in 1946, he died in the early 1970s before reaching his thirties. A pioneer among independent singers, Sèyfou Yohannes sang in particular with The Soul Ekos, a model of the non-institutional band, very open to Afro-American music and produced by Amha Eshèté. 10. MULUKEN MELESSE "Enbayén terègiw" A precocious phenomenon, Muluqèn Mèlèssè was 13 years old when he began his singing career in 1966. Like many vocalists of his time, he started out in the various police bands before singing with the first non-institutional groups or those formed by club owners. This singer will be the subject of the next volume (31) in the Ethiopian series.

At long last, this legendary gem returns! A coveted treasure among Japanese jazz collectors, the album showcases bassist Hideto Kanai directing a 17‑member big band in a powerful and forward‑thinking exploration of orchestral jazz.