MUSIC

Donald Byrd's 1975 album is the culmination of his fusion era, including such hits as "Wind Parade" and "Dominoes". It was one of five albums in a row produced by Larry Mizell, and Bird's second-to-last album at Blue Note, where he had been since 1958.

Bheki Mseleku, who played on Hugh Masekela's masterpiece "Waiting For The Rain," is also featured on this album. South Africa's answer to Chick Corea's Return to Forever and Miles Davis' On the Corner. This is the first analogue reissue of the first album released in 1977 by the legendary Spirits Rejoice collective. A legendary ensemble of South Africa's most talented players, this is a timeless masterpiece that has had a profound impact on the evolution of jazz in South Africa! Gorgeous photos and liner notes by Francis Gooding are posted on the inner sleeve.

To enter the world of Sally Townes and Roberta Vandervort is to be swept away into a dimension of unique sound. Embellishments of smoldering jazz funk, seductive soft rock, breezy AOR, and misty folk, all paint a picture of the worlds which they inhabited; from the endless flat expanse of Dallas, the hot and humid bustle of a Bourbon Street night club, to the late night buzz of a Los Angeles studio session. While Sally Townes and Roberta Vandervort never crossed paths in our reality, their supernatural union on this compilation feels like the meeting of old, yet familiar friends, set in a parallel dimension with lives intertwined. The songs feel like old friends, too — a comforting time capsule of the popular sounds of the era, yet offering something completely new. Bridged by the striking similarities in their musical confidence, vocal conviction, and boundless creativity, both women encapsulate an uncompromising passion for living, loving, and creating on their own terms.

Woke rhythms and high-spirited grooves from the vaults of two seminal Italian jazz labels, between the 70s and 80s. Intensely curated by Khalab. Hyperituals is part of the new research path undertaken by Hyperjazz Records. Entirely curated by Khalab - Raffaele Costantino, HJ’s founder and head of A&R - Hyperituals is a philological investigation that delves deeply into the musical influences and cultural roots of the young Italian label. The theme that runs through Hyperituals is the exploration of the possibilities of sound, rhythm, remix, and endless sampling. Inspiring listening, interpretation, and insight. Is it an exercise in crate-digging that explores the past of some of the most important yet sometimes forgotten record labels and aims to bring to light music that is contemporary both in its sound and its message. The first stage of this journey is represented by Black Saint/Soul Note, an Italian ‘double’ label based in Milan that, since the 1970s and throughout the 1980s, established itself as one of the most important imprints for international jazz. Founded respectively in 1975 by Giacomo Pellicciotti and in 1979 by Giovanni Bonandrini (to whom Pellicciotti sold Black Saint in 1977), Black Saint and Soul Note have represented a safe haven for incredible and brilliant artists who were unable to find their space elsewhere. By combining jazz tradition with the political vanguard sentiment of the time, the two sister labels were able to press and produce more than five hundred records (still available today - the catalogue is now owned by CAM Jazz), many of which are by some of the brightest names in creative jazz or the ‘avant-garde’ of the era. Black Saint and Soul Note always placed the artists, their visions, and their music at the center, giving them total freedom of creative expression. It is thanks to this constant, cutting-edge and meticulous commitment that today we have some of the shiniest musical gems by Sun Ra, Archie Shepp, Don Cherry, Max Roach, Anthony Braxton, David Murray, and many others. And it is this long list of jazz gods and idols that led the two labels to be recognized as the best in the world by critics, winning the DownBeat Critics Poll for Best Record Label for six years in a row, from 1984 to 1990, conquering the American market. This first double gatefold vinyl volume is entirely dedicated to the Soul Note catalogue. Khalab’s selection - focused on rhythms, grooves and Afrocentric traditions - demonstrates how this music, through its sensibility, can renew our connection to the present in unexpected ways. As the curator and music critic Enrico Bettinello writes in the compilation’s liner notes, in this volume “we find moments of ecstasy, irresistible percussive webs, fiery solos, poetic awareness, and magical ritual lyricism.” A second volume focused on the Black Saint catalogue is already in the works.

Sonor Music Editions proudly announces the first ever reissue of another Italian Library holy grail, fruit of the union between two of the most brilliant composers of Italian panorama: Alessandro Alessandroni and Rino De Filippi. "VACANZE" album (in English 'holidays'), was originally released in early/mid 70s on Sermi output, and is one of the most elusive records from the label out there. From refined Lounge music to stunning Jazz-Funk and groovy vibes, this album features an unbelievable set of the coolest themed music from the whole Library scene, with maestro Rino De Filippi's harpsichord on evidence in many tracks and soaring, loungy and dreamy moods throughout the entire album. A superlative recording, with an incredible sleeve design that has obssessed Library collectors for years, and for sure among the best releases from the gold Sermi label along with "Nel Mondo Del Lavoro" release just announced. iframe src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/614156976&color=%239a8d5e&auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_comments=false&show_user=true&show_artwork=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" allow="autoplay" scrolling="no" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no">

A reissue of the classic 1977 vocal fusion album that has been the source of many hip-hop samples. It features Narada Michael Walden (Whitney Houston, Herbie Hancock, George Benson) on drums. Long out of print, and coveted by collectors, Chiaroscuro provides an official faithful reissue.