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民謡クルセイダーズ - 日本民謡より愛をこめて (LP)
民謡クルセイダーズ - 日本民謡より愛をこめて (LP)ユニバーサルミュージック
¥4,950

Born in a Fussa U.S. military house, Minyo Crusaders cut new ground by fusing Japanese folk songs with Latin rhythms, earning high praise both at home and abroad from media like NPR and The Guardian. Now comes From Japan With Love, their first new album in three years.

Tlahoun Gessesse - Ethiopian Urban Modern Music Vol. 4 (LP)
Tlahoun Gessesse - Ethiopian Urban Modern Music Vol. 4 (LP)HEAVENLY SWEETNESS
¥4,243

Although he is still completely unknown to Western audiences, for Ethiopians, Tlahoun Gèssèssè is THE VOICE. The first-ever pan-Ethiopian star, he has embodied such nonstop unanimity since the end of the 1950s that is a role-model and a point of reference.

Max Cilla - La Flute Des Mornes Volume 1 (LP)Max Cilla - La Flute Des Mornes Volume 1 (LP)
Max Cilla - La Flute Des Mornes Volume 1 (LP)Les Disques Bongo Joe
¥4,571

Born in 1944 on Martinique island, Max Cilla worked his whole life to resurrect the bamboo flute played by his forebears in the fields from the relative oblivion into which it had fallen in the early 20th century. At first, Max Cilla built them. He went up into his native coastal hills to manufacture them according to traditional rules used in India. Using a simple piece of rough wood, he fabricated a noble instrument of great « historical » significance that showed the way for a younger generation in search of its identity. « I came up with the name of the coastal hills flute »: the great mystic asserts. Fascinated by Cuban music and Latin rhythms, he composed & played his own songs accompanied by the island’s traditional percussions. He recorded and released La Flute des Mornes Vol.1 in 1981. Max Cilla played with Archie Shepp in Paris, recorded on Bonga’s album Angola 74, shared the stage with Tito Puente & Machito and keep on playing today.

The San Lucas Band - La Voz de las Cumbres (Music of Guatemala) (LP)The San Lucas Band - La Voz de las Cumbres (Music of Guatemala) (LP)
The San Lucas Band - La Voz de las Cumbres (Music of Guatemala) (LP)Les Disques Bongo Joe
¥4,365
First reissue of these cult 1974 recordings of a Mayan brass band playing funeral dirges and popular songs in its distinctive extended harmonic and rhythmic style. The members of the San Lucas Band lived in the mountain village of San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, playing local events of both religious and social nature. The pride of its town since 1922, the band represented a fast-disappearing musical tradition when these recordings were originally released in 1975. Its unique sound derived from an unusual combination of instruments, a repertoire including pieces dating from more than fifty years before the recordings were made to more recent ones, and above all from the highland Maya style of its playing, which is characterized by a preference for freer rhythmic structures and a wider variety of pitches than Western scales allow. One of Jon Hassell and Charlie Haden's favorite records, it was nominated for a Grammy Award upon first release and has remained much beloved by a small community of enthusiasts for decades. A profound and rewarding musical experience for all adventurous listeners, notably fans of Albert Ayler, microtonal and raw cosmic music.
Sudeshna Bhattacharya & Mosin Khan Kawa - Mohini (LP)Sudeshna Bhattacharya & Mosin Khan Kawa - Mohini (LP)
Sudeshna Bhattacharya & Mosin Khan Kawa - Mohini (LP)Motvind Records
¥5,194

Straight to the point: Indian classical music is, and will always be, the most complete music in the world. There is Indian classical music that suits all seasons, all times of day, all moods, and all emotions. Holmlia, on the southern side of Oslo, is honored to host one of the most skilled performers of Indian classical music in Europe: Sudeshna Bhattacharya. Sudeshna began learning the art of playing the sarod from her father, Sri Krishna Mohan Bhattacharya, who himself was a student of Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra. She grew up in a home where Indian classical music was deeply rooted, and at the age of four, she started playing. Her grandfather had studied with Ustad Ameer Khan Sarodia from the Senia Vinkaar Gharana, a name and lineage that left a strong imprint on her musical heritage. At the age of eight, Sudeshna began formal training under the renowned master Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. In 2003, she was invited by the French Ministry of Culture to France, where she spent a decade giving concerts both domestically and internationally, conducting courses and workshops, recording music, and participating in cultural celebrations and events. In 2013, Sudeshna moved to Norway, where she has lectured master’s students at the Norwegian Academy of Music and continued her life’s work as a performer, composer, teacher, and recording artist. She plays the sarod. The finest instrument there is?! The sarod, which together with the sitar stands as one of the most revered and well-known carriers of sound in Hindustani tonality, has a unique essence. Unlike the sitar, whose frets guide notes with strict discipline, the sarod embodies naked freedom – a fretless form requiring masterful handling with the left hand. When playing the sarod, the strings are struck with a plectrum made of coconut shell, a touch of nature's own design. Notes are created as the player presses their nails against a cold, gleaming steel fingerboard with remarkable precision. In this humble interplay between hand, nail, and string lies a profound breath, a tone reflecting the eternal itself. Joining her on this album is Mosin Kawa. He was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, on May 3, 1992. At the age of three, he began learning tabla under the guidance of his father, Ustad Shabbir Ahmed. While continuing to learn from his father, Mosin also sought inspiration and new compositions from great masters such as Ustad Munshi Ahmed, Ustad Hidayat Khan, and Ustad Yusuf Khan. At the age of eight, Mosin performed at the Saptak Festival in Ahmedabad with a qawwali group. From then on, he began performing as a tabla soloist across different parts of India. At 18, Mosin travelled to Paris, France, with his older brother Shahid Hussain Kawa, an accomplished santoor player. Together, they performed music across several European countries, including Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy, spreading the musical heritage of Rajasthan to wider circles. About the title: As Sudeshna says: Mohini is the feminine version of Krishna and symbolizes feminine strength – not in war, but in peace, love, and harmony. This goddess could definitely step forward a bit more in the times ahead, thank you very much! Or, she is already present; one just needs to read a book or two or watch an informational film to realize that there’s much to learn from her and the various gods worshipped around the world. They are often on to something, and there’s no reason not to emulate them! Isn’t it strange that (at least in the Western world), it’s entirely acceptable to “look up to” athletes, actors, and capitalists, while many feel embarrassed to acknowledge a spiritually sound character or two? But yes, Indian music is and will remain the best. Indian classical music, this ancient source of resonant wisdom and spiritual beauty, has two branches that each, in their own way, embrace the mystical in the human spirit: Hindustani and Carnatic music. Sudeshna, this art’s faithful steward, enters the Hindustani tradition with a spirit so profound and an interpretation so masterful that it feels as if the music itself speaks through her as its vessel. Hindustani music is an art form that aims to reach the heart's roots, a painting of the nine primary emotions – the states of being that shape our lives: the burning fire of erotic love, the radiant joy of undisturbed happiness, the depth of empathy that brings solace to another, the power that rises like a spring flood of energy, heroism breaking through like a star in the night, fear rushing through one’s core, disgust pulling one away from what repels, awe lifting the soul towards the divine, and harmony, the gentle sense of everything in its rightful place. Each of these resonant tones acts as a medicine for the body and mind, reflecting the cosmos itself in every note and interval. In Hindustani music, notes belong to their proper time slots. Each piece, each raga, is tied to a certain time of day or a season. Like the morning light reflecting in the dew or the autumn wind sweeping over leaf-heavy hills, music must follow nature's rhythms to be whole. Before the mighty strikes of percussion enter, each raga opens with a long and exploratory alap, where the notes search outward like roots seeking water – a journey into the soul’s deepest darkness and brightest clarity. And even more beautiful, even deeper, is the play of the 22 microtones – the small, airy rising and falling tones that reveal a world beyond the West’s familiar scales, a wholeness that opens the door to a different, eternal tonal universe. Hindustani music is not just a listening experience; it is a revelation – a humble prayer, a step toward the heavens, and a resonance between earth and eternity. May more open their eyes and ears to this wondrous, deepening art!

O.K. Jazz - Pas Un Pas Sans... The Boleros Of O.K. Jazz 1957-77 (2LP)O.K. Jazz - Pas Un Pas Sans... The Boleros Of O.K. Jazz 1957-77 (2LP)
O.K. Jazz - Pas Un Pas Sans... The Boleros Of O.K. Jazz 1957-77 (2LP)Planet Ilunga
¥7,554

This compilation ‘Pas Un Pas Sans… The Boleros of O.K. Jazz 1957-77’ is a selection of songs from what is one of the most unique and passionate music genres on earth, the Congolese bolero. Of all Congolese bands venturing into the bolero, the O.K. Jazz orchestra is by far the king of this musical style which originated in the late 19th century in Cuba. In its nearly forty years of existence, the illustrious band released dozens of boleros, with beautiful compositions, mainly by Franco and Vicky, and occasionally from Kwamy, Edo, Simaro and Mujos among others. The slow form of the bolero allowed Franco, who said in various interviews that he loved all forms of ‘slow music’, to express his most profound soul stirrings and create a style of his own. With the suave voice of Vicky and the breathtaking and dramatic guitar touch of Franco, O.K. Jazz was able to capture the true essence of the bolero. The favorite theme in the bolero songs of O.K. Jazz was, without doubt, the joy and pain of love, but it also touches on friendship, city life in Kinshasa, laments, politics and even advertising for a shoe brand like the remarkable song ‘Pas Un Pas Sans Bata’ featured on this compilation. All of the songs, except one, were restored and remastered from the original 45 rpm or 78 rpm release. The selection chronologically presented here consists – as always – for a good part of songs never reproduced after their original release.

Docteur Nico / African Fiesta Sukisa - Dr Nico Presents African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-1974 (3LP+Booklet)Docteur Nico / African Fiesta Sukisa - Dr Nico Presents African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-1974 (3LP+Booklet)
Docteur Nico / African Fiesta Sukisa - Dr Nico Presents African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-1974 (3LP+Booklet)Planet Ilunga
¥9,492

Planet Ilunga presents, in collaboration with the children of Nico Kasanda alias Docteur Nico, an anthology dedicated to African Fiesta Sukisa, available as a 3LP and a digital release (with bonus songs). This release is the fruit of many years of preparations and was realized in close partnership with Liliane Kasanda, Nico’s eldest daughter. Marking forty years since his passing, we felt that the year 2025 was the right time to honor Docteur Nico’s legacy with this original collection.

Almost all of the African Fiesta Sukisa songs were released on Nico’s Sukisa label which translates in Lingala for “the final accomplishment”. The music on Sukisa, crafted by Nico, Dechaud and legendary vocalists such as Chantal, Sangana, Apôtre, Lessa Lassan and Josky, embodies the essence of that powerful phrase with genius and class. The label ran between 1966 and 1975 and released approximately 280 songs. Ngoma also issued the group between 1967 and 1971 and, in addition, reissued material from the Sukisa label. Many of the Sukisa songs have become part of the collective memory of Congolese society and are still heard, discussed, and analyzed daily across digital platforms worldwide, as well as on numerous Congolese radio and television stations.

The album we put together features some of African Fiesta Sukisa’s signature songs alongside never before reissued tracks from the Sukisa catalog. It furthermore contains a large booklet with song commentary, testimonial interviews from well-known musicians, journalists, fans and Nico’s entourage, besides never-before-published photos from the family’s personal archive, illustrating the life and career of the one and only ‘dieu de la guitare’.

Alastair Johnston, author of the book ‘A Discography of Docteur Nico’ and longstanding Planet Ilunga collaborator, designed a stylish booklet and cover using all our collected material. Audifax Bemba, longtime admirer, compiler and connoisseur of Nico’s music, and the author of most of the song commentary in our accompanying and very visual booklet, offers his portrait of Nico Kasanda:

“After displaying technical virtuosity with African Jazz, expert and accomplished guitar with African Fiesta, which musicologist Sylvain Bemba described as a dream guitar, Nico Kasanda was consecrated ‘dieu de la guitare’ by the public in the late sixties. With his band African Fiesta Sukisa, Docteur Nico displays his wide palette of unusual sounds. While exploring the Hawaiian guitar with its clear, airy, plangent, psychedelic effluvia, he continues to replicate the piano comping technique, and adds two missing strings to his bow: a simulation of the sanza (likembé or thumb piano), whose sounds he reproduces right down to the noisemakers of the tiny tin rings on the one hand, and the sounds of the Luba balafon on the other.

The right note, in the right place, at the right time, is the triptych on which Nico Kasanda’s playing is based, a note dressed in the perfect sound. A guitar of pure emotion. With African Fiesta Sukisa, his playing takes a ‘Chopin-esque’ turn, sending out more notes in a sublime adagio. The true artist is the one who simplifies everything. Docteur Nico is a genius of our time, whose style makes him the supreme exponent of the most important guitar school in Congolese music. He is recognized by his peers as the greatest African solo guitarist of all time. Sculpting sound in a tireless quest for beauty, Nico Kasanda has sublimated the guitar throughout his career.”

Joseph Kamaru - Further Combinations (LP)Joseph Kamaru - Further Combinations (LP)
Joseph Kamaru - Further Combinations (LP)Disciples
¥3,772

A companion mini-album to Heavy Combination, last year’s career-spanning compilation documenting some of the amazing music recorded over five decades by the late Joseph Kamaru, a towering figure in post-colonial Kenyan culture. This new record presents five more gems from the archives, chosen by Disciples and Joseph Kamaru’s grandson, the sound artist KMRU. Carefully remastered from original tape transfers, with liner notes by Kenyan academic Maina wa Mũtonya.

V.A. - 琉球レアグルーヴ Revisited - Okinawa Pops 1957-1978 (LP)
V.A. - 琉球レアグルーヴ Revisited - Okinawa Pops 1957-1978 (LP)NIPPONOPHONE
¥4,620
A compilation of rare and unique songs that blend rock and soul grooves with pop songs sung in the traditional scales of Okinawa, a southern island of Japan. It includes 14 tropical groove tracks from notable artists such as the iconic Yara Families, the pioneer of Okinawan folk rock Shokichi Kina, and Mitsuko Sawamura, who transitioned from Okinawa to American musical films.

V.A. - 琉球レアグルーヴ Crossover - Okinawa Jazz Funk 1964-1984 (LP)
V.A. - 琉球レアグルーヴ Crossover - Okinawa Jazz Funk 1964-1984 (LP)NIPPONOPHONE
¥4,620
A selection of Jazz/Funk arrangements of folk melodies from Okinawa, Japan's southern islands A must-have for Asian rare groove fans Pressed on black vinyl Japanese pressing with Obi A compilation of tracks that rearrange Okinawan folk songs into Jazz Funk, crossover, and large ensemble jazz, featuring works by Kiyoshi Yamaya, who was also highlighted in "Diggers Dozen" (BBE) by the Japanese DJ MURO, known as the "King of Diggin," and "Wamono Groove: Shakuhachi & Koto Jazz Funk 1976" (180g). This collection debuts as the latest installment in the "Ryukyu Rare Groove" series, which was originally released in Japan in 2003 to great acclaim. Tracklist A1. Kifu Mitsuhashi - Asadoya Yunta A2. Toshiko Yonekawa - Tanchame A3. Kiyoshi Yamaya - Ryukyu Miyabi 2 A4. Kiyoshi Yamaya - Ryukyu Miyabi 3 A5. Kiyoshi Yamaya - Ryukyu Miyabi 4 A6. Kiyoshi Yamaya - Nishinjo-bushi/Asadoya Yunta/Tanchame B1. Tadaaki Misago and Tokyo Cuban Boys - Tanchame-bushi B2. Tadaaki Misago and Tokyo Cuban Boys - Hatoma-bushi B3. Minoru Murayama - Asadoya Yunta B4. Kiyoshi Yamaya - Ryukyu no Sora B5. Kiyoshi Yamaya - Ryukyu no Matsuri 1 B6. Kifu Mitsuhashi – Tanchame
V.A. - Bulayo: Guitar Songs from Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, and DR Congo (LP)
V.A. - Bulayo: Guitar Songs from Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, and DR Congo (LP)Mississippi Records
¥3,736

Bulayo gathers extraordinary acoustic guitar performances recorded across Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and DR Congo in 1979–80 by British-Kenyan musician John Low. Travelling as a student rather than a producer, Low sought out masters of regional fingerstyle traditions, visiting and sometimes staying with artists including Jean-Bosco Mwenda, Losta Abelo and Emmanuel Mulemena, while also documenting under-recorded players such as Francis Kitime and Mtonga Wanganangu. Captured in homes, village squares and bars, these recordings are relaxed and immediate, with laughter, conversation and everyday sounds woven into the music. Far removed from studio polish, they offer a rare sense of how this guitar music was actually heard and shared. Some tracks previously surfaced on John Storm Roberts’ long out-of-print Original Music compilations; others appear here for the first time. All have been restored and remastered from Low’s original tapes by Andrew Walter (Honest Jon’s, Abbey Road). With notes and lyrics by John Low and commentary from Tanzanian scholar John Kitime, Bulayo stands as a vital document of East and Central Africa’s rich guitar traditions.

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - Jerusalem (LP)Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - Jerusalem (LP)
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - Jerusalem (LP)Mississippi Records
¥3,497

From beloved composer Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, a revelatory new album of piano pieces, unreleased or virtually inaccessible until now!

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru is a true original – an Ethiopian nun whose recordings have funded orphanages back home since the early ’60s. Her compositions and unique playing style live somewhere between Erik Satie, Debussy, liturgical music of the Coptic Ethiopian Church, and Ethiopian traditional music. It is some of the most moving piano music you will ever hear.

This is the first archival release of the great composer’s recordings since the Éthiopiques series reintroduced her music to the world in 2006. Drawn from original master tapes and a nearly impossible-to-find vinyl release, Jerusalem unveils profound new facets of Emahoy Gebru’s performance and compositions.

The record picks up where the last two Mississippi releases left off, with tracks from her 1972 album Hymn of Jerusalem, of which only a handful of copies are known to exist. These include “Home of Beethoven,” “Aurora,” and a true masterpiece that stands amongst her greatest compositions, the moving “Jerusalem.” “Quand La Mer Furieuse” is the first release featuring Emahoy’s singing voice, forshadowing a vocal album planned for fall 2023. The B-Side brings us the artist’s home recordings - tracks like “Farewell Eve,” “Woigaye Don’t Cry Anymore,” and “Famine Disaster 1974” mark a bridge from liturgical work to dark and intense classical material, a new mode.

This album is released in celebration of Emahoy Gebru’s 99th birthday on December 12, 2022. Mississippi is honored to work with the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Publisher to continue to introduce this visionary composer to the world.

Newly remastered recordings pressed on 160gm black vinyl, heavy jacket with reproduction of 1972 artwork, song notes by the artist. 

Teno Afrika - Amapiano Selections (LP)
Teno Afrika - Amapiano Selections (LP)Awesome Tapes From Africa
¥3,063
This is the first album by Teno Afrika, a hot project led by Lutendo Raduvha, a 21-year-old young musician who is one of the most important figures in the latest "Amapiano" movement born in South Africa, where homegrown jazz, boogie, Afro-house, kwaito, etc. are rapidly being revived. This is the first album from Teno Afrika, a project led by Lutendo Raduvha, a 21-year-old young musician who is a key figure in the latest Amapiano movement emerging in South Africa. Born in the townships of Gauteng, South Africa, Teno Afrika has rapidly gained momentum over the past five years, evolving into a nationwide mainstream genre of "amapiano," a new genre influenced by kwaito. Having spent most of his life moving back and forth between Johannesburg and various townships in the suburbs of Pretoria, Gauteng, he has incorporated the influences of these areas into this exciting new collection of Afro-dance tracks.
Jun Arasaki and Nine Sheep, Visible Cloaks - Kajyadhi​-​fu bushi (7")
Jun Arasaki and Nine Sheep, Visible Cloaks - Kajyadhi​-​fu bushi (7")Em Records
¥2,310
A charming set of double transformations on this 7 inch. “Kajyadhi Fu Bushi” is a traditional Ryukyu minyo (Okinawa folk song), a joyous celebratory classic which is usually sung at weddings, with lyrics describing how “beautiful buds unfold”, using the distinctive Ryukyu/Okinawan pentatonic scale. Typically performed by a small ensemble of a singer accompanied by sanshin, the Okinawan precursor to the shamisen, the A-side is has been transformed by jazz musician and conductor Jun Arasaki and his group Nine Sheep, with five sanshin, four winds, piano, guitar, bass, percussion and drums. Played only once, unrehearsed but perfect in execution, for a 1977 TV broadcast, this release has been taken from the only recording in existence. The B-side is yet another transformation, a remix by the Portland “fourth world” duo Visible Cloaks.
Amelia Cuni - Melopea (LP+DL)
Amelia Cuni - Melopea (LP+DL)Black Truffle
¥5,035

Black Truffle is pleased to announce Melopea, presenting two new pieces highlighting the incredible voice of Amelia Cuni (1958-2024), the great Italian singer, based in Berlin in later life, whose mastery of the classical Indian dhrupad developed in parallel with a commitment to contemporary experimental approaches. After two stunning archival releases documenting traditional dhrupad performances in India in the 1990s (BT079 and BT092), the two side-long pieces here embody the freedom with which Cuni explored new contexts and settings for her singing. Both make use of a long recording of Cuni singing the pentatonic Raag Bhoop (or Bhopali) made in 2012 by her partner Werner Durand in Berlin. ‘Melopea’ began from Cuni and Durand’s superimposition of this recording with violinist Silvia Tarozzi and cellist Deborah Walker’s performance of Éliane Radigue’s ‘Occam River II’.

Inspired by the beauty of this chance encounter (and other experiments with non-synchronous collaboration during the pandemic years), Tarozzi and Walker recorded independently, without hearing Cuni’s voice but ‘having her present in memory’. Tarozzi and Walker’s bowed strings places Cuni’s magisterial performance in a new context, emphasising, as Radigue commented upon hearing the initial layering of her piece with Cuni’s voice, a shared ‘searching toward the partials, overtones, these natural constituents of acoustical sounds in their richness’. Beginning with whispered bowed harmonics, the violin and cello swap the stability of dhrupad’s traditional tanpura drone for a slowly evolving, uneasy web of harmonic interactions recalling some of Harley Gaber’s work, sometimes sitting on dissonances for long periods or allowing changing interference patterns to come to the fore. Primarily focusing on her lower register, Cuni’s performance demonstrates her mastery of microtonal pitch subtleties, elegant sweeping glissandi and meditatively unhurried pacing.

The continuation of the same recording by Cuni forms the foundation of ‘Bhoop-Murchana’, with Anthea Caddy on cello and Werner Durand on soprano saxophone. In contrast to the randomised layering of the first piece, here Durand and Caddy have carefully selected pitches based on the raag Cuni sings, using the ‘Murchana’ form, which uses the constituent notes of the raag as tonics of new raags, retaining the same interval structure. Both players who have developed tones of striking depth and harmonic purity on their instruments, Caddy and Durand’s patient long tones are simultaneously rigorously grounded in the physical properties of sound and possessed of an immaterial, floating quality. Combined with Cuni’s voice and, near the piece’s end, her contributions on hammered and plucked tanpura, the effect borders on miraculous. To surrender to this music is like slipping into an onsen pool, feeling the instantaneous release of every tension. Accompanied by liner notes from Durand, Tarozzi and Walker, Melopea is both a moving tribute to the profound art of Amelia Cuni and, for the uninitiated, a perfect introduction to it.

Sombat Simla - Master Of Bamboo Mouth Organ - Isan, Thailand (LP)
Sombat Simla - Master Of Bamboo Mouth Organ - Isan, Thailand (LP)Black Truffle
¥4,795
Black Truffle is pleased to announce the first LP documenting master Khaen player Sombat Simla, the label’s first collaboration with Japanese sound artist, field recordist, and researcher Yasuhiro Morinaga. Simla is known in Thailand as one of the greatest living players of the khene, the ancient bamboo mouth organ particularly associated with Laos but found throughout East and Southeast Asia. His virtuosic and endlessly inventive renditions of traditional and popular songs have earned him the title ‘the god of khene’, and he is known for his innovative techniques and ability to mimic other instruments and non-musical sound, including, as a writer for the Bangkok Post describes, ‘the sound of a train journey, complete with traffic crossings and the call of barbecue chicken vendors’. Aided by a group of Thai friends, in 2018 Morinaga travelled to the Maha Sarakham province in the Isan region, arranging to meet Simla in a remote spot surrounded by rice fields. Then and there, Morinaga recorded the solo performances heard on the LP’s first side. At Morinaga’s request, Simla began with a rendition of the train song ‘Lot Fay Tay Lang’. Beginning with long tones that seem to mimic a train horn, the performance soon moves into a rapid chugging rhythm, interrupted at points by vocal exclamations and the remarkable timbre Simla produces by singing through the khene. To listeners unfamiliar with Thai music, the pentatonic scales and rhythmic chug of many of the pieces can have surprising echoes of the rawest American blues. The range of Simla’s performance is astonishing, moving from compulsive rhythmic workouts on single chords and rapid-fire runs of single notes to gentle sing-song melodies, and using a fascinating array of techniques, including a rapid tremolo that sometimes sounds almost electronic. Later the same day, Morinaga followed Simla to a cattle shed where he met percussionist Mali Moodsansee to play some molam (folk songs found in Isan and neighbouring Laos), with Pattardon Ekchatree joining in on cymbal. At times, these molam songs have a wistful, romantic character quite different from the solo pieces. Backed up by the propulsive hand drums, Simla again dazzles with his melodic fluidity, rhythmic drive, and wild displays of unorthodox technique. As Morinaga writes, ‘It felt like they had been playing together so long that their breathing was perfectly in sync, and it was like listening to the precision of James Brown’s funk’. Accompanied by extensive liner notes by Morinaga detailing the day of recording, this is a stunning document of a master musician, seamlessly integrating tradition and innovation.
Brij Bhushan Kabra / Shivkumar Sharma / Hariprasad Chaurasia - Call of the Valley (LP)
Brij Bhushan Kabra / Shivkumar Sharma / Hariprasad Chaurasia - Call of the Valley (LP)Gramophone Company Of India
¥3,454

Shivkumar Sharma, the guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra, and flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia were all aged about 30 when they made Call of the Valley. Shivkumar Sharma, who had made his first solo album in 1960, was responsible for establishing and popularizing the instrument in Hindustani classical circles. Kabra was also having to prove himself because of the guitar's Western and Indian popular music associations Chaurasia's problem was the wide popularity of the bansuri -- a bamboo transverse flute -- and his need to establish himself with the instrument. In 1967, the concept behind this album was as revolutionary as it was traditional. Conceived as a suite, they used their instruments to tell the story of a day in the life of a shepherd in Kashmir using ragas associated with various times of the day to advance the dramatic narrative. If the newcomer buys only one Indian classical recording, it should be Call of the Valley. Call of the Valley is considered Kabra's most beloved recording. It is certainly his most popular globally. Newly remastered for this edition. Limited edition pressing.

V.A. - Field Recordings from the Sahel (CS)V.A. - Field Recordings from the Sahel (CS)
V.A. - Field Recordings from the Sahel (CS)Sahel Sounds
¥2,319
Ambient field recordings collected across the Western Sahel. Sounds of desert oases, late night radio broadcasts, village calls to prayer, and riverboats drifting down the Niger river. A nice companion piece to the musical work from the blog, this an hommage to the sounds that don't always find their way onto records.

The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band - Araya Lam (LP)The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band - Araya Lam (LP)
The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band - Araya Lam (LP)ZUDRANGMA
¥4,362

‘Araya Lam’ is the 3rd album by The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. Following on from ‘21st Century Molam’ and ‘Planet Lam’ the band head deeper into the roots of Isan music, collaborating with others traditional musicians on Vocals, Pong-Lang, Pi and Sor. Each instrument brings something fresh to add to the group’s take on Molam music. In addition, the band nod to New York Post-Punk on ‘Zud Rang Ma’ and sounds from across the Indian ocean region on ‘Psych Lam Kor’. Looking back to their roots to move ever further forward ‘Araya lam’ is the next chapter in the always evolving Paradise Bangkok concept.

The Heath Brothers - Marchin' On! (Deluxe Edtition) (LP)The Heath Brothers - Marchin' On! (Deluxe Edtition) (LP)
The Heath Brothers - Marchin' On! (Deluxe Edtition) (LP)Strata East
¥6,596
This is a meditative abstract jazz-funk masterpiece that features the mbira, an ancient traditional instrument of the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe that is originally played in rituals to communicate with spirits. Each song has a serene and mysterious beauty behind it, and with the overtones of the mbira, this album has a beauty like a gemstone that sets it apart from many spiritual jazz albums, an exceptional quality. I highly recommend this album to not only spiritual jazz listeners, but to a wide range of music listeners.
Nara Leão - Nara Leão (LP)Nara Leão - Nara Leão (LP)
Nara Leão - Nara Leão (LP)Endless Happiness
¥4,423
Nara Leão is known as "the muse of bossa nova”. Already as a teenager in the late 1950s, she became friends with several singers and composers who took part in Bossa Nova's musical revolution, including João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, and Antônio Carlos Jobim. By 1963, after singing as an amateur for a few years, she became a professional and toured with Sérgio Mendes. In 1968 she appeared on the album “Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses” together with artists including Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Os Mutantes and Gal Costa, performing "Lindonéia”, which appears as first track in this album, published in the same year.

Milton Nascimento - Clube Da Esquina 2 (2LP)
Milton Nascimento - Clube Da Esquina 2 (2LP)Klimt Records
¥4,825

Clube da Esquina 2 is a 1978 album by Brazilian singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento. The album serves as a continuation to the Clube da Esquina album and retained the collective approach, stylistic diversity, and experimental elements of its predecessor, spread across two LPs. Musically, the album reflects the Brazil’s social contradictions, exploring themes of hope and despair, beauty and hardship, and the tension between historical trauma and uncertain futures. The album featured a broader range of collaborators, including Brazilian artists like Elis Regina, Chico Barque, and Lo Borges.

Ornette Coleman - Science Fiction (LP)
Ornette Coleman - Science Fiction (LP)Endless Happiness
¥4,423

Science Fiction is an album by the American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman, released in February 1972. It is considered as Coleman's creative rebirth. A stunningly inventive and appropriately alien-sounding blast of manic energy, where Coleman combines his past and future, working with bassist Charlie Haden and drummers Billy Higgins and Ed Blackwell. The album is made up of spacy, long-toned melodies and rhythm, including two songs with Indian vocalist Asha Puthli, which sound like pop hits from an alternate universe, and "Rock the Clock" where an Arabic double-reed instrument called “musette” is used.

Buddy Rich And Alla Rakha - Rich À La Rakha (LP)
Buddy Rich And Alla Rakha - Rich À La Rakha (LP)Modern Harmonic
¥5,349

Jazz snare & ride cymbal meet classical Indian tabla & pakhawaj! What happens when one of the best jazz drummers of all time combines efforts with one of India’s most renowned tabla players? Voilà! Rich À La Rakha. Calypso-flavored compositions, spontaneous jams, and a genuine instrumental dialogue between the two greats truly makes this a one-of-a-kind listen.

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