Review: Jessica Lauren - Film (IMPRESS!VE Collective)

You know the saying, "great minds think alike" and this certainly applies to Jessica Lauren's album 'Film" and IMPRESS!VE Collective's Greg Boraman as here's the very impressive new release on his label.

You can't get much different from thier last release (the equally brilliant,  Ginger Johnson And His African Messenger's 'African Party' - see review HERE) and like the previous re-release of that album (albiet on mp3 for me), I've loved the original CD release of 'Film' since it was originally released.

Not only because I met her some years ago and suggested it should be re-issued (Ed. great minds eh!) but it's quite ageless jazz groove.  In fact, the reason I got the original CD was that Jessica had made a name for herself in the jazzdance scene with soul-jazz/jazz funk/Chris Bowden produced album 'Siren Song' and the first track from 'Film' is a futuristic jazz-funk OST 'Uptown'.

And the rest of the album follows this lead of modal jazz, library, electronica, Latin with Ms. Lauren's keyboard skills to the fore, like the beautiful 'Stone Garden', the Christmas Box 'A Pearl For Iona', spacey 'Live Your Life' and 'Ajua' plus a touch of neo-classical 'Coming Home'.

Lots of Schifrin /Hancock 70s funky keys/synth/harpsichord experimentation OST biz going on with tracks like 'Shibuya' and 'I Love You My Brother' (like an updated 'Get Carter' if you like).

Jessica's been a big supporter of Emanative (she was on his/their last album 'Abstact Intuition' - see review HERE) and his love of spirtual jazz is evident on this release of 24 years ago; was Nick Woodmansey even born then?  And whilst on the subject, you may recall the pair of them were on the Emanative remix of the Yellowtail 'Seasons In My Mind' featuring Mark Murphy no less (see review HERE).

'Uptown' and 'Treasure Island' were picked for single release at the time of original release and both tracks stand up today as quality so, as you can imagine, your usual DJ suspect are on this already now it's finally out on a 2024 vinyl release, like Gilles, Patrick Forge and DJ Colin Parnell (Stomp Radio) who featuring a track on his show a couple of weeks ago.   

Thankfully, the artwork is a 1000% improvement on the original and fitting for this great album.

Artist: Jessica Lauren

Title: Film

Release date: 1st November, 2024

Label :  IMPRESS!VE Collective (an imprint of BBE Music)

Catalog Number:BBE643

Format: Vinyl LP / Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: musclecars - Double Honey Pack (Louie Vega & Maurice Fulton) (BBE Music)

After rockin' the WeOutHere Festival this year (and no doubt everywhere else musclecars have performed), BBE release the 'Double Honey Pack' knock-out version of this years' album where Craig Handfield and Brandon Weems (the duo known as musclecars) go head-to-head with alternate versions and remixes with music legends Louie Vega (also at WeOutHere Festival with The Elements Of Life) and Maurice Fulton.

You'll recall we were very excited about musclecars being represented on the Audrey Powne single, 'Feed The Fire'(see review HERE) and then we got 'Ha Ya (Eternal Life)' (see review HERE) followed by the album 'Sugar Honey Iceed Tea!'.

Well, it's a good job we're still on this as the 'Double Honey Pack' even supasses them all as the 'Ha Ya! (Enternal Life) (Planetarium Mix)' is the spiritual flute gang jazz-house classic of the year and 'I Don't Remember The Last Time I Saw The Stars' is 11 minutes of pure Latin-jazz-house perfection.

It's a bit pricey for the double vinyl verson (worth it for 'Water (Spiritual Mix)' on its own) but with all the dancefloor remix version, to mis-quote this weeks' budget statement by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, "think of it as an investment in the future".

Get It tonight!

1. Tonight 05:55

2. Tonight (Louie Vega Bronx Dub) 05:50

3. Tonight (Louie Vega Remix) 08:22

4. Hello? (Maurice Fulton Remix) 06:44

5.  'Ha Ya! (Enternal Life) (Planetarium Mix) 07:35

6. I Don't Remember The Last Time I Saw The Stars 11:10

7. Water (Spiritual Mix) 08:30

8. Tonight (Louie Vega Bassin Dub) 05:38

9. Tonight (NV South Jersey Dub) 03:48

10. Tonight (Louie Vega Remix Brooklyn Solo Dub) 08:22

11. Tonight (Clean Version) 05:55

12. Tonight (Louie Vega Remix) (Clean Version) 08:22

Artist: musclecars 

Title: Double Honey Pack 

Release date: 6th September, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE763

Format: 2 x LP / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: LCGC feat. Annette Bowen - Rather Be (Ayce Remixes) (Papa Records)

LCGC and Papa Records have teamed up with Ayce so that we'd 'Rather Be' listening to Annette Bowen all day - prepare yourself!

Wow! What a follow up to last months' previous release on Papa Records, Soledrifter's 'Too Loud' feat. Alexandra Morrison, the Tedd Patterson Remixes (see review HERE) but did they know, hen it comesw to Ayce Remix of 'Rather Be' you just can't be TOO LOUD, TOO JAZZ FUNKY, TOO SOULFUL or just TOO FULL OF JOY TO BE DANCIN' TO THIS ONE!

You can definitely feel it as the LCGC (aka  London Community Gospel Choir) give Annette Bowen a lead but there's an equally cool 8 minute instrumental version too1

This is as hot as Chris at Canvey Island diggin' in the Goldmine as the 'Rather Be' sets sail on the Thames to the world of dancefloor happy.

Artist: LCGC feat. Annette Bowen 

Title: Rather Be (Ayce Remixes) 

Release date: 1st November, 2024

Label : Papa Records

Catalog Number : PAPA156

Format :Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Fred Spider presents.. Chakalaka Jazz - A Selection of South African Gems (Heavenly Sweetness)

Heavenly Sweetness have got Fred Spider to put together a compilaton called 'Chakalaka Jazz', a selection of South African gems' and gems they are.

DJ Spider, aka Fred “Voom Voom” Spider moved from France to Spain and kept heading south until settling in Cape Town in 2010 where he set up Voom Voom Records to re-issue rare soul, funk, disco, boogie, and jazz.

'Chakalaka Jazz' firmly concentrates on jazz (Ed. no surprise there then) and perhaps, unlike some other compilations of South African Jazzkind, as Fred lives there, he's been able to digg for those musical nuggets that featuring locals, exiles and expats with "a reverent nod to the golden years of the '70s" and spiritual awakenings; although the actual tracks span 1969 to 2003!

So don't expect Hugh Masekela (the "father" of South African jazz), Dollar Brand/Abdullaah Ibrahim or Soweto boot bashing as these tracks are more at the The Indigenous Afro-Jazz Sounds Of Phillip Tabane And His Malombo Jazzman end of obscurity (and pricey).

Clarence Wilson, Gibson Kente, The Soweto Boys, The Drive, The Cliffs featuring Mankunku Nogozi, The Four Sounds, The Jazz Ministers, The Tailfeathers (thier track, 'The Tailfeathers' is pretty 70s soul-jazz funk and as obscure as you're likely to get) are all new names to me and it's all exceptional.

Cassidy Clarke Band's 'Doctor AL' is prime 70s Rockford Files era TV theme (like The Clarke / Duke Project but better!) and picking up on the current love of spiritual harp (Ashby - Coltrane - Alina Bzhezhinska - Amanda Whiting), you've got Zim Ngqawana's fabulous 'Kubi'; very Coltrane, John & Alice!

Not so keen on the chanting parts of closing track, the 13 minute long 'Magwaza' (Johnny Dyani) but the solos are as good as any Riverside/Blue Note/Impulse!/Prestige etc classics so, this is clearly YATM's 'Album Of The Week'.

Artist: Various Artists

Title: Fred Spider presents.. Chakalaka Jazz - A Selection of South African Gems

Release Date : 1st November, 2024

Catalog Number : -

Label : Heavenly Sweetness

Format:  2 x LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Berke Can Özcan & Jonah Parzen Johnson - Folk Memory (We Jazz Records)

We Jazz have consistantly released edge pushing jazz that's not only imaginative and original, it's also accessible - just like  Berke Can Özcan and Jonah Parzen Johnson's 'Folk Memory'.

As edgey as the label's last two album's Pauli Lyytinen's 'Lehto / Korpi' (see review HERE) and Pete Evan's 'Extra' (see review HERE) here's a seven track album that sort of falls between the two whilst gaining fans like Enrique Domenech with it's dreamy, ambient meanerings like the title track or the more minimal/OST-ish 'Portrait Of A Brick' or the more progressive, 'The Cloud'.

The album was apparently recorded across continents, this debut album was a initiated from a meeting in 2022 of Brooklyn based Jonah Parzen Johnson (baritone sax) and Berke Can Özcan (drums/percussion) at a concert in Istanbul.  So impressive the connectivity of the duo, the album sounds like more musicians are involved; even the mostly solo 'The Saint' (Johnson being a bit of a solo expert - see review HERE) and the creepy/electronics of 'The Others'.

Don't be put of by the title as there's mere glimses of 'folk' in the tracks; the most obvious being the title track whilst the rest of the album is definitely jazz; like the experimental (and my current favourite track) 'That's Not What This Is' (it's a bit gamelan, a bit sax ballad building to a climax) and 'São Paulo' (warning: this is not a Latin jazz-dance track) and it's been suggested that this is an album for fans of the disperate trio of jazzers Alabaster DePlume, Joe Lovano & Paul Motian -  I can't argue with that and I think you'll find yourself returning to 'Folk Memory' many times; like muscle memory.

Enrique Domenech "Amazing Bandcamp listening event today. Amazing album! Thank you to Berke & Jonah and congratulations for the new album"

Artist: Berke Can Özcan & Jonah Parzen Johnson
Title:  Folk Memory
Release date: 1st November, 2024
Label : We Jazz Records
Catalog Number : WJLP77

Format: LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Florian Gasperini - Âme (Be Adult Music)

More beauty from Be Adult Music as Florian Gasperini's 'Âme' is true.

We're still in love with David Manso's 'Like An Oven' with Kanedo and Deephope Remixes (see review HERE) and here's some more goodness.

This 3 track EP is as deep and spellbinding as the artwork - infact, they should have called it 'Âme' / 'Mariana' / 'Japa Mala' as they all stand-out and a perfect follow up to Gasperini's  'Hijos Del Sol' release (see review HERE).

There's some great Balearic-styles about at the moment so stay tuned.

Artist: Florian Gasperini 

Title:  Âme

Release date: 31st October, 2024

Label: Be Adult Music

Catalog Number: BAM386

Format: Digital / Bandcamp.

Review: Will & James Ragar - The Baton Rouge EP (BBE Music)

If you can remember back to the start of 2023, BBE introduced us to the brothers Will and James Ragar with their Southern Louisiana folk/jazz/blue eyed soul that was totally ignored in 1981 when orginally released: well they're back! 

Well, sort of, because if their 'Forever' / 'Bayou Paradise' (see review HERE) these earlier tracks were even more ignored.  Which was a shame for them but great for us now after nearly 50 years since they were written/produced.

You'll recall these sessions were recorded in Baton Rouge with an engineer who had worked with in the Allman Brothers, these tracks are like a 'deep' southern folky Supertramp/Little Feat' particularly 'Spill The Beans'.

Definitley one for fans of Paul Hillery's 'Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours' and 'Children Of The Setting Sun' series (see review HERE).  

Artist: Will & James Ragar 

Title: The Baton Rouge EP

Release date: 1st November, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE730EDG / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Joi N' Juno - Samemala (The Album) (Canopy Records)

The Joi N' Juno single 'Samemala' got folks excited so you can only imagine how excited we are to hear 'Samemala (The Album)' that's out on Portufal's Canopy Records.

This looks feels and sounds like a Afrobeat release in the Paris DJs Soundsystem/Grant Phabao's Afrofunk Arkestra ballpark so perhaps no surprise the multi-instrumentalist, composer and full-time studio engineer to boot David Baluteau (aka Joi N’Juno) originally made a name for himself as the lead singer in the French band 'La Phaze'. 

Now he's 'grown up' he's found time produce his debut album as Joi N' Juno (is that an original Roland Juno keyboard on the cover?) but this ain't no 70s whiz keyboard music, it's rooted in the original 70s/80s disco/funk groove a là Rogers de la Niles (recommend his BBC Radio 4 chat with John Wilson aired this week - check it out HERE) with Ghanaian Hi-Life and Fela's Afrobeat and that soul-pop edge; Osibisa seems a big influence on tracks like 'Endialo' and 'Muzik' and 'Moky Danza'.   

You can also say their fantastic synths and horns on the album which makes it sound really of its time (Ed. that's "now" too!) - could it be The Ibibio horns on here that make it sound as good as the Sol Power All-Stars (see review HERE).

There's some really radio friendly tracks like 'Sond'eyamone', 'Don't Give Up' and 'Wake Up Song' but all the eight tracks are dancefloor/club ready so you know leading DJ's like Laurnet Garnier, Kiko Navarro (he of Afroterraneo - see review HERE) and Jimpster (by the way, did you know one of Jimpster's other projects was Loxodrome's 'Drop Out EP' (review coming HERE soon) are going to be ontop of this album; and you should be too!

Artist: Joi N' Juno
Title:  Samemala (The Album)
Release date: 1st November, 2024
Label : Canopy Records
Catalog Number : CNPY012
Format:  LP and all the Digitals - Samemala - Listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music - Linktree / Bandcamp 

Review: The Secret Garden - Names In The Sky feat. Jo Wallace (Ramrock Red Records)

Whether it's the Garden of Eden, The Garden of Earthly Delights or indeed, The Secret Garden, here's the flowering of Mrs Ramrock on vocals for 'Names In The Sky'.

Jo Wallace, the boss at Ramrock HQ, has made an appearance previously on the label (see review HERE) was introduced by Dan The Drum (he of 'Jazzcazz - see review HERE) to Alex of The Secret Garden and the result is this great track, 'Names In The Sky'.

Whilst older readers may imagine a John Gordon Sinclair /  Clare Grogan moment on the "End Of Summer" headland/beach but this is always going to be "current" which is kind of ironic as Alex's inspiration and the title was inspired by a Nancy Wilson track from 1968.

But don't get the impression that this is all dreamy stuff as the track (with the instrumental) is serious disco-boogie-funk ready for the spaceship dancefloor (and possibly a dubby remix from the Morris & Wallace team?)

Another winner from Ramrock and perfect timing as ever. 

Artist: The Secret Garden

Title: Names In The Sky feat. Jo Wallace

Release date: 28th October, 2024

Label: Ramrock Red Records

Cat. No: RRR070

Format: Bandcamp / Digital

Review: Natasha Kitty Katt - Intergalatic Vampire (F*CLR Music)

Natasha Kitty Katt (aka Intergalatic Vampire) has created a track that envisages what a space boogie comic artist would take to the dancefloor - without any cheesy efx: Natasha is a serious Marvel/DC. 

Natasha Kitty Katt follows up the 'Synaptic Juice' (featuring Suki Soul) release (see review HERE) with the equally impressive (and seasonal) 'Intergalatic Vampire'. 

This track is taken from the forthcoming album  'Synaptic Juice' that's earmarked for vinyl and digital release Q1 of next year.

Natasha Kitty Katt continues to DJ internationally so keep an eye open for when she's near you; but watch ya neck!

Don't forget last years' 'Batt Dance' (see review HERE) featuring 'Lost Boy' Billy Wirth and there's a 𝕹𝖆𝖙𝖆𝖘𝖍𝖆 𝕶𝖎𝖙𝖙𝖞 𝕶𝖆𝖙𝖙  USA Oct Tour 24 (see dates below) with a Halloween Special in Miami!

Artist:Natasha Kitty Katt
Title: Intergalatic Vampire
Release date: 1st November, 2024
Label: F*CLR Music
Cat. No: FCLR035
Format: Bandcamp / Digital