Deep J Jazz

Tachibana

Dead Letter

East Plants

Kaze

Earth Mother

Stargazing from the sands of the Niterói beach, Tempos Futuros is low-end-led Brazilian futurism from one of Brazil’s most prolific and influential bassmen. As one third of legendary Brazilian trio Azymuth, Alex Malheiros has pioneered a one of a kind fusion of space-funk, samba and jazz since the early seventies. His playing can be heard on the records of Jorge Ben, Milton Nascimento, Roberto Carlos, Marcos Valle and Mark Murphy (to name a few), and he’s performed and toured with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Chick Corea.

Written and recorded in Niteroi, Brazil, overlooking Guanabara and the beaches, mountains and forests of Rio de Janeiro, Tempos Futuros has deep roots in Brazilian soil. The rhythms of Malheiros’ homeland have always permeated his music. But just like the Oscar Niemeyer designed Niterói Contemporary Art Museum which stands spaceship-like over the water, Tempos Futuros - while inspired by terrestrial forms, reaches out deep into the great unknown. 

Produced by acclaimed London-based producer Daniel Maunick, who has worked with Marcos Valle, Azymuth, Terry Callier, and Ivan Conti, the funk comes full circle. Daniel’s father Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick and Alex Malheiros shared a reciprocal stream of influence throughout the 80s, between London and Rio; Azymuth and Incognito; brit-funk and samba-funk. But just as with Azymuth’s music, you can also hear the influence of stateside jazz-funk masters like Roy Ayers, Weather Report, Lonnie Liston Smith, Mtume and Pleasure.

Tempos Futuros features Alex’s daughter, a Brazilian star in her own right, vocalist Sabrina Malheiros, Brazilian percussion master Sidinho Moreira,  London based saxophonist Sean Khan, Marcos Valle’s go-to drummer Massa, and keyboard player Dudu Viana.

Alex Malheiros - Prece (feat. Sabrina Malheiros)

Thank you so much to WFMU for having me as their Sunday Radio Row guest!

Tracklist:
Gladstone Anderson, Mudies’ All Stars- Leaving Rome
Norman Connors and The Starship Orchestra- Stella
Dejavilla- Tell Me How You Feel
Bosq, Mendes Ichikawa- Never Feel Cold
Marvin Gaye- Heavy Love Affair
The Blackbyrds- Reggins
Tania Maria- Funky Tamborim
Sergio Mendes- Berimbau Consolacao
Yesterday’s New Quintet- Too High
Dejavilla- Deal Wid It
Wild Belle- Giving Up On You (Ticklah Remix)
Natural High- Before Love
Koffee- Lonely
Gladstone Anderson, Mudies’ All Stars- Mad Mad Ivy
Chronixx- Never Give Up
Lila Ike- True Love
Hollie Cooke- Full Moon Baby
The Far East- New York Style
The Mighty Diamonds- Africa

WFMU Radio Row | Ayanna Heaven 4/10/22

Black Rainbows

Put It Down

I Don't Wanna

Way Back Home

I Live In The Past

ART MAKE LOVE

U BETTA RUN

Sky!

But / S Stream the album here: https://orcd.co/songforhope

BBE Music welcomes pianist Aki Takase to the J Jazz Masterclass reissue series, with her 1982 live album ‘Song for Hope’.

A musician of poise and precision who has been a noted composer, performer and recording artist for over 40 years, Takase’s ‘Song for Hope’ continues BBE Music’s exploration of Japanese modern jazz from a golden period spanning the late 1960s to the mid-1980s.

The ‘Song for Hope’ album is taken from a recording of Takase’s debut European performance taped in November 1981 at the Berlin Jazz Festival and was originally issued in 1982 by Enja Records, a key European jazz label founded in Munich 1971 by Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber. On Enja, Takase found herself labelmates with some of the world’s leading jazz pianists like Mal Waldron, Dollar Brand and Randy Weston, and she followed in the footsteps of other leading Japanese artists on the label such as Terumasa Hino and Yosuke Yamashita.

The hypnotic title track was included on J Jazz vol. 3, and it features J Jazz stalwart Takeo Moriyama on drums, joined by Nobuyoshi Ino on bass. Moriyama’s career has been well documented on J Jazz vol. 1, and his sublime ‘East Plants’ album was reissued as part of the J Jazz Masterclass Series. Bassist Ino has been an active member of the Japanese jazz scene since the mid-1970s and has performed and recorded with many leading artists and groups including Fumio Itabashi, Masahiko Togashi, Hiromasa Suzuki, Masaru Imada and Masayuki Takayanagi.

Aki Takase was born in Osaka in 1948 and began playing piano aged 3. Raised in Tokyo, she studied classical music at the Toho Gakuen Academy, and her musical interests developed from a starting point in classical, before going on to encompass contemporary music and jazz. Among the first jazz compositions she explored were works by Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman and, in 1972, she moved to New York, working with, among others, Lester Bowie, John Zorn and Dave Liebman.

She recorded her debut album for Seven Seas/King Records in 1978 and appeared on some key J Jazz album such as Yoshio Ikeda’s ‘Sketches of my Life’ and Seiichi Nakamura’s ‘Wolf’s Theme’. Takase has lived in Berlin since 1987 and is married to German pianist and composer Alexander von Schlippenbach, with whom she records and performs, sometimes as part of the Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. She has also performed and recorded extensively with many other leading figures in contemporary jazz and improvised music including David Murray, Fred Frith, Evan Parker, and Maria João.

The J Jazz Masterclass Series is curated by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden for BBE Music.

Aki Takase Trio - Song for Hope

Wah Wah 45s are proud to present the second single on the label from a very special new artist, Léa Mondo.

Hailing originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, by way of Wigan, and now settled in North London, this young singer-songwriter and guitarist enjoys a plethora of eclectic influences. Léa’s musical output is a smorgasbord of experimental styles fusing aspects of soul, high life, bossa-nova, jazz and reggae. Drawing inspiration from reggae icon Bob Marley, and Malian artists such as Fatoumata Diawara and Rokia Traorè, as well as Nigerian born UK soul superstar Sade, her music largely talks about life, love, peace and freedom while reflecting on the state of the world.

Vices is a song about Lea’s personal struggles. The singer’s lyrics explore the highs and lows of personal addictions and her history of poor relationship choices. Drawing influences from Red Hot Chilli Peppers (Californication) drums and arrangements, the melody of the tune is curated in a way to take the listener on a journey that leads to a climax to convey the feeling one feels when they’re coming up, to eventual peak.

Léa and her band recorded the song live at That Sound Studio, Tottenham with producer Louis Auneau and engineer Bar Huss. The band consists of Jasmine Burton (Bass), Alex Karakurt (Drums), Tawanda Manika (Guitar), Olivia Cuttill (Trumpet), Max Rodriguez (Rhythm Guitar) and Léa herself providing lyrics, vocals, guitar, arrangements and co-producing the track.

Since 2021, Léa has been somewhat prolific on the London live music scene, co-founding famed female & non-binary improv session Peng Femme Jam, and sharing stages with our very own Afrobeat Ambassador Dele Sosimi and Afla Sackey’s Afrik Bawantu project. 
credits
released January 19, 2024

Léa Mondo - lyrics, vocals, guitar, arrangements, co-production
Jasmine Burton- Bass
Alex Karakurt - Drums
Tawanda Manika - Guitar
Olivia Cuttill - Trumpet
Max Rodriguez - guitar
Louis Auneau - Producer
Bar Huss - Engineer
Studio - That Sound studio
license

Léa Mondo - Vices

Uncle Njo - Lili's Children

For Mashroom

Order on vinyl / CD or digital formats: https://bbemusic.lnk.to/J-Jazz
In the years following World War Two, Japan developed one of the most insatiable, dynamic and diverse markets for jazz. For a crucial period of little over a decade – from the late 1960s to the early 1980s – Japanese jazz culture progressed at an astonishing rate, producing an extraordinary array of artists, recordings and record labels that created some of the most forward thinking and impressive jazz to be committed to tape. This amazing journey is explored on ‘J Jazz’.
This compilation from BBE uncovers some of the most sought after and rare material from this period and pulls together key artists who shaped the post-war modern jazz scene in Japan.

‘J Jazz’ includes obscure and sought after rarities like the bass-driven power jazz of Koichi Matsukaze’s ‘Earth Mother’, the holy grail rarity of Aizawa Tohru Quartet’s ‘Dead Letter’ and the loping majesty of Takeo Moriyama’s ‘North Wind’. This collection takes the listener into deep spiritual jazz, post-modal impressionism and fierce dance-floor fusion with material from artists and composers whose names are generally only known to committed collectors of Japanese jazz. Fumio Karashima, Mitsuaki Katayama, Takeo Moriyama and Kiyoshi Sugimoto are among the names featured on an album aiming to shed a little light on the shadowy world of Japanese jazz clubs, tucked away in the neon backstreets. This music demands a wider audience and BBE are excited to deliver a landmark compilation, lifting the veil on this wonderful and mysterious area of the global jazz catalogue.

None of the tracks featured on ‘J Jazz’ have ever received an official release outside Japan before. The albums the tracks are taken from are extremely hard to find and often fetch huge sums on the collector’s circuit. Originally pressed in small numbers on independent and private labels such as Union, Johnny’s Disk, Whynot, ALM and VAP, these tracks are now available for everyone to enjoy.

Compiled by Tony Higgins and Mike Peden, both long-time collectors of Japanese jazz, ’J Jazz’ brings together the very best in modern jazz from Japan, recorded during a critical period of musical and cultural transition that saw composers and musicians not only assert a new artistic identity but also create a lasting musical legacy.

Eiji Nakayama – Aya’s Samba

Evolution

A Blind Man

Join the BBE Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/yfBFX

Founded in 1996 by Peter Adarkwah, Barely Breaking Even (BBE Music) started life as a London club night, taking its name from the eponymous Disco record by the Universal Robot Band.

The label grew from the vibrant early 90's club scene with its first release, Stop & Listen compiled by Dr Bob Jones in 1996, opening the door to iconic series' such as All Back To Mine & Late Nite Tales.

A tonne of releases followed, ranging from Disco to Funk, Jazz to House. In the year 2000, the label celebrated Masters at Work's 10th Anniversary with a mighty box set that featured near 80 tracks.

A year later BBE Music spawned the Beat Generation Series of artist albums, notably introducing J Dilla (Welcome 2 Detroit) & a young Will.I.Am's first solo outing, alongside DJ Jazzy Jeff, Madlib & DJ Spinna, all of whom contributed to this seminal set of long players.

A quarter of a century and well over 500 titles later, having worked with Mark Ronson, Roy Ayers, Questlove, Hugh Masekela, DJ Premier, Dimitri from Paris, Joey Negro, Kon, RZA, Laurent Garnier, Black Coffee, DJ Shadow, David Rodigan and John Morales among many others, BBE Music looks to the future, celebrating its rich heritage while continuing to release a bounty of fresh titles.

The label’s most recent projects include an expansive reissue series from pioneering Nigerian label Tabansi, new imprint ‘Batakari’ in association with Boddhi Satva and the critically acclaimed ‘J Jazz’ Japanese Jazz multi-album project, not to mention the recent landmark 500th label release: a brand new version of 'Barely Breaking Even', featuring Leroy Burgess, Patrick Adams and Louie Vega.

In 2021 BBE Music is celebrating its 25th anniversary. To mark this milestone, the label is offering up some special projects, from the 20th Anniversary edition of J Dilla’s ‘Welcome 2 Detroit’, through David Bowie tribute album ‘Modern Love’, to a special new ‘Worldwide’ compilation from old friend Gilles Peterson. BBE Music will also be looking to the future with more exciting original artist projects, plus merch collaborations events and more...

Aki Takase Trio - Song for Hope

BBE Music

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