From the liner notes of our 2-disc Ebo Taylor retrospective, Life Stories:

Ebo acknowledges the influence of US jazz rockers Blood Sweat & Tears and
– less obviously, perhaps – Deep Purple on this easy going mid-tempo
piece, written a few years before it was recorded, when Osibisa and
various ‘blaxploitation’ themes were hip. “I was trying to fuse rock and jazz together with highlife,” Ebo recalls. “This kind of music was ahead of its time – not very popular when we recorded it!”

Life Stories

Peace On Earth

Ebo Taylor- Peace On Earth

From the upcoming album 'Jaiyede Afro' by Orlando Julius and The Heliocentrics, out September 8th on Strut. 
Pre-order now via iTunes and receive "Buje Buje" instantly: http://geni.us/JaiyedeAfro

Jake Ferguson of The Heliocentrics on "In The Middle:"
"We’ve all been big fans of James Brown since we’ve been involved in music and have played ‘In The Middle’ regularly on our live tours. It felt like a natural fit for the Orlando project, particularly as we have added an Afro swing to the track. We first played the track with Orlando at a London gig last year and he got into it in the studio straight away – his sax solo here was the very first take. James Brown and his band loved Orlando when they saw him play in Ibadan back in the ‘60s and the two of them met up and talked at J.B.’s hotel. So, for lots of reasons, this felt like a natural one to include.”

More from Strut:
https://www.facebook.com/StrutRecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/strutrecords
http://strut-records.com

More from Orlando Julius:
https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoJuliusOfficial

More from The Heliocentrics:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Heliocentrics/159461737458324

Jaiyede Afro

In The Middle

Orlando Julius & The Heliocentrics - "In The Middle"

Song For My Lady - Louiz Banks

This gem of a track is a live version used as the 'outro' to the Black Wax DVD, which was recorded in 1982 at the Wax Museum Club in Washington DC when Gil performed with Amnesia Express. This version for me trumps the album versions as it's energy captures the live aspect of jazz more faithfully, whether it's the amazing solos or his little blurb in the middle about his frustration with how the music is classified, or simply his velvety singing!

The sound quality isn't brilliant as I suspect this DVD may have been bootlegged from a VHS (which was the original format this footage appeared on), A nice one to have in the collection though. I can highly recommend picking up the DVD if you're a fan of his, as it's peppered with little skits and asides of his poetry and social commentary as well as the great live performance. 

Gil Scott-Heron - Is That Jazz  (Live at Wax Museum Club DC with Amnesia Express 1982)

The Lion In You is a roots reggae invocation — a sonic pilgrimage through fire, lineage, resistance, and spiritual awakening. Each track is a step deeper into ancestral memory, guided by the heartbeat of the drum and the roar of inner truth.

From the first chant to the final breath, this album is not entertainment — it is remembrance. A call to rise. A reminder that kings and queens walk barefoot among us, crowned not in gold, but in smoke, scars, and song.

These are not riddims for escape.
These are battle hymns, morning prayers, and midnight meditations.
Chants for those whose names were stolen.
Songs for those who still walk upright in Babylon.
Melodies for those who carry fire but speak peace.

Walk with it.
Burn with it.
There is a lion in you.

Babylon Fall Down

GAGUT  is track #1 on our current EP "SOUND RHYTHM & FORM"
PURCHASE FULL ALBUM AT LINK BELOW -
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1092309753?ls=1&app=itunes 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhI_RwQjuq8&lc=UgxGeDwfAW4Qc8nA6QR4AaABAg

Sound Rhythm & Form

GAGUT

Kenya Special : Volume Two is available to pre order on Soundway Records now. 

Direct: http://smarturl.it/KenyaSpecial2Direct
Digital: http://smarturl.it/KenyaSpecial2

Lulus Band - I Can Feel It

From his studio in central Bobo-Dioulasso, photographer Sory Sanlé documented a nation's transformation from colonial foothold to cosmopolitan oasis. Bobo Yeye: Belle Epoque in Upper Volta provides an intimate look into the landlocked nation's pop culture explosion of the 1970s. A melange of community elders and emboldened youth spill from the brightly lit confines of Sanlé's Volta Photo into the dimly lit nightclubs of Upper Volta's cultural capital. Accompanying this hardbound monograph are dozens of rare and evocative recordings spread over three discs by Bobo-Dioulasso's musical titans: Volta Jazz, Dafra Star, Echo Del Africa, and Les Imbattables Léopards. 

Antibalas - Sáré Kon Kon (Redux)

Daptone Records