where was I ?

Salah Ragab and The Cairo Jazz Band "A Tribute To Sun Ra' Limited Edition Heavy Weight Vinyl 45 RPM. Art Yard 45001
Recorded in Heliopolis Cairo Egypt in the early 70's.   
           
Salah Ragab ; Conducting , Piano , Drums , Congas. 
Zaky Osman ; Trumpet , Flute.
Mohammad Abdou ; Trumpet. 
Ibrahim Wagdy ; Trumpet.
Khalifa El Samman ; Trumpet.
Mahmoud Ayoub ; Trombone. 
Sadeek Basyouny ; Trombone. 
El Saied El Aydy ; Alto Sax. 
Farouk El Sayed ; Alto Sax. 
Saied Salama ; Tenor Sax.
Fathy Abdel Salam ; Tenor Sax. 
Reckardo Kready ; Piano.
Sayed Sharkawy ; Drums.
Moohy El Din Osman ; Bass. 
Sayed Ramadan ; Bongos.

Published by Art Yard Music Publishing, © Art Yard Limited 2014
To contact Art Yard email Peter Dennett : artyardinfo@gmail.com
          
              

Salah Ragab and The Cairo Jazz Band A Tribute To Sun Ra

Meridian Brothers are back with a new studio album, the bizarre and wonderful ‘Salvadora Robot’. Heading deeper into the tropical rhythms of Latin America and the Caribbean each song on the album focuses on a different style and playfully twists it into Meridian Brothers’s surreal landscape. Released on Soundway Records on 16th June the album was recorded at Eblis Álvarez’s appropriately named Isaac Newton Studios in Bogota, Colombia.

Originally formed in 1998 it was the previous album ‘Deseperanza’ that brought Álvarez’s Meridian Brothers to the attention of the wider world. Released worldwide in 2012, the album’s unique aesthetic and freaked-out blend of Latin rhythms and psychedelic grooves won him new fans the world over. DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson selected ‘Guaracha U.F.O (No Estamos Solos...)’ as his favourite track of 2012.

‘Deseperanza’ focussed heavily on salsa rhythms but on his new release Álvarez based each track in a different Latin American style. For example ‘Somos los Residentes’ finds it inspiration in Dominican Republic merengue while ‘Baile ultimo….’ is a slow and sad reggaeton. The lyrics talk of a man who has been sent to the electric chair because he was dancing too much reggaeton, a style that isn’t accepted as “good taste” within Colombia.

The release of ‘Deseperanza’ brought them to Europe for the first time, making appearances across Europe and at some of the prestigious festival including Roskilde and Transmusicales. The band will be returning to Europe this summer. 

Pre-order

Meridian Brothers - El gran pájaro de los Andes (Instrumental)

Little Hours Ft. Baths

Originally on Flying Lotus LA 2x3 ep on Warp Records

Flying Lotus  - Roberta Flack (Mike Slott's Other Mix)

Marshall Allen presents Sun Ra And His Arkestra: 'In The Orbit Of Ra'
Mastered from the original tapes, out now on Strut

iTunes: http://geni.us/SunRa
Amazon (LP): http://bit.ly/OrbitOfRaLP

Originally released on the Saturn Records LP ‘Angels And Demons At Play’ (SR 9956-2-O/P). Written by Marshall Allen and Ronald Boykins. Published by Enterplanetary Koncepts. Produced by Ihnfinity, Inc. and Alton Abraham. Recorded at Hall Recording Company, Chicago, late 1960. P 1965 Saturn Records. Licensed courtesy of Sun Ra LLC

Sun Ra: Gong, Space Harp
Phil Cohran: Percussion
Marshall Allen: Flute
John Gilmore: Percussion
Ronnie Boykins: Bass
Jon Hardy: Drums, Percussion, Gong

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

More from Sun Ra:
http://www.sunraarkestra.com
https://www.facebook.com/SunRaMusic

Sun Ra & His Myth Science Arkestra - Angels And Demons At Play (Original Tape Master)

Instrumental beats, forgotten beats...a few contemporary pieces, but my focus is found in dusty crates. finding myself drawn to relics of electronica, genre benders...what I consider timeless beats.

Strange Dubs(Live Set)- Sesped

Salah Ragab and The Cairo Jazz Band.
SIDE A: Egypt Strut / SIDE B: Kahn El-Khaleely - 7inch Single
Art Yard Cat No. ARTYARD45002
Limited Edition of 500 only Heavy Weight Vinyl Pressing. 45 RPM. Recorded in Heliopolis Cairo Egypt.

RELEASE DATE 8TH DECEMBER 2014.

Distribution Via KUDOS in the UK: http://www.kudosdistribution.co.uk
Distribution Via Forced Exposure in the USA: http://www.forcedexposure.com

SIDE A: EGYPT STRUT: Ensemble from The Cairo Jazz Band. Zaky Osman, Mohammad Abdu & Khalifa El Samman ; Trumpets. El Saied El Aydy ; Alto Sax. Mahmoud Ayoub ; Trombone. Fathy Abdel Salam ; Tenor .Sax. Abdel Hakim El Zamel ; Bass Sax. Mohammad El- Tobgy ; Electric Guitar. Alaa Mostafa ; Piano . Esmat Abbas ; Bass . Salah Ragab ; Drums . Soloists: Featuring, Mozmar Trio: Aly Abdel Mohsen , Aly Hassan and Hany Awad. ( A Mozmar is a double reed woodwind Instrument invented in Upper Egypt )* Originally released on the Sono Cairo record label as a 45 rpm single.

SIDE B: KAHN El-KHALEELY: Salah Ragab ; Conducting, Drums. Zaky Osman ; Flute. Mohammad Abdou ; Trumpet. Ibrahim Wagdy ; Trumpet. Khalifa El Samman ; Trumpet. Mahmoud Ayoub ; Trombone. Sadeek Basyouny ; Trombone. El Sayeed Dahroug ; Trombone. Abdel Atey Farag ; Bass Trombone. Mohammad Abdel Rahman ; Bass Tuba. El Saied El Aydy ; Alto Sax. Farouk El Sayed ; Alto Sax. Saied Salama ; Tenor Sax & Baritone Sax. Fathy Abdel Salam ; Tenor Sax. Abdel Hakim El Zamel ; Baritone Sax. Sayed Sharkawy ; Drums. Moohy El Din Osman ; Bass. Sayed Ramadan ; Bongos & Baza, With the Cairo String Ensemble.

Salah Ragab formed the first jazz big band in Egypt { The Cairo Jazz Band } in 1968, he was also the leader of the Military Music Departments in Heliopolis, some of the best musicians in Egypt of that time were members of the band such as { Zaki Osman, Trumpet } - { Saied Salama, Tenor Sax } - { Khamis El -Kholy, Piano } - { Ala Mostafa, Piano}. On these recordings The Band consists of five Saxophones, four Trumpets, four Trombones, Piano, Bass, Drums and Percussion and various other oriental instruments. The opening concert of The Cairo Jazz Band was in Ewart Memorial Hall at The American University 23/02/1969, There were many other concerts in various prestigious places such as the Old Opera House, TheUniversityofAlexandriaand appearances on Egyptian T,V Jazz Club Weekly. Salah Ragab accompanied the great band leader and composer Sun Ra on a Tour inEgypt,Greece,FranceandSpainin 1984. He also studied jazz theories and improvisation with the Jazz musician and composer fromKansas City-USA, Osman Kareem, with whom he formed the first Jazz Quintet inCairoin 1963 recording with the Radio Service of Cairo. These recordings present Salah Ragab and The Cairo Jazz Band's definitive work, recorded inHeliopolisEgyptbetween 1968 and 1973. Western Jazz musicians have been fascinated with the world of Islam for many years, for religious - spiritual, musical and sociological reasons. It was therefore inevitable that musicians of the Arabian North African area would play a part in the interaction of these two Musical Cultures. Compositions and arrangements by Salah Ragab. Recorded in Heliopolis Egypt. Mastered by Peter Beckmann for Art Yard ltd. Publishing & Copyright by Art Yard ltd and Art Yard Music Publishing. All rights reserved © 2014 Art Yard ltd.

Salah Ragab and The Cairo Jazz Band Kahn El - Khaleely

"Throughout the decade of the 2000s, The Claudia Quintet recorded, toured, and became one of the top five progressive jazz units in the U.S. and the world. For 2010 they continue with Royal Toast, implying elegance and a golden brown, perfectly prepared, even buttery music. ...Versace's role is that of shading or propping up these melodies, and one should listen closely to his contributions here. It's another extraordinary musical experience from the Claudia Quintet, who deserve all the high marks they receive as an innovative, thought-provoking, singularly unique contemporary ensemble." 
– All Music Guide 

"...one of the most characterful small jazz groups of recent times." 
– The Guardian 

"The references span from surf rock, to chamber jazz to hyperarticulate “acoustica” club beats, all rendered with exquisite precision and heedless abandon...there are too many moments of brilliance to list here..." 
– JazzTimes 

"...a chamber band that has tickled the ears of adventurous listeners for a decade with its deft blend of improvised jazz solos, run-on, minimalist figures that gradually shift shape and color, and unusual instrumentation." 
– Downbeat 

"John Hollenbeck's New York based ensemble, founded in 1997, continues to trace an original route through contemporary jazz." 
– The Wire 

When it comes to making Royal Toast, there are lots of tasty ingredients. John Hollenbeck, the drummer-composer who leads the Claudia Quintet, blends the complexities of prog rock with the sonorities and refinement of chamber music, not to mention minimalism à la Steve Reich and jazz's improvisatory spark. The resulting compositions are unpredictable, engrossing and richly detailed. In a word, Royal Toast is mind-expanding, and unless you would prefer to pass on some mind expansion, it will reward your attention many times over." 
– The Ottawa Citizen 

Royal Toast is the long-awaited fifth release by this wonderful and undefinable ensemble. Led by twice Grammy-nominated drummer/composer John Hollenbeck, who The Village Voice called, "...superb, technically ingenious... passionate and serious, but also playful and funny...", the band features four other versatile and acclaimed players: Drew Gress (bass), Matt Moran (vibes), Ted Reichman (accordion) and Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), all of whom are bandleaders in their own right in addition to their work with Claudia. The quintet is here supplemented by pianist Gary Versace, a longtime collaborator of Hollenbeck’s. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the addition of piano to the group's now quite well known 'standard' sound is actually just how naturally it fits in! It's not a shocking thing at all to the long-time listener; the piano just becomes one more voice in the multi-musical-line stew. The addition of Versace means that half of the band is now essentially playing percussive instruments, giving Hollenbeck more opportunity than ever to follow his polyrhythmic muse; it absolutely and dinstinctly still sounds like Claudia, but now there's even more to love!

The Claudia Quintet (+Gary Versace), "Sphinx" from 'Royal Toast' (Cuneiform Records)

"Their second album, Varmint, shows growth exactly where it was eneded. The compositions are better developed, the playing more relaxed and fluid, and the record better represents the quintet's onstage spirit...one gets the feeling that the musicians really enjoy taking the various routes that are made open to them by Adasiewicz's compositions.... Smart and playful, Varmint, reminds me of those cartoons where that cwazy wabbit Bugs Bunny alwasy outsmarted Elmer Fudd." (four stars) 
– Downbeat 

"Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz is emerging as one of the most interesting bandleaders and composers in modern creative improvised jazz. ...Adasiewicz has assembled a quintet of astounding musical proportion and depth, playing his tricky music that seems to have no limits of imagination, wit or wisdom." 
– All Music Guide 

"Vibraphonist-composer Jason Adasiewicz has recently been very active, both as a sideman and a leader. Varmint is the second date under his own name, and he's joined by cornetist Josh Berman, saxophonist/clarinetist Aram Shelton, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Frank Rosaly for six originals and a cover of pianist Andrew Hill's "The Griots." The statements that have come down the pike about this band are accurate: in a sense, it's an updating of a particularly fractured brand of post-bop that, in the mid-Sixties, centered on Blue Note artists like Hill, Grachan Moncur III, Bobby Hutcherson, and Joe Chambers. But unlike, say, the SF Jazz Collective, this is an update with a hell of a lot of bite.... Adasiewicz also has a tone and sense of phrasing that is unlike anyone on the instrument currently active, his sense of melody wistful and attack pelting with equal parts Milt Jackson and Khan Jamal. Rather than a blow-by-blow, I'll just say this much: I haven't heard a modern jazz record this good in years." 
– Austinist

Led by vibraphonist and composer Jason Adasiewicz [a-dah-shev-its], Varmint is Rolldown's second release. A prolific member of Chicago's jazz and improvised music scene, Jason is quickly gaining widespread recognition through his extensive work as a sideman as well as such high-profile honors as his strong showing in DownBeat's 2007, 2008 and 2009 "Critics' Poll – Rising Star" Vibes category. 
The band has been active for over 5 years and features stalwarts from Chicago's vibrant jazz/new music community: 
Jason Adasiewicz: vibraphone 
Josh Berman: cornet 
Aram Shelton: alto saxophone & clarinet 
Jason Roebke: bass 
Frank Rosaly: drums 

Their sound combines Blue Note's classic, avant-leaning '60s albums with contemporary drive, swing, energy, and attack. Varmint features six new compositions by Adasiewicz and a tune written by Andrew Hill. 

The music on Varmint is swinging and accessible but also very modern and forward-looking. Recommended if you like: Jackie McLean, Bobby Hutcherson, Andrew Hill, Grachan Moncur III as well as other, newer, good things that make Stanley Crouch shake his fists skyward and shout aloud, “This isn’t jazz”.

Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown, "Hide" from 'Varmint' (Cuneiform Records)

The Microscopic Septet were voted the #5 jazz group in the 59th annual Downbeat Poll in August, 2011! 

“Although the reunited eighties downtown mainstay the Microscopic Septet features two exceptionally individualistic composers (and superb improvisors) in the pianist Joel Forrester and the soprano saxophonist Phillip Johnston, its latest album “Friday The 13th,” is devoted to the music of Thelonious Monk; it is a glorious fit.” 
– The New Yorker 

"It is splendid fun." – JazzTimes 

"Always in balance between affection and irony, they have been able to pay homage to the tradition without losing their ability to renew it, even in a dramatic way. This successful CD is one of the best tributes ever paid to Monk." 
– Musica Jazz (Italy) 

"Just about the time you ask yourself, “What else can be done with a Monk tune?” The Microscopic Septet comes in to blow you away. Fueled by inventive arrangements by soprano saxophonist Phillip Johnston and pianist Joel Forrester (with one by Bob Montalto), the Micros twist and turn through the Thelonious Monk songbook with a spirit of ambitious grace, super-sized energy and flat-out fun...Septet co-leaders Johnston and Forrester have been loving and playing Monk together since the 1970s, and their joy infuses every second of this disc." 
– Downbeat editor's pick 

"...this CD should be in your collection." 
– Signal to Noise

Composer and pianist Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-82) is one of the top creative deities in the pantheon of American Jazz Greats. His tunes, once considered radical and appreciated by the cognoscenti, are now beloved standards. The music of Monk was also the catalyst that sparked the creation of one of New York’s most legendary and important jazz groups, the Microscopic Septet. 

Since its founding in 1980, under the co-leadership and co-compositional duties of soprano saxophonist Phillip Johnston and pianist Joel Forrester, "the Micros" have been "New York's most famous unknown band"; since 1990, the catchy, film noir theme they created for NPR’s “Fresh Air with Terry Gross” has aired daily on stations across America, and may now be the most-broadcast jazz tune in the world. 

In 1974, the Monk tune: "Well You Needn’t" first brought the future Micros co-leaders together by chance. Johnston was living in the Bowery at the time, and Forrester, hearing music, barged into his apartment, unannounced: "I was playing a Thelonious Monk tune, and a guy I had never seen before came walking through my door, which wasn’t locked - those were the hippie days..." The encounter sparked a friendship and working relationship, in which Monk’s music reverberated on multiple levels across the years. Another chance encounter – at chicken and ribs place West Boondock, forged Forrester’s friendship with the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter. And through the Baroness, Forrester would ultimately meet and periodically play piano for Monk. Since Johnston and Forrester’s first meeting, Monk’s music has remained an inspiration and guiding light throughout their music careers. In addition to creating and playing their own music, they always played Monk’s music with the Microscopic Septet, but due to their limited number of releases and their copious original songbook (more than 180 tunes), they only previously recorded one Monk composition. This new album rectifies this omission. Featuring original arrangements of 12 Monk tunes, half from “back in the day” and half newly-written for this recording, the Microscopic Septet make clear their line of descent from Monk. The humor and angularity of Monk’s compositions mesh easily and joyfully with the elaboration and juxtaposition of the Micros-style arranging. This is a true celebration of Monk by a group that can arguably be called his most sensitive and sensational heirs. 

Friday the 13th is surprising yet inevitable: a long overdue party with the master, at which The Micros Play Monk. 

The Microscopic Septet, "Friday the 13th" from 'Friday the 13th: The Micros Play Monk' (Cuneiform)

Code of ethNics 2

Rez Abbasi - Nels Cline - Liberty Ellman - David Gilmore - Miles Okazaki - Marvin Sewell (electric guitars and effects); Damon Banks (el. bass guitar); Marco Capelli (acoustic guitar, effects); Jerome Harris (el. guitar, el. bass guitar, lap steel guitar); Joel Harrison (el. guitar, national steel guitar); Kenny Wessel (el. guitar, banjo)
Composed and improvisationally conducted by Adam Rudolph.
Recorded live in studio on December 21, 2014 - Winter Solstice  
Produced by Adam Rudolph.

On the Winter Solstice of 2014 – the Northern Hemisphere’s longest night of the year – composer, bandleader & percussionist Adam Rudolph convened 11 of New York City’s finest and most adventurous guitarists in a New Jersey studio for a most auspicious event: the debut of Go: Organic Guitar Orchestra, his all-guitar orchestra. In attendance were guitarists Rez Abbasi, Nels Cline, Liberty Ellman, David Gilmore, Miles Okazaki, and Marvin Sewell, all on electric guitars and effects; Damon Banks on bass guitar; Marco Capelli on acoustic guitar, effects; Jerome Harris on electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and lap steel guitar; Joel Harrison on electric guitar and national steel guitar; and Kenny Wessel on electric guitar and banjo. With Rudolph at the helm, conducting musical charts and creative improvisational energy, the orchestra began to play.  The result is this extraordinary release, Turning Towards the Light.
Rudolph grew up and began playing music on the South Side of Chicago, performing with artists like Fred Anderson. By 1978 he was touring Europe with Don Cherry. Hailed by the New York Times as “a pioneer in world music”, in 1977 Rudolph began his collaborations with kora player Foday Musa Suso, followed by his work with the Gnawa musician Hassan Hakmoun, L. Shankar and other musicians from around the globe. His longest and most significant collaboration was with the great Yusef Lateef; from 1988 until Yusef’s death in 2013 they performed as a duet and collaborated as composers on many large ensemble projects. He has also taken influences from contemporary composers such as Pierre Schafer, Olivier Messian, Bela Bartok & Toru Takemitsu.
Rudolph has integrated and transformed all of these influences into a highly personalized language, a language whose rhythmic component, which he calls “Cyclic Verticalism,” combines polyrhythms (from African music) and rhythm cycles (from Indian music).
Turning Towards the Light is the 10th release in Rudolph’s series of recordings for Go: Organic Orchestra. His previous recordings for Go: Organic Orchestra featured an array of instrumentation to bring to life his rhythmically unique creative music. But for Turning Towards the Light, Rudolph envisioned a new kind of orchestral sound conveyed by a single instrument: guitars, whose strings, coaxed by the right hands, are capable of unleashing an orchestra of different musical sounds. He says: “I try to do something new with each performance and recording. This time I wanted to experiment with a new kind of orchestration. I felt that with their range of sound and rhythm, these 11 electric guitars could generate a sonic palate that had never been heard before. I was looking for a new kind of “Future Orchestra”  – and I think we found it.”

Adam Rudolph / Go: Organic Guitar Orchestra, "Heliotropic" from 'Turning Towards The Light'

Meridian Brothers - Los Suicidas available on Soundway Records 27th Nov 2015. 

Pre-Order here: 
Direct: http://smarturl.it/LosSuicidasDirect
iTunes: http://smarturl.it/LosSuicidasiTunes

01 Vertigo

"...a quirky, catchy blend of pop hooks and jazz-centric soloing...it's rare for a group so young to emerge with such a fully formed and distinctive concept, but Pixel seems to have accomplished just that."
– AllAboutJazz

“The first thirty seconds of this album was enough to tell me that I would probably like Norwegian band Pixel. I did...this band has something new to say musically and produces tunes that are toe-tappingly, wantonly catchy."
– London Jazz News

"...unique and compelling."
– Expose

The award-winning Norwegian jazz quartet Pixel is in the vanguard of a scene brimming with exceptional young musicians, charting an exhilarating, improvisation-steeped jazz path infused with the cathartic energy of indie rock. Pixel’s third album Golden Years captures the next step in the band’s rapid evolution.

Pixel consists of double bassist and vocalist Ellen Andrea Wang, drummer Jon Audun Baar, trumpeter Jonas Kilmork Vemøy, and saxophonist Harald Lassen (with everyone contributing vocals).

Pixel tends toward translucent textures, tight orchestration and pop-inflected songcraft. While the sound is essentially acoustic, Vemøy and Lassen increasingly employ subtle effects that provide deeper textural depth to the already charged mélange of bright harmonies and protean rhythmic thrust.

Golden Years is the result of Pixel’s bustling 2014, a year in which the quartet played nearly 100 gigs (while also each pursuing projects of their own). When they started the recording process at the end of the year, everyone brought new songs to the table, tunes documented over five intensive days in the studio. Together these extraordinary musicians created an expansive album and sound unlike any other band on the scene. Still growing and discovering what they’re capable of, the musicians of Pixel are in their prime, and the group’s third album makes a compelling case that these are the best of times on the Norwegian scene.

Pixel, "Nothing Beats Reality" from 'Golden Years' (Cuneiform Records)

Le Rex, "Le Clic" from 'Wild Man' (Cuneiform Records)

Far too many groups are described using the words "nobody sounds like them," but with Switzerland's Sonar, it's a description of rare verisimilitude. At a time when most guitarists' acumen is measured in notes per second, Sonar is, instead, the confluence of rigorously considered writing, collective restraint, and a sound instantly recognizable as much for what is not there as for what is. A musical animal that manages to engage the mind while hitting the heart and the feet (despite its disposition towards complex polyrhythms), to call SONAR "instrumental rock" is unfairly reductionist for a group whose purview extends beyond progressive rock into contemporary classicism...certainly minimalism...a subtle taste of jazz...and, on its latest album, Black Light, perhaps even a hint of surf music described by the group's primary composer, guitarist Stephan Thelen, as "Duane Eddy Meets Jackson Pollock."

Thelen may cite King Crimson, the compositional rigour of Nik Bärtsch, and minimalist composer Steve Reich amongst SONAR's more obvious touchstones but, just as its previous albums did, Black Light manages to come out of the gate sounding like none of them. An integrated team of players who place music ahead of ego, guitarists Thelen and Bernhard Wagner relentlessly eschew flashy gymnastics and even largely avoid the usual arsenal of effects beyond a touch of reverb and a bit of distortion; Christian Kuntner is a lithe, dancing and eminently intuitive bassist while, at the same time, providing a potently visceral foundation; and Manuel Pasquinelli accomplishes the seemingly impossible feat of simultaneously delivering multiple rhythms in real time.

Black Light also represents the first time Sonar has recorded with an outside producer in tow. And what a producer: David Bottrill, whose work as a producer and/or engineer, in addition to Crimson, Peter Gabriel and Tool, also includes time spent with Rush, Smashing Pumpkins and Dream Theater. "The music is at once simple and complex," Bottrill writes at his website, "polyrhythms over melodies over thunderous bass and a drummer who can seem to split his own body in half to play in two or more different meters at once." Recorded live in the studio with no overdubs, Black Light is as in-the-moment as it gets and is a perfect representation of this band and what this band does!

SONAR, "Black Light" from 'Black Light' (Cuneiform Records)

From the Gilles Peterson curated collection 'To Those Of Earth... And Other Worlds]
Out 30th October 2015 on Strut
Order: https://lnk.to/GillesSunRA

Originally released on the LP 'New Steps' (HDP 25-26). Written and Arranged by Sun Ra. Published by Enterplanetary Koncepts. Recorded in Rome, 2nd and 7th January 1978. 

Sun Ra: Crumar Mainman, keyboards, piano, vocals
Michael Ray: trumpet, vocals
John Gilmore: tenor saxophone, percussion, vocals
Luqman Ali: drums, vocals

From the album's liner notes:
In January 1978, Sun Ra brought a quartet to Italy. He bought himself a Crumar Mainman keyboard, then made two double albums in Rome. His new drummer, Luqman Ali, had been in the Arkestra in Chicago; Sun Ra hadn’t brought a bassist, so programmed some keyboard ostinatos; his trumpeter, Michael Ray, broke into stratospheric runs, battling John Gilmore in furious improvisations. Gilmore was closer to Coltrane now than ever been and they fittingly made a driving version of ‘My Favorite Things’. But laments like ‘When There Is No Sun’ are equally inspired.

For more info:
http://www.strut-records.com
http://www.facebook.com/strutrecords

To Those Of Earth... And Other Worlds

FREE DOWNLOAD

Sun Ra Quartet - When There Is No Sun Feat. John Gilmore [To Those Of Earth... And Other Worlds]

"The coolest of Britains young jazz bands." 
– Daily Telegraph

"...they’re still evolving, pushing boundaries and moving jazz forward." 
– Mojo

Empirical has become one of Europe’s top jazz ensembles by creating a bracing sound rife with roiling emotion. The quartet builds on the extroverted improvisational ethos of the 1960s New Thing, embracing oblique harmonies, translucent textures and jagged, quick shifting rhythms. Featuring Nathaniel Facey (alto saxophone), Shaney Forbes (drums), Lewis Wright (vibraphone) and Tom Farmer (bass), Connection is the fifth Empirical album, the first to feature only the quartet with no guests, and the first released outside of their home base of England. It captures the ensemble at its most pure and potent.

“Each of our previous albums was an experiment, where we included various guests from a string quartet to a pianist to bass clarinet,” Farmer says. “This time we went into a great sounding studio with just the four of us. It’s an accurate representation of what we’re doing now, what our gigs sound like. This is our expression.”

Following the release of its eponymous debut album in 2007, Empirical quickly established itself as a creatively charged crew unafraid to explore jazz’s wild and wooly left field. They threw down the gauntlet with their acclaimed second album, 2009’s Out ‘n’ In, which offered a highly personal salute to Eric Dolphy.
 
“We were working really well, taking it really seriously,” Farmer, who joined at that time along with Wright, says. “I’d never met guys who took it so seriously. The process of studying together is really what brought us together, and we just carried on doing it.”
In many ways Connection is a similarly bold statement, a program of original music that unfolds with the kind of intuitive narrative momentum generated by a great set. 

The band’s interactive group approach is built on Farmer and Forbes highly kinetic rhythm section tandem, while Facey possesses an instantly recognizable alto tone. But in many ways Wright’s vibes define the group’s sound. From the moment he joined the band, he catalyzed a new way of writing and arranging material. “We all loved the transparency,” Farmer says. “You can hear exactly what everyone’s playing. Lewis is quite a unique player. He gets this warmth on an instrument that can sound quite harsh and metallic. I love having all this room on the bottom, without having to think about a pianist’s left hand.”

After the release of the band’s third album Elements of Truth, Empirical won the inaugural Golubovich Jazz Scholars fellowship at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The residency at the prestigious conservatory led to the band’s collaboration with the all-women string ensemble Benyounes Quartet, who were featured on Empirical’s fourth album Tabula Rasa. The ambitious, often spiritually-tinged project featured some of the band’s most beautiful and complex writing. Following that satisfying musical detour, it’s no surprise that Connection finds the quartet getting back to basics. Recorded after a week-long run at Foyles Bookshop London, the album captures the raw energy, brash ideas, and volatile group sound that Empirical has built upon the vast territory opened by jazz’s mid-1960s explorers. 

Empirical, "The Two-Edged Sword" from 'Connection' (out 2/5/2016 on Cuneiform Records)

São Paulo Underground - Colibri

For the first time officially available outside of Colombia, Bogota's Meridian Brothers present on the Staubgold label a delightfully surreal and playful compilation of their works from 2005 to 2011. "Devoción (Works 2005 - 2011)" features the best moments of three albums which previously have only been released on the local Colombian La Distritofónica label. Traditional instruments, electronics and distorted vocals are dragged through an array of influences to create a world that is as original as it is unclassifiable.

Straddling the line between new and old, the Meridian Brothers' mischievous blend of Latin rhythms and psychedelic grooves is the creation of Eblis Álvarez, one of the key figures of the experimental music scene in Bogota. As with all of the Meridian Brother's releases, every instrument on "Devoción (Works 2005 - 2011)" was played and recorded by Eblis himself. A true avant-garde guitar player and composer he also plays in Mario Galeano's band Frente Cumbiero and was one of the 42 musicians involved in the recording of Ondatrópica, released through Soundway Records in 2012.

A real musical maverick, labelled a genius by his contemporaries in Colombia, Eblis Álvarez and his Meridian Brothers finally get the full, worldwide attention they deserve.


where was I ?

just love