Ferme tes yeux ! Tu parles trop !

From Upcoming Album: Whatever
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/whatever/id690259313

Leron Thomas - Trumpet
Taylor Eigsti - Piano
Eric Harland - Drums
Harish Raghavan - Bass
Matthew Stevens - Guitar


Silly Ass

The multi-talented Shay Hazan fuses rubbery North African Gnawa grooves, with haunting jazz horns and hip hop on “Bob Dealer”, his forthcoming single via international groove artisans, Batov Records.  A special taste from his first LP for Batov, ‘Reclusive Rituals’.

Tel-Aviv based musician Shay Hazan is a composer, producer, bassist & bandleader. His versatile bass is frequently heard on national radio, providing the hits of tomorrow with a foundation in groove, and MIMS readers may have heard his bass lines propelling the grooves of Sandman Project’s breakthrough EP, ‘Royal Family’.  Recently, Hazan’s straight jazz project, the Shay Hazan Quintet has been making waves, particularly with the release of a 7” single on Jazzman Records.

Having commenced producing his new album during the first Covid lockdown, his creative process this time was a marked departure from previous projects. Whereas he would normally call and gather his band together to record his new compositions live, Hazan would come up with a groove first before sending the recording parts to a drummer in Berlin or a saxophonist in Tel Aviv to add a complementary rhythm or melody, and then finally editing the results himself. As Hazan puts it, “So technically I had the role of the composer and the producer as well as the guimbri player.”

“I made this album in order to satisfy the inner urge for simple grooves and the search for a different and new sound that draws inspiration from ancient places with great tradition but still corresponds with the world and the period in which I live and the way I express myself.”

Having already mastered the double and electric bass, Hazan learned how to play the three-stringed gimbri: a camel-skin-covered bass plucked lute used by the Gnawa people of North Africa, as heard on their hypnotic music.  Hazan repurposes the unique qualities of the instrument with a jazz approach, no doubt inspired somewhat by his introduction to the instrument: “The truth is that my first acquaintance with the Gimbri was by bassist William Parker, who is not a traditional Gnawan player, but an American musician, identified with jazz and improvised music. that I have been following for years.  Once I saw him play with this thing in a show and my mind exploded, I started researching where it came from and listening to music from Morocco and North Africa”. 

The album title, ‘Reclusive Rituals’, is inspired by a Jean-Michel Basquiat interview from 1985 where he discusses his reclusiveness and the public demand for gossip on well-known figures. In particular how advantageous it can be to stay out of the limelight, as the crowd’s very nature is to eventually turn on their idols. Hazan interpreted this to imply that personal behavioural patterns are significantly affected by the fear of negative responses, often leading them to non-action: “Basquiat's words have been resonating in my head for a long time. I see around me a lot of people who for fear of receiving negative criticism, do not initiate or create anything.

And in a certain place, I'm a little scared to be in this place myself and feel the need to keep searching and creating all the time without being influenced by criticism, for better or worse.”

 "Bob Dealer" sees full digital release on December 3rd, with the album dropping on December 10th, on both vinyl and digital. Pre-order available now.

Bob Dealer (Single)

Exclusive Premiere: Shay Hazan "Bob Dealer" (Forthcoming on Batov Records)

Sobre El Orinoco - Virgilio Armas Y Su Cuarteto

East meets West for the latest release on Tel Aviv re-issue label @fortunarecords. 'Mezare Israel Yekabtzenu' is the a long lost, super rare 1973 jazz album from Middle Eastern pioneers The Jazz Workshop and comes out 1st December. 

More info at: http://www.gillespetersonworldwide.com/gpww-premiere-the-jazz-workshop-mezere-israel-yekabtzenu/

The Jazz Workshop - Mezare Israel Yekabtzenu (Worldwide Premiere)

Bill Austin = voices , concept and mix    Alec Tappenden = underlying bass themes   The Doctor = funk bass themes and fills 

SYMBOLIC ILLUSIONS - Bill Austin with Alec T. and the Doctor

Balance

Order vinyl / CD / digital: https://bbemusic.lnk.to/SaturdayNightSpecial
In association with DJ Amir’s 180 Proof Records, BBE is honoured to present another gem from the small yet significant Strata catalogue. A precursor to New York’s Strata East, Detroit’s Strata Records was founded in the late 1960s by former Blue Note artist Kenny Cox. Starting life as a music-led community organisation, coffee shop studio and venue, Strata released only a few titles as a record label, gaining the imprint a cult following among record collectors and jazz lovers across the globe.
Possibly the best known of Strata’s releases, The Lyman Woodard Organization’s ‘Saturday Night Special’ is rightly heralded as a jazz fusion classic. Recorded in 1975, ‘Saturday Night Special’ features organ, electric piano and Mellotron by bandleader Lyman Woodard alongside guitar and bass by Ron English, with drums and percussion by Leonard King, Bud Spangler & Lorenzo “Mr. Rhythm” Brown respectively. Despite the fairly sparse instrumentation, ‘Saturday Night Special’ lays down an impressive wall of sound, powerfully atmospheric in its almost low-fi aesthetic. Hinting at more traditional jazz, rhythm & blues, afro-cuban styles and more, the uniqueness of this album is surely in its feel: summoning up images of a vast industrial landscape, assembly lines and urban decay. In other words, this record sounds like Detroit.
No great album artwork is complete without a good story to match, and ‘Saturday Night Special’ does not disappoint. Snapped by photographer and political activist Leni Sinclair (responsible for seminal pictures of Miles Davis, Fela Kuti and John Coltrane and many others), the cover image shows the contents of Lyman Woodard’s pockets placed on the hotel bed after a show: cigarette papers, cash and a pistol.
Following Woodard’s death in 2009, this incredible album was reissued in highly limited numbers by Wax Poetics; now just as hard to come by as the original pressings. It’s our pleasure to make this important and influential chapter in the story of contemporary jazz available on vinyl once again.

The Lyman Woodard Organization - Creative Musicians

From the debut MABUTA album 'Welcome To This World' - (Out now)
Featuring guest artist Buddy Wells on tenor sax

Log Out Shut Down (featuring Buddy Wells)

Elder cousin to Mo Kolours, Reginald Omas Mamode IV and Jeen Bassa with his debut solo release. A blend of jazz, hip-hop, soul and broken beat with deep outernational flavours. Out on 22a.

Read more & buy: http://www.stampthewax.com/2018/04/26/premiere-james-creole-thomas-earth/
Listen on Youtube: http://bit.ly/creole-earth

Listen on Youtube

James 'Creole' Thomas - Earth (STW Premiere)

For its third release, Parisian label Chuwanaga goes back to the past with the reissue of “(Where Is The) Sunshine” by Kalima, a really rare 7” originally released in 1981 and produced in Baltimore (Maryland) by African-American pianist and producer Derrick Amin. Part I on the A side and part II on the B side form a real journey, a beauty in its own style fusing jazz, soul and spirituality as well as political values. 

Back in the mid seventies Derrick Amin brought together young and talented musicians from his African-American Muslim community in Baltimore. He tells us: “all black music in America is a response to racism and slavery” and “(Where Is The) Sunshine” was their own answer, “a plaintiff query of one immerse in darkness. The darkness of lies, lies that deny the humanity, justice, and equality of people. It’s the impetus of this song”. He adds: “Kalima means « Word » or « Langage » in Arabic. The name was inspired by a quote from Imam W.D. Mohammad (the late Muslim American leader and erstwhile successor to Nation of Islam founder, Elijah Muhammad) who once said: “Words make people””.

With its splendid vocal parts - thanks to lead vocalist Sabreen Shareef, a unique major-to-minor chord progression, subtil synthetiser melodies in the chorus and amazing electric piano and sax solos, it really is a very special release. It’s been discovered in a Motor City Drum Ensemble jazz set with Gilles Peterson at the J.A.W. Family Reunion in Berlin back in 2016 where he played it as the closing track of a wonderful musical journey through black music – which was the right occasion for a classic Gilles rewind and the occasion of a shared epiphany. Still, one must not forget its yet poetic still political message now shared once again with the world. The question asked by Kalima sadly still remains as relevant in 2018: Where is the sunshine ?

› https://www.facebook.com/chuwanaga/
› https://soundcloud.com/chuwanaga 
› https://chuwanaga.bandcamp.com
Label founded in 2017 by @saint-james (Maxence Robinet)

[PREMIERE] Kalima - (Where Is The) Sunshine

The Unknown

The Unknown - Rosie Turton - Rosie's 5ive

“The Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s music…seeks to spark a time in which heightened sensibility and higher consciousness will universally be known." Howard Mandel, jazz critic and author

Recently celebrating an extraordinary 45 years in music, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, led by legendary Chicago drummer and percussionist Sir Kahil El’Zabar, are pleased to announce the release of their latest album, ‘Be Known: Ancient/Future/Music’, released 10th May via Spiritmuse Records.

An artist truly in a league of his own, El’Zabar is acknowledged throughout the world as the leader in the vanguard of spiritual groove and afro-futuristic jazz with a significant contribution in the continuation of the scene over the last four decades. His driving compositions - simple themes that gain complexity through repetition and improvisation - have been recorded with such jazz heavyweights including Pharoah Sanders, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and “Light” Henry Huff and he has toured with some of the biggest names in jazz including Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Archie Shepp, Lester Bowie, Nona Hendryx, Billy Bang, Hamiet Bluiett, and David Murray.

Forming EHE shortly after El'Zabar graduated from the fabled school of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in 1973, he teamed up with tenor saxophonist Edward Wilkerson, Jr. with the goal “To combine concepts of African American music with its earlier roots in traditional African music, to produce new motifs and sounds true to their origins yet firmly pointed in a new artistic direction”. Forty-five years later and the rich and compelling, ever-evolving sound the band are known for, is still going strong. 

Together with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble are one of the two remaining original groups in the world today that were nurtured in the AACM. "I knew in my heart, that this band could endure," El'Zabar attests. "My concept was based in logic as it pertains to the history of Great Black Music. In other words, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble has a strong rhythmic foundation, innovative harmonics and counterpoint, well-balanced interplay and polyphony among the players for highly developed ensemble dynamics. We are strong individual soloists with an in-depth grasp of music history, originality, fearlessness and deep spirituality.”

Alongside multi-percussionist and vocalist El’Zabar, the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble’s current line-up includes Corey Wilkes on trumpet, who has worked with numerous jazz masters, including Wynton Marsalis, Kurt Elling and with El’Zabar for 15 years, multi-instrumentalist Alex Harding on baritone sax and Ian Maksin on cello, known as one of the most versatile and innovative musicians of his generation, having worked with such diverse artists as Andrea Bocelli and Sting.

Following on from the success of the 2014 album ‘Black is Back: 40th Anniversary Project’, ‘Be Known: Ancient/Future/Music’ is an electrifying mix of spiritual jazz and African rhythms. Compositions such as the thrilling ‘Blew It’ are built around fundamental brass improvisations with a swing-induced groove, while El’Zabar’s vocal chants on ‘Pharoah’ whip up a trance-like fervour, as we are taken on a sacred journey of enlightenment and deep listening. 

With artwork designed by the Toronto-based interdisciplinary artist Nep Sidhu (Erykah Badu/Shabazz Palaces), EHE’s ability to consistently push new boundaries with Afrocentric rhythms and free-flowing jazz says a great deal about El’Zabar’s commitment to the music and the message.

Pre-Order

Exclusive Premiere: Ethnic Heritage Ensemble "Pharoah"

From the forthcoming Coastal County LP on Preservation records. Pre order available now at https://preservationrecords.kudosrecords.co.uk/release/p0026/coastal-county-coastal-county

https://www.instagram.com/lomasprod/

Coastal County - The Drop

From the V/A album "The Fall Will Probably Kill You" (BS012 - 2010)- Available from i-Tunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc. or here :
http://bearsuitrecords.bandcamp.com/album/v-a-the-fall-will-probably-kill-you

Rhizottome - "Synovie"

First track off Jonas Munk's (Causa Sui) and Nicklas Sørensen's (Papir) new collaborative album, "Always Already Here", out August 16th, 2019!

Preorder available soon from www.elparaisorecords.com

Info:

"Jonas Munk and Nicklas Sørensen team up for a genre-defying record that explores American minimalism, psychedelia, and electronic music – both vintage and contemporary. On a foundation of interlocking guitar and synthesizer patterns, the duo constructs lengthy pieces that are experimental yet welcoming in nature, precisely executed yet with room for soaring improvisation. Always Already Here pays homage to the masters of classical minimalism (Steve Reich, Terry Riley) and the pioneers of electronic music and kosmische (Brian Eno, Manuel Göttsching), still it doesn't sound derivative or retrospective. The type of hypnotic bliss Munk and Sørensen strive for is distinctly timeless."

Jonas Munk & Nicklas Sørensen: "Shift"

https://elparaisorecords.com/releases/martin-rude-jakob-sk-tt-duo-dichotomy-control

Martin Rude (Sun River) & Jakob Skøtt (Causa Sui drummer) team up for their 2nd album in 2020, following their acclaimed debut The Discipline of Assent. All basic tracks were cooked up from a new session on July 7th in Causa Sui’s Jonas Munk’s studio. This time around, the duo took it’s time to modulate a few ideas into several takes, but maintaining an “onwards and upwards” attitude, often relying on an original impulse or idea snagged out of the ether.

The result is a meeting of groovy electric jazz, open guitar tunings and buzzing electronics. As one reviewer remarked about their previous outing: “like one of those films where the protagonists fall through walls into completely different sets”, which is fueled by the fact that Martin alternates between double bass & guitars. The session was thoroughly produced by Jakob Skøtt, adding layers of percussion, electronics, samples, edits & effects. A duo rarely sounded this band-like before, yet the telekinetic raw vibes of the basic layers shines through. It’s a deeply layered sound, where opposites are erased:
Organic, yet synthesized.
Chaotic, yet organized.
Dissonant, yet melodic.
Jagged, yet groovy.
Experimental, yet enjoyable.

Martin Rude & Jakob Skøtt Duo: The Rest Of The Way

jazz re:freshed is a contemporary music/arts movement and record label built around a weekly live music residency in the heart of west london...

As is the way of the 21st Century, podcasts seem to be the preferred method of sharing mixes with the world... and, not one to be left behind, Jazz re:freshed puts up podcasts (free to download), on a weekly basis. Featuring mixes by the Jazz re:freshed resident DJ team and very special guests.

The Unknown - Rosie Turton - Rosie's 5ive

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