First single from Songs for the Nervous System (out May 12 2023).

Intercellular Communication

Buy/Stream the album here: https://orcd.co/onceagainchildren

Gather together beneath the sun as we journey through the rhythmic sands of time, Paul Hillery, an esteemed collector and vinyl hunter, presents his follow-up to the highly acclaimed ‘We Are The Children Of The Sun‘. Andrew Male of MOJO Magazine calls the album “One of the most emotionally uplifting and hazily beautiful compilations of recent years.”

“Once Again We Are The Children Of The Sun” is a shimmering collection of rare finds, reminding us that we have more to connect us than to divide us. The music encompasses a broad range of sounds, starting in Cajun country with Will & James Ragar, their handmade acoustic guitars allowing for soaring vocals. Along with many of the tracks featured on this compilation, “As the Day Grows Tired” is reissued on vinyl for the first time.

Experience the previously unreleased cover of “Milk and Honey” featuring Kat Barnard and Greg Foat, a versatile mainstay of the UK jazz scene. Discover the first-ever vinyl release of “Kayenta Crossing” by William Eaton Ensemble, capturing the austere presence of Monument Valley. Immerse yourself in Wendy Grace’s jazz-folk masterpiece “More Than Hope” and the acoustic ambience of “Golden Hour” by Aria Rostami.

Paul Hillery and BBE present a compilation of styles and genres, fusing together to make private press wants accessible as a springboard for further listening pleasures. “Once Again We Are the Children of the Sun” is an eclectic selection mixing styles, year and tempo, painstakingly gathered and presented with a great deal of love.

Wendy Grace - More Than Hope

The popularity of Brazilian music from the 60s, 70s and 80s has experienced quite the renaissance; artists such as Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Joyce et al, have become household names to an international audience passionate about global sounds. However, even for die-hard fans and collectors of Brazilian music of the past, discovering contemporary Brazilian artists is not always easy, nor accessible. But, if you know where to look, you will see that there is a resurgence well underway that can be epitomised by an exciting new wave of Brazilian artists beginning to break through and gather momentum overseas. It’s with thanks to Sound and Colours, a website devoted to promoting Latin American music and culture, that we can help shine a light on one particular collective, bursting with creativity and camaraderie.

‘Hidden Waters: Strange and Sublime Sounds of Rio de Janeiro’ is compiled by Joe Osborne (founder of specialist Brazilian music platform Brazilian Wax) and Russ Slater (editor at large of Sounds and Colours). Focusing solely on the 'Rio Scene', rather than taking on the mammoth task of tackling Brazil as a whole, this collection presents 20-plus ground-breaking artists selected from Rio’s resurgent music scene. By presenting a snapshot into the pulse of the city and the vibrant musicians that live in it, ‘Hidden Waters’ collates tracks from a wide spectrum of musical genres from the avant-garde edge to bossa nova, samba, Candomblé, lo-fi rock, jazz and funk.

‘Hidden Waters’ showcases musicians such as iconic Rio mainstays Negro Leo & Ava Rocha, Brazilian jazz upstart Antônio Neves, critically lauded Avant-pop trailblazer Thiago Nassif, breakthrough artists Ana Frango Elétrico and Letrux, lo-fi psych rocker Lê Almeida, plus the Latin Grammy-winning Bala Desejo who are set to explode onto the world stage. 

The music featured on ‘Hidden Waters’ is unequivocally Brazilian, swelling with samba, bossa nova, funk, and jazz. But it’s within the album's blend; from sunny psychedelia to dusky synth-pop via experimental electronics, that marks the compilation as the sound of modern, multicultural Rio. Fans of Brazil’s fertile 60s and 70s will spot the antecedents in Tropicália. Not only in the experimentation but also through the similar political context: back in the late 60s there was Brazil’s military dictatorship, and up until the end of 2022 it was Bolsonaro’s censorious premiership. Here are a group of musicians writing and reflecting on another colourful chapter within Brazil’s musical history.

This comprehensive compilation comes with album artwork designed by Rio music’s leading album artwork designer, Caio Paiva. It features essays by professor and music critic Bernardo Oliveira and music journalist Leonardo Lichote, plus extensive notes on each track by the artists themselves.

ROSABEGE - SIGO NUM SITE - MÁRMORE

Japan has produced some exceptionally talented jazz drummers and among them is Tatsuya Nakamura, who joins the BBE Music J Jazz Masterclass Series with his album ‘Locus’ from 1984, a session covering several bases, from heavy percussive samba to meditative avant-ambient. This is the album’s first ever reissue, although a track from ‘Locus’, ‘1⁄4 Samba’, was included on J Jazz vol. 3.

Nakamura began his drumming career as a teenager, inspired after seeing the documentary film “Jazz on A Summer’s Day” and listening to his idols Art Blakey and Miles Davis. By his early twenties, Nakamura was working with such luminaries as free jazz guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, pianist Masaru Imada and band leader & composer Mitsuaki Kanno. In the mid-70s, like several other Japanese jazz players, Nakamura decided to make the move to New York where he studied drumming with Roy Haynes, and performed with members of the AACM and players from the loft and free jazz scenes including Richard Davis, George Adams, John Hicks, and Pharaoh Sanders. Returning to Japan, Nakamura continued playing as leader of his Japanese band The Jazz Fellows and in 1979, he went into the studio as leader for the classic “Where Is The Quarter” session featuring Masaru Imada, Hideto Kanai and Kenji Mori. This session includes the original percussion heavy version of ‘1⁄4 Samba’ and was followed by a period back in NYC during which he recorded the funky/free session ‘Rip Off’ in 1980. 1984 saw Nakamura working as leader of a heavy-duty fusion septet and in February of that year he led them in a performance at Audio Technica Hall. The album ‘Locus’ on Sea Horse Records is the label’s one and only release.

On ‘Locus’, Nakamura is joined by a stellar line-up. On trumpet is Shinobu Fujimoto and he’s joined by seasoned bass player Hideto Kanai (1931 -2011) who began playing in the mid- 1950s, appearing on King Recs All-Star Jazz Series before going on to be a regular fixture on the legendary Three Blind Mice (TBM) label, backing many of its leading artists. He even released his own album on TBM, ‘Ode to Birds’ in 1975. On guitar is Kazumasa Akiyama. Born in Tokyo in 1955, he taught himself guitar at 10 years old and was influenced initially by The Beatles and Ray Charles, and later Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Chicago Blues, and jazz. When he was a student, he got a chance to appear on Sadao Watanabe's radio program ‘My Dear Life’, which led him to join the Isao Suzuki Group and Mikio Masuda Group. Akiyama released his first leader album ‘Dig My Style’ in 1978 and is still an active musician. On keys is the incredible Jun Fukamachi (1946-2010). Born in Harajuku, Tokyo, Fukamachi started playing the piano at the age of three, showing an extraordinary talent, recognised as a child prodigy. He became a professional musician while still in school and released his first album ‘Portrait of a Young Man’ on Polydor in 1971. A pioneer of synthesizer, and among the first to popularise fusion in Japan, Fukamachi has composed and produced numerous recordings embracing jazz, fusion, funk, rock, and classical. An internationally recognised figure, Fukamachi worked with Anthony Jackson, David Sanborn, Randy and Michael Brecker, Mike Mainieri, Steve Gadd, and Richard Tee. Percussionist Tatsuji Yokoyama has worked across Japanese jazz and fusion since the 1970s appearing on albums from the likes of Masahiko Togashi, Takao Uematsu, Mikio Masuda, Toshiyuki Honda, Yuji Ohno and Shigeharu Mukai.

Tatsuya Nakamura continues to record and play live with many musicians including The New York Unit, and has toured extensively across Africa, Senegal, Morocco, Turkey, Australia and Indonesia. He remains active to this day, recording and touring with his band Japan Jazz Unit.

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

Tatsuya Nakamura - Ballad (Edit)

Brooklyn-based bassist/composer Kenneth Jimenez presents his new work Sonnet to Silence on We Jazz Records, 17 November. Consisting of 7 original compositions by Jimenez performed by his quartet including pianist Angelica Sanchez, drummer Gerald Cleaver and saxophonist Hery Paz, Sonnet to Silence echoes the original fire of New York free jazz while stepping into a terrain of its own, boldly forward-thinking.

Jimenez, originally from Costa Rica, has a knack at composing pieces that breathe naturally and take fight on the wings provided by the first-rate quartet, joining scene stalwarts and newcomers together as a coherent unit.

"Since I was a kid I’ve had this reoccurring dream of running towards the edge of a mountain and suddenly discovering myself flying down to the valley, feeling weightless and fearless", say Jimenez. "This record is the materialization of that dream. The uncompromising voices in the band and our shared desire to explore the unknown make this music live and breathe. It feels that the possibilities become endless when creating with these master improvisers, and the only thing that matters is to take that initial jump into the abyss."

The opening track and first single "Dos Tazas" is a fine example of what the quartet can achieve. It sneaks up on the listener, drawing you in from the first moments, before revealing its melodically adventurous nature in its fullest. As a whole, the album lets the band loose at times, while the music maintains its natural flow. With Sonnet to Silence, Kenneth Jimenez establishes himself as a composer and bandleader with remarkably strong presence.

Dos Tazas

MAGZ FM 408
philly radio / 408

Ink - Tell Me ( ft. Collette Warren) 
Chimpo / Salo / Saji B - Look Good
gum.mp3 - Mind Reader 
Ta-ku - SMILE 
The Bamboos - Midlife Glow (ft. Ozay Moore) 
Skilaa - Money
D2x - The Light
Dangermouse + Jemini - Knuckle Sandwich II 
Earl Sweatshirt + Alchemist - Vin Skully
Rich Jones - Chilly 
Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter - Only The Lonely Woman
Royce Wood Junior - You're So Fin' Perfect (Harve Remix)  
Clairabelle & Denz - Beautiful People 
OFOSHO - Your Light
Shabazz Palaces - Binoculars (ft. Royce The Choice) 
Def Sound - Run It Up! 
Fatboi Sharif - Prisoner Of Jesus 
JUNE! - It’s Time!!! ft My Favorite Color & Johnny Storm 
Victoria Monet - Stop (Askin' Me 4Shyt)
Luna X Honor Flow Productions - What's Your Name 
Andi Mkosi - So Far Gone Live (ft Tatenda wekwaTenzi)

magz fm

408: radio / edgy blak musik / from illadelph to the world

The Globeflower Masters Vol. 2 is the slightly edgier and more grown-up sequel to Mark and Glenn's 2021 debut album. For this excursion, the Brighton-based duo wanted to lean a little further into their European film soundtrack influences, with inspiration mined from the works of Stefano Torossi, David Shire, and Roger Webb. This expansion of their sound builds upon the rich tapestry of cinematic funk à la David Axelrod, Serge Gainsbourg and Morricone that fashioned Vol. 1.

The Deluxe Edition of the album features five new tracks, comprising two new original recordings, a piano solo version of the closing track from the original album, and two remixes from Project Gemini and Andres y Xavi.

‘Shaded By Your Side’ takes things right back to the moody, dark and Axelrod-inflected sound of their first album. Much of this track was played in single takes to try and retain as much of the urgency and spontaneity as possible. 

‘Return to Salvador’ is described by the duo as if “Shuggie Otis and Marcos Valle have one too many caipirinhas and decide to visit outer space”. It fuses together Mark's space sounds and floaty pianos with Spanish guitar and busy, melodic bass creating a musical trip from the grounded and earthy sounds of Vol.1’ to the more upwards-looking and musically diverse sound of Vol.2.

The remixes give a different flavour to the release, but both pay homage to the original recordings. Sharing a mutual admiration for each other’s work, it seemed like a natural choice to ask Project Gemini to contribute. Here is what he had to say about his rework, “I’m a big fan of both volumes of Mark and Glenn’s ‘Globeflower’ LP’s and it was a huge honour to get a chance to rework one of my favourite tunes from Vol.2. There are many great layers to ‘A Voyage North’ so it was a lot of fun to choose my favourite elements, then put some Project Gemini flavours and sounds into the mix and create something new whilst hopefully keeping some of the spirit of the original track. A darker, fuzzier take on the album version”.

When Glenn first passed the original album to Steve KIW, his collaborator in Balearic production outfit Andres y Xavi, this was one of two tracks which he picked out as having some particularly Balearic DNA. As such, pushing this concept to its logical conclusion seemed like the obvious thing to do. There’s a shaded sunset sound paired with a 4/4 beat of Latin-leaning.

Glenn Fallows & Mark Treffel - A Voyage North (Into Darkness) (Project Gemini Rework)

Glenn Fallows & Mark Treffel - Moogs Over Jupiter

Glenn Fallows & Mark Treffel - Remember Empathy

Glenn Fallows & Mark Treffel - Vibe Sharp

Record label. Record shop. Film label. Since 1989.

Glenn Fallows & Mark Treffel - A Voyage North (Into Darkness) (Project Gemini Rework)

Mr Bongo

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