Format: 12inch, Download | Releasedate: 18.03.2016 | Label: Sonar Kollektiv

Last June, Berlin based reissue label Notes On A Journey released a celebrated re-issue of an album which in its original release in 1980 attracted scarcely or almost no attention at all: „Confidence In The Future“ (NOAJ001) by obscure, short-lived Berlin Folk Jazz project Spinning Motion – a spontaneously assembled Jazz trained group around Manfred Tappert and Achim Hirsch recorded this forgotten gem but disbanded soon after again. Looking back on a bit more consistent past, another Berlin institution, Jazzanova established their worldwide success (f.e. with their early, groundbreaking remixes) almost twenty years ago and now demonstrate with their absolutely emotive and laid-back rework of “Naze” that as you get older you're not only getting wiser but also continue to stay musically relevant and contemporary. As Jazzanova is concentrating on own material at the moment, we are really happy for the incident that Notes On A Journey found the original multi-track tapes of the recordings. That’s the only reason why Jazzanova took their time to go into the studio and did this remix of Naze. On the digital release you'll find three different versions of this outstanding remix.

Another song off the warm-heartly recommendable Spinning Motion album, “Prisoner Of Life”, gets a treatment by two founders of Notes On A Journey and operators themselves. With Stefan Leisering in the game, being one of Jazzanova's musical mastermind, this release's staff intersects somehow or other anyway. Oliver Glage, the other one thirds of Notes On A Journey and Oliver Haertel, the sound man behind several Sonar Kollektiv productions, are in different capacities part of the Sonar Kollektiv family as well. Their rework of “Prisoner Of Life” relocates the listeners back to the original's year of origin, offers though, with Leisering's cunning drum programming (plus added synths and choirs) somewhat like an alternate version. Therewith this tune will not only be catapulted into modern times but hopefully soon into the Heavy Rotation of any respectable radio station around the globe.


Naze (Jazzanova Remix)

Naze

A - Spinning Motion - Naze (Jazzanova Remix)

Reissued on heavyweight 180g vinyl: https://www.bbemusic.com/downloads/11291/

We are both proud and excited to present this highly sought after early 80's gem, originally created as a showcase project for young artists and composers by a community music organisation in Texas.
Originally referred to as the 'Pop Music Lab', the Peoples' Workshop was formed in 1976 at Texas Southern University as a space for students to compose and perform, free from the constrains of Western classical music education.
Swiftly gathering momentum, in 1980 the organisation was granted non-profit status and in 1983, moved off the TSU campus. The Workshop has since grown in size and scope, becoming the first Black-founded organisation to present shows in major performance venues around the Greater Houston area.
Houston Talent Expo '82 features original compositions by members of The Peoples' Workshop, performed exclusively by musicians from Houston. The songs vary in style, but remain centered around gospel, funk and soul; music and lyrics with a powerful positive message. Many of the artists featured remain active today around the world, working with such acts as Alice Coltrane and The Charles Mingus Band among others.
Houston Talent Expo '82 comprises a truly special collection of songs born from the struggle, true to the spirit of togetherness that underpins The Peoples' Workshop, written and performed by astonishing young talents.

Houston Talent Expo '82

The People's Workshop - Houston Talent Expo '82 (Album Sampler)

Format: 7inch
Cat#: NOAJ7-001
Original release: 1982
Releasedate: 15.03.2019

With the fifth release and the first 7inch on the quality imprint, Notes On A Journey turns its attention to Brazil. Finally, one might think, since it’s an open secret that the guys behind the label all have a soft spot for music from the leading coffee exporter in the world. So, when Brazilian DJ, record collector and digger extraordinaire Junior Santos brought this Celso Rubinstein 7-inch EP (called «Compacto» in Brazil) to the Berlin label’s attention he hadn’t to do a lot of persuading to have NOAJ reintroduce this beautiful piece of music to fans around the world some 36 years after its first appearance.

Born in Brazil to a family of Holocaust survivors, Celso Rubinstein’s career as a singer allowed him to take residency in several countries including Spain, Portugal, Israel and Britain. He performed as an artist in numerous clubs and supported other artists as backing vocalist. In 1982 he booked studio time at Chico Batera’s studio in Rio De Janeiro to record two songs for an intentional debut album.

On «Enquanto Houver», written by Paulinho Mendonça and Gerson Conrad, Rubinstein tried to infuse some rap flavour: «I wanted to get away from that style of singing where you sing a bunch of notes without breathing. You can hear that all the words in the song are pronounced properly but the cadence is broken up, so the intention was to do a kind of rap without it seeming to be rap.»

Marina Lima and Antonio Cicero contributed «È A Vida Que Diz», a song as marvelously written as much as performed sophisticatedly by Rubinstein with his star-studded studio crew. Amongst them: Oberdan Magalhães and Claudio Stevenson from Banda Black Rio, Rique Pantoja, keyboard player, arranger and conductor Reinaldo Arias, as well as American session musician Don Harris. Celso Rubinstein wanted to create a unique atmosphere for the recording sessions, inviting numerous people to the control room to amplify the spontaneous live feeling even more (the control room was filled with people like Ney Matogrosso, As Frenéticas, Claudia Telles, Fátima Guedes.) You definitely can hear this vitality on the record originally published in 1982 by Rubinstein himself.

Since there was a massive vinyl shortage at the time in Brazil, no label had any spare material to waste on newcomers. Only the label Tapecar, which had its own pressing plant, helped Rubinstein out and used the left over material from the manufacture of Gal Costa’s latest album («Minha Voz») to have his 7” privately pressed. Needless to say that it missed any recognition back then. But now, 36 years later, thanks to Junior Santos and Notes On A Journey a broad audience has the joy to finally embrace this beautiful music wholeheartedly.

É A Vida Que Diz / Enquanto Houver

A - Celso Rubinstein - É A Vida Que Diz

B3. Cy TImmons - Nowhere

„Discovering and rediscovering music“ is NOAJ's slogan and by this credo productions and recordings (records, cassettes, never before released master tapes) from days gone by shall and will find its audience. NOAJ tells the tale of mis-launched careers, failed dreams, gutted hopes, criminally overlooked masterpieces and of music that has been probably way too ahead of its time.

A - Celso Rubinstein - É A Vida Que Diz

Notes On A Journey

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