Seven years after their last ‘Americana‘ compilation for BBE Music, The Mighty Zaf and Mark GV Taylor present two more rare blue eyed soul cuts from across the pond: ‘So Close To You’ by Arthur, and ‘Reincarnation’ by Future Force.

Taken from his first and only solo album, 1981’s ‘Joy’, ‘So Close To You’ is a sweet, folk- tinged song written by Arthur’s guitarist Dean Devener and voiced by Maye Cavallaro. Hailing from New York, a diamond dealer by day and a bassist by night, Arthur joined his first band in ’66. He was living in the tiny community of Inverness, just North of San Francisco when he recorded ‘So Close To You’, which featured mainly local musicians from the West Marin area. “Between around 1980 and 2010, if someone told me I’d see any interest let alone money from my album, I’d have thought they were hallucinating” says Arthur. In 2010, the DJ son of a friend of Arthur’s saw an original copy of ‘Joy’ hanging on the wall of A-1 records in New York, priced at $50. Soon afterwards, compiler Mark Taylor tracked Arthur down on Facebook and the pair met in London, where by happy coincidence Arthur had a brief flight stopover. “We met Mark in a coffee place just outside security and sold him the box of records. I thought he looked like a cop, not a jazz DJ, although if you think 1950s America, the two could look the same”. Arthur returned to London in May 2019 and attended Mark’s ‘Reference Point’ party at the BBE Store, delighted to sign copies of his original ‘Joy’ LP for the regulars, and ecstatic to hear ‘So Close To You’ played in public for the first time.

‘Reincarnation’ was originally the B-side of NYC pop / funk band Future Force’s only recording, a 7″ single released in 1981. Future Force was formed by brothers David and Howard Bowler, who went on to write and produce dance cuts for A&M with the band’s keyboardist Eric Li, including the hit song ‘Sayin’ Sorry Don’t Make It Right’ by Denise Lopez. Recorded live with only the lead vocals overdubbed, ‘Reincarnation’ captures the raw, soulful sound for which Future Force shows had gained notoriety, both in New York City and beyond. The song was written by guitarist Jehri Riley and performed by lead singer Jackie Stewart, who was born in Brixton to Jamaican parents, moving to NYC at the age of 13.

About the compilers:

The Mighty Zaf began his journey at the famous London store Reckless Records, before becoming a respected private record dealer. These days you can find him behind the counter at Love Vinyl in London, the store he co-owns with BBE’s graphic designer Jake Holloway. Mark GV Taylor began collecting records as a schoolboy, started DJing internationally in 1990 and hasn’t looked back since. He’s also a former contributor for Straight No Chaser and compiler for Blue Note Records.

Arthur - So Close To You

Tracklist
the hics - the man who sold the world
rap - bright blue 
swoze, driss bennis - networks 
la mamanas du congo & robin - meki
aricia mess - noite de temporal
patrick paige ll, durnad barner - whisper
joe armon-jones, maxwell owin, oscar jerome - idiom
chassol - birds, pt. 1
kaidi tatham - rain
30/70 - impermanance (close counters remix)
budgie - in love & war
c. tangana  - comerte entera
duendita - open eyes 
tony allen, stampa the great - stumbling down
benjiflow - you know
afriquoi - acid attack (hagan remix)
bakongo - thirteen
anunaku, dj plead - wheele
moon - buggin’
motor city drum ensemble - danilo plessow - night fall
citog - eyes closed
emil, knucks - bakerloo
godtet - neon
mrr-adm - 9ine
james blake - life round here
lcsm - let me 
fabiano do nascimento - partiu
carlos nino - thanking the earth
damon locks - the people vs the rest of us
makaya mccraven  - mccraven on the mic
yussef dayes, alfa mist, mensur - love is the message
sons of the sun - underwater dreaming (beanz n kornbread remix)
dmx - prayer pt.1

Universal Rhythms - Jeff Higgins 15/04/2021

Wayne Snow was joined by Cézaire for two hours afrobeats, contemporary jazz, soultronic and hip hop gems. New picks and old favourites from the likes of Pete Rock, Special Touch, Scrimshire and more.

Wayne Snow w/ Cézaire - April 2021

Buy / Stream the album: https://orcd.co/soundofdetroit1

In association with DJ Amir and 180 Proof Records, BBE Music presents ‘Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit – Volume 1’, a new compilation taking in just a few highlights from the short-lived but hugely influential jazz imprint.

With a raft of Strata material now entering entering the BBE Music catalogue for the first time, joining together with already-released gems such at the long-lost Charles Mingus live album ‘Jazz In Detroit’, we asked 180 Proof founder and Strata catalogue curator DJ Amir to compile a selection of tracks as an introduction to the uninitiated.

Over to DJ Amir to tell us more:

I carefully selected my top-choice select tracks that have not been already bootlegged or comp’d in the past; from the well-known fan favourites, to the obscure, to the previously unreleased cuts. This is by no means an exhaustive and comprehensive compilation, but these are the songs that truly represent the catalog and help to tell the story of Strata.

I thought it would be fitting to begin the compilation with one of my all-time favourites from the catalog, ‘Beyond the Dream’ by Kenny Cox, a spiritual groover, highlighted with the haunting mellotron strings and soulful vocals from Detroit legend Ursula Walker. And I absolutely love the ending, with the chanting of “Vamonos Que Ya Fiesta Se Acabo” (“It’s time to go because the party is coming to an end”)!

When I originally issued the previously unreleased album ‘Mirror, Mirror’ by Sam Sanders in 2013, the track ‘Face At My Window’ that features an unknown vocalist instantly became a fan favourite thanks to its hypnotising vocals and mellotron strings.

How could I not include my all-time track from Lyman Woodard, ‘Saturday Night Special’? This track represents the best of that lo-fi jazz funk organ groove and bass combined, again, with those mellotron strings. And after meeting Lyman in 2008, I became even more of a fan! His magnum opus that is ‘Saturday Night Special’ began my journey to re-introducing the world to the Strata label.

After a chance discovery of a Strata master with only the letters ‘TJ’ written on the front, I took a chance and digitally transferred the master. Unfortunately, the master was in awful shape, but what I discovered was truly a stunning recording! At first, I thought I was listening to a young Shuggie Otis but then I quickly realised that I was not. TJ, armed with a basic drum machine, guitar, and incredibly infectious vocals, was able to communicate the pain and joy in his soul so clearly in tracks like ‘Time Is Wasting’.

With further tracks from Kenny Cox featuring the Contemporary Jazz Quintet (CJQ), Larry Nozero (saxophone player on ‘What’s Goin’ On’ by Marvin Gaye), to the ever-elusive and spiritual deep Maulawi Nururidin, to a few previously unreleased gems from Ursula Walker, Mixed Bag, and the Soulmates, hopefully, you’ll be inspired to dive deeper into the Strata catalog!

Enjoy!

Amir Abdullah aka DJ Amir

All of the original albums from which these tracks were chosen are now available to download or stream wherever you find your music.

Release Date – May 25th 2021

DJ Amir Presents 'Strata Records-The Sound of Detroit' Volume 1 (Album Sampler)

Crate Digs Radio - Jeff Higgins May

Universal Rhythms - Jeff Higgins 20/05/2021

Jazz FM Tony Minvielle on Sunday 6/6/21 guest Alex Isley

Jeff and Baxter were live with another instalment of Sweet Nothings. They ran two hours of warm and sunkissed soul, MPB and salsa from the likes of Sisters Love, Leo's Sunship and The Boogaloo Assasins.