THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER NEW RELEASES - JIMMY SCOTT, NICOLE WILLIS & JIMMY TENOR, BOBBY WHITLOCK |  |
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Posted: 22 Jul 2013 08:51 AM PDT
 JIMMY SCOTT - THE SOURCE A unique moment from the legendary Jimmy Scott – a one-off album cut for Atlantic Records – recorded after his initial 50s fame, and decades before he'd finally get his due, much later in his life! The album's got a style that's a bit more mature than Scott's initial sides – a bit more grown up in approach, even though Jimmy's still got that really unique light tone to his vocals – and arranged by Arif Mardin and William Fischer in a hip blend of jazz and strings – with a slow-moving vibe that's completely mesmerizing. The core instrumentation is by a group that includes Junior Mance on piano, Billy Butler on guitar, and Ron Carter on bass – and titles include "Our Day Will Come", "I Wish I Knew", "This Love Of Mine", and a very moody version of "Exodus". ~ Dusty Groove  NICOLE WILLIS & JIMMY TENOR - COLA & JIMMU: ENIGMATIC Enigmatic dancefloor grooves from the duo of Cola and Jimmu – actually funky soul singer Nicole Willis and Finnish jazz funk player Jimmy Tenor! As Cola and Jimmu, Nicole and Jimmy are working in a mode that's inspired by dawn of the 90s soulful house music – a nice mix of earthy instrumentation and spacier textures. Sputtering beats are blended with hand percussion, swirling keyboard textures float over Jimmy's sax and Nicole's beautiful voice brings in all home. Nice! Includes "369º Grind", "Enigmatic", Transcend Our Love", "Tombstone", "So Refined", "I Made Up My Mind", "Satyricon", "Wild Honey", "Brooklyn Girl" and "Classified". ~ Dusty Groove  BOBBY WHITLOCK - WHERE THERE'A A WILL THERE'S A WAY: THE ABC- DUNHILL RECORDINGS Bobby Whitlock finally gets his due – in a massive set that reissues the first two solo albums of this key player who worked on the albums Layla and All Things Must Pass! The self-titled Bobby Whitlock is a lost landmark in early 70s roots rock – the first solo album from Bobby Whitlock – an artist who'd previously played with Derek & The Dominoes, George Harrison, and Delaney & Bonnie – and who's getting a bit of help here from both Harrison and Eric Clapton in the studio! Yet the set's definitely Bobby's own – rooted in his Memphis background, and fusing together rock and soul with the same sort of core charm you might hear from Delaney & Bonnie – a quality that's almost color-blind at times, and which has the same sort of new southern appeal as music from The Allman Brothers or some of Bobby's bigger contemporaries. Titles include "Where There's A Will", "Song For Paula", "A Game Called Life", "Back In My Life Again", "Back Home In England", and "The Dreams Of A Hobo". On Raw Velvet, Bobby Whitlock really comes into his own – working in a style that's tighter and more confident than his debut – yet which is also still drenched in all the best southern styles of his roots! Production is rich, but never too commercial – and the album shows some of the growth in roots rock that was taking place with other acts of the same nature at the time – a space that's not far from The Band or Little Feat, but which also echoes more of Whitlock's Tennessee background overall. Eric Clapton plays on one track – and titles include "Tell The Truth", "Write You A Letter", "Hello LA Bye Bye Birmingham", "Think About It", "Satisfied", and "Dearest I Wonder". Features very detailed notes – and some great photos and recollections from Whitlock! ~ Dusty Groove   |
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Posted: 22 Jul 2013 08:26 AM PDT
 Mr. Chop's debut EP for Now-Again in 2009, Lightworlds, drew together anthemic synth-rock, the jagged sound of Italian prog monsters Goblin, and musique concrète, with surprisingly accessible results. Since then, the artist known to friends as Coz Littler has rid himself of the Mister and returns with renewed focus for his first Now-Again full length release. The path that took him here was winding indeed. Isolating himself in his Cheshire, UK studio in late 2009, Chop decided to try his hand at the nearly fifty year old – and rarely successful – quest to musically merge the organic and the electronic. Three years later, surrounded by hours of ideas, his music started falling into itself. Enter his friend Joe Fearon, A&R for the likes of Liverpool bands The Coral and The Zutons. With Fearon's help, Chop whittled down hours of recordings to a selection of the most inspired moments. It became clear that while each stood up on its own, they lacked a unifying theme. Chop discovered a solution in the processed sound of his own voice. And then everything fell into place: Heliocentrics drummer Malcolm Catto's rhythm tracks were edited off-the-grid until they became more Neu than James Brown, more driving than syncopated; Bill Ryder Jones from The Coral stepped in for the lead guitar parts, which lent a powerful psychedelic 60s rock sound to the proceedings; Chop repurposed a range of obsolete musical gear to renewed ends, in line with his desire to search for a future imbued with the innocence of the past. The result is Illuminate, an album equally inspired by the retro-futurism of the still-sputtering 19th century power station in Northern Wales, across the estuary from Chop's studio, the events of his life, and Chop's collection of hip-hop, disco, new wave and minimal synth records. Unsurprisingly, Illuminate traverses a number of moods. The jackhammer pounding of 'Building Blocks' segues into the moody but serene 'Picture Box'. The futuristic soundscape 'Arcane Future' takes an uplifting melodic turn, revealing Chop's hopes for a more perfect tomorrow. Though it's the most intellectual approach Chop has taken with his music to date, it retains a spontaneous feel throughout, and despite its technical accomplishments, Illuminate is Chop's most intimate and personal album yet. www.nowagainrecords.com Tracklisting: 01. Building Blocks 02. Illuminate All Voltages 03. Picture Box 04. Airhead 05. Future Past AD 06. Re-Program The Man/Illuminist Garden 07. The Electronic Brain 08. Sleeper 09. Feedback 10. You Want More Life 11. Rendezvous 12. Feedback Reprise 13. Bow Down To The Mutant 14. Arcane Future The album Chop "Illuminate" (Now Again) is going to be released August 9, 2013. ~ grooveattack.com   |
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