THE JAZZ CHILL CORNER NEW RELEASES - ERA RECORDS NORTHERN SOUL, NEW ORLEANS FUNK, DUES PAID:THE BLUESTIME STORY

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NEW RELEASES - ERA RECORDS NORTHERN SOUL, NEW ORLEANS FUNK, DUES PAID:THE BLUESTIME STORY Posted: 29 Oct 2013 01:10 PM PDT ERA RECORDS NORTHERN SOUL (VARIOUS ARTISTS) Storming soul groovers from Era Records – an LA label that was known for a host of different genres, but who managed to cut some marvelous Northern Soul in the mid 60s! Era's an under-tapped source for work of this nature – as evidenced by the number of previously-unreleased cuts on the collection – showing that even if you have a handful of singles on Era from the 60s, you've still got plenty more to discover! The music has a great 60s LA finish – swinging soul with a very tight approach to rhythm, and a subtle set of drama that makes most of the lyrics break out differently than more familiar soul music from back east. As always with Kent, the whole set's a joyous discovery – really well put-together, with great sound and notes – and a selection of cuts that includes "Come On Home" by Othello Robertson, "Stand There Mountain" by Vince Howard, "I Ain't Gonna Take You Back" by Brenda Holloway & The Carrolls, "You & Yours" by The Composers, "I Get A Feeling" by The Soul Mates, "My Book" by Bruce Cloud, "The Ice Man" by Billy Watkins, "Boomerange" by The Lovemates, and "I Wanna Know" by Carrol Connors. ~ Dusty Groove NEW ORLEANS FUNK - THE ORIGINAL SOUND OF FUNK VOL. 3 (VARIOUS ARTISTS) The cover image looks old-timey, but the grooves on the set are totally modern – a wealth of wonderful funky numbers from the New Orleans scene of the 60s and 70s – just the kind of gems that made us love the previous two volumes in this series! We might well argue that this third collection is the coolest of the bunch – as it features some more obscure, overlooked gems from the Crescent City – filled with the kind of raw rhythms and driving grooves that always make Nola soul tracks so great! There's no hoke here at all – no Mardi Gras cliches nor pandering for the tourists – and instead, this stuff is at the cusp of the best bursting moment of pride and power for New Orleans – the kind of cuts cut at a time when the city was really discovering how great it could be. As with all Soul Jazz sets, the notes and package really live up to the quality of the music – and the set's overflowing with greatness, in a batch of 18 tracks that includes "What You Want" by Lee Dorsey & The Meters, "Got A Get My Baby Back Home" by Tony Owens, "Fairchild" by Willie West, "Go To The Mardi Gras" by Professor Longhair, "Trouble With My Lover" by Betty Harris, "Omar Khayyam" by The Rubaiyats, "Gossip Gossip" by Diamond Joe, "Fagged Out" by The Deacons, "The Book" by Eldridge Holmes, "We The People" by Allen Toussaint, "Jockey Ride (parts 1 & 2)" by The Explosions, and "Do It Fluid" by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. ~ Dusty Groove DUES PAID - THE BLUESTIME STORY (VARIOUS ARTISTS) A totally great collection of rare material from the Bluestime label – a rare rootsy side of the Flying Dutchman imprint at the start of the 70s! Flying Dutchman is a well-remembered label for its rich array of funk and jazz titles – and although Bluestime worked in the blues side of the spectrum, most of these numbers are pretty darn funky too – thanks to some shared musicians and production talents with the main Flying Dutchman scene. In other words, the tracks are all pretty darn hip – and way way more than blues – really more funk tunes that have a gritty, raspy edge – like those rare few times when Chess Records' bluesmen got nice and funky. Titles include "I'm A Dues Payin Man" by Optis Spann, "Every Day I Have The Blues" by T-Bone Walker, "Plastic Man" by Joe Turner, "Love" by Harmonica Slim, "Paris Blues" by The Super Black Blues Band, "I Wonder Why" by Otis Spann, "Something So Bright" by Malcolm & Chris, "That's Alright" by Harmonica Slim, Chicago Charva Chapter" by The Plaster Caster Blues Band, "Disillusion Blues" by Leon Thomas, and "For BB King" by T-Bone Walker. ~ Dusty Groove

VOLTAIQUE PANORAMIQUE VOLUME 1 CONTAINS GREAT TRACKS FROM BURKINA FASO Posted: 29 Oct 2013 01:03 PM PDT "Voltaique Panoramique Vol.1″ contains great unheard tracks from Burkina Faso a true must have for collectors and music lovers. The release comes with extensive liner notes and an inlay which features the original 7 inches. Until recently not much was known about music from Burkina Faso, formerly called the Upper Volta. It is still one of West Africa lesser known forms of popular music. A few years before the country changed its name to Burkina Faso, thanks to Thomas Sankara's dream for a new society, Voltaic music emerged as some form of true cultural revolution. Remote, poor and isolated, Burkina Faso looked to the orchestras and artists from neighbouring countries such as Mali, The Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin. Located at its northern border, Niger is the only other West African country whose music stayed as isolated as the music hailing from Burkina Faso. Most of its bands and artists hail mostly from Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso. They infuse some of the rich local traditions, such as mossi dances or dioula singing, with afro-cuban flavours, American rhythm'n'blues, French pop or Congolese rumba. Electric guitars and organs swirl around balafon and solid horn sections. Despite the fact that the 1960′s and 1970′s Upper Volta lacked a proper recording studio and record pressing plant, there was a great deal of popular music produced in the country from the late 1960′s to the early 1980′s, mostly on seven inches. With over thirty 7 inches released, Bobo-Dioulasso's Volta Jazz is the most prolific of those Voltaic bands. One of their hymns, composed and sung by sax player Moustapha Maiga is Djougou Malola. Praising Bobo and its inhabitants, this amazing bolero embodies perfectly the thinness, remoteness and grace of modern Voltaic music. On the same emotional level, Nogleem Nooma is one of the loveliest ballads to have come out of Burkina Faso. A short instrumental number Killa Naa Ye Killa displays the masterful playing of Semporé, perfectly at ease with his tenor saxophone, his flute and band direction. Hailing from Sifarasso in south west Burkina, Richard Seydou Traoré is one of Burkina's most elegant musicians, Rassemblement is a tongue in cheek number nodding to American jerk rhythm with military orders sung in French. A close friend of Traoré, Jean-Bernard Samboué belonged to the same generation of students coming of age in the early 1970′s. Aïcha stands certainly as his best song. With the help of his band, Mange Kondé recorded three singles released under his own name. Beni Idjananko is reminiscent of the great mandingo songs from Guinea. Warm and fierce, Woulouni displays some exceptional groove virtues. Born in Boulsa in 1947, Pierre Sandwidi is one of the most beloved Voltaic stars. One of his stronger moment, the infectious Yamb Ney Capitale benefits from the participation of Super Volta musicians. A true highlight of Voltaic music, Super Volta's La Guitare de Tinga displays the masterful guitar playing of Désiré Traoré and the artistic maturity of one of Burkina's best bands. The same musicians are to be found on Abdoulaye Cissé's Jeunesse Wilila. He reached for fame in 1974 with A Son Magni, one of CVD first 7 inches while the b-side, L'homme à la Guitare gave him an instant nickname. In 1976, he recorded another four song session, done live at the Maison du Peuple with a simple Akai tape stereo recorder. A true masterpiece and a generational hymn, Jeunesse Wilila is an ode to the empowerment of the youth to build up the country, fifteen years after its independence. A perfect blend between afro-funk and afro-beat, Deny tologuelen is the last release of the Volta Discobel, just after owner Master Boureima's death. Intense, fresh and full of creativity with vocal interjections one could think might stem from Jean Rouch's cult movie Cocorico Monsieur Poulet, it is a true and unsung masterpiece. The Authentique Dafra Star de Bobo-Dioulasso had the opportunity to record two full albums and a dozen singles, almost released locally on the Music Hall record label. One of the highlights of the band's repertoire is Ram Pasonayé, sung with passion by Siaka 'Elvis' Ouattara. In the same league as the Dafra Star, Echo Del Africa was one of Bobo's finest bands. Six years later, this band was able to release their first 7 inch in August 1974 under the brand Discaf, owned by Antoine D'Albin, one of the band first singers. The next release is the politically correct 1975, Année De La Femme, sung by bandleader José Thiono-By. On the b-side, the fierce younger singer Youssou Diarra stole the show with Yiri Wah, one of the hardest sounding songs from Burkina Faso in the 1970′s. www.kindred-spirits.nl Tracklisting: 01. Jean Bernard Samboue – Aicha 02. Cisse Abdoulaye- Jeunesse Willa 03. Pierre Sandwidi – Yamb NeY Capitale 04. Konde Mangue – Woulouni 05. Konde Mangue – Beni Idjanako 06. Orchestre Dafra Star – Ram Passomaye 07. Traore Seydou – Rassemblement 08. Orchestre Les Vaudou De Flamboyant – Kogo Ni Toulou 09. Ama Maiga – Deny Tologuelen 10. Echo Del Africa – Yiri 11. Idy-O-Idrissa – Bissongo Lebguin'wa 12. L'harmonie Voltaique – Killa Naa Ye Killa 13. Orchestre Volta Jazz – Djougou Malola 14. L'harmonie Voltaique – Noglem Nooma 15. Orchestre Super Volta De La Capitale – La Guitare De Tinga The compilation Various "Voltaique Panoramique Vol.1" (Kindred Spirits) is going to be released November 15, 2013. ~ grooveattack.com