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NEW JAZZ

MARIO BIONDI HANDFUL OF SOUL
Jazz crooner meets Italian Jazz dance, Mario's voice possesses richness and warmth a mix of Frank Sinatra and Mark Murphy with a hint of Louis Armstrong. Covers of 'Rio De Janeiro Blue' and Deidre Wilson's 'I Can't Keep From Cryin Sometimes' groove subtly yet remorselessly. Check the popular 'This Is What You Are' and 'On A Clear Day' plus the title song and 'A Child Runs Free'. Outstanding.

SLEEPWALKER WORKS CD £19.95
Sleepwalker have to be one of the premier jazz bands in the world at the moment. They follow up their magnificent 'Voyage' album with a collection of some new material and others only released on vinyl and some of their remixes of other peoples work.. The highlights are the breezy dancer 'Wind' ft Yukimi Nagano, their take on Archie Shepp's spiritual jazz epic 'Quiet Dawn' , 'River Of Love' Ft Bembe Segue and 'Eclipse' an spiritual dancer with urgent rhythms. Check also their remixes of Jazztronik's 'Pathways' and Victor Davies 'Don't Believe A Word'. Quality Spiritual Jazz
Also highly recommended 'The Voyage' CD £22.95

JUJU ORCHESTRA BOSSA NOVA IS NOT A CRIME
Superb Jazz dance album that is full of strong grooves, check 'What is Hip' that features Terry Callier on vocals. 'Kind Of Latin Rhythm' hits a swinging 'Jive Samba' vibe as does the shimmering 'Nao Posso Demorar', whilst 'El Bravo' has a heavier, more percussive Latin feel. The cover of 'Funky Nassau' gives this Funk classic a contemporary spin. Brilliant album.

4 HERO PLAY WITH THE CHANGES CD £12.95
4 Hero return with their most consistently soulful and by far their best album to date. ‘Morning Child' ft Carina Anderson is a great orchestrated mildly funky upper mid tempo soul track in a similar vein to 'Black gold of the Sun'. 'Look Inside' is another orchestrated breezy dancer ft Face reminiscent of Incognito, whilst 'Take My Time' and 'Sink Or Swim' ft Lady Alma are bass led 80's infl grooves. The title track ft larry Mizell and has the Mizell layered sound, 'Awakening' ft spoken word from Ursula Rucker and a good cover of Stevies 'Superwoman' ft Terry Devos are also good. On the jazzier side 'Something In The Air' ft Bembe Segue and Kaidi Tatham is breezy jazz funk in the style of Agent K, 'Bed Of Roses' ft Jody Watley is a beaty jazz groover with nice keyboards and 'Sophia' and 'Why Don't You Talk' are good instrumentals. Outstanding album that will appeal to broad minded soul and jazz fans alike. If you like Incognito, Agent K, Silhouette Brown or Bruno E then you'll get to this. Highly recommended.

QUASIMODE ONESELF LIKENESS CD £13.95
Fine Japanese Jazz that will appeal to lovers of Sleepwalker, though Quasimode takes a more subtle approach. Check the version of Tubby Hayes' 'Down In The Village' the bright percussive 'Lucky Luciano' or the driving single 'Ipe Amarelo' an AWESOME Jazz dance cut. Try the Afro tinged 'Skelton Coast' with its lush percussion and incessant bass line and horns, upbeat title song and the atmospheric mid-tempo 'Feelin Green. Brilliant album.

ROOT SOURCE ROOT SOURCE
Wickedly funky Hammond led grooves of the highest order, this UK combo deliver with a barnstormer of an album; every track is a winner. The aptly titled 'Eastern Steamer' or the riff laden 'Time Bawl' are relentless workouts, whilst 'Nexus Flight' has a Blaxploitation style theme. Standout is the vocal 'Beyond The Haze'. The horn and rhythm sections are cooking. Essential.

DOWN TO THE BONE SUPERCHARGED CD £13.95
Great new album from the British contemporary Jazz Funk outfit, 'Supercharged' is the funkiest set for a while. The title song is a full on Funk instrumental on which the horn section excel, as is the slower 'Funkin Around'. 'Parkside Shuffle' is a mellower summer like groover (hints of Ramsey Lewis). Hil St Soul adds her soulful voice to the Incognito like 'Smile To Shine wicked b-line! Roy Ayers adds scat and vibes to the Jazz Funk stunner 'Electric Vibes', 'Space Dust', 'Make It Funky and 'Hip City' are fine instrumentals that fuse Jazz and Funk.

METROPOLITAN JAZZ - BIRD OF SPRING
Excellent swinging Jazz dance out of France, that grooves in a relaxed vein and grows on you after a few spins. ‘Bird Of Spring’ is a mid-tempo floater a la Blackbyrds/Mizell, whilst ‘Drifting’ has a nu-Soul meets Jazz. ‘Find A Way’ is a bright and breezy cut reminiscent of Koop, where as ‘Escapism’ and ‘Everybody Knows are fine pieces of contemporary European Jazz dance; ‘Swagger and ‘Turned To Clay’ are equally strong Jazz tunes. Overall this is a fine European Jazz set that will appeal to Jazz Funk fans too.

KENNY WELLINGTON KIND OF BLACK
Ex Light Of The World trumpeter releases his first solo set that is primarily Fusion. Try the killer Jazz-Funk dancer 'Big Apple' that stars Jamie Cullum on keys; the incessant groove is reminiscent of early 80's Jazz Funk such as 'By All Means'. The slower 'Soulfinger' simmers complete with LoW type horn lines, whilst the atmospheric 'Speak Brother Speak' and the lovely slowy 'Claudette' add diversity to the set.

DALINDEO - OPEN SCENE
More magic from Finnish Jazz label, Ricky Tick, Dalindeo combines swinging grooves, tight ensemble playing, and fine solo playing. The single 'Poseidon', the subtle Latin tinged 'Samba Da Li' and the hypnotic 'Vedenneito'. Check also the heavier 'Voodoo' or the awesome dancer 'Solifer-Lento' and the Jazzier acoustic bass led 'Sold Out' with its wicked Jimmy Smith B3 Hammond. Essential.

SOIL AND PIMP PIMPOINT
The anarchists of Japanese Jazz dance return with their strongest album so far. From great covers of 'Red Clay' and 'Zambesi' to full-on grooves like 'Dawn', the band hit hard groove after hard groove, combining driving rhythms with intense solos. Check also 'Funky Goldman' and 'The Party'. If you like Sleepwalker, then this is for you.

GROOVE COLLECTIVE PS 1 WARM UP BROOKLYN NY 2ND JULY 2005
9 elongated grooves over 2 CDs, with the Jazz Funk flowing on cuts like 'Set Up', the Afrobeat 'DFU' and the gorgeous multi-paced Latin jam 'Mango Mongo' gracing the first CD. Also check the jazzy 13 min opus '6 For Fred', the heavier 'KOG' and the awesome 'Loisaida'. At times Groove Collective are reminiscent of the great War albeit with a jazzier edge and a horn section. Both are ESSENTIAL the sound quality is that of a studio sets.

GROOVE COLLECTIVE LIVE AND HARD TO FIND
One of two albums that capture the magical musicianship of one of the US’ finest self-contained Fusion outfits. The full horns, lush percussion and funky grooves scream out from these performances. Comprises of 22 shorter tracks, but Latin workouts like ‘Low Insider’ and the moody ‘Griers Near’ highlight the tightness of the band. ‘Sabrosona’ touches a Salsa beat on which the percussion and flute stand out, also try the Roy Ayers-ish ‘Lapsang Souchang’ and the funky ‘Great Escape’. Other standouts include ‘Flute Juice’ and the vibes led ‘Hide Where’.

MACKROSOFT ANTONIOS GIRAFFE
Lovers of 70's Jazz fusion will go for this funky album set, it features ex Headhunters drummer Mike Clark and compares favourably with that group's 'Return Of..' set from the late 90's. The moody riff laden 'Mighty Luconchu' is the business, whilst the atmospheric title song and the awesome 'Art Of Rollin' sustain the quality on this string and consistent set.

JUNE APRIL WHAT I AM
Inspirational Spiritual Jazz album, brilliantly produced by Teddy Crockett which spans Soul . Jazz and Gospel has some great live instrumentation but the main focus is on April's beautiful crystal clear voice.
Of her originals 'Tick Tock' is a jazzy soul track with some nice trumpet backing reminiscent of Badu and Fertile Ground. 'What I Am' is a big production jazzy gospel and 'Fear Vs Faith' is pure Spiritual jazz with scat vocals and the excellent band really stretching out, whilst 'Weeping Mary' is more freer but still very together. Of the Afro- American Spirituals the breezy and jazzy 'At The Cross' and 'Ready' work best. This album has elements of the kind of thing that appeared on black jazz/strata east in the 70's and makes a refreshing change from today's more formulated music, and what a voice !!

KEITH ANDERSON - LET'S ROLL
Keith Anderson is the sax player with Roy Hargrove’s RH Factor and a similarly funky vibe permeates this excellent CD. ‘Funk Storm’ and ‘Collared Greens’ in particular carry that feel and a real barnstormer they are too, whilst ‘Trance’ is a heavier and slower. ‘Treasure City’ is more melodic yet still funky, and ‘Mr Fela’ infuse a taste of ‘Afrobeat’. On the mellower side check ‘Niagra Falls’ feat Dave Sanborn. At times there is a hint of Grover about Keith’s playing. Features the RH factor band with guest appearances from Marcus Miller, Bernard Wright, Kirk Whalum and Karl Denson!

RANDY BRECKER 34TH N LEX CD £14.95
This is quality Fusion from one half of the horn playing Brecker Brothers. Randy is joined by his late brother Michael, Dave Sanborn , Ronnie Cuber and Fred Wesley on horns, giving this set a punchy frontline. The title cut and 'Hula Dula' typifies the set urgent grooves, tight ensemble playing and full-on solos. 'The Fisherman', the cooler 'Let It Go' and 'Streeange' add distinctive and diverse flavours to this quality album. Three live cuts include the tribute to Freddie Hubbard 'Tokyo Freddie' that swings like a Blue Note 60's date. Superb stuff.

BILLY COBHAM DRUM N VOICE VOL 2
Contemporary Jazz Fusion from this drum master, sees Cobham hit that funky vibe like his 70's Atlantic albums. 'Final Destination' is a jazz funk killer, 'Waveform' features Brian Auger a fast furious Fusion workout, whilst the bass driven 'Real Funk' lives up to its name as does 'Ozone Part 2'. The warm mid-tempo vocal track 'Let Me Breathe' adds a jazzy Soul dimension to a strong album.

VARIOUS ARTISTS FREEDOM JAZZ DANCE VOL 3 CD £14.95/ DBL LP £15.95
The third in this excellent series maintains the standard set by its predecessors. Italian label Schema's luminaries such as Gerardo Frisina and Soulstance are featured with 2 great unreleased Jazz dancers 'Jitterbug' and 'Revealed'. Try also the vocal take of 'Freedom Jazz Dance' by Fez Combo from 95. Finnish Jazz is represented by Five Corners Qunitet's sax player Timo Lassy with his single 'African Rumble' and Sunaga T Experience's 'Versiliana Samba'. Also includes Sahib Shihab's killer modal jazz 'Bohemia After Dark' and Kenny Clarke/Fancy Boland 'Invitation' , great comp.
Also recommended Freedom jazz Dance vol 1 CD £14.95 vol 2 CD £14.95 DLP £13.95

ELIZABETH SHEPHERD – BESIDES (REMIXES AND B SIDES) CD £13.95
Excellent set that combines some new material with re-workings/re-mixes of her brilliant album ‘Start To Move’ of last year. Vocal dance Jazz cuts like the delicate ‘Midnight Sun’, the bass led ‘Open Your Eyes’ and the heavier ‘Soya’ that bursts into a 60’s (Blue Note) style groove. The Nostalgia 77 mix of ‘Reversed’ and the Jazz dance version of ‘George’s Dilemma’ are strong versions that add to the originals and coupled with the enhanced production make this CD a must buy.

NOSTALGIA 77 - EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN CD £10.95
This British Jazz group go from strength to strength. 'Everything..' adds vocals in a Spiritual Jazz inspired manner, check the beautiful 'Wildflower' or the heavier 'Stop To Make A Change'. Vocalist Lizz Parks has a delicate yet deep Jazz voice with hints of Nneena Freelon to its tone. Beth Rowley adds her vocals to the dreamy 'Steps Of The Sun' and the aptly titled 'Quiet Dawn'. Of the instrumentals, 'Dreamers Dance' takes the modal route.

DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER RED EARTH CD/DVD £14.95
Dee Dee goes to Mali to find her ancestral roots and makes this CD with African musicians. Rhythmically strong throughout the tracks of most appeal will be the jazz covers. The standout is her revisiting 'Afro Blue' in a more percussive version than her 70's classic. Wayne Shorter's 'Footprints' is given a slightly slower pace but is equally good, and her version of Nina's 'Four Women' is compelling. There's also a real barnstorming version of 'Compared To What'. The other tracks may be too African for many on this interesting project.