WEEK 30: ..RICHARD EARNSHAW now here + Smooth Jazz week
The eagerly anticipated Richard Earnshaw set is now here and features guests of the calibre of Roy Ayers and Jocelyn Brown, Kenny Thomas and Carleen Anderson.
On the Smooth Jazz side of things, the new Norman Brown album is finally in store, plus new album from guitarist Les Sabler and saxophonist Jackiem Joyner. There is also a fine compilation of the work master guitarist Tim Bowman that includes some tracks that have been out of print for awhile.
Two excellent reissues winged their way in recently from the Philadelphia International back catalogue. Firstly the three albums that Dee Dee Sharp Gamble recorded for the label on one double CD and also two sets from MFSB – ‘Philadelphia Freedom together with ‘Summertime’ again on a double CD.
Southern Soul lovers will probably appreciate Jimmy Hughes ‘Something Extra Special’, which contains all his Volt recordings.
Harold Alexander is a saxophonist/ flute player who is under-rated and under-recorded, worth checking out ‘Raw Root’.
Flora Purim’s ‘Stories To Tell’ includes the fabulous ‘Casa Forte’ and the album is worth it just for this blistering cut, but it is no one tracker.
Just a reminder that Roger Glenn’s ‘Reachin’, Side Effect ‘What You Need’ and Gary Bartz’s ‘Singerella’ and Bill Summers ‘Feel The Heat’ did arrive last Monday and are selling like the proverbial hotcakes. Roger Glenn – what an album!
SALE CDs £5 each or 3 for £10
We are extending our CD sale of 1,000s of CDs in store. This clearance sale is proving very popular customers, so we are continually adding titles. So pop on down to Keswick Road and pick up a bargain or two or three – applies in-store only.
GIANTS OF RARE GROOVE – LEROY HUTSON, JEFFREE & GREG PERRY
Next up at the Indigo O2 is the Giants Of Rare Groove (Leroy Hutson, Jeffree and Greg Perry.) on Thursday 19th August.
Click ‘here’ for Leroy Hutson CDs and LPs at Soul Brother Records.
Click ‘here’ for Jeffree CDs and LPs at Soul Brother Records.
Click ‘here’ for Greg Perry CDs and LPs at Soul Brother Records.
FOLLOW US…..ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
 
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Soulfully yours
Malcolm.
SOUL ON YOUR RADIO
Soul Brother Selection repeat show changed time on Sunday…….Our popular Radio show on Solar Radio has moved to a Thursday (from Tuesday)- at the same time 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The repeat of the show remains at Sunday mornings 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.
JAZZ FM Check the revamped station on DAB, Internet, Sky. See www.jazzfm.com for how to hear. Ralph Tee, Robbie Vincent, Pete Young, Mike Vitti – definitely worth tuning into.
COLOURFUL RADIO – SOUL ON DAB IN LONDON Colourful radio playing classic and new soul and Jazz is now on DAB in London, elsewhere on sky/www. Colourful radio.com good line up of DJ’s inc Chris Phillips, Femi Fem, Gordon Mac, Mistri etc. With Jazz Fm, Solar and others we now have the best coverage of our music for a long time. Soul Brother support the station by sponsoring two shows on the station: Soul Food (Sundays 1 p.m – 3 p.m) and Midnight Encounter (Tuesday Mornings Midnight – 2 a.m) presented by Wes Berwise. Full details www.iamcolourful.com.
 Click here to listen to Jazz Fm broadcasting
  
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 HOT THIS WEEK - IN TODAY (week ending 30th July 2010) |
 RICHARD EARNSHAW – IN TIME CD £13.95
Brilliant album of mainly up-tempo soul that is reminiscent of reel People or Sunburst Band in places. ‘Good Love ft Eric Dillard, ‘My Door Is Open’ ft Carleen Anderson, ‘Worthy’ ft Jocelyn Brown ‘Waiting’ Ft Kenny Thomas and ‘In Time ft Eric Dillard and Roy Ayers are quality up-tempo grooves. The more laidback ‘Rise’ ft Ursula Rucker’s spoken word and Roy Ayers, and ‘Young And Foolish ft Natasha Bridges provide a nice contrast. One of the best soul albums of this year so far.
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 KEITH SWEAT – RIDIN SOLO CD £15.95
Keith Sweat could be termed a veteran these days and this selection of RnB tinged Soul will appeal to his many fans.
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 NORMAN BROWN – SENDING MY LOVE CD £16.95
Norman Brown records fine albums, whose guitar playing is in the George Benson/ Wes Montgomery mould. ‘Sending My Love’ continues that tradition and will appeal to Norman’s many fans and to Smooth Jazz lovers. ‘Come Go With Me’ kicks the album off in joyful abandon. On ‘Play Time’, Brown’s playing lives up to the title, where as ‘Coming Back’ hits a mellow mid-tempo groove. ‘Sending My Love’ is a dreamy vocal cut, whilst I’m Pouring My Heart Out’ is a nice ballad. This is a fine Smooth Jazz set with several good vocal tracks.
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 JACKIEM JOYNER – JACKIEM JOYNER CD £16.95
Youthful sax protégé returns with a relaxed set of smooth grooves. Cuts like ‘Dance With Me’, ‘Turn It Up’ ‘Push’ and the cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The wall’ show solid grooves. Joyner arranges, produce, writes most of the material and played much of the instrumentation – not just the sax. Strong album for the aficionados of instrumental Smooth Jazz sax.
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 LES SABLER – CRESCENT SHORES CD £15.95
Sunshine and Smooth Jazz and Florida go together. Guitarist Les Sabler collaborates with Tampa Bay based Allon Sams to release a fine set of mainly instrumental ‘made for the beach’ grooves. Cuts like ‘Island Princess; and ‘Crescent Shores’ have that easy on the ear vibe. Sabler’s acoustic guitar flows freely and smoothly and captures the spirit of the theme perfectly. ‘Market Street’ and ‘Turn Of The Century’ are equally strong smooth instrumentals.
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 TIM BOWMAN – THE TIM BOWMAN COLLECTION CD £16.95
Tim Bowman is a master guitarist in the vein of Benson or Norman Brown. This collection of his work includes many tracks that have been out of print for some time. His relaxed playing suits tracks such as ‘Summer Groove’ and ‘Let It Shine’; check also the laid-back ‘Soul Dream’.
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 CHRISTIAN SCOTT – YESTERDAY YOU SAID TOMORROW CD £16.95
Interesting and experimental, trumpeter Christian Scott explores many aspects of modern style Jazz. Try the left field ‘K.K.P.D’ or the spiritual inspired ‘The Eraser’. ‘Angola L.A & The 13th Amendment’ and ‘Jenacide’ are also interesting excursions.
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TASTY REISSUES
 MFSB – PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM/SUMMERTIME CD £9.95
1975 and 1976 albums from the Philadelphia Orchestra. ‘Get Down With The Philly Sound’, ‘The Zip’, and Summertime’ are typical MFSB instrumental uptempo grooves. ‘Plenty Good Loving’ and ‘Summertime and I’m Feelin Mellow’ have backing vocals , whilst ‘Morning Tears’ is an inventive mid tempo jazz funker (ala Gato Barbeiri)
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 DEE DEE SHARPE GAMBLE – HAPPY ABOUT THE WHOLE THING/WHAT CLOR IS LOVE/DEE DEE £9.95
Dee Dee’s three Philadelphia albums released between 1975-81 illustrate what an underrated singer she was. The up-tempo ‘Happy Bout The Whole Thing’, ‘Share my Love’, ‘Nobody Could Take Your Place’ and ‘Breaking And Entering’ are classic Philly dancers. The Mid tempo ‘Touch My Love’, ‘I Believe In Love’ and ‘Love You Anyway’ ooze quality and ‘Easy Money’ is a 2-step anthem.
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 JIMMY HUGHES – SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL – THE COMPLETE VOLT RECORDINGS 1968 – 1971 CD £13.95
Jimmy Hughes was one of Stax/ Volt’s best kept secrets. He recorded the album ‘Something Special’ in 1968 for the label, but despite its quality it failed to succeed. A subsequent 7” (both sides here as bonus cuts) plus 14 unreleased cuts. Jimmy has rightfully received due recognition from Soul fans subsequently.
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 HAROLD ALEXANDER – RAW ROOT CD £15.95
From 1974, this album features Harold mainly on flute. Check the funky grooves of ‘Raw Root’, the slower and heavier ‘Down Home’, the more mystical ‘De Black Magician’ and the flowing ‘Street Life’. On the mellower side check the gorgeous ‘Sandy’s Love’.
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 FLORA PURIM – STORIES TO TELL CD £9.95
From 1974, ‘Stories To Tell’ is the first American album by Flora Purim. It features the wicked Latin Jazz dancer ‘Casa Forte’ plus great covers of Brazilian classics ‘Insensatez’ and ‘Vera Cruz’. Try also the heavier title cut and ‘Silver Sword’.
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NOW IN
 ROGER GLENN – REACHIN CD £9.95
Classic but little known Mizell production by the flautist who played on Donald Byrd’s ‘Black Byrd’ and ‘Street Lady’ albums. This brilliant – and I mean BRILLIANT – Latin flavoured Jazz Funk albums – is one of music’s best kept secrets. Standouts includes the great Latin dancer ‘Rio’ and the Funk of ‘Reachin’. The band includes some members of the Headhunters.
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 SIDE EFFECT – WHAT YOU NEED CD £9.95
From 1976, this was the Side Effect album that made their name. The vocal version of Ronnie Laws’ ‘Always There’ features Helen Lowe’s rich southern vocal. Try also the cover of the dreamy ‘Keep That Same Old Feeling’, written for the Crusaders by Wayne Henderson, whose soulful trombone is a feature on this version. Other strong tracks include ‘Changes’ and ‘SOS’
Also original vinyl on Fantasy £20.
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 GARY BARTZ – SINGERELLA a ghetto fairy tale CD £9.95
The first collaboration between Bartz and Larry Mizell (he does the final mix only) is an understated affair and not as typically Mizell as the follow-up ‘The Shadow Do’. It is altogether tougher affair with heavy cuts like ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘St Felix Street’. ‘Blind Man; is heavier still and the finale ‘Nation Time’ has that funky bass and fender Rhodes driven groove. ‘Lady Love’ is less intense and is the nearest to the sound of ‘Shadow Do’
Also original vinyl on Prestige £20.
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 BILL SUMMERS - FEEL THE HEAT CD £9.95
Headhunters percussionist recorded this, his best album in 1977. The set features Dianne Reeves on vocals on ‘Just A Matter Of Time’ and Deborah Thomas on ‘Come Into My Life’. The Latin Jazz Funk of ‘Brazilian Skies’ is a blistering groove, whilst ‘Que Sabroso’ and ‘Check it Out’ have a Brazilian feel. ‘Check It Out’. The all-star cast includes Paul Jackson, Alphonse Mouzon and Ray Obiedo.
Also original vinyl on Prestige £15.
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7" SINGLE OF THE WEEK
 FOUR TOPS – LOVE ENOUGH TO CARE (EDIT/ LONG VERSION) 7” £10
This unreleased track from 1979/1980 has that Four Tops magic. Great modern style dancer – re-edit/ revamped plus the original version on the flip.
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In Week 29 2010:
INCOGNITO – TRANSATLANTIC RPM CD £12.95/ DOUBLE VINYL £16.95
PEVEN EVERETT – BEYOND THE UNIVERSE REMIX EDITION CD £13.95
BUILD AN ARK – LOVE PART 2 CD £16.95
CEDAR WALTON – ANIMATION/ SOUNDSCAPES CD £12.95
DARWINS THEORY – DARWINS THEORY CD £11.95/ LP £13.95
TOP DOZEN SOUL
Incognito Transatlantic RPM
Drizabone All The Way
Temptations Still Here
Live Tropical Fish The Day Is Too Short To Be Selfish
Cool Million Back For More
Angela Johnson It’s Personal
Los Charly’s Orchestra Chicano Disco Funk
Avery Sunshine Avery Sunshine
Dwele W.W.W
Joy Dennis Music Is
Wendell B Back Ta Bid’ness
Peven Everett Beyond The Universe Remix Edition
Leela James My Soul
TOP TEN JAZZ
Gerardo Frisina Join The Dance
Root Source Firewalker
Roman Andren Color Green
Various Artists Music For Jazz Dancers
Jonathan Fritzen Diamonds
Jonathan Butler So Strong
Jeff Lorber Now Is The Time
Gerald Albright Pushing The Envelope
Quartetto Trevi Night Walk
Paul Hardcastle Jazzmasters VI
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WES BERWISE’S JULY ALBUM OF THE MONTH
THE DRIZABONE SOUL FAMILY
ALL THE WAY
Call me crazy, but the truth is that sometimes I do find it hard not to conceal even the smallest hint of admiration for anybody who is brave enough to turn a moment of inspiration into something tangible which, at its best, not only pleases the ear and touches the soul, but also implants itself into ones subconscious so deeply, that even when revisited years later it transports you emotionally to a bygone time and place. Perhaps back to a time and place where we all felt secure, the streets were crime free, our front doors were left open all the time, every new tune we heard was a classic, we could get into any club we wanted to, and you didn’t have to take out a mortgage to buy a tank of petrol … Now just where did I put those rose coloured spectacles!
But let’s get real for a moment, apart from the more affordable petrol prices, not many of us can claim to have enjoyed the picture of idyllic life that I mentioned, doors left open, secure jobs, crime free streets, and definitely not hot, new releases that were bona fide classics every moment of the day.
Intriguingly and somewhat frustratingly there are some soul music lovers who refuse to admit that not every track that was released “back in the day” was a sure fire, stone cold classic. Indeed when we look into our music collections and pull out one of those treasured albums which we hold in such high esteem, we’re reminded that often these works of art often only had - at their best - 2 or three good tracks out of often a set which contained only six - and sometimes at a push – seven tracks!
But still the grumpy old soul music lovers amongst us whinge on incessantly about the good old days, fondly reminiscing about this fictitious period when – as far as their selective memory serves – only real instruments were played, vocal tracks were as pure as the driven snow and certainly electronic gimmickry was something only pop artists contemplate…. I’m sure Anita ward, Roger, Cameo and even Stevie would smile about that…
Interestingly there seems to be a movement amongst some producers and artists to glean what was the best from those days of nostalgia, utilizing the high production values and traditional song writing skills of the time and bringing them right up to date using the latest and best of today’s technology. Cool Million used this recipe to great effect on their latest release and this month’s chosen album from The Drizabone Soul Family, All The Way, wears its inspiration proudly, instantly reminding us of some of the best dance floor sounds of the 70’s & 80’s era. Its been a while since we’ve heard from Billy Freeman, the original member of Driza Bone, as they were then called, when they first caught our attention with “Real Love” back in ’91.But they are definitely back with in contention with this eleven track CD release.
As on their previous long player Conspiracy, they have called upon the skills of a variety of vocalists including none other than the excellent Keni Stevens – and yes that voice is still delivering as smoothly and sweetly as ever.
This set cleverly serves up some swinging dance tracks, floating mellow grooves and some rather classy ballads. Unusually this has got to be the first album for a long time which has left me wishing that many of the tracks should have been longer! To wrap up, If you are looking for a challenging musical journey that will leave you contemplating the meaning of life and questioning if indeed climate change really does exist, then sadly this release is not for you, but if what you really want is an injection of some good solid bass lines, quality “real” instrumentation and some feel good tunes to make you smile, this one could be just the (nostalgic) ticket. Recommended.
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MIDNIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH THE JONES GIRLS AND THE MANHATTANS..
The monthly "Midnight Encounter Show" Special will be take place on Monday Evening 19th July 12pm GMT. and will feature music from The Jones Girls and and The Manhattans.
WES BERWISE ON COLOURFUL RADIO
Wes entertains his fans with two weekly sessions. Wes Berwise’s ‘Soul Food’ show is on Sundays from 1pm-3pm, and is a mix of the latest mid-tempo and classic urban jams; ‘Midnight Encounter’ is from Midnight-2am on Tuesday mornings, and includes Wes’ pick of ‘future classics’, the best of the newest ballads and slow jams, as well as little known gems from the past, which deserve another airing.
Wes’ shows are sponsored by Soul Brother Records and we would like to congratulate him on his success. Wes is a frequent visitor to the shop and customers who have met him would agree he is a worthy winner.
Colourful Radio is on DAB, or
www.colourfulradio.com and check out Wes’ page
http://www.colourfulradio.com/presenter/wesberwise/
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