Jazzman Vinyl & CDs

Review: Wild and crazy sitar-laced versions of these 2 festive tunes.

Review: Out of print since 2007, Jazzman do the right thing and come through with a much-needed repress of this 7" burner from Madeline Bell and Alan Parker. "That's What Friends Are For" originates from The Voice Of Soul, the 1976 album session musician Madeline Bell recorded with veteran library musician Alan Parker for his Themes International label. The album itself remains a highly prized (and priced) rarity for collectors, but Jazzman were able to license the irresistibly catchy and soulful samba of "That's What Friends Are For" for its debut 7" appearance. Vocal up top, killer instrumental version below; if you missed out first time around, don't make the same mistake again.

Review: You've got to hand it to Jazzman Records; their dedication to unearthing and releasing killer funk and jazz is simply unsurpassed. With this issue of Barbados group The Blue Rhythm Combo, the label plucks selective album and singles tracks for a triple pack vinyl edition that introduces our ears to rare Caribbean funk gems infused with tropical tight rhythms, fatback drums, heavy bass and punchy brass stabs. There are dope jams galore, most notably a superb version of "Black Water Gold" penned by Louis Villery and made famous by Africa Music Machine back in 1973. A mixed bag of instrumental and vocal tracks and an essential purchase if you have a healthy interest in funk.

Review: Blimey....not one single, not two but three 45's housed as a triple pack of essential re-issued releases from New Orleans label Seven B via the mighty Jazzman label. This package picks out possibly the rarest and best tracks from the label which traverses the genres of breakbeat funk, Northern Soul and original Rhythm n Blues flavour. One highlight for us here at Juno towers is the infectious "Something Out Of Nothing" from Lenny McDaniel & The New Era which starts off with a stompy organ and fierce brass section before a thumping bass and fat beat drums take over the proceedings. Elsewhere there's the amazing Roger & The Gypsies jam "Pass The Hatchett" which starts off with a growling bass, picked rhythm guitar before Roger drops those immortal lines.''Let Me Chop It.. Let Me Chop It'' over b-boy drums. Pure gold!

Review: Super-rare Latin funk alert! This is one of Antonio's earlier recorded works before adopting the stage name Tony Amaro shortly after this was released in 71 on Universal International. The title track is a heart-hitting slice of soul as Antonio paints a picture of dignified poverty in a manner that's not far off Marvin Gaye. His true Latin spirit comes through more on the B as "Why Can't I Have You" as he croons with multi-lingual longing over a soft organ and light guitar arrangement. Beautiful.

Review: Stone cold classic! "Pull My Coat" has been an anthem in funk and hip hop clubs for as long as anyone can remember.

Review: Raw, unfettered funk from one of LA's hardest working live outfits, Ray Frazier and Shades Of Madness recorded a criminal amount of 45s... One of which - "My Baby's Hand" - regularly fetches the handsome sum of L1000 between collectors. Instantly triggering the biggest northern soul sensations (stomping beats, relentless super-tight grooves, show-stopping splashes of bold soul), this will resonate with, and unite all, funk and soul aficionados across the globe. Highlights include the strident string-led blues riff on the aforementioned "My Baby's Hand", the chop-slapping JB-echoing tightness of "I Who Have Nothing" and the lazier, luxurious swing of "Gonna Get Your Love". Presented as a trio of sweet 45s, Jazzman have curated an exceptional document right here.

Review: "Welcome To The Party", on Jazzman, is quite simply one of the wildest Afro-Latin club bangers you will ever hear.

Review: Thanks to a plethora of pleasing releases from the likes of Nat Birchall and Michael Grossman, 2019 has been a vintage year for Jazzman's "Jazz 45" series. The last volume of the year comes courtesy of Jai Ho, an occasional studio "supergroup" who initially met by accident in the late 1990s. In fact, A-side "Short Story From Tabla, Drums & Trumpet" was recorded in a single day in 1996. The descriptive title is accurate, with squally, effects-laden trumpet solos riding a killer backing track of military style drum breaks, exotic tabla motifs and toasty double bass. The group met again for another studio day in 2003 and recorded B-side "Oye Maia", a wonderfully lucid and languid mixture of attractive Kalimba melodies, drifting trumpet and shuffling Indian instrumentation.

Review: Etta's career-defining debut album At Last showed the world what she was capable of. Unfettered breadth spaced over three 45s, delivered by Chess off-shoot Argo, each track explored a different style from blues to jazz to doo-wop to smoking soul. Complete with her two most legendary songs ("At Last" and "I Just Want To Make Love To You") the real beauty is in the less-celebrated numbers such as the carnal sensuous "Seven Day Fool", the chop-slapping gospel power of "Hold On Me" and the sleazy guitar lines and time signature switches of "Spoonful". A serious piece of soul history.

Review: Two ultra rare british jazz sides. These are not the album versions but taken from the even scarcer original single releases. "Troublemaker" is a tougher percussive work-out whilst Original Peter is a danceable yet introspective slice of funky jazz.

Review: Hard Latin funk! Ricardo Marrero's 'Babalonia' is a banging Latin funk instrumental that has devastated dancefloors for years.

Review: Indian born Asha Puthli, bored with traditional Indian music and inspired by the jazz on the radio in Bombay, moved to New York to pursue a career as a singer. Asha Puthli's sound had been influenced by the glam of the 1970's, and came across in wonderful tones that were altogether soft, smooth, slinky, sultry and sexy. Her version of JJ Cale's "Right Down Here" is a perfect example - the combination of crisp drums, ethereal vocals and a deep groove have made this a hip-hop and club staple.

Review: Amazing Egyptian Jazz! In 1972, drummer Salah Ragab formed the Cairo Jazz Band and recorded a session to commemorate the state visit of US president Nixon. Literally only a handful copies of this LP survive - along with an even rarer 45!

Review: Taken from the uber rare "Khyber Mail" LP from 1970 - only issued in Pakistan and sought after by clued-up beat diggers ever since - "Soul Sitar", by Sohail Rana, is Pakistan's answer to the hip sounds that were floating around the cosmos at the time. The fusion of groovy sitar with hard drums, psychedelic electric keys and slinky vibes has proved a winner in clubs.

Review: How can you describe someone who claims to be "The coolest of the uncool in popular music", and bears a resemblance to none other than Alan Partridge himself? Jonathan Richman is the chap who released the catchy instrumental "Egyptian Reggae" onto an unsuspecting public in 1977. It was even featured on the prestigious BBC show Top of the Pops, with the leggy Pans People doing the usual saucy-but-cheesy dance routine, this time inspired by middle-eastern belly-dancing amidst jerky bent arm motions, which inspired a dance craze nationwide! "Egyptian Reggae" was the thing, the latest craze, where the action was at! Getting to #5 in the UK, and a #1 hit in Europe, dancers around the globe grooved like they'd never grooved to before. Now it's 20 years on, and it seems nothing's changed. DJs - try it out - watch the smiles appear on the faces, and watch the dancers do their thing - Egyptian style! Everyone likes surprises, and nobody likes a musical surprise more than Jazzman. Just when you think you've heard it all, along comes Cecil Leuter's "Pop Electronique" or Nino Nardini's "Poltergeist" - they blow you to bits! The wild, the crazy, the downright lunatic - probably the kind of music the great, late Syd Barrett dreamt of making while sipping his acid-laced tea. Well here we are again, this time sneaking off with some music they play at weddings in Egypt. This one's called "Wedding Night", and if the first few seconds of this nutty piece of nuttiness is anything to go by, there will be some very strange things to look forward to in the bridal suite!

Review: Jazzman selected six otherworldly songs from Sun Ra’s back catalogue of incredibly rare singles. Originally issued in tiny runs of as few as fifty copies on his own Saturn label, these 45s were often hand distributed by Ra and his legendary Arkestra, meaning that only the most seasoned collectors have ever laid hands on an original Saturn 45. This set of 3 x 45rpm singles pressed onto luminous, glow-in-the-dark vinyl and packaged in a unique, custom-made triple gatefold screen printed sleeve, contains a cross-section of Sun Ra’s visionary space-jazz that stretches from the 1950s to the 1970s. Featuring the mystical doo-wop of the Cosmic Rays Dreaming; wild man Yochannan’s RnB solar flare The Sun Man Speaks; the intense moog-rock of The Perfect Man and mega-rare versions of classic Ra rockers Love in Outer Space, Rocket No. 9and Enlightenment, The Shadows Cast by Tomorrow is an overdue message to Earth straight from Saturn.very limited.

Review: Essential and killer jazz dance floor business from the mighty and prolific Vibraphonist Cal Tjader. "Mamblues" is a frenzy of hot 'n fast slice of Latin action from 1958 that still very much hits the spot. Flip over for a second version in which the track is revisited with legendary funky drummer Bernard Purdie, who adds his own inimitable style to the proceedings.

Review: As the ears of jazz enthusiasts become ever more refined, the interest in Spiritual Jazz has risen greatly in recent years. This new vinyl-only release from Jazzman is rich, warm, deep and progressive, showcasing an era in the 60s and 70s when private press LPs were custom made by the musicians themselves in order to exhibit their art, reflecting the neglect and disregard afforded to them by the jazz mainstream. With this release Jazzman turn our attention to the often-ignored format of the jazz 45 with three artists, namely James Spaulding, The Lightmen and Bubba Thomas across three separate 45s housed in a gatefold sleeve. Essential.

Review: Wild and sassy, funky and jazzy. Sheila Wilkerson's sultry sound is bound to get you moving. Sheila's main claim to fame is as a percussionist on Stevie Wonder's "Innervisions" album, but a few years before that she recorded these two storming sides of jazzy, funky boogaloo - just what we like at Jazzman Towers! "Baby You're A Jive Cat" is also on a compilation CD from Jazzman, however the b-side is so good we had to put the whole single out! "Can You Do It" is another slice of jazzy r&b action, this time at a slower tempo but equally effective on the dancefloor.

Review: Born on the French Island of Martinique, Louis Xavier later settled in France where he discovered the freedom of jazz, and an idea to mix his influences into a global melting pot of sound. He formed his band (Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language) in Paris in the early '70s, making music that was both spiritual and eclectic for its time. Both tracks are jazz in essence but with instrumental funky rhythms infused with intricate percussion and electric keys.