Legere Recordings Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: 'Zeus' is the first ever full-length album by Max Beesley's High Vibes ensemble, who released two classic 12" singles on Boogie Back Records at the height of the acid jazz movement in 1993-94. Dropping thereafter, the album hears eight tracks of floor-ready jazz-funk fusion, gathering together some of the greatest session players in the world - Steve Gadd on drums, Dean Parks on guitar, Luis Conte on percussion, Walt Fowler on trumpet, Christian Sands on keyboards, Jerry Meehan on bass, and Mike Davis on trombone - for an electrifying odyssey all led by Beesley himself, who helms up piano, vibraphone, synth and vocals responsibilities.

Review: On his new single 'Pacifico Waves', Joel Sarakula takes the scenic route down a pacific coastline, searching for peace, enlightenment and the perfect sunset. Travelling and searching is nothing new to Sarakula: it's almost his default way of being. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia before swapping oceans to live in the UK and more recently onwards to Gran Canaria: "I've been busy making my islands smaller" he jokes. But the music on 'Pacifico Waves' sounds like none of these places: with its easy drum shuffle, soulful guitar hooks and smooth vocal harmonies it distinctly evokes Southern California. It's such a potent portrait of the West Coast that if not for the contemporary lyrics and some modern production techniques, it could be a long lost hit from an early 80s LA studio band.

Review: In the spring of 2020, during the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown, Nichol Thompson and Shawn Lee decided to join forces and make an album inspired by their love of smooth jazz, fusion and turn-of-the-'80s jazz-funk. The results, credited to the Super Highway Band and collected together on this essential debut album, are little less than spectacular. Both Thompson and Lee are highly talented multi-instrumentalists with a deep love of the sounds they're emulating (think CTI Records, George Duke, Quincy Jones and the Crusaders), and you can genuinely tell. Funky, polished, brilliantly performed and blessed with some genuinely righteous horn arrangements, it's a hugely enjoyable romp full of memorable moments and floor-fillng workouts. Oh, and quite a bit of languid trombone.

Review: It can be something of a surprise to know that Young Gun Silver Fox hail from modern-day London, as the sound of this album couldn't be more '70s-tinged and Californian if it was sporing sideburns, reefer-in-hand and discussing the Watergate scandal. Redolent of the like of Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers and even The Eagles, 'West End Coast' thankfully has chops and talent to stand as much more than a mere retro curiosity or museum piece - ditties like 'You Can Feel It' and 'In My Pocket' channel vocalist Andy Platts' falsetto croon, heavenly harmonies and AM radio production to considerable satisfaction for all.