Wewantsounds Vinyl & CDs

Review: Alice Clark's 1972 debut album - her sole full-length outing - has long been considered one of the great, unheralded soul albums, with collectors clamouring to source copies of the hard-to-find set. As this reissue proves, it remains a fantastic album. Clark's vocals are superb throughout, soaring above gospel-influenced backing tracks rich in Jimmy Smith style organs, hazy horns and a rhythm section that strikes a perfect balance between groovy looseness and low-down tightness. The set's plentiful highlights including soaring torch song "Don't Wonder Why", the jazzy wooziness of "Maybe This Time", the surprisingly funky (but still laidback and groovy) "Charms Of The Arms Of Love" and impressive opener "I Keep It Hid".

Review: Following the success of their previous Tokyo Glow compilation, Wewantsounds once again team up with Japanese Tokyo-based DJ Notoya to dig up the rich Electric Bird catalogue, and come with a subsequent, versatile selection of sunny jazz-funk gems recorded between 1978 and 1987 for the label. A tasty selection featuring Yasuaki Shimizu, Toshiyuki Honda and Mikio Masuda, together with a few American musicians such as Ronnie Foster and Bobby Lyle, most tracks here are making their debut outside of Japan, the album comes with a full annotation by Notoya and is a multifarious meander through every angle of the polygonal gamut of J-jazz, disco, city pop, and funk. Highlights include Masuda's 'Let's Get Together' and Foster's prototypical wonky funk number, 'Night Life'.

Review: Wewantsounds press ahead with their hotly-awaited reissue of Japanese piano jazz master Fumio Itabashi's acclaimed album from 1981, Watarase. A seminal document of the history of jazz recorded at the rough moment that the pianist reached his career apogee - the eighties saw him perform several international tours - Watarase is exemplary of Itabashi's unorthodox piano playing for the time. Virtuosic, yet not indulgent of sustained notes or boilerplate consonance, Watarase is keen to wring out the purity of each composition, seeming less interested in style or ornamentation over pure composition. The result is an album which we're not surprised was raised to the heights of jazz standard exalt, with the title track being of most note in this regard; although the less obvious cuts here are also particularly enchanting, such as the rollicking two-chord improvs of 'Miss Cann'.

Review: Recorded in Los Angeles with an impressive lineup including Bobby Hutcherson, Reggie Johnson, Ndugu, Woody Theus, Bill Henderson, and Harold Land Jr., Chroma captures the essence of the Harold Land-Bobby Hutcherson quintet's signature blend of funky and modal jazz. The album's original gatefold artwork is faithfully reproduced, accompanied by newly remastered audio and insightful liner notes by Kevin Le Gendre. Choma (Burn) features four tracks with the quintet's innovative instrumentation accompanied by the unique addition of two drummers, Ndugu and Woody "Sonship" Theus, playing simultaneously alongside Reggie Johnson's robust double bass and Bill Henderson and Harold Land Jr.'s piano and Fender Rhodes. Harold Land's legacy as a pioneer of the hard bop style shines through in this album, reflecting his influential contributions to the West Coast jazz scene since the 1950s. His collaboration with Bobby Hutcherson in the late 60s and early 70s produced a series of highly acclaimed albums, with Choma (Burn) standing out to the quintet's creative peak.

Review: Jazz doesn't come much more wildy expressive, idiosyncratic, off the cuff, challenging and dense that this album from 1977. The Human Arts Ensemble came together in 1970 in St. Louis adn was a loose collective that associated themselves with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and the Black Artists' Group (BAG) collective. They had no rues and no restrictions on who could play and it shows as different instrments shoulder their way to the front and vie for attention, from the drums to the keys, the sax to the double bass. This reissue features the original artwork as well as all new remastered audio and fresh liner notes by Howard Mandel that provide great context.

Review: When popular 1950s singer Jaye P Morgan first released this eponymous album in 1976, she would undoubtedly have hoped it would reignite her career. Sadly it didn't, but the album - a curious but hugely enjoyable mix of saccharine, synth-laden slow jams, disco-fired dancefloor workouts, Broadway style torch songs and fuzzy funk - went on to become a cult classic amongst Balearic-minded diggers. As this essential reissue proves, much of the material has aged rather well. Check, for example, the laidback AOR disco chug of "Can't Hide Love", the Barry White style seductiveness of "Here Is Where Your Love Belong" and the spine-tingling rush of Morgan's killer disco cover of Detroit soul staple "You're All I Need To Get By". Don't sleep!

Review: Way back in 1979, Japanese composer, bandleader and percussionist Masahiko Togahashi headed to Paris for a set of recording sessions with bassist Charlie Haden and trumpeter Don Cherry. Under the watchful eye of Martin Meissonnier - then Don Cherry's right-hand man - the trio recorded 'Son of Soil', a magical and spiritually enriching set that mixed elements of free-jazz improvisation with Japanese musical motifs, Togahashi's sublime percussion work, Haden's fast-fingered bass-played, and Cherry's mastery of various brass and woodwind instrumentation. The set was initially only released in Japan, so this worldwide reissue - accompanied by a booklet featuring extensive liner notes, previously unpublished photos and new interviews - is very welcome.

Review: An overlooked spiritual classic in two parts, Yamash'ta & The Horizon were a one-off project consisting of a hat-trick of musicians seeking to perfect their craft. In 1971, Hideakira Sakurai, Masahiko Satoh, Stomu Yamash'ta and Takehisa Kosugi gathered in Japan to perform an invite-only concert to a handful of friends. Deep and distinctive electric shamishen becomes a sonic centrepiece over the course; handled by Sakurai, the sound is haunting, like a lone voice amidst a sea of percussive nymphs. Sloshing koto, percussion and eruptions of awe from the crowd all dominate the moments of downtime; a timeless snapshot of Fluxus Japan.