Search dance music

Review: Eddie Harris was an iconic American jazz musician who revolutionised the genre by introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. With a prolific career spanning over 50 albums, Harris seamlessly blended jazz with funk, earning Grammy Award nominations for two of his groundbreaking records. Among them, the 1983 release People Get Funny..s' stands out. Featuring tracks like 'People Get Funny When They Get A Little Money' and 'La Carnival' which exemplify his signature jazz-funk fusion with captivating vocals and scatting, it las has other gems like 'Silver Plated,' which showcase a more traditional jazz-hard-bop style. Accompanied by talented musicians like drummer Carl Burnett, electric pianist William S. Henderson III, and bassist Larry Gales, this limited edition release of People Get Funny... is pressed on translucent pink vinyl.

Review: Nina Simone has rather been written out of popular music history because of quite how confrontational and proudly Black she was. She was just as far ahead of her times musically too and this legendary album Baltimore shows why. It arrived with no promotion and no lead singles and so it was an utter commercial failure, but the sleuths of the internet have rediscovered it over the 45 years since its release and helped to make it a cult favourite now regarded as one of the best in her oeuvre. It has distinctive reggae production and of course plenty of beautiful vocals from Simone as she tackles songs written by Judy Collins, Hall & Oates, and Randy Newman.

Review: In a discography that is jam packed with high quality albums, Miles Davis's Sorcerer is one of the standouts. Now newly reissued by Music on Vinyl, it transports listeners into the heart of 1967's avant-garde jazz landscape when it was originally released as part of Davis's Second Great Quintet era. The music showcases the maestro's pioneering fusion of modal jazz and free improvisation from the enigmatic title track to the haunting Prince of Darkness. Davis and his ensemble craft a sonic tapestry that mesmerises with every note here and Wayne Shorter's evocative saxophone, Herbie Hancock's masterful piano, and Tony Williams's dynamic drumming all help make that so.

Review: It's now a quarter of a century since Terry Callier released his Timepeace album, which was his first after a 15 year break. The record won the United Nations's Time For Peace award for outstanding artistic achievement and for "contributing to world peace." It features standout tunes like 'People Get Ready' and 'Brotherly Love' composed by Curtis Mayfield, as well as a guest spot from Pharoah Sanders on tenor-saxophone on the title song 'Timepeace' and seven other wondrous tunes that showcase soul, jazz, folk influences. This reissue includes an insert with lyrics and liner-notes by Tom Terrell.

Review: American jazz fusion outfits don't come much more venerated than Weather Report. Fronted by leader Joe Zawinul, the ensemble evolved subtly throughout their career and it was in 1974 that they dropped this album, Sweetnighter. It proved to be a little more funky and influenced by the emerging t&b of the day than its predecessors and it is also noted for being the last long player the band cut with original bassist Miroslav Vitous, as well as being the band's first album to make it into the Top 100 in the US charts of the day. It sodas as good now as ever on this nice heavyweight vinyl pressing.

Review: ** REPRESS ALERT ** For the uninitiated: Billy Cobham is a Panamanian-American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader. He is also the brother of multi instrumentalist Wayne Cobham. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013. Produced with the legendary Jan Hammer (a former bandmate) and engineer Ken Scott in 1973, Spectrum was Cobham's first solo album after leaving his previous group Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was heavily influenced by the music of Miles Davis, with whom Cobham had previously collaborated extensively. A seminal album of the jazz fusion scene. A Swiss resident since 1980s, Cobham now lives in Schoepfen, a canton near Bern.

Review: Croker says "It's a love story" of his Love Quantum album. It arrived i 2007 as a fantastic debut record from the Grammy nominated artist and took listens on a deep journey through romantic emotions. As it travelled across space and time it offers up a shared human experience and focusses on love in al its forms - "love of a friend, love of a partner, love of a parent, love of yourself and a love of life". This one comes on special coloured vinyl and it sounds as good now as it ever has done.

Review: Dhafer Youssef is one of the catalysts who helped bring the eastern and western worlds of music together. The Tunisian oud player and vocalist released his solo long player in 2016. Diwan Of Beauty And Odd was recorded with Aaron Parks, Ben Williams, Mark Giuliana and Ambrose Akinmusire and for its unique fusion of Arabic and Western sounds it was highly praised by fans and critics alike. Standout tracks such as 'Fly Shadow Fly' and 'Diving In The Air' now get include on this heavyweight vinyl pressing on audiophile magenta. A truly spiritual listen.

Review: Omar is one of the UK's most notable soul stars and revered vocalists. His 1997 album This Is Not A Love Song came at the heart of the acid jazz explosion and remains one of its most vital works. It was his fourth album in a career that has produced nine overall and has plenty of his signature grooves, from the jazz flecked 'This Is Not A Love Song' to the -soul stylings of 'Wherever' via his spine tingling cover of the classic 'Golden Brown'. This is a limited and numbered 180 gram audiophile gold & black marbled vinyl reissue on Music on Vinyl with new a insert.

Review: Nazareth, Buffalo, Uriah Heap, Genesis, Black Sabbath, China, Razorlight, Chase & Status, Metallica - the list of huge names that have recorded for, and released on, Vertigo is very long, very established and unarguably impressive. But it all started with this rather trippy adventure into the then-unchartered landscape of a nascent, acid-hued rock & roll scene. Valentyne Suite is, if borrowed memory serves, a wonderful summary of just how fertile and explorative guitar music had become by 1969. At times it's cacophonous, in other moments almost ritualistic in its hypnotising layers and movements. The vocals are gruff, riffs wailing, but the overall feeling is one of lucidity and evolution. You can almost see the loose white clothing flailing in your mind's eye. A forgotten classic from a time when it was, apparently, pretty easy for things to be forgotten.

Review: 1977's Quiet Nights is one of legendary American jazz figure Mile Davis' lesser known albums. It's not Bitches Brew or Kind of Blue, but it is a delightfully easy to listen work, with references taken from Brazilian folk on 'Prenda Minha' which actually gets renamed 'Song #2' here, or Spanish classical on 'Adelita' which was written by the pioneering Francisco Tarrega and is here called 'Song #1' .There are also some woozy ballads and standout big band jam 'Summer Night.' This reissue comes on heavyweight vinyl and is a great reminder of the range of the influential jazz legend.

Review: Idris Muhammad, a prominent American jazz drummer and bandleader, has left an indelible mark on contemporary music as one of its most sampled drummers. His 1976 album House Of The Rising Sun likely fuelled this reputation, thanks to Muhammad's impeccable rhythmic precision. Renowned for his tight, rubbery style, Muhammad's mastery shines through in the six long jazz-funk tracks on the LP. Each piece showcases his unwavering commitment to the craft, delivered with ultra-crisp quality. Despite his acclaim, it's doubtful Muhammad ever faced flying cymbals during his illustrious career, a testament to his undeniable skill and professionalism.

Review: Woody Shaw was one of the more influential jazz musicians of his time. This album was recorded in 1985 and finds him in full flow with his Tone Jansa Quartet. The American jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, and band leader very much shows off his improvisational skills on flugelhorn and trumpet while his sidemen Renato Chico on piano, Peter Herbert on bass, Dragan Gajic on drums and Tone Jansa on tenor sax do not disappoint either. This is the first time the album has been reissued since its original release and comes in limited quantities.

Review: The first and still cult classic jazz album Eastern Rebellion from the eponymous band was released in 1976. The collective didn't waste any time in getting back in the studio to record a follow up and so came their magnificent Eastern Rebellion 2 just 12 months later. It is a frantic and classic set of free-form jazz from the group that consists of Cedar Walton on piano, Bob Berg on tenor-sax, Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. The four pieces that make up this album were all penned by Walton and cover plenty of ground from hard bop to straight jazz.