Category Archives: Jazz Vibes

ATLANTIS JAZZ ENSEMBLE

Atlantis rising anew with Celestial Suite 

The Atlantis Jazz Ensemble is on the rise once again with Celestial Suite, a brilliant set of spiritual soul-jazz, with a righteous energy in the mode of some of the best work on independent labels such as Strata East or Tribe back in the day, though updated with a fresh current vibe.  With the blend of electric piano, sax, trumpet, bass and percussion presented here, the quintet has refined the searching, soaring quality of their sound, capturing over the course of two days in the studio an inspired session worthy of the skyward promise of the album’s title. 

The group was first formed by Pierre Chrétien and Zakari Frantz of The Souljazz Orchestra back in 2013, as an outlet for the more modal, esoteric and spiritual compositions they were exploring outside the confines of their original unit.  After the addition of trumpeter Ed Lister, bassist Alex Bilodeau and drummer Mike Essoudry, the Atlantis Jazz Ensemble released their maiden voyage Oceanic Suite in 2016, a bold first outing that became a bit of an underground classic, capturing the number two spot on the Canadian radio jazz charts that year (just behind BadBadNotGood’s IV), and leading Atlantis to open up live for the likes of Kamasi Washington and Anderson Paak. 

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Danny Ward & Reality

Label: Jazz Room Records
Catalogue Number: JAZZ027
Release Date: 29th September 2023 
Format: LP

Another Holy Grail album from Jazz Room Records with Danny Ward & Reality who were the Go To Funky Jazz Band for College and other Hardcore Funk Party gigs in the Mid to late ’70’s in the Seattle area of the Pacific North West. They didn’t just drop covers of the latest Disco or Top 40 hits though but instead took their audiences on a musical trip through the Funkiest and Jazziest sounds of the day featuring a coterie of Steely Dan inspired covers of cuts made famous by George Benson, Lydia Pense and Coldblood, The Headhunters , Mandrill and many more.

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ONEGRAM

“TRANS EUROPE EXPRESS” ​/​ “AEO”

Label: Jazz Room Records
Catalogue Number: JAZZ029
Release Date: September 2023 
Format: EP

When we do something Funky at Jazz Room Records you can be sure it’s gonna be a Dancefloor Smashsation! Got TWO Super Dynamic cuts on this Hot Slab of Wax. First track needs no introduction unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the last Dancefloor Millenium.

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Menagerie

Catalogue Number: FRS149
Label: Freestyle Records
Release Date: *29th September 2023 
Format: *LP /CD / Digital

Menagerie is the Melbourne-based Jazz ensemble founded by producer, songwriter, guitarist, DJ and recording artist Lance Ferguson, also the driving force behind The Bamboos, Lanu, Rare Groove Spectrum and Machines Always Win.

2 years on from their last full-length Many Worlds, Menagerie are back with The Shores Of Infinity, further expanding their sound out into the music universe, a forward-looking, rhythm-heavy expression of contemporary Jazz that is steeped in the tradition but somehow also defies genre pigeonholing. The title track sees California-based spoken word alchemist Thee Cosmic Poet dropping wisdom over the undulating, hypnotic drums of Felix Bloxsom, before the whole track builds into an epic climax with the incendiary, apocalyptic tenor saxophone work of Phil Noy. Lead single “Kingdom” builds a groove with sinewy bass, phased-out Fender Rhodes and angular horn lines. The second section opens into a syncopated vehicle for the masterful Trumpet of Ross Irwin. Here is contemporary live Jazz-Funk influenced in equal parts by the music of West London’s Broken Beat movement as well as Roy Ayers and Donald Byrd.

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Hideo Shiraki

Plays Bossa Nova

Label:Jazzroom Records
Catalogue Number: JAZZR-025
Release Date: 23rd  June 2023  
Format: Vinyl LP Only

Hideo Shiraki travelled to the US from Japan in 1962 and was bowled over by Horace Silver and the Bossa Nova Craze happening at the same time. When he returned to Japan he went straight into the studio and cut this Blue Note inspired Japanese Jazz Masterpiece.

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Colin Curtis Presents: Indigo Jam Unit

“My passion for Japanese jazz started way back in the 1970s and was fueled even more as the decade went on with the evolution of jazz dance in the UK’s burgeoning jazz funk scene. As jazz breaks emerged in the jazz rooms, the demand for danceable jazz music in the UK kept growing. Through scouring the record shops in Manchester, Birmingham, and London, the emergence of great Japanese jazz added another dimension to this genre. My love for Japanese jazz continued until the turn of the century when the names changed from Sadao Watanabe, Mikio Masuda, Casiopea, Toshiyuki Honda, Shigeharu Mukai, and the like to the new emerging nu-jazz bands like Sleep Walker, Quasimode, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Jabberloop, and in 2006, the powerful force that was the indigo jam unit!

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This Is Flying Dutchman 1969-1975

Label: BGP 
Catalogue Number:CDBGPD 314
Release Date: 31st March 2023  
Format: CD / LP

Bob Thiele is one of the great producers. For his work with John Coltrane alone, where he gave free reign to the saxophone great’s wildest musical visions including ‘A Love Supreme’, ignoring the usual cost consciousness of a major label, he deserves to be lauded. In addition to this his 8 years at Impulse saw him recording seminal works by scores of musicians including late blooming masterpieces by Ellington and Hodges, and a whole wave of ‘new thing’ jazzers such as Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders. He didn’t stop there and when he launched his own label Flying Dutchman in 1969, he continued to innovate and record music that reflected its times, but that also resonates down through the ages.

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“September sun” / Morning song”

Composed, arranged, produced and mixed by Tom Funk & Don Pascal
at Lazy Robot Records.
Recorded at Lazy Robot Studios and Lloyd Haines Drums Studios, London, UK

Tamar Osborn : Saxophone & Flute
Myele Manzanza : Drums
Tom Funk : Piano, Keyboards, Guitar, Tablas, Rainstick, Bass on “September Sun” Additional Drums on “Morning Song” Don Pascal : Clave, Percussion, Bass on “Morning Song” Ozan Nidayi : Congas on “September Sun”
Mastered by Peter Beckmann at TechnologyWorks Mastering
Artwork painting by Philippe Goulier Additional design by Absolute Print
Lazy Robot Records & Afro Atlantic 2022 ©

Jazz Vibes 20 for 2021

Lady Blackbird  “It’ll never happen again” / Fix it”/ “Blackbird”(Black Acid Soul) LP
Josef Akin “Sun dance” (Sola Terra Records) LP
Alex Malheiros “Feat: Sabrina Malheiros “Prece”/ “Alto Verao”/“Tempos Futuros” Feat: Jose Roberto Bertrami (Far Out Recordings)
Matt Cappy feat. B Slade & Brenda Roy “Look at us now” (East Philly Records)
Sounds Of A&R “Killing me softly (Reprise)” (Soaring Records) LP

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Lorraine Feather was born in Manhattan. Her parents named her Billie Jane Lee Lorraine after godmother Billie Holiday, her mother Jane formerly a big band singer, her mother’s ex room-mate Peggy Lee, and the song “Sweet Lorraine.” She is the daughter of the late jazz writer Leonard Feather. The Feathers moved to L.A. when Lorraine was 12 at 18, after two years as a theatre arts major at L.A. City College, she returned to New York to pursue an acting career.

Listen to  “Waiting Tables”
Some touring, off-Broadway work and the Broadway show Jesus Christ Superstar followed, interspersed with countless waitressing jobs up and down Manhattan’s West Side. Frequently out of work, and discouraged by more than one restaurateur from pursuing a career in the food service industry, Lorraine decided to try singing. She began working with various jazz and Top 40 bands in and around New York. She sang backup for Petula Clark and Grand Funk Railroad, and finally put her own act together, eventually moving back to L.A., where she sang at local jazz clubs. Soon after, she joined producer Richard Perry’s vocal trio Full Swing and recorded three albums with the group.

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Myele Manzanza

Portobello Superhero’ on the 4th of February.
Taken from the ‘CRISIS & OPPORTUNITY VOL.1 – LONDON’ – Coming 2nd April 2021

World-renowned drummer/composer, & producer/beatmaker, Myele Manzanza, has proved that he’s an artist who continues to dissolve the borders between modern jazz and electronic beat production. Having released three solo albums, and racking up tours and collaborations with Jordan Rakei, Theo Parrish, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Recloose and Amp Fiddler amongst others. Myele is already developing a strong live presence in his new London base; his quartet has shared stages with the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote , The Bad Plus , Alfa Mist , and drawing packed houses to top venues such as The Jazz Café and Ronnie Scott’s.

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Jimi Tenor


“Sugar And Spice” / “Lover’s Bridge” (Philophon) 7′

Catalog: PH45024
Release Date: 10th July 220

Finnish multi-dimensional artist Jimi Tenor is back with a new 7″ on Philophon to announce the upcoming album ‘Aulos’, (October 2020).
On ‘Sugar And Spice’ the artist is joined by Ghanaian drummer Ekow Alabi and German producer Max Weissenfeldt.

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 →