TMF

TMF isn’t a Tribute Band… THEY ARE THE BAND! These gentlemen with the exception of lead vocalist, Chris Walker toured and recorded with the man himself for the last two decades and beyond. Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing… TMF “The Music Forever”

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TRU

“Never Give Up”

Label: Society Hill / EMG
Release Date: 30th June 2023  
Format: Digita

Hailing from the Camden, New Jersey / Philadelphia area, a part of the country that became a breeding ground for great vocal groups such as the O’Jays, Stylistics and Blue Magic, three veteran vocal greats come together to form TRU, a highly versatile group that brings the sweet sound of Philly Soul forward for a new generation. Led by vocalist James “Jimi” Williams, TRU also features vocal great Billy Maynor and newest member, the charismatic Dennis Sproul.

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Lorraine Feather

Updated 9/06/23

ESSAY FOR Dr. Robert Riehemannʼs Course
THE LIFE OF THE MIND, (2010)

THE LIFE OF MY MIND………Lorraine Feather

Iʼve been asked to write an essay about my creative life by your instructor, Dr. Riehemann. He has played my musical work for some of you, but otherwise itʼs unlikely that you would know who I am. Iʼve never been featured prominently on TV, or had a big pop hit. I describe myself as a “lyricist/jazz singer.” I put “lyricist” first because I can envision giving up singing at some point, but never writing. Iʼve been involved with some big projects as a lyricist, have been in and out of work, written lyrics for film and TV, done seven solo recordings since the late 1990s. I have what I would call a most interesting career, one that engages me tremendously.

I donʼt have children and I donʼt know anything about parenting, but Iʼve seen it done. As I understand it from friends of mine with kids in college, thereʼs a fair amount of pressure these days to offer some idea of what you want to do in life by the time youʼre in your late teens or early twenties. The basic point of this essay—to quickly end the suspense as to whether there might be one—is to share a little of my own experience regarding the setting of goals, changing of goals, despairing over whether itʼs possible ever to reach any of them, and lessons Iʼve learned along the way in the course of pursuing my own.

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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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TEN-63  

‘You & me’ /‘Say We’ll Stay’

Label: Izipho Soul Records
Catalogue Number: ZP-93
Release Date: 9th June 2023  
Format: 7”

Legendary Memphis soul brothers William, Bertram and Randy Brown released an album under the group name TEN-63 entitled Facing The Music,it was published in 2009, but recorded sometime earlier. 
You & me  and our pick for the flip Say We’ll Stay   are beautifully constructed songs with each of the Brown brothers serving up a solo part, it cannot be denied their contrasting vocal styles and harmonies are supreme in the extreme!

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Lynn Davis

Lynn Davis is finally stepping back into the spotlight. After four decades of singing background for icons like George Duke, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan, and Stevie Wonder, Lynn is reintroducing her high-reaching, warm, vocal range to the world. As one of the most recorded session singers in the music industry, Lynn Davis has musical credits that goes around your neighborhood block at least five times. She has written songs for Patrice Rushen, Tracie Spencer, Thomas Anders, and LaToya Jackson, just to name very few.

Starting her career at the age of seventeen as one of the vocalists in the George Duke Band led by the iconic George Duke, Lynn Davis performed before hundreds of thousands of people and toured worldwide. “The addition of Lynn Davis made a huge difference in what I was able to write. I composed with the band in mind, utilizing each of their personal musical strengths.” says George Duke. Lynn’s vocal talent afforded her the opportunity to record a song that became one of their signature hits “I Want You for Myself” (1979). The song became a top-charting single that remains a well-known funky classic to date. She continued recording by performing with R&B group Twennynine. As the featuring female vocalist for their second album “Best of Friends”, their mainstream success invited them the opportunity to perform on American Bandstand.

During a recording session with Lalo Schifrin, Lynn was introduced to singer/pianist Patrice Rushen of whom she would go on to write and produce songs for. Collaborating on Rushen’s many songs, Lynn’s voice can be heard on “Look Up”, “Where There Is Love”, “This Is All I Really Know”, and Rushen’s highest-charting single “Forget Me Nots”. After becoming the talk of the R&B music industry, she began recording on albums by Stanley Turrentine, Greg Phillinganes, Sheree Brown, The Brothers Johnson, Billy Preston & Syreeta Wright, all of which happened in 1981.

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Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers

“What Will You Leave Behind”(Digital Out Now) / “Bang, Bang, Bang”

Label: LRK Records
Catalogue Number: LRK-19 
Release Date: 26th May 2023  
Format: 7’  

The new single by Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers and B side to the new vinyl 45 release!
Right on the heels of the success of their previous single “What Will You Leave Behind”, LRK Records is proud to announce the digital single follow up by Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers!! Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers are a Los Angeles based, transplanted from Chicago, unit that specializes in 60s/70s soul and funk. The band is fronted by the dynamically charismatic Bella Brown. A fiery female lead singer that is a mixture of Tina Turner and Sharon Jones, with a persona that is reminiscent of the empowered female leads of 70s Blaxploitation films.

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Michon C. Young #MYSWEETNESS

Release Date: 28th April 2023

Michon C. Young Vocalist/Songwriter/Producer resides in Detroit, Mi and considers Detroit her second hometown though born and raised in Gary, Indiana. Her musical talent was recognized by Pastor Marvin L. Winans which led to singing background on his 1st solo CD and performing a duet with him at the opening of Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia. She has opened for countless mainstream artists and is a sought after opening act performer. 

Michon has topped the charts since 2016 with her first debut song, “Something About You”. This song quickly rose to #1 instantly in the UK and Indie Soul Charts. Her first project, “Love Life Experiences” was released in April 2017. This entire album was quite successful in the UK and United States. A total of 8 songs from this 13-track project topped the Indie charts both stateside and abroad. 

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Shrine – The Rarest Soul Label Vol.2 Andy Rix 2000

The story of Shrine Records, from its creation to demise, was told in Volume One. As promised Volume Two will look at those who contributed to the creation of the Shrine sound and the songs that have captured the attention of 60s Soul fans all over the world.

The story of Shrine Records, from its creation to demise, was told in Volume One. As promised Volume Two will look at those who contributed to the creation of the Shrine sound and the songs that have captured the attention of 60s Soul fans all over the world.

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SHRINE NORTHERN – The 60s Rarest Dance Label Various Artists

Label:  Kent Records
Catalogue Number: KENT 526
Release Date: 28th April 2023  
Format: LP

Ace Records is proud to announce the purchase of the Shrine label and Eddie Singleton’s independent productions.
To celebrate we have compiled an album of the very best dance recordings the label made in 1965 and 1966, primarily in Washington DC.
The business’s failure made this music incredibly hard to find for record collectors and Shrine is rightly known as the rarest soul label.

It is much more than that though. The music was made by some one of the original founders of Motown, Raynoma Liles Gordy and her Motown-schooled cousin Mike Ossman, New York music business luminaries Eddie Singleton and Harry Bass and the up-and-coming talents of Washington’s Keni St Lewis and Maxx Kidd. The acts included the hugely respected Ray Pollard and fellow New Yorker J.D. Bryant, talented and established Washington and Baltimore acts Eddie Daye & The Four Bars, Bobby Reed and the Enjoyables. Importantly, they discovered and developed the local talent of the area in the shape of the Cautions, Les Chansonettes, the Prophets and Shirley Edwards.

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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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Tunnie Smith 

“Join Together” / U And Me”

Label:  Pass The Baton
Catalogue Number: SDE67  
Release Date: April 2023  
Format: 7”

During the summer youth program of 1970 and ’71 at St Paul’s Catholic church a young Tunnie Smith was singled out by Father George Artist for his outstanding singing abilities. He was soon introduced to Joe Delpit and Reginal Brown to sing along with their show and dance band “The 13Th Amendments. It didn’t take long before Tunnie was a full member of the band and became a featured singer performing throughout Louisiana. After a year and a half of performing at nightclubs, military bases and universities Tunnie landed a record deal with Rick Hall’s Fame/UA record label. His first single from 1973 was a wonderful mid-tempo number entitled “Finders Aren’t Always Keepers” flipped with “Do That To Me” It gained National distribution and had some good success.

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Bobby Harden & The Soulful Saints

“One Night of the Week” /“Feels So Good” 

How do you define a true Soul Man? With difficulty, given that so much is down to a certain mystical mojo. But if anyone knows one when they see him, it would be Stax legend Eddie Floyd, who has spent 60-plus years perfecting the role. When Bobby Harden joined the star-studded Blues Brothers Band in 2012 as one of two singers in support of Floyd, the elder Soul Man immediately recognized similar qualities in his understudy. “He was everything I’d been when I was younger,” said Floyd, who gracefully passed the torch after several tours tag-teaming on stage. “I always tell him. ‘I saw you, my man,’ and I said, ‘That’s it! I can go back to the house and rest!’”

You get the sense it will be many years until Harden makes a similar transition into retirement. The true Soul Man, after all, lives to work, recognizing that success don’t come knocking on the door with a gold-plated invite. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Harden was blessed with a voice to raise roofs, and after a stint in Houston attending college, headed up to New York City to pursue his passion. It wasn’t always easy, but years singing soul classics on the wedding band circuit sharpened that church-trained voice and polished his moves in the process; they also instilled in Bobby the necessary professionalism to not just survive, but thrive on a slow, yet inexorable, rise in reputation.

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Izipho Soul Records February 2023

The original 1975 version on Roulette is a much loved classic, Ron Foster’s 1985 instrumental version is a completely different interpretation with a full 21+ orchestra and now it takes on a new identity with the original lead singer of Whirlwind, Sandi Everett, who recently recorded a new vocal – This composition’s 48 year journey is now fulfilled! On the flip we are proud to present Lee McDonald’s  “Let’s Play Luck”, a hidden gem from his iconic LP ‘Sweet Magic’; released on a 7” for the very first time and as an extended mix!

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