Acid Jazz

Maysa - Metamorphosis

2008-10-21T22:13:00.000-07:00

Maysa's 2008 Shanachie Records release, Metamorphosis, is a 12 song tour de force of Maysa originals! As one of the most unique soul/jazz vocalists of the past fifteen years, she has been the featured lead vocalist of the groove/dance ensemble Incognito and Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove. Special guest artists, Najee and Nick Colionne along with hit making producers Rex Rideout (Ledisi, Will Downing, Angie Stone), Ronnie Garrett (Toni Braxton, Aaliyah, Patti LaBelle) and Chris 'Big Dog' Davis (Kim Waters, Phil Perry, George Clinton), combine to make Maysa's vision a reality. Highlights include the Brazilian-tinge 'Simpatico, Maysa's provocative 'I Need A Man' and 'Walk Away'.

1. Simpatico
2. My Destiny
3. Never Really Ever
4. Let's Figure It Out (A Song For Bluey)
5. I Need A Man Maysa
6. Higher Love
7. Take Me Away
8. Happy Feelings
9. Love So True
10. Walk Away
11. Grateful
12. A Conversation With The Universe

Maysa's Website

Get Maysa - Metamorphosis At Amazon

Jamiroquai - Too Young To Die (video)

2008-08-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Jamiroquai - 'Too Young To Die' from the album: 'Emergency On Planet Earth' (1993)

Isaac Hayes - Rest In Peace

2008-08-10T22:51:00.001-07:00

We lost a musical great today, at the all too young age of 65, Isaac Hayes has left us with a legacy of unforgettable music. Sleep peacefully my brother, you will never be forgotten, and your music will live on for eternity...

The Brand New Heavies - Never Stop (video)

2008-08-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

Never Stop was the first single of this UK/US jazz-funk group. It reached up to number 43 in the UK TOP 75 October 1991.

Brooklyn Fun Essentials - Watcha Playin'

2008-08-02T00:28:00.001-07:00

Following an 8 year hiatus, the acclaimed collective Brooklyn Funk Essentials triumphantly return with a new studio album Watcha Playin'. Immaculately produced by founder Lati Kronlund, the blistering set marks the legendary multicultural collective's 15th anniversary and is their first new studio offering since 2000's Make 'Em Like It.

Released Spring 2008 (on Black Plastic Magick/Comet Records), Watcha Playin' reunites the classic line-up of Kronlund (bass, beats, guitar, keyboards and turntables), vocalists Hanifah Walidah, Papa Dee and Everton Sylvester, and Yancy Drew (drums & vocals) alongside Desmond Foster (vocals & guitar), Iwan van Hetten (trumpet, keys & vocals), Philippe Monrose (percussion) and an impressive cast of notable guest contributors including Turkish super-star clarinet player Hüsnü Senlendirici and Tunisian Raï Diva Amina Annabi (lead vocals). Awa Manneh and Stephanie McKay (background vocals) and from Bebel Gilberto's band Masa Shimizu (guitars). The album is the forth studio release from the group who was born out of New York's buzzing hip-hop-jazz and slam poetry scenes in the early 90s.

Watcha Playin' finds the enduring outfit dispensing radiant sonic nirvana with masterful arrangements, eloquent lyrical narratives and exhilarating melodies. Written and road-tested during the band's 2007 reunion tour, the explosive set was recorded in New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Istanbul and Stockholm injecting a distinctive cosmopolitan flair vividly constructed around smooth textures and jubilant rhythms, which have become the band's signature (along with their impeccable live performances).

Throughout the 12-track opus, BFE brilliantly showcase their dexterity mining an eclectic musical terrain anchored in full-bodied urban dance grooves, stylized pop, sweltering 70s funk, irrepressible disco nostalgia, dance-hall-infected reggae/hip-hop jams, and flavourful poly-ethnic dub. Taking cues from contemporaries like Stephen and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Gnarls Barkley, M.I.A., N.E.R.D., Brand New Heavies, Jamiroquai and Mr. Scruff, BFE weave a cohesive widescreen collection where the energy is infectious, the instrumentation superlative and the songs dynamic - carefully balancing political fire and ruminative societal critiques with transcendent elegies and euphoric party jams.

Watcha Playin' is a tour-de-force that harkens back to the spicy swagger of their landmark 1994 debut Cool and Steady and Easy (which featured their funky reggae-inspired reworking of Pharoah Sanders' classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan"), the vibrant traditional Turkish folk mosaics of 1998's Grammy-nominated In The Buzz Bag and the refined pop mélange of 2000's Make 'Em Like It.

Tracks like the magnetic Gypsy-Skamitzva bounce "Dibby Dibby Sound", "For A Few Dollars More / Faya" (a poignant political meditation railing against the fractured state of the world's money hungry democracies featuring Papa Dee and Everton), the slinky jazz-house scorcher "S-Curved" and the atomic maelstrom "My Jamaican Girl" (featuring Hanifah Walidah) are poised to propel the acclaimed act further into the pop consciousness without sacrificing their underground roots.

01. Need 12:40
02. Dance - Free Night 4:46
03. Bellybuttons T&a 5:00
04. Rude Boy Shuffle 6:38
05. The Park 4:11
06. Wendell Wedding 5:32
07. For A Few Dollars More 8:09
08. Work It Out 6:10
09. My Jamaican Girl 5:19
10. Dibby Dibby Sound 2:31
11. S-curved 7:46
12. The Day Before Adidi 6:12

Brooklyn Funk Essentials Website
Brooklyn Funk Essentials MySpace Page

Get Brooklyn Funk Essentials - Watcha Playin at Amazon

The New Jersey Kings - Party To The Bus Stop

2008-07-21T23:22:00.000-07:00

The New Jersey Kings are actually the James Taylor Quartet, under a different name. It all started when they signed to Polydor, who were very controlling in the directions that the James Taylor Quartet could go. They had to work with musicians they didn’t want to work with, so they did this project under a pseudonym to satisfy themselves. Then the label wanted them to release the stuff, so that was okay. It’s always been a different hat that they can wear if they choose.

"Party to the Bus Stop" is the first of 3 albums released under James Taylor Quartet's pseudynom.

1. Monkey Drop
2. Get Organized
3. Solid
4. Sweet Cakes
5. Sweet Shirley
6. Latin One
7. All Wrapped Up
8. Charlie's Groove
9. Solid [Alternate Take]

James Taylor Quartet's Website

Get The New Jersey Kings - Party To The Bus Stop at Amazon

Bird - Double Chance

2008-07-21T01:49:00.000-07:00

Bird is one of Japan’s biggest names in jazz. Her fusion of jazz, R&B, bossa nova, swing, and house has won her a fanbase all her own. She began doing folk-type music in 2002, but after almost a year of hiatus, her single Warabigami was released. This time bird went for a reggae feel. With her latest single Sparkles, she has gone back to her jazz roots but has mixed in disco as well.

In July 1999, her debut album was released and sold 700,000 copies. bird was given the Japan Gold Record for newcomers. Months later in October, her first national concert bird tour 1999 live! was sold out.

Double Chance is Bird's fourth album released on October 8th, 2003. It was produced by Takao Tajima and features songs by Earl Cooper, Jesse Harris, Ivan Lins, and Daisuke Kawaguchi. Inside the case is a multi-colored color pencil of which you can color the booklet with. The cover of Double Chance is an outline of bird's 16th single Chance, also featured on the album.

01 - Chance
02 - Haikyo No Dancehall
03 - Fukurami
04 - Viva Spa
05 - Spider
06 - Yomigaere
07 - Kidoairaku
08 - Miageta Sora E
09 - Ai Ketsuidamono
10 - Hikaru Anata

Get Bird - Double Chance at Amazon

Gota - Day & Night

2008-07-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

After setting the smooth-jazz world ablaze in early 1999 with his second Album, Let's Get Started, drummer and studio musician Gota Yashiki returns with another solid album that effortlessly bridges the gap between the English acid jazz-funk movement and the American smooth jazz scene.

From the sly reference to Curtis Mayfield on "Around the Corner," to the obvious Tower of Power tribute on "What's Up, Charlie," Gota waves the 1970s funk flag high throughout Day and Night. He also keeps a prevailing acid-groove bed, with a smooth-jazz sheen as a covering.

"Sweet Emotion" is a perfect example of Gota's mix. It starts off with a motif straight out of Stevie Wonder before Gota's perfectly programmed percussion kicks off a funky midtempo beat that immediately leads to a sweet sax line that builds into a radio friendly hook taken in unison with a synthesizer that leads to a nice melodic guitar solo.

Former Brand New Heavies keyboardist Neal Cowley shines throughout as Gota spreads his musical wealth around among some great players from the U.K. Even though the last track is a ballad, this is a record that builds in intensity and emotion from the first few smoother tracks to the latter more acidic stuff.

1. Cruisin' Your Way
2. Around The Corner
3. All Together Now
4. Unforgettable Feeling
5. Sweet Memories
6. Day & Night
7. Sunnyside
8. Sweet Emotion
9. What's Up Charlie?
10. Chase In The Urban Jungle
11. In The Past

Gota's Homepage
Get Gota - Day & Night at Amazon

J.A.M - Jazzy Joint feat. Jose James (video)

2008-07-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

J.A.M is Josei, Akita Goldman, and Midorin from Soil & "Pimp" Sessions.

Jazztronik - Samurai (video)

2008-07-09T02:20:00.001-07:00

Down to the Bone - Spread the Word

2008-07-06T17:09:00.001-07:00

People who complain that today's contemporary jazz is a bit too smooth need to get the word on this outfit and in particular its third disc, which follows in the tradition of British acts like Brand New Heavies that blend acid jazz, jazz, pop, retro soul, modern R&B, and (dare we discern) a little disco?

The funky and bluesy bounce and throb of the opening cut, "Keep on Keepin' On," is hard to resist. Mixing brass and the piano riffs of Neil Angilley creates an hypnotic effect over a punchy retro soul guitar flavor by Tony Remy. But the core tune is driven by the alto sax of Adrian Revell.

So many elements, a simple description can't contain them all. "Sound as a Pound" opens with some modern synth effects and a croaking bassline combined with Remy's retro rhythm guitars; the lead is given to Angilley's playful jazzy piano melody, and a horn section comes in after a few bars to echo his jumpy spirit. "Bridgeport Boogie" is like a classic Crusaders tune, all dancing horn melody over Rhodes and electric organ for that perfect simmering '70s sheen.

Interesting that the tune named "Righteous Reeds" begins with such a dramatic percussion jungle; the horns are fine, but the least dynamic part of the song! "The Backburner" begins the same way, giving percussionist Satin Singh a dramatic showcase for himself. "Downtown Shuffle" is all wah-wah guitar, pounding bass energy, and whimsical brass that soars to the heavens.

A lot of instrumental albums these days take a breather for a radio-ready ballad, but these guys might consider such a break unimaginative or downright blasphemous. So might the listener who keeps on boppin' along.

1. Keep On Keepin' On
2. Sound As A Pound
3. Righteous Reeds
4. Bridge Port Boogie
5. Soul Brother No.1
6. Downtown Shuffle
7. Black Choice
8. The Backburner
9. The Lowdown
10. Mighty Mighty Fine

Down to the Bone's Website

Get Down to the Bone - Spread the Word at Amazon

This Weeks Acid Jazz Finds on eBay

2008-06-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Orange Pekoe - Organic Plastic Music (repost)

2008-06-23T20:48:00.001-07:00

Orange Pekoe is a Japanese Jazz duo consisting of Tomoko Nagashima (lyrics, and all vocals), and Kazuma Fujimoto (guitar, composition, arrangement and programming).

The two first met through a university music club and started a band with other students, but soon broke off and started work as a duo.

They made big waves throughout the Japanese indie scene before being signed to BMG Records. Their first major label single release (Happy Valley) remained at #1 on radio air play charts for nearly two months. Organic Plastic Music sold over 300,000 copies, and reached #5 on the Oricon charts.

01. Introduction
02. Ai no Izumi
03. Taiyo no Kakera
04. Adaigo
05. 12 Months
06. Happy Valley
07. Sanctuary
08. Kioku
09. Yawaraka na Yoru
10. ONE AND ONLY DAY
11. bottle
12. Shinkaigyo
13. LOVE LIFE
14. tiny, baby

Orange Pekoe's Website

Get Orange Pekoe - Organic Plastic Machine At Amazon

dl in comments...

Tales From The Beach EPK

2008-06-23T16:23:00.001-07:00

Electronic Press Kit for Incognito's new album Tales From The Beach.

Featuring an intimate live performance of new tracks and behind the scenes footage of recent video 'I've Been Waiting'.

Songs in order of appearance:
Always There
I've Been Waiting
Step Aside
N.O.T.
When The Sun Comes Down
Colibri

Artists featured:
Jean-Paul 'Bluey' Maunick
Maysa Leak
Francis Hylton
Matt Cooper
Imaani
Joy Rose
Tony Momrelle
Sid Gauld
Trevor Mires
Paul Greenwood
Jeffrey Daniel.

Location:
Fopp, Covent Garden.
3 Mills Studios, Bow.
Jazz Café, Camden.

HD version with extended interviews and performances available for purchase.
Contact: jyokesproductions@gmail.com

©JYOKES Productions MMVIII

K-Creative - Q.E.D. (Question Everything Done) (repost)

2008-06-19T20:27:00.001-07:00

Throughout the years, Ski Oakenfull has made a lot of impact in the acid jazz world. He first emerged on the scene in 1991 as a part of K-Creative, one of the initial signings to the then newly established Talkin' Loud Records.

Ski Co-wrote & co-produced K-Creatives debut album 'QED (Question Everything Done)', combining positive hip hop lyrcis with the classic acid jazz sound. After the albums release, the band toured extensively throughout Europe and Japan.

K-Creative only made the one album, but Ski went on to work with acts such as Raw Stylus, Galliano, Incognito and more recently in 2 Banks of 4.

01. To be free (Brother John)
02. Remember where ya came from
03. Q.E.D. (Question everything done)
04. Hook, Line & Sinker
05. K-Spelz Knowledge
06. Summer Breeze
07. Three times a maybe
08. Tynebomb
09. The new tower of babel
10. Back to the real world
11. Give ya the elbow
12. To be free (silent blues mix)
13. Back to the real world (ambient mix)

Get K-Creative on EBay

Ski Oakenfulls Myspace Page

Mondo Grosso - Best

2008-06-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Japanese only collection of singles, remixes & rare tracks.13 tracks in all. Featuring, 'Vibe PM (Funky Samba Mix), 'Slow It Down (Original Album Mix)', 'That's How It Is (Live)', 'Do You See What I See', 'Give Me A Reason', 'Laughter In The Rain' & more.

1 Anger (Rhymin' for Original)
2 Vibe-EP-em (Funky Samba mix)
3 Souffles H
4 Tree, Air, and Rain on the Earth
5 Invisible Man (Original Brown)
6 Espirito, Alleglia, Emosau
7 Family
8 Do You See What I See
9 Give Me a Reason
10 Slow It Down (original album mix)
11 Laughter in the Rain
12 Closer
13 That's How It Is (live version)

Mondo Grosso - Laughter in the Rain

Get Mondo Grosso - Best at Amazon

Galliano - The Plot Thickens

2008-05-30T02:22:00.000-07:00

Though the grooves are just as tight five years on from the debut Galliano album, The Plot Thickens features the group's expanded eco-political focus on "Twyford Down" and "Long Time Gone."

Elsewhere, "Blood Lines" and "Rise and Fall" chart sing-along acid-jazz.

1. Was This the Time
2. Blood Lines
3. Rise and Fall
4. Twyford Down
5. What Colour Our Flag, Part 1
6. Cold Wind
7. Down in the Gulley
8. Long Time Gone
9. Believe
10. Do You Hear
11. Travels the Road
12. Better All the Time
13. Little One

Get Galliano - The Plot Thickens At Amazon

Galliano - A Joyful Noise Unto The Creator (repost)

2008-05-30T02:11:00.001-07:00

Galliano was a London based acid jazz group, started up in 1988. The group was the first ever signing to Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson's Acid Jazz Records.

A loose collective during its first years, the group comprised Gallagher with raps and turntables, vocalist Valerie Étienne (aka Auntie Val), guitarist Mark Vandergucht, bass player Ernie McKone, drummer Crispin Taylor, keyboard player Mick Talbot (formerly with the Style Council), and contributors Brother Spry, Daddy Smith, and, occasionally, Roy Ayers.

Galliano's first release was the 1989 single "Frederick Lies Still," a tender play on the Superfly anthem "Freddie's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield.
The band's debut full-length, In Pursuit of the 13th Note, followed two years later on Talkin' Loud.

A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator was released in 1992, after which, Galliano received an American contract and released What Colour Our Flag as a basic trainer (the album compiled the best tracks from the first two LPs).

The Plot Thickens, issued in 1995, was the group's proper U.S. debut. A year later, Galliano returned with 4 (Four).

01. Grounation Part 1
02. Jus' Reach
03. Skunk Funk
04. Earth Boots
05. Phantom
06. Jazz-
07. New World Order
08. So Much Confusion
09. Totally Together
10. Golden Flower
11. Prince Of Peace
12. Grounation Part 2

Get Galliano - A Joyful Noise Unto The Creator At Amazon

The Masterplan - Diana Brown & Barrie K Sharpe (video)

2008-05-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Diana Brown & Barrie K Sharpe & The Masterplan. Originally released in 1990, mainly turning out a series of funk & rare groove inspired 12?s and one LP. Plenty of heavyweight house producers re-mixed their tracks including David Morales, Joey Negro & Larry Heard.

Incognito - I've Been Waiting (video)

2008-05-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

"I've Been Waiting" is the first release from Incognito's brand new album, Tales From The Beach.

Jhelisa - Friendly Pressure Video

2008-05-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Originally released in 1994 on the album 'Galactica Rush', this track is a classic and was re-released with Sunship remixes in 1998 and covered by Maysa Leak. New remixes from the Amalgamation Of Soundz were released in early 2008.

Liquid Soul - Evolution

2008-05-15T23:58:00.000-07:00

No one is going to accuse the '70s of being the decade that time forgot. From soul, funk, and disco to heavy metal, hard rock, new wave, and punk, the '70s left a lasting impression on popular culture -- and when the 21st century rolled around, there were plenty of young Gen-X bands who had a major '70s fixation.

Liquid Soul is among the many '90s/2000s outfits who brings an obsession with '70s African-American culture to the table; on Evolution, the Chicago residents make no secret of their passion for '70s soul, '70s funk, and '70s jazz-funk. Thankfully, Liquid Soul does it better than most of the competition. The songs (some instrumental, some with vocals) are generally memorable, and the punchy, well-oiled horn section is as a tight as a black leather corset -- clearly, Liquid Soul longs for the days when horn bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, the Ohio Players, Parliament/Funkadelic, and Tower of Power were all over black radio.

But as retro-'70s as much of Evolution tends to be, Liquid Soul does offer some acknowledgment of early-2000s tastes. "Soul" and "Nina's in Jail," for example, are inviting rap items, but unlike most hip-hoppers, Liquid Soul's vocalists rap over real instruments instead of sticking to programmed electronic beats. It should be noted that although the Chicagoans' use of rapping on some tracks is meant to demonstrate that they aren't oblivious to 21st century black music, even hip-hop has a '70s connection.

Early East Coast MCs like Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash started performing in the late '70s, although it wasn't until the '80s that hip-hop really exploded commercially and acquired a huge international following. Evolution won't go down in history as trying to reinvent the wheel, but for die-hard fans of '70s black music, this lively CD is well worth obtaining.

1. Action Jackson
2. Sun Ra
3. La La
4. Nina's In Jail
5. I Was Meant To Be Rich
6. Bossa Interlude
7. Mercedes
8. This & That
9. Soul
10. Mean Machine
11. Rage Experiment
12. The Lonely Bull

Liquid Soul's Website

Get Liquid Soul - Evolution at Amazon

Refreshed, Reuploaded & Rewound

2008-05-15T23:49:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand, some old posts have been given a new lease of life, if you know what I mean. Check out the comments of the following posts for fresh linkage. Enjoy...

Skunkhour - Skunkhour
Incognito - Bees + Things + Flowers
Incognito - Eleven
Liquid Soul - Here's The Deal
Down To The Bone - Cellar Funk

Ronny Jordan - The Quiet Revolution

2008-05-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ronny Jordan emerged from the British club jazz explosion of the 1990s seemingly determined to salvage the jazz guitar from middle class cocktail bars and make it hip again. He had a world-wide hit with his jazz-funk cover of "So What" and with The Quiet Revolution had two acid jazz compilation favourites released: "Season For Change", with Gangstarr's lead rapper Guru, and "The Jackal" featuring poetess Dana Bryant. The latter being surprisingly disconcerting for a dance hit: a haunting story of a mysterious ghetto figure it aims at the head as well as the feet.

Throughout the album Jordan's playing is accomplished rather than amazing and is usually to be found propelling amiable jazz-funk tunes. His playing is neat and compact, and if it lacks a little emotional depth it is attractive nonetheless. So maybe the album title is rather misleading, a more accurate one would have been "gentle reform", but then that doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Still, it is well worth your vote.

1. Season for Change
2. In Full Swing
3. Slam in a Jam
4. Mr. Walker
5. Jackal
6. Come With Me
7. Morning After
8. Under Your Spell
9. Tinsel Town Listen
10. Vanston Place (Oo Am)

Ronny Jordan's Website

Get Ronny Jordan - The Quiet Revolution at Amazon

Ronny Jordan - The Antidote (re-up)

2008-05-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

One of the acid jazz movement's most prominent guitarists, London-born Ronny Jordan is widely credited with returning the instrument to its rightful place as a major force in modern-day jazz; despite outcries from purists, few other artists of his era proved more pivotal in knocking down the long-immutable boundaries of contemporary black music.

The son of a preacher, Jordan's early musical history was rooted in gospel; his first public performances were with gospel groups, but the outbreak of Brit-funk during the early '80s led him to begin exploring other avenues of music, culminating in a fascination with jazz. A self-taught guitarist, his early influences included Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, and Grant Green, and when hip-hop began to take off, Jordan started exploring ways to fuse jazz and rap together.

Ronny signed his first record ideal with Universal Island in July 1991, and started work on his debut release, the Antidote. The rest as they say, is history. Ronny "crossed over" instantly with his first release, the first ever international jazz guitar pop chart hit, Miles Davis’s "So What" which was completed on the same night Miles Davis passed away."The Antidote" became a global smash not just because of "So What" - which became the definitive Acid Jazz tune - but also because of his signature tune "After Hours" - the first and most important smooth jazz guitar classic which introduced Ronny to the US market.

01. Get to Grips
02. Blues Grinder
03. After Hours (The Antidote)
04. See the New
05. So What
06. Show Me (Your Love)
07. Nite Spice
08. Summer Smile
09. Cool and Funky

Ronny Jordan's Website

Get Ronny Jordan - The Antidote At Amazon