Jazz de Ville

Nat Birchall - Live in Larissa

Limited repress of classic album from 2014 with newly designed US style tip-on gatefold sleeve, 180g heavy vinyl. 500 copies worldwide. 

Motor Jazz

This compilation sees the coming together of independent music makers from across the globe to meet in one place and gather as a single entity. That simmering hub of warmth and affection is known as Motor Jazz - a place for artists to congregate and share their devotion for songs that are infused with rhythms created by anodic wires, buttons and other digital paraphernalia. That’s electronic music to you and me, and in this case electronic music with swing, a sense of freedom and improvisation that some might call ‘Jazz’. 

The album opens with the ominous drone of the Mega Corp., sounding like one of the parties responsible for 2020’s almost post-apocalyptic feel. It’s perhaps an unlikely opener for a what’s a positive and optimistic collection courtesy of young musicians from across the globe, but we all need to be reminded of who’s in charge sometimes, and Dutch producer Jon Sewi does just that! 
The mood soon lightens though, with the soulful strings and enticing keys of Gladdics by the mysterious Black Soyls, before well established German musical artisan Renegades of Jazz brings the family in for It's Tea Time with ticking clocks, warm tea pots and slices of cake, whilst being serenaded by a very vintage sounding horn section. 
Serafin Plum almost steer us into drum & bass territory with their off-the-wall percussive nugget Jagged, whilst keeping a calming hand on the shoulder (as all good parents should) with soothing keys, before it’s playtime once again. 
There’s nothing conventional about the Motor Jazz family though, and after tea time and play time, it’s time to rave! In Greek mythology, The Maenads were female followers of Dionysus; their name literally translating as "the raving ones". Often they were portrayed as being inspired by the god into a state of ecstasy through a combination of dancing and intoxication, during which time they would dress in fawn skins and carry a thyrsus - a long stick wrapped in ivy or vine leaves and tipped with a pine cone. With a sound ranging between Jazz, Techno, Rave and Breaks their track, Opera, delivers a psyche and Jazz influenced piece with colliding styles, busy drums and rich melodies. 
Heading over to Dublin, Ireland, and multi-talented producer, musician and DJ, Donal Sharpson (aka Double Screen) makes his presence known with grandiose brass preempting a four-to-the-floor wood block frenzy in the shape of Sheikah, complete with enthusiastic whoops and a persuasive bassline. Meanwhile, somewhere below the Irish Sea, aquatic artiste Stubby Dials delivers the bass worrying Put It On Ice the only way he knows how - living in a submarine, he emerges from time to time to leave his master tapes on the beach with a note saying “Release this!” before submerging, never been seen again. 
Back in the Netherlands, Bram van der Hoeven, otherwise known as Lucinate, is an electronic Jazz producer par excellence. His effortless balance of organic musical roots like Fusion, Bossa Nova and Soul, into the world of modern beat orientated sounds is something to behold, and with The Cards he offsets life-affirming keys with rolling drums reminiscent of some of the seminal liquid Drum & Bass he grew up with. 
As the global Motor Jazz family expands, we head to Canada, where the wonderfully monikered Woodpecking Mantis brings a little acid to the party with his squelchy, stuttering and brilliantly entitled Waving At A Melting Square Tooth Of A Specific Rabbit……. We’re guessing they like acid a lot in Canada. 
We’re going down under to Newcastle, Australia next, where things take a more serene turn. Wrenasmir, known to his parents as Craig Smith, used to be a baroque pipe organist before he discovered samplers and synthesizers. Now he makes imaginary soundtracks at his studio for the twilight beachside city that lives in his head - full of vinyl and pixels and bittersweet memories. The gorgeous Lucempight is exactly that. 
Keeping things low key and tranquil, Poets And Rockets, the latest offering from Jay Solomon is a horn driven slice of futuristic dub that makes way for The Motion Orchestra’s majestic Midnight Sun, complete with Alexander Bednasch on double-bass, Mark Matthes on violins, Andy Sells on drums and David Hanke on electronics and production. Though influenced heavily by neo-classical and jazz sensibilities they occupy a musical space that sits in neither sphere, with a compositional style that deftly fuses the orchestral and electronic worlds. The full Motion Orchestra album, All One, will be released later this year on Bathurst. 
Sixteen year old, self taught producer and multi-instrumentalist Teis Ortved is something of a prodigy. The Copenhagen based wunderkind has so far self-released two EPs, and if What, his offering here, is anything to go by, he’s going to be making big waves across the eclectic music spectrum for years to come. 
If Teis is the new kid on the block then what better way to round off this compilation that with its patriarchal figure. Funki Porcini has over a quarter of a century of recordings in his back catalogue, and has spent fifteen of those years dedicated to the independent UK behemoth that is Ninja Tune records. The Last Recording From Earth is exclusive to this album and is in many ways the perfect closing song. Perhaps more concept art than traditional piece of music, the idea behind it is that an alien archeologist has found this recording tens of thousands of years after humans have disappeared into the sand…. You never know, it might just happen, and hopefully Them To Us will take on a whole new meaning. 

Sumsuch - Don't Go

One half of Mega Jawns, musician and producer Will Sumsuch joins forces with jazz vocalist and Alice Russell band member Matty Eeles for warm, soulful downtempo ballad ‘Don’t Go’. 

Will and Matty began playing and recording together around a decade ago in Brighton, UK, performing improvised live PA sets around local venues. They’ve collaborated on several releases for Will’s Colour and Pitch label, as well as sublime deep house cut ‘This Old Town’, a charity single to raise funds for mental health organisation ‘Mind’, which made waves across the electronic music world back in 2013 (and continues to raise funds to this day). 

Written and recorded circa 2015 but only now seeing the light of day, ‘Don’t Go’ is a deeply touching, heartfelt slice of downtempo soul, with smooth Rhodes piano and mournful live guitar, perfectly complimenting Matty’s sultry vocal. Second track ‘One Together’ evolves subtly from one single piano note into an expansive spine-tingling piece, cinematic and quite unique. 

Omar - The Anthology

Omar Lyefook MBE is without doubt, one of the greatest soul music talents the United Kingdom has produced in the last 40 years. If anyone has doubts about that, then they might want to consider the list of legendary artists who happily line up to collaborate with him musically, or simply sing his praises - from Stevie Wonder, the late Leon Ware, Erykah Badu, Common, through to Carleen Anderson, D'Angelo, and Soul II Soul's Caron Wheeler, Angie Stone and U.K. artists Courtney Pine, Rodney P, Kele LeRoc, Natasha Watts and Estelle, all appreciate his truly original and unique voice, musicianship and songwriting talent. 
When asked to reflect on his long, successful, critically acclaimed and deeply influential career that shows no signs of slowing up, Omar said "I feel blessed. I try to keep things moving and evolving, and when I finish an album, I always put my heart and soul into it. I'm looking at it from an outsider's point of view, because I never really see myself making the music. It's like I'm the vessel and somebody's controlling what I do, I just happen to be the one that gets the praise for it". 
That modest statement just re-enforces the fact that Omar is simply a one off, a genuinely unique artist. That is a bold claim, but his sound is so immediately identifiable, that you will know you are hearing an Omar track within seconds - and that is the stamp of true originality. 
This collection features many of his classic collaborations, from his evergreen worldwide anthem There's Nothing Like This, It's So, the dancefloor destroying banger inspired by the amalgam of sounds Omar heard at The Notting Hill Carnival. Also included are lesser known, slept on tracks from across his long career - and the exclusive, previously unheard tracks Pass It On ft Terri Walker and Long Time Coming. 

The Sorcerers - In Search of the City of the Monkey God

The Sorcerers began working on the new album during the winter of 2018 and it was during the writing sessions for this album that the concept for the LP began to take shape. The name for the album was taken from the title of a National Geographic article read by Bassist Neil Innes and was used as the starting point for the entire concept. The library music scene of the 60s and 70s has always been an intrinsic part of the sound of ATA Records and so it made perfect sense to envisage the album as a soundtrack, given the cinematic quality of The Sorcerers music. 

Each track was written with a particular scene in mind and the music was then shaped in the studio to best reflect the essence of that scene. Drums, Bass and Percussion provide the solid foundation onto which Flutes, Bass Clarinets, Xylophones and Vibraphones add the atmospheric and melodic counterpoint, deftly weaving between one another to conjure up images of the unforgiving environment of the dense jungle, unknown eyes watching the protagonists of the imagined film as they make their way towards their ultimate goal, their pursuit by unseen assailants, the arcane mysticism of undiscovered cargo cultists and the ancient ruins of long passed civilisations.

Batunga & the Subprimes - Gates of Ouantou

Matasuna Records starts the new year 2020 with a brilliant release, featuring two contemporary tracks by Paris based Afrobeat band Batunga & The Subprimes, available for the first time on vinyl. 

Batunga & The Subprimes was founded in Paris in 2009 by musicians from different backgrounds, united by the will to mix traditional African music with other elements (Latin, Jazz, Second Line and even Rock) and to bring this explosive mix on the streets & on stage. After many shows all over Europe and beyond, their first official album Man in the Field was published in 2017, followed by their EP Let dem In in late 2019. Matasuna has chosen two extraordinary cuts of these self-released albums to release them on vinyl for the first time. 

Gates Of Ouantou from their EP is a great tune that sets the bar for contemporary Afrobeat and has all the ingredients for a timeless classic: the arrangement, the instrumentation and the interplay of the seven musicians in the song are excellent and will immediately draw you into its spell. A real gem and great tune! 

Man in the Field on flipside is a cut of their first official album. Unusual is the use of a banjo in an Afrobeat song but not surprising that this fits in very well and also shows that classical structures can be broken up and developed in a new approach/context. Another great piece of this extraordinary band that has been operating under the radar - until now!

Sassy J - Patchwork

Rush Hour announces their second artist compilation Patchwork, curated by one of the label’s most loved family members, Sassy J. The Swiss DJ is the very embodiment of passion and long-standing dedication to the craft of the DJing, but also to the community surrounding the music that she lives and breathes. For the past fourteen years Sassy J has run the Patchwork night in her native Bern and in London, with guests ranging from Theo Parrish and Little Dragon to Floating Points and MF Doom invited to share their respective musical visions. Her collaborative approach stands out in a DJ world that is too often weighted in favour of promoting the individual. This compilation grows out that unique sensitivity, foregrounding a theory of curation that centres on long-term bonds, articulated through Sassy J’s personal relationships with the contributing artists. 

Patchwork speaks to the grass roots values that Sassy J espouses, showcasing music by many of the artists that have joined her throughout the years in clubs, on the radio, and at home. It is an expression of Sassy J’s individual musical path that casts its gaze firmly in the future: Patchwork is made up almost entirely of new and unreleased songs that are exclusive to this collection. Patchwork captures a sound that has continued to evolve in its restless search for new musical directions. Across thirteen tracks we find forward thinking electronic music rubbing elbows with cosmic jazz and deep percussion workouts from Brazil and beyond. 

There are irresistible calls to the dancefloor: 2000 Black’s UK boogie and the syncopated rhythms of WaH-chU-kU nod to the West London sound, whilst the early rave of Nu Era and Aardvarck’s sub-rattling techno channel the grittier edges of the club experience. We find machine music imbued with humanity in Larry Heard’s deep house classic “Survivor” and in Ron Trent’s WARM project, whose gentle breeze points to a different side of the legendary producer. Patchwork also opens a more immersive listening space in which the radical indie soul of Georgia Anne Muldrow, the ambient spiritual jazz of bandleader Carlos Niño & Friends, and the lament for the Amazon rainforest by Azymuth’s drummer Ivan Conti can channel the overall spirit of group interplay and solidarity. Patchwork also includes Sassy J’s collaboration with veteran producer Alex Attias, marking her own place in a universe that is held together by her singular thread. 

Napoli Segreta - Volume 2

After Nu Guinea’s LP Nuova Napoli and Napoli Segreta first compilation, NG RECORDS follows up with an exploration into the unknown groovy side of Naples by releasing Napoli Segreta Vol.2. 

Famiglia Discocristiana, DNApoli and Nu Guinea team up again selecting more tracks from their archives, for a new compilation containing nine mysterious Neapolitan tracks, found in the most hidden corners of remote flea markets around the Vesuvius. 
But forget classical Neapolitan songs, "'O sole mio" or "Luna Rossa"... 
Forget about what you expect to find once you land in town… oh and also forget about Google maps. Take a dodgy local guide, keep your eyes open, and follow it to enter the secret downtown, the underground, the routes that no satellite can detect, but beware there is no easy way out. 

Napoli Segreta Vol.2 is a musical journey into the sonic landscapes of Naples that you have never heard of before. A variety of genres merging soul, disco, funk, blues, new wave, afro-beat and boogie, including lyrics in Neapolitan urban slang, instrumental tracks, and also some unexpected cover versions of famous songs! 

Oganic Pulse Ensemble - The Light Comes Back

Organic Pulse Ensemble our Swedish "One Man Ensemble" is back with a beautiful album. "The Light Comes Black" is an ode to the ominous season of Winter in the northern parts of the globe specially around January in this time of year when days and nights blend together in a long period of darkness. It's also about the time when the light comes back along with life and nature reviving in Spring. 
The album tells a story about that cycle, first the sun descending marks the beginning of the long dark. As we step further into Winter we're given time to reflect on the Mighty Cold coming from the north. 
Later filled with hope and joy we See The Sun Rise, that moment when darkness goes away and birds start singing again. The Light Comes Black was inspired by that special feeling in your heart when you finally see sun light again and it feels like being reborn. When you live in those parts of the world this is a cycle and it becomes more than just a phenomenon it's also a way of life. 

Jimmy Heath died at 93

Known for his commitment to developing the talents of up-and-coming jazz musicians, Jimmy Heath served as an Artist-in-Residence at the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance. A member of the Institute’s Board of Trustees, he has also been part of the judging panel for several Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz International Saxophone Competitions.

Jimmy Heath embodied the history of jazz. In his 60 years on the jazz scene, the saxophone great has appeared on more than 125 records as both a composer and player. Heath grew up in Philadelphia alongside brothers Percy and Tootie, both renowned jazz players in their own right. At 14, he began studying saxophone and by 21 he was ready to move to New York with Percy to play with trumpeter Howard McGhee. In 1949, he became a member of Dizzy Gillespie’s sextet and big band. Heath’s alto saxophone style at the time was so reminiscent of Charlie Parker that it earned him the nickname “Little Bird.”  After a switch to tenor saxophone and a brief stint with the Miles Davis Quintet, Heath formed his own group. With Art Farmer as co-leader, Heath’s group recorded and toured throughout the ’60s. During this time, Heath played with Cannonball Adderley, Chet Baker, James Moody, Clark Terry, and others.  In 1975, he formed the Heath Brothers with Percy and Tootie and pianist Stanley Cowell.  In this group, Heath played tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone as well as flute. The group’s Live at the Public Theatre was nominated for a GRAMMY Award in 1980. Since then, Heath has performed and recorded as the leader of his own quartet and alongside Slide Hampton, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and many others. In 1993, he performed as part of the inaugural celebration for President Clinton at the White House Jazz Festival. In 1994, he was the recipient of the Insitute’s Maria Fisher Founder’s Award.  Heath’s composition such as “CTA” and “Gingerbread Boy” are jazz standards that have been recorded by Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, and Chick Corea, among others. In 2003, Heath received an NEA Jazz Masters Award and in 2004 he received his third honorary doctorate. An active jazz educator, Heath has taught many of today’s successful, up-and-coming jazz musicians.  He spent 11 years as Professor of Music at Queens College and currently presents workshops and clinics around the world. 

Moonchild - Little Ghost European Tour

Following the release of their highly anticipated album ‘Little Ghost’, Moonchild head out to Europe in 2020, having previously played sold out shows across the continent. With a unique style of alternative R&B, soul and new-school jazz that has cemented their spot in today’s music scene, the extraordinary tour will feature new music from the band.

Tour dates:

30 JAN   Nalen Klubb, Stockholm, Sweden

01 FEB   Clamores, Madrid, Spain

02 FEB   La Nau, Barcelona, Spain

03 FEB   Le Rocher De Palmer, Bordeaux, France

05 FEB   Kaufleuten Festsaal, Zurich, Switzerland

07 FEB   Boogaloo, Zagreb, Croatia

08 FEB   Porgy & Bess, Vienna, Austria

10 FEB   Private Club, Berlin, Germany

12 FEB   Doornroosje (Small Hall), Nijmegen, Holland

13 FEB   Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam, Holland

14 FEB   Bird, Rotterdam, Holland

15 FEB   La Maroquinerie, Paris, France

17 FEB   Patterns, Brighton, UK

18 FEB   Band On The Wall, Manchester, UK

19 FEB   Scala, London, UK

21 FEB   Biko Club, Milan, Italy

22 FEB   Alcazar, Rome, Italy

Footprints Festival

Na een uitverkochte editie in januari 2019 is Footprints in 2020 terug voor haar tweede editie! Tijdens het festival worden traditionele en moderne geluiden vermengd met invloeden uit verre windstreken. Het programma volgt de voetsporen die ons van het bekende pad wegleiden, en naar een plek brengen waar avontuurlijke muziek alle ruimte krijgt.

Ook dit jaar reizen artiesten uit alle hoeken van de wereld af naar Utrecht voor Footprints Festival. Van Engeland, Frankrijk en Polen tot Algerije, Bahrein en India: alle acts verwerken verschillende roots, invloeden en technieken in hun werk, resulterend in prikkelende, dansbare en horizon verbredende muziek.

Capetown International Jazz Festival

Cape Town International Jazz festival celebrates it's 20th! edition on March 29 and 30

Jazzahead Bremen

Leopolis Jazz Fest

Montreux Jazz

No text needed ;-)

North Sea Jazz festival 2020

The annual biggest jazz festival in Holland. Do we need to say more?