Jazz de Ville

Leo Sidran - The Art of Conversation

“Vocally he suggests an amalgam of his father Ben with a hint of Donald Fagen
His fluid laidback style is reminiscent of Bob Dorough. Musically & lyrically his compositions are smart, sharp and sparkingly original.” Christopher Loudon - Jazz Times

Brandee Younger - Somewhere Different

Brandee Younger is a performer, composer and educator. She leads her own ensemble and has worked with such musicians as Pharaoh Sanders, Lauryn Hill, John Legend, and Common. Somewhere Different was recorded in New York City and at the legendary Van Gelder Studios. The record evokes nostalgic Black soul, informed by pioneering harpists Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby as well as ‘90s R&B groups like SWV and Xscape - featuring appearances by legendary bassist Ron Carter, and Tarriona “Tank” Ball.

Celia Wa - Wastral EP

Creole Neo Soul From Guadeloupe 

Born in Paris but having grown up in Guadeloupe, Celia started playing music with the "Ka" (traditional West Indian percussion) at the great George Troupé's school, and then devoted herself to the flute. She made her first stage appearance at the age of 12 and never left it.
Back in Paris, she immersed herself in the Hip Hop culture, especially dance, which became her profession before she decided to return to music and released two EPs mixing electronic music and traditional West Indian music (Gwo ka). 

Energy and inspiration come from the Gwoka. From these hands which, when they are not a raised fist, pound the drums, proud of their roots and of their Guadeloupean identity. 
This is where Celia Wa comes from, from all that she inherited by spending her childhood between the West Indies and France. 
The first years of her life were spent discovering the musical soul of the island, letting the seven gwoka rhythms seep into her until they became an integral part of her. The following years were spent discovering reggae, salsa, jazz and the omnipresent hip hop. Music whose original source was close to her, but to which she only opened up after having travelled thousands of kilometres. 
After two self-produced EPs, Wastral is the sum of these inspirations and influences. 
Born in the acoustic, it is under the modern and futuristic production of Victor Vagh (producer of Flavia Coehlo) that the seven tracks were revealed and then sublimated. Dissipated in the vaporous arrangements, softened under the effect of the synthetic layers, the organic was meticulously covered with an electro varnish disturbed by the echoes and reverbs of the dub. Celia Wa's soaring, twirling flute grazes or stirring the groove, her lyrics reviving the memory of her island. 
In Creole or in English, they tell the story in the present tense without forgetting the past. A past full of the sounds of struggles, of clashing chains and cracking whips, marks that have disappeared from bodies but remain deeply rooted in families and history. 
New feminine signature at Heavenly Sweetness, Celia Wa draws with Wastral the map of an avant-garde stellar journey in which the musical star of Guadeloupe shines bright. 

The Library Archive Vol. 2.

The spirit of KPM, DeWolfe & I Marc 4 distilled in a lockup garage in Leeds returns for a second helping. 

The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express ('Theme From The Watcher’). 

It only seemed natural for the team at ATA Records to scratch their own Library itch and so last year’s “The Library Archive Vol. 1” was born. Recorded over a series of sessions in the Alladins cave of vintage recording equipment that is ATA studios, it featured many of the stalwart musicians from the label who can also be found recording with The Sorcerers, Work Money Death and The Lewis Express. 

Garnering praise from Library aficionado Shawn Lee (“Holy F*$K this sounds great! ATA really smash the classic British Library sound. 10 out of 10”) and the Don of British Library Music himself Alan Hawkshaw, “The Library Archive Vol. 1” was very well received and so a follow up was inevitable. Recorded during the Autumn of 2020, “The Library Archive Vol. 2” still has the golden age of European Library music squarely in it’s sights, but this time the focus is drawn more to the wonky organ work of Italian quartet I Marc 4. 

Opening track ‘The Glass Eye’ starts things off with a tense bass riff, atmospheric percussion and a haunting organ melody. ‘Mosey Rambler’ brings things into more amiable territory before ‘Windie Man’ soundtracks an early 70s sporting highlights reel or student hash party. ‘Ice Cool’ introduces vocal elements reminiscent of Barbara Moore’s ethereal output before ‘Cleared For Launch’ blasts into the upper atmosphere and ‘Swamp Cat’ Channels Johnny Hawksworth’s theme tune to ‘Roobarb’ to close out the first side. 

Side B kicks off proceedings with the knockout ‘Fight Or Fuzz’ before settling into the Addam’s Familyesque ‘Mysterious Manor’. The frenetic organ and bongos of ‘Push & Go’ could quite easily accompany detectives Regan & Carter as they chase down another east end villain, while ‘Sensed Presence’ brings a sense of otherworldly menace. ‘The Actuator’ gets the wheels moving before LP closer ‘Going Galactic’ takes us back to the mothership. 

Each track has been lovingly crafted with a keen ear for authenticity and the same eye for detail shown on ‘The Library Archive Vol. 1’, recorded on the same instruments and equipment and with the same techniques as the music that inspired it. 

The Library Archive is a labour of love for the label with more volume’s planned. 

The LP is released on 02/07/2021 on LP, CD and download with a limited coloured vinyl pressing exclusive to bandcamp. 

Galathea

GALATHEA is the new project created by DJ Massimo Napoli, and the title of his first album. 

Galathea comes from Greek mythology. She is one of fifty ‘nereids’ – nymphs of the sea, daughters of Nereo and Doride. Such an image points the way to the atmosphere that pervades this new production: dub sounds, spiritual sounds and African settings. 

Whilst seeming to be a mixture of ideas, the album conceals a strong personality that establishes Napoli as a creative force. This creativity stems from a focused attitude to club culture with an emphasis on electronic dub which then evolves into a myriad of influences and styles that makes Galathea a unique listening experience. 

Mediterranean culture, Afro, cinematic melodies, jazz, spiritual sounds and hypnotic settings lead the listener into an unconscious escape. Galathea’s ten superbly mixed tracks succeed in demonstrating how a skillful production that uses fluidity and a mixture of genres, can naturally evolve into a dream–like journey. 

SPIRITUAL WIND – The essence of spiritual jazz music can be heard on the central 5/4 rhythm, the deep double bass line and the operatically informed voice. 
AFRIQUE – The melodic line and the rhythmic Nigerian Afro-funk blends with the dub sounds; the result is a song that’s innovative, heavily loaded and powerful, but also a fine listening experience. 
DUNE – From Africa to the Caribbean, the dividing line is narrow: ‘Dune’ references Cuban and Puerto Rican culture. But the atmosphere that distinguishes this track is the interplay between Latin rhythms and dub sounds. 
BLACK SAND – An Afro dub jazz composition enriched by dub sounds and African instruments accompanying a poignant and intense vocal performance. 
SCIROCCO – The warm and hypnotic atmosphere of this song with Asian hues is reminiscent of the Shurhùq or midday wind – a warm wind that blows from the southeast over the Mediterranean Sea. The result is an explosive mix of musical cultures with the addition of dub spiritual sounds. 
SIMETO – Asian influences merge with jazz. The delicate sitar fits perfectly with dub sounds, like the river’s ripples gently flowing towards the sea. Simeto (Symaithos in ancient Greek) is a name derived from a river that flows into the Ionian Sea from the slopes of Etna. 
SUNSET DUB – Composed in collaboration with musician producer Salvo Dub, with a dynamic and percussive first section followed by minimal dub and electronica. 
SIRENS – This could be called the ‘song of the sirens’. An ethereal and percussive track enhanced by the sound of the sea, sea birds and the haunting sirens’ voices. 
KARMA BLUES – An Afro blues track with real impact. The presence of kora and reggae singing perfectly colours the recording, rendering the composition delicate and atmospheric. 
THIS IS AFRICAN JAZZ – The sounds of the Savannah inspired the development of this track and takes the listener on an intense and spiritual journey accompanied by African dub and percussive sounds.
AMANECER – Meaning, the appearance of daylight, as though it were a sweet soundtrack that welcomes the sun, while the strings accompany the sound of the sea and the singing of sea birds. 

MASSIMO NAPOLI is a DJ from Catania, Sicily, with a passion for jazz and black music. He began his musical career in the early ’90s playing funk, hip hop and acid jazz in the most influential clubs in his city, contributing to the spread of the most eclectic and refined sounds in Sicily. 

He was one of the founders of the musical projects Piatto Forte and Nero Espresso at the Mercati Generali, as well as the main promoter of the Funky Summertime and Wintertime Festival at Ma and Mercati Generali. 

For ten years he was curator and resident DJ at the Home project, one of the most representative evenings of the Italian Club Culture, whose mission was linked to the alternative scenes of Afro, Soul, Jazz and Deep House Music. In this period he hosted and shared the console with DJs such as Moodymann, Osunlade, Gilles Peterson, DJ Spinna, King Britt, Rich Medina, Phil Asher, Theo Parrish and many others. 

He has produced and arranged numerous songs and formed the collective Koom.h together with the DJ Salvo Borrelli and the musician Salvo Dub, releasing an album together on the Big Sur label.

He has compiled several albums dedicated to African and Brazilian sounds, including “Feel the Beat: Afrofunk” and “Break n’ Bossa 7’’ introducing the sounds of funk to these long-running compilations. 

His productions have taken him around the world, with an intense touring activity between Europe and the USA. 

His eclectic DJ sets range from soul, funk and afrobeat to new forms of electronic music, with a strong dose of experimentation, but without giving up completely the classic 4/4 rhythm. 

Esperanza Spalding - Formwela 4

Spalding has said that “formwela 4” was created for when “an un-revealed current at the river bottom of your being needs to rise up and be made lovingly legible.”

On the song, she sings: “Let me allow the beauty from above who made you that way / To be known love and get it made / To know you need it that way is to let me love you.” The song aims to remind listeners that “loving and self-giving are not individual undertakings; that even in the most intimate circumstances, ancestors and earth’s support forces are in attendance, for the honoring of their beauty via the truth of how you really are, and what you really need.”

“Formwela 4” is the first of three songs Spalding is set to release this June. Additional tracks will arrive each Friday for the remainder of the month. These releases were also created with King at the Songwrights Apothecary Lab in Portland, Oregon.

The lab was launched back in April with the release of Spalding’s 3-track Triangle suite. The aim of the project is to incorporate therapeutic practices and knowledge into the creative process of songwriters.

Rather than releasing the tracks created in the lab as plastic CDs or vinyl records, the songs will be released with a functional object. For example, “formwela 4” is being released with an iron-on patch shaped like a blue ear. The intention is for those who purchase to item to find function in speaking their needs into the ear, or ironing it onto an item they own to carry with them.

Bheki Mseleku - Beyond the Stars

Self-taught multi-instrumentalist and composer Bhekumuzi Hyacinth Mseleku (1955-2008), known as Bheki Mseleku, is widely considered to have been the most richly gifted South African jazz musician of his generation. Born in Durban, he moved to Johannesburg in the mid-1970s and played with groups including Spirits Rejoice, The Drive and Philip Tabane’s Malombo. In 1980, he left apartheid South Africa for exile in Europe, travelling with his close friend Eugene Skeef. (A percussionist, educator, poet and former close comrade of Steve Biko, Skeef originally produced the Beyond The Stars session, and contributes liner notes to this release.) 

Bheki spent six difficult years in Stockholm before moving to London. After a triumphant debut at Ronnie Scott’s, in 1992 he would release his now classic debut album Celebration for World Circuit, before signing with Verve. He would go on to achieve worldwide recognition, recording and touring with jazz luminaries including Elvin Jones, Pharoah Sanders, Joe Henderson and Abbey Lincoln. 

Throughout his life, Bheki struggled with both his physical and mental health. He was, as Eugene Skeef puts it, ‘a conduit for the healing energy of music to flow into the world’, a gift that came at a cost. At the start of the new century, Bheki returned to live in South Africa, but just a few years later he found himself in compound difficulties: life at home had proved too hard, and he was not well. He had also lost his imported Steinway upright piano in an unwise business deal and had not been able to play. In 2003, Skeef helped him return to London, where they hoped to realign his health and rekindle his career. Through his work with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Skeef arranged for Bheki to have access to the Steinway concert grand pianos held at Henry Wood Hall. After Bheki had spent a few weeks recuperating, Skeef booked a studio session at Gateway Studios. 

Beyond The Stars was the result: a stunning, solo piano suite which condenses Mseleku’s visionary overstanding of South African music into a flowing, pulsing statement in six parts. With jazzwise echoes of marabi, amahubo, maskanda and Nguni song forms binding it to the deep music of Mseleku’s Zulu heritage, Beyond The Stars provides what Blue Note recording artist Nduduzo Makhathini describes in his liner notes as ‘a divine summary’ of Bheki’s life story: ‘a sonic pilgrimage from the beautiful and organic landscapes of Durban, to the vibrant energy of London and ultimately toward the inner dimensions of one’s being.’ 

But releasing the album proved impossible at the time, and so the session has remained unheard. Bheki sadly passed on in 2008, without having released a new album for five years; almost two decades have now passed since any new music by him has emerged. Working with Eugene Skeef, Tapestry Works is proud to break the silence with a first issue for Bheki Mseleku’s visionary masterpiece, Beyond The Stars. 

Nubya Garcia - Source: Our Dance (Record Store Day 2021)

Now available: Nubya Garcia's Source: Our Dance.  Limited turquoise marbled vinyl 12" with great remixes by Mark de Clive-Lowe and others.

Sunburst Band - Dave Lee & Louie Vega Mixes

Dave Lee dons his Sunburst Band trousers and calls in the vocal talents of Wayne Hernandez with this slice of Brazilian flavoured Jazz Funk ‘Listen Love’ - yes the Jon Lucien jazz dance favourite. The sizzling drums & percussion blend perfectly with the pulsating bassline that allows Wayne to scat and weave his way into the blissed out yet uptempo jazzy keys. For those thinking this would be an even better track if it had a flute solo, we’ve got you covered! with Dave Lee’s ‘Flute Reboot’ for that maximum Latin edged jazz-funk feel. 

On the flip two people who need not introducing, Louie Vega & Josh Milan get frenzied on the drums and piano, as they up the ante and deliver a jazz dance fusion clocking in at 9 minutes. Their mix really works up a sweat in the second half as the groove and scatting lock together for an intense rhythmic workout. All in all a very impressive outing.

Everybody still digs Bill Evans: A career retrospective (1956 - 1980)

Craft Recordings celebrates the legacy of Bill Evans with first-ever career spanning collection. Available now!

Black Sea Jazz festival

Maestro feat. Susanne Alt

RCO Club Night

More info soon