Review: Magic Number - Badly Written Songs (Atjazz Record Company)

What could be better than another album on Atjazz Record Company that brought you singles by Magic Number last year?  Only the full album itself and it's now out!

It's no secret that we loved 'Good Morning Sunshine' (see review HERE) and 'Better' (see review HERE) and I'm pleased to say that these two tracks do no overwhelm the other excellent seven tracks on the album entitled 'Badly Written Songs'.

Of course, what all these tracks do is to reinforced that the album's title is firmly in the self-deprecating tongue in cheek-to-cheek on a dancefloor as Magic Number (aka Ross Hillard) has brought all his experience of working with the likes of Louie Vega, DJ Spen, Kerri Chandler, Lay-Far and Atjazz (to name a few) to produce a soul-house album that musically have has elements of Matthew Herbert with the horns of a Big Band together with the vocals of Sophia Marshall who has a vocal style that reminds of Róisín Murphy, Alison Goldfrapp, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and at times, a Lana Del Rey.

'Thinkin' Bout' and 'SFS' are very Herbert 'jazz' and 'SFS' could be yet another single as could 'Loving You' that's is more in the mainstream and I'd say 'Was This Love' is very radio earworm you won't be able to get it out of your head (love the vibes on this one); and then 'All I Ever Wanted' isn't too far behind all of them with those deep synths and bassline. 

Whilst it's all very clever, 'Exit' might be the most obvious dance track with a great some catchy hook and I suspect Mr. Atjazz (Martin Iveson) must have been more than enthusiastic hearing this album by his mate as you can see in you minds eye/ear that he's thinking of a remix or to: both of their address books must be full of canidates but in all honesty, if that is in the future, there's no rush as this album/all these tracks are going to be on many a chart listing this year and if they can make the summer festival circuit, they're going to be very busy indeed.

Artist: Magic Number
Title: Badly Written Songs
Release date: 9th February, 2024

Label : Atjazz Record Company

Catalog Number : ARC240AD Digital / Bandcamp 

Reveiw: Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi - Anima (BBE Music)

It's unusual for BBE to release a stand-alone digital single, but you'll soon see why on the first listen to 'Anima' they have this time.

Lots of hip-hoppy jazz spiritual harp ambience going on at the moment, but Alina Bzhezhinska with Tony Kofi on sax must be close to the ultimate with this single.

We know Alina from her album 'Reflections' and the remix of 'Fire' (see review HERE) whilst Tony made his name with the UK jazz explosion that saw him as a main stay playing with the Jazz Warriors and moving on to the equally influencial Gary Crosby's Nu Tropp.

There's six track album by the pair called 'Altera Vita' is coming out soon and in the meantime, lets breath with this: guaranteed it'll get pick up for cinematic/TV use and QiGung/Tai Chi approved jazz.

Artist: Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi 

Title: Anima

Release date: 9th February, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE779SDG

Format: Digital  

Review: Dina Ögon - Orion (Playground Music)

Dina Ögon are a fourpiece who certainly have their own identity and Swedish post-folk swagger.

You might have come across earlier single of 'Glitter' / 'Det läcke' with summer jingley/jangley sixties pop sensibilites... along with some splendid Swedish vocals.

Don't think of you're usual stereotypes from Sweden (a certain pop band, specialist film/magazine industry or Sven-Göran Eriksson - who we wish all our best after his recent health annoucement) but these guys are a healthy mix of Tuung (UK) the nu-Rio wave of Bala Desejo (see review HERE) with some West Coast CSN&Y influence; and that's more than enought to get excited about.

The nine tracks on 'Orin' are a 'Best Of' selection so the quality doesn't really dip as it's all brilliant but if you pushed me, 'Milton' is very Vashti Bunyan meets Indo-Fleetwood Mac (Ed. we could do with a longer mix for this one) and the almost dubby title track (Ed. where's Mad Professor?) and if there's some seagulls flying about, the Balearic soft-rock of 'Mellan de sju fjällen'.

If you're looking for this years' Altın Gün, look no further and if you've ever listened to the BBC Radio series 'The Cold Swedish Winter' that revolves around an Anglo-male living in Sweden with his Swedish wife and young son, you'll have some sort of knowledge of how complicated life in Sweden is; Dina Ögo make it sound so beautiful you'll want to go there anyway.

Artist: Dina Ögon

Title:  Orion

Release date: 2nd February, 2024

Label : Playground Music

Catalog Number : -

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Audrey Powne - Feed The Fire (Atjazz & Musclecars Remixes) (BBE Music)

The next cab of the Melbourne musical rank of excellence is Audrey Powne and the fires are being fed with this single that brings the heat.

Ozzie heat in the case is not Damon Heta or the Australian Open but multi-instrumentalist Audrey with her composition and title track of the forthcoming album, 'Feed the Fire' that's a soul-jazz reflection on the bushfires that have plagued her homeland of late and the resistance of the powers that be to associate the problem with the climate crisis.

She's caught the ear of the likes of Gilles Peterson and Masta Ace in the past and BBE haven't been slow to spot the potential: and just to make sure she gets even more attention, the ever present master remix veteran Atjazz and NYC's musclecars have jumped at the chance for some mega remixers.

We're always in awe of the dancefloor skill of Atjazz (in this case, a set of remix, instrumental and the monster "Deeper" remix with instrumental) but last year you'll recall Jazzanova's 'Beyond The Dream' got a "remingination" by musclecars (see review HERE) which then got us excited about their work with Brandon Markell Holmes (see review HERE) and their single, 'Shelter (Building It, Still)'.

BBE don't let you down and if the album is as good as this single, we're in for a fantastic 2024; and just to set it up a bit more, the next single on the label is a musclecars' own single, 'Running Out Of Time' (what odds on a Audry Powne remix?)

Artist: Audrey Powne

Title:  Feed The Fire (Atjazz & Musclecars Remixes)

Release date: 2nd February, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE753SDG

Format: Digital / Bandcamp 

 

Review: Mal Waldron / Terumasa Hino - Reminicent Suite (BBE Music)

Looking back, can you believe that BBE has now reached the 19th release in the BBE Music J Jazz Series and it's a big 'un as features two of the greatest in jazz  together with a band of the very best Japanese jazz musicians.

Originally released in 1973(!) this 2 track album, 'Reminicent Suite' (Waldron, 23:43) and 'Black Forest' (Hino, 18:38) it's a shame no previous unreleased tracks have be found but a fresh new vinyl dpressing is enough to get excited about.

The title track, unsrprisingly, is in three parts, Dig It Deep Down Baby ~ Echoes ~ Once More With Feeling and for you jazzdance fans of the avant-bangy piano and drums with squirty cream horns, don't go any further than 'Dig It Deep Down Baby': TUNE! you may well hear someone say.

'Black Forest' is just stunning angular jazz-funk fusion that was/is next step essential.

These days, we've got Takuya Kuroda (Blue Note, First Word) to fly the Japanese trumpet jazz flag but it doesn't hurt to get in touch with what's gone before.

Artist: Mal Waldron / Terumasa Hino

Title:  Reminicent Suite

Release date: 26th January, 2024

Label : BBE Music

Catalog Number : BBE

Format: LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: divr - Is This Water (We Jazz Records)

We all know that water is the source of life but is the divr album, 'Is This Water' equivalent in jazz terms?

And to push it that bit further, the Swiss trio of Phillipp Eden (piano/keys), Jonas Ruther (drums) and Raphael Walser (bass) are looking at water as an improvised liquid, gas and solid state over these 9 tracks.

We Jazz has called it an approach of "mutli-direction" that's been mixed by Dan Nicholls (of jazz collective, Y-OTIS) and it certainly touches various angular elements of free/ambient/spiritual as well as modern jazz.

Not surprising that there's touches of Japanese minimalism (they do love a water feature in a garden after all) and you get that with the Reich-eque '42' and 'Upeksha' [Sanskrit for equanimity, non-attachment, even-mindedness or letting go] and the temple percussion on 'Supreme Sweetness' but unusually to a jazz trio free vibe. 

I particularly like '42', not just because '42' is "the answer to life, the universe and everything" -but I can here some Arthur Russell influences from his avant-garde NY loft period whilst 'Tea High' is the most immediate of the tracks with it's post-classical minimalism.

And just to make this album even more interesting, there's a cover version of Radioheads' 'All I Need' (if it's not on BBE's 'Exit Music... Songs With Radio Heads', I wouldn't know it: but nothing like the how jazz trio The Bad Plus would have approached it in 2006 when that album came out - or perhaps it is?) and super ever trendy Broadcast, 'Echo's Answer'.

In trio terms, very different to recent Anni Kiviniemi Trio album 'Eir' (see review HERE) but as the well known Lao Tzu saying tells us, "Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it"  and you'll feel no resistance to the divr sound.

Artist: divr

Album: Is This Water
Release date: 2nd February, 2024
Label : We Jazz Records
Catalog Number : WJLP60 LP / CD / Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Cotonete - Victoire De La Musique (Heavenly Sweetness)

Those old jazz funk and acid jazz album can sound a little hackneyed?  The answer in 2024 is to looking a little further afield with Cotonete's new album, 'Victoire De La Musique' on Heavenly Sweetness.

Starting out in the 2000's this "supergroup" were  fans of Latin-jazz big hitters like Deodato, Lalo Schiffrin, Azymuth, Banda Black Rio but they only got going after a recent reunion at the behest of Melik Bencheikh of Heartbeat Vinyl in Paris.

The album 'Super-vilains' came out in 2019 and caught attention of remixes by Dimtri From Paris and Alex Attias and Canadian rapper Drake has even sampled them (and look what that did for Norma Winstone and owners of her 1970s album, no going for £350!)

For their follow-up album Heavenly Sweetness' GUTS has not only upped the ante, they are joined by names as famous as a Gilles Peterson VIP guest list like Far Out Recording's  Sabrina Malheiros Leron Thomas, Gystere Pesine and legend, 'The Man' Omar (can't believe it's almost exactly 10 years since 'The Boogie Volume 4' on Tokyo Dawn Records (see review HERE).

 

In addition to the heavenly (no pun etc) vocals by Omar on 'What Did You Run For', there's a tribute to French film OST royalty Francis Lai with 'Cinq Pour L'aventure at nearly 15 minutes long and the synth-funk-disco of 'O céu é preto' feat. Gystere (I can hear Dimitri sharpening his faders as I type.

That said, all 9 tracks are great and a very early contender for Album of the Year and conviently released to coincide with the first Bandcamp Friday of the year - you know what to do!

Artist: Cotonete

Title: Victoire De La Musique

Release Date: 2nd February 204

Catalog Number: -

Label: Heavenly Sweetness

Review: Coy Haste - Bancha Bounce (Stereo Ferment)

If you know your illicit grooves from your fermented grooves, Coy Haste on the Stereo Ferment label will be a familiar name to you.

Coy Haste (aka Brad Weber who is the tour drummer with Caribou) has made a 3 tracker, 'Bancha Bounce' that's a head combo of contemporary House and Disco influences with 70's and 80's South Asian Psychedelia.

Whether he's plunderd a Numero Group compilation for that Thai infused 'Noi District' or Hong Kong for 'Lamma Nights' (Ed. not very Jackie Chan?) I'm definitely up for some 'Giling Basah' for some baggin' backroom boogie with a big dub potential.

Toronto is a big cultural melting pot and the home of the label and its recommend Fermeted Grooves compilations.

Artist: Coy Haste

Album: Bancha Bounce
Release date: 1st February, 2024
Label : Stereo Ferment
Catalog Number : SF014

Format:  Digital / Bandcamp 

Review: Joseph Malik - Be A Lion ft Kameelah Waheed (Ramrock Red)

Could this track possibly relate to a Lion of Lisborn? I think not as Kameelah Waheed takes the lead on 'Be A Lion', the new single by Joseph Malik on the Ramrock Red label.

"Philly's finest" appeared a few times on YATM last year, not only on Malik's "Album Of The Year", 'Proxima Ebony' (see review HERE) but also Andrew Sant's 'Love Honor Respect' (see review HERE) and on Sumsuch & Will Brock's' Don't Know Where I'm Going' (see review HERE).

This is for all "lionesses" everywhere as although the instrumental version is pretty powerful with string ladden funk, the Nasty P kutz don't distract from Kameelah's vocals (or the very nice old skool East Coast hip-hop cover graphics).

Mr. Malik might have grown up into the soulful legend he is today but there's no hidding the original Mk1 B-Boy swagger here so if you've got the album, you need this single - if you've not got the album, get both.

P.S. There's still some time before the transfer window closes but I can confirm exclusively that we're not in any negoitations to buy out our Ramrock/F*CLR contract, quite the opposite as we've re-signed in what's been described as a "win-win" situation - you might say, "Come on you Lions/Lionesess"!

Artist: Joseph Malik 

Title: Be A Lion ft Kameelah Waheed 

Release date: 26th January, 2024

Label: Ramrock Red

Cat. No: RRR056

Format: Bandcamp / Digital

Review: Aytiwan & Lizwi – Isimanga (Sunset Gathering)

Afro-house pre-orders for Sunset Gathering's 'Isimanga' by Aytiwan & Lizwi have been dominating charts this New Year already so no it's time to get your hands on the actual release.

You'll recall we've just had the Afro-house hit of Nico Efstratiou's 'Ndibize' as remixed by Aytiwan which followed the two mega remixes from Aytiwan  (who you will recall was called on to do the remix for David Hopperman's 'Mire' (including a Diamond Dealer Remix)(see review HERE). 

I hope there's going to be a longer version (Ed. is that because the original is nearly 7 minutes long?) or a remix with a vocal soundclash with Athimux that'd be a great mix elongates the track and adds a mystical tension vs. the South African 'tribal' Lizwi. 

Not sure if the cover image is a vision of the "Belgian Afro House architect" (that's Aytiwan) dream discotech as the sunset gathers but 'Isimanga' is definitely anthem bound.

Artist: Aytiwan & Lizwi 

Title: Isimanga

Release date: 26th January, 2024

Label : Sunset Gathering

Catalog Number : SG75

Format: Digital