New Grooves — CDs  

An overlooked gem from the early years of Schema Records – a straight jazz set that crackles with classic modal energy! The group's really a great one – and features some tremendous trumpet from Fabrizio Bosso – plus trombone from Gianluca Petrella, piano from Stefano Bollani, and saxes from Gaetano Partipilo – mostly all players who've really gone on to make a name for themselves after this set! There's a really classic feel here – somewhere between the Italian jazz of the Basso/Valdambrini group, and some of the best hardbop on Saba/MPS. The group falls into none of the cliches that you might expect – quite a surprise at the mid 90s time of the session, but a bit more common in today's club jazz era – and the production here is wonderful too, just right for the 60s feel of the record. Titles include "Mr. Kenyatta", "Argento D'Africa", "Unit 7", "Mira", and "Modal Convention".

A great contrast to some of the American jazz remix projects in recent years – because the work here is hipper and deeper – and also offered at a mighty low price! They might as well have called the set MPS Remixed – as a good number of the original tunes here are from the classic MPS catalog of the 60s and 70s – redone here in versions from recent years, which are combined with a few more from the larger Universal remix catalog. Trippy touches abound, and the package features 14 numbers that include "Mathar (Frank Popp rmx)" by Dave Pike Set, "Feel (Spacek rmx)" by George Duke, "Morning Song (DJ DSL mix)" by Don Menza, "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men (dZihan & Kamien's biologypolyphony)" by Peter Herbholzheimer, "Color (Salut's intro edit)" by Orchester Erwin Lehn, "Just Bring It Out (Andy Smith & Scott Hendy rmx)" by Wolfgang Dauner, "Monticello (Vinyl Vibes rmx)" by Monty Alexander, "Speech Craft (No Sleep Til Dawn rmx)" by Horst Jankowski, "Sunshine Of Your Love (Rockers Hifi rmx)" by Ella Fitzgerald, and "It Don't Mean A Thing (Incognito rmx)" by Space Jazz Dub Men.

A whole new sound for Mark De Clive-Lowe – and a great one too – a completely different approach than any of his other previous records, and one that mixes his core cosmic grooves with a heavy dose of jazz! The set has Mark working with the Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra – who provide bigger band backing to his sweet keyboards and rhythms, making for a wonderful blend of acoustic and electric that almost takes us back to some of the best MPS sessions of this nature in the 70s! Most tracks feature at least one horn solo out from the larger group – and there's no vocals at all on the record, which further gives the whole thing a fresh vibe compared to some of Mark's recent releases. Titles include "Relax Unwind", "Blues For Six", "Money", "El Dia Perfecto", "Heaven", "Take The Space Trane", "Caravan", and "Filthy Fingers".

An album that's every bit as hip as you'd expect from its Sam Rivers-inspired cover image – a beautiful tribute to the modal jazz scene of the 60s, particularly the work of John Coltrane and some of his followers on Impulse Records! Apart from a cover of "Naima", though, the set's hardly a simple rehash of Coltrane modes – as all other tunes are originals, and the band delivers them with a core piano trio groove, then adds in flute, tenor, and soprano sax on different tracks! Rhythm is at the heart of the record, and bassist/leader Jerker Kluge really moves the group with a pulsating sound on his instrument – a deep, soulful tone that's matched beautifully by the brightly soaring piano lines of Jo Junghanss. A few cuts feature vocals by Julia Fehenberger, who further deepens the soul of the record – and the whole thing's a massive killer – like finding some lost Saba/MPS gem from the late 60s, with all the European jazz genius you'd expect from such a reference. Titles include "Heaven & Earth", "Naima", "Orange Flower", "Red Smoke", "Starlings Talk", and "Black Tiger".

A contemporary take on the sounds of mid-Century – a very cool batch of tracks that leans heavily on 50s exotica, 60s electronica, and lots of other odd bits – all filtered together in cool production with a really playful feel! The set's somewhere between some of the older retro sounds on the Irma La Douce label, and some of the colder work in recent years by groups who've been inspired by Italian crime and horror soundtracks – although Akron's work is a bit warmer overall. Titles include "Rabbits In Orbit", "A Glimpse Of Hell", "Frog War Chant", "Robot Grind", "Memory Hole", and "Picabu".

A great step forward for The Bamboos – still as funky as ever, but in a much greater range of styles than before! The core deep funk sound we've always loved is still burning away at the bottom – thanks to the ever-trusty grooves of Lance Ferguson and crew – but this time around, there's also a host of guests who really seem to shape the overall feel of the record – Aloe Blacc, Megan Washington, Klye Auldist, Daniel Merriweather, Bobby Flynn, and Ella Thompson – each bringing in their own great flavors, and creating a depth of sound that's mighty nice! Most of these guests are vocalists, but their shifting styles seems to spur the instrumentation onto new heights too – adapting to suit the mood, yet never in a way that's too frenetic to keep the album from being unified overall. Titles include "Where Does The Time Go", "What I Know", "I Got Burned", "Cut Me Down", "Midnight", "Medicine Man", "Window", and "Hello Stranger".

Nothing secret about The Sunburst Band – they're a group we've loved for years – and one that we love to rave about on these pages! This album's a tremendous effort – one that proves that our faith in the group has never let us down – and that they're one of the few acts that keep on burning with a serious fire and never-ending sense of soul! Joey Negro keeps things in a classic dancefloor mode throughout – lots of warm 70s club elements and funky soul undercurrents – all handled with just the right sort of vintage instrumentation and jazzy inflections that make these guys equally-trusted contemporaries of Incognito – yet even more disco-oriented too. And this time around, there's some great vocalists on board to really help keep the proceedings at a partyful level – Angela Johnson, Noelle Scaggs, Diane Charlemagne, Pete Simpson, Donna Gardier, and others – all singers who help spice things up between instrumental grooves. Titles include "My Way", "In The Thick Of It", "Jazz The DMX", "Caught In The Moment", "Educated Funk", "Trust Me", "Love One Another", "Easy Come Easy Go", "The Secret Life Of Us", and "Why Wait For Tomorrow".