Jazz — All Formats  

The rare second set from the Catch Up combo of the 70s – a cool German group with a very MPS-like groove – a nicely messed-up mix of funk and jazz elements, sorted out into a great new groove! The group's headed by bassist Milan Pilar – whose electric instrument really has a great way of bringing things up from the bottom – guiding the more freewheeling elements with a nice pulse that never lets the proceedings get too out of hand – but does allow for plenty of interplay between Herb Geller on alto and soprano sax, Ack Van Rooyen on trumpet, Max Greger Jr on piano, Rudi Wilfer on keyboards, and other group members on percussion. Things are pretty darn funky throughout – with a great sort of sound library groove – and titles include "Clown", "To Ali Cante", "End Of The Beginning Of The End", "Uru", "Bigosh", and "Birth Of The Second Life".

A cool collection of grooves from Disques Dessinee – one of the grooviest labels going today – and an imprint that we can definitely trust to dig up tunes we've never heard before! This volume of the series is definitely in keeping with the "mellow" in the title – and features a mix of obscure late 70s numbers with a laidback disco vibe – mixed with a few other contemporary numbers that still echo older modes – particularly 70s fusion and Brazilian rhythms! As with other releases, the packaging is wonderful too – a really beautiful wrapper for rare tunes that include "No One Like" by Bjorn Gordsby, "Waiting In The Wings" by Marion Javius, "Muevete Muevete" by Black Sugar, "Do What You Will" by Amber Navran Band, "Sister Jane" by Max Greger Jr, "Easy To Love" by Tess Henley, "The Way" by Orly, "Cumuli Nimbus" by Laurie Holloway, and "Circling Numbers" by Nuela Charles.

A rich array of sounds from French pianist Jean Rotman – a player who seems to bring way more here to a trio date than you might expect! The album starts with a very boppish tribute to Charlie Parker, but then moves to a sensitive piano duet, then swings into a sweet funky number with a bass-heavy break at the start – and that's all just on side one! By the end of the record, there's plenty of great surprises to discover – all handled by Rotman's deep, warm tone – which is often echoed nicely by bassist Patrice Soler – and given subtle inspiration by drummer Laurent Rosemain – all in a way that's a great illustration of the creative complexity you'll find in the oft-overlooked French scene of this period. Titles include "Charlie Parker Par Coeur", "Seattle M'Etait Conte", "A Tune For Mat", "Degriffe", "Bossa Lissee", and "Bring Back Your Strawberry".