A fantastic combination of funky grooves – the studio talents of Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and the Brazilian-tinged fusion of the legendary Azymuth! The jazzy trio are in great form here – tunes that are lean, and which really offer up all the best aspects that the group brought to their music back in the late 70s and early 80s – spun with a slightly different format by the lineup of Alex Malheiros on bass, Ivan Mamao Conti on drums, and Linklon Kiko Contentino on Fender Rhodes and keyboards – but handled perfectly by Adrian and Ali in the studio – with just the right sort of sound to avoid some of the slicker production that the group had on some of their other American recordings from years back. All tunes are new originals – and titles include "Pulando Corda", "Friendship Samba", "Apocolyptico", "Cat Jump", "Fall Afternoon", "Ao Redor Do Samba", and "Sumare". CD

Wonderful music from Lucas Arruda – an artist who embraces some of the warmest, most soulful styles of Brazilian music from back in the 70s, but manages to deliver them with a crisp contemporary spin! There's a lot of vintage Azymuth-styled grooves here – wicked rhythms, excellent keyboards, and a jazzy sensibility that makes for a magical flow throughout – and while there's some great soulful vocals on the set, the album also has plenty of strong instrumental moments too – a real delight all the way through, and an instant classic that may well even top Lucas' previous albums! Andre Mota lends some great vocals to the set – and titles include "The Mountain", "4:28 AM", "Novos Planos", "Ominira", "Projecoes", "The Bravest Heart", "Chant & Dance", and "Abraco Pro Ed". (Brazil, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album

Great grooves from Jackson Conti – not a dude, but a duo – one that features Madlib teamed with Mamao, drummer from the legendary Azymuth! The album's got a really unique feel – one that mixes Madlib's chunky, fuzzy style of production with some of the cleaner, jazzier Azymuth grooves of late – a combination that shouldn't work so well, but which comes across with really amazing results! There's a bit of beats on the set, but a fair bit of the percussion is acoustic too – making for more warmth than before from Madlib – almost a transplantation of the Yesterday's New Quintet sound to the sunnier Rio scene. Keyboards have a strong role too – often with the sort of edgey, compelling tones you'd hear on the first few Azymuth recordings of the 70s – and other instrumentation includes bits of guitar, flute, sax, and other well-placed touches – but all used in weird ways that are somewhere between typical jazz and Brazilian modes. Titles include "Upa Neguinho", "Xibaba", "Sao Paulo Nights", "Brasilian Sugar", "Mamaoism", "Berumba", "Papaya", "Segura Esta Onda", "Sunset At Sujinho", "Tijuca Man", and "Waiting On The Corner". LP, Vinyl record album

The deepest jazz funk material Madlib has ever laid down – possibly the best album yet from Yesterday's New Quintet – featuring turns at freewheeling avant funk, electro jazz groove, furious sound library styles, a few chill moments, and a boundless sound overall! Yesterday's Universe features 15 unique tracks – purportedly played by 10 acts (The Last Electro, The Jahari Massamba Unit, The Eddie Prince Fusion Band, Young Jazz Rebels, etc), but in truth it's all from the feverishly talented mind of Madlib – with special guests including drummer Karriem Riggins and Azymuth precussionist Mamao! It's heavily steeped in fusion funk, but we're equally impressed by the cooler, slightly straighter moments – which display just how wide of a grasp Madlib has on the deepest, darkest corners of the spectrum. The wide range of influences flows naturally – amazing work from one of the most talented wizards in the game! Titles include a heady adaptation of "Bitches Brew", "Umoja (Unity)", "Slave Riot", "One For The Monica Lingas Band", "Street Talkin'", "Marcus, Martin & Malcolm", "Two For Strata East", "Cold Nights And Rainy Days", "Mtume's Song", "Vibes From The Tribes Suite (For Phil)", "Upa Neguinho" and more. CD

Wonderful music from Lucas Arruda – an artist who embraces some of the warmest, most soulful styles of Brazilian music from back in the 70s, but manages to deliver them with a crisp contemporary spin! There's a lot of vintage Azymuth-styled grooves here – wicked rhythms, excellent keyboards, and a jazzy sensibility that makes for a magical flow throughout – and while there's some great soulful vocals on the set, the album also has plenty of strong instrumental moments too – a real delight all the way through, and an instant classic that may well even top Lucas' previous albums! Andre Mota lends some great vocals to the set – and titles include "The Mountain", "4:28 AM", "Novos Planos", "Ominira", "Projecoes", "The Bravest Heart", "Chant & Dance", and "Abraco Pro Ed". (Brazil, Deep Funk) CD

Great grooves from Jackson Conti – not a dude, but a duo – one that features Madlib teamed with Mamao, drummer from the legendary Azymuth! The album's got a really unique feel – one that mixes Madlib's chunky, fuzzy style of production with some of the cleaner, jazzier Azymuth grooves of late – a combination that shouldn't work so well, but which comes across with really amazing results! There's a bit of beats on the set, but a fair bit of the percussion is acoustic too – making for more warmth than before from Madlib – almost a transplantation of the Yesterday's New Quintet sound to the sunnier Rio scene. Keyboards have a strong role too – often with the sort of edgey, compelling tones you'd hear on the first few Azymuth recordings of the 70s – and other instrumentation includes bits of guitar, flute, sax, and other well-placed touches – but all used in weird ways that are somewhere between typical jazz and Brazilian modes. Titles include "Upa Neguinho", "Xibaba", "Sao Paulo Nights", "Brasilian Sugar", "Mamaoism", "Berumba", "Papaya", "Segura Esta Onda", "Sunset At Sujinho", "Tijuca Man", and "Waiting On The Corner". CD

A fantastic extension of the Jazz Is Dead series – a run of records that's already got a wonderfully collaborative vibe, which is taken even further with these tracks! As you might guess from the title, the album features remixes of cuts from the previous nine volumes – and the choice of remixers is really top-shelf – a great run of talents who now add their voices to the stunning sounds created by the host of famous jazz/funk talents who worked alongside Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad in the studio! Every track has a nicely different vibe, but not in a way that's schizophrenic – as the music really opens up from the sounds at the core, while still holding onto them as well. Titles include "Gotta Love Again (Kaidi Tatham rmx)" with Marcos Valle, "Soulful & Unique (Pink Sifu rmx)" with Roy Ayers, "Soulsea (Cut Chemist rmx)" with Gary Bartz, "Redor Do Samba (DJ Spinna rmx)" with Azymuth, "Liasons (Diabiase rmx)" with Joao Donato, "Nancy Wilson (Shigeto rmx)" with Brian Jackson, "Windfall (Natureboy Flako rmx)" with Doug Carn, and "Jazz Is Dead (Georgia Anne Muldrow geemix)" with The Midnight Hour. CD

A contemporary set, but one that sparkles with all the best brilliance of the 70s scene in Brazil – and that includes such heady company as Marcos Valle, Azymuth, and Joao Donato! As with all those artists at the time, Lucas Arruda has a groove that's strongly based on Fender Rhodes – warm keys that are underscored with some great acoustic percussion that gives the whole thing an earthy core at the bottom, and a vibe that's quite different than any American fusion of the time! The music is completely sublime throughout – very jazzy in its inflections, but also with a more freewheeling approach – as you'd hear on classic keys from Jose Roberto Bertrami. The set's got a bit of vocals, but really focuses on the keyboards – and titles include "Physis", "Rio Afternoon", "Batuque", "Alma Nova", "Sambadi", "Carnival", and a sweet cover of "Who's That Lady". (Brazil, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album

Great grooves from Jackson Conti – not a dude, but a duo – one that features Madlib teamed with Mamao, drummer from the legendary Azymuth! The album's got a really unique feel – one that mixes Madlib's chunky, fuzzy style of production with some of the cleaner, jazzier Azymuth grooves of late – a combination that shouldn't work so well, but which comes across with really amazing results! There's a bit of beats on the set, but a fair bit of the percussion is acoustic too – making for more warmth than before from Madlib – almost a transplantation of the Yesterday's New Quintet sound to the sunnier Rio scene. Keyboards have a strong role too – often with the sort of edgey, compelling tones you'd hear on the first few Azymuth recordings of the 70s – and other instrumentation includes bits of guitar, flute, sax, and other well-placed touches – but all used in weird ways that are somewhere between typical jazz and Brazilian modes. Titles include "Upa Neguinho", "Xibaba", "Sao Paulo Nights", "Brasilian Sugar", "Mamaoism", "Berumba", "Papaya", "Segura Esta Onda", "Sunset At Sujinho", "Tijuca Man", and "Waiting On The Corner". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty hip split album – a set that features one side each of work by two contemporary Japanese combos! Side one features the Nautilus trio – a trio with mighty sweet keyboards and heavy funky drums – perfect for the group's jazzy instrumental remakes of tunes that include Gil Scott Heron's "The Bottle", Azymuth's "Manha", The Dramatics' "In The Rain", and William De Vaughn's "Be Thankful For What You've Got". The flipside features work from singer Anna Sato, who also plays some mighty nice koto and sanshin – next to funky drums and percussion from Toshiyuki Sasaki, who kicks things up in a mighty nice way! There's an unusual blend of ancient and groovy going on, but with a lean approach that avoids any schmaltz at all – on titles that include "Watasha", "Honenbushi", "Shumichi Nagahama", and "Ayahabura". (Jazz, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album