Excellent sounds from Ojo Balingo – a Nigerian juju artist from the same stretch as King Sunny Ade – but one whose music is much more obscure to audiences on this side of the Atlantic! Balingo's group here has the loose, spontaneous vibe that characterizes juju at its best – this real sense of jamming, especially in the criss-crossing of the percussion, which is tremendous throughout – a real driving force of the music, and exploding with all these melodic elements as much as rhythmic ones – so much so, that the talking between the drums speaks volumes, even before the vocals come into the mix. The whole thing's a masterpiece of creative percussion, mixed with other elements that creep in a bit more strongly on side two – and titles include "Oba Mimo Olorun Ayo", "Ayo Igbala Ni Mofe, "Igbe Eiye Oloburo", "Jide Babaloa & Bayo Babalola", and "Ile Aiye Ile Ese Ile Aiye Ogun". CD

Excellent sounds from Ojo Balingo – a Nigerian juju artist from the same stretch as King Sunny Ade – but one whose music is much more obscure to audiences on this side of the Atlantic! Balingo's group here has the loose, spontaneous vibe that characterizes juju at its best – this real sense of jamming, especially in the criss-crossing of the percussion, which is tremendous throughout – a real driving force of the music, and exploding with all these melodic elements as much as rhythmic ones – so much so, that the talking between the drums speaks volumes, even before the vocals come into the mix. The whole thing's a masterpiece of creative percussion, mixed with other elements that creep in a bit more strongly on side two – and titles include "Oba Mimo Olorun Ayo", "Ayo Igbala Ni Mofe, "Igbe Eiye Oloburo", "Jide Babaloa & Bayo Babalola", and "Ile Aiye Ile Ese Ile Aiye Ogun". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful package – one that brings together five excellent albums from pianist Alan Jean-Marie – an important player on the French scene, but one who never full gets his due on this side of the Atlantic! The set begins with Jean-Marie's first album of Biguine Reflections – a set of jazz reinterpretations of the style of biguine – that highly rhythmic mode from the French West Indies, which itself received a strong influx of jazz in the post-war years! Alain Jean-Marie has roots in Guadeloupe, but plays with the open flow of some of our favorite French pianists, too – and the album's treasure that we've loved for years – one with rhythmic impulses that are unlike any other jazz trio record we can think of! Alain first played in other biguine groups in his youth, so is very familiar with the style – but really opens it up here with the help of Eric Vinceno on bass and Serge Marne on drums. The set continues with Volumes 2, 3, 4, and 5 of Biguine Reflections – a combination of modern jazz and Caribbean moods, but in ways that are completely sublime – and without any of the cliches you might expect! The core sound is acoustic piano jazz – with Jean-Marie on piano, Eric Viinceno on bass, and Jean-Claude Montredon on drums – and together, the players come across with this really fluid vibe, often taking on the sorts of rhythms you might not always find on a standard trio session, and leaping along with a great sense of joy in their music. All albums are wonderful – and the 4CD set is a hell of a discovery in jazz if you've not heard the music of Alain before. (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

The debut solo album from Don Laka – an artist you might know from the huge 80s group Sakhile, but who here steps out as a soul singer on his own – working with a vocal range that's in the higher reaches, and which really fits the contemporary beats and keyboards in the grooves! Laka's clearly trying for superstardom here – this is a record that could break on the other side of the Atlantic as well, and which even has a radio-ready ballad – although that track's maybe our least favorite on the set. Instead, we really dig the blend of electro soul and 80s boogie in "Let's Celebrate" – alongside other groovers that include "I Wanna Be Myself", "Let's Move The Night", "Need To Love", and "Don't You Like It". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning sounds from the Disques Debs label in the 70s – a powerhouse imprint in the French Caribbean scene, and a company who were really coming into their own during the decade! The "cadence revolution" in the title is a reference both to the revolution in new musical sounds that Debs was helping encourage, and the rise of the cadence style in Guadeloupe and Martinique – a mode that borrows the faster rhythms of Haitian music, then folds together some elements of Afro-Cuban styles, and maybe just a touch of West African influence – part of that back/forth activity across the Atlantic that seemed to happen so effortlessly during the 60s and 70s. A good number of the tracks here are nice and long – pulled from Debs LPs, not just 45s – and as with the first volume, the package does a great job of providing plenty of historical context, information on the music, and some great vintage images too. Titles include "Ambiance" by Les Vikings, "Lina Femm Foll" by Smoke, "Lage Yo" by Koumbit, "Disco Funk" by Galaxy, "Ping Pong" by Guy Conquette & Son Groupe, "Experience" by Tabou No 2, "Moin Domi Derho" by Super Combo, "Good Trip" by HWT Band, "Stranger" by Midnight Groovers, and "Moin Ce Roi Roi" by Guadafrica Combo. LP, Vinyl record album

A feast of rare funky 45s – but with a style that's very different than American work in that format – as these cuts all come from the other side of the Atlantic, and have a wonderfully intense approach to the groove! The title only partly sums up the sound, as there's plenty going on here that will keep your ears to the speakers – as styles move from Afro Latin, to highlife, makossa numbers, and even some rootsier styles too – but all power-packed in the space of a funky 45, which makes for a really tight sound overall. Titles include "Ngan Ebabe A Dug Yol" by Francois Essah, "Favarsi" by Sam Fanthomas Et Les Tigres Nairo, "Etang Ntomba" by Paul Zanga, "Mayi Ba Ya" by Johnny Black & Les Jokers, "Eusane Asa Ndango" by Francois Esseh, "Bola Roland" by Orchestre Federal Band D'Esse, and "Dje Ma A Bangi Na Mba" by Mouelle Guillaume Et L'Orchestre Orfecam Jazz. (Funky Compilations, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

Lively grooves from the islands of Sao Tome and Principe – two nations located in the gulf of Guinea – at a unique crossroads that makes for a really wonderful criss-crossing of styles and sounds! The nations are part of the older Portuguese colonial network, and share some sounds with the scene in Cameroon – but also bring in West African styles and some tropical elements from the other side of the Atlantic too – all wrapped together in the puxa style of the islands! The tunes are mostly lively, upbeat, and have strong basslines peppered with deft work on guitar – a mixture of merengue, Afro-Cuban, and highlife modes – but given a really unique spin as well, with qualities that are filled with joy and life on nearly every number. Titles include "Mado" and "Meu Di Ploco" by Conjunto Equador, "Mino Bo Be Quacueda" and "Aninha" by Africa Negra, "Corticao" and "Sun Male" by Sangazua, "Nga Ba Compensadora" by Pedro Lima, "Piquina Piquina" by Os Untues, "Tola Muandgi" by Sum Alvarinho, and "Taji Ocedo" by Conjunto Mindelo. LP, Vinyl record album