Another top-shelf session from Monday Michiru – one of the few current artists who's been able to hold our attention for so many years, thanks to an ever-deepening quality in her work! Back at the end of the 90s, we were first amazed when Monday moved simpler dance-based work into more complicated singer-songwriter soul – and we've listened in wonder as she's picked up stronger jazz, Latin, Brazilian, and soul influences as the years have gone on – really growing into her own, and maturing wonderfully with age! This album's way way past the early efforts that were so strongly shaped by her co-collaborators – and features production and all original songs by Monday – recorded live in the studio with a warmly glowing quality that matches the righteous vibe of the tunes and the free-soaring spirit of her vocals. If you were ready to get tired of Monday's sound and style, this isn't the album to do it – because each new track is a surprising delight, and makes us fall in love with her work all over again! Titles include "I'm Still Here", "Yellow Light", "Dig Deep", "The Right Time", "Hung Up", "Be Who You Are", "Touch The Sky", "A New Way", and "Philosophy Road". CD also features the bonus track "Sketches Of Myself". CD

An amazing second full length set from Quasimode – easily one of the most soulful combos working in the current club jazz underground! Quasimode cover some of the same territory as their Japanese contemporaries Sleepwalker – an older style of soul jazz – played live, mostly with acoustic instrumentation – in ways the hearken back to the best older work on labels like Impulse, Strata East, and Black Jazz. They've got a great sense of focus and drive – really pushing their tunes with a sense of energy that most regular jazzmen these days can hardly touch – yet also doing so in a way that always swings strongly, with the kind of jazz dance rhythms that first sent international collectors digging for soul jazz sides a few decades back! This time around, they've got some wonderful help from Carmen Lundy on two tracks – bringing in vocals that recall the best work on her own albums from a decade or two ago – and other guests on the album include Mika Arisaka on vocals and Masato Nakamura from Sleepwalker on tenor sax. Titles include "Raw Cotton Field", "Over The Horizon", "Dark Beauty", "Percussion Revolver", "Last Nine Days", "For Self Defense", "Time Is Love", "The Man From Nagpur", and "Object In The Mirror". CD

Hajime calls this one Music From The Edge Of The Universe – but heck, we're just happy that it got to us all the way from Japan! The set is easily his greatest work ever – a beautiful blend of cosmic rhythms and warmer Latinized touches – in a mode that has the crackling broken beats of earlier years dancing with a strong influence from Brazil – a sound that's warmly seductive and extremely soulful throughout! Most tracks are still aimed strongly at the dancefloor, but there's a more spacious vibe here that makes the album equally a pleasure to listen to as to groove to – a jazzier sensibility that comes through especially nicely on a few of the album's instrumental tracks. Vocalists include Bird, Vanessa Freeman, Face, Catia, and Akiko – and titles include "Crescent Moon", "Rise Me Up", "Keep It Movin", "Beyond The Sunshine", "Favourite Vital Kiss", "Arpegio In The Forest", "Verao No Ar", "Waltz For Jason", "Impulse", and "The Room". CD