A beautiful celebration of the first ten years of Heavenly Sweetness – a fantastic French record label that's not only given us spiritual jazz from giants of the 70s, but also opened our ears to both new sounds from contemporary artists, and a wide array of rhythms from around the globe! All those elements are perfectly balanced here – showing Heavenly Sweetness as an imprint that can live up to the legacy of earlier European giants – with a similar culture-crossing vibe as MPS or Saravah, but a much more contemporary approach too! Titles include "We People" by Doug Hammond, "Blue Train" by Byard Lancaster, "Mother Of The Future" by Anne Wirz, "Don't Stress Me Out" by Monette Sudler, "Valse Pour Helene" by Florian Pellissier Quintet, "Flow Like A River" by Robert Aaron, "Rip With John Coltrane" by Patchworks, "Journey To The Shore" by Dopegems, "September Sun" by Jacaranda Muse, "Sam's Intro" by Rongetz Foundation, "Where's My Soul" by Baron Retif & Conception Perez, "Our History" by Anthony Joseph, "Voices" by Blundetto, "Don't You Know" by Leron Thomas, "Want It Back" by Guts, "Womanarium" by Sly Johnson, "Untitled/Inspiration From Home" by Don Cherry, "Dead Sea Scrolls" by Raphael, "Ode To Ethiopia" by John Betsch Society, and "NT" by Tagi with Georgia Anne Muldrow. 40 tracks in all! CD

The definitely got the title right on this one – because the set is filled with some of the most heavenly tracks from the legendary Ethiopiques series – that legendary run of compilations that was the first introduction for most of us to the amazing music of Ethiopia! This package really zeros in on all the best bits – and has a special focus on the early 70s, with some other bits from the 60s as well – all the wonderful vintage material that captures that special time in Ethiopian music when the artists were really taking some new chances with their sound – and creating an otherworldly blend of jazz and funk with more local elements as well. The range of artists is great – a really compelling blend of singers and instrumentalists, not just a handful of tracks by Mulatu – and titles include "Presentiment" by Tsegue Maryam Guebrou, "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" by Girma Beyene, "Hedetch Alu" by Muluquen Mellesse, "Lantchi Biye" by Tlahoun Gessesse, "Tchereqa" by Menelik Wesnatchew, "Ashasha Beyew" by Abbebe Tessemma, "Ati Fettun Isani Infedhani" by Ali Birra, "Mela Mela" by Seyfou Yohannes, "Teredjew Neber" by Ayalew Mesfin, and "Hametegnaw" by Seyoum Gebreyes. LP, Vinyl record album

A fresh set of contemporary soul jazz from French tenorist Laurent Bardianne – a jazz musician, but one with a tie to other stylistic communities – which you can hear in the record from the very first note! The quintet has a familiar lineup that includes Hammond B3, bass, drums, and percussion – the last from Roger Raspail – but the sound is often very different than the standard grooves you'd expect from such a setting, partly because the presence of Raspail does a nice job of complicating things in the rhythm department, as does the presence of a bassist next to any basslines that might be produced by the organ! Bardianne gets plenty of space to solo out front – often in a way that really matches the changed-up rhythms – and titles include "Kinshasa", "Cabane", "Song Dong Hee", "Apaches", "Insolente", "Everlasting Child", and "Love Is Everywhere" – plus the track "Star 5", which features a guest vocal appearance from Anthony Joseph. CD

The title's a great one for this album by Blundetto – given that the groove is beautifully deep, and the music moves at a pace that would make it hard to do anything but dance slow! Yet the set's not a sleepy one – as it's got all the richness and complexity of previous Blundetto efforts, and show the continuing evolution to dubbier corners of the musical spectrum explored on the past few records – a revision of Jamaican roots, but with a sound that's never standard reggae at all – despite guest appearances from Ken Boothe, Cornell Campbell, and others. Titles include "Good Ol Days", "My Weed My Queen", "Passed The Worst", "Have A Little Faith", "Story Never Told", "Colombette", "Chamber Dub", "History Dance", and "Satta". CD

A fantastic full length set from this hip French collective – an assemblage of musicians who draw equal inspiration from the worlds of jazz, funk, and global-styled grooves – then forge those influences into a really fresh sound of their own! The album's funky, but not in a familiar way – and these guys have the sharpness of top-level fusion players, but don't play that way at all – as they have a groove that's warm and open, with a very organic sense of flow – one that seems especially well-guided by the Fender Rhodes work of Florian Pellissier, who we already love for records on his own! The lineup features two trumpets, saxes, trombone, bass, guitar, and drums – and there's also a bit of guest wordless vocals on one track – next to the other all-instrumental tunes. Titles include "Layla", "Last Drink", "Barbados", "Escola Francesa Dos Tubaroes", "Fried Grease", "Isaac Washington", and "Super Vilain Wants Love". LP, Vinyl record album

That's Sly Johnson – not Syl Johnson, the Chicago soul singer – but this Johnson's definitely got an approach that lives up to the classic soul style of the cover! The music's a wonderful mix of deep soul vocals and contemporary production that owes a fair bit to hip hop as well – the kind of cool, crisp sound we're used to hearing from the American underground – but which comes across equally well here on a set recorded in Paris! There's definitely a few rhymes on the set, but Sly's approach is to sing instead of speak on most numbers – over heavy beats, nicely crispy rhythms, and some sweet wider washes of soulful sounds! The set features guest instrumentation from Erik Truffaz and Magic Malik – but Johnson's clearly the star of the set, and shines wonderfully on tunes that include "Magique", "All The Time", "Les Fleurs Du Mal", "Music", "Wet", "Good Morning", "Simply Beautiful", "Womenarium", and "Nasty Girl". CD

Really driving percussion, and some great horns as well – the former served up by KOG, who also delivers some fantastic vocals on the set – the latter from The Zongo Brigade, who work in a great mix of funky rhythms, jazzy horns, and some sweet keyboards too! The set's very different than most Afro Funk albums in recent years – with an unbridled style that's clearly driven by the energy of KOG, whose expressions really have things leaping out on most tracks right from the start – then keep things warm all the way through. Titles include "For My Money", "Medowo", "Imela", "Agoro", "Mona Lisa", "Transmission", "Mad Up", "Dr Mensa", "Sahara", and "Suro Nipa". CD

The best album yet from one of the hippest groups working on the French scene today – a group that really explodes with modal and spiritual energy that take us back to the 70s – but who also have a lean, focused sense of delivery that's all their own! The group's led by Florian Pellissier on piano, but is a strongly cohesive unit that also features this brilliantly bold bass work from Yoni Zelnik, plus drums from David Georgelet, saxes from Christophe Panzani, and trumpet from Yoann Loustalot – all players with just the right sense of tone and color to match Pellissier's vision! The album features a bit of guest work – vocals from Arthur H on two tracks, and Antony Joseph on one more – plus guest percussion throughout – on titles that include "Bijou Voyou Caillou", "Hibou Bleu", "Boca", "Colchiques Dans Oles Pres", "Espion", and "Colosse De Rhodes" – plus a great version of the Azymuth classic "Jazz Carnival". CD

You might know Guts as a music producer, but he's also a hell of a DJ – one who gave us a really great assortment of tracks in his Beach Diggin series – and who spins the globe here with a whole different sort of groove! The tracks here are from a variety of global sources, from a variety of periods – some contemporary, some classic – with criss-crossing styles that work together perfectly, and which are a great reminder that among the music-minded, things only get groovier when global boundaries are traversed! As usual with Heavenly Sweetness, the whole thing's put together with a great deal of care, and detailed notes on all the diverse acts included – with titles that include "Prove Your Lover" by Misumami & First Touch, "Mistura De Carimbo Com Ciranda" by Pinduca, "Tabanca" by Tubaroes, "Van La Ka Vante" by Evasion 85, "Do Pila" by Goma-Laca with Karina Buhr, "The Highest Bidder" by Gordon Henderson, "Spies Are Watching Me" by Voilaaa, "Otan Hunu" by Slim Young, "Emaali Ya Bamulekwa (Orphan's Property)" by Mubashira Mataali Group, "Macadam" by Simon Jurad, "Bons Tempos" by Eqipe Radio Cidade, "Princesa Isabel" by Alma Luma, and "Cadencedisco" by Andre Marceline. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful session of spiritual soul jazz – and one of the rarer albums on the legendary Strata East label! The obscure combo is led by drummer/percussionist John Betsch – and instrumentation includes guitar, piano, electric piano, and reeds – all used with plenty of warm touches, and a few sharp edges – all very much in the best Strata East mode of the time! The tracks have a soaring sort of sound – similar to some of the Keno Duke material on the label, but also touched with some trippier edges too – a great blend that really brings a lot of depth to the session, and which has made this one of our favorite Strata sides over the years. Titles include "Song For An Untitled Lady", "Ra", "Get Up & Go", and "Ode To Ethiopia". CD

Some of the hippest sounds we've ever heard from Guadeloupe – served up by Erick Cosaque – a singer, percussionist, and key figure in the gwo-ka genre – yet an artist who works in a special space that's all his own! The tunes here definitely have the heavy percussion of gwo-ka, but they also bring in plenty of elements of funk and soul – the latter from Erick's amazing vocal style, which has this really deep flow that's wrapped around a set of French and Creole lyrics, but which has amazing power even if you can't understand the language! There's lots of great elements on keyboards and electric bass, which further helps underscore the funkier part of the music – and the whole thing is the kind of wonderful blend we've always loved from the criss-crossing of cultures in Guadeloupe, but also in a mode that's head and shoulders above most of the rest. Titles include "Joue Zizipan", "Donatien", "Embawgo", "De Chate Cole", "De Ti Mo Pawol Cweol", "L'Heureux Noir", "Jean La Line La Clere", and "Desere Nou De May". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic full length set from this hip French collective – an assemblage of musicians who draw equal inspiration from the worlds of jazz, funk, and global-styled grooves – then forge those influences into a really fresh sound of their own! The album's funky, but not in a familiar way – and these guys have the sharpness of top-level fusion players, but don't play that way at all – as they have a groove that's warm and open, with a very organic sense of flow – one that seems especially well-guided by the Fender Rhodes work of Florian Pellissier, who we already love for records on his own! The lineup features two trumpets, saxes, trombone, bass, guitar, and drums – and there's also a bit of guest wordless vocals on one track – next to the other all-instrumental tunes. Titles include "Layla", "Last Drink", "Barbados", "Escola Francesa Dos Tubaroes", "Fried Grease", "Isaac Washington", and "Super Vilain Wants Love". CD

A really fantastic idea for a project – and one that comes off even better than we would have guessed – new versions of classic grooves from the nations of Cabo Verde and Guinea Bissau, performed by a really well-matched group of singers and musicians, in a mode that's quite different than the usual revival record of this nature! The songs are definitely classics, but the presentation is very contemporary – directed by producer Guts, and Francisco Sousa, with a special ear for avoiding the sorts of cliches that both mar a project like this, and some of the stereotypes that get reinforced by reissues on the market. Instead, there's a fresh criss-crossing of cultures, but one that never waters down the roots at all – maybe a bit like some of the best Parisian productions of the 70s and 80s post-colonial years. Titles include "Dunia Be Tene", "Riba Bass Di Mi", "Citi Ku Liti", "No Guinea", "Mulato Ferrera", "Segunda", and "Di Mas". LP, Vinyl record album

A fresh set of contemporary soul jazz from French tenorist Laurent Bardianne – a jazz musician, but one with a tie to other stylistic communities – which you can hear in the record from the very first note! The quintet has a familiar lineup that includes Hammond B3, bass, drums, and percussion – the last from Roger Raspail – but the sound is often very different than the standard grooves you'd expect from such a setting, partly because the presence of Raspail does a nice job of complicating things in the rhythm department, as does the presence of a bassist next to any basslines that might be produced by the organ! Bardianne gets plenty of space to solo out front – often in a way that really matches the changed-up rhythms – and titles include "Kinshasa", "Cabane", "Song Dong Hee", "Apaches", "Insolente", "Everlasting Child", and "Love Is Everywhere" – plus the track "Star 5", which features a guest vocal appearance from Anthony Joseph. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the hippest sounds we've ever heard from Guadeloupe – served up by Erick Cosaque – a singer, percussionist, and key figure in the gwo-ka genre – yet an artist who works in a special space that's all his own! The tunes here definitely have the heavy percussion of gwo-ka, but they also bring in plenty of elements of funk and soul – the latter from Erick's amazing vocal style, which has this really deep flow that's wrapped around a set of French and Creole lyrics, but which has amazing power even if you can't understand the language! There's lots of great elements on keyboards and electric bass, which further helps underscore the funkier part of the music – and the whole thing is the kind of wonderful blend we've always loved from the criss-crossing of cultures in Guadeloupe, but also in a mode that's head and shoulders above most of the rest. Titles include "Joue Zizipan", "Donatien", "Embawgo", "De Chate Cole", "De Ti Mo Pawol Cweol", "L'Heureux Noir", "Jean La Line La Clere", and "Desere Nou De May". CD

The debut album from Kassav – a group who rocked the Parisian club scene at the end of the 70s with a fantastic blend of Guadeloupe styles and more contemporary rhythms – really opening the door for countless other acts to follow in their wake! The tracks are mostly long, and heavy on basslines – with hypnotic vocals that are often firmly folded in to the rhythm, and recorded with a touch of echo that also resonates strongly with the percussion. The long tracks allow for some great instrumental breakdowns – and titles include "Novel", "Love & Ka Dance", "Kassav", and "Fascination". 2LP version also features the full songs from the oddly different American version – with titles that include "Fascination", "Don't Be A Fool", "Attention", and vocal and instrumental versions of "Africa". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great project from singer David Walters – a set that tries to reimagine a 21st Century creole culture – linking diaspora roots into a new sort of groove, all with plenty of help on production from Bruno Patchworks! There's a warmth to most of these tracks that draws us in right away – and although some rhythms are clubby, the spirit here is different than earlier sort of projects along these lines by Osunlade or some of his contemporaries – as instead of the beats, the lyrics go first, and everything else follows – with Walters really setting a different tone for each track, as he moves between cultural roots and references, while Patchworks helps find the right focus with his instrumentation and production. The set features guest appearances from Seun Kuti and Ibrahim Maalouf – and titles include "Fo Bouger", "Bwe Dlo", "Manye", "Krye Mwen", "Mama", "Musik", "Pa Le", "Abo", "Soleil Kreyol", and "Mesi Bondye". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing music from the golden years of Ethiopian Music – a set of tracks that will take you beyond the music of Mulatu, into a wealth of other talents from the scene at the same time! The sound here is incredible – a mix of heavy funk, spacey jazz, and other exotic touches all coming together – a unique sort of sound that's beyond referent, and which is easily some of the freshest music on the planet back in the 70s! The vinyl-only collection pulls tracks from different volumes of the Ethiopiques CD titles – and offers up a strong focus on the funkiest and grooviest numbers from that legendary series. Tracks include "Muziqawi Silt" by Wallias Band, "Hasabe" by Ayalew Mesfin, "Antchin Yagegnulet" by Tamrat Ferendji, "Amlak Abet Abet" by Asselfetch Ashine & Getenesh Kebret, "Temeles" by Alemayehu Eshete & Hirut Bequele, and "Aynotchesh Yerefu" by Samuel Belay. LP, Vinyl record album

You might know Guts as a music producer, but he's also a hell of a DJ – one who gave us a really great assortment of tracks in his Beach Diggin series – and who spins the globe here with a whole different sort of groove! The tracks here are from a variety of global sources, from a variety of periods – some contemporary, some classic – with criss-crossing styles that work together perfectly, and which are a great reminder that among the music-minded, things only get groovier when global boundaries are traversed! As usual with Heavenly Sweetness, the whole thing's put together with a great deal of care, and detailed notes on all the diverse acts included – with titles that include "Prove Your Lover" by Misumami & First Touch, "Mistura De Carimbo Com Ciranda" by Pinduca, "Tabanca" by Tubaroes, "Van La Ka Vante" by Evasion 85, "Do Pila" by Goma-Laca with Karina Buhr, "The Highest Bidder" by Gordon Henderson, "Spies Are Watching Me" by Voilaaa, "Otan Hunu" by Slim Young, "Emaali Ya Bamulekwa (Orphan's Property)" by Mubashira Mataali Group, "Macadam" by Simon Jurad, "Bons Tempos" by Eqipe Radio Cidade, "Princesa Isabel" by Alma Luma, and "Cadencedisco" by Andre Marceline. CD

A really fantastic idea for a project – and one that comes off even better than we would have guessed – new versions of classic grooves from the nations of Cabo Verde and Guinea Bissau, performed by a really well-matched group of singers and musicians, in a mode that's quite different than the usual revival record of this nature! The songs are definitely classics, but the presentation is very contemporary – directed by producer Guts, and Francisco Sousa, with a special ear for avoiding the sorts of cliches that both mar a project like this, and some of the stereotypes that get reinforced by reissues on the market. Instead, there's a fresh criss-crossing of cultures, but one that never waters down the roots at all – maybe a bit like some of the best Parisian productions of the 70s and 80s post-colonial years. Titles include "Dunia Be Tene", "Riba Bass Di Mi", "Citi Ku Liti", "No Guinea", "Mulato Ferrera", "Segunda", and "Di Mas". CD

The first full length from Blundetto – a Parisian radio programmer and artist showing impeccable taste here – with a slyly dubby and reggae & soul influenced groove and featuring collaborations with The Budos Band horns, Chico Mann, Tommy Guerrero, Lateef The Truthspeaker, Shawn Lee, Genreal Elektricks and Hindi Zahra! Blundetto shares compositional credits with the guest, and it has the feel of collaboration with that atmopherically soulful core groove. Really nice work for the Heavenly Sweetness label! Titles including the Blundetto cover of the Bob James classic "Nautilus" plus "Voices", "Mustang", "Mi Condena", "Cuban Shirt", "Party Animals". "White Birds", "Ken Park", "My One Girl", "Bad BadThings" and "Sunset Stroll". LP, Vinyl record album