Shibuya Jazz Classics - Sleep Walker collection

barabara sounds sez: 

Just in time for Christmas, another bundle of tip-top J-jazz, all culled from the excellent label that was Columbia-Takt. This compilation was put together by the guys of Sleep Walker. Eleven gems for the holiday season. Not the first time it's been seen in the blogosphere I believe, but too good not to post.

Enjoy! And best wishes to one and all for the holiday season!

tracks: 
Toshiko Akiyoshi - Phrygian Waterfall; Hino-Kikuchi Quintet - H.G. and pretty; Eddie Daniels - This is new; Norio Maeda - Alpha ray; Tadayuki Harada & His Group - Cinnamon and clove; George Otsuka Trio - Blues by five; Sadao Watanabe - Mas que nada; Hiroshi Suzuki-Masahiko Togashi Quintet - Castle cats; Sadao & Charlie - Palisades; Hiroshi Okazaki & His Stargazers - Flamenco sketch; Kazuo Yashiro Trio - The black nag

Japanese Jazz 1950s–1980s [listen to 和ジャズ・ディスク・ガイド」

barabara sounds sez:

Just change my name to Taro Urashima…

And, for my local friends: 大変お待たせしました…

Yes, here we go again, back from a long siesta — and kicking back into the groove with a j-jazz comp that emerged earlier this year. It's a sampler, a taster to whet your appetite, especially for those who have got their hands onto the essential primer on the j-jazz golden age (in Japanese it's called Wa-jazz Disc Guide). But you don't have to have the book in front of you to recognize the quality of the cuts here: there are some out-and-out gems.

Starting right from the get-go with the opening cut from Toshiko Akiyoshi, and then through Watanabe and Hino (a track off the classic Hi-Nology album when he followed Miles into electric territory) to Kiyoshi Sugimoto's moody Babylonia Winds, there are plenty of pearls to be dug up here. Check out some of those lesser-known artists, like Takeshi Inomata & Sound L.T.D.; or the cut by Toshiyuki Miyama & His New Herd.

Now go track down those albums (and there are a few hints in those links)…

a journalist sez:
Most of the tracks… are from albums that are highly sought after by DJs and record collectors the world over (with some going for very high prices). A lot of the albums either haven't been reissued, or have only reappeared as limited editions. So for any jazz fans who have neither the time or budget to track down the originals, this compilation is a great shortcut as well as a opportunity for beginners to dip into the rich sounds of this country's past.

Samurai Era — 15 lost grooves from the land of the rising sun

barabara sounds sez:

Another compilation, but this time highlighting the wealth of homegrown jazz talent that has emerged at this end of the planet. Despite the subtitle, few of the 15 tracks here are actually "lost" — and weren't even in 1999 when this album came out. In fact a number of them were/became club standards, not least Teruo Nakamura's TBM classic Umma Be Me (which is of course by Hubert Eaves, was recorded in NYC and features all US jazzmen apart from Nakamura himself, which hardly makes it "from the land of the rising sun").

And there lies both the weakness and strength of this collection: it's aimed at those discovering j-jazz through the clubs. Nothing wrong there at all. I just fast-forward/program out the overly-slick numbers by Zerosen and Imada — yes, and Hino-san too (sad to say) — to get to the core nuggets. From the chilled opening track by Isao Suzuki to Kawaguchi with Art Blakey to the percussive gems by Ponta Murakami and Shiraki's Stereo Drums, there's plenty to groove on here. 

Best of the lot? Most times round, my vote goes to Poo-Sun Kikuchi's La Moca Está Domingo, from Wishes/Kochi, his brilliant album on East Wind (Hino is in stellar form here, happily). But don't sleep on the curiosities: Masayoshi Takanaka's Star Wars Samba and Pecker's strangely named Dr. Dr. Humanity – yes that's for real: try googling it ;-)... Now there's one that really was lost from sight!

Jazz Supreme – Modal Blue Sketches

barabara sounds sez:  

Jazz Supreme Numero Cinco, and it's yet another cracker – another belting line-up in the tried-and-true vein. It starts out like it means business with the one and only Dave Brubeck, moving on into Duke Pearson and then the wonderful Harold McNair. Then come the heavy hitters: Wayne Shorter, Leon Thomas and Mingus, via Ray Russell and Ahmad Jamal, before sealing the deal with Paul Horn, Dave Pike and Freddie's version of Little Sunflower.

By this stage in the series you could argue there is only one way to go, and compiler Toru Hashimoto is maybe playing it safe in some respects. But, bottom line, there are no no-nos! OK, the world can exist very readily without soft piano trio renderings of Boz Scaggs. But Louis van Dijk really is not a problem. And at least there's no Elliott Smith… 

So here we reach the end of the Jazz Supreme line. Yes, there were actually six in the series. But someone appears to have borrowed/lifted the sixth and final album from me. So, unless someone steps forward and kindly contributes the last one – this is the one we're missing – then that's it.

trax: 

01. Dave Brubeck – Unsquare dance

02. Duke Pearson – The fakir

03. Harold McNair – The hipster

04. Lee Konitz – FIve, four and three

05. Wayne Shorter – Mahjong

06. Dave Grusin – Inez 

07. Leon Thomas – The Creator has a master plan (Peace)  

08. Ray Rusell Quartet – Footprints 

09. Ahmad Jamal – MASH theme (Suicide is pointless) 

10. Charles Mingus – Better git it in your soul

11. The Paul Horn Quintet  – Abstraction

12. The Dave Pike Quartet – Why not

13. Freddie Hubbard – Little sunflower

14. Louis van Dijk Trio – We're all alone

Jazz Supreme - Spiritual Love Is Everywhere

barabara sounds sez:  

The fourth in the Jazz Supreme series, and it follows pretty closely the template of the previous volume, featuring a succession of heavy-hitting tracks (mostly) from that golden age of 70s spiritual jazz, spiced with a few tasty numbers from the early 60s, and even before that. It kicks off — obviously and appropriately — with Pharoah and barely lets up, with Mike Westbrook and Michael Garrick again added to the mix, closing with the wonderful Bill Evans' Peace Piece.

And, just like last time around, there are also a couple of clunkers thrown in — or at least non-sequiturs. Compiler Toru Hashimoto must have had a serious infatuation with Elliott Smith (or perhaps the record company was leaning on him hard) but he (Smith) just doesn't belong in this company. And why Hashimoto picked just about the one throwaway track from Shepp's entire immense back catalog — personally I find Cal Massey's five-year-old daughter's warbling quite unlistenable — when there are so many other possibilities is hard to understand.

But even so, even so, even so… it's not a bad comp at all. And although jazz heads will know 'em all, it's still nice to hear your old favorites spliced in a new sequence. Spiritual Love IS everywhere, especially if you're taking it with you in your iPod…

trax: 

01. Pharoah Sanders – Love Is Everywhere
02. Mike Westbrook Concert Band – Love Song No.2

03. Elliott Smith – Waltz #2 (XO)

04. Michael White – The Blessing Song

05. Gary Bartz NTU Troop – I've Known Rivers

06. Stanley Clarke – Unexpected Days 

07. The Michael Garrick Trio – First Born  
08. Dorothy Ashby – Come Live With Me 

09. Ramsey Lewis – Les Fleur 

10. Archie Shepp – Quiet Dawn

11. Yusef Lateef – Brother John

12. Prince Lasha Quintet – Congo Call

13. Paul Gonsalves Quartet – Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick

14. Bill Evans – Peace Piece

Jazz Supreme - Modal Waltz-A-Nova

barabara sounds sez:  

Album #3 in the Jazz Supreme series strikes a rather different balance of sounds. This time around there are none of the contemporary club jazz artists (unlike the first two albums). Instead we get a classic selection of tracks by the likes of Roy Haynes, McCoy Tyner, Oliver Nelson, Elvin Jones and — one of the standouts — Walt Dickerson.

Great to have some UK and European jazzers represented in the mix, too. If you like that Roland Kovac track, check out the full album here. There are also a couple of odd ones out: what Pedro Biker and Elliott Smith or their tracks are doing here is hard to fathom. But hey, it's really no problem: if (like me) you don't think they belong, then just program them out of your playlist... 

trax: 

01. James Clay – Pavanne
02. The Mike Westbrook Concert Band – Waltz (for Joanna) 

03. Oliver Nelson – Patterns

04. Walt Dickerson – Death and taxes

05. The Latin Jazz Quintet – Rip a dip 

06. Roy Haynes – Dorian  

07. McCoy Tyner – Three flowers  

08. Pedro Biker – Wives and lovers  

09. Elvin Jones – Half and half 

10. Mary Lou Williams – It ain't necessarily so

11. Michael Garrick Septet – Ursula

12. Yusef Lateef – Love theme from 'Spartacus' 

13. Roland Kovac Orchester – Blue dance

14. Wolfgang Dauner Quartet – Waltz for a young girl

15. Elliott Smith – Waltz #1

Jazz Supreme - Spiritual Waltz-A-Nova

barabara sounds sez:  

More supremely jazzy sounds from this great series. This was actually the very first of the excellent Jazz Supreme comps, and it sets the tone perfectly. A brilliant blend of classic and club, drawing from the back catalogs of Strata-East, Black Jazz, Tribe and interspersing them with righteous sounds from more recent times. 

Among my favorites: Abdul Rahim Ibrahim (the former Doug Carn); Dee Dee Bridgewater; and Charles Greenlee (with Archie Shepp of course). And I'm sure I'm not the only person to discover the Pete Jolly Trio through this album. 

trax:
01. John Hicks – After the morning 
02. The Ted Vining Trio – Impressions
03. Dee Dee Bridgewater – Little B's poem
04. S.O.L.A.R. – Faith for my mind
05. Hipnosis – Black Forest stomp
06. Two Banks Of Four – One day
07. The Pete Jolly Trio – My favorite things
08. Abdul Rahim Ibrahim – Tropic sons
09. Haki R. Madhubuti And Nation – Children
10. Pharoah Sanders – Moments notice
11. Kindred Spirits Ensemble – Naima
12. Charles Greenlee – Steam
13. The Descendants Of Mike And Phoebe – Coltrane
14. Doug Hammond – Moves
15. Joe Bonner – Soft breezes

Jazz Supreme – Fender Rhodes Prayer

barabara sounds sez:  

Summer nights, balmy and subtropical. Some spiritual vibes to mellow out once the heat of the day is done... One of my alltime favorite comps, this is a tasty shuffling of classic 70s jazz and newer clubbier sounds – some better known, others a lot more obscure – put out some five years back as part of a series given the exceptionally cool title Jazz Supreme. Cue plenty of exclamation points from the ever-enthusiastic Dusty!

dusty sez: 

A sublime batch of Fender Rhodes grooves – all of them deeply spiritual numbers with a strong jazzy vibe – most from the 70s, but also including a few contemporary cuts as well! There's a totally righteous feel to the whole collection – one that goes even farther than the first volume this great Jazz Supreme series – and the mixture of electric keys with deeper spiritual leanings is completely sublime – a sound first forged in the 70s, and carried through by some current artists who share a very similar vibe! …[this] 18 song collection runs for nearly 80 minutes in all!

trax:

01. Build An Ark – Peace with every step / Equipoise
02. Mark De Clive-Lowe ft. Bembe Segue – Naima
03. Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Golden dreams
04. Steve Kuhn – The meaning
05. Berardi Jazz Connection – F.D.P
06. Yesterdays New Quintet – Superwoman
07. Kindred Spirits Ensemble – Ja-Mil
08. Weldon Irvine – Feelin' mellow
09. Frank Owens – Freddie's dead
10. Larry Willis – Inner crisis
11. Dave Hubard – T.B.'s delight
12. Karin Krog – The meaning of love
13. moO – Moostic voyage
14. Joe McDuphrey Experience – Solar waves
15. INO hidefumi – Spartacus
16. Carmen Lundy – Afrasia
17. Build An Ark – The blessing song

Snowboy presents... Essential Cuban, Brazilian Hard Bop + Fusion

barabarasounds sez:

Folks over in the UK will know a lot more than me about Snowboy and this album. What I do know is that when he came through Tokyo — it was around the time this album came out — he destroyed the dance floor. The title says it all: a seamless blend of classic and contemporary, jazz and cubano and latin jazz, the insistent rhythms of Rio and Bahia, and even some afrobeat. Needless to say, it's a banger from start to finish!

As a DJ and percussionist, Snowboy's jazz-dance nights in the nineties and noughties are now legendary — as documented in his 2009 book, "From Jazz Funk & Fusion To Acid Jazz: The History Of The UK Jazz Dance Scene" — available here...

an amazon reviewer sez:

I bought this album on a whim,within 20 minutes I was hooked.The brilliant Snowboy has compiled a real foot tapping,hip swinging,sounds of sunny days in Havana type piece. From the flute, bass and piano-driven "(Used to be a) Cha-Cha" to the big-band0era feel of "La Habana Sol"… superb jazz for the soul!!

discogs sez:

As DJ, producer, percussionist and band leader (The Latin Seeds), Snowboy has been spreading the word of Afro-Cuban Jazz for over three decades… He began as a DJ in the 1970's, also learning percussion… He also ran the Hi-Hat Jazz-Dance Club at the Jazz Cafe in Camden Town, London, which has been a cornerstone of the jazz dance scene surviving all other club fads... Considered as one of the most knowledgeable jazz dance DJ's worldwide, he has even showcased UK jazz dance music and dancing, with a troupe of dancers, at Yale University in the USA in 2009.

NME sed (6/30/01):

"...This is mad, effervescent Latin jazz fusion to dance to... filling a tiny weird niche brilliantly…"

There's a good review of Snowboy's book here in Mondomix…

And plenty more on his own web site...

Township Swing Jazz - Vol.1

barabara sounds sez:

More of those infectious sounds from that golden age of township jazz. This one features plenty of musicians who went on to become some of the best known in/from the country. In case you don't know the background, the innocuous-sounding Father Huddlestone Band — set up by the anti-apartheid priest (and later archbishop) Trevor Huddlestone — was actually the crucible that Hugh Masekela and also Jonas Mosa Gwangwa emerged from. Legend has it Masekela started playing on a trumpet donated by Louis Armstrong (talk about passing on the torch!) — though others say the horn was scrounged from the Salvation Army. Whichever version you care to believe, jive in. And go the bafana bafana!

slipcue.com sez:

A stellar collection of South African pop music from the 1940s and '50s -- probably the best introduction to this style that you can find, and fairly easy to track down. American swing and pop vocal styles are gloriously transmuted into utterly delectable melodic forms -- the perfect thing to put on some day when you're down in the dumps and want to feel really, really warm and fuzzy. This disc features the best artists of the time, the recordings of many of whom are maddeningly impossible to find anywhere else. Especially cool are Miriam Makeba's original vocal ensemble, The Skylarks, and the beautiful pennywhistle music of groups such as the Solven Whistlers. This is a fun, fascinating album, and highly, highly recommended!

Track listing:

1. De Makeba - Mackay Davashe

2. Emaxambeni - Eric Nomvete

3. Pula Kgosi Seretse - Miriam Makeba

4. Daily Bread - Fred Mekoa

5. Daddy Wami - Ntemi Piliso

6. Tlhapi Ke Noga - Sam Maile

7. Ndenzeni Na? (What Have I Done?) - Father Huddleston Band

8. Darlie Kea Lemang - Mary Rabotapi

9. Lalelani - Miriam Makeba

10. Yiyo Le - Eric Nomvete

11. Malayisha - traditional

12. Makambati - Mackay Davashe

13. Good Time Boys - Kippie Moeketsi

14. Zulu Jazz - Christoph Songxaka

15. Ke Ya Kae le Bona - Dolly Rathebe

16. African Jive - Ntemi Piliso

17. Ndixolele - Miriam Makeba

18. Misfhane - Father Huddleston Band

19. Motsoala - Father Huddleston Band

20. Hamba 2 - Dugmore Slinger

Jazz Offerings From South Africa

barabara sounds sez:

I know I'm not the only person on the planet with half a mind on South Africa right now. So, looking ahead to the global football shenanigans, here's a compilation of music from there — issued in 1999 but covering a five-decade span (earliest 1950, most recent 1998), ranging in quality from alright to excellent to out and out classics. A reviewer at amazon.com gushes over the Alan Cameron track (and AMG thought she mostly heard 'Latin' music — was she listening to the same album, I wonder?). Personally I prefer the township jazz, especially those pennywhistle virtuosos. If your taste also veers that way, then listen out for the tracks by Makgona Tsohle Band, Big Voice Jack and the great Spokes Mashiyane. Consider these a preview for a few upcoming posts I've got planned.

Stay tuned — and don't blast your ears out on those vuvuzelas!

AMG (Stacia Proefrock) sez:

An amazingly diverse collection of musicians from South Africa playing music with jazz influences that range from subtle to unmistakably strong. Latin and smooth jazz styles predominate, mixed with Afro-beat and South African folk elements. The strength of each individual artist here is not remarkable -- no single performer really stands out with a stunningly great piece of music -- but the album nevertheless manages to intrigue the listener with its melding of musical cultures.

a customer at amazon sez:

healing, soulful sentiments and feelings from the composer and performers of this title, at an historic juncture in South African history. Particularly moving are the near to audible tears of the violinist and saxophonist whose unique solo's express one of the most truthful and reflective tributes to the life and times of Nelson Mandela. So saying it seems to be a warm and emotive musical embrace of South Africa's beautiful people & new leaders, who continue to build a nation whilst transcending everyday adversity after a long uphill struggle for peace and freedom.

Universal Sounds of America

barabara sounds sez:

Sun Ra, Steve Reid, the Tribe sound, Art Ensemble of Chicago... names that need little introduction these days. But for quite a lot of us, this was the album that turned us on to all those wild and beautiful sounds that emerged in the early '70s. Back in the day, this was known as avant guard. I join those who prefer to just call it space jazz.

amg (thom jurek) sez:

Universal Sounds of America is one of the early compilations for Great Britain's Soul Jazz label that made a case for a separate imprint that later became Universal Sound. Artists like Pharoah Sanders, drummer Steve Reid and the Master Brotherhood, Byron Morris & Unity Ensemble, David Durrah, New Life Trio, Marcus Belgrave, and last but not least, the Art Ensemble of Chicago and Sun Ra all on the track listing for this set focus, one way or another, on "space being the place." Numerous cuts here employ the word "space" in their titles and one references it directly… While the focus here is on the diversity of, to borrow a term from the AEC, "Great Black Music Ancient to the Future," it is deeply rooted in '70s out jazz, with only Belgrave and Morris providing deeper, wider visions. Morris' nearly twelve-and-a-half minute "Kitty Bey" replies on modal jazz and Latin rhythms to get his killer track across. Likewise, Sanders uses an electric piano to position himself in space on the gorgeous "Astral Traveling," and Belgrave takes nearly ten with his "Space Odyssey," that reflects on funk, electronic abstraction and Detroit soul-jazz to get his rather elegant point across. The rest is all beautifully played and constructed, but the sheer diversity of the sequencing -- though intentionally constructed in this way -- can be a bit much. Still, there isn't anything here not to recommend.

Soul Fingers ...and Funky Feet - a Blue Note compilation

barabara sounds sez:

When this Japan-only compilation came out in 1990, most of the tracks were OOP and unavailable on CD; these days there's little in the Blue Note vaults that hasn't been excavated. Even so, it's a fine compilation of swinging organ grooves from the (mostly) 60s, ranging from Baby Face Willette and Jimmy Smith to Lonnie Smith and Richard Groove Holmes. The top cut is the last one: Stanley Turrentine blowing some soulful sax on God Bless The Child, over Shirley Scott's smoldering keyboards.

And yes there ought to be some crap cover award for those wooly mittens — totally unworthy of the Blue Note name and label.