Needle Time

  Azymuth - Telecommunication [CR00517 USA 2022 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Originally released on the Milestone label back in 1982. Releases from Craft Recordings Jazz Dispensary sub-label have been rather difficult to track down on European shores. Only a few were available via Vinyl Me Please, the remainder were mail order to US customers but only in very limited numbers. It is pleasing to see that Craft are now getting the second batch of pressings out to Europe on import only to their usual distributors, hence reducing all the additional costs for buyers outside the USA. I'm still awaiting Johnny Hammond's Gears album to come off the slow boat across the pond, so in the meantime was pleased to encounter Azymuth's Telecommunication in a local store at a reasonable price. This reissue was expertly cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearant from the original master tapes, and pressed by RTI, splendidly reproducing the sunny sounds of Brazilian soul-jazz-funk fusion into the the dullest o...

  Azymuth - Jazz Carnival [MRC 101 UK 1979 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Brazilian legends Azymuth have been making records since 1972, they still record & play live today. This single was their first to be released outside of Brazil, and it is nine & a half minutes of latin-funk-jazz-disco magic. I bought this copy back around 1983 when one of my favourite bands had veered towards this sound, citing Azymuth as a major influence, hence bringing the funk from the South American sun into the dreary nightclubs of a rainy Manchester.  A1 Jazz Carnival B1 Fly Over The Horizon (Vôo Sobre O Horizonte)

Azymuth - Outubro [FARO 190LP Reissue UK 2016 24-Bit FLAC] I have featured Azymuth before on the ESWA blog with their fabulous Jazz Carnival single. A few years back, a small UK reissue label obtained permission to repress the long deleted Outubro album on 180gm vinyl. If you don't know the work of Azymuth, you may have heard of a certain band from Manchester who have worn their Azymuth influences well since their 1981 recordings. In fact there are a few snippets from this record which may have been borrowed by said band over the years. Also, fans of classy funk may also want to investigate my suggestion that Maracana is clearly the best track ever to be named after a football stadium. A1 Papasong A2 500 Miles High A3 Pantanal (Swamp) A4 Dear Limmertz A5 Carta Pro Airto (Letter To Airto) B1 Outubro (October) B2 Maracana B3 Un Amigo (A Friend) B4 Dear Limmertz Prelude This is an improved re-work of my ESWA 2.0 post from May 2017 from the original files.