Andy Bey
Shades Of Bey

City of Mirrors is a bold new collection of music from Chicago-based alt-Latinx band Dos Santos, which is comprised of bandleader / singer / lyricst / guitarist / keyboardist Alex Chavez, drummer Daniel Villarreal, percussionist Peter “Maestro” Vale, bassist Jaime Garza, and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Nathan Karagianis.Cinematic in its journey, the album was produced by multimedia artist and long-time friend of the band Elliot Bergman (NOMO, Wild Belle), and reflects sounds from across the Americas combined with Chavez’s compelling poetic narratives. Its 13 tracks consolidate the band’s unique identities, creative and cultural roots, and their penchant for honoring traditional Latinx music with contemporary compositional expressions and production techniques.

A 12" comp put together by Four Tet, selecting two big peak-time Jazz tracks he used to spin regularly at Plastic People.On one side, we’ve got all time jazz greats Jackie McLean and Michael Carvin’s De I Comahlee Ah, taken from their seminal album Antiquity recorded in Denmark back in 1975. A year and a half ago, we visited Steeplechase, the original label in the outskirts of Copenhagen. They informed us that at the time, the track was cut short as it didn’t fit on the full LP. They were kind enough to provide us with the tape of the full original recording, allowing us to release for the first time the full extended version capturing twelve and a half minutes of studio magic. Speaking with Michael back in November, he told us that every song on that album was recorded without any overdubs. They had taken their shoes off and organised the studio in such a way that they could move from instrument to instrument during the take (!!)On the flip, we have Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath – MRA. Back in 70s London, the Brotherhood had brought together musicians who had sought refuge from South Africa’s apartheid regime and the best of a new generation of British jazz musicians. Music journalist Richard Williams, who had originally reviewed the band in the 1970s tell us: “They made music that appealed in equal measure to the head, the heart and the feet, taking the jazz legacy of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus and adding to it the fantastic dance rhythms and gorgeous harmonies of the townships and untethered collective improvisations of the new free music”.Four Tet’s instalment is out early May in 12” format and digitally (stream & download), first press comes with a folded A2 insert with words from and about the artists. Graphic design by Studio ChoqueLeGoff, illustration and animation by Nevil Bernard and for the audiophiles out there, remastered and cut at half speed by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios!The second instalment curated by Ben UFO is scheduled shortly, which will be followed over time by a string of releases including selections from Hunee, Mafalda, Floating Points, Anya & Julia from Javybz, Daphni, Josey Rebelle, Charlie Bones, Gilles Peterson… and more, stay tuned!

'Spirit Reflection' is the third album LP from Los Angeles singer-songwriterGaby Hernandez. Blissful layers of instrumentation, electronics, vocal harmonies and folkloric percussion intertwine with west coast feel to create aunique, beautiful and multi-layered album.The album features a stellar line-up of LA talent, jazz star Kamasi Washington, Stuart Howard (AKA Lapalux), Kelis and Gaslamp killer collaborator Dexter Story, plus Ninja Tune, Plug Research and Soul Jazz artist Carlos Niño, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Gabriel Reyes-Whittaker all accompany Gaby, with stunning results. Even before Spirit Reflection had been finished, the demo mixes caught the ear and gained support from Gilles Peterson, Lefto, Toshio Matsuura (U.F.O.) and JRocc (Beat Junkies). Born, raised and based in Los Angeles and of Chilean descent, Gaby Hernandez has been writing and recording since 2001. She was a founding member of the 'creative music ensemble' Build An Ark alongside others including Carlos Niño, Dexter Story and Dwight Trible.Gaby was the only vocalist on Teebs' debut Brainfeeder release Ardour. She made major contributions to AmmonContact's Ninja Tune releases New Birth and With Voices, plus The Life Force Trio's Plug Research album Living Room. She was also the vocalist on Dimlite's Outernational Duet - released as part of his highly acclaimed Sonar Kollektiv longplayer This Is Embracing.Hernandez was invited by Mia Doi Todd to sing on the Jonathan Wilson produced song Canto de Iemanja, which was included on Todd's City Zen record Cosmic Ocean Ship and the Red Hot + Rio 2 compilation, which also featured Beck, Seu Jorge, Aloe Blacc, David Byrne and Madlib. Among her main musical comrades is the prolific multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Dexter Story, for whom Hernandez sang on the track Water Bearer from his LP Seasons, on Kindred Spirits. David and Graham from Mr Bongo met Gaby and Carlos Nino at the end of their hugely successful Arthur Verocai album launch and rare record sale at the RAPPCATS venue in LA. Gaby and Carlos passed us a copy of 'Spirit Reflection'.and we put it on the deck. It immediately grabbed us and we couldn't stop listening to it. When we got back to the UK we got in contact straight away and signed the album. We're very proud to be releasing it'... ...this is a future classic, an 'album' in the truest sense of the word. Brilliant.' says Graham.

A solid example of Japanese city pop blended with folk and jazz fusion, 'Seychelles' is guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka's debut album. Known for his shades-and-blazers onstage fashion and indisputably funky playing, this album is an optimistic dream-disco slinker of the utmost quality. Terns fly across its cover, representing the boundless sense of freedom offered by virtuosic rhythm and lead guitar talent.

I met Sérgio Alves when he was playing with the Groovelvets. I immediately felt I was dealing with a special musician. It wasn’t easy to find a keyboard player that could embody the different expressions of African- American music, and its characteristicgroove in Portugal among the musicians of my generation.Even though I had been A&R for over twenty years, I just came across with the special João Gomes, and little else. Sharing the love for the African- American sounds, straightened our relationship, and I had the privilege of having all the keyboards on my mini-LP Bonfim, played by Sérgio. I was also able to see the development of the initial demos, the raw material that was in the origin of Azar Azar, the musical adventure in which, for the first time, he fully exposes his artistic personality.He debuted the project with an E.P., on the brand new andadmirable Jazzego, in 2020.Although only two of the five songs, that make up the EP, are original work (the remaining three are remixes by K15, Minus + MRDolly and Esa), the record was a beautiful calling card, but it hadn't prepared me for the piece of work that was about to come to my hands.Like other musicians of his generation, Sérgio Alves grew up in the midst of the development of Hip Hop, House, Techno, Broken Beat and many other expressions of the most modern dance music. He even has 20 years of a consistent career as a Dj. And that seems to have contributed to the way he consolidates his musical personality, allowing him to control an immensity of musical impulses.It is true that his compositions are settled in Jazz Funk, but, throughout the eight tracks of his debut LP, we can feel the inspiration of huge figures such as Roy Ayers, George Duke or Donald Byrd that are intersected by the presence of a kaleidoscopic variety of genres that have filled dance floors, from Detroit to New York or London, in such a way that allows the creation of piece of music that can be seen as autonomous, intense, stimulating, personalized and relevant in any place of the planet.

Yes, after far too long a wait caused by raw materials supply issues the 180 gramme heavy vinylcopies of Bunn Debrett Quintet vol. 2 are now available from Bandcamp and Sound of theUniverse alongside the digital versions.Bunn DeBrett Quintet is back with volume 2 of the eponymous album series of contemporary Jazz.Following on from the success of the critically acclaimed first album released in 2021 which soldout its vinyl run, volume 2 builds on the artistic and creative expressions of Volume 1 to bringtogether a group of artists to perform on Stephen Bunn and Jon DeBrett's compositions.Once again featuring the core musicians of Stephen and Jon along with Neil Corcoran, Alan Barnesand Roger Beujolais and the stunning spoken word vocals of Tenesha the Wordsmith BDQ vol. 2also benefits from the contributions of instrumentalists Nathan Haines, Crispin Taylor, AlastairMartin and the poetry of Daniel B. Summerhill.Across the five tracks of this album this stellar line-up of musicians, composers and artists have acreated just under 40 minutes of the most fluid and fluent contemporary Jazz you will hear inmany a year. Combining the spiritual with the modal and the modern, the atmosphere of thisalbum will capture, enchant and enrapture all true music fans and those whose boundaries areblurred as to be non-existent. This truly is an album that falls into the 'must have' and 'you needthis' categories.Bunn DeBrett Quintet, owes much to London Transport's 94 Night Bus.Drummer and percussionist Stephen (Bunny) Bunn and guitarist and keys player Jon DeBrett firstcollaborated as founding members of 90's Acid Jazz Records signed act Mother Earth. Withfurther partnerships as remixers, producers and DJs the pair called it quits on the music industrysometime around the turn of the millennium. In 2019 they bumped into each other at the worldfamous 100 Club in London's Oxford Street at a gig featuring a new incarnation of Mother Earthwith Matt Deighton from the original line-up. The first BDQ album came from the conversationsthat Stephen and Jon had that night. Indeed it was on the 94 Bus back to Acton (West London) theBunny decided that he and Jon DeBrett should make music again. As little as a few weeks laterthey were back in the studio and after the success of BDQ we now have the joy of listening to BDQ2.