Michel Legrand Miles Davis
Legrand Jazz

On previous instalments in their essential Jazz is Dead series, Adrian Younge and A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shadeed Muhammad have served up some super fresh and new takes on jazz for the modern generation. They have had help from the likes of Roy Ayers, Azymuth and Marcos Valle, all of whom have made it an essential series. Now they serve up a limited edition coloured vinyl release that offers a bunch of fantastic instrumentals. Those aforementioned big names all feature on these tunes which cover every style of jazz and then some.

Award-winning bassist Daniel Casimir and vocalist Tess Hirst release their debut album via pioneering London-based record labe Jazz re:freshed. Following the success of Daniel Casimir's critically acclaimed debut EP 'Escapee' which featured Hirst on vocals and fellow rising stars on the scene Moses Boyd, Joe Armon-Jones and Shirley Tetteh, this album - 'These Days' is inspired by the duo's London surroundings, delivering thought-provoking lyricism, neo-soul and modern jazzCasimir, a former Birmingham Conservatoire student, has collaborated with Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Benet McLean, Lonnie Liston Smith, Nathan Facey, Shane Forbes, Chihiro Yamanaka, Ashley Henry, David Lyttle, Nubya Garcia, The Tracey Quintet (Meantime Jubilation), Tom Harrison (Unfolding In Tempo), Jasmine Power (Stories And Rhymes), Camilla George and Art Blakey Jazz Messenger saxophonist, Jean Toussaint.Named Young Jazz Musician of the Year by the Musicians' Company in 2016, Casimir has received plaudits for his arrangements and recital, while Hirst has made a name for herself with her vocals on the jazz circuit having moved between London, Leeds and LA to hone her craft. What sets Hirst apart as a musician is not only the originality of her music but her perspective of herself as an artist. She is an Ethnomusicology Graduate of SOAS and her writing style walks us through her upbringing in West London and down the halls of academiaCasimir and Hirst fuse traditional jazz sounds into beautiful compositions, narrating their way through a political and cultural landscape across these twelve tracks. The frenzied groove heavy'Security' addresses the need to trust one another and how we protect ourselves personally, while the rich atmospherics of 'Freedom' combined with Hirst's vocals, explore liberation and the rejection of duty - from a female perspective.At the heart of 'These Days', Casimir plays with a passion and power that resonates throughout each composition. His knack for complex chord changes are highlighted in 'What Did I Do', bringing an energy and enthusiasm to the track while Hirst decries our changing capital. Elsewhere, references to John Agard's poem 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don' in 'The Magic Money Tree', explore the past and its relevance to now while a re-imagining of Charles Mingus' 'Fables Of Faubus' further ensures this theme remains central to the essence of the album.Daniel Casimir and Tess Hirst have already received radio support from BBC Radio 3, BBC Music Introducing and Jazz FM, along with coverage in the London Evening Standard and Jazzwise Magazine

Other Mirror was formed by longtime friends, Jonny Cuba (Soundsci Producer) and James Tilley (multi-instrumentalist). In 2018, the band found themselves creating music together, for a project that they had talked about starting since becoming school friends many years prior. Although this is the band’s debut album and debut on KingUnderground, the members who make up the group are far from newcomers.Each individual brings a strong track record of music and creative experience to the project, which informs each of their musical philosophies and approach to collaborating and conceptualizing art together.

Full stereo and remastered version of this classic Sun Ra album originally from 1969 - fantastic edition!

John PATTONSoul ConnectionJazz RoomAmerican jazz man 'Big' John Patton taste bout his career playing piano but move to the organ in the mid sixties. At that time he worked with Lou Donaldson for Blue Note and ended up releasing some 15 solo albums. By 1984 he was still on top of his game and dropped Soul Connection, a five track suite fusing soul and funk with jazz in deeply vibey fashion. It has become a much sought after classic by those who know but this reissue from Jazz Room means you won't have to play a pretty penny for it. With assistance form a strong backing band, this is one of Patton's funkiest works.

"Bring On The Good Times" is the debut album by Dawn Patrol, a brand new Dutch collective led by the prolific producer, songwriter and musician Phil Martin (Jazzinvaders, AIFF, Martin & Garp) sets out to explore the essence of West Coast music, a late 70s Softrock spirit and European pop sensibility.Sharing the love for the sound and spirit of late Seventies pop music, Phil Martin and his likeminded musician partners in crime Rik van der Ouw and Ruud van Halder plus vocalists Baer Traa and Lo 'Garp' van Gorp recorded ten songs celebrating a pure freshness in pop harmonies and melodies.The band put the spirit of "Bring On The Good Times" in their own words: