Various
Ethiopian Hit Parade Vol 1

First time vinyl reissue of Jose Roberto Bertrami's 1966 ‘José Roberto Trio’ via Far Out Recordings. Best known as the keyboardist and bandleader of legendary trio Azymuth, the late José Roberto Bertrami also wrote for, arranged for and performed with Elis Regina, George Duke, Sarah Vaughn, Jorge Ben, Eddie Palmieri, Milton Nascimento, Flora Purim and Erasmo Carlos, among countless others.

"The last time I found myself on the phone with Jean-Christian Mboumba Mackaya known as Mack-Joss - founder of the Mighty Orchestra Massako - I could hear gun-shots in the background. Libreville was upside down following the re-election of president Ali Bongo in August 2016. By the time I was ready to go ahead with this project, Mack-Joss’s phone number had been disconnected, and shortly afterwards I found out that the baobab of Gabonese music had fallen.An adept of folk rhythms, Mack-Joss’s career as a musician began when he was just 17 of age and he quickly established himself as a staple of Libreville’s nightlife scene, singing in various local bands. By 1966 he had released “Le Boucher”, his first hit which swept the African airwaves and earned him the respect of Franco, the legendary master of Congolese Rumba. Franco´s encouragement helped transform him from a Gabonese singer into an ascendent figure of pan-African culture.Between 1968 and 1970 Mack-Joss and his Negro-Tropical immortalised a good number of singles recorded in a makeshift open-air recording studios and in 1971 Gabon armed forces decided to form their own band. Mack-Joss was recruited to become the band leader and this was the birth of Orchestre Massako which became Gabon’s national orchestra.At the end of the 1970´s funds were made available to bring recording equipment over from France. Studio Mobile Massako was born and Mack-Joss’s songwriting ability provided hit after hit. The master tapes with the recordings were sent to Paris for mixing and Mack-Joss would personally make the journey to France, carrying the reels in his hand luggage. The vinyl records were then pressed in France and shipped back to Gabon, and to other distributors throughout the continent. About a dozen long play records were recorded between 1978 and 1986 and most were released on Mass Pro, Mack-Joss´s own label. A few of these recordings featured a singer from Guinée Conakry by the name of Amara Touré who had joined Orchestre Massako as a singer in 1980 and had become an important ingredient in the band’s success. His specific voice, impossible not to recognise, left no one unmoved (ask those who listened to the compilation AALP078).Mack-Joss’s retirement in 1996 marked the end of Orchestre Massako. With a four decades spanned career, his contribution to Gabonese culture cannot be overstated and continues to inspire the respect and devotion of people who knew him. "

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.

Pendant des décennies, la voix de Jean Carne a été un élément crucial du paysage musical américain, reliant des générations d'artistes de jazz, de gospel et de rhythm and blues. Nombreux sont ceux qui reconnaîtront Jean Carne pour sa production au début des années 1970, aux côtés de son mari de l'époque, Doug Carn, pour le label Black Jazz. En tant qu'artiste solo, choriste et coach vocal, elle a contribué et collaboré avec des artistes comme Norman Connors, Doug Carn, Dexter Wansel, Phyllis Hyman, Lonnie Liston Smith, Michael Jackson et bien d'autres. À 74 ans, elle ne montre aucun signe de ralentissement. Sa dernière collaboration avec Ali Shaheed Muhammad et Adrian Younge est une démonstration claire de la référence continue au passé pour éclairer l'avenir.

Originally released in 2017 under his pseudonym No Quantize, Bird Syndrome, the first album of the french artist NxQuantize, is now being reissued with an additional remixed version. As a symbol of a new beginning , the talented musician and producer based in Marseille changes his alias and joins the Omakase Recordings music label to give a rebirth to his trip-hop opus tainted with jazz and electronic music.For this occasion, several artists who come from a broader musical spectrum have reinterpreted the Bird Syndrome’s nine tracks through a series of hip-hop, ambient, electronica and dance music remixes. The richness of this expanded release reflects the production process of NxQuantize next album, currently in progress...Discovering or re-discovering Bird Syndrome is like diving into the poetic and introspective world of an incredibly skilled musician in search of freedom, emotions and magic.

This is the debut album from the Texan Black Pumas and quite rightly they’ve proudly named it after their very own funky selves. Produced in his home studio by Adrian Quesada. Drum roll please! A funky drummer sets the tone for the pure soul of Black Pumas. Precision steeled guitars add chops and breaks to prettify this smooth treacle soul. Primarily though it’s the vocals that sell it. They could sell radiators to hell. A diamond-toned voice flowers and commands at the front of the band. Grooving, chopping keyboards, soothing, smooth harmonious backing vocals.