The Mitchi Bitchi Bar
The Mitchi Bitchi Bar

Melbourne’s Left Ear Records return with an EP release extracted from a lost ’93 CD only album by famed Nigerian artist ‘Jay U Xperience’. Here, modern technology meshes with timeless African Rhythms and the heartfelt influences of New York City.Jay U Xperience is the pseudonym of acclaimed Nigerian musician Justus Nkwane.His first release ‘Enough Is Enough’ was a heavy blend of psychedelic rock and funk epitomising 1977 and yet foreshadows Justus’ experimental and genre-spanning inquisitiveness. Justus wouldn’t record another album until 1993 while living in New York City. Here he emerged with ‘Ancestral Call’, an album that he describes as a “once in a lifetime event”, something from his “inner spiritual guts”. Equipped with a Roland R-5 drum machine and a Roland U-20 synthesizer to extract melodies he was able to create tunes that encapsulated contemporary technology with timeless traditional African rhythms, creating a work that sounds just as relevant Today as it did then. Tracks like ‘Back To Motherland’ & ‘Ancestral Call’ personify this sound, while ‘Okokobioko’, is an onomatopoeic excursion in losing yourself to the rhythm, the EP is then rounded off with the title track ‘Abuja’, a ghostly striped back piece.

Allegedly Coltrane’s favourite singer, Andy Bey recorded as vocalist for Max Roach (“Members, don’t git weary”), Horace Silver (“Won’t you open up your senses”), Gary Bartz (“Celestial blues”) and Stanley Clarke in the late sixties/early seventies, released one solo album, and then disappeared from view for over 20 years. "Shades of Bey" (originally released in 1998) showcases his four-octave range, the intimacy of love songs and raw power of the blues on a mixture of standards (“Pretty girl”, “Some other time”), Latin (“O cantador”, “Drume negrita”), modern (Nick Drake’s “River man”), and a couple of original tunes. Available for the first time on vinyl, it features Andy on vocals and on piano, and appearances from Gary Bartz and Geri AllenAndy Bey's bass-baritone voice has aged over the last thirty-odd years, but it's aged well; he now sings in a husky drawl that sounds all the more warm and intimate for being a bit ragged around the edges. When he goes into falsetto, as on "Midnight Blue," athe sound is so dark that you don't recognize it as falsetto at first. This album peaks early on with "Like a Lover," a wistful love song with only the gentlest, sparest guitar accompaniment. But there are many other beautiful moments, the best of which always come on the slow numbers: the Billy Strayhorn classic "Pretty Girl," on which Bey sounds like Billy Eckstine with a weathered patina to his voice, and the surprising Nick Drake cover, the moody and intense "River Man." His vocal version of Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" is fun, but it tends to expose the limitations of his range; however, he makes the uptempo "Believin' It" work beautifully -- Geri Allen's edgy, modernist piano contrasts nicely with Bey's effusive, bop-inflected delivery. (allmusic)

The highly anticipated long player from DJ, producer and musician Lorenzo Morresi alongside 22a label boss, DJ, producer and musician Tenderlonious, sees them serve up 11 irresistible tracks inspired by Italo jazz funk and the Italian library sound."With this project we’ve done our best to deliver our own interpretation of this wonderful era of Italian music and rediscover a beautiful genre, whilst maintaining a strong respect and admiration for the sounds that the original Italian masters created. Their records impressed and inspired us and we hope it will be the same for our listeners today."

Don't sleep on those contagious grooves!!!

Un des premiers enregistrement de Sclavis, pièces en solo avec quelques fulgurances de percussion... Klezmer Fusion !