Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Daniel Sommer's Sounds & Sequences, the second entry in his Nordic Trilogy, ventures deeper into the nuances of Nordic improvisation. Featuring Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen and Swedish bassist Johannes Lundberg, the album takes an adventurous approach, blending chamber music, spiritual jazz and ambient influences. Recorded at Gothenburg's Studio Epidemin, the trio navigated the sessions without set guidelines, letting intuitive improvisation guide each track. The album's atmosphere is distinctly expansive and haunting. In 'Vejen Til Epidemic', Henriksen's ethereal trumpet melodies float over Lundberg's deep bass and Sommer's textured cymbal accents, creating a tone both ominous and inviting. 'Hey, Superhero' adds a more aggressive edge, as Henriksen's airy trumpet soars against grounding basslines and Sommer's more assertive stick work. 'On Blue - Seven', subtle electronic touches and reverberant trumpet evoke a foghorn's call in a shadowy soundscape, while Beautiful Daisy brings in Henriksen's otherworldly falsetto, crafting an eerie, ritualistic feel. The title track's primal drumming and electronic effects add a rock-infused urgency, with Henriksen's falsetto peaking in a raw crescendo. Sounds & Sequences boldly explores Nordic soundscapes, blending electronic and acoustic realms in a stirring album.

Review: Southside Movement was a Chicago funk band that was busy during the mid 70s releasing a total of three albums between 1973 and 1975 on Wand and 20th Century Records. They also collaborated with the lush tones of soul singer and fellow Chicagoan Jackie Ross on records for Chess and Brunswick that have long since been forgotten. Until now, that is, because P-VINE has put together this great reissue of the music that was only released in limited test presses back in the day, and has added to it some previously unreleased tracks. The standout here is 'You Are The One That I Need' with its tropical funky vibes.

Review: The British Jazz Explosion series continues to shine a light on the finest records to come from the yesteryear of jazz in ol' Blighty. On this occasion we're taken deep into the folds of John Surman and John Warren's thrilling, high-drama opus Tales Of The Algonquin. It's a widescreen affair taking big band ensemble pieces like 'With Terry's Help' and more delicate, Gil Evans-inspired pieces like 'The Dandelion'. It's a bold and brilliant record, sounding all the better for a plush 180 gram pressing that helps the music truly leap from the grooves.

Review: When members of mega-bands work with relatively obscurer artists, we're always intrigued. But a potential trapping factor is in thinking Jarak Qaribak, for example, is more of a Jonny Greenwood album than a Dudu Tassa one, when in fact the exact opposite is the case. Tassa, an Israeli singer-guitarist who fuses Middle Eastern stylings with contemporary rock, lends a challenging structural terrain to the Radiohead member's electric guitar licks, with the former's Arabic and Hebrew lyrics moving atmospherically against them. A star cast of fellow Israeli artists accompany the pair, as serene vocal beat-driven movements plod and swell away in an appealingly nu-proggy fashion.

Review: Thelonious in Action, recorded live at the Five Spot Cafe in 1958, captures jazz king Thelonious Monk at his improvisational best. Featuring Johnny Griffin on tenor sax, Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass and Roy Haynes on drums, the album showcases the quartet's dynamic interplay and Monk's unique, percussive piano style. Highlights include the lively 'Blue Monk' and the intricate 'Rhythm-A-Ning.' Griffin's robust sax lines complement Monk's eccentric rhythms throughout to create a vibrant, engaging atmosphere. The album's live setting adds an intimate, spontaneous feel, making this newly reissued classic a must listen for jazz enthusiasts and a brilliant example of Monk's enduring genius.

Review: Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs' is a thrilling, never-before-released live recording of jazz giants McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson, captured at Slugs' Saloon in 1966. Joining them are bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Jack DeJohnette, forming a powerhouse quartet. The performance, unearthed from DeJohnette's personal archives after nearly six decades, showcases the intense musical chemistry between Tyner and Henderson, who were central figures in the 1960s jazz scene. The recording, originally engineered by Orville O'Brien, brings the energy and creativity of this 1966 set to life. With expert mastering by Matthew Lutthans, the sound is crisp and vibrant, transporting listeners back to the legendary Slugs' Saloon. Forces of Nature is a amazing look into an era of jazz brilliance.

Review: Uhlmann Johnson Wilkes is the debut album from Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson and Sam Wilkes, a collective of three versatile improvisers, arrangers and producers whose work spans jazz, rock and experimental. Across 11 instrumental tracks, they explore a jazz-informed take on progressive electro-acoustic chamber music that brings beauty, melody and rhythm to the fore. The record was conceived during live shows and a home session in Los Angeles and features Uhlmann's mournful fingerpicked guitar, Wilkes' bass chording and Johnson's effect-laden saxophone. Their arrangement-minded improvisation results in some nicely otherworldly textures as they push their instruments to create a spacious, lyrical sound.

Review: In classic jazz style, this collaborative three-way debut album brings together three musicians at the top of their game: SML members Gregory Uhlman (guitar and effects) and Josh Johnson (saxophone and effects), and sometime Louis Cole, Sam Gendel and Chaka Khan collaborator Sam Wilkes (bass and effects). Musically, what the trio offers is undeniably unique, with International Anthem describing the album as "a jazz-informed take on progressive electro-acoustic chamber music". Certainly, there's much to enjoy, from the tracked bass, guitar and sax loops and subtle changes of 'Mavis' and the dreamlike ambient jazz of 'Arpy', to the bubbling cosmic jazz of 'Frica' and a stunning, off-kilter instrumental cover of Magical Mystery Tour-era Beatles number 'The Fool On The Hill'.

Review: After making some low-key waves with his Panama 77 LP, Daniel Villarreal is back with a unique document which pulls from the same era and mindset, but offers something very different. When in October 2020 he invited Jeff Parker and Anna Butterss to record in the backyard of Chicly Outpost in LA, it was the first jam the three had experienced post-lockdown. Some results from the session made it onto the last record, but now Villarreal has decided to focus squarely on these poignant sessions and pull out some of the finest material for our listening pleasure, and what a pleasure it surely is. Dusky, scratchy and honest, this is stripped down jamming jazz at its best.

Review: Music From Dreams is a label that never fails to live up to its name. Next to soundtrack your gentle passage from awake to whatever comes next is The Zenmenn and John Moods. The Zenmenn debuted on this label back in April 2021 with Entry The Zenmenn which showed off their beat-making credentials. Not much else is known about them and the same can be said of John Moods. What we do know is that they make superbly horizontal music together as is demonstrated here. These are lush instrumental tracks that lean on folk, soft and yacht rock to help you empty your mind of all woes.