Back catalogue: Jazz

Review: For their latest deep dive into the world of library music, Be With Records has plundered the catalogue of German outlet Selected Sound. Comprising cuts in a variety of related styles recorded by a string of in-house outfits, 'Blue Butterfly' was originally mailed to subscribers in the film, television and advertising industries way back in 1971. It has largely stood the test of time brilliantly, with our picks of a very strong bunch including the fuzz-fuelled, flute-sporting car-chase heaviness of Hardy Jet Band's 'Sorry, Doc!', the 'Relight My Fire'-inspired big band funk-rock of 'Safari Track' by the same combo, the spaghetti western-on-the-moon flex of 'Lady In Space' by Orchestra Klaus Wuestoff' and the appallingly titled but utterly joyous 'Pop Happening' by the Jan Troysen Band.

Review: Another comprehensive collection of jazz here from the good people at Light in The Attic. This 14 track compilation has been carefully selected and compiled by Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa, who is the owner of Tokyo's Universounds record store. It comes on heavyweight vinyl with vast track-by-track liner notes by Ogawa and take sin everything from hard bop to free jazz with plenty of big and explosive moments as well as more deep and introspective sections of calm, all of which has been plucked from the vaults of Nippon Columbia. There is a reason Japanese jazz is so revered, and this record shows why.

Review: After an acclaimed first volume, Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa continues to explore the phenomenon of Wajazz by diving into the archives of King Records. Spanning the years between 1962 and 1985, he brings to light some truly astounding music from artists like Isao Suzuki, Toshiaki Yokota, Akira Miyazawa, Takeru Muraoka, Yasuaki Shimizu, Masahiko Togashi and George Otsuka. There's a consistent thread of spiritual jazz around these varied performances, which Ogawa has pointedly selected for qualities which mark them out as unmistakably Japanese. It's another strong testament to the vibrant jazz culture from Japan, selected by a true expert driven by infinite passion for the music.

Review: Steve Okonski is the leader of his eponymous Okonski trio and for his new album, he set time aside in the winter of 2020. His background is classical piano and for this one, he collaborated with Michael Isvara "Ish" Montgomery and Aaron Frazer with the aim of making a record driven by beats but entirely instrumental. Recording sessions were full of improv and spontaneity which comes out in the final cut with all its rich, triumphant yet pensive melodies and variation in tempo from calm late-night walks to more upbeat workouts.

Review: Opa's Back Home was first reocrded in 1975 but not released until 1996; it was the fourth and final album by the esteemed Uruguayan fusion band, whose preferred admixture was usually some melted pot of funk and samba, making for an impressive heuristic building on their intuitive recalling of their mutual upbringing in South America. Mysteriously (for reasons unknown to the band), Opa's debut was shelved and remained so until the mid-1990s. But the story goes that it was recorded after renowned label producer and owner Larry Rosen heard the band playing in a Brooklyn nightclub; with this in mind, Back Home makes for an ironic title, since the sonic turn expressed by the band is not one of homesickness, but rather that of an immersion in New York's metamorphous music scene ('Brooklynville' has an instant proto-hip-hop vibe, if not for its original urban field recording, then certainly for its bulbous broken funk twang). Now reissued on vinyl and CD via Far Out, you won't want to miss this round trip.

Review: Acid Jazz has got an ongoing deal to issue and reissue music from Benin funk supergroup Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou and the latest fruits of that is this reissue of their Le Sato album. It is a follow-up to the one they dropped back in 2021 and is another section of traditional voodoo ceremonial music from the group from the mid-seventies. The name of the album is taken from the large ceremonial Sato drum, which is played with wooden stick beaters at special ceremonial occasions. Here it can be heard in all its glory making traditional rhythms and deeply ritualistic grooves that will leave you in a trance.

Review: Oscar Peterson had a steady thing going with Verve which carried him through his early career, but after a 14-year stretch with the label he wrapped things up with this album. The jazz pianist was joined by Ray Brown on double bass and Ed Thigpen on drums, between them tackling a number of pop songs, bossa nova, film themes and standards. Producer Jim Davis was committed to capturing the live feeling of the band and approached the recording sessions in October 1964 as such. This reissue follows Verve's exacting attention to detail, with transfers from analogue tape and presented in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Review: Osibisa's magnificent The Lost 70s Live Shows resurrects the pulsating energy of the Afrobeat and highlife fusion that defined the band's vibrant sound. Released as a testament to their dynamic live performances in the 1970s, the album captures the group's fierce genre-defying spirit with infectious rhythms, hypnotic percussion, and spirited horns. It is with these that the group create an immersive experience that transcends time with multicultural influences abounding throughout. Osibisa's lost live shows showcase their ability to ignite stages with an infectious blend of African, Caribbean, and jazz elements so do not sleep on this reissue.

Review: A key component in modern Turkish music since the '70s, Mustafa would have gone under the radar if it wasn't for break diggers. While he's still active to this day, Genclik Lle Elle is largely cited as his creative zenith. Recorded in Istanbul, 1973, the instrumental album takes the funk template and flings it into experimental, often cosmic pastures. Highlights include the planet-hopping glissandos on "Zeytinyagli", the progressive head-swirling frenzy of "Lorke" and the infectious eastern-fused riff on "Emmioglu". Plus it's on coloured vinyl. Plus it's got a monkey sound engineer on the cover. Plus it's limited. This record has a hell of a lot going for it.