Back catalogue: Jazz

Review: Zy The Way hails from Taiwan and are a jazz ensemble that interlaces their dynamic sounds with ancient Chinese poetry compiled by Confucius. They also bring in more contemporary compositions which results in an utterly original sound and great gateway to some of the world's oldest literary works. They recently finished a debut full-length album and now the single 'Blue Collar' from it comes on limited edition vinyl. The track tells the ancient tale of young scholars in love with a powerful narrative and moving melodies. The one and only DJ Spinna steps up on the flip to offer his own classy deep-house remix.

Review: Since being founded in 2013 in Rome, Sonor Music Editions has become a treasure trove of archival music that was originally made for films, radio and television. The mysterious Mandrassi & Zollinger, here backed by the I Beati studio band, cooked up one such killer but hitherto unknown library session, Rhythm & Sound, back in 1973. Andreassi is said to one of the first female library music composers and likely the release of this album is going to change how she is perceived. It's packed with endless breaks, superb funk grooves and plenty of chasing beats with a loose, live jam session feel that makes it all the more vibrant.

Review: Udacha family band Zdehvedo Gob is a collective of musicians who all hail from various cities around the world. It consists of Udacha label head Alexey Kalik as well as drummer Roman Shestaev and Gamayun associates Anton Dvoenko and Stas Mitrofanov and they all got together in the studio in Moscow in summer 2023 and the results are now presented on this new album. Employing an organic music approach to instrumentation combined with subtle electronics, the group go wild for various combinations of off-kilter percussion, organ, chant and birdsong in full ceremonial swing, they trace a path through the various branches of 20th century minimalism, pan-global folk-ism's and the harmonious collective consciousness that My Life In A Bush Of Ghosts encapsulated. It's a gorgeous mix of world, jazz, spiritual percussive, experimental music that rides on nice loose and vibrant rhythms with a great mix of synthetic and organic sounds all offering plenty for the mind as well as the body to get excited about.