Soul Jazz Schallplatten & CDs

Review: An intriguing song is 'Aftershower Funk', the Latin American musician Joe Bataan's curt salsa single from 1974. Fresh, cologned, groomed, and with towel firmly wrapped round hair, Bataan's largely instrumental track is about as lightfooted as the sprightly young man he was, then at 34 years old. With heavy tin drum and cowbell clangings peppered throughout, a toe-tapping mood is sure to beset the listener. B-sider 'Fin' continues the mood, uniting percussion with piano, brass, whistle and rhythm guitar; a much fuller exercise in triumphant finality.

Review: The unequalled Soul Jazz label is serving up some monster funk this month and they don't come much bigger than these two cuts from Chuck Carbo. Opener 'Can I Be Your Squeeze' is a super catchy, break heavy and funk fulled party jam to destroy the floor. Written and produced by the celebrated Eddie Bo, it comes with big drums from New Orleans stick man James Black. On the flip is the ever so slightly more mellow but not less dance 'Take Care Your Homework Friend.' These have long been hard to find and now come pressed nice and loud on fresh wax.

Review: There is currently only one copy of this on Discogs and it is listed at a rather eye watering L1200. Thankfully this reissue means you can own an undeniably brilliant tune for a much more reasonable price. It is a seminal New Orleans joint from the main man Eddie Bo who made it for the hugely popular group The Explosions. Juanita Brooks is the powerhouse soul sister who provides the vocals and on the other side is something just as good - a deep soul gem to warm you to your core.

Review: Soul Jazz Records are focusing on the fertile New Orleans scene right and and are reissuing a load of out of print, hard to find or eye watering expensive 45rpms. Most of them have been written and produced by the legendary funk machine that is Eddie Bo and this one features in the pocket drum playing from New Orleans's great James Black. His super tight rhythms power along both parts of these big, party start funk tunes. Expressive and guttural vocals light up each one with plenty of horns for good measure.

Review: So much for a psychedelic lifestyle - we're talking music rather than intoxicants, obviously - proving bad for productivity. Tucson, Arizona's Trees Speak have managed to record three albums in the space of a year for Soul Jazz and been praised as creating a "Dark Side of the Moon for the 21st century" in their most recent, Timeforms. Hot the heels of that success comes a limited (to a super select 150 copies), hand stamped 7" containing two even newer productions, with 'Wave Healer' proving a swampy, glorious mess of echoing, ring modulated voices and vintage synth soaring pinned down by a Broadcast-style organ and Mo Tucker-esque floor tom thump. 'Psychic State' meanwhile, on the flip, goes hither and zither with a slower and more off kilter beats and controls set for the heart of the echo again. This is most definitely what the fuss is all about.

Review: Soul Jazz, as always, have got tons of good stuff line-up for Record Store Day 2021. This bumper Funk 70 Box Set is the latest example and is a limited-edition one-off collector's edition with 10 rare and timeless funk gems on five individual bespoke 7" singles. All killer and no filler, this collection features the likes of a rare Detroit funk tune from Jackie Harris, the seminal 'Latin Strut' by Joe Bataan's which arguably helped make Salsoul Records into the force it became, and some excellent New Orleans funk from Eddie Bo, as well as much more.

Review: Inell Young was a New Orleans-based singer who recorded with Eddie Bo and also had a small clutch of solo singles in the late 60s-early 70s. Soul Jazz picked up on one of Young's rarest offerings, a beautiful single which came out some time in the 60s. They first reissued it in 2014 and it keeps getting repressed for very good reason - it's just a perfect slice of southern soul. 'The Next Ball Game' is a fiery, funky number with a clattering beat and plenty of overdriven energy, raw like the best music should be but oh so sweet thanks to Young's angelic voice. 'Part Of The Game' is a swooning heartbreak ballad that makes the perfect inversion to the firecracker of an A-side.

Review: Inell Young's What Do You See In Her is often said to be one of the most powerful soul songs to have ever come from the great New Orleans scene. Eddie Bo is of course the great man behind it - as he was so many of these great tunes from this place and this ear - with the voice of Inell adding the spice. Finding an original is hard as, and will also cost you very close to four figures, so snap this one up while you can. Both sides are pure gold.