Ron Everett - Glitter of the City (June 4, 2021 Jazzman Holy Grail Series)

As records in our 'Jazzman Holy Grail' series go, the magnificent 'Glitter of the City' by Ron Everett bears all the hallmarks as being one of the most coveted of all. Indeed, we value this album so highly that we specially reserved the Jazzman catalogue number of #100 to mark its significance.

Original copies of the LP are incredibly hard to find, even on the streets of Philadelphia from where it originated. Released in 1977 on a shoestring budget with a b/w xerox glued onto a plain white cover, the LP was never going to amass great sales. Add to the fact that it was a jazz album - totally unhip given the then current disco craze - and sold literally from the street corner by Ron himself - it's surprising that any were sold at all.

Then again, what goes around comes around. What is hip anyway? It's all about the music. Ron Everett made his album a deep, personal celebration of his hometown, with its vibrant musical community and heritage, and created an absorbing selection of funky jams, sweet jazzy soul and all manner of funk & blues infused jazz.

For the first time since its release we bring you an official reissue with restored artwork and audio. Our illustrated liner notes tell the life story of Ron Everett, as researched by respected Philadelphia music pro Dave 'Philly Dave' Brown and his interviews with Everett family members and the surviving musicians on the album. What's more, we're thrilled to include 3 extra bonus tracks taken from an unreleased master reel of a subsequent album which we discovered while researching the project. It really doesn't get any better than that! 

1. Royal Walk

2. Glitter Of The City (Song By Tahira)

3. Tipsy Lady

4. Mood Two Latin For You

5. Pretty Little Girl

6. Musicman New Rock Joy

7. Let Your Spirits Be Free

8. Fanfare for Coltrane

9. Untitled No.4

10. Untitled No.5

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Ruby Rushton - Gideon's Way (June 4, 2021 22a)

Ruby Rushton return to 22a with a four track album teaser combining a fusion of sounds from across the jazz spectrum in their own distinctive style. The band have forged an instantly recognisable sound since their debut release ‘Two For Joy’ back in 2015, hitting the sweet spot by simultaneously sounding classic and forward-thinking.

The EP is fronted by virtuosic flute from bandleader Ed ‘Tenderlonious’ Cawthorne and soulful trumpet by Nick Walters, who combine with tight catchy leads and fierce solo work. Aidan Shepherd underpins the operation with slick synth and key work whilst Tim Carnegie delivers a suite of tight knit drum breaks.

‘Spanish Raga’ opens the EP, inspired by an evening out after a gig in Madrid in 2019. Always unpredictable, the tune moves from delicate flute melodies to punchy synth bass and drum grooves, with a Raga inspired flute interlude in the middle.

‘Fall From Grace’ is a melancholic jazz folk song. Inspired by the current uncertainty we all face. It winds through a complex horn line driven by explosive drums.

The EP title track ‘Gideon’s Way’ carries on the cinematic “cop music" theme from the bands 2019 LP ‘Ironside’, taking inspiration from ITV’s sixties cop classic ‘Gideon’s Way’.

Latin-jazz roller ‘The Good Mixer’ closes out the EP in energetic fashion, with a nod to Dingwalls and other closed Camden watering holes. A free-wheeling, playful tune with combined flute and trumpet solos nodding to the Charles Mingus approach of ensemble playing, elevated by Carnegie’s drum grooves. ‘Gideon’s Way’ leaves the door ajar for the fifth Ruby Rushton album, scheduled for release later this year. 

1. Spanish Raga

2. Fall From Grace

3. Gideon's Way

4. The Good Mixer

Ed 'Tenderlonious' Cawthorne; flute

Nick Walters; trumpet

Aidan Shepherd; keyboards

Tim Carnegie; drums

Recorded at Livingston Studios, London, 6th December 2020

'Gideon's Way' & 'Fall From Grace' written & arranged by E. Cawthorne

'Spanish Raga' & 'The Good Mixer' written & arranged by A. Shepherd

Executive Producer; Dennis Ayler

Recording Engineer; Rhys Downing

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Mndsgn - Rare Pleasure (June 4, 2021 Stones Throw Records)

Rare Pleasure is Mndsgn's third album to be released on Stones Throw Records. Following 2016's Body Wash, this album truly shows the artist's evolution from his roots as a heralded beatmaker to vocalist, songwriter and arranger. Though he began writing for the album in 2018, the final recordings took just a week in studio with the help of trusted collaborators: Swarvy on bass, guitar and as Musical Director for the sessions, Stones Throw label mate Kiefer Shackelford on keys, drum work by Will Logan, the blessed percussion of Carlos Niño, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on strings, and accompanying vocals from Fousheé and Anna Wise.

1. Rare Pleasure I

2. Truth Interlude

3. 3Hands / Divine Hand I

4. Hope You're Doin' Better 04:35

5. Rare Pleasure II

6. Slowdance 05:15

7. Abundance

8. Masque

9. Rare Pleasure III

10. Medium Rare 05:29

11. Rare Pleasure IV

12. Colours Of The Sunset

13. Divine Hand II

14. Slowdance

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Kiefer - Between Days (2021 Stones Throw Records)

1. Between Days 02:34

2. Superhero 02:46

3. Friends 04:40

4. Labored Breathing 01:09

5. Running Out the Clock feat. The Kount 03:52

6. Work and Purpose feat. 10.4 ROG 01:54

7. His Heart Grew Three Sizes feat. Lakey Inspired 03:10

8. Everybody Loves The Sunshine feat. Theo Croker 05:22

All songs produced by Kiefer

Mixed by: Kiefer Shackelford except Jonwayne on 1

Mastered by: Matthew David McQueen except Kiefer on 8

Cover art by: Mason London

Additional players:

3. Friends

Trumpet: Sara Sithi-Amnuai (trumpet)

8. Everybody Loves the Sunshine ft. Theo Croker

Drums - Will Logan

Bass - Andy McCauley

Guitar - Paul Castelluzzo

Trumpet - Theo Croker

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Beazar - Furry Tale EP (May 22, 2021 Moodfamily)

After years of fruitful studio work and intense worldwide touring with his band Stavroz, Beazar now steps out of the shadow. On his newest EP Furry Tale the Belgian abandons the strict four to the floor backbone of his earlier work in pursuit of more freedom, to express his dry and stern grooves laden with bittersweet tension. Inspired by Radiohead, Amon Tobin, Stimming, Apparat or Lorn, Beazar delivers his most delicate offering so far.

The first single ‘Furry Tale’ is an earworm. Inspired by the capricious behaviour of a cat swinging from good-hearted flattering to a fierce temper in just the blink of an eye, its anecdotal nature will most likely get it passed on from one generation to another, as an ancient history that carefully needs to be preserved. The EP's title track marks a new and seasoned stage in Beazar’s creative path.

It comes with an equally cinematographic video by the hand of choreographer Işıl Bıçakçı. Hailing from Istanbul, her vision on contemporary dance has brought her and her pieces to celebrated festivals all over the world.

1. Amazinger

2. Beazar (ft. Joppe Tanghe) - Mercurious

3. Furry Tale

4. The Third Half

5. The Slave Pilo

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Mathias Modica - Sonic Rohstoff (May 2021 Kryptox)

Mathias Modica’s Sonic Rohstoff is the new album on Kryptox Music. Sonic Rohstoff  is a journey through abstract downtempo vibes, lofi jazz and futuristic electronica. This is Modica’s first album under his own name, following three albums under his monikers Kapote and Munk. All instruments are performed by Modica himself, embellished by guest musicians from the new Berlin Jazz scene.

Most people might know Modica from his earlier works as a producer, keyboard player and founder/ creative mind behind Toy Tonics, Gomma and Kryptox. Over the past two decades he has made a name for himself by discovering and breaking new talent and styles of music. He produced albums with James Murphy and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem, Peaches, Asia Argento, The Rammellzee and WhoMadeWho for his former label Gomma records. Nowadays, he is busy running Toy Tonics and Kryptox Records. 

Originally a jazz piano student and the son of a classical composer Mathias interrupted his studies exactly 20 years ago to launch his label Gomma records and his artist moniker Munk. Gomma became one of the leading labels of the 2000’s Indie Disco wave alongside DFA Records and Output Recordings. Crowned as „Germany’s freshest and most interesting record label“ by London's i-D Magazine. In fact Gomma was more than just a record label: besides connecting DJ aculture with bands and „real“ musicians, Gomma also released graphic magazines, shirts and ran underground art exhibitions around the world.

Modica stopped the Gomma label in 2015 to start Toy Tonics and Kryptox with two friends - two platforms that showcase the vivid new music scenes of Germany across electronic ad organic dance music. Toy Tonics became a go-to label for international artists experimenting with house, neo-soul, future disco and broken beat. (Coeo, Joel Holmes, Kosmo Kint and Cody Currie are among the artists on Toy Tonics.)

Kryptox Music was launched in 2018 as a home for new bands working in Germany. Highlighting new exciting forms of jazz, psychadelica and electronica that come out of Berlin, which has established itself as a melting pot of new bands and live musicians from across the world.

After Kryptox albums by Niklas Wandt, Ralph Heidel and the Kraut Jazz Futurism compilation, Mathias Modica finally delivers his own debut album. Sonic Rohstoff are ten slow, instrumental pieces in which Modica plays the Rhodes, synthesisers, bass, drums and percussions. The music is based on deconstructed samples and beats made from real drums and field recordings. Guest musicians are Ralph Heidel (fl, sax), Viktor Wolf (sax), JJ Whitfield (Beats). Loose drum patterns lead the way, mixed with carefully crafted, sensitive atmospheres setting the perfect mood for Modica’s warm and melancholic chord progressions and melodies played on several keybaords. Across the album, he draws inspiration from 1970s jazz funk and 1990s hip hop and electronica. Moods transition from sweet to bizarre, from cinematic to funky. Modern pioneers like Flying Lotus and DJ Shadow are influences as well as movie composers like Alessandro Alessandroni and David Axelrod and the fascinating world of 1980ies japanese  fusion jazz. But it’s difficult to find words for Sonic Rohstoff. In fact the sound of Mathias Modica’s debut album is too special to be described with few sentences. It’s deep and meaningful music. Listen and judge yourself.

1. Blumen der Vernunft 03:09

2. Mica Male 03:46

3. Kontainer Kollektif 04:00

4. Le Sud 07:37

5. Nippon Jonetsu 04:18

6. Kotti Bizarre (Antitheater) 05:15

7. Konterfei 04:42

8. Haengboggam 04:33

9. Ostinato Eisbox 04:24

10. Vendetta '71 05:06

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Kaidi Tatham - 7inch Nails (May 2021 Sounds Familiar)

Sounds Familiar is excited to inaugurate their new record label with the launch of “7 Inch Nails” - a series of 7" records aimed at expanding boundaries and opening up musical horizons. The series will feature a range of extraordinary artists that we have crossed paths with, both established and up-and-coming, all of whom are adept at keeping the groove in check.

The first installment of “7 Inch Nails" arrives courtesy of musical genius Kaidi Tatham and double A-side ‘Feeling Happy’ / ‘Sooner Or Later’.

'Feeling Happy' does what it says on the tin, as Kaidi brings his inner Herbie Hancock to an uplifting, piano-led sunshine jam. On the flip, channeling Kaidi's signature fusion of jazz-inflected future soul, 'Sooner or Later' unfolds across four low slung minutes before breaking out in a joyous, orchestrated Latin groove.

Curated by Sounds Familiar and crafted with exceptional care by their extended family members at Mother Tongue records in Verona, Italy, 'Feeling Happy’ / 'Sooner Or Later’ will be released on vinyl and digital on May 14th, alongside a limited batch of red wax copies.

Stay tuned for more uncompromising freshness to be announced in the months to come.

1. Feeling Happy 04:08

2. Sooner or Later 04:34

All tracks written, produced and mixed by Kaidi Tatham

Mastering: Marco Zangirolami

Manufactured and distributed by Mother Tongue, Verona, Italy

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Ondřej Galuška, Ian Mikyska, Radim Hanousek, Vojta Drnek - MiniMa Vol​.​1 (May 2021 Ma Records)

MiniMa is a new edition by Ma Records, introducing four new albums. Although the music is aesthetically diverse, we believe all the albums are linked by a common element, which we have called MiniMa. Each of the records demands a slightly different type of listening and concentration. Each of the artists approaches the flow of time differently. We strongly believe listening to the entire MiniMa edition will be a complex aesthetic experience.

Ligeticitations are first of all “citations” of recordings of works by the composer György Ligeti. Excerpts of various length are taken out of the original music and subjected to a kind of “close reading”. At the same time, a certain “licitation” is taking place: a negotiation regarding the musicality of individual elements – themes, sounds – which were not meant to appear on their own.

Strings, Water, Leaves, Air is a collection of real-time compositions, each of which was created under the influence of a different kind of tea. They are an invitation to stillness; to perceive their gentle nuances of taste and sound. By layering several steepings and instruments, a new blend is created – between improvisation and structure, time and timelessness, sound, taste, and fragrance.

Escape wass created by layering the home recordings of the participating musicians (ESCAPE I) and by mixing the Portuguese field recordings with a studio quartet of musicians responding independently of each other to different sonic materials (ESCAPE II). The result is a collage of improvised and composed music, field recordings, and electronics.

Lullabies are songs that ring out through our souls before we fall asleep. That is, when our souls are at their most open, most sensitive, most vulnerable. The short but intense EP Lullabies presents the unexplored sonic possibilities of the accordion, developed from a close connection between the player and the instrument. 

1. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 1: Intro 02:30

2. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 2: Chamber Concerto 05:43

3. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 3: Étude 2 - Corde à vide 03:00

4. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 4: 6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet 04:44

5. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 5: String Quartet No. 1 03:48

6. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 6: Chamber Concerto: Calmo, sostenuto 05:10

7. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 7: Poème symphonique 04:29

8. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 8: Lux Aeterna 04:52

9. Ondřej Galuška - Ligeticitations 9: Outro 02:09

10. Ian Mikyska - 1. Eight-Year Liu Bao – 4. 1. 2021 05:58

11. Ian Mikyska - 2. Shui Xien Wuyi Oolong – 17. 12. 2020 06:36

12. Ian Mikyska - 3. Qilan Wuyi Oolong – 26. 12. 2020 05:02

13. Ian Mikyska - 4. Millenium Liu Bao – 18. 12. 2020 05:18

14. Ian Mikyska - 5. Lang He Shu Pu-erh – 30. 12. 2020 06:23

15. Ian Mikyska - 6. Mengku Gushu Sheng Pu-erh – 20. 12. 2020 04:02

16. Ian Mikyska - 7. Golden Tippy King Shu Pu-erh – 3. 1. 2021 08:24

17. Ian Mikyska - 8. Ali Shan Oolong – 17. 12. 2020 06:38

18. Radim Hanousek - ESCAPE I (acoustic) 09:26

19. Radim Hanousek - ESCAPE II (mix) 27:00

20. Vojta Drnek - 1. Doss Down 03:54

21. Vojta Drnek - 2. Insomnion 02:42

22. Vojta Drnek - 3. Stars Fading 04:20

23. Vojta Drnek - 4. The Lullaby Of Birdland 03:48

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Radim Hanousek - MiniMa: ESCAPE (May 2021 Ma Records)

During my study stay in Portugal, I recorded dozens of hours of field recordings in Lisbon, Peniche, and Sintra, and prepared a simple graphic score inspired by the phases of the waves of the sea in relation to wind speed. During the covid isolation time, I asked six Czech and five Portuguese musicians to interpret this score. They contributed their personalities and creativity without any idea of the whole. I processed the materials I acquired in two ways: by layering the home recordings of the participating musicians (ESCAPE I) and by mixing the Portuguese field recordings with a studio quartet of musicians responding independently of each other to different sonic materials (ESCAPE II). The result is a collage of improvised and composed music, field recordings, and electronic. -RH-

1. ESCAPE I (acoustic) 09:26

2. ESCAPE II (mix) 27:00

ESCAPE I

Helena Espvall – violoncello

Maria do Mar – violin

Anežka Nováková – marimba 

Žaneta Vítová – accordion

Jana Vondrů – voice, harmonium

Hernâni Faustino – double bass

Peter Korman – double bass

Matej Olah – guitar

Martin Opršál – marimba, marimbula, kalimba, Tibetan bowls, timpani, cymbals

Guilherme Rodrigues – violoncello

Alvaro Rosso – double bass

ESCAPE II

Jana Vondrů – voice, harmonium

Hernâni Faustino – double bass

Radim Hanousek – bass clarinet, soprano saxophone

Martin Opršál – marimba, marimbula, kalimba, Tibetan bowls, timpani, cymbals

project realised at Radim Hanousek’s home studio (12/2020 – 03/2021) with field recordings

made in Lisabon, Peniche, and Sintra (11/2020)

final mixing and mastering – Tomáš Vtípil (4/2021)

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Ondřej Galuška - MiniMa: Ligeticitations (May 2021 Ma Records)

As the title suggests, Ligeticitations are first of all “citations” of recordings of composer György Ligeti’s works. Excerpts of various length are taken out of the original music and subjected to a kind of “close reading”. At the same time, a certain “licitation” is taking place: a negotiation regarding the musicality of individual elements – themes, sounds – which were not meant to appear on their own. Is a decontextualized quotation of music still musical? Can these elements form a new composition? Do they somehow contain other possibilities of continuation and connection? To what extent is this a random process and to what extent is it limited by the possibilities of the original composition?

What is at play in these licitations, each of which employs a different strategy, are not only the compositional implications and possibilities of the elements. There is also a dialogue between the style and soundscape of the original pieces (determined by the use of classical instruments recorded at a certain time in a certain space) and the techniques of current music production. The use of studio effects in manipulating the space and time of sound, its reverb, pitch, timbre and morphology adds another layer of expression absent in the original material.

Samples in Ligeticitations are not simply rearranged, looped or juxtaposed. Rather they are layered to form a kind of “meta-composition” which compresses a longer composition into a shorter time span or many compositions into a single piece. (Prof. Jo Ellen Jacobs claims that if musical composition is the structuring of time, then the repetitiveness of popular music is literally a waste of time. Ironically, one can save even more time thanks to studio techniques used by popular music.)

Ligeticitations are mostly assembled “manually”, i.e. without the use of a tempo grid. Although the editing still takes place on a computer, the result is much more organic as is the case when working with tape and scissors. The compositions were in part created for the modern dance performance S dovolením! by the SPOLK dance troupe. The show should premiere in the Ponec theatre in Prague in July 2021. 

1. Ligeticitations 1: Intro 02:30

2. Ligeticitations 2: Chamber Concerto 05:43

3. Ligeticitations 3: Étude 2: Cordes à vide 03:00

4. Ligeticitations 4: 6 Bagatelles for Wind Quintet 04:44

5. Ligeticitations 5: String Quartet No. 1 03:48

6. Ligeticitations 6: Chamber Concerto: Calmo, sostenuto 05:10

7. Ligeticitations 7: Poème symphonique 04:29

8. Ligeticitations 8: Lux Aeterna 04:52

9. Ligeticitations 9: Outro 02:09

Author: Ondřej Galuška

Mastering: Ondřej Ježek

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Ian Mikyska - MiniMa: Strings, Water, Leaves, Air (May 2021 Ma Records)

Since its early days in Ancient China, tea – the second most consumed beverage in the world, after water – has been valued for its potential for invigoration, medicinal use, and meditation. Its link to the Taoist and Buddhist contemplative traditions is perhaps best captured by the phrase “Zen and tea – one flavour”.

Each piece on this album was created as a multi-track improvisation during a long session with multiple infusions of one kind of tea. Palimpsests; meditations; compositions in layers of time. They are homages, in a way, but also invitations – to sit, to brew a pot of tea, and to listen.

1. Eight-Year Liu Bao – 4. 1. 2021 05:58

2. Shui Xien Wuyi Oolong – 17. 12. 2020 06:36

3. Qilan Wuyi Oolong – 26. 12. 2020 05:02

4. Millenium Liu Bao – 18. 12. 2020 05:18

5. Lang He Shu Pu-erh – 30. 12. 2020 06:23

6. Mengku Gushu Sheng Pu-erh – 20. 12. 2020 04:02

7. Golden Tippy King Shu Pu-erh – 3. 1. 2021 08:24

8. Ali Shan Oolong – 17. 12. 2020 06:38

Mastering: Ladislav Železný (ldn.ferrum.name)

Music, recording, mixing: Ian Mikyska (www.ianmikyska.com)

Instruments: baritone electric guitar (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8) | bass clarinet (2, 5, 7, 8) | classical guitar (3, 4) | guqin (1, 5) | viola da gamba (1, 4) | bass recorder (5, 6) | great bass recorder (7) | banjo with ebow (7)

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Vojta Drnek - MiniMa: Lullabies (May 2021 Ma Records)

“Lullabies are songs that ring out through our souls before we fall asleep. That is, when our souls are the most open, the most sensitive, the most vulnerable. It’s a time when our minds are resting, wandering through different dream worlds, being tired and at the same time full of unsettling creative energy, unable to stop thinking. When I went to record this music I tried to embrace this state of mind and express it in my playing.”

Short, but intense EP “Lullabies” presents the unexplored sonic possibilities of an accordion, developed from close connection of the player and the instrument. Everything you can hear was recorded live, on one take, without any overdubbing or electronic modification of the sound.

1. Doss Down 03:54

2. Insomnion 02:42

3. Stars Fading 04:20

4. The Lullaby Of Birdland 03:48

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Pavel Kunčar at recording studio of Orli street Theater, Brno, Czech Republic

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