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viewing 1 To 23 of 23 items
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CD
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BR 051CD
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22 musicians locked in a large studio to rediscover the beauty of sharing after months away from the stage due to the pandemic, without even being able to rehearse. The decision to record a live album was instantaneous, it was just about enjoying the energy of the moment. All tracks were recorded strictly live in the studio, without overdubs, with the aim of apprehending something unrepeatable. The electronics, the melodies of the wind section and the vocal power come together in this work, recorded live at Deep Studio in Treviso (Italy) and mastered by Ibon Larruzea (Bilbao), full of dub atmospheres mixed with orchestral patterns. All this merges into a unique and explosive sound in which the strength of the big band meets the deep and hypnotic beats of dub music. A succession of untamed riddims and expansive sounds in which, in many cases, the wind section remains crouched in the background leaving the creative element in the hands of the dubmaster unit. The power of the big band merges with the heavy and deep step of the dub. A progression of organic, pressing cadences, as in the solidest of the ska and reggae traditions and, at the same time, electronic resonances, dilated and deep. Wicked Dub Division began their journey as a quartet in 2014 and prior to Studio Session #1 they had already released two albums and several singles. North East Ska Jazz Orchestra formed in 2012 and have previously released two albums (both available on Brixton Records) and are working on what will be the recording of their next full-length. Northeast Italy is a border area and it's easy to connect with each other in those territories made of enchanted landscapes. That energy, that desire to experiment and get involved, have made possible this ambitious project in which a ska-jazz orchestra and a dub band, each with its own language, are assembled in an amazing sonority.
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LP
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BR 051LP
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LP version. 22 musicians locked in a large studio to rediscover the beauty of sharing after months away from the stage due to the pandemic, without even being able to rehearse. The decision to record a live album was instantaneous, it was just about enjoying the energy of the moment. All tracks were recorded strictly live in the studio, without overdubs, with the aim of apprehending something unrepeatable. The electronics, the melodies of the wind section and the vocal power come together in this work, recorded live at Deep Studio in Treviso (Italy) and mastered by Ibon Larruzea (Bilbao), full of dub atmospheres mixed with orchestral patterns. All this merges into a unique and explosive sound in which the strength of the big band meets the deep and hypnotic beats of dub music. A succession of untamed riddims and expansive sounds in which, in many cases, the wind section remains crouched in the background leaving the creative element in the hands of the dubmaster unit. The power of the big band merges with the heavy and deep step of the dub. A progression of organic, pressing cadences, as in the solidest of the ska and reggae traditions and, at the same time, electronic resonances, dilated and deep. Wicked Dub Division began their journey as a quartet in 2014 and prior to Studio Session #1 they had already released two albums and several singles. North East Ska Jazz Orchestra formed in 2012 and have previously released two albums (both available on Brixton Records) and are working on what will be the recording of their next full-length. Northeast Italy is a border area and it's easy to connect with each other in those territories made of enchanted landscapes. That energy, that desire to experiment and get involved, have made possible this ambitious project in which a ska-jazz orchestra and a dub band, each with its own language, are assembled in an amazing sonority.
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7"
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BR 052EP
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After their album Come Shine (BR 050CD/LP), Drop Collective dares to revisit the immortal bolero, composed by the Cuban Miguel Matamoros, of which there have been so many versions. Although the band prefers to record their own-penned songs, this is an arrangement that the band is very fond of and is part of their live repertoire, so they couldn't resist. In October 2018, Drop Collective were invited to perform at the 50th anniversary of the BCN Jazz Fest which paid tribute to Bebo Valdés and, at the same time, they were given an ambitious task: to do a version of "Lágrimas Negras" inspired by the one made by the Cuban pianist himself. Daniel Ferruz, the band's keyboardist, took on the challenge of making the arrangement with the initial difficulty of the personality that Valdés's version already has. He confesses that he was afraid to change things, but finally he decided to give it a roots reggae approach, but with more rocker spaces. He kept the sax solo and lyrics intact, and introduced a novel reharmonization at the end. The result is spectacular, the band from Barcelona fuses with their usual ska-jazz mastery, sounds of the two Antillean islands in a version that will surely become a classic. The recording was made at La Panchita Studio (Barcelona) and the B-side includes a dub version of the song by the dub wizard Chalart 58.
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CD
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BR 053CD
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New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble's vibes are still as infectious as ever and, with the same enthusiasm as in their first album, the true kings of contemporary ska-jazz offers seven superior class originals of New Orleans ska-jazz, funky reggae and delicious pop-steady and three covers, all blended with positive feel. Many things have happened in NYSJE, and in the world, during the last two years. This new NYSJE album is dedicated to the idea of living in the present, since we never know what tomorrow will bring. The time keeps being now, no need to look back, just focus on the present. That is the message behind their brand-new album In the Moment, a healing dose of positive ska and reggae mixed with Nuyorican flavor, which makes their fifteenth album a very special one. With the same enthusiasm as in their first album, the band continues bringing their superior class original New Orleans ska-jazz tunes "See Yah Wouldn't Wanna Be Yah", "Peanut Butter", and funky reggae "In the Moment". Delightful reggae-jazz "Solitude" and skanky jazz merriment "Peanut Butter" and "Time is Now". Their covers of "I'm Old Fashioned" (Jerome Kern), Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road", and the delicious pop-steady revisit of The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child" complete a great album. NYSJE's vibes are still as infectious as ever and these ten new tracks will make you celebrate and dance today, tonight, in the moment, because the time is now.
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LP
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BR 053LP
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LP version. New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble's vibes are still as infectious as ever and, with the same enthusiasm as in their first album, the true kings of contemporary ska-jazz offers seven superior class originals of New Orleans ska-jazz, funky reggae and delicious pop-steady and three covers, all blended with positive feel. Many things have happened in NYSJE, and in the world, during the last two years. This new NYSJE album is dedicated to the idea of living in the present, since we never know what tomorrow will bring. The time keeps being now, no need to look back, just focus on the present. That is the message behind their brand-new album In the Moment, a healing dose of positive ska and reggae mixed with Nuyorican flavor, which makes their fifteenth album a very special one. With the same enthusiasm as in their first album, the band continues bringing their superior class original New Orleans ska-jazz tunes "See Yah Wouldn't Wanna Be Yah", "Peanut Butter", and funky reggae "In the Moment". Delightful reggae-jazz "Solitude" and skanky jazz merriment "Peanut Butter" and "Time is Now". Their covers of "I'm Old Fashioned" (Jerome Kern), Van Morrison's "Bright Side of the Road", and the delicious pop-steady revisit of The Five Stairsteps' "O-o-h Child" complete a great album. NYSJE's vibes are still as infectious as ever and these ten new tracks will make you celebrate and dance today, tonight, in the moment, because the time is now.
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CD
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BR 054CD
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Young Valencian band that favors a pure style, remaining faithful to the origins, but with a powerful and contemporary sound. Rawtown is a conceptual album, musically shielded by a succession of songs in which the band walks through many of the Jamaican styles always with a reason and devoted to their own roots. After two years of intense work, The Dance Crashers release Rawtown, their second album. It is a concept album divided into four chapters inspired by the lunar phases, in which the action takes place in the fictitious neighborhood of Rawtown. These four phases illustrate a cyclical process that goes from darkness to light, being darkness the reflection of individualism and light the symbol of the fullness of collective feeling. The storyline is musically shielded by a succession of songs, sung in English, in which the band goes through most of the styles of Jamaican music, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall... always in a justified way and firmly devoted to their own roots. In the first phase, the new moon, the city is too big, and the individual is too small. The air and the noise suffocate him/her. Follows the routine, does not stop doing things and needs to flee. "Concrete Jail", "A Day in Your Life", and "Cry" reflect these feelings perfectly: individualism, precariousness, and indifference. In the second phase, shaped by the tracks "Spoiler", "Riot", and "What If", you enter the stage of transformation. The crescent moon illuminates the awareness, the anger against the elites, against racism. As a consequence, the need to show empathy towards sisters and brothers and to fight collectively. In the third phase, the full moon phase, the fullness of collective brotherhood is reached. With "Unity", "Now and Then", and "Dirty Paradise", the individual stays in the same space, in the same streets, but perceives them differently. He/she makes a shelter of the environment and the people, with their lights and shadows, where he/she is not alone. Finally, the phase of renewal and closing of the cycle, "Keep On", "Still Here", and "Manifesto". Inevitably one has to learn to live with contradictions and what is really important is this new beginning, in which no one is better than anyone else. A point of liberation, of harvesting what has been sown by previous generations and in which the way is made for the generations to come.
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LP
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BR 054LP
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LP version. Young Valencian band that favors a pure style, remaining faithful to the origins, but with a powerful and contemporary sound. Rawtown is a conceptual album, musically shielded by a succession of songs in which the band walks through many of the Jamaican styles always with a reason and devoted to their own roots. After two years of intense work, The Dance Crashers release Rawtown, their second album. It is a concept album divided into four chapters inspired by the lunar phases, in which the action takes place in the fictitious neighborhood of Rawtown. These four phases illustrate a cyclical process that goes from darkness to light, being darkness the reflection of individualism and light the symbol of the fullness of collective feeling. The storyline is musically shielded by a succession of songs, sung in English, in which the band goes through most of the styles of Jamaican music, ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall... always in a justified way and firmly devoted to their own roots. In the first phase, the new moon, the city is too big, and the individual is too small. The air and the noise suffocate him/her. Follows the routine, does not stop doing things and needs to flee. "Concrete Jail", "A Day in Your Life", and "Cry" reflect these feelings perfectly: individualism, precariousness, and indifference. In the second phase, shaped by the tracks "Spoiler", "Riot", and "What If", you enter the stage of transformation. The crescent moon illuminates the awareness, the anger against the elites, against racism. As a consequence, the need to show empathy towards sisters and brothers and to fight collectively. In the third phase, the full moon phase, the fullness of collective brotherhood is reached. With "Unity", "Now and Then", and "Dirty Paradise", the individual stays in the same space, in the same streets, but perceives them differently. He/she makes a shelter of the environment and the people, with their lights and shadows, where he/she is not alone. Finally, the phase of renewal and closing of the cycle, "Keep On", "Still Here", and "Manifesto". Inevitably one has to learn to live with contradictions and what is really important is this new beginning, in which no one is better than anyone else. A point of liberation, of harvesting what has been sown by previous generations and in which the way is made for the generations to come.
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LP
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BR 049LP
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LP version. Akatz are not Jamaicans, nor are they British, nor do they need to. They have been at the crossroads between Kingston and Bilbao chatting with the mocking spirit of the New Orleans Mardi Gras, who has shown them new directions to continue their creative path. The uninitiated will receive this album like headless chickens, as a fierce revelation, and longtime adepts will celebrate the event with offerings of smoke, brandy, and endless dancing. In a journey of almost 30 years, Akatz have developed their own personality that makes them easily recognizable, genuine and unique. Hardened in a thousand battles, they have always paid as much attention to creating quality music as to turning each concert into an unrepeatable party. Yuyu was registered in November 2019 in the studios of Kaki Arkarazo (Kortatu, Negu Gorriak) and, pending publication, the curse of the pandemic ensued. Therefore, the band's first self-imposed mission has been to cast these 12 spells to the four winds. There are twelve songs of classic ska, reggae and Jamaican jazz with a R&B dressing, and essences of danceable swing and punk attitude. Lifelong melodies, with rhythm, swing, beat and flow, and a compositional solidness that would admit multiple readings of each song by musicians of different origins and backgrounds. Yuyu presents a universe populated by creatures that seem fantastic but that -- in reality -- live among us, and that the band unmasks with fine clairvoyance. An album that can be enjoyed from the first taste. With fun, uncomplicated, and well-crafted songs all sprinkled with a good dose of rhythm and blues.
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CD
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BR 049CD
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Akatz are not Jamaicans, nor are they British, nor do they need to. They have been at the crossroads between Kingston and Bilbao chatting with the mocking spirit of the New Orleans Mardi Gras, who has shown them new directions to continue their creative path. The uninitiated will receive this album like headless chickens, as a fierce revelation, and longtime adepts will celebrate the event with offerings of smoke, brandy, and endless dancing. In a journey of almost 30 years, Akatz have developed their own personality that makes them easily recognizable, genuine and unique. Hardened in a thousand battles, they have always paid as much attention to creating quality music as to turning each concert into an unrepeatable party. Yuyu was registered in November 2019 in the studios of Kaki Arkarazo (Kortatu, Negu Gorriak) and, pending publication, the curse of the pandemic ensued. Therefore, the band's first self-imposed mission has been to cast these 12 spells to the four winds. There are twelve songs of classic ska, reggae and Jamaican jazz with a R&B dressing, and essences of danceable swing and punk attitude. Lifelong melodies, with rhythm, swing, beat and flow, and a compositional solidness that would admit multiple readings of each song by musicians of different origins and backgrounds. Yuyu presents a universe populated by creatures that seem fantastic but that -- in reality -- live among us, and that the band unmasks with fine clairvoyance. An album that can be enjoyed from the first taste. With fun, uncomplicated, and well-crafted songs all sprinkled with a good dose of rhythm and blues.
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CD
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BR 050CD
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Drop Collective is an ensemble of ten musicians fusing Jamaican music and jazz in a repertoire of own-penned compositions and arrangements, never forgetting the importance of making the audience dance. Antillean rhythms and melodies under the jazz umbrella, but with a reverence for the essence of both traditions. It is clear, that many universes can be found in the sound palette of Drop Collective. Come Shine is the tight and solid second effort of this young band founded in Barcelona in 2016. The immediate first impression of the album is a tight, solid and synchronous sound yet, full of details. This instantly activates the mental shortcuts that select the necessary information to understand that Come Shine is an outstanding album. A feeling that accompanies all time during the ten tracks of the album, eight sung in English and two instrumentals. The jazz education of the musicians, in addition to technique and skill, gives them great ease to submerge themselves in modes and tonalities that, due to their subtleness can go unnoticed at a first listen in some cases, but which form the foundations of the sound of Drop Collective. It is clear that the fusion of jazz and Jamaican music is not a new thing, but Drop Collective embraces the style with astonishing naturalness and bold enthusiasm. The collective is capable of assembling songs full of emotion, grounded on a versatile and tight brass section and the sweet voice of its singer, providing equal dignity to songs built from an ephemeral melody or from an elaborated kickoff. In all cases, with the refined arrangements of a solid and brilliant block.
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LP
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BR 050LP
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LP version. Drop Collective is an ensemble of ten musicians fusing Jamaican music and jazz in a repertoire of own-penned compositions and arrangements, never forgetting the importance of making the audience dance. Antillean rhythms and melodies under the jazz umbrella, but with a reverence for the essence of both traditions. It is clear, that many universes can be found in the sound palette of Drop Collective. Come Shine is the tight and solid second effort of this young band founded in Barcelona in 2016. The immediate first impression of the album is a tight, solid and synchronous sound yet, full of details. This instantly activates the mental shortcuts that select the necessary information to understand that Come Shine is an outstanding album. A feeling that accompanies all time during the ten tracks of the album, eight sung in English and two instrumentals. The jazz education of the musicians, in addition to technique and skill, gives them great ease to submerge themselves in modes and tonalities that, due to their subtleness can go unnoticed at a first listen in some cases, but which form the foundations of the sound of Drop Collective. It is clear that the fusion of jazz and Jamaican music is not a new thing, but Drop Collective embraces the style with astonishing naturalness and bold enthusiasm. The collective is capable of assembling songs full of emotion, grounded on a versatile and tight brass section and the sweet voice of its singer, providing equal dignity to songs built from an ephemeral melody or from an elaborated kickoff. In all cases, with the refined arrangements of a solid and brilliant block.
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LP
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BR 039LP
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Vinyl LP release of the debut album of Italian maestros North East Ska Jazz Orchestra, originally released in CD format in 2015. NESJO delivers in this first album, Stompin' & Rollin', ten remakes of jazz and swing classics performed in the Jamaican style of the '60s. From original ska to rocksteady and reggae, the young big band from Triveneto (north east Italy) conveys in this work energetic enthusiasm for Jamaican music, stylishly enriched by the coolness of the dance music of the golden era of swing. Stompin' & Rollin' features two outstanding collaborations: Mr. T-Bone (Africa Unite, Bluebeaters) and Olly Riva (Shandon, Olly Riva & The Soul Rockets) who join forces with the voices of Freddy Frenzy, Rosa Mussin, and Michela Grena, the ten-piece brass section and the sound rhythm base of this young big band. The album was recorded at Studio Jork in Koper (Slovenia) in March 2015 and mixed and mastered in The Volcano Lounge, Sherman Oaks (California) by Brian Dixon (ex The Aggrolites).
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CD
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BR 048CD
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The debut album by Jah Jazz Orchestra revisits compositions from jazz legends such as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, and Joe Henderson as well as two classics from The Skatalites repertoire ("Ska La Parisienne" and "King Solomon"). The original arrangements set these tunes in grooves ranging from classic ska to reggae, strolling through rocksteady, with the ever presence of Jamaican jazz and the influence of artists such as The Skatalites, Ernest Ranglin, Jazz Jamaica... Beyond this diversity, the unity of Introducing Jah Jazz Orchestra is hinted at by its title: it introduces the listener to a new band with a distinctive sound. A powerful horn section that can build a massive wall of sound as well as intricate lines and fiery solos. A rock-solid rhythm section that knows how and when to react in an interactive way. The twelve tunes presented on this album, recorded during an intense, two-day session, reflect the group's spontaneity. The resulting music is fresh, full of surprises, and reflect the facets of both jazz and Jamaican music: light and dark, deep and upbeat, simple and refined -- always rooted in the tradition. Jah Jazz Orchestra is a cross-border band consisting of nine jazz musicians with a passion for roots, ska, rocksteady, and the self-imposed mission of spreading good vibes using improvisation and brilliant jazz technique as weapons. This ensemble of jazzmen active on the Swiss, French and European scene goes back to the roots of ska -- initially, and in extreme summary, is a Jamaican take on American jazz and rhythm n' blues -- to deliver its own blend of groove, improvisation and big-band arrangements.
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BR 048LP
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LP version. The debut album by Jah Jazz Orchestra revisits compositions from jazz legends such as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie, and Joe Henderson as well as two classics from The Skatalites repertoire ("Ska La Parisienne" and "King Solomon"). The original arrangements set these tunes in grooves ranging from classic ska to reggae, strolling through rocksteady, with the ever presence of Jamaican jazz and the influence of artists such as The Skatalites, Ernest Ranglin, Jazz Jamaica... Beyond this diversity, the unity of Introducing Jah Jazz Orchestra is hinted at by its title: it introduces the listener to a new band with a distinctive sound. A powerful horn section that can build a massive wall of sound as well as intricate lines and fiery solos. A rock-solid rhythm section that knows how and when to react in an interactive way. The twelve tunes presented on this album, recorded during an intense, two-day session, reflect the group's spontaneity. The resulting music is fresh, full of surprises, and reflect the facets of both jazz and Jamaican music: light and dark, deep and upbeat, simple and refined -- always rooted in the tradition. Jah Jazz Orchestra is a cross-border band consisting of nine jazz musicians with a passion for roots, ska, rocksteady, and the self-imposed mission of spreading good vibes using improvisation and brilliant jazz technique as weapons. This ensemble of jazzmen active on the Swiss, French and European scene goes back to the roots of ska -- initially, and in extreme summary, is a Jamaican take on American jazz and rhythm n' blues -- to deliver its own blend of groove, improvisation and big-band arrangements.
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BR 046CD
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The real kings of contemporary ska-jazz invite you to an exciting cocktail of Jamaican beats and jazz sounds. Brilliant instrumental tracks that will soon be classics and vocal songs showing their exquisite taste and savoir faire. Includes a posthumous musical tribute to the great Tom Petty. New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble's 2019 album Break Thru is the fourteenth studio album from this longstanding New York band from the so-called "third wave" and led by Fred Reiter on sax and vocals. For the task a highflying line-up: Mark Damon (bass and trombone), Kevin Batchelor (trumpet), Joey Gallo (drums), Simone Amodeo (guitar), and Andrea Ferraro (keyboards). As it is usual, sonorities on this new offspring stroll through the sunny crossroad where American Jazz and Jamaican ska meet. Break Thru brilliantly unveils instrumental originals, three cover versions and awesome instrumental technical skill. The more ska-oriented tracks feature the contagious "Chicky Chicky Boom Boom", the raving "Bopicana", and the title track. "Freddie's Bounce" and "Subliminal Seductions" allow the band free rein on jazz-istic abilities and classics on NYSJE repertoire as "Perfidia" and The Wailers' "Love and Affection" find a natural place in the grooves of this new record, as have always done on the bands live sets. A sincere tribute to Tom Petty in the form of a cover of "Learning to Fly" rounds off an album that once again shows the exquisite taste and savoir-faire of NYSJE.
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BR 046LP
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LP version. The real kings of contemporary ska-jazz invite you to an exciting cocktail of Jamaican beats and jazz sounds. Brilliant instrumental tracks that will soon be classics and vocal songs showing their exquisite taste and savoir faire. Includes a posthumous musical tribute to the great Tom Petty. The New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble's 2019 album Break Thru is the fourteenth studio album from this longstanding New York band from the so-called "third wave" and led by Fred Reiter on sax and vocals. For the task a highflying line-up: Mark Damon (bass and trombone), Kevin Batchelor (trumpet), Joey Gallo (drums), Simone Amodeo (guitar), and Andrea Ferraro (keyboards). As it is usual, sonorities on this new offspring stroll through the sunny crossroad where American Jazz and Jamaican ska meet. Break Thru brilliantly unveils instrumental originals, three cover versions and awesome instrumental technical skill. The more ska-oriented tracks feature the contagious "Chicky Chicky Boom Boom", the raving "Bopicana", and the title track. "Freddie's Bounce" and "Subliminal Seductions" allow the band free rein on jazz-istic abilities and classics on NYSJE repertoire as "Perfidia" and The Wailers' "Love and Affection" find a natural place in the grooves of this new record, as have always done on the bands live sets. A sincere tribute to Tom Petty in the form of a cover of "Learning to Fly" rounds off an album that once again shows the exquisite taste and savoir-faire of NYSJE.
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BR 045CD
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The second album by Italian big band North East Ska Jazz Orchestra. Following the critical and audience acclaim for their 2015 debut album Stompin' & Rollin' and a string of explosive performances the 18-piece orchestra now releases their second album simply entitled, North East Ska Jazz Orchestra. Nine brand new original tracks further investigating Jamaican sounds from the perspective of a contemporary big band. The outcome is a mixture of sonorities and textures to which all of the band members have contributed. The three singers deserve a special mention: Freddy Frenzy and his unmistakable style always faithful to the tradition of original ska, Rosa Mussin showing her powerful and soulful discharge in tracks like the fast-ska "Share With You All", and Michela Gena who steps forward without fear in "oldies" land.
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LP
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BR 045LP
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LP version. The second album by Italian big band North East Ska Jazz Orchestra. Following the critical and audience acclaim for their 2015 debut album Stompin' & Rollin' and a string of explosive performances the 18-piece orchestra now releases their second album simply entitled, North East Ska Jazz Orchestra. Nine brand new original tracks further investigating Jamaican sounds from the perspective of a contemporary big band. The outcome is a mixture of sonorities and textures to which all of the band members have contributed. The three singers deserve a special mention: Freddy Frenzy and his unmistakable style always faithful to the tradition of original ska, Rosa Mussin showing her powerful and soulful discharge in tracks like the fast-ska "Share With You All", and Michela Gena who steps forward without fear in "oldies" land.
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LP+CD
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BR 047LP
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First album from the brilliant dance-crashing eight-piece young band from Leeds. Twelve tracks released as a single-LP displaying a rich and refreshing blend of ska and rocksteady assuming the British tradition of ska and rocksteady. Quoting The London International Ska Festival: "One of the best new UK bands about". Dance-crashing British eight-piece, The Indecision, were raised on the soulful ska of Studio One. Authenticity coupled with deft song writing skill, and forward-thinking respect for the sounds of 1960s Jamaica. Formed in 2011 their discographic EP debut was released in September 2013 with Do The Dog Records, showcasing a rich and refreshing blend of ska and rocksteady, recorded and produced entirely by band themselves and receiving airplay from BBC1Xtra and BBC6Music. The band already shows their soulful sound, not fearing up-tempo ska, bluebeat swing or solid rocksteady groove. Public and critical reception was positive giving The Indecision the opportunity to share the stage with legends of the genre such as: The Skatalites, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Don Letts, Neville Staple, Dandy Livingston, and The Slackers, and performing UK festivals including Boomtown, Tramlines, One Love, Threshold, and Smugglers. In 2016 the band released the single "Swing Those Hips/Atlantic Crossing" on Italian label, Brainlab Grove. Give It Up! shows the maturity of this young band that assumes the British ska and rocksteady tradition without effort, providing irresistible spontaneity to energetic and contagious tracks. Overflowing with beautifully crafted and super soulful tunes that will put a huge smile on your face and a huge spring in your step. Includes CD.
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BR 028LP
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Brixton Records presents a reissue of Akatz's Rudo Bilbao, originally released in 2009. An old dream come true. The masterpiece of the band Akatz, album Rudo Bilbao, is now available in glorious vinyl. Originally released in 2009 in CD, the ten tracks of this great record show the sheerest essence of Akatz. Akatz is the band from Bilbao that has assumed with pride and hard work the leading role in the Basque Jamaican scene for 25 years. Rejecting impersonations, Akatz has been forged in a thousand battles, concerts and recordings creating its own individual musical personality. A planet packed of good vibes and music for the dance floor with plenty of satellites of black music rotating around it: ska, soul, rocksteady, jazz R&B, roots, etc. However, what the band was missing in its career was "the definitive recording creation". An album they could point at in the firmament and clearly identify as its own, and that piece is without a doubt Rudo Bilbao (Rude Bilbao). This album exhibits Akatz in its sheerest expression showing in ten tracks their first-rate taste and at the same time stating with sense of humor but also with delight their "Pride of Bilbao". All the intensity of their live sound has been faithfully captured at A-Lone Muzik Studio, produced by Roberto Sánchez. Their delivery is passionate, á la Jamaican big bands, with lyrics created by singer, composer and frontman Unai Quecedo aka Bita on tracks like "Rudo Bilbao", "Luces" (Lights), "Na De Na" (Nothing At All) and guitar player Josu Santamaría in "Así Eres Tu" (The Way You Are) and "Predispuesto A Ska" (Tendency To Ska) make the whole album sound distinctly urban, evoking scenery of the nightlife in town, of the clubs, of the streets. Stories of impossible love affairs, of too much drinking or of encounters at the back of a bar, these are songs that will surely recall your own experiences in your own town. Especially if you are from Bilbao since this disk shows off the Main Street of Jamaican Bilbao, of Rudo Bilbao.
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LP
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BR 008LP
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Brixton Records presents a reissue of The New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble's Minor Moods, originally issued in 2002. Originally ska music was strongly related to jazz, though some of the successive progression paths leaded to antipodean styles (i.e. ska-punk, oi!). But on the Jamaican side of things the original bond has never broken and ska-jazz performers have reached extraordinary technical heights. The New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble is a super-band formed by eight musicians coming from legendary ska groups well known around the globe (The Skatalites, The Toasters and Scofflaws). NYSJE proclaims with pride the connection between jazz and original ska but also adding today's attitude and skills. Minor Moods was recorded in New York's Studio 900 except for the last track, "Buttah", recorded live in Geneva (Switzerland) in July 2002. Most of the tracks are instrumentals but the album also includes two vocal tracks, "Your Love For Me" and "Cecilia", the latter a cover of Paul Simon's classic delivered in reggae manner. All tracks are vitalist, lively and flawlessly executed. Rhythm is the lead but the melodies are catchy and immediate, being the themes expanded on by the various instruments in a jazz pattern. Tracks are composed by Peter Truffa (two tracks, piano), Freddie Reiter (four tracks, sax) and Andy Stack (three tracks, guitar) with the addition of cover versions of originals by Miles Davis ("Nardis"), Thelonious Monk ("Bemsha Swing") plus the above-mentioned Paul Simon song and a composition by D. James ("Buttah"). Minor Moods is a magnificent album radiating optimism that ska enthusiasts will enjoy as much as reggae and jazz aficionados. This is a true gem to delight in for a long time.
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CD
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BR 043CD
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Ten brand new tracks from the Brixton-London band Maroon Town, including a collaboration with Basque singer Fermin Muguruza in the track "Hope". Ten razor sharp examples of the band's classic sound: smoking hot trad ska workouts collide with Latin, rap, and soulful reggae influences to fine effect throughout its duration. Maroon Town's music, although categorized sometimes as reggae, is really an innovative blend of get-up-on-your-feet-and-dance music with noticeable elements of ska, rap, jazz, soul, and funk. As it is well known, Maroon Town fuses the spirituality, and cinematic sound of classic ska with contemporary street rap, and a cheeky slice of Latin funk. The eight-piece explosion of ska, rap, and brassy dub has been tearing up audiences around the world for thirty years with number one tracks and extensive radio play around the globe include songs like "Fire", "Pound To The Dollar", "Cumbia Infernal", "Ya Ya Lemme Tell Dem"... Fresh out of college in 1987, emerged the idea between Deuan German and Rajan Datar of forming a band whilst spending a few months in the small village of Walderston high up in the hills of Jamaica. Back in London they managed to get a sound approximating that of ska and managed to get musical master tips from Prince Buster who they met and London legend Gaz Mayall (The Trojans). The name, Maroon Town, defines perfectly the spirit of the band, freedom, and self-reliance. The Maroons were the runaway slave rebels who escaped from the plantations and formed free autonomous communities. The first lineup of the band (1990) featured three men and four women and there was creative magic between them. One day, Rajan in some reception area in a North London building bumps into John Bradbury, the drummer of The Specials (his teenage heroes) and they bonded and Brad went on to produce the band's first single "City Riot" which was a version of Cannonball Adderley's "Jive Samba" which had also been covered by Prince Buster. They pressed up their own 7"s and almost immediately, John Peel was playing it regularly. In a very short space of time Maroon Town started to get a lot of recognition. The inspiring live act has been performing at prestigious venues and festivals all over the continent. They also made history when they were sponsored to the tune of £100,000 by Dr. Martens.
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BR 043LP
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LP version. Ten brand new tracks from the Brixton-London band Maroon Town, including a collaboration with Basque singer Fermin Muguruza in the track "Hope". Ten razor sharp examples of the band's classic sound: smoking hot trad ska workouts collide with Latin, rap, and soulful reggae influences to fine effect throughout its duration. Maroon Town's music, although categorized sometimes as reggae, is really an innovative blend of get-up-on-your-feet-and-dance music with noticeable elements of ska, rap, jazz, soul, and funk. As it is well known, Maroon Town fuses the spirituality, and cinematic sound of classic ska with contemporary street rap, and a cheeky slice of Latin funk. The eight-piece explosion of ska, rap, and brassy dub has been tearing up audiences around the world for thirty years with number one tracks and extensive radio play around the globe include songs like "Fire", "Pound To The Dollar", "Cumbia Infernal", "Ya Ya Lemme Tell Dem"... Fresh out of college in 1987, emerged the idea between Deuan German and Rajan Datar of forming a band whilst spending a few months in the small village of Walderston high up in the hills of Jamaica. Back in London they managed to get a sound approximating that of ska and managed to get musical master tips from Prince Buster who they met and London legend Gaz Mayall (The Trojans). The name, Maroon Town, defines perfectly the spirit of the band, freedom, and self-reliance. The Maroons were the runaway slave rebels who escaped from the plantations and formed free autonomous communities. The first lineup of the band (1990) featured three men and four women and there was creative magic between them. One day, Rajan in some reception area in a North London building bumps into John Bradbury, the drummer of The Specials (his teenage heroes) and they bonded and Brad went on to produce the band's first single "City Riot" which was a version of Cannonball Adderley's "Jive Samba" which had also been covered by Prince Buster. They pressed up their own 7"s and almost immediately, John Peel was playing it regularly. In a very short space of time Maroon Town started to get a lot of recognition. The inspiring live act has been performing at prestigious venues and festivals all over the continent. They also made history when they were sponsored to the tune of £100,000 by Dr. Martens.
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