Back catalogue: Funk Soul & Jazz

Review: Original Gravity strides into 2025 with this electrifying debut release from I Ragazzi. The limited 45 rpm has been crafted by the talented Neil Anderson and the title cut 'Terremoto' on the A-side bursts with funky, soulful energy that promises to keep floors moving and grooving all night long. It has big drums, crashing hits and driving Hammond organ stabs that never let up. On the flip, things get a little more laid back with 'Via Appia' which is led by more great organs, this time with swirling horn sounds and an inviting rhythm.

Review: Mr. Weldon Johnathan Irvine is one of the many great artists who were part of the 80s funk, jazz, and soul scene. He is said to have been a super clam and gentle soul and that is clear from the music, which is superbly laidback and welcoming. This 45rpm takes a nice breezy jaunt through his jazzy world with innovative keyboard work and warm double bass and horns. There is a more smoky sound on the b-side which is a chill groove with lovely melodica and guitar sounds to nod along to. This is the first time this music has been available on 7".

Review: Pete Cunningham's hybrid electronic/acoustic jazz collective Ishmael Ensemble has been right at the forefront of innovation when it comes to those sounds. For his latest project he links up with lyricist and MC Rider Shafique. They first met some six years ago when Cunningham was struck by "his powerful way with words." As such they got in the studio, Cunningham embraced a more bass heavy sound to his style and drew on his love of the likes of dub kings King Tubby and Adrian Sherwood. Coupled with Rider's voice and you have a superb new record.

Review: The cult Ian Carr Quintet featured post-war British jazz luminary saxophonist Don Rendell for this special album recorded at the BBC Jazz Club in April 1965. He had become a great after playing with greats like Woody Herman and Stan Kenton. For this session, he hooked up with four younger and equally adventurous jazz musicians eager to innovate and this recording captures the magic they cooked up. It marked the debut of pianist Michael Garrick within the Quintet and he profoundly influenced the group's direction and arguably reshaped the broader British jazz sound. Without exaggeration, this album marks a pivotal point in the evolution of British jazz.

Review: Legendary South African composer and pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is back with a new album, 3, that shows he very much still has the skills to pay the bills. It arrives on Gearbox records and features music taken from his sold out date back in summer 2023 at London's Barbican. The man himself is now 84 years old but is drawing on all those years playing to make the most majestic music of his career, with heart swelling piano and enticing melodies all serving as life affirming reminders. Parts of this feature the full recording including the audience and parts are music only, with spoken word snippets interspersed to make it seem all the more cosmic.

Review: Precipice marks a return to Ill Considered's improvisational origins, with Idris Rahman, Emre Ramazanoglu, and Liran Donin synergising to showcase their exceptional talents and solidify their position as frontrunners in the UK's jazz landscape. Following the acclaimed 'Liminal Space in 2021, this album embodies a raw, minimalist essence reminiscent of 70s jazz classics. Collaborating once again with visual artist Vincent De Boer for the album's artwork, Ill Considered's evolution since their 2017 inception has been remarkable. Their pioneering DIY ethos, resulting in nine albums recorded in studios and live sessions, has garnered them a devoted following and garnered respect from jazz luminaries. Now, with their catalogue available on streaming platforms, Ill Considered's distinctive sonic universe is accessible to a wider audience who are ready to delight in both discovery and appreciation.

Review: Blue-noted jazz modulators Ill Considered here present their irst fully produced studio album on New Soil - 'Liminal Space'. After releasing a whopping 9 self-released albums in the space of 2 years, this is their first studio-crafted LP following their step up to the label, and are soon set to show it off at a debut interactive A/V residency at Southbank Centre's Purcell Room. Fresh with a new lineup, the noodling bass of Liran Donin courses the ears like velvet on 'Dust', while Dadaist freakouts, courtesy of Emre Ramazanoglu's drums, cause anxious goosebumps on reaching 'Light Trailed'. Don't miss this limited double black 2xLP.

Review: The Invisible Sessions new album Echoes of Africa is the first on the newly launched Space Echo label out of Italy and is richly rooted in black music. It's been 15 years since a breakout release put this group on the map and now trombonist and multi-instrumentalist Gianluca Petrella and poet, rapper and MC Martin Thomas Paavilainen (aka Benjamin "Bentality" Paavilainen) link once more to great effect as they use jazz as a vehicle to convey their messages of cultural synergy, unity and love. Afro-beat and Ethio-jazz, funk, psychedelia, and modal music all colour the most compelling grooves.

Review: Far Out Recordings launches its 30th anniversary celebrations with the highly anticipated release of The Ipanemas's Samba is Our Gift which lands on vinyl for the very first time. Originally dropped in 2006, the album seamlessly blends Afro-Brazilian-bossa rhythms with classic vocal samba, transporting listeners back to the vibrant Rio de Janeiro of the 1960s. Comprising drummer and vocalist Wilson Das Neves and guitarist Neco, The Ipanemas played a pivotal role in popularising bossa nova in the 1950s. Collaborating with Brazilian luminaries like Elis Regina and Antonio Carlos Jobim, they bridged jet-set bossa with the roots-y samba of the black Brazilian working class and this is a great introduction to their work if you aren't familiar.

Review: 'Liberated Brother' might just refer to Weldon Irvine's liberation from the trappings of fame. While this debut album of this, originally released in 1972, was made around the same time as his come-up with Nina Simone as her bandleader, Irvine was not as impacted by publicity or subject to the same degree of pop culture notoriety. But just because a spark burns brightly, doesn't make it the most effervescent; this first LP charts the multi-instrumentalist's futuristic frolicks through funk-jazz, fusion and soul, all distilled into a romantic 8-tracker of trilling pianos ('Liberated Brother') and moody noir jams ('Gloria'). Hot off the plate with a reissue by Japanese label P-Vine, this is an exclusive obi-strip version not many will get their mitts on; it could still be you, though.

Review: Weldon Irvine was one of the finest American jazz pianist and composers of his generation. He released several classic albums man of which are now being reissued thanks to P-Vine, but not before being fully remastered for the occasion. Weldon and The Kats was one that he put out on his own label Nodlew Records after releasing some albums through RCA and Strata-East. It is perfectly indicative of his style and has his early work 'Mr.P.C' on it, which was recorded in 1968 with Steve Grossman on tenor sax and sometime Miles Davies associate Lenny White on drums. This one has never been reissued before so snap it up before it goes again.

Review:  A whole bunch of Weldon Irvine albums are being remastered and reissued at the moment, which will be music to the ears of spiritual jazz fans - literally. The American composer and pianists was one of the big names of his time and reals don labels like RCA and Strata-East as well as his own label. Young Gifted & Broke has never been on vinyl before as the recordings were only discovered in the early 2010s. It was a musical that was released in 1977 and inspired by the Black Civil Rights anthem 'Young, Gifted and Black,' which Weldon had written with Nina Simone. Talents like Marcus Miller joined the recordings which as can now be heard are magnificent to say the least.

Review: This 1999 album by Weldon Irvine landed well with his fans upon the time of release but it was really boosted dint popular conciseness and gained renewed recognition with the rise of the hip-hop scene and the rare groove movement in the 90s and beyond. It has been sampled by all the greats from those worlds and has made it onto albums by Q-Tip and Mos Def. Now, for the first time ever, P-VINE is releasing this historically significant work on LP as the original CD has become hard to find.

Review: Ishmael Ensemble's third album, Rituals, marks a major evolution for the Bristol-based group. While often associated with the 'new UK jazz' scene, their fusion of live instrumentation and electronic elements extends far beyond that label in truth and now this release pushes their sound further than ever. It blends spiritual jazz, dub, experimental, and electronic styles into powerful, swirling soundscapes that work as well on the head as they do heel. The tracks are more notably song-focused and accessible but still deal in a psychedelic mix of textures, colours, and moods. Rituals is a truly boundary-pushing work of great ambition and is this vital group's best work to date.

Review: The second album from Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith on ECM is a meditation on resilience, sorrow and the human condition. Across four expansive tracks on Defiant Life, Iyer's piano and Fender Rhodes intertwine with Smith's haunting trumpet to create a soundscape that's both urgent and serene. From the solemn depth of 'Sumud' to the shimmering melancholy of 'Floating River Requiem' and the radiant close of 'Procession: Defiant Life' notions of suffering, resistance and hope are explored. The record was recorded in Lugano and produced by Manfred Eicher. It's a deeply reflective work of emotional and spiritual resonance.