Black Pearl Germany 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: GDR jazz pioneer Luten, aka Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, leads this fantastic ensemble on a wonderful document of German jazz put together by the peerless Black Pearl label. Packing four pieces onto a 7" is no mean feat, but these tracks hit hard and cover a lot of ground in a relatively short run time. "Luten" is a restless, relentlessly moving firecracker of a tune that leans heavy on the brass, while "Lehadima" revels in wild peaks and troughs. "Silberner Lowe" is a smoother affair in comparison, and "Gun-jah" plays with light and shade in adventurous, exotic ways. Lunter's playing is the star of the show, but really this is a widescreen take on jazz with a heavy-hitting, big band flavour.

Review: A long lost cosmic jazz funk document from Zagreb's underground funk scene. Spektar's only official album was a self-titled largely vocal-led affair in 74, but behind the scenes the band was jamming and creating fusions that were recorded but never released. Until now... From the organ-led jazz fire of "Lisinski III" to the brushed drum shuffle and sleazy bass of "Subiceva IV" to the classic Hammond-smashing opening salvo, it's crazy that it's taken 40 years for this album to see the light of day... Let's make up for lost time.