Soul Jazz 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: To celebrate the 18th birthday of the first Studio One Dub compilation - undoubtedly one of the most impactful and insightful deep dives into the archives of Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's legendary reggae imprint - Soul Jazz Records has decided to give it the reissue treatment. It's a fine collection of rare, hard-to-find and classic dub 'versions', many of which were never released outside of Jamaica until this compilation came along. If you missed out first time around, it's well worth picking up - not only for the quality of the dub mixes on show (listen out for versions of Horace Andy's 'Skylarkin', Johnny Osbourne's 'Truth and Rights' and Freddie McGregor's 'Bobby Babylon') but also the extensive and authoritative liner notes.

Review: Brown Sugar, formed in 1976 and made up of teenage soul darlings Pauline Catlin, Caron Wheeler and Carol Simms, recorded their breakout lovers' rock single 'Black Pride' in a period when racial tension in the UK was at its most rife. Brought to Denis Bovell's time-honoured Lovers Rock label, it was one of the many reggae releases that defined the eponymous substyle. Now a black 12" repress comes to 1000 lucky first-come buyers.

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: Soul Jazz Records' new must-have compilation "Kaleidoscope" does a great job in celebrating the vibrancy of the UK's fast-growing contemporary jazz scene. For some reason the vinyl version of the release omits the two tracks featured here, hence the label offering them up on a limited-edition 12" single that they say will never be repressed or reissued. The A-side features Sons of Kemet member (and renowned tubist/trombonist) Theon Cross's "Candace of Meroe", a bustling affair that riffs on the polyrhythmic Afrobeat sound of Tony Allen and Fela Kuti whilst taking it in a decidedly jazzier new direction. Over on the flip psychedelically inclined duo Pokus delivers "Pokus 1", a wonderfully low-slung and spaced-out affair that adds mind-altering, mutilated electric piano motifs to a deliciously weighty, low-slung groove.

Notes: 'Cuba: Music and Revolution: Original Album Cover Art of Cuban Music: Record Sleeve Designs of Revolutionary Cuba 1959-90 ' is a stunning new deluxe 250-page large format hardback book compiled and edited by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) that features many 100s of stunning and unique Cuban record sleeve designs made since the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro in 1959. These album covers have rarely been seen (nor heard) outside of Cuba and show a rich previously hidden history of both music and design.

'Cuba: Music and Revolution' is the first ever book about Cuban record sleeve design and has been five years in the making, made in full co-operation with the Cuban government. The record sleeve designs reflect both the rich cultural Latin musical legacy of Cuba, as well as the political and aesthetic influence of revolutionary Communism, which manifests itself both in the music created on the island and the artwork of the designs included here.

Cuban music is the source of much Latin music in the 20th century. Salsa, the all-encompassing Latin music that came out of New York in the 1970s, and soon spread across Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and elsewhere, owes all of its success to the Cuban music on which it is fundamentally based.

These record sleeves help document the dramatic change in Cuba's identity from that of 1950s tourist paradise to socialist state. Following the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the United States imposed a trade embargo which exists to this day, and as a consequence the many 100s of Cuban records featured here have rarely been seen outside of Cuba.

The book is edited and compiled by Gilles Peterson, BBC broadcaster, record label owner, DJ, record collector, founder of Worldwide FM and Stuart Baker, founder of Soul Jazz Records. Together they have edited two earlier critically-acclaimed music and design books 'Freedom, Rhythm and Sound - Revolutionary Jazz Cover Art 1965-83' and 'Bossa Nova and The Rise of Brazilian Music in the 1960s'.

In conjunction with the deluxe book, Soul Jazz Records will be releasing an album also compiled by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker, charting the rise of Cuban music in the 1970s and featuring many of the artists who appear in this book.

Review: Soma sub-label Avoidant Records recently put out a fantastic collection fo electro cuts but it was a digital only release. Now some of the standouts from it get pulled together on this fresh new 12"that joins the dots between Europe and Detroit. DJ Godfather kicks off with some rapid fire 313 electro, squirrelling bass and slick claps then 'One Direct Line' from The Exaltics is more cosmic and blissed out with lush ambient synths. On the flip, Flug goes hard with mad digital patterns and Blaktony layers up jacking drums, corrugated bass and dark hits. Great stuff.

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: Stone cold classic alert! First released on Studio One back in the late 1970s and a guaranteed reggae floor-filler ever since, 'Feel Like Jumping' is not only one of Coxsone Dodd's most potent productions, but also one of Marcia Griffiths' greatest moments. Now available again on a heavyweight vinyl pressing with extra bass-weight, the track us built around an infectious rhythm, dancing horn riffs, sweet backing vocals and a life-affirming lead vocal from Griffiths' celebrating the sheer joy of dancing. The flipside Dub Specialist revision is superb too - a genuinely bone-shaking, sub-heavy dancefloor dub that places echoing snippets of Griffiths' lead vocal and reverberating horns at the heart of the action.

Review: Curated as part of the iconic street artist's Tate exhibition this year, The World Of Keith Haring unites many of the talented souls Keith knew, or was inspired by, during his prolific rise as one of the most vital cultural spokesmen through the 70s and 80s. Soundtracking the gritty downtown NYC streets he made his first mark on, this limited collection captures the whole melting pot from b-boy culture with cuts such as "E.T Boogie" and "Bump N Grind", raw boogie and soul ("Over & Over") and pure drama ("The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us"). A powerful collection as striking and relatable as his own signature.

Review: Curated as part of the iconic street artist's Tate exhibition this year, The World Of Keith Haring unites many of the talented souls Keith knew, or was inspired by, during his prolific rise as one of the most vital cultural spokesmen through the 70s and 80s. Soundtracking the gritty downtown NYC streets he made his first mark on, this limited collection captures the whole melting pot from b-boy culture with cuts such as "E.T Boogie" and "Bump N Grind", raw boogie and soul ("Over & Over") and pure drama ("The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us"). A powerful collection as striking and relatable as his own signature.

Review: Collectors rejoice - this is a hugely rare and sought after album of deep spiritual jazz fused with Brazilian and Latin sounds. It originally came as a private press in 1978 on flautist Lloyd McNeill's own Baobob label but has been out of print for 43 years. Now remastered with care by the good folks at Soul Jazz, the stunning record sinks you deep into a world of musical perfection. A mega strong band made up of the likes of Buster Williams, Howard Johnson and John La Barbera all contribute and add to the seamless mix of pan-global musical styles.

Review: Awesome reggae funk classic gets the Soul Jazz remastered 7 inch pressure reissue. Essential !

Review: It may only be January, but we already have a strong contender for 'compilation of the year'. Put together by devout crate-diggers and Cuban music enthusiasts Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker, Cuba: Music & Revolution: Culture Clash in Havana 1975-85 celebrates a particularly fertile moment in the Caribbean country's musical development - one in which the country's traditional salsa and mambo sounds were being fused with a variety of other styles, most notably Brazilian tropicala, and the funk, soul and disco sounds emerging from the U.S.A. The results, as showcased via 23 tracks stretched across two CDs, are incredible, pitching traditional Cuban vocals and percussion sounds with heavy bass, life-affirming horns, futurist synthesizer flourishes and wah-wah guitars. Throw in detailed, eye-opening sleeve notes, and you have a genuinely must-have compilation. Bravo!

Review: Gilles Peterson's obsession with Cuba is long running and well documented over various compilations from across the years. His latest focusses on Experiments in Latin Music from 1975 to 85 and the title suggests it will be the first of an ongoing series on Soul Jazz, compiled in collaboration with Stuart Baker. Across three vibrant sides of vinyl all manner of grooves are offered up, some more traditional, some bravely out there, all drawing on the jazz, funk, Brazilian tropicalia and disco - mixed with classic Latin and salsa - which made it to the island in the 70s.

Review: Given that Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker's Cuba: Music and Revolution - Culture Clash in Havana is one of the standout compilations of 2021, hopes are naturally sky-high for this speedy sequel. Like its predecessor, volume 2 focuses on music and made and released on the Caribbean island between 1975 and '85, this time round largely focusing on rare fusions of salsa, Latin jazz, disco, soul and funk, mostly licensed from records that have never been available outside Cuba. It's another stunning selection all told, with highlights including the heady Cuban disco/salsa fusion of Orquesta Los Van Van, the fiery disco-funk of FA 5, the heavily percussive hedonism of Luis Carobonell and the fuzzy psychedelic rock of Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del ICAIC. In a word: essential.

Notes: Reggae Soundsystem 45! is a new stunning deluxe 500 page flexibound book that features over 1000 full size record label 45 rpm single designs that span the history of reggae music.

The book is compiled by the renowned author and reggae expert Steve Barrow (Rough Guide to Reggae/Blood and Fire Records) and Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records). Text by Steve Barrow and Noel Hawks.
As well as the stunning full-size 45 designs, this book is ram-jam filled with text on many of the records, artists, producers and record companies featured in the book.

The 45rpm 7" single is at the heart of reggae music, the main tool in which reggae music has been communicated to the public by the deejays in the dancehalls of Kingston, through to its dissemination worldwide, over the last 50+years.
These unique label designs give us a hidden history of design that is raw, innovative and hip. Ever since the birth of the Jamaican music industry through to the present day, these idiosyncratic label designs have helped illustrate, signify and energise the music that they accompany.

Reggae 45 Soundsystem is released to coincide with the publication of a second large format hardback 12x12" book, Reggae Soundsystem which features original album cover art of reggae, also published by Soul Jazz Books.

Notes: Reggae Soundsystem is a new deluxe 200 page hard-back 12 x12 book featuring hundreds of stunning full size record cover designs that span the history of reggae music.

The book is compiled by the celebrated author and reggae expert Steve Barrow (Rough Guide to Reggae/Blood and Fire Records) and Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records).

Beginning in the 1950s, Jamaican music developed into one of the most important and influential music industries in the world. From its early Mento (Jamaican Calypso) beginnings through to the invention of Ska, Rocksteady, Roots, Dub and Dancehall, Jamaican music is also one of the richest and innovative veins in popular music.

This stunning hardback deluxe book looks at the endless visually creativity of reggae record cover designs, iconic, classic, rare and unique artwork spanning sixty years of Jamaican sounds.

Review: During the 1950s and early '60s, the peoples of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo were in the midst of a colossal struggle to gain independence from the European colonial masters. This provided a suitably fertile backdrop for a little known musical revolution, which was taking place in the two countries' clubs and live venues. The result was a distinctive and previously largely unheralded style called "Congolese rumba", which mixed elements of Latin, African and jazz music into a thrilling new sound. It's that sound that's celebrated here on one of Soul Jazz's most eyebrow raising - and, let's face it, interesting - compilations for some time. The music is largely inspired and infectious, while the lengthy accompanying booklet tells the story in vivid detail.

Review: Soul Jazz Records' latest trawl through the vast archives of Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's Studio One empire sees them showcase some of the many Rastafarianism-inspired roots reggae classics recorded for the label and its offshoots during the 1970s. A laidback, quietly soulful and undeniably conscious mood prevails throughout, with highlights coming thick and fast. Our picks of a very strong bunch include Freddie McGregor's superb 'I Am A Revolutionist', Devon Russell's organ-heavy 'Jah Jah Fire', Im and Count Ossie's pleasingly percussive, fuzzy and calypso-influenced 'Give ME Back Me Language and Me Culture' and Horace Andy's simply brilliant 'Mr Jolly Man'. As usual with Soul Jazz, the accompanying sleeve notes are detailed, authoritative and tell the little-known story of Dodd's own relationship to Rastafarianism.

Review: Soul Jazz Records' latest trawl through the vast archives of Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's Studio One empire focuses on Rastafarianism-inspired roots reggae classics recorded for the label and its offshoots during the 1970s. A laidback, quietly soulful and undeniably conscious mood prevails throughout, with highlights coming thick and fast. Our picks of a very strong bunch include Freddie McGregor's superb 'I Am A Revolutionist', Devon Russell's organ-heavy 'Jah Jah Fire', Im and Count Ossie's pleasingly percussive, fuzzy and calypso-influenced 'Give ME Back Me Language and Me Culture' and Horace Andy's simply brilliant 'Mr Jolly Man'. As usual with Soul Jazz, the accompanying sleeve notes are detailed, authoritative and tell the little-known story of Dodd's own relationship to Rastafarianism.

Review: 'Mojo Rocksteady Beat' is the new compilation of classic recordings from The Sound Dimenison, the funkiest group in the history of Reggae.
The Sound Dimension have recorded some of the most important songs in Reggae music; songs such as 'Real Rock', 'Drum Song', 'Heavy Rock',
'Rockfort Rock', and 'In Cold Blood' - all classic songs that have become the 'foundation' of Reggae music, endlessly versioned and re-versioned
by Jamaican artists since the time they were first recorded.
As the in-house band at Studio One in the late 1960s, The Sound Dimension also played alongside everyone from The Heptones, and Alton Ellis,
to Ken Boothe, Marcia Griffiths and more. Similar to their US counterparts, The Funk Brothers at Motown, and Booker T and The MGs at Stax,
The Sound Dimension recorded, on a daily basis, incredibly catchy and funky tunes matched by a seamless musicality.
Featuring musicians of the calibre of Ernest Ranglin, Jackie Mittoo, Eric Frater, Leroy Sibbles, Don Drummond Jnr, Deadley Headley and more,
the Sound Dimension existed from around 1967 to 1970 and all the recordings featured here were originally released during this period. For a band
with a fluid line-up, they had an amazingly consistent sound, laying down classic rhythms for the singers of the day at Studio One as well as stretching
out with their own recordings. Check out the amazing trombone of Vin Gordon, rightly re-named 'Don Drummond Jnr' by Sir Coxsone, honouring both
the musical abilities of the young Gordon, and that of his forerunner in the Skatalites and ex-Alpha Boys teacher. His sparring partner on horns would
usually be Deadly Headley Bennett.
The Sound Dimension featured a unique combination of musicians from different backgrounds, such as those from the original jazz big bands on the
island or players from the north coast hotel music circuit; listen to 'Park View' and hear the two unique styles of Eric 'Rickenbacker' Frater, with his
fuzz-box lead guitar, dueling with the jazz virtuosity of fellow guitarist Ernest Ranglin. After Jackie Mittoo officially emigrated to Canada in 1968
(although often continuing to return for sessions), keyboard duties were also supplied by the equally funky Richard Ace or Robbie Lyn, all against the
rhythmic bass-lines of the Heptones' own Leroy Sibbles.
None of this can explain the importance of this music. The melodies to their classic songs are a thousand times better known than the musicians who
originally created them. Played and re-played by every house band for every producer on the island, these iconic rhythms became the basis for dancehall
and laid the foundations for the future of Jamaican music. This album can be seen as a companion to the earlier Sound Dimension release 'Jamaica Soul
Shake' and together these two albums make a unique and definitive document of a seriously important set of recordings.

Review: RECOMMENDED
Trees Speak and Soul Jazz Records should probably get a room some time soon. PostHuman is the third album to grace this label from these artists in the last year, and incredibly still sounds every bit as fresh as the first, Shadow Forms. More importantly, though, it still sounds every bit as fresh as 2017's self-titled debut on Cinedelic Records.

But what exactly does that mean? Well, for one thing, probably not purist futurism as we know it today. Once again the tracks have more of a masterful command of 1970s German electronica than half the bands that were doing it at that time. Enrico Morricone meets John Carpenter in some strange, surreal but utterly inescapable and intoxicating spy movie. Or possibly a ghost story. Either way, the narrative will always play secondary to the kraut wonders in your ears.