Soul Jazz

Notes: This book celebrates over 100 years of photography in the Caribbean. From calypso kings to Vodou priests, revolutionaries to dictators, colonialism to independence, slave trade to tourist paradise - the many uses and abuses of the Caribbean are vividly captured here.

The image of the Caribbean is as much a creation of the outsider as it is the complex identity of its people, a melting pot of races created out of the participants of the 400 year slave trade - enforced Africans, indigenous Caribbeans and their colonisers - French, Spanish, Dutch, English.

From luscious and beautiful backdrop of tourism and hedonist retreat, to colonial outpost and revolutionary threat within North America's backyard, the complex identity of the Caribbean stands at the intersection of tourism, the detritus of the slave trade, the decline of colonialism and the region's tropicality.

The regions politics span an almost constantly changing path of ideas, radicalism and revolutionaries - from Castro's Cuba and Michael Manley's Jamaica, to the violent right-wing dictatorships of Haiti's Francois 'Papa Doc' Duvalier and the Dominican Republic's Rafael Trujillo.

The hundreds of fascinating and unique photographs featured here illustrate more than one hundred years of Caribbean history, culture and industry as well as the subsequent diaspora of its people to America, England, Canada and elsewhere.

Introduction by Paul Gilroy. Edited by Stuart Baker.

Paul Gilroy is the author of There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack: The Cultural Politics of Race and Nation (1987), The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness (1993), Black Britain - A Photographic History (2004) amongst others.

Stuart Baker is the editor of a number of photography and design books all of which deal with culture and identity including Punk 45 (with Jon Savage), Dancehall (with Beth Lesser), Kanaval: Vodou, Politics and Revolution on the Streets of Haiti (with Leah Gordon), Voguing (with Chantal Regnault), Bossa Nova, Freedom, Rhythm & Sound (both with Gilles Peterson) and more. He is also the founder of Soul Jazz Records.collection.

Review: "Fever" is one of Horace Andy's biggest hits. Amazingly, it has never been given its own release so Studio One has done the right thing and put it out on a super loud 12" for the first time. It first landed way back in 1973 before Andy rose to contemporary fame appearing with Massive Attack on five of their albums, but still hits hard. The lush vocals sit well in the swinging drums and bass, and makes it a sure fire dance floor destroyer that won't hang around. Comes accompanied with a Cedric "Im" Brooks instrumental version on the flip.

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: For the first time since 2016, Jamal Moss has pitched up on Soul Jazz with a typically eccentric and mind-altering full-length excursion. As you'd expect, The Red Room is another triumph - an inspirational collection of otherworldly and melodious cuts that effortlessly combine elements from Moss's many major inspirations. One minute, you're wigging out to his jacking, piano-heavy fusion of gospel house and synth-jazz ("The Seduction Syndrome"), the next he's laying down a chunk of deep space ambient with Terry Riley synthesizer cycles ("Awake and Energize"). And so it goes on, breathlessly joining the dots between Sun Ra, Juan Atkins, Adonis, Steve Reich, L.I.E.S and Jeff Mills while sounding thoroughly different to all of them.

Review: For the first time since 2016, Jamal Moss has pitched up on Soul Jazz with a typically eccentric and mind-altering full-length excursion. As you'd expect, The Red Room is another triumph - an inspirational collection of otherworldly and melodious cuts that effortlessly combine elements from Moss's many major inspirations. One minute, you're wigging out to his jacking, piano-heavy fusion of gospel house and synth-jazz ("The Seduction Syndrome"), the next he's laying down a chunk of deep space ambient with Terry Riley synthesizer cycles ("Awake and Energize"). And so it goes on, breathlessly joining the dots between Sun Ra, Juan Atkins, Adonis, Steve Reich, L.I.E.S and Jeff Mills while sounding thoroughly different to all of them.

Review: Soul Jazz has previously dug deep into the back catalogue of American flautist Lloyd McNeill, reissuing a number of albums including two made with his acclaimed jazz quintet. Their latest rummage through the vaults has resulted in the reissue of one of his most sought-after sets - 1976 private press LP "Treasures", original copies of which now change hands for significant sums online. It remains a fine album, all told, with McNeill's breezy, ear-catching flute solos rising over backing tracks that are variously sublimely sun-kissed (the bright pianos and cheery madrigal mood of "Salvation Army"), suave and swinging ("As A Matter Of Fact") and effortlessly soft and seductive (the unfurling beauty of "You Don't Know What Love Is").

Review: Soul Jazz has previously dug deep into the back catalogue of American flautist Lloyd McNeill, reissuing a number of albums including two made with his acclaimed jazz quintet. Their latest rummage through the vaults has resulted in the reissue of one of his most sought-after sets - 1976 private press LP "Treasures", original copies of which now change hands for significant sums online. It remains a fine album, all told, with McNeill's breezy, ear-catching flute solos rising over backing tracks that are variously sublimely sun-kissed (the bright pianos and cheery madrigal mood of "Salvation Army"), suave and swinging ("As A Matter Of Fact") and effortlessly soft and seductive (the unfurling beauty of "You Don't Know What Love Is").

Review: Soul Jazz have carefully and considerably been focusing on resizing some of Lloyd McNeil's most majestic work and now they turn to Elegia. It was originally released in 1980, but was a private dress that has been out of print for 40 years. It is a gorgeous record of elegant flute, that takes in a tropical mix of Brazilian and Latin influences, humid and jungle-like percussive sounds and plenty of jazz spiritualism. Elements of Claude Debussy, John Coltrane and Nina Simone all feature and make this a vital addition to anyone's collection.

Review: Way back in 1976, now legendary U.S jazz drummer Steve Reid and his band, The Legendary Master Brotherhood, headed into Studio WE in NYC to record what would become "Nova" - a near-legendary debut album that has since become a cult classic. Featuring a mix of punchy free jazz and free funk, the set is still regarded by many jazz-heads as Reid's defining work. Here it gets a fresh reissue on limited orange vinyl, with Soul Jazz Records doing their usual bang-up job on the mastering and packaging. There's much to admire throughout, from the fizzing dueling trumpet and sax solos of breezy opener "Nova", to the spiraling spiritual jazz intensity of "Free Spirits - Unknown" and the free-jazz epic "Sixth House".

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.

Notes: · This deluxe 200 page hardback 12”x12”book
features hundreds of stunning full size record
cover designs from the legendary Studio One
Records.
· Described by Chris Blackwell as The University Of
Reggae, Studio One is by far the most important
record label in the history of Reggae music, an A-Z
of Jamaican music as iconic as Motown was to
soul, or Blue Note for Jazz.
· The book features classic artwork from Bob Marley
And The Wailers, Horace Andy, Alton Ellis, Freddie
McGregor, The Skatalites, Marcia Griffiths, Burning
Spear, The Heptones, Toots and the Maytals and
many more artists all of whom launched their
careers at Studio One.
· As well as many classic sleeves there are
numerous rare designs, including a collector’s
section featuring many alternate, silkscreen and
rarely seen designs.
· As Jamaica approaches the 50th anniversary of
independence, this stunning deluxe book is a
timely look at Reggae music’s legendary record
label and the artists and musicians that it made
famous.
· The book also features an introductory essay by
Steve Barrow (author of ‘Rough Guide To Reggae’)
and is edited by Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records).

Review: Soul Jazz Records has investigated the World of New Orleans funk - arguably the original variant of the style - on numerous other occasions - but it's a sound that's always worth revisiting. This edition covers 26 years between 1951 and '77, combining early rhythm and blues workouts from the likes of Gus 'The Groove' Lewis and Dave Bartholomew, with later material from such New Orleans luminaries as Chocolate Milk, Johnny Adams, Eddie Bo and Zilla Mayes (whose torch song "All I Want Is You" provides a fitting conclusion). As usual, Soul Jazz has included a brilliantly comprehensive 44-page booklet, inside which you'll find heaps of historical information, and original photographs sourced from the Ralston Crawford New Orleans Archive.

Review: The latest Studio One release to be released on Soul Jazz Records features another fine selection of classic artists from the foundation label of reggae. Rude Boys are synonymous with Jamaican dancehall culture from the present day going back to the very early days of Sir Coxsone Dodd and Duke Reid's first sound-clashes in Kingston. 'Studio One Rude Boy' features artists and songs about rude boys and rude boy culture from all periods of Studio One's history. The album features ska, rocksteady, DJs, roots and dub. The album features classic tracks from Jamaica's finest singers and groups such as The Wailers, John Holt, The Wailing Souls, Dennis Brown alongside super-rare tracks from artists such as Mr Foundation, Dudley Sibbley and The Soul Brothers all recorded under Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's supervision at the legendary recording studio and record label. Musical backing comes from the legendary in-house bands - The Skatalites, The Sound Dimension, Soul Vendors and Soul Defenders - who provide the classic Studio One rhythms so influential in the history of reggae. All the eighteen tracks have been newly digitally re-mastered for this album and the album comes with full sleevenotes, photos and text making this another essential Studio One reggae release for connoisseurs of reggae and newcomers alike.

Review: Those interested in the roots of UK bass music have been well-served of late, with a number of books and compilations focusing on the first wave of British dance music in the late 80s and early 90s. Soul Jazz's latest compilation is a superb addition to this growing list. It showcases music made in the post-bleep and early breakbeat hardcore period, where basslines got bigger, drum breaks faster, and ragga influences started to come to the fore. The selections are on-point throughout from the dub-wise rave rush of Babylon Timewarp's "Durban Poison" and the bleep-and-breaks-meets-proto-jungle shuffle of DJ Dubplate's "Tings A Go On", to the rave-rap goodness of The Freaky's "Time & Age" and the heavily edited darkcore/early jungle insanity that is Krome & Time's terrific "Ganja Man". In a word: essential.

Review: While many have previously charted the vibrant Nigerian music scene of the late '60s and 1970s, few have focused on the country's earlier "first wave" of indigenous pop. Nigeria Freedom Sounds aims to do just that, celebrating a four-year period between 1960 and '63 when the country's music-makers, enthused by independence from Britain, began fusing the traditional Nigerian sounds of juju and apala with Ghanaian highlife, Caribbean calypso and mambo. As you might expect, this musical melting pot resulted in some terrifically vibrant and celebratory music, most of which was released on 7" singles. As usual with Soul Jazz, the 23-track CD of thrilling obscurities comes backed with detailed liner notes, telling the true story of Nigeria's first popular music explosion.

Review: The Studio One catalogue is the gift that keeps on giving, and Soul Jazz continually play Santa. This latest comprehensive collection is a great compilation of some of the best DJs and MCs to have been involved in reggae. Vital Jamaican stars like Dillinger, Prince Jazzbo and Lone Ranger all feature next to more hardcore names and some choice rare cuts. Spanning the 70s and into the mid-1980s, this 18-track offering gives a glimpse into the evolution of reggae to more digital and dancehall styles that come later, all with specially commissioned sleeve notes by Fashion Records head honcho Chris Lane.

Review: Back in 2017, Soul Jazz offered up a superb box set of seven 7" singles featuring a wealth of 1970s Nigerian afro-rock, afro-funk and afro-disco. Since then the box has been changing hands for significant sums online, so they've bowed to pressure and decided to reissue it as a gatefold double album. It features the same combination of tracks from the likes of Geraldo Pino, Tony Grey, The Wings and MFB, though this time they've been included in a different order. For those interested in raw, raucous and life-affirming Nigerian dance music from the period, it should be an essential purchase (providing, of course, they don't already own the previous box set).