More Music, Less Words #33
One To Skip
Hi friends!
This week’s 5 selections are:
BJ4 - Bob James (CTI Records, 1977)
#Jazz Fusion #Crossover Jazz
While some jazz purists, like those at Allmusic, accused Bob of “sinking into pure commercialism” and labeled this album as “one to skip”, my take is quite the opposite. Listening to this work by one of CTI's finest arrangers is an absolute pleasure. It happens to be my personal favorite among Bob's albums and it marked his final release with CTI before he ventured into launching his own label, Tappan Zee Records, named after the third track. Interestingly, Arrested Development sampled it for their hit “People Everyday”.
Koté Ou? - Mushi & Lakansyel (Zekle Music, 1983)
#Jazz Fusion #Haiti
Koté Ou? means “Where Are You?”. The band dedicated this album to their friends Phillipe and Chantal, the label owner and his wife, after they passed away in a fatal car accident. Zèklè Music was a springboard for the music that shifted away from the usual in Haiti. “Our music was born from influences of music education and background such as classical, companion, folk, rock, soft rock, Pop, Brazilian music, French music etc. Jazz was familiar to our world.” You can clearly listen to that Pat Metheny Group vibe with a touch of Weather Report.
The Best Of Light Of The World - Light Of The World (Ensign, 1992)
#Britfunk #Jazz-Funk #Disco
This compilation of one of the key players in the late 70s/early 80s britfunk scene is pure gold. Packed with dance floor breakers like the remix of “Time”, the cover of “I Shot The Sheriff” or “Swinging”, it will definitely put you in weekend mood! In 1981, three of their members, Baptiste, Wellington, and McKreith, formed Beggar & Co., while guitarist Jean-Paul Maunick also released his first album as the leader of Incognito. Nevertheless, Light Of the World continued working together and released another album, Check Us Out, the following year.
Boulevard (The Complete Series) - St Germain (F Communications, 1995)
#Deep House #Jazzy House #Downtempo
You'll likely find Boulevard in my record bag whenever I'm out to play. This double LP marks the debut album of Ludovic Navarre as St Germain and skillfully combines live instrumentation, samples, and beats spanning jazz, blues, hip hop, and dub. The band lineup includes Alexandre Destrez on piano, Pascal Ohsé on trumpet, Édouard Labor on saxophone, Malik on flute, and Miguel 'Punta' Rios on percussion. Nearly 30 years later, it remains one of the finest fusions of jazz and electronic music out there.
Instrumental Thursdays - Archiver & Matteo Boyero (I&I Wahever, 2017)
#Dub
Last month, I had the chance to meet the owner of WAHEVER RECORDS after a jazz concert in London. We discussed the music he's been releasing, and I couldn't wait to get home and listen to some of it. Instrumental Thursdays is a fresh blend of layered electronic and organic instrumentation, perfect for those chill Sunday vibes.
That was all for this week. I hope you enjoyed the selections :D
Enjoy the weekend and tune in next Friday for more music!
Stay groovy,
Dudier
