Hi friends!
I hope you are doing fine.
For the next two weeks, More Music, Less Words will be closed for the holidays. During this time, I'll be mixing some tracks I've produced recently and preparing an exciting 2024 filled with surprises and developments on this platform.
This week’s 5 selections are:
jazz is for ordinary people - berlioz (berlioz Self-released, 2023)
#Electronic #Jazz #Deep House
I'm astonished to see that some individuals are creating exceptional deep house jazz music, self-releasing it, and adopting a distinctive promotion strategy for this genre while achieving remarkable success. This EP comprises a collection of brief yet finely crafted jazzy tunes—perhaps deliberately kept short to align better with streaming platform algorithms. Regardless, these are five excellent tracks that prove jazz can be, once again, for the ordinary people!
Bonus: I came across this cool making-of video by the band and the artwork designer.
300 M.P.H. - Namaz (Software Music, 1981)
#Jazz Fusion
During a train trip, feeling somewhat sleepy, this gem popped up on my Bandcamp Music Feed. The album was released in August 2023, and I couldn't believe this kind of sound was produced today. It felt like Chick Corea and Return To Forever collaborated with George Duke or even Paulinho da Costa. To my surprise, it turned out to be another fantastic reissue by the Portuguese label Mad About Records, this time from a German quartet in 1981. Buckle up; there's marvelous jazz fusion ahead.
People Get Ready - The Chambers Brothers (Vault, 1966)
#Rhythm & Blues
Recently discovered, thanks to Wax Poetics Magazine Vol. 2 Issue 3, this live recording at the Ash Grove delivers the authentic rhythm & blues you need to make it through your Friday morning. Formed by four brothers who moved to LA from a plantation in Mississippi where their family worked for the grand dragon of the local Ku Klux Klan, they teamed up with drummer Brian Keenan and embarked on a journey to become one of the best psychedelic soul bands in the USA.
Never Played A 45 - Macka B (Peckings Records, 2012)
#Reggae #Dancehall #Rocksteady
The other day, I was discussing with a great selector, and (after MF Doom) my favorite supervillain too, about the use of digital formats in a DJ set, and I recalled this wonderful song by the Jamaican-British sharp rhymes toaster, Macka B. Here, over Toots' & The Maytals' 54-46 riddim, Macka encourages young DJs to go buy a turntable and play it side by side with the modern technology (lyrics here). By the way, this new B-side is amazing too.
Touching You... Touching Me - Airto (Warner Bros. Records, 1979)
#Jazz-Funk #Latin Jazz
Luckily, I got the Japanese edition of this beauty while digging in Indonesia. For this production, Airto Moreira teamed up with the best of his wave, to name a few: Manolo Badrena, Alphonso Johnson, George Duke, Herb Alpert, Joe Farrell, Marcos Valle, Jose R. Bertrami, Hugo Fattoruso, and his wife, Flora Purim.
Apparently, the legendary master is currently recovering from pneumonia, with little mobility and struggling financially. His friends have organized a crowdfunding campaign to support him. You can find more information here and contribute here.
That was all for this week. I hope you liked the selections :D
Happy Holidays and New Year!
Stay groovy,
Dudier