Hi friends!
This week’s 5 selections are:
Orange Wine - Okvsho (Hip Dozer, 2021)
#Electronic #Contemporary Jazz #Broken Beat #Deep House
With a background in beatmaking and electronic music production, the Swiss duo incorporated local jazz musicians into their recipe for Orange Wine. Like this delicious nectar, the record “celebrates the simplicity and complexity of natural processes, in harmony with the surrounding ecosystem.” Do you perceive some scents of Incognito in the title track?
A Joyful Noise Unto The Creator - Galliano (Talkin’ Loud, 1992)
#Acid Jazz
Pioneering classic acid jazz released on Gilles Peterson’s former label, Galliano delivered poetry in the form of rap over jazzy R&B beats, tinted with hip-hop, reggae, and a variety of rhythms that represented this early 1990s music revolution in the UK. My favorite pick (and the most popular song too), “Prince of Peace”, might be the sweetest tune you'll listen to this week, starring the amazing voice of Valerie Etienne. Enjoy it.
Manual User - Kx9000 (Pont Neuf Records, 2023)
#Deep House #Broken Beat #Disco
Marvelous EP by the Pont Neuf regular, covering a wide palette of sounds that have clearly been well taken care of, from the production to the mixing. Kerim Ben Mustapha, a.k.a. Kx9000, aimed to recreate the fun and sweet atmosphere of the summer car trips of his childhood. I can totally envision myself inside a similar car as a child, especially in the third track, “Smoking Lobby”, which exudes a fusion and smooth jazz kind of vibe.
Fruit of the Past - Jazz Liberatorz (Kif Recordings, 2009)
#Jazzy Hip Hop #Conscious Hip Hop
After covering their first album here on More Music, Less Words, it's now time to give a listen to the second and final masterpiece of the Parisian trio. The intro features samples of songs you may have heard before, mainly from jazz, soul, and hip hop records. This sets the tone for their instrumentals over the rest of the album, complemented by the voices of big names like Mos Def, Aloe Blacc, or Fat Lip (The Pharcyde). The finest plastic in town.
Note: I have included the pic of the Japanese pressing with the obi just because it was the only one with decent resolution, plus I think it's beautiful.
Blow-Up (The Original Sound Track Album) - Herbie Hancock (MGM Records, 1966)
#Post Bop Jazz #Soundtrack
Herbie composed this soundtrack for Michelangelo Antonioni's film, drawing inspiration from the sounds of the Swinging Sixties in London and the Mod culture, which forms the backdrop of the plot. The ensemble features the crème de la crème of American jazz from that era: trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Joe Newman, alto saxophonist Phil Woods, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jack DeJohnette, organist Jimmy Smith and, possibly, Paul Griffin.
That was all for this week. I hope you liked the selections :D
Stay groovy,
Dudier