The Roots - Undun (2011)

The new album from The Roots entitled undun is set to hit the market on December 6th, undun is the story of Redford Stephens and it’s a brief story of his life that has also been accompanied by video clips that have been created to help the story along.
more here...
listen to the Roots Undun album here via NPR

We’re all on a journey
Down the hall of memories
Don’t worry bout what you ain’t got
Leave with a little bit of dignity
Never loved what I had
Always felt like I deserved more
But when I Make it to the other side
That’s when we’ll settle up the score

Kojato & The Afro Latin Cougaritas - All About Jazz (2011)

Another winner from the Bahama Soul Club family. Another serious candidate for top flight entry to our BEST OF THE YEAR LIST!


KOJATO, one of the most promising projects of modern Afro-Jazz, started in 2010 with an amazing feature on the BAHAMA SOUL CLUB‘s bestseller-album „Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky“.
His first track was called „Afro Shigida“ and was one of the highlights on this release.
Producer OLIVER BELZ, the man behind The Bahama Soul Club and The Juju Orchestra was deeply impressed by the combined talents of the fabulous keyboard player and arranger ANDRÉ NEUNDORF and the inimitable multi-instrumentalist and singer KOJO EBENEZER SAMUELS.
Kojo „the priest of music“ was born 1943 in Monrovia and became one of the most well known musicians from Liberia when he worked with Fela Kuti and Cecil Taylor

The first album „All About Jazz“ comes with 10 tracks of finest Afro Jazz that captures the musical spirit of a lifetime. KOJATO, a world traveller in Jazz finally brings it all together: Afro-, Latin-, Soul-, Gypsy- & World-Jazz.
He obviously knows all the routes Jazz can take and defines a new place the audience can land.

OUT NOW ON BUJU RECORDS

Welcome to the Ritmo Machine (2011)

Only days out there and already an instant classic and serious candidate for top flight entry on our TWISTED JAZZ BEST OF THE YEAR LIST.

'Ritmo Machine' is CYPRESS HILL's Eric Bobo and mix master Latin Bitman. With a funky blend of hip-hop beats, live instrumentation, and guest appearances, Ritmo Machine' is a border-crossing culture clash of electronic, hip-hop and Latin music.

Eric Bobo, the son of Latin jazz legend Willie Bobo, brings exciting live percussion to Latin Bitman's signature fusion of dub, electronica and hip hop. Eric Bobo, who recorded and toured with the BEASTIE BOYS during groundbreaking releases 'Check Your Head', III Communication' and 'Hello Nasty', has been a full time member of Cypress Hill since 1994.

The album features guest appearances from Ana Tijoux (Nacional Records), Money Mark & Mix
Master Mike (Beastie Boys), Sen Dog (Cypress Hill), Chali 2na (Jurassic 5), P-Nut (311), and Sick Jacken (Psycho Realm).
Welcome to the Ritmo Machine made an impressive early arrival at radio, debuting at #17 at KCRW in Los Angeles and #1 on the World music chart at KEXP in Seattle.

OUT NOW ON NACIONAL RECORDS

Barry Adamson - Destination (2012)

http://www.barryadamson.com/

Havana Cultura: The Search Continues (2011)

Continuing his longstanding love affair with Cuba and its musical melting pot, globetrotting DJ/broadcaster Gilles Peterson is back with a new chapter in his Havana Cultura album series – producing an original studio album and lovingly curating a compilation of new Cuban talent.
Welcoming a string of guest musicians, vocalists and rappers to Abdala Studios, Havana, Gilles orchestrated the glorious sound clashes that populate the latest chapter in this landmark series, highlighting a clutch of artists innovating in the spaces between jazz, soul, traditional Cuban rhythms, reggaeton and hip-hop. The so-called “Havana Cultura Band” will bring the essence of those exciting, anything-goes recording sessions to London’s newly refurbished Electric Brixton… the full rainbow spectrum from freeform rumba styles to frenetic, danceable piano workouts via hip-hop’s golden age and classic soul. The internationally acclaimed pianist Roberto Carcassés heads up an all-star cast featuring soul diva Danay Suarez and Edrey from hype rap outfit Ogguere, plus Alexey (El Tipo Este)from Obsesion and Cuban diva Osdalgia… Gilles P, as creative head of the project, will of course be jumping up on the turntables for a DJ set too, ably supported by co-producer and close confidante – the very talented Simbad.

Susana Baca - Afrodiaspora (2011)

Susana Baca - Detras de la Puerta by ferarca

Susana Baca's seventh album for David Byrne's Luaka Bop imprint is an ambitious affair with Baca bringing her instantly recognizable and elegant vocal style to the table in an attempt to show the pervasive influence of African rhythms and song forms on South American and Caribbean music. It’s not that she hasn’t been doing this all along on her releases, but the title of this one, Afrodiaspora, clearly states the case, and there is an astounding variety of styles blended together here, from tango, salsa, and flamenco to New Orleans-styled brass band blues and dance numbers, and everything comes out sounding distinctly Afro-Peruvian no matter how many regional variations are tossed into the mix. But Baca isn’t about fusion so much as she is about shining a light on how much folk traditions continually soak up new wrinkles and rhythms as part of the natural human approach to making and playing music, and if the Afro-Andean elements on display here are relatively new, they’re fully in line with what folk music always does: take what works and run with it.

Deep Street Soul - Look Out Watch Out (2011)

Deep Street Soul's new album builds upon the diamond hard and gritty funk & soul template they established with their self titled 2009 debut long player.

Not content to return with simply more of the same, Look Out, Watch Out expands the groups sound and repertoire, featuring as it does, incredible new vocalist May Johnston, guest contributions from renowned Randa Khamis and Roxie Ray, a choice cover version plus original tracks augmented with some raucous and heavy brass!

OUT NOW NOW ON FREESTYLE RECORDS

Buon Compleanno Irma!

An incredible success story, Irma records was born 23 years ago in Bologna, Italy, right at the "zenith" point of the indie labels revolution in the 80s and just a few years before the multinationals enter the "alternative" zone and swallow everything. Well, not quite everything! Irma records continue to this very day long after the Jestofunk years (the most succesful band on their roster). An eclectic mix of house, acid jazz, funk, bossa nova, lounge and millenium exotica (plus many more hybrids) have sweetened our ears through these years and hope to continue doing so for the years to come.
IRMA BDay is a free download compilation available from the XL supplement of La Repubblica newspaper.

You can download it right here....

Stuart McCallum - Distilled (2011)

Distilled is a beautifully atmospheric recording, the third album from Stuart McCallum, best known for his work with the Cinematic Orchestra. The Manchester-based guitarist/composer knows how to combine established and contemporary sounds, making them into music that is never less than fascinating and, at its best, a thing of breathtaking beauty.

Much of the beauty of this album comes from McCallum's ability to blend instruments together to form a sound that is both cooperative and undifferentiated—a process based on cycles of composition, recording and sampling. This is not music that thrives on competition or contrast, but on graceful interaction, on sharing of ideas and musical spaces. McCallum intermingles the different instruments, samples and technologies with genuine creativity. Each instrument is crucial to the overall sound—not by retaining its own sonic identity, but by adding another layer to the carefully crafted whole.

Bruce Lindsay (AllAboutJazz)