Got no radio show these days to share with you, so I guess I'll take to the written word.
These albums are in no particular order. Sure, I have my favorites, but music is not a competition!
As always, this show/post is subtitled albums on my radar. There are definitely other great LPs out there I didn't buy.
Dig in!
NEW RELEASES
Dope Gems Neck Snappin' (Heavenly Sweetness)
A sweeeeet slice of electric funky jazz, recorded in France this year. DopeGems' got a great head for late '70s samples, too, including a cool cover of the smoothed out Isley Brothers tune that inspired Ice Cube's "Good Day."
Calvin Keys Electric Keys (Wide Hive)
Been a big year for Black Jazz records, but Calvin Keys was still going strong, putting out this strong LP on Wide Hive Records. Revisits Shawneeq, too.
Mighty Mighty See The Light (Schema)
Fans of the Mt. Airy Groove know I'm a sucker for Scandanavian Jazz and Finland's Mighty Mighty is a excellent mix of jazz and funk, lead by keyboardist Kari Setala.
DeRobert & The Half Truths I’m Tryin’ (GED Soul)
Coolin’ System Refrigerate After Opening (GED Soul)
Two nice sophomore albums from GED Soul, a nice dusty imprint based in Nashville. DeRobert of the Half-Truths pulled it together with a slice of modern Nashville soul, and the Coolin' System forged ahead with an album featuring covers of Lou Donaldson & Cedar Walton.
Mulatu Sketches of Ethiopia (Jazz Village)
The seemingly ageless Mulatu is still putting out great albums, again collaborating with the Steps Ahead band. (This may have come out in 2013, but I don't think vinyl copies came to the US until this year. Or not.)
Timo Lassy Live With Lassy (Schema)
More great jazz from Finland, the 4th from the hometown tenor hero, this time live in a Helsinki club right after the release of 2012's In With Lassy.
Greg Foat Group Live at the Playboy Club (Jazzman)
Once again, the Greg Foat group comes out of nowhere with the first LP recorded at London's Playboy Club in 35 years. The Greg Foat group is easily one of the finest jazz groups out there today. Me & Pags are roadtripping to London to see them at their weekly residency at the Playboy...who's in?
Orlando Julius & The Heliocentrics Jaiyede Afro (Strut)
Melvin Van Peebles & The Heliocentrics The Last Transmission (NowAgain)
Malcolm Catto is my one of my favorite modern drummer along with his Heliocentrics crew. Never content to stick in one bag, London combo once again collaborated with a Afrobeat legend, this time Nigeria's Orlando Julius. Then they joined forces with the wild Melvin Van Peebles for a trip to outer space, featuring spoken word from Sweetback himself. Very, very strange stuff.
Badbadnotgood III (Innovative Leisure)
Similar to like-minded bands as The Stepkids, Badbadbadnotgood turns jazz on its head and makes progressive, modern sounding music.
Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens Cold World (Daptone)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings Give The People What They Want (Daptone)
The Budos Band Burnt Offering (Daptone)
The Brooklyn-based Daptone label is still going strong, culminating in a Soul Revue at the Apollo Theater in early December. Though none of these new releases from these veteran bands stray very far from their usual sound, it's good to see a label still focusing on real soul music. And we're glad that Sharon Jones is healthy!
Lee Fields Emma Jean (Truth & Soul)
Still going strong since the salad days of Desco Records, Lee's latest offering is less deep funk and more steeped in Southern soul.
Stanton Moore Conversations (Royal Potato)
This is the first straight ahead jazz album from the longtime drummer of Galactic. A very nice New Orleans-inspired piano trio.
Karl Hector & The Malcouns Unstraight Ahead (NowAgain)
Karl Hector & The Malcouns are the left field AfroBeat alias of the German funk legends The Poets of Rhythm.
BEST OF THE REST: COMPS & REISSUES.
Jef Gilson & Malagasy Jef Gilson et Malagasy (Jazzman)
French jazz legend Jef Gilson was always intrigued by exotic sounds and foreign musicians. He traveled to Madagascar in the early '70s to record with the local group, Malagasy, compiled on five LPs by Jazzman Records, who do indeed live by their motto, "we dig deeper."
J.B.’s These Are The J.B.’s (Now Again)
Sure, this isn't the tightest JB's record, but the dearth of recordings from this short-lived lineup of the JB’s, featuring a young Bootsy Collins and his under-appreciated brother, Phelps "Catfish" Collins, make this important. Plus…didja know "The Grunt" featured this incarnation of the group? I didn't!
Stanton Davis & The Ghetto Mysticism Band Isis Voyage (Cultures of Soul)
I'll admit that Stanton Davis isn't for everyone, but his High Jazz album is one of my all-time favorites. Isis Voyage features a few new tracks and alternate versions from the same sessions.
Joe McPhee Nation Time (J Records/Bo Weavil)
Fusing R&B and free jazz is no easy proposal and few artists were successful in their attempts. Enter Joe McPhee and his mind-blowing “Shakey Jake” which grooves like a Prestige organ session featuring Alber Ayler without getting too far out that it's unpalatable.
Barbara Lynn Here Is Barbara Lynn (Atlantic/Light in the Attic)
You’ll be hard pressed to find another left handed female guitarist/singer on the Atlantic label. A classic slice of late ’60’s soul.
Sly Stone & Others I’m Just Like You: Sly’s Stone Flower 1969-70 (Light in the Attic)
In between 1969's Stand! and 1970's masterpiece There's a Riot Goin' On, Sly started his own side label, Stone Flower. This compilation brings together the short-lived label's complete output, plus a few unreleased tracks and takes, most featuring Sly on the Maestro Rhythm King drum machine, one of the first artists to experiement with the then new technology. If you love There's a Riot Goin' On, then this is for you.
The Brothers & Sisters Dylan’s Gospel (Light in the Attic)
Famed producer Lou Adler put together an all-star band of session players and singers (including Merry Clayton), giving classic and lesser known Dylan tunes the gospel treatment.
Miles Davis Miles at the Fillmore 1970: The Bootleg Series Vol. 3 (Columbia Legacy)
The bootleg series just keeps on giving, this time giving us the complete Fillmore concerts that found Miles opening for Neil Young and Laura Nyro. Though these concerts have been released before, the sounds here is far, far superior than the original Teo Macero produced originals and includes over 100 minutes of unreleased music.
Maulawi Orotunds (Strata/180 Proof)
DJ Amir's 180 Proof imprint is dedicated to releasing high quality "reissues" of the legendary Detroit based Strata Records, a sister label to the better known Strata East. Though it's unclear if any of the four albums in the 180 Proof discography were ever actually released in the '70's, this album of spiritual jazz makes the question moot.
