John Parry, Author at Backseat Mafia

Album Review: The Offline –‘Les Cigales’ : Seductive soundtrack grooves with an analogue funk foundation.

Curiouser and curiouser, here’s the return of the illusive and slighty mysterious persona known as The Offline (aka Hamburg based guitarist/producer Felix Müller) with a quirky new EP ‘Les Cigales’.…

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Album Review : Peter Somuah –‘Highlife’ : A punchy and profound afro-jazz fusion story .

Sometimes ‘world jazz’ or ‘world fusion’ comes across as primarily a musical endeavour. Yes the results have been seminal and spectacular. No-one would question the significance of the ethno-jazz explorations…

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Album Review : Bill Laurance & Michael League – ‘Keeping Company’ : Understated but stunning second album from the Snarky Puppy stalwarts.

And it all began in Leeds in the noughties. Bill Laurance newly graduated from the Uni and trying to earn his crust around the city’s music scene met Michael League,…

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Album Review: Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp – ‘Ventre Unique’: the mercurial post-punk/global beats collective score once more.

Formed in 2007 by bassist and composer Vincent Bertholet, Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp are a band with the beat of the infamous but sadly crushed Genevan punk squat movement…

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Album Review: Harvestman –Triptych Part Three : The final chapter of Steve Von Till’s awesome homage to the changing moons.

If you missed gazing at the Hunter Moon last week then here’s a permanent audio reminder of its beauty, significance and restorative power. Steve Von Till aka Harvestman, the prolific…

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Album Review: Gitkin –‘Golden Age’: Punchy world-funk and twang guitar in a rootsy, global beats bundle.

US Guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Gitkin (aka Brian J) is a player who’s long been connecting Duane Eddy’s original twang and a world of other styles from Peruvian Cumbia to…

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Album Review: Dora Morelenbaum – ‘Pique’: a dynamic new MPB voice which really delivers.

Anyone who caught Bala Desejo’s set-of-the-day at WOMAD UK in the summer would’ve already noted the dynamic Dora Morelenbaum flying in the front line of this exuberant nu-tropicalia band. A…

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Album Review: boycalledcrow –‘eyetrees’: More heartfelt hauntological pop from a singular sound artist.

There’s something reassuring about the music of sound artist boycalledcrow regularly sneaking through all the noise and getting some attention. It restores faith that singular, outsider work will always find…

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Album Review : Plantfood –‘Carnivores’ : An energetic and explosive jazz fusion calling card.

Given that their name links back to their student beginnings during lockdown in a bedroom-come-practice space full of houseplants, Plantfood’s music is not what you’d describe as pastoral. This tight…

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Album Review: Eric Pan – ‘Travel Poems. Chapter 3. There is no path back.’: An inventive and intimate jazz journey.

It’s hard to pin down pianist and composer Eric Pan’s music, he is a troubadour and traveller both literally and creatively. Pulled towards jazz during his studies at the University…

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