Track: Zimbabwe’s Gonora Sounds preview their hot stepping ‘Mukoma Shadrek’ ahead of February debut album.
Ah, memories of the first time hearing early cuts from Staff Benda Bilili or Malawi Mouse Boys –eyes closed, the inner smile, that warmth of discovery….It all comes back with the chiming guitar of Gonora Sounds’ new release ‘Mukoma Shadrek’. Brought to you direct from the dusty avenues of Harare by New York label The …
Album Review: Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O – ‘UMDALI’
Sometimes the narrative surrounding a record can make listening seem too intrusive. This prospect might have been a very real challenge for the revered South African jazz composer, Malcolm Jiyane as he put together his debut solo record UMDALI (available now from Mushroom Hour Half Hour) . The conflicting emotions following the death of a …
See: Geneva’s electronic post punkers Tout Bleu deliver ‘Rucksucre’ ahead of new album ‘Otium’.
From the ever giving Bongo Joe portal, key communicator from the Geneva underground scene and beyond, comes news of Tout Bleu’s second album ‘Otium’ due for release on 10th December. Revolving around multi- instrumentalist Simone Aubert’s urgent creativity Tout Bleu’s self- titled first LP in 2019 was a record of intense twists and turns, at …
Album Review: L’Eclair- ‘Confusions’
It’s not surprising to hear that eclectic jazz funk instrumentalists L’Eclair and their record label go back a long way. Drifting home to Geneva from a London expedition in 2015 the band’s founders Sebastian Bui (keys) and Stefan Lilov (guitars) discovered a like- minded creative community revolving around the Bongo Joe record shop. Beyond the …
Album Review: Portico Quartet – ‘Monument’
I can still remember the kerfuffle Portico Quartet sparked off at Womad 2012…Where’s the hang drum? What’s this, loops? Is this dance music? For a crowd expecting the pastoral acoustic soundscapes of their first two records, the Mercury nominated ‘Knee Deep in the North Sea’ and follow up ‘Isla’, the sweeping electronica fused with upfront …
See: Global beat fusionists Black Flower preview ‘O Fogo’ from incoming album ‘Magma’.
The pronunciation might be tricky but you can’t question the discerning taste of Belgian label Sdban Ultra in the nu-jazz, funk and grooves department. More proof comes with the label’s first taster from Black Flower’s soon-to-come ‘Magma’LP (due 28th January), ‘O Fogo’. Four albums in and Black Flower have been steadily sharpening their kaleidoscopic blend …
See: Richard Dawson/Circle reveal ‘Methuselah’, an epic rush of folk /metal story telling.
Ever tried keeping up with Richard Dawson? It’s a challenge that always pays off. Over the past couple of years we’ve been gifted his reflective and resonant song craft on ‘2020’, the poptastic quirkiness of Hen Ogledd’s ‘Free Humans’ and the woozy, lockdown ambience of ‘Bulbils’. Now comes more news of Dawson’s restless musicality shooting …
Album Review: Meridean Brothers & Conjunto Media Luna- Paz en la Terra
Nothing about the Meridean Brothers is as you would expect unless you are prepared for the unexpected. The name might suggest a collective but in the studio the ‘Brothers’ focal point is the mercurial talents of Colombian composer and multi- instrumentalist Eblis Alvarez. As an established player in Bogata’s energetic experimental scene Alvarez has always …
Album Review: South African be-bop trailblazer Kippie Moeketsi’s Blue Stompin receives long-awaited reissue
Over forty years on since its original release in 1977 those intrepid sound seekers at We Are Busy Bodies have just re-issued, in partnership with Rashid Vally’s seminal South African Jazz label As- Shams /The Sun, Kippie Moeketsi/Hal Singer’s ‘Blue Stompin’. The album’s title track and centrepiece highlights an intriguing jazz intersection from the two …
Track: Quantic & Nidia Gongora- new track, Balada Borracha, plus album announcement
The story goes that musician, producer and global fusion pioneer Will ‘Quantic’ Hudson first heard Colombian singer songwriter Nidia Gongora’s singular voice through the wall of his Cali apartment busting out from his neighbour’s CD player. So we can be forever thankful for next door’s exquisite taste in repeat plays and the low grade partitions …