SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA - Rising Sun (2010)

An amazing set from this band that never fails to excite us, and a record that has them really living up to the spiritual promise of their name!! Although still filled with the Afro Funky lines that first got the group some notice, there's also a deeper vibe running through this record too, one that has links to 70s righteous Jazz, and a wider range of African expressions too, including bits of Ethiopian and Egyptian elements as well!! The instrumentation is great, really complex and interesting, with bits of vibes, reeds, and a range of percussion instruments that really keep things fresh, plus some beautiful piano lines that create an almost Build An Ark sense of peace and promise!!

Tracklisting:

1. Awakening
2. Agbara
3. Negus Negast
4. Lotus Flower
5. Mamaya
6. Serenity
7. Consecration
8. Rejoice, Pt. 1
9. Rejoice, Pt. 2

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UPTOWN FUNK EMPIRE - The Empire Strikes Back (2009)

A sweet funky project from Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart, a set that's filled with lots of 70s Funk elements, but which keeps up the groove we've come to love in all of his previous Patchworks projects!! There's a great blend here between live Funk instrumentation and dancefloor direction, almost a return to the drenched-in-classics sounds we first came to love in the French scene over a decade ago, which have been lost in recent years by some of the too-trashy artists out there, only to be reclaimed wonderfully by Bruno in a record like this!! The grooves run a gamut that includes Spiritual Jazz, Club Funk, and a bit of boogie, but all done with a style that's lean enough to be dubbed deep funk at some moments too, a much wider palette of sounds than you'd get from other funky artists working today, but handled beautifully by Hovart, with a really deep understanding of a wide range of music from years back. Vocals are by Noel McKoy, Janice & Ange, and our brother Juan Rozoff!!

Tracklisting:

1. The Empire Strikes Back (Intro)
2. Boogie
3. N.O.W feat. Juan Rozoff
4. We Stand At The Back Of The Bus feat. Janice & Ange
5. You've Got To Have Freedom feat. Janice & Ange
6. Keep On Givin' it Up
7. No One Gonna Stop Us Now feat. Noel Mc Koy
8. Take You Out
9. I'm a Manchild
10. I Guess That You Don't Mind feat. JRM
11. Celestial Blues feat. Ange
12. Please Mr. Postman
13. Walkin´ Like The Ginger
14. Good Time (Bye Bye Mr. Dynamite)
15. I Used To Spend My Time
16. The Empire Strikes Back (Outro)

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NOMO - Invisible Cities (2009)

Great stuff from global Funk phenoms Nomo, deftly blending Afro steeped Funk with an astral reach, with more of a Spiritual Jazz influence and off kilter avant touches!! Invisible Cities arrives just about a year since their breakthrough Ghost Rock opened so many doors, and although productivity and consistency have never been a problem with Elliot Bergman & co, we're still pretty awestruck, especially given that Ghost Rock set the bar pretty high!! Blazing horns, dynamic rhythms and rapturous percussion galore, with the electric kalimba still defining the group's identity nicely, with lots of sweaty Funk, more spacious Spiritual Jazz atmosphere, and a couple of choice covers!!

Tracklisting:
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1. Invisible Cities
2. Bumbo
3. Waiting
4. Crescent
5. Patterns
6. Ma
7. Banners On High
8. Elijah
9. Nocturne

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