HENRI-PIERRE NOEL - PIANO

To contact us Click HERE
On moving to Canada from his original home of Haiti, pianist and singer/songwriter Henri-Pierre Noel brought with him much of the tropical island's influences. The 'Kompa Funk' sounds of his homeland, alongside contemporary North American jazz and disco, run throughout both of Henri's albums recorded in the late 1970s; Piano and One More Step. Both were released on very limited private presses and have since become holy grails of the black music scene.
Henri-Pierre Noel is an incredibly versatile musician who uses the piano in a very percussive and syncopated way, almost like a drum. This particular technique naturally brings disco and afro-funk elements into his unique brand of dance floor fusion.

The man himself is still playing in his adopted home of Montreal today, and having been introduced to Wah Wah 45s label boss Dom Servini by Canadian DJs Kobal, Moonstarr and Andy Williams, who were all keen fans of his early works, it became clear that Noel's finest moments needed to be re-released and re-discovered by a new generation.

Re-mastered from the original multi-track tapes by Kevin Moonstarr in Canada, and featuring a previously unreleased vocal version of album favourite Merci Bon Dieu, Henri-Pierre Noel's debut, Piano, is finally available to all on heavyweight vinyl, CD and digital formats - including full sleeve notes translated into both French and English.

NEW RELEASES - ATLANTIC SOUL LEGENDS, LARRY STONEPHACE STABBINS, WILLIAM KURK

To contact us Click HERE
ATLANTIC SOUL LEGENDS - 20 ORIGINAL ALBUMS (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

A really amazing little set – 20 classic soul albums from the Atlantic and Stax Records catalogs – a surprisingly well-chosen collection that features some of our favorite albums of the late 60s and early 70s! Each record is presented in a tiny LP-styled sleeve – which is an additional cool feature of this already-great package – and the range of work runs from the early years of 60s soul to the more righteous side of 70s funk! Albums include The Show Must Go On by Sam Dees, Howard Tate by Howard Tate, Doin What We Wanna by Clarence Wheeler & The Enforcers, Everything Is Everything by Donny Hathaway, Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin, Soul Of A Bell by William Bell, Sweet Soul Music by Arthur Conley, Knock On Wood by Eddie Floyd, Soul Finger by Bar-Kays, Hold On I'm Comin by Sam & Dave, When A Man Loves A Woman by Percy Sledge, In The Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding Sings Soul by Otis Redding, Mercy by Don Covay, Under The Boardwalk by The Drifters, Walking The Dog by Rufus Thomas, If You Need Me by Solomon Burke, Don't Play That Song by Ben E King, Green Onions by Booker T & The MGs, and What'd I Say by Ray Charles. ~ Dusty Groove

LARRY STONEPHACE STABBINS - TRANSCENDENTAL

Soaring spiritual jazz from Larry Stabbins – a reedman you might know from his recent Stonephace project for Tru Thoughts, or for his seminal work in the groups Weekend and Working Week! Yet the sound here is something else entirely – a righteous side of Larry's music we never would have expected back in the 80s – as his tenor and flute are mixed with bold, modal lines that recall some of the contemporary spiritual energy from Matthew Halsall and Nat Birchall on the Gondwana label – music that has a similar sort of early 70s approach! Tracks are long and flowing, and very open – with great solos from Larry and sublime piano from Zoe Rahman – whose tones and timing really give the record a lot of energy. Titles include "Noetic", "Immanence", "Transcendental Euphoria", "Soul Train", "White Queen Psychology", and "Africa". ~ Dusty Groove

WILLIAM KURK - SUPER POP FUSION

Neither pop nor fusion – but a great little record that reminds us why we love William Kurk so much! There's definitely some of the jazzy styles promised by the title, but they're mixed in with Kurk's inventive approach to soul music – warm instrumentation wrapped around compelling lyricism, but in a bouncy, playful way that's light years from the usual! This time around, there's a slight echo of 80s ideals – not so much in the music, which still has lots of 70s warmth – but in the criss-crossing of modes, and in the way that acoustic and electric elements are used together to create a really full sound. Titles include "9 by 3", "Revenge Of Mega Man", "Star Of The Sky", "All Of The Time", "Moonrise", "2012", and "Dragon Force". ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - JASON PALMER, HAN BENNINK, DAVID HAZELTINE

To contact us Click HERE
JASON PALMER PLAYS MINNIE RIPERTON - TAKE A LITTLE TRIP

A really striking little cover – one based on the front image of Minnie Riperton's classic Perfect Angel album from the 70s – and a batch of music that really opens up whole new territory in Riperton's rich musical legacy! The set's way more than you might expect – hardly just a straight or smooth jazz take on classics by Minnie – and instead an openly creative project that takes the core structure of the songs, then pulls them apart – especially when it comes to the rhythms – so that the players continually revisit the lovely melodies created by Riperton, yet also fly free in musical moments inspired by her energy. Palmer's trumpet is great – pointed, yet soulful throughout – and other instrumentation by the quintet includes Fender Rhodes from Jake Sherman, guitar from Greg Duncan, bass from Edward Perez, and drums from Lee Fish. Titles include "Memory Lane", "Inside My Love", "I'm In Love Again", "Lovin You", "Adventures In Paradise", and "I'm A Woman". Dusty Groove

HAN BENNINK - BENNINK & CO

A great setting for the creative percussion of drummer Han Bennink – a really well-balanced trio that features piano from Simon Toldam and a range of reeds from Joachim Badenhorst – a player with a nice sense of warmth amidst his freedom, and an artist who seems to bring out the same in Bennink as well! The set's still got some of the bold energy you'd expect from Han's classic work on the European free jazz scene – but there's also an inherent tunefulness at most spots too, and a personal mix of melody and lyricism that really humanizes the record – and makes it one of the best things we've heard from Bennink in years! The shift is almost the same as when Lol Coxhill and a few of his contemporaries recorded for the Nato label in the 80s – a performance that still holds strong to all the territory that Han has gained over the years, but which also has a soulful personality that really stands out. Titles include "Klein Gebrek Geen Bezwaar", "Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland", "Dog", "Lauren", "Inside Inside", "Ganz", and "Kiefer". ~ Dusty Groove

DAVID HAZELTINE - THE NEW CLASSIC TRIO W/ GEORGE MRAZ / JOE FARNSWORTH

David Hazeltine's a player who we love more and more with each new record – a pianist who's been recording for many years, yet one who's really grown a lot too! This set is a perfect example of the way Hazeltine's been capturing our ears of late – a great trio outing that has plenty of the sharp punch that always made David one of the best rhythmic accompanists on the New York scene – yet also a mature lyricism that makes him especially compelling in a smaller group like this – a sense of flow we never would have expected a decade ago, and a unified trio energy that also comes from great work by George Mraz on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. Jose Alexis Diaz joins the group on congas for a few tracks – and titles include "Hob Nob With Brother Bob", "I Wish I Knew", "I'll Let You Know", "Blues For Sharpie", "Another Divergence", "The Rebound", and "Bossa For All" – an especially nice original by Hazeltine! ~ Dusty Groove

NEW RELEASES - FRED LOCKS, FANGNAWA EXPERIENCE, YOUSSOU N'DOUR

To contact us Click HERE
FRED LOCKS - BLACK STAR LINER IN DUB

Pretty nice dub versions of Fred Locks' Black Star Liner record – an underappreciated mid 70s record – and these rare and largely unreleased dubs are excellent, too! The dubs are vintage, but as far as we know, most haven't been released commercially before – at least not in this great full length format. Wonderful stuff! Includes "Black Star Liner In Dub", "Redemption Dub", "I've Got A Dub", "Dub-A-Long", "True Rastaman Dub", "Blood Money Dub", "Wolf In Dub Clothing", "Last Days Dub", "Children Of Sedlassie Dub", "Wall Of Dub" and "True Rastaman Dub". ~ Dusty Groove

FANGNAWA EXPERIENCE - FANGA / MAALEM ABDALLAH GUINEA

Strut announce a groundbreaking project for November 2012, a unique fusion of Afrobeat and Moroccan Gnawa music from respected French Afro collective Fanga and leading Moroccan maâlem (Gnawa master), Abdallah Guinéa with his band Nasse Ejadba. Curated by the excellent, forward-thinking Détours du Monde festival in Montpelier, France during 2011 in association with Nueva Onda, the collaboration re-interprets Fanga classics, cherry-picking tracks from their 15-year career. “Our objective from the sessions was not so much to create an entirely new flow but more to bring the real Gnawa sound and trance feeling to some of our songs – we wanted to make the songs work so neither group’s sound was compromised. For us, it was also a human and cultural meeting. We represent two continents but also two ways of thinking and two completely different styles of life.” The two styles prove to be naturally compatible throughout. Leading out front on the tracks, Burkina Fasso-born Fanga bandleader Korbo and Guinéa share lead vocal duties. Guinéa builds his trademark ‘Fusion Trance’ through spiritual evocations, rolling, hypnotic rhythms and gimbri melodies while, by turn, Korbo serves up food for reflection, touching on the right to be different and promoting harmony between man and nature whilst denouncing the social injustices that result from an economic system out of control and designed to benefit the few. Rich, thought-provoking and effortlessly funky, ‘Fangnawa Experience’ is an ambitious piece of work and another significant chapter in the open-minded and cross-cultural climate for modern world music. Fanga and Maâlem Abdallah Guinéa will be touring Europe during 2013. ~ Strut Records

YOUSSOU N'DOUR - FROM SENEGAL TO THE WORLD - 80s CLASSICS & RARITIES   Both sides of one of the biggest breakout stars of the 80s – an artist who helped bring the sound of Senegal to a huge new audience, and whose music went onto become one of the building blocks for world music at the time! The package is divided up into two completely different slices of work – one CD of international hits, including a few key collaborations – and another CD that features early tapes from Senegal – some wonderful early material that really opens up our understanding of Youssou N'Dour! These tracks mostly feature Youssou working with Etoile De Dakar – getting lively backing, in a sometimes rough-edged way – all a great contrast to some of the more polished projects from later years – in a way that really brings us a new appreciation of his vocals. The package features 11 gems from these early days – titles that include "Aziz", "Yalaye Dogol", "Independence", "Tabaski", "Bandjoly Ndiaye", "Alboury", and "Thioule Anta" – plus 17 more hits that include "Set", "Shakin The Tree", "One Day", "Bamako", "Miyoko", "Kocc Barma", "Old Tuscon", "Diabaram", and "Xale". ~ Dusty Groove

SPENCER DAY - THE MYSTERY OF YOU

To contact us Click HERE
In the three years since the release of Vagabond, his debut recording on Concord Records, vocalist-songwriter-pianist Spencer Day has spent some time in the uncomfortable places where light and clarity disappear into the mysteries of uncertainty. He survived the journey, and he’s come back with a story to tell and a wiser perspective about himself and the world. That story – rooted in his own experience, yet filled with revelations and truths that are universal to any human being who has ever put his or her heart at risk – is captured in the 14 tracks of The Mystery of You, his new album set for release on Concord Jazz on March 12, 2013 (international release dates may vary).

Filled with stylistic nuances that range from smoky noir to Latin jazz to surf guitar to Middle Eastern and Asian melodies, The Mystery of You tracks the sometimes exhilarating, sometimes harrowing arc of a romantic relationship from passionate beginning to painful demise to enlightened aftermath. More than just a survivor’s tale, the album is Day’s affirmation to anyone within the sound of his voice that navigating the human experience is an ongoing balancing act.

“It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever dealt with in my adult life, but it’s also been a huge opportunity for growth,” Day says of the ill-fated relationship and the music that emerged from it. “Each of these songs represents a different phase in that growth process. Along the way, I really started trying to understand my own psychology.”
Self-exploration is nothing new to Day, who recalls a troubled childhood in a conservative town in Utah, and a volatile home life resulting from his parents’ troubled marriage. His primary means of escape were music and movies. He grew up listening to a wide cross-section of composers, including Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Joni Mitchell, John Lennon and Paul Simon. And the classic MGM musicals in the local theater – the only options available in his G-rated hometown – eventually left their mark on his creative sensibilities.

He didn’t start performing in public until age 21, mostly singing standards in piano bars and retirement homes. “I was probably three or four years into that when I realized that that wasn’t totally satisfying to me,” he recalls. “I realized that I needed to write as well.” That’s when things got into high gear.

His 2004 debut album, Introducing Spencer Day, was primarily a collection of standards, but the title track from Movie of Your Life, released the following year, won the San Francisco Academy of Art University’s 2005 competition for best original song. The resulting video was selected by Dolby Laboratories as a demonstration video for the global launch of the Dolby 7.1 system.

Day performed at the 2007 San Francisco Jazz Festival, and has been a recurring headliner in a number of high-profile Bay Area clubs, including Yoshi’s, the Plush Room, the Great American Music Hall and the Herbst Theatre. On the opposite coast, he has earned raves for performances at the Town Hall, Joe’s Pub and the Canal Room in New York City , and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He has also appeared at both the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.

Vagabond, released in 2009, was a musical hybrid that drew from the Great American Songbook, but also maintained an alternate aesthetic that sidestepped easy categorization by borrowing from influences like Burt Bacharach, Roy Orbison and Dusty Springfield.

But while The Mystery of You also draws from a range of sources, the result is a much more personal tale. The story opens with the noir-ish title track. Filled with the unlikely combination of James Bond guitar riffs, Middle Eastern strings and Motown drum fills, the track explores the intrigue that comes with the early stages of getting to know someone. “The goal was to constantly surprise the listener’s ear with new sounds,” says Day. “And at the same time, it’s this classic torch song that talks about love like a crime scene.”

The symphonic “Soul on Fire” chronicles the head-over-heels tumble that takes place at the early stage of every relationship. “This was a chance to write in this unapologetically dramatic way, with a string arrangement and a great ‘60s nuance,” he says. “The strings ultimately build to a frenzy and capture the passion that’s so common early on.”

Further into the set, the minimally produced “Love and War” is an acknowledgment of vulnerability. “This is the moment when you realize that you may already be in too deep, and there’s a very real potential to be hurt,” says Day. “This track comes after three uptempo, fully-produced tracks, so given the subject matter, it seemed like the right moment to bring the production down a little bit.”

In the quiet and poignant “I Don’t Want To Know,” vocalist Gabi Moreno makes one of several appearances on the record to share the lyrics with Day. “This represents the turning point in the relationship, the moment when you realize that the end is actually here but you just don’t want to acknowledge it,” says Day. “There’s a jazz piano solo in the outro, along with an electronic drum loop. The goal was to create a slow and steady build, something that would enable the track to gain momentum as it sails into the distance.”

“The Answer” pays homage to Roy Orbison, a longtime favorite of Day’s – and perhaps the most gifted writer of heartache songs in the last six decades of pop music. “That’s basically the moment when you’ve packed everything in your car and you’re driving away, hoping that someday the reasons why it all came to an end will be clear.”

And somehow they are, eventually. “Somewhere on the Other Side” is built on the hope that if you can get through the hard part, things do get better. “I wrote that in the depths of despair,” says Day. “It’s almost like an early American Quaker spiritual. I was just trying to remind myself that if I could make it through this, there would be a sacred place that I could get to on the other side.”

He finds that place in “I’m Going Home,” which Day refers to as a song about gratitude. “It’s about returning home – not necessarily a physical place, but more a matter of redeveloping a relationship with yourself. This was an opportunity to combine an electric piano with an acoustic piano solo I recorded in L.A. It really works in this minimalist Brian Eno kind of way. There are some strange but interesting textures that pop up and catch your ears.”

In the end, Day sees The Mystery of You as an effort to chronicle a relationship in much the same way as an abstract painting would. “It’s going to be a different experience for everyone, and different tracks will resonate differently with each listener,” he says. “But I think the goal is to let people find themselves somewhere within the music, and find something in common with the experiences that inspired the writing of the music. I think the goal of any artist should be to take a situation that’s personal and draw out those things that are universal.”

Source: Concord Music

Book Review: Sulan by Camille Picott

To contact us Click HERE
Book: Sulan by Camille Picott
Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating:★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
For: Fun
From: Amazon Kindle Library

After Jenny's raving review (and we all know her raving reviews are quite rare!) I had to find a copy of this book to see if I agreed! So I found it on Amazon, available for free from the Kindle Library. Sweet!

This is a story about a girl, Sulan, living with her mom who goes to school through the virtual technology. (I seem to be reading about this ability a lot lately! Is this truly our future? I'm starting to think maybe so...) Life in the world is getting more tumultuous and all she really wants to do is learn how to fight and protect herself. She knows that her mom has a past where she was a fighter, and she wishes her mom would teach her, but her mom refuses.

So, she takes things into her own hands and goes to a virtual club place where if you "get in" you can learn all about fighting. And she has a special secret that will help her, even in a virtual world. And she finds a special friend there who also helps her.

But then the unrest in the society rapidly changes for the worst and Sulan is forced to use her new found skills a bit sooner than she expected.

Wow, it is quite the page turning story! And beautiful fighting? Can fighting be beautiful even? Sort of Ninja-ish mixed with dancing? Yeah that. It also reminded me a bit of Ender (sorry Jenny, it really did!) because of the whole genius-kid-wanted-by-the-government thing.

I totally enjoyed the characters in this story, very unique and memorable. And of course there's two boys for Sulan... though I think the second boy is still quite in the background. There's always the next book though! However, I'm still quite intrigued by the first boy, BUT there's something up with him and we are totally left hanging about what that might be!

Next book please!

Bottom line: I totally enjoyed it. Lots of fun!

Other reviews:

I've been in desperate need of a book that made me actually want to use any spare time I had for reading and, boy, did I find it. From Alternate Readality

I can still remember the final cliff hanger leaving me yearning for the next episode of this YA cyperpunk, dystopian, near-future, sci-fi story. From Joystory

Sulan is extremely entertaining with an exceptionally captivating storyline. I'll admit I was immersed in Sulan's world and upset when this first novel ended. From She Treads Softly

I kept going though, telling myself, "Just one more chapter." Well one turned into two turned into finishing the book in one night. From Bookworm 1858

LADY GAGA TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE FROM SAVE ME A TICKET.COM

To contact us Click HERE

The one and only Lady Gaga is the worlds biggest female artist responsible for the smash hits Just Dance and Poker Face. Now with two ground breaking records to her name including one of 2009s most successful albums The Fame Monster and an array of awards, Lady Gaga has secured her position as one of the worlds most important solo artists. Dont miss out on the best live show around; get Lady Gaga tickets right now from Save Me A Ticket.com


Be amongst the first to know when Lady GaGa tickets go on sale for a Lady GaGa concert or a Lady GaGa tour. With Save Me A Ticket you will never miss out.


Call: (0)844 88 00 636
E-mail: info@savemeaticket.com


http://www.savemeaticket.com/