In addition to being the ‘Figurehead For The Nu-Jazz Generation’ the Radio 1 DJ has an equal love and passion for the old-jazz generation. His recent compilations Gilles Peterson In Brazil and Gilles Peterson In Africa showed the best of old and the new. On his latest compilation for Ubiquity Recordings’ ‘re-issue’ off-shoot Luv n’ Haight, Peterson has been digging deep in American treasure chests.

This album is subtitled Brownswood USA, as in the regular Brownswood Basement Sessions on his BBC Radio1 Worldwide radio shows (Sundays, 11pm to 1am). On that show, the golden rule is that only Peterson’s dusty original vinyl gets to be played. As we can’t afford the originals, this compilation is an essential purchase of sixteen tracks in a triple album set. Regular listeners to the show will know how good this album is already (see links below). The common thread between these tracks is their timeless quality so it’s hard to pick the standouts.

However, the response to Darondo’s ‘Didn’t I’ has found a new audience for this long forgotten artist from San Francisco, who was recording in the 70s. The cover notes tells of misspellings of the artists name on the label of the 45. This type of thing smells more of ‘Northern Soul’ and Richard Searling territory. And the track itself could be in a ‘modern’ room. The upshot of this is, Darondo’s album Let My People Go is now going to be reissued shortly.

And talking of Northern Soul, guitarists Moses Dillard’s ‘Tribute To Wes’ [Montgomery] is a little like a ‘Wade On The Water’ instrumental whilst Jon Lucien’s ‘Search For The Inner Self’ is worth the price of the album on it’s own; brilliant track originally out on Ampex. Rare? Even GP didn’t have a copy! Apparently that aging mod Paul Weller played him the record 15 years ago and he’s been after it ever since. Now, we can all enjoy it.

When ‘The Bottom End’ appeared on the 12” hit ‘Venceremos’ by Working Week back in the eighties it was credited to one of the members of the band. Whether by accident or design we don’t know, but 20 years on DJ Seymour Nurse found out the name of the artists was Baaska & Scavelli. The original title was ‘Get Off The Ground’ and it is included here over 20 years since the track was ‘discovered’ by the London scene. Real jazz for the folks that feel jazz.

Honest, there are no duffers. Ellen McIlwaine cover’s Stevie Wonders ‘Higher Ground’ whilst Caroline Peyton does a strange jazz meets folksy Joni Mitchell tune.

The Brownswood Basement search for Ira Sullivan’s track goes back at least as far as 2003. The story goes Paulo Scotti sent Peterson a copy of the album Strings Attached as the blueprint of 4hero’s sound. Some copies found their way to If Music… but they’d be long gone now.

The third plate contains some of the finest modal spiritual jazz you’ve never heard. The best of which ends the set with Detroit’s Tribe Records recording of Harold McKinney’s ‘Ode To Africa’. Fans of Carl Craig, Carlos Niño, Ammoncontact, Build An Ark, and John Arnold will know the importance of the Tribe label and I hope to put a together special on the Motor City’s home of spiritual jazz soon.

So yet another marvellous album compiled by Peterson that maintains quality eclecticness in the soul to funk to jazz underground leftfield. The man is a genius.

Reviewed: Various — Gilles Peterson Digs America (Luv N’ Haight) Cat. No. LHLP047 3xLP Release date: US 19 Nov 2005
Tracklisting:
A1 Darondo — Didn’t I
A2 Moses Dillard — Tribute To Wes
A3 Marva Josie — He Does It Better
A4 Lonnie Hewitt And The Little Sisters & Co. — Ya Ya Cha Cha
B1 Jon Lucien — Search For Inner Self
B2 Bobby Cole — A Perfect Day
B3 Baaska & Scavelli — Get Off The Ground
C1 Ellen McIlwaine — Higher Ground
C2 Caroline Peyton — Just As We
C3 Bob Cunningham — Lover’s Theme
D1 Ira Sullivan — The Kingdom Within You
D2 J.R. Bailey — Just Me ‘N’ You
E1 The World Experience Orchestra — The Prayer
E2 The Ensemble Al Salaam — Circles
F1 Forty Seven Times Its Own Weight — March Of The Goober Woobers
F2 Harold McKinney — Ode To Africa

Links:
www.working-week.org
www.paoloscotti.com
Gilles Peterson : Tracklisting 24/07/05 : Brownswood
(5) Jon Lucien — ‘Search For The Inner Self’ (Ampex)
(7) Bobby Cole — ‘A Perfect Day’ (Ubiquity)
(17) Dorando — ‘Didn’t I’ (Music City Records)
(19) Bob Cunningham — ‘Lover’s Theme’ (Nilva)
Gilles Peterson:: Tracklisting 03/07/03 : Brownswood Basement / Roy Ayers Exclusives
Ira Sullivan — ‘The Kingdom Within You’ (PA USA)
Gilles Peterson : Tracklisting 15/07/04 : Brownswood Basement All Winners
(7) Moses Dillard & The Tex Town Display Now! — ‘Tribute To Wes’ (Fex Town Records)
(10) Caroline Peyton — ‘Just As We’ (Bar — B-Q Records)
(11) Ira Sullivan — ‘The Kingdom Within You’ (Pausa)
Gilles Peterson : Tracklisting 17/04/05 : Outlines (21) Marva Josie with Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines & Orchestra — ‘He Does It Better’ (Thimble)
Gilles Peterson : Tracklisting 03/04/05 : Box of Delights
The Bottom End — ‘The Bottom End’ (White)
Valli Scarneni — ‘Get Off The Ground (Lambada Records)
Gilles Peterson : Tracklisting 02/01/05 : Brownswood Basement Special
(1) The World’s Experience Orchestra – ‘The Prayer’ (World Production)
(4) Harold McKinny – ‘Ode to Africa’ (Tribe)
(13) Ellen McIlwaine – ‘Higher Ground’ (KOT’AI)
(14) The Ensemble Al Salaam – ‘The Sojourner’ (Strata East)