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As part of the original Acid Jazz set up in the early 1990s and as an consultant at Ace Records, Rudland has been frequently credited on compilations of soul, jazz and funk for nearly 20 years now.

If you’ve got any of the Totally Wired (Acid Jazz), Blue Break Beats (Blue Note), Mo’ Mod Jazz (Kent) or SuperFunk (BGP) series (to name just a few of this classics), you know that this guy digs deep and always delivers (not foregetting the re-edit by Frank Tope and Rudland of ‘Angel Eyes’, the Roxy Music hit).

He’s done it again on Jazzy Vibes. Check out the tracklisting and you’ll spot some well known names alongside some not so obvious tracks; like two Dexter Wansel tracks and neither being ‘Life On Mars’. And then there’s folks you (and I) have never heard of.

I can’t say I’m a fan of Lou Rawl’s ‘Trade Winds’ (it’s soppy to me and he’s done lots better) and I wonder now why Mike Longo’s ‘Like A Thief In The Night’ was on my “Wants List” for so ages back in the day; possibly as it was on Pablo Records but more likely, someone played it at Dingwalls (although previously included on Fusion With Attitude). But the other 14 tracks are all great additions to the collection.

Jazzy Vibes is one CD in a new series on Harmless’ sub-label Backbeat that’s already released 10 CD compilations. The next ten focus on the best of 50 years of independent labels with over 75 minutes on each. Little surprise we’ve gone first for Jazzy Vibes for “soulful jazz licks from the 70s” but we’ll be looking at all of them over the coming week as not only is this a budget series, it revives the joy of the CD compilation - get ‘em all we say.

Reviewed: V/A - Jazzy Vibes (Compiled by Dean Rudland) (Backbeat) Cat. No. BACKB020 Release date: 6th September 2010
Tracklisting:
1 Michael Pedicin Jr - Sneaky Return (4:18)
2 Norman Harris - In Good Faith (5:12)
3 Leon Huff - Latin Spirit (3:50)
4 Lou Rawls - Trade Winds (3:47)
5 Dexter Wansell - Latin Love (Let Me Know) (4:47)
6 MFSB - Metamorphosis (4:50)
7 Hysear Don Walker - Killing Me Softly (3:58)
8 Lionel Hampton - Them Changes (3:09)
9 Larry Willis - Out On The Coast (4:30)
10 Reuben Wilson - Cisco Kid (5:16)
11 Jimmy McGriff - Red Beans (6:11)
12 Mike Longo - Like A Thief In The Night (5:35)
13 Dexter Wansel - What The World Is Coming To (6:18)
14 Gamble & Huff Orchestra - Is It Something I Said (3:57)
15 Natural Essence - Killing Time (3:38)
16 Funk Incorporated Give Me Your Love (6:03)

Links:
www.demonmusicgroup.co.uk
harmlessrecordings.co.uk