Before that, a couple of his heavyweight DJ mates were there to lend support. First up is Gilles Peterson fresh (or even jet lagged on his return) from his tour of Australia and New Zealand. And obviously he was impressed with Antibalas who he supported in Sydney last week plus Panamá! 3, Tumbélé! and that Latin version of ‘I Believe In Miracles’ he played the other week. And as an aside, I was just going to tell him what great music he played on his shows in February and the start of March (especially the World Cup Soundclash) but at that moment he finished his fag “to go and see Louie” as I was juggling a beverage behind him; luckily he didn’t see me embarrass myself.

Anyway, that was about 1am and before that, we had the pleasure of Norman Jay, MBE on the decks; no doubt GP had been waxing lyrically about Arsenal’s 5-0 win the night before to Spurs fan Norman. But if he had, it didn’t put Norman off as this was the club version of his Big Chill Sunday set (and the sun did come out last year for him).

Now what didn’t start so well was the start of Louie’s set as Anané’s ‘in ear’ equipment technically let her down. Not that it really put off either as Vega hit the decks and Anané got her equipment sorted. So we didn’t have to wait long for her return to the stage all ready to go. Shame then that it was only a 3-track PA for the new album (full review coming HERE soon) but ‘Terra Longe’, ‘Rock The Cradle’ and ‘Plastic People’ are only the tip of her great new album; and watch out for a cover version that will blow your proverbial socks off. But last night, the highlight was ‘Plastic People’ that she performed in her best Betty Davis pose, aided by some platform high heels. Whilst on a fashion tip, long legged girls with high heels seem to be back in fashion but I liked the MC Hammer meets Adidas sports look.

Back to the music, as someone might say, “Louie Vega & Anané DEMOLISH the club. Split into shards … I assume clean up efforts are underway now”. Well the sound was at an “excessive sound level” and as he’s the “Miles Davis of dance music” his musical playlist went all over place. Like the impossible to categorize Davis, he kept fans entertained until 4am; lots of Masters At Work and even ending up with ‘Plastic People’ again and a “sneak preview” of a track from the forthcoming Elements Of Life album (that apparently features Erykah Badu, Ursula Rucker and “loads of other ladies”).

By this stage, the crowd had dwindled to the very hard core and even though one guy was desperate for “one more”, Louie thanked all the staff, the best sound system anywhere in the world (“and I’ve played everywhere”), Nervous Records’ Michael Weiss (who was in the box looking on like a proud parent) and Louie telling us that he’s playing Southport.

Norman departed at half two and with no after party to go to, it was left to the staff to give the place a wipe down and sort out what was now a very sticky dancefloor. Too many highlights to mention but get out that Soul Heaven London - Ibiza compilation for the Martin Solveig Vs. Salif Keita track at least, forgot how good that one is - sounded brilliant, everything sounded brilliant! Little Louie is a big as they come.

Links:
Ananésworld Album Launch Party: Thursday 11th March, 2010
Venue: Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, London, SE1 6DP
Information: 0870 060 0010 Doors: 10pm - 4am Price: £10 in Advance/Door Ticket Outlets: ticketweb.co.uk Transport: Elephant & Castle (Bakerloo, Northern and National Rail)
Ministry of Sound “Save Our Club” Petition www.ministryofsound.com/Petitions www.petition.fm
Gilles Peterson :: 03.03.10 :: Brownswood Basement World Cup Special
Gilles Peterson :: 10.2.10 :: Backstage At The Worldwide Awards - Gilles goes backstage at the Worldwide
Sunlight Square - I Believe In Miracles Test
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra & Gilles Peterson THIS THURSDAY! March 4th, Sydney

100% of proceeds from the sale of the song will benefit Angelique’s organization, the Batonga Foundation, whose mission is to give girls a secondary school and higher education so they can take leadership roles in Africa.

You can stream the song or jump in and buy it straight away

2 downloads buys a girl a math set
3 downloads buys a girl lunch during the school day
5 downloads buys a girl a textbook
10 downloads buys a girl a school bag or uniform
1,000 downloads pays school fees for an entire classroom of 45 girls to go to school for a year

Dammers appeared on stage with a golden mask and started the set with what sounded like Hawkwind’s ‘Sonic Attack’ as the rest of the band processed their way through the theatre (was there really 16 of them or did I lose count?) chanting “…It’s after the end of the world…”, we knew we were in for an event as much as a celebration of the music of Sun Ra and like minds.

I must say this was an absolutely fantastic gig, not only did we have the inspiration of Jerry Dammers (founder of The Specials and 2 Tone Records, the band he has assembled as the Spatial AKA includes some of our favourite jazz musicians, notably Larry Stabbins (Stonephace, Working Week, Centipede), Finn Peters, Jason Yarde, Zoe Rahman, Anthony Joseph and Roger Beaujolais; this band is even bigger than Matthew Herbert’s Big Band!

Sun Ra, Egyptian mummies and Dammers’ ska inspired roots didn’t take long to come to the fore with the horn front line doing battle on solos on a tracks that could have come from the new Skeletons album (see review HERE). And while that’s “down the coast in Ethiopia”, Dammers tells us the Spatial AKA is “all about journey’s in time; backwards, forwards, in all directions.”

We may have an election in the next couple of months but this Dammers experience is no Live at the Moonlight Club, “it’s up to you…” is now a re-working of ‘International Jet Set’ (original on the “difficult second album”, More Specials from 1980) and now re-titled ‘Intergalactic Jet Set’ that features the superb Zoe Rahman and Roger Beaujolais in King Tut headdress! (in fact Roger was one of the many highlights of the show and was clearly loving it; see HERE for a more subdued Roger).

But it’s not all Sun Ra/Dammers re-incarnating where he envisaged The Specials 30 years on from ‘Gangsters’ or ‘A Message To You Rudy’. There was the cover version mash-up of Mike Oldfield’s Theme From The Exorcist as interpreted by Dizzy Reece, their version of Sun Ra’s version of ‘Unmask The Batman’ (with the front line horn section all standing up one by one and staying up; horn Viagra so to speak). And if there’s wasn’t enough to keep you entertained musically or visually with the band, there were some good video projections, the Batman one perhaps a bit obvious but there was enough 60s style editing to keep the Sun Ra theme going.

‘Batman’ featured Terry Edwards (he of Big Sexy Noise) on baritone sax and Robin Hopcraft on trumpet (he of the Soothsayers) but I don’t want to give it all away as there’s some great performances; OK, you’ve got to check out Francine Luce who re-invents jungle forest jazz scat (truly incredible, think avant-garde Johnny Morris) and it’s ideal for Finn Peters to shine. And how do you fancy Cedric IM Brooks doing Moondog with Jerry ‘Scratch’ Dammers on synth and Larry Stabbins on tenor sax? It’s enough to move your aging skankin’ feet.

And to prove rude boys never grow too old to dance, big band ska at its best with Tommy McCook’s ‘Samson’ and Nathaniel Facey takes the star turn on Alice Coltrane’s ‘Journey In Satchidananda’ (original included on the recent compilation Athens: Underworld vs. The Misterons).

And that’s not all! Anthony Joseph gets to recite parts of his African Origins Of UFOs (I’m sure you can see the connection) and he gets to do the vocals of an updated ‘Ghost Town’ with Dammers in gargled intro (you can see why Terry et al weren’t keen on Jerry re-joining The Specials for their 30th Anniversary Tour last year) and with a very warm welcome for special guest for the rest of the show, Rico Rodriguez (who goes back to the roots of ska, 2-tone, Jazz Jamaica and Jools Holland And His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra to name a few).

And if Ra meets Doom of 2-tone wasn’t enough, who about ‘Man At C&A’ (another track originally on More Specials) with Sun Ra’s classic ‘Nuclear War’ “as they are about the same subject”; Roddy Radiation where are you?

I’m reliably told that this is no recently band wagon jumping of Sun Ra’s train by Dammers (apparently he ran a club night playing inspirational soul-jazz in the basement with jazzy hip-hop upstairs “back in the day”) but even if it was, like the 2-tone trip, he’s a genuine guy that just wants to expose great music to a generation that missed it the first time around and have a great time doing so in the process (don’t leave early as you’ll miss the conga outro to ‘Space Is The Place’); he even plugged the Sun Ra Arkestra’s Saturday night headliner at the Mostly Jazz Festival in Birmingham (see details below) and by coincidence, the 1979 Sun Ra And His Solar Arkestra’s On Jupiter has just been re-issued this week on Kindred Spirits and an unreleased acetate mix of ‘Where Pathways Meet’ turned up on the Bob Blank - The Blank Generation Blank Tapes NYC 1975 - 1985 a few weeks back.

Definitely one for fans of Chrome Hoof meets ska and jazz and whilst it will take all week to fill in all the reviews we’ve done on the featured musicians (and apologies to those not mentioned - how often is there a drummer, a percussionist and a classical percussionist in a big band?), I urge you to get to see the remaining dates of this tour.

This journey was over 2 hours long and it’s great to have Jerry Dammers back as a leader; and the new mantra? “Space Is The Place”.

JERRY DAMMERS’ SPATIAL A.K.A. ORCHESTRA
2010 tour dates
4 Mar COVENTRY Warwick Arts Centre 024 7652 4524 warwickartscentre.co.uk
5 Mar BRIGHTON Dome 01273 709709 brightondome.org
7 Mar POOLE Lighthouse 0844 406 8666 lighthousepoole.co.uk
10 Mar BASINGSTOKE The Anvil 01256 844244 anvilarts.org.uk
26 Mar GATESHEAD The Sage Gateshead 0191 443 4661 thesagegateshead.org
30 Mar MANCHESTER Bridgewater Hall 0161 907 9000 bridgewater-hall.co.uk
31 Mar EDINBURGH Usher Hall 0131 228 1155 usherhall.co.uk
01 Apr LIVERPOOL Philharmonic Hall 0151 709 3789 liverpoolphil.com
07 Apr BRISTOL Colston Hall 0117 922 3686 colstonhall.org
09 Apr NORTHAMPTON Royal & Derngate 01604 624811 royalandderngate.co.uk

Links:
jerrydammers.com
Recorded Live at the Moonlight Club, London in May 1979 on the eve of the British General Election that brought Margaret Thatcher to power. This is referred to by Terry Hall in his introduction, “Its the eve of the election, and its up to you…”
The African Origins of UFOs
www.mostlyjazz.co.uk Moseley Park, Birmingham’s eleven-acre woodland glade only two miles from the city centre. July 3rd & 4th 2010 - “For our inaugural year we have invited pioneering artists such as the Sun Ra Arkestra and Courtney Pine to perform alongside leaders of the new wave of British talent such as Polar Bear, Led Bib, Lizzy Parks and Portico Quartet.
www.myspace.com/sunrasaturn

Not only that Biel has already featured on Watt’s own ‘Guinea Pig’ and Unity’s ‘I Love You’ and following on from the jazz meets house tip of the classic Hell & Christian Prommer’s ‘Freak It’ on the label, this collaboration with Ms. Biel actually touches on a bit of brass band vibe late on so it’s a slow moody groover.

There’s two mixes featuring Hamburg’s sound innovator Stimming (‘Kleine Nachtmusik’ on Buzzin’ Fly was Track of the Year in iDJ in 2008) and as Dwight Trible may say, “he knows what the kids like”. Well if they go for the ‘Sunrise Mix’, we’ll stick with the ‘Sunset Mix’.

Ben Watt must be one of the most unlikely heroes of London clubland after making his name with popster Everything But The Girl but as Buzzin’ Fly reaches its 50th single with ‘Bright Star’ the light is far from going out after nearly seven years since the London-based imprint launched; 001BUZZ with Watt’s own best-selling ‘Lone Cat’ in 2003.

With the label acclaimed over the years for its original artwork (courtesy of iwantdesign) it seems only right that this 50th release will be extra-special. The 12” will be an ornately-designed strictly limited deluxe collectible gatefold edition, pressed on 180gm heavyweight vinyl. Although costing more than a regular 12”, each one will carry a unique code that will allow the buyer to download a 320kbps MP3 of the release for free (there’s a Birthday Prezzie mix below if you check out the links)

Now we’re in the same boat as all the early reactors (as below) but I’ve got wind that the 51st release (‘Soldiers’ by Mademoiselle Caro & Franck Garcia) is at least as good as this! Wow, heady days for the Buzzin’ Fly crew - FLY ON!

Reviewed: Stimming, Ben Watt & Julia Biel - Bright Star (Buzzin’ Fly Records) Cat. No. 050BUZZ 12” DELUXE LIMITED EDITION & DD Release date: 8th March 2010
A. Bright Star (Sunset Mix)
B. Bright Star (Sunrise Mix)

Links:
www.myspace.com/stimming
www.juliabiel.com
www.myspace.com/juliabiel
www.myspace.com/benwatt
www.buzzinfly.com
Early Reactions: LUCIANO ‘Like a lot’
www.myspace.com/spencerparker SPENCER PARKER ‘Woah! Sunset mix is super cool.’
WILL SAUL ‘Best thing on Buzzin’ Fly ever for me. Shivers down my spine from the first chord sequence. Stunning vocal, amazing lyrics. Will be a staple in my sets for the foreseeable future.’
ANJA SCHNEIDER ‘Really like it’
DIXON ‘Sunset mix for me.’
MICHEL CLEIS ‘I love both mixes and will play it!! Bravo.’
HERNAN CATTANEO ‘Excellent stuff. Sunrise mix for me.’
SOLOMON ‘This EP can be a big one. Yes!’
ASHLEY BEEDLE ‘Absolutely love the Sunset mix. A fantastic production and a lovely vocal. Big support from me.’
“A very special 50th release from the World’s coolest dance label. Pure quality and emotion for your ears” DMC Update
We’ve got a fab exclusive BUZZMIX from resident DJ Chris Woodward to celebrate the 50th single release - all tracks have been licensed by the label so all good if you’d like to post>>>EXCLUSIVE FREE BUZZIN’ FLY BUZZMIX<<<- Mix by Chris Woodward /// Alland Byallo ‘My City (Alex Kid Rmx) (Missive) >> My My & Emika ‘Price Tag’ (Aus Music) >> Jay Shepheard ‘Unreleased’ >> Alex Santos & Chris Woodward ‘Village Vanguard’ (Chris Woodward’s Stripped Back Edit) (Buzzin’ Fly) >> Di Lena Massimo ‘Gypsytown’ (Cadenza) >> Di Lena Massimo ‘Raw Track’ (Shout Mix) (Cadenza)

To kick things off proper, on 10 March Fabric/RBMA will be transporting Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder family from Los Angeles’ underground to our own Farringdon, Room One basement. Once a RBMA participant himself (Melbourne, 2006), Flying Lotus will be bringing his much lauded hyperkinetic live show to the stage, alongside an immense collective of likeminded musical revolutionaries.

All descriptions of a Brainfeeder session reflect a similar notion - it’s something that has to be experienced firsthand to really be understood. Holding down the grand Downtown Independent movie theatre for their LA takeovers - and occasionally crossing European borders for other adventures - the Brainfeeder crew takes each show deep into the most unexpected of places; smashing expectations and bassbins simultaneously with a sultry force and a seldom seen kind of improvised grace. A Brainfeeder showcase is a full-on audio visual assault, matching imagistic explorations with each unique artist’s explosively picturesque soundworlds.

Fuelled by his usual bold artistic motives, Flying Lotus has decided to throw all of the artists on one stage, packing the bill tightly with rapid, intense sets. Pushing creativity to the forefront, expect energy unparalleled - and uninterrupted - for six hours straight. With a lineup that serves as a veritable snapshot of the electronic music world, especially the enthralling beats-oriented movement rising out of LA, the RBMA/Brainfeeder session at fabric will be more than just a show; it’ll be a wild, next-level fusion of beats, sounds, visuals, styles, imaginations and art.

Expect an experience like no other and this is just a warm-up for the release of Daedelus’ new mini-album to be released on Brainfeeder, The Righteous Fists Of Harmony (review HERE soon).

FULL LINE UP:
RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY presents BRAINFEEDER LONDON. WEDS 10 MARCH.
9pm-3am. £12.50.

ROOM ONE:
Flying Lotus (Brainfeeder, Warp, Los Angeles)
Kode9 (Hyperdub, London)
J.Rocc (Stones Throw, Los Angeles)
The Gaslamp Killer (Brainfeeder, Low End Theory, Los Angeles)
Martyn (3024, Washington DC)
Dimlite (Now-Again, Bern)
Daedelus (Brainfeeder, Ninja Tune, Los Angeles)
Nosaj Thing (Alpha Pup, Los Angeles)
TOKiMONSTA (Brainfeeder, Los Angeles)
tickets: 08444 77 1000 orwww.fabriclondon.com
9pm-3am. £12.50.

“The Brainfeeder London show will be some essential shit for anyone who’s into the future sound. We’re blessed to be throwing the party at fabric of all places. It’s easy to say it will be a night that people will talk about for a very long time.” - Flying Lotus

“The Brainfeeder family is like the Muppets - everyone’s a unique character with a unique sound - yet it all interlocks with each other in some way, shape or form (and GLK = Animal).” - Martyn

“The line up for this Brainfeeder event at fabric is unbelievable; every artist is bringing something different. I don’t think we will see a roster like this ever again.” - Nosaj Thing

LINKS:
www.brainfeedersite.com
www.redbullmusicacademy.com
A Skate Jam Named RBMA w. Moodyman & Horse Meat Disco @ Renaissance Rooms.
Thur 4 Mar. - THIS IS SOLD OUT : The Red Bull Music Academy fun continues as Moodyman brings his super-baad Soul Skate session to London town. He’s also bringing 10 notorious skaters from his motor city hometown of Detroit. Horse Meat Disco also on duty, you just gotta read this:

Taken from their 4th album Rum & Coke, the single features UK hip-hop legend Rodney P, who works his lyrics into an original blend of dub, hip-hop and reggae with a feel-good, laid-back groove. Ganja? They’ve never touched the stuff!

With the legendary status that Barry, Jason and the boys have built up over the years, remixer’s were lining up to take this one for a spin, and we’re not disappointed. New producer on the scene Toby Toast proves his worth with a beautifully down-tempo electronic re-working, while Hip-hop legend Skitz hardens things up with added vocals from Deadly Hunter. Atomic Hooligan, 2 Bit Thugs and Ben and Lex represent the breaks contingent, delivering some equally leg-wobbling bass lines and beats. As always, the Sunday Best Remix proves a firm DJ favourite with a fresh cosmic disco edge.

Following on from ‘Back To Daylight’ featurign Ashley Slater and with a frenetic winter tour of Australia, Asia and Europe under their belts, the band embark on their ‘Ganja Tour’ of the UK in March, culminating in a headline show at London’s KOKO. The summer of 2010 is already looking busy with a host of festival dates confirmed (including the fantastic Bestival) and many more to come (see below).

Dub Pistols Ganja Tour
25 Feb 2010 Bristol
26 Feb 2010 Westcoast (Dub Pistols live show) Margate
5 Mar 2010 Sandsifters St Ives,
6 Mar 2010 Cheese & Grain - Frome, Somerset
11 Mar 2010 The Railway, Winchester
12 Mar 2010 Phoenix, Exeter
13 Mar 2010 Mr Kyps, Poole
18 Mar 2010 The Rainbow, Birmingham
20 Mar 2010 The Globe, Cardiff

Reviews: Dub Pistols Featuring Rodney P - Ganja (Sunday Best Recordings) Cat. No. SBEST82 Release date: 7th March 2010
Standard Digital Version
01. Original
02. Toby Toast’s Blossom Remix
03. Skitz Remix
04. Atomic Hooligan Remix
05. Dub Pistols Extended Dub
06. Sunday Best Cosmic Dub

Beatport Exclusive Remix Package
01. Original
02. Toby Toast’s Blossom Remix
03. Skitz Remix
04. Atomic Hooligan Remix
05. Ben & Lex’s High and Dry Remix (Beatport Exclusive)
06. Chinese Man Remix (Beatport Exclusive)
07. Nitenoise Remix (Beatport Exclusive)
08. 2 Bit Thugs Remix (Beatport Exclusive)
09. Jinx In Dub’s Bristol Buds Remix (Beatport Exclusive)
10. Sunday Best Cosmic Dub

Links:
Download the single from iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com
www.facebook.com/thedubpistols
www.myspace.com/thedubpistols
Festivals 2010
13 Jun - Rockness Festival, Inverness
19 Jun - Fete du Panier, France
25 Jun - Glastonbury Festival
11 July - Les Fous Caves, France
30 July - Kendal Calling Festival, Kendal
31 July - Camp Bestival, Dorset
31 July - Camp Bestival, Dorset
11 August - Bestival, IOW
14 August - Boomtown Air Festival, Buckinghamshire
www.myspace.com/robdabank
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/robdabank
www.sundaybest.net

The link with both Tunng and Polar Bear was that post-folk and post-jazz at that both incorporated elements of electronica into their music. In Polar Bear’s case, it is Leafcutter John (long time electronic whiz and inventor of the Wrongamin) who shows on the new album that he’s as good on the guitar (and mandolin and accordion) as he is with his synths, sampler and other assorted gadgets.

And whilst on the subject of Leaf, this is their fourth album (the first two being on the Babel, this is their first album for a couple of years and their debut on The Leaf Label (but nothing like Murcof or Sutekh).

The band’s line-up remains the same, in addition to Rochford (drums) and John (electronics, guitar) there’s the double tenor sax act of Pete Wareham (Acoustic Ladyland) and Mark Lockheart (ex-Loose Tubes) and excellent double bassist Tom Herbert (ex-Acoustic Ladyland, Finn Peters, and the 2009 Mercury prize nominees The Invisible).

The opener ‘Happy For You’ is like a bigger band Acoustic Ladyland (in which Rochford is also on drums) and like most of the album, they’ve managed to record their ‘live’ sound vibrancy (see Vortex review HERE); notably on ‘Drunken Pharaoh’ and the dream-like ‘The Love Didn’t Go Anywhere’ (is this outstanding?)

All but two of the tracks are written by Rochford (the two interludes) but he doesn’t dominate proceedings, perhaps being most percussive on another downtempo grower ‘A New Morning Will Come’. And Leafcutter John features heavily on two of the best tracks, the Middle Eastern influenced dirge of ‘Finding Our Feat’ and on guitar on ‘All Here’ that’s emotionally like a jazz version of Elvis Costello’s ‘Shipbuilding’; all three are fine examples of modern modal.

Much like the Stonephace album released this time last year, I’m reminded of Soft Machine but this Polar Bear has teeth and is just as likely to bite you on the bum like with ‘Hope Every Day Is A Happy New Year’ and the rather odd concoction of reggae-soul-jazz of the title track.

The album launch was at London’s The Garage (on 2nd March) but hopefully there will be a tour as these guys are great live and Peepers is the best album yet.

Reviewed: Polar Bear - Peepers (The Leaf Label) Cat. No: BAY 74CD Release date: 1st March 2010
Tracklisting:
1 Happy For You (4:09)
2 Bap Bap Bap (2:12)
3 Drunken Pharaoh (3:26)
4 The Love Didn’t Go Anywhere (6:57)
5 A New Morning Will Come (4:42)
6 Peepers (4:24)
7 Bump (0:38)
8 Scream (0:36)
9 Hope Every Day Is A Happy New Year (4:08)
10 Want To Believe Everything (4:36)
11 Finding Our Feet (6:38)
12 All Here (5:50)

Links:
polarbearmusic.com
myspace.com/sebastianrochford
theleaflabel.com/polarbear
leafcutterjohn.com
Welcome to Coney Island Polar Bear Club www.polarbearclub.org

Not only that, it showed that Simenon was still on form as songwriter and producer principally working again with vocalist Paul Conboy (who was the highlight on the ‘So Special’ track on the forthcoming Michael Fakesch remix album Exchange).

The “Back to Light” theme features on the Conboy tracks, ‘The Infinites’, ‘Blindspot’ and ‘Burn Less Brighter’. There’s a merge of classic analogue techno and synth-pop with crossover to disco-house dancefloors.

Clearly, working with Brazil’s Gui Boratto has had a big influence and talking of ‘modern’ disco, there’s two track by the rarely seen (but brilliant) Kelly Polar as in Bestival in 2006 (see HERE and Life Beyond Mars - Bowie Covered with ‘Magic Dance’.

And those with good memories will recall Richard Davis who released the “adult oriented deep house” album Details on Kitty-Yo in 2005 but I suppose the sight of Martin Gore (Depeche Mode) and ethereal indie-types The Battle Of Land And Sea will catch the attention of the mainstream. These last two end the album and you can’t get more musically opposite, Gore’s dark and moody instrumental in its Depeche Mode-ness is (unsurprisingly) out of context with the rest of the upbeat album whilst ‘Up The Mountain’ is fantastic synth-house with some great lyrics that sounds like it’s already been remixed by Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve (yes that good).

Talking of a remix, there’s 4 remix packages due from the disparate likes of DJ Marky (last seen on Kings Of Drum & Bass), John Tejada (‘X Ray Eyes’), Extrawelt, Jake One, Mark E (who has recently released Mark E Works 2005 - 2009 Selected Tracks & Edits on CD), Atom TM, S.P.Y. and even more are promised.

Back To Light is like a part two of Future Chaos but with even more cosmic dancefloor spacedust from disco heaven. Just sounds better on every listen - infinite magical ride!

Reviewed: Bomb The Bass - Back To Light (Studio !K7) Cat. No. !K7251CD Release date: 2nd March 2010
Tracklisting:
1. Boy Girl Featuring Paul Conboy (4:13)
2. X Rays Eyes Featuring Kelley Polar (4:18)
3. The Infinites Featuring Paul Conboy (4:09)
4. Price On Your Head Featuring Richard Davis (5:06)
5. Blindspot Featuring Paul Conboy (5:19)
6. Start Featuring Kelley Polar (5:39)
7. Burn Less Brighter Featuring Paul Conboy (6:07)
8. Happy To Be Cold Featuring Richard Davis (6:00)
9. Up The Mountain Featuring The Battle Of Land And Sea (4:42)
10. Milakia Featuring Martin Gore (4:37)

Links:
www.myspace.com/bombthebass
www.future-chaos.com
www.k7.com
www.myspace.com/k7records
kelleypolar.com
guiboratto.com.br
martingore.com
martin-gore.de

Old school samba we are promised and old school samba we get - Umbro (as in England skit makers) claimed on their blog “a great musical accompaniment to our work as we start to look forward to the summer - and the World Cup”. Well if Gilles Peterson’s World Cup Soundclash this week didn’t get you in the mood (with less than 100 days to go before kick off), this will.

Just percussion heavy beats from the terraces mixed with a bit of lounge and psych finds it more appealing to mixtapers than jazzdancers but that’s unfair generalisation; whether it’s the hot shuffles of ‘Retirada Da Urca’, the jazz-batucada of ‘Samba Fantastico’ or the jazz-funk opener ‘Abertura’, this is a sunny Brazil at their yellow, green and blue best.

To prove the point, 44 seconds of ‘Samba Authentico’ is worth 44 minutes of some things I could mention but the likes of ‘Futebol Color’ and ‘Eu To Gravida’ are annoyingly short.

That said, the album finishes as it starts with the ‘short version’ of ‘Abertura’ and if that doesn’t want to make you score, there’s no John Terry, Peter Crouch or Shaun Wright-Phillips spirit in you at all.

it’s a busy week for ‘soundtrack’ albums (as in Oddjob’s Clint) and the Far Out team as they have also released the Limited Edition psychedelic heavyweight vinyl LP compilation Far Out Spaced Odyssey; three acclaimed albums on one day -Garrincha forever!!

Reviewed: Various Artists - Garrincha!! Estrela Solitaria (The Lonely Star) (Far Out Recordings) Cat. No. FARO147CD Release date: 1st March 2010
Tracklisting:
1. Abertura (3:15)
2. Chile (2:28)
3. Escola (3:15)
4. Dops (1:59)
5. Bloco De Rua (0:49)
6. Bota Jazz (0:34)
7. Drible De Cadeira (0:25)
8. Retirada Da Urca (1:21)
9. Samba Fantastico (2:33)
10. Samba Authentico (0:44)
11. Futebol Na Areia (2:16)
12. Apito No Samba (2:09)
13. Samba Latino (0:51)
14. Decadente Psicodelico (0:54)
15. Futebol Color (1:06)
16. Eu To Gravida (0:21)
17. Despedida Do Garrincha (1:30)
18. Garrincha E Passarinho (0:45)
19. Hospital (1:35)
20. Nilton Santos (0:56)
21. Love Total (2:14)
22. Iraci (1:49)
23. Tensao De Garrincha (1:07)
24. Na Floresta (2:45)
25. No Chuveiro (0:52)
26. Abertura (Short Version) (3:11)

Links:
www.faroutrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/faroutrecordings
Gilles Peterson :: 3rd March 2010 :: Brownswood Basement World Cup Special - This week’s show is a special featuring tunes from all of the 32 nations competing in South Africa 2010. Big tunes from Raah Project, Quadron, Gotan Project and Caetano Veloso.
Friendly: Brazil 2-0 Rep. of Ireland - Report
Friendly: England 3-1 Egypt - Report
BBC SPORT - Football - Remembering the genius of Garrincha HERE
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Brazil
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batucada

So if you do nothing else see below links to the Ministry of Sound “Save Our Club” Petition but to look on the immediate bright side, it’s a good time to party as Nervous Records are releasing Ananésworld in April 2010

Anané says, “It’s the essence of who I am. These are my hopes, my aspirations and my dreams. It’s my global expression; soundtracks to moments in my life”. She has co-written nine of the songs with Grammy Award Winner Lisa Fischer, Duane Harden, Lem Springsteen, Kalu Montiero and Djim Djob.

She made a name for herself with her edgy remake of the 1970s classic ‘Let Me Love You’ by Bunny Mack, as well as her emotional version of Yoko Ono’s ‘Walking On Thin Ice’ and the singer, songwriter, producer and DJ’s sophomore album follows her 2006 debut Ananéselections; a mixture of dance, reggae, rock, R&B soul, world and Caribbean influences.

Anané spent her childhood in Santiago, capital of West African Cape Verde and when she moved to New York City she owned nothing more than a bag full of clothes and a heart full of dreams. There, she immersed herself in the city’s club culture where she met Producer/DJ/Grammy Award Winner Louie Vega who incorporated her into his Elements of Life Collective.

Described by Billboard Magazine as “combining earthiness with glamour and roots-deep house music knowledge with pop wise diversity,” Anané has forged an international career that has included appearances at Japan’s Blue Note Festival, Europe’s Montreux Jazz Festival, Finland’s Pori Jazz, Holland’s North Sea Jazz Festival, Cape Town’s Jazz and Britain’s Womad Festival. Cirque Du Soleil invited Anané to perform the opening song for the Super Bowl XLII pre-game show. Her performance of ‘One Dream’ was seen by more than 140 million people worldwide.

Anané is also an entrepreneur and philanthropist. She’s been involved in NextAid, an organization for African children who have lost parents to AIDS, as well as the Anané Vega Scholarship Fund.

DJ support comes from Vega himself and North London’s heavyweight DJ pair of Gilles Peterson (who did his own ‘Louie Vega’ recently with Gilles Peterson presents Havana Cultura - New Cuba Sound and Norman Jay MBE (who regularly presents Good Times).

Nervous Records have recently released a number of compilation albums, Asseteria! Live From New York, Mind Control edition of Nervous Nitelife - Addicted, the essential Frankie Knuckle’s Movation Too and Danny Kravit’s 718 Sessions and there’s more to follow Anané soon - so stay nervous!

Links:
Ananésworld Album Launch Party: Thursday 11th March, 2010
Venue: Ministry Of Sound, 103 Gaunt Street, London, SE1 6DP
Information: 0870 060 0010 Doors: 10pm - 4am Price: £10 in Advance/Door Ticket Outlets: ticketweb.co.uk Transport: Elephant & Castle (Bakerloo, Northern and National Rail)
Global Underground this Saturday - Sharam, Tom Middleton and Alex Kenji youtube.com
SAVE BBC 6 MUSIC & Asian Network - SIGN THE PETITION! The BBC are axing BBC 6 Music - possibly the best radio station out there. Fight back and make yourself heard - sign the petition below, let’s stop this from happening…
Ministry of Sound “Save Our Club” Petition www.ministryofsound.com/Petitions www.petition.fm
Gilles Peterson :: 03.03.10 :: Brownswood Basement World Cup Special

Brooker’s album features ‘The Nigerian James Brown’, Geraldo Pinto (from Port Harcourt, Nigeria) but largely centres on East Africa (particularly Kenya and Zaire). East Africa’s finest funk band at the time was Air Fiesta Matata as led by Steele Beauttah (who recently passed away) and but check out his story up to 2001 with the interview with “record-collecting obsessive Duncan Brooker” at the time of the original release,

And then there’s the incredible ‘Yuda’ by Dackin Dackino was found on a discarded reel of tape and had never been previously released! And the joe Meek-ed ‘Mabala’ by Das Yahoos.’

The opener, Jingo’s ‘Fever’ was lifted for the soundtrack for the award winning film by Kevin McDonald, Last King Of Scotland (2006, with Oscar Sulley’s ‘Bukom Mashie’)

There’s going to be some digital download bonus tracks and try as I have to look after the original (is that not one of the best covers ever?) I’m grateful to be able to get a new copy; this is what FLY Global Music is all about; Heavy! Heavy! Heavy! lets do the fever!

Reviewed: Various - Afro-Rock Vol. 1 : A Collection Of Rare And Unreleased Afro-Beat Quarried From Across The Continent (Strut) Cat. No: STRUT059CD Release date: 8th March 2010
Tracklisting:
1 Jingo - Fever (6:45)
2 Geraldo Pino & The Heatbeats - Heavy Heavy Heavy (6:35)
3 Steele Beauttah - Africa (3:52)
4. Mercury Dance Band - Envy No Good (4:54)
5. Dackin Dackino - Yuda (12:09)
6. K. Frimpond & His Cubano Fiestas - Kyenkyen Bi Adi M’Awu (6:57)
7 Orchestra Lissanga - Okuzua (8:50)
8 Super Mambo 69 - Sweeper Soul (2:46)
9 Yahoos - Mabala (4:11)
10 Bokoor Band - Onukpa Shawarpo (3:18)
11 Nkansan And Yaanom - Pem Dwe (4:47)
Bonus Track
12 Jingo - Keep On Holding On (Part 1) (3:58) [Previously Unreleased]

Links:
www.strut-records.com
The man who saved African funk,The Guardian 27 Jul 2001 … The key to finding Matata was finding the singer and bandleader, Steele Beauttah. I asked around the usual shops and bars in Nairobi. …http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2001/jul/27/artsfeatures
www.ministryofrock.co.uk/JoeMeek.html
www.soundsoftheuniverse.com

Regular readers with know we’re a bit more Michael Caine / Roy Budd (see Get Carter) even if last year Eastwood’s son, Kyle released his best album yet (see Metropolitain), but as Clint’s best movies are synonymous with the music as they are with his performances (especially as The Man With No Name), this is a must have of fans of either.

Oddjob formed in 2002 to rekindle the best of jazz-rock fusion which they spotted coincides with the prime of Eastwood’s cinematic brilliance in the late 60’s to mid 70s - although some of the tracks here are a bit more modern.

So its no surprise then that this CD kicks off with Morricone’s classic theme from Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western great ‘The Good, Bad And The Ugly’ but it is a bit surprising that it’s a bit of jazzed up ‘Trans Europe Express’ (yep, drum machine and all that - fantastically oddball and for mixtapers and techno DJs everywhere (now I could see a Carl Craig remix of the one, but what’s the point?)

‘Palancio’ has a touch of Miles meets Nucleus plus Lalo Schifrin’s ‘Bullit’ with Goran Kajfes’ trumpet (various versions) doing a cinematic Nils Petter Molvær (who was so good at QEH last week, see HERE). Another Schifrin track from the movie Magnum Force is the ‘Magnum Force Theme’ that features Per Johansson as he gets to show how cool his bass clarinet sounds that’s almost as moody as Amon Tobin plays In Bruges; one of the best on the CD.

Staying on the downtempo, ‘The Theme From Pale Rider’ is a dull jazz dirge that’s saved by a bit of pedal steel (that’s so cowboy!) performed by co-producer Johan Linstrom - but this isn’t fusion as I know it. For that, go to yet another Schifrin track ‘Robbery Suspect’ in all its post-Miles glory.

Back to the cowboy, ‘Musical Pocket Watch’ is one of the key moments in A Few Dollars More but again it’s left as a mere snippet and not extenuated as you’d have thought a jazz band would do. ‘Ecstasy of Gold’ from the same soundtrack wins out on the modal trip.

And there’s more as you’d think you would be back to the action with Where Eagles Dare, but at a mere one and a half minutes, its not long enough. And that’s followed by another Schifrin score (and like Where Eagles Dare, another 1968 movie from Clint), ‘Hang ‘Em High’. This one is ‘typical’ Eastwood movie with Tijuana horn and cowboy twang guitar but Oddjob miss the sterotype with the jazz groove.

I can’t say I’ve seen all of the films represented here. As Clint has done so many that’d be hard work in itself but thank goodness that they has the good sense to avoid ‘Play Misty For Me’ in any sort of form

Like a film, it’s a bit unfair to pick out highlights as best to view (or in this case listen) to the performance as a whole. Anyway, I have (as per Hectic Mix nominations below) but the best track is ‘Scorpio’s Theme’ from Dirty Harry that’s cinematic jazz rock’n’bass bizniz with electric guitar (a la Nils Petter Molvær again).

Love the near Lichtenstein pop art cover and whilst confining themselves to just Clint’s back catalogue, that’s a hefty body of work and they’ve cherry picked the best bits for Clint so it’s more the good than the bad and the ugly.

Hectic Mix nomination: ‘Magnum Force Theme’, ‘Scorpio’s Theme’, ‘Robbery Suspect’, ‘Ecstasy of Gold’, ‘The Good, Bad And The Ugly’

Reviewed: Oddjob - Clint (ACT Music) Cat. No. ACT 9494-2 Release date: 1st March 2010 Goran Kajfes (trumpets, percussion), Per “Rusktrask” Johansson (saxophone, clarinets, flute), Daniel Karlsson (piano, fender thodes, organs, synthesizers), Peter Forss (acoustic & electric bass, guitar), Janne Robertson (drums, percussion) + guest: Johan Lindstom (pedal steel guitar).
Tracklisting:
1. The Good, Bad And The Ugly (5:18) from the movie ‘The Good, Bad And The Ugly’ (Ennio Morricone, 1966)
2. Palancio (5:49) from the movie ‘Magnum Force’ (Lalo Schifrin, 1973)
3. Theme From Pale Rider (6:19) from the movie ‘Pale Rider’ (Lennie Niehaus, 1985)
4. Magnum Force Theme (6:06) from the movie ‘Magnum Force (Lalo Schifrin, 1973)
5. Where Eagles Dare (1:28) from the movie ‘Where Eagles Dare’ (Ron Goodwin, 1968)
6. Hang Them High (5:57) from the movie ‘Hang Them High’ (Lalo Schifrin, 1968)
7. Musical Pocket Watch (1:13) from the movie ‘A Few Dollars More’ (Ennio Morricone, 1965)
8. Robbery Suspect (3:50) from the movie ‘Sudden Impact’ (Lalo Schifrin, 1983)
9. The Mayor (5:27) from the movie ‘Dirty Harry’ (Ennio Morricone, 1971)
10. Ecstasy of Gold (4:17) from the movie ‘The Good, Bad And The Ugly’ (Ennio Morricone, 1966)
11. Scorpio’s Theme (7:09) from the movie ‘Dirty Harry’ (Ennio Morricone, 1971)
12. Let’s Do It (2:29) from the movie ‘Grace Is Gone’ (Clint Eastwood, 2007)

Links:
www.rigmorgustafsson.com
www.myspace.com/rigmorgustafsson
www.radiostringquartet.com
www.actmusic.com
Clint Eastwood made his directorial debut with this 1971 suspense/thriller Play Misty for Me (www.imdb.com) in which he also stars as Dave Garver, a late night radio DJ…
The Man With No Name (Italian: Uomo senza nome) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_with_No_Name

So goes the intro to this CD to set you up but almost immediately we can see the downside of the hedonistic life style as The Royal We go paranoid head-to-head rappin’ where quantum physics takes on ass movin’ - like a clubbers version of ‘No More Dating DJs’; get ya wack shoes on and dance buddy!

This compilation by (and mixed by) Seth Troxler, who was voted into Resident Advisor’s top 10 DJs of last year follows in the footsteps of previous BPitch Control[ed] Boogybyters Ellen Allien, Kiki, Modeselektor and Sascha Funke.

Troxler slips from the intro nicely into Luciano/Mike Shannon deep bleep house and after that, we pick up the beat for Craig Smith for ‘The Soul (Part II)’ - these two work perfect together and a fine piece of mixing going on.

But it’s not all tech house all night long, Baeka’s ‘Right At It’ is a fantastic mish mash of 60s soul, Tijuana taxitrumpet and 4×4 - this is deep-jazz house right up there with Andreas Saag, Atjazz and Tony WaH-cHU-kU.

Dinky’s ‘Westoid’ trips out fruity loopy but some nice muted trumpet keeps the ‘jazz’ tip pumpin’ like a train that Deniz Kurtel’s remix rolls on like an uncontrolled Richie Hawkin. Ritchie Hawkin you say, yeah that’s the big name on the tracklisting but
there’s better tracks than his edit here.

On ‘Birds & Souls’ there’s a underlying Moodymann vs. Carnival groove that gets quite funky as if your “soul weighs a 1000 lbs” (that’s deep!), Alexi Delano gets goth-tech with ‘Molar One’ as if there’s root canal work on the way and you (which mean me at least) can keep looping the first 5 seconds of ‘alarm’ on Kiki’s ‘Cinema Obscura’; it keeps me entertained but you’ve got to let the bees free at some stage as its buzz out Ital-piano style.

Roman Flügel’s one of the biggest names in the German electronic music scene (50% of Alter Ego and remember the remix of Radio Slave’s ‘My Bleep’ and his own monster, ‘Geht’s Noch?’) and ‘Stricher’ doesn’t disappoint.

One of the big names of the moment is Fever Ray (who has been signed up for a UK Festival exclusive for Bestival) and Troxler seriously improves ‘Seven’ on the remix but the big tune is the bangin’ beats of the closing track ‘Time For Us’ by Nicolas Jaar.

Seth Troxler and label boss Ellen Allien are up for some all-night long boogy for the album release party at Berlin’s Watergate on 10th March 2010 - for more Watergate see Watergate 04 and Watergate 03; guess who’s done Watergate 05?)

This album isn’t just for Phonica types, em>Boogiebytes Vol. 5 will keep your faith in house.

Hectic Mix nominations: ‘Time For Us’, ‘Birds & Souls’, ‘Right At It’, ‘Westoid’, ‘Cinema Obscura’

Reviewed: Various - Boogiebytes Vol. 5 (Mixed By Seth Troxler) (Bpitch) Cat. No. BPC201 Release date: 1st March 2010
Tracklisting:
1. Seth Troxler / Ryan Crosson -Intro / ABM1 (1:34)
2. The Royal We- Party Guilt (Dinky’s Arp-a-pella (4:04)
3. Luciano/Mike Shannon - Fran Left Home / Sweet A Pella (2:23)
4. Craig Smith & The Revenge - The Soul (Part II) (4:51)
5. Baeka - Right At It (6:51)
6. Dinky feat. Update - Westoid (5:31)
7. N/A feat. Rosina - Fables & Fairytale (Deniz Kurtel Remix) (3:45)
8. Spectum - Freakbox (Richie Hawkin’s Uncontrolled Edit) (4:05)
9. Alexi Delano - Molar One (5:53)
10. Jabberjaw - The Connie Shake (2:04)
11. Heartthrob - Signs (Thrill Crosby aka Seth Troxler Remix) (4:56)
12. Birds & Souls - Birds & Souls (6:46)
13. Roman Flugel - Stricher (3:06)
14. Fever Ray - Seven (Seth Troxler Remix) (6:07)
15. Kiki - Cinema Obscura (6:00)
16. Nicolas Jaar - Time For Us (7:37)

Links:
www.myspace.com/sethtroxler
bpitchcontrol.com
www.myspace.com/bpitchcontrol
www.myspace.com/watergateclub
Seth Troxler Interview Crosstown Rebel Rave Tour and Boogie Bytes Vol.5
Posted on 10 February 2010
themst.com/interviews/seth-troxler-interview-rebel-rave-tour-boogie-bytes-vol-5
www.bestival.net - 9 to 12 September 2010
Perhaps better known to many as one half of Sweden’s most celebrated electronic act The Knife with her brother Olof, Fever Ray is the incredible solo project of Karin Dreijer Andersson who arrives at Bestival 2010 for a extremely rare and exclusive live performance.
www.myspace.com/phonicarecords
ELLEN ALLIEN - Watergate 05 (Ellen Allien) www.phonicarecords.com

‘Get Better’ is the equivalent of a self-help book and Sunday sermon for a generation of synth pop rap-poets; post-punk vs. Gil Scott-Heron (I’m New Here).

The ‘Get Better’ chorus really is a bit Vincent Clarke that The Errors exaggerate even more on the remix that forms the other side of the 7” release.

But it’s the remixes that are the more FLY for us, one by remixer that put dubstep in electro, Jakwobo and the fantastic House-Disco-Dub by Villa (not happy with the result today I suspect). No doubt Sunday Best’s Mr. da Bank had a hand in finding these two he remains as eclectic as ever with his Radio 1 show, and they’ve picked up someone that’s already caught the eye of Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard with a remix of Toddla T’s ‘Rebel’ (whilst on the subject, Goddard’s Harvest Festival that came out in the Christmas rush gets better on every listen).

And would Mr. Bank have done the Sunday Best ‘79 remix himself? Quite possibly as he seems to be a master of all-trades.

The guys are on a Videochat (whatever that is) on myspace tonight (Monday, 1st March at 6pm) so you can ask them all the questions you want of the sages, whether it be about the relevance of hip-hop today or old Casio keyboards. And kids, as a general rule, I tend to agree that it ain’t clever to do drugs and get drunk every night and the main thing is to use your energies to get better.

2010 UK TOUR:
14th MARCH, SHEFFIELD, Foundry/Fusion (www.sheffieldboxoffice.com / 01142228777)
15th MARCH, CAMBRIDGE, The Junction (www.wegottickets.com/greenmind / 01223 511511 )
16th MARCH, NORWICH, Waterfront (www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk / 01603 508050)
17th MARCH, NOTTINGHAM, Rescue Rooms (www.alt-tickets.co.uk / 08713 100 000)
18th MARCH, LEEDS, The Cockpit (0113 2454650 / www.lunatickets.co.uk)
19th MARCH, LIVERPOOL, O2 Academy (www.ticketweb.co.uk / 08444 77 2000)
21st MARCH, GLASGOW, Classic Grand (www.ticketmaster.co.uk)
22nd MARCH, MANCHESTER, Club Academy (www.gigsandtours.com / 0161 832 1111)
23rd MARCH, LONDON, Koko (www.livenation.co.uk/artist/dan-le-sac-vs-scroobius-pip-tickets)
25th MARCH, PORTSMOUTH, Wedgewood Rooms (023 9286 3911 / www.seetickets.com )
26th MARCH, BIRMINGHAM, O2 Academy 2 (www.ticketweb.co.uk)
27th MARCH, BRISTOL, O2 Academy (www.ticketweb.co.uk)
28th MARCH, OXFORD, O2 Academy 2 (www.ticketweb.co.uk)
29th MARCH, BRIGHTON, Concorde 2 (www.ticketweb.co.uk / 01273 673311)
20th APRIL, CARDIFF, Barfly (www.seetickets.com)
26th APRIL, DERRY, Nerve Centre (www.wegottickets.com)
27th APRIL, BELFAST, Mandela Hall (www.ticketmaster.ie)

Reviewed: Dan Le Sac VS Scroobius Pip - Get Better (Remixes) (Sunday Best) Cat. No. SBEST81 Release date: 1st March 2010
Tracklisting:
1. Get Better (Radio Version) (3:46)
2. Get Better (The Errors Remix) (4:40)
3. Get Better (Jakwob Remix) (5:40)
4. Get Better (Villa Dub Remix) (5:47)
5. Get Better (The 2 Bears Remix) (5:29)
6. Get Better (Sunday Best ‘79 Dub) (4:55)
7. Get Better (Album Version) (4:58)

Links:
lesacvspip.co.uk
www.myspace.com/lesacvspip
danlesac.co.uk
www.myspace.com/danlesac
www.myspace.com/robdabank
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/robdabank
www.sundaybest.net

SLRA here return to prove their music is not merely an accompaniment to their story - a danger when western observers document African tragedy, whatever the intention - but has the potential to go above and beyond its origins. A tune-filled, joyous record, Rise & Shine’s redemptive themes, those of the importance of love and the futility of war, are bound together with the band’s mixture of West African styles and roots reggae. If this group of artists came together in chaotic, despair-filled circumstances, this recording doesn’t show a bit of it. Recorded in Freetown and New Orleans, Rise & Shine is slickly produced (with Steve Berlin at the helm) and the funky arrangements feature session musicians from The Big Easy.

Despite the cutting edge presentation, the personalities of the All Stars themselves shine through the polish: Mohamed Kamara’s brittle vocals, Ashade Pearce’s delicate guitar work and Reuben M. Koroma’s (probably the group’s main man, despite its collective approach) song writing. Tunes centred on Highlife-style guitar licks, like ‘Muloma’, ‘Living Stone’ and the unbelievably groovy ‘Tamagbondorsu’ provide the anthems on Rise & Shine even if the album’s main sound is bass-heavy reggae. The ghost of Bob Marley hangs over ‘Jah Mercy’, while the ska madness of ‘Jah come down’ finds Koroma on his most swaggering form (he penned both these tracks).

For all it’s confident, dance floor filling antics though, there is a vulnerability that comes through a times on Rise & Shine, a brittle quality to the ingenious melodies and rhythms these musicians have stitched together that shows how hard they’ve had to work to get to where they have. The simplest, sweetest number on the album, the gentle, yearning reggae number, ‘Bend down the corner’, has the ability to bring a lump to the throat, a reminder of the power of music to transcend human folly.

Rise & Shine is released in North America on 23 March 2010 and in Europe and the rest of the world on 26 April 2010. The band tours America in the spring, but have no European dates as of yet…

Get an idea of what Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars are about:

I say ‘digress’ as the remarkable thing about this track (and the rest of the album) is that the master-mind/body behind it, Ben Lamdin, has ‘compiled’ it all out of out-takes from his numerous recording activities; you get why this is called Skeletons now?

So whilst that sounds like a terrible idea, this is Ben Lamdin we’re talking about here. For those that need to catch up on Mr. Lamdin, here’s our interview back in 2005 (see HERE to what we were talking about) but he’s been not really stopped since. Whether it is on the recent Jeb Loy Nichols album Strange Faith And Practice album or Lizzy Park’s This & That or Nostalgia 77 feat. Keith & Julie Tippett Sessions along with his Impossible Ark work and collaborations with Natural Self; you get the idea, this guy is super talented and super busy so you can see that there must have been a quite a lot of tape (or whatever the digital equivalent of analogue tape is) left around the studio floor.

He says himself that some of the tracks started out as commissions for a library music company, “pastiches and forgeries paid for by the current vogue for a certain style of African jazz”. So guess what ‘Mulatu’ sounds like? A good warm up for the new Mulatu Astatke album coming out soon, Mulatu Steps Ahead (did you see what they did there?)> on Strut following on from New York - Addis - London : The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965 - 1975),

‘Guadelupe’ is in a similar downtempo groove on the dusty early morning city roads and the tracks ‘Skeletons’ and ‘Over The Bridge’ funks up the Mulatu “forgery”.

It’s really hard to believe tracks like ‘50 Degrees’, ‘Positive Force’ and ‘Mr Mystery’ are not Astatke originals they are so good.

You can imagine how much hard work this would be for a mere mortal, but I can imagine Ben took this one a a bit of a relaxation after his normal day; clearly it has done with love and skill. I think it might be time for another interview with Ben so stay tuned here; unless I manage to concoct one from previous interviews of left over quotes - Nah, I wouldn’t do that to you.

Reviewed: Skeletons - Smile (Impossible Ark) Cat. No. UNFOLDCD010 Release date: 1st March 2010
Tracklisting:
1. Positive Force (3:06)
2. Marathon Man (4:03)
3. Mr Mystery (3:45)
4. 50 Degrees (4:18)
5. Gravel (3:59)
6. Firesticks (3:37)
7. Over The Bridge (4:52)
8. Skeletons (4:53)
9. Guadelupe (6:38)
10. Mulatu (2:55)
11. Blood (0:34)
12. Adam And Eve Featuring The Voice Of Alice Russell (2:59)

Links :
nostalgia77.com
myspace.com/nostalgia77
unfoldmusic.co.uk
myspace.com/unfoldrecordings
www.impossiblearkrecords.co.uk
www.myspace.com/impossiblearkrecords

If you don’t know of Rigmor Gustafasson, she is a Swedish singer who has one of those big 60s voices who if best known for her cover versions of tracks by Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, Michel Legrand whilst if you had seen radio.string.quartet.vienna on their UK tour last year, you’ll know already they are a string quartet more than willing to experiment (having recorded a track for the Celebrating The Mahavishnu Orchestra compilation; but not ‘You Know, You Know’ as on Athens: Underworld vs. The Misterons; apparently Rigmor is also a big McLaughlin fan.

On a quick look at the song titles and you’re thinking, no much chance of a Carl Craig remix with this lot (although after the Recomposed album on Deutsche Grammophon last year, you just never know). Strangely she puts on a Swedish accent (although more of a lilt really as she is Swedish) on the Bacharach/David ‘Close To You’. A song you’d have thought would have been totally exhausted by lame X-Factor style impersonations but this (like what The Imagined Village did with ‘Scarborough Fair’ on Empire And Love), this is the best cover I’ve heard of ‘Close To You’ as it get the right mix of string and jazz vocal tension. Not quite in the Isaac Hayes league of ‘Walk On By’ (from Hot Buttered Soul) but it gives me goose bumps of excitement; and ‘I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself’ is nearly as good!

You’d have thought on a project like this that they’d be some Lennon & McCartney (apparently it was on the cards) but I’m pleased to say that it’s not all covers versions. Rigmor shows how she can excel on r.s.q.v’s Johannes Dickbauer’s ‘Wherever We Go’ and her own ‘Nothing’s Better Than Love’ (with a Rickie Lee Jones phrasing and the string a rockin’). Neither are like ‘Goodbye For Now’ that has Radio 2/JazzFM written all over it al a Nora Jones, compare to Rigmor on ‘Calling You’ that’s a bit a of grower.

Getting back to the top tracks, the r.s.q.v’s Asha Valcic’s ‘Fancy Nancy’ (quartet jazz rockabilly a la Imelda May’s Love Tattoo) and the oddness of their interpretation on ‘The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines’ by Charles Mingus with lyrics added by Joni Mitchell; the quartet do their best acoustic Jean-Luc Ponty whilst Rigmor resists any Mitchell pastiche.

I certainly enjoyed the second half of this album more than the first. It doesn’t help that I’ve never thought much of Paul Simon’s ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ (come on, I can’t be the only one?) and ‘Makin Whoopee’? Actually, ‘Makin Whoopee’ pricks up your ears as to how good this project can be with superb arrangements by Mallinger and Dickbauer and Rigmor hitting the ‘jazz’.

The best bit of John Legend’s ‘Please Don’t Stop’ is when she sings in Swedish (well that’s what it sounds like) and the set ends on an interpretation of a tradition Swedish song ‘Ack Värmland Du Sköna’. Rigmor’s singing in Swedish sounds as she does in English and ‘Ack Värmland Du Sköna’ finds the quartet at there’s most moody classical with some gothic skat from Rigmor (yeah, could have been more of this me thinks).

A bit of an odd one then with ‘Close To You’ standing out and and the best version of ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’ I’m likely to hear. I hope these guys go on tour with this and work up a second album as the potential for a classic is definitely on the cards.

And I love the radio on the cover; a Swedish Bush?

Hectic Mix nomination: [the fantastic] ‘Close To You’ and ‘The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines’, ‘Nothing’s Better Than Love’, ‘Fancy Nancy’, ‘Ack Värmland Du Sköna’.

Reviewed: Rigmor Gustafasson / radio.string.quartet.vienna - Calling You (ACT) Cat. No: 9722-2 Release date: 1st March 2010 Bernie Mallinger (violin), Johannes Dickbauer (violin), Cynthia Liao (viola), Asja Valcic (cello)
Tracklisting:
1. Still Crazy After All These Years (4:29)
2. Makin’ Whoopee (3:50)
3. Goodbye For Now (3:13)
4. I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself (3:54)
5. Fancy Nancy (2:25)
6. If It’s Magic (4:00)
7. Please Don’t Stop (4:00)
8. Close To You (4:13)
9. Whenever We Go (5:20)
10. The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines (4:39)
11. Calling You 5:01
12. Nothing’s Better Than Love 3:24
13. Ack Värmland Du Sköna (Swedish Trad.) 5:38

Links:
www.rigmorgustafsson.com
www.myspace.com/rigmorgustafsson
www.radiostringquartet.com
www.actmusic.com
yo-yoma.com

‘The Last Blast’ is a “dissection of the life and work of World War II novelist Sven Hassel” and features the cornet playing of Phil Sumner (of British Sea Power). It’s reminds me of Julian Cope (around the time of his best album, Jehovahkill or even Sparks or early Roxy Music, Magazine or more recently, Pop Levi?), a theme that’s taken up on the ‘Joy Balloo Megamix’ (shame it’s shorter than the original).

These two tracks ‘sandwich’ the cover of Mission Of Burma’s ‘Einstein’s Day’ that’s a bit guitar heavy post-punk but the best of the lot, ‘Brazil’. Ary Barroso wrote the classic bossa nova track ‘Brazil’ (originally made famous by João Gilberto). Taking a leaf out of The Long Lost’s and Daedelus’ Denies The Days Demise twist on bossa and samba beats, it all goes a bit manic! A real find this one for us eclectic types but shame the guitar fades out, why not a Santana-eques remix of that one; well Gilles Peterson did play Santana’s ‘Song Of The Wind’ a couple of weeks ago!

This EP download is in advance of the album The Maximalist that promises “12 tracks of bizarre post-modern pop music” with a range of influences as broad as the EP. This guy says “I just don’t like days off …” and it’s clear his listening is wide and varied; much like Cooking Vinyl itself - I missed Pere Ubu’s gig this week but you’ll also find their roster also includes such fine musicians as the Mexican Institute Of Sound, Echo & The Bunnymen, Billy Bragg and folky favourites, The Oyster Band (Lee you never call!) amongst many others.

‘The Last Blast’ is a rockin’ track that must be a highlight of the live shows. The tour kicks off tonight the in his hometown Brighton but he’s meandering all over the UK in March (see below) so try and catch him.

Thomas White on MUZU

The Maximalist is out on 15th March.

Forthcoming dates:
26 Feb 2010 Clowns @ Jam (Middle Street) Brighton
15 Mar 2010 The Water Rats London
18 Mar 2010 The Lock Tavern - Nika Club London
22 Mar 2010 The Cellars Portsmouth
24 Mar 2010 The Duchess York
26 Mar 2010 Duke’s Corner Dundee
27 Mar 2010 The Brel Bar Glasgow
28 Mar 2010 Bodega Nottingham
30 Mar 2010 FREE SHOW @ Arts Institute Cardiff
31 Mar 2010 Boileroom Guildford

Reviewed: Thomas White - The Last Blast (Cooking Vinyl) Cat. No: FRYDL419 Release date: 1st March 2010
Tracklistings:
1 The Last Blast (Radio Edit) (4:05)
2 Einstein’s Day (4:35)
3 Brazil (5:33)
4 The Last Blast (Joy Balloo Megamix) (3:40)

Links:
www.thomaswhiteonline.com
www.myspace.com/thethomaswhite
cookingvinyl.com
missionofburma.com
Pere Ubu: The First & The Last - Thursday 25 February 2010 at 8:30pm
Garage, 20-22 Highbury Corner, London N5 1RD “Pere Ubu will bring both ends of their career together in one special show at The Garage in London on February 25, performing in its entirety their first album from 1978 The Modern Dance and their latest Long Live Père Ubu! over the course of two sets”.
Gilles Peterson :: 10 Feb 2010
:: 02:00-04:00 BBC Radio 1 - Backstage At The Worldwide Awards
Santana — Song Of The Wind (Columbia)

Before we get to Nils Petter Molvær (henceforth NPM), the support band were the unpromisingly named Sing Sing Penelope which may mean something in Polish (where they’re from) but it’s a bit post-punk? But this quintet is very much influenced by early 70s rather than the end of that decade. It might be harsh to think that these guys grew up with a limited stock of smuggled vinyl but this was a bit retro. The keyboard player’s introduction set the tone, “we will play only one song, but its 40 minutes long”; and it was. Based mostly on the funky groove of the bassist, each band member had a chance to shine in the spot light with varying levels of solo; we had ‘Miles Davis’ on trumpet (with EFX and Wah Wah pedal), some quite hard sax blasts, rather Supertramp-esque keys and some rockin’ drums. So whilst it harked back to a Camel/Soft Machine-style Paris Theatre prog-concert, it was very good (especially the more Ian Carr’s Nucleus passages - also see links below) although I think I’d preferred if they’d edited down a bit.

And the difference with Nils Petter Molvær was obvious from the start. Like the master of the horn that he is, from the very first note, he captivated the audience and never lost it throughout the uninterrupted set of the rendition of his latest album Hamada.

Without introduction he went straight into the ‘Exhumation’ on a stage almost totally in the darkness, save for a projection on big screen behind the band. Joining him on stage was Eivind Aarset on guitars (but you couldn’t see him to start with as he was messing around with effects pedals at the start) and Audun Kleive on drums. Both are longstanding Jazzland Record veterans (the label set up by Bugge Wesseltoft) but this trio is certainly not long in the tooth musically.

The darkness certainly made the setting a little eerie and their was a clever shot of a silhouette of NPM playing live on the projector screen on ‘Icy Altitude’. For me, they were at their best on the jazz-rock tracks, especially ‘Friction’ and ‘Cruel Altitude’ (sorry, I’m back on my Ian Carr’s Nucleus fanzone rant).

Hamada is where Miles was travelling to with Agharta and the later Bill Laswell interpretation, Panthalassa; well the Scandinavian version anyway. And if Davis had the modern electrics, I’m sure he’d be into this. That said, I thought the gizmo bits that NPM does with the mike attached to the trumpet would be an uncomfortable distraction but he’s perfected it so well, it’s as integral to the piece as the trumpet itself.

So two nights running finds the QEH are celebrating two trumpeting greats. Tonight it’s the Ian Carr celebration (it was a great honour to meet Ian Carr 5 years ago at Cargo even though he wasn’t very well) and whilst it’s been a bit of a wait for me to finally see Nils Petter Molvær live since I first feel in love with the new Norwegian concept of jazz back in 2002 at the North Sea Jazz Festival (otherwise known as two lost days in a basement), I’d say it was definitely worth the wait.

If you get the chance to see either Nils Petter Molvaer and/or Sing Sing Penelope, it’s well worth it as there is still future jazz from Norway/Poland coming out to Norway and Poland.

Concert Dates:
18th Feb - St George’s, Bristol
21st Feb - The Sage, Gateshead
22nd Feb - QEH, Southbank Centre, London
23rd Feb - College of Music, Leeds
24th Feb - Brewery Arts College, Kendal
25th Feb - Band on the Wall, Manchester
26th Feb - Hare and Hound, Birmingham
27th Feb - Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton

Links:
myspace.com/nilspettermolvaer
singsingpenelope.com/english
www.myspace.com/audunkleive
www.myspace.com/eivindaarset
www.hanneli.com “her drop crotch pants were old Alexander Wang”
23.02.10 Ian Carr - Celebration of a Life in Music @ Queen Elizabeth Hall, In celebration of the hugely respected hero of British jazz, who died last February, this concert features a re-formed edition of Carr’s seminal electric band, Nucleus; the London premiere of ‘Northumbrian Sketches’ with soloist Guy Barker and string ensemble conducted by Mike Gibbs; plus Michael Garrick with a group evocative of his collaborations with Ian Carr in the 1960s. Norma Winstone, Ray Russell, John Marshall and Tim Whitehead will be among many leading British jazz stars taking part. Proceeds go to the Alzheimers Society.
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/gigs-contemporary/tickets/ian-carr-celebration-of-a-life-in-music-50582
nilspettermolvaer.info
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX
Info: 020 7960 4200 Tickets: £10 - £20 Available from southbankcentre.co.uk / 0844 875 0073
Neil Ardley - Celebrating the Life of a Polymath
www.northseajazz.com 12th July 2002, 13th July 2002 18:15 - 02:30am Paulus Potter Hall - Benji B, Cinematic Orchestra, Koop, Bugz in the Attic featuring Afronaught & Seiji, Gilles Peterson.

‘Mamaya’ is particularly danceable with sweet trumpet and killer baritone sax solos. And if you’re accosted in the back streets of Soho by a dodgy looking digger type (think Earl Zinger with a plastic mack) who says to you, “Er, you lookin’ for a rare Mulatu Astatke track son?” Well, check out ‘Negus Negast’ because such is the quality of the musicians of the band, this track could be passed off as a new Ethiopian gem from the studios.

If you’re in need of some CTi mid 70s big band cinematic jazz-funk groove, ‘Lotus Flower’ is what you need in a Lalo Schifrin/Freddie Hubbard-esque type way. If you’ve not heard music like this before, be prepared to be amazed.

‘Serenity’ starts with the inner contemplation of a McCoy Tyner and grows into a jazzed out Emanative space-beat groove or a Jazz Chronicle make over (as a quick aside, Emanative’s Remix 12” is in Universal Sounds now and there’s a very serious must have Jazz Chronicles selection coming out soon that is an ideal companion to Rising Sun), downtempo ‘Serenity’ with attitude, this is glorious stuff.

And if you’re looking for value for money, Alice Coltrane/Dorothy Ashby fans in need of some Japanese harp, the intro to ‘Consecration’ is modal re-birth before the trumpet does a sort of ‘Spain’ intro before getting into some free sax and a bit of killer basslines.

Sticking to the spiritual, Dwight Trible would have done a great skat on ‘Rejoice, Pt. 2’ as it’s just in his Pharoah Sanders state of consciousness - remix anyone?) Much like the remarkable Build An Ark project (as masterminded by Carlos Nino, see interview HERE and Love Part 1 review HERE), this is a spiritual experience (particularly the opener ‘Awakening’ and ‘Rejoice, Pt. 1’) but with a greater focus on movin’ booty.

So whilst you may have heard the themes of these tracks in a past formations/life, don’t get the idea that The Souljazz Orchestra are mere jazz karaoke cover version merchants. This is deep and beautiful jazz that covers all the best influences all on one album. If you want to dig deeper into the heritage, that’s fine. If you want to be a fan of The Souljazz Orchestra, that’s an equally good option.

On tour for the next few months in Canada and Europe, if they are half as good as the CD, they must be fantastic live. And if the cover of the album doesn’t give this one away, we all need to worship the Rising Sun; Ra! Sun Ra!

Reviewed: The Souljazz Orchestra - Rising Sun (Strut) Cat. No. STRUT058CD Release date: 22nd February 2010
1. Awakening (2:52)
2. Agbara (4:57)
3. Negus Negast (5:04)
4. Lotus Flower (5:19)
5. Mamaya (4:20)
6. Serenity (7:53)
7. Consecration (7:34)
8. Rejoice, Pt. 1 (2:20)
9. Rejoice, Pt. 2 (5:10)

Links :
souljazzorchestra.com
myspace.com/souljazzorchestra
facebook.com/pages/the-SoulJazz-Orchestra/51345213656
strut-records.com
myspace.com/strutrecords
Choreographer Bill T. Jones brings the life of Fela Kuti to Off Broadway http://nymag.com/arts/theater/profiles/49916/

That’s the one that he’s put lyrics to Benga’s track ‘Emotions’ (and renamed it ‘Warrior’). Its got all the energy of broken beat merged with some crazy jazz-trio backing that James manages to stay on top of (sort of what Christian Prommer did with Drumlesson a while back). So what are his other favourite tracks on the album from a lyrical point of view? “Lyrically I’d have to say ‘Code’ is really fresh - I also love ‘Beauty’.

‘Code’ it the opening track on the album and that’s got a touch of Gil Scott-Heron 70s set up (or am I getting obsessed with him lately) whilst ‘Beauty’ just classic jazz duet which made me ask, who were your early influences as a jazz singer? He mentions “Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Billie Holiday” and whilst we’re on the jazz-giants (and noting his first album The Dreamer featured a version of Roland Rahsaan Kirk’s ‘Spirits Up Above’) who would be in your all-time jazz backing band? “Definitely the classic John Coltrane Quartet - McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones.”

You can’t really argue with that and it does make you dream of what could have been but I wonder if he was always into jazz. Another stand out track on The Dreamer was the Freestyle Fellowship’s ‘Park Bench People’ so did you grow up doing old-skool rapping? “Ha ha no. But I was really into De La Soul, the Pharcyde, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest, all that”.

And by coincidence, the “Godfather of Rap” has just released a new album (Gil Scot-Heron’s I’m New Here at the same time as Blackmagic) and he’s another that’s gone down the non-jazz road, “I heard it’s really interesting. I haven’t heard it yet though. I’m glad he’s back out with a new album and touring again; he’s got a lot of fans waiting.”

James has teamed up with Bobby McFerrin’s son Taylor for the ‘jazz’ tracks and I’d had to ask if there was an ‘experimental’ projects a la McFerrin Snr got into lined up? “Right now I have my Facing East: The Music of John Coltrane Project. That’s a big project that combines arranging, looping, writing lyrics, and singing with a full band. I think there’s lots of ways to expand the concept of what a jazz vocalist is.” Wow! Do we like the sound of that. In fact the last track on the album is a sort of downtempo spiritual skat-freestyle that gets me every time I hear it. So how did you meet Taylor McFerrin?

“I met him in NY doing Giant Step shows and thought he was dope. Then he got involved in my night at Nublu in the East Village [as in Forro In The Dark?], which I ran for a year. We both took the same NY-Singapore flight to do the Worldwide Festival with Gilles and we shared some tracks. I was almost done with the album by that point and he played me what became ‘Love Conversation’. It was amazing and I had it written and recorded with Jordana de Lovely in NY by the next week. One of the best tracks on the album.”

I’d say. And Gilles Peterson says that ‘Love Conversation’ is his favourite! So how do you meet Gilles Peterson? “I was in London doing a vocal jazz competition and had brought my EP. Gilles had a residency at Cargo in East London and one of the copies got to him. The timing was perfect - he asked me to drop a track on the first compilation on Brownswood [Brownswood Bubblers Vol 1] then asked me to join the label. It was a dream come true generally” And you’ve come a long way in a short time? “Thanks to my fans and friends, DJ community, music community. You made it happen. Now it’s worldwide!”

Another producer on the album Simbad is on at the Brownswood gig (the day after the interview at London’s East Village, see HERE) but James won’t be turning up “No, I’m on tour but I’m working on a track his new album.” That reminded me of the ‘Little Bird’ José did with Jazzanova, but the clock was ticking so his choice of NY-London clubs? “I like to go to Deity in Brookyn for Ge-ology’s night [Heavy, Deep, Funky Music] and anything Giant Step does is good. In London I like Plastic People.” And to chill out, “I like to go to Central Park in NY, or Hampstead Heath in London.”

Well he won’t be going to either for a while “I’m so busy this year. We’re doing the Blackmagic tour now for 2 months (that starts tonight, see dates below), then I’m releasing a new album on Impulse called For All We Know and this summer I’m doing my Coltrane Project live.”

Coltrane Project! Impulse! So there’s loads of jazz to come but tracks like ‘Blackmagic’ and ‘Love Conversation’ are as much jazz to us as ‘No Tellin’ or ‘Beauty’. I can’t get enough of it myself (for the full review of Blackmagic see HERE) and hopefully by the time he gets back to London for the Jazz Café gigs this time next month, I’ll be albe to do the interview properly.

Thanks to all the guilty parties that made this happen, you know who you are; but tonight, I feel like dancin’, love Blackmagic - the love album.

Blackmagic Tour
19 Feb 2010 Cine Teatro de Estarreja Estarreja
20 Feb 2010 Centro de Artes e Espectaculos de Portalegre Portalegre
22 Feb 2010 Teatro Académico Gil Vicente Coimbra
24 Feb 2010 Museu Fundaco Oriente Lisbon
25 Feb 2010 Centro Cultural e de Congressos Caldas
26 Feb 2010 San Juan Evangelista Madrid
04 Mar 2010 Le Poster a Galene Marseille
05 Mar 2010 Le Jam Montpellier
06 Mar 2010 Centro Cultural Cordon Burgos
07 Mar 2010 Auditorium (Hall B) Barcelona
10 Mar 2010 Festsaal (at Kaufleuten) Zurich
11 Mar 2010 Sinkkasten Frankfurt
12 Mar 2010 Ampere Munich
14 Mar 2010 Lido Berlin
15 Mar 2010 Luxor Cologne
16 Mar 2010 Stage Hamburg
18 Mar 2010 Band On The Wall Manchester
19 Mar 2010 Jazz Café London
20 Mar 2010 Jazz Café London
22 Mar 2010 Metropolis Bristol
24 Mar 2010 AB Box Brussels
25 Mar 2010 Le Diapason Rennes
27 Mar 2010 All That Jazz Blois
28 Mar 2010 La Bellevilloise Paris
30 Mar 2010 Melkweg Amsterdam
31 Mar 2010 Tivoli Utrecht

Links:
www.myspace.com/josejamesquartet
www.josejamesmusic.com
www.myspace.com/mitsuthebeats
www.myspace.com/bengabeats
www.myspace.com/moodymann313
www.brownswoodrecordings.com
www.myspace.com/brownswoodrecordings
www.jazzrefreshed.com
www.deitynyc.com
www.myspace.com/geologymusic
Gilles Peterson : 27th January 2010 : Kode9 in the Studio
Jose James Feat. Jordana de Lovely - Love Conversation
www.myspace.com/jordanadelory
Gilles Peterson : 17th February 2010 : Robert Glasper session plus Flying Lotus & Erykah Badu exclusives