Nippon Soul Jazz Breaks & Beats Bop

Sharps & Flats Sakura Sakura/Takeshi Inomata & His West Liners Cantaloupe Island/Norio Maeda, Jiro Inagaki & The All Stars Pata Pata/Shungo Sawada, Takeru Muraoka & The All-Stars C,C,C /Hidehiko Matsumoto & His Quintet St Louis Blues/George Otsuka Trio Hot Cha/Terumasa Hino Quintet Snake Hip/Akira Ishikawa Trio & R&B All-Stars Sunny/Yoshiaki Masuo And His Group Stoned Soul Picnic/Jimmy Takeuchi & His Exciters Respect/Kazuo Yasuhiro Trio Black Nag/Sadakazu Tabata Gimme a Little Sign/Kaolu Iiyoshi & The Wip Ticket To Ride/Takeshi Inomata & His Friends Uptight

Look Here !

Yuji Ohno Trio 'Boss Piano' 2012

The new production of Yuji Ohno on his new label Lupintic from Rhythm & Blues, Bossa Nova to Latin Jazz. Yuji Ohno Trio plays great jazz standards like Duke Ellinghton' Satin Doll, Red Garland' Rojo or The Afro Cuban Dizzie Gillepsie' Tune Manteca. On this album features also popular songs as You Are My Sunshine, What Now, My Love?, Goin` Out of My Head or Georgia On My Mind. The line-up includes all members of his Lupintic Five.

Yuji Ohno_keyboards
Yosuke Inoue_bass
Yoshihito Eto_drums

Keiji Matsushima_trumpet
Hisatsugu Suzuki_soprano sax, tenor sax
Satoshi Izumi_guitar
Eijiro Nakagawa_trombone
Shinobu Ishizaki_baritone sax
Masato Kawase_percussion

01. You Are My Sunshine
02. What Now, My Love?
03. Amazonas
04. See See Rider
05. Satin Doll
06. Manteca
07. Goin` Out of My Head
08. Rojo
09. Georgia On My Mind

 Rojo
 

Freddie Hubbard 'Backlash' 1967

His first of four Atlantic albums between hardbop, avant-garde and Soul Jazz. All compositions by Freddie Hubbard except Backlash by Don Pickett, The Return of the Prodigal Son by Harold Ousley & Echoes of Blue  Robert Cunningham.

Freddie Hubbard_trumpet, flugelhorn 
James Spaulding_alto saxophone, flute 
Albert Dailey_piano 
Bob Cunningham_bass 
Ray Appleton_drums 
Ray Barretto_conga

01. Backlash
02. The Return of the Prodigal Son
03. Little Sunflower
04. On the Que-Tee
05. Up Jumped Spring
06. Echoes of Blue

 The Return of the Prodigal Son 
 

Melvin Sparks 'Akilah !' 1972

A Soul Jazz vinyl reissue of Sparks' third LP recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio. Personnel includes in particular Idris Muhammad (drums), Leon Spencer (organ), Buddy Caldwell (congas), Dave Hubbard (alto saxophone & flute), George Coleman (alto saxophone), Hubert Laws (flute on The Image Of Love), Virgil Jones (trumpet). Composed by Melvin Sparks except Love The Life You Live by Kool & The Gang, The Image Of Love by Leon Spencer.

01. Love The Life You Live
02. On The Up
03. All Wrapped Up
04. Akilah
05. Blues For J.B.
06. The Image Of Love

All Wrapped Up

Takehiro Honda 'Another Departure' 1977

A fantastic Jazz Trio formed by japanese pianist (piano, Fender rhodes & electric piano) who played for the Sadao Watanabe live group between 1973 to 1978 as Kenya Africa (1973), Swiss Air (at Montreux Jazz Festival in 1975), or Recital (1976). Honda seems to be marked by the influence of american pianist McCoy Tyner. He was surrounded by two famous members of Miles Davis' Second Great Quintet (1965-1968), bassist Ron Carter & drummer Tony Williams. Produced by Kiyoshi Itoh & Yukio Morisaki, recorded at Vanguard Studio, New York. All compositions written by Takehiro Honda.

01. Calypso Street
02. Spirits Flow
03. Wonder
04. Longing
05. Puddle

Calypso Street

Sharps & Flats In Newport 1967

Nobuo Hara (tenor saxophone) and his big band were recorded all these songs in studio after having them played at Newport Jazz Festival in 1967, with special guest Hozan Yamamoto on shakuhachi (japanese bamboo flute). Among the notable players are a horn section with Hiroshi Suzuki (trombone), Nobuyuki Morikawa (baritone saxophone), Koji Suzuki (alto saxophone), Kunitoshi Shinohara & Teruyuki Fukushima (trumpet), and a rhythm section formed by Toshihiko Ogawa (piano), Takeyoshi Noguchi (guitar), Hiroshi Takeuchi (bass) and Yoshio Nakamura (drums). Hozan plays on Hakone Mago Uta, Midare and So Tired. Hard Bop, Modal Jazz & traditional japanese music or folk songs (as Hakone Mago Uta). Conducted by Nobuo Hara, arranged by Norio Maeda & Kiyoshi Yamaya.

01. Sakura Sakura
02. Etenraku
03. Hakone Mago Uta
04. Midare
05. Sohran-Bushi
06. Geisha Girl
07. Koto
08. So Tired (Gilles Peterson)
09. Awa Dance

Sohran-Bushi

The Lafayette Afro-Rock Band 'Malik' 1975

Their second album released, a heavyweight funk-rock fusion led by Frank Abel. There are still some titles for dancefloor like I Love Music and jazz-funk tracks ever best they written like Darkest Light.

Frank Abel_keyboards
Ernest 'Donny' Donnable_drums
Lafayette Hudson_bass
Keno Speller_percussion
Larry Jones_guitar
Arthur Young _percussion, flute & horns
Ronnie James Buttacavoli_ horns.
Lee Roy_saxophone
Michael McEwan_guitar

01. Dgunji
02. Raff
03. Conga
04. Avi-Vo
05. Malik
06. Darkest Light
07. Baba Hya

Malik

The Lafayette Afro-Rock Band 'Soul Makossa' 1974

The group was formed in Long Island, based in Paris between 1971 and 1978, whose core members were Frank Abel (keyboards), Ernest Donnable (drums), Lafayette Hudson (bass), Keno Speller (percussion), Larry Jones (guitar), Arthur Young (percussion, flute & horns) and Ronnie James Buttacavoli (horns). They decided move to France where they're performing live in a parisian district named Barbès, an center of african cultures. They meet saxophonist Manu Dibango and producer Pierre Jaubert (who had recorded in 1969 Charles Mingus' Blue Bird & Pithecantropus Erectus). Recorded by Pierre Jaubert at Parisound studio on french label Musidisc. Soul Makossa was re-titled in The U.S. as Movin & Groovin.

01. Soul Makossa (Manu Dibango)

02. Azeta
03. Oglenon
04. Voodounon
05. Hihache
06. Nicky
07. Right foot
08. M.F. Grayson

Hihache

Ron Carter 'Spanish Blue' 1974

Third album for CTI performed by bassist Ron Carter. An Andalusian breeze blows on the album thanks to Hubert Laws and Jay Berliner who created a sensuous atmosphere on El Noche Sol & Sabado Sombrero. A reinterpretation of masterpiece So What? from Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue (1959) and at last a groovy track called Arkansas with great solos of Hubert Laws and Ron Carter. Produced by Creed Taylor and recorded at Studio Rudy Van Gelder.

Ron Carter _bass, piccolo bass
Hubert Laws_flute
Roland Hanna & Leon Pendarvis _electric piano, piano
Jay Berliner_guitar
Billy Cobham_drums, field drum
Ralph MacDonald_percussion

01. El Noche Sol
02. So What
03. Sabado Sombrero
04. Arkansas

Arkansas

Oneness Of Juju 'Africa Rhthyms' 1975

Based around saxophonist James Plunky and Philip Muzi Branch, Oneness of Juju was one sound incarnation of the afro-funk jazz fusion scene in the seventies like Pharoah Sanders (they were often compared to him) or Sun Ra, return to African roots by the way of Panafricanism movement. African percussion therefore have a prominent place for the band but they also incorporated Rhthyms & Blues elements. This formation published only two recordings under this name, this disc and Space Jungle Luv in 1976. Composed & arranged by Oneness Of Juju.

Plunky Nkabinde_saxophones, flute, percussion, vocals,
Muzi Nkabinde_bass, percussion, vocals
Philip 'Pee Wee' Ford_Fender bass
Al Hammel Rasul_keyboards, percussion, vocals
Babatunde Olatunji_congas, drums, balophone, percussion, vocals
Ronnie Toler_drums
Lon Moshe_vibraphone, marimbas
Eka-Ete Jackie Lewis_vocals
Reggie Brisbane_balophone

01. African Rhythms
02. Kazi
03. Funky Wood
04. Tarishi
05. Mashariki
06. Chants
07. Don't Give Up
08. Incognito
09. Poo Too
10. Liberation Dues

African Rhythms

Mongo Santamaria 'Up From The Roots' 1972

Up from the Roots explores the African origins of Caribbean music, more precisely a Afro Cuban & Latin Jazz project by Mongo Santamaria with traditional african instruments. It features Carter Jefferson & Bill Saxon on saxophones, Lew Soloff & Jon Faddis on trumpet, Eddy Martinez on keyboards, Eddie Rivera on bass, Steve Barrios on drums.

Mongo Santamaria_congas drums
Papaito Muñoz_bongos & bell
Julito Callazo_bata drum, chéquere, conga drums, tambourine
Pablo Rosario_bongos & bell

01. Ebora (Yeza)
02. En La Habana (Guaguanco)
03. Conga, Bata, Y Chequere (Lucumi & Mambo)
Me Buele La Muele (Columbia)
04. Eco (Bembe)/Abacua (Abacua)
05. Pan De Maiz (Conga)
06. Para Ti
07. Sofrito
08. Little Angel
09. Virtue
10. Jose Outside
11. Forked Tongue

Jose Outside

Oneness Of Juju 'Space Jungle Luv' 1976

The followed album after Africa Rhythms, it featured tracks from other sessions. Great spiritual atmosphere, quieter songs like Soul Love Now and Love's Messenger and one of the album's best known cuts River Luv Rite with pianist Joe Bonner' contribution, the lead vocalist Eka-Ete Jackie Lewis and her powerful voice. The line-up is reinforced by Ras Melvin Glover (lead & rhythm guitar), Rafael Solano and Richard 'Dick' Watkins (congas, percussion), Alfredo Mojica (timbales).

01. River Luv Rite
02. Follow Me
03. Soul Love Now
04. Space Jungle Funk
05. The Connection
06. Love's Messenger

River Luv Rite

Peter King 'Shango' 1974

Peter King is a Nigerian musician saxophonist who combinate Afrobeat, James Brown' Funk and Jazz. He was influenced by Sonny Rollins, Gene Ammons or John Coltrane style. In London, he formed with drummer Bayo Martins and trumpeter Mike Falana The African Messengers and toured across the Europe with his band Shango in the seventies. Recorded at Camden Town Studio, London. Written by Peter King.

Peter King_saxophone, flute
Humphrey Okoh-Turner_alto saxophone
David Williams_bass
Paul Edoh_congas
James Menin_drums
Arthur Simon_guitar
Mike Falana_trumpet

01. Shango
02. Prisoner Of Law
03. Mr Lonely Wolf
04. Freedom Dance
05. Go Go's Feast
06. Mystery Tour
07. Now I'm A Man
08. Watusi

Watusi