Marlena Shaw - The Spice Of Life

Year : 1969
Label : Cadet
Genre : Soul, Jazz
Style : Funk/Soul

One of the best Soul album ever recorded, "The Spice of Life" is the second studio album released by Marlena Shaw, his last for Cadet Records (division of Chess Records), before to sign for Blue Note. Titles include her iconic song "Woman Of The Ghetto", the killer groove "Liberation Conversation", the protest song "I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel to Be Free)" popularized by Nina Simone and her hit single "California Soul" composed by famous Motown writers duo, Ashford & Simpson. The song "California Soul" was sampled by DJ Sadow for "Midnight In A Perfect World" extracted from "Endtroducing" in 1996. Produced & arranged by  Richard Evans and Charles Stepney.

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Yuji Ohno & Lupintic Five - LUPIN THE THIRD [JAZZ] - The 10th~New Flight

Year : 2006
Label : VAP
Serie : LUPIN THE THIRD [JAZZ]
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Bossa Nova

Yuji Ohno back to the sound which made his fame, the Jazz-Funk style from the seventies. Yuji Ohno (keys) introduces his new band, "The Lupintic Five", including Masayuki Tawarayama (b), Satoshi Izumi (g), Keiji Matsushima (tp), Hisatsugu Suzuki (ts), Yoshihito Eto (ds), and featuring guest musician, Masabumi Yamaguchi (on tenor saxophone in addition) from the Motohiko Hino Quartet, Yosuke Yamashita Trio and Hiromasa Suzuki's Colgen Band. "The 10th~New Flight" is part of the best productions than Yuji Ohno recorded in the 2000s, who revisits the classics from "Original Soundtrack From Lupin III" with an irrepressible verve and great creativity, an essential japanese jazz album of the XXIth century. Titles includes amazing deep grooves from Jazz Samba (Hot Samba, Love Squall) to Jazz Funk (Manhattan Joke, Zenigata March) by Cool Jazz (Isn't It Lupintic ?). All tracks composed & arranged by Yuji Ohno.

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Various - Modal Soul Classics By Nujabes

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Year : 2008
Label : Hyde Out Recordings
Genre : Electronic, Hip Hop, Latin Jazz
Style : Jazzy Hip-Hop, Downtempo, Future Jazz

"Modal Soul Classics" is a concept compilation planned by japanese beatmaker and Hip-Hop producer Nujabes, including his favorites songs recorded from 1974 to 2005 by various US, European & Japanese artists who influenced and inspired him. The compilation brings together various music genres as well as Pop (Todd Rundgren, DSK), Latin Jazz (Omar Sosa, Haki R Madhubuti), Hip-Hop (Unison, Specifics), Electro-Lounge (Goldfix), Future Jazz (Sleep Walker) and Downtempo (Heprcam) featuring also Scoot Matelic, Clammbon, LAVA, Takero Ogata and Blue Asia. Compiled & mastered by Nujabes for his own label "Hyde Out Recordings".

TRACKLIST : Scoot Matelic - To Impress The Empress (Primitive Pessimist, 2004) / Sleepwalker - Ai-No-Kawa - (same, 2004) / Goldfix - Atoll Moao (Atoll Moao 12", 2005) / Specifics - Under The Hood (Lonely City, 2004) / DSK - Winter Lane (CRUE-L, 2006) / Blue Asia - Mourn, Sob & Cry (Hotel Ibah, 2001) / Haki R Madhubuti - Children - (Medasi, 1984) / Unison - Sound Network (same EP, 2005) / Takero Ogata - Omnipresence (Quiet Will, 2003) / Todd Rundgren - A Dream Goes On Forever (Todd, 1974) / Heprcam - Dionna (Cohcox, 2004) / Clammbon - Folklore (Imagination, 2003) / LAVA - Vem Para Ficar (Aile Alegria, 2001) / Omar Sosa - Iyawo (Mulatos, 2004)

Astrud Gilberto - Now

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Year : 1972
Label : Perception Records
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Samba, Funk/Soul

The second album of Astrud Gilberto with brazilian pianist/arranger Eumir Deodato featuring wellknown session musicians from CTI among Ron Carter & Bob Cranshaw (b), Billy Cobham (ds), Airto Moreira (per). As on her previous album (Gilberto With Turrentine - 1971), Astrud leaves Bossa Nova recruiting R&B arranger Boo Frazier and Stax/Volt songwriter, David Louis Jordan, to give to "Now" the typical sound of southern Soul music. The album alternates jazz samba, funk songs and pure pop/soul ballads including earliest compositions of Astrud Gilberto like samba song "Gingele", Jordan's collaboration "Touching You", the brazilian classics "Baiao" & "Take It Easy, My Brother Charlie" (Jorge Ben). All tracks arranged by Eumir Deodato.

Kiyoshi Sugimoto Quartet - Country Dream

Year : 1969
Label : Nippon Columbia
Serie : Takt Jazz Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Hard Bop, Post Bop, Jazz Rock

Debut album and jazz masterpiece recorded for the Takt Jazz Series by one of the most finest japanese jazz guitarist Kiyoshi Sugimoto featuring pianist Hiromasa Suzuki, bassist Yoshio Ikeda & drummer Motohiko Hino, brother of Terumasa. "Country Dream" was entirely arranged and composed by Hiromasa Suzuki except the opening track "Country Dream" by Kiyoshi Sugimoto. Kiyoshi was a session musician and sideman in demand, playing alongside Motohiko Hino, Marcus Miller, pianist/arranger Norio Maeda or Yuji Ohno, former member of Akira Ishikawa's Count Buffalos, Terumasa Hino Sextet, Allan Praskin Quartet and Seiichi Nakamura Quintet. Titles include "Country Dream", "Step Ahead", "The Apple", "Limited Space" and "D-51".

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Soul Strings & A Funky Horn

Year : 1968
Label : Solid State
Genre : Jazz
Style : Funk/Soul

Solid State Records was a famous Jazz label founded in 1966 by producers Sonny Lester and Phil Ramone associated to arranger Manny Albam. The label released original recordings in the mid to late 1960s by Joe Williams, Chick Corea, Jimmy McGriff, Dizzy Gillespie, The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and many others before its jazz artists were consolidated under United Artists' Blue Note label. This album was performed by studio players from the label mixing Soul Jazz & Jazz Funk.

01. The Look Of Love
02. Do You Know The Way To San Jose?
03. Grazing In The Grass
04. Stoned Soul Picnic
05. What The World Needs Now Is Love
06. This Guy’s In Love With You
07. Baby You Come Rollin’ Across My Mind
08. Hang ‘Em High
09. Think
10. Bring A Little Lovin’
11. Yester Love
12. Mrs. Robinson

Kimiko Kasai - Just Friends (Kimiko Kasai Concert)

Year : 1970
Label : King Records
Serie : New Emotional Work Series
Genre : Jazz
Style : Contempory Jazz, Vocal

Recording live from performance at the Yamaha Hall, Tokyo, considered as the debut album of best known japanese jazz songstress Kimiko Kasai featuring the Yuji Ohno Trio including pinaist Yuji Ohno, bassist Takeshi Mizuhashi and drummer Tetsujiro Ohara. Nicknamed the "Marlena Shaw of Japan", Kimiko Kasai was spotted by pianist Yuzuru Sera in 1964, and introduced her on the japanese jazz scene, joining up his group "The Modern Playing Mate" and recording the "Yuzuru Sera Trio Introducing Kimiko Kasai" album in 1968. In her fruitful career, she sung supported by prestigious musicians of the international jazz field, such as Mal Waldron (One For Lady - 1971), Gil Evans (Satin Doll, 1972), Stan Getz, Oliver Nelson (In Person, 1974), Kohsuke Mine (Yellow Carcass In Blue, 1975), Cedar Walton (Kimiko Is Here, 1977) or Herbie Hancock (Butterfly, 1979). Titles include the great standards of vocal Jazz (By The Time I Get To Phoenix, There Will Never Be Another You) and cover songs (Sunny).

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Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers

Year : 2002
Label : Interscope Records
Genre : Hip-Hop
Style : Jazzy Hip-Hop, Conscious, Funk/Soul

Jurassic 5 was an American alternative Hip-Hop band from Los Angeles, formed in 1993 by three MCs (Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even) and two DJs/producers (Cut Chemist & DJ Nu-Mark). The band are also known as one of the first Hip-Hop band to quote the origin of their samples. "Power In Numbers" is a highlight point in their career after "Quality Control" in 2000) and their debut album Jurassic 5 (Self-Titled) in 1998). Titles include featurings with Big Daddy Kane & Percy P (A Day At The Races), Nelly Furtado (Thin Line), Kool Keith (DDT), Boy Wonder (Hey) & JuJu (One Of Them), their hit singles "What's Golden"  & the jazzy tune "If You Only Knew".

Five Deez - Slow Children Playing

Year : 2005
Label : Ample Soul
Genre : Hip-Hop, Electronic
Style : Jazzy Hip-Hop, Downtempo, Boom Bap, Conscious

Five Deez (for Fifth Dimension) was an american Hip-Hop Band from Cincinnati, formed in the nineties by the DJ John Marshall, best known as Fat Jon including rappers Patrick Johnson (Pase Rock), Kyle David (Chilly Most) & Corey Brown (Sonic). "Five Deez" has collaborated with various US & Japanese Hip-Hop artists such as J.Rawls, Blackstar, Mos Def, Nujabes or Shing02. The band released three albums between 2001-2006 before split-up, Pase Rock and Fat Jon going on their own career. Released on Fat Jon's own label "Ample Soul", this compilation brings together several downtempo and jazzy hip-hop songs among their early recordings and unreleased productions from 1993 to 1999, including "Cerebral Attax", "Gateway" featuring the Hip-Hop band "Mood" (also from Cincinnati), various interludes and remixes "What Happens", "Disgust (Ver.2.0)". All tracks arranged & composed by Fat Jon 'The Ample Soul'.

Akira Ishikawa - Back To Rhythm

Year : 1975
Label : Columbia
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Afrobeat

"Back To Rhythm" is a covers album of Pop & Soul music including heavy funk and afrobeat, which closes the african period of Akira Ishikawa, supported by his fabulous Count Buffalos group featuring Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Takeru Muraoka, Larry Sunaga and pianist/arranger Hiromasa Suzuki. Akira Ishikawa leaves the Afro-Rock to get into Boogie Funk, taking over some Funk/Soul classics of the genre from BT' Express (Do It Til You're Satisfied), Stevie Wonder (Boogie On Reggae Woman) or Average White Band (Pick Up The Pieces), and cover pop songs from The Beatles (Hey Jude) and Simon & Garfunkel (El Condor Pasa), "I Shot The Sheriff" from Eric Clapton's version, "Bongo Rock" (Incredible Bongo Band) and "Let's Start" (Fela Kuti). All tracks arranged by Hiromasa Suzuki.

MUSICIANS : Akira Ishikawa - drums, vocals, african percussions - Masaoki Terakawa - bass - Kiyoshi Sugimoto, Takao Naoi & Tsunehide Matsuki - guitar - Hiromasa Suzuki - synthetizer - Takeru Muraoka & Masao Suzuki - saxophones - Eiji Arai - trombone - Koji Hatori - trumpet - Larry Sunaga - percussions

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Pat D - Take A Little Time

Year : 2008
Label : A Bridge Too Far Recordings
Genre : Hip-Hop
Style : Jazzy Hip-Hop, Downtempo

"Take A Little Time" is the second Jazzy Hip-Hop self-produced album of Pat D featuring various MCs from UK, US & France including Melodiq, Elodie Rama, Fisto, Voice, Lady Paradox, Lauren Jade and Sene. Patrick Dooner aka Pat D is a british producer, multi-instrumentalist, beatmaker & DJ, owner of independant label "A Bridge Too Far Recordings", who also collaborated with french producers "The FakeHunters" in 2009. Influenced by Soul Jazz, Swing & Nu-Soul styles, Pat D mostly uses jazz samples such as on "Relax Your Mind" Feat. Melodiq, extracted from "Pure Imagination" recorded by pianist Bob James for "BJ4" in 1977. All tracks composed & produced by Pat D. All cuts, beats & scratches by Pat D.

TRACKLIST : Pat D - Intro / Melodiq - Relax Your Mind / Fisto & Elodie Rama - Laisse Couler L'encere / Efeks - Retrospection / Lauren Jade - Need Me Around / Melodiq & Lady Paradox - In Control / Voice - Fly Away / Lady Paradox & Lauren Jade - Moments / Eva Lazarus - Good Times / Melodiq - Come Along / Lady Paradox - Joint Thoughts / Sene - Peace / Lauren Jade - Silly Head / Melodiq - Rockin' With The Best

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