S.O.U.L. - Can You Feel It

Year : 1972
Label : Musicor
Genre : Soul
Style : Funk/Soul

S.O.U.L. (for Sounds Of Unity And Love), was a short-lived Soul & Jazz Funk band from Cleveland. Originally formed by frontman bassist Lee Lovett, saxophonist/flutist Gus Hawkins, drummer Paul Stubblefield and guitarist Walter Winston, the original quator is supported by newcomers, Larry Hancock on organ, while Steve Feldman and Claton 'Boots' Ellis are added on percussion and piano. "Can You Feel It" is the second and last album of the band that sounds like a good Earth, Wind & Fire record, which unlike their previous "What Is It", includes only original compositions excepted cover song of Stevie Wonder (My Cherie Amour).

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Janko Nilovic - Psyc Impressions

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Year : 2011/1969

Label : Vadim Music/Montparnasse 2000

Genre : Jazz, Stage & Screen

Style : Jazz Rock, Psychedelic Pop, Easy Listening

Iconic record out from the cult French music library label Monparnasse 2000, by the iconic background music composer Janko Nilovic. As the title suggests, "Psyc’ Impressions" is a blend of jazz & psychedelic rock performed by brass band including killer grooves with heavy bass lines, funky drum breaks, insane guitar, acid organ sounds plus some pop-funk tunes and sweet melodies on the flute. Titles include the crazy tunes "Rush On The Ball", "Duty Free", "Shaking Pop", "Blows And Rhythms", "In The Space", available in four mood series (sport, event, indicatif & cosmos). Some materials from "In The Space" have been sampled by Jay Z for his hit "The Death Of The Auto Tune" from Blueprint 3. All tracks composed by Janko Nilovic & Dave Sucky (pseudonym of Louis Delacour, co-founder of the label).

Takehiro Honda - T. Honda Meets Rhythm Section Featuring S. Watanabe

Year : 1970
Label : Trio Records
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz, Modal

Debut album of jazz pianist Takehiro Honda, recorded in Yamaha Hall in 1969, the first of eight albums serie recorded for Trio Electronics. The Takehiro Honda's rhythm section is based on the Sadao Watanabe Quartet featuring saxophonist Sadao Watanabe, guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo, bassist Yoshio Suzuki and Sadao's brother, the drummer Fumio Watanabe. This first experience with the Sadao Watanabe Quartet, will bring Honda to enroll Yoshio Suzuki & Fumio Watanabe for his new jazz trio and later join the Sadao formation from 1973 to 1978. Titles include popular Jazz standards (By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Stella By Starlight), a variation on "Hey Jude" from The Beatles and his own compositions (Minton Blues, Ain't Tell You A Good Way But, Quiet Sea). All tracks arranged by Takehiro Honda.

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Gabor Szabo - Jazz Raga

Year : 1966
Label : Impulse!
Genre : Jazz
Style : Post Bop, Psychedelic, Jazz Rock

The meeting between R&B, Jazz and psychedelic music by the most famous Hungarian jazz guitarist Gabor Szabo featuring drummer Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie, bassist Jack Gregg, guitarist Bob Bushnell and percussionist Ed Shaugnessy in addition on "Mizrab". "Jazz Raga" is a pioneer album of fusion, mostly in the jazz rock style including Indian and Gypsy music elements that showcase sitar and tablas use. Titles include the two jazz standards "Caravan" by Duke Ellington and "Summertime" by George Gershwin, "Raga Doll" by Gary McFarland, "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones, the jazz rock "Sophisticated Wheels" and the transcendantal tracks "Walking On Nails" (feat. Gabor on vocals), "Krishna", "Search For Nirvana" and "Ravi". All tracks recorded at studio Rudy Van Gelder, composed by Szabo except those mentionned. 

Kimiko Kasai - This Is My Love

Year : 1975
Label : CBS
Genre : Jazz
Style : Smooth Jazz, Jazz Funk

Kimiko Kasai meets american top musicians featuring the great Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, Cornell Dupree, Bob Crankshaw & Joe Beck. Recorded at the famous Electric Ladyland studios in New York, "This is My Love" is among best productions of Kimiko Kasai including Jazz Funk & Smooth Jazz with killer song from Bill Withers "Use Me" based on the Esther Phillips version, nice sophisticated variation on the iconic pop hit "Happy Together" by The Turtles and the jazz standard "Love For Sale" by Cole Porter. Produced by Teo Macero.

MUSICIANS : Kimiko Kasai - vocals - Bob Crankshaw - bass - Allan Schwartzberg & Billy Lavangna - drums - Cornell Dupree, Jerry Friedman & Joe Beck - guitar - Bobby Scott - keyboards, vocals  - Lee Konitz - alto saxophone - Al John & Stan Getz - tenor saxophone  

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Serge Gainsbourg - Vu De L'Extérieur

 

Year : 1973 

Label : Philips 

Genre : Rock

Style : Pop, Funk/Soul
 

Second concept album of Serge Gainsbourg including poetry, funny onomatopoeia based on scatology (Des Vents Des Pets Des Poums) & childishness themes (Panpan Cucul). "Vu De L'Extérieur" is the first collaboration of Serge Gainsbourg with the british arranger/keyboardist Alan Hawkshaw featuring only english session musicians among bassist Brian Odgers from Apollo 100, guitarist Alan Parker, drummer Dougie Wright. or percussionist/drummer Chris Karan. As the pioneer and rock avant garde "Melody Nelson", it was unfortunately a commercial failure, however singles "Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'en Vais" (based on Paul Verlaine's poetry "Chanson d'Automne") and "Vu De L'Extérieur" known a big success in France. All tracks composed by Serge Gainsbourg, recorded at Phonogram Studio, London, except the voices & mixing at Studio Des Dames, Paris.

Toshiaki Yokota & The Beat Generation - Flute Adventure

Year : 1971

Label : King Records
Serie : New Emotional Work Series
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz,
Style : Jazz Rock, Free Jazz, Bossa Nova, Psychedelic Rock

"Flute Adventure" is a concept album including latin jazz, progressive rock & free jazz, recorded by The Beat Generation lead by Toshiaki Yokota (indian, alto & bass flute) featuring Kimio Mizutani (eg), Larry Sunaga (perc), Sadanori Nakamure (g), Masaoki Terakawa (eb) & Hideo Ishikawa (keys). The Beat Generation is a japanese avant-garde jazz collective influenced by French symbolism, american counterculture and psychedelic rock. Toshiaki Yokota is part of these japanese pioneers who introduced some traditional flutes in modern music with Minoru Muraoka & Hozan Yamamoto, and was member others iconic jazz rock formations in Japan such as the Takeshi Inomata's The Sound Limited or the progressive rock band, Love Live Life. The first side is a tribute to the Arthur Rimbaud's poetry, called "Le Soleil Etait Encore chaud" including four tracks within a Jazz Rock suite including african rhythms, psychedelia and free improvisations. The side B takes us on board in a Brazilian journey from Bossa to Samba including original Yokota's composition "Ofélia", "Samba De Orfeu" (played in a Samba-Rock fusion), "Orfeu Negro (Manhã De Carnaval)", both composed by Luiz Bonfa, and a rock variation of "Reza" coupled with his "Ending Samba".

John Patton - Accent On The Blues

Year : 1969
Label : Blue Note
Genre : Jazz
Style : Soul Jazz

Hard Bop & funky tunes by one famous Soul Jazz actor, sideman for Lou Donaldson on several Blue Note albums between 1962 to 1964. 'Big' John Patton and his Hammond B3 organ played in quartet formation featuring Leroy Williams, James Ulmer and Marvin Cabell. Marvin offers three of his own compositions (Captain Nasty, Village Lee & Lite Hit), the others titles including Rakin' And Scrapin' by Harold Mabern, a reprise of Eddie Harris' Jazz standard, Freedom Jazz Dance (popularized by Miles Davis) and Soul cover Don't Let Me Lose This Dream (Aretha Franklin).Produced by Francis Wolf and recorded at studio Rudy Van Gelder.

John Patton_organ

James Ulmer_guitar

Leroy Williams_drums

Marvin Cabell_tenor saxophone, flute

01. Rakin' And Scrapin'
02. Freedom Jazz Dance
03. Captain Nasty
04. Village Lee
05. Lite Hit
06. Don't Let Me Lose This Dream

Takehiro Honda - Reaching For Heaven

Year : 1978
Label : Flying Disk
Genre : Jazz
Style : Contemporary Jazz, Fusion

"Reaching For Heaven" is the second of three albums serie released on the japanese label Flying Disk, including "Another Departure" in 1977 and "It's Great Outside" in 1978. Takehiro Honda Trio is formed with the same legendary duo featuring bassist Ron Carter & drummer Tony Williams from the Second Great Quintet of Miles Davis. Recorded during the "Another Departure" sessions at Vanguard Studio in 1977, New-York, the album includes various Jazz sandards & covers from Oliver Nelson (Ostinato), Horace Silver (Peace), Bobby Hutcherson (Little B's Poem), Victor Young (Beautiful Love) and the original composition by Honda (Lazy Dream). Produced by Kiyoshi Itoh and Yukio Morisaki.

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Yuji Ohno Trio With Friends - Boss Piano

Year : 2012
Label : LUPINTIC/VAP
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Bossa Nova, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Jazz Funk

"BOSS PIANO" is among best productions recorded by Yuji Ohno from the last decade on his own label "LUPINTIC". In fact, from Yuji Ohno Trio With Friends only "Satin Doll" is performed by the trio formed with bassist Yosuke Inoue and drummer Yoshihito Eto, for the rest feature all members of his Lupintic Five jazz funk band. From R&B to Latin Jazz by Pop Music, Yuji Ohno revisits several popular songs of the 20th century, "Georgia" by Ray Charles, "What Now, My Love?" ("Et Maintenant" by Gilbert Bécaud), "Goin' Out Of My Head", "See See Rider" and great jazz standards including Duke Ellinghton's "Satin Doll", Red Garland's "Rojo" or The Afro-Cuban jazz classic "Manteca" by Dizzie Gillepsie. All tracks arranged by Yuji Ohno.

MUSICIANS : 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 

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Freddie Hubbard - Backlash

Year : 1967
Label : Atlantic
Genre : Jazz
Style : Hard Bop

His first of four Atlantic albums between Hard Bop, Avant-Garde and Soul Jazz featuring James Spauling and Ray Barretto. Titles include own compositions of Freddie Hubbard, Backlash by Don Pickett and popularized by Nina Simone, 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_congas

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