SUPERSOUND

This is Super Sound ! A collection of some incredible catchy beats and insane groovy sounds including heavy funk & crossover jazz, featuring Manu Dibango, The Fatback Band, Kool & The Gang, Betty Davis, Oliver Nelson, Earth Wind And Fire, Oneness Of Juju, O'Donel Levy, The Sisters Love, Incredible Bongo Band, Eric Burdon & War, Jimmy Castor Bunch and many more... All tracks recorded between 1968-1976, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop​.

Yuji Ohno - The Boss & His Piano ~ Selected Works 1967 - 1975

Dedicated to the legendary japanese jazz pianist, "The Boss & His Piano" includes essential studio & live recordings by Yuji Ohno as a sideman and under his own name. Best known as composer of various background music for films and animation series, Yuji Ohno played alongside the greatest japanese jazz musicians among trumpeter Terumasa Hino, the drummers Masahiko Togashi & Hideo Shiraki or guitarist Ryo Kawasaki from Gil Evans Orchestra. From 1970 to 1975, his regular jazz trio consists of drummer Kazuyoshi Okayama and the bassists Yoshio Ikeda, Takashi Mizuhashi. During the seventies, he was an arranger in demand who regularly collaborated with various japanese jazz songstress such as Mieko Hirota, Martha Miyake, Kimiko Kasai, Hatsumi Shibata, the american Ann Young and brazilian Sonia Rosa. All tracks recorded between 1967-1975, featuring Terumasa Hino, Kimiko Kasai, Yuji Ohno, Sonia Rosa, Ann Young, Itaru Oki, Hiroshi Suzuki, Masahiko Togashi. Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Akira Ishikawa & The Gentures - Beat Pops / Drum Hits

Year : 1970
Label : Denon
Genre : Jazz, Rock
Style : Jazz Rock, Pop

Originally recorded in 1969, "Beat Pops / Drum Hits" is a cover album of international pop hits from the late sixties, performed by the first incarnation of the Count Buffalos conducted by jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa. Titles include various western popular songs such as "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies, "Come Together" by The Beatles, "Green River" by The Creedance, "Love Me Tonight" by Tom Jones, "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley or the Rolling Stones' classic "Honky Tonk Women". Among others titles include a french song, "Aime Ceux Qui T'aiment" by Danièle Vidal, best known in Japan than in France under "Tenshi No Rakugaki" name. All tracks arranged by Masahiko Aoi.

MUSICIANS : Akira Ishikawa - drums - Takeshi Onodera - percussion - Hiromasa Suzuki - keyboards - Kiyoshi Sugimoto - guitar - Masaoki Terakawa & Isao Eto - bass - Takeru Muraoka - soprano saxophone - Hiroshi Suzuki - trombone - Tetsuo Fushimi - trumpet

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New Stream In Jazz Vol. 5

Compilation series dedicated to the golden era of the japanese jazz scene through the years 60's-70's. Following the volume 1, the volume 5 bringing together other titles ranging from Soul Jazz to Hard Bop by Post Bop style, including various jazz standards and original compositions by Kazuo Yashiro, Yuji Ohno, Norio Maeda, Hiroshi Suzuki, Takehiro Honda, Shungo Sawada & Takeru Muraoka, Jake H. Conception, Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats, Akira Ishikawa, Takeshi Inomata, Keitaro Miho, The Freedom Unity. All tracks released between 1969-1972. Compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Tom Zé - Grande Liquidação

Year : 2011/1968

Label : Mr Bongo/Rozenbilt

Genre : Latin, Rock

Style : MPB, Psychedelia

The "Grande Liquidação" is the first testimony from one of the greatest talent coming from the Sao Paulo scene, a protest album including sharp criticism of the post-industrial Brazilian era and the consommation society. Tom Zé is an iconic figure of the Tropicália movement alongside Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil & Os Mutantes, the musical revolution that introduced electric guitars in Brazilian music. The movement was mostly influenced by the psychedelic rock including protest speech, provocative & satirical lyrics, breaking with the spirit of Bossa Nova. Tom Zé surrounded himself by two backing band whose the brazilian psychedelic rock band "Os Brazões". Titles include "São São Paulo" & "Gloria" featuring Os Brazões, Tropicália classic "Namorinho De Portão", "Sem Entrada E Sem Mais Nada", "Quero Sambar Meu Bem". All tracks written by Tom Zé, songs 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 & 11 performed by Tom Zé with Os Versáteis.

New Stream In Jazz Vol. 4 ~ Psychedelic Jazz & Rock

Compilation series dedicated to the golden era of the japanese jazz scene through the years 60's-70's. This volume is completely dedicated to the Jazz Rock music including blues accent & psychedelia. It features eminent protagonists of the japanese jazz rock scene of the early seventies such as Kiyoshi Sugimoto, George Otsuka, Jiro Inagaki, Akira Ishikawa, Yoshiaki Masuo, Takeshi Inomata, Hiromasa Suzuki, Toshiaki Yokota & Kaolu Iiyoshi. All tracks recorded between 1969-1972, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

The Psychedelic Soul Vol. 3 ~ Japanese Beat & Rock 'N Roll

Vol. 3 of the compilation series dedicated to the japanese beat (Groups Sounds), Rock 'N' Roll and psychedelic music. Titles include twenty tracks from Pop to Rhythm 'N' Blues by Progressive Rock featuring Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys, Kiyoshi Sugimoto, The Golden Cups, Jun Mayuzumi, Sadakazu Tabata & Rhythm Kings, Sammy & many more... All tracks released between 1966 - 1972, compiled & mixed by Be Hard Bop.

Mulatu Astatke Featuring Fekade Amde Maskal ‎- Yekatit Ethio-Jazz

Year : 2013/1974
Label : Heavenly Sweetness/Amha Records
Genre : Jazz, World
Style : Soul Jazz, Ethio-Jazz, Afro-Jazz

"Yekatit Ethio-Jazz" was originally released in 1974 on Ethiopian label, Amha Records, bringing together various tracks recorded by Mulatu Astatke from 1969 to 1974 featuring his fellow countryman, the saxophonist Fekade Amde Maskal. Formed at Boston's Berklee College of Music during the sixties, Mulatu Astatke is a multi-instrumentalist, founder of the Ethio-Jazz typical genre, the first to combine traditional ethiopian sound with Jazz & Latin music. Indeed, in 1966, Mulatu & His Quintet have recorded in New York City, two Afro-Cuban Jazz albums (Afro-Latin Soul, Volumes 1 & 2), which lead him to introduce latin & western instruments in the popular Ethiopian music. Mulatu has gained an international recognition many years later, first  thanks to the Parisian label Buda Musique, which selected some of his best songs included in the volume 4 from the Éthiopiques compilation series, a volume entirely devoted to him ("Éthiopiques Vol. 4 : Ethio Jazz" & "Musique Instrumentale 1969-1974"). In U.S., three of his compositions including "Yèkèrmo Sèw" and "Gubèlyé" were selected for the "Broken Flowers" original soundtrack in 2005, directed by Jim Jarmusch. At last, various great names of Hip-Hop sampled his songs such as Nas, Cut Chemist from Jurassic 5, Quantic or Madlib. All tracks composed by Mulatu Astatke except "Asmarina" by Fekade Amde Maskal, "Ené Alantchi Alnorem" by Girma Hadgu, the traditionals  "Sabyé" & "Gubèlyé".

Chet Baker ‎- Sextet & Quartet

Year : 1960
Label : Music Records
Genre : Jazz
Style : Bop, Cool Jazz 

Also known as "Chet Baker In Milan" released on Jazzland U.S. label, "Sextet & Quartet" is a Bop & Cool Jazz album recorded during the Milanese sessions of Chet featuring only italian jazz musicians including Glauco Masetti (as), Gianni Basso (ts), Renato Sellani (p), Franco Cerri (b) and Gene Victory (ds). As title suggests, it includes tracks performed in quartet ("Look For The Silver", "Lady Bird", "Line For Lions", "Tune Up", "Cheryl Blues" & "Pent Up House"), while others performed in sextet where Gianni Basso and Glauco Masetti are added ("My Old Flame" & "Indian Summer"). All tracks was arranged by Giulio Libano and recorded september 25, 29 & october 6,1959 at Gurtler Studio in Milan.

Teruo Nakamura And The Rising Sun - Song Of The Birds

Year : 1977
Label : Kitty
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk

Also known as the U.S. issue "Manhattan Special" with different cover, "Song Of The Birds" is the third solo album by japanese bassist & multi-instrumentalist Teruo Nakamura. Settled in New York since 1964, Teruo has already worked for the greatest like Stanley Turrentine, George Benson, Roy Haynes, Grover Washington Jr, Helen Merrill, Steve Grossman and many more. Recorded  in New York, featuring "The Rising Sun Band", formed by Teruo &guitarist/keyboardist Shiro Mori from the previous album "Rising Sun" in 1976, it includes also some prestigious guests such as Herbie Hancock or trumpeter John Mosley from the Roy Ayers Ubiquity. Titles include pure Jazz Funk tracks to the Headhunters' style (Wiggle Worm, Firefly, Mr. Cherry And Mr. T) and Afro-Latin fusion (Rainbow, Sequoia Forest, Mosquito, Sunrise In Africa). The music of Teruo transcends musical borders of jazz, as evidenced several of his songs which have been sampled by US Hip-Hop artists as such The Roots with "The Cat" (1976) for "Ital (The Universal Side)" or P.M. Dawn with "Firefly" for "Filthy Rich (I Don't Wanna Be)".

THE RISING SUN BAND : Teruo Nakamura - bass, harmonica, synthesizer, percussion - Shiro Mori - guitar, synthesizer - Mark Gray - piano, electric piano, synthesizer, organ - Harry Whitaker - piano, electric piano - Carter Jefferson - tenor, soprano saxophone - Keiji Kishida - drums - Nobu Urushiyama - percussion

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Sadao Watanabe - Live At The Junk

Year : 1970
Label : CBS
Genre : Jazz
Style : Bossa Nova, Jazz Rock

Amazing recording live performed in concert by the Sadao Watanabe Quartet at the Jazz Club "Junk", Ginza, Tokyo, 26 & 27th december, 1969. Sadao plays with his regular rhythm section from 1968 to 1970 featuring guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo, bassist Yoshio Suzuki & his brother, the drummer Fumio Watanabe. "Live At The Junk" is the synthesis of Sadao's career, started as a leader in 1961, including various recordings ranging from Bossa Nova to Jazz Rock by Modal. Titles include jazz standards from Charlie Parker (Cheryl) & Jimmy Van Heusen (Here's That Rainy Day), Bossa Nova compositions from Antonio Carlos Jobim (No More Blues, Granny's Samba~Ending Felicidade), two famous cover pop songs (Georgia On My Mind, This Guy's In Love With You) and the original Sadao's Jazz Rock composition, "If I Said The Sky Was Fallin" taken from the japanese TV drama "Matte Masu Wa" broadcasted on TBS from 1969.

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