[engl] A mid 1960s rock'n'soul smasher! Shirly Ellis and her songwriting team went for a colorful album here combining hard hitting rock'n'roll with a slightly softened garage flavor and lush soulful pop. It presents smooth yet striking vocal melodies on nearly ecstatic rhythmical patterns. Dance songs thrown in for the good measure put an emphasize on the groove that shake and rattle your funky bones! Shirley Ellis knows to put words together and sing them in a way that they put fuel to the rhythm fire. The album will certainly appeal to soul aficionados but this goes deeper and further and melts down the borders to beat and rock'n'roll. Despite the singer's age this album felt fresh and youthful which is owed to her timelessly elegant voice that shows class and style even in the more naughty moments. A fantastic gem for certain and a must have for fans of black 60s pop, soul and rock'n'roll.

[engl] "Sohail Rana, versatile maestro of film and pop composition, and leading force in pioneering the cultural landscape of modern Pakistan. His longplay masterpiece, Khyber Mail is stocked with groovy eastern moods, electric organ, sitar soul and surf guitar." Alan Bishop (Sublime Frequencies / Sun City Girls) Khyber Mail is a concept album designed to invoke images and sounds of a high speed Pakistani freight train travelling from Karachi to Peshawar, was dominated by Sohail's whining and addictive electric keyboard and a motoric rhythm section of beaty percussion and sitars introducing a form of radical patchwork pop and mechanical music to a warm receptive audience. By combining the folk music of the Sindh and the Punjab with maverick sounds, signatures and rhythms, Khyber Mail marks a landmark shift in the Pakistani pop industry kick-starting a lengthy career for one of its best loved musical patrons while setting a challenging new standard for the "plugged-in" Lollywood pop scene that would explode at the turn of the decade. All aboard and full steam ahead for the Khyber Mail Twist. The newest instalment in our critically acclaimed Sound Of Wonder series, 2011 will also see the release our Life Is Dance – our second compilation of plugged in Pakistani pop Original vinyl copies command prices in excess of £300 on certain internet auction sites – if you’re lucky enough to come across one.

[engl] In 1965 - only a few months after recording „Ghosts“ with Albert Ayler - Sonny Murray released his first album as a leader. „Sonny's time now“ is one of the holy grails for collectors and aficionados of free avant garde jazz music from the 1960s and while original vinyl copies fetch prices up to 270,00 US$ and more ,even the first Japanese reissue from 1986 on vinyl and CD is rare as stardust these days and goes up to 100,00 US$ for a mint CD copy. Well, we will take a closer look at this album due to this current reissue, which is the first in 30 years. Albert Ayler and his „Ghosts“ album from 1965 were already a hard thing to swallow except for the most adventurous explorers of the furthest corners of the border districts of music. You need an unconventional view on onomatopeia to enter this world and drummer Sonny Murray went another step ahead on „Sonny's time now“. The lengthy piece „Virtue“ presents an ever pulsating wall of rhythm that reminds me of a wuthering ocean with the horn section going nuts on top. The saxes and trumpets are constantly erupting and it is a challenge for the listener to find the melodies among their output of sound. „Justice“, another lengthy piece divided into two parts, continues the quest „Virtue“ began. And soon you begin to understand what this is all about. The atmosphere of these free improvisations slowly swallows you and the shrieks of the saxophones and trumpets free your soul from your physical appearance. What feels like an impenetrable thicket of sound at first soon will offer you enlightenment and a memorable structure within all the chaos. The same year that John Coltrane took the last step away from traditional jazz and music in general this album was equally radical but seems to have disappeared within the depths of music history. The most radical piece on this record comes with the shorter „Black art“, a writing by activist and controversial poet Amiri Baraka underlined with freak out eruptions of Sonny Murray and his mates. This is the right soundtrack for a cathartic meditation and when the last tune is over you will be another person. For fans of Coltrane and the likes a must have.

[engl] While in 1963 Beat and Rock'n'Roll ruled the charts and airwaves at full throttle, there still was a scene for more gentle and lightweight music out there to get you into a joyful mood right when you put the vinyl onto your turntable. Swinging jazz and latin dance music of the popular kind combined as a force of light if you want to say so. And grand master Stan Getz, a very prolific and renowned saxophone player since the late 1940s joined in with Luiz Bonfá for a record. The latter one was a legend in Brazil as a jazz guitarist and composer. And both as a musical unit produced one of the greatest ever paths crossing record in the field of merely acoustic latin pop. A few well placed vocal lines flanked by Mr. Getz' utterly sensual saxophone playing and restrained yet very intense guitar lines on a groundwork of poly rhythmical grooves make you want to get up and dance. The majority of the tunes on this album is all instrumental and both leaders of the project shine here as the brightest stars of the scene. If you close your eyes you will find yourself in some open and sun flushed Brazilian venue where waiters with white jackets serve drinks and a well dressed ladies with a certain mysterious charisma try to catch your eye while you zip on your bourbon and let your mind float away to the slightly melancholic but still vital melodies. A gentle record for gentle hours and a legend on it's own. Still as fresh and exciting as it has been in 1963 and highly sought after by fans of jazzy latin sounds from those days. You wait for Astrud Gilberto to set in each second and sing about the girl of Epanema, no joke. Sound and performance are as expected. Clear and always beneficial to the song itself but adorned with the most passionate solos you could find on such a record. Sheer joy pressed on vinyl!

[engl] Drummer and composer extraordinaire Steve Reid’s Rhythmatism is one of his deepest and most radical of albums of all time and features some of the heaviest jazz players - Arthur Blythe ‘AKA Black Arthur’, Charles Tyler, David Wertman and others – joining Reid. The album was originally released on Reid’s own Mustevic Sound label in 1976 As a radical jazz artist, Steve Reid played with an extraordinary group of artists – including Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, James Brown, Ornette Coleman, Lester Bowie, Freddie Hubbard, Jackie McLean, Dionne Warwick, Archie Shepp, Chief Bey, Olatunji, Arthur Blythe, , Dextor Gordon, Gary Bartz, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Sam Rivers, Leon Thomas, Lonnie Smith and Horace Silver! Reid was born in the South Bronx, and grew up in Queens, New York. He played in the house band at Harlem's Apollo Theatre, accompanying James Brown, as well as playing in Sun Ra's Arkestra. He lived next to John Coltrane, worked in a department store with Ornette Coleman, had a son who played drums with NWA. He began his career as a teenager in the 1960s as a drummer at Motown when he played on Martha and The Vandellas "Heatwave" (aged 14). At the end of the 1960s Reid was sentenced to four years in jail as a conscientious objector of the Vietnam war. On his release from prison in 1974, he formed the Legendary Master Brotherhood and started the independent record label, Mustevic Sound, to release his debut LP in 1976. Rhythmatism is released in its entirety and with full original cover art here and is one of a series of stunning independent records he released in the 1970s. At the start of the 21st century, his career took a new twist when Steve Reid began a successful collaboration with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet). Hebden referred to Reid as his ‘musical soul mate’, resulting in a number of joint albums. Steve Reid died in New York in 2010. Subsequently the Steve Reid Foundation was set up in his name, to help aspiring musicians and artists.

[engl] All star line-up Jazz fusion classic from 1976 * Featuring members of the Nina Simone-Miles Davis & Jaco Pastorius bands * Out of print on vinyl since 1976 * Featuring the original design by Jazz artist Anne Maria Schnider * Limited deluxe vinyl edition of 1000 copies Tidal Waves Music proudly presents the reissue of this long out of print Jazz/Funk classic originally released on PM Records in 1976. Featuring an all-star line up comprised out of Steve Grossman (best known for his saxophone performances & recordings with Miles Davis), Gene Perla (Nina Simone) & percussionist Don Alias (Jaco Pastorius Big Band, Blue Note). Included is a hip rendering of Stevie Wonder's "Creepin'" & the album's best-known song "Sweetie Pie" (mentioned in the track oot Down' by the Beastie Boys & sampled by rap-outfits like Original Flavor, Leaders of the New School amongst others). Stone Alliance's eponymous debut album hits hard like a sonic hurricane, this landmark album is a rebellious effort and a must hear for '70s jazz fans. Officially licensed from PM Records and featuring the original artwork created by Anne Maria Schnider. Now back available as a deluxe limited vinyl edition (1000 copies) for the first time since 1976.

[engl] In the years leading up to 1971, Sun Ra wrote many compositions and poems specifically inspired by the ancient African Kingdoms and many others with associated mythological and heliocentric connotations. As such, a visit to Egypt and the opportunity for the Arkestra to play there was a matter of necessity. Ra’s first ever concerts outside of the US had occurred in late summer and autumn of 1970 with performances in France, Germany and the UK and a second European tour was arranged for late 1971. At the end of that second tour, Ra caught wind of cheap flights from Denmark to Cairo. These releases comprise recordings made by Arkestra member Thomas “Bugs” Hunter made in December 1971 in the streets around the Mena House Hotel, Giza, from a concert held at the house of Goethe Institute ex-pat Hartmut Geerken in Heliopolis, from a live Cairo TV channel broadcast and a concert at the Ballon Theatre in Cairo. Ra subsequently edited the three LPs of the ‘Live In Egypt’ series for release on his Saturn record label and its affiliated twin, Thoth Intergalactic: ‘Dark Myth Equation Visitation’, ‘Nidhamu’ and ‘Horizon’. These three albums are now reissued for the first time individually in their original artwork and all tracks are remastered from the original tapes.

[engl] “Sun Ra said he came from Saturn, because white America treated him like an alien, like a creature from outer space, so he became one, an anarcho-emperor of the fantastic, who made it to the moon before America or Russia, because the moon was nowhere near as far out as he could really go.“ – Paul Morley Strut and Art Yard join forces for a special release to mark what would have been Sun Ra’s 100th birthday with ’In The Orbit Of Ra’, a new collection presented by the longest serving member of the Arkestra and current bandleader, Marshall Allen. Bringing together Ra highights from over 25 years of music, the album is the first internationally released compilation to provide an introduction to the music of Sun Ra, mastered from the original tapes with extended and unreleased tracks. In addition to the track selection, the release features recollections and contributions from some of the core Arkestra line-up including Marshall Allen, Michael Ray, Knoel Scott and Danny Ray Thompson. For the music, the selection takes us through the huge variety and intricacy of the Arkestra’s work covering the ‘60s to early ‘80s, from the celestial blues of ‘Spontaneous Simplicity’ and ‘Plutonian Nights’ to the urgent jazz of ‘Rocket Number Nine Take Off For Planet Venus’ and ‘Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens’. The album features an exclusive previously unreleased Sun Ra track from the Art Yard archives, the acoustic ‘Trying To Put The Blame On Me’ recorded live in Rome in 1977, along with a previously unreleased Part 1 of ‘Reflects Motion’ from 1962 and an unheard extended version of ‘Island In The Sun’ from the late ‘60s. ‘In The Orbit Of Ra’ is released on 2CD, 2LP and digital formats. Physical formats feature full interview with Marshall Allen along with rare photos by Val Wilmer.

[engl] In the years leading up to 1971, Sun Ra wrote many compositions and poems specifically inspired by the ancient African Kingdoms and many others with associated mythological and heliocentric connotations. As such, a visit to Egypt and the opportunity for the Arkestra to play there was a matter of necessity. Ra’s first ever concerts outside of the US had occurred in late summer and autumn of 1970 with performances in France, Germany and the UK and a second European tour was arranged for late 1971. At the end of that second tour, Ra caught wind of cheap flights from Denmark to Cairo. These releases comprise recordings made by Arkestra member Thomas “Bugs” Hunter made in December 1971 in the streets around the Mena House Hotel, Giza, from a concert held at the house of Goethe Institute ex-pat Hartmut Geerken in Heliopolis, from a live Cairo TV channel broadcast and a concert at the Ballon Theatre in Cairo. Ra subsequently edited the three LPs of the ‘Live In Egypt’ series for release on his Saturn record label and its affiliated twin, Thoth Intergalactic: ‘Dark Myth Equation Visitation’, ‘Nidhamu’ and ‘Horizon’. These three albums are now reissued for the first time individually in their original artwork and all tracks are remastered from the original tapes.

[engl] Strut present the definitive collection of singles released by Sun Ra across his illustrious career, spanning 1952 to 1991. Released prolifically during the 1950s and more sporadically thereafter, primarily on the Saturn label, the 45s offer one-off meteorites from Ra’s prolific cosmic journey, tracing the development of his forward-thinking “Space-Bop” and his unique take on jazz and blues traditions. The collection is hugely varied, ranging from Ra’s spoken word recitations and his early work with Chicago vocal groups to the different phases of his Arkestra, small group and duet recordings. The singles are also unpredictable vehicles for Ra’s music, combining different tracks from different sessions and occasionally making available music which was recorded many years beforehand. As with his LPs, most 45s were only pressed in small runs and have since become extremely rare and sought after. Only a small handful of copies of ‘Love In Outer Space’ b/w ‘Mayan Temple’ and ‘The Blue One’ b/w ‘Orbitration In Blue’ have ever been seen; some have only been discovered in physical form in recent years; some were planned and pencilled but allegedly never made it to vinyl (including ‘Saturn’ and ‘Velvet’ from the Jazz In Silhouette LP) and some appeared as limited one-off magazine singles and posthumous releases, including ‘Hell #1’ aka ‘Out There A Minute’. The set is the most comprehensive collection of Ra’s singles to date. Sleeve note writers Francis Gooding and Paul Griffiths brilliantly illustrate the role of the single within Ra’s career and break down each release with detailed track by track notes. Working with Sun Ra LLC and Sun Ra archivist Michael D. Anderson, Strut has also assembled the best possible master sources for each track. All formats feature fully remastered tracks, rare photos, original 45 artwork, Francis Gooding’s extensive sleeve notes, an interview with Saturn Records founder Alton Abraham by John Corbett and detailed track by track and session notes by Paul Griffiths. These releases comprise recordings made by Arkestra member Thomas “Bugs” Hunter made in December 1971 in the streets around the Mena House Hotel, Giza, from a concert held at the house of Goethe Institute ex-pat Hartmut Geerken in Heliopolis, from a live Cairo TV channel broadcast and a concert at the Ballon Theatre in Cairo. Ra subsequently edited the three LPs of the ‘Live In Egypt’ series for release on his Saturn record label and its affiliated twin, Thoth Intergalactic: ‘Dark Myth Equation Visitation’, ‘Nidhamu’ and ‘Horizon’. These three albums are now reissued for the first time individually in their original artwork and all tracks are remastered from the original tapes.

[engl] Earlier in 2017 Everland Jazz presented a reissue of Danser's Inferno's - Creation One, originally released in 1973. Now we present the even more obscure release The Danser Revolution by The John Danser Octet, almost impossible to find in original format. The ultra rare funky jazz LP from 1977 contains the killer funky fusion tune ''Cool'' known for being sampled by Gangstarr, Blackalicious and J.Dilla. At age 14, John Danser emigrated from London and established himself in New York City where he earned a master's degree in music at the Manhattan school of music. In his early years, Danser played in classical as well as jazz gigs, simultaneously arranging and composing. In the 1970?s, composer and multi-instrumentalist John Danser formed Danser?s Inferno, a funky Jazz-Rock-Fusion band, an ensemble of 14 very talented musicians. The John Danser Octet most probably contains the core of that same ensemble but the groups?s single album is so rare that little is known about it?s exact origins. So, just let the great music speak for itself. Licensed from Jessica Danser