Jamiroquai Go Back To Their Roots

Kiss 100 FM in London recently spoke to Jay from Jamiroquai prior to their gig at the Lovebox Festival. He is hinting at taking the band back to their roots after their split from Sony Records.

...two new tracks that we've written - they're going on the greatest hits, so there's 18 tracks on that... And then when we've done that I'm going to take some time off to regroup, because obviously I've finished my deal with Sony....I need to regroup, think about what I want to do. So, then I think what we'll do is start our Greatest Hits tour in October, but what I will be doing is, I'll be bringing 3 brass on as well, back to the old school in a way...3 brass, or even 5 brass, if I'm feeling flush - 5 brass, 3 girls, you know what I mean, and get the whole thing kind of working, back to the numbers we used to do as well.

Basically, what I'm going to do is going to say right, we're not allowed to do any of the numbers we have done in the past four years, to bring back the old songs - and that's really important - something to look forward to...

Listen to the full interview here.

Courtesy of funkin.com

The Brand New Heavies - Surrender

In 2004, The Brand New Heavies recruited vocalist Nicole Russo to help out on their long awaited album, ALLOUBTTHEFUNK. Surrender was the second single off that album.

Galliano - A Joyful Noise Unto The Creator

Galliano was a London based acid jazz group, started up in 1988. The group was the first ever signing to Eddie Piller and Gilles Peterson's Acid Jazz Records.

A loose collective during its first years, the group comprised Gallagher with raps and turntables, vocalist Valerie Étienne (aka Auntie Val), guitarist Mark Vandergucht, bass player Ernie McKone, drummer Crispin Taylor, keyboard player Mick Talbot (formerly with the Style Council), and contributors Brother Spry, Daddy Smith, and, occasionally, Roy Ayers.

Galliano's first release was the 1989 single "Frederick Lies Still," a tender play on the Superfly anthem "Freddie's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield.
The band's debut full-length, In Pursuit of the 13th Note, followed two years later on Talkin' Loud.

A Joyful Noise Unto the Creator was released in 1992, after which, Galliano received an American contract and released What Colour Our Flag as a basic trainer (the album compiled the best tracks from the first two LPs).

The Plot Thickens, issued in 1995, was the group's proper U.S. debut. A year later, Galliano returned with 4 (Four).


01. Grounation Part 1
02. Jus' Reach
03. Skunk Funk
04. Earth Boots
05. Phantom
06. Jazz-
07. New World Order
08. So Much Confusion
09. Totally Together
10. Golden Flower
11. Prince Of Peace
12. Grounation Part 2

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Liquid Soul - Here's The Deal

Chicago's very own Liquid Soul continues to drop major doses of acid jazz on Here's The Deal (Shanachie Records). On this third studio release, band leader and saxophonist Mars Williams leads Liquid Soul even further into the seldom explored adventureland of jazz, funk, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and Latin sounds.

It's definitely all about fusion, flava and fun on Here's The Deal_"Sure Fire One" opens the record with a blistering freestyle delivery from Windy City rapper MCB and the band lays down a surprising Middle Eastern scale over the groove in the middle of the track. Nina Simone's daughter Simone makes her recording debut with Liquid Soul on the sultry invitational "Stop By Monie's" and on the deep sexy groove number "Dysfunction." Liquid Soul's resident MC Dirty MF does the deed once again on loose and fluid "Show Me."

Liquid Soul once again acknowledges its debt to the jazz greats, with a live Y2K version of Miles Davis' "All Blues" and a tribute to Dizzy Gillespie called "The Diz." And the twelve tracks are further enhanced by DJ Ajax's innovative use of ambient sounds in addition to the usual word and jazz samples that have always distinguished Liquid Soul's progressive sound. On Here's The Deal, Liquid Soul lays it all out for everyone to hear and feel. Whether in the studio or performing the intensely energetic live shows for which they are famous, Liquid Soul always delivers maximum quality with maximum style.

01. Sure Fire One
02. The Diz
03. Stop By Monie's
04. Everybody's Got One
05. Show Me
06. Sex Tablet
07. All Blues
08. Sweet Pea
09. Donkey Punch
10. Dysfunction
11. Rocket Scientist
12. Spam Sucker

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Incognito Triple Treat

Head on over to Best of ...Both Worlds for a triple treat... 3 Incognito albums. Jazzfunk, Let the Music Play, and Eleven.

James Taylor Quartet - JTQ Theme

The Story of Acid Jazz

Metro's double-disc The Story of Acid Jazz collects the highlights from the style and label's heyday in the late '80s, including tracks such as Galliano's "Frederick Lies Still," the Brand New Heavies' "Dream Come True," the James Taylor Quartet's "A Good Thing," and Vibraphonic's "Trust Me."

Snowboy, the Subterraneans, and the Quiet Boys are some of the other better-known artists on the album, although for acid jazz fans, the compilation's real value might lie in the names that aren't so familiar: Mother Earth's "Apple Green" and "Jesse" are unusually soulful contributions, while O.H.M.'s "Sweet Ohm" takes a funkier, more abstract turn and the Apostles' "Super Strut" embodies the smooth yet funky style that came to characterize acid jazz as a whole.

Overall, The Story of Acid Jazz is a solid collection that should please acid jazz diehards and newcomers alike.

01 Frederick Lies Still - Galliano
02 Let The Good Times Roll - Quiet Boys/Galliano
03 I'm The One - D'Influence
04 Dream Come True - The Brand New Heavies
05 Never Stop - K-Collective
06 Sunship - Sunship
07 Stay This Way - The Brand New Heavies
08 Lucky Fellow - Snowboy/Noel McKoy
09 Livin' Life Your Own Way - Rose Windross
10 Taurus Woman - The Subterraneans
11 Girl Overboard - Snowboy/Anna Ross
12 Apple Green - Mother Earth
13 Super Strut - Apostles
14 Jesse - Mother Earth


Disk 2 to come soon.

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D.I.G. - Speakeasy

Directions In Groove (DIG) were a popular Australian acid jazz band originally from the suburb of Redfern in Sydney, who produced several distinctive acid-jazz / groove / funk albums in the 1990's.

DIG released several albums on the EMI Music Australia and Polygram labels, with "Speakeasy" and "Deeper" achieving double platinum status. DIG have also toured the world, playing alongside artists such as Herbie Hancock and Bootsy Collins.

The original DIG lineup featured Tim Rollinson on guitar, Scott Saunders on keyboards and vocals, Rick Robertson on Sax, Terepai Richmond on Drums and Alex Hewetson on Bass. The band's most popular tracks include "The Favourite", "Reinvent Yourself", and "Hip Replacement".

DIG were also famous for their live performances at The Basement, a club situated in the heart of Sydney, near Circular Quay which has been a landmark of the Australian music scene since the early 1970s.

01 Hot cakes
02 Futures
03 Third stroke
04 You get the crime
05 The last minute
06 First steps
07 History? (Is this the end of)
08 Same like B3
09 Klunky
10 Fringe dweller
11 Merlin’s muse

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Courtney Pine - Back In The Day

No one better embodies the dramatic transformation in the British Jazz scene over the past twenty years than Courtney Pine. The saxophonist heads a new generation of exciting and innovative musicians who have chosen to turn their talents to the demanding requirements of jazz music, in all its shapes and forms.

"Back In The Day" was released in September 2000 with stunning vocal contributions from Beverley Knight, Lynden David Hall and Kele Le Roc. Again media attention was high and Courtney delivered - with widespread critical acclaim, more award nominations and radio support for the album and chosen singles.

01 Intro Search
02 Jazz Step
03 Hard Times
04 Brother Man
05 Keel It Real
06 Interlude: Straight Ahead Hip Hop
07 Lady Day & John Coltrane
08 My Father's Playes
09 Yeah Yeah
10 Interlude: Quartet No.1
11 Inter State Of Mind
12 Power To The People
13 Love & Affection
14 Third Man
15 Meditate: Outro

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Young Disciples - Apparently Nothin' (Soul River)

Down To The Bone - Cellar Funk

Down To The Bone's groove gets harder, funkier, and juicier on their Narada Jazz debut, CELLAR FUNK.
Hailed as kings of the U.K. groove jazz, the ensemble first rocked the U.S. charts in 1996 with the smash hit, FROM MANHATTEN TO STATEN. Down To The Bone's powerful sound revolutionized the smooth jazz genre, giving the "easy listening" format a fresh jolt of dance, soul, and funk.

Down To The Bone's highly-talented live core band is made up of artists who previously made a name for themselves as session musicians for some of the most popular jazz and funk bands today. Paul 'Shilts' Weimer was in the horn section for the Brand New Heavies, and Tony Remy (guitar) has toured with Lonnie Liston Smith and Craig David. Neil Angilley (keyboards), Julian Crampton (bass for Incognito), and Adrian Revell (sax who has toured with Jamiroqui), are all important in creating the signature sound. Down To The Boneýs mastermind Stuart Wade believes when these fine musicians take the stage for a live performance, they are the focus: "When these guys go out as Down To The Bone they are, at last, the stars.

01 Back in Business
02 I'll Always Hold You Close
03 Timeless
04 The Flow
05 Crossing Boundaries
06 Cellar Funk
07 You're the Only Reason
08 Dancing to a Samba
09 Global Village
10 L.A. Shakedown
11 Little Smile
12 Down in the Basement

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Incognito - Eleven

The U.K.-based supergroup Incognito released their 11th career recording and it's a sleek, pop/jazz offering that will have you swinging and swaying to their groovy guitars, big horns, and soulful vocals. This is the first time the group has recorded with its touring band and it's a whole new groove. This sophisticated take on acid jazz features such great songs as "Baby It's Alright," "Show Me Love," and "As Long as It's You" The soulful vocals of Maysa Leak and Imaani bring a great dimension to Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick's company and it's definitely a keeper.

01 Let the Mystery Be
02 We Got Music
03 Come Away with Me
04 Baby It's Alright
05 When Tomorrow Brings You Down
06 Jacaranda
07 Show Me Love
08 Will I Ever Learn?
09 I'll Get By
10 It's Just One of Those Things
11 As Long as It's You

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