Citrus Sun - Another Time Another Space

Incognito founder Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick focuses on an instrumental smooth jazz sound with the creation of Citrus Sun. The band's first (and only thus far) project Another Time Another Space was released in 2001.

Maunick recruited Average White Band member Jim Mullen for the guitarist role, along with Incognito members drummer Richard Bailey, bassist Julian Crampton, and the horn section of Ed Jones (sax), Fayazz Virgi (trombone), and Dominic Glover (trumpet). Rounding out the line-up is pianist Tim Vine from Simply Red.

"I created this project to show the importance of smooth jazz in our musical culture," explains Maunick who conceived and produced Another Time Another Space. "I knew Jim Mullen would be the perfect catalyst for this project. He's the perfect guy to help me fuse the subtle elements of Latin, funk and jazz within a context of cool atmospheres and sparse melodies."

Though Maunick calls most of the musical shots for Incognito, he took a more collaborative approach with Citrus Sun. Maunick encouraged the band to co-produce, write songs and play live to track. "When I produce Incognito, I dissect every sound and focus on sonic perfection," says Maunick. "Here, I took on the Quincy Jones role, organizing and encouraging, but just letting these guys get into the studio and kick it. This was an opportunity for these guys to show what they can do."

Maunick is well tenured in the role of producer. Along with all of Incognito's releases, he has produced major artists like Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, George Benson and Maxi Priest.

Citrus Sun is the second Incognito offshoot project. In 1999, Maunick produced and released a Maysa Leak project entitled Inner Shade.

01. Make Me Smile
02. Tanya's Song
03. Budapest
04. Another Time, Another Space
05. Where The Wind Blows
06. So What Can I Do?
07. Blue Orchid
08. Somewhere, Nowhere
09. What It Is
10. Full Circle
11. Mellowed

Get Citrus Sun - Another Time Another Space At Amazon

Citrus Sun At Rice Records

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Jamiroquai's New Single - Runaway

On 6th November Jamiroquai will release "High Times: Singles 1992-2006" - a singles collection containing hits from Jamiroquai's career to date.

The first single off this release is a brand new track called "Runaway", listen to it here...


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...or download it here...

The details of the formats that will be available are as follows...

Compact Disc (Catalogue number: 88697019962)

1. When You Gonna Learn (3.47)
2. Too Young To Die (3.22)
3. Blow Your Mind (3.51)
4. Emergency On Planet Earth (3.34)
5. Space Cowboy (3.36)
6. Virtual Insanity (3.47)
7. Cosmic Girl (3.45)
8. Alright (3.39)
9. High Times (4.08)
10. Deeper Underground (4.41)
11. Canned Heat (3.46)
12. Little L (3.58)
13. Love Foolosophy (3.47)
14. Corner Of The Earth (3.56)
15. Feels Just Like It Should (4.34)
16. Seven Days In Sunny June (3.57)
17. (Don't) Give Hate A Chance (5.00)
18. Runaway (3.46)
19. Radio (4.12)

Total running time: 75:06

Special Edition Compact Disc (Catalogue number: 88697019912)

CD1 tracklist same as regular CD album. CD2 is a bonus remix CD containing the following tracks:

1. Emergency On Planet Earth (Masters At Work remix) (7.10)
2. Space Cowboy (David Morales remix) (7.52)
3. Love Foolosophy (Knee Deep remix) (8.27)
4. Little L (Bob Sinclar remix) (7.24)
5. Cosmic Girl (Tom Belton remix) (7.46)
6. Dynamite (Phil Asher remix) (7.40)
7. Seven Days In Sunny June (Ashley Beedle remix) (7.54)
8. Virtual Insanity (Salaam Remi remix) (5.41)
9. You Give Me Something (Blacksmith R&B remix) (4.02)
10. Supersonic (Restless Souls/Phil Asher remix) (8.26)

DVD-Video (Catalogue number 88697109979)

The DVD will contain the following full length music promo videos:

1. When You Gonna Learn (3.53)
2. Too Young To Die (3.29)
3. Blow Your Mind (4.48)
4. Emergency On Planet Earth (4.10)
5. If I Like It I Do It (2.53)
6. Space Cowboy (3.36)
7. Half The Man (3.40)
8. Light Years (3.59)
9. Stillness In Time
10. Virtual Insanity (3.54)
11. Cosmic Girl (3.51)
12. Alright (3.46)
13. High Times (4.12)
14. Deeper Underground (5.16)
15. Canned Heat (3.57)
16. Supersonic (3.56)
17. King For A Day (3.20)
18. Black Capricorn Day (3.31)
19. Little L (3.56)
20. You Give Me Something (3.21)
21. Love Foolosophy (3.46)
22. Corner Of The Earth (3.58)
23. Feels Just Like It Should (4.34)
24. Seven Days In Sunny June (3.57)
25. (Don't) Give Hate A Chance (3.50)

In addition to these videos, the following extra features will be available:

1. Making Of Little L
2. 4 x 8 minute clips from Charlie Lightning
3. Charlie Lightning mini-film

Groove Collective - People People Music Music

The Groove Collective have been laying down grooves that buzz and get the crowd dancing for over a decade now. ‘People People Music Music’ takes the listener on a musical journey around the globe beginning with the Afro-pop sound of Forgotten Travelers, and continues into the Cuban jam Tito (a tribute to the legendary Mr. Puente) and onwards to the smoky NYC jazz lounge vibe of Herbie Hancock’s Speak Like A Child and the club beats of What If and Set Up.

Special guests on the album include producer DJ Spinna, funk legend Fred Wesley, vocalists Eddie Bobé and DeLouie Avant, Jr., percussionist Tony Rodriguez, trombonist Reut Regev, guitarist Liberty Ellman and keyboardist Victor Axelrod.

01. Forgotten Travelers
02. DFU
03. What If
04. Eat No Space
05. Tito
06. KOG
07. MamboMongo
08. Outermost
09. 6 For Fred
10. Set Up
11. Centerfield
12. Speak Like A Child
13. Outermost (live)

Groove Collective's Website

Get Groove Collective - People People Music Music At Amazon

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The Poets Of Rhythm - Discern/Define

The Poets of Rhythm are a live funk and groove band from Munich, Germany whose approach to funk music is down and dirty. Though often classified as acid jazz, The Poets music doesn’t follow the heavily produced trend of the acid jazz genre, opting instead for a dirtier sound.

After releasing a string of singles for the Hotpie and Candy label and one hard to find LP on Soulciety Records, the Poets of Rhythm come correct on this long overdue worldwide release on Quannum Projects.
Founded a decade ago in Munich, Germany, these innovators in the rare groove style are seven and sometimes eight musicians deep with lead vocalist/percussionist/musical director Boris "Bo Baral" Geiger; guitarist/musical director JJ Whitfield; bassist Jan Krause ; organ/moog stimulator Till Sahm ; alto saxophonist Malte Muller-Egloff; alto-saxophonist Wolfgang Schlick; trumpet player Treetop; and drummer Max Whitfield.

After raising eyebrows on the "I Changed My Mind" single on the Quannum Spectrum recording backing up Lyrics Born and riding the wave of interest from early-21st century hip-hop fans in old-school funk and James Brown -era breakbeat, Discern/Define modernizes space jazz over big-beat, soul harmonies, and kinky guitar rhythms with psychedelic tendencies. But the luscious music aside, the overwhelming production by the Soul-Saints is what distinguishes this record from other faceless funk records put out in the '90s and the early 2000s.

With earthy room sounds that compliment the organic nature of the drums and bass with just a slight hint of feedback, all the best elements of classic soul and the liveliness of live hip-hop are blended together to give the record a timeless quality.

01 Discern/Define
02 Smilin' (While You're Crying)
03 Ham Gallery
04 Plus Plus
05 We
06 The Jaunt
07 Eulogize the Source
08 Fondle Rock
09 Moira
10 Guiding Resolution
11 Survival of the Freshest

Get The Poets of Rhythm - Discern/Define At Amazon

The Poets of Rythm Website

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The James Taylor Quartet - In the Hand of the Inevitable

The James Taylor Quartet are synonymous with the sound of classic Acid Jazz. Formed in 1985, they had instant success with the release of there debut single "Blow Up" which topped the indie charts and appeared in John Peels Festive 50 charts for 3 years running. Over the years they have released several acclaimed albums on the Acid Jazz label, from the debut mini album "Mission Impossible" through "The Money Spyder" to "In the hand of the Inevitable" "Extended Play" and "Living Underground".

JTQ also truly excel in the live arena. Their concerts are legendary experiences with their emphasis on live 'dance' music becoming a prominent key to the band's success, enabling them to establish a solid relationship between them and their fans. Over the years JTQ have gigged relentlessly, often playing up to 150 shows a year around the world and varying between week long residencies at London's Jazz Cafe and Birmingham's Ronnie Scotts to huge sell out shows at the 6000 capacity Brixton Academy.

James Taylor's prolific talent has been widely recognised and The Manic Street Preachers, The Pogues and The Wonderstuff have all benefited from his distinctive Hammond style on their albums and live shows. JTQ were also the house band on Gaby Roslin's UK TV chat show bringing them an even greater audience.

When the James Taylor Quartet are on their game, laying down guitar lines right out of the Melvin Sparks songbook ("3 Mile Island") or pounding out sweat-drenched B3 gems (the title-track), they create amazingly evocative music, as their unforgettable acid-tinged version of Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" proves. But then vocals appear and all that carefully-crafted mood flies right out the window in a breeze of quiet-storm-styled soul. Sometimes you just have to take the great with the mediocre, and that's the case with In the Hand of the Inevitable.

01. Love Will Keep Us Together
02. 3 Mile Island
03. Free Your Mind
04. Haitian Breakdown
05. Good Thing
06. Let's Get Together
07. Segue No. 1
08. Stepping into My Life
09. Whole Lotta Love
10. Journey
11. Sounds of Freedom
12. Keep on Moving
13. In the Hand of the Inevitable


The James Taylor Quartet Website

Get The James Taylor Quartet - In the Hand of the Inevitable At Amazon

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Night Trains - Sleazeball

Digging deeper into the roots of Acid Jazz you will find the group "Night Trains". Originally a live band led by bassist and founder Hugh Brooker their first single was "Open Channel D". The group also appeared on Polydor's "Acid Jazz And Other illicit grooves" compilation with "Now We Have Rhythm", and on Acid Jazz's "Totally Wired 2" with "The Killer". That was 1987, when Acid Jazz ruled the club scene in London.

The band toured with Africa Bambata, a legendary rapper, who is also listed on some of their tracks of their first album "Checkmate", which was released in Europe and Japan in 1989. Because of personal problems Hugh Brooker stopped band activity for a period and formed "the Humble Souls" with Simon Anniki (AKA Wildski) erstwhile rapper with Norman Cook's Beats International. But things didn't run well with this group and Hugh Brooker revived his old group "Night Trains" recording the album "Loaded" in July 1992. The album was recorded in one week in Acid Jazz' West End studios.

But Hugh Brooker prefered more melody structures and live performances. That's the content of the third album "Sleazeball" (1994). The single "Lovesick" was a commercial success with a wide radio play. The album appeared in U.S.A. on the Instinct Records label under the title "Miles Away".

01 Sure Can't Go To The Moon
02 Hold Out For The Truth
03 Lonely Road
04 On My Own
05 Love Is The Teacher
06 Move On Out Together
07 What Good Is Love?
08 Smokey's Clown
09 The International Day
10 Lovesick
11 Sleazeball

Get Night Trains - Sleazeball At Amazon

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Incognito - Bees + Things + Flowers

"Bees + Things + Flowers" is an album with a difference. The album features new arrangements of four Incognito classics - Always There, Still a Friend of Mine, Everyday and Deep Waters - and covers of such great tunes as Roy Ayers’ Everybody Loves the Sunshine, Earth Wind & Fire’s That's the Way of the World, Summer in the City as well as a stunning remake of America’s Tin Man. There are also three brand new Bluey compositions.

Six tracks feature a 16-piece string section and the line-up of lead vocalists on this radio-friendly set is the strongest ever assembled for an Incognito album - Carleen Anderson, Jocelyn Brown, Maysa, Joy Rose, Imaani and Tony Momrelle.

Bluey describes the album as being "almost an unplugged affair, recorded the old-fashioned way with everyone playing live in the studio at the same time, and just a few overdubs afterwards. I’m really pleased with it, and to have so much vocal talent on one album is tremendous".

All of the vocalists excel on their respective tracks - Joy Rose, on her return to the band’s recording line-up after a couple of years touring the world singing with Sting, sets the standard with her interpretation of Everybody Loves The Sunshine; Jocelyn reprises Always There in a radically different new arrangement by Bluey; Maysa reinterprets Still A Friend of Mine with Tony Momrelle, as rearranged by Simon Hale and Bluey, and Deep Waters.

Carleen Anderson brings her own distinctive style to the excellent Summer In The City, originally a hit in the Sixties for the Lovin’ Spoonful, and the Bacharach-influenced arrangement of Tin Man; Imaani is stunning on the new Bluey composition Crave. And all of the vocalists come together for the fine remake of Earth Wind & Fire’s Seventies classic That’s The Way of the World.

01 Everybody Loves The Sunshine - Feat. Joy Rose
02 Everyday - Feat. Imaani
03 Summer In The City - Feat. Carleen Anderson
04 Always There - Feat. Jocelyn Brown
05 Raise - Feat. Jocelyn Brown
06 Still A Friend Of Mine - Feat. Maysa Leak & Tony Momrelle
07 Tin Man - Feat. Carleen Anderson
08 Crave - Feat. Imaani
09 Deep Waters - Feat. Maysa Leak
10 You Are Golden - Feat. Tony Momrelle
11 That's The Way Of The World - Feat. Maysa Leak & Carleen Anderson

Incognito's Website

Get Incognito - Bees & Things & Flowers At Amazon

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Omar - For Pleasure

Omar Lyefook first came to prominence more than a decade-and-a-half ago, when his debut single for indie label Kongo Dance Mr. Postman/You And Me made him a hot name on Londons underground.

It was soon afterwards that the success of his Ohio Players-influenced love ballad, the much celebrated Theres Nothing Like This, led to his signing to Gilles Petersons Talkin Loud label. Omar released a couple of albums for the Phonogram affiliate during 1992/3, the first a re-working of his Kongo set for the wider audience, the second, Music, a vastly more orchestral and organic affair that highlighted Omars maturing as a composer, arranger and vocalist.

Thereafter Omar signed to RCA, for whom he cut two further albums that notched up acres of critical acclaim as well as introduced him to several of his musical heroes and heroines.

His 1994 album, For Pleasure, is a distinctive delight and a rare element. He collaborates on several tracks, with David Frank, the System (ESP), Christina Aguilera, and 98 Degrees. Beginning with the oh-too-short 'My Baby Says,' the album flows into the samba-flavored 'I'm Still Standing.' 'Saturday' has sinewy synth riffs that recall Parliament-Funkadelic's Bernie Worrell. Underscoring the British respect and appreciation of American R&B and soul music, Omar works with two legends from this genre. 'Outside' is culled from an unfinished multi-track tape made in the '70s found in Lamont Dozier's basement. It's smooth soul featuring vintage performances by Ray Parker, Jr., Sonny Burke, Jay Graydon, and Sonny Burke. Another Motown alumni, Leon Ware co-writes, contributes backing vocals, and keyboards on the soft pumping 'Can't Get Nowhere.' The dusky, jazzy 'Little Boy' has soft brushes and double bass. Omar's eclectic leanings reminds how much range, personality, and distinctiveness you'll find on pop albums of the past.

"It was a wicked vibe," says Omar about the acid-jazz scene, "There was a whole load of us, and I was lucky to come out that time with a whole group of people who felt the same way as I did. In London in the early nineties there was a lot of house music, a lot of samplers and sequencers. There wasn’t enough of that old-school live vibe, so that’s where me, the Brand New Heavies, Galliano, Young Disciples, and Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay too, were coming from. We all approached it from that way of thinking."

01. My Baby Says
02. I'm Still Standing
03. Saturday
04. Keep Steppin'
05. Magical Mystery Interlude
06. Outside
07. Little Boy
08. Need You Bad
09. Can't Get Nowhere
10. Confection
11. Magical Mystical Way
12. Making Sense Of It
13. For Pleasure

Omars website

Omars MySpace Page

Get Omar - For Pleasure At Amazon

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Online Radio Shows

Keep an eye on my sidebar, I've recently added a list of Acid Jazz flavoured record companies, and will soon be adding a list of online radio shows and podcasts I have found in my Acid Jazzy travels.


While you're waiting for that, head on over to JazzDJ's site for a taste of whats to come. He has an incredible 1 hour long acid jazz mix available that is guaranteed to get your head bopping.

Incognito / Always There 2006 (Audio)

Not a video as such, but a sneak peak at a new version of Incognitos classic "Always There". Featuring Jocelyn Brown on vocals, this tune is taken from incognitos much anticipated new album Bees + Things + Flowers, due out next month.

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood - Out Louder

A little pre-release goodness for you today; M(S)MW's new album, due out at the end of this month, don't sleep on it, there's some serious groove happening here.

It's a match made not above nor below, but rather in some altogether hipper place: John Medeski + Billy Martin + Chris Wood + guitar guru John Scofield. On their new release OUT LOUDER, they make music not of this world, yet rooted in the earth tones of jazz, funk, and blues. Music from the heart, for the mind, and made to shake the earth, not to mention the body.

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood first recorded together on Scofield's A Go Go (Verve 1998), a disc that has become a must-have classic. That project united jazz guitarist Scofield with the improvisational jazz trio Medeski Martin & Wood on material composed by Scofield and interpreted by all four musicians. OUT LOUDER the inaugural release for MMW's own Indirecto Records label is Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood's first four-way collaborative recording. "A Go Go was John's record and we were essentially sidemen, where OUT LOUDER musically comes from all of us" explains Wood. Scofield adds: "We've always hit it off as a foursome, and I wanted to see what would happen if we did something that was a true collaboration, where everyone could play completely free."

Recorded in under a week at Shacklyn, MMW's fabled downtown Brooklyn studio, OUT LOUDER reeks of the scruffy, spirited basement in which it was created. "Something about being down there made the music that much grungier," says Wood. "It gave us that feeling of being a hungry garage band searching for the coolest licks and grooves without worrying about making everything perfect. We could just let it all hang out. Everyone was set up in the same room with all our amps and equipment, and you could feel what everyone else was playing that much better and really react to everything around you."

That, and the four musician's yen for jazz, funk, rock, soul and reggae, go a long way towards explaining why OUT LOUDER's deep grooves and sophisticated harmonies beg for closer inspection while simultaneously making you want to get up and dance. "People connect with grooves and funk, they feel it in their gut," says Medeski. "We understand complex harmonies, but in the end we know that you don't have to play all those notes to connect with people. The groove and spirit is what connects with people."

01. Little Walter Rides Again
02. Miles Behind
03. In Case The World Changes Its Mind
04. Tequila And Chocolate
05. Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing
06. Cachaca
07. Hanuman
08. Telegraph
09. What Now
10. Julia
11. Down The Tube
12. Legalize It

MMW's Website
MMW's Myspace Page

Get Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood - Out Louder At Amazon

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Need Some More Denson?

Speaking of Karl Denson, if you are hungry for some live tracks (and KTDU is at it's best live), a virtually unlimited supply can be found at The Internet Archive. Check it out, you won't be disappointed...

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - The Bridge

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (KDTU) is a jazz/funk/rock group from San Diego, California. Members include Denson, Chris Littlefield, Brian Jordan, Ron Johnson, David Veith, and John Staten.

Bandleader, saxophonist, and main vocalist Karl Denson recorded with rocker Lenny Kravitz on his first two albums, Let Love Rule and Mama Said. After numerous world tours with Lenny, he parted ways seeking to pursue his jazz roots. This included recording four jazz albums on the German Minor Music recording label in a variety of configurations from trios to sextets. In addition to touring as a memebr of Fred Wesley's band he founded the premier San Diego jazz/funk act The Greyboy Allstars.

Saxophonist Karl Denson makes no bones about the fact that he plays a funky jazz tailor-made for people to get their groove on--and never more so than on The Bridge, an album that strays far from his jazz roots. Already known for his love affair with funk, both as a solo artist and as a member of the Greyboy Allstars, Denson adds some other interesting nonjazz wrinkles. A strong Afro-beat influence manifests itself in some slamming horn charts and percolating rhythms, particularly on "Elephants" and "Because of Her Beauty." Denson gets soulful on Curtis Mayfield's "Check Out Your Mind," doing a passable job with the vocals (several tunes here feature Denson singing) and embellishing it with sitar and surreal psychedelic production touches.

The album also benefits from a hot production job from Erik Newsome, who captures the nearly rock & roll energy and intensity of the KDTU live experience. This is definitely one for the fans who like it when Denson does his high-energy groove thing.


01. How Fine Is That
02. Because Of Her Beauty
03. The Answer
04. Bunny Playa
05. Freedom
06. Check Out Your Mind
07. Satisfied
08. The Bridge
09. Groove On
10. Rise And Shine
11. Elephants


Karl Denson's Website

Get Karl Denson's Tiny Universe - The Bridge At Amazon

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Link Update

By request, a new link has been posted in the comments of Snowboy - Pit Bull Latin Jazz

Jamiroquai - Cosmic Girl

Performed at the 2006 Laureus Sports Awards held in Barcelona (Spain), on 22 May 2006.