When Peter Legat brought his project Count Basic to life in 1993, he instantaneously received a record deal. Encouraged by the huge success of his first single "ALL TIME HIGH" in Austria, he flew to London in order to produce his first album. Ernie Mckone invited the cream of the crop of acid jazz musicians to the studio to produce the first album "LIFE THINK IT OVER" . This was when Peter Legat met the New Yorker singer Kelli Sae. She was won over for this first project and has been a consistant component of COUNT BASIC ever since.
In 1994 Count Basic released their debut album "Life Think It Over". Their first big hit "All Time High" was followed by "So Close" ,which developed into an absolute long-running success on radio. With "M.L.In The Sunshine", Count Basic was even able to deliver a No. 1 hit to American NAC radio, staying on top for 11 consecutive weeks- also achieving top airplay chart positions in Japan, Italy, France and Austria.
1. Prelude
2. Is It Real
3. M.L. In The Sunshine (Instr.)
4. Jazz In The Hous
5. So Close
6. All Time High
7. Animal Print (Instr.)
8. Strange Life
9. Hide & Seek
10. Healer
11. Joy, Peace & Happiness
12. Walk Tall (Instr.)
Count Basic's WebsiteCount Basic's MySpace PageGet Count Basic - Life Think It Over at Amazon
Tales From The Beach was recorded in Italy, Germany, Indonesia, London, and mixed in Jakarta. It is an album of 15 refreshing & uplifting songs, each beautifully crafted; with guest vocals from Maysa Leak on 'I've Been Waiting', Tony Momrelle turns in a stunning vocal on 'When The Sun Comes Down'; with other highlights including the four to the floor stomper, 'Step Aside' and 'N.O.T.', an acid jazz-flavoured tracks with horns reminiscent of the Average White Band.
1. Step Aside
2. I've Been Waiting
3. When The Sun Comes Down
4. Love, Joy And Understanding
5. I Come Alive
6. Happy People
7. N.O.T.
8. Freedom To Love
9. I Remember A Time
10. It May Rain Sometime
11. Never Look Back
12. When Words Are Just Words
13. Feel The Pressure
14. Silence Of My Mind
15. Tales From The Beach
Incognito's WebsiteGet Incognito - Tales From The Beach at Amazon
Smoove is a producer of breakbeat and electronic music signed to Acid Jazz. Smoove has been on the scene for a while, as part of Ultragroove, Ashbrooke Allstars and producing for Rubberneck and remixing many well-known and lesser-known artists. In 1995 he created his first solo-tracks for the soundtrack to “sprung” (an extreme sports video), of which the track "He Won’t Get Far" was released as a single. In 2000 a cd with his old material was passed to the owner of Acid Jazz, reulting in his first release; Dead Men’s Shirts in 2004.
1. Man With Two Watches
2. Coming Back
3. Big Balls
4. Revolution Will Be Televised
5. Brownest Eyes
6. Jacks Creation
7. All This Love That I'm Giving
8. As If
9. Woman
10. 4 Real
11. Faraway
12. Words
13. Ceefax
Smoove's MySpace PageGet Smoove - Dead Men's Shirts at Amazon
Down to the Bone is an acid jazz group led by DJ Stuart Wade, who formed the band with Chris Morgans (who has now left) in 1996. The group is very popular in the UK, where they are "hailed as the kings of UK jazz groove." Their music is a mix of funk and jazz.
Down to the Bone is unique in that the leader, Stuart Wade, does not play any instruments at all. Instead, Wade uses a dictaphone to hum tunes into, which are then recorded by the band (whose members constantly change).
From Manhattan to Staten is the 1997 debut album from the British band.
1. Staten Island Groove
2. Brooklyn Heights
3. Savour the Flavour
4. Muesli Brown
5. Yo Mama's So Phat
6. Touch of Voodoo
7. 17 Mile Drive
8. Carlito's Way
9. 3 Days in Manhattan
10. On the Corner of Darcy Street
Down to the Bone's WebsiteGet Down to the Bone - From Manhattan to Staten at Amazon
Incognito's "Beneath the Surface" is a wonderful set of smooth/acid jazz at its best. Maysa returns on this effort after being away on the "100 Degree and Rising" set and it's a welcomed return. Her vocals range from strong (Out of the Storm), to tender (Shades of Blue, Misunderstood), to sensual (All that You Want Me to Be). This effort showcases what a wonderful vocalist Maysa is and how talented Bluey is in bringing the music and the voice together.
1. Solar Fire
2. Labour Of Love
3. Beneath The Surface
4. Shade Of Blue
5. Without You
6. Misunderstood
7. Hold On To Me
8. Living Against The River
9. She Wears Black
10. Fountain Of Life
11. Out Of The Storm
12. Dark Side Of The Cog
13. All That You Want Me To Be
14. Sunchild
Incognito's WebsiteGet Incognito - Beneath the Surface at Amazon
What is Acid Jazz?
Acid jazz (also known as club jazz) is a musical genre that combines elements of soul music, funk, disco, particularly looping beats and modal harmony. It developed over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance/pop music.
The compositions of groups such as The Brand New Heavies and Incognito often feature chord structures usually associated with Jazz music. The Heavies in particular were known in their early years for beginning their songs as catchy pop and rapidly steering them into jazz territory before "resolving" the composition and thus not losing any pop listeners but successfully "exposing" them to jazz elements in "baby steps".
The acid jazz "movement" is also seen as a "revival" of jazz-funk or jazz fusion or soul jazz by leading DJs such as Norman Jay or Gilles Peterson or Patrick Forge, also known as "rare groove crate diggers".
