The theme of Saudade is not only reserved for Portuguese or Brazilian folk poetry, but it is also present throughout the latest ECM release of Swiss-Albanian singer Elina Duni who sings in Albanian, Italian, English, and French on her second release for the Munich-based label (after “Partir” in 2018). She wanted the album to be…
The legendary multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, producer, and composer Bert Kaempfert, writer of such classics such as “Strangers In The Night” or “Spanish Eyes”, is celebrated by Universal Music with “Today & Yesterday – The Bert Kaempfert Anthology”, a double-CD and double-vinyl collection of his original material plus cover versions of his signature songs by artists such…
The 21st annual Soul Togetherness compilation, put together again by Richard Searling and Ralph Tee, is among us. The doube vinyl version is expected to become available as early as next week. And once again, the 15 tracks represent a great overview of the past indie soul year. Starting off with one of the best…
Since the whole world is watching Pennsylvania these days, let’s celebrate neo-soul and jazz fusion trombonist Jeff Bradshaw, who was born in North Philadelphia and as it turns out, hast just released his new album “Stronger” today. It is full of surprises and guests and features brilliant production work and almost 70 minutes of pure…
All-time favorites include “Nobody Can Be You” and “Weak At The Knees” from 1983, “Mellow As A Cello” and “Sugar Mama Baby” from 1984, both with Steve Arrington’s Hall Of Fame, and of course his groundbreaking stuff with funk/soul outfit Slave, where he was a member from 1978 until 1982, being responsible for timeless classics…
Trumpeter and singer Till Brönner and legendary keyboardist/pianist Bob James met at the equally famous “La Fabrique” studios in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, close to Marseille, in September 2019 to record “On Vacation” (Sony Music), an album of music that is supposed to get you to the places you want to go to for a holiday. And thus,…
Hugo Montenegro, probably best known for his cover of the title track of Sergio Leone’s 1966 movie “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly” (originally by Ennio Morricone) as well as being a prolific soundtrack composer and orchestra leader, was also a trailblazer of the Moog and Mini Moog keyboards back in the 70s. His…
UK soul singer Georgie Sweet makes her amazing debut on the thrilling Futuristica label. It is hard to believe while listening to the album that here is a singer and songwriter at work who is only 20 years old. Her neo soul or future soul album shows hints of both Thundercat and Erykah Badu, yet…
So many years have gone by since his still incredible debut album, but the wait was more than worth it. There were a couple of tunes from “Be The Change” (to be released on Dome Records, October 30th on double vinyl and CD) circulating in the past weeks: the highly infectious title track with gentle…
Godfather of neo-soul and fusion jazz, Roy Ayers, who celebrated his 80th birthday in September, plays a few exclusive dates at Keystone Corner in Baltimore. Roy plays two sets each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of this week, with premium seating and general admission. But you can also buy a streaming pass for just $15.00…