All That Jazz ...

Brazilian jazz pianist, singer, composer and arranger, double Grammy winner, double Latin Grammy award winner, 12 time Grammy nominee, 3 Gold Disc award winner and 3 time best vocal award winner Eliane Elias will make her India debut at the NPCA Tata Theatre on May 30th, 2024. This is a concert you can’t miss.
*Book now* https://in.bookmyshow.com/events/eliane-elias-live-in-concert/ET00388010

This seems an absolute treat. Hear her on Apple Music. She seems terrific
 
I’ve been on a jazz/funk/fusion trip lately, and my latest purchases are recent discoveries in that genre:
Pianist Masahiko Satoh teams up with Medical Sugar Bank, a jazz fusion quartet, on MSB 1 and 2. Satoh plays a variety of keyboards and synths to deliver some really hard driving grooves.
Keyboardist Jun Fukamachi’s band on Spiral Steps is a fusion of Japanese and American musicians. There’s drummer Shuichi Murakami, guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, bassist Anthony Jackson, and the Brecker brothers, to name a few. Classic fusion album.
Hungarian guitarist Gabor Szabo’s Macho is a little known gem that looks and sounds exactly like a CTI album, even though it’s not. Hardly surprising when you discover that the sidemen include Bob James, Eric Gale and Idris Muhammad.

IMG_1644.jpeg

Two fantastic Blue Note albums from the early 70s.
I’m not familiar with any of the musicians on Ronnie Foster’s Two Headed Freap, but the music makes me want to learn more. If anyone has info on this album, please do share.
San Francisco finds Bobby Hutcherson and Harold Land in excellent form. While the music is moving towards jazz funk, there’s still that classic modal vibe that Hutcherson always brings to the table.
Many jazz purists turn their noses up at Blue Note albums from the 70s, which is a shame. While it’s true that BN was getting pretty mainstream during that time, these two records still offer some of the best jazz from that era.

IMG_1645.jpeg
 
He is right up there with his heroes, no less.
The interview was a delight, with lots of new insights for me. For example, I had no idea that Gabor Szabo had recorded Breezin’ first. Thanks for sharing the video!

Got Joe Armon-Jones (pianist from Ezra Collective) to sign my reissue of Takuya Kuroda's Rising Son
Did you catch them live?
 
The interview was a delight, with lots of new insights for me. For example, I had no idea that Gabor Szabo had recorded Breezin’ first. Thanks for sharing the video!


Did you catch them live?
Yup, saw Joe Armon-Jones live on Saturday. Have also seen him with the Ezra Collective in London. Never seen Kuroda live though, would love to.
 
Finally!
It’s taken ages but I’ve finally managed to get my hands on some long OOP Blue Notes on CD. BN Japan is celebrating the label’s 85th anniversary with a slew of releases throughout this year. Pricing is also very reasonable; these are 1500 yen each.

IMG_1831.jpeg

Special shoutout to the best photograph ever taken by Francis Wolff:

IMG_1832.jpeg
 
Check out our special offers on Stereo Package & Bundles for all budget types.
Back
Top