Soul Jazz Records

[francesco]

Four very interesting new releases on Soul Jazz, isn't this label great or not?

NEW THING! / VARIOUS

1. maulawi - street rap
2. art ensemble of chicago - funky aeco
3. sun ra - angels and demons at play
4. paris smith - pentatonia
5. travis biggs - tiebetan serenity
6. rashied ali & frank lowe - duo exchange
7. archie shepp - money blues
8. hannibal & sunrise orchestra - forest sunrise
9. amina claudine myers - have mercy upon us
10. alice coltrane - a love supreme
11. lloyd mcneil - home rule
12. east new york ensemble - little sunflower
13. robert rockwell iii - androids
14. eddie gale - black rhythm happening
15. stanley cowell - el space-o
16. steve davis - lalune blanche

this is just out and is as great as it look, imperdible stuff,


then just looking at their website for releases in the next month (sorry there isn't yet a tracklist for those upcoming):

The Sexual Life of the Savages – Underground Post-Punk from Brazil.
Strange name, wicked music! Featuring a score of bands who made music heavily
influenced by the likes of ESG, Liquid Liquid, Pop Group, A Certain Ratio, Joy Division,
Caberet Voltaire, Gang of Four etc. Redefining Brazilian music this album is a revelation
– bands with names such as As Mercenarias, Gang 90, Fellini, Akira, Smack, Cabine C.
None of them are known outside of Brasil."

"Acid – Can You Jack? Chicago Acid and Experimental House 1985-95
featuring Marshall Jefferson, Larry Heard, Adonis, Phuture, Lil Louis, Armando, Tyree,
Roy Davis Jnr, Cajmere….A massive 2-cd, 2 double lp (vol 1 and vol2) release featuring
the cream of Chicago’s creative artists that gave rise to a new sound.
Featuring sleevenotes by Tim Lawrence (who wrote the book Love Saves The Day)
as well as exclusive interviews and photos with the artists."

Mark Stewart – Kiss The Future, An anthology of his work with
legendary Pop Group, The Maffia etc up to the present day.

My humble opinion is that they are a fantastic reissue labels, one of the best actually.

 

[puretokyo]

Wow, those look excellent. Not to mention the superb "Soul Gospel" compilation just released.

Soul Jazz are killing it on a daily basis out there. They dominate the reissue/survey/comp landscape like a towering colossus.

 

[francesco]

"Soul Gospel", "Chigago Soul", "Miami Sound", "Philadelphia Roots", "New Orleans Funk", all incredible compilations......

But those that i'm revisiting the most this days are the salsa influenced ones, expecially "Nuyorican Roots" and "Chicano Power", this stuff has so beautiful rhythms.

I always hope they do a sort of "In the beginning there was rhythm 2" (UK postpunk) and there is hope, also I remember reading they are preparing a compilation of very very early obuscure and not obscure hip hop and therearound, should be interesting!

 

[stelfox]

Wow, those look excellent. Not to mention the superb "Soul Gospel" compilation just released.

Soul Jazz are killing it on a daily basis out there. They dominate the reissue/survey/comp landscape like a towering colossus.

i disagree actually. for reggae blood and fire and pressure sounds slay them, for obvious reasons. strut was an infinitely superior reissue label, too. however, on positive note is that they are including sleevenotes (about bloody time) on the acid comp. funny they should put that out coz jim daze said down the pub on monday night "i reckon it's only a matter of time before soul jazz start releasing acid house/classic techno/ny garage etc"!!!

 

[Randy Watson]

Is it fair to say they only re-issue Studio One for the reggae comps?

I'm a fan of theirs, mostly for the breadth of stuff they issue. When they are portraying a scene at a particular time they pull in the big names/tunes but also draw in more obscure stuff to show that there might be more to it for the casual observer. I'm definitely going to get that Acid comp.

All the stuff of theirs I've bought has extensive and informative sleeve notes.

Having said that, Blood & Fire RULE.

 

[francesco]

for reggae blood and fire and pressure sounds slay them, for obvious reasons. strut was an infinitely superior reissue label, too. however, on positive note is that they are including sleevenotes (about bloody time) on the acid comp. funny they should put that out coz jim daze said down the pub on monday night "i reckon it's only a matter of time before soul jazz start releasing acid house/classic techno/ny garage etc"!!!

Almost all of the Soul Jazz comps have tons of sleveenotes, the major exception beeing the % Dinamite, so I don't understand of what releases you are talking. I have many Blood and Fire and Pressure Sounds releases, and that doesn't mean i'm not also very happy of all the Studio One cd's Soul Jazz put out, actually I'm very very happy! By the way Blood And Fire hasn't released a thing in two years, and only a fraction of what they released is really essential.
Strut was great expecially the "Disco not Disco", but unfortunately went down, and so Nuphonic, but i don't understand this X slay Y shit. Soul Jazz is fantastic and so are all the other labels named and a few more (Harmless for example, before those new Life:styles comps, was excellent, and originally created by the same person who then went to put on Strut).

 

[francesco]

As far as postpunk is concerned, nobody beats LTM in my opinion. Just look at the bands they reissued:

23 Skidoo, Biting Tongues, Blue Orchids, Crawling Chaos, Crispy Ambulance, Josef K, Ludus, Minny Pops , The Passage, Section 25, Swamp Children, Tuxedomoon, soon to be joined by A Certain Ratio (and many more)

Not to mention the samplers Cool as ice and Twice as nice

They are specialist in reissuing minor post-punk groups, for completist, and essentialy they have reissued the Disques of Crepuscule (but not the compilations From Bruxell with Love and The Fruit of Original Sign, pity) and the less knows of Factory records, so only a certain kind of "artistic/raffinate" post punk, ence their love for Tuxedomoon.
The Blue Orchids "Greatest Hit" and "Cool as ice" are great, so is the Ultramarine "Every men and every woman is a star", but reissuin Kalima.......!

 

[stelfox]

Almost all of the Soul Jazz comps have tons of sleveenotes, the major exception beeing the % Dinamite, so I don't understand of what releases you are talking. I have many Blood and Fire and Pressure Sounds releases, and that doesn't mean i'm not also very happy of all the Studio One cd's Soul Jazz put out, actually I'm very very happy! By the way Blood And Fire hasn't released a thing in two years, and only a fraction of what they released is really essential.
Strut was great expecially the "Disco not Disco", but unfortunately went down, and so Nuphonic, but i don't understand this X slay Y shit. Soul Jazz is fantastic and so are all the other labels named and a few more (Harmless for example, before those new Life:styles comps, was excellent, and originally created by the same person who then went to put on Strut).

no, "almost all" the soul jazz comps other than the dynamite series DO NOT have sleevenotes.
obviously if you know better than steve barrow, i'll bow to your judgement, though.

this is not a diss on soul jazz at all, i just think other labels curate music better, explain why more fully etc. pick up on a few of these leads and it would vastly improve soul jazz's output. that nice up the dance comp was a real load of old cock, especially.

i'll admit that i am biased abt strut, being friends an all that.

 

[Randy Watson]

no, "almost all" the soul jazz comps other than the dynamite series DO NOT have sleevenotes.
obviously if you know better than steve barrow, i'll bow to your judgement, though.

Well, I'll only talk about what I own but; Universal Sounds of America; Philadelphia Roots; New Orleans Funk; Saturday Night Fish Fry; ESG:South Bronx Story; Jackie Mittoo:Keyboard King at Studio One and; Studio One Story all had good sleeve notes. Studio One Story also came with a 2hr documentary DVD.

 

[francesco]

no, "almost all" the soul jazz comps other than the dynamite series DO NOT have sleevenotes.
obviously if you know better than steve barrow, i'll bow to your judgement, though.

I'm the only one who have the sleevenotes?
Maybe you're referring only to the Reggae comps, with the dynamite serie having no sleevenotes at all and the Studio One serie having not so great at all sleevenotes, but all the soul and latin and jazz and others reissues have actually pages and pages of sleevenotes, for what I care... ,even if the Studio One reissues were cd-rom in trasparent plastic wallets would have been unmissables anyway.

 

[stelfox]

yeah and for every one that does, there's at least one that doesn't. they're not consistent.

 

[Clubberlang]

Soul Jazz does so few actual "reissues" that it's kind of hard to compare them to other reissue labels. They put together nice well packaged but usually inessential comps which generally serve as good jumping off points. I'd like Blood & Fire if they put more and later stuff out. I don't need a comp of their best tracks chosen by Mick Hucknall.

 

[AshRa]

I have to thank Soul Jazz for putting out Universal Sounds Of America when I was 18 and blowing my youthful mind - and it's still my favourite compilation ever!

On a sour note though, they need to change their glue on the LPs...

 

[Eric]

I have a number of their non-reggae comp and like them quite well (esp Chicano Power, Universal Sounds ...)

but their reggae comps aren't so interesting for me compared to others.

that nice up the dance comp was a real load of old cock, especially.

yes yes yes!!!!!!

 

[mms]

I have a number of their non-reggae comp and like them quite well (esp Chicano Power, Universal Sounds ...)

but their reggae comps aren't so interesting for me compared to others.



yes yes yes!!!!!!

agreed,
better off going to pressure sounds and blood and fire for that stuff, they are very good at introducing enthusiastic but cautious listeners to forgotten forms of music and acts, they are a good launch point , and as a brand name people trust this is an excellent thing.

 

[polystyle]

Soul Jazz got flavor

Coming late to this, but I say thanks to Soul Jazz 'for their taste .
At the moment i am talking to them about releasing this NYC 1979 -1984 no wave protoelectro Collection
that I've bounced from Bathing Ape around to Soul Jazz.
All the good stuff that didn't get rere'd - yet .
I didn't have to try so many labels -but well chuffed that Soul Jazz responded positive .
Big up SJ .... in my book

 

[francesco]

At the moment i am talking to them about releasing this NYC 1979 -1984 no wave protoelectro Collection

Sounds great news to me, i'm very interested please, protoelectro yes!, when things will be more concrete and definite, let us know about!
We need more of reissues of things like this. Thank you!!

 

[Landfill Elektronikz]

I think the world is generally a better place with Soul Jazz in it. They've done some great things. Can't wait to see a tracklist for that Acid thing. I think they're planning a couple of Mark Stewart anthologies soon? That should get Mr. Eden excited!

 

[francesco]

So Studio One stuff, the most famous and important reggae label, is not interesting, so? Blah!
And why nobody mentioned Trojan? Their catalogue is immense in comparison to the small output of Blood and Fire.

 

[Clubberlang]

Yes, but Trojan's catalogue while amazing has some issues concerning dubious legality and generally poorly packaged and often sounding releases.