Various Artists – Ostinato Records: Synthesizing the Silk Roads: Uzbek Disco, Tajik Folktronica, Uyghur Rock & Tatar Jazz from 1980s Soviet Central Asia

I know it must be troublesome to actually click on the link when you can read most of the review from the comfy confines of social media, but this time I implore you to actually click on the link and read the story of how this album came to be.  Continue Reading

Mario Rusca (quintet, nonet) – 4th Dimension

Ever since Right Tempo Records has relaunched, their catalog choices have proven to be outstanding.  Can you imagine an 86-year-old musician who has a résumé working with artists like Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz, among others, release a soul-stirring, funky album of such high quality in 2024?  Absolutely!  Continue Reading

Marcos Valle – Túnel Acústico

It boggles the mind that Marcos Valle, who is close to having a sixty-year career making music, can still come up with sounds that are so fresh while referencing the past.  One can still hear bossa nova, a genre he helped make popular, sit inside a stew that includes funk, Continue Reading

Steve Beresford – Dancing the Lines – Gatefold sleeve and 2p Insert (Black Vinyl)

Our friends at Wewantsounds have dug deep for this one, and of course, they have found gold.  This album, available from the label as a vinyl-only release, sits in a strange apex of electronic music, soul, pop, jazz and the avant-garde, which is the first genre I would have associated Continue Reading

Attilio Zanchi – Mingus Portrait (DJ Farrapo Remixes)

Attilio Zanchi is an Italian bassist who is producing fire with this EP!  For Harry Carney (DJ Farrapo Remix)  is perfect moody downtempo dance fare with a film noir element about it. Boogie Stop Shuffle (DJ Farrapo Remix) provides truth in advertising, as the beat is funky and danceable.  The Continue Reading

Yoruba Singers – Fighting for Survival

It’s not often that we get to present to you a band from Guyana!  From the Yoruba Singers’ Bandcamp site: “Having remained continuously active since 1971, the Yoruba Singers are the longest-running musical group in Guyana. Emerging from a music scene mostly dominated by slick, commercial entertainment, the Yoruba Singers Continue Reading

Marcos Valle & Leon Ware – Feels So Good

Thanks to Marcos Valle doing a bit of cleanup in his home, Far Out Recordings proudly present a 7-inch single of a track Marcos and the late Leon Ware worked on in Los Angeles during the 1980s.  Here’s the back story, courtesy of Marcos’ Bandcamp site: “In 1979, together in Continue Reading