• Music

    Fumio Itabashi – Watarase

    March 16, 2024 - By 

    Our friends over at Wewantsounds have released a post-bop gem by pianist Fumio Itabashi which will be available in April 5th, 2024.  From their Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Fumio Itabashi’s sought-after album “Watarase” hailed as one of the great Japanese jazz albums and featuring Itabashi on piano playing an inspired mix of standards and originals. Recorded in 1981 for Denon and released the following year, the album has since reached cult status among jazz connoisseurs, thanks to Itabashi’s inventive piano playing and to its cult title track, a superb soulful and spiritual composition. Newly remastered by Nippon…

  • Music

    Luther Thomas Human Arts Ensemble – Funky Donkey Vol. 1

    October 18, 2023 - By 

    Yet another vinyl masterpiece, reissued to perfection, comes to us from Wewantsounds.  This gem features a big player in the St. Louis jazz scene, Luther Thomas.  From the label’s press release: “A gang reunion, an effort of revitalization, a headbangers’ blowout, a legendary “lost” recording, a snapshot of its time, prophetic of sounds to come – Funky Donkey is all those things, but worth attention most ’cause after 50 years it’s still fun to hear. Alto saxophonist-ringleader Luther Thomas and his St. Louis cohort comprising the Human Arts Ensemble live large on this album, conveying as if right now the…

  • Music

    Pray For Your Prey – Pray For Your Prey

    July 2, 2023 - By 

    At least as I understand it, there is a magnificent label out of Greece, Defkaz,  releasing some really fine free jazz and world music.  This particular album features one name whose work I’m very familiar with – the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi, who is magnificent.  After hearing him work with the trio of Giovanni di Domenico (fender rhodes), Gonçalo Almeida (bass) and Giotis Damianidis (guitar), you have the makings of a young European supergroup.  Free, cinematic, and a joy to hear. Check out their website, and if you’re interested in hearing these gems, contact koufaelas [at] defkaz.com.  He’ll get those…

  • Music

    Ayako Shinozaki – Music Now For Harp

    June 13, 2023 - By 

    Great news, yet again, has been provided to us by our dear friends at Wewantsounds!  From their Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the first international reissue of Ayako Shinozaki’s hard to find LP “Music Now For Harp” released in 1974 by Nippon Columbia. The LP was released on the label’s cult “Master Sonic” series and features Shinozaki’s harp soundscape on works by renowned composer Toru Takemitsu and Katsuhiro Tsubono. The highlight of the album is the spaced-out, ethereal 25-min ambient epic ‘Heterodyne’ featuring cult musician Takehisa Kosugi (Taj Mahal Travellers, Group Ongaku) on electric violin and sound waves.…

  • Music

    Akiko Yano – Iroha Ni Konpeitou – LP Deluxe Edition with 4p insert and OBI strip

    June 3, 2023 - By 

    The ever-fantastic Wewantsounds is giving the gold-star treatment to Akiko Yano, wife of the recently departed Ryuichi Sakamoto and fine musician in her own right, collaborating with Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell, Thomas Dolby, and a host of others. From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds continues its Akiko Yano reissue programme with the release of “Iroha Ni Konpeitou,” another superb Akiko Yano album and one of her funkiest, highlighting her unmissable singing and songwriting talents. Recorded in Tokyo and New York City, the album features a superb line up of the best musicians…

  • Music

    Harold Land – Damisi

    April 26, 2023 - By 

    The ever-magnificent Wewantsounds have produced another vinyl masterpiece! They have released, for the first time, Harold Land’s classic LP ‘Damisi,’ recorded in Los Angeles for Bob Shad’s Mainstream Records and released in 1972. It’s a superb mix of Funk and modal Jazz and the vinyl edition features newly remastered audio and a 2-page insert including new liner notes by Kevin Le Gendre. For more information on the release, click here to see the promo sheet.  You can click here to purchase the album on the label’s Bandcamp site.  It’s due out on May 26, 2023, so pre-order now.    …

  • Music

    Lalo Schifrin – Man On A Swing OST – Special Vinyl Edition

    February 16, 2023 - By 

    We have the joy of announcing another well-done reissue by our friends at Wewantsounds!  This release is an expanded reissue of Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to director Frank Perry’s 1974 thriller, “Man On A Swing.” There are thirty tracks on this piece of vinyl, and you’ll hear everything from Schifrin’s typically sublime scoring, mixing jazz, Bossa Nova, and groove as well as library music.  The music is remastered from the original three-track masters and sounds incredibly punchy. Track List: Side 1 1. Maggie’s Theme 1 0.25 2. Juke Box Source 1.40 3. Evelyn Story 1.42 4. Beetle Search* 0.13 5. Rosehaven…

  • Music

    Abdel Halim Hafez – Mawood

    November 13, 2022 - By 

    Though it is always with great sadness that modern record labels who release spectacular vinyl editions don’t offer such releases on digital formats for sale, it’s a forgivable sin, as our dear friends at WeWantSounds continue to impress with their choices of artists they so lovingly reissue. Abdel Halim Hafez is at the peak of his powers at this point of his career, and Mawood is a shining example of the quality of Egyptian music during the early 1970s.   The good folks at WeWantSounds explain further at their Bandcamp site: “Famously sampled by Jay-Z on “Big Pimpin'” for one of…

  • Music - Music Promo

    Fairuz – Kifak Inta LP

    October 13, 2022 - By 

    There is no doubt who the reigning queen of Arab music is.  Fairuz, once and always a beautiful songstress from Lebanon, has had this legendary cult album reissued by our dear friends at Wewantsounds, and it will be arriving on November 4, 2022.  Unfortunately, there may not be a digital release, but you vinyl hounds have your chance to order a gem.  From Wewantsounds Bandcamp site: Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Fairuz’s classic album ‘Kifak Inta’ produced by her son Ziad Rahbani in the late 80’s and only released on cassette and CD in 1991. Composed and arranged by Rahbani,…

  • Music - Music Articles

    [The Soundtrack Of My Life] If ~ Live at the BBC

    September 18, 2022 - By 

    No reviews today as my girlfriend and I will be walking around the Buda area in Budapest, but I’d like to introduce you to Adam Baruch, an exceptionally gifted writer who I have been following for many years.  He has a gift for writing eloquently about jazz and rock, is a director of the Singer Jazz Festival, and on this post, he writes about the legendary jazz-rock/brass-rock band If.  He is worth following, and if you like what you read, consider joining his Facebook group.