Jazz | Fusion 392 Items

Ford and Evans have often shared the stage and recorded together over the years and so it’s no surprise that they are joining forces again. During the promotion of the album “Purple House”, Ford spoke enthusiastically about the forthcoming tour in Japan, together with Evans.

“Having worked with many musicians in many different configurations and styles, I can say freely that this group of players has great chemistry and ability to navigate uncharted waters, which is what allows for real improvisation”, Robben Ford says. “Making this recording, playing with these guys, has been one of my favorite experiences in a long, musical life”.

Only a few weeks after the tour, the two were in the recording studio, accompanied by a first-class rhythm section: Keith Carlock (currently on the drums with Steely Dan) and James Genus, the wonderful bass player who among so many played with Lee Konitz, Michael Brecker, Branford Marsalis, and Chick Corea.

Bill Evans enthuses about the recording process: “Rarely, but every now and then, like-minded musicians get together to create something that transcends musical boundaries yet can reach a wider audience. To me, the music we created on ´the SUN Room´ is timeless. I love blues, jazz, soul, funk and this CD has all of it, performed at the highest level. I couldn't be happier with this recording. The vibe was so great during this recording process that it was just a joy to be a part of. Well done, guys. Let's do it again!”.

Robert Glasper is a premiere example of musical aptitude and a proven champion of Black music - boasting nine Grammy nominations and four wins for Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song, Best Traditional R&B Performance, and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, and an Emmy Award for his song for Ava Duvernay’s critically hailed documentary “13th” with Common and Karriem Riggins. The 43-year old Houston native has a rich history contributing his artistry across both music and film, all the while carrying a consistent cultural message. In 2012, Glasper delivered his album Black Radio that hit the scene as the first album in history to debut in the top 10 of 4 different genre charts simultaneously: Hip Hop R&B, Urban Contemporary, Jazz and Contemporary Jazz. The feat was then repeated by Black Radio 2. The ongoing Black Radio series has since become Glasper’s calling card, upholding a place at the heart of a trailblazing community: from long-time sonic brothers Mos Def and Bilal, to legends including Ledisi, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, Jill Scott, and Erykah Badu.



"Robert Glasper has established himself as a master of the territory where jazz, hip-hop and R&B overlap" – Rolling Stone



“No one has shaped the resurgence of jazz in black music more than Robert Glasper in the 2000s” – Nate Chinen (NPR)



Black Radio and Black Radio II are landmark albums that have shaped the genres of jazz, hip hop and r&b for the past decade. Direct lines can be drawn to Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Kendrick Lamar, and black music writ large.

For Black Radio III, 4-time grammy® winner Robert Glasper cements his legacy as producer, curator and cultural icon. These collaborations range from the most powerful voices in contemporary black music (Killer Mike, ty dolla $ign, D Smoke, PJ Morton) to the most important lyricists and performers of the past 30 years (Jennifer Hudson, Ledisi, Common, Gregory Porter, Musiq Soulchild, India.Arie)

Black Radio III is also a statement for these times. It is Glasper’s most direct statement of the frustration and opportunity of a world disrupted by social change.

It is at once beautiful, powerful and innovative.

Robert Glasper’s 2005 Blue Note debut Canvas signaled the arrival of a singular new voice in jazz and his 2007 follow-up In My Element solidified his status as a rising star who was taking the music someplace new. Featuring bassist Vicente Archer & drummer Damion Reid, the album expanded the possibilities of where a modern jazz piano trio might go by delving further into his hip-hop & gospel roots.

This 2-lp Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.

BBE Music announces the first repress of the classic Roy Ayers albums ‘Virgin Ubiquity’ 1 and 2 since 2006, on luxurious 180g vinyl with brand new sleeve notes written by Sean P. The music on 'Virgin Ubiquity' was selected and mixed down from previously unreleased multi-tracks recorded between 1976 & 1981, which Roy had in storage. It's all unmistakably Ayers, but is diverse and fresh enough to be more than a mere adjunct to one of his most productive and popular periods - testament to his and his musicians' creative abilities, as much of most revered Ayers output stems from this time. These discoveries take their place beside some illustrious company in a timeline bookended by 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine' and 'Africa, Center Of The World', several solo and Ubiquity albums, collaborations with Wayne Henderson & Fela Kuti, as well as guesting on LPs by Buster Williams and Herbie Mann. Out of print on vinyl and CD for over a decade now, BBE is delighted to re- present these groundbreaking Roy Ayers titles, neatly coinciding with the 45th anniversary of his classic album ‘Mystic Voyage’ and a UK tour to commemorate it during April 2020.

A legendary album by one of the masters of modern jazz drumming! Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1963, Cymbalism is among the albums Roy Haynes provided for Prestige's New Jazz series. This session features the drummer leading an acoustic quartet with Frank Strozier (alto sax, flute) Ronnie Mathews (piano) and Larry Ridley (bass). An unpredictable Hard Bop-Post Bop transitional album with different colors and moods. From the primary influence of Charlie Parker through a kind of expanded sound inspired by coeval Coltrane.

Roy Porter released two albums in the 70's, "Inner Feelings" and "Jessica", which are now highly sought after as important rare groove albums. After a brief absence from the scene, he entered the 90s and challenged the times with a new Sound Machine! The killer funk tracks "Panama" and "Party time," which have been featured as sampling sources on numerous occasions, have been reconstructed by Roy Porter himself, and brushed up to sound with the texture of the 90s. It is no exaggeration to say that this album embodies the fusion of jazz and hip-hop that Robert Glasper and others have shown since the 2010s, 20 years ago.

He wasn’t satisfied simply being a bebop legend!

After spending the 40s and 50s playing with jazz pioneers such as Charlie ‘Yardbird’ Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and a young Eric Dolphy. After spending much of the 1960s silent, Roy Porter returned triumphantly with the release of ‘Jessica’ in 1971. Four years later, he followed that up with “Inner Feelings”. Listeners back then had to wait four years for the sequel, but you don’t have to wait at all!

The seven-man band, with its powerful horns and phat grooves, is no doubt worthy of the name ‘Sound Machine’ Praise has been sung of this record in and among rare groove circles for over three decades, with mere rumors of original copies being enough to cause collectors to begin salivating. Album opener, “Party Time”, begins with an almost mechanical drum break - a groove so tight, you just might think Roy Porter is a metronome. Jpegmafia certainly thought so, sampling the drum beat on “Free the Frail”. Fans of classic hip-hop may also recognize “Panama”, not just for its beautiful melody and iconic groove, but from DJ SPINNA’s hit-song “rock”. The re-recorded version of “Jessica” adds vocals and a touch of melancholy to the jazz-funk classic. It’s still danceable, but it might also make you stop and think for a second. Album closer, “Out on the Town Tonight”, takes the funk one step further, with an even larger horn section, and fiery solos. Yet throughout the whole album, the drumming remains steadily funky, a reminder that Roy Porter sits at the heart of the Sound Machine.

With the LP reissued on clear blue vinyl for the first time ever, this record has never looked this good! Combined with a 7” record containing a re-edit by the legendary DJ Muro, and the nearly impossible to find vocal version of “Panama”, this reissue is no doubt going to be legendary! Don’t miss this iconic album, reissued for the first time on clear blue vinyl with a 7” record, available only from P-vine Records!

Classic jazz-funk fusion from the late, great Japanese guitarist Ryo Kawasaki. Recorded in New York, and originally released in 1976, 'Juice' presents Ryo at the height of his powers.

Born in Japan in 1947, Ryo had a long and stellar career recording and releasing music up until his passing on 13 April 2020, in Tallinn, Estonia. Ryo is one of the pioneers of the jazz fusion genre, with the Japanese jazz fusion / funk sound becoming extremely influential within the 80s UK club scene and amongst its DJs. His track 'Trinkets & Things' became a bonafide underground classic. In the US he worked with some of the greats of jazz, such as Elvin Jones, Chico Hamilton and Bobbi Humphrey, to name but a few. A forward-thinking and ever-evolving musician, Ryo collaborated with the Roland Corporation and Korg on the 'guitar synthesizer' and later wrote music software for computers. Later in life he relocated to Estonia and worked there, as well as Finland, Sweden, and the Baltic states.

'Juice' has become a much-loved album for crate diggers and jazz-funk enthusiasts, with its tracks frequently being sampled and re-imagined in hip-hop. The smokey, beat-down, spiritual funk jam 'Bamboo Child' has been flipped by Diamond D, Puff Daddy, and Kool G Rap. The album was released in 1976 on RCA Records and features the musicians' drummer Jimmy Young, rhythm guitarist Hugh McCracken, and bassist Stu Woods amongst other luminaries. A solid album throughout that incorporates a heavy dose of tripped-out synths alongside the emerging disco sound of the time. Tracks such as the opener ‘Raisins’, with its drum beat intro and bubbling bass-line, rivals The Headhunters at their finest. A superb album from an underground legend.

First ever vinyl reissue of this French free jazz nugget recording by Sahib Shihab + Gilson Unit. Paris, February 1972. A few months after having released Le Massacre du Printemps, Jef Gilson was back behind his keyboards for a completely different experience. Heading up his Unit, he was joined by Sahib Shihab, ex- partner to Gillespie, Monk and Coltrane, for a brief stroll in the desert. For three-quarters of an hour, the caravan passes by, evoking, one after the other, Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane, Pierre Henry and Karlheinz Stockhausen... Oh yes, and one other thing, we forgot to mention that Shihab’s saxophone is... amplified.