Organic Grooves 38 Items

Modern and grounded in 1960s hard-bop sensibility, the American pianist and composer Albert Dailey (1939 – 1984) had perfect control over his instrument. Since an early age he played with cutting-edge musicians, the likes of Art Blakey, Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz, Charles Mingus and Lee Konitz to name just a few. But despite that, he was an underrated artist during his lifetime receiving deserved recognition only after his death. Renaissance 2 November 1977 is his second album, played by a bold group that includes the voice of Cheryl Alexander, Carter Jefferson on sax, Cecil McBee on bass and features both Cheryl Alexander and Adam Nussbaum on drums.

Taken from the soundtrack to an obscure 1975 Italian film, Elio Bartolini’s L’Altro Dio, these two killer disco-funk instrumentals might have remained in oblivion were it not that Four Flies rescued and included them in the comps Esterno Notte and Esterno Giorno, both of which sold out quickly and have become almost impossible to find. It seemed more than proper now to release them for the first time ever on 7”.

After branching off from The Royal Jesters in the mid-'60s, Dimas Garza attempted a solo career and reinvented himself as Dimas III. Dimas recorded three singles on the Jesters' own Clown label - all tracked at Abie Epstein's studio off General McMullen in San Antonio, TX. The first was "So Funny" b/w "I Won't Love You Again," which are almost impossible-to-find records. Garza never did manage to break beyond the Bexar County limits but left a rich legacy of recordings behind for lowrider enthusiasts and obsessed collectors alike.

After branching off from The Royal Jesters in the mid-'60s, Dimas Garza attempted a solo career and reinvented himself as Dimas III. Dimas recorded three singles on the Jesters' own Clown label - all tracked at Abie Epstein's studio off General McMullen in San Antonio, TX. The first was "So Funny" b/w "I Won't Love You Again," which are almost impossible-to-find records. Garza never did manage to break beyond the Bexar County limits but left a rich legacy of recordings behind for lowrider enthusiasts and obsessed collectors alike.

Aptly titled, ‘Welcome’ is the debut album from Don Glori. A kaleidoscopic free dive into his world, featuring 8 recordings of revolving jazz, Brazilian, soul and funk inspired compositions spinning together and blurring into a genre bending slew of new music.

There is an intangible element of joy and connection sitting just outside the grasp of description or definition that can be felt throughout this album. Each song on this album captures the spirit and irrepressible energy that underpins the core of the Don Glori project.

Imperfections are captured along with the moments of transcendence. Layers of vocal harmonies oscillate next to pulsating samba rhythms while spiritual overtones permeate throughout. Congas and percussion form a holy union with the drum kit, co-piloted by Don Glori’s own bass lines.

Saxophones, horns and flutes flutter in between the musical canyons carved out by the piano and vibraphone. When you press all of these forces together you can start to feel the intangible; the intrinsic human elements existing in the creases. The sweat, excitement and willingness of each musician to dedicate their spirit and take risks on every track of this album.

It’s clear from the outset that this is an expansive body of work, from the spiritual jazz opener ‘Maiden Waters’ to the bubbling street party that is ‘Dlareme’, and ending on the unashamedly seductive ‘Commodore’. This is the kind of record that will translate equally well to both the dance floor and the lounge room rug.

Donald Byrd’s 1967 album Slow Drag was one of the last pure hard bop records the trumpeter would make before his music began evolving towards fusion. Byrd flies high on this gratifying set featuring alto saxophonist Sonny Red, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Walter Booker & drummer Billy Higgins.



BLUE NOTE TONE POET EDITION: Stereo, produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analogue master tapes, pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI, packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket.

A descendant of the Hausa (a people from the Sahel) born in Riyadh in 1947, Ettab was a celebrated singer, actress and activist - and perhaps the only female artist of Saudi origin of her time to claim an international career. This album, produced in Lebanon in 1992 by brothers Mahmoud and Ahmed Moussa for the label Relax-In, is a perfect introduction to her work. Resolutely modern in its pop arrangements with a finesse worthy of Curtis Mayfield, it takes Eastern classical music to new horizons. Ettab's undeniably beautiful voice is characterized by its original accent, which she refused to hide despite her exile to Egypt in 1980. After 15 albums and a few film appearances, Ettab devoted her time to defending the women's rights in the music world until her death in 2007 in Cairo. She is now a leading female icon in the Arab world, especially in her native Saudi Arabia. A masterpiece of Arabic music, essential to any fan of the genre, her work should be urgently (re)discovered.

2023 Repress! Energized by the funky sounds of 1970's West Africa Flammer Dance Band go all in on their debut LP. Packed with hip-shaking grooves, uplifting vibes, vibrating synths, screaming saxophones and crispy drum breaks all recorded in a warm and stuffy shack in Oslo. Flammer is a charming and soulful homage to an era with a unique and obscure sound: a truly raw and authentic sounding Afro-Funk LP!

Flammer Dance Band back with two new hip-shaking garage funk tunes! 2023 Repress edition in different sleeve artwork colourway Another essential from Lyskestrekk Records.

Welcome to ‘Feel The Wind’…maybe one of the greatest team-ups in Jazz history featuring jazz superstars Art Blakey and Freddie Hubbard! Art Blakey (1919–1990) needs little introduction, the American Jazz drummer and bandleader made a name for himself in the 1940s & 1950s playing with contemporaries such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He is often considered to have been Thelonious Monk's most empathetic drummer (he played on both Monk’s first recording session in 1947 and his final one in 1971). In the decades that followed Blakey recorded for all THE labels that mattered in the field of jazz (Columbia, Blue Note, Atlantic, RCA, Im pulse!, Riverside, Prestige, Verve, etc.). His collaborations were numerous and include working with equally legendary artists such as Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Chet Baker, John Coltrane….and countless others. Art Blakey was a major figure and a pioneer for modern jazz, he assumed an aggressive swing drumming style early on in his career and is known as one of the inventors of the modern bebop style of drumming. Blakey was sampled and remixed by major acts such as The Black Eyed Peas, Digable Planets, Buscemi, KRS-One and Madlib. The legacy of Art Blakey is not only the music he produced, but also the opportunities they provided for several future generations of jazz musicians. Freddie Hubbard (1938-2008) also needs little introduction, he was one of the most renowned American jazz trumpeters who played bebop, hard bop and post-bop from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop. At the age of 20, in New York, he began playing and recording with some of the best jazz players of the era, including Don Cherry, Quincy Jones, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Oliver Nelson and Herbie Hancock. Freddie Hubbard recorded for labels such as Blue Note and Atlantic and he became a prominent member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Hubbard achieved his greatest popular success in the 1970s with a series of landmark albums. Hubbard's trumpet playing was featured on the track 'Zanzibar' from the 1978 Billy Joel album 52nd street (the 1979 Grammy Award Winner for Best Album) and in 1988, Hubbard played with Elton John contributing trumpet and flugelhorn solos. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts accorded Hubbard its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. Freddie Hubbard was sampled and remixed by renowned artists such as Raekwon, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Jungle Brothers and Kamasi Washington. On the album that we are presenting you today (Feel The Wind from 1989) , you’ll find six sublime tracks recorded in 1988 by renowned engineer Max Bolleman at the Studio 44 Monster in Holland. These recordings were originally released on the legendary Dutch jazz label Timeless Records (and produced by its owner Wim Wigt). Supporting Hubbard and Blakey is an all-star line-up of musicians from the likes of Leon Dorsey (Lionel Hampton), Lonnie Plaxico (Dizzy Gillespie, Ravi Coltrane), Benny Green (Joe Henderson, Houston Person, Milt Jackson), Mulgrew Miller (Frank Morgan, Donald Byrd) and Javon Jackson (Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller, John Hicks). The combination of this being one of Art Blakey's final recordings near the end of his life and a glorious rejuvenating return by Freddie Hubbard gives us all the ingredients for a unique album that sounds as innovating today as back in the day when it was released. Expect supercharged hard bop with striking notes, no-holds-barred musicianship, high swinging solos, screaming choruses and plenty of solid virtuosity to spare. This release is not only a classic but also a bonafide hit and a must have for any self-respecting jazz fan or collector. Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents this much-needed vinyl reissue that pairs up two iconic jazz legends at the top of their game. Originally released in 1989, this is the first time these unique sessions are being reissued as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition w/obi strip.

Welcome to ‘Feel The Wind’…maybe one of the greatest team-ups in Jazz history featuring jazz superstars Art Blakey and Freddie Hubbard! Art Blakey (1919–1990) needs little introduction, the American Jazz drummer and bandleader made a name for himself in the 1940s & 1950s playing with contemporaries such as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He is often considered to have been Thelonious Monk's most empathetic drummer (he played on both Monk’s first recording session in 1947 and his final one in 1971). In the decades that followed Blakey recorded for all THE labels that mattered in the field of jazz (Columbia, Blue Note, Atlantic, RCA, Imp ulse!, Riverside, Prestige, Verve, etc.). His collaborations were numerous and include working with equally legendary artists such as Sonny Rollins, Max Roach, Chet Baker, John Coltrane….and countless others. Art Blakey was a major figure and a pioneer for modern jazz, he assumed an aggressive swing drumming style early on in his career and is known as one of the inventors of the modern bebop style of drumming. Blakey was sampled and remixed by major acts such as The Black Eyed Peas, Digable Planets, Buscemi, KRS-One and Madlib. The legacy of Art Blakey is not only the music he produced, but also the opportunities they provided for several future generations of jazz musicians. Freddie Hubbard (1938-2008) also needs little introduction, he was one of the most renowned American jazz trumpeters who played bebop, hard bop and post-bop from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop. At the age of 20, in New York, he began playing and recording with some of the best jazz players of the era, including Don Cherry, Quincy Jones, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Oliver Nelson and Herbie Hancock. Freddie Hubbard recorded for labels such as Blue Note and Atlantic and he became a prominent member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Hubbard achieved his greatest popular success in the 1970s with a series of landmark albums. Hubbard's trumpet playing was featured on the track 'Zanzibar' from the 1978 Billy Joel album 52nd street (the 1979 Grammy Award Winner for Best Album) and in 1988, Hubbard played with Elton John contributing trumpet and flugelhorn solos. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts accorded Hubbard its highest honor in jazz, the NEA Jazz Masters Award. Freddie Hubbard was sampled and remixed by renowned artists such as Raekwon, A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Jungle Brothers and Kamasi Washington. On the album that we are presenting you today (Feel The Wind from 1989) , you’ll find six sublime tracks recorded in 1988 by renowned engineer Max Bolleman at the Studio 44 Monster in Holland. These recordings were originally released on the legendary Dutch jazz label Timeless Records (and produced by its owner Wim Wigt). Supporting Hubbard and Blakey is an all-star line-up of musicians from the likes of Leon Dorsey (Lionel Hampton), Lonnie Plaxico (Dizzy Gillespie, Ravi Coltrane), Benny Green (Joe Henderson, Houston Person, Milt Jackson), Mulgrew Miller (Frank Morgan, Donald Byrd) and Javon Jackson (Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller, John Hicks). The combination of this being one of Art Blakey's final recordings near the end of his life and a glorious rejuvenating return by Freddie Hubbard gives us all the ingredients for a unique album that sounds as innovating today as back in the day when it was released. Expect supercharged hard bop with striking notes, no-holds-barred musicianship, high swinging solos, screaming choruses and plenty of solid virtuosity to spare. This release is not only a classic but also a bonafide hit and a must have for any self-respecting jazz fan or collector. Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents this much-needed vinyl reissue that pairs up two iconic jazz legends at the top of their game. Originally released in 1989, this is the first time these unique sessions are being reissued as a deluxe 180g vinyl edition w/obi strip.

“I get something out of listening to Coltrane, Shepp and Coleman; I’m really pleased that young players are trying to change things. If they go back the roots and come up with something new, that’s fantastic.” This comment was made by saxophonist Hal Singer to Gérard Terronès for the magazine Jazz Hot in 1968. Two years later Terronès would issue Singer’s album Blues And News, on his label Futura Records.

Though born in 1919 Hal Singer claims, just like the precursors of free jazz, “to always be looking for something else”. When he started out he played in numerous swing bands, then worked in bop with Don Byas, Roy Eldridge or Red Allen, before joining Duke Ellington’s band. In 1948, he recorded a successful single, Cornbread under his own name, which allowed him to travel to the four corners of the earth with his own group.

Then, in 1965, Hal Singer came to live in France: in Paris, he played at clubs like the C’hat qui pêche’ or ‘Riverbop’; in the studio, he multiplied his experiments and experience. It was one such session that gave us Blues And News: joined by Jacques Bolognési (trombone), Jean-Claude André (guitar), Siegfried Kessler (keyboards and flute), Patrice Caratini (double bass), Art Taylor (drums) et Alain Charlery (percussion), the saxophonist himself goes “back to the roots”, to also “come up with something new”.

Things kick off with “It’s My Thing”, a soul jazz number reminiscent of Cannonball Adderley or Lou Donaldson. After the pretty balled “Lina”, comes “Malcolm X ”, a luminous homage which resists the storm whipped up by Kessler on piano. Getting back to swing, Singer makes music with his communicative ’joie de vivre’ (“Du Bois”, “Pour Stéphanie”) before signing off with a flamboyant blues dedicated to him by Kessler for the occasion: “Blues For Hal”. But was another title possible?... Blues For All!!!'

Carefully remastered from the master tapes by Gilles Laujol. Graphic design by Stefan Thanneur. Heavyweight 180 gr. LP. 425 gsm brownboard outer sleeve. Licensed from Futura records.

Teenage melancholy from the original Miami Sound Machine. Backed by the infamous Famu Marching 100 Band and Frank Williams' crack shot players The Rocketeers, I Am Controlled By Your Love compiles sides from Helene Smith's '60s tenure with the Deep City, Lloyd, Reid, and Blue Star labels. A sweltering album of 12 deeply soulful, alternate universe hits from the First Lady of Miami Soul!

Teenage melancholy from the original Miami Sound Machine. Backed by the infamous Famu Marching 100 Band and Frank Williams' crack shot players The Rocketeers, I Am Controlled By Your Love compiles sides from Helene Smith's '60s tenure with the Deep City, Lloyd, Reid, and Blue Star labels. A sweltering album of 12 deeply soulful, alternate universe hits from the First Lady of Miami Soul!

Husband-and-wife soul duo Ike & Tina Turner produced an astounding string of hits during the 1960s and 70s, before Tina found the will to go solo. Unjustly overlooked at its time of release, the duo’s first blues album finds Tina’s passionately powerful voice holding plenty of grit and Ike’s guitar a restrained accompaniment throughout; the take of Sonny Boy Williamson’s ‘Crazy ‘Bout You Baby’ has gripping electric piano and buzzing blues harp and Ike’s ‘Grumbling’ is a killer guitar groove. A good mix of covers and originals, it shows how well the duo could work in the blues idiom. Another great LP for all Ike & Tina fans!

Ivan Makvel & Maya Killtron join forces to create two fresh powerful Nu-Funk anthems with Like Water & Step It Up. The music in Like Water takes influences from the best funk songs of the early 80's 'till the more modern funk of Bruno Mars, with strong edgy bass lines, synth brass and real horns mixed to the elegance and power of the voice of Maya Killtron. Step It Up, is a tribute to the electronic funk of the 80's that will make you dance all night.

“Why would I sing in French? I have Breton culture, I speak Breton, I live in Brittany, and the Breton language is the language of this country...” So explained Kristen Noguès, of whom this is the first of the (rare) albums that she recorded Marc’h Gouez, is a fabulous voyage in space on each listening.

Noguès learned the Breton language as a child, at the same time as the Celtic harp, – taking lessons with Denise Mégevand, who would go on to teach others, notably Alan Stivell. At the beginning of the 1970s, she discovered the Breton song tradition (soniou and gwerziou) through Yann Poëns and became involved in Névénoé, a cooperative of traditional expression founded by Gérard Delahaye and Patrick Ewen. It was under this label that her first album Marc’h Gouez, was released in 1976.

With a dozen friends playing guitar, piano, violins, flutes..., Noguès composed not Breton music, but music from Brittany: a type of shared folklore in which imagination is married to the reality of the moment, that of social demands and companionship. At the very beginning of the record, we can hear her drawing up a chair, before the plucked notes of the harp become a cascade: “Enez Rouz”, is an invitation to listen up close.

We are reminded here of the Meredith Monk of “Greensleeves”, there of the early albums of Brigitte Fontaine / Areski, elsewhere of Emmanuelle Parrenin, Pascal Comelade... Noguès rhyming pattern is ever changing: airy (“Hunvre”), cosmopolitain (“Pinvidik Eo Va C'hemener”), enigmatic (“Ar Bugel Koar”), profound (“Ar Gemenerez”) or enchanting (“Hirness An Devezhiou”). And then there is the track from which the album takes its’ name: Marc’h Gouez which, between nursery rhyme and chamber music, weaves a fabulous web in which the auditor is obliged to be caught. “Brittany equals poetry”: so said André... Breton; and Kristen Noguès proves it to be true.'

Carefully remastered from the master tapes by Gilles Laujol. Graphic design by Stefan Thanneur. 8 page booklet. Heavyweight 180 gr. LP. 425 gsm brownboard outer sleeve. Licensed from Katell Branellec.

A series of pivotal music projects during the early 1980s led to an explosion of authentic South African sounds sweeping the Western world. Among those projects were albums by Malcolm McLaren, Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Paul Simon; and reissues and compilations of essential African recordings on the UK-based Earthworks Records label. The common denominator was the genre Earthworks famously referred to as “The Indestructible Beat of Soweto” – mbaqanga music. It was therefore inevitable that the foremost exponents of that genre, Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens, would achieve international stardom before the decade ended.

In June 1988, Mahlathini and the Queens made their first visit to the United Kingdom. Hoping to ride the crest of a wave, concert promoters conceived a package show named after the seminal 1985 Earthworks compilation, The Indestructible Beat of Soweto. This would give British audiences a revealing insight into African music as never before – in addition to the headline performers were Philip Tabane and Malombo, Nothembi Mkhwebane, Sipho Mchunu, accordion player Mzwandile David and acrobatic dancer Lucas ‘Rubber Boy’ Kau. The rapturous reception led to an invitation back to the UK in November for further Indestructible Beat concerts, then Mahlathini and the Queens‘ first standalone UK tour in early 1989. Their stage act rarely dipped below excellent. The three Queens would fly onto the stage to herald the start of a very special evening of music and dance. The formidable Mahlathini, “The Lion of Soweto”, prowled around the stage imitating the ladies trademark mgqashiyo choreography, punctuated with whistles, hand claps and chants. Then the great groaner suddenly came alive, contorting, convulsing and leaping through exaggerated Zulu dance routines.

The Indestructible Beat of Soweto shows have long since passed into gig legend. None of those landmark concerts were ever made commercially available. Now, some 30 years later, Umsakazo Records proudly presents Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens’ entire Indestructible Beat set of 16 songs, handpicked from a number of different UK venues and all remastered from newly discovered cassette recordings. These were made at the mixing desk by David Barton, a photographer and music fanatic who travelled with the performers as they descended on unsuspecting audiences across the UK. Music Inferno: The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-89 shines the spotlight once more on a truly joyous and frenetic concert experience by one of South Africa’s greatest musical exports.'

In 2001, Norah Jones debuted with the now classic album "Come Away With Me", which fused jazz, pop, blues and a touch of country in a very unique way, and made it to multi-platinum status and several Grammy awards.



Norah Jones, who had achieved worldwide fame almost overnight, did not slavishly stick to the successful concept in the years to come, but tried out different sounds and styles again and again, to the delight of her fans. In 2011 she appeared as a guest singer of Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi for their album "Rome". Inspired by this collaboration, Norah Jone' album "Little Broken Hearts" was created the following year in collaboration with Danger Mouse.



In June, for its 10th anniversary, in addition to the remastered version of the original album, a deluxe edition on 3 LPs or 2 CDs will be released. Additionally to the 12 original songs eight alternative versions and remixes are included and also a complete live recording of the album repertoire, which Norah Jones recorded in 2012 in Austin City Limits, Texas.

Another welcome addition to Four Flies 45s series, this 7” contains three uber-funky instrumentals taken from an unreleased soundtrack by Paolo Ormi, two of which previously included in Four Flies’ now almost impossible-to-find comps Esterno Notte and Esterno Giorno. Featuring wah-wah guitars, pulsating bass, drum breaks and pronounced horn section. One of the funkiest blaxploitation-inspired soundtracks ever made in Italy.

Skeewiff have always idolised the trailblazers of library music, such as Keith Mansfield, Brian Bennett, and Alan Hawkshaw. In the mid-2000s, they founded Pedigree Cuts, which quickly gained success, giving the duo an avenue to showcase their creative expression and adoration for the art of library music.

They return to their spiritual home at Jalapeno Records for a series of exclusive releases, featuring revamped cover versions of some of their favourite library tracks.

First up is 'Spanish Flea,' a well-known earworm of a tune by Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass Band. Which comes paired with 'Exclusive Blend,' another legendary instrumental composition by the esteemed Keith Mansfield.

Skeewiff's funky interpretations of these classics is guaranteed to delight many.

Since the release of Surprise Chef’s 2022 album, Education & Recreation, they have been touring across the US, Europe, and Australia selling out shows and cementing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Releasing three albums and a string of successful 7” singles since 2019, their output is nothing short of prolific, and they show no signs of slowing down with the announcement of their new Friendship EP. Friendship is a six song 12” EP that picks up where the last album left off and pushes their sound in new directions as they take on different energies and make them their own. The EP opens with “Rosemary Hemphill”, a gorgeous yet haunting tune that takes the listener through a myriad of musical changes and moods. “Friendship Theme” is a bouncy and energetic number with an infectious and driving topline that is sure to move dancers around the globe. “Over The Moon” is pure mood music that puts Surprise Chef’s restraint and tasteful use of space front and center, while “Spiky Boi” is a frantic upbeat number drenched in percussion and keyboards. With a year of heavy touring plans in front of them in 2023 this EP will bridge the gap while they write and record their next album due out in 2024.

Since the release of Surprise Chef’s 2022 album, Education & Recreation they have been touring across the US, Europe, and Australia selling out shows and cementing themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Releasing three albums and a string of successful 7” singles since 2019, their output is nothing short of proli¬c and they show no signs of slowing down with the announcement of their new Friendship EP. Friendship is a six song 12” EP that picks up where the last album left off and pushes their sound in new directions as they take on different energies and make them their own. The EP opens with “Rosemary Hemphill”, a gorgeous yet haunting tune that takes the listener through a myriad of musical changes and moods. “Friendship Theme” is a bouncy and energetic number with an infectious and driving topline that is sure to move dance oors around the globe. “Over The Moon” is pure mood music that puts Surprise Chef’s restraint and tasteful use of space front and center while “Spiky Boi” is a frantic upbeat number drenched in percussion and keyboards. With a year of heavy touring plans in front of them in 2023 this EP will bridge the gap while they write and record their next album due out in 2024.

The core membership of free jazz act The Trio ensured its output was captivating, comprised as it was of double-bassist Barre Phillips, who had played with Archie Shepp, Chris McGregor, and Gong; saxophonist John Surman, who had played with John McLaughlin, Lester Bowie, and Alexis Korner; and drummer Stu Martin, who had played with Count Basie, Donald Byrd and Herbie Hancock. On the gripping sophomore set Conflagration, guest players include Chick Corea and trumpeter Harry Beckett, ensuring their take on abstract jazz contains melody as well as jarring exchanges. Another great Trio free jazz set!

Vinyl is available in two versions - classic black or various color limited "Indie Shop Edition".
Both versions have 180g record and printed inner sleeve.

The idea for "portrety" was simple - to invite esteemed drummers to record a song that will be signed with their name. There was no musical framework - they could invite guests or record everything themselves - no need to necessarily use drums. This is how the first Portraits in 2019 were created, and now we present their next installment.

" 'Part two' seems to suggest a series, so just as with the bad joke from four years ago, I'll lead with the short, age old adage: "10 musicians and a drummer". Admittedly, it is rudimentary and unfunny, however, it is significant: It's easy to forget an instrumentalist's other specialities, but here, the drummers don't let themselves to be forgotten.
This series - the brainchild of Marcin "Groh" Grośkiewicz - is composed of up-close portraits. A task which not only shifts accents, but also changes the lives of those normally considered the unsung heroes of the background. One of the tracks from "Portraits" was picked for an advertising campaign for a well known smartphone producer, others topped industry charts and inspired new bands where drums were in the spotlight.
Part two brings us eight drummers who are among the most multifaceted musicians on the Polish music scene. What are they doing here? Teo Olter tells a complex story, asking in the very title, where he is going? Wiktoria Jakubowska, known for backing big stars, shines through with her own composition. Miłosz Pękala - an interpreter of avant-garde composers and an academic lecturer - thoroughly entertains. Famous from Immortal Onion, Wojtek Warmijak energetically explores high tempos, while Wojtek Sobura - those slower, patiently sculpting a club beat with sonoristic* abstraction. Macio Moretti surprises, as expected, stylistically moving towards his hero: Zappa. Tymoteusz Papior impresses, effortlessly juggling accents and chopping time signatures. And Inferno, despite being associated with the group Behemoth, shows he can do it… drum-less. Some invite other musicians, but they always remain - as their studies or professional experience taught them to be - the musician with the widest set (be it drums or skills) on the team.
So, how does the second part of the series compliment the first? It further completes the gallery of collector's cards with Polish Percussion's superheroes and heroines. Each a different personality and an individual set of features. But does it satisfy? Strikingly.
Enough, I won't drum it into you."
Bartek Chaciński