Ropeadope Vinyl, CD & Tape 30 Items

As Ghost-Note hit the road in 2017, they could not avoid the barrage of news hitting every day, so the band made a conscious choice to find comedy and positivity in these troubling times. They began recording their moments of discussion and humor as voice memos, which would later find their way into the new album. Studio dates were set, and the surprise announcement that Nick Werth would be leaving the band for his solo work left things wide open. Without Nick, Ghost-Note started anew with no notions; they just went in to the studio and risked it all.

And so, Swagism was recorded in the same way the band developed: start with the base and leave the destination wide open. With a growing cast of players bringing fresh new arrangements of sound, Nate and Sput brought in some friends, further altering the end game. Kamasi Washington, Karl Denson, Raja Kassis, Prudence the Auset Sneed, Brandon ‘Taz’ Neiderauer, Nigel Hall, Bob Lanzetti, Alvin Ford Jr, Jay Jennings, Nick Werth, Bobby Ray Sparks, Phil Lassiter, Michael Palmer and many more added their incredible flourish to the album, rounding out a document that captures the entire Ghost-Note experience, tying everything together in the same way it evolved – as a family, as a multi-cultural band of humans that fully embraces the time they spend together and their common goal, complete with reflection on the times we live in. This is Ghost-Note.

“The record started out (as) instrumental, genre bending music… and I thought we are on a really good track… It’s an incredible journey for making a record, to start somewhere and end in a place of protest, of speaking your mind and hoping that peace and love resonate with the listeners.” — Nate Wert

“This is my voice, it means more than all of the other things. Of course I’m sharing a platform with others in Ghost-Note, but this is me.” — Robert 'Sput’ Searight

Somewhere between a soul pop concert, South Side jazz club, slam poetry reading, and punk rock dive bar, lives the music of Cole DeGenova. Combining poignant lyricism with infectious grooves and prodigious musicianship, the music seeks to elevate the audience while transcending genre barriers. As a keyboardist, vocalist, and composer Cole DeGenova has spent most of his life crafting his soulfully eclectic artistic voice, beginning his career at age 16 as a jazz pianist around his native Chicago. As a bandleader, he formed Cole DeGenova & The Peoples Republic while at Berklee College of Music, where he released his first album Just People Again in 2009, followed by his second, Another Country, in 2012.

Raised in Beirut of Armenian heritage, her childhood years were marked by the conflict and political instability of the region; themes she would later explore in her music. A move to Australia some years later saw her take the bold step to fully transition from her classical roots and find recognition among her jazz peers, as a composer and improviser of note. In 2017, the Zela Margossian Quintet (zmq) was formed and quickly found a warm embrace in the Sydney jazz scene. Comprising of renowned, versatile performers: Stuart Vandegraaff (woodwinds), Jacques Emery (double bass), Adem Yilmaz (percussion) and Alexander Inman-Hislop (drum kit), the band has appeared on Australia’s mainstages and internationally including at: the Beirut International Jazz Festival (2018), SIMA’s Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival (2017, 2019 and 2020), Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues (2020), the Sydney Opera House (2020), and Sydney Festival (2021). In 2019 the band’s debut album, Transition, was released by Art As Catharsis to critical acclaim, also receiving an Aria (Australian Recording Industry Association) nomination for Best World Music album. The Road is their much anticipated second album, promising the rich instrumental textures, the distinct compositional voice, as well as the narrative and thematic depth Margossian is known for.

Hailing from Havana, Cuba, Jorge Luis Pacheco is one of the leading pianists and musicians of the new generation of jazz in Cuba. Winner of the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition in Switzerland, Pacheco is a fiery young pianist with “flying hands.” Pacheco is a virtuoso pianist, composer, arranger, percussionist and singer. Monty Alexander exclaimed that he “defies genre” - often playing Cuban jazz, traditional Cuban music, original film scores, and a new Symphony for Jazz Quartet and Symphony Orquestra that he composed, which is inspired by the music of South America and Afro Cuban Music. Pacheco showed the audience a range of different sounds from the most classic, performed by the Symphonic Orchestra to the most contemporary by the Jazz Quartet, where both joined together to achieve a balance between musical worlds. The Lockdown Album is Jorge Luis Pacheco’s Ropeadope debut - a beautiful reflection of our shared experiences of the early twenties. The album is a beautiful presentation of his talent and style, with a modern Cuban flavor that defines the current and future iteration of Cuban style.

Dendê Macêdo is a percussionist, singer, composer, bandleader, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist. He’s been a professional musician since the age of 14, when he appeared in the frontline of Timbalada, Carlinhos Brown’s superstar percussion ensemble. Since 2001, he’s been developing his solo career, splitting his time between the US and Bahia and working with his folkloric group Ologundê and his flagship band Dendê & Band. Now on their second album, Dendê & Band have cultivated a unique sound where Afro-Brazilian traditions like samba de roda and candomble have been seamlessly melded with world rhythms like rumba, afrobeat and mbalax. Dendê & Band have recently performed at venues such as the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles; the KW Latinfest in Canada; the Penang World Music Festival in Malaysia; Summerdance in Chicago and the Chile Pepper Fiesta at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Bakithi Kumalo’s bass playing can be found in the heart and soul of the modern day anthems that have shaped our sense of music and culture as we know it. Ranked among the top 50 bass players in the world by Bass Player Magazine, Bakithi Kumalo is a five-time Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist. Born in the Soweto township of Johannesburg, South Africa and surrounded by relatives who loved music and actively performed, Kumalo landed his first job at the age of seven filling in for his uncle's bass player. Kumalo worked as a session musician in South Africa during the 1970s and early 1980s, eventually becoming a top session bassist and accompanying international performers during their South African tours. In 1985, Kumalo was introduced to Paul Simon by producer Hendrick Lebone during the recording sessions for Simon's Graceland album. Kumalo then traveled with Simon to New York to finish the album and after the accompanying premier tour, spent several years commuting between Soweto and New York City before permanently settling in the United States. Kumalo has toured regularly with Simon throughout his career and has recorded with and performed alongside many other artists such as Joan Baez, Cyndi Lauper, Hugh Masekela, Herbie Hancock, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Randy Brecker, Grover Washington Jr., Mickey Hart and Disney’s The Lion King.

This fresh and joyful intent is captured on Joe Alterman’s new release The Upside Of Down. Taken from two live shows at Birdland in November 2019 and February 2020, the album reminds us of a not-too-distant time when we gathered and danced. Joined by Nathaniel Schroeder on bass and Marlon Patton on drums, Alterman cruises gently and delightedly through timeless selections from Les McCann, Oscar Peterson, Henry Mancini and more, with some of his compositions in the mix.

With nine solo soundscape albums to his credit, Motzer is widely known for his distinct textural electro-acoustic guitar voice utilizing looping, bowing, electronics, and prepared techniques. He appears on stunning collaborations with credits on over 100 albums, not the least of which is the historically important album King Britt Presents Sister Gertrude Morgan, where Tim’s cinematic textures led to features in Miami Vice, True Blood, and several independent films. He was inspired, quite handily, to perform and record all parts of these evolving compositions, including vocals – a first in his career. Mellotron, guitars, bass, prophet synth, optigan, wood flute, cymbals, drums, reed organ, electronics, drum machine, and toy keyboards all flow together in a lush and mysterious way, psychedelic at times, transcendent and futuristic at others.

Ellen Andrea Wang’s third studio album, Closeness, features Wang on double bass and vocals, with Rob Luft on guitar and Jon Fält on Drums. In what now seems prescient, the album is a an adventurous mix of traditional spirituals, soothing in their delivery, longing and personal compositions, and two carefully selected covers from Ornette Coleman (Lonely Woman) and Pat Metheny (This Is Not America). The connection between the musicians is quite evident as they approach each song with patience and absolute care for the art.

A commanding presence in any ensemble she plays in, her soft tone and vocal precision are always counterbalanced with heavy and assertive grooves from her double-bass, interlocking with drummers, jazz, pop and groove alike.

Black Light Collective, based in Detroit, Michigan, is the brainchild of Producer/Saxophonist Dave McMurray. It is a homage to the jazz of the 60’s & 70’s, when the music had groove, creativity, and a message. Musicians had something to say and weren’t afraid to say it. Jazz was a necessity of expression for both the artist and the listener. That’s Black Light Collective. The sound of freedom, hope, survival, fun, and the future.

Producer Dave McMurray, who plays saxophone, flute, and AE-10, recruited some of the best musicians in the Motor City. Rayse Biggs, trumpeter and McMurray's fellow Was (Not Was) alumni Luis Resto on keyboards, best known for his work with Eminem and 50 Cent. Also on board is percussionist Larry Fratangelo, known for his work on all of the Parliament/Funkadelic classics. McMurray also features young guns Trombonist Kenneth Gill and trumpeter Allen Dennard, both leaders in their own right. Young vocalist Isis Damil is an old soul. She carries on the tradition of Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln. The album also features Malik Alston on piano and vocals, dropping some knowledge on “We Have Been Assimilated”. Coming from Dave’s touring group “D3”, the rhythm section of bassist Ibrahim Jones, drummer Jeff Canady, and Maurice O’Neal on keyboards keeps it fresh and driving. Sowande Keita on Djembe and guitarist Showboat Shavers round out the group with gusto.

In concert, Black Light Collective delivers a powerful performance, funky and imaginative. Black Light Collective is an album that will make the old-schoolers think back and will blow the minds of the young guns, illustrating to both that the messages of the 70’s are still relevant today.

The Motor City has always been a mecca of jazz, rock, soul, and funk. Blending all of these, Black Light Collective is pure Detroit.

Axioms are essentially postulates from which an abstractly defined structure is based, a statement or proposition which is regarded as self-evidently true…Axioms serve as starting points for further reasoning and arguments. It’s difficult to find a more appropriate correlative to Jazz and Expansive Music.. Stretch Music, especially in a Live setting.’ (Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah) March 10th, 2020 was five short months that seem a lifetime ago. Chief Adjuah and his band were in a familiar place during an unfamiliar circumstance - New York City’s famed Blue Note as Covid19 uncertainty gripped the world. The chief, determined to stay the course and cognizant of risks, made the decision to press on and play. Much of Adjuah’s music thematically orbits ideas of the enduring power and courage of the individual and collective spirits. He, nor his septet would depart the venue without leaving as much strength and energy to the people as they could. Little did they (or we) know, this would be the last show for some time. Capturing this moment was precious; even more so now in the wake of the devastation of current events. ‘There’s a difference between hearing and listening. The intention to understand is present in listening. When you listen to our band, what you are hearing is the sound of listening’ (Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah) In recognition of his musical contributions Adjuah will also be featured in Bill & Ted Face the Music playing a Noble of the Future Council, leaders of a world saved by music. He also contributes his Trumpet sound to Louis Armstrong’s character throughout the Motion Picture which is set for release on the August 28th as well. Axiom is Chief Adjuah’s latest live recording and third live album. The previous two being Live at Newport released in 2008 and Ninety Miles Live at Cubadisco (with Stefon Harris and David Sanchez) in 2011. Five studio albums followed the latter, as Adjuah found full independent freedom in his collaboration with Ropeadope and the creation of his Stretch Music label. Axiom is a blistering set showcasing Ropeadope/stretch Music XXX 10.37 15.98 748926814003 Jazz None N
Cd-rkx079 11/20/2020 CD The Tibbs - Another Shot Fired (cd) Record Kicks pres. ""Another Shot Fired"" the sophomore album by Dutch soul band The Tibbs. Record Kicks proudly present the The Tibbs new album ""Another Shot Fired"" coming out on CD – LP – Digital November 20th. Recorded at Electric Monkeys in Amsterdam, produced by Paul Willemsen (Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions) and mastered in Nashville by Soul veterans Bob Holsen, who used to cut vinyl for Motown back in the day. ""Another Shot Fired"" is the second studio album from the Dutch soul combo and introduces a new singer to the project, the young super-talentedRoxanne Hartogwho penned the lyrics of most of the songs on the album. On the new album the formula remains the same employed by classic soul record labels like Stax and Motown: a super tight house band, first class production, some wicked arrangments and a signature vocalist. Think- The Marvellets, Booker T and the MGs, James Brown, The Supremes. From the smashing opener ""The Main Course"" to the last dark instrumental groover ""Circeo"" the 12 tracks of the new album prooves that The Tibbs can do no wrong. The sound is vintage, gritty and raw with some extra doses of RNR on the bluesy number ""Mama Says"" and even throws in some sun soaked reggae vibes in their title track ""Another Shot Fired"". Roxanne is perfectly at ease and brings the heat as she sweats her way through each number while the rest of the band deliver their unique super tight blend of garage soul. Based around Amsterdam, The Tibbs took off in 2012 - fronted by Elsa Bekman – covering a lesser-trodden path, combining special soul classics with rare beat instrumentals. Their increasing popularity quickly led to a natural desire to expand their repertoire, beyond the confines of others' thinking outside the traditional box and creating their own unique soulful creations. Working right from the start with producer Paul Willemsen (Beans & Fatback, Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions), the first EP ""Cleaned Out"" debuted in 2014. Later that year, the German funk l

To bring Still Time To Quit to life, McCarthy drew on the skills of musicians equally at home in deep funk pockets and wild improvisation. The album’s horn front line is one of the most stacked on a jazz record in recent memory. Takuya Kuroda has made a name for himself as one of the fastest rising trumpet players on the scene today through two critically acclaimed albums, Rising Son and Zigzagger. Michael Blake has been an enduring presence on the NY scene for 30 years, playing with everyone from Charlie Hunter to Oliver Lake. As a front line, they bring an enormous amount of character to every solo, and they interact with each other at an almost telepathic level.

Bassist Sam Minaie and drummer JK Kim round out the quintet. Sam can be heard around the world with everyone from Tigran Hamasyan to Melody Gardot. He also mixed and mastered all of Still Time To Quit. JK has quickly made a name for himself as one of New York’s most in demand drummers.

Still Time To Quit does not conform to any of the stereotypes or that often befall contemporary jazz. This is a carefully curated band of the McCarthy’s favorite musicians making each other sound their best, with the natural chemistry in the band being apparent to the listener from the first track. It is abundantly clear that Chris McCarthy is a force to be reckoned with as one of New York’s finest young pianists. With his unique compositional approach and diverse array of collaborations, his stature in the global jazz scene will only continue to grow. Look for a second release from this quintet in 2021.

Born in Chiba, Japan, Yasushi Karasawa learned piano from his mother as a young child, and soon began the explorative process in music. His first influences were Yellow Magic Orchestra and the great Ryuichi Sakamoto, leading him to save the pocket money for a Yamaha Cs-15 analog Synth and a double cassette deck for recording. As is the case, musical exploration leads one around the world to Jazz from the US, and in his case it was a borrowed record from Bill Evans that sparked his interest in Jazz piano. Studying at High School and then University, enamored with Evans and naturally Herbie Hancock, the stage was set. He performed at the Tokyo Jazz Clubs and he played in a pop band, but soon he turned to the studio and his own music with the project dubbed N’Sawa Saraca.

The simple story is familiar, but the missing piece is the depth of Karasawa’s musical understanding that comes through on his second album Another Town. One can hear Evans, and the golden age of Jazz interpreted through the lense of an eager Japanese student. And yet the groove is quite modern, with tinges of influences pushing through, like Terrace Martin or Aaron Parks. All of this is done with full respect, crafting the influences to his own discreetly interwoven and dreamlike flow. N’Sawa Saraca manages to capture all of the hefty Jazz solos within a gentle floating frame, enhanced by the flowing vocals of Raphael Sebbag from United Future organization.

Izumikawa’s latest album, Life Is Your Thoughts, is a cross-cultural examination, born out of his experiences living and working in both Japan and the United States. Musically, the tracks on the album balance traditional Japanese melodies and Hip-Hop, R&B, and Jazz.The title track Back to the Moon – Life is Your Thoughts is particularly poignant. It’s based on the 10th century Japanese fictional prose narrative Princess Kaguya, which ends with the princess tearfully leaving earth to return to her home on the moon. The song plays out a conversation between the English rap and the Japanese lyrics, taken directly from poems in the original text.

Jason Miles's newest release for his Kind of New Band “Black Magic”, his first on the Ropeadope label, he is exploring the possibilities of the small electric ensemble based on the same band of superb musicians he recently toured Europe with Reggie Washington on Bass,Gene Lake ,Drums , Jay Rodriguez ,Sax and Bass Clarinet and Philip Dizack on Trumpet. It is a combination of live tracks recorded at NewBlu in NYC and 4 new studio tracks that were influenced by a recent concert and encounter with Herbie Hancock. Jason recently said “seeing Herbie perform just made me realize how deep you have to go to get the most from your creative soul. I re-evaluated the new music I had and realized I hadn’t explored my musical soul deep enough. I locked myself in my studio and came up with 4 new tracks that I couldn’t be happier with and decided to call it Black Magic..There was some other vibes going on for sure”

Born and raised on the westside of Los Angeles, Eric Borders is a keyboardist, producer and composer. He has shared stages with the likes of Kamasi Washington, Jose James, Jimmy Cliff, The Internet, Stanley Clarke and George Duke. His Musical ‘persona’ is Captain Supernova (C.SN), a fictional Astronaut who travels through space and transmitting his message back to Earth. And so the stage is set, and we are about to receive C.SN’s third transmission; this time a full length album - The Voyage Never Ends.

Back in the early 2000s, Ninja Tune’s heyday, the unlikely duo of label mates BluRum13 (One Self) and Luke Vibert (Wagon Christ, Plug, Kerrier District, ...) quietly formed across genres and geography. Their first album, “Smell the Urgency,” was a playfully intellectual romp through the minds of two geniuses of rap and production respectfully. The album was shelved for reasons unknown, only to be resurrected by fans 13 years later and released on limited edition vinyl by Lille’s Besides Records. The re-release prompted a reunion, and just one year later, BLUKE returns with a second album even more revelatory than the first.

True to both artists’ extensive experience and discography, “Sense” showcases the depth of talent unique to each. The album is replete with expert sample-stitching, like the vintage video game sounds on Omnipotent or the whistling banjo duet on Happy Daze. From the chunky 70s bass lines of Gimme a Sign, to the rapid-fire scratches and litanies of Something Fresh (ft. DJ SPS), to the lazy quirk of Turninitup, BluRum and Vibert trap and entrance our senses, raising and respecting our consciousness along the way. Tempos rise and fall with precision, Blu flexes hard on shiners like Grind, with Vibert’s expert production laying a soaring foundation for Blu’s lightning-yet-laidback rhymes that you have to listen to again and again to fully extract their multilayered meaning. Most wonderfully, Vibert sets his whimsical side free again for “Sense”, giving BluRum the room to write Couldabin, a love song for lovers of artists, and even leave us with the sweet summer banger Slide By. As per the imperative of Machine Gums, with “Sense the Urgency” BLUKE leaves a legacy unmatched in hip hop to-date. So open your third eye, and raise your spirit in celebration of the 360 resurrection of real beats and rhymes.

The Last Poets are widely credited as the godfathers of Hip-Hop. Transcending Toxic Times is the album that fully defines their careers and legacy. Artfully recorded and produced by Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Ornette Coleman), the album intertwines the groove of Black culture with The Last Poets powerful words and cadence. Special Guests Malik B, Ursula Rucker, Tim Motzer, and Wadud Ahmad. This record will finally define the correct blend of poetry, jazz, Hip-Hop, and Soul, with the full expectation that it will be emulated for years to come.
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Featuring former members of Prince & The New
Power Generation, Philip Lassiter, Elliott Yamin
(American Idol), members of Snarky Puppy, Bobby
Sparks, Mark Lettieri & Jason Thomas, as well as the
incredible Mono Neon.
This 14-piece Los Angeles based band has been
playing epic shows all over the West Coast with the
likes of Jammcard, The Nth Power and more. This
party is just getting started

Aaron Parks' "Little Big", the new Ropeadope album from the acclaimed pianist, keyboardist and composer, is at once the culmination of his brilliant early career and the long-awaited follow-up to his Blue Note Records debut, Invisible Cinema. That 2008 release, with its gorgeously melodic writing and improvising and deft use of indie-rock, electronica and hip-hop elements, established Parks as one of the most gifted and original young voices in jazz. “This is the natural successor to that record,” says the New York-based artist, 34. “It’s taking the ideas of that project and doubling down on them—fully committing to that direction.”

Paul Beaubrun grew up immersed in music; his family formed Boukman Eksperyans, a mizik rasin band from Port-au-Prince. The band name is derived from Dutty Boukman, who is credited as the starting point for the Haitian Revolution in 1791, and from the English word ‘Experience’, which is a direct reference to Jimi Hendrix. The family was forever tied to the political upheaval in Haiti, and though they were forced in exile and subsequently returned to Haiti, they ultimately evolved to find a nonpartisan stance that reflected the people, rather than a political ideology or leader.

As a teen, Paul was playing ball in Port-au-Prince and heard his mother on the radio, calling out to warn him of danger at their door. With the help of a friend he fled and made his way to New York. Here he honed his craft, but most importantly he carried his Haitian perspective forward – eager to learn, fascinated by the city swirling around him, Paul stepped forward with positive energy and embraced all things.

The movement of Africans to the western hemisphere was forced, and the music was often removed from the people. But the spirit was never lost, and soon the music was advancing the path – from Haiti to New Orleans, from New Orleans to Chicago and New York, from the US to London - African influences spread and mixed with local culture to create new forms and genres. Over time the power of this force revealed itself in new ways as these genres circled back to the islands and again formed new styles: Reggae and Mizik Rasin. Like Reggae, mizik rasin is old culture blended with new, imported sound. As the blues hit Haiti in the form of Rock music, Boukman Eksperyans advanced this new, blended sound. And now, Paul Beaubrun brings his perspective and carries the music back out to the world with ease – collaborating at every turn to learn new things, but also to connect through love and music. His positive view of humanity as a shining light is infectious, we all know it to be true despite the pain of history. We all need to believe, and Paul is a great ambassador of our hopes and dreams.

Paul Beaubrun knows these things - he seeks to conquer the world with gentleness, with music. There is little need to dissect the message or the music - it is simple and it is indisputable. This is a human carrying the message of peace and beauty. The best way to describe this wondrous process is with the word Blessings – which is naturally the title of Paul’s album - Ayibobo

For the first time on vinyl, the historic 1969 Preservation Hall recording of Sister Gertrude Morgan “Let's Make a Record” paired with its 2004 re-imagining “King Britt Presents Sister Gertrude Morgan”

Triple gatefold, double LP features both original album covers and art from Sister Gertrude Morgan.