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THEE SINSEERS: Sinseerly Yours (Colemine)

Over the last three or four years East Los Angeles, Chicano soul outfit, THEE SINSEERS have won themselves a cult status amongst real soul lovers. A series of wonderful singles has seen the Joey...

CHARLES LLOYD: ‘The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow’ (Blue Note)

What better way is there for a musician to celebrate his or her 86th birthday than by releasing a new studio album? Or in Charles Lloyd’s case, a generously expansive double album? Most octogenarians...

DEE C LEE: Just Something (Acid Jazz)

Dee C Lee…  wow, there’s a name that brings  back plenty of pleasing Brit soul memories! Those of a certain vintage will have fond memories of Ms L (born Diane Catherine Sealy in London...

NOVA VIDA: ‘Ritmo Da Vida’ (CBI Recordings)

After his critically lauded 2022 album Firebird lit up dancefloors, producer and Acid Jazz pioneer Chris Bangs returns fronting an excellent Latin jazz group called Nova Vida, serving up a cache of stylish reimagined...

VARIOUS; Groove Machine…The Earl Young Drum Sessions (Kent)

Over the last few months we haven’t had too many soul albums from the gang over at Ace/Kent. The UK’s premier reissue label, it seems, has been focusing on the release of some real...

ART PEPPER: ‘Smack Up’ (Contemporary/Craft Recordings)

Craft Recordings’ exploration of the Contemporary Records’ catalogue continues with this magnificent vinyl reissue of alto saxophonist Art Pepper’s 1960 album, Smack Up, regarded as one of the archetypal examples of West Coast jazz....

ISAAC HAYES: ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ (Enterprise/Craft Recordings)

“When I started out doing my thing, what I had to say couldn’t be said in 2 minutes and 30 seconds… so out of that came the long cuts,” Isaac Hayes told this writer...

JOEL ROSS: ‘Nublues’ (Blue Note)

During the 2020 pandemic, which brought live performances to a sudden halt, Chicago vibraphonist Joel Ross, who already had one album to his name, returned to Manhattan’s The New School to finish his degree....

THE TIBBS: Keep It To Yourself (Record Kicks)

The Tibbs are Holland’s premier soul and funk outfit. We’ve been following their career since we discovered their convincing 2016 album, ‘Takin’ Over’. We learned that the band had been together since 2012 and...