Jazz In Britain's latest release on its ‘new music’ imprint JAZZ NOW, is the debut album by double bassist and composer Neil Charles. Dark Days comes on CD in a limited edition of 500 copies in a 6 panel digifile which includes a 12 page booklet with liner notes by Chris Searle and photographs by Adrien H. Tillman azz In Britain is proud to announce the latest release on its ‘new music’ imprint JAZZ NOW, which is the debut album by double bassist and composer Neil Charles. Dark Days features Neil’s musical settings of texts by American author James Baldwin. Neil has selected brief snippets of text which are delivered in exciting fashion by Cleveland Watkiss over a background of themes and improvisation from three of the UK’s finest exponents of the genre.Available on CD in a limited edition of 500 copies in a 6 panel digifile which includes a 12 page booklet with liner notes and photographs

You heard it here first: Sighs matters! All these songs are sung by a delightful duo of lady Krayolas, written by Art & Language, and composed by the very capable hands Mayo Thompson and the rest of the current RK lineup. Timely, thought-inducing, and occasionally profane.

"I had been a fan of Mayo Thompson's prolific output for years, and had the opportunity to assist Mayo & Drag City on a previous project which I'm not at liberty to discuss due to a non-disclosure agreement. What I can say about it is that it involved time travel, another legendary avant-guardian and an agent of "the company" assisting my efforts. Mixing Five American Portraits at my studio Top Cat International was a joy and a breeze. DC mogul Rian Murphy was in the house simultaneously cracking the whip and jokes. Mayo was in rare form executing his laser-like vision over the session. The combination of The Raincoats' Gina Birch and the ever-confounding aural collaborations of The Red Krayola with Art & Language proves to be a potent combination. DON'T MESS WITH MAYO." --Butchy Fuego

Black Snakes Krayola sing the phrases of old Dr. Spock, whose soothing words to spare and save the children pair with new wave sounds to make sweet nursery rhymes from the old way's nursery crimes. A vintage release!

Glenn Kotche, Jim O'Rourke and Jeff Tweedy. Together again, this time with protection. Three guys playing musical songs featuring singing.

Tracklisting: 1 Chine (1) 5:172 Ezeng 4:353 地球民歌 Folk Song of the Earth 5:004 老地图 Old Map 8:345 Chine (2) 7:266 Shangkobez 5:547 工人神曲 The Divine Comedy of Workers 6:208 90's 4:179 室内游牧 Indoor Nomadism 2:3010 Mayda Konger (Akan Seri) 3:02 马木尔 Mamer - 吉他 Guitar / 口弦 Jew's Harp / 冬不拉 Dombra / 人声 Vocals录制于第七届OCT-LOFT国际爵士音乐节，2017年10月29日B10现场，中国深圳Recorded at the 7th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival on October 29, 2017B10 Live, Shenzhen, China --- CD2 1 Kün 8:532 Kim 7:273 Babalar 8:494 Zen 5:385 Sêh 5:346 幽浮部落 UFO Tribe 4:317 核磁 Nuclear Magnetic 4:208 Tin 6:269 Daidiydao 7:4410 冬不拉即兴 Dombra Improvisation 6:23 马木尔 Mamer - 贝斯 Bass / 冬不拉 Dombra / 人声 Vocals录制于第八届OCT-LOFT国际爵士音乐节，2018年10月17日B10现场，中国深圳Recorded at the 8th OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival on October 17, 2018B10 Live, Shenzhen, China"After his self imposed exile from the global world music niche, Mamer found his stage at Shenzhen’s two annual music festivals – Tomorrow Festival and OCT-LOFT Jazz Festival – curated by his loyal friend and supporter Tu Fei, who would always reserve at least one set for Mamer’s newest sonic experimentations. Mamer’s most recent album Faintish Radiation documents his full performances of solo improvisation at the seventh (2017) and eighth (2018) OCT-LOFT Jazz Festivals, in which he performed electric bass, guitar, dombra, jew's harp and vocals. These recordings register Mamer’s trajectory towards a maturing avant garde composer who is able to capture the audience with an everchanging bizarre sonic kaleidoscope, one which summons industrial noise, doom drones, heavy metal riffs, dark and punchy grooves, and broken pieces of folk melodies. In each of his solo performances, Mamer would start from random notes and eventually build up an overpowering atmosphere that is distinctively his own, knowing only too well when to release a delicate Kazakh tune as a reward for intensive listening. Here “Daidiydao”, a heartbreaking love song believed to be composed by Kazakh poet Magzhan Zhumabayev, was unleashed towards the end of the 2018 performance, before an abrupt, typically Mamer stop that ended the whole set. --- 录音 Recording：曾君 Zeng Jun；罗绿野 Luo Lvye混音 Mixing & 母带处理 Mastering：刘英 Liu Ying制作人 Producer：涂飞 Tu Fei设计 Design：尹思卜 Yin Sibo封面照片 Front Cover Photo：@Waitetc_等等其它摄影 Other Photos：阿瓜 Wain；陈鸿@DAFA；蒙润

Pursuing our work with our friend DJ Tom B, we’re proud of sharing the fourth effort on our São Tomé & Principe series : “Recordar é viver”, the first volume of an anthology dedicated to the one and only Pedro Lima, , "A voz do povo de São Tomé" (the people's voice of Sao Tomé).“Recordar é viver: Antologia Vol. 1” features some previously unreleased tracks and gives a comprehensive look into the discography of one of the islands’ biggest stars, known for his political outspokenness as much as for his soft voice, delicate rumbas, and high-energy puxas. The story of Pedro Lima begins in Almas, a coastal town with a lively music scene a few kilometres away from the capital Sao Tomé, where he founded Os Leonenses with his friend Leopoldino "Gundu” Silva. The band’s earlier music is built around the strong rhythms and infectious energy of Sao-Toméan Samba Socopé ("only with the feet” in Portuguese), but with the influence of Congolese soukous, Cape Verdean Coladeira, elements from French West-Indies Cadence/Compas, and Brazilian Afoxé, it soon developed into the infectiously danceable style known as “puxa”. The band kept playing together up until Pedro’s death in 2019, performing at large events around the islands and on the continent. But Pedro shined also on his own. After travelling to Angola to record several records with the band, Pedro travelled to Gabon in 1981 to record his first album under his own name Kafou-Kafou, released by the tiny early 80’s Afro-funk and Soukouss label called Tchi-Tchi. Backed by his faithful Os Leonenses, Pedro demonstrated his compositional skills and ability to balance the band’s powerful rhythm section with São Tomé & Principe’s harmonic backing vocal traditions, creating strong, dance floor ready puxas or melodic, delicate rumbas. One of the songs from this album to feature on the compilation is Subocha, a beautiful ode to president President Manuel Pinto da Costa, a lifelong friend of Pedro’s.Pedro was always a faithful supporter of the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (MLSTP), the revolutionary party that took power after independence from the Portuguese in 1975. Headed by Pinto da Costa, the MLSTP initially led Sao Tomé and Principe through a period of growth and development, especially in the Education field, with figures reaching among the higher African literacy rates. But in the early 1980s the party was marred by fighting and corruption scandals, and falling cocoa (the island’s main export) prices caused a deep economic crisis. Pedro’s support for Pinto da Costa and the MLSTP wasn’t blind, and he frequently expressed the concerns of fellow islanders, even at the risk of angering the ruling party. Known as a "Musico de intervenção" (socially and politically engaged musician), he recorded several songs that were censored by political authorities. Pedro Lima died in 2019, leaving behind the 23 children he fathered, with thousands of mourners accompanying him to his final resting place. The public funeral, paid for by ex-president Pinto da Costa, was one of the biggest the islands have ever seen. Lima, "O cantor do povo” (“The people’s singer”), was buried with his wireless microphone, so his powerful voice would always be heard.

Continuing our work on Sao Tomé and Principe with curator DJ Tom B., we are pleased to announce the release of an anthology of the group África Negra.This first volume includes 12 of their key tracks, remastered for the occasion and selected only from those officially released on different media. A second volume containing only unreleased material, digitized from the studio tapes by their tour manager, and filled with period photos, is expected soon. Formed in the early 1970s by Horacio, a butcher by trade, and his guitarist friend Emidio Pontes, África Negra is the best known of the great São Tomé and Principe bands. The catchy melodies in the local Forro language, provided by lead singer João Seria, and subtly harmonized by the enchanting backing vocals of the rest of the band, quickly ensured their influence outside the archipelago. Their incomparable blend of Puxa and Rumba rhythms and subtle melodies made them the most regular touring band from Sao Tome.Their first album (Aninha) was released in 1981, followed by three more in 1983. They contain an incredible collection of timeless hits and have achieved high ratings on the second-hand market. Then came the excellent San Lena in 1986, which was unfortunately only released on cassette, but for which we were able to digitize the original tape. In 1990 their last album in vinyl format (Paga me uma cerveja) was released, the rarest. Three CDs and five cassettes followed in the 1990s. Like most São Tomean bands, they recorded their compositions at Radio Nacional STP, the only studio on the island at the time, whose cramped premises forced the big bands to do sessions outside in the courtyard, at night, facing the ocean and in front of their fans. Reformed around João Seria, the band has recorded three albums since 2012, and has been touring again for a few years, offering, always with the same energy, their frenzied rhythms, their graceful harmonies, their poetry full of social metaphors, and their typical dance steps.

The second Viva-La-Black album, this was recorded in London in the winter of 1990-91 and is notable for the inclusion in the band of an electric guitarist, Frank Douglas. Louis Moholo - leader, drums, vocalThebe Lipere - Afrikan percussion, vocalsClaude Deppa - trumpet, flugelhorn, vocalsSean Bergin - tenor sax, flute, concertinaSteve Williamson - tenor/alto saxesFrank Douglas - electric guitarPaul Rogers - double bass

Beautiful x2 CD reissue of Moholo's essential Bra Luis - Bra Tebs and Spirits Rejoice! Bra Louis - Bra TebsLouis Moholo-Moholo - drumsFrancine Luce - voiceJason Yarde - alto & soprano saxesToby Delius - tenor saxClaude Deppa - trumpetPule Pheto - pianoRoberto Bellatella - bassSpirits Rejoice!Louis Moholo-Moholo - drumsEvan Parker - tenor saxKenny Wheeler - trumpetNick Evans - tromboneRadu Malfatti - tromboneKeith Tippett - pianoJohnny Dyani - bassHarry Miller - bass "With the Octet having whetted his appetite for band leading, Louis Moholo-Moholo went on to develop an array of ensemble projects, the longest serving of which he dubbed Viva La Black. It was with Viva that Louis toured South Africa in 1993, and for Louis and some of his compatriots in Viva the tour was nothing less than a personal triumph, a return home after three years spent in exile. Why these studio sessions rested in the vaults for so long remains a mystery. It was a slightly changed band that Louis assembled in 1995: the fresh ingredient that would move Viva into the darker, earthier grooves of Bra Louis - Bra Tebs was singer Francine Luce, originally from Martinique and now one of the vocal treasures of the London improv scene. But here they are, at last." - David Ilic   "Full of striking themes and strong improvisation, and continues a tradition that goes back a long way in South African jazz: stripped-down, hymnal themes repeated like mantras, gradually intensifying into free-jam furores, or giving way to racing swing. Some of the songs are as quirkily gentle as a Norma Winstone record, some like Annie Ross in a free-improv band - and though Francine Luce's frantic variations might not work for everybody, she's sonorous and soulful on the brooding traditional song Utshaka, and on a defiant Motherless Child."

The quartet of Chris McGregor, Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani and Louis Moholo-Moholo recorded live at Jazzclub De Hoop, Waregem, Belgium on 1st July 1979

A vital artefact in the recorded history of the Blue Notes, being a live recording (Durban, 1964) of one the the group's last performances in their homeland prior to flying to France to appear by invitation at the Juan-Les-Pins Jazz Festival and then on to expatriation in England.The album was first released by Ogun in 1995 and then featured as part of the "Blue Notes - The Ogun Collection" box set in 2008, itself now long out of print. At long last this exceptional document is available again Chris McGregor - pianoDudu Pukwana - alto saxophoneNick Moyake - tenor saxophoneMongezi Feza - trumpetJohnny Dyani - bassLouis Moholo - drums

Recorded live at the 100 Club, London, on 16 April 1977Some of this music was originally available on LP as OG 220 (Ogun, 1978). This expanded CD edition - previously only available as part of the long out of print "Blue Notes - The Ogun Collection" box set - now receives a first release as a stand alone title.

Ogun marks their 40th anniversary by releasing this superb album from drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo's Unit as an octet including Alexander Hawkins on piano, John Edwards on bass, and Jason Yarde on saxes, performing a heartfelt tribute to The Blue Notes live in Italy. "Wild but still songlike collective thrashes swell out of catchy hooks (as on the title track); the street-brass sound of the old Brotherhood of Breath big band is echoed in struts like Irmite Is Right; the sonorous chant Dikelelu has a rumbling, Coltranesque undertow; and bassist John Edwards' crunching basswalk under Hawkins' zig-zagging piano solo on Sonke is awesome. There are protracted encores and namechecks at the end, but they all add to the sensation of being present at a gig you'd remember for a long time." - John Fordham --- Alexander Hawkins / piano John Edwards / bass Louis Moholo-Moholo / drums Jason Yarde / saxphones Ntshuks Bonga / saxophones Henry Lowther / trumpet Alan Tomlinson / trombone Francine Luce / vocals --- Recorded live in Milan, 2012 by Gianni Grassilli. Cover by Naiel Ibarrola.

A long-out-of-print slice of solo Chris McGregor gets a CD repress!! Recorded in concert at the Palais des Glaces, 37 rue du Faubourg duTemple, Paris on Friday 18 November 1977 by Ron Barron.Tracks 1-8 present the first set in its entirety and is a continuous performance; 9-13 are extracts from the second set. Tracks 4-6 and 9-13 were originally available on LP as OG 521 released in 1979.“Chris McGregor, who died in 1990 in his adopted homeland of France, rarely recorded solo. Two albums for the French Musica label have long been collectors' items, as has In His Good Time, recorded at a Paris concert in 1977 and first released by Ogun in 1979. The CD version comes with around 40 minutes of additional material and presents the first set of the concert in its entirety, followed by five tunes from the second set. The sound, using the original analogue tapes, is excellent.McGregor had a thick, rolling piano style, more or less equal parts jazz and traditional black South African music; like township jazz in general, his playing had the emotional intensity of African American gospelmusic and touched the same bases. On In His Good Time he plays a mixture of originals and traditional folk tunes, along with Mongezi Feza's "Sonia" and Dudu Pukwana's "The Bride." There is a purity—astraightforward joy—in McGregor's performances, which communicates itself powerfully. The 54-minute first set is played as a continuum, uninterrupted by opportunities for audience applause, and becomespleasingly hypnotic.” Chris May, All About Jazz, July 30 2012

“Procession” captures Chris McGregor’s Anglo/South African big band in explosive form. Originally released on LP in 1978, this historic recording has been painstakingly restored from the original two-track analogue masters for this CD edition, which features an additional 23 minutes of music.

This famous recording previously released as an LP now on CD with extra music launched the Ogun label. Recorded live at the Willisau Jazz Festival, Sept. 1974. This big band was exciting packed audiences throughout Europe, and needed an outlet provided by this new label, home of the South African family. The cover was designed by Niklaus Troxler with sleeve notes by Val Wilmer.Recorded live at Willisau, Switzerland, 27 January 1973  Chris McGregor - Leader, pianoHarry Miller - bassLouis Moholo - drumsDudu Pukwana - alto saxophoneEvan Parker - tenor saxophoneGary Windo - tenor saxophoneMongezi Feza - trumpetHarry Beckett - trumpetMarc Charig - trumpetNick Evans - tromboneRadu Malfatti - trombone

For the first time digitally and on CD here is the Jazz Doctors session from 1983 that was released on LP as Intensive Care, with the session recorded the following year that was intended for release as Prescriptions Filled, but was never issued, at last made available. Tracks 1-6 originally released as Intensive Care SGC1011 in 1984 on vinyl. Credits:Tenor Saxophone – Frank LoweViolin – Billy BangBass – Rafael GarrettDrums – Dennis CharlesRecorded: Wave Studios, London 8th, 15th, 17th Nov 1983Design, Layout – Hazel MillerSleeve Notes, Photography – Val WilmerEngineer, Mixed By – Charles GrayMastered By – George PeckhamProducer, Mixed By – John JackManufactured at Mayking RecordsMastered At – Porky's MasteringTracks 7 - 11 previously unissuedCredits:Billy Bang - ViolinFrank Lowe - Tenor SaxWilber Morris - BassThurman Barker - Drums, Piano Recorded at Wave Studios23rd Oct 1984Engineer: Martin Giles