Jazzman At Juno Download

Review: As any hardcore funk collector would tell you, Barbados-based Blue Rhythm Combo produced some seriously heavy records in the early 1970s. Between 1971 and 1975, they produced two albums for the obscure Merrydisc label and a smattering of blistering singles. This six-track collection from self-confessed vinyl geeks Jazzman gathers together some of their best work in one handy download package. There's much to enjoy, from the party-friendly horns and rhythms of "Get Down" to the laidback grooves of "Sister Jeanie". Sadly, their crazy cover of Paul Simon's "Mother & Child Reunion" is missing, but you can't have everything.

Review: A lost treasure from 1974, this exquisite re-release from Jazzman showcases the incredible Cali-funk and psychedelic soul of Gold. After initially intending just to re-release single "What About The Child", the Jazzman team set about trying to relocate the tapes of the whole album, which miraculously turned up in a shed in Las Vegas. Such efforts were clearly worth it, as the tight and ebullient funk of songs like "If You Can Dance", "Plastic Lady" and "Ain't That Funky Enough" sit right alongside the best of Bootsy, Earth Wind And Fire and The Temptations.

Review: An incredibly lush collection from Jazzman, who have crystalised the best of French jazz/funk pianist and band leader Jef Gilson into this excellent new compilation. Straddling all manner of genres, Gilson's career stretches from vibes-laden hard-bop ("Valse Pour Helene") to esoteric riffage a la Brubeck ("Accueil") and gorgeous and Axelrod-esque choral vocals ("Un Pas, Deux Pas, Cent Pas"). Also worth checking out is the murky, tense funk of "Espagnolade" and the magnificent, 11 minutes+ version of Pharaoh Sanders' "The Creator Has A Masterplan". This is a faultless collection of a much under-appreciated man's work, and might just be one of our favourite reissues of the year so far.

Review: Recorded on a small Californian label in 1977, Terea were a supremely soulful, proto-boogie outfit put together to bolster the vocal talents of Sharon Robinson (who later went on to work with Leonard Cohen, Patti Labelle and Bettye LaVette). This wonderful excavation by Jazzman gives the full Terea album a proper release and it's a marvel - from the fusion/boogie classic "Pretty Bird", the rock-funk of "One & Only", the West Coast whimsy of "Try Harder" and the closing Steely Dan/Randy Newman swing of "Good Company". An obscure gem of an album that thoroughly deserves a renaissance.

Review: Now here's something you don't see every day - a 1960s Norwegian psychedelic Christian rock album! Jazzman Records specialise in reissues of obscurities from the 60s and 70s and here they've really excelled themselves. The story goes that, having noticed that the kids were turning their back on Christianity in favour of Rock 'n' Roll, Oslo priest Olaf Hillestad began combining jazz, folk and er, church music in order to win 'the kids' over. Thus, That's Why was born. The album is a surprise as, if you're looking for classy, quirky folk similar to the soundtrack of The Wicker Man you're in luck. If you're looking for a Christian fix too however, it might be wise to employ a translator!

Review: Since first pitching up on Jazzman in 2011, eight-piece psychedelic jazz combo The Greg Foat Group has caused something of a stir. This second album for the crate-digging specialists is every bit as good as their debut full length, Dark Is The Sun. At times, it sounds like Ennio Morricone and Harold Budd making loose jazz-breaks, at others an almighty freak-out in the company of Afro-busting Blaxploitation detectives. There are quietly beautiful moments ("Girl & Robot With Flowers Part 3"), straight-up late night jazz movements ("For Breath A Tarry", "Cast Adrift"), and breezy, vibraphone-heavy '60s grooves ("The Girl & Robot With Flowers Part 5"). Throughout, it's beautifully played and lovingly produced, with Foat's impeccable piano playing taking centre stage.

Review: Dr. Lloyd Miller, to give him his full title, has both been a student and player of jazz for many of his 72 years. He's won Composer's Guild awards, lectured and taught jazz at university level and even achieved his doctorate studying Persian music in 1972. He's also performed with the likes of Nat Adderly, Eddie Harris, Wynton Marsalis and Zoot Sims among others. With his A Lifetime in Oriental Jazz recently rediscovered by Jazzman, the label took the giant step of putting him in a studio with Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson of the Heliocentrics, who won much praise for their work on Mulatu Astatke's recent album. In just two hours, and despite having never met before, this quartet of songs were cut and in the can.

Not that they suffered from such constraints. The freedom and life captured on this release is palpable, most noticeably in the space given to the flute-like solos on opener "Electriconnee. The other players instinctively seem to know when to drop out and give Miller room, before joining in again on drums and double-bass. "Way Out East" is perhaps the most conventional work here, a straight piano-led vamp led by Miller, while "Gol E Gandom" clearly benefits from his years of dedication to Eastern scales which come out in force toward the end of the tune. "Ando Le" sees the addition of a zither-like instrument to the party, with the piano lines joining in and matching the eerie melody after a while. The contribution of Catto and Ferguson can't be praised enough, and they respond to Miller's lead with aplomb. Jazzman also deserve serious props for making this happen and getting this underrated titan of jazz into a studio at his ripe old age.

Review: The Sign Of Four was a famous Sherlock Holmes mystery, and although we don't know if this shady act was referencing it, it would take some Sherlock-style supersleuthing to find out more. That's because when sourcing new vintage releases, in the words of DJ Fryer, at Jazzman they always dig deeper! "Jumping Beans" is a bonkers distress signal from from outer space, beamed straight into a 1960s recording studio helmed by Miles Newbold. Meanwhile "Samba Electronico" is a more down to earth - but still frenzied - retro Latin jazz workout!

Review: This joyous bundle of psychedelic jazz-funk weirdness comes from the warped mind of the Natural Yoghurt Band's Miles Newbold. It's described in Jazzman's sales notes as "the spaced out vibes of an unsound mind". That description barely does it justice. While accurate, there's far more going on that that. Cacophonous, freestyle rhythms are overlaid with freaky organ solos, haunting flutes, twisted electronic noises, vintage synth stabs and all manner of weird and wonderful instruments. It could have been a mess, but it's actually really good. Further more, it sounds like a bunch of people, out of their heads, having huge amounts of fun. Whatever they're taking, we'll definitely have some.

Review: Like many crate digging reissue labels of their ilk, Jazzman delight in breathing new life into long-forgotten gems from artists who largely passed under the radar first time around. Here, they offer a timely reminder of the qualities of a Mexican percussionist and bandleader who enjoyed a relatively short but successful career in the 1960s, Tino Contreras. He released relatively few records, with a couple of Mexico-only albums, a French compilation and a single LP for Capitol in America the sum of his life's work. This deluxe compilation gathers together the best of his work - a distinctly Mexican take on jazz drenched in intricate but heavy percussion, Tijuana-ish trumpets and swinging pianos.