Chavez Bonor Velvety Jazz (2021)

Since their founding in 2015, Swedish post-punk band Viagra Boys have made a name for themselves burning up stages around the world. There's a little Iggy Pop spit and seethe, a David Yow drunken stumble, and a bite of Nick Cave's haunted bark. Add a dash of motorik groove, a pinch of post-punk grime, and a dose of no wave howl.

In 1970 Miles Davis unleashed “Bitches Brew”. It sold a million and launched a new style of music: jazz rock. It was the culmination of the work of Miles and his musicians over the previous two years. “Directions In Music” illustrates its conception and immediate aftermath. CD version packaged with 20-page booklet. Double vinyl LP version features two printed inner bags.

Smooth jazz is a kind of jazz that appeared in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, with significant influences on such directions as rhythm and blues, funk, rock and pop. Also, the term "contemporary jazz" is used to refer to the genre.

A griot in many West African countries is a storyteller, singer and musician; it could be roughly translated as troubadour. One of the best known active griots is the Malian Baba Sissoko. Through participation in an opera project in Paris, he got to know Madou Sidiki Diabate and Lansiné Kouyaté, players of the kora and balafon respectively - both traditional West African instruments. The three musicians quickly built a strong musical bond, playing together incessantly before and after opera rehearsals, even during breaks. Almost imperceptibly, the material that can be heard on the album Griot Jazz was created. They decided to look for a recording studio in Paris and ended up with keyboardist Jean-Philippe Rykiel. However, during the preparations in his studio, Rykiel also became involved in the project as a musician. For Western ears, his additions counterbalance the traditional African instruments and make the album very accessible. Griot Jazz was recorded in one day and therefore possesses a wonderful organic spontaneity.