Hunger C.e. Black

After the success of Gladiator, it wasn't unusual to see director Ridley Scott turn to Hans Zimmer again for the score to Black Hawk Down, his fierce adaptation of Mark Bowden's account of the tragic 1993 American military intervention in Somalia. What was more surprising was the schedule Scott imposed on the German-born composer: 15 days to write, arrange, and record the film's nearly two hours of music. The results of Zimmer's miraculous two-week musical campaign not only belie those constraints; they instantly take their place alongside The Thin Red Line as some of the most compelling music he's produced. The gambit here is simple–portray the combatants as two warring tribes, with their native musics locked in a tense dance for domination.

There's an old saying that one is only as good as the people with whom one collaborates. Judging by the list of musical contributors to Hector Zazou's Sahara Blue, Zazou is quite good indeed. Among many others, those adding their own touch to Zazou's album include Bill Laswell, Dead Can Dance, John Cale, David Sylvian, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Tim Simenon. Zazou devised the album as a mix of musical styles set to lyrics/vocals taken from the pen of Arthur Rimbaud. While it might appear like a pretentious undertaking on paper, the album is a cohesive slice of eclectic music-making. Jazzy spoken word songs such as "Ophelie" intermingle with throbbing dance-oriented numbers like "I'll Strangle You" and quiet, peaceful piano-based meditations such as "Harar et les Gallas." Dead Can Dance duo Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard work their particular magic on "Youth," exchanging vocals, and on "Black Stream," where Perry's dark, somber synth weeps around Gerrard's stunning vocals and yang chin. Zazou himself mostly stays in the background, providing production and electronic sounds, allowing the players to showcase their abilities.

Stormy Six from Milan, Italy was one of the original bands in the RIO movement and appeared in the famous on March 12th 1978 in the New London Theatre in London. However, as opposed to the other bands appearing with them, they did not start out their musical career as a RIO sounding band…

Shaping Motions is the story of Olga Amelchenko, a modern nomad, a wonder, at once restless and restful. Her music draws its inspiration from the many cities she has called her home; Novosibirsk, Moscow, Paris, Cologne, Berlin - all have left their mark on her music, carrying with them their own character, mood and experiences. Meetings and separations, memories and expectations. A yearning for home, yet a hunger for the new - the unfamiliar, the unexplored. In Shaping Motions, jazz blends together effortlessly with elements of classical music and folk, producing a rich sound that both reflects Olga’s vast musical background and creates a space for interaction and improvisation. Together with her Berlin based quartet and guests Ilkka Uksila (vibraphone) and Florian Menzel (trumpet), Olga paints the motions that have shaped her life, as well as those that are yet to come.

There's a certain smarmy charm in the Rolling Stones titling a compilation of their work from the second half of the '70s Sucking in the Seventies – it seems a tacit admission that neither the decade nor the music they made in that decade was all that good, something that many critics and fans dismayed by the group's infatuation with glitzy disco and tabloid grime would no doubt argue…

NY Blues Hall of Fame and Fodera Guitar artist Dave Fields sixth and latest album, Force of Will is a ferocious mix of blues rock and beyond that stretches the boundaries. Force of Will takes you on a musical journey in a way that only Dave Fields can take you. Dave and his Fodera guitar will light your senses on fire. Force of Will, like all of Dave’s albums, is a dynamic excursion of love, fun, joy and life which will please the blues-rock lover and beyond. Dave is a lifelong New Yorker and currently resides in the lower east side Manhattan. His musical roots stretch deep being the son of successful NYC composer, arranger & producer Sammy ‘Forever’ Fields.

Club Des Belugas is one of the leading Nujazz projects in Europe, probably in the world combining contemporary European Lounge & Nujazz Styles with Brazilian Beats, Swing and American Black Soul of the fifties, sixties and seventies. Featuring guest appearances from Swedish vocalist Anna Luca and multi award winning Californian jazz impresario Brenda Boykin. Recorded at the Rex Theatre, Wuppertal 2010 and the Grillo Theatre Essen, Germany, June 19, 2009.