Sex Sex Mob

John Scofield continued to use his Verve Records contract for unusual outings - like this one, his third release for the label, following the acoustic disc Quiet and A Go Go (which featured Medeski, Martin, and Wood). On Bump, he retained bassist Chris Wood and added Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen (the rhythm section from Sex Mob), keyboardist Mark De Gli Antoni from Soul Coughing, and drummer Eric Kalb and conga player Johnny Durkin from Deep Banana Blackout. Such sidemen allowed him to delve even more deeply into the second-line funk he had explored earlier in his career; indeed, "Three Sisters," the leadoff track, sounded like something Allen Toussaint might have produced for the Meters in the early '70s…

Individually, Kronos Quartet and Sun Ra are two of the most groundbreaking names in contemporary music. The former is the legendary San Francisco-based string quartet that laid a blueprint for what concert music could become, working with the likes of John Cage, Tanya Tagaq, and Astor Piazzolla. The latter was a singular jazz and avant-garde bandleader, as well as a philosopher and poet, who honed an extraordinary strain of cosmic experimental music from the 1950s until his ascension in 1993. As a capstone to Kronos Quartet’s 50th anniversary, the group has joined forces with the Red Hot Organization for the new album Outer Spaceways Incorporated: Kronos Quartet & Friends Meet Sun Ra. It’s stacked with some of the most innovative artists active today — everyone from multidimensional electronic musician Jlin, to Moor Mother and DJ Haram’s radical noise / rap project 700 Bliss, to abstract hip hop luminaries Armand Hammer, to avant-garde hero Laurie Anderson, to minimalist pioneer Terry Riley.

Charlie Hunter Trio - Mistico (2007) {Fantasy FCD-30265}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 331 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 130 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 2007 Fantasy / Concord Music | FCD-30265
Jazz / Post Bop / Groove / Jazz Funk / 7-string Guitar

Despite lineup changes, Charlie Hunter's trio has always consisted of a sax player and a drummer in addition to Hunter's seven- or eight-string guitar heroics. After about a decade with that template, John Ellis added a bit of keyboard and melodica to his sax for Copperopolis, almost presciently setting the stage for Mistico. With Ellis moving on to concentrate on a solo career, Hunter decided to form a brand new trio, bringing in Simon Lott on drums and Erik Deutsch on keyboards. That's right: no sax. The varied keyboards vs. sax give the album a sound that's less overtly jazz than previous efforts, but Copperopolis also showcased Hunter and company in more of a rock mood and that trend continues on Mistico.

Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet - Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet (2003) {Ropeadope RCD16039}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 425 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 151 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2003 Ropeadope Music / Rykodisc | RCD16039
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Post Bop / Modern Creative / Soul Jazz

Convened as a way to fill time in between Skerik's myriad of other projects, the Syncopated Taint Septet was not intended to be yet another working project, but sometimes the music can take on a life of its own. Despite having been on the music scene for the better part of a decade, Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet is the first effort to feature his name up front; but this project comes off as a highly democratic endeavor, with only one tune being co-written by Skerik and with leads shared by everyone.

John Medeski, Matthew Shipp - Scotty Hard's Radical Reconstructive Surgery (2006) {Thirsty Ear Recordings}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 280 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 105 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 18 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2006 Thirsty Ear Recordings | THI 57172.2
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Jazz Funk / Future Jazz / Organ

Scotty Hard initially made his reputation in the rap world, but since 2000 or so he's been doing at least as many jazz gigs (if not more), contributing heavily to albums by Sex Mob and Medeski, Martin & Wood. Scotty Hard's Radical Reconstructive Surgery is Hard's first jazz release, put out as part of Thirsty Ear's illustrious Blue Series Continuum. The album is constructed from performances of an amazing all-star group: Matthew Shipp and John Medeski on keyboards, free jazz giant William Parker on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums, with additional contributions from DJ Olive and percussionist Mauricio Takara.

This is no ordinary jazz album. It’s not just that San Francisco vocalist Bill Kwan delves deeply into the songbook of one of the 20th century’s most popular female singers. Slated for release on April 16, 2021 No Ordinary Love: The Music of Sade captures an artist boldly redefining himself. Collaborating closely with a brilliant cast of New York players, he brings a confidently sensuous male sensibility to material defined by the Nigerian-born superstar, whose cool, understated style and regal persona has largely kept other artists from interpreting her songs.

Collection includes: Red Hot Chili Peppers (1984); Freaky Styley (1985); The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987); Mother's Milk (1989); Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991); One Hot Minute (1995); Californication (1999); By the Way (2002); Stadium Arcadium (2006).

Maxi Dance Sensation is another great compilation of current dance tracks that can easily become classics 90's. Enjoy!