Monsieur Dako Blue Chip

The circumstances surrounding the recording of this album are as important as the music you will hear and enjoy. Inspired by the songbook of Count Basie, tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine and his wife of four years, organist Shirley Scott, planned on recording with a septet, and went into the studio with that band on October 12, 1963, but those sessions were scrapped. On October 14, two tracks were finished and included here, but October 21 saw the band pared down to a quintet, and the results were acceptable. Trumpeter Blue Mitchell's contributions were quite desirable, he was the second lead voice in the ensemble, and success was attained. Turrentine and Mitchell played together in the 1954 edition of the Earl Bostic ensemble, and happily renew their musical friendship…

Welcome to Blue Island was the final recording of new studio material by Enuff Z'nuff before lead singer Donnie Vie left the group in 2002. As a result, Vie did not tour to support the album. However, the band continued playing shows at this time with lead guitarist Monaco taking over vocal duties. As was common for the band, Welcome To Blue Island was released first in Japan, where it charted at #90.

After two solid albums on Motema, both of which earned Grammy nominations, singer and songwriter Gregory Porter makes his Blue Note debut with Liquid Spirit. A singer whose quicksilver vocal style refuses to be caged by either jazz, gospel, or R&B, his warm, inviting baritone utilizes them all when he wishes to. Using the musicians who appeared with him on 2012's Be Good – Yosuke Sato and Tivon Pennicott, saxophones; Chip Crawford, piano; Aaron James, bass, Emanuel Harrold, drums – Porter wrote or co-wrote 11 of these 14 songs. There is a dynamite reading of Billy Page's hard-grooving "The In Crowd" that highlights Porter's rhythmic phrasing. Though it's a soul tune at heart, he swings hard.

A Bath Full of Ecstasy is a fresh, invigorating and essential new chapter in Hot Chip's career, taking in their huge breadth of influence and melody as only Hot Chip can. You can hear the pleasure the band had in creating this album and they want to pass on that feeling to the listener. It is time to get lost in A Bath Full of Ecstasy.

A Bath Full of Ecstasy is a fresh, invigorating and essential new chapter in Hot Chip's career, taking in their huge breadth of influence and melody as only Hot Chip can. You can hear the pleasure the band had in creating this album and they want to pass on that feeling to the listener. It is time to get lost in A Bath Full of Ecstasy.