NICOLA CONTE – UMOJA new release

Dance music producer and great DJ  Joaquin Joe Claussell releases fantastic reworks of Italian jazz maestro Nicola Conte’s latest album Umoja on June 28th

NICOLA CONTE – UMOJA (JOAQUIN JOE CLAUSSELL SACRED RHYTHM MUSIC & COSMIC ARTS REMIXES)

Release date: 28th June 2024 |

First feedbacks are coming in:

„Very strong” – Gilles Peterson

“MASSIVE” – Laurent Garnier

“This version sounds lovely” – Francois K

“Great stuff” – JD Twitch

Ursula Rucker & Tim Motzer Begin Anew Tour‘24

Ursula Rucker will be back in Europe with her long time friend, musical director and guitarist Tim Motzer

Dates are:
11.10.2024 Portugal Lisbon Music Box

13.10.2024 Germany Cologne Artheater

14.10.2024 Austria Vienna Porgy & Bess

16.10.2024 Germany Berlin Gretchen

17.10.2024 Germany Hamburg  Mojo

Gregory Porter on board

Grammy award winner Gregory Porter

Gregory Porter, with his stunning voice, which is equally at home in soul, blues and gospel and instantly turns every song into a Porter song, regardless of whether it’s his own composition or one by someone else, has been announced with supporting act Kat Eaton and the Anke Helfrich Trio on the TUI Cruise 2025.

Ellas Kapell’s new album

While many have re-interpreted the classic jazz compositions of our time, few have done it in such innovative and creative ways as Stockholm based quartet Ellas Kapell, if critics and audiences are to be believed. We are very happy to announce Ellas Kapell third album „FOR ALL WE KNOW“ , release on the 10th of November on Naxos Prophone Records.

The four members met in 2016 and have gone on to release two critically acclaimed albums, win the Golden Album Reader’s Choice Award (JAZZ/Orkesterjournalen), be named the Vocal Jazz Act of the Year by Lira Music Magazine, garner over four million streams, and collaborate with some of the biggest names in Swedish Jazz including Karin Hammar and Magnus Lindgren.

‘For All We Know’ follows their 2021 release ‘What’s It All About’, and continues in their quest to breathe new life into the standard repertoire of the 20th Century. This time around, the quartet set out with the goal of creating a musical atmosphere that allows the listener to both rest in the familiar as well as discover the unknown.

The record’s sound is sorrowful with glimpses of hope, enabling light and positivity to permeate the cracks in their Scandinavian-noir tone. Creative reharmonization, thoughtful arrangements and a European jazz sensibility are the primary tools used to provide modern contexts for songs any jazz fan will be all too familiar with.

With a playful, improvisatory aura, Lovisa Jennervall’s effortlessly powerful vocals carry the quartet through melodic solos, deconstructed jazz standard forms, melancholic harmony synonymous with the Scandinavian jazz idiom and a wide-reaching array of grooves bridging the gap between American and European approaches to the genre.

With an undeniable passion and respect for the tradition at the ensemble’s core, Ellas Kapell achieve balance between capturing the timeless sound of the music they fell in love with and the fresh, contemporary energy of a band striving to reflect their 21st Century musical identities into the artform.

 

 

 

 

Photo by Elvira Glänte
Cover by Frida Krafft

Philippe Cohen Solals -MUSIC VIDEO OUT!

One year after the release of their single “Seher Yelleri“, Philippe Cohen Solal and Rusan Filiztek unveil a new remix featuring the American artist and rapper Rey El, through this new music video.

In Jamaican culture, the phrase ‘hold a meds’ is often used to describe the time set aside for meditation. Rey El and Amvshious hold a meds to the soulful sounds played and sang by Philippe Cohen Solal and Rusan Filiztek in one of New York’s great state parks.

This meditation is a cause of celebration in the artists’ cross-cultural interconnection with the intention of inspiring community togetherness.

 

Watch the video

 

 

NEW SINGLE RELEASE FROM NICOLA CONTE

 

 

We are excited to present the second single from the album UMOJa „Into the Light of Love“, by the celebrated Italian spiritual jazz master, DJ, producer, guitarist and bandleader Nicola Conte. Co-produced with Alberto Parmegiani and Myles Sanko.

Umoja, which expresses unity and harmony in Swahili, brings together universal feelings through the multifaceted global music that Conte has spent his life studying and researching.

Umoja’s music draws inspiration from the deep spiritual sounds of 1970s indie and free jazz, the soul records of the private press, and the African and Afro-Caribbean rhythms of Conte’s collection. But he also acknowledges his debt to many of the decade’s most celebrated musical icons, such as American cosmic jazz masters Lonnie Liston Smith and Gary Bartz, and Afrobeat originators Fela Kuti and Tony Allen.

Proudly revivalist, Umoja was recorded directly to analog tape, with only two takes for each track. „In search of a spontaneous, almost improvised feel,“ Nicola made sure that the few overdubs were also transferred to tape to preserve the color and warmth of the analog sound. „Very little post-production or editing has been added, so what you hear is very much what happened in those magical live sessions.“

 

Pre-order and listen

 

Label @farout_recordings

Album artwork by @mzwandilebuthelezi_art

Nicola Conte photo by @giojoland

New Signings by Electric Chair

Kat Eaton: In a music scene that is rich with female singer songwriters, Kat’s unique voice stands out with its low soulful register and immense power and purpose.

Ellas Kapell: A shared enthusiasm for Ella Fitzgerald initially led the members of Ellas Kapell together, but the band soon exceeded this common denominator and took on its own shape and sound, fashioned by the four musicians.

Dimensions of Wayne Shorter (Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley): For the Dimensions of Wayne Shorter production, Lindgren and Beasley composed a new work for large orchestra and band especially for the Philharmonic. Last year, they still had the opportunity to personally exchange musical ideas with Wayne Shorter at his home.

PHILIPPE COHEN SOLAL & GUSTAVO BEYTELMANN

„The Human Seasons” is an album of musical improvisation by the Argentinian pianist Gustavo Beytelmann, produced with Philippe Cohen Solal. The title comes from a poem by John Keats and is a metaphor for the four seasons of our existence. It is also about the life that we improvise from day to day.

Here the acoustics and electronics interact in a unique musical ping-pong. The 2 musicians cross over between the human seasons, between “field recording” and “spoken word”, to deliver an instrumental performance that is sometimes serene and sometimes powerful.Philippe Cohen Solal started collaborating with Gustavo Beytelmann in 1999. He is the pianist that features in Gotan Project. The maestro also accompanied the group on their world tour of “La Revancha del Tango”, which has just celebrated its 20th anniversary. One evening, in the middle of a concert, the two computers with all the rhythmic sequences broke down. But the show must go on: Gustavo and Philippe then start to improvise, in a long suspended and magical moment. From this technical incident a beautiful artistic surprise was born.

It took almost 20 years for them to find themselves, both in the studio, with the firm intention of putting themselves in danger and recreating that magic.Sound landscapes, pianistic melodies, poetic interventions and solid rhythms are summoned to take us, during 45 minutes of electro and acoustic improvisation, to an incredible musical elsewhere.”

Summer – Official Video

New album from Emanuel Harrold

We are excited to announce the new album titled „We Da People“ from the multi-GRAMMY Award nominated and winning drummer, producer and educator Emanuel Harrold.

The album folows his recent EP „Funk La Soul“

 

℗ 2022 Gearbox Records

 

Video – We Da People

 

HERE IT IS: TRIBUTE TO LEONARD COHEN

The late Leonard Cohen could certainly be a formidable performer, but he endures primarily because of his songs – richly poetic, nuanced and evocative pieces of aural literature composed with enough considered space to leave them open for eclectic interpretations. His „Tower of Song“ came with flexible blueprints, which is why Cohen has been the subject of so many often excellent tribute albums, both during his lifetime and since his 2016 death.

Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen is a worthwhile entry in the large pile of salutes and serves as a complement to 2022’s illuminating documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song and the companion compilation Leonard Cohen: Hallelujah & Songs From His Albums. It hosts a crew of top-shelf artists taking on a dozen Cohen pieces, many established favorites but also a few deep digs, with producer Larry Klein’s jazz-tinged arrangements providing the sonic thread to sew them all together.

Gregory Porter, one of the great jazz vocalists of the moment, delivers a soulful version of Suzanne that hews to its original melodies but allows the jazz artists accompanying him to interpolate and offer their own flights.

 

Suzanne – Video

 

Myles Sanko‘ new album comes in October

Myles Sanko will be back with his wonderful new album „Let It Unfold“.
„Let It Unfold“ represents a pivotal moment in Sanko’s musical journey, demonstrating his unwavering dedication to his artistic vision as an independent artist and visionary. The album provides listeners with a deeply intimate musical exploration, serving as a form of therapy that addresses past childhood traumas and empowers future dreams, all while radiating a hopeful energy.
Inspired by his love for soul, jazz, and hip-hop, and rhythmic influences from his Ghanaian roots, Sanko delicately blends these musical styles to create a unique contemporary sound. His distinct approach to songwriting enriches each track with emotional depth and authenticity, presenting a new level of artistic expression.
The album’s theme of self-acceptance and self-love is encapsulated in its title, symbolising the gradual process of personal growth and healing. The creation of this album has been a therapeutic endeavour for Sanko, helping him embrace his vulnerabilities and celebrate his strengths.

Releasing on 4th October!

TOUR DATES
• 05/07 – Sankt Pölten, AT
• 12/10 – Ehingen, DE
• 17/10 – Rotterdam, NL
• 18/10 – Milan, IT (TBA)
• 19/10 – Palafrugell, ES (TBA)
• 24/10 – Valencia, ES
• 25/10 – Barcelona, ES
• 26/10 – Madrid, ES (TBA)
• 07/11 – Darmstadt, DE
• 09/11 – Herford, DE
• 22/03 – Condette, FR (TBA)