{"title":"Summer Sale 2025","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"patrice-rushen-pizzazz-remastered","title":"Patrice Rushen 'Pizzazz (Remastered)'","description":"\u003cp\u003ePatrice Rushen’s all-time classic 1979 album for Elektra Records\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis album marked another progression in Rushen’s solo career as she broke through with the huge club hit ‘Haven’t You Heard’ and also featured on her LP cover with her trademark braids for the first time courtesy of stylist Sibongile Bradley and top photographer Norman Seeff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album showcased Rushen’s famed talent for bringing the right musicians together, mixing more experienced players like drummer James Gadson and Bill Summers with younger talent including bassist Freddie Washington and drummer “Ndugu” Chancler. The tracks themselves were more spacious than on ‘Patrice’, released 18 months earlier. “It was the confidence of feeling that we didn't need quite as much in the arrangements,” Patrice explains, “and the times were also changing in terms of what we liked, what we danced to and the kind of grooves that people responded to. With ‘Pizzazz’, we had the advantage of a rapport with radio and black press, which were both very powerful at the time.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlongside ‘Haven’t You Heard’, the album features many tracks that have become fan favourites over the years - the upbeat, carefree single ‘Let The Music Take Me’, the sweet ballad ‘Settle For\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eMe Love’ and a memorable duet with Roy Galloway, ‘Givin’ It Up Is Givin’ In’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStrut’s expanded reissue of ‘Pizzazz’ is packaged in full original artwork and featuring loud cut bonus 12” versions of the album’s singles ‘Haven’t You Heard’ and ‘Let The Music Take Me’, alongside a previously unreleased instrumental version of ‘Givin’ It Up Is Givin’ Up’. Package includes rare photos by Bobby Holland and a new interview with Patrice Rushen. All tracks remastered from the original tapes by The Carvery.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003ca\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"credits-label\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44097452802370,"sku":"STRUT222LP","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1566114306_10.jpg?v=1669631916"},{"product_id":"patrice-rushen-straight-from-the-heart","title":"Patrice Rushen 'Straight from the Heart (Remastered)'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe definitive edition of Patrice Rushen’s landmark album from 1982, ‘Straight From The Heart’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded during Elektra’s drive for ‘sophisticated dance music’ as many jazz artists created their own arrangements of disco and boogie, the sessions marked a progression for Patrice as she began exploring sonics as much as songwriting. “I was looking at different ways to experiment with the sounds on my records. Synths widened the palette available to us.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSingles from the album included ‘Breakout!’, ‘Number One’ and the global hit ‘Forget Me Nots’. “Bassist Freddie Washington played the bassline during a jam at my family’s house. I caught it, we kept messing around with the groove, then I developed the lyrics and chorus. It was just about recognising that moment when it came up.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“When I delivered the album to the label, the A\u0026amp;R said, ‘we don’t like anything on here.’ I realised quickly that they would give us no support so producer Charles Mims, myself and Freddie decided to engage a promotion company ourselves to start working the single. Although it took a while to pick up support, it paid off.” The single hit no. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1982 and the album became Patrice’s best seller globally from her time with\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eElektra \/ Asylum, securing a Grammy nomination. In more recent years, the album has become a regular source for samples in the world of hip hop and R\u0026amp;B. Most famously, Will Smith’s theme for the film ‘Men In Black’ and George Michael’s ‘Fastlove’ were both based, to varying degrees, on ‘Forget Me Nots’.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44097452867906,"sku":"STRUT221LPC","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44097452835138,"sku":"STRUT221CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1803312117_10.jpg?v=1669375406"},{"product_id":"patrice-rushen-now","title":"Patrice Rushen 'Now'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe definitive edition of Patrice's influential classic ‘Now’ from 1984.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eReleased after the global success of ‘Straight From The Heart’ and the huge hit ‘Forget Me Nots’, ‘Now’ stripped back the arrangements and explored a new sonic palette, combining top level musicianship with the evolving studio technology of the mid-‘80s. “By this time, I had built a little home studio,” explains Patrice, “and the new synthesizers and drum machines opened a lot of possibilities. A lot of the pieces on ‘Now’ started off as demos based on these instruments and we just went with it quite naturally, adding guitar, bass and drums.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe album continued Patrice’s unerring skill in fusing intricate jazz musicianship with infectious grooves. The solid boogie classic ‘Get Off (You Fascinate Me)’ lit up dancefloors and ‘Feels So Real’ became one of Patrice’s best loved songs, an effortless mid-tempo soul stepper. The album is also celebrated for the tender ‘Gotta Find It’ and one of Patrice’s most poignant ballads, the intricate and politically charged ‘To Each His Own’.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe album marked the end of Rushen’s tenure with Elektra before a move to Arista and remains a much-referenced part of her career. “I think it was a great representation of where we were at the time and it may have even been a little bit ahead of its time”, she reflects. Famously, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis had become fans, attending her live shows, and, allegedly, the feel of Janet Jackson’s debut album ‘Control’ two years later was heavily influenced by Rushen’s approach on ‘Now’. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44097452900674,"sku":"STRUT224LP","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a0899887777_10.jpg?v=1669632408"},{"product_id":"the-collective-idrissas-dream","title":"The Collective 'Idrissa's Dream'","description":"\u003cp\u003eStrut continues their work from the archives of Idris Ackamoor \u0026amp; The Pyramids with a first ever vinyl release of Ackamoor’s debut avant-garde \/ Afro-jazz recordings from 1971 with The Collective, based out of Yellow Springs, Ohio.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe group was formed after Ackamoor had returned to Antioch from a spell in L.A. under the wing of influential saxophonist Charles Tyler. Pianist Lester Knibbs had been appointed to the Antioch college music department as an assistant professor and had followed a similar path to avant-garde pioneer, Cecil Taylor. “They both came from the classical tradition,” explains Ackamoor, “but also understood jazz and avant-garde improvisation.” Ackamoor and Knibbs started as a duet before Ackamoor met three musicians from Wright-Patterson Air Force base near Dayton. Ackamoor continues, “They would come to Yellow Springs because they could find marijuana there. They were called ‘the three Steves’: Steve Maniscoso, an Italian, Steve Rumboat, a white American and Oakland Steve, a black musician playing flute. Oakland Steve left the air force and then Margaux Simmons arrived – that is the quintet featured on these recordings. You also hear a vocalist called Peggy Pettitt, another Antioch student who became quite famous in movies; she starred in the film Black\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eGirl soon afterwards in 1972.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis concert is the only professional recording of The Collective from a performance at Kelly Hall in August 1971. “After this, I think the Steves went back to Wright-Patterson,” continues Ackamoor, “and The Collective just naturally evolved and transitioned into the Pyramids. I felt like The Collective was my birth as a composer; we created such a tapestry of sound because Lester had the talent to play enormous arpeggios and colours on the piano, both classically and as improvisation. Our music was just a natural expression, coming from our souls, our hearts and our minds. A channel from above... But it was not pre-designed in any way.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44097452933442,"sku":"STRUT286LP","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a3374831635_10.jpg?v=1669368946"},{"product_id":"greg-foat-symphonie-pacifique","title":"Greg Foat 'Symphonie Pacifique'","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe prolific British pianist-keyboardist-composer’s work is centered on place, partnership, and circumstance. Mostly abandoning jazz, he crafts an idiosyncratic, pastoral opus.\"\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e(Pitchfork)\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFoat has become a versatile mainstay in UK jazz through an acclaimed series of albums on Jazzman and Athens Of The North, moving from soul-jazz workouts to library music to cinematic, haunting compositions and pastoral acid folk. ‘Symphonie Pacifique’ goes expansive and widescreen, building a lush soundscape using choral textures, harp and tubular bells. “It has been a hallmark of my previous albums to use choral voices and tubular bells to sound more like chordal instruments,” explains Foat. “I used pedal steel for the first time on these tracks.” All are showcased on the atmospheric ‘After The Storm’. “This piece was completely improvised during our last day of studio time,” continues Foat. “The assistant engineer had set up an arpeggio on the synthesizer as a metronome; the harp and guitar created an ostinato, myself and others soloed over it and we later added choir and strings. Eventually, we took the arpeggio off to leave a calm, serene piece of music.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUpping the tempo, Foat brings in sensual groove-based tracks like the undulating ‘Anticipation’, the album title track and Groove Merchant-channelling ‘Nikinakinu’. “This was one for my stepson Nicky,” explains Foat. “I worked up this idea with him and my Zimbabwean drummer friend Sam Chagumachinyi so it has a slightly African feel to it and uses pentatonic scales.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOther tracks include the languid, simmering ‘Island Life’ and a moving tribute to KPM library legend Duncan Lamont on the reflective ‘Lament For Lamont’. “Duncan was one of the unsung heroes of British jazz. He played with Sinatra, composed some incredible library music and his 1970 album ‘Best Of The Bossa Novas’ was one of the biggest selling UK jazz albums of all time. I recorded with him for my album ‘The Mage’ a few years ago and he was genuinely the nicest guy I have ever played with. He was looking forward to working on this album but sadly passed away a couple of months before the sessions, so we really wanted to record this tribute to him.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe album is a truly international collaboration, recorded analogue and produced by Greg Foat at London’s Fish Factory studios with strings recorded in Edinburgh and choir in Gothenburg. The album was mixed by Mattias Glava at Kungsten Studios in Gothenburg. Cover artwork is based on a painting by early 20th Century Algerian \/ Parisian artist Henry Valensi.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Symphonie Pacifique’ marks another major step forward in Foat’s evolution as one of the UK’s leading jazz pianists and composers and is released on CD, 2LP and digital \/ streaming.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Greg Foat","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44097453261122,"sku":"STRUT212LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44097453162818,"sku":"STRUT212CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1237254492_10.jpg?v=1669633233"},{"product_id":"patrice-rushen-patrice-remastered","title":"Patrice Rushen 'Patrice (Remastered)'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe definitive 2LP edition of the ‘Patrice’ album from 1978.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a series of jazz funk albums on Prestige, Patrice moved to Elektra as the label tapped into the burgeoning “sophisticated R\u0026amp;B” market at the tail end of the disco era. “By this time, I had already made some great in-roads, made some great friends and picked up valuable knowledge which definitely paid off in terms of the music and the way the records sounded,” Patrice remembers. As a brilliant pianist, songwriter and arranger from a young age, Rushen was perfectly placed to bring the class and musicianship that the label needed and now also began to assume the role of lead vocalist for the first time. She enlisted the production prowess of high school friend Charles Mims, Jr. and long-time mentor Reggie Andrews.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded at the newly opened Conway Studios in L.A., ‘Patrice’, Rushen brought in heartfelt lyrics, vulnerability and messages of hope into her music for the first time on yearning tracks like ‘Didn’t You Know’ and ‘When I Found You’ alongside simply forgetting your troubles on the singles ‘Hang It Up’ and Play!’. Clubs played an important part in the interest in her music. While her record label didn’t fully get behind her as an artist until the early ‘80s, influential club and black radio DJs consistently supported her and recognised Patrice as a unique talent. ‘Music Of The Earth’ became an underground New York club favourite and Danny Krivit’s extended edit has endured in its own right, included here.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“So much of what happened with these records happened after they had come out, like years afterwards, as people discovered them,” reflects Patrice. “but with this album, all of the things that I wanted to do were possible without limitation - the recording, the writing, the execution with the musicians, the production. Everything was, “Okay, let’s do it.” And we did it.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44097453064514,"sku":"STRUT223LP","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1067135811_10.jpg?v=1669632145"},{"product_id":"patrice-rushen-feels-so-real","title":"Patrice Rushen 'Feels So Real'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe complete Elektra Recordings, featuring the albums 'Now', 'Patrice', 'Pizzazz', 'Posh' and 'Straight From The Heart', plus extended 12\" mixes and previously unreleased versions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a series of acclaimed soul-jazz albums for Prestige Records, Patrice came to Elektra as the label branched out from its trademark soft rock sound to hone a roster catering to the burgeoning “sophisticated R\u0026amp;B” audience during the late ‘70s, at the tail end of the disco boom. Pulling together a tight team of musicians and studio craftsmen that she had worked with and respected through writing and performing sessions in L.A., including her mentor Reggie Andrews and producer Charles Mims, Patrice combined intricate, punchy big band arrangements with her new role as lead vocalist on Patrice in 1978. The album set the template for a series of classic recordings, bringing soulful style and musicality to dancefloors. Pizzazz (1979) ushered in the huge club hit ‘Haven’t You Heard’ and classic tender ballad ‘Settle For My Love’, before Posh and the infectious single ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ a year later. Then in 1982, the landmark album Straight From The Heart and the worldwide crossover success of ‘Forget Me Nots’ following a self-funded PR campaign. Now ended her time with Elektra in 1984, a more stripped back, synth-led affair led by ‘Feels So Real (Won’t Let Go)’ and the reflective ‘To Each His Own’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs well as through covers, samples and regular use in films, TV and ads (most famously in the film ‘Men In Black’ and on George Michael’s ‘Fastlove’), Patrice’s music has endured over the years as each new generation discovers her recordings. “So much of what happened with these records happened years after they had come out as people discovered them,” Patrice explains. “And that’s the biggest compliment of all, that the music is still being played. It’s kinda cool.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘So Real’ features all five of Patrice’s Elektra albums in their expanded editions including 12” versions, instrumentals and unreleased takes from the original sessions. A 28-page booklet features artist photos and recording info and the set has been fully remastered by The Carvery from the original reel to reel tapes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44097453097282,"sku":"STRUT333CD","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a0838019476_10.jpg?v=1669632593"},{"product_id":"patrice-rushen-posh","title":"Patrice Rushen 'Posh (Remastered)'","description":"\u003cp\u003e1980 and ‘Posh’ represented a year of consolidation for Patrice Rushen. Her studio reputation as a go-to pianist and arranger among other artists and musicians was well established and was growing exponentially. Although never originally planning a career as a solo artist, she had built this side of her work through three Prestige albums and two sophisticated soul and disco albums for Elektra, ‘Patrice’ and ‘Pizzazz’. \"I was lucky to have a group of musicians that I knew well by the time of these recording sessions,\" remembers Patrice. \"I had my pick of really incredible players because of all of the studio work I was doing. I also played with Lee Ritenour, Harvey Mason and others almost on a weekly basis at the The Baked Potato club in L.A.\"\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTracks included the singles 'Don't Blame Me', 'Look Up!' and 'Never Gonna Give You Up'. \"By this time, videos were coming in more as a means of marketing. Budgets were tight so we shot three videos for those tracks on the same day,\" Patrice continues. On TV, we played ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ on Soul Train and American Bandstand, which happened because I was touring, opening regularly for Ashford \u0026amp; Simpson and Sister Sledge.\"\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"'Never Gonna Give You Up' came out of playing ideas\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eat home. Bassist Freddie Washington was living with my family while he tried to get a foothold in L.A.’s music scene and that groove came out of those jams. With 'The Dream', I had been listening to Minnie Riperton’s ‘Come To My Garden’, one of my favourite albums. With Charles Stepney's arrangements, I saw that he didn’t have to use large instrumentation to be orchestral in his approach. So, ‘The Dream’ was a homage to that kind of writing.\"\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\"After 'Posh', we had a much better idea from the performance side what was important in our music and that informed my next album, ‘Straight From The Heart’. We took a little break after ‘Posh’ was released, although I was still writing and working regularly on scores for film and TV. That had always been my main focus in my music.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44097453031746,"sku":"STRUT220LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44097453195586,"sku":"STRUT220CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a3726843937_10.jpg?v=1685615920"},{"product_id":"sun-ra-arkestra-salah-ragab-sun-ra-arkestra-meets-salah-ragab-in-egypt","title":"Sun Ra Arkestra \u0026 Salah Ragab 'Sun Ra Arkestra Meets Salah Ragab In Egypt'","description":"\u003cp\u003eSalah Ragab first encountered the Arkestra at a concert at the house of Goethe Institut ex-pat Hartmut Geerken during the Arkestra’s first visit to Cairo and Heliopolis in December 1971 and, although Ra and Ragab did not meet in person on that occasion, they did meet and bond together when Ra returned to Egypt in 1983, resulting in these recordings. The Arkestra had been touring Europe in March 1983 and made their way to Cairo, playing a number of concerts during April at the Il Capo \/ Il Buco venue before recording the two superb studio versions of Ragab compositions, ‘Egypt Strut’ and ‘Dawn’, at El Nahar Studios in Heliopolis in May, featuring Salah Ragab on congas.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKostas Yiannoulopoulos, organiser of the Praxis festival in Greece, released the recordings as the A-side of this album, with three tracks by Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Orchestra on Side B. ‘Ramadan’ and ‘Oriental Mood’ were first heard on the Cairo Jazz Orchestra album Egypt Strut released in 1973 while ‘A Farewell Theme’, received its very first release on this record, written following the death of Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1970; the piece was played at the much-loved President’s funeral.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis first ever official reissue of the album features previously unseen photos and memorabilia alongside brand new liner notes by Hartmut Geerken and Paul Griffiths. The album is released in its original artwork and is fully remastered by Technology Works.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44097453293890,"sku":"STRUT266LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44097453326658,"sku":"STRUT266CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a2362182366_10.jpg?v=1685616090"},{"product_id":"oneness-of-juju-african-rhythms-1970-1982","title":"Oneness of Juju 'African Rhythms 1970-1982'","description":"A comprehensive overview of the seminal Oneness Of Juju, led by Plunky J. Branch.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracing their career from the band’s earliest work in 1970 with South African exiled jazzman Ndikho Xaba in San Francisco, the compilation covers the band’s journey to New York’s loft jazz scene, forming Juju and releasing two landmark albums of hard-hitting percussive jazz on Strata-East.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I saw myself as a cultural warrior,” explains Plunky. “We studied about Africa and tried to infuse our music with an African spirit.” Moving back to his hometown of Richmond, Virginia during the mid-‘70s, Plunky drew in a superb new group of musicians and vocalists and created the band’s new incarnation, Oneness Of Juju, retaining the African influence but fusing his sound with funk and R’n’B on the classic ‘African Rhythms’ album.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“We realised that, if we put a backbeat to the Afro-Cuban rhythms, people in Richmond and Washington D.C. could be drawn into it; it didn't change anything about our message.” The change would lead to a series of enduring soul-jazz classics on Jimmy Gray’s Black Fire label, including ‘River Luv Rite’, ‘Plastic’ and ‘Don’t Give Up’ and their biggest crossover international hit, ‘Every Way But Loose’ in 1982, later famously remixed by Larry Levan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe band received renewed interest in their music during the mid-‘80s as Washington D.C.’s go-go innovators cited the band as a major influence and rare groove DJs revived their albums for London dancefloors.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘African Rhythms 1970-1982’ reprises a compilation released on Strut in 2001 and is newly remastered by Frank Merritt at The Carvery. Both formats feature a 12” sized 4pp booklet featuring rare photos and a comprehensive interview with Plunky Branch within liner notes by Chris Menist.","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44097453424962,"sku":"STRUT233LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44097453392194,"sku":"STRUT233CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a0323267036_10.jpg?v=1669632839"},{"product_id":"various-artists-aloha-got-soul-yellow-vinyl","title":"Various Artists 'Aloha Got Soul'","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘Aloha Got Soul’ encompasses a vibrant era of contemporary music made in Hawai’i during the 1970s to the mid-1980s as jazz, rock, funk, disco and R\u0026amp;B co-existed alongside Hawaiian folk music.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHawai’i’s identity had undergone huge change: statehood into America in ‘59 and the Vietnam War were the backdrop as Hawai’i’s youth found inspiration in a new wave of international music led initially by The Beatles and Stones and, later, by US R\u0026amp;B bands like Earth Wind \u0026amp; Fire and Tower Of Power. Garage bands flourished during the ‘60s and, by the ‘70s, live music was at its peak. Waikīkī was filled with clubs: The Point After, Infinity’s, Hawaiian Hut, Spats and more.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFor the ‘70s generation of artists, some came through the talent contest ‘Home Grown’ and its accompanying compilation LP. Singer Nohelani Cypriano won it with her instant radio hit, ‘Lihue’. Other winning songs, like Marvin Franklin’s soul surfer jam ‘Kona Winds’, burned more slowly but have endured with DJs today. Many records also packed a powerful message. In 1978, Hawaiian was made the official state language and a huge movement arose to revive hula and traditional music. Steve \u0026amp; Teresa’s ‘Kaho’olawe Song’ longs for an island long gone: the US military had used Kaho’olawe as a bombing range since Pearl Harbor. Nohelani Cypriano sang about the once sleepy town of Kailua, now a popular tourist destination: “Kailua needs no high-rise with her blue skies, not for our eyes. Can you realize?”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLeading Hawaiian artists like Aura, Mike Lundy and keyboardist Kirk Thompson’s Lemuria took time in high quality facilities like Broad Recording Studio to make albums. Others grabbed studio time when they could: Tender Leaf’s Murray Compoc worked for the city bus by day and recorded an album during night sessions. Other albums were spontaneous. In 1983, Steve Maii \u0026amp; Teresa Bright recorded an acoustic set in just 3 hours after being invited to a studio following a gig.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFor the artists of the ‘70s, the climate for music changed rapidly during the mid-‘80s as DJ culture grew and live venues shut down. Hawai’i’s R\u0026amp;B era shone brightly and relatively briefly but, despite brilliant musicians, regular gigs and LP releases, most of the music barely made it to the mainland. Thanks largely to Aloha Got Soul’s Roger Bong, a new interest in this fertile era of Hawaiian music has grown, culminating in this new compilation of overlooked gems. ‘Aloha Got Soul’ is compiled and annotated by Bong and features rare photos and original artwork.","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP Yellow","offer_id":44196412588354,"sku":"STRUT133LPC","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a0172866620_10.jpg?v=1672744124"},{"product_id":"tribe-hometown-detroit-sessions-1990-2014","title":"Tribe 'Hometown: Detroit Sessions 1990-2014'","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“This album will be part of the everlasting impact the Tribe collective had on our culture, on our hope and possibilities.” Herb Boyd\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eStrut and Art Yard present the first compilation bringing together the modern era recordings of Tribe, Detroit’s acclaimed independent jazz collective.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTribe began as a musical ensemble in 1971 co-founded by Saxophonist Wendell Harrison and trombonist Phil Ranelin that soon expanded into a broad amalgam including a live collective and independent record label. Ignored by the mainstream, many African American jazz artists in Detroit and across the US began creating their own small imprints and Tribe emerged alongside other cultural entities to express selfdetermination goals in the city: saxophonist Ernie Rodgers with his sessions at Rapa House; John and Leni Sinclair’s Artist Workshop; Bruce Millan’s Repertory Theater; the Hastings Jazz Experience and the Strata Corporation led by Kenny Cox. Harrison’s ideas of independence, self-determination and education were central to the Tribe ethos: “I might be possessed with a drive to get the knowledge out,” explained Harrison, “because I see this as sustaining the future of the jazz diaspora, the jazz tradition.” Tribe album releases like Harrison’s ‘An Evening With The Devil’ (1972) and\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eHarrison and Ranelin’s ‘A Message From The Tribe’ (1973) became early ‘70s milestones in Detroit jazz.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 1977, Harrison teamed up with pianist\/composer Harold McKinney to form Rebirth Inc., aided by Detroit cultural warrior John Sinclair, a continuation of the Tribe community ethos. Musically, it formed a link with radio station WDET and began an outreach program to teach children and to publish Harrison’s jazz instruction books. Harrison continue to record extensively as a leader with his own labels, WenHa and Tribe, documenting the collective through sessions led by Phil Ranelin, Harold McKinney, Pamela Wise and more.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe ‘Hometown’ compilation places the spotlight on this later era of Tribe and Rebirth Inc., with rare and previously unreleased recordings from Harrison’s WenHa \/ Rebirth Studios and the SereNgeti Gallery And Cultural Center. 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With a big band line-up featuring long-standing Arkestra members including Danny Ray Thompson (RIP), Michael Ray, Vincent Chancey, Knoel Scott, Cecil Brooks, Atakatune (RIP), Elson Nascimento and Tyler Mitchell, the album is a full-blooded celebration of Sun Ra’s legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44324247306562,"sku":"STRUT153LP","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196453122370,"sku":"STRUT153CDX","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a4106159731_10.jpg?v=1672656417"},{"product_id":"the-souljazz-orchestra-chaos-theories-1","title":"The Souljazz Orchestra 'Chaos Theories'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe album takes the listener from carefully targeted sonic missiles to more reflective thought-provoking moments. ‘Police The Police’ starts the offensive: “I wrote this after my neighbour was beaten to death by Ottawa police during an arrest,” explains Chrétien\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e. “The authorities downplayed the incident and the officers were working the next day like nothing had happened.” ‘House Of Cards’ takes a thinly veiled swipe at the current US administration on an infectious disco groove: “lies within lies within lies… like so many Russian dolls”; ‘Boat Rockers’ challenges us all to look beyond accepted norms and ‘General Strike’ documents the frustrations of the working class as the pay gap gets increasingly wider; ‘Slumlord’ shines the spotlight on dodgy landlords while the brilliant closer ‘Well Runs Dry’ laments modern day living, with its confused pace and mundane obsessions, remembering simpler days gone by.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003ca data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"credits-label\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44324302455106,"sku":"STRUT208LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196462264642,"sku":"STRUT208CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a2526603669_10.jpg?v=1672657299"},{"product_id":"sun-ra-egypt-1971","title":"Sun Ra 'Egypt 1971'","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the years leading up to 1971, Sun Ra wrote many compositions and poems specifically inspired by the ancient African Kingdoms and many others with associated mythological and heliocentric connotations. 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In Conakry, Makeba met Stokely Carmichael, President of civil rights organisation the SNCC and they would later marry. “With the Vietnam War, the student protests and the riots in the ghettos, everyone is scared,” Makeba said. “Everyone is afraid that there will be a great black uprising.” Makeba’s concerts were widely cancelled and both her and Carmichael were followed relentlessly by the FBI.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eReprise also terminated her contract but brought in producer Lewis Merenstein for her final recording for the label, best known for his work with Van Morrison on ‘Astral Weeks’. Merenstein suggested two Van songs for Makeba to cover, ‘Brand New Day’ from the ‘Moondance’ sessions and ‘I Shall Sing’ and further songs were added to reflect both the political climate and Makeba’s own memories including Stephen Stills’ ‘For What It’s Worth’ and Lennon \u0026amp; McCartney’s wistful ‘In My Life’. 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The album was gradually recorded over a period of four years with Sorie on the road in Belgium, Spain and Canary Islands with the main production collaboration between Boima in Los Angeles and Will in London. The result is a varied and colourful set of tracks infusing Boima and Will’s wide-ranging dancefloor influences. Infectious first single ‘She Doesn’t Love You’ features guest vocalist Mariama Jalloh speaking home truths about rejection while future 4\/4 dancefloor anthem ‘It’s God’s World..’ features a mighty bassline from prolific L.A. musician \/ producer Sweatson Klank. ‘The Sweetness Is Gone’ ramps up the dub and sound system energy while ‘How Will It Be For Me In This World’ sparkles on a bed of electronic textures and kondi lines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196666245442,"sku":"STRUT232LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196666278210,"sku":"STRUT232CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1211057990_10.jpg?v=1671713901"},{"product_id":"electric-jalaba-el-hal-the-feeling","title":"Electric Jalaba 'El Hal \/ The Feeling'","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eElectric Jalaba comprises six accomplished musicians with an empathy that feels telepathic and a groove that immerses. In Arabic, the mother tongue of Moroccan-born singer and guimbri player Simo Lagnawi, a leading practitioner of Gnawa music in Britain, they call this indefinable quality, “El Hal” – “The feeling”. “It’s the feeling that comes when we’re playing and totally forgetting where we are,” says producer and bassist Olly Keen. “The feeling of being grabbed by the music and lost in the groove.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEl Hal is a multi-faceted work that finds the band tighter than ever, deploying a vast cache of influences across nine tracks improvised and developed in their south London studio then deftly produced by Keen. Some tracks pay homage to the origins of Gnawa music, whose repertoire of Arabic-language praise songs contains remnants of West African dialects – Bambara from Mali, Fulani and Hausa from the Sahel region – that point to a centuries-old migration.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“\u003cem\u003eThe trance-inducing effect of Gnawa was what hit us first. It was visceral, heart stopping\u003c\/em\u003e,” continues Olly, whose siblings – producer\/keys player Henry Keen, guitarist\/\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bcTruncateMore\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003emulti-instrumentalist Nathaniel Keen and singer\/multi-instrumentalist Barnaby Keen – make up Electric Jalaba alongside revered Anglo-Italian kit drummer Dave De Rose and Simo on vocals, krakeb and guimbri. “\u003cem\u003eSimo selected the chant from the traditional song suites and, as a band, we extended these short pieces of ceremonial music and experimented with sound and structure,\u003c\/em\u003e” explains Olly.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTracks include the funky single ‘Cubaili Ba’ featuring the disco-fied patterns of a Juno synth and the drumming of De Rose; ‘Agia Hausa’ is a multi-layered wig-out that partly takes its inspiration from Senegal’s fiercely percussive mbalax rhythms and ‘Daimla’ is a gloriously dubby ode to Allah and iconic maalems including the late Mahmoud Guinea. “\u003cem\u003eThere’s a very strong rhythmic element within the band but because of our different perspectives but the melodic components are really unique as well,\u003c\/em\u003e” says Henry. \u003cem\u003eThat feeling of being outside of yourself but totally within yourself at the same time… That’s what all of us, collectively, are striving for.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196666310978,"sku":"STRUT226LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196666376514,"sku":"STRUT226CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1346777552_10.jpg?v=1685616002"},{"product_id":"sun-ra-lanquidity-definitive-edition","title":"Sun Ra 'Lanquidity'","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe definitive edition of Sun Ra’s classic ‘Lanquidity’.\u003c\/p\u003e\nRecorded overnight at Bob Bank’s Blank Tapes on 17th July 1978 after the Arkestra had appeared on Saturday Night Live, the album is unique in the Ra catalogue. “Most critics felt that it was more of a fusion-inspired record,” explains Michael Ray. “As the name suggests, the album is liquid and languid.” Bob Blank continues, “Musically, it was very ad hoc and freeform. There were horn charts but most tracks came out of improvised jams. Sun Ra just did his thing.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eComprising five effortlessly fluid pieces, the album eases in with Lanquidity. Danny Ray Thompson remembers, “This was one of Sun Ra’s on-the-spot compositions. It is almost like an Ancient Egyptian Stargazing Ceremony, mapping out the stars and the planets.” Where Pathways Meet is “Sun Ra’s funky version of an Egyptian march. Pharaoh is sending his troops off to fight and this is his pep-talk!” continues Thompson. “The music seems to take different pathways but still converges.” The loping groove of That’s How I Feel, features the reflective trumpet lines of Eddie Gale with solos by John Gilmore and Marshall Allen: “Marshall comes in with that snake charming oboe.” Says Thompson. The funky Twin Stars Of Thence weaves around Richard Williams celebrated elastic bassline while the haunting closer, There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of), is pure “space music.” The poet Mama Nzinga described it as ‘The essence of light. Spirit takes a ride inside the deep dark space of just being.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196666868034,"sku":"STRUT237LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Deluxe Edition","offer_id":49206786556242,"sku":"STRUT237LPC","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196666573122,"sku":"STRUT237CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a0127880947_10.jpg?v=1672655526"},{"product_id":"byard-lancaster-my-pure-joy-fat-beats-colour-edition","title":"Byard Lancaster 'My Pure Joy'","description":"\"From A Love Supreme to The Sex Machine!\" The personal musical mantra of the late Philadelphia reedman Byard Lancaster informed an open-minded and varied lifetime in jazz.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e‘My Pure Joy’ is one of Lancaster’s lesser known classics, recorded in 1992 for Black Fire.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLancaster had initially cut his musical teeth with the avant-garde on New York’s Lower East Side in the 1960s (famously on sessions with pianist Dave Burrell and drummer Sunny Murray) and in Paris during the ‘70s after an appearance at the Actuel festival but, throughout his career, his path was built around community engagement, positivity and “the Philly jazz sound, Germantown style.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHe became an ambassador for the music of the City Of Brotherly Love, starting his own Dogtown label, helping launch the Philly Jazz imprint and campaigning tirelessly to improve the circumstances of the city’s street musicians. Lancaster’s sessions for Black Fire were planned following a gig at Caverns Jazz Club in Washington DC. “Jimmy Gray of Black Fire and I originally met during the ‘riotous blisters’ of the late Sixties there,” explained Lancaster. “We became the best of friends.” Backed by a band of Philly musicians including percussionist Keno Speller and Baba Robert Crowder (drummer for Olatunji and Art Blakey), the album also featured the Drummers From Ibadan led by Tunde Kuboye, another influential figure dedicated to community jazz with whom Lancaster had bonded while teaching in Lagos.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe result was a free-flowing set of spirituality and positivity, built around full band groove workouts, solo pieces and heavy African roots. “We had big fun documenting this music,” remembered Lancaster. The message of the album remains as relevant today as ever, “I dedicate this album to all African Americans in the USA. To the youth, I ask ‘What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?’” Originally delayed by three years because of cashflow issues within Black Fire, ‘My Pure Joy’ eventually surfaced as one of the label’s final CD releases in 1995 and has never before appeared on vinyl.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196666900802,"sku":"STRUT240LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196666835266,"sku":"STRUT240CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1872545533_10.jpg?v=1670951948"},{"product_id":"theatre-west-bow-to-the-people","title":"Theatre West 'Bow To The People'","description":"\u003cp\u003eStrut presents one of the most in-demand and significant albums from the archives of Jimmy Gray’s Black Fire Records, ‘Bow To The People’ (1976) by theatre collective Theatre West, based out of Dayton, Ohio.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFounder Clarence Young III had been a Vietnam Vet in the US Air Force and was part of a theatrical troupe entertaining soldiers in 15 countries. When he returned home in 1969, he started a theatre company in Dayton as an outlet for inner city youth to come together and express themselves. Young became widely respected as a playwright and 1971 was a breakthrough year as he received national accolades for his off-Broadway plays Perry’s Mission and The System, portraying black lives in America as life in a penitentiary. At its height, Theatre West involved around 27 members. “Everybody played everything and did everything,” recalls bassist Sigmond Dillard. “We all had to sing, dance and act all the time. If someone messed up, you came in. It was a tight unit and we were constantly helping each other out.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“There were so many talented and gifted people in our troupe,” continues Dillard. “Rita Brown went on to New York, starring in the film Disco Godfather during the late ‘70s. Bruce Davis went on to work regularly on Broadway in Chicago, All That Jazz and more. Our Musical Director was Delbert Taylor and he also played with Gil Scott Heron’s Midnight Band and with Slave afterwards in the early ‘80s. Vibes player Ben Wilson and I also played regularly with Gil.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\"\u003e\n\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRecorded at Arrest studios in Washington in ’76, ‘Bow To The People’ brought together songs from several of Theatre West’s best known plays including Bow To The People, The System and Black Love and unflinchingly explored serious issues around drug addiction, mental health and cultural awareness. “The whole idea of Bow To The People was to honour our black forefathers,” explains Dillard. “It was important to do that for the kids that didn’t know.”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eShelved following the original recording, the Bow To The People album eventually surfaced on a limited CD on Black Fire in 1993. Now receiving its first full international release, the album features the previously unreleased tracks ‘Man Of Many Means’ and ‘I Don’t Know Much About Love’ and has been remastered from the original tapes by The Carvery.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"tralbumData tralbum-credits\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44196667130178,"sku":"STRUT252LP","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196667064642,"sku":"STRUT252CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a3500106365_10.jpg?v=1672743244"},{"product_id":"okyerema-asante-drum-message","title":"Okyerema Asante 'Drum Message'","description":"Ghanaian master percussionist Okyerema Asante's 1977 album 'Drum Message' is drawn from the \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003erich archives of Black Fire Records, mastered from the original tapes.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter playing a short spell early in his career with Ebo Taylor’s Blue Monks band at Tip Toe’s in Accra, Asante joined the fledgling Hedzoleh Soundz during the early ‘70s at their Napoleon Club residency in the city. After playing Fela’s Shrine, Fela recommended them to Hugh Masekela as an ideal backing band and Hedzoleh joined Masekela on a US tour in December 1973. Sharing the same management company, Charisma, Asante first met Plunky and Oneness Of Juju during an East coast tour with Masekela, starting a relationship with the band that has endured until today.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRecorded at Arrest Studios in Washington D.C. in October 1977 and featuring musicians from Oneness alongside Gil Scott Heron cohort Brian Jackson on piano, Drum Message represents an important milestone for Asante: “This album really came from my heart. I wanted to project the African spirit in the music and come out with some unique African jazz. To be able to record it on Black Fire was extra special.” The album also involved some serious physical graft: “The studio was up on the 14th Floor and the elevator was often broken down. I showed up with a van full of African drums and Jimmy Gray from Black Fire and myself had to carry them all the way up there, each day!”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe resultant album was well worth the sweat. ‘Adowa’ adds jazz arrangements to a traditional Asante rhythm and Oneness classic ‘Follow Me’ is skilfully re-worked (“I used the bass drum in place of the bass guitar so it was all based on rhythms.”). New versions of Asante dancefloor favourite ‘Sabi’ sit alongside the mellow groove of ‘Asante Sana’ (“I wanted something cool like reggae or highlife on that track, a similar vibe. So, I went in between.”). \u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"2LP","offer_id":44196667097410,"sku":"STRUT247LP","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196667162946,"sku":"STRUT247CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a3025350096_10.jpg?v=1671716117"},{"product_id":"juanita-euka-mabanzo","title":"Juanita Euka 'Mabanzo'","description":"Juanita Euka is a familiar face to many from London’s vibrant live music scene over the last decade. Juanita has fronted London Afrobeat Collective’s dynamic live shows, the fusions and cross-pollinations of Animanz and maverick Cuban collective Wara. As a solo artist, she broke through in early 2020, performing her single ‘Alma Seca’ in series 3 of blockbuster series Killing Eve.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOriginally from DR Congo and brought up in Buenos Aires, Juanita’s upbringing involved many different musical influences, not least her uncle, Congolese rumba giant Franco Luambo Makiadi. “In Argentina, I listened to a wide range of styles from African-American artists to Dominican stars like Juan Luis Guerra, the Congolese greats like my uncle and Papa Wemba and various artists from Argentina including Mercedes Sosa. Some of my main inspirations were (and still are) international Afro-Cuban artists like Celia Cruz and La Lupe.” Moving to the UK aged 14, she joined Afro-Peruvian band Malambo and immersed herself in London’s own sounds, from Soul to Jazz to Funk.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eWith her new album Mabanzo (meaning ‘Thoughts’), Juanita brings together her many and varied musical influences into play and pulls no lyrical punches. Killer dancefloor single ‘Nalingi Mobali Te’ is pure contemporary Congolese guitar gold, ‘Mboka Moka’ channels ‘80s boogie and Quincy horn stylings on an anthem for personal struggle and ‘Baño de Oro’ brings a heavy Afro-Cuban workout. Elsewhere, the epic ballad ‘Sueños de Libertad’ is an impassioned call for freedom and the lilting ‘For All It’s Worth’ champions love over materialism. Recorded entirely at home studios during lockdown, the album was painstakingly constructed by producer Greg Sanders with all musicians recorded remotely. “I have always written songs and poems since I was young,” reflects Euka. “I met Greg, a multi-instrumentalist and producer, while I was in Wara and we started the journey towards a solo project. Greg has that knowledge and vision of different sounds and it is the perfect way to celebrate my music journey. I have tried to bring all of the musical heritage that I have experienced into my album.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196667228482,"sku":"STRUT248LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196667195714,"sku":"STRUT248CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a4204986629_10.jpg?v=1671713172"},{"product_id":"juju-live-at-131-prince-street","title":"JuJu 'Live At 131 Prince Street'","description":"Live At 131 Prince Street’ was recorded in 1973 at Ornette Coleman’s gallery in New York and features a previously unheard recording of the Pharoah Sanders composition \"Thembi\".\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter forming in San Francisco while working on the Marvin X theatre piece ‘The Resurrection of the Dead’, JuJu began to hone their uncompromising fusion of Afro-Latin rhythms with free and spiritual jazz before signing to Strata-East for the ‘A Message From Mozambique’ album in 1972. \u003cem\u003e“We moved to New York and became part of the avant-garde community on the Lower East Side and Greenwich Village,”\u003c\/em\u003e remembers bandleader Plunky Branch.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFollowing a high profile live show at the Lincoln Center, Ornette Coleman invited JuJu to his gallery and loft at 131 Prince Street to perform there and to stay on while he left on tour. \u003cem\u003e“That was life-changing for us,”\u003c\/em\u003e continues Plunky.“ \u003cem\u003eIt was fabulous. The recordings you hear on this album are in close proximity to each other, maybe across one day or a weekend at the gallery.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAlongside tracks written by the JuJu band members, like the 5\/4 tempo ‘At Least We Have A Horizon Now’, they play choice covers from their peers.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePlunky explains, \u003cem\u003e“‘Thembi’ is a Pharoah Sanders piece which he wrote for his wife in 1971 and it’s one of my favourite pieces by him. ‘Azucar Pa Ti’ was written by Eddie Palmieri; we loved him too and enjoyed Latin music in general. Here we play ‘Mozambique’, based on an Afro-Cuban rhythm and we regularly played that for 10 minutes before morphing into ‘Azucar’. ‘Out Of This World’, written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen, was inspired by John Coltrane who recorded a version of it on his ‘Coltrane’ album in ’62.”\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196667294018,"sku":"STRUT250LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196667326786,"sku":"STRUT250CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a0524397715_10.jpg?v=1686827795"},{"product_id":"hamiet-bluiett-bearer-of-the-holy-flame","title":"Hamiet Bluiett 'Bearer of the Holy Flame'","description":"\u003cp\u003eA rare live session for Black Fire by the late, hugely respected baritone saxman and flautist, Hamiet Bluiett, ‘Bearer Of The Holy Flame’, recorded at Sweet Basil in New York in July 1983.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInspired by Harry Carney from Duke Ellington’s band, who had played the baritone as a soloist, Bluiett played with Sam Rivers’ ensemble and famously joined the Charles Mingus Quintet in New York from 1969, touring Europe and appearing on ‘Mingus At Carnegie Hall’. He then started out as a bandleader in 1975, building from work he had started in St. Louis as a co-founder of the influential Black Artists’ Group, a collective dedicated to new work in theatre, visual arts, dance, spoken word, film and music. He went on to form the World Saxophone Quartet alongside former B.A.G. members Julius Hemphill and Oliver Lake and multi-instrumentalist David Murray. Championing the baritone throughout his life, he became a go-to player for many of the biggest artists in jazz and R\u0026amp;B, performing with Babatunde Olatunji, Abdullah Ibrahim, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the few live sessions released on Black Fire, ‘Bearer Of The Holy Flame’ was originally released on Black Fire on CD in 1994, eleven years after being recorded, and is best known for a storming version of Wayne Shorter’s ‘Footprints’.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCD Package features Jimmy Gray’s original sleeve notes with brand new liner notes tracing Bluiett’s career. Remastered from the original tapes by The Carvery.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196667261250,"sku":"STRUT246CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a2069972003_10.jpg?v=1671015541"},{"product_id":"oneness-of-juju-bush-brothers-and-space-rangers","title":"Oneness of Juju 'Bush Brothers and Space Rangers'","description":"\u003cp\u003eBush Brothers \u0026amp; Space Rangers sees Oneness Of Juju at the peak of their powers in 1977.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOneness had enjoyed two fruitful years with Black Fire prior to these recordings, breaking through with the African Rhythms and Space Jungle Luv albums. “When we recorded African Rhythms we didn’t use a guitar,” explains bandleader Plunky Branch. “So, when vocalist Jackie Eka-Ete and guitarist Ras Mel Glover came in around ‘75, that moved our sound into a more soulful direction. The drummer on this album, Tony Green, was the drummer with Gil Scott Heron and he added a little more sophistication to our soulfulness. African percussionist Okyerema Asante was also fully incorporated into the band after joining in 1976. By 1977, we were in full production mode recording songs; one or two of the tracks here also feature Brian Jackson, known for his work with Gil.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrimarily recorded at Arrest Studios in Washington DC, the album is packed with landmark Oneness tracks including ‘Be About The Future’ (“possibly the first ecology-themed song that I know of”) the George Clinton-influenced ‘Plastic’, an acoustic alternative version of ‘African Rhythms’ and strong covers of Caiphus Semenya’s ‘West Wind’ and Bobby Womack’s ‘Breezin’’. Plunky continues, “The album is composed of several different sessions featuring different personnel and only first came out as an album in its own right when Black Fire MD Jimmy Gray started working with P-Vine Records in Japan during the ‘90s. For me, it’s one of the hottest periods for the band.”\u003cbr\u003eRemastered at The Carvery from the original tapes\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196667654466,"sku":"STRUT255LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a3143026126_10.jpg?v=1671717312"},{"product_id":"salah-ragab-the-cairo-jazz-band-egyptian-jazz","title":"Salah Ragab \u0026 The Cairo Jazz Band 'Egyptian Jazz'","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1968, while he was also the leader of the Military Music Departments in Heliopolis, Salah Ragab formed the first jazz big band in Egypt, The Cairo Jazz Band. Some of the best musicians in Egypt of that time were members – Zaki Osman (trumpet), Saied Salama (tenor sax), Khamis El-Kholy (piano) and Ala Mostafa (piano).\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOn these recordings The Band consists of five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, piano, bass, drums and percussion and various other oriental instruments. The opening concert of The Cairo Jazz Band was in Ewart Memorial Hall at The American University 23\/02\/1969 followed by many other concerts in various prestigious places such as the Old Opera House, The University of Alexandria and appearances on Egyptian TV Jazz Club Weekly.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eSalah Ragab studied jazz theory and improvisation with the jazz musician and composer from Kansas City, USA, Osman Kareem, with whom he formed the first Jazz Quintet in Cairo in 1963 recording with the Radio Service of Cairo. He accompanied the great bandleader and composer Sun Ra on a tour in Egypt, Greece, France and Spain in 1984.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThese recordings present Salah Ragab and The Cairo Jazz Band’s definitive work, recorded in Heliopolis Egypt between 1968 and\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" class=\"bcTruncateMore\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e1973. Western jazz musicians have been fascinated with the world of Islam for many years, for religious, spiritual, musical and sociological reasons. It was therefore inevitable that musicians of the Arabian North African area would play a part in the interaction of these two musical cultures.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe compositions correspond to the cross-over of musical styles at the time of the recording 6000 miles away across the Mediterranean and Atlantic in New York with releases on Moodsville by Yusef Lateef and RCA by Ahmed Abdul-Malik. This record represents the Cairo Jazz Band responding to the American jazz scene in the 60’s and 70’s with influences from Mongo Santamaria to Randy Weston to Sun Ra. These tracks (apart from “Egypt Strut”) were first presented by the Ministry Of Culture in Cairo as a Prism Music Unit Production.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"strutrecords","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":44196667785538,"sku":"STRUT263LP","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":44196667720002,"sku":"STRUT263CD","price":11.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/6939\/2706\/products\/a1813547020_10.jpg?v=1672396512"},{"product_id":"southern-energy-ensemble-southern-energy","title":"Southern Energy Ensemble 'Southern Energy'","description":"‘Southern Energy’ was the only album recorded by R’n’B and jazz collective Southern Energy Ensemble in 1977. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eCanned following the original recording, the album eventually surfaced on a limited CD and LP on Black Fire in 1993. This reissue is mastered from the original tapes.\n\u003cdiv class=\"tralbumData tralbum-about\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“As Southern Energy, we played the chitlin circuit and ended up gigging most weekends at clubs, universities and military bases in Virginia and North and South Carolina,” remembers leader Marvin Daniels. 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