What a first night that was. The venue was spot on. Nice decor with the curved brick ceilings, friendly staff (they even danced everytime they crossed the floor and behind the bar for that matter), wonderful location with the lights bouncing off the river only feet away from the dance floor.Always like a venue where you go down a flight of stairs to get in. Peoples reactions as they came in was amazing as they saw the venue and heard Baz`s sound system.
The music went from soul to jazz to soul ...and the reaction was excellent. brand new Nujazz, Latin, contempary Soul spaced with some not to often heard music from the past. Old jazzers discovering the nu stuff and soulies groovin on the jazz.What a refreshing change.All this in Manchester city center and.......on a Sunday.
some comments from those who attended fromthe essentialmodernsoul forum
....this is by far and away the best and most gorgeous venue I've ever had the privilege to visit .. if ever there was the perfect ,perfect venue then this has to be it ..amazing..
Musically totally spot on for me great array of brilliant contemporary soul and jazz goodness and I got to hear and dance to Joe amongst all dancey vibes as well
( made my night )..massive respect to all concerned ..I can't remember the last time I was this excited about going anywhere..just as good as this thing gets.
......congratulations to all involved. Had a great night and heard choonage you just don`t hear enough of.
Fantastic venue and a really good turnout for a first night. Keep us posted for the next one.
.....Freestylin thats whats it all about with DJs playing tunes,that we know they can play and they DID
The Venue was smooth,
The crowd was TOP NOTCH (good to see other djs supporting as well)
The vibe was 100% plus
Well done to all and great to see the support of Music lovers
.....and well done to all involved in Freestylin'.
....OMG what a venue!!! It was wonderful to see everyones faces as they walked through the door and to all say the same thing 'wow' - pure quality. What a find.
It was a great first night, thought the mix of the music was spot on. Did at first only intend on staying till around 10.00 due to work and getting a lift home but party people that we are stayed till near the end. CLASS.
There was some fantastic foot movement going on, pleasure to watch and how about all those DJ's in attendance Mr 'taking care of business' himself and boy can he dance. He loved the Joe track as did all the dancefloor.
This night is a definite must, it's different from all other nights in Manchester. It's going to be HUGE. Be warned.
Thanks guys - look forward to the next one - any ideas
.....WOW what a Fantastic first night for Freestylin'
Sometimes everything just feels right about a night.
Great Music, Great Company and the venue is to die for (How good is it gonna be on a warm summers evening).
Well done to all concerned for a perfect way to end the weekend, Especially Colin & Jan for putting this on & of course to Colin, Roger & Tony for making the Vibe just right.
Never seen so many off duty DJ's enjoying a night like we did last night.
The big question is now When are we doin' it again?
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Monday, 16 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Fro-Disia Mix Nov 2009
tracks
1 The Sahib Shihab Quintet - `Seeds`. Re-mastered and re- released in 2009 is this version of this icon 60`s jazz track and used to great effect as the basis of Gerardo Frisina`s `African Seeds` a few years ago.
2 Papik - `Staying For Good This Time`. Ft the great vocals of Alan Scaffardi and from the Irma compilation series Sister Bossa Vol 9 or Papik`s new album `Rhythm Of Life` 2009.
3 Milano Jazz Dance Combo - `Broken Rose`.2009. Without doubt one of the best dance jazz albums this year (or any year for that matter), from the Italian Record Kicks label. This album has several great tracks to choose from this track features the wonderful bluesy voice of Roxie Ray.
4 Flat Three - `Rose En Blue` 2009.(World Standard Alternative Take) Taken from the Sunaga Tatsuo compilation Worlds Standard vol 8 on Japan
5 Gagle – `Eastern Voyage` 2008. From Nik Weston`s great forward thinking Mukatsuku Records label and here DJ Mitsu uses a sample of Freddie Hubbards `Gibraltar` to great effect. Love it. (Cheers Nik)
6 The Bas Lexter Ensemble - `The Champions` 2008.Another track to use a quality sample and this time it`s another Freddie Hubbard tune. Harp player Dorothy Ashby`s version of `Little Sunflower` is the source on this occasion so I believe. ?disagree?...answers on a postcard to spotthesamplejerk.com (kidding ..Honest).
7 Kei Kobayashi presents Umar Bin Hassan - `Labor To Endeavor` 2001.( we`ll overlook the poor spelling of the title, one is British after all,…anyone for tiffin ?) - I know I cant spwell for toffee- from the original Japanese `Routine` compilation series. Other than I like this track I can`t say much as I can!t speak Japanese. Should learn really – how hard can it be for a lad from Lancashire ???
8 Triple X Large - `Calmero 68` from Latina Café vol 2.
9 Elsie Ianchi - `Happy Little Sunbeam` 2009. From Acid Jazz 144. (Oh Yeah)
10 Badboe – `Loose Your Funky Self` 2009. Funk time kids - shake your pants to this. Another great album for 2009, Badboe`s `Break The Funk`.Quality stuff and again more than one track to choose from for the dance floor.
11 James Brown - `Superbad` 2009. Staying with the funk from `the Master` himself ...this track is from the James Brown Re-grooved album this time remixed by Slyplayers. Seriously funky stuff.
12 Club de Belugas - `Wildcats Gotta Move`. Ft the great and much in vogue vocals of Brenda Boykin. Another great vocal groove track from Club De` and Miss Boykin.
13 Beatconductor – `Senor Blues` 2009. Nice nu jazz take on the Horace Silver classic.
14 Dalindeo - `Go Ahead Float` 2006.Ricky Tick Records. Finland
15 Milano Jazz Dance Combo – `Changes`2009. ft the vocals of Colonel red. Can`t say enough how good this album is ….just buy it.
16 Joyce - `Aldei de Ogum` Brazilian classic track….nuff said.
17 Tim Hutton - Colours (Freeform Five Mix). Fave of mine for ages.
(scan down the page to the yellow band click on download now)
Monday, 9 November 2009
Freestylin
Well Mr Curtis and I have talked about getting a gig going in Manchester as the city hold a lot of history for Colin`s Dj`n. He is well know for many Soul, Jazz and House venues in the UK but especially in Manchester for his dance jazz sessions at the Berlin and Rafters. So I`m chuffed to announce he has organised this....
I really cant wait for this. 7 hours of open minded Jazz , Nujazz & Soul vibes from Colin Curtis, Roger Williams and yours truly. Coupled with Baz Maleedy`s fantastic`wall of sound` system and all for a fiver on the door it`s gonna be a cracker.
Two great guys that attend the Hilton Luxury Soul Weekenders and are great dance jazz fans are my freinds Ray and Andy. Ray has for many years been part of Perry Louis` Jazzcotech dance troup and has performed not only at London`s jazz cafe but also in Europe and Japan. Mark n Ray decided to show their stuff and here`s the result. The tune is the classic Patsy Gallant `Te Caliente`.
Based at the Snug Lounge on Houndsgate in Nottingham city centre since December 2008, it’s business as usual. The flyer, which cleverly makes use of some iconic Blue Note artwork describes the session as ‘for dancers, eavesdroppers and non-conformists’. It is … Jazz Dance, Hard Bop, Afro Cuban and Latin sounds, predominantly at 100mph.
The session runs from 5.00pm ‘til 9.00pm and it’s £3.00 on the door. The session attracts some of the UK’s finest jazz dancers, like Perry and Rocky, who have a tune named in their honour, which reflects their status on the jazz-dance scene.
The Snug Lounge is a smallish cellar bar that attracts around 50 every month, with about 80% being spectators, because the dance floor is a spectacle. The atmosphere is always friendly and welcoming and a lot of that is down to the DJ/Promoter ‘Killer Jim’. Jim is one of the nicest fellas you’re likely to meet and proper knowledgeable when it comes to jazz tunes, he’s also very helpful, if like me you’re a vinyl buyer forever searching for those elusive tracks. Jim also hosts a regular radio show called Jazz Bizness on Sunday nights, from 11pm ‘til 1am, on Kemet Radio 97.5FM
For me the ‘Out at Lunch’ session is a ‘never miss’ because
a it’s the only place I come away from, with tunes scribbled all over flyers … leading to hours of intensive searching …. some tracks proving either more elusive than others or just out of my price range.
b it really is a friendly welcoming atmosphere
c there’s usually a little record stall set up every month, so I get to buy more of those big black round things.
d the music is superb’ although not for the faint hearted i.e. not many concessions to the new jazz sounds. It’s as described on the flyer…100mph and it is!
e this once a month get together of like minded folk is perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon/evening.
I’ve had the pleasure of DJing twice now at Out To Lunch and Tony asked me to put together a mix
of typical ‘out to lunch’ tunes … so here it is …. a section from my first guest spot at Dogma
(a previous venue) and it’s recorded in the order that I played it, I’ve also included the artwork for the CD … hope you enjoy it.
Geoff
Listen & Download `Out To Lunch` Mix
Next session is Sunday 8th November with guest Nick Hosier, it’s a ‘be there or be square situation’
Monday, 5 October 2009
Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of listening to an excellent 3 hr radio programme on the interwebthingymebob called Soul Discovery on 209radio from Cambridge hosted by Mike O`Donnell. His guests where Dr Bob Jones, Snowboy and Colin Curtis (pictured above with jazz/soul DJ Mark Grice(left), at the King Georges` Blackburn) and they where there to talk about the UK Jazz Dance Scene. I got the heads up on this from Colin himself who I met the night before at a great venue in St Annes (just outside of Blackpool - more on that in another post). Colin and his friend/driver Mark travel half way across the country to be part of this. For me it was like a moth to a flame. Having tuned in and absorbed it, all I can say it is a gem of a programme featuring some of the movers and shakers of the music we love. Their knowledge of the music, both at that time. and now, is amazing. They discuss how it all came about both in the North and the South of the UK, the dancers.... record sourcing and the clubs of the day and they add life and texture to Snowboys book - `From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz` (available from www.aurthorhouse.co.uk). I am a proud owner of this book`s original issue (spelling mistakes and all, which for me makes it more real cus I can`t spell for toffee as we say in the UK).........honest just buy it !
The programme is available to be heard on this link. 3 hrs well spent in my opinion.
coments welcomed.
Teecee.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Freestyle records have a bit of a treat for all you fans of the UK Jazzfunk era with this album release from The Baker Brothers - (Dan & Rich Baker and Chris Pedley). Some of us are old enough to have had the pleasure of hearing these tracks the first time around at venues up and down the UK. and this album has some iconic tunes to really hit the spot for people traditionally into this music or fans of the more recent retro soul/funk genre. Take some classic soul & funk dance tunes from that period, let the lads do their stuff from scratch and add some great vocalists and there you have "Avid Sounds". Vanessa Freeman vocal of the classic `Family Tree`is the stand out track for me however being a huge Gil Scot Heron fan, the `Lady Jane & John Coltrane` also shines. These tunes have been treated with all due respect and recreated with The Baker Brothers own style. Their version of the Backbyrds `Rock Creek Park` and the funk groove of `Shack Up` also contribute to the overall Jazzfunk theme.Well worth checking out.
Teecee
01. Family Tree feat. Vanessa Freeman
02. Shack Up
03. Couldn't Get It Right
04. Space Funk
05. If You Want Me To Stay feat. Hamish Stuart
06. Street Player feat. Talc
07. Rock Creek Park
08. Lady Day & John Coltrane
09. Fly Like An Eagle feat. Matt Mcnaughton
10. Cola Bottle Baby
11. The Mexican feat. Katie Holmes
Freestyle Records & sound samples
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Milano Jazz-Dance Combo - out october 12th, 2009 on Record Kicks
Milano Jazz-Dance Combo - s/t
(CD/LP/Digital) Record Kicks RKX027, 2009-10-12
Tracklisting :(CD/LP/Digital) Record Kicks RKX027, 2009-10-12
01. Much More feat. Colonel Red
02. Don't Cry feat. Dionne Charles
03. Feelin Good feat. Katherine Ruestow
04. Just In Time feat. Alice Ricciardi
05. Sam Blues
06. Goodbye feat. Felix
07. Broken Rose feat. Roxie Ray
08. Iperbole
09. Please Don't Go feat. Katherine Ruestow
10. Turn Up The Heat
11. Sweet Love feat. Dionne Charles
12. Beat Under My Skin feat. Roxie Ray
13. Changes feat. Colonel Red
Link To Samples On Myspace
Friday, 18 September 2009
Cesars Salad - The Latin beat CD
Afrolypso
Liberated Brpther
Manteca
Sunny
Bolivia
Nana
Afrodisia
Batucada Surgiu
I heard the samples of this album on Juno and couldn`t wait to get my mitts on it. A small combo of four players with a full heavy Latin beat sound. Cesar Granados is the Percussionist (Congas), that pulls it all together and joining him is Halo Von Hadeln on drums, Jerker Kluge on bass & Jo Junghanss on piano. They have chosen some classic Latin tunes to interpetate from artists as Mongo Santamaria , Marcos Valle, Kenny Dorham etc. Dorham`s `Afrodisia` has always been a fave of mine, hence the name Fro-Disia, and this is an good version with some great congas. Other highligts are `Manteca` (which I first heard done by Dizzy Gillespie), and probably the most easily recognised tune being their version of Valle`s `Batucada Surgiu`, more commonly assocoated as the Sergio Mendes track `Batucada`. No singing on any of these tracks so you have been warned. In the rightplace these tracks could go down well with a more traditional Dance Jazz crowd. Worth the pennies.
Teecee
Monday, 14 September 2009
The Five Corners Quintet in Manchester
Manchesters Band On The Wall has recently been re-opened after a full refurbishment. It has long been a venue with a history of showcasing great jazz/soul/funk and world music artists and I chuffed to bits it has once again put itself back on the map. Artist selection for our genre of music is overseen by none other than JazzFM`s Mike Chadwick. Along with other artists he has played a blinder for the North West UK and booked one of Europe`s premier jazz groups and giants of dance floor jazz - The Five Corners Quintet from Helsinki. They will be appearing on Wednesday October 14th at an incredable ticket price of £12.50. Big up to Mike for this. These guys are not to be missed. The quality of the individuals in the group are exceptional. Teppo Mäkynen (drums/bandleader), Timo Lassy (sax), Jukka Eskola (trumpet), Mikael Jakobsson (piano), and Antti Lötjönen (double bass). Lassy & Esckola are individual artists in their own right. This is an amazing oportunity to see this group. My tickets booked.link to Band On The Wall
Colin Curtis Classic Dance jazz mix
this mix was put together for 2 reasons, to celebrate the launch of mark cotgrove’s (snowboy to you and me) new book on the uk underground jazz dance scene between the 70’s and early 90’s’ - ‘from jazz funk & fusion to acid jazz’ in the book he pays tribute to artists, dj’s and dancers. heavily featured is the influential dj, colin curtis. since he started dj’n in the 60’s colin has stepped easily between northern soul, modern soul, jazz, jazz funk and soulful house. his knowledge on music is awesome to say the least. i have the pleasure to call him my friend. the second reason therefore is to provide a sample of the jazz he was playing at the time and you may then understand what a great time we had attending venues such as blackpool mecca, the ritz all dayers (manchester), rafters (manchester), and the berlin (manchester), plus others. he still djs up and down the country at soul venues and including with us at any fro-disia session. we hope you enjoy it. all comments will be passed on to colin - teecee 01 rare silk - new york afternoon
02 reverie - in every way
03 eddie jefferson - jeaninne
04 duke pearson - stormy
05 quartette tres bien - boss tres bien
06 jackie & roy - dont be blue
07 raices - parata gua gua
08 flora purim - casa forte
09 airto - toque de cuica
10 jon lucien - listen love
11 tobe - samba for heino r
12 jon hendricks - i bet you thought i’d never find you
13 joanne grauer - see you later
14 victor feldman - skippin
15 mike campbell - and it all goes round…
16 jimmy cobb - so that nobody else can hear
Fro-Disia September 09 mix
The latest Fro-Disia mix by Teecee.Doctor Jazz Universal Remedy - vixen
Timo Lassy - the more I look at you
The Quiet Orchestra - Helsinki (Nils Krogh mix)
Lorenzo Tucci - sky
Roy Ayers/Bah Samba - positive vibe
Adani & Wolf - take my hand
The Muthafunkas - galaxy
Valique - trouble girl (Basement Freaks mix)
Flat Three - sesso brillante (Mooon remix)
Ida Yashushi - a certain peace
Los Amigos Invisibles - mambo chimbo
Nicola Conte/ Gianaluca Petrella - new standard
The Five Corners Quintet
Santucci Sccopa - walking fast
Eliane Elias - kissed by nature.
The Five Corners Quintet feature twice on this mix. Their great track `blueprint` and from their very own Timo Lassy `the more I look at you` featuring the vocals of Jose James. Some quite heavy dance floor funk tracks in the middle to add to the mix of styles. The fave track for me being Flat Three `sesso brillante` the Mooon remix (not a spelling mistake). Great in the bands original version but this is an excellent remix. First heard on a difficult to get Japanese compilation album Jazz Floor Japanese Club Jazz For Real People, but now available on a 12".
to download
Fro-Disia mix Link
click on free option and it's quick and easy, from receiving your conformation e.mail to clicking on it, then you can download the tunes straight away.
Hope you enjoy it. all comment welcome.
Teecee
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