Roy Ayers
Everybody Loves The Sunshine

53 item(s) « ‹ 1 of 53 › »

photo(c) Jean SaintJean

Greg de Villanova is a multi-talented french/brazilian character! Fellow digger, heavy collector, tropical DJ, music historian as well as music consultant! But he’s also a label owner at Oriki Music, where he (re)releases the music he loves! Let’s share this wise guy’s opinions on the LP market!

When did you start digging records?
Around 1987-88, digging for rap records when those were badly distributed in Paris.

What Lps did you buy at first? Do you still listen to them?
Jazz funk and funk classics, first record ever was Herbie Hancock’s ‘Manchild’. I still buy and listen to 70’s classics, those are the real deal, not the super obscure stuff I’ve been collecting for the past 20 years.

Do you have a particular style or favorite period?
60’s hard soul and early 70’s deep funk.

Are you still digging’, buying vinyl, visiting record shops?
I dig on a regular basis but not in stores, try to link up with private owners, collectors, buy cheap and in large quantities.

What was your first release on Oriki ?
Orchestre Baobab’s ‘A night at Club Baobab’.

Orchestra Baobab
Souleymane

What could be your editorial/esthetic line?
Afro ! Oriki has 6 African music releases and 2 Afro Brazilians.

What could be the label’s leitmotif?
Modernity and beauty are universal.

What is the Oriki LP you are prouder?
Baobab’s : it’s our biggest sales and media hit (about 15.000 copies sold) and it’s surely one of the most consistent African bands of the 70’s, ultimate work .

Did you have any references labels when you started ?
Not at all, I always do my stuff with the heart and don’t buy or listen to reissues. I also barely know what’s being done by other labels.

Do you think the adventures of diggers have changed over time? Do you keep going to the field?
I don’t really know what you mean with the first question, my work as a digger remains the same, go to the field, hunt intensely, discover new stuff, keep eyes and ears wide opened, never give up even if it’s the 10th mistaken lead I’m following.

Your first references were on the West African zone. Is it still easy today to find rare, unedited records?
There is more to do than done, always… Question is how relevant some reissues would be.

Moussa Doumbia
Femme d’aujourdhui

And how do you negotiate with the right owners?
Patiently!

You have released some Brazilian records, and you are known as a great connoisseur of this country. Why not more reissues?
Most of the relevant stuff is owned by majors which don’t allow licensing.

Could we dream to listen on LP the fantastic Obaluayê!?
All dreams are possible, but I won’t do it, worked on that on cd 15 years ago, changing the format is not really challenging, and I need the project to be so to get interested in doing it.

Can you introduce us to the new Ivorian selection? Its particularity, its difference compared to all the others that come out on the market?

I’d say it’s more interesting than most stuff out there for three reasons.
1-It’s super obscure, ultra hard to get and extremely expensive stuff which you can spend years looking for. Most collectors have a very vague notion of how rarer this or that African record is compared to another, the Société Ivoirienne du Disque funky catalogue is simply the ultimate when it comes to French speaking Africa.
2-It’s a coherent compilation focusing on a single label, and more particularly on what could be spotted as a collection within the label, even though it’s never been marketed as such by the producer. Most tracks have the same funk and fusionny, African American music influenced sound, a lot has the same sidemen and / or arrangers.
3-Finally, a lot of the music has that raw and deep funk vibe, completely unique in French speaking Africa, when it was much more common in English speaking Ghana and Nigeria. The compilation focuses, with a few exceptions, on what I consider to be the ultimate in terms of solid deep funk and jazz funk coming out of Ivory Coast.

De Frank Jr
Ayee Menko

Why such a long silence before this come-back ?
Well, the label is my own little dancer, I don’t make profits out of it, which means I need spare time to work on it. I lacked that spare time. Also, when the first releases came out years ago, most didn’t sell enough to cover expenses (I used to buy advertising space in magazines and pay for a press attaché). What customers wanted was the funky stuff and I didn’t specifically focus on that because I thought there was much more interesting stuff to be reissued. Even if this new compilation rocks, most artists included within it have quite anecdotical carriers. Our first reissues focused on heavy weights of modern African music, but I guess Western ears were not ready to leave their funkocentric approach and listen to modern African music for what it is and not for how much it’s been influenced by James Brown or Fela Kuti.

Nowadays, there are many LP labels who follow this model, I mean more quality even if it’s more expensive… but in same time, there are also another « new » LP market, with major companys come-back and other labels, who prefer to sell cheaper. Is it the (re)creation of two camps for the LP ?
Vinyl is trendy, and there are different ways of doing it. Some labels try to make money out of limited quantities, which is impossible, so all they can do is shitty pressings and bootlegs. That really sucks, they should try to get into another business to make profits. Majors have a different, but also opportunistic approach. They sell vinyl records to people who didn’t really give a shit about the format until recently, they just think it’s cool, today, don’t know how long this « coolness » will last. Then there is the passionate, hard working, accurate people doing amazing reissues, deep historical work with consistent liner notes and tracklistings. Those contribute to something bigger than us, universal knowledge and beauty.
But if you’re just into music, you don’t really give a shit about that, all you want is the sound, and from this point of view, anything is good. This discussion is mainly for the passionate professionals, most of the audience is not interested in such considerations.

Sewa Jacintho
Secret Populaire

There are more and more reissues of old LPs, and more and more record labels (major or indie) now release their new artists on LP, or EP. Do you think that the LP reissue market could ever reach saturation point?
No idea at all, but at some point I guess this will happen. Customers into vinyl have limited funds, but I don’t have numbers as to the extent of this market. But frankly, how many thousand copies maximum of a vinyl title are pressed ? Several tens of thousands ? How many people on the planet ? It’s just a drop in the middle of the sea which the music industry is. Mp3 rules.

What are your other next releases ?
No idea yet. Right now I’m in my hammock, recovering from the hassle the last one was with all the boring crap I had to do to put the record out, sending emails, phoning, dealing with pressing, graphic design or digital distribution. If you wanna listen to good obscure stuff, you should come join me in the hammock, we’ll be able to deal with much more music within much lesser time !

What is the LP you dream of issuing/reissuing?
None. Or maybe Nicole Croisille’s debut album. Or any other hard to get French stuff that’s not interesting to grooveaholics nor anyone else. And I’ll get someone deal with the boring part. Need to get rich first though, cause this won’t sell.

http://gregdevillanova.com/mixes

Bassist Cecil McBee is currently touring with The Cookers, an All Stars band featuring Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, George Cables, Billy Hart, Donald Harrison and paying tribute to Freddie Hubbard’s eponymous Blue Note LP. But he has been putting his own footprints on Jazz history for a long time: as a composer first and also as a musician. And if he’s only recorded a handful of LPs under his own name, these LPs for such respected labels as Strata East as well or India Navigation have become real classics for spiritual jazz lovers.. We are very proud to publish this (too brief) interview with one of our heroes.

 
 
 

You’re touring with The Cookers, the type of group you often participated in (The Leaders for example …). What pleasure do you find in this kind of summit meeting?
That I’m participating in creating some of the world’s most powerful music. Unlike what I generally am exposed to these days.

Between you all how many years of experience, albums recorded?
The Cookers have over 300 years of experience combined and have performed on over 1,000 albums combined.

Your are 80 years… Do you remember your professional debut? What brought you into music?
When I was 17, I performed with a blues singer named Jimmy “Cry Cry” Hawkins in my hometown of Tusla, Oklahoma. The blues got me off to a good start. I started on the clarinet when I was in middle school and showed a certain proficiency on the instrument. I began playing bass as well when I was 17 years old. Because of my skills on the clarinet, I went to college at Central State University in Ohio as a music major. While there, I got exposed to a lot of Jazz for the first time.

Later, you played on stage in Detroit. What was so special about that scene in the 1960s?
I was invited to move to Detroit by Kirk Lightsey who I had met while in the Army. We both performed together in the Army band on clarinet. After we were honorably discharged from the Army, we moved to Detroit and I met all the great Detroit musicians who would inspire to get to the next level over the next few years.

New York was something else, right? Do you think you experienced something unique in the 1970s?
New York was wonderful and from the moment I arrived, it was an extremely unique experience for me. However, I must add that from the very moment I arrived in New York I found myself performing at the highest level with some of the world’s greatest musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jackie McLean and Charles Lloyd etc etc.

Mutima from “Mutima” (Strata East)

You even have actively participated in the experience of an independent label : Strata East. What was the philosophy behind it? Is it something still possible nowadays?
The philosophy was simply that on all accounts we would take ownership entirely of our music and at the highest level of business. This sort of thing is still possible today with a bit of hard work and insight and the willingness of musicians to work together for a greater good.

You were part of the Strata-East tour last year with Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell (with great gigs in Paris and London). Is it gonna be a following on this? More dates, a new album…?
It was nice to see the guys again. We plan to do a few more dates in the near future.

Jackie McLean and Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders and Sam Rivers, Anthony Braxton and Horace Tapscott … Among all these stars you played with, who impressed you the most?
They all impressed greatly and in different ways. They were all of great importance to me.

What are the essential qualities of the so-called sideman? The listening? The sense of collective? The will to serve?
I don’t consider myself a sideman but an equal partner in the creation of this music. I have also know that I have a lot to contribute to this music as a bandleader and composer and being labeled as a sideman keeps me from getting the proper exposure I believe my music deserves.

The Cookers…

‘Consequence’ from “Alternate Spaces” (India Navigation)

Your album “Alternate Spaces” on India Navigation is one of our favorite! Can you give us details about the recording session?
“Alternate Spaces” to this day has been one of the albums I’m most proud of. The complex nature of the compositions introduced quite realistically a more in depth natural quality of who I am as a composer. It was India Navigation label that respectfully provided an open door for me to showcase where I was as a composer at the time. I felt entirely individual in my effort to be my own voice for the first time.

Will we be lucky enough to have another opportunity to listen a new album under your name after all these years?
I have completed many original compositions that I feel would make a great CD. However it takes a lot of time to properly prepare to record my music and I also need the right collaborators to fully realize this project. The goal is to record again in the future and I hope to realize this soon.

Thanks to David Weiss, Tom Woods and all New Morning’s crew!

Marvin Gaye
Why Did I Choose You

“Because he’s my favorite soul singer, because his life was chaotic, because this record, though recorded well before it came out – just before his death, is of unreal sadness and beauty. Marvin was always fascinated by Sinatra style crooners but because he was worried about his image, he never assumed the release of this record while alive. It might be my favorite Marvin LP.”

Brigitte Fontaine/Areski
C’est normal

“The most exciting couple in French music. All the genius, humor, poetry and absurd side of this duet which was so underrated.”

Maurizio
M4/5

“This is the man through whom I really understood what Techno was. Hypnotic, captivating, funky and dry at the same name, but with a huge sound!”

Herbie Hancock
Mimosa (alt take)

“The most incredible pianist : visionary, innovating and experimental. He could be influenced by Stravinsky or indian classical music at the same time. He left a mark on me and dominated his time like no one else.”

Charles Cohen
CC GM

“He was discovered when he was already past 70 by Morphosis. Charles Cohen spent his life accompanying theatre plays or ballets without ever putting anything out (which he has now done). His music is made of a Bughla (a rare modular synth) and every track is an improvisation. A genuine “mind traveller”, a trip without acid, a revelation! I noticed he was playing live in Paris in march, don’t miss him : I’ve only ever seen him once and I still haven’t recovered… ”

The finest in jazz since 1939 ! This slogan is a trademark. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Blue Note Records, YellowKorner pays tribute to Francis Wolff, the co-founder with Alfred Lion and in-house photographer of the prestigious record label, by publishing an amazing photo book and presenting a series of exclusive images seen through the lens of this master of jazz photography. From 1941-1965 Francis Wolff took thousands of photographs during the rehearsals and recording sessions that participate Blue Note Records legend.

Numerous portraits of legendary musicians as Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock, Clifford Brown, Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter and many more, during record sessions, but also many pictures of these jazzmen in the city. All of them contributed in no small part to the success of the New York label. Mostly reproduced on the covers of the Blue Note discs, these powerful black and white shots gave a strong visual identity to the label, in connection with the unique designer Reid Miles. A myth was born.

YellowKorner further supports the importance of this anniversary by publishing 1939 copies of a hitherto unpublished work, written by Michael Cuscuna and telling the story of the creation and the dynamism of this historic label. Individually numbered and signed by Wayne Shorter, this superb collector’s item includes a collection of 150 exceptional Blue Note photographs taken during recording sessions.

http://www.yellowkorner.com/books/1652/blue-note.aspx

 
 

Eric Dolphy

Hat and Beard

“What a lineup! Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson, Richard Davis, Freddie Hubbard, and of course Eric Dolphy. This remains the freshest Blue Note album in terms of concept and sound.”

 
 
Herbie Hancock

Dolphin Dance

“Herbie is the master of mood and melody. With this song he creates a relaxed atmosphere I’ve never encountered anywhere else in music. It’s one of my favorites.”

 
 
Dexter Gordon

Society Red

“I love Dexter’s sound, he has so much personality and feeling. This song feels like New York, the kind of New York that I fell in love with.”

 
 
John Coltrane

Blue Train

“What can be said about a master ? This is the documented beginning of Trane as a leader. It’s majestic”

 
 
Cannonball Adderley

Autumn Leaves

“A true classic. Miles and Cannonball : one of the best pairings in music.”