Conch Records

Date

October 23 2012

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UPCOMING: The Greg Foat Group - Girl And Robot With Flowers (JAZZMAN)

Written By 1 - October 23 2012

Due out December 2012, to pre-order please contact us at info@conch.co.nz

It's been a year since the magnificent 'Dark is the Sun' first enchanted listeners back in 2011, and we're thrilled to announce the next installment of mesmerizing non-contemporary jazz by the Greg Foat Group with their new album 'Girl and Robot with Flowers'.

Evading the dreaded 'second album syndrome' with consummate ease, 'Girl and Robot with Flowers' is a sonic soundscape of epic proportions that leaves 'Dark is the Sun' in the dust while propelling the listener into infinity - and beyond!

With a doff of the hat to sci-fi writer Brian Aldiss, we're whisked off on a thematic journey into the emotive and enthralling realms of cinematic jazz, seductive ambience and exciting, majestic drama. Often unpredictable and certainly never dull, British pianist/composer/arranger Greg Foat uses everything from brass bands and kettle drums to Moog synthesizer and harmonium to take us above and beyond the stratosphere of our senses. Have spacesuit? Let's travel!

As with 'Dark Is the Sun', this album was recorded in a unique, pure analogue studio in Sweden to capture the full warmth and dynamic range of the wide variety of instruments utilized. The spacious, high quality sound that was achieved by recording direct to tape through high quality vintage equipment is absolutely impeccable, revealing in stunning detail a magical atmosphere the likes of which is rarely heard in the current climate of digitalization and MP3s.

Over the years Greg Foat has collaborated withmusicians and artists such as Wendy James, Questlove of The Roots, The Black Lips, Justice and The Bees. This past year has been a busy one with tours of Europe and the UK, exposing their music to seasoned audiences: Jamie Cullum, Chris Evans, Gilles Peterson, Craig Charles, Ozwald Boateng, Helena Christiansen, Jude Law, Benicio Del Toro, Lyndsey Lohan are just a few of the many faces who have enjoyed the music of the Greg Foat Group.

Date

October 15 2012

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UPCOMING: Various - Jukebox Mambo (JAZZMAN)

Written By 1 - October 15 2012

Due out November 2012 on CD, 2LP & Book+6x10", to pre-order please contact us at info@conch.co.nz

A stunning collection that sheds light on a pivotal yet totally overlooked area of American music - the influence of Afro-Cuban and Latin rhythms on R&B and Jazz during the mid-20th century. Following up on the success of our ‘Jukebox Jam’ album of vintage juke joint and bar room sounds, compiler and DJ Liam Large digs even deeper to put together a diverse set of dynamite R&B sides, all built around Afro-Cuban, Latin and Caribbean rhythms.

The Blues and it's populist sister Rhythm & Blues have been visited and revisited 100s of times on 1000s of comps, but the 'Spanish Tinge' has been completely overlooked, perhaps even scorned by purists. This album stands out from the rest and the result is a set which sounds stunningly fresh and unique - a remarkable achievement itself given that the actual songs average at around 60 years old.

‘Jukebox Mambo’ showcases an experimental era which continues to inform today’s music, with Afro-Latin rhythms now completely assimilated into modern pop. The overtly sensual, exotic feel of many of these songs also continues to find an echo in modern music, and Jukebox Mambo provides a thrilling, sensual listening experience. Also included are detailed, illustrated liner notes which unveil the largely untold story of how Afro-Latin influences gradually affected Black American music during the 20th century, and in turn how this filtered into and transformed modern music thereafter.

Lovingly compiled, expertly annotated, with music as interesting as it is stimulating and arresting, ‘Jukebox Mambo’ is a new and exciting look at the era and music which changed history!

22 tracks with 16 page colour CD booklet with in-depth liner notes, 45 label scans and previously unpublished photographs Deluxe double vinyl pressing with thick, glossy double gatefold sleeve with colour insert Also available in super limited unique vintage album style 6 x 10" book set with unique artwork, colour insert and 4 bonus tracks! Only on Jazzman – because WE DIG DEEPER!

Date

October 01 2012

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UPCOMING: The Greg Foat Group - Girl And Robot With Flowers 10" (JAZZMAN)

Written By 1 - October 01 2012

Due out October 2012, to pre-order please contact us at info@conch.co.nz

NEW hand-printed 4 track EP from the Greg Foat Group. Hand-numbered and limited to 1000 copies only. New release from British pianist/composer/arranger Greg Foat. The 4 track 10” vinyl EP contains an intriguing blend of non-contemporary jazz sounds with classic scoring techniques, utilizing an exotic array of unorthodox instrumentation including harpsichord, tubular bells and a 15 piece choir. Recorded 100% analogue in Sweden – no computerised jiggery pokery here! With musical influence from such luminaries as Bruno Nicolai, Michel Legrand and Serge Gainsbourg as well as a firm nod towards UK jazzmen Michael Garrick, Keith Mansfield and Alan Hawkshaw, the result is highly-listenable, enduring and fulfilling for those who like real music played with real instruments.

Date

September 25 2012

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UPCOMING: Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble - Hard Luck Soul (JAZZMAN)

Written By 1 - September 25 2012

Due out October 2012 on CD & LP, to pre-order please contact us at info@conch.co.nz

If musical accomplishment is anything to go by, the members of the Ohio Penitentiary 511 Jazz Ensemble would immediately be given their pardon. Their privately-pressed LP from 1971 is a legend in obscurity, and a masterclass in what can be achieved in the most trying of circumstances. The 511 Jazz Ensemble was made up entirely of serving prisoners in the Ohio State Penitentiary. It was founded in 1971 to give those prisoners with a musical aptitude an opportunity to be productive and creative. Band leader Reynard Birtha was originally from North Carolina, where he played in a band called 'The Outer Limits' before getting into a scrape with the law and being incarcerated by the local Sheriff's office. During a stint on a Southern style road gang he escaped and ended up in Cincinnati, and through a mutual passion for music he met fellow musician Logan Rollins, nephew of jazz legend Sonny Rollins. They became friends and jammed at local clubs before both ended up in the State penitentiary, for reasons not entirely clear. At the time it was customary for musicians to visit the prison and give concerts, especially during the Christmas period. Reynard remembers renowned musicians such as Art Blakey and Kai Winding giving recitals at the prison. These visits were not only a source of entertainment for the prisoners, but they were also a source of inspiration for musicians like Reynard. He and Logan formed the 511 Jazz Ensemble, incorporating the remnants of the prison Pit Band. Reynard recalls that "the number 511 was the PO box address of the prison, and we would perform in the yard during every holiday, while the prisoners marched around and got their food". Both Reynard and Logan had been to music conservatory and could read, write and arrange music as well as play in any musical key, unlike most of the rest of the band, which gave rise to difficulties in keeping the project going. However, with their enthusiasm and perseverance came success, when the visiting Ohio State University Band were so impressed after jamming with the inmates that they returned to make a record. Funding was put forward by a wealthy club owner and his conglomerates from Columbus, microphones and studio equipment were brought in from the outside and the recordings were made in the auditorium of the prison chapel. Unfortunately, as far as the business side of things was concerned, Reynard admits he was 'green' and didn't receive any payment for his efforts. In fact to this day he has not even seen let alone owned a copy of the LP, the album which contains his sole recorded output, "All I knew what to do was how to read, write and play music." The 'Hard Luck Blues' LP was the band's only recording, and the group disbanded after the release of Logan and Rollins. The music on the album comprises of four long tracks, each allowing the soloists to express themselves without restriction. Free of chains at the time the music is made, the result is a unique, compelling insight into the freedom that jazz can afford, giving a sense of hope and liberty to free and incarcerated men alike. TRACKLISTING 1. Psych City 2. Mantra Dance 3. Counterry Bosa Devan 4. Java Man

Date

September 17 2012

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Various - Spiritual Jazz Vol. 3 (JAZZMAN)

Written By 1 - September 17 2012

Available Here on 2LP

‘Esoteric, modal and deep jazz from the European undergound, 1963-72′

At the end of the ’50s, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue heralded the revelatory arrival of modal jazz. As the vibrations of these giant steps resonated across the world, European jazz musicians reassessed their bearings and began to steer a new course. Across the continent they sent roots down into the rich soil of the European folk and Christian liturgical traditions, extended their music along ancient routes of communication and trade to the Middle East, and reached across the crumbling ramparts of the European empires to the music of Asia Africa and Latin America.

The music collected here follows the richly tangled threads of meditative, modal and religious European jazz. Picking up where Spiritual Jazz 2: Europe left off, with volume 3 continuing our excavation of private releases, underrepresented artists and visionary one-offs that stud the European jazz landscape like standing stones. Just as it had waxed, so the cult of American jazz waned, and these recordings are the compelling documents of a musical world in imaginative transition and virtuoso transformation – a second trail of determined footprints on the pathways of European jazz.

THE MUSIC Sublime choral jazz in an ecclesiastical setting, revolutionary sounds deep within the USSR, radical modal experiments inspired by excursions to the Asian continent and Latin America, advances in rhythm and sound where modern jazz combines with Balkan and Scandinavian folk traditions. This is Spiritual Jazz – European style.

Tracklist with sound clips:

A1 Jef Gilson – Untitled A2 Hermann – Gehlen Kyrie A3 Palle Mikkelborg – Mongolia A4 Michel Roques – Le Temps A5 Babs Robert – Pro Forma I B1 That’s Why – Udoyeleg B2 Binder Quintet – Vasvirág B3 Crescendo Quintet Variations on the Azerbajian Mugam ‘Chargiakh’ B4 Dusko Goykovic – Macedonian Fertility Dance B5 Albert Mangelsdorff – Sakura Waltz C1 Yoki Freund – Aisha C2 Jan Allan – Odins Oga C3 Dennis Wiley – Barrio Chino C4 Full Moon Ensemble – Samba Miaou D1 Louis Xavier – Suite D2 Antithesis Haze’s – Dance

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