This debut album from Opensouls has been five years in the making, with main-man Ota (aka Jeremy Toy) starting the process back in 2001 on his trusty MPC2000. He then enlisted the help of the extended Opensouls family to create this sumptuous and soulful album. And what an extended family it is,...
The Buck Stops Here encapsulates the unique energy of a live performance, something that is hard to capture in the studio, all the more so it seems when the band is playing original compositions. By recording this album live, Paul Van Ross sought to transport listeners to that night at the Paris...
The Harvest comprises of two long pieces: Firstly, ‘The Harvest Suite’ (27:18), one continuous track divided into eight sections, this is a piece written for tenor sax and effects pedals. The second piece is ‘Like Picking Fruit’ (29:39), also one continuous track, divided into nine sections,...
The Jac started out as a rehearsal band for students and tutors at the NZSM jazz school in Wellington, transcribing and performing charts by New York and San Francisco composers. Before long they began writing and performing their own music, and Nerve is the result, a suite of intelligent, dynamic...
In 2007 Norman started composing music for poems by E. E. Cummings that he felt drawn to. This album is the result. Working with three of his favorite musicians - trumpet player Nick van Dijk, vocalist Hannah Griffin, and reed player Colin Hemmingsen - Norman has written a series of compositions...
Following her acclaimed 'Soul Sessions', Whirimako Black releases her sixth album. Simply titled 'Whirimako Black Sings', the album contains instantly recognisable classics and standards, re-interpretted and sung in a mixture of Te Reo Maori and English. An extraordinary vocal talent, this lady is...
Aretha Franklin, the incomparable “Queen of Soul,” will release her highly anticipated brand new studio album, ‘Aretha Franklin Sings The Great Diva Classics’ via RCA Records and Sony Music. The album features the new lead single, Adele's “Rolling In The Deep (The Aretha Version).” Aretha's...
Long before Lionel Richie became one of the biggest pop solo stars of the eighties, he was a member of the Commodores, once dubbed “The Funkiest Band In The Land” and one of Motown's most successful acts during the seventies. With the numerous compilations this seemed to capture all their favorite...
