dimanche 12 juillet 2026
Wynd Chymes (1982) Arrival (PTG 2010)
samedi 11 juillet 2026
What’s Happening!! The Chariot Records Story (2026)
Two CDs. A comprehensive retrospective of Baltimore's mid-'60s/early-'70s label, Chariot Records. Features the complete Chariot discography on 2 CDs for the first time, including 5 previously unissued tracks. Collection showcases the complete recorded output of Coyote and Baltimore favorites Bob Brady And The Con Chords, alongside recordings by Pen Lucy and Gus Johnson with Hope. Liner notes by former Chariot owner and producer Brent Gordon. The 1960s were exhilarating times for the music business. Independent labels across the United States were creating overnight sensations almost daily. Creative hubs like Detroit, Memphis, Chicago, and Los Angeles were shaping and defining the sounds of tomorrow-today. Among these vibrant scenes was Baltimore, Maryland-home to Chariot Records, a label that delivered a deeply soulful strain of R&B unlike anything else in the country. Omnivore Recordings, the award-winning reissue label, is proud to announce the acquisition of Chariot Records. Founded in the mid-1960s by three record promotion men, the label enjoyed a brief but impactful run from 1966 to 1972, primarily releasing singles that captured the spirit of the era. What's Happening!! The Chariot Records Story is the first official chronicle of the label's recorded legacy.
vendredi 10 juillet 2026
Kid Creole And The Coconuts - The Complete Discography
R&B and Jazz great Rodney Franklin dies at 67
(July 9, 2026) We received the sad news this morning of the passing of R&B and Jazz great Rodney Franklin. Franklin’s family issued the following statement through his niece, Jamaica Hughes, on the GoFundMe page that had been set up to assist with his medical bills:
“Rodney Thomas Franklin passed away peacefully today, July 8, 2026. While we will miss him immensely, we rejoice in knowing that he is no longer in pain and is at peace. He was a beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. We are currently processing today’s events and will up day you all with next steps soon. We humbly thank you for your support. Please keep the family in your prayers.”
For a period in the 1980s, Rodney Franklin was among the most popular jazz pianists around, and with good reason. As the talent behind more than a dozen albums, he helped to usher in the period where R&B and jazz were blending into a tasty stew that became popular under the moniker “contemporary jazz.”
Born in Berkeley, California in 1958, Franklin was a child prodigy on the piano, and was already playing in bands around town by his mid-teens. He recorded with the band In One Piece at the shocking age of 14.
By the time Franklin graduated high school, he was gigging around California with such notables as Freddie Hubbard and Marlena Shaw. He was signed by Columbia Records and released his debut album, In the Center, in 1978. But it was his 1980 follow up album, You’ll Never Know, that shot him onto the charts, hitting the top 10 Jazz and spawning the international crossover hit, “In the Groove.”
Over the period 1980-88, Franklin became a fixture on the jazz charts, releasing an album nearly every year and building a strong audience for his soulful version of contemporary jazz. His 1985 ballad, “Song for You” became a surprise Quiet Storm radio favorite, and the beautiful number continues to garner play decades later.
While Franklin’s recording career was over by the turn of the century, he continued to be a draw in the Bay Area, where he regularly performs in clubs. Rodney Franklin was a big part of the palette of musical styles that blended together to make the 70s and 80s so interesting, and we will miss him.
mercredi 8 juillet 2026
Mantra (1981) Mantra (Expanded) 2021
mardi 7 juillet 2026
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - On The Strength (1988)
On the Strength is the second and final studio album by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Released in 1988, it was the full line-up's last album together. Although contributing to the album itself, Cowboy (Keith Wiggins) was not present for the album or single photo shoots.
The album was reissued in the US on CD in 2005 (Collectors' Choice Music, CCM-585-2) but once again (see Ba-Dop-Boom-Bang) omitted the bonus track (*) that was originally included on both the original CD and cassette versions of the album.
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - The Message (1982) (Expanded Edition)
The Message is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, released on October 3, 1982, by Sugar Hill Records. It features the influential title track and hip-hop single "The Message".
The Message was released in October 1982 by Sugar Hill Records.[9] The album charted at No. 53 in the United States and at No. 77 in the United Kingdom.[9]
Reviewing in December 1982 for The New York Times, Robert Palmer hailed The Message as the year's best album and explained that while the emerging rap genre had often been criticized for confining itself to "bragging and boasting ... The Message is different. It's a gritty, plain-spoken, vividly cinematic portrait of black street life...social realism has rarely worked well in a pop-music context, but The Message is an utterly convincing cry of frustration and despair that cannot be ignored."[10] Robert Christgau ranked it as the 21st best album of 1982 on his list for The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[11] In Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990), he wrote that, although "She's Fresh" is the "only instant killer", each song's attempt to experiment and "touch a lot of bases with a broad demographic ... justifies itself".[3]
According to music journalist Tom Breihan, The Message was a "singles-plus filler cash-in" that proved "a fascinating time capsule of rap's early attempts with the album format" as well as "a full-length artistic breakthrough, a rap album that earned respect on its own terms".[12] In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Ron Wynn called it the "ultimate peak" for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, naming the title track as its highlight.[2] Miles Marshall Lewis, reviewing the album's 2002 British reissue in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004), cited "The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel" as the "clincher" and "the only prime-period example of Flash's ability to set and shatter moods, with his turntables and faders running through a collage of at least 10 records that sound like hundreds."[5] Mark Richardson from Pitchfork said that The Message featured "two absolutely essential songs"—the title track and "Scorpio," which he dubbed "the greatest early electro track." However, he felt the rest of the songs were inferior.[6] The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2006).
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