Listen to “Madoff Made Off” Here

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Brooklyn’s Afrobeat band, Zongo Junction enliven a whole new meaning of the a world-wide scandal with “Madoff Made Off.” The transglobal soundscapes confuse the senses with Kings of Leon guitar riffs moving into congas and Read the full story

Listen to “Reality and Fantasy” here

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Italians are not known for their Art Tatums and Fats Wallers, but this jazz savant is amplifying his ivory skills throughout the Old Country in unheard forms that leak sounds of a New Orleans classic. An encyclopedia of early Ragtime and BeBop, stride piano native Raphael Gualazzi is a jazz artisan Read the full story

Listen to “Lagos Speedway” here

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The African sounds of Captain Planet‘s Speakin’ Nuyorican EP is a salsa fiesta partnered with a a hip-hop record. The Brooklyn-based DJ returned to Bastard Jazz Recordings to give us more where 2005′s Gumbo Funk EP came from. Read the full story

Listen to “C’era Una Volta” here

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In a little studio in romance-filled Paris, France, Nicolas Sfintescu and Ezéchiel Pailhès go as Nôze. There, lyrics of love (and lust), pumping pianos and loony horns resonate with an unlikely jazz-meets-electro flair. The French-men have a knack for gypsy jazz, and even a bit of reggae. Read the full story

photo by Jamil GS

It’s almost Friday so I thought I’d bring a little R&B groovin’ to our weekend.  I happened upon this “cinematic soul” act by accident last week and cannot stop listening.  El Michels Affair is the creation of two former band mates  Leon Michels and Nick Movshon.  They along with eight other former members of the deep funk revival band,  The Mighty Imperials, came together to form an impressive dectet utilizing of more than twelve different instruments.

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Nouvelle Vague : Teenage Kicks

Nouvelle Vague is French for New Wave, a more than appropriate name for the musical artists as making covers of new wave tracks is clearly their forte, as well as post punk and punk rock. Their renditions of the songs absolutely do the originals justice, a rare talent in comparison with others’ not-so-successful attempts at covering bands. The French artists infuse jazz, bossanova, reggae, and even country and bluegrass influences creating beautiful interpretations that one would never guess to complement the originals so damn well. Their music would be most picturesque if ears could see. They’ve three albums of the “cover” sort and it is a hard decision if asked to choose a favorite – Nouvelle Vague (their self-titled debut album) released in 2004, Bande à Part released in 2006, and 3 released in 2009. Teenage Kicks from Nouvelle Vague’s first album is a playful, cheerful, female take on the original Undertones version; perfect for a sunny, laze-about-on-the-hammock day.

Listen to ‘Teenage Kicks’ Here

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