★Jazz Room Records
Volume 1
The legendary release by Ronnie April's Positive Energy, pressed by Ronnie on his own Jude imprint and distributed only locally by him without success, leading to the disappearance of all but a few copies. An impossibly rare holy grail which has changed hands in the past for as much as £300! "Snowflake" has been a stable of the jazzdance scene for years and the track was even bootlegged at one point! Most importantly, the music is amazing - composer, arranger, producer, saxophonist, clarinetist …
Plays Bossa Nova
Hideo Shiraki travelled to the US from Japan in 1962 and was bowled over by Horace Silver and the Bossa Nova Craze happening at the same time. When he returned to Japan he went straight into the studio and cut this Blue Note inspired Japanese Jazz Masterpiece.
With a selection of tunes ranging from the 1940's stylings of "Tico Tico" through to the samba infused "Orfeo Negro" and arriving in Silversville with "Sayonara Blues" Hideo Shiraki has hit all the sweet spots! With sleeve notes translated…
Danny Ward And Reality
Another Holy Grail album from Jazz Room Records with Danny Ward & Reality who were the Go To Funky Jazz Band for College and other Hardcore Funk Party gigs in the Mid to late '70's in the Seattle area of the Pacific North West. They didn't just drop covers of the latest Disco or Top 40 hits though but instead took their audiences on a musical trip through the Funkiest and Jazziest sounds of the day featuring cuts made famous by George Benson, Lydia Pense and Coldblood, The Headhunters , Mandrill…
What's Going On
The impossibly cool 1973 album What's Going On from Late, Great Japanese Funk & Jazz Don Takehiro Honda which swings through jazz orchestral renditions of American R&B and Funk Classics like Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On, "Otis Redding's "Sitting On The Dock of the Bay," and James Brown's "Ain't It Funky Now" turning them into the most Down Home, Grits 'N' Gravy Grooviest Versions and sounding like they were recorded at the studio of the band that taught the Memphis Rhythm Sections all they eve…
Golden Brown
2020. Full On Lockdown: Musician Laurence Mason puts together this off the wall idea meshing together two of his biggest musical heroes, Dave Greenfield of the tough 1970's proto-punk band The Stranglers with the oh so cool 1960's jazz of Dave Brubeck. He puts up his demo on Youtube not really expecting much in the way of feedback. And gets one million hits. And hundreds of requests for a release. Jazz Room Records Head Honcho Paul Murphy says "Do you wanna record that and release it?"."Affirmat…
Secret Sauce
Eric Ghost is well named as he is indeed a mystery man. A contemporary (and best friend) of 1960's funky jazzman Jeremy Steig his self published private press albums are much coveted and difficult to obtain and command high prices.
This psychedelic jazz masterpiece was recorded in 1975 and features Dave Valentin bassist Lincoln Goines in his studio debut as well as Jim McGilveray who went on to record with Paul Horn and The Cult.
If you're a fan of The Blues Project "Flute Thing", Paul Horn's mo…
Jazzberry Patch
Originally released as an obscure private-press LP by the Florida trio of Ben Champion, Ken Burkhart and Danny Burger. Special guest on this super rare funky jazz outing is Mike Longo who says a few words on behalf of the group on the back cover, and sure enough he contributes scorching Rhodes in the style of his early 70s Greasy Groove sides for Groove Merchant and Mainstream. Also on board are Kelton Champion on guitar, Gary Champion on Bass, Mickey McGann on keys and David Winters on Congas a…
Grafitti
A superb Jazz Flavoured Latin Funk Soul album recorded in 1977 by Grammy Award Winning Carlos Franzetti when he was a struggling musician trying to get his first breaks in a tough New York Jazz scene. With a Top Notch grouping including Percussionist Ray Mantilla, Victor Venegas on Bass and Dick Meza from the Tito Puente Orchestra. Carlos played all the Keyboards, wrote the numbers and was also responsible for all the arrangements. Released by Guiness Records (No relation to the Drink) and swift…
Denga
Often affectionately referred to as the "Godfather of British Latin music" Robin Jones was truly one of the great performers on the international Latin scene. Denga, his first recording from 1971 is a scintillating fusion of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Brazillian rhythms laden with heavy Fender Rhodes sounds and no less than three Afro-Latin Percussionists. The hard-to-find album has now been reissued by legendary London jazz DJ Paul Murphy's Jazz Room Records imprint. It should be an essential purchase…
Chameleon
A totally obscure release from Youngstown, Ohio's Tony Lavorgna and his late 70's early 1980's band: The St. Thomas Quartet. Like many private press album's it's an ad for their set list, recorded on the cusp of cassettes and definitely pre-cd so strictly vinyl it is. A mixed bag of tunes and influences but two of the tunes absolutely leap into your ears.
A Hammond led Soul Jazz version of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon" at nearly ten minutes that seems to just get more drivingly funky and intense …
Advent
Recorded when Johnny Walker was touring Worldwide with Veteran Jazz Star Lionel Hampton in 1982 and originally released on his own Private Press label: Walk On Productions. This neglected underground classic LP has been off the radar since then except for the appearance of "Dipping" on the Kev Beadle – Private Collection (Independent Jazz Sounds From The Seventies And Eighties) compilation on BBE Records. Almost unknown and unjustly negected, it's a funk drenched jazz journey with some crunchy …
The Power Of Feeling
'A lost bit of jazz funk from the 70s! This set is a lot more obscure – issued on the short-lived Encounter imprint, who gave us a handful of albums – all of them great! Sir Edward, we've been told, is really Harold Vick (although we've also heard that it might be Edward "Sonny" Stitt) – although we're not sure, and the album cover never gives a clear picture of Sir Edward's face. It does show the other players, though, like bassist Wilbur Bascomb, vibist Omar Clay, percussionist Jumma Santos, a…
Soul Connection
One of the most influential and underground Hammond organists of the 1960's was "Big" John Patton as he was then known. If it was the groove that you wanted Patton was your Man and he made several albums for the legendary Blue Note label, many of which went on to sell for eye watering prices. As his style went out of favor, some of the recordings never saw the light of day until almost 20 years later and at the same time Patton slipped into the background. He resurfaced in the 1980s and went int…
Le - Le
Recorded in the 1980's and snapped up upon arrival in Europe by the Soho Boho's, Acid Jazzuals, Cuboppers, Jazz Massivists and Mojo Jazzmuziker, "Le-Le" by The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble is a unique one off spiritual soul-jazz outing with avant garde touches and more than a hint of afro-cuban orientalism.The percussion drenched title track has that special worldwide sound and the cool jazz get down groove of "Wet Walnuts and Whipped Cream" is a DJ's delight, whether played over the airwaves or to a …
Infinity
Vibe’s Maestro Khan Jamal’s “Infinity” features a Stellar line up, a drums and percussion-rich sextet that features altoist Byard Lancaster and a Philadelphia-based rhythm section, Clifton Burton on harmonica and the legendary free drummer Sunny Murray. Khan Jamal contributed four of the five songs, while pianist Bernard Sammul brought in a cooking "The Angry Young Man." The music stands up to and can be compared to anything released on the great Jazz labels and just like a Classic Blue Note, Pr…
Le Monocle Rit Jaune
** In process of stocking ** Super cool jazz score by Michel Magne in the vein of 'Take Five'. Super rare too with original copies. Anyone who was into the earlier Jazz Room single release of Take Vibes version of Golden Brown' is going to want to get their hands on a copy of this! Regularly featured on Worldwide FM's / Gilles Peterson's playlist this is a must buy - limited pressing, don't miss!