Jesse Sharps Quintet P.A.P.A
Sharps And Flats

Described as "Sci-fi Jazz", this slice of New York's jazz scene from 1974 is getting a well sought-after repressing. In the homes of thousands, the 9-piece group symphonically combine a spiritual blend of percussion, sax, and drums to compliment Smith's refined vocal. The real magic is in-between the sang passages however, with the organic progression of acoustics building up to create a relaxing jazz-funk and jazz fusion sound that is completely distinct. 'Cosmic Funk' and 'Naima' are real highlights, especially vocally with Smith's 'Cosmic Funk' powerful scream and belted vocals counteracting the gently flowing sounds emitting all around the listener (this record is a joy to hear in stereo sound by the way). Snap this vinyl up before it goes away again, they may not land back on earth for a long time.

Fela Kuti at his best! Reissued by Knitting Factory.

By welcoming the beauty of imperfection and simplicity, Sven Wunder applies the timeless wisdom of wabi sabi on this musical journey. What you can hear is filtered through Ukiyo-e (which translates as “pictures of the floating world”), which illustrates everyday life, as well as through Japonism, the study of Japanese art, and more specifically its influence on European works. The result is a surface that creates an illusion by sound. The infusion of Min’yō with jazz rock, this hazy scene evokes the landscape of Monet’s ”The Water Lily Pond”, which depicts the painter’s Giverny garden, with a Japanese bridge, bamboo, ginkgo trees and the reflection of the sky in the pond. This illusion constructs both time and space.The surface of the music, like the canvas of the painting, invents a journey between now and then by interpreting the idiom of folkloric and western art instruments. In this composition, the sound of the Western concert flute, which stretches back to the Renaissance and Baroque periods, evokes the sound of the bamboo-flute (”shakuchachi”), which reached its peak during the Edo period. The guzheng, also known as the Chinese zither, with a more than 2,500 year history, joins traditional Japanese folk melodies with modern pop percussion and 20th century electronic instruments such as the Moog synthesizer, Wurlitzer electric piano and electric bass.This is the illusion that celebrates the fleeting nature of all things. A journey. A deep inhale and a slow exhale. It has a mix of jazz (both funky and progressive), East Asian and South Asian sounds. The idea of fusing these styles and reframing them with the aesthetic of wabi sabi is to reconnect with nature and concentrate on asymmetries and emphasize ornamentation to generate new ways of looking at the world, here and now.This record is produced with financial support from the Swedish Arts Council.