Jazzberry Patch
Jazzberry Patch

Over the course of five albums, Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall has carved out a niche for himself on the UK music scene as one of it's brightest talents. His languid, soulful music has won friends from Jamie Cullum and Gilles Peterson to Jazz FM and Mojo as well as an ever-growing international following. His new album Into Forever, puts the spotlight on Halsall the composer, arranger and producer. Halsall draws on a diverse range of influences from Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, Phil Cohran and Leon Thomas to the more contemporary sounds of The Cinematic Orchestra, Max Richter and Nils Frahm to deliver his most complete recording to date. Into Forever features renowned Manchester based soul poet Josephine Oniyama and rising star vocalist Bryony Jarman-Pinto (Werkha) as well as regular collaborators, flautist Lisa Mallett, harpist Rachael Gladwin, koto player Keiko Kitamura, pianist Taz Modi, bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Luke Flowers (The Cinematic Orchestra) and two percussionists Sam Bell and Chris Cruiks. The result is arguably Halsall's finest record, asublime melding of stripped back soulful funk and deep, minimalist, spiritual jazz, that will take you on a journey deep into forever!

2023 first time reissue. Bobby Caldwell's second album, Cat In The Hat, from 1980, is one of his greatest moments and another masterwork of soulful sophistication. Featuring the eternal "Open Your Eyes", brilliantly sampled by J Dilla for Common's "The Light", it's about as essential as records get. Like its eponymous predecessor, it's been out of print for far too long. To finally release the hugely-anticipated reissue is one of our sincerely proudest moments.

Re-issue of this obscure Bay Area, mid-80s Disco/Soul single produced by the late Harvey Scales & Cedrick Rupert

A Letter from Slowboat is a poetic, soulful, and honest love letter to Hokkaido, to Fukui’s jazz club, and to endless hours of practicing artistry in a place called home. Backed by longtime collaborators Takumi Awaya on bass, and Ittetsu Takemura on drums, Ryo Fukui flows through classics and originals with natural class, fluidity and absolute precision, expressing a smooth balance between skills and heart. Slowboat, full of breathtaking solos and exquisite moments of clarity, is another crucial piece in the career of one of the most fascinating jazzmen to ever grace the piano. It was released in 2016, sadly the year Ryo Fukui passed away, leaving behind a legacy of works that is sure to captivate jazz lovers for generations to come, and Slowboat, where the magic still happens to this day.This is reissued in conjunction with Ryo Fukui’s Ryo Fukui in New York (1999), also available via We Release Jazz.

Limited to 300 copies, vinyl only!Viking of the Sky kicks off with 2 songs from Bibi's first LP Ngayibamba on Heads Productions 1984, which to date remains completely invisible with no info or even a picture of this LP online. Most likely due to heavy government censorship in South Africa at the time, most of the LPs were destroyed due to the political nature of some of the songs. The 2 afro funk tracks on this compilation could almost be classified as "unreleased". all live musicians and sung in both English and Zulu. The next 2 songs are taken from Bibi's maxi dance single "Viking of the Sky" with "I Just Can't Believe You" on the B side, released on WEA Records in 1985. Here we get to the classic mid 80s SA boogie sound featuring banging drum machines, synths, live guitars and bass, and super female backing vocals behind Bibi's powerful voice. The original 12" from 1985 is extremely sought after maxi single by boogie funk vinyl collectors around the world (to date it has only sold once online).And the last 2 tracks are taken from the much sought after Bibi & Satari LP Whisper in the Dark released in 1986 on WEA Records. Again we have a great blend of drum machines, synths, live bass, guitar and gospel influenced backing vocals, produced by 2 of South Africa's most prolific producers - Sidwell Duda and Thokoza Memela.All 6 songs contain upbeat dancefloor friendly music with plenty of live instrumentation played by South Africa's best of the best session musicians that uplift the soul and compel the listener to dance (which is the label mission). Featuring SA's best of the best funky music talent backing Bibi Msomi:Sidwell Duda (Stimuli, Don Laka, Image), Thokoza Memela (The Disco Cats), Satari band featuring Cecelia, Jabu Nkosi (Peace, The Drive, Thetha), Thandi Seoka (Sipho Hot Stix Mabuse, Shalom), Jimmy Mojapelo (The Black Five), Janshi Mayo (Umoja Singers Chorale), Peter Mokoena (Cisco Mokoena), Solly "Ace" Letwaba (Juluka), Bob "Blackie" Sibisi (Brenda & The Big Dudes), Joey Mabe (Mahlathini And Mahotella Queens) and many more.