Herbie Mann
Latin Fever

In the sweltering North-Eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco lies the coastal city of Recife, where Amaro Freitas is pioneering the new sound of Brazilian jazz. For the prodigious young pianist, the spirit of his hometown runs deep. From the Afro-Brazilian maracatu born on the sugar plantations of slavery, to the high intensity carnival rhythms of frevo and baião, Amaro’s heavily percussive approach to jazz is as indebted to these Pernambuco traditions as it is to Coltrane, Parker and Monk.Following his critically acclaimed debut album Sangue Negro (black blood), the title of his sophomore release Rasif is a colloquial spelling of Amaro’s home town. A love letter to his native northeast, Amaro explores its traditional rhythms through the jazz idiom, employing complex mathematical patterns reminiscent of some of the most challenging works by fellow Brazilian masters Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti and Moacir Santos.

We Release Jazz presents the first ever live performance and recording by Marc Moulin’s sought-after jazz-funk band Placebo, captured at Casino Kursaal during the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971 and never released before. June 17th, 1971, the Montreux Riviera, its delightful microclimate and postcard scenery, its fabled music history and the luscious wines of the region. A dream setting for Marc Moulin to lead his ensemble on a 26 minutes+ jazz adventure - Nick Kletchkovsky on bass, Freddy Rottier on drums, Johnny Dover on bass clarinet, Alex Scorier on soprano saxophone, and Richard Rousselet on flugelhorn.

Fela Kuti (1938-1997) was a Nigerian musician, producer, arranger, political radical and outlaw, and the originator of Afrobeat. A titanic musical and sociopolitical voice, Fela’s legacy spans decades and genres, touching on jazz, pop, funk, hip-hop, rock and beyond.After graduating from Trinity College of Music (now Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance) in London, Fela returned to Nigeria with his band Koola Lobitos. Fusing the sounds of Jazz and Funk with the traditional African music he had been raised on, his star status began to flourish.EMI, his label at the time, saw the true power of his musical creation, what we now know as Afrobeat, and brought Fela and his band back to London. The result was ‘London Scene’. While recording, Fela began his friendship with Ginger Baker, who plays uncredited on the track ‘Egbe Mi O’.‘London Scene’ is the beginning of what would become Fela’s signature Afrobeat style and serves as a great introduction to Fela’s music. Recorded and remastered at none other than Abbey Road Studio.This 50th Anniversary edition of the classic Fela album comes on red, blue and white splatter vinyl, with a gold foil obi strip that will be the hallmark of all of the Fela 50th Anniversary reissues.Liner notes by the legendary Chris May.Fela recently came in second place, behind Tina Turner, for the fan vote for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominations and received great press coverage in NY Times, Rolling Stone, MOJO, Record Collector and more.