'The Dreamer' 10th Anniversary Edition

In 2008, Brownswood Recordings held the distinction of being the label home to introduce Jose James to the world.  Citing influences from John Coltrane, Nat King Cole, Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday, Kurt Kobain and Jean-Michel Basquiat, 'The Dreamer' presented James as a young jazz artist, fast becoming a genuine master of his craft.

Although the album relies heavily upon its wonderful instrumentation, the haunting pianos, commanding bass and sublime horns all take a back seat to James’ inimitable and awe-inspiring vocal that takes centre stage throughout.  It’s a delectable and captivating vocal that ultimately went on to introduce a star.  Ten years later - seven albums, countless collaborations, remixes, live performances - things have come full circle with the anniversary edition of his debut album repackaged with a bonus four tracks ('Equinox', 'Central Park West', 'Resolution' and 'Coltrane (Dear Alice)') from the album sessions.

Here's an excerpt of an interview we had with Jose James in 2009 discussing the album:

What was the creative process of putting The Dreamer together like?Amazing.  Just pure music.  I wanted to compose and record in the same way that Kind of Blue was made, or much of the late Coltrane Quartet albums – bringing in charts the day of and recording it fresh, capturing the moment.  It worked.  Gilles [Peterson] gave me some great ideas for covers and they worked too – Nola and Park Bench People.  Junior Mance coming on the session was just pure love – he's so great!  It really brought the whole project to another level.  We recorded about 30 songs total and used 10.  Beautiful. 

Were you happy with how The Dreamer was received?Absolutely!  It's been a huge critical success for me and more importantly it has moved people... I really wanted that album to mean something and for people to really get it and they did.  It's a huge honour to be a part of something like that, to touch people.

'The Dreamer' is a stunning piece of work and a treasure to be enjoyed and celebrated.  Looking forward the to 20th anniversary edition!

Blue-in-Green:RADIO's Top Covers [#40-31]

Welcome to Part Two of Blue-in-Green:RADIO's countdown of our top 50 covers of all time.  We're selecting tracks from a broad range of musical styles including soul, jazz, funk and R&B with the only rule that these covers have had to have been recorded post-2000.

The show will broadcast through the site from 6pmUK over the next four Tuesdays as we count down to number 1 and we'll aim to post the show and list on the site for the following day (so feel free to listen to Part Two at the bottom of this post).  We'd love for you to check out the list and the show and let us know what you think as we get closer to that #1 spot.

Catch up:
Part One [#50-41]
Part Three [#30-21]
Part Four [#20-11]
Part 5 [#10-1]

40. ‘Inspiration Information’ by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (2009)
Originally performed by Shuggie Otis, 1974
The cover of Shuggie Otis’s ‘Inspiration Information’ has probably been the song that was the most famous b-side for the much-beloved Sharon Jones &The Dap-Kings.  It was initially released in 2009 but officially found a home on SJ&TDK’s b-sides and rarities compilation, ‘Soul Time’, released through Daptone Records.

39. 'Butterfly' by Courtney Pine featuring Omar (2017)
Originally performed by Herbie Hancock, 1974
Courtney Pine scored big with the release of his 19th album, ‘Black Notes From The Deep’, released through the match-made-in-heaven pairing with Freestyle Records!  Incredibly, this album offers saxophonist Pine another match-made-in-heaven pairing by also seeing him collaborate with UK vocalist, Omar, who appears on four of the album’s ten tracks marking this a momentous release from no less than two icons of UK’s soul and jazz worlds.  The music here is fantastic with the awesome up-tempo numbers paired beautifully alongside the lush ballads but it’s the cover of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Butterfly’ that’s the big winner here.

38. ‘Holding You, Loving You’ by Shuya Okino featuring Pete Simpson (2011)
Originally performed by Don Blackman, 1982
Shuya Okino from the world-renown Kyoto Jazz Massive released his solo effort ‘Destiny’ to Japanese audiences only.  For hardcopy fans, the CD packaging is beautifully presented almost as a coffee table book so it would make a great find if you’re prepared to spend that little bit extra.  The album was heavy on samples, covers and buckets of boogie featuring vocal talents of N’Dea Davenport and Divinti, and hugely under-appreciated UK vocalist Pete Simpson who appears on the album’s closing two tracks including this Don Blackman cover.

37. ‘Another Love’ by Prince & Third Eye Girl (2014)
Originally performed by Alice Smith, 2013
‘PlectrumElectrum’ (along with ‘Art Official Age’ which was released on the same day) marks the final full-length Prince studio release.  This project, which saw The Purple Majesty paired with Third Eye Girl took the project in a more rockier direction with a brilliant guitar-heavy reimagining of this lovely Alice Smith number.

36. ‘I’ll Stay’ by The RH Factor featuring D’Angelo (2003)
Originally performed by Funkadelic, 1974
From the first of three projects from trumpeter and producer Roy Hargrove and his jazz-funk alter-ego, The RH Factor.  A project inspired by his work with the Soulquarian collective: Erykah Badu, D’Angelo and Common on their respective projects (all of which appear on ‘Hard Groove’ to return the favour).  A stunning project throughout – as all three projects were (including ‘Strength’ and ‘Distractions’) – and their cover of Funkadelic’s ‘I’ll Stay’ featuring D’Angelo on vocals and Pino Palladino on bass showcases it.

35. ‘Be My Lady’ by Trombone Shorty featuring The Meters (2013)
Originally performed by The Meters, 1977
From the album that paired trombonist and vocalist Trombone Shorty with the production of the excellent Raphael Saadiq (‘Say That To Say This’), this cover of the brilliant track by The Meters even goes as far as to feature members of the band on the track for the ultimate recreation.

34. ‘Hard Times’ by Alecia Chakour & The Osrah (2010)
Originally performed by Baby Huey, 1971
A perfect vocal from Alicia Chakour elevates the Baby Huey cult favourite continuing the vein of the gritty city life Huey originally sang about.  Backed by the powerhouse band of The Osrah, it’s a shame that the ‘Loomi’ EP, where this song can be found, is the only release from the group but fingers are firmly crossed for new material from Chakour particularly as she currently tours and collaborates frequently with Eric Krasno, Nigel Hall and Lettuce.

33. ‘Baby This Love I Have’ by AAries (2011)
Originally performed by Minnie Riperton, 1975
It’s forever a shame that Def Jam would ultimately shelve the debut project from R&B duo, and Musiq Soulchild affiliates, AAries.  Thankfully they did release ‘Cover Girls’ as a free EP through Bandcamp which is where you can find this gorgeous cover of the Minnie Riperton classic.  With the track in question produced by Questlove, the six-track compilation does make you wonder what further delights the album would’ve delivered so like I said, forever a shame.

32. ‘All Of Me’ by Cassandra Wilson (2015)
Originally performed by Billie Holiday, 1941
2015 was the year that would have marked Billie Holiday’s 100th birthday and subsequently spawned many tribute recordings honouring her memory and music.  Amongst the releases which included efforts from Jose James, Rebecca Ferguson and a notably eclectic effort from Millenium Jazz (‘Lady Day – 100 Years of Billie Holiday’), it was the match-made-in-heaven collaboration between Cassandra Wilson and producer Nick Launay (famous for his work with Nick Cave and Arcade Fire) that generated beautiful textures for Holiday’s music solidifying the project with a spot on this list.

31. ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ by El Michels Affair (2009)
Originally performed by The Wu-Tang Clan, 1993
From the first of two projects celebrating the music of the Wu-Tang Clan, Truth & Soul’s El Michels Affair brilliantly pay homage with mostly instrumental recreations of the seminal hip-hop group’s ground-breaking productions with their own ‘Enter The 37th Chamber’ release.  With the typical analogue recording techniques employed by Truth & Soul you’d be forgiven for thinking these songs serve as the original pieces that RZA sampled – especially after hearing this dusty and grimy version of Wu’s ‘C.R.E.A.M.’.  (Of course it would be only fair to cite the song that RZA himself did sample for his version of ‘C.R.E.A.M.’ which was the 1967 recording of The Charmels’ ‘As Long As I’ve Got You’.)

New to the Liberation's Frequency playlist

Blue-in-Green:RADIO's Liberation's Frequency playlist runs every day in & around the excellent shows we're able to present to you and we do our absolute best to make sure that it's constantly updated with the best new music.  Below are a few new gems that have found their way on to the playlist and awaiting your attention.  (Please check the "Schedule" tab at the top of the page to find the times the LF playlist airs each day.)

'LOVEPLAYDANCE' by Toshio Matsuura Group
From the new album from Toshio Matsuura Group, released through Brownswood Recordings, this release is destined to score high on everyone's 'best of 2018' list.  Eight stunning tracks featuring a range of guests including Brownswood vocalist Dayme Arocena and saxophonist Nubya Garcia.  Perfect summertime music.
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'Ventriloquism' by Meshell Ndegeocello
The 12th album from the singer, bassist, producer and immeasurably talented Ms Ndegeocello is a beautifully-presented covers album seeing a vast range of tracks tackled including Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam's 'I Wonder if I Take You Home', Ralph Tresvant's 'Sensitivity', Sade's 'Smooth Operator' and Prince's 'Sometimes It Snows in April'.
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'Ruthless Day' by Gizelle Smith
Marking such a welcome return from Gizelle Smith who, now signed to Jalapeno Records, delivers a fantastic album people have waited too long for.  Eric "E" Boss (formerly of Myron & E) features on two tracks as do members of The Mighty Mocambos and Russia's The Soul Surfers.  Welcome back!

Blue-in-Green:RADIO's Top Covers [#50-41]

Welcome to Part One of Blue-in-Green:RADIO's countdown of our top 50 covers of all time.  We're selecting tracks from a broad range of musical styles including soul, jazz, funk and R&B with the only rule that these covers have had to have been recorded post-2000.

The show will broadcast through the site from 6pmUK over the next four Tuesdays as we count down to number 1 and we'll aim to post the show and list on the site for the following day.  We'd love for you to check out the list and the show and let us know what you think as we get closer to that #1 spot.

Catch up:
Part Two [#40-31]
Part Three [#30-21]
Part Four [#20-11]
Part Five [#10-1]

50. 'I'm in Love' by The APX (2017)

Originally performed by Evelyn Champagne King, 1981

 The APX deliver a delicious slice of 80s Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis style R&B with this excellent cover of Evelyn Champagne King’s seminal track.  But their journey to Flyte Time is by no means a one-stop visit – ‘Electrik Funk Deluxe’ front-to-back is a blissful tribute to a bygone era and sound of soul music and while obviously steeped in nostalgia, it’s a project that manages to sound fresh and dynamic at the same time.

49. 'No One Knows' by Twin Danger (2015)

Originally performed by Queens of The Stone Age, 2002

Tackling Queens of The Stone Age will always be a brave feat but for the noir jazz duo, Twin Danger, consisting of Vanessa Bley on vocals and music by Stuart Matthewman of Sade fame, it was a stroke of genius.  Just picture Dave Grohl’s drums and Josh Homme’s vocals being interpreted for a perfect evening setting in a dimly-lit and smokey jazz bar.  Nice.

48. 'Move On Up' by Lettuce featuring Dwele (2008)

Originally performed by Curtis Mayfield, 1970

The funk and soul supergroup of Lettuce delivered potentially their best effort in ‘Rage!’, and for an album littered with stellar tunes, the cover of the Curtis Mayfield classic makes for a nice touch.  The addition of vocalist Dwele is also a class out-of-the-box choice but seeing as Mayfield’s complete version clocks in at just under 9 minutes, it might have been nice to see the group expand further than the 3mins 34secs here.

47. 'Prototype' by Soulive featuring Nigel Hall (2009)

Originally performed by Andre 3000, 2003

Known to cover everyone from The Beatles to James Brown to Jimi Hendrix, the jazz trio covering Andre 3000’s hit song wasn’t as unexpected as it may have seemed at the time.  With long-term friend and collaborator for the dynamic group, Nigel Hall, on lead vocals, this cover made for a great closing number for an already excellent album release ('Up Here').

46. 'I Can't Help It' by Soul Cycle featuring Mavis "Swan" Poole (2010)

Originally performed by Michael Jackson, 1979

From the pen of Stevie Wonder, it would have been pretty shocking if a version of this song hadn’t found itself on this list in one form or another.  And while Gretchen Parlato and Esperanza Spalding have both taken more-than-admirable stabs at the song, we had to turn to the Jesse Fischer-helmed Soul Cycle interpretation from his 'Flipped' album with a great guest vocal from Mavis “Swan” Poole.

45. 'That's Not My Name' by The Impellers (2012)

Originally performed by The Ting Tings, 2008

Brighton’s ten-piece funk orchestra delivered an excellent project with fierce lead vocalist Lady Clair at the helm backed by a skilful band as proficient at handling smooth ballads as they are fiery uptempo numbers.  And it’s one of those fiery uptempo numbers that we’re showcasing here with their version of The Ting Tings’ ‘That’s Not My Name’ which does serve as an unusual choice on paper but then you hear it… and all is right in the world.

44. 'Tom's Diner' by Nautilus featuring Mizuki Kamata (2017)

Originally performed by Suzanne Vega, 1987

From the DJ Oonops compiled collection of previously unreleased tracks ('Nautiloid Quest'), this Japanese jazz trio put forth a number of great covers including Gil Scott-Heron's ‘Lady Day & John Coltrane’ (featuring Kei Owada) but it's their superb version of Suzanne Vega's ‘Tom’s Diner’ (which features Mizuki Kamata) that secures the #44 spot.

43. 'Zombie' by Sarah Elizabeth Charles (2017)

Originally performed by The Cranberries, 1994

After having appeared on two of the Christian Scott's Centennial Trilogy releases, the partnership was subsequently extended to Sarah Elizabeth Charles's 'Free of Form' being the first release on Scott's Stretch Music record label released through Ropeadope Records.  Produced with Scott, who appears on four of the tracks, Charles soars over moody and intricate soundscapes with the surprising cover of The Cranberries' 'Zombie' being a real highlight.

42. 'Places & Spaces' by Harvey Mason featuring Christian Scott & Corey King (2014)

Originally performed by Donald Byrd, 1975

The all-time great jazz drummer Harvey Mason hit gold with his album ‘Chameleon’ that paired him with some of the absolute finest in contemporary jazz musicians.  While Kamasi Washington, Kris Bowers and Mark de Clive-Lowe elevate the project throughout, it’s the Corey King and Christian Scott assisted take on ‘Places and Spaces’ that warrants mention here.  And with Scott subbing for Byrd’s trumpet – it couldn’t get much better.

41. 'Can't Get You Out of My Head' [Smoove Remix] by The Third Degree (2012)

Originally performed by Kylie Minogue, 2001

This funky take on Kylie Minogue’s mammoth-selling pop-disco number perhaps warrants inclusion for genius in its cover selection alone.  The original mix of The Third Degree’s  version can be found on the UK’s Acid Jazz label while the Smoove Remix – which is what we’re going with for the purposes of this list – can be found on his remix compilation project entitled ‘First Class’.

5 free projects you should've downloaded already...

'Manj' by Joomanji
All credit for this recent discovery goes to the incredible musical tastes of our Twitter homie @LoreVille609 who put us onto this one.  The group actually have two projects available for free download including the self-titled six-track release from 2012 and then the project in question, 'Manj', released in 2013.  Comprising of Jonah Christian, Amir Oosman and Robert Finucane, and with guests littered throughout, this is an excellent project that deserves your attention.  For your own benefit however, please pay special attention to the two Lindsay Olsen assisted tracks ('Spread Too Thin' and 'Where Are You') which are exquisite.
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'Lady Day - 100 Years of Billie Holiday' - v/a
Several projects were released in 2015 marking what would have been the iconic singer's 100th birthday and aside from 'Yesterday I Had The Blues' by Jose James and 'Coming Forth By Day' by Cassandra Wilson, there was also a fantastic project presented by the London-based label, Millenium Jazz Music.  Featuring a variety of contributors the songs here range from covers to tributes and samples uniquely showcased over a variety of styles.
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'Laura Mvula Chopped' by Kay & Luke of The Foundation
The incredible Laura Mvula receives the prestigious "Chopped" treatment from Kay & Luke of The Foundation in an inspired take of her live performance with the Metropole Orkest recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Hip-hop-style beats respectfully married to Mvula's beautiful vocals make this a real find from the excellent FWML's Rappers I Know label!
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'Welcome To A New Welcome' by Maisha
While London rides high on its current wave of emerging young talent in jazz, here's the band that will shortly steam ahead to the front of the most-talked-about queue.  Jazz re:freshed deliver a fantastic teaser of amazing things to come from London-based jazz collective whose sound is fully immersed in the spiritual jazz stylings of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and Idris Muhammad.
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'The Renditions' by Marie Dahlstrom
Here's a great project from Danish soul singer Marie Dahlstrom who released an EP of covers in 2013 using a pool of incredibly diverse originals but all brilliantly reimagined with her own elegant sound and style.  Bon Iver's 'Perth' and Little Dragon's 'Twice' score high as does the beautiful live version of her own number 'Search'.