OSCAR PERRY-WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT: PRIVATE MODERN SOUL 7"

OSCAR PERRY- WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT- 7" SINGLE- QUAZAR RECORDS- 1985
A nice recent find of mine, I bought this without listening to it off the hunch that a mid-eighties 7" on an obscure label, Quazar Records, would most likely have something interesting on it; plus it cost me only $2. My gamble was rewarded when I brought it home and flipped it to the b-side ("Snap Your Fingers" is the a-side, how they picked this as the b-side I'm not sure). "We're Gonna Make It" is a real slick uptempo, modern soul tune.

Brazilian Jazz: Manfredo Fest-Brazilian Dorian Dream

MANFREDO FEST- BRAZILIAN DORIAN DREAM- LP- T&M PRODUCTIONS- 1976
Manfredo Fest was an internationally known Brazilian piano and keyboard player who made a name for when he first came to Minneapolis in 1967. He most famously played in Sergio Mendes Bossa Rio group and his sound reflects the influence that his Brazilian upbringing and American immigration had on him. This LP was recorded at the reknown Sound 80 studio in Minneapolis and features a local and internation group of musicians/singers: St. Paul, MN native Roberta Davis on vocals, New Zealander Thomas Kini on bass, Costa Rican Alejo Poveda on drums and percussion, and of course our boy Manfredo on the keys. The musicians combine to create a very dope mix of Latin/Brazilian percussion, jazz, funk, and rock, all with a very soulful vibe. Very much recomended.

Get it here

80's Fusion Jazz: JAMES DALLAS- LIFE FORMS- LP

JAMES DALLAS- LIFE FORMS- LP- PRIVATE PRESS- 1982
Admittedly, it took me a while begin checking for jazz records from the 1980s. The sound is usually very different from classic jazz of the 50's and 60's and even the jazz-funk sound of 70's Blue Note and Mizell Bros. production that is beloved in the beat digging world. Sure there's some legitimately trash 80s jazz (see G., Kenny) but there's a ton of dope jazz material, especially in the more "underground" world of private pressings.
The James Dallas LP, recorded and pressed in my hometown Milwaukee, WI, is one such very dope jazz/funk/modern soul LP. I was put onto it at Lotus Land Records in Milwaukee and was not disapointed. The record has a good combination of tracks for DJ's, such as the title reack, and producers, such as "Sidetrack" and "Stormy".
Buy an OG copy here
Get the music here
James Dallas' Myspace Page