SOUL UNLIMITED Radioshow 634

This episode begins with a round of vocal jazz, because the following will be about a very special voice in jazz. Andy Bey was a singer with a warm and engaging baritone voice. In the early 1960s, he released three albums as a trio with his two sisters. This was followed by numerous guest appearances on albums by legendary jazz artists and from 1970 he was also a member of Gary Bartz NTU Troop. His voice has refined many songs, but his name was still not known to many when he released his debut album “Experiment And Judgement” under his own name in 1974. Initially, the album was not a great success, but later in the 1990s Andy Bey and his debut album received the appreciation it deserved and it has become a classic of soul jazz. He then released further albums between 1991 and 2014. Andy Bey died on April 26, 2025 at the age of 85. In his honor, there is a tribute special with a small selection of songs by or with him.
The album of the week comes from Emma-Jean Thackray, who has created a great and extremely varied work with “Weirdo”. Emma-Jean Thackray’s stylistic spectrum of influences ranges from grunge and pop to soul, p-funk and jazz. A truly eclectic work that the artist wrote, recorded, arranged and mixed entirely in her apartment.
The new album by Hungarian band New Fossils also sounds very interesting. On their third album “Ecosphere”, the band breaks new musical ground. They move away from the acoustic modern jazz sound of their first two albums and give their sound a new dynamic energy with keyboards, electric bass and heavy grooves with strong Afro percussion elements. I think this has become a pretty successful and exciting album, which has already been released digitally and a vinyl edition has also been announced.
Anyone interested in innovative music on the border between jazz and post-rock or even beyond will almost inevitably discover the International Anthem label. The label was founded in Chicago in 2014 and can now boast a remarkable catalog of outstanding albums. The label is now celebrating its 11th anniversary. That’s fitting for this label, because everyone celebrates 10-year anniversaries. I would like to pay tribute to this with a small feature in this episode. It includes both new recordings that have recently been released or will be released soon, as well as classics from the label’s extensive catalog, such as Jeff Parker’s album “The New Breed”, which was re-released to mark the anniversary.
Finally, there will be a regional jazz highlight, the debut album by the band Baobap from Sindelfingen. The band was founded in the early 1970s and was active into the 1980s. The recordings on the album were made between 1978 and 1981 and will be released on LP and CD for the first time on May 9, 2025 by the Munich label Tramp-Records. Very nice!
Have fun listening to this episode!

Tracklist:

Soul Unlimited – Radioshow Theme
Nicola Conte - Ghana (feat. Gregory Porter)
Mark Murphy - Stolen Moments
Andy Bey - I Know This Love Can’t Be Wrong
Andy & The Bey Sisters - Feeling Good
Horace Silver - Won’t You Open Up Your Senses
Gary Bartz NTU Troop - Drinking Song
Max Roach - Members, Don’t Git Weary
Andy Bey - Celestial Blues
Tyreek McDole - The Creator Has A Master Plan
Jose James - I Found A Love (feat. Taali)
Emma-Jean Thackray - Save Me
Emma-Jean Thackray - Black Hole (feat. Reggie Watts)
New Fossils - Cringe Sunset
New Fossils - Brian’s Tea
Resavoir & Matt Gold - Canopy
Macie Stewart - Spring Becomes You, Spring Becomes New
Ben LaMar Gay - Yowzers
Tortoise - Oganesson
Jeff Parker - Here Comes Ezra
Daniel Villarreal - 18th & Morgan
Anna Butterss - Saturno
Sun Ra Arkestra - Images
Baobap - Elfer Raus
Baobap - Seven Up