NEW RELEASES - HAMMOCK HOUSE: LOWER EAST SIDE, BLUE NOTE TRIP 10: MAESTRO, STEVE DAVIS

HAMMOCK HOUSE - LOWER EAST SIDE (VARIOUS ARTISTS)

Hammock House – Lower East Side is the result of four DJ/producers being allowed access to the original multitrack master tapes of some highly coveted vintage Fania tracks. The products are a Latin electronica rebirth of these classics in the form of “funky rhythms, cumbia grooves, sensuous electronic textures and remixed Héctor Lavoe vocal lines.” Toy Selectah, The Whiskey Barons, DJ Isa GT, and Twin Shadow have created memorable masterpieces from the timeless work of Fania greats Ray Barretto, Justo Betancourt, Willie Colon, Hector Lavoe, Ismael Rivera. Track listing: 1. Acid (Twin Shadow Remix); 2. Power (Whiskey Barons Heavy Funk Mix); 3. Catano (Whiskey Barons Cumbia Dub Mix); 4. Right On (Whiskey Barons Got Some Afro Mix); 5. Aguanile (Toy Selectah 2013 Cosmico Remix); and 6. Las Caras Lindas (Isa GT Remix). ~ Giant Step

BLUE NOTE TRIP 10: LATE NIGHTS, EARLY MORNINGIS - A SELECTION OF LATE NIGHT PIECES BY DJ MAESTRO

Maestro takes us on a mighty hip trip here – running through a selection of rare grooves from Blue Note, and also throwing in a number of Capitol Records classics too! The vibe isn't just jazz – as the tunes include plenty of soul and funk too – and even a few of the cooler contemporary tracks from Blue Note in Europe – home to some wonderful recordings in recent years! As with others in this series, the 2-CD set is mixed – with a wonderful flow between the tracks – and the set's divided up into a "late nights" and "early mornings" session. Titles include "Goin Out Of My Head" by Nancy Wilson, "Woman Of The Ghetto (live)" by Marlena Shaw, "Kofi" by Donald Byrd, "Bambu" by Reuben Wilson, "Ces Petits Riens" by Stacey Kent, "Los Ojos Alegres" by Duke Pearson, "Apres Midi" by Fresu, "Tyra" by Booker Ervin, "Mission Impossible" by Billy May, "African Ascension part 1" by Horace Silver, "Thinking Of Baby" by Elmer Bernstein, and "Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much" by Peggy Lee. ~ Dusty Groove

STEVE DAVIS - GETTIN' IT DONE   Steve Davis definitely gets it done with this sweet little set – just the kind of record that enforces all the love we've had for his talents over the years! Davis' sound on trombone is totally tops – tight, yet with a soulful flourish that really takes off on his solos – a sort of boldness that's more than enough to inspire the players in his group, as does his set of well-penned original compositions for the set! Davis never lets us down, and this album's the kind of soulful swinger that will have us checking him out for years to come – a set that features Josh Bruneau on trumpet, Mike DiRubbo on alto, Larry Willis on piano, Nat Reeves on bass, and Billy Williams on drums – and tunes that include "Getting It Done", "Steppin Easy", "Alike", "The Beacon", and "Wishes". ~ Dusty Groove