Oliver Belz , from Germany, runs many Afro-Latin-Jazz projects. The Juju Orchestra, Kojato and The Afro Latin Cougaritas, and, the one we're interested by here, The Bahama Soul Club. The BSC have released a first album in 2008, 'Rhythm Is What Makes Jazz', followed in 2010 by 'Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky' and its remix companion the following year. 'The Cuban Tapes' is the 4th one, once again deeply drenched into latin-jazz. But this time the focus is not on the dancefloor rhythms, more on the melodies. Think Cuba. Think Jazz. It's the mid-60s. Late at night. Smoke is filling the club. A band is playing on a small scene… The overhall vibe is Blue, just like the album's cover. Featuring modern day Cuban vocalists Telmary, Danay Suarez and Arema Arega, along with major artists Bessie Smith, Spanky Wilson or Ruthie Foster, this trip into the past sounds as modern as you'd expect from the Bahama Soul Club, filled with bangers and lounge beauties. Inspired 'I Am Cuba", the 1960s cult movie by Mikhail Kalatozov, The Cuban Tapes is the most accomplished yet from the German club jazz outfit. A full-length delightfully available on double vinyl…
Bahama Soul Club - The Cuban Tapes
(CD/2LP+CD/Digital) Buyú Records BU012, 2013-11-08
Tracklisting :
01. Ay Jona
02. Tiki Suite Pt.1 Cuban Casbah
03. Moaners feat. Bessie Smith
04. Cooka Racca feat. Telmary
05. Cuervo Gold
06. I Warned You Baby feat. Spanky Wilson
07. La Serenata
08. Tiki Suite Pt.2 Mirando Al Mar feat. Arema Arega
09. That's What We Need
10. Broken Piano
11. Grinning In Your Face feat. Ruthie Foster
12. Tiki Suite Pt.3 In The Night feat. Anna Luca
13. Soledad feat. Telmary
14. Malago feat. Danay Suarez
15. Tiki Suite Pt.2 Mirando Al Mar feat. Arema Arega (Club Des Belugas Remix)
16. Moaners feat. Bessie Smith (Suonho Good Love Remix)
17. Ay Jona (Grant Lazlo Remix)
Note : tracks 01, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 14 also appear on the double LP version. Tracks 02, 13, 15, 16, 17 exclusive to the CD/Digital version.
Links :
Bahama Soul Club : discogs | facebook | Juno | | soundcloud | twitter | youtube
Buyú : official | bandcamp | discogs | juno | parisdjs
Press Release :
Darker, deeper a bit more mystic than what you probably expected from The Bahama Soul Club. Alluring Tiki blended through Jazz with Afro-Cuban rhythms and instrumentation, environmental sounds and lush romatic themes and not without a twinkled eye for the Exotica genre. "Sure everything is based on Bahama Soul-ish kind of established and reknown rhythm and sound, but this time we spotted more on the composition with more harmonies and a soft spot on fine melodies. If you try to visualize a splendid Jazzband in a cuban night club in the mid 60s. Then you probably got it." Indeed the work on this album was deeply inspired by the breathtaking pictures of the most deliriously beautiful films ever made: "I Am Cuba", directed 1964 by Mikhail Kalatozov and presented in the 90s by Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese. The rights owners of this film ‚The Cuban Institute Of Cinematography totally fell in love with the first songs for this album and also with the idea to combine the footage with the music. They finally agreed to several scenes for a couple of videos to support "The Cuban Tapes" with pure genuine cuban patina. The first video is a trailer featuring the opening song "Ay Jona".
"The Cuban Tapes" consists of 17 tracks of finest Club Jazz and again with handselected vocal features like some of the most announced artists of the contemporary Cuban Music Scene: DANAY SUAREZ, AREMA AREGA & TELMARY DIAZ. A grandiose trio which was also selected by Gilles Peterson for his terrific, HAVANA CULTURA' project.
As if this weren't enough we're more than proud to announce three generations of distinguished American singers from past until now, starting with Jazz and Gospel legend BESSIE SMITH, Soul and Funk diva SPANKY WILSON and the Grammy nominated "Soul and Blues Powerhouse" RUTHIE FOSTER. Finally on top of that the wonderful ANNA LUCA from mighty Club Des Belugas. By the way, cool remixes from CLUB DES BELU GAS, from Italian shooting star SUOHNO and from French Swingmaster GRANT LAZLO as bonus tracks.
Biography :
The Bahama Soul Club are a German-based group whose unique blend of soul, jazz, funk, blues, bossa nova, afro and Caribbean influences has firmly put them on the map of the black music scene as one of the most exciting contemporary outfits.
The band led by Oliver Belz started in 2005 under the former name of The Juju Orchestra . The first 45 double-sider was "Kind Of Latin Rhythm” / "Funky Nassau” released in 2006, which became a huge worldwide success, going straight to N.1 on the German Club Charts and staying there for more than 12 weeks. The following album "Bossa Nova Is Not A Crime” was released in 2007 with guest vocals from soul-jazz crooner Terry Callier , Carolyn Leonhart , from Steely Dan and the lovely Katia B from Sao Paulo, whose cut became a smash hit in the worldwide club jazz scene and again reached the official media control Jazz Charts #2.
In 2008 for legal reasons the band’s name was changed to Bahama Soul Club and their first album "Rhythm Is What Makes Jazz Jazz” was released, amazingly following up on the outstanding success of The Juju Orchestra . They definitely hit the mark once again with the incredible appearance of guests like french chanteuse Isabelle Antena from Nouvelle Vague and Mrs. Pat Appleton from DePhazz , with whom they also established a 9-piece live orchestra and played all the famous jazz festivals in Germany and many more elsewhere in Europe.
2010 marks the release of the second Bahama Soul Club album, "Bossa Nova Just Smells Funky” with guest singers Xantoné Blacq from Amy Winehouse Band , British shooting star John Turrell , Kojato and again Pat Appleton , just to name a few. It soon became the band’s biggest success with radio features on ALL german public radio stations and countless "CD of the month” / "Album of the year” features worldwide, along with many Chart entries. With this album BSC became one of the most important contemporary European Jazz projects and were finally invited to the big German Groove Festival in Sao Paulo/Brazil.
2013 sees the band release their third album, "The Cuban Tapes” , an exotic blend of Cuban rhythms and tropical flavors executed with the trademark Bahama Soul Club style. This full-length once again features a host of talented vocal guests such as Danay Suarez , Arema Arega & Telmary Diaz from the contemporary Cuban scene, 3 generations of american soul singers Bessie Smith , Spanky Wilson and Ruthie Foster , and Anna Luca from Club Des Belugas . With "The Cuban Tapes” there is no doubt Bahama Soul Club are officially claiming their rightful spot at the forefront of the club jazz scene for many years to come!
The difference between BSC and other Nu-funk, Latin-Jazz,or Bossa projects? Bahama Soul Club is better! Simply put, it’s an original combination of afrolicious Bossa-Jazz with 60s Soul and 70s Funk. The positive vibes and contagious rhythms transcend boundaries, language and race, for a timeless sound that nobody can resist!