Musician flagship 1960s, he stops suddenly on business for nearly ten years to get back into the international scene with Michel Petrucciani, in the early 1980s, and the label ECM a few years later. His music is warm, colorful, expressionistic powerfully lyrical beauty remains sublime.

After his experience as a trio with ‘Sangam’, the saxophonist and flutist Charles Lloyd septuagénaire returns with his first live recording in the quartet. Around him a youth voluble and bold but never arrogant. There are some of the pillars of the world rhythmic lloydien with drummer Eric Harland and bassist Reuben Rogers. And the triangle becomes square with the amazing pianist James Moran who, between purity and lyricism, is not complex, the reply given to tenor sax and the flute of Charles Lloyd. Often flying beyond ten minutes, the songs are real songs with varied textures and reckless impulses. The quartet takes the time to install his moods, ask its colors. Introductions often vaporeuses; at length during which the musicians give free rein to both their technical skill and their harmonic inventiveness. Chorus dreamers between solid groove ‘Booker’s Garden’ and exubérances very free from ‘Prometheus’, through the delicacy of upsetting’ Migration of Spirit ‘and influences “Indianisation of’ Ramanujan ’s that Lloyd ‘was pleased to explore with percussionist Zakir Hussain. In seven titles, the quartet music distills perfectly accomplished and energetic, disturbing phrasing and spiritual resonances. ‘Rabo de Nube is a live high quality, which has crystallized the transience of this meeting, between grace and power.

Franco-Cameroonian singer at the crossroads of multiple universes, Sandra Nkake book a palette of musical colors perfectly with each other. This new phenomenon of the soul scene has landed on the music scene with a debut album sensual ‘Mansaadi. For presentation to the French public, it will start a tour from 29 January 2009.

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No homeland defined soul, The Sweet Vandals come from Madrid and a sextet composed of the most volatile funk. In line with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, the group accompanying Mayka Edjo singer’s voice spicy and full of energy, songs often filled with messages to the positive virtues.

The soul has creativity stern. After Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators, and Quantic Soul Orchestra, will now count on the Spanish The Sweet Vandals. Their particular? An energy, not copper, just a low (Santi Martin), a guitar (José Angel Herranz), a Hammond organ (Jesús Trujillo), a drummer (Javier Gomez) and a soul sista incandescent (Mayka Edjo) while straight out of the seventies. Filed under the terms of a live in Madrid, led by Carlo Coupe, their first album is a wonderfully pure, true resurrection of the blessed era of James Brown. Wink to the master: ‘Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag’ becomes’ Mama’s Got a Brand New Bag ‘, while’ Come On Now ‘and’ Do It Right ‘, influenced by Bernhard Purdie (drummer for James Brown) rekindling the flame of funk. The title ‘Too Much’ and ‘You Want to Be My Lover’ recall the brand of Ann Sexton, while ‘I Got You Man’ and ‘That’s the Way I Am’ rather refer to the style of Martha Hines. Dust providential, for a genre that was thought by the R’n'B cannibalisé syrupy the last decade … On this album short and intense, we feel that the Sweet Vandals have potassé their records, and the temperature rises d a notch, to the sound of the music intact and indomitable. A great opportunity to convert the uninitiated to what is best in the current soul. As for nostalgic derogatory, they will have no excuse not to escape their ringardise.