Showing posts with label as-shams new artist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label as-shams new artist. Show all posts

SKYJACK - Light Cycle



Skyjack is what happens when a heavyweight South African jazz trio meets a pair of Swiss reed and brass hotshots. Over the course of a decade, this all-star quintet has forged a reputation as an innovative and adventurous force in contemporary African and European jazz. Combining deep grooves with thrilling rides and avant-garde experimentation, Skyjack is a powerhouse both on stage and in the studio.

Light Cycle is the band's third recorded outing and documents a seasoned outfit at its most ambitious and accomplished. Featuring compositions from all members of the group, the album is a multidimensional creature with a big heart and a powerful imagination. Part science fiction adventure, part sentimental journey, Light Cycle reconciles expansive cosmic soundscapes with a solid grounding in memory and folklore.

Issued as a double-LP on the As-Shams/The Sun label, Skyjack joins both a catalogue and tradition of groundbreaking South African jazz dating back to the 1970s. The album's cover features the work of esteemed Cape Town artist Igshaan Adams.

Saxophone – MARC STUCKI
Trombone, Kudu Horn – ANDREAS TSCHOPP
Piano – KYLE SHEPHERD
Double Bass – SHANE COOPER
Drums – JONNO SWEETMAN

01. All the Flame (S. Cooper) 7:27
02. Like a Leaf on a Tree (M. Stucki) 5:44
03. Light Cycle / Vang Gou Die Strandloper (K. Shepherd) 8:41
04. Hey Stranger (J. Sweetman) 2:20
05. Future Past (A. Tschopp) 11:20
06. Method of Moments (M. Stucki, J. Sweetman, A. Tschopp) 5:28
07. Morge Früeh Eh D'Sunne Lacht (Trad. A. Glutz, Arr. M. Stucki) 11:40
08. Porcupine (J. Sweetman) 6:04
09. Kudu Chant (S. Cooper, A. Tschopp) 2:19
10. Zaubergarten (for Oscar) (M. Stucki) 2:59
11. Radha Intro (K. Shepherd) 1:49
12. Radha III (K. Shepherd) 6:58
13. The Storm That Guides You (S. Cooper) 4:08

* Track sequence differs on 2LP vinyl edition

Produced by SKYJACK in 2023

Recorded by Jürgen von Wechmar at Sunset Recording Studios - Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Additional Recordings by Shane Cooper at Kujua Records Studio - Johannesburg, South Africa.
Mixed and Mastered by Martin Ruch at Control Room Berlin - Germany.

Cover Artwork by Igshaan Adams
Design and Layout by Romy Brauteseth
Produced for As-Shams by Calum MacNaughton

Cat. No. SRK897249

SISONKE XONTI - uGaba the Migration

13 November 2020: Highly anticipated sophomore release from saxophonist and composer Sisonke Xonti, winner of South Africa's 2020 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Jazz. At the centre of the album, Xonti's four-part "Migration Suite" is his boldest work to date, exploring rural and urban identity and the perilous spiritual journey from homeland to the global village. Produced by Xonti and pianist Yonela Mnana and featuring photography by Mandisa Buthelezi, the album appears on As-Shams/The Sun as part of a roster of new artist releases on the cusp of the iconic South African jazz label's 50th anniversary.

Music & Words by S. Xonti • Photography by Mandisa Buthelezi
"The Call" by S. Xonti & B. Dyer with Lyrics by Keorapetse Kolwane
Poem “Migration” on "The Migration Suite Part II" by Teboho Moleko

Tenor Sax • Soprano Sax • Vox - Sisonke Xonti
Piano • Vox - Yonela Mnana
Trumpet - Sakhile Simani
Double Bass - Benjamin Jephta
Drums - Sphelelo Mazibuko
Percussion - Tlale Makhene
 
Featuring:
Bokani Dyer - Rhodes
Keorapetse Kolwane - Vox
Lwanda Gogwana - Trumpet 
Vuyo Manyike - Electric Bass
Leagan Breda - Drums

Produced by Sisonke Xonti & Yonela Mnana
Recorded by Peter Auret at Sumo Sound Studio, Johannesburg
Assistant Engineers: Tshepo Mothwa & Luyanda Molao
Mixed by Francis Müller • Mastered by Rogan Kelsey
Created with the Support of Standard Bank
Design Layout by Rouleaux van der Merwe
Produced for As-Shams by Calum MacNaughton

Cat. No. SRK 897246

BIRDSONG ENSEMBLE - Imvuselelo

Trumpet - Mandla Mlangeni
Tenor Sax - Max Treutner
Alto Sax - Benedikt Reising
Trombone - Josephine Nagorsnik
Bass - Oz Yehiely
Drums - Felix Wolf

Composed by Mandla Mlangeni
Album Artowork by Baba Tjeko
Recorded in Bern, Switzerland in 2018
Mixed & Mastered by Gavan Eckhart at Soul Fire
Produced for As-Shams by Calum MacNaughton
Cat. No. SRK 897245
DIGITAL ALBUM


MARCH 2020: Composer and trumpeter Mandla Mlangeni is a dynamic and ambitious young force in South African jazz and has gained traction internationally via residencies in Germany and Switzerland and as a member of Shabaka & The Ancestors. As a bandleader, Mlangeni nurtures a palette of shapeshifting projects from the Amandla Freedom Ensemble to the Tune Recreation Committee to showcase his compositions at home and abroad. The BirdSong Ensemble behind Imvuselelo is a formidable Swiss collective and the recording follows Mlangeni's Berlin-based Bird Song Project LP of 2017. Album artwork was created by South African designer Baba Tjeko and the release marks the 2020 revival of the iconic As-Shams/The Sun South African jazz label. The title track and centrepiece of the album "Imvuselelo" means reawakening and is a 3/4 waltz composed in 2014. Imvuselelo is available in a vinyl edition of 300 copies with an expanded DIGITAL ALBUM featuring an alternate take of "Tau Ya Afrika."