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LP
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JMAN 041X-LP
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Recorded in Sweden, Dark is the Sun is a concept album based on themes and variations by British pianist/composer/arranger Greg Foat, who has created an intriguing blend of non-contemporary jazz sounds with classic scoring techniques. An exotic array of unorthodox instrumentation was utilized, including harpsichord, tubular bells and a 15-piece choir. With musical reference and influence from such luminaries as Bruno Nicolai, Michel Legrand, and Serge Gainsbourg as well as a firm nod towards UK jazzmen Michael Garrick, Keith Mansfield, and Alan Hawkshaw, the result is highly-listenable, enduring and fulfilling for those who like real music played with real instruments. Special 10th anniversary edition comes in tip-on gatefold sleeve with cover art in bronze, including archive pics & new liners. 180 gram vinyl; includes download card.
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CD
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JMAN 086CD
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RSD 2016 release. All tracks previously unreleased. The Greg Foat Group follows its string of albums for Jazzman, from Dark Is the Sun (JMAN 041CD/LP, 2011) to The Dancers at the Edge of Time (JMAN 083CD, 2015), with Cityscapes/Landscapes. These pieces, which Greg Foat composed around 2002 (at the age of 23) when he was living in Stockholm, Sweden (Cityscapes), and the Isle of Wight, England (Landscapes), represent a musical journey from urban to rural environments, and manage to sound vitally contemporary. On Cityscapes opener "Ingen Reklam (Tack)," electric piano, bass, and drums lay down an insistent groove that's joined by a scintillating brass section à la Elton Dean-era Soft Machine, with a coruscating guitar solo from Andreas Hedström. "Pluribus" is essential funk but with added oomph and a tricky time signature. Trevor Walker, who plays trumpet and flugelhorn, has been an essential, constant presence alongside Foat since the inception of the group; he's the first to solo, eloquently, on this grooving number. "View from the Hill" is a serene piano solo, affording a very brief, quiet interlude. "Solaris (Parts 1&2)" features a gorgeous, memorable melody, and, once again, Walker solos first, before Foat follows on piano; the piece concludes by returning to the head arrangement and a fadeout ending. Cityscapes opener "Dawn" begins with a lone arco bass, wave-like piano, a hovering seagull cry from a flute, and occasional splashing cymbals. The flute on "Paper Kites" is reminiscent of the doyen of that instrument, the late, great Harold McNair. "Landscapes" begins as a slow, pastoral track with the melody gently evinced by Walker. Halfway through the number the tempo and volume pick up, transforming the piece into a real toe-tapper, with more deft soloing from trumpet and flute, all underpinned by solid piano, bass, and drums. The final number, "Dusk," is something of a brief reprise of the opener, with an underlying arco bass and mellifluous piano closing this perfectly balanced set. Includes four-page color booklet.
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CD
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JMAN 083CD
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This major release from The Greg Foat Group sees the celebrated jazz quintet making the most of the acoustics of an ancient church, accompanied by a full ensemble of supporting musicians. The fourth album from the celebrated jazz combo will further delight Foat fans who have been consistently enthralled by the taste and finesse with which they execute their beguiling arrangements and instrumentation. During England's long, hot summer of 2014, a couple of tons of vintage studio gear were bundled into an ancient church on the charming and picturesque village of Ventnor on the Isle of Wight. There the centuries-old church organ was the centerpiece and the Group was accompanied by a string quartet and woodwinds to create a musical style like no other. The resulting hauntingly sublime sounds need not only fill vaulted chapel ceilings, but our hearts and ears as well. Recorded across three of the hottest days in that summer, direct to one-inch tape, with all the rich, live analog sound and the hallowed magnificence that church acoustics can bring, The Dancers at the Edge of Time features the classic Foat Group with guesting local musicians and friends, and celebrates the summertime and beach ambience of living on the island. CD includes four-page color booklet and bonus track.
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12"
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JM 12021EP
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Jazzman Records takes things to another level with select cuts from the superb Girl & Robot with Flowers album by The Greg Foat Group, remixed by Linkwood, Vakula, Lumiarja, Cherrystones, and Francis Doosoo's Borrowed Breath -- all on lustrous green vinyl.
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CD
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JMAN 054CD
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Jazzman Records presents the second album of mesmerizing non-contemporary jazz by the Greg Foat Group with their album Girl and Robot with Flowers. Evading the dreaded "second album syndrome" with consummate ease, Girl and Robot with Flowers is a sonic soundscape of epic proportions that leaves Dark Is the Sun in the dust while propelling the listener into infinity. With a doff of the hat to sci-fi writer Brian Aldiss, we're whisked off on a thematic journey into the emotive and enthralling realms of cinematic jazz, seductive ambience, and exciting, majestic drama. Often unpredictable and certainly never dull, British pianist/composer/arranger Greg Foat uses everything from brass bands and kettle drums to Moog synthesizer and harmonium to take us above and beyond the stratosphere of our senses. As with Dark Is the Sun, this album was recorded in a unique, pure analogue studio in Sweden to capture the full warmth and dynamic range of the wide variety of instruments utilized. The spacious, high quality sound that was achieved by recording direct to tape through high quality vintage equipment is absolutely impeccable, revealing in stunning detail a magical atmosphere the likes of which is rarely heard in the current climate of digitalization and MP3s.
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LP
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JMAN 054LP
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Vinyl version limited to 1,000 copies.
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10"
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JM 094EP
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Hand-printed 4 track EP from The Greg Foat Group. Hand-numbered and limited to 1,000 copies only.
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CD
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JMAN 041CD
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Jazzman's next attempt at world domination produces the debut album by The Greg Foat Group. Recorded in Sweden, Dark Is The Sun is a concept album based on themes and variations by British pianist/composer/arranger Greg Foat, who has created an intriguing blend of non-contemporary jazz sounds with classic scoring techniques. An exotic array of unorthodox instrumentation was utilized, including harpsichord, tubular bells and a 15-piece choir. With musical reference and influence from such luminaries as Bruno Nicolai, Michel Legrand and Serge Gainsbourg as well as a firm nod towards UK jazzmen Michael Garrick, Keith Mansfield and Alan Hawkshaw, the result is highly-listenable, enduring and fulfilling for those who like real music played with real instruments. Original artwork by House Of Traps.
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