Art Tatum

Written By: Amy Smith

It is almost impossible to find a jazz pianist who does not adore and respect Art Tatum’s piano skills. He is still known for being one of the most extraordinary jazz pianists, both for his speed and his approach to harmony. Many suggest that his harmonic approach was 30 years ahead of his time. During his short lifetime he was always respected by his fellow jazz musicians. When Tatum walked into a club where famous jazz pianist and composer Fats Waller was performing, Waller stepped away from the piano bench to make way for Tatum, announcing, ‘I only play the piano, but tonight God is in the house’. RawRip has two albums by this genius, ‘Art Tatum At The Piano’ and ‘The Genius Of Art Tatum’. Listen and find out for yourselves how amazing and extraordinary his music is.

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Billy Mitchell

Written By: Amy Smith

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Che Sudaka

Written By: Amy Smith

Che Sudaka is a six piece band of South Americans who live in Barcelona. The band plays mestizaje music. Mestizaje comes from the word Mestizo, a Spanish term that was formerly used in the Spanish Empire to classify the mixed Europeans and Amerindians who lived in the region of Latin America. Che Sudaka’s music is a style combining traditional South American and Spanish styles with influences from reggae, ska, rock and world music. Many know Che Sudaka through their collaborations with Latin heavy-weights, Manu Chao and Amparanoia.

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Chubby Wise

Written By: Amy Smith

One of the greatest fiddlers in country music Chubby Wise goes way back to the early 40s, when as a member of Bill Monroe’s ‘Original Bluegrass Band’ Wise contributed to the formation of bluegrass‘ characteristic sound. Born Robert Russell Wise, he first picked up the fiddle at the age of 15 and started playing at night clubs until joining the Jubilee Hillbillies in 1938. In 1942, Wise became one of Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys. Since then, Wise collaborated with many bands and artists like Clyde Moody, the York Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs and Connie B. Gay's band. Since 1969 he has also recorded and released many solo fiddle albums. We offer you his last record – ‘An American Original’ featuring smash hits like ‘Cotton Eyed Joe,’ ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You’ and ‘Little Liza Jane’. Wises virtuosity with the fiddle breaks barriers and demonstrates what pure old bluegrass should sound like. Truly an original, Chubby Wise is a legend when it comes to bluegrass and Western swing.

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Coldplay

Written By: Amy Smith

It’s really hard to find a person, who wouldn’t know the 4 guys of the mega popular English pop/rock band Coldplay. Formed in 1998 Coldplay is – vocalist/pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion, who have achieved international success with their 2000 single ‘Yellow’ becoming one of the best selling bands of the new millennium with over 30 million record sales. Writing music that is somewhere in between the Radiohead, U2 and Travis Coldplay has created a sound that is appreciated by both soft rock and pop lovers. Presented here at RawRip is the band’s second EP ‘Brothers and Sisters’ released in 1999 and featuring the tracks ‘Only Superstition’, ‘Brothers and Sisters’ and ‘Easy to Please’.

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Freddie King

Written By: Amy Smith

What can be said about Freddie King that has not been said before? He is one of the iconic faces of America’s 50s and 60s blues scene. He has jammed with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf and Eric Clapton, and played with Muddy Waters’ sidemen, who included Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Lockwood, Jr. and Little Walter. Freddie died when he was only 42 years old but his legend carries on today. In 2003 he was placed at no.25 in Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. RawRip offers you Freddie’s live album, ‘Are You ready For Freddie’, which includes some of his biggest hits like ‘Have You Ever Loved A Woman’ and ‘Hide Away’…

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Isobel Heyworth

Written By: Amy Smith

A modern day Joni Mitchell. Isobel Heyworth, a Manchester bred singer/songwriter in her mid 20s, has found a large crowd of devoted fans with her sweet voice and songs that come straight from the heart. Using only a finger-picked folk guitar and an occasional piano accompaniment, Heyworth, aka Nine Bean Rows, likes to keep her music simple yet to the point. Often dubbed a modern day Joni Mitchell, Heyworth started to play gigs in 2003, followed by the release of her debut album titled ‘On the Back of an Envelope’. In 2005 Isobel released her second album ‘Close Your Eyes’ featuring fine tracks like ‘Falling through the Cracks,’ the Latin flavored ‘Rio’, the peaceful acoustic ‘I Am Worn’ plus many, many more. The simple sound of the album makes you feel as if you’re in the same room with the singer, which adds to the feeling of sincerity that flows though the whole album, making the record a rare model for other novice singer/songwriters.

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ISWHAT?!

Written By: Tom Hannan
In a word: Wide-Eyed

For a good twelve years now, Napoleon and Jac have, under the banner of ISWHAT?!, used Cincinnati as a base from which to announce to the world their blend of straight up righteous hip hop and infectious beatbox reggae. A life on the road in both the States and over in Europe with Saul Williams, The Roots, KRS-One and many more has ensured that this music is falling upon the ears of those who are most likely to dig its message – that being the intelligent hip hop listener open to the idea that a rap band can be as influenced by Pink Floyd as they are Jay Z. What a marvellous concept that is.

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	kassondra brown saidJun 12 2008 10:57 pm coolkid

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John Legend

Written By: Amy Smith

Ahh, John Legend – men want to be him, women want to be with him, and he presumably spends all his time when not performing just grinning inanely about how lovely his life quite probably is. Thrown in to the spotlight by the success of the song ‘Ordinary People’ and its parent album Get Lifted in 2004, John Legend has refused to move from it since, garnering an incredible batch of eight Grammy nominations and walking away with three of ‘em (including one for Best New Artist) and selling, oh, three million copies of that debut LP. He says the sales don’t matter, mind – it’s all about the music, the soulful, subtle and warming sound he does so well. Whether you believe that or not is your call.

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	kassondra brown saidJun 12 2008 10:58 pm cool

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Judge Dread

Written By: Amy Smith

Judge Dread fell in love with reggae music as a teenager, and after quitting his jobs as a club bouncer and radio DJ , he recorded his first song, titled ‘Big 6’ and Judge Dread was born. The single had phenomenal success and even reached no.11 in the UK Top 20 single charts of 1972. Judge Dread’s next tunes were ‘Big Seven’ and ‘Big Eight’, as well as ‘Up With The Cock’, which, however, were not such successful as ‘Big 6’. In 1998, Judge Dread died from a heart attack, leaving a huge heritage of brilliant reggae cuts for his army of fans.

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Kedash

Written By: Amy Smith

‘Tasty’ - a strongly pop driven mix of club bangers and soulful ballads. Kedash's sophomore album, ‘Tasty’ is more DJ and dance floor friendly. It has a great selection of upbeat music that is sure to keep a party going. The album also has a number of very powerful slow, tear jerker songs and is full of songs with top notch, modern, creative production.
One of the definite hits on the set is the upbeat Latino flavored title track ‘Tasty’ that’ll quickly become one of the top 10 hits in your playlist. There are other little gems as well, like the heartfelt ballads ‘Never Let You Go’ and ‘I Love You’, and the oriental club hit ‘Pour It In My Cup’. So go ahead and make these gems yours!

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	kassondra brown saidJun 12 2008 10:58 pm hi

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Lisbon City Rockers

Written By: Tom Hannan
In a word: Elusive

The mysterious Lisbon City Rockers very much embody the old adage of ‘let the music do the talking’ – information on them is so sparse at present that we can’t even be entirely sure they exist. They’re Portuguese, we know that much, and also that theirs is a deep house sound that shares much in common with sultry soul and the odd parp of eyebrow raising jazz pilfering. We had to find that out ourselves by, y’know, listening to the record rather than encountering the Lisbon City Rockers through press hype or internet chitter chatter, but there’s something to be said for such old fashioned methods, you know.

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Pipco

Written By: Amy Smith

Pipco has an abstract and extraordinary approach to music making. The main chords often have different harmonies with additional instruments and percussion creating pure eclecticism. But that’s only what you hear the the first time round … Pipco a.k.a. Dominic has somehow managed to give his music a shape that attracts the listener back time and time again and all those afore mentioned abstract features recede into the background. The tracks on Pipco’s album flow into each other, making a whole soundscape, with an extraordinary and specific musical concept.

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Sohodolls

Written By: Amy Smith

Ever wondered what would come out if we took Edward Scissorhands and fixed him up with the sleeping beauty? Here’s the answer – The Sohodolls, a brand new act from London, England walking on a thin line between electro pop and punk rock tinged with a gothy feel and sexual content. Fresh out from London’s indie scene these dolls are already one of the biggest attractions of the passing ‘07 with their debut album ‘Ribbed Music for the Numb Generation’ (released this September) and unforgettable live shows resembling an ongoing Halloween party. The band consisting of Maya von Doll (vocals), Toni Sailor (guitar) and Weston Doll (keyboards) has found such an extremely explosive mega mix of glam, sex, Goth, burlesque, cabaret, pop, punk, and electro elements that they were simply destined to blow up onto the music scene sooner or later. And that’s exactly what happened! Check out the Sohodolls on RawRip as they’ll be one of the most talked about, bought, downloaded and played bands of the coming year.

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Soweto Kinch

Written By: Amy Smith

It is a well-known fact that many music genres have crossed each over time, Jazz and Hip Hop more so than most. A fine example of this “jazz + hip-hop” formula is London-based musician and rapper – Soweto Kinch. Soweto Kinch got caught by music at the age of nine, when he picked up the saxophone and clarinet, in 2001 Kinch alongside with bassist Michael Olatuja and drummer Troy Miller formed the Soweto Kinch Trio, which gained respect among jazz listeners and the band was honored with numerous prizes and awards. Soweto’s style is a very interesting and clever mixture of jazz, urban, spoken word and rap, and the alto sax musician easily combines all that stuff, making it easy listening for any kind of a jazz fan.

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The Boxhead Ensemble

Written By: Amy Smith

The Boxhead Ensemble is an avant garde experimental project of some of the Chicago alternative rock scene representatives… The name of The Boxhead Ensemble is probably known to all the avant garde experiment admirers, as the project is nothing but the unation of the Chicago avant garde rock artists. The Boxhead Ensemble members came from such groups as Eleventh Dream Day, Tortoise, Gastr Del Sol and others that represented the core of Chicago’s alternative scene. Boxhead is mostly know for the 1997’s critically acclaimed 'Dutch Harbor (Where The Sea Breaks Its Back)'– a soundrack that was recorded by the band and assembled by a composer Michael Krassner. 'Dutch Harbor' is a pure avant garde experiment made on the highest level. The psychedelic atmosphere that it leaves even after one track is enormous. All the tracks in the album have their own original message: the album’s first track 'Introduction', for instance, is a high-class chamber jazz, fused with disharmonic psycho-pads, which agonizing notes make an inexplicable feeling, the melancholic guitar notes mixed with disharmonic trumpet cuts played by Ken Vandermark or a ghostly 'The Valley', which hypnotizing piano and guitar sounds takes one breath away. The Boxhead Ensemble’s 'Dutch Harbor' is a brilliant example of an experimental album, where all tracks seem to be the composing parts of a whole 'picture'.

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The Roach Thompson Blues Band

Written By: Amy Smith

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Yorkshire Terrierz

Written By: Amy Smith

Leeds’ finest hip hop foursome might not have a title that’s particularly hotly contested, but one has a feeling that even if the Beastie Boys were to show up in town, the Yorkshire Terrierz would give them a good run for their money. Primary school friends who bonded over hip hop in the late eighties, they take their cues from the best – Public Enemy, NWA, Nas etc. – but provide a distinctly British twist. As with much UK hip hop, there’s also an admirable punk spirit to it all – albums are self released, pirate radio performances are electric and the scene, thanks in no small part to the Yorkshire Terrierz, thrives.

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Yorkshire Terrierz

Written By: Amy Smith

Leeds’ finest hip hop foursome might not have a title that’s particularly hotly contested, but one has a feeling that even if the Beastie Boys were to show up in town, the Yorkshire Terrierz would give them a good run for their money. Primary school friends who bonded over hip hop in the late eighties, they take their cues from the best – Public Enemy, NWA, Nas etc. – but provide a distinctly British twist. As with much UK hip hop, there’s also an admirable punk spirit to it all – albums are self released, pirate radio performances are electric and the scene, thanks in no small part to the Yorkshire Terrierz, thrives.

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Yorkshire Terrierz

Written By: Amy Smith

Leeds’ finest hip hop foursome might not have a title that’s particularly hotly contested, but one has a feeling that even if the Beastie Boys were to show up in town, the Yorkshire Terrierz would give them a good run for their money. Primary school friends who bonded over hip hop in the late eighties, they take their cues from the best – Public Enemy, NWA, Nas etc. – but provide a distinctly British twist. As with much UK hip hop, there’s also an admirable punk spirit to it all – albums are self released, pirate radio performances are electric and the scene, thanks in no small part to the Yorkshire Terrierz, thrives.

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Yorkshire Terrierz

Written By: Amy Smith

Leeds’ finest hip hop foursome might not have a title that’s particularly hotly contested, but one has a feeling that even if the Beastie Boys were to show up in town, the Yorkshire Terrierz would give them a good run for their money. Primary school friends who bonded over hip hop in the late eighties, they take their cues from the best – Public Enemy, NWA, Nas etc. – but provide a distinctly British twist. As with much UK hip hop, there’s also an admirable punk spirit to it all – albums are self released, pirate radio performances are electric and the scene, thanks in no small part to the Yorkshire Terrierz, thrives.

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Yorkshire Terrierz

Written By: Amy Smith

Leeds’ finest hip hop foursome might not have a title that’s particularly hotly contested, but one has a feeling that even if the Beastie Boys were to show up in town, the Yorkshire Terrierz would give them a good run for their money. Primary school friends who bonded over hip hop in the late eighties, they take their cues from the best – Public Enemy, NWA, Nas etc. – but provide a distinctly British twist. As with much UK hip hop, there’s also an admirable punk spirit to it all – albums are self released, pirate radio performances are electric and the scene, thanks in no small part to the Yorkshire Terrierz, thrives.

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Yorkshire Terrierz

Written By: Amy Smith

Leeds’ finest hip hop foursome might not have a title that’s particularly hotly contested, but one has a feeling that even if the Beastie Boys were to show up in town, the Yorkshire Terrierz would give them a good run for their money. Primary school friends who bonded over hip hop in the late eighties, they take their cues from the best – Public Enemy, NWA, Nas etc. – but provide a distinctly British twist. As with much UK hip hop, there’s also an admirable punk spirit to it all – albums are self released, pirate radio performances are electric and the scene, thanks in no small part to the Yorkshire Terrierz, thrives.

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Yorkshire Terrierz

Written By: Amy Smith

Leeds’ finest hip hop foursome might not have a title that’s particularly hotly contested, but one has a feeling that even if the Beastie Boys were to show up in town, the Yorkshire Terrierz would give them a good run for their money. Primary school friends who bonded over hip hop in the late eighties, they take their cues from the best – Public Enemy, NWA, Nas etc. – but provide a distinctly British twist. As with much UK hip hop, there’s also an admirable punk spirit to it all – albums are self released, pirate radio performances are electric and the scene, thanks in no small part to the Yorkshire Terrierz, thrives.

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