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Starting off a warm drizzly morning with a disc released in May that my wife really likes and requested. . . . José James “1978 Revenge of the Dragon” Rainblow Blonde cd   From a chatbot description: José James released his 13th studio album, 1978: Revenge of The Dragon, on May 16, 2025, via his own Rainbow Blonde Records. The album, inspired by the year of his birth, explores the rebellious, underground spirit of the late 1970s, drawing from jazz fusion, kung fu cinema, and Blaxploitation films, in contrast to its predecessor, 1978 (2024), which evoked the disco era of Studio 54. Recorded live to tape in one take at Dreamland Studios, a restored 19th-century church near Woodstock, New York, the project features a tight ensemble including Taali on vocals, BIGYUKI on keys and analog synth, Jharis Yokley on drums, bassists David Ginyard and Kyle Miles, and a brass section with Takuya Kuroda, Ebban Dorsey, and Ben Wendel. The album blends four original tracks with four reimagined classics, including Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” Herbie Hancock’s “I Thought It Was You,” the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,” and the Bee Gees’ “Inside And Out”. The lead single, “They Sleep, We Grind (for Badu),” is a hypnotic groove steeped in dub, funk, and sampledelia, featuring a mantra-like hook and lyrical nods to Erykah Badu, Bob Marley, and Nas, and is accompanied by a kung fu short film. The album’s title and cover pay homage to Bruce Lee and the cultural impact of 1978’s kung fu cinema.

😁 👍 Excellent!

A nice find at a downtown fleamarket last Sunday: Prestige LP 190, Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk, original 10" pressing from the mid-50s Jacket with visibly considerable ring wear, plus (inconspicuously repairable - and now repaired) seam splits, but vinyl sounds fine and plays very well, with hardly any background noise (might even be graded VG+ by some).  Cost me 12.50 EUR. But this still seems to be a very good price, judging by Discogs where only one original pressing - in poorer condition - is currently for sale (at 50 EUR), and where even the average prices of past sales are higher than these 50 EUR. Popsike gives the same overall picture. So ... I'm pleased!       

Saw her live at the Jazz Od Nowa Festival in Toruń, our twin town in Poland, February 20, 2019