This Is Book’s Music

There are many in hip-hop who have asked what happened to the female MC’s, as there seems to be no one in the mainstream who is doing their thing. The female DJ, however, is more obscure and almost a non-existent entity unless it’s someone in a clothing commercial. But if you know where to go, you’ll know where to find, see, and hear some of the best female DJ’s around. Head to San Francisco for a look at a new collective called Bay Area Sistah Sound (B.A.S.S.), formed by DJ Zita (Golden Soundscapes) and Pam The Funkstress (The Coup). They are taking their own love of DJ’ing and all that is vinyl to the forefront, to prove once again that DJ’ing is a place for both women and men, and that some of the best turntablists and vinyl junies are ladies who will not hesitate to go in front of you at a record convention to go through the crate you’re looking at.

Yes indeed, jazz and pop music fans, when you see the words Original Master Recording on top of the album cover, it means business. Frank Sinatra always meant business, and the folks at MOFI/MFSL are giving his Sinatra & Strings album, released by Reprise in 1962, the remastered treatment on vinyl.

The album was arranged and conducted by Don Costa, the first union between the two. Some of you will know him as the father of rock/soul singer Nikka Costa. Even if you’re not a fan of Sinatra, hearing Sinatra & Strings will give you a chance to hear how great those classic recording studios sounded in the early 1960′s, one of many reasons why fans and collectors continue to seek and explore the Sinatra catalog.

Those who have already ordered this pressing of Sinatra & Strings will be happy to know that the albums were shipped to customers on September 16th. You can order your copy directly from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.

Herbie Mann covered a lot of ground in his lifetime, and there are many albums in his very deep catalog that people love to go back to. One of them was released on Atlantic in 1962, a live recording called Herbie Mann at the Village Gate. Newly remastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray for Audio Fidelity, the album may have featured only three songs, but it brought jazz to an audience who didn’t know they needed it. “Comin’ Home Baby”, the shortest song on the album at 8:37, was edited for release as a single and managed to give Mann a Top 30 hit. Versions of “It Ain’t Necessarily So” and “Summertime” (both George Gershwin compositions) brought fans down to their knees at record stores, imagine what it must’ve been like for those who witnessed these performances.

This remaster is vinyl-only and will be pressed on 180g virgin vinyl. You can pre-order your copy from ElusiveDisc.com.

Maybe you realized Sean Paul‘s new album was not as good as you had hoped, and you need to get rid of the embarrassment. Maybe Delly Ranx will come to the rescue.

He has seen a good amount of radio success since 2001 with a few of his previous singles and compilatiopn appearances, but now he’s going to show fans he can handle the endurance in long form with Good Profile (Itation. The album was released yesterday (September 15th), but you can take a listen to excerpts of it by clicking here.

If you’re a classic rock fan, you’ll have to pick up these two newly-remastered CD’s when they are released on September 29th.

Why? are the band you see here giving a high five to the mirror, and they have a new album coming out next called Eskimo Snow. A new album made the group feel like it was time for new management. So here’s a video explaining this, and they introduce their new manager/guru to the team.