Power Of Soul :: The Music Of CTI

CTI occupies a liminal space in the world of jazz – funky enough for the listener who may see straight-ahead as unapproachable, yet refined and technical enough to earn a nod of respect from world-class jazz musicians. Few labels with as consistent and signature a sound have been able to bridge generational gaps with such ease, attracting both wizened jazz hipsters and sample-heads alike.

Julien Lourau’s new lp, Power of Soul, treats these selections from CTI’s catalogue in a similar, straddling manner.

Venezuela 70: Cosmic Visions Of A Latin American Earth

Released in 2016, and followed with a second volume in 2018, Soul Jazz’s Venezuela 70: (Cosmic Visions of a Latin American Earth: Venezuelan Experimental Rock in the 1970’s) is a heady brew and one hot stew of a melting pot, blending Latin rhythms and Venezuelan roots with krautrock, baroque pop, intergalactic jazz, spaced-out garage rock, exotica lounge, and technicolor psych-pop.