20 years of anything is a long time and with the changing of trends and tastes, just reaching 10 is a difficult task but Gerald Short aka Jazzman Gerald seems to find a leveled balance between hard to find reissues and new releases to satisfy good music lovers craving to fill their crates. I’ve been a fan of Jazzman Records since 2000 during a time where the reissue game was still young and the label went the extra mile to reissue records that were rare during that time and even more so today in 2018 which shows Gerald’s Spidey senses for knowing what will withstand the test of time. Never one to be predictable, Jazzman always went left to educate buyers to music that the might not have been in the know of while most other labels today go right and for the obvious choices to capitalize on the quick sell and hype. Covering everything from Funk, Soul and Jazz to Easy Listening and Latin, reissues aren’t the only thing keeping them at the top as one of the finest labels around. They have an incredible discography of new releases as well as compilations featuring forgotten worlds of music that finally get to be heard on a wider scale.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, we’ve broken down 5 essential releases, both reissues and originals that should be in your crates and heavy rotation at any given point. Please note that with a lengthy discography, there are so many essentials that should be in your crates and we could very well do a top 100 list from them.
* IRP-3 – “Tema De Soninha”
* Sandi & Matues – “The World” pt. 1
* The Natural Yoghurt Band – “Soft Cheese”
* The Greg Foat Group – “Girl and Robot With Flowers”
* Manny Corchado and His Orchestra “Pow Wow”