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beverly glenn-copeland - s/t - super sonic jazz - vinyl

New Copy

Genre: Jazz

1. Color of Anyhow
2. Ghost House
3. Complainin' Blues
4. Swords of Gold
5. Song From Beads
6. Cumberland Passing
7. My Old Rag Or The Hysterical Virgin
8. Erzilli

Reissue of the rare 70’s folk-jazz record from Toronto based artist Beverly Glenn-Copeland previously released on the Canadian GRT imprint. Comes in a heavy tip-on sleeve.

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The debut release by Afro-Canadian singer, songwriter, and cult figure within new age experimental sounds, has been long sought after. The soulful jazz release, was original recorded in 1970 alongside musicians Dough Bush, Don Thompson, Terry Clark, Lenny Breau, Jeremy Steig and Ray Charles collaborator Doug Riley a.k.a. Dr. Music. Written when he was 26, the album is a testament to Copeland's stand-out songwriting, and earnest, beautiful vocal talents, fitting into the realms of spiritual folk.

Born into a musical family in Ottawa Canada, Beverly Glenn​-​Copeland studied the classical piano repertoire, after being brought up listening to his father playing at home. Following his studies, Copeland moved on to songwriting, in order to weave all the different musical cultures he had come to love. He is best known for the 1986 release Keyboard Fantasies, re-issued in 2017 by Invisible City, a record described as a mixture of "digital new age and early experimental Detroit techno." Now going by his name Glenn Copeland after gender transitioning, the singer songwriter also made a name for himself writing children's music for TV shows Sesame Street, and Mr. Dressup.

Referring back to his debut record, Copeland states: "I was a fresh-faced kid of twenty-six when I wrote these songs, only a few years out of the classical music world in which I had been immersed since childhood, performing the European classical song repertoire in concerts both live and for radio broadcast. So I sold my oboe, bought a guitar and began tuning it in wild and wonderful ways to more easily find the chords I had no idea how to find in the regular tuning. I didn't want to study anymore. I just wanted to write."

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Super-Sonic Jazz Label Bio

Named after the Sun Ra's acclaimed record from 1956, Super-Sonic Jazz is the label and event series run by Dutchman Kees Heus, a.k.a. KC The Funkaholic. Having already established Super-Sonic Jazz as one the leading nights for jazz, soul, African grooves and more at Amsterdam club Paradiso, it was inevitable Heus would take the next step, in releasing music to share with the community. To date, Super-Sonic Jazz has played host to a plethora of talents from across the world, with hip-swaggering style, and electronic-meets- rhythmic, soulful grooves. If you wanted to see Moses Sumney, Moses Boyd, or the Robert Glasper Experiment, then Paradiso is the place to be.

Prior to Super-Sonic Jazz, Heus was responsible for Kindred Spirits, the Paradiso night and Rush Hour distributed label that specialised in unearthing and sharing the wildest bohemian talents from the Netherlands -- including the likes of Jameszoo, Gallowstreet, Jungle By Night, Rednose Distrikt, and Kid Sublime -- along with records by cult international talents, and a select bunch of sought-after re-issues. Kindred Spirits became the global seal of approval for anything that was authentic, soulful, and slamming, and serves as the perfect platform for what Super-Sonic Jazz has, and will become.

Referring back to Sun Ra, who was responsible for the record from which the label is named after, Heus states; "His music and philosophy is a big inspiration, always pushing the boundaries of music." This philosophy is something constantly running through Super-Sonic Jazz. From the eclectic output, and styles, to the attention to detail and love for honesty, and love for the music, Super-Sonic Jazz is a true testament to one of The Netherlands most discerning of selectors. With select classic, epochal, and era-defining re-issues, to new and progressive, soul and jazz cuts primed for the modern listener, Super-Sonic Jazz is a true taste-maker's label.