Baltic Jazz Recordings - Re:visioned (2023)

BALTIC JAZZ RECORDINGS is a new (ish) label based in the UK’s music capital… Liverpool! The label’s name, I’m guessing, refers to where the label is located – Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle – an edgy, but burgeoning area full of media and music entrepreneurs making their way.

Get to know what the Baltic Jazz label has to offer viaa new album, ‘REVISIONED’ which champions some of the up and coming jazz and soul talents in the north west offering new interpretations of some well-known soul and jazz and underground tracks.

The album has been put together by head boy and garlanded, veteran music producer Steve Levine and the set’s first two singles were well-received. First there was ‘Changing Everyday’ featuring Ni Maxime. It’s a song dear to Steve’s heart – he produced the original 40 years ago for Culture Club! Here he gives the song a jazzier feel with a sweet vocal from Ms Maxime. This new version has won plenty of praise – even from Boy George! The LP’s second single was a cover of the Clash’s ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’. Steve was one of the engineers on the original recording and here, he and vocalist Lois Levin create something very different from that well-known original.

Amongst the other tracks on ‘Revisioned’ are covers of Chic’s ‘Sao Paulo'(with fluid sax from Paul Von Mertens), Deodato’s ‘Super Strut’, Ronnie Laws’ ‘Never Be The Same’ and the Crusaders’ ‘Spiral’ – which, here, is given a real feel good makeover with, once again, sax man Paul Von Mertens ably supported by The Air Horns. It all makes for an exciting and intriguing project.