Various – Messin Around 5

The Messin´ Around club night has been running since 1996 and was conceived by JazzCotech Dancers´ Perry Louis and Andy Hobdell with Adrian Gibson, The Jazz Caf� Promoter/DJ and now Freestyle Records main man. It is now the longest running club night ever featured in Jazz Caf� history and one of the longest running Saturday club nights in London – an accomplishment that will not easily be surpassed. On the music front, the session has always prided itself as being for those who appreciate good music and the Messin´ Around DJs, both residents and the numerous guests over the years, have worked hard delving into vaults and dusty warehouses (stepping over the odd cockroach or two!) around the world to ensure that quality is maintained; they are truly inspirational – pushing the Messin´ Around sound to new boundaries all the time.



Volume 5 of the series continues the quest to give you good quality jazz-related music that is both accessible and makes you want to shake your booty. As always, the sound is easily identifiable as a fusion of hard funk, quality boogie, danceable Latin and a touch of jazz, featuring old classics alongside some groundbreaking new releases and classics in the making.



Starting with the stiring “I Bet You Thought I´d Never Find You” by Palimpsest, CD1 twists and turns, taking in the Big Band style of the Colman Brothers, the deep dancefloor jazz of the Plumstead Radical Club, the lush instrumentation of Nostalgia 77 and a cover of the recently departed Jon Lucien´s “Who Will Buy” from Detroit legend Sheila Landis. It closes with Sleepwalkers sweeping “Ai No Tabi” � a modern classic.



CD2 kicks off with the huge Bush-baitng “Mr President” from The Soul Jazz Orchestra, a marching Afro-beat call to arms, which has recently become a radio hit in France. From therein, it takes in disco, boogie, Latin and soul, all with an emphasis on stiring the emotions and hitting you where it matters � on the dancefloor. The final track was recorded live at the Jazz Caf� many moons ago and is a fitting close to this album



Also included on CD2 is an exclusive video for Elizabeth Shepherd´s “Four” featuring the Jazzcotech dancers, an integral part of the Messin´ Around vibe and veterans of the jazz dance scene. The track was featured on the last Messin´ Around compilation and has become an anthem at the session � by the moves it induces, it´s no secret why!