“Power Bossa” is the introduction to Fab
Samperi’s definition of a boombastic jazz style. Fearlessly and creatively
picking up inspiration from the golden decades of classic rhythm & blues,
latin, hip-hop and soul Sicily’s most prolific producer releases his first full
album.

Growing up in Catania during the late Seventies
and Eighties Fab Samperi was born into a household full of funky grooves. While
his father was a serious collector of jazz records, Fab got to know his
brother’s soul collection inside out when he was treated to all night vinyl
sessions. Over the years Fab started to travel the world, living in Japan as
well as Australia and learned his trade by playing a genre-bending mix of funk
versus afro meets hip-hop on stage with the Outbound collective.

Returning to his home country by the turn
of the millennium Fab Samperi released his first solo tunes on Record Kicks and
Afro Art. Using the The Samp Brothers as his alter ego the “Alcoholic Drinks”
12inch vinyl still enjoys something like a cult status among the more eclectic
DJs around the world. This was a fresh sound transferring the best of Acid Jazz
into the new decade while keeping a true soul spirit alive. Think of Dream
Warriors and Gang Starr with Young-Holt Unlimited as the backing band. And we
do not disclose well-kept secrets in revealing that Fab Samperi is the
mastermind behind The Captain’s highly productive output of vinyl singles.

Now we have “Power Bossa” and what a
powerful statement it really is. Fab Samperi recorded the album in as many as
six countries. While kicking off with “In The River”, playlisted on the BBC and
sealed by Craig Charles featuring the man Samperi himself on flute (yes, he is
a well-studied multi-instrumentalist playing keyboards, drums, guitars and
brass!) the mighty John Turrell from Newcastle England puts his distinctive
northern soul voice on “Everyman”. Samperi’s close connection to Smoove &
Turrell is no coincidence. With their organic approach to the music they love
this is a natural connection. Bella Wagner from Vienna, vocalist on “Stand
Back”, already recorded with Patrick Pulsinger and Bahama Soul Club. Jonnathan
Molina on the other hand is a new face on the block. His voice for “Listen Up”
keeps the fire burning with an authentic soul twist.

“Red Bossa” is a liaison with Mattew
Rasbash aka Spasmo, an English producer with an incredible knowledge of
cinematic jazz, dramatic bossa and obscure jazz-rock. Holding the pace but
adding a breathless rap flavour to “Brand New Day” Joelistics aka Joel Ma of
the Australian TZU crew takes us back to the age when hip-hop was what it all
was about: lyrical vitality, an open mind and pure energy. The instrumental
version of “Alcoholic Drinks” is a trip way back into Fab Samperi’s history,
but it still sounds fresh today. It blends nicely into “Jazz Di Mezzaluna”, an
authentic piece of Mediterranean Jazz featuring a solo by Andrea Beneventano,
one of the national top players on the piano. Rounding up this jazz intermezzo
on “Power Bossa” is “Spaghetti Samba”, Samperi’s early single on Record Kicks
featuring the vocals of Igor Gazatti aka Zion from Recife in Brazil. Soul
brother John Turrell makes his return on “Heaven Sent”, again this was recorded
with Smoove at his Ashbrooke Castle studios in downtown Newcastle.

“BB Funk” kicks in with a haunting bass
line courtesy of the man Fab Samperi himself: “People think there is a lot of
sampling in my music, but it is not. This bassline, for example, was played and
written completely by myself.” And while Samperi is not only an expert musician
himself, he is also busy remixing tunes for other artists. The French freakbeat
of “Papillonne Sur Moi” is an example of his recent output, commissioned by
fellow Italians Montefiori Cocktail & In-Grid.

Closing the album Samperi reunites with
Andrew Donikian aka Diamond Poet and revives the Outbound era with “When I Wake
Up.” The music may have evolved since then, but the message in Fab Samperi’s
music has not: “The message behind it is that I believe in a multicultural
world, where people can live their lives in peace, with no racism, and no war.”
This statement is as simple as it is true: Peace, love, unity and having bossa!

Tracklisting:

01. In The River
02. Everyman feat. John Turrell
03. Stand Back feat. Bella Wagner
04. Listen Up feat. Jonnathan Molina
05. Red Bossa
06. Brand New Day feat. Joelistics (Psychedelic
Bossa Mix)
07. Alcoholic Drinks (Instrumental)
08. Jazz Di Mezzaluna (Agogo Edit)
09. Spaghetti Samba feat. Igor Gazatti
10. Heaven Sent feat. John Turrell
11. BB Funk
12. Montefiori Cocktail feat. In-grid ‘Papillonne
Sur Moi’ (Fab Samperi Remix)
13. When I Wake Up