MARK TURNER wallows in the virtuosity of Swansea Jazz Festival openers, Simon Spillett and Pete Long

JUST when we all thought live music was back, along comes omicron to put the kibosh on things. Thankfully 2021 was a great year for new releases and especially for reissues on both CD and vinyl.
It is nigh on impossible to boil them down to just five releases — but here goes, and in no particular order.
Best global music/jazz reissue has to be Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela’s two-CD reissue of their magnificent Rejoice set on World Circuit. The original release kept me going thoughout the 2020 lockdown.

TONY BURKE explains how an internationally significant breakthrough for workers’ organisation and recognition against two notoriously anti-union global mega corporations has been finally achieved in Canada

TONY BURKE revels in the publication of previously unreleased tracks by the great US folksinger

This is a remarkable set of hop hip, salsa, reggae, soul, cumbia and traditional Mexican music finds TONY BURKE

New releases from Madalitso Band, Gabriel da Rosa, and Femi Kuti