VA - Jazz Dispensary Hotel Jolie Dame (2023)

Our Record Store Day 2023 compilation Hotel Jolie Dame takes listeners on a trip back to the summer of 1978, to an imaginary hotel deep in the heart of the French Riviera, for a day of love, abandonment, and a whole lot of psychedelia, soundtracked by sweet themes from Dizzy Gillespie, The Blackbyrds, Dorothy Ashby, and many more. Limited to 5,000 copies worldwide and pressed on Psych-Sunset Orange Marble vinyl. Welcome to Hotel JD, your gateway into the highest society.

Hotel Jolie Dame opens with “A Beginning Dream,” an instrumental slice of 1969 sunshine pop, courtesy of Triste Janero. The magic continues with Uruguayan/American fusion group, Opa, and their far-out 1976 suite, “Tombo / La Escuela / Tombo / The Last Goodbye.” As the sun sets and the moon begins to rise, guests are greeted with “Ozone Madness,” a supremely funky number from Dizzy Gillespie and Lalo Schifrin’s 1977 collab, Free Ride. The Blackbyrds’ ultra-smooth “Summer Love,” off their 1974 self-titled debut, closes out Side A.

Opening Side B is a cinematic cover of James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” recorded in 1973 by vibraphonist Cal Tjader. The night progresses with Flora Punim’s otherworldly 1973 song, “Light as a Feather,” followed by the whimsical “In the Heart of a Rose,” off 1968’s The Amazing New Electronic Pop Sound of Jean Jacques-Perrey. As the sun rises, harpist Dorothy Ashby’s 1958 rendition of “There’s a Small Hotel” echoes through the hallways, leaving one to wonder if it was all a dream. The only way to find out is to flip the record over again…and press play.

Tracklist
01. Triste Janero - A Beginning Dream (01:17)
02. Opa - Tombo / La Escuela / Tombo / The Last Goodbye (05:18)
03. Dizzy Gillespie - Ozone Madness (06:28)
04. The Blackbyrds - Summer Love (05:09)
05. Cal Tjader - Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (03:43)
06. Flora Purim - Light As A Feather (05:58)
07. Jean-Jacques Perrey - In The Heart Of A Rose (02:41)
08. Dorothy Ashby - There’s A Small Hotel (05:51)