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This week's Top Tips have split in two. We asked Sushil K Dade to contribute to our weekly post and he got a bit carried away so we thought he warranted a post all of his own. Sushil is currently the producer of Radio Scotland's The Jazz House, Wednesday nights 8pm, pop pickers.

Over to Sushil:

Taken By Trees - East of Eden (Rough Trade)
This was the first CD I played in my newly bought R Reg Pillar Box Red Diesel Ford Fiesta a few days ago...(nb other cars are available...Ed) Imagine Leonard Cohen and Nico lost in the Indo sub-continent with Camera Obscura vocal stylings coming to their rescue and you may get some idea of this wonderful disc which was recorded in Pakistan. The production is post-modern with plenty of cut/paste which works really well with the organic impression, and the fragility in the main voice is a real treat driving along the mean streets of Glasgow in my dub mobile...

Portico Quartet - Isla (Real World Records)
I was lucky enough to produce a session with this group for the Jazz House programme a year or so ago...the band use a tantalizing instrument known as a (looks like a wok and sounds like a baby steel drum!)...if you like your jazz soaked in Pharoah Sanders treatment drenched with a dose of Philip Glass this is the ultimate for refreshing tired modern minds...beautiful artwork too and adding to the treasures of the Real World catalogue.

(DVD)
An extraordinary film out now on DVD capturing two great masters of improvised musics in a disused sugar factory in Germany.The emotional content of Glennie and Frith's pieces reaches a climax during 'A Little Prayer' which is worth watching for this scene alone...inspiring to the highest order and captured with breathtaking cinematography. You can catch a rare screening of this movie for FREE as part of this year's on Sunday October 4th at the CCA in Glasgow.