A really revolutionary album – both at the time it was released, and all these many years later! In a surprising nod to the younger generation, Blue Note opened the door to Madlib – already making a name with his array of great projects at the start of the century – an early part of his legacy of bringing in lots of jazz energy to hip hop production! The album wasn't the first effort of this nature, but certainly set a new standard – one that so many others have tried to match over the years, but never got this right. The set's got a fair bit of live jazz work – in the mode of Madlib's Yesterdays New Quintet project – mixed with all sorts of cool production elements too. We love the vibes of Ahmad Miller especially in the lineup – and titles include reworks of "Montara", "Song For My Father", "Footprints", "Stepping Into Tomorrow", "Peace/Dolphin Dance", "Stormy", "Distant Land", and "Slim's Return" – plus the original "Funky Blue Note". (Hip Hop, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Wicked funk from Japanese keyboardist Norio Maeda – also a hell of an arranger, too – as you'll hear on this superb set from the start of the 70s! The record's one of those key albums that took a 60s groovy Japanese sound much further into the future – giving the whole thing a sharper edge, with heavier drums – and using trippy guitar, weird flute lines, and keyboards to give the whole thing a vibe that's almost more blacksploitation or kung fu soundtrack than most of what Maeda had done before! Tracks are all pretty lively, and work together as a sweet set of grooves – almost with a funky Lalo Schifrin sort of vibe – and all the notes and titles are in Japanese, or else we'd have even more information to convey. LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie Mann returns to the stage at the Newport Jazz Festival – but opens up in ways that are even hipper than some of his other material from that scene! The tracks here are quite long – driven by some great rhythms from Carlos Patao Valdez, and featuring round, rolling basslines from the mighty Reggie Workman. And in addition to Herbie's own smoking work on flute, the set also features great young trumpet from Jimmy Owens – whose bold style here really gives the record a nice sort of depth. The set features four tracks from Newport, plus one more studio number with Attila Zoller on guitar – and titles include "Project S", "Scratch", "She's A Carioca", and "All Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Terrace Martin is an artist who just keeps on getting deeper and deeper over the years – an already-great jazz musician, but one who's widened his scope to touch on broader currents of soul and hip hop – all of which really open up with the jazz-based energy at the core! At some level, this record might be to Martin's career what the Black Radio project was to Robert Glasper – as Terrace opens the door to all-star guests who include Kim Burrell, Leon Bridges, Ty Dolla $ign, Kendrick Lamar, Kamasi Washington, and even Glasper himself – while also finding space to serve up a few key tracks on his own, without any guests – tracks that may well be some of our favorite on the album. Titles include "Turning Poison Into Medicine", "Drones", "Leave Us Be", "Don't Let Go", "Listen", "Sick Of Cryin", "Leimert Park", "Tapped", and "Griots Of The Crenshaw District". LP, Vinyl record album

The electric years of Miles Davis have left a huge legacy in music – one that's referenced again and again, and continually revisited by generations of musicians, both young and old! Here, that legacy gets some especially nice treatment – by a group of artists who include some key collaborators with Miles in years back, plus other musicians too – in a project that even features two unreleased solo performance by Davis himself! Vince Wilburn Jr is the leader of the project, and players are almost far too many to mention here – so we'll just list a few – including Wallace Roney, Bernard Wright, Vernon Reid, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, Marcus Miller, Jeremy Pelt, John Scofield, and Lenny White – all working in deeply layered territory that definitely pushes the older electric mode forward. Titles include "Over My Shoulder", "Hail To The Real Chief (long version)", "Mellow Kisses", "That You Dare Not To Forget", and "Bitches Are Back". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Sun Ra, taken into very different territory – every bit as cosmic as before, but maybe also a bit more down to earth in its presentation! Sun Ra classics are reworked here by a mix of different Brazilian musicians, with contributions from a few key American artists who really enrich the soulful qualities of the proceedings – with results that are tremendous, and which make the record one of the real standout projects in the long legacy of Red Hot recordings! The sounds here are all original, created for the project – and the Brazilian artists include some of our favorite underground talents of the past decade, mixed with a few who are more well-established, yet still very much on the left side of the spectrum! Titles include "Astroblack Orunmila" with Jazzmeia Horn & Orquestra Afrosinfonica, "Interstellar Low Ways" with Hamilton De Holanda Trio, "When There Is No Sun (Intergalactic version)" with Xenia Franca & Tigana Santana, "Eu Sou Um Instrumento" with Fabricio Boliveira & Jazzmeia Horn, "O Codigo" with Fabricio Boliveira & Edbrass Brasil, "Nature's God" with Meshell Ndegeocello & Munir Hossn, and "Nine Rocket For The Planet" with Meta Meta & Edgar. LP, Vinyl record album

A Chicago group with a really great approach to improvisation – long tracks that seem to build out of a slow pulses of energy between the players – finding their "groove" at the start, letting things flow, then really adding a lot of their own voices to the mix! The main trio features Charlie Kirchen on bass, which is really the core of the sound – plus Ryan Packard on drums and a bit of electronics, and Paul Giallorenzo on electronics, keyboards, and pump organ – the last of which sounds as cool as you might imagine – and which really unlocks the sonic possibilities of the project! The great Ben Lamar Gay appears on side b, the long track "The End" – and his work on cornet really adds a lot of spirit and soul to the cut – a nice break from the others in a really great way. But side a is great too – and features the long improvisation "The Beginning". LP, Vinyl record album

The second set from Resavoir – a project headed by Chicago producer/musician Will Miller, an artist who's had a lot of experience in the higher reaches of the hip hop scene – but who here gives himself over to much more personal, introspective modes! Yet the album's not a solo effort either, as Miller works with a host of other musicians in a groove that's fluid, often soulful, and yet very laidback – maybe an answer to some of the more meditative projects on the International Anthem label, as the work moves at the pace of some of those, but with more of an electric soul at the core. Titles include "Midday", "Sunset", "Future", "Blutopia", "Facets", "Heavenly", and "Inside Minds". LP, Vinyl record album

The second set from Resavoir – a project headed by Chicago producer/musician Will Miller, an artist who's had a lot of experience in the higher reaches of the hip hop scene – but who here gives himself over to much more personal, introspective modes! Yet the album's not a solo effort either, as Miller works with a host of other musicians in a groove that's fluid, often soulful, and yet very laidback – maybe an answer to some of the more meditative projects on the International Anthem label, as the work moves at the pace of some of those, but with more of an electric soul at the core. Titles include "Midday", "Sunset", "Future", "Blutopia", "Facets", "Heavenly", and "Inside Minds". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime quartet, coming together here for a really unique session – one that's got a very modal vibe mixed with some freer moments served up by a piano-less group with a very special sound! Bassist Josh Werner got the whole project together, and the set's got a rock-solid foundation in his beautiful basslines – spun out alongside the drums of Ches Smith, while James Brandon Lewis solos on tenor and Patrick Holmes on clarinet – both players using these long, soulful lines that perfectly fit the modal movement of the energy! Lewis is especially powerful – the album may be one of his most spiritual recordings ever – and titles include "If Not That", "Gotham Rundown", "Ill Scenario 2", "Embody", "Resilient Vessels", "Exit Realms", and "Green Paper Tea". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunningly expansive project from Argentine jazz genius Jorge Lopez Ruiz – one that takes off in even more ambitious territory than his Bronca Buenos Aires album from a few years before! Ruiz plays all sorts of great Fender Rhodes throughout, leading a larger group that mixes tenor, alto, guitar, piano, bass, and drums with a group of singers who are often soaring in this wordless mode that's completely heavenly – next to spoken passages by writer Jose Tcherkaski, who comes into the mix from time to time, delivering these striking words in Spanish, which combine with the instrumentation in this very majestic way! The album's a full suite of tracks – similar to other larger projects from Ruiz – and sections include "Pido Perdon Por Los Muertos", "Creo Que Ayer Me Asesinaron", "Quienes Tendran La Vida Por Delante", and "Coraje Buenos Aires". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album – and one of the most groundbreaking blends of jazz and global music ever recorded! Reedman Tony Scott plays here with a little-known group of Indonesian jazz players – brought together in a special project for MPS/Saba records, in a blend of modal jazz elements and other tunes that really find a way to echo the gamelan styles that you might expect from Indonesian music – emphasized by the group's phrasing on piano, guitar, and siter, as well as Scott's interweaving lines on clarinet! The sound is fantastic, completely other worldly, and must be heard to be believed – served up with other players who include Marjono on tenor and vocal, Bubi Chen on piano and sitar, Jack Lesmana on guitar, Yopi Chen on bass, and Benny Mustafa on drums. Tracks include "Ilir Ilir", "Gambang Suling", "Djanger Bali", and an amazing rendition of "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious albums on CTI – a very large project in which Don Sebesky seems to work with just about everyone else who recorded for the label! The Giant Box title is apt – as the record originally came packaged in a cardboard box – room enough to hold the 2 records that comprised it, all the long tunes on the set, and the huge array of cast who helped out on the project. Players include Sebesky on organ, piano, and electric piano – plus Baws, Joe Farrell, Paul Desmond, and many others. There's some sweet vocal backgrounds on the set – by Jackie & Roy, Lani Groves, and Tasha Thomas – and titles include "Vocalise", "Semi Tough", "Firebird/Birds Of Fire", "Free As A Bird", and "Song To A Seagul". Great stuff – with bits of funk, jazz, and ambitious arrangements – all filtered into the cool CTI sound! LP, Vinyl record album

A great later project from Horace Silver – as hip as any of his late 70s work, and with vocals by both Andy Bey and The Waters! LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool project – one that was initiated by the late Tony Allen in collaboration with Detroit keyboardist/percussionist Jeff Mills – and which is carried forth here by a trio with a really soaring, far-reaching vibe! Percussion is at the core – played both by Mills and by Prabhu Edouard, who adds in all this great work on tablas, which grounds the acoustic side of the record – as Jean Phi Dary plays keyboards along with Mills, and really sends the whole thing climbing to the skies! There's a mix of jazz and broken beat energy going on here – although the beats certainly aren't broken, and we're using that reference to indicate some of the best spiritual inspirations of the 4Hero generation. Yet these guys are definitely onto something new, and very much their own – on titles that include "Rising Water", "Words Of Wisdom", "Peace Pipe", and "Metamorphosis". (New Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A rare oddity – and a surprisingly nice record! Sarah Vaughan sings the words of Pope John Paul II – but set to groovy arrangements by Francy Boland, conducted by Lalo Schifrin! This trio of secular talents helps make the album much nicer than you'd expect – an unusual later project from Gigi Campi! (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual project from the team of tenorist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd – and one that really represents the compelling directions they've taken in recent years! The group here is a trio, with key contributions from Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx – who provides all these extra sonic touches and additional live instrumentation to create a rich tapestry of different elements, which are still grounded strongly by the acoustic performances of Binker and Moses! Golding is especially great in the setting – almost set free a bit more than usual, which creates some wonderfully soulful passages on his tenor – on titles that include "First Light", "The Spanish Master", "Tigris", "Ted", and "Cesca". LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest album ever to be issued under the Globe Unity label – a very early project headed up by the mighty pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach – and a record that's noteworthy for the first album to feature the work of Peter Brotzmann and Peter Kowald! Right from the start, the vibe is completely in line with the highest ideals of the improvising orchestra – Schlippenbach directing the group and playing piano – in a large lineup that also features Brotzmann on alto, Manfred Schoof on cornet, Gerd Dudek on tenor, Willem Breuker on baritone, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet, Karl Berger on vibes, and Peter Kowald and Buschi Niebergall on basses, one in each channel! And alongside these free jazz heavyweights, the album also sports the amazing rhythm duo of future prog rock giants Jaki Liebezeit and Mani Neumeier – both working here at a level that matches the free improvisations of the others – on two side-long tracks, titled "Globe Unity" and "Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s sound library record, but one that's also very different than most – as Christian Zysset put together the whole thing more as a jazz record with long, extended tracks – instead of the more typical batch of shorter themes and songs! The set's got a largeish group who stay together throughout – trumpets, saxes, and trombones that soar together, but have breakout solos too – some with an edge that almost hints at avant jazz, yet which still has the rest of the ensemble moving forward in a rich array of tones and colors! The project is similar to some of those excellent and overlooked French ensemble experiments from the early 70s – often issued on smaller indie labels, like this – and with a really great play between the farther reaches of individual identities, and the more cohesive soul of the band. Titles include four long themes – "Theme 1 Medium Pop", "Theme 2 Medium Jazz", "Theme 3 Medium Free Jazz", and "Theme 4 Lento Misterioso". (Sound Library, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

The keyboards of Greg Foat have a really great setting here in a collaboration with Gigi Masin – served up in a style that's maybe more laidback and spacious than before, yet in a way that makes us fall in love with Greg's electric piano lines all over again! Masin's got roots in more ambient sounds, but the record definitely has a jazz approach at the core – plenty of the increasingly sensitive styles that Foat has developed as the years moved on – shifting from an initial role as a guy who could handle vintage keys, to a point where he's really emerged as a more fully-fledged jazz player overall! The blend of keyboards and a larger sonic palette still has plenty of live instrumentation in the mix – different than a project of this sort by an artist like Bugge Wesseltoft – and titles include "London Nights", "Viento Calido", "Your Move", "Sabena", "Leo Theo", "Love Theme", and "Dolphin". LP, Vinyl record album

Tight funky fusion from a masterful collective – a great supergroup from the late electric years of the CTI label! The combo features Joe Farrell on tenor, Ronnie Foster and Don Grusin on keyboards, John McLaughlin and Larry Coryell on guitars, Stanley Clarke on bass, and Lenny White, Tony Williams, and Ndugu Chancler on drums – all top-shelf players, but artists who also really respect the vision of the whole project – and allow the grooves to develop without too much competition or overblown modes! The keyboards and guitar are a great match with Farrell's always-great lines on tenor – and titles include "Grand Prix", "Sunshine Lady", "To Whom All Things Concern", "Double Steal", "Waterside", and "Taxi Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Quincy Jones may be best remembered for his funky soundtrack work of the 70s – but the man can also hit a deeper, more serious vein when he wants – as he does on this ambitious album-length project inspired by the landmark Roots mini-series! The music isn't a straight soundtrack from the program, but instead evokes the longer narrative over the passage of its different selections – working as its own "saga of an American family", as it moves from African roots, through years of oppression, to moments of pride and power – amidst larger orchestrations from Jones, with help from Letta Mbulu on some key vocals, and more help from Bill Summers, James Cleveland, and even Lou Gossett. Titles include "Many Rains", "Free At Last", "Jumpin De Broom", "Ole Fiddler", "Boyhood To Manhood", "Oluwa", and "Motherland". (Soundtracks, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be put off by the title, because this is hardly the sort of ballet you might see at the opera house – and instead features some of the best early modern jazz work from the great Krzysztof Komeda. The title track is the ultimate recording of one of the most ambitious works ever composed by Komeda – as the "Ballet Etudes" suite was originally composed for the 1962 Jazz Jamboree festival, but this later recording is even better than the original – a side-long piece that opens up with wonderful complexity, yet never fails to swing. The track's a wonderfully haunting work – sort of like some of Mingus' larger concept pieces of the late 50s, built around a specific project, a jazz ballet, but also working perfectly as a showcase for the rich solo talents of the members of the group – who include Allan Botschinsky on trumpet and Jan Wroblewski on tenor! Wroblewski returns on the second half – which features long readings of the Komeda originals "Alea" and "Crazy Girl" – the latter of which may get its best performance ever here, thanks to bold rhythms from Roman Dylag on bass and Rune Carlsson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". LP, Vinyl record album

Tenorist James Brandon Lewis is easily one of the most important voices on his instrument in recent years – and also one of the most versatile too, as is shown in this project with the guitar-driven group The Messthetics! Two of the group's members hail from legendary punk band Fugazi, but clearly come across here with a different vibe overall – still using guitar, bass, and drums in ways that echo rock roots – but with a more rhythmic approach, and one that acts as a surprisingly strong setting for Lewis' solos! This isn't some cheap "punk jazz", but instead a wonderfully well-crafted hybrid of modes – one that really notches things up for both Lewis and the group. Titles include "Railroad Tracks Home", "The Time Is The Place", "That Thang", "Emergence", "L'Orso", and "Boatly". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful project from late 80s Blue Note – a group that features trumpet and arrangements from Don Sickler, plus some great help from Bobby Watson as well – all to craft a sound that's as rich, soaring, and joyous as any solo projects from either player! The group's an octet, but have the tightness of a Blue Note quintet from the 60s – working with sharp arrangements in a really classic sound – one that has the horns in tight formation, but also really opens up to solo space right away – allowing plenty of room for Sickler on trumpet, Watson on alto, Frank Lacy on trombone, Roy Hargrove on trumpet and flugelhorn, Bill Pierce on tenor, and Mulgrew Miller on piano. The bass of Bob Hurst and drums of Kenny Washington provide some smoking rhythms throughout – and titles include "Open Sesame", "Conservation", "M&M", "Time Off", and "Marvelous Marvin". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic early set featuring the Jazz Messengers back when the group was less of an Art Blakey project, and more of an all-around affair – as you might guess from a lineup that also includes Horace Silver on piano, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor, and Doug Watkins on bass! The live set is one of the earliest and purest versions of Blakey's hardbop vision, touched with the slightly exotic lyricism of Silver, which gives the tracks a wonderful edge. The playing is excellent throughout – and the album's the kind of live stormer that shows why the group were such a huge draw right out of the box, and why they performed as well (if not better) in a live setting than they did in a studio one! LP, Vinyl record album

A massive little record, and a real turning point for alto genius Lou Donaldson – as he uses the set to move from the tight bop of earlier years into a whole new spectrum of funky grooves! Key to this project is drummer Idris Muhammad – who's on the kit, already kicking it up in the way that would make him a jazz funk legend as the 70s began – but so young here, he's working under his original name of Leo Morris! The rest of the group is equally great – with the up-and-coming Lonnie Smith on Hammond and Jimmy Ponder on guitar – plus tight trumpet from Blue Mitchell, who's really hitting his most soulful sound of the 60s. Titles include Donaldson's fantastic funky reworking of "Ode To Billie Joe" – a very famous sample cut over the years – plus the soulful groovers "The Humpback", "Peepin", "The Kid", and a nice take on "The Shadow Of Your Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest collaborations of the post-punk years in England – a one-off project that unites reedman Lol Coxhill with Gerry & The Holograms – an offbeat combo who were perfect for the odd range of ideas that Coxhill always wanted to express! Lol's best known these days for his free jazz improvisations – but back in the 70s, he would often cross the tracks to work with artists in a range of different styles – which he does here beautifully, adding both his voice and his reeds to the record – while the rest of the group create tunes that are slightly punky, sometimes funky, and resonate with the best spirit of the DIY generation. Titles include "Discolero", "Rhino Whip", "Snap It Around", "Relentless", "Camracadabra", "Psychle Sluts", "Samurai Swords", and "You Were Never There". Also features bonus tracks "Cob On" and "Tootsies". (Rock, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by The Heath Brothers – a lot slicker and smoother than their earlier album for Strata East, but still filled with a soulful jazzy approach that befits their rich talents! By the point of this set, Jimmy Heath, once a rougher talent on the tenor, had emerged as one of the smooth soul maestros on the instrument – ranking next to Grover Washington Jr and Stanley Turrentine for a mellifluous sound and well-timed approach to the solo. Heath's written some great tracks here that are underpinned nicely by brother Percy's strong work on bass – still acoustic amidst some added electric instrumentation on some of the tracks. Titles include "Passion Flower", "Move to The Groove", "Feelin Dealin", "Project S", "The Voice Of The American Saxophone (from Afro American Suite of Evolution)", and "A Time & A Place (There's)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". LP, Vinyl record album

The electric years of Miles Davis have left a huge legacy in music – one that's referenced again and again, and continually revisited by generations of musicians, both young and old! Here, that legacy gets some especially nice treatment – by a group of artists who include some key collaborators with Miles in years back, plus other musicians too – in a project that even features two unreleased solo performance by Davis himself! Vince Wilburn Jr is the leader of the project, and players are almost far too many to mention here – so we'll just list a few – including Wallace Roney, Bernard Wright, Vernon Reid, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, Donald Harrison, Marcus Miller, Jeremy Pelt, John Scofield, and Lenny White – all working in deeply layered territory that definitely pushes the older electric mode forward. Titles include "Over My Shoulder", "Hail To The Real Chief (long version)", "Mellow Kisses", "That You Dare Not To Forget", and "Bitches Are Back". LP, Vinyl record album

A very wild record – maybe more free jazz than you'd guess from the image on the cover, and the Guatemala in the title! These guys are a brass band, but the way they mix their horns together often feels more like some Lester Bowie experiment, or some other AACM-related project – as folkloric modes really get changed up in a blend of cornet, baritone horn, and c melody sax – all combined with spare percussion, and an occasional touch of violin! Given the cultural currents, we might also link this one slightly to some of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music records – even though the group themselves are the authentic real deal, a funeral band from a remote mountain village. Titles include "Las Tres Botellas", "Marcha Numero Cuatro", "Chufa", "El Son De Los Altos", "Noches Eternas", and "Marcha Numero Seis". (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning solo project from drummer Daniel Villarreal – a musician you might know in the group Dos Santos, yet one who's in very unique territory here on his own! The album was recorded in both Chicago and Los Angeles – and it's got a vibe that really reflects that process – some of the older Latin currents of Villarreal's other group, taken down to their core, and rebuilt in a much looser, airier style – sometimes very laidback, even when rhythmic – as Daniel's drums and percussion move amidst some fantastic instrumental contributions that shift throughout the set – great guitar from Jeff Parker, plus organ and farfisa from Cole DeGenova, baritone from Elliot Bergman, Fender Rhodes from Kyle Davis, and violin from Marta Sofia Honer. The sound of the album's impossible to describe in words – but it's completely lovely throughout, and has this spacey, summery vibe that's completely wonderful – on titles that include "Ofelia", "Uncanny", "I Didn't Expect That", "Sombras", "Activo", "Cali Colors", "18th & Morgan", and "Messenger". LP, Vinyl record album

It's not really fair to say that Coltrane's playing for lovers on this one, because the album's not a concept project designed to aid bachelors in the success of their romantic endeavors, so much as it is a collection of warm mellow ballads recorded by Trane during the late 50s for Prestige. The album features a number of different groupings of players that include Red Garland, Tadd Dameron, Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, and Paul Chambers – and the work is typical of the early recordings he made at the time when he was working with Miles Davis. Titles include "I Love You", "Violets For Your Furs", "On A Misty Night", and "Like Someone In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible pairing of talents – one Polish group, one Pakistani – coming together here on a set that may well be the most impressive release on the completely wonderful Astigmatic label! We've loved their releases by both EABS and Jaubi, yet somehow together they've reached a sound that's even more uplifting and righteous than their work alone – using the keyboards and saxes of the first group with the sharper guitar and Indian percussion of the latter – to craft a sound that's got the globe-spanning sense of hope and joy that a project like this can foster. Titles include "Moon", "Madhuvanti", "Tomorrow", "Raise Your Hearts Drop Your Guns", "Strange Love", "Yesterday", "Whispers", and "Judgement Day". LP, Vinyl record album

British saxophonist Art Themen played on some killer records back in the day – including modern classics from Stan Tracey and Graham Collier – and here, he brings his legendary sound to a project with the younger Greg Foat – an artist who's always doing great things to open up the boundaries of the music, and provided a wonderful showcase for Themen's well-crafted lines! The album's got some of the sunny sparkle you might guess from the cover, but it's definitely a jazz record at the core, and not some sort of advertisement for a vacation in Aspen – glistening with all the hip keyboard lines and electronics we love in Foat's other music, and warmed up nicely by saxophone lines from Art that give the whole thing plenty of soul. Titles include "Fresh Snow", "Off Piste", "Sis No Hyp", "Yrsno", "Apres Ski", and "La Partida". LP, Vinyl record album

A never-issued live set from Japanese pianist Ryo Fukui – a tremendous player who was part of a special new generation of piano players in the 70s – very warm and fluid, but always with a sense of adventure too – in ways that make music like this very different than American work of the time! All tracks are nice and long, and Fukui begins the set with his classic "Mellow Dream" – spun out in an extended take with superb accompaniment from Satoshi Denpo on bass and Yoshinori Fukui on drums. As with so many of Ryo's recordings, the vibe here is far past a simple standard trio setting – as you'll hear on the group's inventive readings of titles that include "Mr PC", "Speak Low", "Body & Soul", and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set from Kevin Ford – best known as the leader of Chicago Afrobeat Project, but working here in a much more stripped-down setting – a funky trio mode that's filled with his own great work on keyboards, served up here with a very cosmic vibe! The drums and bass are nice and heavy – well-pointed and nicely focused – which leaves the keyboards plenty of space to soar over the top and do all these cool spacey things while the rhythms stay funky – in a mode that's clearly inspired by 70s funky jazz, fused through the leaner modes of the London scene, and delivered in a style that's very much the group's own! Titles include "Hashley", "Reduxion", "Type B", "Dillatente", "Strawberry Feels", and "Imperial 7". (Deep Funk, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A cool larger group project from Dutch piano legend Pim Jacobs – recorded with more work on the keys from Rob Franken and Jan Huydts, plus guitar from Wim Overgaau, vibes from Carl Schultze, tenor from Fedinand Povel, reeds from Herman Schoonderwalt, and trumpet from Cees Small! LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly strong project from guitarist John Scofield – one that we'll admit we were a bit skeptical about, but which really delivers strongly overall! The set features Scofield and group taking on some tunes from a variety of sources – including the Grateful Dead, who are namechecked in the title – and the lineup features the bass of Vicente Archer and drums of Bill Stewart next to Scofield on electric guitar – all recorded at a level that's a bit warmer than you might expect from ECM, which really makes the music come alive – spacious, yet up-close and personal too, with hollow-body guitar work that resonates almost in an acoustic way at times, even as Scofield shows a few of his funkier currents on a few tunes. Titles include "How Deep", "TV Band", "Old Man", "Nothing Is Forever", "Budo", "The Girlfriend Chord", "Stairway To The Stars", "Mask", "Ray's Idea", and "Uncle John's Band". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album – and one of the most groundbreaking blends of jazz and global music ever recorded! Reedman Tony Scott plays here with a little-known group of Indonesian jazz players – brought together in a special project for MPS/Saba records, in a blend of modal jazz elements and other tunes that really find a way to echo the gamelan styles that you might expect from Indonesian music – emphasized by the group's phrasing on piano, guitar, and siter, as well as Scott's interweaving lines on clarinet! The sound is fantastic, completely other worldly, and must be heard to be believed – served up with other players who include Marjono on tenor and vocal, Bubi Chen on piano and sitar, Jack Lesmana on guitar, Yopi Chen on bass, and Benny Mustafa on drums. Tracks include "Ilir Ilir", "Gambang Suling", "Djanger Bali", and an amazing rendition of "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

Soaring keyboards from Hiromasa Suzuki – stretched out on some longer tracks than usual, with beautiful electric elements over some great large arrangements! Suzuki plays a fair bit of electric piano on the set – and is working here with some fairly dramatic larger ensemble sounds that echo the anti-war sentiments of the tunes' titles – not really a jazz-rock style, but definitely with some of the younger, bolder energy of the time! There's a fair bit of funk in the rhythms, especially on the more upbeat tracks – and the album soars along at a pace that would have made Herbie Hancock or Chick Corea proud. Titles include "Warm Honest & Love", "There Is Not Any Way To End The War", "Something Over The War", and "By The Red Stream". LP, Vinyl record album

A real standout in the classic catalog of ECM – not only because the record's got a slightly different inspiration than most, but also because it seems to unlock some especially beautiful moments from players who could sound different in other settings on the label! As the title indicates, the tunes here all take inspiration from the poetry of Robert Creeley – but never in a mode that's got the usual jazz meets poetry approach – as Sheila Jordan sings the lyrics when they appear, with a sense of her own power that's very different than a more standard recitation – and which, to us, really feels a lot like her great vocal performances with Steve Kuhn for ECM. Kuhn is also in the group on piano, and other musicians include David Liebman on saxes, Lyle Mays on keyboards, and Bob Moses on drums – all working under the superb leadership of bassist Steve Swallow – who really outdid himself with the depth of feeling in this project. Titles include "Colors", "In The Fall", "She Was Young", "Some Echoes", "Ice Cream", and "You Didn't Think". LP, Vinyl record album

An import collection of recordings by Tony Williams' jazz rock Lifetime project featuring John McLaughlin and Larry Young. Jack Bruce's photo is featured prominently on the cover of this album, but he's only on half the tracks, which were pulled from the group's second LP Turn It Over, while the rest are from their debut, Emergency. The album pulses with raw power that cannot be denied – a ferocity that must have been incredibly fresh at the time, and which is still, today, one of the clearest visions of a jazz rock fusion that was soon muddied too quickly in the heady waters of 70s jazz. 8 tracks in all, including "One Word", "A Famous Blues", "Vashkar", "Emergency", "Two Worlds", "Spectrum", "Big Nick" and "Vuelta Abajo". LP, Vinyl record album