An organ trio, nice and spare – with the sort of style that always seems to make the Hammond sound great in funk! The group have a lean approach – funky drums, guitar, and organ – and there's no vocals or other elements in the mix – yet the rhythms also change up nicely from standard soul jazz modes too – so that there might be some grooves that are slightly different than you might hear in a Meters-inspired group, mixed with some of the chunkier funk cuts that still hold the whole thing tightly in place! The production is great too – never too clean, but with a few spacious moments that keep things fresh – on titles that include "Outro Lugar", "More Space", "Dr Kiffi", "Not Yet", "Let's Talk", "One Way", "Sector 3", and "Lost Avenue". (Deep Funk, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Art Blakey Blue Note sessions of all time – and perhaps one of the greatest to realize the genius of the Jazz Messengers lineup that included Lee Morgan on trumpet, Wayne Shorter on tenor, and Bobby Timmons on piano! The trio of young talents are at the height of their early soulful powers here – working with Blakey and bassist Jymie Merritt in a set of tunes that are overflowing with expressive solos, unusual timings, and the Blakey genius for mixing bold statements with personally introspective moments. Nearly every track on the record's a classic – and titles include an early version of Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere", plus Wayne Shorter's beautiful tunes "Lester Left Town", "Chess Players", and "Sakeena's Vision". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing record – one of the best on Motown's short-lived Workshop Jazz subsidiary! The album is the first to feature Roy Brooks as a leader – and the super-hip drummer from Detroit really knows what to do with the opportunity! He's working here with a hip group that includes members of the Horace Silver quintet – including Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, and Gene Taylor on bass – as well as Detroit contemporaries George Bohannon on trombone and Hugh Lawson on piano. The overall style of the record is quite different from Brooks' work with Silver – and has a much more open-ended feeling emotionally – an early hint at the qualities that Roy would unveil on his rare indie sides at the start of the 70s. The tracks are a mix of soul jazz numbers and others with a rougher-hewn sense of modernism – almost like the excellent work coming out of Chicago during the early 60s, from artists like Gene Shaw or the MJT+3. All the players are at their best, and the album features some of the nicest tenor work we've ever heard from Cook. Titles include "Soulsphere", "Soulin", "Homestretch", "Passin The Buck", and "My Secret Passion". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album that brings together all of the European winners of the recent Downbeat polls – like Karin Krog, John Surman, Albert Mangelsdorff, Francy Boland, Daniel Humair, and Niels Henning Orsted-Pedersen. The sextet is a lively batch of free-swinging European jazz stylists, with touches of modernism that keep the whole session on edge throughout – in a way that's right up there with the best of the classic MPS sessions! The highlight of the set is Karin Krog's beautiful vocal version of "Maiden Voyage", but there's loads of other nice bits – like "Winter Song", "Ryoan-Ji", "Open Space", and "Hello Thursday". A great one, and darn tough to find! LP, Vinyl record album

One of those wonderfully mysterious sound library albums from the Italian scene of the 70s – music penned by Rigol, performed by the Blue Sharks combo, and a set that could well be the product of some much bigger, better-known names! But regardless the origin, the music is great all the way through – very heavy on organ lines, in a way that starts with 60s mod, but also opens up into some of the cooler soundtrack styles of the 70s – so that you've got a great mix of groovers throughout, all served up with a mighty fresh vibe! At some level, we're tempted to call this one an organ-based take on the same piano territory of The Duke Of Burlington – and titles include "Sembrava Sincera", "Il Mago", "Quartiere Residenziale", "Strane Vacanze", "L'Ascensore", and "Il Campione". (Sound Library, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully vivid set from Jack Kerouac – one that has him reading his own music set to spare piano accompaniment by Steve Allen – most of which was improvised for the set! The pairing of Kerouac and Allen seems an unlikely one, but it really works well here – as Jack's quite relaxed in the studio, and really reads with a bit more feeling than usual – really put at ease by Allen's surprisingly great piano lines, which never try to dominate, and mostly just tinkle lightly behind Kerouac's recitations. Most numbers are short, and titles include "October In The Railroad Earth", "Deadbelly", "McDougal Street Blues", "I'd Rather Be Thin Than Famous", "Charlie Parker", "Dave Brubeck", and "The Sounds of the Universe Coming in My Window". (Spoken Word, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more beat-heavy records we've ever heard from keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones – thanks to a range of live drums and programs from Maxwell Owin – a really great partner who helps Joe's music take off in all these new directions! The record's still coming from a jazz perspective, but also has a heavy influence from hip hop and more contemporary genres – especially on the vocal cuts, which feature contributions from Fatima, Rocks Foe, and Lex Amor. Yet there's also some great instrumentalists who join the proceedings too – and the set features guest bass clarinet from Shabaka Hutchings on one cut, and guest harp and flute from Marysia Osu and Yuis. Titles include "Pedal Bike", "Grief", "Ode To Reverbe", "4Seasons", "Don't Tip Me Over", "Do I Keep Going", "Rago's Garage", and "Ikigai". LP, Vinyl record album

A never-heard live set from the mighty Donald Byrd – recording here with live accompaniment from the Mizell Brothers – at a level that's every bit as wonderful as their work with the trumpeter in the studio! The material was originally recorded during a same series of albums that Blue Note issued with live material from Marlena Shaw, Bobby Hutcherson, and Bobbi Humphrey – and the approach here is wonderfully similar, with long tracks that really showcase a hip, creative quality that may well beat that of Byrd's studio albums of the time! There's some many wonderful elements going on in the music – Fender Rhodes from Kevin Toney, bass from Henry Franklin, and both tenor and soprano sax from Nathan Davis – a wonderful surprise in the lineup. And while Larry Mizell adds in a bit of electronics, Fonce Mizell is alongside Donald on a second trumpet – on titles that include "Kwame", "Poco Mania", "The East", "Black Byrd", and a sweet remake of the Stevie Wonder tune "You've Got It Bad Girl". LP, Vinyl record album

Chicago finally gets its due – in this great series that previously gave us the Philadelphia Experiment and Detroit Experiment projects! This time around, though, the lineup is even more top-shelf – filled with the kind of artists who really make us proud to be part of the Windy City – many of them players with slightly different styles and approaches, which is what makes the record such a great break from the usual! Pianist Greg Spero heads up the group, and the septet features work from Makaya McCraven on drums, Jeff Parker on guitar, Joel Ross on vibes, Marquis Hill on trumpet, Darryl Jones on bass, and Irvin Pierce on tenor – working together with a style that's nicely unified, and which has some of the soulful currents of other projects in this series from Ropeadope. That mode is maybe a bit different than you're used to hearing from McCraven, is a perfect showcase for the more soulful side of Parker's talents, and is right on the money for Marquis Hill – on tunes that include "The Chant", "Sizzle Reel", "Cloud Jam", "Always Be", "Double Take", "Maxwell Street", "For Too", "Straight Shooter", and "Tiny Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from this lesser-known combo from Detroit – a session of work that builds strongly on the colors and changes explored by Miles Davis earlier in the 60s, but which takes things off into a whole new direction! (A Multidirection?) The horns on the record have incredible interplay – trumpet by Charles Moore and tenor from Leon Henderson, playing together with a sense of dexterity that may even beat the team of Davis and Wayne Shorter – angular one moment, softly lyrical the next, and always in pursuit of fresh tones and righteous sounds. Kenny Cox's piano is great too – an exercise in understatement at times – getting as much done with one note as other players would with five – as he slowly guides the group along, and grounds their freer expressions with a good sense of humanity. Rhythm is by Ron Brooks on bass and Danny Spencer on drums – and titles include "What Other One", "Gravity Point", "Spellbound", "Snuck In", and "Sojourn". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost set – some of the most interesting early 60s work by both of the players! The group's co-led by Kenny Dorham and Jackie McLean – with rhythm backing by Walter Bishop Jr on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – a trans-continental trio of players who really make for a lot of fire in the date! The quintet play a fiercely modernist approach to hardbop – somewhat like McLean's studio albums from the time, but even a bit more unbridled, thanks to the live setting of the album – which was recorded at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. Titles include "Us", "San Francisco Beat", "Lover Man", and "No Two People". LP, Vinyl record album

Great later work from Wendell Harrison – a set that has the Tribe Records giant of the 70s taking the sound of the Detroit underground into a whole new vibe! The record takes the spiritual post-Coltrane jazz of Harrison's earlier days, and infuses it with some warmer, electric modes – a way of pushing spiritual jazz currents into other territory, a bit like Gary Bartz did with some of his work in the late 70s! Tracks are shorter and slightly less political than before – but the overall vibe is equally soulful in an 80s indie jazz style – and proof that Harrison was still keeping strong after the early days of the Tribe movement. There's some nice dark edges to the record that really keep things interesting – maybe imagine Larry Mizell producing some of the more off-beat albums on Strata East – and there's a bit of vocals on the set, which also features work from Phil Ranelin on trombone. Tracks include "Where Am I", "Sea Minor Blues", "Take Time Out", and "Dreams Of A Love Supreme". Includes a bonus 7" single with the tracks "Rocket Love" and "No Turnin" – plus the bonus track "Patrina's Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

Sophisticated fusion from Japanese reedman Toshiyuki Honda – a set that's kind of an extension of the straighter sounds he'd crafted a few years before! The album has almost a soundtrack-like feel at times – and comes off like a suite of tracks that blends core combo instrumentation with larger strings – in ways that color in the tunes wonderfully – but in ways that are quite different from some of the other "jazz with strings" albums of the time! Honda's work on soprano sax, alto, and keyboards is great throughout – and although some of the rhythms are programmed, they're still quite warm and hardly the too-commercial type that other jazz artists were using at the time. Titles include "Waltz Crepuscule", "Love Theme #2", "A Refracted Beat", "The Woman From Marusa", "The Men Gather Round Money", and "A Gloomy Foreboding Of Battle". LP, Vinyl record album

A real gem from that key moment in Japanese fusion when some of the nation's best artists were hopping over to the American scene – cutting records like this, which often beat the American soul fusion scene at its own game – thanks to the help of a big array of all-star players! Masayoshi Takanaka plays guitar solos throughout, but also gets some help from Lee Ritenour on the electric strings – in a group that also has arrangements from Greg Adams of Tower Of Power, who brings in the rest of the TOP horns too – plus keyboards from Patrice Rushen, bass from Chuck Rainey, and drums from the great Harvey Mason – a rhythm combo that really keeps things groovy throughout. There's two vocal tracks on the set – which feature work from Jim Gilstrap, Maxi Anderson, and The Waters – on titles that include "Malibu", "ESP", "Sexy Dance", "Sundrops", "Good Bad Old Days", and the title track "Insatiable High". 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 massive assortment of tracks that go way past the familiar – not a collection of standard classics from Blue Note, Impulse, or Prestige – and instead a whole host of jazzy groovers that we'd never have discovered otherwise! This volume of the series does a great job mixing in contemporary cuts with rare nuggets from years past – in ways that never make you notice the passage of years, as almost all of this work is rooted in a solid blend of tight rhythms and inventive improvisation – heavy on acoustic instrumentation, but with occasional electric moments too! Imagine the kind of groove that Gilles Peterson used to turn us onto years back, when he was spinning rare jazz records, and you'll get the vibe here – served up on titles that include "Tape Your Beat" by Born 74 & Onj, "Still In Love" by GeeW, "46 To Somewhere" by The Sultan's Swing, "Unreachable Galaxy" by Stefano Di Santis, "Movin" by Charro Band De Emilio Guerro, "Caught In A Fever" by Moreen Meridian, "Mr Fool" by Alonson Gonzalez & Jazz Latino, and "Cla Samba" by Juju. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of jazzy groovers – one that effortlessly combines older material and newer recordings, all with a great ear that never tires in its pursuit of the groove! The blend of old and new is a bit like some of the collections we used to love from Gilles Peterson back in the last century – but Paul Murphy definitely has his own style and way of choosing a tune, and like Peterson, he has a great way of setting a new sort of fire with jazz – one that will burn strongly for generations to come! Titles include "Yatra-Ta" by Terje Terasmaa, "African Mailman" by Rhythmagic Orchestra, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Blue Mode, "Foot In The Door" by Onward International, "Zombie" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Emnete (live)" by Imperial Tiger Orchestra, "4 Beat Cha Cha Cha" by Lucas Van Merwijk & His Cubop City Big Band, "Tribute To Mulatu" by Patchworks, "Koumba Fri Fri" by Mamelon, "Sorrow Tears & Blood" by Shola Adisa Farrar & Florian Pellissier Quartet, and "Mambo De La Pinta" by Art Pepper. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A set that furthers Takuya Kuroda's experiments in pushing farther past the jazz of his roots – still graced with plenty of strong trumpet work and bold solo lines – but amidst rhythms that have a nice complexity, and which really push the envelope at times – mostly played live, but with a richness that evokes both the initial broken beat experiments in London, and some of that city's more contemporary modes. There's a few straighter jazz cuts that balance things out – a mellow moment or two that Freddie Hubbard might have added to a CTI session – and titles include "Dead End Dance", "Old Picture", "Time Coil", "Midnight Crisp", "Choy Soda", and "Fade". LP, Vinyl record album