A rare CTI entry from funky flute master Jeremy Steig – a musician whose style is a great fit for the label! There's more of an electric vibe here than on Steig's earlier records – but that creates a nice current of soul that really helps things take off in a nicely different way. The record features Steig's funky flute in front of some larger arrangements by David Matthews – and the style of the record is a blend of CTI electric and some of the choppier bits of earlier Steig albums, blended with some mellow soul lead vocals on three tracks by Googie Coppola – who sings in a manner that's almost like Minnie Riperton! Tracks include the funky groover "Hopscotch", plus the nice soul tracks "Firefly", "Living Inside Your Love", and "Everything Is Coming To The Light". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare CTI entry from funky flute master Jeremy Steig – a musician whose style is a great fit for the label! There's more of an electric vibe here than on Steig's earlier records – but that creates a nice current of soul that really helps things take off in a nicely different way. The record features Steig's funky flute in front of some larger arrangements by David Matthews – and the style of the record is a blend of CTI electric and some of the choppier bits of earlier Steig albums, blended with some mellow soul lead vocals on three tracks by Googie Coppola – who sings in a manner that's almost like Minnie Riperton! Tracks include the funky groover "Hopscotch", plus the nice soul tracks "Firefly", "Living Inside Your Love", and "Everything Is Coming To The Light". CD

A brilliant record from tenorist Ken Fowser – a player who seems to grab our attention more and more with each new record – both as a soloist and as a rock-solid leader who always brings something special to a session! Ken dedicates this record to the inspiration of pianist Harold Mabern – and you can really feel a lot of Mabern's warmth and soul flowing through the record – as the tunes bristle with the kind of soulful imagination that we always loved in Mabern's music from years back – even though they're all originals by Ken, with piano handled beautifully by Tadatka Unno! This might be the first time we've ever heard Unno on record, but we're already in love – and the rest of the group features Josh Bruneau on trumpet and flugelhorn, Vince Dupont on bass, and Joe Strasser on drums. Titles include "This That & The Other Thing", "Moving Forward", "Three For Leathers", "Morning Light", "Firefly", "The Instigator", and "Without Saying". CD

Really fantastic work from the continuing version of Sun Ra's Arkestra led by Marshall Allen – and an album of rich sophistication that definitely shows the mature version of the group really finding their own sense of voice and spirit! There's a laidback take to the music that partly recalls some of the modes that the Arkestra had in their earlier days, when they were exploring some exotica currents mixed with more avant jazz inclinations – although the expression of the sound here is more focused and majestic, with slight string touches blending in with instrumentation of a more jazz-based mode – handled by Marshall Allen on alto and kora, Knoel Scott on tenor and baritone, Michael Ray and Cecil Brooks on trumpets, Dave Davis on trombone, Farid Barron on piano, Dave Hotep on guitar, and Tara Middleton on some mighty nice flute and violin. There's a richness to the sound that comes from all the other players involved in the proceedings – and titles include "Day Of The Living Sky", "Firefly", "Wish Upon A Star", "Chopin", "Marshall's Groove", and "Somebody Else's Idea". CD

Really fantastic work from the continuing version of Sun Ra's Arkestra led by Marshall Allen – and an album of rich sophistication that definitely shows the mature version of the group really finding their own sense of voice and spirit! There's a laidback take to the music that partly recalls some of the modes that the Arkestra had in their earlier days, when they were exploring some exotica currents mixed with more avant jazz inclinations – although the expression of the sound here is more focused and majestic, with slight string touches blending in with instrumentation of a more jazz-based mode – handled by Marshall Allen on alto and kora, Knoel Scott on tenor and baritone, Michael Ray and Cecil Brooks on trumpets, Dave Davis on trombone, Farid Barron on piano, Dave Hotep on guitar, and Tara Middleton on some mighty nice flute and violin. There's a richness to the sound that comes from all the other players involved in the proceedings – and titles include "Day Of The Living Sky", "Firefly", "Wish Upon A Star", "Chopin", "Marshall's Groove", and "Somebody Else's Idea". LP, Vinyl record album