Spacey and very beautiful! CD

The most truly jazz-based group on Norway's hip Jazzland label – a quintet of players that know how to push an avant garde solo into a groove, and vice versa! The album's free-thinking and quite striking – as some tracks crackle with the energy of an early Mingus record, filtered through the colder cooler approaches of the recent Norwegian scene. The lineup features lead tenor and soprano by Fredrik Ljungkvist, plus trumpet by Magnus Broo, piano by Havard Wiik, bass by Ingebrit Haker Flaten, and drums by Paal Nilssen Love. Titles include "Longing For Martin", "Do It", "Psalm", "Fifth Circle", "Krilons Resa", "Prayer", and "El Coto". CD

A beautifully bracing title from this hip Scandinavian trio – one of the best recent releases on the mighty Jazzland label – very much up to the high standards of the imprint! The group here is a slightly unusual one – a trio with violin from Ola Kvernberg, plus bass and drums – all played in a way that's quite different than other violin jazz on the European scene – much more sound-based and textural, with the violin working in a way that's still melodic, but not in conventional ways. The bass here is especially strong – a richly pulsating sound from the hands of Steinar Raknes, which really pushes most tunes forward into very dark space – and the drums aren't bad either, done by Erik Nylander, with a spare snap that further echoes out the space. Kvernberg also sings, howls, and claps a bit – but his main contribution is violin – on titles that include "Lament", "Song Before Breakfast", "Music For A While", "Octacgon", "Haifas Steps", and "Adaptation Suite". (Jazz, New Grooves) CD

Wicked tunes hand-picked by the Japanese maestro of the groove – a heady batch of tracks collected by Yukihiro Fukutomi, with a brilliant melding of jazz, soul, and Latin influences! The set compiles 10 tracks from American and European sources – and features many hard-to-find remixes that surfaced briefly on expensive singles, but which have long gone by the wayside – making this collection even more essential to fans of the groove. Fukutomi presents the tracks in their entirety, unmixed – and titles include "Don't Mean A Thing (Incognito mix)" by Space Jazz Dub Men, "I Got Somebody New (original)" by Georg Levin with Clara Hill, "Everything (Yam Who rmx)" by Dwayne Morgan, "Life Rhythms (Raw Deal rmx)" by E Smoove, "Dreams Come True (Afronaught mix for Bugz In The Attic)" by Alison David, "Listen (Just Listen Louie's Master mix)" by Urban Species, "Cosmic Gypsy (Fila Brazilia rmx)" by United Future Organization, "I Just Wanna Say (Domu's Number One Mix)" by Michelle Lawson, and "Cloud 9 (Quenti Harris Shelter mix)" by Donnie. CD

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A really wonderful project that was years in the making – a mix of American club and Brazilian elements – put together by a group that includes members of Azymuth and Banda Black Rio, as well as the legendary Arthur Verocai! Jose Roberto Bertrami's the strongest contributor here – and the music really echoes that great late 70s/early 80s point when the Azymuth fusion groove crossed over into tighter, funkier territory – coming off here with a sound that's got really universal appeal and a wickedly classic vibe overall – like some unusual cross-breeding of Brazilian grooves and Salsoul Records! Vocals are by Mia Mendes and Marcina Arnold, but the instrumentation is even better than the lyrics – filled with jazzy touches, blended with bits of strings, and perfectly produced all the way through. Really tremendous stuff – one of the freshest records we've heard from Far Out in years – with titles that include "Mystery", "Keep Believing", "Dead Dance", "The Last Carnival", "A Disco Supreme", "Vendetta", and "Don't Cha Know He's Alright". 2CD set features 8 more bonus remix tracks too! CD

15 tracks deep, including "Universal Dub", "Deep In The Cut", "Rainfall", "Natural Woman", "La Playa", "Golden Nectar", and "Oceanic Lullaby". CD

The soulful second set from Quintessence – even better than their debut, and the kind of record that's sure to take the world by storm! The Finnish combo seem to have refined their sound even more – working in a cool, laidback groove that's got lots of sweet jazzy bits in the instrumentation – but which also comes across with an unabashedly strong crossover groove! Vocalist Emma Salokoski sounds especially lovely – singing in English with a really universal appeal – hardly what you'd expect from the icy north of Finland, and much more what we'd expect to hear from the London scene. Titles include "Delirious", "You Don't Care", "Burn On With A Bitter Flame", "Speciality", "Broken", "Dig Deeper", and "Friday". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD