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Amazing work from acoustic guitarist Don Bikoff – a 60s contemporary of John Fahey and Robbie Basho, but much more obscure than either of those legendary players! Yet Bikoff's got a very similar vibe – a style that's rooted in folk, but has broken way way past the genre – amazing acoustic guitar explorations that are filled with tones and timings that so many other players wouldn't discover until the 70s – yet still never be able to deliver with a freshness like this! The album's completely mesmerizing from the start – almost like the hypnotic air of Sandy Bull, without the hypnotic pyrotechnics – served up simply and sparely, in a way that leaves us breathless. Titles include "Today Has No Tomorrow", "Rindler's Metamorphosis", "The Ellipses Of Your Mind", "Bathing Prohibited In The River Styx", and "Riverside Park Blues".

Amazing work from acoustic guitarist Don Bikoff – a 60s contemporary of John Fahey and Robbie Basho, but much more obscure than either of those legendary players! Yet Bikoff's got a very similar vibe – a style that's rooted in folk, but has broken way way past the genre – amazing acoustic guitar explorations that are filled with tones and timings that so many other players wouldn't discover until the 70s – yet still never be able to deliver with a freshness like this! The album's completely mesmerizing from the start – almost like the hypnotic air of Sandy Bull, without the hypnotic pyrotechnics – served up simply and sparely, in a way that leaves us breathless. Titles include "Today Has No Tomorrow", "Rindler's Metamorphosis", "The Ellipses Of Your Mind", "Bathing Prohibited In The River Styx", and "Riverside Park Blues".

A very nice session that actually has a bit of a soul jazz touch – with elements that are similar to Ra's Lanquidity set, a much sought-after spacey fusion classic! The band still plays fairly out, but the singing's a bit more soulful than usual, and the music has some funky vibes, guitar, and bass in addition to the group's usual array of "out there" instrumentation. Players include Ra on keyboards, Michael Ray on trumpet, Craig Harris on trombone, Harry Wilson on vibes, and John Gilmore and Marshall Allen on reeds. The whole thing's got 3 long tracks – "Celestial Road", "Say", and "I'll Wait For You".

Massive massive work from Starship Orchestra – a trio of talents from the Norman Connors universe, but one who get some heavy help in the studio from arrangers Bobby Lyle, McKinley Jackson, and Jerry Peters! There's a real Aquarian Dream sound at play here – all the best energy of Connors' soulful years of the mid 70s, fused into a jazzier vibe overall – played to perfection, yet without any commercial touches at all – a really amazing thing for a major label album of the time! We've loved this record for years, and easily rank it right up there with the most sophisticated grooves of the time – like the best from Roy Ayers or Leroy Hutson, with some echoes of James Mason's wonderful album too. One cut has lead vocals from Joe Saulter – and other players include Lyle and Peters on keyboards, Wah Wah Watson and Paul Jackson on guitars, Don Myrick on saxes, and Louis Satterfield and George Bohannon on trombones. The whole thing's perfect – and titles include "You're A Star", "The Genie", "All Those Things", "Serious Business", and "New York New York".

A very nice session that actually has a bit of a soul jazz touch – with elements that are similar to Ra's Lanquidity set, a much sought-after spacey fusion classic! The band still plays fairly out, but the singing's a bit more soulful than usual, and the music has some funky vibes, guitar, and bass in addition to the group's usual array of "out there" instrumentation. Players include Ra on keyboards, Michael Ray on trumpet, Craig Harris on trombone, Harry Wilson on vibes, and John Gilmore and Marshall Allen on reeds. The whole thing's got 3 long tracks – "Celestial Road", "Say", and "I'll Wait For You".

Silva leads his Celestrial Communication Orchestra, one of the best of the loose collectives playing around the Paris scene of the 1969/1970 era – and a group that includes Grachan Moncur III, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors, Dave Burrell, and Bernard Vitet. The group was one of the most successful meetings of the French and African-American avant gardes, as you'll hear on the album's one long track, "Luna Surface".

An amazing lost recording from Kahil El'Zabar – and a Ritual Trio record to rival the great sessions cut for the Sound Aspects label in the 80s! As on some of those records, this one features Kahil's beautiful percussion blended with the bass work of Malachi Favors and trumpet of Lester Bowie – both players who step out here in ways that are even more soulful and spiritual than their performances with the Art Ensemble of Chicago! The tracks are very lean, organic, and build beautifully during the course of the recording – these thoughtfully-flowing numbers that are a perfect summation of the essence that Kahil was trying to get at with the Ritual Trio – almost a more spiritual, righteous take on the Great Black Music ideas forged by the AACM – taken to territory that was even more naturalistic than before. Favors' playing is amazing – and the recording is a perfect example of why his work on bass has always been so revolutionary – and Bowie is really at his best too, with none of the hoke that he could sometimes pick up in his later years. Titles include "Inner Sanctum", "Ju Ju Call", "In The Belly Of Now", "Dawning Of The Aware Ones", "The Ancestors Are Among Us", and "Celestial Dance".

An irresistible classic from Miles Jaye – possibly his best-known album, bouncing along with plenty of beats at the end of the 80s! The rhythms are plenty programmed, but Miles' vocals provide a great warm sense of contrast – soaring out with fluid, mature tones that are mighty nice, especially on some of the mellower cuts! Miles produced and arranged himself – and titles include the classic "Heaven", plus "Slo Dance", "Message", "Neither One Of Us", "Objective", "Next Time", "I'll Be There", and "Love In The Night". CD features bonus tracks – "Heaven (celestial club mix)", "Heaven (highway to heaven mix)", "Objective (club mix)", and "Objective (sax mix)".

A fresh new sound from the Shawn Lee universe – one that's every bit as funky as before, but which has some great twists and turns too! The album definitely lives up to its title – and offers up plenty of keyboards soaring off into space – but there's also some unexpectedly gritty rhythms at the bottom, making for a nice degree of acoustic funk – and not just the drum machine bits you might expect! And in fact, there's even some sweet congas and other percussion at points – bringing in a deeper, rootsy quality that's a great contrast to the moogy moments – almost as if Jean Jacques Perry was sitting in some some lost combo from the funky 45 years! Titles include "Black Hole", "Galactica", "Celestial Waltz", "AJ's Mood", "Low Riders In Space", "Jupiter's Jam", and "Tiger Style".

One of Gerald Wilson's hippest albums for World Pacific – and all of them are pretty darn hip! This set is one of Gerald's last for the label – cut in a run of very successful, and very strong big band soul jazz albums that brought together the cream of the crop of the LA underground. Like the other sets, this one's got a great lineup – with players that include Anthony Ortega, Hadley Caliman, Harold Land, Ernie Watts, and Bobby Hutcherson – but the real strength of the album lies with Groove Holmes, who cuts some pretty fantastic solos on the album's best tracks – bubbling his Hammond through the larger arrangements with the space and expression that Wilson allowed his individual players on these sessions. Titles include great versions of "Aquarius" and Coltrane's "Equinox" – plus the original tunes "Celestial Soul", "Scorpio Rising", "Pisces", and "Bluesnee".

Fantastic lean low funky fusion – and a lost Blue Note 70s gem – a set that's way different than any other work from the team of bassist John Lee and drummer Gerry Brown! The set's nice and spare – almost CTI in style at times, but with some excellent production work from Skip Drinkwater – who brings in some soul undercurrents, and a sense of focus that other Lee/Brown work is sometimes missing. The result is a wonderful little record that avoids any of the excesses the pair had on the European scene – yet still has a really sharp edge in the end. Wah Wah Watson plays guitar, as does Philip Catherine – and the set also features some excellent keyboards – handled by Jasper Van't Hoff, Rob Franken, and Lee himself. Funky nuggets include "Mango Sunrise", "Her Celestial Body", and "The Stop and Go" – all of them filled with jazzy breaks!

A dreamlike flow of elemental sounds and masterful mood from Adam Rudolph & Ralph James – conceived and performed as a dialogue between multi-instrumentalists Adam Rudolph and Ralph Jones on a date at Michigan's Delta College Theatre in 2009! Rudolph works with African percussion and more for his parts, including different hand drums and frame drum, thumb piano, cup gongs, glockenspiel and more – plus some voice, melodica and horns. Jones brings more wind to the proceedings with flutes, clarinet, sax and contributes a bit of percussion, too. It's pretty dreamy, yet wholly hypnotic given the percussion and overall creative energy of the duo! Includes "Nectaric Vibrations", "Aspects Of Motion", "Oshogbo", "Leaf Writing", "Celestial Space", "Forest Geometry", "Kind Thoughts", "Motherless Child", "Thankfulnes And Joy" and "Dream Inflected".

Wow, we never thought we'd see this one reissued! Andy Bey was originally a member of the jazz group Andy & The Bey Sisters – but by this time, he'd gone solo, and had done vocals on righteous political albums by Gary Bartz and Horace Silver. The groove here is nice and jazzy, with some funky stuff thrown in, and Andy's voice has a weird off-kilter sound that's very hard to describe, but which is extremely haunting! The album includes a remake of "Celestial Blues", which he did with Gary Bartz, plus the tracks "Being Uptight", "Tune Up", "Hibiscus", "Experience", and "The Power Of My Mind".

An amazing lost recording from Kahil El'Zabar – and a Ritual Trio record to rival the great sessions cut for the Sound Aspects label in the 80s! As on some of those records, this one features Kahil's beautiful percussion blended with the bass work of Malachi Favors and trumpet of Lester Bowie – both players who step out here in ways that are even more soulful and spiritual than their performances with the Art Ensemble of Chicago! The tracks are very lean, organic, and build beautifully during the course of the recording – these thoughtfully-flowing numbers that are a perfect summation of the essence that Kahil was trying to get at with the Ritual Trio – almost a more spiritual, righteous take on the Great Black Music ideas forged by the AACM – taken to territory that was even more naturalistic than before. Favors' playing is amazing – and the recording is a perfect example of why his work on bass has always been so revolutionary – and Bowie is really at his best too, with none of the hoke that he could sometimes pick up in his later years. Titles include "Inner Sanctum", "Ju Ju Call", "In The Belly Of Now", "Dawning Of The Aware Ones", "The Ancestors Are Among Us", and "Celestial Dance".

An essential record from Gary Bartz – one of two albums he cut with Andy Bey, and the killer group he was calling his NTU Troup! Andy's vocals are incredible – light years ahead of anything he did with his sisters, and similar to those he laid down on his own solo album for Atlantic, and on Blue Note sides with Horace Silver – a righteous mix of jazz and soul, with a burning intensity that makes the political themes of the tracks come out strongly. The album includes one of Andy's all time classics – the original 7 minute version of "Celestial Blues", plus the fantastically grooving "Uhuru Sasa" – as well as the cuts "The Planets", and "Blue (A Folk Tale)". And Gary Bartz is pretty great too – dropping in these angular reed lines that really give the record an edge, and which sound totally great next to Bey's vocals!

A landmark set of recordings – both of Gary Bartz's Harlem Bush Music albums, back to back on one CD! After a few years as a modern-tinged soul jazz saxophonist, Bartz broke strongly into the 70s with this pair of sessions – working in a mode that brought together rhythmic percussion, funky bass, and some incredibly righteous vocals from singer Andy Bey! Bey's presence on the record really marks them as a departure for Bartz – as it's the first time that Bartz used vocals on his recordings, in a style that was neither straight jazz, nor sellout soul – but rather a progressive approach that set a whole new tenor for the voice in jazz! Gary plays both soprano and alto sax – blowing in a rhythmic mode that's a perfect match for the chunky rhythms of the tunes – and which seems to often take on the same tone as Andy Bey's unique approach to the lyrics. There's an earthy, organic, almost tribalistic quality to some of the tracks – and titles include "Rise", "People Dance", "Drinking Song", "Taifa", "Parted", "Uhuru Sasa", "Vietcong", "Celestial Blues", and "The Planets". (Note, the CD omits one tune from the albums – "Du (Rain)", from Taifa – due to space limitations.)

A great set on Porter Records featuring all the tracks from the first two albums by hip funky fusion titans Catylast – the complete Catalyst and Perception albums from the early 70s put together for Complete Recordings Vol 1! The first 6 tracks on the anthology are made up of the the first album, originally released on Cobblestone – one that finds Catalyst in a groove that was unlike most of their contemporaries. The sound was often jazzier than some of the tighter funk artists on labels like Kudu or Prestige, with some deeply spiritual leanings in the solos – but also a style that was still pretty tight and focused, not as far out as some of the headier groups on the Strata East label. There's loads of great choppy rhythms and tight-edged grooves on the record – thanks to Fender Rhodes from Eddie Green, reeds from Odean Pope, bass from Al Johnson, and drums and percussion from Sherman Ferguson. Skip Drinkwater produced the session at Sigma Sound, and it's definitely got some of his hallmark appreciation of rhythm in the mix – on titles that include "Ain't It The Truth", "New Found Truths", "East", "Catalyst Is Coming", "Jabali", and "Salaam". The remaining numbers feature the complete Perception album – another great one, with a lineup that included Billy Hart on percussion, Eddie Green on electric piano, and Odean Pope on tenor and flute. The real highlight, though, is Pat Gleason on arp, who adds a lot of cool dark moody touches to the group's fusiony playing. It's a stellar mix of soul jazz and edgy electric playing, far and away one of the best albums ever to be released on Muse at the time. It's been exceptionally rare over the years, too! Tracks include "Celestial Bodies", "Got To Be There", "Uzuri", and "Perception".

Not as hard and funky as the early stuff – with that disco sound that was dominating the De-Lite imprint at the time – but also not too bad, as the groove is in a fast funk mode, with plenty of real instrumentation, in that tight east coast studio mode of the mid 70s. Includes their "Kay-Gee's Theme Song", plus "Fat Daddy", "Celestial Vibrations", "Space Disco", and 2 versions of the title track "Kilowatt".

Tremendous lost work from Sun Ra – recorded live in Detroit at the start of the 80s, and only ever issued briefly on a limited Saturn Records pressing! Given the show's setting in the Detroit underground, the material has an especially hip sound to it – a return to some of the more righteous modes of the early 70s – both in the group's use of electronics, and in the chanted soul-based lyrics on the album's great version of "Rocket Number Nine"! Ra himself is playing organ and synthesizer – using both in ways that are really eerie and other-worldly – often with spooky tones and these highly metallic notes that make it really difficult to figure out which instrument is which. Overall, the tunes are adventurous, but never too far outside – often quite introspective, and even slightly groove-based, as on the record's great take on "Romance On A Satellite". Other members of the group for this date include Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Craig Harris, June Tyson, and James Jacson – who plays "Ancient Egyptian Infinity Lightning Drum". CD also features the whole performance that was recorded – material that originally appeared on the Saturn albums Beyond The Purple Star Zone and Oblique Parallax. Other titles include "Beyond The Purple Star Zone", "Planetary Search", "Vista Omniverse", "Celestial Realms", "Journey Stars Beyond", and "Immortal Being".

A higher concept album than usual for the team of Beaver & Krause – a record that still features plenty of cool moog and electronics by the pair, but which also has them teamed up with arranger Jimmie Haskell in a set of tunes that mixes older themes with original numbers! A fair bit of tracks here have vocals – either by Krause, or by female vocalists Cris Williamson, Adrienne Anderson, or Elisabeth Wilson – plus the "celestial choir" on a few tracks. There's a hearkening back here that's a bit confused at some moments – mixing Scott Joplin with the then-common apology to Native American mode – but things sound best on the original numbers, which have picked up a groove a bit more than before, and even have some nice warmer tones we really like. Titles include the spacey spinner "Between The Sun & The Rain", plus "Loves Of Col Evol", "Sweet Williams", "Bluebird Canyon Stomp", "Looking Back Now", "Child Of Morning Sun", and "All Good Men".

Here's the real deal – a totally cool collection of all-classic Jamaican ska tracks from the mid 60s – with no revival cuts, no remakes – just the core original grooves! The quality of the work here is tremendous – a rocking, romping approach to soul music that really shows the Jamaican sound starting to fall into place – often handled by singers and musicians who'd break even bigger in the later reggae years, but who have a raw brilliance here that's even more compelling! The track list is wonderful – and the set is a hell of a deal at this price – with tracks that include "One Eyed Jacks" by Jimmy Cliff, "JFK's Memory" by Don Drummond, "The Sun Rises In The East" by Dotty & Bonnie, "Catch A Fire" by Baba Brooks & His Band, "Do You Keep On Dreaming" by The Cherry Pies, "Choo Choo Ska" by Llans Thewell & The Celestials, "Parro Saw The Light" by Lloyd Clarke, "The Jerk" by Derrick Harriott, and "Dragon Weapon" by The Skatalites.

Tropical funk, hazy rhythms, and simmering Afro funk & soul from the Caribbean – a killer collection put together by Hugo Mendez– fantastic stuff from Barbados, St Lucia, Jamaica, Trinidad, St Vincent and beyond! Tropical Funk Experience does a great job of pulling together the a diverse set of funky sounds – with lots of funk that carries both JBs and Afro funk styles, harder grooving and more tripped out sounds, and reggae – with tropical versions of funky standards, and even more numbers that are totally fresh to our ears. Titles include "Spouge Explosion", "Let Me Get Stoned" by Boo & The Tru Tones, "Take The Funky Feeling" by Blue Rhythm Combo, "Cissy Strut" De Boys En Dem, "Fugitive Dub" by Skatalites, "Basa Bongo" by Yoruba Singers, "Smokey Feeling" by The Organization"," New Bag" by The Exciters, "Jive Samba" by Llans Thelwell And The Celestials and more.