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A legendary early set from percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett – and a really sublime blend of spiritual jazz and Latin rhythms! Mora's percussion is definitely at the core – but the set also features wonderful contributions from Vincent Bowens on tenor and soprano sax, Jerome LeDuff on berimbau, Alberto Nacif on quinto, and Detroit jazz legend Kenny Cox on piano! There's a balance here that really matches the best Strata East energy of the 70s – an open, flowing approach that's completely sublime, and very righteous too – even more so than anything Mora's done since the 70s – making this record one of his greatest achievements ever. Tersa Mora sings a bit of vocals at times – and titles include "Afra Jum", "Five AM", "Rumba Morena", "Samba De Amor", and "Cultural Warrior". CD has an insane amount of bonus tracks – 8 more than the original album – with titles that include "Old Man Joe", "Afra Jum", "Amazona", "Por Que Paro", and "El Morro".

One of the few albums ever from percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett – a player with a decades-long legacy of performances with jazz legends Max Roach and Sun Ra, as well as Detroit electro genius Carl Craig! The album's got a wonderful sound that links together these 2 sides of Catlett's career – righteous acoustic jazz at the core, but augmented with bits of electronics, some of which are played by Carl Craig on synth and "space programming"! Arkestra member Marshall Allen is also in the group – playing alto and flute – and other instrumentation features twin trumpets from John Douglass and Dwight Adams, keyboards from Craig Taborn, and lots of percussion from Francisco himself. The sound is outside at some points, but always swings back to a warmly spiritual vibe – and Catlett's compositions are as ambitious as the performances on the set. Titles include "Baba Lu Aye", "Suny", "La Luu Banche Barasuayo", "Space Chord Progression", "Voodoo Papa Legba Mapotelo", "Saints At Congo Square", "Pa'Los Mayores", and a Carl Craig/Craig Taborn mix of "Baba Lu Aye".

Brilliant work from Francisco Mora Catlett – a really timeless record that encompasses a world's worth of elements in jazz! Catlett's at the height of his powers here – leading the group with a sense of righteous majesty that takes us back to some of the most ambitious heirs of the post-Coltrane generation, but with perhaps an oddly rhythmic twist as well – such as you might find in some of the 70s classics of Bobby Vince Paunetto. Echoes of Latin, Afro, and spiritual jazz come together as one – soaring to the skies on soulful waves of sound – brought together with a sense of focus and spirit that really moves us a lot. Players include Marcus Belgrave and John Douglass on trumpets, Sherman Mitchell on trombone, Vincent Bowens on tenor and flute, Alex Harding on baritone and bass clarinet, Kenny Cox on piano, and Rodney Whitaker on bass – and titles include "Samba/Conga De Amor", "Amazona Prelude/Dawn", "Old Man Joe", "Rumba Morena", "Afra-Jum", "King Of Lightning/Drums Solo", and "Hasta La Vista".

An excellent CD of contemporary spiritual jazz excursions from this former member of Sun Ra's Arkestra. While Catlett's earliest pedigree is in Latin jazz, his many years spent with Ra have infused his music with a far reaching sensibility, well understood by his bandmates Craig Taborn and Rodney Whitaker on this disc, who are also joined by many of Detroit's other young lions to fill out some of the larger arrangements on a few numbers. Taborn is at his most Tyner-esque in these post-Coltrane lyrical numbers, 13 in all, including "Iron Master", "Vital Force", "The Other Side Of The Mask", "Cultural Warrior" and "El Morro".

A beautiful little group – one who play with a lot more subtlety than you'd guess from the "freedom" in their name! The ensemble's a perfect match of pianist Francesco Tristano, bassist Carlo De Rosa, and drummer Francisco Mora Catlett – a really well-balanced trio that seems to have equal focus on the work of all three instruments, both from a melodic and rhythmic perspective! At times, the percussion of Catlett really seems to open up the tracks – but at others, the sensitive piano lines of Tristano, with almost a Bill Evans sort of care – move things along in this mellow glow that's totally great. Tracks are all long, and develop beautifully with this balance of sonic tenderness and rhythmic pulse – and titles include "Barasuayo", "5xmax", "Dean", "C2izo", "Blue People", and "Earth Tones".

Rare grooves in many flavors – a wonderful collection of rare gems from the American 70s underground – and a set that's overflowing with cuts from some of the most valuable albums of the period! The core vibe here is jazz, but there's also a lot more going on too – bits of funk, some spiritual touches, and some downright soulful moments too – all presented in a set of tracks that really lives up to the "deep" in the title – a bit like Gilles Peterson pulling together music of this nature, but as if he dug even deeper than usual! Titles include "Shake Your Poo Poo (45 version)" by Earl Carter & The Fantastic 6, "Vaya Mulatto" by Stone Alliance, "Free Man" by George Freeman, "African Rhythms (45 version part 1)" by Oneness Of Juju, "Mr PC" by Mike Selesia, "Destroy The Nihilist Picnic" by London Experimental Jazz Quartet, "Intergalactic Love Song (alt mix)" by The Diddys with Paige Douglas, "Ain't Got No I Got Life" by Nina Simone, "Only Yesterday" by Weldon Irvine, "Afra Jum (alt take)" by Francisco Mora Catlett, and "Dream Come True (part 1)" by Three Of Us.