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A perfect title for a perfect record – especially given all the love we've felt from Build An Ark over the years! The album's a masterpiece through and through – easily the greatest statement ever from this already-amazing band – a contemporary ensemble, but one that we'd seamlessly rank right next to our righteous favorites on labels like Impulse Records, Tribe, or Strata East – with all the political power and sense of social mission those references would imply! The song titles alone will give you a great idea of the beautiful vibe behind Build An Ark – tunes like "Celebrate", "How Do We End All This Madness", "Love Is Everywhere", "World Peace Now", and "This Prayer For The Whole World" – which re-ignite the Love Supreme candle first lit by John Coltrane in the 1960s – burning brightly again in the 21st Century, and almost even more inspiring – given the youthful energy of the group. As always, mainman Carlos Nino deserves a hell of a lot of credit for getting something this great, this right – but the group is also very clearly a collective, and draws amazing energy from members who include Dwight Trible, Kamau Daaood, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Damon Aaron, Jim Lang, and others. In addition to above-mentioned titles, other tunes include "Sweet Thing", "World Music", "More Love", "In The Park", and "Play The Music".

A brilliant extension of the Love set from Build An Ark – focusing on some of the more improvisational spirit that's integral to their cosmic groove! Love Part 2 is mix of intimate moments and soaring atmospherics from Carlos Nino, Miguel-Atwood Ferguson and the rest of the stellar ensemble, plus guests and fellow travelers such as vocalists Dwight Trible, Carmen Lundy, Leisei Chen and Mia Doi Todd, violinist Michael White and others. The overall vibe and instrumentation are unpredictable from one movement to the next, but there's always a hypnotic mood at play, be it spun by sparely furnished strings and percussion, earthy global jazz influences or far spacier dynamics! Titles include a lively (and live sounding) string jazz improvisational take on "What The World Needs Now Is Is Love" with passionate vocals and pared down lyrics by Leisei Chen flavored with violin, viola, cello and sitar – plus "Cosmic Tuning", "Nature", "Ginger", "Say Yes!", "Improvisation Day 1", "Improvisation Day 2", ""Improvisation Day 8", "Cadence Of The Love Messengers" and wonderfully unique take on Donny Hathaway's "Tryin Times" with vocals by Carmen Lundy and Dwight Trible.

An even cooler record than before from Jungle By Night – a set that still has lots of Afro Funk elements at its core, but which brings them together in some really unique ways! Some of the rhythms are nicely offbeat – not straight, and sometimes moving in weird patterns that really start the tunes off well – getting past easy expectations as the group's instrumental flurry comes into play – tight horns, heavy percussion, and these keyboards that have ways of making sounds that are sometimes a bit unusual. All instrumental – and titles include "Rangda", "Cyclin", "Dawn", "Gallow Street 34", "Night Fight", "Ethiopino", and "The Past Is History".

A beautiful project from the contemporary underground scene in LA – a record that shares lots of energy and musicians with recordings by Build An Ark and Life Force Trio! Dexter Story's the main force behind the record, but the set's a strongly collaborative effort – and features keyboards from Mark De Clive-Lowe, flute from Derf Reklaw, strings from Mighel Atwood-Ferguson, vocals from Dwight Trible, and key studio work from Carlos Nino! Story's vocals and overall conception are wonderful – soaring and soulful, with some slight cosmic touches that give the record a bit more crackle than related projects – a sound that's still steeped in spiritual jazz elements, yet which also really opens up as the set rolls on. There's a wonderful sense of variety to the tracks – due to the shifting lineup – but the overall feel is still very cohesive, and an amazing demonstration of Story's bold musical vision. Titles include "Seasons", "Into The Hour", "Love Force Trio (part 1)", "Underway", "Water Bearer", "Paddle Boat", "Bloop Drip", "Gyre Song", "As Is", "God Sun", and "Suijin".

We've always loved the music of Jimi Tenor – but recently, he seems to get better and better with each new record – hitting a spiritual, soulful depth we never would have expected years ago! This album's one of his best efforts ever – and feels more like some lost 70s Euro/African rarity – as you might expect from the compelling cover! All the jazz elements of previous Tenor projects are in place – but there's also more of a pan-global influence going on – especially in the complicated percussion that graces most tracks, and which provides a wonderful counterpart to instrumentation that includes tenor, flutes, and piano from Jimi – plus trumpet from Julla Eskola and Tero Lindberg, trombone from Jay Kortehisto and Heikki Tuhkanen, and guitar from Kalle Kalima. Tracks are long, and have a feel that's somewhere between Strata East and Parisian Afro jazz experiments of the 70s – and titles include "Universal Love", "Afroeuropean", "Eternal Mystery", "Africa Kingdom", "Dance Of The Planets", "Curtain Of Steel", and "Starstuff".

An amazing album from Build An Ark – even more spiritual and far-reaching than their first – and still with a vibe that rivals some of the most righteous jazz ever issued in the 70s on labels like Impulse and Strata East! The ensemble features both older and younger players – coming together in a collective exploration of some of the hipper sides of the jazz spectrum – all in a mode that recalls early genius of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and others from many years back – recorded in a style that's completely sensitive to the nuances of the music. Carlos Nino produced, and also contributed some of the tunes – and group members include Dwight Trible on vocals, Nate Morgan on piano, Adam Rudolph on kalimba, and Derf Reklaw on congas – but that's only the tip of the iceberg, given the size of the group. Titles include "Sunshine", "Healing Song", "Love Sweet Like Sugar Cane", "Dawn", "River Run", "When Ancestors Speak", "Morning Glory", "In Her Smile", and "You Yourself Are The Key To The Universe".

Some of the best material from Gambian psych funk pioneers Guelewar – a double-length collection, pulled from stellar albums of the late 70s and early 80s! Guelewar's got a really great sound here – one that brilliantly blends heavy, hypnotic rhythms, passionate vocals, swirling guitars and psychedelic organ grooves – all to create really unique vibe, and more than worthy of the legendary fame the group's gotten over the years! You might know Guelewar from their earlier work in the Supreme Eagles and Super Alligators – both great groups who prefaced the material here – infusing regional traditions with western funk, soul, and psych – to create a wicked groove that eventually evolved into the Guelewar sound! Titles include "Sama Yaya Demma N'Darr", "Sunu Makaan", "Ya Mom Samaray", "Njarama", "Tasito", "Wollou", and "Kele Fasane".

Amazing music from Mali – quite different than most other albums we've heard from that scene in the 70s – with wonderful reed work that really lives up to the "jazz" in the group's name! The sound is bold and righteous, but with an other-worldly vibe too – a really haunting quality that grabs us like some of the most evocative Ethiopian sounds of the 70s! At some level, there's definitely a Mali touch going on in the music – some very tripped-out elements in the production, and a way of wrapping things together with an undercurrent of melancholy. Yet there's also a really unique feel to the record too – a sense of complication that moves way beyond the obvious, while still managing to groove in the process – albeit with kind of a droning quality. Titles include "Wale", "Apolo", "Leli", "Teiduma", and "Dina Waliji".

One of the greatest groups in Mali during the 70s – a legendary ensemble with a really other-worldly sound! Super Biton De Segou have a way of folding together their horns with their grooves that's really mindblowing – taking all the sharp edges and exotic flavors of the reeds, and having them step in line beautifully with the haunting rhythms of the tunes – often very elliptical and hypnotic, with a quality that's not unlike some of the Ethio grooves of the time – but definitely with the rootsier feel you'd expect in music from Mali! Vocals are every bit as well integrated as the horns – and titles include "So Karafe", "Siseni", "Malamini", "Nyangaran Foli", "Yere Jabo", "Alioune Sissoko", and "Taasi Doni".

One of the crunchiest efforts we've heard from IG Culture in awhile – a record that's filled with the cosmic beats we've always loved in his music, yet firmly grounded on earth overall! The set mixes heavy rhythms with lots of vocals and rhymes – efforts from ID 4 Windz, Mr Mensah, Julie Dexter, K Banger, Bilal Salaam, and John Robinson – all wrapped and layered together in ways that are quite different from conventional hip hop, and which really resonate with the kind of collective, collaborative spirit we love in IG's music! There's an even darker feel here than usual – which we really appreciate – and titles include "Catalog Pieces", "Futures Back", "Black Renaissance", "Core Exit", "Truth", "Tangile Dream", "Outsider", "What's Happening", "The Sankofaz Peace Ark-Extra", and "Do The Math".

A sweet funky classic from 70s Brazil – one of those records that's found thousands of funky fans over the decades – and which still continues to please! The set's the best-eer from Orlandivo – a soulful singer whose set up perfectly here with funky backings from the great Joao Donato – working on organ and Fender Rhodes for the set, and hitting the same soulful styles as his own great 70s albums! Grooves have a sunny feel, but these jazz funk undercurrents that are completely infectious – wicked interplay between the bass and drums, guitar and keyboards – set to vocals from Orlandivo that clearly borrow some of Jorge Ben's soulful influence too. Other players include Sivuca on accordion, Durval Ferreira on guitar, and Helcio Milito on percussion – and titles include "Um Abraco No Bengil", "Palladium", "A Felicidade", "Tudo Joia", "Juazeiro", and "Bolinha De Sabao" – plus the great "Tamaco No Samba", which is a thinly disguised version of "Samba Blim".

One of the boldest, most righteous 70s statements from trumpeter Hannibal Marvin Peterson – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given his previous body of work! The set's cast in the same large ensemble mode as Hannibal's Children Of The Fire album – and like that one, it features an array of all-star players, all united in the trumpeter's rich vision – artists who include Deirdre Murray on cello, Billy Hart on drums, Michael Cochrane on piano, Art Webb on flute, and Pat Peterson on vocals! Tracks are long, and build with energy that's very much in the Strata East mode – a vibe that Hannibal didn't seem to have down this well in the earlier part of the 70s, but which he more than made up for at the end of the decade with a record like this. Titles include "Now Stand", "A Sacred Multitude", "Returning To The Ways", "Of Live & Love & God", and "The Tribe".

They're not lying about the title on this one – as the package definitely overflows with deep disco and boogie! But even more importantly, the whole thing's plenty darn rare, too – really killer tracks that we haven't seen compiled elsewhere – and which really represent the cream of the crop of the underground 12" scene in the late 70s and early 80s. Most numbers are nice and long, and veer towards the warmer sounds of the late disco era, rather than the harder sounds in the decade to come – a great reminder that there's still plenty of soulful club gems out there if you know where to look – and in that respect, this compilation's a great place to do so. Titles include "You Don't Care (Long Version)" by China Burton, "Live For Love (12" Extended Mix)" by GC Cameron, "Hot Thang" by Cash, "Bumpsie's Whipping Cream (Savares Mix)" by TJ James & The Fist-O-Funk Orchestra, "I Need You" by Ricky Womack, "Don't Fight The Feeling (12" Mix)" by Master Force, "Closer" by Chemistry, and "Brotherson" by Ojeda Penn.

Really rare grooves from an incredibly obscure scene – and that's saying a lot, given how many global sounds have been circulating in recent years! The cuts here represent a unique outpouring of funky club styles from the nation of Surinam – tracks recorded by a handful of groups in the wake of their mid-70s independence – and as filled with as much joy and positive energy as you might imagine from such a political moment! The grooves are surprisingly great – upbeat funk, with lots of jazzy inflections – in a space that's somewhere between the sound of Fantasy Records in the mid 70s, and Capitol soul at the start of the 80s – tight, but never too slick – and as cool as it is classy. Lyrics are in English, and titles include "Sweet Dream" by Alwin Reingoud, "Groovy Weekend" and "Disco Party" by Erwin Bouterse & The Group Roetoe, "Try Try Try" and "You Are Gonna Miss Me" by Solat, "Funkin In Your Mind" and "Going Insane" by Sumy, "Here's To You" by Thunderstorm, and "Waiting For Your Love" by Usje Sukatma.

Country rock and blue-eyed southern soul from Larry Jon Wilson – his New Beginnings and Let Me Sing My Song released by Monument on '75 and '76 – together here in a single package from Omni! New Beginnings is Wilson's first for Monument is a total gem that doesn't fit comfortably in any one genre, which may have limited it's commercial potential, but it's a warm, soulful southern effort that deserves some love. Wilson has a deep, smoky voice, playing over arrangements by Bergen White that balance introspective sweetness with a bit of funky southern country rock. Title include "New Beginnings", "Lay Me Down Below", "Bertrand My Son", "The Truth Ain't In You", "Broomstraw Philosophers And Scuppernong Wine" and more. Let Me Sing My Song To You has even more stylistic range, from country funk to mournful, Waylon Jennings level balladry, to numbers sweetened by strings. Again, the songs are great, and make us wish that Wilson would have stuck around longer in the industry and gave us a bunch more them! Includes "Drowning In The Mainstream", "I Remember It Well", "Kindred Spirits", "Farther Along" and more. 20 tracks in all.