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An amazingly unique little group – one that kind of stepped in the Impulse Records back door from the Coltrane galaxy, but which features some very unique aspects overall! As the cover states, the ensemble's led by bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones – and also features McCoy Tyner from Coltrane's quartet – yet the real charm of the record comes from the reed men, who include Prince Lasha on flute and clarinet, Sonny Simmons on alto and English horn, and Charles Davis on baritone sax! All players are free-thinking modernists, with ties to some of the farther reaches of 60s jazz – yet they work here in a beautifully inside mode, similar to Lasha's excellent Insight album on CBS UK – a vibe that takes all the most wonderful aspects of the Coltrane generation, but pushes them even further with some deeply personal expressions. Tracks include the seminal "Half & Half" – plus "Aborigine Dance In Scotland", "Oriental Flower", and "Nuttin Out Jones", and "Gettin On Way".

One of the most unique Afro jazzy soundtrack you could ever hope to hear – African drummer, keyboard player and composer Remi Kabaka's soundtrack to Black Goddess! The film is from Nigerian director Ola Balogun, but was actually cast and shot in Brazil – and this soundtrack is really amazing and covers a whole lot of territory! The opening track is heavy with this fuzzed out bit of keyboards that's almost a precursor to 80s computer grooves – mixed with some laid back electric guitar and sax, it's a strange, really cool vibe that's totally unlike most Nigerian recordings we can think of. As the tracks roll on, though, the sax and percussion get more play and the sound as a whole more dexterously Afro jazzy and funky. Recorded in Lagos, it features Dele Okonkwo on tenor and soprano sax and BD Wright on keys and bass – both contribute additional percussion - plus Joni Haastrup on guitar and keyboard. Includes "Brothers And Sisters", "The Quest", "Slave March", "Black Goddess", "The Quest (Piano Solo)" and "The Warrior".

An amazing new setting for the flute of Nicole Mitchell – the ultra-cool Ice Crystal quartet, which features sublime interplay between Mitchell and vibist Jason Adasiewicz! The blend of vibes and flute is mindblowing – and used here with the sense of space, soul, and sound that you'd get in some of the best 60s "new thing" recordings – an aspect of avant expression that Nicole's never touched like this before – even given her already wide palette of far-reaching styles! Other moments have a more spiritual approach – especially when the deep tones of bassist Josh Abrams come into play a bit more, and seem to brign out a whole new side of the drums of Frank Rosaly. The whole thing's another feather in the cap of Mitchell – one of those players who really makes us proud to call ourselves Chicagoans – as do the other members of the group – and titles include "Yearning", "Today Today", "Diga Diga", "Expectation", "Sunday Afternoon", and "Fred Anderson" – which features a spoken word passage by Calvin Gantt.