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A landmark set from the German prog scene – the first amazing utterance of Ash Ra Tempel, and a standard-setting album that few others could ever hope to match! The sound here builds beautifully – coming out of abstract, noisy territory, then finding shape as the record goes on – a perfect blend between the instruments and new studio modes that really help the textures and tones come to the forefront! The group features Klaus Schulze on drums and electronics, Manuel Gotsching on guitar, and Hartmut Enke on bass – and Conny Plank worked the knobs, to help the whole thing come together like magic! Each song takes up a side of the record – and titles include "Amboss" and "Traummaschine".

Previously unissued work by Sun Ra – tracks recorded during the sessions for his Heliocentric Worlds 2 album for ESP, but lost to the sands of time for nearly 40 years! Like that previous album, this one features a smaller version of the Arkestra than usual – an octet that has Ra working with core hornmen Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Walter Miller, and Robert Cummings – supported by a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Boykins on bass and Roger Blank on percussion. Apart from a lot of added percussion by various members of the group, the instrumentation overall is relatively straightforward – even if Ra's compositions are not. The set kicks off with the 17 minute "Intercosmosis" – a relatively free, stretched-out tune – then is followed by shorter numbers that travel along darker, more introspective pathways. These titles include "World Worlds", "Interplanetary Travelers", "Mythology Metamorphosis", and "Heliocentric Worlds".

Landmark work from Sun Ra – a rare 1964 performance that features some very early work from Pharoah Sanders, a good deal of which is appearing here for the first time ever! The material was recorded at Judson Hall, and only half the tracks came out on a rare Saturn LP – making this CD collection that first time that all 11 titles appear in their entirety. Ra and the group recorded the set on New Year's Eve, 1964 – at a time when John Gilmore had left the Arkestra to work with Art Blakey – leaving Pharoah Sanders to come and take his place on tenor. Also noteworthy is the presence of Black Harold (Harold Murray) on flute – blowing with a dark edge alongside other group members who include Al Evans on trumpet, Teddy Nance on trombone, Marshal Allen on alto sax, Pat Patrick on baritone sax, and both Alan Silva and Ronnie Boykins on bass. The performance starts with a relatively fierce sound, but then moves into some beautifully lyrical moments – and titles include "Gods On A Safari", "The New Tomorrow", "The Second Stop Is Jupiter", "Cosmic Interpretation", "The Other World", "Dawn Over Israel", and "Space Mates".

Sun Ra's first album as a leader – originally issued on the Transition label, but presented here in its better-known incarnation by Delmark Records! Even at this early point, Ra had a sound unlike any of his contemporaries – large group and modern, but not in a way that showed any similarities to work going on in New York or LA – a voice that was all his own, and already quite boldly stated, even in these early years! The format might be somewhat familiar – an ensemble with horns and rhythm – but the overall execution really starts to open up as the album moves on – with odd phrasings, timings, and unusual moments that live up to all the promise you might expect from Ra. Even Mingus and some of his better-known contemporaries weren't heading in these directions in the mid 50s – and the record is a proud showcase of the freedoms that players were often accorded in the less-trafficked Chicago scene of the time. Horns include Art Hoyle & Dave Young on trumpets, John Gilmore on tenor sax, Pat Patrick on baritone, Julian Priester on trombone, and James Scales on alto sax – and rhythm includes Jim Herndon on tympani, Robert Barry on drums, Wilbur Green on electric bass, and a young Richard Evans on acoustic bass! Titles include "Brainville", "Call For All Demons", "Transition", "Lullaby For Realville", "Street Named Hell", "New Horizons", "Fall Off The Long", "Possession", and "Future".

The Science Fiction Poetry of Sun Ra – complete and unabidged – in a great, kinda old school hip pocket paperback-styled tome from Kicks Books! As revered as Sun Ra is, was, and will forever be as one of the great avant garde bandleaders and all around musical innovators of the 20th Century, his work as an Afro-futurist poet is overlooked. This book aims to change that, but not in a precious way at all. It's sort of presented as a fun little pulp paperback. Includes a nice forward by Amiri Baraka and an intro by science fiction historian Bhob Stewart, who does a terrific job of detailing Ra's 60s poetry and his quite genuine relevence in that realm! Paperback, 124 pages.

A totally amazing treasure – a deep dig through the Sun Ra archives, featuring music from Ra, spoken bits, and more – all packaged with amazing presentation of the vinyl, and a huge booklet as well! The records feature way more than just the usual music on Ra projects like these – as they artistically mix together rehearsal moments with some spoken passages, and also some sound effects and other found bits too – almost an art collage in tribute to Sun Ra, but based around music by Ra himself! Highlights include some key rehearsal moments – including a John Gilmore solo, Ra on moog, and "The Second Stop Is Jupiter" performed with Art Jenkins and June Tyson. But the package also features Ra lecturing the Arkestra, talking on music – plus other spoken bits from Dick Gregory, Avery Young, and Krista Franklin. The vinyl is super-heavy, with different colors – and the jackets are heavy pressboard cardstock, hand-printed. The book is LP-sized, 32 pages, with interview materials, notes on the music, details on the project, and some images too. Tremendous stuff – and a must for any Sun Ra collector!

2CDs worth of previously unissued material! Both records – Cymbals and Crystal Spears – were originally due to be released on Impulse during the same stretch that the label was repackaging older Saturn albums, but were never issued because of all the messed up relations that quickly terminated what should have been a much longer deal. (Some of this is nicely outlined in the good set of notes that go with the set.) Cymbals features 3 tracks that did appear on a Saturn album called Deep Purple, plus 2 titles that were never issued before – and the set features Ra on organ Rocksichord, vibes, and organ – playing very out and raucously with a group that includes Danny Davis, John Gilmore, and Akh Tal Ebah. Crystal Spears is a lot more introspective, and takes us back to earlier years of the Arkestra. Ra's on organ, marimba, mini moog, and vibes – and the rest of the group's playing a variety of horns and percussion. Tracks include "Crystal Spears", "Sunrise In The Western Sky", "The Embassy Of The Living God", "Thoughts Under A Dark Blue Light", and "The Mystery Of Two".

Landmark work from Sun Ra – a rare 1964 performance that features some very early work from Pharoah Sanders, a good deal of which is appearing here for the first time ever! The material was recorded at Judson Hall, and only half the tracks came out on a rare Saturn LP – making this CD collection that first time that all 11 titles appear in their entirety. Ra and the group recorded the set on New Year's Eve, 1964 – at a time when John Gilmore had left the Arkestra to work with Art Blakey – leaving Pharoah Sanders to come and take his place on tenor. Also noteworthy is the presence of Black Harold (Harold Murray) on flute – blowing with a dark edge alongside other group members who include Al Evans on trumpet, Teddy Nance on trombone, Marshal Allen on alto sax, Pat Patrick on baritone sax, and both Alan Silva and Ronnie Boykins on bass. The performance starts with a relatively fierce sound, but then moves into some beautifully lyrical moments – and titles include "Gods On A Safari", "The New Tomorrow", "The Second Stop Is Jupiter", "Cosmic Interpretation", "The Other World", "Dawn Over Israel", and "Space Mates".

A totally amazing treasure – a deep dig through the Sun Ra archives, featuring music from Ra, spoken bits, and more – all packaged with amazing presentation of the vinyl, and a huge booklet as well! The records feature way more than just the usual music on Ra projects like these – as they artistically mix together rehearsal moments with some spoken passages, and also some sound effects and other found bits too – almost an art collage in tribute to Sun Ra, but based around music by Ra himself! Highlights include some key rehearsal moments – including a John Gilmore solo, Ra on moog, and "The Second Stop Is Jupiter" performed with Art Jenkins and June Tyson. But the package also features Ra lecturing the Arkestra, talking on music – plus other spoken bits from Dick Gregory, Avery Young, and Krista Franklin. The vinyl is super-heavy, with different colors – and the jackets are heavy pressboard cardstock, hand-printed. The book is LP-sized, 32 pages, with interview materials, notes on the music, details on the project, and some images too. Tremendous stuff – and a must for any Sun Ra collector!

A totally amazing treasure – a deep dig through the Sun Ra archives, featuring music from Ra, spoken bits, and more – all packaged with amazing presentation of the vinyl, and a huge booklet as well! The records feature way more than just the usual music on Ra projects like these – as they artistically mix together rehearsal moments with some spoken passages, and also some sound effects and other found bits too – almost an art collage in tribute to Sun Ra, but based around music by Ra himself! Highlights include some key rehearsal moments – including a John Gilmore solo, Ra on moog, and "The Second Stop Is Jupiter" performed with Art Jenkins and June Tyson. But the package also features Ra lecturing the Arkestra, talking on music – plus other spoken bits from Dick Gregory, Avery Young, and Krista Franklin. The vinyl is super-heavy, with different colors – and the jackets are heavy pressboard cardstock, hand-printed. The book is LP-sized, 32 pages, with interview materials, notes on the music, details on the project, and some images too. Tremendous stuff – and a must for any Sun Ra collector!

A landmark set from the German prog scene – the first amazing utterance of Ash Ra Tempel, and a standard-setting album that few others could ever hope to match! The sound here builds beautifully – coming out of abstract, noisy territory, then finding shape as the record goes on – a perfect blend between the instruments and new studio modes that really help the textures and tones come to the forefront! The group features Klaus Schulze on drums and electronics, Manuel Gotsching on guitar, and Hartmut Enke on bass – and Conny Plank worked the knobs, to help the whole thing come together like magic! Each song takes up a side of the record – and titles include "Amboss" and "Traummaschine".

Amazing images from the universe of Sun Ra – a mixture of rare photographs and mural images painted by Aye Aton – sometime percussionist with the Arkestra, and a heck of a great painter too! The book begins with these stunning full color photographs of Ra on the set of Space Is The Place – images from 1972 that echo the cover of the album of the same name, but which feature a costumed Ra in a number of different settings – including a few parking lot shots that make him look like a true visitor from the cosmos, briefly walking on our planet! The bigger second half of the book features photographs of murals painted by Aton (who's also known as Robert Underwood) – all of them spacey and trippy, and in a similar spirit to the Saturn Records album covers – except these were all painted on walls and ceilings, in very vivid colors. Aye painted many images in the Arkestra commune in Philly – and other paintings appear to be from the south side of Chicago – and all work here is seen by the wider public for the first time ever. Archivist John Corbett provides an essay with the book to situate the work – and the whole thing's a vivid visual treat for any fan of Sun Ra!

Mindblowing music from Sun Ra & The Arkestra – sounds recorded during the same marathon session that gave the world the records Other Planes Of There, When Sun Comes Out, and When Angels Speak Of Love – but titles that are much more obscure overall! The initial release of the material featured very misleading notes, but the true details of the session are even more impressive – as Ra plays a variety of unusual instruments alongside piano – including the piano strings, space organ, and clavioline – alongside some sublime straight horn work from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and oboe, Pat Patrick on baritone, Danny Davis on alto and clarinet, Walter Miller on trumpet, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, and Ali Hasaan on trombone! The lineup here has that raw power the Arkestra first unleashed after their initial move to New York – almost a sense of new freedom in the new environment – even at a time when they weren't clicking on a financial level, but still continued to push forward with new ideas in music! Some passages have this great approach that links the cosmic ideas of the Arkestra with older traditions of jazz soloing – while others reflect the growing concern of the group with new textures and sounds – making for some very impressive elements on both the horns and percussion. The group is completed by Ronnie Boykins on bass, Art Jenkins on space voice and percussion, and Tommy Hunter on drums, percussion, and some mighty nice reverb – and titles include "Biosphere Blues", "Intergalactic Research", "Earth Primitive Earth", "New Planet", and "Continuation To Jupiter Festival".

One of the best-remembered Sun Ra albums from the 70s – a really cool little session that features Ra playing the unusual "rocksichord" all the way through! The instrument's a very weird one – kind of like a messed-up electric piano, with lots of cool broken notes and a weird fuzzed-out tone – one that almost feels like a guitar's being fitted into a keyboard, with almost psychedelic results! Ra's use of the rocksichord gives the album a really eerie, outer spacey sound – one that mixes strongly with more familiar jazz lines from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, Danny Thompson on baritone, and Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet. Titles include "The Mystery Of Two", "Interstellar Low Ways", "Cosmos", "Moonship Journey", "Neo-Project #2", and "Jazz From An Unknown Planet".

One of the best-remembered Sun Ra albums from the 70s – a really cool little session that features Ra playing the unusual "rocksichord" all the way through! The instrument's a very weird one – kind of like a messed-up electric piano, with lots of cool broken notes and a weird fuzzed-out tone – one that almost feels like a guitar's being fitted into a keyboard, with almost psychedelic results! Ra's use of the rocksichord gives the album a really eerie, outer spacey sound – one that mixes strongly with more familiar jazz lines from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, Danny Thompson on baritone, and Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet. Titles include "The Mystery Of Two", "Interstellar Low Ways", "Cosmos", "Moonship Journey", "Neo-Project #2", and "Jazz From An Unknown Planet".

Crazy stuff – one of the wilder albums from Sun Ra, and a record that has him playing on "two moog synthesizers" – which both sound as if they're going at the same time! The rest of the group is quite small – with only John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, and Danny Davis – so Ra really center stage on the keys, and spends most of the record making some really weird and wonderful sounds on the moog. Tracks include "Intergalactic II", "To Nature's God", and "The Code Of Interdependence".

A pretty darn incredible record from Sun Ra – with a soulful, spiritual approach that's missing from most of his other albums of the time! The album features Ra playing a good deal of organ (dubbed "intergalactic organ" in this case!) – grooving soulfully on some short tracks that almost hit a soul jazz mode, and which recall the late 60s experiments of organist Freddie Roach. One track, "Pleasant Twilight", is actually a pretty catchy groover with some great ensemble vocals – and other nice ones in this mode include "Somewhere Else", "Otherness Blue", and "Somebody Else's World". After those tunes, the album actually gets a bit "out" – with Ra switching to moog, which he uses in a very tripped-out sci-fi sort of way! The moog tracks are spare and spooky – with a real outer space approach, and lots of chunky analogue bits that still manage to be quite tuneful. Titles include "Sun Thoughts", "The Wind Speaks", "World Of The Myth I", and "The Design – Cosmos II".

Brilliant work from Sun Ra – and one of his rarest LPs! This double LP set was recorded with only a quartet – John Gilmore on tenor, Michael Ray on trumpet, Luqman Ali on drums, and Ra on keyboards. The album's got a number of tracks that are relatively straight – at least for Ra – and which are played with a wonderful edge that makes them instantly compelling, sounding almost like obscure indie soul jazz sides from the east coast underground of the mid 70s. The feel on most numbers is very different than Ra's usual work, and the record sparkles with a genius that makes us wish someone would get the Horo catalog reissued sometime soon! Includes the sublime vocal tune "When There Is No Sun", plus the original tracks "The Horo", "Moon People", "Rome At Twilight", and "Friend & Friendship" – plus a very nice cover of "My Favorite Things"!

Righteous Ra from the end of the 70s – one of the most soulful albums ever by the Sun Ra Arkestra, and a lost treasure that's got some nice funky moments! The vibe here is very much in the Lanquidity/Disco 3000 mode – an extrapolation of styles best known from the Space Is The Place era, tightened up into more of a groove at some points, but also relaxed and more reflective at others. Our favorite track on the set is "UFO", a snapping bit of funk that comes as a real surprise from Sun Ra – and a tune that's got some nicely noisy guitar jamming alongside straighter electric rhythms – all topped off by vocals from the group and some really strong horn work! The tune's a great party funk number that shows the Arkestra at its most joyous – and other tracks include "On Jupiter", which has a great blend of light vocals, spacey moog, and snakey sax – plus the side-long "Seductive Fantasy", a laidback number that unfolds with a really gentle grace.

An incredible set from Sun Ra – straighter than most of his 70s work, and a brilliant showcase for the tenor of John Gilmore! The group's just a quartet – with Ra on keyboards, Michael Ray on trumpet, and Luqman Ali on drums – on titles that include "Along The Tiber", "Rebellion", "The Mistery Of Being", "One Day In Rome", and "Springtime & Summer Idyll".

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".

Amazing sounds from Sun Ra – vocal recitations, weird words, and spoken bits – all set to some mighty cosmic music! The work here is all previously unissued, and pulled from rare tapes recorded in 1966, 1968, and 1982 – an amazing discovery in the Ra archive, with a real focus on his more poetic side! The set begins with some wonderfully echoey bits – Ra's vocals in the lead, and some cool abstract sounds and electronics behind him. Other tracks have even more obscure elements in the background, and a few others provide some more familiar jazz elements – but overall, the whole thing's got a wickedly spaced-out feel – very much what you might expect if you'd ever heard the myth of Ra before hearing one of his records! Titles include "The Universe Is Endless", "The Sub-Dwellers", "Music Is A Universal Language", "The Universe Sent Me", "A Cosmic Dimension Of Music", "They Taught Me To Share", and "Worship Of A Statue".

The first album on Saturn! Despite the futurism that the title of the set might imply, the material on this LP is actually some of Sun Ra's earliest, and dates back to the years when the Arkestra was first beginning to make itself heard in Chicago. That doesn't stop the material from being amazing, though, as these prime early tracks really show how strong Ra's vision was, even when it was being applied to material that might look more simple on the surface. Titles include "El Is A Sound Of Joy", "Medicine For A Nightmare", "Sunology", "Advice To Medics", and "Portrait Of The Living Sky".

A lost Sun Ra classic – from the early days of the Arkestra! This 1966 release on Saturn features music that was recorded by The Arkestra in Chicago in 1957 and 1958. Some of the tracks are from the same session as the Sound Of Joy LP, and a few others were from sessions later in the year. Ra plays piano and "solar piano", and the group's got some added percussion and tympani. Along with the usual suspects, James Spaulding also sits in with the group on a few tracks, playing both alto and flute. Titles include "Eve", "Overtones Of China", "Two Tones", and "El Viktor". Cool cover, too, with a colorful painting of a surrealistic space scene!

An amazing album from Sun Ra – and one of the most in-demand for Dusty Groove customers! The record's actually a bit funky – if you can believe it – and was recorded with electric keyboards, bass, and guitar (played by the mysterious Disco Kid!) The album originally came out on the Philly Jazz label and was quickly dismissed by many Ra fans for being a funk sell-out album – but over the years, it's become a prized album for its cosmic sense of soul and appealing jazz dance style. In fact, it's probably the album that most folks expect when they've heard one or two Sun Ra tracks on a funk compilation and expect all of his albums to sound like that. Titles include "That's How I Feel", "Where Pathways Meet", "Twin Stars of Thence", and "There Are Other Worlds (They Have Not Told You Of)". Tough stuff, and a very unique Sun Ra LP!

Afu-Ra first appeared on some Jeru LP tracks. "Whirlwind Thru Cities" is produced by Premier and has the sound similar to early Jeru/Premier tracks. "Trilogy of Terror" features Guru and Hannibal with production by Joe Roach. Both cuts feature scratches and mix by Premier.

One of the best early albums from Ash Ra Tempel! Here they bring vocals into to the mix for the first time, though it's still a spacious blend of slow-building atmosphere and spare dynamics that evolve into more feverish and intense maelstroms. The vocals of John L are another instrument, really – with gruff screams and moodier howls that echo the instrumentation impressively. The drums and percussion and incredible, with sax, organ, guitar and electronics. Work that bridges earlier psych to later experimental rock pretty fearlessly! Includes the "Light And Darkness" suite of " A) Light: Look At Your Sun" and "B) Darkness: Flowers Must Die" (originally spanning a side), plus the Schwingungen side "A) Suche" and "B) Liebe".

A killer early session from Sun Ra! Ra plays organ and electric piano, and the band includes Gilmore, Pat Patrick, Marshall Allen, Ronnie Boykins, Art Hoyle, Phil Cohran, and Julian Priester. The group's also got an electric bass, which gives the tracks a nice bottom, and a good spooky feel. Nothing's too out, but the record's got a great off-kilter sound, and lots of original tracks like "Between Two Worlds", "Tiny Pyramids", "Music From the World Tomorrow", and "Angels And Demons At Play".

An incredible record from Sun Ra! The session was recorded in New York in the late 60s – and it features Ra playing the "solar sound instrument", which is actually a modified Hohner Clavinet, used here with some really spooky sounds! The setting of the album is spare and moody – with Ra striking out first on the "solar sound instrument" – laying down a groove that's filled in by John Gilmore on tenor, plus additional percussion by Robert Barry (who plays a bit of the "lightning drum"), Clifford Jarvis, Marshall Allen, and Pat Patrick. Titles include "Mu", "Lemuria", "Atlantis", "Bimini", and "Yucatan".

Nice one! Although Evidence and other labels have been reissuing lots of work from Ra's classic years, there's been a real dearth of material from the crucial early 70's period – when the band was hitting lots of strange grooves, and going way way out, farther than ever before. This essential 2 CD set reissues the rare MPS album It's After The End Of The World, and adds a lot of unreleased material that wasn't on the original album, but which was also recorded on the same date at the Donaueschigen Musik Festival in 1970. Plus, the package also contains a full set of live recordings from Berlin, recorded only a month after the MPS release, and never before released to the public! The whole set's chock full of rare Ra material, and it's packaged with a great set of notes to help you make it through the whole thing!

An expanded version of the material that originally appeared on the Nothing Is album – stretched out here into a 2CD set that features loads of extra unreleased cuts from the recordings! The core album is one of the best non-Saturn Sun Ra albums of the 60s – material recorded live on a tour of New York colleges in 1966, and very much in a spirit that captures the Arkestra at their best! Longer tracks are juxtaposed nicely with shorter ones – in a way that has the group running very outside one minute, yet stepping soulfully back to the center the next – never schizophrenicly, but in a mode that really displays the full range of energy pulsing in the group. Interesting instrumentation on the set includes Ra on clavoline, plus Carl Nimrod on the beautiful-sounding "sun horn" – and other players include Marshall Allen on alto, John Gilmore on tenor, Pat Patrick on baritone, and James Jacson on log drum and flute. This 2CD version features both a first and second set, with even a bit of material from a soundcheck, too – a total of 25 titles that include "Theme Of The Star Gazers #2", "Is Is Eternal", "The Exotic Forest #2", "Space Aura", "Velvet", "Dancing Shadows", "Next Stop Mars", "Outerspaceways", "Shadow World", and "Sun Ra and His Band From Outer Space".

Mindblowing music from Sun Ra & The Arkestra – sounds recorded during the same marathon session that gave the world the records Other Planes Of There, When Sun Comes Out, and When Angels Speak Of Love – but titles that are much more obscure overall! The initial release of the material featured very misleading notes, but the true details of the session are even more impressive – as Ra plays a variety of unusual instruments alongside piano – including the piano strings, space organ, and clavioline – alongside some sublime straight horn work from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and oboe, Pat Patrick on baritone, Danny Davis on alto and clarinet, Walter Miller on trumpet, Robert Cummings on bass clarinet, and Ali Hasaan on trombone! The lineup here has that raw power the Arkestra first unleashed after their initial move to New York – almost a sense of new freedom in the new environment – even at a time when they weren't clicking on a financial level, but still continued to push forward with new ideas in music! Some passages have this great approach that links the cosmic ideas of the Arkestra with older traditions of jazz soloing – while others reflect the growing concern of the group with new textures and sounds – making for some very impressive elements on both the horns and percussion. The group is completed by Ronnie Boykins on bass, Art Jenkins on space voice and percussion, and Tommy Hunter on drums, percussion, and some mighty nice reverb – and titles include "Biosphere Blues", "Intergalactic Research", "Earth Primitive Earth", "New Planet", and "Continuation To Jupiter Festival". Beautiful 2CD reissue features sublime sounds from the original tapes, remastered – plus a full bonus CD of unreleased tracks that include "Blue York", "Conversation Of The Universe", "Red Planet Mars", "Cosmic Rays/Next Stop Mars", "The Myth", "Meteor Shower", "Infinity", "The Beginning Of", and "Endlessness".

One of the greatest Saturn albums! This one has Ra playing clavioline and echoey "cosmic side drums" with a great spacey sound that was probably arrived at through some primitive reverb and echo techniques! The overall effect is everything you'd imagined about Sun Ra – a mixture of hardbop, soul jazz, and some spacey musings that are definitely out of this world! Titles include "Moon Dance", "Voice of Space", and "Adventure Equation". Beautiful blue and white image on the front cover, with that stark Saturn Records look – and a very cool sound overall!

One of the best-remembered Sun Ra albums from the 70s – a really cool little session that features Ra playing the unusual "rocksichord" all the way through! The instrument's a very weird one – kind of like a messed-up electric piano, with lots of cool broken notes and a weird fuzzed-out tone – one that almost feels like a guitar's being fitted into a keyboard, with almost psychedelic results! Ra's use of the rocksichord gives the album a really eerie, outer spacey sound – one that mixes strongly with more familiar jazz lines from John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, Danny Thompson on baritone, and Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet. Titles include "The Mystery Of Two", "Interstellar Low Ways", "Cosmos", "Moonship Journey", "Neo-Project #2", and "Jazz From An Unknown Planet".

If this is disco, point us in the direction of Studio 54! The album's one of Ra's greatest from the 70s – recorded in Italy in 1978, and featuring some incredibly otherworldly keyboards. The track "Disco 3000" is an incredible workout on synthesizer, with a tiny bit of drum machine, a little "Space Is The Place" breakdown, and all of the wild sound you'd expect from a Sun Ra album. The cut goes on for quite some time, and is really fantastic. Side two of the record features two more long tracks – the sweetly soulful "Friendly Galaxy", a great soul jazz number, and "Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens", which has spooky organ, frenetic bass, and somber percussion!

Late 60's issue of a record that's also known as Rocket Number Nine Take Off For The Planet Venus. The material was recorded in 1959 and 1960, but unissued until the mid 60's. Ra plays piano, chimes, and gong, and the tracks have a nice laid back spacey feel, with some ensemble vocals chanted by the group. Ronnie Boykins also plays the space gong on one cut, which sounds very nice. Cuts include "Somewhere In Space", "Space Loneliness", "Space Aura", and "Interplanetary Music". The cover's got a brilliant red and white drawing of volcanic land, piano keys floating in space, and a mysterious female figure in flames!

Sun Ra's really moving forward with this classic set – refining the sound of his Chicago-based Arkestra, and reaching for new territory that moves him way past familiar jazz modes! The cover bills the group as playing "music from tomorrow's world" – and you can definitely hear that on some titles here, including one number that features Ra on some really haunting celeste, and another that features Marshall Allen making weird noises with his mouthpiece! The group is all greats from the old days – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute, Pat Patrick on baritone and flute, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Hobart Dotson on trumpet, Charles Davis on baritone, and Ronnie Boykins on bass – and titles include "Hours After", "Saturn", "Ancient Ethiopia", and "Blues At Midnight".

One of Sun Ra's best non-Saturn live sets of the 70s – a nice little record that shows the group mixing it up with equal parts avant garde and straight ahead jazz, all handled in that ever-growing large group style that made them a real force to be reckoned with in a concert setting! The album was recorded during the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival, and has a bit more focus and polish than some of the other Arkestra live material from the time – a mature, coherent sound that almost points the way towards some of their work to come in the 80s – when Ra and the group were finally reaching the wider audience they deserved. The set's a double-length one, and features players who include John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, Pat Patrick on baritone, Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet, Craig Harris on trombone, and James Jackson on Ancient Egyptian Infinity drum – which is always a treat. Ra plays solar organ and moog, as well as piano – and titles include "Of The Other Tomorrow", "On Sound Infinity Spheres", "El Is The Sound Of Joy", "Gods Of The Thunder Realm", "Gods Of A Thunder Realm", "The House Of Eternal Being", and "Lights On a Satellite".

One of Sun Ra's best non-Saturn live sets of the 70s – a nice little record that shows the group mixing it up with equal parts avant garde and straight ahead jazz, all handled in that ever-growing large group style that made them a real force to be reckoned with in a concert setting! The album was recorded during the 1976 Montreux Jazz Festival, and has a bit more focus and polish than some of the other Arkestra live material from the time – a mature, coherent sound that almost points the way towards some of their work to come in the 80s – when Ra and the group were finally reaching the wider audience they deserved. The set's a double-length one, and features players who include John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen and Danny Davis on alto and flute, Pat Patrick on baritone, Ahmed Abdullah on trumpet, Craig Harris on trombone, and James Jackson on Ancient Egyptian Infinity drum – which is always a treat. Ra plays solar organ and moog, as well as piano – and titles include "Of The Other Tomorrow", "On Sound Infinity Spheres", "El Is The Sound Of Joy", "Gods Of The Thunder Realm", "Gods Of A Thunder Realm", "The House Of Eternal Being", and "Lights On a Satellite".

One of the most tape-centric entries in this great Lost Reel series – given that the recordings here were pulled from a San Francisco rehearsal by Ra & The Arkestra – and still contain some evidence of the recorder turning on and off! But despite that technical element – which actually creates a nice little window into the way the band worked away from the stage, and focused on certain elements on their own – the music here is still plenty darn great, and offers up a rare glimpse of the group during a short SF residence. The tracks include a few "unidentified titles" – which, according to the notes, are numbers that possibly haven't appeared on other recordings – and players include Ra, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Danny Ray Thompson, and James Jackson. 2CD set features titles that include "Dance Of The Living Image", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Astro Nation", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "Passin Gas", "Sophisticated Lady", "Watusi", and a few of those unidentified titles!

One of the rarest non-Saturn LPs by Sun Ra – an obscure set recorded for the Philly Jazz label, the imprint who also released Ra's classic Lanquidity album! This set has the group returning to a more traditional Arkestra groove – recording in Chicago with a mix of acoustic instruments and electric keyboards that reminds us of some of the band's best work for Saturn – very odd and offbeat at times, quite free at others – but always brought back beautifully with a sense that all is unified under the cosmos! Ra really stretches out on organ and synthesizer – and also plays a bit of piano as well – and titles include "Mayan Temples", "Inside The Blues", "Over The Rainbow", and "Intrinsic Energies".

One of the most soulful Sun Ra albums ever – very much on the Lanquidity tip, and done with a great mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation! The vibe here is really mellow, spiritual, and warm – and the album actually feels a lot more like a session recorded for the Strata East label than it does for Saturn! Keyboards pervade the session – electric piano and organ drifting around in moody, laidback lines – augmented by occasional vibes, bits of guitar, and some wonderfully well-blown sax solo work by Marshall Allen and John Gilmore! The title track "Sleeping Beauty" runs for all of side two of the album – and it's an amazing little number that mixes instrumental passages with some great mellow Roy Ayers-styled vocals. "Door Of The Cosmos" is a bit of a groover, and even gets a bit funky at times – and the album also features the laidback spacey number "Springtime".

Unbelievable! This is one of the rarest Sun Ra records we've ever seen – and it's also one of the most compelling. There are no tracks listed on the label (although the Sun Ra discography lists them as "Sometimes The Universe Speaks", "Pleiades", "Third Heaven", "When There Is No Sun", "Halloween In Harlem", and "Shadow World") – and the sound is very very unusual. The first two tracks feature lots of spare reed work, mixing flutes, oboe, and clarinet with some occasional percussion. Then, the record shifts into an all-vocal number – almost like one of Ra's older doo wop tunes, but with a very strange sing-song lyric about the cosmos. Side two moves into larger group sounds, more in keeping with the mid 70s style of the Arkestra, and featuring some very firey solos mixed with a bit of synth. Great stuff, and the Arkestra at its most mystical!

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".

One of the rarest Sun Ra albums ever – and one of the most enigmatic, too! Strange Strings is a very unique session recorded with an otherworldly sound – heavily steeped in the use of "electronic strings", amplified string instruments recorded with crazy echo and other effects, almost sounding like analogue electronics at times. The set also uses a variety of percussion instruments – including "log drum" and "lightning drum" – and Ra plays a bit of electronic piano on it as well as a variety of interesting percussion instruments. And if that's not enough, the whole album ends with the spooky sound of Thlan Aldridge on "space voice"! Incredibly cosmic, and quite out at most moments – with tracks that include "Strange Strange", "Worlds Approaching", and "Strings Strange".

A beautiful little record from Sun Ra and the orchestra – and a set that really lives up to its evocative cover and title! The album features Ra on "intergalactic space organ" – an instrument that may well be a conventional version of the organ, but which is handled with some haunting, very spacey solos that spin out beautifully often setting the scene while the rest of the Arkestra comes in and adds in great solos over the extended reading of the title tune. The lineup includes John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto and flute, Danny Thompson on baritone and flute, Pat Patrick on baritone, and Kwami Hadi on trumpet – and June Tyson sings a bit on the record as well. Titles include "Black Man", "In A Blue Mood", and "Universe In Blue" (parts 1 & 2).

An adventurous side from Sun Ra – recorded in 1962, when the Arkestra had recently moved to New York City – with Ra playing a bit of percussion and electric celeste on one track, and an overall freer approach by the rest of the group! Players include the classic lineup with Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, and Ronnie Boykins – and titles include the haunting originals "Dimensions In Time", "Dancing Shadows", "The Rainmaker", "We Travel The Spaceways", and "Calling Planet Earth".

A set of varied moods and settings – yet one that really does a wonderful job of fleshing out the Sun Ra aesthetic during these crucial years when Ra dubbed himself the "King Of The Sub Underground"! That humorous title is a reference to the fact that Ra and the Arkestra were still working with largely little mainstream exposure – despite the big growth of avant jazz at the time – and were instead working on beautiful recordings like these, often made without any thought of a larger market at all! The CD brings together material from albums originally issued with Sub-Underground in the title – also under other names as well, including Temple U – and the tracks represent the Arkestra really hitting some of their creative heights in a mix of live, studio, and rehearsal recordings. Titles include the brilliant "World Of Africa", recorded in 1968, but with a chunky groove and weird piano that almost feel like a precursor to Fela Kuti; the sublime "Love Is Always" and "Song Of Drums", recorded live with a spare group in a beautifully echoey setting; surprisingly great takes on "What's New" and "Autumn In New York", played by a small group with Ra on a slightly off-tune upright piano; the long "Cosmo Earth Fantasy" suite, with some very fierce sounds; and a nice live take on "Space Is The Place/We Roam The Cosmos", which jumps right into the groove at the start – with a pretty offbeat feel, and lots of cool vocal interplay!

Holy Saturn! This is an incredibly rare album that has Ra & The Arkestra shilling for bucks by playing jazzy versions of cartoony themes – wrapped up in a "Batman & Robin" package designed to cash in on the popularity of the mid 60s TV show! Ra plays Hammond B-3 on a number of cuts, and other players include Jimmy Owens, Tom McIntosh, and members of the Blues Porject. The session was put together by Ed Bland – director of the Cry Of Jazz, who later went onto arrange and produce a lot of weird funky records in New York. Wild – and with a great cover!

Blu is joined by mic veteran RA The Rugged Man and Tristate of Durag Dynasty on this nice single from Nature Sounds.

Amazing work from Sun Ra – record that really features a great range of sounds and styles, and a heck of a lot of soul as well! Ra plays some especially nice rocksichord on the set – that freaky, fuzzy keyboard that comes off sounding like a guitar, even though it's played with keys – and there's some spiritual undercurrents to the set that are different than some of Ra's other albums with the instrument – some deeply feeling rhythms and soulful, spiritual expressions that really belie the Space Is The Place generation in which the album was cut. A few recitations imbue the record with a bold sense of poetry, which seems to be carried through strongly in the instrumentation too – especially on John Gilmore's tenor lines, which almost have a Shepp-like quality at points. Other players include Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto, Ahk Tal Ebah on trumpet, Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Sly on electric guitar – and titles include "Song No 1", "There Is Change In The Air", "Antique Blacks", "Would I For All That Were", "Ridiculous I & The Cosmos Me", and "This Song Is Dedicated To Nature's God".

Amazing work from Sun Ra – record that really features a great range of sounds and styles, and a heck of a lot of soul as well! Ra plays some especially nice rocksichord on the set – that freaky, fuzzy keyboard that comes off sounding like a guitar, even though it's played with keys – and there's some spiritual undercurrents to the set that are different than some of Ra's other albums with the instrument – some deeply feeling rhythms and soulful, spiritual expressions that really belie the Space Is The Place generation in which the album was cut. A few recitations imbue the record with a bold sense of poetry, which seems to be carried through strongly in the instrumentation too – especially on John Gilmore's tenor lines, which almost have a Shepp-like quality at points. Other players include Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto, Ahk Tal Ebah on trumpet, Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Sly on electric guitar – and titles include "Song No 1", "There Is Change In The Air", "Antique Blacks", "Would I For All That Were", "Ridiculous I & The Cosmos Me", and "This Song Is Dedicated To Nature's God".

If this is disco, point us in the direction of Studio 54! The album's one of Ra's greatest from the 70s – recorded in Italy in 1978, and featuring some incredibly otherworldly keyboards that are some of his most enigmatic on record! The track "Disco 3000" is an incredible workout on synthesizer, with a tiny bit of drum machine, a little "Space Is The Place" breakdown, and all of the wild sound you'd expect from a Sun Ra album. The cut goes on for quite some time, and is really fantastic. Side two of the record features two more long tracks – the sweetly soulful "Friendly Galaxy", a great soul jazz number, and "Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens", which has spooky organ, frenetic bass, and somber percussion!

An excellent Sun Ra session from 1959! Ra and the Arkestra are playing in a fine mix of straight jazz and spacey styles, with Ra on electric piano throughout the entire set. A few tracks have some great chanted vocals – and we're not sure if they're sung by one of the Saturn doo wop groups, or by the ensemble – but they give the tracks a great sound, and the whole set has a good late 50's Arkestra sound. With the tracks "Nubia", "Plutonian Nights", "Star Time", and "Watusa".

The rare Space Probe sent out to the cosmos by Sun Ra in the mid 70s – with material recorded from the early 60s onward – the heart of it being Sun Ra's first ever recordings on a moog synthesizer in 1969, and it's one heck of a trip! This excellent edition on Art Yard includes the material from the original Saturn release – the epic, nearly 18 minute interstellar trip that is the title track – with Sun Ra crafting hallucinatory moog magic throughout it. He shifts gears on "Earth Primitive Earth" (the complete version), an earlier recording, as much influenced by ancient sounds as futuristic ones, with hand drums for the beat and bass clarinet by John Gilmore. The closing "Conversion Of JP" is the other holdover from the earlier Space Probe LP and it's another gem steeped in primitivism, believed to feature Marshall Allen on flute (sure sounds like him to us). Art Yard includes some really incredible unissued material here from sessions that produced the Secrets Of The Sun and When Sun Comes Out sets – titles including "Solar Symbols II", "Dance Of The Wind", "Recollections Of There" and "Destiny". Other players include James Jacson on log drums, Nimrod Hunt on hand drums and vocalist Thea Barbara.

A great split record – worth it alone for the rare Sun Ra cut from 1979, but also featuring a cool remake as well! The original "Door Of The Cosmos" is wonderful – Ra and the Arkestra in a Lanquidity mode – moving with a slightly funky vibe, and some great spacey keyboards – but more than enough great horn parts to underscore the cut with plenty of soulful energy too! Machinedrum serves up his own take on the tune on the other side – a bit more beat-heavy, but with some reed lines that still keep up the jazzy tip of the track!

Two very different sides of the same spacey coin – an original 1971 track by Sun Ra, plus a contemporary remake! "Nidhamu" is a very weird electronic number recorded by Ra at the house of Harmut Geerken in Cairo in the early 70s – done with loads of cool moogy keyboards and weird electronics, and almost more an analogue electronic concept piece, than the usual jazz of the Arkestra – but with some melancholy keyboard moments that are surprisingly soulful too! Ras G & The Alkebulan Space Program offer up their take of the tune on the other side of the record – even more abstract, and even noisier too!

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".

If this is disco, point us in the direction of Studio 54! The album's one of Ra's greatest from the 70s – recorded in Italy in 1978, and featuring some incredibly otherworldly keyboards that are some of his most enigmatic on record! The track "Disco 3000" is an incredible workout on synthesizer, with a tiny bit of drum machine, a little "Space Is The Place" breakdown, and all of the wild sound you'd expect from a Sun Ra album. The cut goes on for quite some time, and is really fantastic. Side two of the record features two more long tracks – the sweetly soulful "Friendly Galaxy", a great soul jazz number, and "Dance Of The Cosmo Aliens", which has spooky organ, frenetic bass, and somber percussion!

An excellent live performance from the 80s – recorded during a time when the Arkestra was extremely tight, and really beginning to break big with audiences like the enthusiastic one heard at this festival in Athens! Sun Ra and the group are at the height of their powers here – really commanding the set with tremendous presence – and effortlessly shifting between free improvisations, straighter tunes, and some especially rhythmic numbers that are almost worth the price of admission alone! Players include Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Danny Ray, and James Jacson – and this 2LP set on 180 gram vinyl version on Vinyl Lovers includes 13 tracks: "Improvisation For Children Of The Sun", "Yeah Man!", "Mack The Knife", "Big John's Special", "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Space Is The Place/We Travel The Spaceways/Outer Spaceways", "Carefree (Egyptian Fantasy)" and more.

Tremendous lost work from Sun Ra – three previously-unreleased tracks from the archives – all of them great! Side one features this wonderful spiritual number, "Along Came Ra" – performed live with some great lead vocals from June Tyson to start things out – then given a cool recitation by Ra in the middle, over ensemble vocals and loads of great percussion! Next is "The Sky Is A Sea Of Darkness" – a spare keyboard tune that mixes up a "Space Is The Place" organ riff with some great vocals (from Ra?) – beautifully, soulfully sung with a poetic feel that's wonderful! Last up is one of the most soulful versions of "We Travel The Spaceways" we've ever heard – slow, with piano in the background underneath the vocals – which themselves are deeply personal, and some of the most moving we've ever heard on a Ra tune. All three tracks are on the inside, spiritual side of the Arkestra spectrum – and all mighty nice!

A limited edition vinyl nugget – one that brings forth three rare tracks from the Cosmo Earth Fantasy project! First up is the beautiful "World Of Africa" – a tune that's partly chanted vocals over percussion, partly skittish guitar that dips and turns all over the groove – in a really exotic, hypnotic sort of way! "Love Is Always" is this sublime ballad – with Ra playing echoey piano lines over slow percussion, which then opens up to a soulful tenor solo that's incredible – the Arkestra at their spiritual best! "Space Is The Place" completes the record – but done here in a very offbeat, upbeat version that features lots of chanting and changing up the groove – much more live and spontaneous than any other take we've heard of the tune – almost as if they're forming the track out of spoken ideas between members of the Arkestra!

The "Sunrise" in the title here is especially well-placed – because this live performance by Sun Ra has a beautifully glowing quality – one that unfolds musically as the set rolls on, moving through a day's course of music in different moods and dimensions! Ra initiates the proceedings with some gentler inside piano, but as the set gets moving, the other group members leap into the fray – pushing a tremendous energy into some of Ra's original compositions – then stepping back for a more peaceful, contemplative exploration of older themes in jazz – played in that "across the 20th century" mode that took hold of The Arkestra strongly during this decade. Group members here include Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, Noel Scott, Michael Ray, and Danny Thomas – and the concert is very well recorded, with numbers that include "Cocktails For Two", "Lightnin", " "Light From A Hidden Sun", "Pin Points Of Spiral Prisms", "Silhouettes Of The Shadow World", "Queer Notions", "Big John's Special", and "A Helio-Hello & Goodbye Too".

The early 70s Arkestra at the height of their power – recorded in a brilliant live set from 1973, one that showcases the bold soul of the Impulse years! There's a resonance here with other spiritual jazz experiments going on in the US at the time – and Ra and the 25 members strong group seem firmly committed to exploring new freedoms in jazz, yet still work with messages that can reach out to a larger group – themes explored vocally on versions of "Astro Black", "Enlightenment", and "Space Is The Place", juxtaposed by longer instrumental passages that have a cohesiveness that's sometimes missing from other live sets. Other titles the 2LP version include "What Planet Is This? Opening Improvisation", "Love In Outer Space", "The Shadow World", "Watusa/Egyptian March", and "Discipline 27" and "What Planet Is This? Closing Improvisation".

Amazing work from Sun Ra – record that really features a great range of sounds and styles, and a heck of a lot of soul as well! Ra plays some especially nice rocksichord on the set – that freaky, fuzzy keyboard that comes off sounding like a guitar, even though it's played with keys – and there's some spiritual undercurrents to the set that are different than some of Ra's other albums with the instrument – some deeply feeling rhythms and soulful, spiritual expressions that really belie the Space Is The Place generation in which the album was cut. A few recitations imbue the record with a bold sense of poetry, which seems to be carried through strongly in the instrumentation too – especially on John Gilmore's tenor lines, which almost have a Shepp-like quality at points. Other players include Marshal Allen and Danny Davis on alto, Ahk Tal Ebah on trumpet, Clifford Jarvis on drums, and Sly on electric guitar – and titles include "Song No 1", "There Is Change In The Air", "Antique Blacks", "Would I For All That Place", "Ridiculous I & The Cosmos Me", and "This Song Is Dedicated To Nature's God".

Previous unissued early recordings from Sun Ra – the introspective, solo piano & vocal number "I Am Strange" and the spiritual mission statement "I Am An Instrument" on the flip! "I Am Strange" comes from the period when Ra was rehearsing, arranging, and recording with vocal groups, and finds Ra speaking over his own piano, poetically ruminating on his own strange soul! "I Am An Instrument" takes a similar approach with more spiritualism, with Ra speaking over moody string and piano sounds. Amazing stuff – never before released!

Sun Ra's really moving forward with this classic set – refining the sound of his Chicago-based Arkestra, and reaching for new territory that moves him way past familiar jazz modes! The cover bills the group as playing "music from tomorrow's world" – and you can definitely hear that on some titles here, including one number that features Ra on some really haunting celeste, and another that features Marshall Allen making weird noises with his mouthpiece! The group is all greats from the old days – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on flute, Pat Patrick on baritone and flute, James Spaulding on alto and flute, Hobart Dotson on trumpet, Charles Davis on baritone, and Ronnie Boykins on bass – and titles include "Hours After", "Saturn", "Ancient Ethiopia", and "Blues At Midnight".

Amazing stuff from Ahmed Abdul-Malik – one of the early 60s most enigmatic jazz talents! Malik was Thelonious Monk's bassist for a few years, but by the time of this record, he was working in a very sophisticated cross-cultural mode – pulling together many different strands of jazz and Eastern music, forging them into a very unique sound. Unlike some of Malik's other records, which featured a style that was very heavy on Middle Eastern instrumentation, this one's got a very even blend of jazz, and features excellent work by Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, Calo Scott on cello, Eric Dixon on tenor, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. Malik himself plays bass and oud, and the record's got a snaking mix of jazz and exoticism that's roughly similar to Yusef Lateef's work on Savoy, or some of Sun Ra's work from the time. Titles include "Nights On Saturn", "La Ibkey", "The Hustlers", and "Oud Blues".

One of the most beautiful albums we've ever heard from Mario Adnet – a set done with some great expanded orchestrations – and key help from guests who include Roberta Sa, Monica Salmaso, and Lenine! The tunes have this spacious, expansive feel that really lives up to the Amazon promise of the title – beautifully poetic, but with the orchestrations, full of fire too – in ways that really take us back to some of the best Brazilian scoring of the early 70s – especially that time when folks like Tom Jobim and Edu Lobo were really hitting their most sophisticated levels. Many numbers have vocals – from Roberta Sa, Vincente Nucci, Monica Salmaso, Lenine, and Mario himself – and titles include "Boto", "Rio Amazonas", "Canoa Canoa", "Trilhas Da Floresta", "Borzeguim", "Saci", and a killer vocal reading of Joao Donato's "A Ra".

Incredible early work from Lorez Alexandria – the kind of albums that instantly set her apart from other singers of the 50s, reissued here properly for the first time in years! On This Is Lorez, the singer is working with sublime small combo backings from the group of pianist King Fleming – an unusual Chicago ensemble that includes Wilber Wynn on guitar, Ronald Wilson on flute and oboe, Vernel Fournier on drums, and Audrey Jones on bongos – a musical lineup that brings in a different sort of sophistication to the record, shading tunes with moody colors on flute and oboe that perfectly support Alexandria's soulful and sensitive interpretations of the tunes. The whole thing is pure genius, and a key look at the new levels of sophistication that were bubbling everywhere on the Chicago scene during the years of Jamal and Sun Ra. Lorez Sings Pres follows in a very similar mode – with backing by a Chicago group that again includes King Fleming piano, plus Charles Stepney on vibes, Paul Serrano on trumpet, and Vernel Fournier on drums – an extremely hip lineup that makes the record far more than just the Lester Young tribute promised in the title! But despite the instrumentalists, the real star on all sides is Alexandria – who sings with dark tones and deep colors that go far beyond conventional jazz vocals – all carried off with that slightly breathy mode that was one more unique aspect of her work! CD features all tracks from both albums – a total of 22 titles that include "Snowstorm", "I'm Glad There Is You", "The Sky Is Crying", "I'm Making Believe", "Necessity", "Penthouse Serenade", "DB Blues", "This Year's Kisses", "Easy Living", "No Eyes Blues", "Jumping With Symphony Sid", and a key early reading of "Baltimore Oriole".

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". The 9th Wonder produced single "Honey" is an unlisted bonus track.

Badu is back with some of the deepest, funkiest and best music of her career – a mindblowing treatise for a New Amerykah – and what we'll consider an instant classic whether the world at large catches on or not! Erykah steps up this time with a set that balances the wilder impulses of her criminally underappreciated Worldwide Underground and more of a hip hop based, righteously grooving style – but still bursts with a freshness that's unrivaled to say the least. From free spirited soul, to sparse hip hop funk this record is both blunt and beautiful – with a slow-building emotional resonance that'll reach the most jaded souls. Modern soul music of the first order that gives us goosebumps from the first spin to the last beat! The album kicks off with Erykah riffing on and remixing Ramp's "American Promise" as an intro – and it just gets deeper from there. Producers/collaborators include Madlib, Sa-Ra, Karriem Riggins, James Poyser and ?uestlove. Amazing!!! Titles include "The Healer", "Me", "My People", "Soldier", "The Cell", "Twinkle", "Master Teacher", "The Hump" and "Telephone". The 9th Wonder produced single "Honey" is an unlisted bonus track.

A beautiful session of spiritual soul jazz – and one of the rarer albums on the legendary Strata East label! The obscure combo is led by drummer/percussionist John Betsch – and instrumentation includes guitar, piano, electric piano, and reeds – all used with plenty of warm touches, and a few sharp edges – all very much in the best Strata East mode of the time! The tracks have a soaring sort of sound – similar to some of the Keno Duke material on the label, but also touched with some trippier edges too – a great blend that really brings a lot of depth to the session, and which has made this one of our favorite Strata sides over the years. Titles include "Song For An Untitled Lady", "Ra", "Get Up & Go", and "Ode To Ethiopia".

Tried-and-true underground hip hop mixed with more experimental beathead touches from Blu – with collaborations and production by Exile, Shafiq Husayn, Flying Lotus, Dibia$e, Daedalus and more – plus appearances by U-God, J*Davey, Co$$, Pac-Div and more. Titles include "Doin Nothing" with U-God, "Everything OK" feat Ms Jack Davey, "Everybody Nose" feat Sa-Ra & Nola Darling, "Hours", "Annie Hall" feat Chop, Cherry Pop & Tiombe Lockhart, "Tags" feat Exile, "Spring Summer Winter Fall" feat Jimetta Rose, "Down To Earth" feat Donel Smokes, Definite & Double Oh, "Keep Pushinn", "Doin Something" feat Pac Div, U-N-I, J*Davey, Tiron & Ayomari and more.

A trio of classic albums from Don Cherry – packaged in a heavy book-like cover, with lots of new notes too! On the first part of the set, Cherry really breaks out on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles include "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", "Terrestrial Beings", "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". Orient is a beauty from Don Cherry – and one of his rarest records! This set was originally only ever issued by the Japanese branch of BYG Records in the early 70s, and it features 2 live performances from France, both of them great! Don's in a spare trance-like mode here – working with one trio comprised of bassist Johnny Dyani and percussionist Okay Temiz; and another trio with Han Bennink on percussion and Moqui on tambura. Tracks from both sets are very long and stretched-out – a mixture percussion, trumpet, flute, piano, and occasional vocals, often done in a globally expansive style. Titles include "Si Ta Ra Ma", "Orient", "Eagle Eye", and "Togetherness".

A rare and beautiful treasure from Chicago's Phil Cohran and his legendary Artistic Heritage Ensemble – material recorded at the end of the 60s, but only issued here for the first time ever! The sound on the record is amazing – much deeper, and more forceful than anything else we've ever heard from Cohran – almost in Sun Ra Arkestra territory at times, given the group's out-there playing, and bold collective action! The lineup is similar to other Cohran recordings from the time – Phil on cornet, Henry Gibson on congas, Pete Cosey on guitar, Louis Satterfield on bass, Charles Williams on alto, Don Myrick on tenor, Charles Handy on trumpet, Willie Woods on trombone, and Aaron Dodd on tuba – a group that's a wonderful bridge between the two important Chicago generations headed by Sun Ra and Earth Wind & Fire. Armageddon is an extended piece, divided up into five different musical acts – conceived by Cohran in the late 50s, and recorded here in 1968 – with some great help from The Spencer Jackson Family on the leadoff track "Motherless Child". Other titles include "Creation Of The Beast", "The Warning", "The Window", and "Armageddon" – a clear reference to the power of the atom bomb!

Great lost work from the legendary Phil Cohran and his Artistic Heritage Ensemble – a composition that was recorded during the group's late 60s years on the Chicago scene – but which has never been released until now! The album stands beautifully alongside the group's self-titled classic and their tribute to Malcolm X – and like those amazing records, this one has a feel that's all its own – an exploration of Moorish elements in Spanish culture – which comes off as a Latin-inflected sound with African roots! The lineup here is similar to other Cohran classics – Donald Myrick on baritone sax, Charles James Williams on alto, Eugene Easton on tenor, Charles Handy on trumpet, Willie Woods on trombone, Aaron Dodd on tuba, Pete Cosey on guitar, Henry Gibson on congas, and Louis Satterfield on bass – a mix of musicians that includes members with Sun Ra and Earth Wind & Fire listed in their resumes! Cohran's vision in the suite is wonderful – and the music has all the depth and righteous energy of his self-titled record, but a bit more Latin fire too – a beautiful blend that really makes us appreciate his genius even more than before, and which finally gives us another record of his to love after all these years.

An amazing bit of music – and an incredible document of generations of creative jazz energy as well! The legendary Phil Cohran teams up here with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – a collective made up of Cohran's sons, who follow strongly in the rich legacy of his own Artistic Heritage group – yet in a very different way! Hypnotic Brass have caught the ear of many during their bright rise to fame – with a fluid, horn-heavy groove that's really amazing – echoes of Sun Ra and other Chicago creative legends – yet played almost entirely on brass instruments, which gives them an even bolder vibe. Here, working with their progenitor brings the group even more depth than before – an excellent sound that really spins things out wonderfully – percussion layered underneath the horns, solos taking jazzy flight, and an overall righteous vibe that holds things together beautifully. The album's way more than the sum of its parts – and those parts are already rich indeed – and titles include "Stateville", "Cuernavaca", "Ancestral", "Spin", "Zincali", "Apsara", and "Frankincense & Myrrh".

An amazing bit of music – and an incredible document of generations of creative jazz energy as well! The legendary Phil Cohran teams up here with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – a collective made up of Cohran's sons, who follow strongly in the rich legacy of his own Artistic Heritage group – yet in a very different way! Hypnotic Brass have caught the ear of many during their bright rise to fame – with a fluid, horn-heavy groove that's really amazing – echoes of Sun Ra and other Chicago creative legends – yet played almost entirely on brass instruments, which gives them an even bolder vibe. Here, working with their progenitor brings the group even more depth than before – an excellent sound that really spins things out wonderfully – percussion layered underneath the horns, solos taking jazzy flight, and an overall righteous vibe that holds things together beautifully. The album's way more than the sum of its parts – and those parts are already rich indeed – and titles include "Stateville", "Cuernavaca", "Ancestral", "Spin", "Zincali", "Apsara", and "Frankincense & Myrrh".

A brilliant tribute to the late Malcolm X – served up by Chicago's legendary Artistic Heritage Ensemble! The record's got an even farther-reaching sound than the group's self-titled effort – a flowing style that unfolds as their tribute to Malcolm rolls on – starting spare and earthy at first, then picking up a fuller, prouder, much more righteous groove as things really get going! As before, there's plenty of heavy percussion at the bottom of most tracks – topped by complicated horn passages that often verge on the exotic – and which have a tremendously captivating sound. The ensemble's led by the great Phil Cohran, who played with Sun Ra for a bit, and also plays cornet on the record – the rest of the group includes Charles Williams, Don Myrick, Louis Satterfield, Pete Cosey, Henry Gibson, Willie Woods, and Aaron Dodd – a lineup of players who also worked with Sun Ra, The Pharoahs, and Earth Wind & Fire! The LP's a suite of 4 tracks dedicated to Malcolm X, each capturing a period of his life, "Malcolm Little", "Detroit Red", "Malcolm X", and "El Hajj Malik El Shabazz".

Amazing work from the legendary Phil Cohran – and a much-needed collection of his rare singles on the Zulu label! The work here is contemporary to the sides issued by Phil's Artistic Heritage Ensemble on their two famous records – but the sound is often a bit tighter, and funkier too – kind of the 45 distillation of sounds the group was working out in larger format on the full albums! As with those classics, the approach is amazing – a hip blend of jazz, soul, and African elements – very much in the spirit of Sun Ra, Cohran's predecessor on the Chicago scene – but often with a lot more groove, and a lot less avant garde elements. Players on the set include Charles Williams on alto, Don Myrick on baritone, Charles Handy on trumpet, Louis Satterfield on bass, Pete Cosey on guitar, and Henry Gibson on timbales and conga – all working at a level that easily rivals the best from Ra, Salah Ragab, Mulatu, and other space jazz legends from the time! Titles include "The African Look", "Loud Mouth", "New Frankiphone Blues", "Frankiphone Blues", "Detroit Red", "El Hajj Malik El Shabazz", and "Black Beauty".

A roots-oriented 70s classic from Willie Colon – one of his standout albums of the decade! Willie continues his "life of crime" approach for the early 70s – moving into an old west look on the cover, and matching that with a slightly rootsier sound on the album! The real difference is the presence of Yomo Toro – who plays cuatro on the album, and gives it a sound that stretches back to earlier Afro-Cuban styles – a groove that's a lot more rootsy, mixed in with the soaring salsa style of Colon in the 70s. Lead vocals are by Willie, Hector Lavoe, and Ruben Blades – and arrangements are by Marty Sheller and Willie. Tracks include "Toma", "Dona Tona", "Potpourri III", "Cua Cua Ra, Cua Cua", "I Feel Campesino", and "Que Bien Te Ves".

A roots-oriented 70s classic from Willie Colon – one of his standout albums of the decade! Willie continues his "life of crime" approach for the early 70s – moving into an old west look on the cover, and matching that with a slightly rootsier sound on the album! The real difference is the presence of Yomo Toro – who plays cuatro on the album, and gives it a sound that stretches back to earlier Afro-Cuban styles – a groove that's a lot more rootsy, mixed in with the soaring salsa style of Colon in the 70s. Lead vocals are by Willie, Hector Lavoe, and Ruben Blades – and arrangements are by Marty Sheller and Willie. Tracks include "Toma", "Dona Tona", "Potpourri III", "Cua Cua Ra, Cua Cua", "I Feel Campesino", and "Que Bien Te Ves".

Beautifully mature work from Brazilian piano legend Joao Donato – an album that draws on his rich legacy of musical expression from the bossa years onward, presented here with a few surprising twists and turns! The core format is piano trio – Joao on the acoustic keys, with Luiz Alves on bass and Robertinho Silva on drums – yet the sound is quite changed from the early days when Donato recorded heavily in this way, inflected with some really complicated rhythms at points, and turned towards these soulful undercurrents we especially love. Instrumentation includes a bit of guest strings on one track – plus vocals from Zeca Pagodinho, flute from Ricardo Pontes, and cavaquinho from Paulinho Soares – artists who each appear on a track in the set. Titles include "Sambolero", "E Menina", "A Ra", "Jodel", "Sambou Sambou", "Amazonas", "Quem Diz Que Sabe", "Surpresa", and "Brisa Do Mar".

Earth, Wind & Fire's first album – recorded at a time when the group recently had ties to the Chicago soul and jazz scenes, and a range of experience that ran the gamut from work with Sun Ra, the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, The Pharoahs, Ramsey Lewis, and countless other influential groups. Headed up by Maurice White on drums and percussion, the group forged an amazing blend of all these influences, creating a future soul sound that pushed black music to the next level – taking a wealth of previously underground modes of expression, and fusing them into a soaring sound that would soon put them at the top of the charts. This album's a lot looser and freer than their Columbia albums – with plenty of raw funk and some nice off-beat jazz soling. Includes the classic break track "C'Mon Children", plus "Fan The Fire", "Bad Tune", and "Moment Of Truth".

The most amazing record to date from Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – just the kind of cosmic, spiritual session you'd expect from the group's name – perfectly placed in a Chicago lineage that includes Sun Ra's Arkestra and the best years of the AACM! The group's got all the collaborative spirit of the latter reference – a largeish ensemble made up of some of the city's most important avant musicians in recent years – including Nicole Mitchell on flute, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Josh Abrams on acoustic bass, Matt Bauder on clarinet and tenor, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, and Mike Reed and John Herndon on drums – all players who know each others strengths through countless gigs together – coming together under the visionary leadership of Rob Mazurek on cornet. There's some slight electro-acoustic elements, which further complicate the sound of the record – but all without ever taking it off base – and the whole thing's got a righteous sort of energy that makes us mighty proud that sounds this great came from our hometown. Titles include "ChromoRocker", "Impression #1", "Ascenscion Ghost Impression #2", and "Three Blocks Of Light".

A killer array of funky grooves from Fela Kuti – served up in a 6LP box set, with records chosen by Ginger Baker! Baker's a key choice to work on the set – given his famous recordings with Fela, heard here on the album's leadoff record – Fela & Ginger Baker Live! Next up is Roforofo Fight – an early full-length Fela LP, filled with 4 tight groovers that stand with his best work! "Go Slow" begins with this mad trumpet solo that you'll recognize from a famous sample, especially as it mixes in with keyboards; "Roforofo Fight" is a fast-time groover that has the drums working overtime to keep up with the political power of the cut. Confusion features a monster 26 minute track – and it begins with Sun Ra Arkestra-like washes of sound and spaciness, before leaping into a bass-heavy groove that provides a perfect platform for heavy jamming and vamping by the band. Alagbon Close is a lesser-known 70s session from Fela – but a great one too, and a record that captures the Africa 70 group at all their early raw best! Tracks are both very long – stretching for a side of the record apiece – and the title track "Alagbon Close" features some amazing keyboard lines on the intro, all tinny and thin – and done with this other-worldly almost Sun Ra-like quality! The other tune, "I Get No Eye For Back", also has some amazing electric piano too – but intertwined with some very strong horn work from the group! He Miss Road brings back Ginger Baker – who's producing the group, and gives them a sweet progressive vibe. Titles include "He Miss Road", "Monday Morning In Lagos", and "It's No Possible". Last up is the Na Poi album, with two long cuts cuts – "Na Poi" and "You No Go Die Unless"! Both have a freer feel than usual, with heavy percussion added into the usual mix of keyboards and sax solos. All records in original cover art, too!

Remixes and rare tracks from the mighty Gerardo Frisina – easily our second favorite Italian groover next to the mighty Nicola Conte! The set's a great counterpart to some of Frisina's other full albums on Schema – because it not only presents a few previously unreleased tracks, it also offers up some of Gerardo's great remix work for other artists in recent years! Frisina's got a great way of imbuing a current track with a classic Latin vibe – mixing acoustic percussion, driving rhythms, and jazz-based instrumentation together with incredible sharpness and energy – a no-nonsense approach to a groove that shows that's almost a distillation of the best older elements. This approach is heard wonderfully on Gerardo's own tracks "Tokyo's Dream (07 version)", "Alborado", "Es Diferente", "Calle De Candela (vibes version)", and "Zanja" – but it also comes through on remix tracks that include "Swing Low Sweet Cadillac (G Call remix)" by Dizzy Gillespie, "Dis-ka-ndombe" by Jorge Graf, "Black Forrest Stomp" by Hipnosis, "Windly Coast" by Idea 6, "Guarapiranga" by Toco, "Stardust From Tomorrow (dissociated mood version)" by Sun Ra, and "Ghetto Stomp" by Combo Moderna.

Truth in album titles from Manuel Goettsching – inventive soundscapes from the Ash Ra Tempel founder – played entirely on electric guitar, though it's all about hypnotic layering and effects. It's amazing stuff, evolving guitar notes manipulated into the studio. "Echo Waves" is a 17+ minute, uber-hypnotic piece that's another case of material living up to the title, one that reminds us a bit of some of Tangerine Dream's soundtrack work of a decade later. "Quasarsphere" is atmospheric and spacey, a shorter piece. "Pluralis" is the 20+ minute epic closer, very much akin to "Echo Waves".

An excellent trippy soundtrack – to a film we'd love to see, and which starred Charles Aznavour, Ringo Starr, John Astin, James Coburn, John Huston, Richard Burton, and Marlon Brando! The crazy outing is accompanied by a great Dave Grusin score that includes lots and lots of heavy guitars – quite different from his usual bag, and a nice fit with the few vocal numbers in the film – some standout rock titles that go along nicely with Dave's sweet instrumental grooves! Includes "Rock Me" and "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, "Child Of The Universe" by The Byrds, and the excellent Grusin instrumentals "Marlon & His Sacred Bird", "Constant Journey", "Spec Ra Tac Para Comm", and "Opening Night By Surgery".

A landmark LP by Eddie Harris – one that we go back to again and again over the years! The album shows not only the brilliance of the young Eddie Harris (a brilliance that was not easily matched later in his career), but also the brilliant way that the Chicago jazz scene of the 60's could absorb so many different influences and styles, and mix them up into a fantastic sound that was totally unique. Take, for example, the cut "Oliphant Gesang", which has an exotic groove, and weird solos on the horns that sound like Elephant noises, and which are much more in the Sun Ra camp. Or the track "Dancing Bull", which uses electric guitar to create a cool Spanish sound. The group's filled with super-hipsters – and players on the record include Melvin Jackson, Richard Evans, Willie Pickens, Charles Stepney, John Avant, and Raphael Don Garrett! Other tracks include "Fantastic Waltz", "Cuttin Out", and "Down".

It always feels like we're waiting a long time for a new record from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – but it's always well worth the wait! This time around, they've found a way to focus their energies even more than before – still sticking strongly in the horn-heavy groove that we love, but also opening things up a bit more on the rhythm tip, too – and going for production that, if anything, makes them sound even more earnest, honest, and spontaneous than before! The record really preserves the live energy that makes the group so compelling – that razor sharp criss-crossing of jazz traditions and styles – steeped in a Chicago legacy that includes Sun Ra and Phil Cohran, but coming across with a hell of a lot more groove than either of them too. Titles include "Touch The Sky", "Kryptonite", "Pluto", "Black Boy", "World Champions", and "Starfighter".

Later than Tim Maia's classic soul years, but a set with a nice focus on older bossa material – sung to backings by a small group arranged by Almir Chediak, and featuring Antonio Adolfo on piano and Wilson Das Neves on drums! Given the richness of Tim's vocals, there's a style here that's quite different than other bossa revival sessions – as the Maia sound still goes deep and soulful, even on the mellower cuts. Titles include "Folha De Papel", "Minha Namorada", "Wave", "Samba De Pergunta", and a great 2 part reading of Joao Donato's "A Ra" – plus an English language version of "Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape)".

The full range of Mina's pop genius of the 60s – some upbeat groovers, some offbeat swingers, and some mellower cuts that glide forth with her wonderful vocals in Italian! Although she never cracked the charts here, Mina was easily one of the best female singers on the European scene of the 60s – and a well-rounded record like this really shows off the full range of her talents – with an appeal that's right up there with more familiar Brit and French girl pop of the time! Titles include "La Banda", "E Se Domani", "Cartoline", "Un Anno D'Amore", "E L'Uomo Per Me", "Se Telefonando", and "Ta Ra Ta Ta".

Amazing work from the legendary Mulatu Astatke – one of Ethiopia's funkiest musicians of the 70s, making a rare appearance here on this lost American recording! The album has been a holy grail for years amongst beatheads – loved for its killer blend of weird rhythms, sweet funk, and super-dope vibes – and the grooves on the set are really unique – slow, snakey, and with a sinister, almost other-worldly feel. There's not nearly as much vibes on Mulatu's Ethiopian recordings – and their appearance here really gives the set a nice American sort of twist – almost Roy Ayers meets Sun Ra with a hot dose of African funk thrown in for good measure! Titles include "Chifara", "Munaye", "Kaselefkut-Hulu", "Mascaram Setaba", and "Mulatu".

Easily one of the greatest albums recorded by Olatunji in the 60s – a set that's even more hard-driving than his classic records for Columbia, with an incredibly percussive groove all the way through! The group features an assortment of percussionists all driving along with Olatunji – plus some excellent sax work from Sun Ra Arkestra members Pat Patrick and Marshall Allen, whose contributions really help flesh out the sound. Most tracks also feature chanted vocals, and all tunes are relatively long as well. Titles include "Aiye Mi Re", "Dakun", "Me Nu Di Aye", "Ljoye", "Eyanu", and "Mojuba".

An album that definitely packs a powerful punch – thanks to a compelling blend of sounds from both London and Kenya, brought together in a whole new formation of African groove! The album's a wicked reworking of an older aesthetic – in a spirit that's similar to the really inventive changes that Tony Allen brought to his music on the Paris scene in the late 90s – but with a fresh, crisp sort of energy that really lives up to the group's placement on the Brownswood label! Electric and acoustic elements are wrapped together beautifully – so that both act very organically in the music – and the vocals work in a similar way – never totally out front, but instead a strong part of this wonderful hybrid. Titles include "Sunken Wrecks", "Owiny Techno", "Norbat Okelo", "Nagalo Ni Piny Odag", "Yukimwi", "All Together", and "Jonny Ra Ha".

An album that definitely packs a powerful punch – thanks to a compelling blend of sounds from both London and Kenya, brought together in a whole new formation of African groove! The album's a wicked reworking of an older aesthetic – in a spirit that's similar to the really inventive changes that Tony Allen brought to his music on the Paris scene in the late 90s – but with a fresh, crisp sort of energy that really lives up to the group's placement on the Brownswood label! Electric and acoustic elements are wrapped together beautifully – so that both act very organically in the music – and the vocals work in a similar way – never totally out front, but instead a strong part of this wonderful hybrid. Titles include "Sunken Wrecks", "Owiny Techno", "Norbat Okelo", "Nagalo Ni Piny Odag", "Yukimwi", "All Together", and "Jonny Ra Ha".