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One of the deepest soul records ever issued by Chess Records – and the album wasn't even done in Chicago! The album's the only full effort issued under the name of Kim Tolliver – a singer who'd worked previously for Fantasy as Kimberley Briggs – and it's a sublime effort from Tolliver and husband Fred Briggs, who'd worked together previously on work for Stax by Margie Joseph! The style here is quite unique – a mix of Kim's southern soul-styled vocals with some fuller, richer touches – almost in the same way that Gloria Scott comes across on her classic album with Barry White – but a bit more rough around the edges overall. The production is amazing – with a great sense of space and style – and some key use of echo that really underscores the emotion of the tunes. A good part of the album was recorded in Miami – with echoes of the TK modes of the time – but other recording was also done in Cleveland, which might account for the more unique aspects of the set. Regardless of location, though, the album's a tremendously individual effort – a bold, raw statement from Tolliver – filled with emotion that few of her contemporaries could match, and free of any crossover soul cliches that were really bogging down other artists at the time. Most tracks here are original – as original in conception as the sound of the record – and titles include "The Other Side Of Town", "The Way He Used To", "She Don't Know You Like I Do", "Takin A Woman's Stand", "I'm Losing The Feeling", "Learn To Get Along Without You", and "I Need You/Drop Whatever You're Doing".

Wonderful sounds from the great John Carpenter – one of those records that reminds us that his music is often just as important as the images he puts on the screen! Carpenter's music for The Fog follows nicely in his work for other films – particularly Halloween – in that it's got this slow-building style that often makes great use of keyboards – often used sparely, with a really spooky sort of energy – and even more space, and at slower speed than his other horror soundtracks! The style really fits the "fog" theme of the film – and this 2CD version features the 2000 remix of the soundtrack album, plus 1980 score cues – and a bonus interview with Jamie Lee Curtis too. Titles include "Matthew Ghost Story", "Tommy Tells Of Ghost Ships", "Reel 9", "Blake In The Sanctuary", "Number 6", "Walk To Lighthouse", "Dane", "Andy's In Trouble", and "The Fog Enters Town".

The "Angels" in the title are Hells Angels – as this is a pretty rough looking biker flick, pictured in a nice on the road image on the front cover! The music is actually a pretty diverse mix of rock songs by some lesser-known acts – the majority by hard-grooving group called East West Pipeline. Their tracks are pretty darn great – tight, fuzz guitar rockers with surprisingly sweet harmonies. Also includes cuts by Texas psych combo Fever Tree, Buffalo Springfield drummer Dewey Martin, Mark Eric and Rabbit Mackay. Titles include "Taking A Bath", "Angels Die Hard", "Something's Wrong", "Kern County Line", and "Questions" by East West Pipeline; "Death Is The Dancer" by Fever Tree; "Tendency To Be Free" by Rabbit MacKay; "I Want To Take You Higher" by Sylvanus; and "Indian Child" by Dewey Martin & The Medicine Ball.

An amazing collection of music – and essential to any collection of blacksploitation soul and funk, even if you own the original Shaft album on Stax! Disc 1 features the original film score for the Shaft movie, not the record issued by Stax – so although Isaac Hayes handled the music, it's different from what you might have on record – and features a great array of vocal tracks and shorter funky sound cues – all with rhythm by The Bar-Kays and The Movement! Titles on disc 1 include "Bumpy's Theme", "I Can't Get Over Losin You", "Reel 4 Part 6", "Source No 1 6M1C", "Source No 2 7M1A", "Shaft Strikes Again/Return Of Shaft", "Shaft's Pain", "Rescue/Roll Up", "Love Scene Ellie", "Harlem Montage", "Shaft's First Fight", and "Title Shaft". Disc 2 features the killer soundtrack to Shaft's Big Score – written by Gordon Parks, and played with full funky style by Dick Hazard, who's getting a bit of help from the mighty Tom McIntosh. The tracks seem to include everything issued on the original LP, plus a bit more – with titles that include "Symphony For Shafted Souls", "9M3", "Funeral Home", "Don't Misunderstand", "Fight Scene", "Ike's Place", "First Meeting", "Smart Money", and "Blowin Your Mind". That disc and all of disc 3 features music from the Shaft TV series – some really under-exposed music that's totally great too, but almost with more of a crime/cop sort of style – although also with some cool moody moments too. Some of this music was done by Johnny Pate, and titles include work from the episodes The Executioners, The Killing, Hit Run, The Cop Killers, and The Kidnapping. 3CD set also features 2 bonus tracks from a single – "The Men" and "Type Thang".

One of the coolest collections ever put out by The Numero Group – and that's saying a lot, given the hipness of the label! Downriver Revival chronicles the story of a unique studio in Michigan – Double U Sound, a custom recording spot that captured a wonderful range of soul, funk, gospel, and other sounds from the local community – beautifully presented here in a full 2LP set, plus a bonus DVD that features the near-complete 200 song archive of the studio! The DVD's really unique – so we'll talk about it first: Done with an interactive menu that lets you literally comb through the boxes of tapes in the Double U vault – selecting each reel recorded by the studio, and sampling the rich array of wonderful sounds from this untapped Michigan scene – a huge amount of music, far more than you'd ever find on a 2LP compilation. The DVD also features a documentary on the studio and Downriver Revial project – and that alone would be worth the price of admission – but the 2LP set then features 24 key numbers pulled from the vaults – tracks that were either issued on rare 45s, or never issued at all – and which represent a wonderful array of soulful sounds that definitely lives up to the Numero standard! Titles include "There's A Light" by Shirley Ann Lee, "Take Care Of Us" by The Revelations, "Untitled Jam" by Bobby Cook & The Explosions, "Foot Stumping (alt)" by Organics, "While You Were Gone" by Combinations, "Heaven" by Deliverance Echoes, "Untitled" by Burgess Band, "Round N Round" by Junior Mays Group, and "Walk With Me" by Calvin Cooke.

A delightfully offbeat soundtrack from the glory days of the biker film – put together by Harley Hatcher, but featuring performances by a whole host of different artists! Hatcher approaches the record with the same sort of vibe that Mike Curb was using for similar projects – working with a bunch of short vocal numbers, most of which are performed by lesser-known groups, in styles that are almost a Sunshine Pop take on biker rock! The big star here is Bill Medley – who sings "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" – and other titles include "The Hard Ride" and "Victorville Blues" by The Sounds Of Harley; "Shannon's Hook Shop" and "Let The Music Play" by Bluewater; "I Came A Long Way To Be With You" and "Carry Me Home" by Thelma Camacho; and "Fallin In Love with Baby" by Junction.

Massive music at a marvelous price – 40 soulful grooves in one sweet little set, all part of this amazing series of Neo Soul! The package is put together by Dome Records, and the collection features tracks from that label, plus a few other key indies too – all with a great focus on the kind of groundbreaking American and British soul that has formed the core of the Neo Soul groove for years! There's plenty here you'll never hear on the radio – and titles include "I've Been Waiting" by Incognito, "Love You Yes" by Beverlei Brown, "Home" by Carmen Rogers, "Dealing" by Eric Roberson, "In My Fantasy (Jasks Thaisoul temptation mix)" by Tortured Soul, "Back For More" by Cool Million, "Can't Stop" by Reel People, "I Want You Back" by Sinclair, "Distant Lover" by Heston, "You Are" by Full Flava with Carleen Anderson, "Real Love" by Drizabone Soul Family, "Lover's Theme" by Avani, "Sometimes" by Rahsaan Patterson, and "Open Heart Open Mind" by Brenda Russell.

Way more than the trad jazz and bebop you might guess from the title – as the set's an incredible compilation of unreleased British jazz treasures – mostly from the 60s, and showing the London scene in the grip of some very formative years! In the immediate postwar years, UK jazz was a pretty straight and tight thing – but as the 60s approached, the sound of London really opened up – not just because of a huge influx of key post-colonial players, but also because the locals were really gaining confidence, and trying out a wealth of new styles on their own – styles that explode wonderfully here, in a mix of 60s modern styles that's really incredible. All tracks here are pulled from the archives of the artists, and many capture key players at periods we haven't heard this strongly before – with work by a quintet with Mike Taylor on piano and Dave Tomlin on tenor; a quintet with Henry Lowther on trumpet, Lyn Dobson on tenor, Tony Hymas on piano, and Harry Miller on bass; a septet with John Stevens on drums, Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn, Alan Skidmore on tenor, and Ray Warleigh on alto; a quintet with Joe Harriott on alto and Kenny Wheeler on flugelhorn; a quartet with Mike Osborne on alto and John Surman on baritone; Amancio D'Silva on guitar with the quintet of Don Rendell and Ian Carr; a quartet with Lol Coxhill on soprano sax and Steve Miller on piano, and work by groups that include Elton Dean's Just Us, Gary Windo's Symbiosis, and Graham Collier Music.

A great couple of harder-to-find Ornette Coleman records – nicely paired up in a 2CD set! First up is The Music Of Ornette Coleman, from 1967 – which is beautiful record that serves as both a showcase for Ornette's "serious" writing efforts – and his ability to play with a larger ensemble! It kicks off with Ornette playing trumpet solos with The Philadelphia Woodwind Quintet as they perform his "Forms & Sounds" live. That's followed by recordings of Ornette's "Space Flight" and "Saints & Soldiers" performed by The Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia Quartet, a string ensemble that brings a new light to Ornette's compositions! Skies Of America is an ambitious record with full orchestra, in a haunting sound that's light years from any of his smaller group recordings of the 60s and 70s! There's an incredible feel to the strings used here – played by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Measham – all tied up and dark, with swirling sounds that run up beautifully from the bottom, then take off to the skies promised in the title – opening the door for Ornette to come in and solo freely over the top – in a magical mix that easily makes the record a standout in his long and mighty career! Harmolodic theory is definitely a part of Coleman's conception here – but in very different ways than his quartet or quintet recordings. Lots of tracks on this one, including "Skies Of America", "The Men Who Live In The White House", "Sunday In America", "Dreams", "Native Americans", "Silver Screen", "The Artist In America" and more.

We always love Muhal Richard Abrams in a duet setting – and this album's no exception, as it features the pianist playing in very spare formation with violinist Leroy Jenkins – improvising freely in a concert performance from 1977! Abrams tone is often very dark and earthy, which seems to bring out similar qualities in Jenkins' instrument – almost a tautness, or tenseness, that's slightly unusual – ready for action in response to Muhal's music – sometimes a bit cowed by it, but rising strongly to state its own identity too. Tracks include "Greetings & Salutations", "Meditation", "Happiness", "The Blues", "The Weird World", and "The Father The Son The Holy Ghost".

Key moments in the career of Charles Mingus – all recorded during the crucial years of 1964 and 1965, and featuring the first-time release of a fair bit of live material too! The set represents the first full presentation of recordings that have appeared piecemeal on a handful of obscure releases – self-released records from Mingus himself – Town Hall, My Favorite Quintet, and Music Written For Monterey – all really expanded here with the full recordings of the tracks, and unreleased titles provided from the original tapes! Mingus was really on fire during these years – severed from most of his bigger label associations, and freely working on some of his most inventive ideas with various smaller groups of players – all fresh young talents who were key interpreters of Charles' ideas – including Johnny Coles and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpet, Jimmy Owens on trumpet and flugelhorn, Charles McPherson on alto sax, Clifford Jordan on tenor, Jaki Byard on piano, Eric Dolphy on alto, flute, and bass clarinet. The stalwart Dannie Richmond is on drums, and the sides represent some of Dolphy's last, and most important recordings on the planet – recordings done at Town Hall and in Amsterdam in April of 1964 – in addition to live material at Monterey in 1964 and 1965, in Minneapolis in May of 1965. Tracks are all quite long – some pushing the half-hour timing – and as with the best live Mingus, there's variations here that go way past any studio readings – really incredible solo flights that are still beautifully integrated with the ideas of the main group. Titles include "So Long Eric", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk", "Mingus Piano Solo", "Bird Preamble", "Themeless Blues", "Copa City Titty", "A Lonely Day In Selma", "Cocktails For Two", "Praying With Eric", "Parkeriana", "ATFW", "Meditations On A Pair Of Wire Cutters", and "Meditations On Integration". 7CDs, limited edition, and with a great book of notes too!

A great tribute to the songwriting skills of Laura Nyro – presented here in a package that features key covers from some of Nyro's contemporaries, and which also includes a surprising amount of soul music too! Laura's one of those key 60s talents who started writing for others, then got the chance to spread her wings on her own – and while her own recordings have really continued to reach new audiences over the decades, it's great to have a package like this to remind us of Nyro's songwriting roots! The set's mostly heavy on material from the late 60s and early 70s – with a fair bit of female soul tunes in the mix – and it also includes a few more contemporary numbers that come as a nice surprise. Like others in Ace's "songwriter" series, the production and packaging is great – and titles include "Stoney End" by The Blossoms, "Time & Love" by The Supremes, "Wedding Bell Blues" by Bobby Gentry, "Captain St Lucifer" by Melba Moore, "Save The Country" by Thelma Houston, "Lazy Susan" by Liane Carroll, "He's A Runner" by Mama Cass, "Buy & Sell" by Nnena Freelon, "Lonely Women" by Linda Hoyle, "Eli's Coming" by Friends Of Distinction, and "Stoned Soul Picnic" by Staple Singers.

"Expanse" is a mighty big name for the group that David Boykin uses on this record – especially given that the combo's only a quintet – but that's ok with us, because the sound here is more than large enough to warrant the name! Boykin's working with a great batch of players from the Chicago scene here – including frequent musical partner Nicole Mitchell on flute, sliding wonderfully alongside David's saxophones – plus Jim Baker on piano, Josh Abrams on bass, and Mike Reed on drums. The album features two longish tracks, both composed by Boykin with a vision that's freely expressive, yet never too free – a perfect balance that reigns things in wonderfully, and which shows him to be one of the key current heirs to a Chicago tradition that runs back to the early AACM and Sun Ra! Titles include "Nuance" and "47th Street Ghost".

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader".

One of the most ambitious recordings to date from Chicago improviser David Boykin – a large group performance done in the freely collaborative spirit of older AACM recordings! There's a relaxed, spontaneous vibe here that we really love – as Boykin and other Chicago players work through a variety of sound textures and musical ideas, using a range of instruments that runs from conventional saxes, flute, and guitar, to more unusual sounds from nose flute, bible harp, kitchen bowls, shenai, and many other less-common instruments. The entire work runs for 70 minutes in length, divided up into 10 shorter segments.

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader".

Seminal work from British reedman Elton Dean – two classic Ogun albums back to back on a single CD! First up is Happy Daze – a set that's got a lot more complicated class than you might expect from the title – really wonderful large ensemble arrangements penned by Dean, and definitely in the spirit that he claimed made the group the heir to Keith Tippett's previous group of the late 60s! The music here is all nicely inside, and pretty darn soulful – swinging and stepping with a bit more of a groove than some of the other Ogun Records work of the time – really back to that hip point at the end of the 60s, when British jazz groups stretched out in their spirit, but never got too avant in their style – a perfect blend that Dean really recreates here, with help from players who include Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Beckett on trumpet, Mark Charig on trumpet and tenor horn, Nick Evans and Radu Malfatti on trombones, Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums. Titles include "Nicrotto", "Seven For Lee", "Sweet FA", and "Three For All". On Oh For The Edge, there's definitely an edge to the music – but one that's a bit different than that of some of Elton Dean's contemporaries in the 70s British scene! Dean brings a lot more swing and soul to this record than you might expect – working with a large group, but never letting the players get totally outside – which is a real change from some of the more freely improvising UK ensembles of the period. Dean's own work on alto and saxello are totally great – as are the core rhythms of the group, which come from Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums. But we're also plenty happy to hear Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Beckett and Mark Charig on trumpets, and Nick Evans on trombone. The recording has a very good "roomy" sound to it that gives it a darker edge than some of the other Ogun recordings from the time – and tracks include "Fall In Free", "Dance", "Friday Night Blues", and "Prayer For Jesus".

One of the most sublime Jimmy Giuffre albums of all time – and a perfect realization of his piano-less/bass-less trio style! The approach here is really revolutionary, especially for the time – as the group simply features Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Jim Hall on guitar, and Giuffre on reeds – working with no other rhythm at all, and coming up with this incredible approach to music that's as breathtaking as it is groundbreaking! Notes hang in mid-air, slowly sliding around one another, flying freely from the players, yet still managing to swing in a beautiful way. The titles are a mix of standards and originals – but all tracks sound completely unique, with a sound unlike anything else we can describe – and titles include "Swamp People", "Lonely Time", "Green Country", and "Travelin Light".

Freely improvised work from a very unusual group – one that features multi-instrumentalist Giuseppi Logan on a host of reeds, Milford Graves on drums and tabla, Don Pullen on piano, and Eddie Gomez on bass – stepping out here in a rare avant session! The album's a real standout in the ESP catalog – not only because it marks the recording debut of both Logan and Pullen, and the rare appearance of Gomez on such a session – but also because it's got a freewheeling quality that's even more outside and open-ended than some of the other work on the label! Logan plays alto, tenor, Pakistani oboe, bass clarinet, and flute – all with sounds that often veer towards the East, and which show a bit of an Indian music influence in the way the tunes are put together. Titles include "Dance of Satan", "Tabla Suite", "Dialogue", "Bleecker Partita", and "Taneous".

One of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo".

A pretty amazing, and too long overlooked set from Esther Phillips – here final album for Kudu – and a beautiful mix of soaring soul sounds from one the most unique, emotionally inflected and diverse soul vocalists of her era! Esther's in prime Kudu mode here – working with jazzy arrangements by David Matthews and Pee Wee Ellis, adding her unique, grit-inflected soul chanteuse vocals to a smoother mix of instrumention that creates a perfect counterpoint that took her way past her earlier work! There's also a couple of really sweet disco skewed numbers that work incredibly well – with spacier bits of synth and a dancefloor soul bed of percussion and rhythms – and in general, the arrangments are pretty great from track-to-track! Players include Randy Brecker and Mike Brecker on trumpet and tenor sax, Bray Miles on synthesizer, Bobby Lyle on clavinet, Eric Gale on guitar, Joe Fareel on tenor sax and alto flute, percussionist Ralph MacDonald and other excellent name musicians and others bring a grand sweep and sweeter intimacy when the mood requires. Titles include "Magic's In The Air", "A Beautiful Friendship", "Boy, I Really Tied One On", "Higher & Higher", and "All The Way Down".

Wickedly jazzy work from the great Joe Quijano – an assortment of rare tracks from the 60s and 70s, including some key numbers from his classic Fiddler On The Roof album! Joe's got some great help here from Bobby Nelson, who plays most of the sax solos on the set, and makes Quijano's music sparkle in the same way that Hubert Laws did for Mongo Santamaria in the 60s – freely creative, deeply soulful, and always with a sense of sound that really sets the tunes on fire! Arrangements are by Charles Fox on the Fiddler tunes – and by Paquito Pastor, Ray Santos, and others on the rest. Titles include "Do You Love Me", "World's Fair Mambo", "What Kind Of Fool Am I", "New York New York", "Tema De Broadway", "If I Were A Rich Man", "Matchmaker", "Brinca La Tablita", "Sunrise Sunset", "Anatevka", "The Puzzle", "En Nueva York", and a great take on "The Love Boat".

Some of Archie Shepp's most freewheeling material of the 60s – a long, extended, single-song album recorded at the Donaueschingen festival a few years before his classic work for BYG/Actuel – and very much in the same bold spirit as his recordings for that label! The single tune – "One For The Trane" – is opened up, stretched out, and run freely by Shepp on tenor, Roswell Rudd and Grachan Moncur on trombones, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – a very unique lineup that benefits not just from the presence of two trombones, which gives the record a very deep, rich sound – but also from the creative rhythms of Garrison and Harris, a really great team for a session like this! Shepp is wonderful – still with this inherent sense of soul that also ties the performance to some of his brightest moments for Impulse Records – this structure, even when blowing free, that creates an amazing sense of swing somewhere back in the music.

Cecil Taylor and Archie Shepp – two key modern figures of the 60s, working here together in a seminal session recorded at the start of the decade! The album's approach is definitely dictated by Taylor – as the tunes have a piano-driven quality that's quite different than most music Shepp would later record – although Archie still manages to get in plenty of great moments on tenor! You can really hear Cecil breaking out of his earlier sound on the record – stretching forth in some of the more freely expressive ways that would dominate later, yet never too free – almost with a hint of modern swing at some points. Other players include Buell Niedlinger on bass and either Sunny Murray or Dennis Charles on drums – and titles include "Air", "Eb", and "Port Of Call".

One of the hippest, deepest collections of European jazz we've ever heard – a really wonderful set that opens up a whole new side of the French scene of the 60s, 70s, and 80s – filled with music that we've never heard before! Unlike other sets of this nature, which focus on American players overseas – this one is filled with homegrown talent, often working in styles that echo the spiritual and modal sounds of the US underground of the post-Coltrane years – very rich in feeling and righteous in message – freely expressive, but never going too far out to lose their groove! We know some artists here, but not from these recordings – and others are pulled from the kind of totally obscure French albums you'd only find after years of digging around in Paris flea markets. Titles include "Colchiques" by Eddy Louiss, "Doorstep" by Octet De Dreux, "Notes So High" by Stella Levitt, "Ricardo" by Michel Roques, "La Musique D'Orphee" by Chene Noir, "Le Musichien" by Francois Tusques, "Creole Girl" by Noah Howard, "Israel Suite" by Rupture, and "Lido" by Les Prospections.

A treasure trove of spiritual jazz from saxophonist Idris Ackamoor – featuring his famous 70s recordings with The Pyramids, solo material, and even some previously unissued titles! The bulk of the collection comes from The Pyramids' albums Birth Speed Merging, Lalibela, and King Of Kings – all freely creative records that build upon traditions initiated by the AACM in Chicago, and taken further groups like The Artistic Heritage Ensemble, The Human Arts Ensemble, or Oneness Of Juju. Many tracks build freely from earthy percussion, bits of vocals, and spiraling solos on saxes and flute – with a sound that's incredibly soulful and righteous – very positive and progressive, and easily some of the best work of this nature from the time! 2CD set features Pyramids tracks "The Land Of Eternal Song (part 3)", "Mohgo Naba", "Queen Of The Spirits (part 3)", "Black Man Of The Nile", "Aomawa", "The River Ganges", and "Masenko Nights" – plus "Spiritual Rebirth", "Centurian", "Topanga", "Cubana", and "Africa" by Idris Ackamoor; as well as "The Shepherd's Tune" by The Collective.

One of the hippest, deepest collections of European jazz we've ever heard – a really wonderful set that opens up a whole new side of the French scene of the 60s, 70s, and 80s – filled with music that we've never heard before! Unlike other sets of this nature, which focus on American players overseas – this one is filled with homegrown talent, often working in styles that echo the spiritual and modal sounds of the US underground of the post-Coltrane years – very rich in feeling and righteous in message – freely expressive, but never going too far out to lose their groove! We know some artists here, but not from these recordings – and others are pulled from the kind of totally obscure French albums you'd only find after years of digging around in Paris flea markets. Titles include "Colchiques" by Eddy Louiss, "Doorstep" by Octet De Dreux, "Notes So High" by Stella Levitt, "Ricardo" by Michel Roques, "La Musique D'Orphee" by Chene Noir, "Le Musichien" by Francois Tusques, "Creole Girl" by Noah Howard, "Israel Suite" by Rupture, and "Lido" by Les Prospections.