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Amazing sounds from drummer Roy Brooks – very spiritual work that's quite a change from his straighter soul jazz of the 60s! The album's right up there with Roy's better-known (though still rare) live performance at Town Hall – or his classic Free Slave session – and like those records, this one explodes with a raw power that's really amazing – heavy drums from Brooks, driving a collective of righteous musicians that really stretch out in the free space of the recording! The lineup shifts a bit from track to track, but there's a cohesive spirit to the record that comes from Brooks' bold spirit – a joyous, soulful, post-Coltrane sort of energy – let loose in the lead, to guide the talents of players who include John Stubblefield on tenor, Sonny Fortune on alto, Olu Dara and Cecil Bridgewater on trumpets, Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax, Joe Bonner on piano, and Reggie Workman on bass. Eddie Jefferson makes an appearance on two tracks – singing much hipper than on any of his better-known recordings of the period – and titles include "The Last Prophet", "M'Jumbe", "Eboness", "The Smart Set", and "Eboness (Kwanza)".

An amazing album – and one of the underground soul jazz classics of the 70s! The album's also one of the few ever cut as a leader by drummer Roy Brooks – one of the hippest players on the Detroit scene back in the day, working here with a great lineup that includes Woody Shaw, George Coleman, and Cecil McBee. The album has a very different feel than most other work on Muse at the time – much more like an album on Strata East – majestically spiraling out with a spiritual soul jazz groove, on four extended tracks that include "The Free Slave", "Understanding", and "Will Pan's Walk".

A landmark New York session from Dollar Brand – recorded in the late 70s, with a larger group than usual! Brand spins out some really magical African-tinged jazz grooves – stretching forth in his usual modal mode, but augmented by a great set of horn parts that includes work by Don Cherry, Carlos Ward, and Hamiett Bluiett. Rhythmically, the album is incredibly strong as well – as it features bass work by Johnny Dyani, percussion by Claude Jones and John Betsch, and drums by Roy Brooks – working here at the height of his spiritual powers. One track on the album gets quite free, and titles include "Sister Rosie", "Jabulani" and "Hajj".

A really great change for saxophonist Nathan Haines – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given how much we already liked him before! The set's a straight jazz outing – of the kind that really lets Haines' strengths on reeds shine forth beautifully – soaring out soulfully in ways that are quite different than his more groove-oriented recordings – yet still equally soulful! Nathan's tenor is wonderful – as deep in tone and rich in feeling as some of the greats of the 60s generation – yet informed with a slight spiritual sense of phrasing as well, even though the overall production and setting is downright classic. The group's a quartet – with Kevin Field on piano, Alain Koetsier on drums, and Thomas Botting on bass – and titles include the Haines' originals "Realisation", "Universal Man", "Ancestral Dance", "The Poet's Embrace", and "Consequence" – plus a version of Roy Brooks' "Eboness".

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots, yet still hitting the sweeter soulful groove of some of his other Atlantic sides! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level that really set the tone for more ambitious soul jazz projects of the 70s – and carried off to perfection by a hip group of players that include Roy Brooks, Sonny Red, Blue Mitchell, and Hugh Lawson. All tracks are original, and titles include "Sun Dog", "Moon Cup", "Othelia", "Like It Is", and the groovy "Juba Juba".

One of the most obscure records from trumpeter Blue Mitchell – a great session recorded in the 60s, during Blue's classic stretch with Blue Note – but not issued until 1980, and even then, only briefly! The record's a great example of Mitchell's strong capacity to play well in a larger group – this time a sextet, featuring Joe Henderson's tenor and Leo Wright's alto – playing imaginative lyrical lines next to Blue's sweet trumpet, and dancing around with a sound that's as lyrical as it is soulful! Other players include Herbie Hancock on piano, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – and titles include "Mamacita", "Andrea", "Step Lightly", "Sweet & Lovely", and "Bluesville".

A bit less well-known than some of the real Horace Silver classics on Blue Note – but an incredible record that shows the Silver Quintet at all its lyrical best! The record is a masterpiece of original voicings from Horace – not just in the unique tunes he penned for the set, but also in the strong direction he gives the group – a well-knit lineup that includes Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – all coming together with some of the most fluid, most intuitive energy of any combo of the time! The melodic themes are structured loosely, so that Mitchell, Cook, and Silver can extrapolate on beautifully-spun solos – and titles include "Sweet Sweetie Dee", "Nineteen Bars", "The Dragon Lady", "Silver's Serenade", and "Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty".

One of the few live recordings ever done by Horace Silver during his Blue Note years – a real surprise, considering what a crowd pleaser he was at the time! The set catches Horace working with that great quintet that graced most of his best early Blue Notes – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Junior Cook on tenor, Gene Taylor on bass, and the always-amazing Roy Brooks on drums. The groove is tight tight tight, and the live set crackles with the same sort of energy as the live sessions by the Jazz Messengers on Blue Note – rolling soul jazz, but with a bit of a lyrical touch to flesh things out. Because of the live setting, tracks are a bit longer than the usual Silver session – which makes for freer soloing, and a bit of a rougher edge that keeps things lively throughout. Titles include "The Gringo", "Filthy McNasty", and "Doin' The Thing".

Pow is right – as Stitt grooves with a tight combo that features Benny Green on trombone, Kirk Lightsey on piano, Herman Wright on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums. The album's one of a few sides produced in the mid 60s by Richard Carpenter, a jazz manager/impresario who cut Chet Baker on some sides with the same group, licensed them to Prestige briefly, then pulled the material. Carpenter had also licensed this Stitt session to Roulette, but it's much more fitting of Prestige – as the tracks are longer and more open-ended, with a tighter hardbop approach than some of Stitt's Roulette/Roost work. Titles include "Love On The Rocks", "Nuff Guff", "Scramble", "Up & Over", and "Pride & Passion".

Classic Studio instrumentals from the hottest house band in the history of Jamaican music! Alongside the Skatalites the Sound Dimension were responsible for crafting the tunes and rhythms that emanated from Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label from the very dawning of the reggae age, and what better group could you ask for, featuring Jackie Mittoo, Ernest Ranglin, Leroy Sibbles, Horsemouth Wallace, Vin Gordon and Cedric Brooks? Guaranteed to blow your mind, this set features the finest selection of Jamaican instrumental R&B around, with jaunty, easy skanking numbers with a nice dose of loping funk sprinkled throughout. 16 tracks in all, including "Heavy Beat", "Federated Backdrop", "Baby Face", "Love Land", "Full Up", "Upsetters Dream", "The Thing", "My Heart In Rhythm", "Man Pon Spot", "Holy Moses", and "Soul Shake"