A sweet set of jazzy grooves and reggae rhythms – the late 90s Clement Dodd production Reggae Au Go Jazz – which features Roy "Bubbles" Burrows on trumpet and fluegelhorn and players that include Clifford Jordan, Charles Davis, Jackie Mittoo, Ernest Ranglin, Clement Dodd and others! Just a few of the tracks have programming that giveaway that it's a fairly recent production. For the most part it's classic styled, breezy reggae rhythms and laid back jazzy horns. Titles include "Wet Land", "Jkericho Jazz", "Bubbles' Bubble", "My Father's Jazz", "Mount Zion Rock", "Reggae Au Go Jazz", "Jazz Ville Funk" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little record – not just for the music itself, which is inherently great – but also for its straight jazz presentation of players you might know in more of a reggae-based setting! The album's a smoking set of hardbop numbers, played with plenty of soul – by a combo billed as the Jamaican Jazz Crusaders – featuring Roy Bubbles Burrows on trumpet, Ernst Ranglin on guitar, Roland Alphonso on tenor, Aubrey Adams on piano, Harold Williams on bass, and Carl McLeod on drums. The format's a bit unusual, in that the album's bracketed by interviews and introductions from Jamaican jazz DJ Nevil Willoughby – but in the core are some great performances, with very inventive arrangements, especially in the way Ranglin's guitar is used – on titles that include "The Highest Mountain", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Split Kick", and "Round Midnight". LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous set from Jamaican trumpeter Roy Burrowes – a musician who's never been as recorded as often as he should, which is what makes this lost live set so special! The set was recorded live in Paris at the start of the 80s – with Burrowes on trumpeter, in a group that also features Mal Waldron on piano – at a time when he was doing some really wonderful work on the European scene, at a level that's almost a new wave of spiritualism in his music – which really seems to bring out the best in Roy! Also great is reedman Richard Raux – who plays some soulful tenor and soprano sax that works wonderfully alongside Burrowes – on long titles that include "Old Compton Street", "Seagulls", "Jamaica", "Searching", Going Back Home", "Symphony In Blues", and "Hard Talk". CD

A real revelation from pianist Cedar Walton – an unusual electric album from the 70s – quite a surprise, given the mostly-acoustic sound of most of Cedar's other records! The album's a killer, though – and has this fresh, full take on funky jazz for the time – not the usual CTI copycat mode, and instead this compelling hybrid of elements that includes lots of Fender Rhodes from Walton, sweet guitar likes from Ryo Kawasaki, and lots of rootsy percussion from Ray Mantilla and Omar Clay – two players who really make the album nice and earthy at the bottom. The rest of the group is wonderful, too – and includes tenor from Frank Foster, alto and baritone from Charles Davis, and trumpet from Roy Burrowes – all fresh players who open up a big can of soul for the set – on titles that include a classic break version of "Off Minor", plus "Blue Trane", "Soho", and "Road Island Red". LP, Vinyl record album

Two killers from Cedar Walton – back to back on a single CD! First up is Mobius – a real revelation from pianist Cedar Walton – an unusual electric album from the 70s – quite a surprise, given the mostly-acoustic sound of most of Cedar's other records! The album's a killer, though – and has this fresh, full take on funky jazz for the time – not the usual CTI copycat mode, and instead this compelling hybrid of elements that includes lots of Fender Rhodes from Walton, sweet guitar likes from Ryo Kawasaki, and lots of rootsy percussion from Ray Mantilla and Omar Clay – two players who really make the album nice and earthy at the bottom. The rest of the group is wonderful, too – and includes tenor from Frank Foster, alto and baritone from Charles Davis, and trumpet from Roy Burrowes – all fresh players who open up a big can of soul for the set – on titles that include a classic break version of "Off Minor", plus "Blue Trane", "Soho", and "Road Island Red". Beyond Mobius is a great electric set from Cedar Walton – and a set that moves beyond his previous Mobius album, in case you couldn't guess from the title! The style here is a bit more tightly arranged – with some backup vocals on a few cuts, which underscore the core jazzy elements from Walton on a range of keyboards and synth, Eddie Harris on tenor, and Blue Mitchell on trumpet – all grooved together with some tight guitar lines from Eric Gale and Cornell Dupree! Keyboards definitely get some great solo time in the spotlight, but the overall sound is quite strong too – a nice instrumental funk approach, save for the added chorus vocals in a few spots. Titles include the moogy "Beyond Mobius", a cover of "Low Rider", and the tracks "Jive Talkin", "The Girl With The Discotheque Eyes", and "Lonely Cathedral". CD