That's the middle finger of David Boykin on the front cover – bidding a bold farewell to the year of 2016 – with a record that offers up some of the most soul-nourishing sounds we've ever heard from the reedman! The album's got a sharper, almost funkier sound than some of Boykin's other work – a double-length performance that features David on tenor, in a group that also has James Baker on a piano that sounds electric, and which is often played in these blocky chords that fit well with the bass of Alex Wing and drums of Isaiah Spencer – all working as a cohesive trio unity, while Boykin takes off with these searing, searching solos! The mix of spiritual reeds and chunkier rhythms is almost a bit like some of the early "funk" work of Joe McPhee – but Boykin's clearly got his own agenda in the music, and comes off with a mindblowing positive sound. All tracks are long, and titles include "Coronal Mass Ejection", "Wherever You At", "Make It Count", "You Know Who You Are", and "Jaglavak". CD

A raw, live set from Chicago saxophonist David Boykin – but a great little record that really reminds us of a classic 60s session on ESP! Boykin's reeds are wonderful throughout – filled with the depth of soul we might expect from Kalaparusha or Albert Ayler – and set up here in an open-ended trio with Josh Abrams on bass and Andre Beasley on drums. The tracks are all quite longish and free – but never sloppy or overindulgent – held together with a tremendous focus and presence in Boykin's horn! Titles include "Victory Honor & Glory", "Conundrum", "Big & Fine", "The King", and "Meditation For Momma Long". CD

A great reworking of the extended Solar Suite by Chicago saxophonist David Boykin – issued many years back in a studio version, and presented here in a bold new take done at the same 63rd Street Beach House that used to host performances by Phil Cohran & The Artistic Heritage Ensemble! Boykin is tremendous here as a key soloist – and the group is led by Renee Baker as part of the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project – although the ensemble here is just a septet, with work from Joshua Abrams on bass, Jim Baker on keyboards, Alex Wing on guitar, Tony Herrera on trombone, Quentin Coaxum on trumpet, and Marcus Evans on drums! The set's worth it alone for Boykin's wonderful tenor work, but the whole group is fantastic as well – soaring up with a mighty spirit that lives up the legacy of the storied space of the recording – on titles that include "Midnight & Sunrise", "Midday", "Sunset", and "Enocturnal Sun". CD

David Boykin works here in a very different guise than his usual role as a saxophonist – stepping out here with a range of different singers, in a set of tracks that showcase a whole new side of his talents! The music is a mix of modern jazz vocals and contemporary soul modes – different depending on the singers, who shift from cut to cut – at a level that sometimes echoes June Tyson or Abbey Lincoln, other times reflects more contemporary work from the underground! As always with Boykin's CDs, the notes are a bit spare, so it's hard to tell who did what in terms of the music – but we can say that the set features vocals from Abeeku, Consuela Ivy-Vaughn, Dark Mery, Liz Mputu, and Ugochi – on titles that include "Listen Up", "She Was Screaming", "What The Afrofuture Say", "Slow Sweet Burn", "Conspiracy", and "Of My Voice". CD

A set recorded many years back by Chicago spiritualist David Boykin – but one that's finally getting its debut on record, as part of the ever-evolving rich tapestry of sounds that Boykin's been giving us since the 90s! The set here captures David at a key moment – when he was maybe turning towards even more spiritual currents from more outside performances – working with an excellent lineup that features Nicole Mitchell on flute, Josh Abrams on bass, James Baker on piano, Mike Reed on drums, Renee Baker on violin, Chinatsu Nakano on alto, and Shirazette Tinnin on congas. Both Abrams and Reed are also at key points of their development, and together with Boykin and Mitchell, they beautifully point the way forward for a new generation of Chicago expression. The piece is one long live performance, over 45 minutes in length – with segments that include "Midnight", "Sunrise", "Herukhuti", and "Enocturnal Sun". CD

We're not sure why David Boykin couldn't name the club for this performance – as the set's every bit as great as his other live recordings in other venues, and is a testament to the continuing development of this underground saxophone giant of the 21st century! The group is a quartet, with Jim Baker on piano, Alex Wing on bass, and Isaiah Spencer on drums – and at points, Baker's presence on the record is as strong as the raspy tenor of Boykin – even on one track where David vocalizes a bit too. Titles include "Despair", "Big & Fine", and "Fantasy Island". CD

The wisdom and knowledge of Sun Ra – read by saxophonist David Boykin, an artist who is definitely carrying on the spiritual legacy that Ra began on the Chicago scene! The album is all spoken word – no music at all, but instead these really well-done readings by Boykin – who clearly embraces all of the ideas in the writings of Ra, and delivers them with an understanding that really makes the words leap off the page! Selections include writings from the late 50s through the start of the 80s – with titles that include "Of Variable Universe", "The Empty Space", "Sound Silence", "The Sounds Of Planets", "The Space Age Cannot Be Avoided", "We Hold This Myth To Be Potential", "The Visitation", "Visions Out", "The Three Dimensions Of Air", and "On Solar Planes". CD

Hardly the sex tape you might expect from the title – and instead a really great ensemble performance from David Boykin – one that almost has him rising up to take on the Sun Ra legacy on the Chicago scene! The group here is full of wonderful sounds – not just tenor from Boykin, but also flute from Nicole Mitchell, alto from Matana Roberts, bass from Joshua Abrams, drums from Isaiah Spencer, Baritone from Aaron Getsung, keyboards from William Kurk, turntables from Besco, and Arp from Jim Baker – all coming together on long passages that mix rhythmic progressions with these freer flights of sound – very much the spirit of what you might have heard on a vintage Saturn Records release! And maybe as with one of the many self-issued live sets by Ra – this one features a familiar number, "47th Street Ghost", taken to an extended new height – and blended with another "untitled" composition – for one long performance recorded in concert. CD

One of the most spiritual albums we've ever heard from reedman David Boykin – a beautiful batch of long, flowing tunes that have tremendous modal energy and a very cohesive feel! We've always loved Boykin, right from the start – but here he's showing an even deeper sense of spirituality and direction – a great evolution after so many years in jazz, with a strong ability to build new ideas over a very long space – and still communicate in this universal style that transcends time and place! The package is lean – just a small cardboard sleeve – but the music is mighty, and feels like some lost underground jazz classic from the 70s. Boykin plays reeds and a bit of percussion – in a quintet with some really tremendous bass from Josh Abrams – plus piano from James Baker, guitar from Alex Wing, and drums from Marcus Evans – on the tracks "Love Power Magic", "Hyperspace", "6/10/13", and "Some Slick 8 Bar Blues". CD

One of the most spiritual albums we've ever heard from reedman David Boykin – a beautiful batch of long, flowing tunes that have tremendous modal energy and a very cohesive feel! We've always loved Boykin, right from the start – but here he's showing an even deeper sense of spirituality and direction – a great evolution after so many years in jazz, with a strong ability to build new ideas over a very long space – and still communicate in this universal style that transcends time and place! The package is lean – just a small cardboard sleeve – but the music is mighty, and feels like some lost underground jazz classic from the 70s. Boykin plays reeds and a bit of percussion – in a quintet with some really tremendous bass from Josh Abrams – plus piano from James Baker, guitar from Alex Wing, and drums from Marcus Evans – on the tracks "Love Power Magic", "Hyperspace", "6/10/13", and "Some Slick 8 Bar Blues". CD

A record that continues that journey past jazz that reedman David Boykin has given us on a few recent releases – an EP that features two surprisingly soulful cuts, yet which still have some great tenor solos as well! Manu Wise delivers some lyrics on "Calculations" – a cut that has this really wonderful slow-stepping, soulful glow –summed up wonderfully by David's tenor solo at the end! "Love In The Afternoon" is even cooler – a stepping funky number with vocals from a trio of singers and a bit of turntable work – really wonderful, and with a quality that's as if Strata East released a soul single back in the day! CD

A great lost performance from David Boykin's Expanse group – one of the boldest forces in Chicago underground jazz a few years back! The lineup here is great – with Boykin on tenor, Nicole Mitchell on flute, Josh Abrams on bass, James Baker on piano, and Myron Cherry on drums – working together beautifully in a tribute to the late Hazel Boykin – at a level that arguably has more structure and force than even other great Boykin recordings of the time! The interplay between tenor and flute is wonderful – very complex, but also deeply soulful, and quite organic – and David's especially great, blowing with that spiritual power that really made us sit up and take notice when he first came onto the scene. Titles include "His & Hers", "1/20/03", "Eli Whitney", "Gates", and "Big & Fine". CD

"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". CD

"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". CD

A set recorded many years back by Chicago spiritualist David Boykin – but one that's finally getting its debut on record, as part of the ever-evolving rich tapestry of sounds that Boykin's been giving us since the 90s! The set here captures David at a key moment – when he was maybe turning towards even more spiritual currents from more outside performances – working with an excellent lineup that features Nicole Mitchell on flute, Josh Abrams on bass, James Baker on piano, Mike Reed on drums, Renee Baker on violin, Chinatsu Nakano on alto, and Shirazette Tinnin on congas. Both Abrams and Reed are also at key points of their development, and together with Boykin and Mitchell, they beautifully point the way forward for a new generation of Chicago expression. The piece is one long live performance, over 45 minutes in length – with segments that include "Midnight", "Sunrise", "Herukhuti", and "Enocturnal Sun". CD

Saxophonist David Boykin never fails to blow us away – but this time around, his music seems even deeper and more ambitious than ever – as he works with his Expanse group on three long tracks that have a very spiritual mix of ensemble moments and improvised individual actions! The group's a hip one – and in addition to Boykin on tenor, bass clarinet, and a bit of percussion – the record also features Nicole Mitchell on flute, Eliel Sherman Storey on tenor, Musah Hollins on trumpet, Sean Hafeli on piano, and Avreeyal Ra on drums. Glenda Baker sings a bit, and the album's got a definite loft jazz sense of collaboration at the fringes! CD

A seminal album from the great reedman David Boykin – a set recorded right at the end of the 90s, with an excellent group full of members who'd all go on to do wonderful things in years to come – Nicole Mitchell on flute, Chad Taylor on drums, and Josh Abrams on bass – plus a bit of vocals from Glenda Zarah Baker as well! The tracks are a great mixture of long and short, quiet and powerful – really marking Boykin as one of the key talents to inherit the mantle of the AACM legacy, and find a way for it to move forward strongly, and proudly, well into the 21st Century. Titles include "Hypnotic", "Portal 7", "Blue Corn Bop", "Affections Of Alienation", "Abductions & Experimentations", and "Astro Lilly". CD

A seminal album from the great reedman David Boykin – a set recorded right at the end of the 90s, with an excellent group full of members who'd all go on to do wonderful things in years to come – Nicole Mitchell on flute, Chad Taylor on drums, and Josh Abrams on bass – plus a bit of vocals from Glenda Zarah Baker as well! The tracks are a great mixture of long and short, quiet and powerful – really marking Boykin as one of the key talents to inherit the mantle of the AACM legacy, and find a way for it to move forward strongly, and proudly, well into the 21st Century. Titles include "Hypnotic", "Portal 7", "Blue Corn Bop", "Affections Of Alienation", "Abductions & Experimentations", and "Astro Lilly". CD