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The most ambitious recording to date from Osunlade – a bold step forward that raises him from the dancefloor into much headier territory! The work is a flurry of percussion, strings, keyboards, and countless other instruments – all layered together beautifully in a rich tapestry of sound and soul that still retains the best rhythmic elements of Osunlade's earlier singles, but also pushes the music into near-symphonic proportions. Consider the record to be the delivery of the promise always made by Osunlade's excellent singles for Yoruba – the first "big picture" record we've really heard from him, and proof that he's way more than just another dancefloor musician! Wonderful all the way through – with tracks that include "Oia In Winter", "Circles", "Aquarian Moon", "Thira", "The Day We Met For Coffee", "Flow", "Two Phish", "Fingerblood", "Music For The Gods", and "Inspiration".

Flute, strings, and soul – a wonderful counterpart to some of Hubert Laws' funkier albums of the time – and a record cut with some tremendous backings! The core group features Hubert on assorted flutes, Gary Burton on vibes, Chick Corea on piano, and Bernard Purdie on drums – all augmented by larger string backings arranged and conducted by John Murtaugh, with a dark-tinged style that's a bit in the mode of some of the work at the time by William S Fischer, but with a sound that's even moodier and more introspective. Laws' work on flute is a brilliant example of understatement – lots of space between the notes, and a rich exploration of sound that's completely mindboggling! Titles include "Ashanti", "Equinox", "Pensativa", "Wild Flower", and "Yoruba".

An excellent 70s album from Horace Silver – one that's often overlooked, but which yields of listening joy, once you open it up! The set's got some wonderful modal/spiritual numbers – in a mode that would make the record highly prized if it were issued on Strata East, and which is pretty darn great for Blue Note at the time – easily one of Silver's most righteous moments of the late 70s! The percussion promised in the title really stands out – and helps shape the rhythms with an even more exotic feel than usual – but the set also cooks with some great horn solos too – trumpet by Tom Harrell and tenor by Larry Schneider – both players whose arcing lines really help add a lot of color to the grooves. The whole thing's great – proof that Silver never stopped growing as an artist – and titles include "The Aztec Sun God", "The Mohican & The Great Spirit", "The Gods Of The Yoruba", and "The Spirit Of The Zulu".

That's actually Mayafra Live – not Life, despite what the title says – stretching out here in a wicked extended setting that's even better than before! The group have a strong commitment to what they dub as "Afro-Latin-Modern" jazz – which is actually a wicked combination of the best spiritual jazz modes of the American scene of the mid 70s – served up here in a heady brew of Fender Rhodes, tenor sax, bass, and drums – instrumentation that sounds basic at the core, but which comes off beautifully here in a set of long, extended tracks that really take off! The rhythms are wonderful – always focused, and usually modal – and the set features great versions of the Horace Silver tunes "The Gods Of The Yoruba" and "The Mohican & The Great Spirit" – plus a version of "Naima", and the tracks "Ebibir" and "Vu Meteor".

Tropical funk, hazy rhythms, and simmering Afro funk & soul from the Caribbean – a killer collection put together by Hugo Mendez– fantastic stuff from Barbados, St Lucia, Jamaica, Trinidad, St Vincent and beyond! Tropical Funk Experience does a great job of pulling together the a diverse set of funky sounds – with lots of funk that carries both JBs and Afro funk styles, harder grooving and more tripped out sounds, and reggae – with tropical versions of funky standards, and even more numbers that are totally fresh to our ears. Titles include "Spouge Explosion", "Let Me Get Stoned" by Boo & The Tru Tones, "Take The Funky Feeling" by Blue Rhythm Combo, "Cissy Strut" De Boys En Dem, "Fugitive Dub" by Skatalites, "Basa Bongo" by Yoruba Singers, "Smokey Feeling" by The Organization"," New Bag" by The Exciters, "Jive Samba" by Llans Thelwell And The Celestials and more.