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A very nice bit of spacey funky jazz from sax player Azar Lawrence, and one of the great earlier productions by Skip Scarborough, with a feel that's very similar to Gary Bartz's work with Larry Mizell! Azar plays a mix of funk and spiritual soul jazz – and he's got some great electric backing by Patrice Rushen, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, Mtume, and Lee Ritenour. The whole thing's got a great Fantasy Records funk groove – and includes many nice titles like "Theme For A New Day", "Kickin Back", "Canticle For The Universe", "Gratitude" and a great take on Scarborough's "Can't Hide Love".

A very nice bit of spacey funky jazz from sax player Azar Lawrence, and one of the great earlier productions by Skip Scarborough, with a feel that's very similar to Gary Bartz's work with Larry Mizell! Azar plays a mix of funk and spiritual soul jazz – and he's got some great electric backing by Patrice Rushen, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, Mtume, and Lee Ritenour. The whole thing's got a great Fantasy Records funk groove – and includes many nice titles like "Theme For A New Day", "Kickin Back", "Canticle For The Universe", "Gratitude" and a great take on Scarborough's "Can't Hide Love".

A beautiful album of spiritual soul and Brazilian influenced jazz from Azar Lawrence – and a pretty rare one we're thrilled to have! Lawrence is a stellar sax player with a sound that's a bit like Gary Bartz, which means that he fits in perfectly with the Fantasy-era Prestige Records sound – but the sounds on this set are uncommonly rich and globally influenced. The set's predominantly acoustic, with lots of modal grooves in kind of a Strata East vein – and angular post-Coltrane playing that's very similar to Bartz's work on the Libra album from his early days. Players include Raul De Souza on trombone, Ron Carter on bass, Billy Hart on drums, Dom Salvador, who is really allowed to shine on piano on a few tracks, and drummer & percussionist Guilherme Franco, who brings a world of wonderful percussion on a couple of numbers. Titles include "Highway", "From The Point of Love", "Novo Ano", and "From The Point Of Light".

Brilliantly burning work from Azar Lawrence – wonderfully mature, yet filled with all the soulful fire of his best albums of the 70s! Lawrence plays both tenor and soprano sax – blowing with this searching, stretched-out post-Coltrane vibe – but as with all his best work, there's a strong sense of rhythm that really holds things together – a living pulse that grabs us right away, and really draws us in beautifully – reminding us why we've always treasured Azar's records so much! Other players are great too – and include Eddie Henderson on trumpet and flugelhorn, Gerald Hayes on alto, Benito Gonzalez on piano, Essiet Essiet on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – really helping the group find their groove. Titles include "Quest", "Walk Spirit Talk Spirit", "Mystic Journey", "Journey's End", "Starting Point", "Adrees", and "Say It Over Again".

Brilliant recent work from Azar Lawrence – the first album in many years from this famous west coast reedman, and an excellent set that matches the soul and spirit of his sessions from the 70s! The group here is an all-star array of soul jazz heavyweights – Nate Morgan on piano, Henry Franklin on bass, and Alphonse Mouzon on drums – all of whom sound as great on this set as they did back in the day, making for a perfect combo to showcase Azar's mighty talents on tenor and soprano sax! The album's all acoustic in instrumentation, and the tunes have a bold, spiritual kind of quality – one that makes the set feel like some lost treasure from the Nimbus or Strata East labels from years back. Guests include Ibrahima Ba on vocals, Amadou Fall on kora, Nolan Shaheed on trumpet, and Roy McCurdy on drums – and titles include "Open Sesame", "Under Tanzanian Skies", "Thokole", "Prayer For My Ancestors", "Swinging In Exile", and "Ode To Pharoah".

While not as funky as some of his other Blue Note albums, this one still features some nice soulful settings for Gene – stepping out here from the straighter soul jazz groove of his work with the Three Sounds, into a more expanded, more R&B influenced style. Jerry Peters arranged and produced the session, and he also plays electric keyboards next to Harris' piano – and the session was recorded with help from fusion greats like Azar Lawrence, Harvey Mason, and Lee Ritenour – plus Phillip Bailey, who sings vocals a bit on the album. Titles include "Love For Sale", "Theme For Relana", "Rebop", "Zulu", and "Soft Cycles".

A bundle of soul from Freddie Hubbard – one that has him blowing beautifully over full arrangements from Bert DeCoteux – the 70s super-soul maestro who really brings a new sound to Hubbard's music! The style's a bit smoother than other Freddie albums of the time, but still really great – a wonderful plenty of his well-timed, well-punctuated work on trumpet with warm grooves supplied by Bert – filled with instrumentation that includes David T Walker on guitar, Ernie Watts on sax and flute, Azar Lawrence on tenor, David Garfield on keyboards, and even Dorothy Ashby on flute. Titles include "Portrait Of Jenny", "Rainy Day Song", "Bundle Of Joy", "From Now On", "From Behind", and "Rahsaan".

A beautifully righteous album of jazz vocals from Obie Jesse – an excellent singer with a vibe that really takes us back to the 70s spiritual jazz generation! Jesse's got lots of help from that generation on this record – a lineup that includes Henry Franklin on bass and Azar Lawrence on saxes – and the groove here is a great mix of positive energy, soulful undercurrents, and ideals that go far deeper than most jazz vocal albums you'll find today! Jessie's got a relatively straightforward style of singing, but he can mix it up with modern elements too – in ways that remind us a bit of Joe Lee Wilson at his best, such as on the legendary 70s album by Billy Gault – with maybe a touch of Grady Tate on some of the ballads. Some tracks are standards, but they come across with a vibe that's as hip as the original tracks – and titles include "New Atmosphere", "The Love Inside", "I Remember The Rain", "Here I Am", "Easy Living", "All For You", and "The End Of A Love Affair".

Beautifully spiritual jazz from the post-Coltrane generation – a wealth of righteous grooves from the early 70s – brought together in one mighty collection! If you dig the work of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and other giants on Impulse Records, this is a great way to dig even deeper – and hear the way their late 60s legacy inspired other musicians to new heights in their own music – sounds that hit a new level of freedom in jazz, yet which are still filled with enough swing and soul to avoid some of the more avant modes of the free jazz scene! If that description sounds a bit obtuse, then just plug into the collection, and let the music do its thing – as it's got a very powerful vibe throughout – the kind of inspirational, socially conscious work that flourished best during the 70s – and which is finally getting its due all these many years later. The package is new territory for Ace/BGP, but they've done a great job as usual – picking key tracks from the era, and coming up with detailed notes on each of the long tracks. Titles include "Free Angela" by Bayete, "Bridge Into The New Age" by Azar Lawrence, "Tress Cun De O La" by Joe Henderson, "Ebony Queen" by McCoy Tyner, "Peace" by Idris Muhammad, "Mother Of The Future" by Norman Connors, "Brown Warm & Wintry" by Jack DeJohnette, "I've Known Rivers" by Gary Bartz, and "Fire" by Joe Henderson & Alice Coltrane.

Hip soul, funk, and more – a killer collection that's filled with underground classics from the 70s – including a number of key tracks that have lived on strongly as hip hop samples! The package features some nicely heady grooves – and includes a number of tracks with a pronounced fusion influence, but one that's never too jamming or over the top – just right in the pocket, with the same soulful sensibilities as the other tunes on the set! Titles include "Fantasy" by Johnny Hammond, "Jug Eyes" by Gene Ammons, "Wildfire" by Rusty Bryant, "Sport" by Lightning Rod, "Chicken Lickin" by Funk Inc, "Chase" by Willie Hutch, "Turn Off The Lights" by Larry Young, "If You've Got It You'll Get It" by The Headhunters, "The One Eye Two Step" by Donald Byrd & The Blackbyrds, "People Moving" by Azar Lawrence, and "Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth" by 24 Carat Black.

Warm and wonderful work from Phyllis Hyman – a set that's a lot more mainstream soul than her music of a few years before, but one that still shows a strong commitment to the more complicated styles of her roots! The sound here is full and proud – a nice extension of the work that Hyman did with Norman Connors, and not nearly as much in a disco mode as it might be, given the time of the release. And although many of the tracks are somewhat upbeat, they've got a bit more complication in the rhythms than conventional club – thanks to the presence of jazz players who include Herbie Hancock, Monty Alexander, Azar Lawrence, and others. The best production on the record is by T Life, and the team of Skip Scarborough and Larry Alexander – and titles include "Kiss You All Over", "Living Inside Your Love", "Soon Come Again", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Lookin For A Lovin", and "Be Careful (How You Treat My Love)".

The Timeless live performance series organized by Mochilla – epic tribute concerts held in honor of some of the great composer/arrangers and all around massively influential musical figures of their generations– Ethio funk founder Mulatu, Brazilian folk jazz great Arthur Verocai and hip hop genius J Dilla – captured here in this incredible DVD box set! The concerts were held in February and March of 2009, and each features a sprawling roster of guest musicians who were inspired by these towering figures, distilled into an excellent 73 minute program, with slideshows and special features. Delicious stereo sound and beautifully presented in black & white! The Mulatu Astatke show was composed & arranged by Mulatu, hosted by Eothen "Egon" Alapatt and Garth Trinidid – with guests including Bennie Maupin, Azar Lawrence, Phil Ranelin, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and many more! They perform Yejermo Sew", "I Faram Gami", "Yekatit", "Mulatu", "Ebo Lala" and more. The Dilla tribute is billed as A Suite For Ma Dukes (Dilla's moms is rightly proud of Mr Yancey and deserves to be honored for his work) features Miguel Atwood-Ferguson fronting a 60-piece orchestra – if that doesn't speak volumes for Dilla's legacy, what could? Guests include Bilal, Dwele, Talib Kweli, Pos of De La Soul, Karriem Riggins and others. Titles include "Morning Order", "Antiquity", "Gobstopper", "Jealousy", "Angel", "Stakes Is High" and more. Arthur Verocai composes, arranges and conducts to show in his honor, and the show was hosted by Egon and Doom (!!!) – with some legendary guests such as Ivan Conti, Airto Moreira, Jose Bertrami and others. Titles include "Karina", "Sylvia", "Dedicada A Ela", "Securi", "Flying To LA", "Na Boca Do Sol" and more.

Hip soul, funk, and more – a killer collection that's filled with underground classics from the 70s – including a number of key tracks that have lived on strongly as hip hop samples! The package features some nicely heady grooves – and includes a number of tracks with a pronounced fusion influence, but one that's never too jamming or over the top – just right in the pocket, with the same soulful sensibilities as the other tunes on the set! Titles include "Fantasy" by Johnny Hammond, "Jug Eyes" by Gene Ammons, "Wildfire" by Rusty Bryant, "Sport" by Lightning Rod, "Chicken Lickin" by Funk Inc, "Chase" by Willie Hutch, "Turn Off The Lights" by Larry Young, "If You've Got It You'll Get It" by The Headhunters, "The One Eye Two Step" by Donald Byrd & The Blackbyrds, "People Moving" by Azar Lawrence, and "Ghetto Misfortune's Wealth" by 24 Carat Black.