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One of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago's all-time classics! If you've ever bought an Art Ensemble album and said "Hmm, what's all the fuss about?", get this one. It'll change your mind. The band is in perfect form – and hits an incredible blend of free thinking modernism and soulful... read more

A the time they were taking Paris by storm, the Art Ensemble recorded this brilliant message to folks everywhere – one of their best early albums, and a landmark in Chicago avant garde jazz! The record features the group at their best – playing very tightly, but also with a sense of... read more

Beautiful work from the Art Ensemble – and one of their undisputed classics! The record features some of the most perfectly realized moments the band ever cut to wax, with a blend of whimsical multi-instrumental improvisation, and a strong sense of the spiritual tradition in jazz. The album... read more

Essential stuff – and one of a few albums recorded for BYG/Actual by trombonist Grachan Moncur III – some of his best work after his initial classics for Blue Note! The album features Moncur fronting a European rhythm section – performing one side of interpretations of Brazilian... read more

The 2nd volume of the Solar-Myth sessions! Recorded in New York in 1970, with an Arkestra that includes Kwame Hadi, Ali Hassan, Danny Davis, John Gilmore, and Clifford Jarvis – and instrumentation that includes moog, space dimension mellophone, ancient Egyptian Infinity drum, and lots of... read more

Wow! This is one of Sonny Sharrock's rare early recordings, recorded in France shortly after he had been playing with Herbie Mann. The groove's kind of crazy, and it's amazing that Sonny jumped out so soon after leaving the sort of pop-jazz environs he was in with Herbie – but hey, lots of... read more

Wow! This is one of Sonny Sharrock's rare early recordings, recorded in France shortly after he had been playing with Herbie Mann. The groove's kind of crazy, and it's amazing that Sonny jumped out so soon after leaving the sort of pop-jazz environs he was in with Herbie – but hey, lots of... read more

A rare live set – recorded in Algiers during the Panafrican Festival in 1969, featuring a set of work that is some of Shepp's rootsiest of the 60s! The recording features a core group of Shepp, Grachan Moncur, Clifford Thorton, and Dave Burrell – all joined by a host of Algerian and... read more

Silva leads his Celestrial Communication Orchestra, one of the best of the loose collectives playing around the Paris scene of the 1969/1970 era – and a group that includes Grachan Moncur III, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors, Dave Burrell, and Bernard Vitet. The group was one... read more