A gem of a record from vocalist Urszula Dudziak – the closest she ever came to doing a "straight" set of vocals, but still one that lives up to her unique style! The album was produced by Michal Urbaniak with a sweet electric vibe – never too smooth or overproduced, but with just enough American jazz funk to set things right – and make for some wonderful instrumentation that helps Urszula breathe new life into some older tunes! A few tracks on here are originals – like "Midnight Rain", "People Say", and "Cuckoo's Nest" – and the rest are wonderfully reworked versions of older tracks like "Lover", "Night In Tunisia", and "Bluesette". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of groundbreaking early work from Michal Urbaniak – early European recordings that are very different than his American records from later years! First up is Paratyphus B – some of Michal Urbaniak's heaviest work of the 70s – an album of relatively free and exploratory fusion, recorded in Stuttgart with a group of Polish contemporaries who include Urszula Dudziak on voice and percussion, and Adam Makowicz on electric piano! Urbaniak plays soprano sax, tenor, and flute next to his more familiar electric violin – and many of the tracks are spacey explorations in sound, with some sort of rhythm, but really more a focus on the jamming of the keys, violin, and Dudziak's incredible voice. Titles include "Valium", "Irena", "Sound Pieces", "Winter Piece", and "Paratyphus B". Inactin is one of the greatest albums that Polish jazzman Michal Urbaniak ever cut – and a sparkling session of funky fusion recorded in Germany, at the studios of Horst Jankowski! The album feels like one of the great MPS electric albums from the 70s – and it's got loads of cool Fender Rhodes and clavinet playing, spacey electric violin, and some tight choppy soprano work. Urszula Dudziak lays down some incredibly spooky vocals on the best tracks – riffing away in an otherworldly way that matches the funk on the album. Includes the nice breakbeat tracks "Inactin" and "Ekim", plus the cuts "Lato", "Fall", and "Groovy Desert". 3CD set features 2CDs worth of rare bonus live material – a concert recorded in Bremen in 1972, with very long tracks that include "Introduction/Valium", "Sound Pieces", "Irena", and "Groovy Desert/Silence/Lato". CD

An overdue look at the great range of sounds that came from Inner City Records at the end of the 70s – a hip American indie with a strong specialty in soulful fusion, hip vocalists, and a range of other great styles too – all brought together here by London DJ Kev Beadle! Inner City's often a bit overlooked – as the label flourished most strongly in the years after some of the better-known soulful imprints of the 70s – and the label always had a great ear for new sounds, fresh ideas, and the kind of compelling global elements that often led them to license key tracks from overseas, and bring them to the US market. This collection's heavy on singers – the kind of cool, underground jazz vocalists that Inner City captured so well – and it's also got a nice mix of funky fusion, modal numbers, and spiritual currents – on titles that include "The Other World" by Judy Roberts, "Hunt Up Wind" by Hiroshi Fukumura, "Vera Cruz" by Helen Merrill, "Lucky Southern" by Tom Lellis, "Quickie Nirvana" by Kellis Ethridge, "Samba De La Cruz" by Terumasa Hino, "So High" by Janet Lawson, "The Samba" by Jeff Lorber, "Return Of The Prodigal Son" by Joe Lee Wilson, "Shenkansen" by Urszula Dudziak, "To An Elfin Princess" by Charlie Mariano, "Pandora" by Carlos Franzetti, and "Jennine" by Eddie Jefferson. LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked little solo set from one of Atlantic Records' hippest talents in the 70s! Arif Mardin's best known for his work supporting some of Atlantic's best soul starts – Aretha Franklin most famously, and a host of others – but here, he steps out as a maestro on his own – working in a great space that's somewhere between blacksploitation funk and electric jazz – all with a groove that's totally great! Mardin's wonderful sense of space and timing come even more to the forefront here than on his records with singers – and he does an amazing job of bringing the players together with the tightness of a soul session, but the freedom of expression of a jazz date. Musicians include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Seldon Powell on tenor, Richard Tee and Pat Rebillot on electric piano, Gary Burton on vibes, and Hubert Laws on flute. Urszula Dudziak makes a few appearances on voice – dropping in some wordless elements to the tunes – and drums are heavy throughout, played by either Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, or Grady Tate. Titles include "Dark Alleys", "Love On A Rainy Afternoon", "A Sunday Afternoon Feeling", "Strollin", "Journey", "Flight", and "Forms". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Flora Purim's most ambitious albums of the 70s – recorded with larger backings than usual, and some occasional additional vocal help from Urszula Dudziak and Googie Coppola! The "encounter" of the title is a reference to the added players on the set – as Flora's groove is expanded by a host of well-chosen players – some familiar from other Purim records, some making a strong initial appearance here. George Duke plays a host of keyboards on the set, and other musicians include Joe Henderson on tenor, Hermeto Pascoal on keyboards and vocals, Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Alphonso Johnson on electric bass, Ngugu Chancler on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, and of course the ever-present Airto on percussion! Flora's vocals are as lovely as ever, and if anything seem to reach even farther to the heavens in a setting like this. Titles include "Windows", "Black Narcissus", "Dedicated To Bruce", "Tomara", and "Latinas". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful 70s electric session from this Polish fusion luminary – soaring to the sky on some magical grooves! The album combines Urbaniak's work on electric violin and soprano sax with some really compelling vocals by Urszula Dudziak and killer keyboards by Wojciech Karolak, plus additional electronic effects from Dr Max Mathews. The whole thing jams one minute, kicks back the next – and has that magical spacey fusion approach that Urbaniak helped bring to the American scene at the time! Titles include "Atma", "Kama", "New York Batsa", "Ilex", and "Mazurka". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Flora Purim's most ambitious albums of the 70s – recorded with larger backings than usual, and some occasional additional vocal help from Urszula Dudziak and Googie Coppola! The "encounter" of the title is a reference to the added players on the set – as Flora's groove is expanded by a host of well-chosen players – some familiar from other Purim records, some making a strong initial appearance here. George Duke plays a host of keyboards on the set, and other musicians include Joe Henderson on tenor, Hermeto Pascoal on keyboards and vocals, Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Alphonso Johnson on electric bass, Ngugu Chancler on drums, Raul De Souza on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, and of course the ever-present Airto on percussion! Flora's vocals are as lovely as ever, and if anything seem to reach even farther to the heavens in a setting like this. Titles include "Windows", "Black Narcissus", "Dedicated To Bruce", "Tomara", and "Latinas". CD

Michal Urbaniak's third Fusion set for Columbia – very fittingly titled, considering what a huge influence his playing had on the genre! The album's a very tight batch of groovers – soaring and spacious, but never overindulgent – sometimes featuring scatting vocals by wife Urszula Dudziak, and also sporting strong rhythms from drummers Gerald Brown and Steve Gadd – both of whom really bring a nice solid bottom to the set, and help keep things focused! Yet then again, Urbaniak's always been one of the more focused players of his generation – especially on American recordings like this. There's lots of keyboards and electric grooving in the mix – and titles include "Chinatown", "Bloody Kishka", "Cameo", "Stretch", "Metroliner", "Roskana", and "Kuyaviak Goes Funky". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty sweet 70s session from Michal Urbaniak – done in the same heavy funk style as his bigger label recordings of the time, with a solid blend of electric rhythms and some nice trippy solo work! The core of the group is Urbaniak on violin and lyricon, Urszula Dudziak on voice and percussion, and the great Zbigniew Namyslowski on alto sax and flute – and Kenny Kirkland adds more than a few nice touches on Fender Rhodes and mini moog. Jamming is at a minimum, and the tunes really keep a strong rhythmic pulse – making for a good set that's filled with jazz funk groovers! Titles include "Stray Sheep", "Always Ready", "Jasmine Lady", "Strife", and "Tie Breaker". LP, Vinyl record album

Features vocals by Urszula Dudziak. CD