Sublimely soulful work from Azymuth – 2 albums back to back on a single CD! Cascades is fantastic fusion from a group who just couldn't miss during these early 80s California years! The sound here is smooth, but never slick – always a little offbeat, and quite different from more mainstream US fusion of the time – thanks to the genius of Jose Roberto Bertrami's keyboards, which glide one moment, dip the next, and often have these slight changes in speed that are totally great. Other members of the core trio include Alex Malheiros on bass and guitar and Ivan Conti on drums and percussion – and the set also features guest work by Mauricio Einhorn on harmonica, Jose Carlos on flute, and Sidney Moreira on percussion. Titles include "Remembering Milton", "Club Morocco", "Through The Window", "Festa Nativa", "Cascade Of The Seven Waterfalls", and "Indian Pepper". Rapid Transit is a set with a really warm groove overall – hardly the too-fast, or too-urban record you might expect from the title! Instead, there's a nicely organic sensibility going on here – a sound that feels fresh and spontaneous, even when it's in the highly electric territory of Jose Roberto Bertami's keyboards. There's a slight bit of added flute and percussion on the set, but most of the sounds here are from the core Azymuth trio – who even vocalize wordlessly on one of the album's best tracks. Titles include "Missing Doto", "Make Mine Guarana", "Gate Of Time", "I'm Just Looking Around", "Somewhere In Brazil", and "Afternoon". CD

Joelle Leandre is a fantastic musician who always give us sounds that are way more than most – and here, she continues that long legacy by pairing with accordion player Pascal Contet, who's got a way of handling his instrument and really matching the creative energy of Joelle! Leandre's bass is bowed and quietly plucked – often used as a subtle generator of sound, which is then echoed by the accordion – played by Pascal with a way that makes you feel subtle breath through space, rather than the more freewheeling cascade of notes that most people might associated with the instrument. The approach is spun out here over ten very well-titled "miniatures" – a delight throughout! CD

A surprisingly great set from The Four Tops – hardly the throwaway effort you might expect from some of the other Casablanca projects of the time – and instead a really solid effort that follows strongly from the sound of the group's best moments during their ABC Records years! The vocals are sublime – just what you'd expect from the maturing group – and Levi Stubbs gets some really great moments to shine, especially on a few of the mellower tracks. But the harmonies are the key here, and they cascade with a smooth-stepping sophistication that's not unlike the groove The O'Jays were hitting around the same time too – a classy update of their older mode that really opens the Tops up to a new audience, but hardly in a way that's commercial at all. Titles include "When She Was My Girl", "Tonight I'm Gonna Love You All Over", "Who's Right Who's Wrong", "Let Me Set You Free", "From A Distance", "Something To Remember", and "I'll Never Leave Again". LP, Vinyl record album

An early masterpiece from Genesis – the kind of visionary record that really set them apart from the rest of their generation – an incredible building-up in sound from their previous two albums, and proof that Peter Gabriel's talents were finally getting focused in the right direction! Keyboards cascade heavily – hitting Yes-like proportions, but with more structure, too – as time changes abound, scene changes match the energy of theme-changes – and the whole album falls into place beautifully, but with plenty of surprises along the way. Every song is a compelling little story – from the leadoff "Musical Box", to the spooky "Return Of The Giant Hogweed", and the playful "Harold The Barrel" – with sweeter moments that include "For Absent Friends" and "Harlequin" – just hinting at the crossover ballad style the group would embrace later, but without any of the cloying commerciality at all. LP, Vinyl record album

An early masterpiece from Genesis – the kind of visionary record that really set them apart from the rest of their generation – an incredible building-up in sound from their previous two albums, and proof that Peter Gabriel's talents were finally getting focused in the right direction! Keyboards cascade heavily – hitting Yes-like proportions, but with more structure, too – as time changes abound, scene changes match the energy of theme-changes – and the whole album falls into place beautifully, but with plenty of surprises along the way. Every song is a compelling little story – from the leadoff "Musical Box", to the spooky "Return Of The Giant Hogweed", and the playful "Harold The Barrel" – with sweeter moments that include "For Absent Friends" and "Harlequin" – just hinting at the crossover ballad style the group would embrace later, but without any of the cloying commerciality at all. CD

Never-issued live material from Odyssey – recorded years after the group's initial emergence in the New York psych scene in the late 60s, but with a sound that still has them sounding pretty darn trippy overall! There's definitely a lot of "room" feel in the recording – as the set was not done straight from the soundboard – yet that also really gives you a sense of the way these guys have mastered their instruments, as they stretch out and cascade through space at a level that's very different than the early work – really psych into prog, especially on a few of the album's really long tracks! The performance has a huge amount of long, majestic organ solos – and titles include "For Band Babies", "Lord Make A Regular Man Out Of Me", "She Who Must Be Obeyed", "Winter Summer Spring & Fall", and "One More Time Can't You Feel". CD also features four bonus tracks too! CD

An early masterpiece from Genesis – the kind of visionary record that really set them apart from the rest of their generation – an incredible building-up in sound from their previous two albums, and proof that Peter Gabriel's talents were finally getting focused in the right direction! Keyboards cascade heavily – hitting Yes-like proportions, but with more structure, too – as time changes abound, scene changes match the energy of theme-changes – and the whole album falls into place beautifully, but with plenty of surprises along the way. Every song is a compelling little story – from the leadoff "Musical Box", to the spooky "Return Of The Giant Hogweed", and the playful "Harold The Barrel" – with sweeter moments that include "For Absent Friends" and "Harlequin" – just hinting at the crossover ballad style the group would embrace later, but without any of the cloying commerciality at all. CD

Astounding work from pianist Andrew Hill – a rare session that was recorded for Blue Note in 1969, and issued here for the first time! The work has an extremely ambitious approach – with Hill leading a 9 piece group that includes Woody Shaw, Dizzy Reece, Julian Priester on trombone, Joe Farrell, Lenny White, and Ron Carter. The tracks are all originals – written with a style that retains some of the modern edges of Hill's earlier Blue Note work, but which also shows him opening up and blossoming into more of a spiritualist jazz style. The larger group have an incredibly unified approach, and Farrell's solos in particular really break out with some wonderful moments – helping Hill to realize the soulful modern sound that he was reaching for in his writing, a style that easily makes this one of his most compelling albums! Really really great stuff – finally restored from tapes that had languished for years because of inferior quality. And the material's never been issued before – not even by Mosaic – with titles that include "The Brown Queen", "Cascade", "Yesterday's Tomorrow", "Sideways", "Passing Ships", and "Noon Tide". CD

Pianist Mario Pavone always has a nicely cascading sensibility in his music – and that seems to be the case here more than ever, in a trio that moves along nicely with bass from Matt Mitchell and drums from the wonderful Tyshawn Sorey! The group has a sense of energy that leaps and lopes along – gently galloping at most moments, with these cascades of sounds, tones, and colors from Pavone's strong hands on the piano – almost building in intensity more and more as the album moves on! Titles include "Iskmix", "Noka", "Circles", "Philosophy", and "The Beginning". CD

Pianist Mario Pavone always has a nicely cascading sensibility in his music – and that seems to be the case here more than ever, in a trio that moves along nicely with bass from Matt Mitchell and drums from the wonderful Tyshawn Sorey! The group has a sense of energy that leaps and lopes along – gently galloping at most moments, with these cascades of sounds, tones, and colors from Pavone's strong hands on the piano – almost building in intensity more and more as the album moves on! Titles include "Iskmix", "Noka", "Circles", "Philosophy", and "The Beginning". CD

Some sweet Liquid Sounds from pianist Paul Smith – one of the grooviest players to recorded for Capitol Records in the 50s! At some level, Smith has a sound that really prefaces lots that would go on in the west coast scene of the 60s – an approach to jazz that's still somewhat composed, but which has a breezier feel than most of the other players of his time – openly swinging with a lightness that's mighty nice, in ways that never get too stiff or stodgy. Think of this one as a precursor to Verve Records grooves from a decade later – and you'll see what we man – as Paul's piano moves nicely with guitar from Tony Rizzi, flute from Julie Kinsler, alto from Ronny Lang, and clarinet from Abe Most and Willie Schwartz. Titles include "Little Slam", "The Gnat", "Betsy Moo", "No Trump", and "Why Shouldn't I". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover seems to imply that Chuck Mangione's one of the few cats who can play flugelhorn on a trampoline – but whatever the setting, Mangione's at the height of his late 70s powers here – blowing that clean, compressed style that crossed over beautifully at the time! Chuck's got a way of balancing the sweet and the soulful here nicely – drifting along with the rhythms, so that all the most rounded, open notes of his horn cascade out warmly – yet never in the sort of too-polished mode that would show up later in mainstream fusion. From the perspective of the 21st Century, it's surprising how strong this set sounds – especially on the few numbers that change things up a bit in the rhythms. Titles include "Give It All You Got", "Pina Colada", "I Never Missed Someone Before", "You're The Best There Is", and "Fun & Games". LP, Vinyl record album

A London record that bristles strongly with all the best sorts of criss-crossing cultural energy that's been taking place on the city's scene over the past decade or so – jazz mixing with new production modes, soulful vocals reaching cosmic sonic territory, and rhythms unlocked from more familiar modes – all guided strongly by producer Ash Walker in the lead! Walker works plenty as a DJ too, and there's almost a party-like sense of collaboration taking place on the record – as Ash opens the door to a wonderful range of guests – including Yazz Ahmed, Oscar Jerome, Lou Rhodes, Amp Fiddler, Ebi Soda, Sly5thAve, Joe Armon-Jones, and others – coming together in a record that cascades effortlessly from sound to sound, track to track! Titles include "Detroit Velvet Smooth", "Jupiter", "Babylonian Triangle Of Captivity", "Afronaught", "Letting Go", "Automation", "Petrol Head", and "Time Gets Wasted". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover seems to imply that Chuck Mangione's one of the few cats who can play flugelhorn on a trampoline – but whatever the setting, Mangione's at the height of his late 70s powers here – blowing that clean, compressed style that crossed over beautifully at the time! Chuck's got a way of balancing the sweet and the soulful here nicely – drifting along with the rhythms, so that all the most rounded, open notes of his horn cascade out warmly – yet never in the sort of too-polished mode that would show up later in mainstream fusion. From the perspective of the 21st Century, it's surprising how strong this set sounds – especially on the few numbers that change things up a bit in the rhythms. Titles include "Give It All You Got", "Pina Colada", "I Never Missed Someone Before", "You're The Best There Is", and "Fun & Games". CD

Side four includes mid-60s tracks by James Brown, Kingsmen, Booker T & The MGs, Cascades, Chiffons, Ronnettes, and the Crystals. LP, Vinyl record album

A cool session for Decca that has Carmen McRae's vocals flowing out wonderfully amidst some very haunting backings! The sound here is a bit unusual – given that the groups are headed by accordion Mat Mathews and pianist Dick Katz – both of whom have a good ear for unusual phrasing, and who help keep the record from being just another torchy vocal set from the 50s. Carmen's warmly fluid voice cascades nicely over the top of the tunes – and instrumentation often features a bit of guitar from Mundell Lowe luring in the background – furthering the warmth of the record, and almost giving it a nicely laidback, late nite quality. Titles include "Supper Time", "Yardbird Suite", "Something To Live For", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "I'll Remember April", and "This Will Make You Laugh". LP, Vinyl record album

Definitely a special space from Carlos Nino – a record that seems to even deepen the sound of some of his recent cosmic explorations – to take Nino into territory that's far beyond jazz or much of his other modes too! The set features a bit of guest work from Iasos – an artist you'll know from his homegrown 70s meditative explorations – and that music really seems to inspire both Nino and Farmer Dave Scher, who work together here in a mix of percussion, lap steel, pedals, keyboards, and effects – to weave these very complex sonic tapestries, but with a quality that feels very organic, and every bit as at peace with the world as the image of the cover. The CD features a full album's worth of material, plus 6 more reworked remixes of the core tunes – and titles include "FriendshiptribeFire", "Cascaderience", "Espacio Especial", "Enterthadreeeam", "In theWoodsbytheOcean", and "Trippppp" – the last of which really sums up the spirit of the album! CD

Alex Attias has always given us some really creative sounds in his own music – so we've got some mighty high expectations when he brings together a selection of tracks by other artists for BBE! Fortunately, the record not only lives up to those expectations, but does them one better – by opening us up to some overlooked contemporary cuts that all have the cosmic touches of Attias' work on the London scene – then interweaving them with some older tracks that resonate even more strongly in the territory! There's some wonderful work from recent years that show just how far the best side of the broken beat legacy has evolved – and other older cuts have a cosmic vibe that's plenty righteous too, with some great jazzy currents that really deepen the vibe of the collection. Titles include "Midnight Magic" by Cro Magnon with Roy Ayers, "My Dream Came True" by Root Soul, "Cascade" by Tatham Mensah Lord & Ranks, "Do The Dance" by Grooveman Spot, "Over & Over" by Material with Nona Hendryx, "Curiosity (Zanzibar rmx)" by Nicole Willis, "Could You Be Me (Theo's SS translation)" by Kathy Kosins & Paul Randolph, "Earth Overshoot Day (Hugo LX rmx)" by Cotonete, "Party Hardy (Alex Attias edit)" by Velvet Hammer, "Her Boyfriend Assesses His Value & Pleads His Case" by Kip Hanrahan, and "It's You (disco alert mix)" by Sunaga T Experience. CD

Excellent work from Jesse Mae Hemphill – a female blues talent who lay undiscovered for many years in Mississippi, then burst forth late in her life with a fantastic run of sounds like this! Most of the tunes are relatively spare – with Jessie Mae playing electric guitar in these hypnotic passages that cascade and revolve around one another – while she sings in this way that's almost harmonic in relation to her instrument. The approach is a bit like Howlin Wolf, but made very much Hemphill's own on these tracks – and titles include "Standing In My Doorway Crying", "Take Me Home With You Baby", "Crawdad Hole", "Bullyin Well", "Brokenhearted Blues", "Go Back To Your Used To Be", "Shake It Baby", and "Tell Me You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Alex Attias has always given us some really creative sounds in his own music – so we've got some mighty high expectations when he brings together a selection of tracks by other artists for BBE! Fortunately, the record not only lives up to those expectations, but does them one better – by opening us up to some overlooked contemporary cuts that all have the cosmic touches of Attias' work on the London scene – then interweaving them with some older tracks that resonate even more strongly in the territory! There's some wonderful work from recent years that show just how far the best side of the broken beat legacy has evolved – and other older cuts have a cosmic vibe that's plenty righteous too, with some great jazzy currents that really deepen the vibe of the collection. Titles include "Midnight Magic" by Cro Magnon with Roy Ayers, "My Dream Came True" by Root Soul, "Cascade" by Tatham Mensah Lord & Ranks, "Do The Dance" by Grooveman Spot, "Over & Over" by Material with Nona Hendryx, "Curiosity (Zanzibar rmx)" by Nicole Willis, and "It's You (disco alert mix)" by Sunaga T Experience. LP, Vinyl record album

A cool session for Decca that has Carmen McRae's vocals flowing out wonderfully amidst some very haunting backings! The sound here is a bit unusual – given that the groups are headed by accordion Mat Mathews and pianist Dick Katz – both of whom have a good ear for unusual phrasing, and who help keep the record from being just another torchy vocal set from the 50s. Carmen's warmly fluid voice cascades nicely over the top of the tunes – and instrumentation often features a bit of guitar from Mundell Lowe luring in the background – furthering the warmth of the record, and almost giving it a nicely laidback, late nite quality. Titles include "Supper Time", "Yardbird Suite", "Something To Live For", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "I'll Remember April", and "This Will Make You Laugh". CD

A cool collection of very unusual grooves from Argentine composer/guitarist Rodolfo Alchourron – part of a generation of groundbreaking musicians in his homeland that also included Lalo Schifrin and Gato Barbieri – yet unlike those artists, a talent that never achieved greater global fame! The first album here – the initial Santa Y Clarificacion set – is very much like something Lalo Schifrin might do, but even more offbeat – as it's a weird blend of jazzy instrumentation, funky rhythms, and spacious sounds that would definitely be right at home in a film score – yet which stretch out even more in the expanded space of the album's long tracks! Instrumentation includes Organ, tenor, alto, flute, and some great electric bass and drums – really romping at the bottom, and driving the tunes along wonderfully. There's a bit of wordless vocals at a few spare points – breezily grooving along – on titles that include "Clarificacion", "El Stanabancos", "No Divaguen", "Melopea", and "Pajaros Sueltos". The second album – Santa Y Clarificacion – has a similar groove, but one that goes out even more – almost a touch more of a fusion influence at points, although there's still some great horn charts that continue a soundtrack vibe. Horns cascade beautifully, falling into some great chord changes and washes of color that really warm things up – and titles include "Vals Trunco", "Esas Dos Cosas Benditas", "Casi Un Tango", "Vals En La Muy Sostenido", and "Algunos Dias Alguna Noches". CD