... 12-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A classic set of sample-heavy wizardry from Edan – and a record that's every bit as psychedelic as you might expect from the cover! There's plenty of great psych flourishes in the samples, grounded in some heavy breakbeats that keep things on tracks – while the rhythms mix touches of madness and genius, with tongue twists that pay homage and blast forward simultaneously. Guests include Mr Lif, Insight, and Percee-P – and titles include "Funky Voltron", "I See Colours", "Torture Chamber", "Promised Land", "Time Outt", "Fumbling Over Words That Rhyme", "Making Planets", "Murder Mystery", "Rock & Roll", and "Smile". CD

A sharp Statement Of Intent from DJ Format – whose format is timeless boombap and deft live instrumention on this solid set – which includes collaborations with Sureshot La Lock, Phill Most Chill, Nostalgia 77 and others! Classic craft, though timelessly inventive. The spacey sci fi funk of the Nostalgia 77 collabos is as hot as you'd expect, as are the other diverse sounds at play here. Includes "Staetement Of Intent", "A Quick Ego Trip", "Dope Pusher" and more with Sureshot La Rock, "Spaceship Earth" feat Edan, "Notes In Quotation" and "The Long Goodbye" feat Nostalgia 77 Quintet, "Terror" feat Mr Lif, "Beyond Disco" with The Simonsound, "Live At The Place To Be" with Phill Most Chill & Sureshot La Rock and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Homeboy Sandman lyrically on point and fascinating as always – with production and/or appearances by Jonwayne, Georgia Anne Muldrow,Edan, Steve Arrington, yU, J-Zone and others. Includes "Heart Sings", "Eyes", "Real New York", "Seam By Seam", "It's Cold", "Gumshoe", "Keep It Real", "Earth, Wind, Fire, Waster", Funhouse", "Sly Flox, "God", Nonbelievers", "Speak Truth". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing mystifying here – as the album grabs us right from the get-go – with wonderful Fender Rhodes lines from leader Tom Grant, and plenty of soulful tenor from the great Joe Henderson! The album's an overlooked gem from Joe's late 70s years – and the the player is right at home next to Grant's keys – which are sometimes acoustic, and sometimes accompanied by a wordless, humming sort of vocal – which really gives the album some strongly soulful currents! The rest of the quartet features Rick Laird on bass and Ron Steen on drums – and the electric tunes are especially wonderful, and are almost an extension of the vibe of some of Joe's late Milestone albums. Titles include "Caribbean Firedance", "Gazelle", "No Me Esqueca", and "Peddie Has A Point". LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing mystifying here – as the album grabs us right from the get-go – with wonderful Fender Rhodes lines from leader Tom Grant, and plenty of soulful tenor from the great Joe Henderson! The album's an overlooked gem from Joe's late 70s years – and the the player is right at home next to Grant's keys – which are sometimes acoustic, and sometimes accompanied by a wordless, humming sort of vocal – which really gives the album some strongly soulful currents! The rest of the quartet features Rick Laird on bass and Ron Steen on drums – and the electric tunes are especially wonderful, and are almost an extension of the vibe of some of Joe's late Milestone albums. Titles include "Caribbean Firedance", "Gazelle", "No Me Esqueca", and "Peddie Has A Point". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic funky fusion from the 70s Argentine scene – a set that begins with a killer take on the Led Zeppelin tune "Black Dog", and only gets even groovier after that! Jorge Navarro leads the group on piano, Hammond, and Fender Rhodes – and the group is a tight combo with guitar, bass, drums, and percussion – shifting rhythms nicely to match the dynamic mood of Jorge's work on the keyboard – as he moves through 70s fusion styles and Latin jazz in a wonderful array of grooves! At times, Navarro's not afraid to use some funky phrasing on his electric keys – ala Herbie Hancock – and at other times, he's way down in the groove and really going to town. Titles include "Funk Yourself", "Black Dog", "Vamos Quedando Pocos", "Lucky Southern", "Despues De La Polenta", and "Repartamos El Funky". CD

One of our favorite Woody Shaw albums from his later years – and an album that's got the same joyous spirit and free soaring feel of his best 70s work on Muse – really soaring with a sense of life and freedom in a really great way! The core group on the album is the Tone Jansa Quartet – led by European reedman Jansa, and working in a space that's quite similar to that of Shaw's backing groups on previous sessions – strong modal currents in the rhythms, and with Tone's work on soprano, tenor, and flute turning out to be a great partner for Woody's trumpet! Jansa wrote all the tunes on the set, and gave them a soaring feel that we really love – just the right mix of introspection and exploration found on classic Shaw sessions like Little Red's Fantasy or Lovedance. Titles include "Midi", "Boland", "Call Mobility", "River", and "May". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Woody Shaw albums from his later years – and an album that's got the same joyous spirit and free soaring feel of his best 70s work on Muse – really soaring with a sense of life and freedom in a really great way! The core group on the album is the Tone Jansa Quartet – led by European reedman Jansa, and working in a space that's quite similar to that of Shaw's backing groups on previous sessions – strong modal currents in the rhythms, and with Tone's work on soprano, tenor, and flute turning out to be a great partner for Woody's trumpet! Jansa wrote all the tunes on the set, and gave them a soaring feel that we really love – just the right mix of introspection and exploration found on classic Shaw sessions like Little Red's Fantasy or Lovedance. Titles include "Midi", "Boland", "Call Mobility", "River", and "May". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful set of world jazz atmospherics from Collin Walcott – a set that features his work on sitar and tabla upfront, plus some other great ECM touches from John Abercrombie on guitar, Dave Holland on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The album works a lot better than other sessions of this type, and has really stood the test of time well – partly because the spacious approach used, which never hits you too over the top, nor sounds like a gimmicky or forced style of music. Titles include "Prancing", "Night Glider", "Scimitar", "Vedana", "Easter Song", and "Cloud Dance". CD

A killer set from Wigwam – a later record by the group, and one that didn't get as much global play as their first few albums – but one that really shows the group really honing their sound in a wonderful way! Like some of the best of their Finnish scene, Wigwam really draw a lot from the world of fusion in putting together their sound – focused a bit more on tuneful English language lyrics than at their start, but still filled with all these great keyboard lines and guitar over often-funky bass and drums! Production is great – much leaner than an American label would have handled the record – and titles include "In A Nutshell", "Never Turn You In", "Sane Again", "International Disaster", "Timedance", "Eddie & The Boys", and "June May Be Too Late". LP, Vinyl record album