A great second set from Ides Of March – proof that the jazz rock combo had a lot more going on than just their famous single! The sextet hailed from the same scene as early Chicago (Chicago, of course!) – and have here a sound that shares plenty of the jazzy flourishes of that better-known group – blasting trumpet lines that soar, dip, and turn alongside the more uptempo tunes, and shade in the mellower ones. But there's also a more personal approach to this set overall, one that comes from the rough vocals of James Michael Peterik and some of the surprisingly heartfelt lyrics to a few of the album's best tunes – not entirely the height of early 70s singer/songwriter material, but also not that far either. Titles include the funky "Superman", plus "LA Goodbye", "Mrs Grayson's Farm", "Friends Of Feeling", "We Are Pillows", "Freedom Sweet", and "Tie Dye Princess", an extended number that runs for over 11 minutes. LP, Vinyl record album

A post-Warner set from Jim Peterik and the Ides Of March – with titles that include "Hot Water", "Do What You've A Mind To", "Quicksilver", "Ride The Music", "Lay Back", "Roadie Ode", and "Heavy On The Country". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those landmark meetings of mighty talents that sounds even better on record than it does on paper – as the set somehow finds this really special space that's completely between all the best early 70s modes of both Terry Riley and John Cale! Cale was really coming into his own at the time as a solo act – creating amazing records after leaving the Velvet Underground, but also still tied to the deeper art scene from which he emerged. Riley was on the way to becoming one of the most popular of the more modern composers – thanks to a nod from The Who, and a big audience for his wonderfully trippy records on Columbia. The label allowed the pair to create this really special music here – sounds that borrow from Riley's minimalism, while also having some of the darkness of Cale's own compositions – and coming across with this jagged, almost modal sort of approach that's really great. Cale only sings on one song, and the rest of the set is instrumental – as Riley plays piano, organ, and soprano sax – and Cale joins in on bass, guitar, viola, and harpsichord. The two of them groove together in these totally cool tracks that build and build, with minimal lines repeating over and over in endlessly fascinating groove – in a way that touches on a weirdly funky mode! The cut "Ides Of March" has the potential to be dancefloor groover in the jazz dance scene, and there's lots of other great tracks like "Church of Anthrax", "The Protege", and "The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo work from the former leader of Ides Of March. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious projects ever from vibist Gary Burton – an extended piece written by Carla Bley – and billed as "A Dark Opera Without Words"! The work has a feel that's much more fluid than opera, though – and is a great instrumental outing that not only features Gary's vibes at their youthful best, with support from his quartet – but which also includes extra work from Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Gato Barbieri on tenor, and Carla Bley herself on piano. The music is never too far out, but with angular tones and strange time changes that mark the record as being quite different from Gary's other sides for RCA. It also makes the record one of his best, too – as the set has that wonderfully fresh sound that you get from early work by Bley – never too silly, and with a serious approach to composition that also never loses sight of its roots in jazz. Titles include "The New Funeral March", "Silent Spring", "Mother Of The Dead Man", "Death Rolls", and "The New National Anthem". LP, Vinyl record album

Blue in the main style of his early years at Riverside – working in an all-star group (the "Big 6" in the title), with players that include Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Wynton Kelly, Wilbur Ware, and Philly Joe Jones. Blue's leadership isn't that strong – but fortunately, the others (particularly Griffin, Ware, and Jones) gel together strongly with or without him, making the set crackle with the soulful energy of some of the best Jazzland/Riverside hardbop sides from the time. Tracks include "Sir John", "Blues March", "Big Six", and "Jamph". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, funkiest records we've ever heard from Dr John – thanks to lots of guest help from The Meters! The vibe here is a bit tighter than some of Mac's previous records – not as trippy as his first few for Atco – but the sound is still nice and sharp, and Allen Toussaint provides production and arrangements with a style that would be right at home on some of his work for the indie Sansu label. The title cut – "Right Place Wrong Time" – was a huge hit, but has a great funky break – and the album also features loads of other nice numbers too – including "Life", "Traveling Mood", "Same Old Same Old", "Just The Same", and "Shoo Fly Marches On". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the first big moments of Albert Ayler's work in the jazz mainstream – and a record that doesn't dim his greatness at all from the earlier sides recorded for ESP! The album's got a sharply angular sound that more than lives up to its vibrant cover image – a well-honed approach to improvisation, showcased by Ayler in a set of recordings done upon his return from work on the European scene. The material was recorded on two different dates – featuring two different groups: one with Alan Silva, Beaver Harris, and Joel Friedman; the other with Donald Ayler, Henry Grimes, and Michel Sampson. Titles are long, with the searing emotional sound that Ayler was peaking at during this time – and titles include "For John Coltrane", "Change Has Come", and "Truth is Marching On". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic late work from Ayler! The record is one of the last he ever recorded – and it's a no-nonsense live set, without any of the silly influences of some of his late Impulse sides. Most of the material features Ayler blowing long free solos, with a tightness and directness missing from mid 60s sessions. Cal Cobbs is on piano, Steve Tintweiss is on bass, Allen Blairman is on drums, and Mary Maria plays a bit of soprano sax, and sings vocals on "Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe", done here in a fantastically soulful version! Other tracks include "Holy Family", "Truth Is Marching", "Universal Message", "Spiritual Reunion", and "In Heart Only". 2 LPs – with both volumes of the music recorded in 1970 at the legendary Nuits De La Fondation Maeght series! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious projects ever from vibist Gary Burton – an extended piece written by Carla Bley – and billed as "A Dark Opera Without Words"! The work has a feel that's much more fluid than opera, though – and is a great instrumental outing that not only features Gary's vibes at their youthful best, with support from his quartet – but which also includes extra work from Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Gato Barbieri on tenor, and Carla Bley herself on piano. The music is never too far out, but with angular tones and strange time changes that mark the record as being quite different from Gary's other sides for RCA. It also makes the record one of his best, too – as the set has that wonderfully fresh sound that you get from early work by Bley – never too silly, and with a serious approach to composition that also never loses sight of its roots in jazz. Titles include "The New Funeral March", "Silent Spring", "Mother Of The Dead Man", "Death Rolls", and "The New National Anthem". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic funky record from the Butterfield Blues Band – a set that's much less in the blues style from which the group took their name, and very strongly in the hipper mixed-up blend of styles that were happening on the Cali scene at the end of the 60s! Paul still leads the group on harmonica and vocals – but the latter often have a lot more of a loose, freewheeling soul sort of approach – as he's backed by a very cool group that's heavy on horns mixed with tight guitar and mighty nice basslines – plus piano from Jerry Ragovoy, who produced the whole set! Phillip Wilson provides some great drums – which are a key part of the funky cuts – and titles include "Love March", "No Amount Of Loving", "Love Disease", "So Far So Good", "Buddy's Advice", "Losing Hand", "Where Did My Baby Go", "All In A Day", and "Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

A unique record for Riley, where he collaborates with and writes expressly for the Kronos Quartet, composing several string quartets with his signature minimalist approach incorporating jazz and exotic melodies and large improvised passages. The first album is made up of 3 shorter pieces "Sunrise Of The Planetary Dream Collector", "G Song" and "Mythic Birds Waltz", while "Cadenza On The Night Plain" encompasses both sides of record 2, and goes through quite a few different movements, including "Where Was Wisdom When We Went West?", "March Of The Old Timers Reefer Division", "Tuning To Rolling Thunder", "The Night Cry Of Black Buffalo Woman", "Gathering Of The Spiral Clan" and "Captain Jack Has The Last Word". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic late work from Ayler! The record is one of the last he ever recorded – and it's a no-nonsense live set, without any of the silly influences of some of his late Impulse sides. Most of the material features Ayler blowing long free solos, with a tightness and directness missing from mid 60s sessions. Cal Cobbs is on piano, Steve Tintweiss is on bass, and Allen Blairman is on drums. Titles include a very soulful version of "Music Is The Healing Force Of The Universe" – plus "Truth Is Marching", "Universal Message", and "Spiritual Reunion". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of one of the jazz organ's greatest players, pulled from Smith's classic Blue Note sides. Sidemen include Lou Donaldson, Stanley Turrentine, Lee Morgan, Tina Brooks, Kenny Burrell, Thornell Schwartz, Quentin Warren, Art Blakey, and Donald Bailey. 8 tracks in all, including "All Day Long", "The Champ", "The Sermon", "Midnight Special", "When Johnny Comes Marching Home", "Can Heat", "Flamingo" ad "Prayer Meetin'". LP, Vinyl record album

A funky masterpiece from Bill Cosby – hardly the sort of record you might expect from all of his years on mainstream TV! This set was cut back when Bill was a much hipper cat on the LA scene – and it was the start of a brief all-instrumental run with his Badfoot Brown ensemble – a group who's not named in the notes on the record, but who offer up some seriously funky grooves! Bill supposedly plays keyboards himself – some really mad electric piano that's often repetitive, cyclical, and really hypnotic – a tripped-out style that's more funk than jazz, and which is easily one of the best parts of the record. But the rhythms are great too – equally hypnotic, and build up from bass, organ, guitar, and this whomping sort of drum part – echoing strongly in the background and really bringing a spooky feel to the set. Side one includes the amazing "Martin's Funeral" – sampled famously by Tribe Called Quest, and a 15 minute jam that's inspired by the funeral of Martin Luther King. Side two features "Hybish Shybish", an even longer track that's sort of an improvised jazz game – and which features tripped-out instrumental trading that's simply amazing. The whole record is really mindblowing – a messed-up jam session that's well worth the legend that's been built up around it over the years – and we're hard-pressed to think of another album like it! And as a special bonus, the package features these really long notes written by Bill Cosby himself – words that are as unusual as the music, and a side of him that's hardly been shown again. LP, Vinyl record album

Larry Graham and crew are definitely going for a fuller sound on this set – starting off the record with a funky marching band, in Tusk-like fashion – then rolling into some bass-heavy funk that tops even their previous records for tightness! The groove is a key element in the growth of west coast funk in the 70s – bass in the lead, but keyboards percolating in all over the place, in a style that's almost got touches of jazz – and which sets the stage for many of the Zapp-sounding projects of the future. Titles include "Love", "Mirror", "Entrow", "Do Yah", "Save Me", and "I Got A Reason". LP, Vinyl record album