Marley's last studio LP, this effort shows there was no letting up, either in his political stance or fiery songwriting. With the solid original rhythm section of Family Man & Carlton Barrett and the beautiful backing harmonies of the I-Three's, this set includes classic takes of "Redemption Song", "Could You Be Loved", "Bad Card", "We & Dem" and "Coming In From the Cold". LP, Vinyl record album

Marley's last studio LP, this effort shows there was no letting up, either in his political stance or fiery songwriting. With the solid original rhythm section of Family Man & Carlton Barrett and the beautiful backing harmonies of the I-Three's, this set includes classic takes of "Redemption Song", "Could You Be Loved", "Bad Card", "We & Dem" and "Coming In From the Cold". Includes the bonus tracks "Redemption Song (band version)" and "Could You Be Loved (12" mix)". CD

Fantastic work from Eddie Palmieri – sounding here as if he hasn't changed a thing since the 70s! With most artists, that would be a critique – but given that during the 70s, Eddie was constantly ablaze with creative activity, and always pushing his boundaries – we mean that statement as a compliment in the best possible way – because all these many years later, Palmieri is still setting the standard for everything that can be done in Latin jazz, and reminding us that few folks can ever reach the heights to which he's taken us over the years! Eddie's been sneaking a few killer albums on the market over the past decade or so, and this is the latest in that run – completely away from any more commercial inclinations, and done in a burning descarga mode that allows Eddie's piano to really open up in a killer jazz lineup that includes Jimmy Bosch and Conrad Herwig on trombones, Jonathan Powell on trumpet, Louis Fouche on trumpet, Luques Curtis on bass, and Camilo Molina on timbales! Herman Olivera sings lead vocals, but the tracks are long and feature lots of jazzy solos – on titles that include "Paolo Pa Rumba", "Oyelo Que Te Conviene", "Linda Yambu", "Azucar", "Vamanos Pa'L Monte", and "Muneca". CD

The legendary duo of Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia helped transform the sound of hip hop in the 90s – but here, they come across in a completely different mode – stepping forth as musical artists of their own, heading up a very cool combo known as the M19s Band! The approach is classic jazzy soul – with remakes of vintage grooves that were sampled heavily back in the day – such as tunes by Idris Muhammad, Stevie Wonder, and Chaka Khan – but served up with razor-sharp instrumentation that effortlessly blends together jazz, soul, and a bit of Latin – with occasional vocal contributions from Rich Medina, Edson Sean, Maimouna Youssef, and Bobbito himself. Titles include "Que Se Sepa", "The Mexican", "If You Really Love Me", "Voices Inside My Head", "Could Heaven Ever Be Like This", "Magnificent Dance", and "Anna From Woohside". LP, Vinyl record album

Brightly lit, breezily soulful grooves from Nicolay's globetrotting City Lights series – inspired by a +FE tour stop in South Africa – and it may be the best City Lights set yet! One thing we love about the series, and the Soweto entry in particular, is that Nicolay isn't out to copy the exact sounds you'd hear in classic or contemporary South African dance music, as much as he's doing his own distinct thing, as inspired by it. Some occasional vocals, especially the spoken narrative passages by Nomusa Nzima set the Soweto scene, and the South African rhythmic sensibility is a big part of the vibe, but it's got a broad, richly appealing vibe overall.. The keyboards walk the line between spacey and sophisticated, there's some great vocal contributions from Phonte, Carmen Rodgers and Tamisha Waden. Wonderful! Includes "Tomorrow", "It's In The Way That You Smile", "Aurora", "Sun Rings/Uprising", "Daydream", "Sawubona", "The Secret" and "There Is A Place For Us". CD

Smoking Afro Funk from down under – played by a tight combo from Sydney who rival the best of the contemporary global underground! The horns here are very powerful – not a "struggle" but more of a blast of righteous energy that really puts the group firmly on the map – a bold breakout that really matches the funky rhythms of the bottom, and which features lots of great solo moments throughout! There's almost no vocals on the record, which means that The Liberators offer up even more instrumental interplay than some of their Afro Funk contemporaries – a smoking little set that includes "Soul Dive", "Cairo Uprising", "Red Green Live Die", "Dos Caras", "Water Somewhere", and "Epicoso". CD

Never-issued work from the legendary Agusutus Pablo – one of the few cats in the world who could ever make a melodica sound like a super-trippy instrument! Here, Pablo's working with King Tubby at the controls – a magical pairing that sounds every bit as wonderful here as it did on a few of their other key classics – heavy rhythms with plenty of bass, lots of echo in the dubby production, and those spooky, long-spun, blown-keyboard lines that made Poablo so unique! Titles include "Happy & Happy", "Sugar", "Uprising", "Smiling Faces", "Prince", "Watchful", "That's Real", and "Stars". CD

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith in his best sort of setting – working in an openly creative space for improvisation, one that has Smith not only shaping things majestically with his lines on trumpet – but also making some nice shifts to other instrumentation too! Drummer Sabu Toyozumi is a fantastic partner on the set – a sometimes-strong instrumentalist, but one who's also nicely focused too – so that he really finds a way to match all the many shifts and steps that Wadada makes over the course of the album's long, live, improvised performance. Smith also handles a bit of koto, bamboo flute, and percussion – and titles include "Don Cherry – A Silver Flute Song", "Lines", "Burning Meditation/Uprising", "There Are Human Rights Blues", and "Creative Music 1 – Red Mountain Garden Wild Arises & Glacier". CD

A spectacular run of music from the great Jackie Wilson – a 3CD set that features 60 tracks in all – with a heavy dose of both of Jackie's chapters in soul music for the Brunswick label! Wilson started out recording for Brunswick in New York – where he brought a new level of power to the pre-soul years, learned from his roots in R&B – but fused into a more sophisticated style that had a huge impact on many others to rise in soul during the 60s! Then, during the middle of that decade, he moved over to work in Chicago – where help from Carl Davis and other key Brunswick talents gave Wilson's magnificent vocals a whole new groove – and a way to keep on going strongly all the way to the 70s. This great set documents all those years, and is overflowing with great cuts – titles that include "3 Days 1 Hour 30 Minutes", "Soul Galore", "New Girl In Town", "You Left The Fire Burning", "I Can Feel Those Vibrations This Love Is Real", "Just Be Sincere", "Love Uprising", "Whatcha Gonna Do About Love", "You Brought About A Change In Me", "Just Call My Name", "To Make A Big Man Cry", "No Pity In The Naked City", "I Get The Sweetest Feeling", "Reet Petite", "Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher & Higher", "The New Breed", "Light My Fire", "The Tear Of The Year", "Talk That Talk", and "Doggin Around". Also includes duet material – "Shake A Hand" and "I Found Love" with Linda Hopkins, "Chain Gang" and "Uptight" with Count Basie, and "Don't Burn No Bridges" with The Chi-Lites. CD

Trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith in his best sort of setting – working in an openly creative space for improvisation, one that has Smith not only shaping things majestically with his lines on trumpet – but also making some nice shifts to other instrumentation too! Drummer Sabu Toyozumi is a fantastic partner on the set – a sometimes-strong instrumentalist, but one who's also nicely focused too – so that he really finds a way to match all the many shifts and steps that Wadada makes over the course of the album's long, live, improvised performance. Smith also handles a bit of koto, bamboo flute, and percussion – and titles include "Don Cherry – A Silver Flute Song", "Lines", "Burning Meditation/Uprising", "There Are Human Rights Blues", and "Creative Music 1 – Red Mountain Garden Wild Arises & Glacier". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great showcase for the budding talents of Joe Lovano – heard here at a crucial point in his rise to glory on Blue Note! Joe had already been blowing greatness on tenor for years before this set, but these Village Vanguard recordings put Lovano in the same heady space as Joe Henderson or Sonny Rollins at the Vanguard on Blue Note – by really allowing a great sense of open, spontaneous expression that stands as a nice counterpoint to his well-conceived studio work – a very earnest demonstration of Lovano's rich talents as a saxophonist. Joe plays soprano and C melody sax as well – and the group features always-great work on trumpet and flugelhorn from Tom Harrell, plus Anthony Cox on bass and Billy Hart on drums. Tracks include "Song & Dance", "Sail Away", "Blues Not To Lose", "Birds Of Springtimes Go By", and "Uprising". CD