A tremendous return to form for the great Brian Jackson – an artist that most folks know for his legendary 70s work with Gil Scott-Heron, but one who's kept on making great music for years after Gil departed our planet! Here, Jackson's the lead talent on Fender Rhodes, flute, and other instruments – working alongside core funky backdrops from Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad – in a mode that follows up the spirit of their other releases in the Jazz Is Dead series, but with a vibe that's darker and moodier overall! There's a great edge going on here – and the bassline are especially heavy at times, which seems to make Jackson push even stronger than he might – filling up all the spaces with beautiful sounds that show the musician at his jazziest. Titles include "Mars Walk", "Nancy Wilson", "Young Muhammad", "Guality", "Bain De Minuit", "Ethiopian Sunshower", and "Under The Bridge". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty hip split album – a set that features one side each of work by two contemporary Japanese combos! Side one features the Nautilus trio – a trio with mighty sweet keyboards and heavy funky drums – perfect for the group's jazzy instrumental remakes of tunes that include Gil Scott Heron's "The Bottle", Azymuth's "Manha", The Dramatics' "In The Rain", and William De Vaughn's "Be Thankful For What You've Got". The flipside features work from singer Anna Sato, who also plays some mighty nice koto and sanshin – next to funky drums and percussion from Toshiyuki Sasaki, who kicks things up in a mighty nice way! There's an unusual blend of ancient and groovy going on, but with a lean approach that avoids any schmaltz at all – on titles that include "Watasha", "Honenbushi", "Shumichi Nagahama", and "Ayahabura". (Jazz, Deep Funk) LP, Vinyl record album