Five full albums from the legendary Black Fire label – a DC-based imprint that was home to a heck of a lot of knowledge and power back in the 70s! First up is Live At The East – a never-issued performance by the legendary spiritual jazz group Juju – the genre-crossing combo who'd later expand to the full Oneness Of Juju ensemble! This set captures the group in more avant formation than their later funky records – more clearly tied to a late Coltrane inspiration, but with some of the energy of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago and other creative improvisational groups – especially in the way the members of the lineup seem to effortlessly shift instruments over the course of the long tunes on the set! The vibe is very similar to the Juju albums on Strata East – and this set might be thought of as a chapter three to those two records – with a lineup that features the mighty Plunky Nakabinde on tenor, soprano, flute, and percussion – plus Al Hammel Rasul on piano, Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, Ken Shabala on bass, and Babatunde and Jalango on percussion and vocals too. Titles include "Black Experience", "Struggle Home", "At Least We Have A Horizon Now", and "Soledad Brothers". Next is Chapter Two – the rare second album from Juju – the avant jazz collective who'd later morph into funk band Oneness Of Juju, but who still sound pretty revolutionary here! There's a bit more focus than before – still energy that's a lot like the best righteous jazz groups coming out of Chicago or St Louis at the same time, but maybe a bit more direct, too – and really showing some of the stronger spiritual tones that would only blossom more strongly in later years! Reedman Plunky Nakabinde is firmly at the helm of the group – on tenor, flute, and soprano sax – but the set also features great work from Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, Babatunde on congas and drums, Phil Branch on bass, and Al-Hammond Raul on piano and percussion. The sounds are a bit less Afro-styled than on the Oneness records, but still have all the great spiritual currents – and titles include an excellent version of Pharoah Sanders' "Black Unity", plus the original tunes "Contradiction","Nia", "Black Experience", and "The End Of The Butterfly King". On the next record, the group shifts into the new name Oneness Of Juju, and delivers African Rhythms – a landmark of 70s Afro-styled jazz – and the first album by this famous underground collective! Oneness of Juju were a Washington DC-based group that grew out of the ashes of the Juju avant jazz ensemble – formed in the culturally rich African-American community of DC in the 70s, with spiritual and political aspirations that stretched far beyond the average funky combo. This first album is a masterful blend of percussion, jazz, and a slight bit of funk – alternating vocal tracks with harder-hitting jazz instrumentals, all held together under the leadership of sax player Plunky Nakabinde – a reedman whose work here alone is worth the price of admission – laid out nicely alongside some great percussion, Fender Rhodes, and wonderfully worm vocals on a few tracks. The album's one of the greatest independent soul jazz albums of the 70s – and it's filled with great tracks, such as the breakbeat classic "African Rhythms" and "Liberation Dues" – plus "Kazi", "Funky Wood", "Don't Give Up", "Poo Too", and "Incognito". The group returns on Space Jungle Luv – a fantastic record from one of the greatest underground jazz groups of the 70s! Oneness of Juju are perhaps best known for the heavy funk of their first album, African Rhythms – but we're actually partial to this second album – a warmly spiritual batch of soul jazz tracks, and a set that's filled with life, emotion, and wonderful instrumentation throughout! The group are a bit more relaxed overall – easing into things, but in a way that really builds up as the album moves on – as they layer together heavy percussion, sweet keyboards, and lots of great sax solos from Plunky Nakabinde – plus wonderfully warm vocals that add a soulful edge the group never had before, but which still is very jazzy – and not like the funky club of later years. The whole thing's wonderfully cohesive, and a treasure throughout – and titles include the warm vocal number "River Luvrite", to the harder hitting "Space Jungle Funk", and other gems like "Soul Love Now", "Follow Me", "The Connection", and "Love's Messenger". Lastly, Experience Unlimited serve up a wonderfully spiritual album – and one that's maybe a bit of a surprise, given the later fame of the group! The group here is billed by their full name – Experience Unlimited – but where later known to most of the world as EU, the DC funk outfit that went onto become pretty big in the GoGo scene, and who scored big with the 80s party cut "Da Butt". Yet as a classic album on the Black Fire label, this record is nothing like their 80s material at all – and instead catches the group when they were part of a more spiritual scene, the same DC one that gave the world Oneness Of Juju and the larger family of Black Fire artists! This album has the group very much in a mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire mode – jamming hard and free, with plenty of electric guitar riffing, funky keyboards, horns, and lots of percussion. Some tracks have vocals, and some are instrumentals – but the whole thing's an extremely unified album with a great overall vibe – and a message to match the title and the cover. Titles include "Functus", "Free Yourself", "Hey You", "It's All Imagination", and "Funk Consciousness". (Jazz, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool record from saxophonist Robert Mavouzny and trombonist Al Lirvat – the latter of whom also cut some biguine albums on the French scene of the 70s! This set's maybe a bit straighter jazz, but you can definitely hear some unusual touches at play – as the group opens up with help from Xavier Chambon on trumpet, Wolf Schubert on piano, Jack Sewing on bass, and Michael Silva on piano. A few moments are more swing, but others are more offbeat – a very unusual session! (Jazz, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly strong set from Osibisa – one that's got a full, rich, soulful feel – much better than we might have expected for an album recorded at the Royal Festival Hall! The venue's no surprise, though, given that Osibisa were clearly on top of their game at the time – and able to draw a big crowd at a prestigious event. The band has been expanded considerably for this live set to include extra percussion and backing vocals – all coming together with a majestic sound that almost beats the style used on some of the studio versions of these tunes! Titles include "The Dawn", "Living Loving Feeling", "Music For Gong Gong", "Sunshine Day", "Beautiful Seven Y Sharp", and a nice take on Roland Kirk's "Spirits Up Above". LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked bit of 80s electro soul – one that's heavy on Yamaha keyboards and beats, but which was also recorded in Gabon – which gives the whole record a very different sound than New York material of the time! The rhythms are definitely in the funky soul side of the spectrum, but have different inflections and directions than big city beats from the street – maybe more complexity at points, but also a willingness to step back and allow some spots of bluesier inflections in the other instrumentation, which is mostly guitar – an instrument that has less of a rhythmic role here than on the usual soul album. Titles include "Butter Fly", "Ogoue", "We Gonna Have Some Fun", "Believe Me", "Back To LBV", and "Will Be The Only One". (Soul, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A great set that moves towards the farther reaches of the Caribbean scene in the 80s – music that's much more underground than some of the bigger soca and tropical hits of the time! As you might expect from the Soundway label, the work here is a very unusual, very well-done presentation of a fresh slice of global music – Caribbean cuts that borrow bits from electro soul, house music, and other styles of the time – and weave the newer elements into island rhythms with a very forward-thinking feel! The tunes are heavy on keyboards and beats, yet still have a indie soul sort of charm – and as usual with Soundway, the whole thing comes with very detailed notes on the music. Most tunes are b-sides, dubs, or edits – and titles include "Last Days" by The Millers, "Wild Indian Band" by Andre Tanker, "Zion Gates (dub)" by Mohjah, "I Want Your Love" by Peter Britto, "Hotter & Hotter (dub edit)" by Juno D, "D'Jab Jab Dance (bad lad mix)" by Colin Jackman, "Fighting Soldier" by Cito Jarvis, "Stand Up & Rock Your Body (inst)" by Roger Bain, "Fire (ext dub edit)" by D Ivan, "Body Beat" by Bill Campbell, and "It's Alright" by Adonijah. LP, Vinyl record album

A revelatory selection of tracks recorded on a Nairobi music scene that was really overflowing with creative energy – so much so that the music here doesn't just come from Kenyan talents, but from Tanzania and the Congo as well! There's a positive spirit that imbues most of the grooves – sounds that are upbeat and pulsating with rhythm – yet also put together at a level that's never too commercial at all – especially resisting the temptations that over-polished so much other music from the continent during the big world music boom of the 80s. Instead, these tunes revel in long, open interplay between guitars, bass, percussion, and voice – on selections that include "Ochieng DJ Komoro" by Victoria Chomeka, "Maria" by Orchestra Moja One Band, "Remmy Belesa" by Biashara Jazz Band, "Gilbert Wambida" by International De Nelly, "Amemiki (part 2)" by Orchestra Bana Ekanga, and "Nakuomba" by Baba Ilunga Wa Ilunga – a lost archive track, which appears here for the first time ever. LP, Vinyl record album