A wonderful live set – and one that really reflects the rebirth of a legend! Ethiopian keyboardist Hailu Mergia cut some fantastic records back in the day, but had spent years driving a cab in Washington, DC – before the reissue of some of his older gems led the musician to come back out of retirement and play live again – which he does on this really fantastic set recorded in New York! The group's a trio – just bass and drums behind Hailu's keyboards, melodica, and occasional accordion – and the vibe is nicely different than some of his earlier material, with more complexity on some of the solos, and maybe a deeper sort of sophistication in the overall approach – as if Mergia spent all that time away from music cooking up new ideas that burst forth in the performance! Titles include "Yetewat Hil", "Yegle Nesh", Abichu Nega Nega", "Belew Beduby", and "Tizita". CD

A wonderful live set – and one that really reflects the rebirth of a legend! Ethiopian keyboardist Hailu Mergia cut some fantastic records back in the day, but had spent years driving a cab in Washington, DC – before the reissue of some of his older gems led the musician to come back out of retirement and play live again – which he does on this really fantastic set recorded in New York! The group's a trio – just bass and drums behind Hailu's keyboards, melodica, and occasional accordion – and the vibe is nicely different than some of his earlier material, with more complexity on some of the solos, and maybe a deeper sort of sophistication in the overall approach – as if Mergia spent all that time away from music cooking up new ideas that burst forth in the performance! Titles include "Yetewat Hil", "Yegle Nesh", Abichu Nega Nega", "Belew Beduby", and "Tizita". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the earthiest recordings made by Bill Laswell during his run of classic productions on Axiom Records – a set that's very faithful to the unique sound of the Gnawa musicians of Morocco, and which features no performance at all from Laswell! Sometimes, Bill would like to insert himself in the proceedings, or inflect the music with his own identity – but he stays nicely aside here, and allows the large ensemble to really do their thing – making incredible music through interplay between vocals and percussion, touched with a few local instruments as well – including oud, sintir, and darbouka! Often, the percussion is augmented by handclaps, which really brings a sense of urgency to the record as the songs build up – and titles include "Tramin", "Chabako", "Toura Toura Tour Kelilah", "Hamouda", "Said Fafy Drum Solo", "Jillala", and "Mimoun Mamrba". LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty Mulatu Astatke has given us lots of amazing music over the years – key records both home in Ethiopia and here in the US – yet this performance may well be one of his most special, as it unites the legendary musician with a host of giants from the American scene – all in a one-off performance that finally gave Mulatu his due! The leader handles vibes at the helm of an all-star group that includes Bennie Maupin on flute and soprano sax, Azar Lawrence on tenor, and Phil Ranelin on trombone – all spiritual jazz giants of the 70s who only further expand the genius of Mulatu's music – in the company of some younger musicians who include Miguel Atwood Ferguson on violin and Brandon Coleman on electric piano and organ. The whole thing is very much in keeping with the best Mulatu classics from back in the day, but also pushes things forward wonderfully too, with a lot more jazz in the mix – on titles that include "Yekermo Sew", "The Radcliffe", "Kasalefkut Hulu", "I Faram Gami", "Yekatit", "Mulatu", and "Ebo Lala". LP, Vinyl record album

The mighty Mulatu Astatke has given us lots of amazing music over the years – key records both home in Ethiopia and here in the US – yet this performance may well be one of his most special, as it unites the legendary musician with a host of giants from the American scene – all in a one-off performance that finally gave Mulatu his due! The leader handles vibes at the helm of an all-star group that includes Bennie Maupin on flute and soprano sax, Azar Lawrence on tenor, and Phil Ranelin on trombone – all spiritual jazz giants of the 70s who only further expand the genius of Mulatu's music – in the company of some younger musicians who include Miguel Atwood Ferguson on violin and Brandon Coleman on electric piano and organ. The whole thing is very much in keeping with the best Mulatu classics from back in the day, but also pushes things forward wonderfully too, with a lot more jazz in the mix – on titles that include "Yekermo Sew", "The Radcliffe", "Kasalefkut Hulu", "I Faram Gami", "Yekatit", "Mulatu", and "Ebo Lala". CD

Images of the Caribbean in many styles – from the striking color image on the front, to vintage black and white shots throughout the book – all at a level that really illuminates the criss-crossing cultures of the island scene! The book's got a wonderfully sharp sensibility – as it mixes images of vacation paradise with rural poverty, American tourists with ongoing slavery, local ritual with political overthrow – all in a series of wonderfully well-chosen photographs! The book was put together by Stuart Baker – who's done so many other great books and records for Soul Jazz – and text is by Paul Gilroy, author of There Ain't No Black In The Union Jack. Book is hardcover, super-heavy, LP-sized, and full of glossy pages! (Books, Global Grooves) Book

A wonderfully beautiful package – filled with gems from the central African scene of the 50s – all packaged together with a huge book of notes that's as wonderful as the music itself! The set culls together vintage singles from the Congo, Tanganyika, Zanzibar, and Kenya – not as random rare records, but instead to showcase some fantastic musical trends that were taking place in African music during the postwar years – particularly as influences from the Caribbean were starting to hit those shores in the form of imported phonograph records. Many of these tracks showcase some fantastic acoustic guitar work along with a very hypnotic singer – while others show maybe the beginning of the Cuban influence that would come into the fold even more during the 60s – and as usual with Dust-To-Digital, the book-like presentation is as much of a history lesson and travelogue as it is a treasure trove of music. 47 tracks in all – presented beautifully! CD