The soulful sound of Bukky Leo takes off in all sorts of directions here – served up in a sweet soup of remixes by some great overseas talents! The work has the same Afro Funk vibe as some of Bukky's classic records – complete with his searing tenor work and strong lead vocals – set up in core instrumentation that includes plenty of percussion, keyboards, and super-tight horns – elements that are reworked and expanded here through the different mixes in the set! Tony Allen plays drums on some tracks – and titles include "Scelleton (Gilles Peterson mix)", "Annarkey (Dennis Bovell mix)", "Genre Jam (Leslie Laurence mix)", "Obedun (Orlandon Voorn mix)", "Summer Sax Breeze (Leslie Laurence mix)", and "Unisex Dilemma (Laurie Laurence mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue album from saxophonist Bukky Leo – a player with roots in 70s Ethiopia, and a range of experiences that also includes key recordings in the early British acid jazz scene! Bukky's got a resume that includes work with Fela and Tony Allen – and he's working here in a mode that's very similar to recent work by the latter – an updated version of older Afro Funk styles, augmented slightly by additional keyboards and a warmer, more dancefloor-styled groove – but a core sound that's highly rhythmic, very acoustic, and filled with great work on guitar, sax, and flute! Bukky's also singing a fair bit on the record too – calling out the lyrics with a raspy warmth that's a lot more personal than some of Tony Allen's more abstract vocalizations on recent work – and the record's got a really focused feel that makes it one of the best takes on Afro Funk we've heard in a good number of years! Titles include "Ake Bo Je", "Times Like These", "Dreamer", "Dem Go Shout", "Secular Society", "His Majesty", "The Vision", and "Why Can't We Live Together". CD

Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet and flugelhorn, Damage Edson Mbaisa on saxophone, percussion and vocals, Zivanai Wilberforce Masanga on trumpet, vocals, and keyboards, William Roper on tuba, David Philipson on bansuri, Henry Kaiser, Joshua Dube, Woody and Lee Aplanalp on guitar, Chakaipa Mhembere, Ngoni Makombe, and Zivai Guveya on mbira, Christopher Muchabaiwa and Ollie Elder on bass, Gordin Mapika and Sonship Theus on drums, William Mapfumo on percussion, and Lancelot Mapfumo on congas and vocals, with vocals from Memory Makuri, Rosa Sande, and Thomas Mapfumo. (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

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Late 70s genius from Leon Keita, a Mandingue musician who only recorded a few albums on the scene in Mali, but really helped transform the music at the time! There's an evolution of older modes here that's great – never forced, but this kind of gentle nudge into more complexity in both the rhythms and the guitar lines – sometimes with these uplifting qualities that almost seem to echo South African jazz, but with more of the cyclical progressions that you'd expect from Keita's scene. The organ and keyboard lines are especially great, sometimes almost otherworldly – and titles include "Dalaka"," Gnanassouma", "Daka Sate Korotoumi", "Diarabi Mana", and "Ifarana". LP, Vinyl record album

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Overlooked mid-period work from this legendary Korean trio – music the group recorded after their first three albums – all records that have been reissued a bit over the years, which these tracks have not! There's a deeply moody vibe to the music – still all the fuzz, freak, and messed-up elements of the past – but sometimes a bit more focused and tuneful – not in a way that has you thinking that these guys are going for hits at all, but just with this quality that shows them maybe finding a way to bring subtle power to their psychedelic leanings, and slip them into the mainstream! Given the timing of the tracks here – from the late 70s/early 80s generation – the music is almost a bridge between older psych modes and that huge explosion of new psychedelic energy that would show up on the UK scene in the latter half of the 80s – music that certainly resonates well with some of these cuts. 2LP set features 23 tracks in all – with titles that include "Dreaming Doll", "Red Balloon", "A Teacup", "Let's Go To The Vineyard", "Portrait Of A Lady Shaman", An Hourglass In Midday", "Chameleon", "Tomorrow & Tomorrow Again", "Fly Away Bird", "A Strange Day Like This", and "Naughty Boy". (Rock, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A Nigerian group, but one who work in the best roots reggae modes of previous years in Kingston – recording here with a laidback vibe that really creates a sense of intimacy that's very different than much work of this time coming out in the 90s! Vocals are traded back and forth between Blackwell Jones and Delleo Freeman – and there's a gently stepping groove to the record that never pushes too hard, nor tries for any sort of too-commercial modes. The set's features six tracks in all – "Babylon Fall", "Black People", "Psalm 23", "African Children", "Dreadful Look", and "Wet My Whistle". (Reggae, Global Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A completely different side of Colombian music than you'd know from Discos Fuentes and some of the other mainstream outlets from that scene – as the tracks here are all from the contemporary underground, and represent a really rich flowering of creative grooves and soulful modes! In truth, most of this work might hail from any hip spot in the global underground – save for the fact that the lyrics are often in Spanish, and many tunes have some slight reference to older musical modes – sometimes an acoustic element mixed in with more electronic instrumentation, sometimes a more direct reference! The quality of the tracks is wonderful – a really strong surprise to our ears, as we never would have discovered this music otherwise – and it represents a really great alternative so some of the more staid, often boring attempts to create a global fusion of elements in the mainstream. Titles include "Cada Paso" by Liannia, "Cumbia Lobina (ext mix)" by Dragao featuring Nidia Gongora, "Aquazero" by Systema Solar featuring Pedro Ramaya, "Oyele" by Jimena Angel, "Cuando Canto Grito" by Cerrero featuring Lucia Pulido, "El Leopardo" by El Leopardo, "Mujer Divina" by Salsangroove, "Gualayo" by Radio Rebelde Soundsystem, "La Negra Y El Fantasma" by Bareto, "Nunca Termina" by David Caneva Akle, "Manana Sera" by Ruzto, and "De Donde Vengo Yo" by Los Transatlanticos featuring Pilar Matarola. (New Grooves, Global Grooves) CD

Hawaiian compilation featuring Glenn Pinho, John Lincoln, Breezin', Byl Leonard, Bert Bascone, Cooper's Still, Wedell Ing, Country Living, Hoapili, Shak-Bait, Norm Su'a and Starbird, and Kawika. LP, Vinyl record album

A rich tapestry of Afro-Caribbean rhythms – and one of the most compelling albums we've heard in years from David Murray! The set features an expanded group of percussionists, vocalists, and other instrumentalists – fronted by lead solo stars David Murray and Pharoah Sanders – all jamming freely in styles that bring together bits of African, Haitian, and Cuban rhythms – forging them into a bold new sound for the project! Tracks are all quite longish, and given the previous skills that both Murray and Sanders have exhibited in such settings, they're more than up for the challenge of working with such a heady group of players! Titles include "Go To Jazz", "Gwotet", "Djolla Feeling", "La Jwa", "O Leonso", and "Ovwa". (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD