A pair of great albums back to back – both rare albums from a percussionist who worked with Sun Ra! First up is Mora volume 1 – a legendary early set from percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett – and a really sublime blend of spiritual jazz and Latin rhythms! Mora's percussion is definitely at the core – but the set also features wonderful contributions from Vincent Bowens on tenor and soprano sax, Jerome LeDuff on berimbau, Alberto Nacif on quinto, and Detroit jazz legend Kenny Cox on piano! There's a balance here that really matches the best Strata East energy of the 70s – an open, flowing approach that's completely sublime, and very righteous too – even more so than anything Mora's done since the 70s – making this record one of his greatest achievements ever. Tersa Mora sings a bit of vocals at times – and titles include "Afra Jum", "Five AM", "Rumba Morena", "Samba De Amor", and "Cultural Warrior". Mora 2 is a set recorded in Detroit, but one that's got a globe's worth of elements in the mix – originally recorded in the mid 80s, but not released until a brief CD issue in the early part of the 21st Century! Despite that history, the album's a really timeless record that encompasses a world's worth of elements in jazz! Francisco Mora Catlett's at the height of his powers here – leading the group with a sense of righteous majesty that takes us back to some of the most ambitious heirs of the post-Coltrane generation, but with perhaps an oddly rhythmic twist as well – such as you might find in some of the 70s classics of Bobby Vince Paunetto. Echoes of Latin, Afro, and spiritual jazz come together as one – soaring to the skies on soulful waves of sound – brought together with a sense of focus and spirit that really moves us a lot. Players include Marcus Belgrave and John Douglass on trumpets, Sherman Mitchell on trombone, Vincent Bowens on tenor and flute, Alex Harding on baritone and bass clarinet, Kenny Cox on piano, and Rodney Whitaker on bass – and titles include "Samba/Conga De Amor", "Amazona Prelude/Dawn", "Old Man Joe", "Por Que Paro", and "Afra-Jum (parts 2 & 3)". (Jazz, Global Grooves) CD

A sweet Soweto group from the start of the 80s – one who have a nice current of funk in their mix, but who also serve up some well-crafted solos on both guitar and flute! The vocals are often warmly in that more familiar South African style of the period – but the record's nicely rougher around the edges than both the hits or some of the more electronic sets of the time – and the use of flute really makes things stand out on some tracks, with a warm, organic quality that really keeps things interesting – especially next to more standard keyboards. Titles include "Walking In The Jungle", "Rainbow Children", "Mafeteng", "African Sunset", "Sengiyesaba", "Happy To Be Me", and "Awundiva". CD

A stunning collection of work from Bola Johnson – a key figure on the scene in Lagos in the years before Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade! Johnson's style here really shows Nigerian music at the crossroads – upbeat elements of early highlife informing the rhythms with plenty of lean guitar lines and percussion, but topped with all these great jazzy elements over the top – almost as if Johnson is bringing forth an older style of R&B inspiration in the horns, while letting things sound very contemporary in the rhythms! The mix is a bit like some of the wonderful hybrids that were happening on the London scene in the late 50s and early 60s – and the lyrics here often share a similar mix of politics and humor. The package is long overdue – and collects together rare early singles on Philips, with a great set of notes and other titles. Titles include "Somebody Find Me Trouble", "Oh My Baby Josephine", "Obiriki Aye N Yilo", "Koto Ye O", "Buroda Mase", "Kilode", "Mimo Mimo Loluwo", "Lagos Special", "Meme Latori", "Nigeria Drive On The Right", and "Pappa Rebecca Special ". CD

A great collection of non-LP material and other rare gems from one of the key figures in the Turkish psychedelic scene – an amazing artist who managed to take rootsy themes and melodies, and mix them with some really heavy duty guitar – all to create a freaky, fuzzy batch of music that forever changed his scene! Much of Koray's music never got circulation outside of the Mid-East back in the day, and we've been lucky enough to have 21st Century interest lead to a great wave of reissues – as Koray's albums have come out in various packages over the years – leading to this really well-done collection of 45rpm-only tracks, and even more obscure music too! Titles include "Mechul", "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldom,", "Gun Dogmuyor", "Goca Dunya", "Kraller", "Cumbur Cemaat", "Hadi Hadi Ordan", "Dusunus", "Olmayinca Olmuyor" and "Sevdigim". (Rock, Global Grooves) CD

A killer contemporary set from Gyedu Blay Ambolley – one of the Afro Funk heroes of the 70s, still sounding fantastic after all these years! The album was all recorded at Ambolley's Simigiwa Studios in Ghana – and arrangements, instrumentation, and production are all in a very classic mode – with the leader on tenor and vocals, stretching out with this nicely raspy quality that's a great evolution in his sound – as if he's found a way to put even more feeling and experience into the sound that he gives us! The rest of the lineup features keyboards, trumpet, tenor, alto, guitar, and plenty of percussion – on titles that include "Black Woman", "I No Dey Talk I Do De Lie", "Ignorance", "Little Small Girl", "Sunkwa", "Who Go Pay", "Brokos", and "Who Made Your Body Like Dat". CD