A totally sweeeeeeeet batch of Brazilian grooves – recorded in San Francisco, with a great 70s Bay Area sound! Victor M leads the group on percussion and vocals – but the real charm of the set is in its electric piano riffing, and soulful electric vibe. Most of the cuts have vocals – kind of in a Sergio Mendes 70s style, or in the mode of some of Marcos Valle's more electric work – and although the tunes are mostly familiar numbers like "Reza", "Agua De Beber", "Zazueira", "Upa Neguinho", and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria", they're done in a mode that's very fresh – kind of a bridge between 60s Brazilian interpretations, and later ones by recent groups! (Brazil, Jazz) CD

A trippy little combo with a distinct post-Coltrane feel – stretching out here wonderfully, on a hip little session on a homegrown label! The group hail from the unlikely spot of Las Vegas – but they've got a deeply spiritual sound that rivals the best work on the coasts in the early 70s – a very searching, righteous sort of groove – crafted beautifully from the tenor sax lines of Rick Davis, and the sweet Fender Rhodes of Ron Feuer! The album's filled with long, exploratory tracks – tunes that are free, but never too much so – and the mixture of electric keys and tenor works nicely throughout – giving the album a really unique and unified feel that sets it apart from other small jazz sets of its type. All tunes are originals by the group – and titles include "Vibrations", "Starship", "Spirit Free", and "Isis Unveiled". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Horizon", "Starship (alt)", and "Dear Latin Friend". CD

A trippy little combo with a distinct post-Coltrane feel – stretching out here wonderfully, on a hip little session on a homegrown label! The group hail from the unlikely spot of Las Vegas – but they've got a deeply spiritual sound that rivals the best work on the coasts in the early 70s – a very searching, righteous sort of groove – crafted beautifully from the tenor sax lines of Rick Davis, and the sweet Fender Rhodes of Ron Feuer! The album's filled with long, exploratory tracks – tunes that are free, but never too much so – and the mixture of electric keys and tenor works nicely throughout – giving the album a really unique and unified feel that sets it apart from other small jazz sets of its type. All tunes are originals by the group – and titles include "Vibrations", "Starship", "Spirit Free", and "Isis Unveiled". CD features 3 bonus tracks too – "Horizon", "Starship (alt)", and "Dear Latin Friend". CD

The great Latin arrangements of Chico O'Farrill meet the groovy production of late 60s Verve – and the result is an excellent album of groovy instrumentals that just won't quit! Chico's arranging skills are still in excellent shape here – and they're augmented by some very nice instrumentation that includes organs, Varitone sax, and electric guitar – from players who include Lennie Hambro, Seldon Powell, Grady Tate, Patato Valdes, and Candido. The record includes swinging Latin versions of 60s pop tracks like "A Man & A Woman", "Hip Hug Her", and "Georgy Girl" – as well as straighter Latin jazz on cuts like "Manteca", "Descarga Numero 1000", and "Llora Timbero". Very groovy, baby! (Latin, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A very wild record – maybe more free jazz than you'd guess from the image on the cover, and the Guatemala in the title! These guys are a brass band, but the way they mix their horns together often feels more like some Lester Bowie experiment, or some other AACM-related project – as folkloric modes really get changed up in a blend of cornet, baritone horn, and c melody sax – all combined with spare percussion, and an occasional touch of violin! Given the cultural currents, we might also link this one slightly to some of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music records – even though the group themselves are the authentic real deal, a funeral band from a remote mountain village. Titles include "Las Tres Botellas", "Marcha Numero Cuatro", "Chufa", "El Son De Los Altos", "Noches Eternas", and "Marcha Numero Seis". (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

We love this Jazz Liisa series from Finland – as it features unreleased work from the 70s, but which matches the quality of some of our favorite German and Japanese jazz records of the time! The first half of the set was recorded for Finnish radio, and features a group that really shows the power of that scene at the time! The lineup features trumpeter Mike Koskinen at the helm – blowing in a much more outside way than some of his later studio albums, with a cascading array of tones and soundshapes that recall some of the hipper British work of the end of the 60s – such as records like Mike Westbrook or Michael Gibbs – both of whom would be good comparisons here, especially in the tension between the idea of the group, and the strong solos of the individual members. Other players include Juhani Aaltonen on tenor and flute, Mircea Stan on trombone, Kaj Backlund on trumpet, Pekka Poyry on flute and soprano sax, Olli Ahvenlahti on piano and Fender Rhodes, and Edward Vesala on drums – and titles include "PS DC", "Murusia 2", "Numero Puolitoista", "Song For Sally", and "Peretelmia". On the second half, Otto Dorner's just the conductor on the set – but it's also clear that he's a very musically-minded fellow, as the action he gets from the group on the session is really wonderful! The players are all sharp-edged instrumentalists who represent the cream of the Finnish jazz scene of the time – Juhani Aaltonen on tenor and flute, Markku Johansson on trumpet, Seppo Paakkunainen on baritone, and Christer Boustedt on alto – all musicians who really bring a lot of their individual voices to the performance, and are given great space to solo by Donner – in a way that reminds us of some of the more open-ended bigger band performances from the MPS Records releases of the early 70s. Titles include "Och Tusen Tusen Strala Ock", "For Her", and "Saxballad". CD

One of numerous posthumous live sides, capturing a great early 60s performance by Trane in a quintet setting. Eric Dolphy joins the classic quartet of Tyner, Jones, Workman and Trane for a lenghty reading of "My Favorite Things" and the contemplative numbers "Blue Train", "Naima" and "Impressions". LP, Vinyl record album

One of numerous posthumously-issued live sides, capturing a great early 60s performance by Trane in a quintet setting! The group is the classic quartet, recorded in Stockholm in 1963 – on long versions of "Mr PC", "Traneing In", "Spiritual", and "I Want To Talk About You". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent "comeback" LP for Ernest Ranglin, though astute observers realize he never really went away in the first place! Ranglin was always able to move back and forth easily between the worlds of groovy jazz, playing alongside Monty Alexander on some of his finest 70s sides, and Jamaican studio work, serving guitar duties at Studio One, cutting some of the rhythms that would serve as the foundation for much of the Jamaican music throughout the years! This set finds him in fine form, rendering excellent jazzy versions of numerous classic rhythms with a crack band that includes old mates Monty Alexander on piano, Roland Alphonso on saxes, and funky drummer Idris Muhammad! 11 tracks in all: "Congo Man", "Surfin'", "King Tubby MeetsThe Rockers", "Satta Massagana", "54-46 (Was My Number)", "None Shall Escape The Judgement", "Ball Of Fire", and "Black Disciples" CD

The classic quartet of John Coltrane, certainly the classic quartet of the 60s jazz scene and perhaps the classic jazz quartet of all time, compiled in one box set with all of their studio recordings! John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones set so many benchmarks for jazz with their envelope pushing style, recording and performances that it's impossible to overstate their importance in the modern musical oeuvre. This set features all of the LPs Coltrane, Ballads, Impressions, Live At Birdland, Crescent, A Love Supreme, The John Coltrane Quartet Plays, Kulu Se Mama, Transition, Sunship, Infinity and First Meditations, plus a number of tracks issued on compilations. 66 tracks in all, spread out over 8 CDs, in a beautiful bookbound package with a metal slipcase and extensive liner notes. The titles are too numerous to list here, but the set includes "Big Nick", "Soul Eyes", "Miles' Mode", "Tunji", "After The rain", "Lonnie's Lament", "The Drum Thing", "Wise One", "Crescent", "A Love Supreme", "Nature Boy", "Brasilia", "Song Of Praise", "Dear Lord", "The Last Blues", "Living Space", "Dusk Dawn", "Dearly Beloved", "Attaining", "Ascent", "Amen", "Love", "Compassion", "Joy", "Consequences", and "Serenity". CD

A fantastic and ambitious project that's in the best tradition of the Jazz Composers Orchestra – a set that features music by Carla Bley and words by Paul Haines – in an extended set that mixes avant jazz instrumentation with spoken passages by a surprising lineup of voices – including Bley, Jack Bruce, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, and even Linda Ronstadt! Musicians are the cream of the crop of the international avant scene at the time – and include Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Carla Bley on organ, Don Preston on moog, Michael Mantler on ring modulated piano, Paul Motian on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, John McLaughlin on guitar, and many others – too numerous to mention here! CD

A fantastic and ambitious project that's in the best tradition of the Jazz Composers Orchestra – a set that features music by Carla Bley and words by Paul Haines – in an extended set that mixes avant jazz instrumentation with spoken passages by a surprising lineup of voices – including Bley, Jack Bruce, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, and even Linda Ronstadt! Musicians are the cream of the crop of the international avant scene at the time – and include Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Carla Bley on organ, Don Preston on moog, Michael Mantler on ring modulated piano, Paul Motian on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, John McLaughlin on guitar, and many others – too numerous to mention here! CD