Includes the pieces "Mikhail Zoetrope (1974)", "Conquest Of Mexico (1973)", "Wind Ko/La (1973)", "Automata Of Al-Jazari (1974)", and "Variations On A Theme By Albert Ayler (1973)". CD

A really unusual album from bassist William Parker – an artist whose musical world is usually quite far from the 70s soul of Curtis Mayfield – even though both Mayfield and Parker are pretty darn righteous individuals! Yet here, Curtis and William come together in a stunning way – as Parker reworks classic Mayfield songs, and transforms them into fantastic vehicles for spiritual jazz expression! The group has a warmly collaborative vibe, and energy that feels like some lost indie jazz project from the 70s – all held together by Parker's bold acoustic bass and masterful leadership – in a lineup that includes vocals from Leena Conquest, piano from Dave Burrell, saxes and flute from Sabir Mateen, tenor and soprano from Darryl Foster, trumpet from Lewis Barnes, drums from Hamid Drake, and poetry and voice from Amari Baraka. With a lineup like that, you can already guess the vibe – and we can promise that the whole is even better than you might have hoped! Titles include "I Plan To Stay A Believer", "If There's A Hell Below", "This Is My Country", "People Get Ready/The Inside Song", "It's Alright", "Freddie's Dead", "New World Order", and a great 17 minute take on "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue". CD

A great group – with Leena Conquest on vocals, William Parker on bass, Hamid Drake on drums, Rob Brown on alto, Lewis Barnes on trumpet, and Eri Yamamoto on piano! CD

One of the most unusual albums issued by Impulse Records in the early 70s – one that's partly funky jazz, partly Chicano soul – and very much in that nice mixing of modes that the label was cooking up in the years after John Coltrane's passing! Gary Saracho leads the group on acoustic and electric piano – and the rest of the ensemble includes soprano sax, electric guitar, timbales, bass, and an assortment of other odd instrumentation, including some woodwinds – all served up in a style that's very hard to label easily – one of the reasons why the record was a bit ignored in the 70s, and is now seen as one that was years ahead of its time! Titles include "Happy, Sad", "Sunday's Church", "Senor Baker", and "Conquest De Mejico". (Latin, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album