A really fantastic little record – a set that shows a strong evolution of spiritual jazz styles into the 80s! The set was recorded at a time when the jazz underground was really getting a lot of exposure, and was bursting forward with a new sense of hope – a quality that you can really feel in the music, right from the very first note – as these tunes are joyous, yet highly rhythmic and spiritual too – a vibe that's maybe a bit like Pharoah Sanders on Theresa Records, especially on his classic "You Got To Have Freedom"! Most tunes here are upbeat and modal – driven by the rhythms of Ron Burton on piano, Abdu Wali on guitar, Sabu Adeyla on bass, Idris Muhammad on drums, and Abdus Saboor on percussion – and soaring with solos from leader Kamal Abdul Alim on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto and flute, and Bobby Watson on alto and soprano. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Prayer", "Peace", "Al Nafs", "Dance", and "Brotherhood". CD

Baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne never got much of a chance to record as a leader – but every time he did, he came up with gold – as on this smoking 70s session with pianist Duke Jordan! At the time of the set, both musicians are working past the period of their initial fame – but still very much at the height of their powers – with Payne blowing baritone with the fluidity and sharpness of most tenorists – and Jordan bringing in lots of those wonderfully-crafted notes full of feeling, as he was using on some of his European sessions of the time. The balance of feeling between the two is really wonderful – definitely in the spirit of their photo on the cover – and remaining members of the group are great, too – with the mighty Sam Jones on bass and Al Foster on drums. Titles include "Jazz Vendor", "Cerupa", "No Problem", "Egg Head", and "I Should Care". CD

A killer combo from saxophonist Cannonball Adderley – a group that features George Duke on both acoustic and electric piano, stretching things out, and helping the Adderley brothers find an even more soulful groove than they had in the 60s! The George Duke approach really makes for a cool concert throughout – with Cannon on alto (and a bit of soprano on one track too!), Nat on cornet, Walter Booker on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – hitting that more complex, more righteous groove that Adderley was opening up on Fantasy Records in the final years of his life – a bit more spontaneous here, with lots of room for improvisation! The set also has some more spiritual moments than you might expect if you only know Cannon's 60s albums on Capitol – especially at the start of the show, which is very loose and open. Titles include a great version of Nat's "Hummin" – plus side-long takes on "Doctor Honoris Causa" and "Black Messiah" – and the tunes "Walk Tall/The Scene", "Soli Tomba", "Directions", and "Autumn Leaves". CD

A warm and soulful set of fusion tracks – issued only in Japan, but recorded by a hip group from the US! Air Pocket features the Fowler Brothers – Walt, Bruce, Ed, and Steve – on trumpet, trombone, bass, and alto, respectively – plus drummer Chester Thompson, guitarist Mike Miller, and pianist Stu Goldberg, who really plays some great moog, clavinet, and electric keys on the set! Tunes are well-written – a bit choppy, but never too jamming, and really just done in this nice blocky way that creates a slightly funky approach, and a good degree of soul. Titles include "Elephant's Graveyard", "Hi Lo Redic", "Colors For Marvin", "Night's Move", and "Becky". CD

A trio of albums from pianist Hal Galper – one early, two later, and served up in a single set! Guerilla Band is electric piano genius from Hal Galper – one of his best non-acoustic albums ever, and a set that's filled with moody colors and changes! The album's a fair bit more dynamic than some of Galper's other albums from the 70s – with horns from the Brecker Brothers, guitar from Bob Mann, and tightly rhythmic work on the bottom that makes some of the best numbers hear all-out funky jams! There's a sharply angular feel to the record that's made it a favorite for beatheads for years – plenty of tunes that are ripe for samples, even when things get slightly mellow – and Galper's approach to the keys is really amazing, unlike any other player we can think of at the time! Titles include "Figure Eight", "Call", "Black Night", "Point of View", "Welcome To My Dream", and "Rise & Fall". Rebop is a gem of a later album from pianist Hal Galper – one that has him teaming up with tenorist Jerry Bergonzi, as both players really find a way to make the other sound great! Galper's always got a nicely spacious approach to the piano – using the spots between the notes in just the right way, which is great for Jerry, as he likes to fill them with well-placed, well-timed tenor elements that really make his horn sound great. The balance is a bit like that which Bergonzi brings up on some of his best sessions for Red Records – and the group also features Jeff Johnson on bass, and Steve Ellington on drums. Titles include "All The Things You Aren't", "Jackie-Ing", "Take The Coltrane", "Laura", and "It's Magic". On Just Us, the trio of pianist Hal Galper gets some great guest work here from tenorist Jerry Bergonzi – a rich-toned player who really seems to bring out a different vibe in Hal's music! Galper's touch on the keys seems to be extra-dexterous here – really spinning out these long, lively lines that are balance with the well-placed tones of Bergonzi – given gently swinging support from Pat O'Leary on bass and Steve Ellington on drums! Many of the tunes are standards, but opened up with all these great colors – and titles include "Just Us", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Stablemates", "Lover Man", "I'll Never Be The Same", and "Unforgettable". CD

Rare work from a very unique chapter in the career of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan – his larger Concert Jazz Band – an ensemble that really helped flesh out some of the ideas he'd explored previously with smaller combos! The group recorded a few albums for Verve in the early 60s, but this 3CD package presents never-heard performances recorded in Paris during the same time – very fitting, given that the "concert" in the group's name was a reference to their ability to improvise amidst structure – of which you'll hear plenty here, with a lineup that includes Zoot Sims on tenor and Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone. The tracks are very well-recorded, and many are quite long – with titles that include "Blueport", "Utter Chaos", "Spring Is Sprung", "Five Brothers", "Black Nightgown", "Eighteen Carrots For Rabbit", "Out Of This World", "I'm Gonna Go Fishin", "Apple Core", and "Barbara's Theme". CD

A killer set by one of the greatest pianists of the postwar era – and one that features Horace Parlan's piano trading lines with the legendary Turrentine brothers (both Stanley & Tommy), playing here at the height of their powers! Tommy Turrentine's trumpet is especially great here – spurring on Stanley's tenor into a groove that's a lot deeper, and more soulful than usual – a perfect sound in the frontline, kicked up nicely by Horace Parlan's piano! Rhythm is from the team of George Tucker on bass and Al Harewood on drums – very tight and crackling throughout – and the album's easily one of the most cooking Blue Notes from the time. Titles include "Wadin", "Oh So Blue", "Speakin My Piece", "Up In Cynthia's Room", "Rastus", and "Borderline". CD

A great presentation of work from the legendary Tribe Records of Detroit – all handled by DJ Muro, who's posed on the front in a way that recalls one of the label's rarest albums! The style here is different than other collections of Tribe Records material – as Muro goes for cuts that showcase some of the more soulful, funky sides of the label – still very righteous overall, but with less of the longer or more avant-oriented tracks that came from the Detroit underground at the time. Muro's been giving us amazing collections for many years, and this one is no exception – a fantastic demonstration of his magical ear, as he makes his way through cuts that include "The Wok" by Wendell Harrison, "Ode To Africa" by Harold McKinney, "Why Don't Love Make Everything Right" by Cosmic Force, "Ginseng Love" by Wendell Harrison, "Freedom Jazz Dance" by Harold McKinney, "For Real" by Doug Hammond, "Glue Fingers (part 2)" by Marcus Belgrave, "Vibes From The Tribe (prelude)" by Phil Ranelin, "What We Need" by Wendell Harrison & Phil Ranelin, "In The Moog" by Harold McKinney, "Farewell To The Welfare" by Wendell Harrison & The Tribe, "Wake Up Brothers" by Doug Hammond, "Sounds From The Village" by Phil Ranelin, and "Belle Isle" by Wendell Harrison. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD

One of the most unique albums on the Strata East label – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given the creative energies flowing through that legendary jazz outlet! Descendants Of Mike & Phoebe is a righteous little project put together by Spike Lee's father, Bill Lee, and his brothers and sisters (Cliff Lee, Grace Lee Mims, and Consuela Lee Moorhead) – working here in a group named after their slave ancestors, who are paid tribute in a beautifully flowing batch of tunes! Lee's round, warm bass tones are firmly at the head of the group on most numbers – recorded at a similar level to his excellent work with Clifford Jordan on Strata East during the same time – and other instrumentation includes piano from Consuela, flugelhorn from Cliff, and percussion from Sonny Brown and Billy Higgins – all used in a wonderfully evocative style that's even better than some of Lee's later soundtrack work. A few numbers feature vocals from Grace – singing wordlessly and with a really heavenly sort of quality – and together, the whole group have a undeniable sense of power and majesty, yet also one that's touched by a really personal sense of poetry too. Titles include a great version of Lee's "Coltrane", which was more famously recorded with Clifford Jordan – plus "Chick Chick", "Attica", "Too Little, Too Late", "Boll Weevil", "Don't Be A Stranger", and "Well Done, Weldon". CD

A stunning side project from Albert Toodie Heath of the Heath Brothers – a musician who was sometimes a bit staid in the past, but who was really feeling the vibe of the spiritual scene in the post-Coltrane years! The set resonates with a vibe that's very similar to the rare Heath Brother's album on Strata East, Marchin On – and the lineup here is incredible, with reeds from Jimmy Heath, trumpet from Don Cherry, piano from Herbie Hancock, bass from Buster Williams, percussion from Mtume, and drums from Ed Blackwell – all coming together for a session that's nearly lost to the history books, but which is one of the strongest spiritual jazz sessions of the late 60s! Herbie plays all acoustic piano throughout, and the tracks are long, leaping, and loping – with stretched-out spiritual solos from Jimmy Heath and Don Cherry – and a proud and righteous sound that's extremely free-spirited without going too far out. Titles include "Baraka", "Maulana", "Dunia", and "Kamili". CD

A darkly-grooving killer from pianist Horace Parlan – and one of our favorite Blue Note albums ever! Although Parlan's always a great player on other sides for the label, this album has him stepping out with an extra edge that's really amazing – working with brothers Tommy and Stanley Turrentine to craft some tunes that roll with the propulsive energy of the best Blue Note hardbop sides, but which also have some edgier moments, and almost point the way towards some of the new thing experiments that would transform the work of Jackie McLean! All players are still quite straight, but they've got a way of putting together tones and textures that's really wonderful – heard to famous effect on the album's early version of Booker Ervin's track "Skoochie" – but soaring all the way through on titles that include "On The Spur Of The Moment", "Ray C", "Al's Tune", and "Pyramid". CD