Featuring William Parker and Andrew Cyrille! CD

The greatest album ever from reedman Justo Almario – and one of the most obscure sets to ever come out on the Uno Melodic label of Roy Ayers! Roy Ayers produced the whole thing, and handled arrangements with Justo – and the whole thing feels a lot like a jazzy instrumental take on Roy's own music of the time – but with a focus more on the tenor and soprano sax work of Almario! Other players on the set include Mudbone on piano, Greg Moore on guitar, and Oscar Brashear on trumpet – and the record's got nicely spiritual currents mixed with very soulful fusion – a superb blend throughout, and very different than the slicker recordings that Justo put out in later years. Titles include the Roy Ayers tunes "Sho You Right", "Interlude", and "Aquarian Mood" – plus Almario originals "Seventh Avenue", "I'm The One That Loves You", and "Sir John". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet funky jazz from the 70s! Gonzalez were an obscure UK combo – probably known a lot better over in England, but pretty darn hard to find over here in America – and they've got a tight style that reminds us of some of the more well-produced jazz funk coming out on labels like Blue Note or Blue Thumb during the mid 70s. Some cuts have vocals, but most of the record's instrumental – and it's filled with great guitars, and some excellent sax work that goes way past the usual funky tenor line! The groove's a nicely sophisticated blend of jazz funk and modern soul – with the kind of groove that you might expect to hear on some of the Capitol Rare compilations. The CD brings together cuts from the group's first album Gonzalez, plus a few more from the album Our Only Weapon Is Our Music. Titles include "Pack It Up", "Funky Frith Street", "Saoco", "Ahwai Five-O", "Rissoled", and "Adelanto Nightride". Very nice – and the kind of group we love to discover! (Soul, Jazz) CD

One of our favorite albums ever – and every track is a masterpiece! The album was originally cut for the tiny Chiaroscuro label in 1977 – and it's got a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – soaring, soulful, jazzy, and righteous – wrapped up in a blend that's never been done this perfectly again! James Mason's a player who's know for a bit of keyboard work with other artists – but here, he's really working as a collective power – bringing together a brilliant ensemble that work as one to hit some sublime sounds – much in the way that Roy Ayers could work some key magic with his groups at the same time, but with a vibe that's very different too. Players include Ayers associates Justo Almario on saxes and Philip Woo on piano – and a young Narada Michael Walden adds some excellent drums to the record – a lot more powerful and funky than on most of his own albums! Lead vocals are by Clarice Taylor – who's got this unique voice that really makes the record – proud, but sensitive at the same time too – and Mason plays lots of Fender Rhodes, polymoog, Arp, and a bit of guitar. Titles include the breakbeat classic "Funny Girl", the monster groover "Sweet Power Your Embrace", the funky "Slick City", and the massive "Free" – but every cut's a winner, and others include "Mbewe", "Rhythm Of Life", and "Dreams". This is the kind of album that makes us proud to be in business! CD

A long-overdue compilation dedicated to the work of the great soul jazz vocalist Leon Thomas. If you don't know Thomas' own work, you might recognize him as the vocalist on some of Pharoah Sanders' great recordings, like "The Creator Has A Master Plan" and "Hum Allah Hum Allah". This beautifully packaged 2 LP set includes a bunch of tracks from his long out-of-print LPs on the Flying Dutchman label, plus tracks from other records in the 70's that he made appearances on, for a dozen cuts in all. The tracks are very well selected, and show the best side of Leon's soulful jazz style, with an emphasis on his more spiritual nature. Tracks include "Sun Song", "Balance Of Life", "Shape Your Mind To Die", "It's My Life I'm Fighting For", "Song For My Father", "Prince Of Peace", and a version of "The Creator Has a Master Plan". Nice set, and a much-needed tribute to one of the greatest jazz vocalists ever. (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Incredible soul jazz from the great Pharoah Sanders – two great numbers from his post-Impulse Records years! "You've Got To Have Freedom" is maybe one of the greatest cuts that Sanders ever did during this time – a long-spun, really anthemic number that has this fast modal groove, rising vocals, and a tremendous tenor solo in the middle! The flipside features his own take on the Marvin Gaye tune "Got To Give It Up" – done as a funky instrumental, with a bit more electricity than you might expect – but still a very searing tenor solo in the middle! 12-inch, Vinyl record

A slightly different album than usual from pianist Shoji Aketagawa, but one that still follows strongly in the best tradition of his offbeat gems for the Aketa's Disk label! This set has Shoji co-credited on piano and vocals – the latter of which aren't really sung lyrics, but maybe more sub-verbal expressions done alongside his bold work on the piano – almost an expansion of the kind of grunts you'd hear on older recordings by Erroll Garner, but taken into an even more pronounced position – so that they're often strong enough to become part of the melodic makeup of the tune! The group also features bass from Koichi Yamazaki, and drums from Takashi Miyasaka and Kenichi Kameyama – on titles that include "African Dream", "Footprints", "Yamazaki Blues", "Kameyama Blues", and "Dear Old Stockholm". CD

One of the most interesting records we've ever heard from pianist Joe Bonner – a set that still has all the long, spiritual lines of his excellent albums from the 70s – but which also showcases Bonner's ear for larger arrangements – as he brings in trumpet, trombone, flute, and a bit of strings to his own work on piano, with bass from Paul Warburton and drums from J Thomas Tilton! There's a sense of majesty here that's a nice expansion past the vibe of previous Bonner records – while all the soul and spirit is intact – very Strata East overall. Titles include "The Northstar", "I'll Say No This Time", "Quiet Dawn", "Why Am I Here", and "Impressions Of Copenhagen/RV". Features the bonus track "Lush Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A tight debut from Lasperanza – aka arranger producer Rico Garofalo, who put together the whole set as a tribute to older jazz, funk, and soul that laid the seeds for his own music in recent years! The record has a vibe that's a bit like that strong UK soul tradition started with Incognito, and carried forth by a number of other artists in recent years – with a really strong vision at the core, handled by a musician who's also a maestro in the studio – who then opens the door to a shifting array of singers who really make the record sparkle with a great sense of variety! Lasperanza has sax or flute solos on most tracks, and seems ready to rise up there with the cream of UK soul labels like Dome or Expansion in recent years – and guest singers include Decosta Boyce, Hannah White, LaAerial, Kayleigh O'Neill, Colette Connor, Keni Stevens, and Izzy Chase. Most tracks are remakes of soulful classics, completely changed up – and titles include "Let's Stay Together", "Give Me The Night", "Kilimanjaro", "Under The Moon & Over The Sky", "Early Morning Love", "Working Day & Night", "In The Mood", and "It Should Have Been You". (Neo Soul, Jazz) CD

Seth Trachy is the saxophone leader of the group, but the set also features some guest Miguel Zenon on alto – and the two horns often do a great job of flowing and fluttering together – over nicely dynamic rhythms from Glenn Zaleski on piano, Pablo Menares on bass, and Felix Lecaros on drums! Yet even the core quartet material is great – as there's this bold, chunky energy to the album that pulsates out of the rhythm trio, then gives great encouragement to Trachy to make these long, blocky lines with his solo! The set features one vocal number, with lots of guests – the end track "ChiChi" – and other titles include "Water Bat", "JoJo Yelli", "Prantz", and "Expansion Contraction". CD

Sweet remixes from Robert Glasper's Black Radio album – all of them tunes that sound even more soulful than the originals! Given that the core record itself was a bit of a "remix" – Glasper's keyboards, funky beats, and hip contributions from a range of soul singers – the expansion of those sounds works perfectly here – stretching out the wonderful mix of modes through some sweet tracks that still leave plenty of room for Robert's keyboards. The set includes a totally great 9 minute "Dillalude #2", plus "Twice (?uestlove's Twice Baked rmx)", "Afro Blue (9th Wonder's blue light basement rmx with Phonte)", "Black Radio (Pete Rock rmx)", "Consequences Of Jealousy (Georgia Anne Muldrow's sassy geemix)", and "Letter To Hermione (Robert Glasper & Jewels rmx)". CD

A wonderful large format recording from bassist Barry Guy – working here at the head of the Blue Shroud Band, an improvising ensemble that echoes some of his earlier work with the London Jazz Composers Orchestra! The extended work is an expansion of an earlier piece that Guy recorded with pianist Marilyn Crispell – her Three Poems For Cecil Taylor – stretched out here with a more embellished sense of imagination, but still using some of the core texts created by Crispell for the original work! The piece spans five long CDs – with sections broken down and notated to reflect the work of the many great improvisers in the set – a lineup that includes Michel Godard on serpent and tuba, Agusti Fernandez on piano, Torben Snekkestad on soprano and tenor, Jurg Wickihalder on soprano and alto, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Julius Gabriel on baritone and soprano, Maya Homburger on violin, Fanny Paccoud on viola, Ben Dwyer on guitar, and both Ramon Lopez and Lucas Niggli on percussion. Savina Yannatou provides voice on the poetic passages, Guy plays bass and leads – and the whole thing is beautifully packaged! CD

An incredible batch of work – the complete Black Saint/Soul Note recordings of George Russell – easily his greatest uninteruppted stretch of albums ever! Some of the material here is from the late 60s – owned by George and licensed to Soul Note – and the rest was done for the label, almost as an expansion of the ideas that Russell first explored in the earlier period. Together, the records make for an amazing batch of music – much more experimental and far-reaching than George's better-known US sides of the 50s and early 60s – really taking off in the freedoms of the European scene, with help from an array of European and American avant players! The 9CD set features mini-LP sleeve versions of albums that include Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature 1980, Othello Ballet Suite/Electronic Organ Sonata No 1, Vertical Form, Listen To The Silence, Trip To Prillarguri, Electronic Sonata For Souls Loved By Nature 1968, New York Big Band, Essence Of George Russell, and Live In An American Time Spiral. CD

Quite possibly the most celebrated album ever from keyboardist Lonnie Liston Smith – a groove-heavy classic that's burned up many a dancefloor in its day, yet also a record that features some great mellow moments as well! The title track "Expansions" is virtually a blueprint for the migration of the cosmic jazz sound onto the dancefloor – a tune that's as funky as it is righteous – but other cuts on the album slow down the pace a bit too, and show off the mellower, more introspectively spiritual side that's always made Lonnie way more than just a funky jazz artist. Easily the best place to start in the all-great Lonnie Liston Smith catalog – and featuring tracks that include "Expansions", "Summer Days", "Desert Nights", "Shadows", "My Love", "Peace", and "Voodoo Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Liebman on soprano sax and wood flute, Bobby Avey on piano, Matt Vashlishan on alto sax, flute, and clarinet, Tony Marino on bass, and Alex Ritz on drums. CD

A great little record from the jazzier side of the Incognito universe – work from the excellent Citrus Sun project of Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick – done with some of the soulful vocal modes of his famous group, but also a lot stronger focus on the instrumentation – with plenty of room for solos, and maybe the use of vocals that you'd find on an old album by The Crusaders! Matt Cooper provides some excellent keyboards – and the set features vocal appearances from Noel McKoy, Valerie Ettiene, Deborah Bond, and Bluey himself – on titles that include nice remakes of "California Soul" and "Expansions" – plus the originals "Diamond In The Sun", "Amando O Velho Mundo", "Hard Boiled", "Hey Now", and "Stay You" – the last of which is a tribute to Leon Ware! (Neo Soul, Jazz) CD

A great single that features two sweet jazzy groovers by Lonnie! "Space Princess" has a full-on disco arrangement from Bert De Coteaux – strings soaring in the front of the track, with some slight female chorus vocals – but still very much in the post-"Expansions" groove from Lonnie. There's some great male vocals that take the lead alongside some fierce percussion, and Lonnie gets in some great flowing keyboard lines. Even better is "Quiet Moments" – a stretched out mellow track that's a perfect late nite piano number! (Soul, Jazz) 12-inch, Vinyl record

We kinda want to hate the guy for such a hokey name like Tenderlonious – but this album's a surprisingly great little gem, and one that mixes lots of openly-blown work on flute with some sweet keyboards and other jazzy rhythms! The approach is maybe a bit like the Jason Lindh or Chris Hinze albums of the early 70s – and by that, we mean their better sets – with a flute approach that's less biting than the generation of Herbie Mann and Roland Kirk, using the instrument more in these spacious ways that are pretty darn great – especially against the heavy percussion and basslines of the 22Archestra! There's a few nice moments that almost have a Bobbi Humphrey sort of warmth – and titles include "Togo", "SV Interlude", "Expansions", "The Shakedown", "Yussef's Groove", "Red Sky At Night", and "You Decide". CD

A glittering constellation of groundbreaking jazz from the contemporary UK scene – a world of jazz that's changed dramatically over the past decade or so, with huge new advances in sound and styles in a range of different directions! The changes going on are a bit like some of those that have taken place in our city too – musicians who embrace jazz ideals at the core, but who are also open to so many musical modes that have developed in recent decades – so that the core performance is often blended with production elements, editing, and other touches – all in a way that has the music strongly reborn for a whole new generation! If you're worried about tricks or gimmicks that might get in the way of the music, don't be – because the depth of soul and sense of spirit on these tracks is wonderful – as you might know if you've been digging releases from some of these artists in our racks of late. And as usual, Soul Jazz have done a superb job – both with song selection and overall presentation – making the whole thing a complete delight! Titles include "Candace Of Meroe" by Theon Cross, "Pokus One" by Pokus, "Walrus" by Emma-Jean Thackray, "90 Degrees" by Yazmin Lacey, "Communication Control" by Hector Plimmer, "Long Way Home (live at the Crypt)" by Ill Considered, "Ancient World" by Nat Birchall, "Moonlight Woman" by Ruby Rushton, "Thunder Perfect" by Cromagnon Band, "Tanner's Tango" by Joe Armon Jones & Maxwell Owin, "Odyssey" by Levitation Orchestra, "Mosaic" by The Expansions, "When The World Was One" by Matthew Halsall, "Dimmsdale" by Ebi Soda, "Red Planet" by Chip Wickham, "Kito's Theme" by Ishmael Ensemble, "Yellow Ochre (part 1)" by Vels Trio, and "Mirrors" by Seed Ensemble. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD