A really heady set from the contemporary jazz scene in South Africa – a record led by groundbreaking drummer Asher Gamedze, and one that has all these wonderfully righteous currents soaring from a surprisingly small group! Gamedze's sense of rhythm is nicely offbeat – different than you might expect, especially for a group led by a drummer – and the small group features intersecting lines from the trumpet of Robin Fassie and tenor of Buddy Wells, as singer Julian Deacon Otis lends vocals to really top the whole thing off in a wonderful way. Bassist Thembinkosi Mavimbela provides moody undercurrents to the whole thing – and titles include "Melancholia", "If It Rains To Pursue Truth", "Turbulence's Pulse", "Out Stepped Zim", "Sometimes I Think To Myself", and "Underground Formation". Plus, this physical edition features three bonus tracks recorded with the Another Time Ensemble, which has guitar, alto, bass, and electronics – titles that include live versions of "Melancholia", "If It Rains", and "Out Stepped Zim". LP, Vinyl record album

The back cover of this one says "This Album Should Be Titled MONSTER" – and for once, the back cover is right! The album's the only one we've ever seen by the super-dope LA guitarist Cal Green – a wonderful talent with a hard-edge approach to the strings, one that's a bit like that of George Freeman, but a bit more laidback and spaced out. You might know Green from his work on albums by organist Charles Kynard – and Kynard joins Green here in a sweet little quartet session with some very funky moments. The album's got a killer original called "Trippin" which has some super-wonderful work on guitar – and it's also got some surprisingly great covers of "Days Of Wine & Roses" and "My Cherie Amour", taken with the chromatic wandering style of Eddie Fisher. Other highlights are the originals "Sieda", and "Mellow In Blue", plus the slightly offbeat "Johnny's Gone To Vietnam". A monster – indeed! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums ever cut by reedman Rudolph Johnson – a hell of a saxophonist, and one with a great ability to combine the spiritual with the searing – a bit like Joe Farrell at his CTI best, but not as freewheeling – nicely focused, and a little bit funky in all the right parts – in ways that make this album one of the real standouts on the legendary Black Jazz label! The groove is nice and hard, and plenty dark – with lots of sharp edges around the offbeat rhythms, and a "bite" that makes the album one of the heaviest titles on the label. Other players include John Barnes on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Ray Pounds on drums – and titles include the great "Diswa", which has sort of of a tight jazzy hip hop sample feel to it, plus "Mr TJ", "Little Daphne", and "Spring Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

Yusef Lateef's Detroit is a mighty funky one – a great summation of all the soulful sounds he'd crafted on previous records, but with a full groove that really points the way towards the 70s! Lateef's reeds are still the main attraction – great solos on tenor and flute – but there's also some wonderful electric elements on the record, which offer Yusef a very different setting than usual, and one that has some wickedly offbeat funky touches too! The groove's exotic, and has this unusual feel that's very different than most other Atlantic jazz of the time – much more in the mode of some of the hippest electric sets from the underground. Bernard Purdie handles drums – which ensures the funky elements of the set – and titles include "Eastern Market", "Bishop School", "Belle Isle", "Livingston Playground", "Woodward Avenue", and "Raymond Winchester". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovily tripped-out work from vibist Dave Pike – and one of the few American albums that matches the experimental sound of his work for MPS! The session's often quite free and open – in a way that not only uses odd instrumental combinations and arrangements, but which also features some offbeat production by Herbie Mann that further abstracts the sound! Elements of Pike's earlier work shine through in a few of the more straightforward groovers, but his new European-endowed sense of hipness wins in the end – thanks to a good deal of modal grooves, psychedelic elements, and even a bit of fuzzy Fender bass! Other players include Lee Konitz on alto sax, Don Friedman on piano, Chuck Israel on bass (electric and acoustic), and Eddie Daniels on tenor and clarinet – and titles include "Free Improvisation", "The Drifter", "Ballad", "The Doors Of Perception", and "Anticipation". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure set from the Detroit scene of the early 80s – a jazz record, but one with a nice current of soul – thanks to work on both bass and vocals from Reginald "ShooBeeDoo" Fields! Wendell Harrison recorded the record, and also plays tenor on the record – but the set's very different than most of his music, both of the 70s and 80s – because Fields has an offbeat style that's very much his own, and which really seems to tie the rest of the musicians on the record to his sharp energy on the bass! That instrument is used in both acoustic and electric modes – and things sometimes get loose, open, and slightly free – then balanced out with straighter, more soulful passages. In addition to tenor from Harrison, the set also features Billy McCoy on electric piano, Tani Tabal on tablas and drums, and Allen Barns on additional tenor. Pamela Wise sings on "Ancient Egyptian Rhythms" – and other titles include "The Wagon Walk", "The Morning Sun", "Reminiscing", and "Shoo Will Be Back In Due Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Just a short record, but one that brings together three tracks from Wilfred Trevor Woodley – a very cool pianist from Trinidad & Tobago, and one who effortlessly mixes together soulful jazz with just the right amount of elements from the Caribbean! "The Lone Pilgrim" is a great cut that has offbeat reeds, riffing guitar, and some nicely subtle use of steel drums – all of which makes for a really great sense of tone and color! "Uhuru" has a deeper spiritual jazz vibe – nicely raspy tenor blended with warm keyboards over a mighty nice bassline! And "Stickman" builds with almost a Latiny groove – nice percussion and guitar, and a bit more steel pans – topped with tenor and keyboards! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest collaborations of the post-punk years in England – a one-off project that unites reedman Lol Coxhill with Gerry & The Holograms – an offbeat combo who were perfect for the odd range of ideas that Coxhill always wanted to express! Lol's best known these days for his free jazz improvisations – but back in the 70s, he would often cross the tracks to work with artists in a range of different styles – which he does here beautifully, adding both his voice and his reeds to the record – while the rest of the group create tunes that are slightly punky, sometimes funky, and resonate with the best spirit of the DIY generation. Titles include "Discolero", "Rhino Whip", "Snap It Around", "Relentless", "Camracadabra", "Psychle Sluts", "Samurai Swords", and "You Were Never There". Also features bonus tracks "Cob On" and "Tootsies". (Rock, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from a group who are characterized as "improvised Gnawa Jazz Krautrock" – a term we might not normally coin ourselves, but which really seems to fit the spirit of the music! Global elements come into play with a cosmic consciousness, all informed by the structure of jazz – as keyboards, guitars, and drums come into play with offbeat vocalizations from singer Ziad Qoulaii – more sonic than lyrical, and flowing throughout the tunes to give them a very North African vibe! There's some use of guembri and oud on the record too, which furthers that spirit – and even the guitar phrasing has some Saharan touches that are mighty nice as well – especially when layered into the sonic complexity of the overall sound. Titles include "Mamadou", "Sahel", "Omri", "Sarab", "Rahma", "Merhaba", and "Abbes Saladi". LP, Vinyl record album

Two great cuts from Marc Moulin's legendary Placebo group – exactly the kind of funky monsters he did so well back in the day! "Phalene I" has a great mix of offbeat Fender Rhodes lines with chunkier funk rhythms at the bottom, sewn together with a cool soprano sax solo! "Phalene IV" is even heavier funk – with the Rhodes coming down right on the groove in a massive way – Marc opening up the tune tremendously with his keys, while more soprano snakes in for a great run too! (Funky 45's, Jazz) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Fantastic freewheeling sounds from Cos – a 70s Belgian group who were equal parts jazz and prog – often working with a tight quality that really drew the best of both worlds together! Cos has a lineup that changes often over the years – and which includes work on keyboards from the mighty Marc Moulin, and bass from Marc Hollander – before his later fame in Aksak Maboul – but the real giant here might well be multi-instrumentalist Daniel Schell, whose work got the group going in the first place, alongside female vocalist Pascale Son! Like Schell, Son's got plenty of roots in jazz – but the duo work here with the other musicians in this evolving exploration of the hippest corners of 70s music – a journey that's got plenty of funky jazz along the way, and the great keyboards you'd expect from Marc Moulin – but also some nicely offbeat art rock moments too. This collection brings together the group's best tracks from their mighty run – and titles include "Einstein J'Taime", "Oostend Oostend", "Babel", "L'Idiot Leon", "Nog Verder", "Flamboya", "Postaeolian Train Robbery", "Achtung TV Watchers", "Perhaps Next Record", and "Halucal". (Rock, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Drummer Akira Ishikawa was easily one of the hippest cats on the Japanese scene of the late 60s and early 70s – a player and leader with a great ear for American funk and soul changes of the time, most of which he brought into play on a record like this! The album's definitely got the soul and rock promised in the title, but also plenty of jazz too – as some of the solos go nicely outside, in weird offbeat ways that nicely contrast with the tighter grooves in the rhythm – creating a nice sense of tension that really makes this record stand out from the pack! There's a really sinister undercurrent here – odd edges and weird tones on piano, guitar, and saxophone – all amidst some strongly soulful grooves from the rest of the group. Titles include "The Cougar", "Greensleeves", "No More Than A Drop", "Deep River", "Mago-Uta", and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that Dannie Richmond had a lot more to offer than just his drumming with Charles Mingus! The album's a stunning post-Mingus set that shows Richmond in command of a hip group of Mingus-ites – but working in a style that has much of its own manners and quirks! The album features 2 Mingus tunes – as you'd expect from a Richmond album – but the delivery is quite different than when the tunes were in Charles' hands, and they come off with an offbeat sense of rhythm and timing that almost has the playful feel of some of Jaki Byard's best work. The rest of the group features Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Cameron Brown on bass – and titles include "Hi Jinks", "Dionysius", "Flying Colors", and "Peggy's Blue Skylight". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique little album from tenorist Charlie Rouse – a player who's best known to most for his famous 60s recordings in the Thelonious Monk Quartet – but who stretches out here in a very different style for the Strata East scene of the 70s! The album's almost funky at times, and nicely offbeat and spiritual at others – with players who include Paul Metzke and George Davis on guitars, Calo Scott on cello, David Lee on drums, Stanley Clarke on bass, and Azzedin Weston and Airto on percussion – a very unusual mix of instrumentation that presents that wonderful Rouse tenor sound in a very different way! Charlie also plays a bit of bass clarinet at one point – and titles include "Bitchin", "In His Presence Searching", "Hopscotch", "Two Is One", and "In A Funky Way". LP, Vinyl record album