An underground classic from the London scene – a record that was hugely important to us in the early days of Dusty Groove, and which is still completely tremendous all these many years later! At the time, the album was the sort of ambitious undertaking that nobody else would have done – pre-Cinematic Orchestra, pre-Nostalgia 77, pre-any of those other groups that were inspired by vintage soundtracks, David Axelrod, and all sorts of higher ideas in groovy music! Chris Bowden is a saxophonist at the core – and a jazz-based one too – but he works here with these incredible arrangements of his own creation, folding in both funky and fulfilling elements – heavy drums, percussion, and keyboards – but also some great string passages, and even surprisingly strong use of clarinet at times – creating these snakey elements that offset his own soulful lead. The album was a landmark at the time – even if it was missed by most of the planet – and it's still tremendously powerful throughout – with titles that include "Forbidden Fruit", "Natural Selection", "Deaf Out", "Telescopic Three", "Sane", "Angel Falls", "Solo", "Love Lies Bleeding", "Epsilon", and "Time Capsule". (New Grooves, Jazz) CD

An underground classic from the London scene – a record that was hugely important to us in the early days of Dusty Groove, and which is still completely tremendous all these many years later! At the time, the album was the sort of ambitious undertaking that nobody else would have done – pre-Cinematic Orchestra, pre-Nostalgia 77, pre-any of those other groups that were inspired by vintage soundtracks, David Axelrod, and all sorts of higher ideas in groovy music! Chris Bowden is a saxophonist at the core – and a jazz-based one too – but he works here with these incredible arrangements of his own creation, folding in both funky and fulfilling elements – heavy drums, percussion, and keyboards – but also some great string passages, and even surprisingly strong use of clarinet at times – creating these snakey elements that offset his own soulful lead. The album was a landmark at the time – even if it was missed by most of the planet – and it's still tremendously powerful throughout – with titles that include "Forbidden Fruit", "Natural Selection", "Deaf Out", "Telescopic Three", "Sane", "Angel Falls", "Solo", "Love Lies Bleeding", "Epsilon", and "Time Capsule". (New Grooves, Jazz) CD

One of the most beautiful records to come out of the early 70s – a tremendous indie effort from a young Weldon Irvine! Irvine put this album together as sort of a musical "time capsule" of his generation – an effort to capture the era's thoughts, feelings, and emotions through a mix of music, vocals, and a few spoken bits – all woven together in a way that changes moods nicely, but always keeps the same righteously spiritual vibe! Weldon plays keys that are both electric and acoustic throughout – and he's joined by a very hip batch of players who include Jimmy Owens, Lenny White, Alex Blake, George Cables, and others – all working here in a very rough-edged and soulful mode. Titles include the classic break track "Bananas", the sweet vocal number "Deja Vu",and the soul classic "Feelin' Mellow" – also covered by Fatback Band, but even better here in the original! Other tracks include "Soul Sisters", "Watergate Don't Bug Me", "Spontaneous Interaction", and "I Am". CD

One of the most beautiful records to come out of the early 70s – a tremendous indie effort from a young Weldon Irvine! Irvine put this album together as sort of a musical "time capsule" of his generation – an effort to capture the era's thoughts, feelings, and emotions through a mix of music, vocals, and a few spoken bits – all woven together in a way that changes moods nicely, but always keeps the same righteously spiritual vibe! Weldon plays keys that are both electric and acoustic throughout – and he's joined by a very hip batch of players who include Jimmy Owens, Lenny White, Alex Blake, George Cables, and others – all working here in a very rough-edged and soulful mode. Titles include the classic break track "Bananas", the sweet vocal number "Deja Vu",and the soul classic "Feelin' Mellow" – also covered by Fatback Band, but even better here in the original! Other tracks include "Soul Sisters", "Watergate Don't Bug Me", "Spontaneous Interaction", and "I Am". CD

A crowning achievement for the London scene – the CD debut of The Heritage Orchestra, easily one of the most far-reaching and ambitious groups to come out of the UK in years! As you'd guess from their name, the group mix together a larger instrumental approach with some tighter, more contemporary modes – fusing a large string section with jazz-based solo work on keyboards, saxes, trumpets, and a bit of vocals. Chris Bowden guests on 2 tracks on the record, and the feel here reminds us a lot of Bowden's classic Time Capsule album from a decade back – but with a depth that goes far beyond that record, and an emotional maturity that's really amazing! Given the scope of imagination here, it's no surprise that the group are one of the first to appear on Gilles Peterson's new Brownswood label – and given the quality of the record, they more than live up to Gilles' recommendation! Titles include versions of Bowden's "Mothers & Daughters Now Mothers" and "Ballad For Strings" – plus "Tell Me Stories", "D'Lin", "Sky Breaks", and "The 1890 Affair". (New Grooves, Jazz) CD