A heavy-hitting album of keyboard funk that's right up there with the best Deodato work for CTI! Brazilian arranger Daniel Salinas was clearly influenced by the success that his fellow countryman Deodato was having in the US during the early 70s – and he's working here in a style that would have made CTI proud – one that blends larger orchestral backings with tight electric rhythms, jazzy soloing, and a few nicely placed moments of Brazilian percussion! The real star of the set is keyboardist Sergio Sa – who plays Fender Rhodes on the standout track "Staussmania" – a killer bit of dancefloor electric jazz that has a very strong "2001" feel! Sergio also wrote the nice little groover "Baiao" – which comes across with a slight sort of Airto/Hermeto mix of percussion and reeds – and the album also features a great fuzzed out take on Donovan's "Atlantis", plus the super-beautiful soundtracky groove "Like A Rainy Night"! (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic lost set from modernist genius Gil Evans – one that expands on some of the larger group territory he was exploring with Miles Davis at Columbia Records – but with an even hipper range of soloists overall! The lineup on the record is an all-star one – mostly top shelf players, not studio musicians – and the set has Evans making room in the arrangements for key solo performances by giants who include Johnny Coles on trumpet, Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Budd Johnson on tenor, Ray Crawford on guitar, and both Curtis Fuller and Jimmy Cleveland on trombones – all players who each bring some key moments of magic to the larger arrangements on the album. Evans himself plays piano, and drums are by Elvin Jones and Dennis Charles – which should give you an idea of the modernist inclinations in the music. And although the title says "standards", the tunes here are definitely on the hipper side of the jazz spectrum of the 50s, expanded with beautiful modern arrangements by Gil – on versions of "Joy Spring", "Ballad Of The Sad Young Men", "Django", "Straight No Chaser", and "Chant Of The Weed". LP, Vinyl record album

A real gem from that key moment in Japanese fusion when some of the nation's best artists were hopping over to the American scene – cutting records like this, which often beat the American soul fusion scene at its own game – thanks to the help of a big array of all-star players! Masayoshi Takanaka plays guitar solos throughout, but also gets some help from Lee Ritenour on the electric strings – in a group that also has arrangements from Greg Adams of Tower Of Power, who brings in the rest of the TOP horns too – plus keyboards from Patrice Rushen, bass from Chuck Rainey, and drums from the great Harvey Mason – a rhythm combo that really keeps things groovy throughout. There's two vocal tracks on the set – which feature work from Jim Gilstrap, Maxi Anderson, and The Waters – on titles that include "Malibu", "ESP", "Sexy Dance", "Sundrops", "Good Bad Old Days", and the title track "Insatiable High". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant album that proves that even at the height of his success, Lee Morgan was one of the freest thinkers on Blue Note – always coming up with fresh ideas that continued to grow his talents! The first cut on the album is keep roof of that fact – the title track "Search For The New Land" – a beautiful 16 minute exploration of modal jazz themes, with an unusual stop/start device as a means of ushering solos by different bandmates – including Wayne Shorter on tenor, Grant Green on guitar, and Herbie Hancock on piano! The approach is unlike anything that Morgan ever did before – and unlike most of other Blue Note as well – and it also benefits from great rhythmic help from Reggie Workman on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Other tunes are a bit more conventional, but still pretty special – like some of Morgan's inventive work on the Rajah albums – with titles that include "The Joker", "Melancholee", "Mr. Kenyatta" and "Morgan The Pirate". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". LP, Vinyl record album

Late work from Chet Baker, but great work too – and sounds that have Baker returning to an incredibly strong sense of force in the final year of his life! We love some of Chet's records from earlier in the decade, but many of those are a bit laidback – kind of a beautiful exploration of space and lanquidity. But here, Baker's got a hell of a fire – blowing crisp notes that are given a wonderful drive from a quartet that features Harold Danko on piano, Hein Van De Geyn on bass, and John Engels on drums! Chet sings a bit, but the real showcase is his trumpet work – superb, and maybe still at the top of the range of trumpeters working at the time on the planet – on titles that include "Portrait In Black & White", "Stella By Starlight", "For Minors Only", and "My Funny Valentine" – plus a nice reading of the Elvis Costello tune "Almost Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

A set titled after a Beatles hit of the 60s, but one that's got a lot more depth than that – as the record is a landmark moment in the development of organ/guitar jazz at the time – a set that features the key pairing of guitarist Grant Green and Hammond modernist Larry Young! As with other records from the duo, there's a sense of rhythmic progression and tonal inflection here that's quite different than more standard soul jazz of the time – a complexity that also comes from the drum work of Elvin Jones, and which is topped by the soulful expressions of Hank Mobley on tenor – the last member of this all-star quartet! The whole thing's great – based around loose, free rhythms – and featuring searching solos that also still remain nicely swinging and in the pocket! Titles include "Corcovado", "Stella By Starlight", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", and "At Long Last Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A massively sweet groover from Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes – smoother and warmer than some of his earlier albums, with a really soulful fusion vibe – and this perfect mix of jazz, funk, and soul that really takes Smith's music to a whole new level! Lonnie plays acoustic piano and "electric colorations" – working with a group that includes brother Donald on flute and vocals, Dave Hubbard on trumpet, and Leon Pendarvis on clavinet – and the whole thing's got a laidback, superdope feel that shows Smith at the top of his game – working earlier spiritual jazz currents into a tighter groove for the 70s, but never losing his soul at all! There's still a nice degree of spirituality to the set, and titles include "Renaissance", "Space Lady", "Between Here & There", "Mardis Gras", "Starlight & You", "Song Of Love", and "Mongotee". LP, Vinyl record album

Double-length brilliance from the mighty Sahib Shihab – a set that collects a number of killer 60s sessions with members of the Clarke Boland Big Band – all of them great! The small combo work here is amazing – hard-hitting modal jazz that matches, if not tops the best MPS/Saba sounds of the time – all produced to perfection with a really sharp edge, and a cutting approach to jazz that's gone onto inspired countless others in the current scene – including artists on Schema and Ricky-Tick Records, as well as most Japanese club jazz combos! But long before any of those cats started copping his groove, Sahib Shihab had it all totally together – a great ear for his own amazing solos on baritone and flute, and a way of hooking up with players like Francy Boland on piano, Fats Sadi on vibes, Benny Bailey on trumpet, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums. All players here were Shihab's partners in the Clarke Boland Big Band, and they use these small combo sessions to explore some great new ideas – stripped-down groovers that are heavy on rhythm, and really allow full expression from all the players involved. Titles include "Companionship", "Om Mani Padme Hum", "Bohemia After Dark", "Serenata", "Yah Yah Blues", "Balafon", "Talk Some Yak-ee Dak", "The Turk's Bolero", "CT + CB", "Jay Jay", "Stoned Ghosts", "Just Give Me Time", and "Dijdar". LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely expanded version of the great Ghibli Jazz concept – delivered here in a live setting that's maybe got even more brilliance than the studio albums! There's a dynamic sense of presentation right from the start, partly the sense of the concert space in the mix, partly the energy from the crowd – and if anything, these tunes are more groovers than the previous studio albums – and topped with really great vocals from Yuriko Kuwahara. Titles include "Tonari No Totoro", "Kaze No Toorimichi", "Mononokehime", "Itsumo Nandodemo", "Jinsei No Merry Go Round", and "Umi No Mieru Machi". (Japanese, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Almost from the start of his career, tenorist Johnny Griffin was heading overseas, delivering searing live performances like this – working as a solo horn player with a pickup group, at a level that was often even more powerful than some of his studio work back home! And here, the combo is hardly just a pickup group – as British modernist Stan Tracey is on piano, working alongside frequent musical partners Malcolm Cecil on bass and Jackie Dougan on drums – a great engine to drive the tenor of Griffin on to new heights – as Johnny blows here with a really raw edge that's amazing, and non-stop imagination that makes for very powerful solos that never seem to let up at all! The set features a smoking 22 minute take on "Indiana", plus long takes on "Blues In Twos" and "The Girl Next Door", both around the 15 minute mark – which means that Tracey also gets in plenty of solo space too. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible bit of global jazz from the French scene at the start of the 70s – one of those really unique records that's beyond easy definition, and which really represents all the cool criss-crossings in styles that were taking place on the Parisian scene at the time! Majole Hajary was born in Suriname, raised in Amsterdam, and has a background in Indian culture – but he also works here with the very groovy French arranger Roger Guerin, who plays trumpet and does a masterful job of bringing the whole thing together – in a blend of voices, rhythms, and instrumentation that all feels like some of the more compelling work on Saravah Records at the time! Lyrics are in French, traded between a few different singers with a very spiritual vibe – and Guerin's trumpet solos over the top, often like Donald Byrd in his "with voices" mode, but hipper – especially as other instrumentation includes sitar, organ, tablas, and lots of other great elements! Titles include "Judas", "Notre Pere", "Priere", "Gethsemani", "Les Apotres", and "La Mort De Judas". LP, Vinyl record album

A long-lost performance by Sun Ra and the Arkestra – recorded in Amsterdam at the start of the 70s, when the group were brought in by avant saxophonist Hans Dulfer for a special performance! This album marks the first-ever issue of the material, from rediscovered tapes that finally present the group on that night in all of their glory – a horn-heavy version of the Arkestra with Danny Davis, Danny Ray Thompson, Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and John Gilmore on reeds – as well as Kwame Hadi and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpets, June Tyson on vocals, and a surprise appearance from Alan Silva on cello, bass, viola, and violin! Ra himself plays moog, rocksichord, piano, and the Spacemaster organ – and the group has plenty of percussion, and a rich sound that really resonates strongly in the legendary venue. Titles include an early reading of "Space Is The Place" – plus "Watusa", "Walking On The Moon", "Paradiso Improviso #1", "We Travel The Spaceways", "Theme From The Stargazers", "The Solar Moog Approach", and "Second Stop Is Jupiter". LP, Vinyl record album

An early jazzy soundtrack from the great Piero Umiliani – made even better by some key work from Chet Baker on trumpet and Helen Merrill on vocals! The set was done at a time when both artists were spending some time in Italy – shaping the scene with their presence, and really standing out on a handful of rare recordings like this one – quite different than their American material of a few years before! Baker is especially striking – with lead solos that have a great sense of compression, and a depth of soul that really move beyond the Pacific Jazz recordings. And Merrill is wonderful, too – with that special flavor she only ever seemed to open up when she went overseas – and got to move into more unusual settings. But the real star is Umiliani throughout – balancing modern impulses with late night jazz in a way that really points the way towards his later scores in the 60s – but which is already nearly perfect here! Titles include "Smog" (done in instrumental and vocal versions by Baker and Merrill), plus "Dawn", "Tensione", "Tops", "California In The Summer", "Hollywood Tonight", "Bowling", and "Twilight At Los Angeles". (Soundtracks, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A soulful, spiritual set from the start of the 80s – served up by a group who seem to have only recorded this one rare album, yet who come across like a combo with a much longer legacy! There's a laidback approach to the music that reminds us of similar work from the Cali scene in the 70s – although these guys seem to be from Connecticut, and work with a lineup that includes keyboards, trombone, bass drums, and a nice use of flute and saxes. Other players come into the mix from time to time – percussion, bass, tenor, and acoustic guitar – and the track "Moments Of Silence" has vocals from soulful female singer Kharmia. All other cuts are instrumental – and include "Can't Stop Now", "Why Must I Go", "Marketplace", "In My Apartment", and "Breeze". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible return to form for Billy Harper – and a landmark album recorded at the end of the 80s, when we'd all but given up on him! The session returns Billy to the majesty of his 70s work – placing him in the setting of long tracks, modal rhythms, and spiritual motivation – the uniquely Harper territory first forged with Lee Morgan and Max Roach, sounding better than ever here, with all the confidence of his youth. The group's a quintet – with Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Francesca Tanksley on piano, Clarence Seay on bass, and Newman Baker on drums – working perfectly as a unit, with a power level that's simply amazing. Harper's the main star, reaching towards the heavens with some incredible solos – but he also clearly knows that he wouldn't be able to do what he does without the great level of support he's getting from the rest of the group. Tracks include "Destiny Is Yours", "If One Could Only See", "Groove From Heaven", "The One That Makes The Rain Stop", and "East West Exodus". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost session of spiritual jazz – recorded in LA in the latter half of the 80s, but with a soaring, righteous vibe that's right up there with the 70s scene! The group here is incredible – an all-star array of the best talents working for Nimbus Records – Nate Morgan on piano, Rickey Kelly on vibes, Jesse Sharps on reeds, Danny Cortez on trumpet, Joel Ector on bass, and Derek Roberts on drums – all moving with the cohesiveness of a well-honed small combo, in territory that's right in line with some of Morgan's most glorious recordings for the label! The use of Kelly on vibes is especially nice – as he's a player we've always loved, but hardly ever get to hear in a setting this ambitious – and his presence on the record makes the whole thing sound even more magical and majestic. Tracks are quite long, with a soaring, searching feel – driven on strongly by Morgan's piano, and topped by some great explorations by Sharps. Titles include "Retribution Reparation", "Big Spliff", "A Bientot", "The Goat & The Ram Jam", "Mfaconi", "Mrafu", "Distant Vibes", and "Journey Into Nigritia". LP, Vinyl record album