Blue-eyed funky soul from Miles Mosley – an artist who's working here with the West Coast Get Down group that features Cameron Graves on piano and Kamasai Washington on tenor sax! The vocals are definitely in the lead, though – as Miles draws on classic soul and jazz that really push his vocal range – on material that's nicely open and expressive, maybe more so than other singers of this nature. There's some larger arrangements at times – but most of the energy seems to come from the core combo, of which Miles is definitely in the lead – on tracks that include "LA Won't Bring You Down", "Heartbreaking Efforts Of Others", "Your Only Cover", "More Than This", "Reap A Soul", and "Young Lion". LP, Vinyl record album

Underground spiritual sounds from Diego Gaeta – the first set we've heard from him as a leader, and hopefully not the last! Diego leads the lineup on piano, often evoking some of the deeper spiritual traditions on the LA scene – from the Horace Tapscott generation up through the world of Carlos Nino – yet there's also a leaner approach at times too, as light strings are mixed with core instrumentation on flute, tenor, vibes, and guitar – with occasional guest vocals from singers who include Jimetta Rose and Moore Mother! There's a really gentle sense of flowering on the tunes, which makes for a wonderfully distinct album – and titles include "Memorial", "The World & Within", "Caracal", "Fearlessly", "Soft Spot", "Eccolo", and "Uprising". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning set from saxophonist Jowee Omicil – dedicated to a slave uprising in 18th Century Haiti, but served up with a righteous vibe that's very progressive and 70s overall! The music is spiritual, but also very loose and avant – as Omicil switches between woodwinds and trumpet, and works with lean backing from Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums! The vibe is almost like that of vintage AACM projects – with a spontaneously creative approach that's very organic, and very personal – and Omicil has a great way of picking just the right instrument at just the right moment to shift the mood and really illuminate the music. Titles include "Call To Warzone", "AmBusKad", "KaLaLou Free", "Trace", "Bashquiat Intro", and "Spirit Yo Bak". CD

A stunning set from saxophonist Jowee Omicil – dedicated to a slave uprising in 18th Century Haiti, but served up with a righteous vibe that's very progressive and 70s overall! The music is spiritual, but also very loose and avant – as Omicil switches between woodwinds and trumpet, and works with lean backing from Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums! The vibe is almost like that of vintage AACM projects – with a spontaneously creative approach that's very organic, and very personal – and Omicil has a great way of picking just the right instrument at just the right moment to shift the mood and really illuminate the music. Titles include "Call To Warzone", "AmBusKad", "KaLaLou Free", "Trace", "Bashquiat Intro", and "Spirit Yo Bak". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from tenor legend Benny Golson – one in which he reinvents his sound for the 70s, but still keeps all the tight sense of arrangement we loved in his earlier work! Benny's going for a funky jazz groove on most cuts – a bit clubby, in a Kudu Records mode – with a fair bit of tracks recorded at Sigma Sound in Philly, some with a female chorus adding in vocal lines from time to time. But this approach isn't clunky or commercial, and actually works a lot better than so many other tenorists who tried this mode at the time – thanks both to Benny's sense of arrangement, which graces most tracks – and his way of hitting a solid, soulful solo that really fills out the tunes from the middle. The album is worth it alone for its sweet remake of "Killer Joe" – the tune he first made famous with the Jazztet, recut here with a nice 70s vibe! The cut begins with Benny doing a cool monologue at the beginning, then hitting the "New Killer Joe" groove – and other cuts include "Tomorrow Paradise", "Walkin & Stalkin", "Love Uprising", and "Timbale Rock". CD features some bonus tracks – including "I'm Always Dancin To The Music (orig 12" single)", "Walkin & Stalkin", and "The New Killer Joe" – in a version with Mortonette Jenkins on vocals. CD

A hefty look at the key role of composition in British jazz during the glorious modern uprising that began in the second half of the 60s – a book that features chapters on key figures from that moment, including Barry Guy, Mike Gibbs, Michael Garrick, Mike Westbrook, John Mayer, and Keith Tippet! Each of the artists had their own way of mixing stricture and improvisation – Mayer in his experiments with Indian music, Guy in his embrace of free jazz, Gibbs in the way he mixed rock influences with avant jazz – a legacy that continues to be hugely influential, all these many years later! And don't mistake "composer" with "classical" – as none of these artists made music that was jazz throughout, not some of the more highbrow experiments on the American scene of the postwar years – an approach that author Duncan Heining gets at well in these pages, then backs up with a great bonus 2CD set of material to illustrate his arguments. Hardcover book is over 300 pages, with some black and white images. (Books, Jazz) Book

A really great showcase for the budding talents of Joe Lovano – heard here at a crucial point in his rise to glory on Blue Note! Joe had already been blowing greatness on tenor for years before this set, but these Village Vanguard recordings put Lovano in the same heady space as Joe Henderson or Sonny Rollins at the Vanguard on Blue Note – by really allowing a great sense of open, spontaneous expression that stands as a nice counterpoint to his well-conceived studio work – a very earnest demonstration of Lovano's rich talents as a saxophonist. Joe plays soprano and C melody sax as well – and the group features always-great work on trumpet and flugelhorn from Tom Harrell, plus Anthony Cox on bass and Billy Hart on drums. Tracks include "Song & Dance", "Sail Away", "Blues Not To Lose", "Birds Of Springtimes Go By", and "Uprising". CD