Hard to believe it's the 30th Anniversary for Incognito – but Bluey's been at it for that long, and to celebrate, he's having one hell of a party with this record! The album's got way more going on than even a regular Incognito set – even though those are plenty darn great – as Bluey's invited plenty of folks along for the celebration, a range of great singers who really open up the sound, and deepen the core jazzy grooves of the set! In addition to regular vocalists like Joy Rose, Tony Momrelle, and Maysa, the set also features work by Leon Ware, Chaka Khan, John-Christian Urich, Ursula Rucker, Vanessa Haynes, and Mario Biondi – the last of whom really brings a lot to the set, with that cool vocal approach used on his Schema albums. And as usual for Bluey, the sound is way more than just straight soul – with plenty of classic jazz funk elements, and a strong nod to the underground sounds of the British scene who've always fostered his music. Titles include "Line In The Sand", "1975", "Your Sun My Sky", "Put A Little Lovin In Your Heart", "All Of My Life", "Expresso Madureira", "Make Room For Love", "Lowdown", "Tell Me What To Do", and "The Winter Of My Springs". (Neo Soul, New Grooves) CD

The archive here appears to be Volcov's own record collection – but that's A-OK with us, because he's got some wonderfully groovy, wonderfully soulful, wonderfully under-discovered records he wants to share with us! The set's got a wicked blend of obscure tracks from decades back, and some contemporary cuts that share a similar vibe – music that's in a really special place between soul, jazz, and fusion – often with a cosmic vibe that gives the whole collection a very righteous sound! Liner notes are by Patrick Forge, who points out how obscure most of these tracks are, and what a special collection this is – and we definitely agree with his words, as most of these tracks are new to us, too. Titles include "Keep The Same Old Feeling" by Hot Quisine, "Do The Right Thing" by JOB, "Go (Chez Damien classic mix)" by The Urban Cru, "The Sound Of The Memory Of Many Living People" by Are & Be, "Arigo (Volcov edit)" by Manfredo Fest, "Turning On To Me" by Oneness Of Juju, "Footprints On The Sand (Shannon Harris Urbanicity reinterpretation)" by Chanan Hanspal, "Sophisticated Disco (Volcov edit)" by O'Donel Levy, "Simon's Melody" by The Antilles, "Part 4" by Shakazulu, and "Sun On My Back" by Bembe Segue. (Funky Compilations, New Grooves) LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record, and one of those cases where the presence of the mighty Pharoah Sanders can really transform the sound of a session! We'll admit that we weren't sure what to expect – but at the core, the record is really a set of duets between Pharoah on tenor and Sam Shepherd on keyboards – a great range that includes Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3, celeste, and acoustic piano – slowly graced by some larger arrangements from the LSO! Yet even with the majesty of the larger group, who come into the proceedings in baby steps, there's a core feeling of intimacy that never goes away – sublimely spiritual sounds from Pharoah on tenor throughout – with phrasing and styles that show us that he hasn't lost an ounce of his talent since his early years on Impulse records. The album's maybe one of the most beautiful things that Sanders has given us in a long time – and that's saying a lot, as he's always pretty great – and the set features the long "Promises" suite, in nine movements – a piece for saxophone, strings, keyboards, and electronics composed by Shepherd. LP, Vinyl record album

There's a nicely narrative photo on the cover, and Antoine Bourachot seems to follow up that inspiration with some cinematic-styled jazz funk throughout – on a record that's even got a set of song titles that conjure up an imagined story as well! A few tracks here have vocals that bring a nice current of soul to the music – fleshing things out with contributions on three different tracks from Jim Grandcamp, Giacomo Lecchi D'Alessandro, and Irfane – who each have their own soulful shapes next to the overall vibe of the music, which is nicely unified, and heavy on warm keyboards, guitar lines, and larger arrangements. Shoko Igarashi plays soprano sax and flute on the record – and titles include "Resolution", "Action", "Miracle", "Fortune", "Bullet", and "Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible tribute to the legendary Strata Records in Detroit – performed by Jazzanova with a host of other guests – and at a level that's maybe the greatest thing the group has ever given us on record! The vibe here is a lot more Strata and spiritual than the style you'd expect from Jazzanova – as they take on tunes by label legends like Lyman Woodard, Kenny Cox, Sam Sanders, Maulawi, and other talents from the same Motor City underground of the 70s that gave the world Tribe Records. Instrumentation is a blend of Fender Rhodes and lots of live jazz work on flute, tenor, trombone, and trumpet – sometimes topped with vocals from Sean Haefeli, who really helps open up the soulful side of the tunes! Wonderful throughout, better than we might have even guessed – with titles that include "Joy Road", "Face At My Window", "Ortotundes", "Loser", "Scorpio's Child", "Creative Musicians", "Lost My Love", "Inside Ourselves", and "Saturday Night Special". CD

70s spiritual soul jazz lives again – in this righteous tribute to the late John Coltrane! The incredible collection is filled with wonderful tracks both classic and current – and is a great bridge between the first waves of this kind of music at the end of the 60s, and the contemporary revival that's been going on at a global level! Perhaps the best thing here is the way that there's no apparent difference in sound or style between the old and new cuts – and the folks at Free Spirits have really found a way to make the whole thing flow together wonderfully by selecting music that's deeply soulful, extremely positive, and filled with soaring vocals and instrumental solos! Titles include "Mode For Trane" by Billy Gault, "Naima" by Mark De Clive-Lowe, "A Love Supreme" by Rufus Harley, "John Coltrane's A Love Supreme" by Karin Krog & Nils Lindberg, "Duke & Trane" by Haikki Samarto Ensemble, "John Coltrane" by Our Cry For Peace (Dwight Trible/Build An Ark), "Prince Of Peace" by Pharoah Sanders, "Liberation Of The Spirit" by Kamau Daaood, "Naima" by 4 Hero, and "A Love Supreme" by Dwight Trible. CD

Jazz-meets-hip hop-meets-new grooves compilation put together by the folks at the Red Hot organization in the mid 90s. Titles include "Time Is Moving On" by Donald Byrd, Guru, and Ronny Jordan; "Stolen Moments" by United Future Organization; "This Is Madness" by The Last Poets & Pharoah Sanders; "The Scream" by US3 & Joshua Redman; "Trouble Don't Last Always" by Incognito, Carleen Anderson, & Ramsey Lewis; "Nocturnal Sunrise" by Me'Shell NdegeOcello & Herbie Hancock; "Proceed II" by The Roots & Roy Ayers, "Un Ange En Danger" by MC Solaar & Ron Carter, and "The Rubbers Song" by Pharcyde – plus a bonus disc with two versions of "A Love Supreme" and remix of Creator Has A Master Plan". CD

Recorded live at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and a special set featuring the acoustic talents of trumpeter Tim Hagan and soprano saxist Bob Belden, mixed with electronics by Scott Kinsey, and turtablism by DJ Kingsize. Most of the material is fairly out – with off-kilter solos draped over loud junglist rhythms – and the album reminds us more of Derek Bailey's drum n bass album of a few years back, than it does some of the more recent new funky work on Blue Note. Titles include "Big Moment", "Dans La Ville Sombre", "Love's Lullaby", "Are You Threatening Me?", and "Trumpet Sandwich". CD

Chemical Brothers still riding high at the end of the 90s! In some ways, Surrender scales back on bigger, more boisterous big beat vibe for slightly hipper dancefloor vibe – but there's really a ton of ambitiousness here. Just a glance at the guest appearances is clue of how wild the ride is – a far reaching lot for sure – including Missy Elliot, Bernard Sumner, Hope Sandoval, Bobby Gillespie, Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev and more. Includes "Music: Response", "Under The Influence", "Out Of Control", "Orange Wedge", "Let Forever Be", "The Sunshine Underground", "Asleep From Day", "Got Glint?", "Hey Boy Hey Girl", "Surrender" and "Dream On". LP, Vinyl record album