A really unique album from a really unique group on the Oakland scene of the 70s – a combo who manage to fold together all the best elements of Cali jazz and soul at the time – and come across with a quality that almost feels like Roy Ayers recording for Strata East! The music mixes together righteous vocals with vibes, electric piano, and plenty of acoustic elements on saxes, flute, and percussion – all jazz elements that are used with a focus that's often wrapped around the lyrics – sometimes with the blend of spirituality and funk that you'd find in the best middle-period work of Oneness Of Juju! The blend is stunning, and makes for a tremendous album all the way through – from players who are mostly unknown, in a lineup that also features the mighty Babatunde on percussion. Titles include the classic mellow groover "Let The Sun Shine In", plus "Fly Away", "Operation Feed Yourself", "Darkuman Junktion", and "Ju Ju's Door". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

The last album ever cut by the group Cymande – done years after their classic first 3 records, and with a groove that's quite different – but also extremely nice! The sound here is much more in an ensemble funk mode than the group's earlier dubby work – with an approach that borrows a lot from Earth Wind & Fire, as well as British funk groups of the time – like Real Thing and Light Of The World. There's some nice jazzy playing in the mix that bubbles around between the vocals – in a style that's almost got some of the approaches of Oneness Of Juju as they entered their dancefloor years at the end of the 70s. Lots of catchy numbers, and titles include "It's Magic", "Sweet Talk", "What's The Word – Good Times", "Living For Your Love", and "You Won't Feel So Proud". LP, Vinyl record album

A great counterpart to the rare Stanton Davis Ghetto Mysticism album – and a set that was recorded right around the same time, with a number of previously unreleased tracks! The spiritual energy of that group has been well-loved by collectors for years – and enjoyed by others thanks to a recent reissue – and this sweet batch of rare cuts really augments that rare musical moment, by offering up a further set of completely cosmic grooves! The style is spacey jazz funk with some deeper elements in the mix – all recorded and arranged with an indie vibe that reminds us a lot of the classic Oneness Of Juju albums on Black Fire, but without as much vocals – just a strong focus on the sweet keyboard lines and soaring horn passages. Some tracks are brand new, others are different versions of themes from the Brighter Days album – and titles include "Delta Six/Brighter Days", "Isis Voyage", "Odwalla", "Things Can Not Stop Forever (Al Kent version)", "High Jazz (reprise – alt mix)", "Things Cannot Stop Forever (inst mix)", and "Funky Fried Tofu (alt inst version)". (Jazz, Soul) CD

A weird and wonderful album from Tribe Records giant Wendell Harrison – an obscure electric set from the start of the 80s! There's still a strongly spiritual feel on the record, but Wendell also adds some Fender Rhodes and vocals to his work on tenor and flute – bringing in the same sort of spacey soul vibe you'd find on work from the time by Oneness Of Juju! The overall sound is still quite soulful – a great extension of the early Tribe spirit from Detroit – and some cuts feature a bit more acoustic piano and sweet earthy percussion. Other cuts have more of a soulful bounce – thanks to vocals from Miche Braden and Kathy Simmons – and titles include "The Wok", "Ginseng Love", "Love Juice", "A Green Meadow" and "Peace of Mind". (Jazz, Soul) CD

A weird and wonderful album from Tribe Records giant Wendell Harrison – an obscure electric set from the start of the 80s! There's still a strongly spiritual feel on the record, but Wendell also adds some Fender Rhodes and vocals to his work on tenor and flute – bringing in the same sort of spacey soul vibe you'd find on work from the time by Oneness Of Juju! The overall sound is still quite soulful – a great extension of the early Tribe spirit from Detroit – and some cuts feature a bit more acoustic piano and sweet earthy percussion. Other cuts have more of a soulful bounce – thanks to vocals from Miche Braden and Kathy Simmons – and titles include "The Wok", "Ginseng Love", "Love Juice", "A Green Meadow" and "Peace of Mind". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Post-Atlantic work from Robin Kenyatta – but an album that follows in a very similar mode! This date was done for the Wolf subsidiary of TK Records, but it's got a very hip New York groove – one that's almost even more righteous than some of Robin's earlier work, with some excellent arrangements from Arthur Jenkins – who's managed to fill the set with a great sense of soul! Kenyatta's alto and soprano sax are set up with keyboards from Jenkins and Richard Tee, plus bass, guitar, percussion, and some great backing vocals at points – used sparingly, but in ways that almost remind us of Oneness Of Juju at some of their smoother moments. Kenyatta's reeds have a Plunky-like feel too – more inside than the Juju work of the mid 70s, but pointing towards Plunky's smoother sounds to come. Given that the vocal group features Gwen Guthrie, Vivian Cherry, and Patti Austin, you can bet they sound pretty sweet – and titles on the set include "Love Me", "Oh Oh Oh", "You", "Bluebird", and "Of Life & Love". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A righteous underground soul classic from Del Jones – message-oriented funk at its best! Jones is working here in the spirit of some of the best locally-crafted indie outings of the time – like work by Mike James Kirkland, Oneness Of Juju, The Pharoahs, and other important righteous regional acts of the 70s. The lyrics are extremely progressive, and deal with hard themes of African-American life at the time – stated clearly enough by titles that include "Soul of Black Folks", "Court Is Closed", "Needle & Spoon", "Prelude Ta Hell", "Needle N Spoon", and "Inside Black America" – and backed up by some great arrangements that throw a lot of fuzzy funky guitars into some tight, jazzed-up grooving. The album also includes the massive "Vibe-Ing Theme" – and the whole thing's a treasure that we'd rank with the best of its sort! And this very cool pressing brings together two different versions of the record – an original stripped-down presentation that was titled Court Is Closed – plus the better-known mix that ended up on the Positive Vibes album – all in a great package with detailed notes! LP, Vinyl record album