A surprisingly redemptive set of work – given that it's inspired by a time in the life of tenorist Allen Lowe when he was hardly able to sleep at all! The massive 3CD package works as this beautiful suite of tracks united by unexpected twists and turns along the way – very much woven together through complicated reed lines by players who include Lowe on tenor, Aaron Johnson on alto and clarinet, Ken Peplowski on clarinet, and Lisa Parrott on baritone – balanced by work from Kellin Hannas on trumpet and Brian Simontacchi on trombone. The horns engage in a way that stretches back to late 50s modern, but with more avant soloing throughout. Titles include "Poem For Eric Dolphy", "In The Jungles", "Junkie Rumble", "Hiding From A Riff", "Out To Brunch", "What Are We Doing", and "Blues For Old Jews". CD

Guitarist George Freeman has given his music to the world for many decades – a fantastic live player who still makes magic on the Chicago scene, and a recording artist who's gotten the chance to cut plenty of records over the years, but rarely in a top-shelf setting like this! The lineup is an all-star one – with Joey DeFrancesco on organ, Christian McBride on bass, and either Carl Allen or Lewis Nash on drums – great players, but who also have the maturity to really give George the space to open up and do his thing – especially important now that, in his later years, Freeman is less of a sonic monster than he was in the 70s, yet maybe even more of a sensitive soloist overall. Titles include a remake of his classic "Lowe Groovin" – plus "Mr D", "Up & Down", "The Good Life", and "Sister Tankersley". CD

We're not entirely sure what happened to saxophonist JD Allen in recent years – but he's become an even bolder, more experimental player in his music – really augmenting an already-great legacy of albums with fresh new projects like this! The album continues that darker, more powerful approach that Allen has brought to recent records – and also takes it into new territory too, as he works in a lean trio with Gwilym Jones on drums and Alex Bonney on electronics and effects – the latter of which are used in these ways that are really subtle, but really great – shaping things almost in the background while Allen delivers searing tenor parts over the top! The set was recorded in London, and maybe catches some fire from the current experiments on that scene – on titles that include "The Revelator", "Know Dogs Allowed", "The Night Of Swords", "See It Say It Sorted", "Boom Bap", and "This". CD

A lost bit of Cali soul from the 80s – the first album from Twilight, not really a group, but more of a solo studio project from Lawrence Ross! Ross was a shift worker at General Mills, but had some free time to conceive his dream soul album during the twilight hours of the day – hence the name of the "group" –and after slaving away on his off hours to put the whole thing together, he recorded most of this set within the space of a week playing most of the instruments himself! A few other guest artists came in to round out the sound, but there's definitely a personal quality to the record that belies Ross' close association with the whole thing – carefully written tunes that could have challenged the mainstream, had they gotten bigger production, but which have a great deal of charm since they're done here in a more stripped-down, indie-styled way. Twilight has all the best aspects of soul acts of the time – some tight groovers that mix up boogie rhythms with some warmer Cali soul – and a few mellower cuts that benefit from some cool spacey keyboards. Titles include "Play My Game", "Scorpittiarus", "We'll Be Special", "Love's High", "You Know It's Me", "Love's The Way", "Straight To My Heart", and "Just A Kiss Away". CD

Key Sun Ra albums for ESP records – the Heliocentrics World trifecta – in a 3CD set! The work here is a bit more intense than usual – almost cerebral at times, with very contemplative passages on percussion and reeds, offset by strong piano lines from Ra – all in a mode that marks a sharp break from earlier Saturn albums. Volume One finds the group working in an interstellar formation that holds up strongly with the Saturn sides – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto, Teddy Nance on trombone, Chris Capers on trumpet, Danny Davis on flute and alto, and Ra on piano, bass marimba, and some especially nice electronic celeste! Things get quite out at points – freer almost than other Arkestra sides of the time – and titles include "Outer Nothingness", "Other Worlds", "Nebulae", "Dancing In the Sun", "The Cosmos", and "Of Heavenly Things". Volume Two has a freer feel than the first volume, and a bit more avant-oriented work overall. Ra and the group play a lot of percussion – and Ra himself is on tuned bongos, piano, and clavioline, which has a very nice spooky sound! The reed work on the album is by Robert Cummings, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, and Marshall Allen – with bass by Ronnie Boykin and percussion by Roger Blank. Tracks include "Cosmic Chaos", "House of Beauty", and "The Sun Myth". Volume Three features tracks recorded during the sessions for Volume Two, but it was lost to the sands of time for nearly 40 years! Like that previous album, this one features a smaller version of the Arkestra than usual – an octet that has Ra working with core hornmen Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Walter Miller, and Robert Cummings – supported by a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Boykins on bass and Roger Blank on percussion. Apart from a lot of added percussion by various members of the group, the instrumentation overall is relatively straightforward – even if Ra's compositions are not. The set kicks off with the 17 minute "Intercosmosis" – a relatively free, stretched-out tune – then is followed by shorter numbers that travel along darker, more introspective pathways. These titles include "World Worlds", "Interplanetary Travelers", "Mythology Metamorphosis", and "Heliocentric Worlds". CD

Very long, very spiritual improvisations from a really wonderful group – the Fire Into Music quartet of trombonist Steve Swell, a group with superb work from Hamid Drake on drums, William Parker on bass, and the late Jemeel Moondoc on alto saxophone! As you'd guess from the title, the album is something of a tribute to Moondoc, who left the planet in 2021 – and who was really one of the standard bearers of more spiritual jazz expression at the time of these recordings, when the style had fallen out of favor with some of the underground. Yet the rest of the group is equally amazing – and the pairing of Parker and Drake is completely sublime on its own, especially given the open space they are allowed in the very long tracks that make up the set. Swell is great too – both as a leader and a very sly sound-shaper on trombone – and the set features a full 55 minute improvised performance from the El Dorado Ballroom in Houston – plus six more slightly shorter tracks recorded in Marfa and Guelph – on titles that include "Box Set", "Junka Nu", "Space Cowboys", and "Swimming In A Galaxy Of Goodwill & Sorrow". CD

An Arkestra performance, but one that's headed up by Mark De Clive-Lowe – who wrote all the material, and produced the record too – as a great extension of some of the more spiritual directions he's been taking in his own music in recent years! The group have a sound that definitely lives up to the spiritual jazz reference you might expect from their name – building nicely on waves of piano and keyboards from Mark, with excellent work from other ensemble members on tenor, flute, alto, trumpet, and guitar – all soaring to the skies in a great 21st Century take on 70s spiritual jazz modes! There's a number of drummers on the record, and there's no rhythm programs listed – save for "fx" and "live electronics" in the credits – but it feels as if there might be a slight current of beats amidst the live instrumentation from time to time. Not that any of that gets in the way of the sound – which is tightly focused and soaring to the skies, on tracks that include "Fallen Angel", "Tempestuous Temperaments", "Cosmic Collisions", "Lullabies Of The Lost", "Elegy Of Entrapment", and "The Art Of Altercation". CD

One of the greatest Sun Ra records from the early 80s – and a set that's every bit as striking as its sinister title! The album was recorded in 1982 – in marathon New York sessions that yielded more than one album's worth of material – but of all of them, this is probably the best, and the one with some of the strongest playing – a really unified album that should have gotten a lot more circulation at the time, instead of a mostly underground release on Saturn Records. The set kicks off with the fantastic "Nuclear War", a wonderful little groover – and a track that's probably as strong a number in the Arkestra's book as "Space Is The Place" – but with a shift in righteous message from the 70s to the 80s. The album then shifts into 2 mellower numbers with weird spacey overtones – "Retrospect" and "Makeup" – before moving into side two, and the drawn-out edgey "Fireside Chat With Lucifer". Players include Ra on piano, electronics, and organ – plus John Gilmore on tenor, Danny Ray Thompson on baritone, Marshall Allen on flute and alto, and Atakatune on percussion – plus vocals from June Tyson and Tyrone Hill on "Nuclear War". CD

Four classics from this legendary Motown group – including 2 albums on CD for the first time ever! First up is What Love Has Joined Together – excellent work by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – recorded with a super-heavy vibe that's very different than his sweeter 60s work! The record has an amazingly large conception of arrangements – mostly handled by Smokey, and done in a complicated baroque harmony style that points forward towards his later Quiet Storm sound – but which isn't as laidback and compressed. Most tracks are covers, but they're redone fantastically – with better vocals than you could imagine – and titles include "What Love Has Joined Together", "My Cherie Amour", "If This World Were Mine", "This Guy's In Love", and "And I Love Her". Pocket Full Of Miracles is a great one by The Miracles! Smokey and the group are clearly pushing the envelope here – stretching out for a deeper harmony sound, moving towards some of the smoother styles they'd use a bit more in the 70s. The result is a slightly-confused album, but one with some really interesting material that gives the group a chance to experiment more with their vocal phrasing. Includes the heavy soul number "Flower Girl", plus the tracks "Who's Gonna Take The Blame", "Darling Dear", "The Reel Of Time", "Wishful Thinking", "Point It Out", and "Don't Take It So Hard". Also features a great medley of "Something" and "Something You Got". One Dozen Roses is an early 70s set from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – and a set that mixes great new material with a few older gems from the previous decade too! The new cuts are fantastic – and have Smokey and the group continuing that mellower, more laidback harmony style that really knocks it out of the park – almost as if The Miracles were trying to challenge some of the younger sweet soul acts who were coming onto the scene. Titles include the older cuts "Tears Of A Clown" and "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game" – plus "I Don't Blame You At All", "That Girl", "I Love You Dear", "No Wonder Love's A Wonder", and "When Sundown Comes". Flying High Together is excellent 70s work by Smokey and crew – sort of their way of showing the emerging east coast vocal stars how much talent they still had! The record has a sweet, slightly modern sound – with an approach that hints at Smokey's later Quiet Storm sound, but maybe a bit more laidback overall – set up with really great arrangements from both David Van De Pitte and HB Barnum. Titles include a killer reading of Stevie Wonder's "We Had A Love So Strong", plus "Got To Be There", "You Ain't Livin 'Till You're Lovin", "Flying High Together", "It Will Be Alright", and a cover of "Betcha By Golly Wow". CD features bonus tracks "You've Got Me Looking Through The Eyes Of Love" and "Paper People". CD

Three albums from this great reedman! Gibraltar features a killer Dutch duo from the end of the 70s – tenorist Harry Verbeke, who's got a bold, clear sound – and pianist Rob Agerbeek, who's been making soulful sides from the 60s onwards! The pair get great accompaniment here from drummer Billy Higgins and bassist Herbie Lewis – the last of whom may be at his best here – with these well-placed, well-rounded lines that help the record groove right from the start – and which give the record a nice bounce, even in gentler moments – followed up strongly by Agerbeek and his strong sense of chord progressions. Most tunes are familiar, but get nice readings by the group – and titles include "Gibraltar, "Holy Land", "Soul Sister", "No Me Esqueca", and "No Problem". It's You Or No One is a gem, as Harry Verbeke's a tenor player we grow to love more and more over the years – especially as we discover more of his obscure Dutch recordings like this album from the 70s! Verbeke's a tenorist who's completely fully-formed and strong-voiced right from the very first note – maybe indicated by his choice of a Barney Wilen tune to lead off the set – as, like Wilen, Harry's one of these great under-discovered European talents who really helped move his instrument forward, but away from recognition on our side of the Atlantic. The rest of the group is top-shelf too – the great Irv Rochlin on piano, Harry Emmery on bass, and Max Bollerman on drums – on titles that include "Blue Bossa", "Prelude In Blue", "Mariette", "Sugar", and "Chelsea Bridge". As for Harry Verbeke Plays Romantic Ballads, the title's no lie, but it can't even begin to get at the very special sound of the record – as there's a lot more going on here than just a saxophonist taking on American standards! Harry Verbeke's got this sense of tone and phrasing that are very much his own – a quality that we love on his harder-swinging records from the 70s, but which opens up with even more individuality here – a raspy sort of charm that's hard to describe in words, but which makes the album very different than so many other tenor outings of this type. Another strong element is the use of organ instead of piano – an instrument played here by Carlo De Wijs, who mostly shades in things under Harry's lead, rather than try to challenge him to a sonic battle – as the core get gentle support from Hein Van De Geyn on bass and Arnoud Gerritse on drums. Titles include "Stella By Starlight", "A Child Is Born", "Chelsea Bridge", "Spring Fever", and "Everything Happens To Me". CD

A massive overview of Shelby Singleton's SSS family of labels – a key force in the sound of southern soul at the end of the 60s! Singleton first came to fame for his production work at Mercury – but by the time of these recordings, he was stepping out on his own in a great blend of styles that brought together the growing sound of 60s soul with some of the rootsier and more down-home influences in the south at the time. Shelby was based in Nashville, and offered up an approach to southern soul that was a bit different than that coming out of Memphis or Muscle Shoals – one that allowed for a bit of freedom in the way things were played out, and which often featured some nice country elements coming into the mix. The set features work from the SSS, Minaret, and Silver Fox labels – a great assortment of rare singles and album tracks that includes "He Made A Woman Out Of Me" by Betty Lavette, "I Have No One" by Big John Hamilton, "Everybody's Clown" by Johnny Dynamite, "Cummins Prison Farm" by Calvin Leavy, "I Can't Use You" by Double Soul, "Lonely For You Baby" by Sam Dees, "Blue Diamonds" by Double Soul, "I'm Getting It From Her" by Big John Hamilton, "Mama's Got The Wagon" by Mickey Murray, "A Shell Of A Woman" by Doris Allen, "Crying In The Streets" by George Perkins & The Silver Stars, and "So Deep In Love" by Eddy Giles. CD

An incredible package – and one that goes way farther, and way deeper than any of the previous volumes of Stax/Volt Records singles! This 4th volume is kind of a correction/addition to territory covered by the previous three – as CDs 1 to 3 of the collection go back to bring together all the wonderful b-sides for the singles that didn't appear on the other packages – really incredible work that's often more amazing than the bigger-name cuts on the a-side – as the tracks are often rougher, rawer, and a fair bit more edgey too! Then, CDs 4 & 5 do a great job of looking at some of the rock and other non-soul material cut by the Stax labels – with a focus on material that came out on the Hip, Enterprise, and Ardent labels – followed by CD 6, which features all the excellent gospel material issued by Stax on the labels Gospel Truth and Chalice. The whole thing's got a hell of a lot of music in one sleek package – 145 tracks on 6CDs, with a big booklet of notes. Artists include Shirley Walton, Linda Lynell, Jeanne & The Darlings, Soul Children, Shack, The Nightingales, John Gary Williams, Hot Sauce, Ilana, Lee Sain, Green Brothers, Prince Conley, The Astors, Gorgeous George, Karen Casey, The Caboose, Clark Sullivan, Chuck Boris, Connie Eaton, Paris Pilot, The Goodees, The Cheques, Poor Little Rich Kids, Lonnie Duvall, Dixie Nightingales, Louise McCord, Rance Allen, Stars Of Virginia, and many more! CD

A beautiful double-length package of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a 2CD set that features one record from recent years, and a key classic from the 70s! Spirits Rejoice is one of the strongest 70s statements from ex-Blue Notes drummer Moholo – recorded in the company of fellow expatriots and UK avant jazzers that include Johnny Dyani, Evan Parker, Kenny Wheeler, Nick Evans, Radu Malfatti, and Harry Miller. The album shifts easily between strongly rhythmic passages that show Moholo's roots in the South African jazz scene, and other, freer sections that also illustrate his importance in the European avant scene of the 70s – and overall, the record's got a beautifully soulful quality that guides it well through all of these moments. Titles include "Wedding Hymn", "Khanya Apho Ukhona", "Ithi Gqi", "Amaxesha Osizi", and "You Ain't Gonna Know Me". That record is followed here by 1995's Bra Louis Bra Tebs – a session with a similar style, especially in its use of African-inspired rhythms – but one that also features a different lineup, and some great use of vocals! Francine Luce sings on a number of the album's best tracks – in a style that's almost an avant-tuned approach to vocalese, and which seems to carry echoes of Norma Winstone – a voice that's dreamy one minute, challenging the next – and often used as a key instrument in the combo's lineup of tenor, alto, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums. Titles include "Utshaka", "Maybe Of Cause", "Moegoe", "Sonke", and "Lakutshona Ilanga". CD

A mindblowing moment on the Chicago avant scene of the 80s – a key flowering of the talents of Hal Russell – a musician who'd been working the Windy City since the early 60s, yet who really came into his own in these later years! Hal challenges both the AACM and the European underground with this smoking little set – opening up with unbridled energy on a range of instruments – including drums, vibes, C melody sax, cornet, and even zither – and working with equally energetic younger players who include Chuck Burdelik on tenor, alto, clarinet, and flute; Brian Sandstrom on bass, trumpet, and gong; Curt Bley on bass; and Steve Hunt on vibes and drums, alternating the instruments with Russell from track to track. All tunes are originals, and sound incredibly fresh all these many years later – with titles that include "Uncontrollable Rages", "Kit Kat", "Linda Jazz Princess", and "Seven Spheres". CD features two previously unreleased tracks – "Lost Or" and "C Melody Mania". CD