A very trippy album from the enigmatic Brother Ah – aka Robert Northern, former member of Sun Ra's Arkestra, and also a lecturer on the east coast. This album's his first, originally issued on the Strata East label – and a space mixture of other-worldly sounds. The first long track on the album is entitled "Beyond Yourself (The Midnight Confession)", and features a group with Ah on flutes and "natural" sounds, plus cello by Pat Dixon, percussion by Barbara Burton, and soprano voice by Barbara Grant. The track's a "sound journey in 7 parts" – floating across space with a mystical feel that slowly unfurls. The other long track on the set is "Love Piece", a tune in which Ah plays flute along with percussion by Max Roach and the M'Boom percussion ensemble – plus a 90-voice chorus, and a short rap by Roach. Very spiritual stuff! CD

Luis Perdomo on piano with Hans Glawischnig and Henry Grimes on bass, and Eric McPherson and Nasheet Waits on drums. CD

The even more obscure second volume to the great soul/gospel classic Do Not Pass Me By – and like the first, the product of a wonderfully spiritual setting on Chicago's south side – music created in the church, but with all the same vibe as the hippest secular soul coming from the Windy City in the early 70s! The set does a great job of alternating strong lead singers with the rest of the group – a bit like Voices Of East Harlem, but with more of a larger ensemble feel – and there's some really wonderful moments on the record throughout – even a bit of funk amidst the more righteous soul-styled tunes. Tracks include "I Shall Wear A Crown", "O Sinner", "I Want To Be In Love With You", "Do Not Pass Me By", "O What A Day", "Here I Am", and "There Is Only One". CD

The even more obscure second volume to the great soul/gospel classic Do Not Pass Me By – and like the first, the product of a wonderfully spiritual setting on Chicago's south side – music created in the church, but with all the same vibe as the hippest secular soul coming from the Windy City in the early 70s! The set does a great job of alternating strong lead singers with the rest of the group – a bit like Voices Of East Harlem, but with more of a larger ensemble feel – and there's some really wonderful moments on the record throughout – even a bit of funk amidst the more righteous soul-styled tunes. Tracks include "I Shall Wear A Crown", "O Sinner", "I Want To Be In Love With You", "Do Not Pass Me By", "O What A Day", "Here I Am", and "There Is Only One". CD

A late live moment of brilliance from Roy Budd – the British pianist who first cut some great jazz records in the 60s, then went on to create some sublime soundtracks in the 70s – working here in a trio setting that brings together the best of both worlds, and adds in some surprising bossa nova touches too! All tracks are nice and long, performed with piano from Budd, drums from Chris Karan, and bass from Pete Morgan – the latter of whom also sings a bit – in a set that's also got a very unusual approach, in that it's part of a 24 hour "playathon" to raise awareness on issues of drug abuse – a performance that also features some surprising guest appearances from Jeremy Irons and Henry Mancini. But obviously, the best bits are the instrumental ones – as Budd makes it through an 18 minute "Michel Legrand Suite", a 10 minute blend of "Anoiteceu/Berimbau", a 14 minute take on "Upa Neguinho/Aguas De Marco/Opao/Corcovado", and some other nice surprises too. CD

Brilliant later work from Ornette Coleman – quite adventurous stuff, too! By the late 80s, the shock of the new of Ornette's harmolodic sound had worn off enough that majors like CBS/Portrait were more than willing to invest in it – but for every catchy modern groove here, there's a left turn into more subtly daring territory! A few tracks feature Jerry Garcia – "3 Wishes", "Singing In The Shower", and "Desert Player" – and his jazz-folk-psych improv guitar style is a pretty wild match for Ornette and Prime Time. We didn't give those cuts nearly enough credit to over the years! The Garcia-less tracks show Ornette's awareness of hip hop and funky fusion, but he doesn't cop to trends. It's more that he's showing his continuing relevance in the 80s landscape. The group features Denard Coleman on percussion and keys, Calvin Weston on drums, Al MacDowell and Chris Walker on bass, Bern Nix and Charlee Ellerbe on guitars, and Ornette on alto, trumpet and violin. Other tunes include "Happy Hour", "Bourgeois Boogie", and "Spelling The Alphabet". CD

A rare set from vibist Walt Dickerson – one of the most compelling jazz musicians to ever lay hold of a set of vibes! The album was originally issued as a Japanese-only session by the Why Not label in the mid 70s, and it features Dickerson playing on 5 tunes that have a slightly different feel than a lot of his other work from the time. First up is "Sky", which features some electric bass work by Jamaaladeen Tacuma, which makes for a more full-on sound than you usually get with Dickerson. Next up is "Awareness", an extremely haunting solo track that features this incredible tone on the vibes. The last three tunes feature a trio with Wilbur Ware on bass and Edgar Leon Bateman on drums – and Ware's bass work brings out a swing in Dickerson's vibes that we rarely ever hear. Titles include "Key Of Wisdom", "Yesterdays", and "I Love You". Essential work for any fan of this enigmatic vibist – and great to have back out again! CD

A rare set from vibist Walt Dickerson – one of the most compelling jazz musicians to ever lay hold of a set of vibes! The album was originally issued as a Japanese-only session by the Why Not label in the mid 70s, and it features Dickerson playing on 5 tunes that have a slightly different feel than a lot of his other work from the time. First up is "Sky", which features some electric bass work by Jamaaladeen Tacuma, which makes for a more full-on sound than you usually get with Dickerson. Next up is "Awareness", an extremely haunting solo track that features this incredible tone on the vibes. The last three tunes feature a trio with Wilbur Ware on bass and Edgar Leon Bateman on drums – and Ware's bass work brings out a swing in Dickerson's vibes that we rarely ever hear. Titles include "Key Of Wisdom", "Yesterdays", and "I Love You". Essential work for any fan of this enigmatic vibist – and great to have back out again! CD

One of the few albums we've ever seen by keyboardist Hubert Eaves – a great player whose work crops up on some of our favorite 70s soul jazz and jazz funk sides, but who rarely got a chance to lead his own group! Fortunately, he did get the chance to cut this one – as the session's a real doozy – sweet mellow fusion, handled very soulfully, with a kicked-back feel that's right up there with the most righteous soulful fusion of the time. Players include Mtume, John Lee, Reggie Lucas, Malachi Thompson, and Rene McLean – and Cheryl Alexander sings vocals on the track "Under Standing". A great blend of laidback funk and soulful grooves – in the manner of Bobby Lyle at his best – and titles include "Slow Down", "Painful Pleasure", "Call To Awareness", and "Flead Dancing". CD

A real genre-defying record from the contemporary London scene – a set produced by Shabaka Hutchings, and done with that post-jazz vibe that's really been creeping into his music in recent years! There's a very strong hip hop component to the record at times – thanks to key appearances from Billy Woods, Elucid, Anthony Joseph, and others – but the album also has an instrumental focus at the core, with work from Alex Hawkins on piano, Ross Harris on reeds, Daisy George on bass, and Jas Kayser on drums – players who work with lots of production and processing, so that their contributions are often abstracted into part of a richer, darker whole. Kofi Flexx is less of an artist than a process, as described in the notes – and that process is very strongly at work here – on titles that include "It Was All A Dream", "Apothecary", "Increase Awareness", "Aim", "Fire", "Babylon Dun Topple", "Flowers In The Dark", "By Now", and "Show Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A drama that features John Wayne in Japan – and Friedhofer's soundtrack has that "epic" feel that he did so well at the time – serious orchestral sounds with a great depth of feeling – often through compressed horn passages over strings, with occasional touches of the exotic to signify the locale of the story! Titles include "The Palace", "The Road To Edo", "Awareness", "The Strange House", "Flag Raising", "Orders From Edo", and "Declaration". CD

A hip hop masterpiece from Prince Paul – his second album as a solo act, but one that builds on years of top-shelf experience in the east coast scene – including his roots with Stetsasonic and production of De La Soul! The record came up at a time when there seemed to be a new sense of self-awareness in hip hop – maybe not a postmodern sensibility, but a gentle play between the real role of the artist and imagined pop presence – handled here by Paul with a lot more care than most, and presented in a concept album format that's full of great surprises along the way! Breeze Brewin of Jugganauts handles the main lyrics, but the story has lots of famous guests along the way – almost a Wizard Of Oz sort of journey that includes Kool Keith, Big Daddy Kane, Chubb Rock, Biz Markie, and many others. Titles include "MC Hustler", "The Other Line", "Pain", "Steady Slobbin", "War Party", "Weapon World", "Handle Your Time", "The Men In Blue", and "Mood For Love". CD

A standout set from trombonist Altin Sencalar – a player who seems to get better and better with each new record, not just for the soulful sound on his instrument, but also for his work as both a leader and writer of fresh new tunes! The record's got the tightness we love on the best Posi-tone label releases – and also features a slightly larger group too, with work from Diego Rivera on tenor, Markus Howell on alto and soprano, Anthony Hervey on trumpet, and Michael Dease on baritone – players who shift strongly between the solo work you'd know from their own albums as leaders, and a strong ensemble to color in Sencalar's tunes. Rhythms are great, too – and include work from Art Hirihara on piano, Paul Reyas Bueno on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums – with occasional Latin currents from percussionist Pete Rodriguez. Titles include "Nuevo Dia", "The Sunday Affair", "Awareness", "Pocket Of Clave", "Blue Evening", "It's Easy", and "More Than One Answer". CD

Wax Poetics is closing in on 10 years in its unrivaled coverage of classic and rare soul, jazz, hip hop and all things funky – delivering big once again with Issue #48! Nina Simone is on the front cover – with a really great feature that focuses on the unfiltered realness, honesty and blunt social awareness at the core of her life and so many of her best recordings – with artful newcomer Theophilus London on the backover. Issue #48 also has pieces on Count C, Neu!, Dom Salvador, Shock G, Yabby You, Billy Cox, Gil-Scott Heron In Memorium, Re:Discovery of treasured records by Swamp Dogg, Sarah Vaughn and Odyssey, and much more! Magazine

One of the hippest entries in the Red Hot series so far – a set of tracks dedicated to the legendary Fela Kuti – felled by AIDS after years of influential grooves – still being felt strongly by the rich array of artists collected in the set! Most tracks are contemporary, but feature a strong influence of the 70s modes of Fela's generation – those sharp percussive lines at the bottom of the tracks, soaring Afro-styled horn passages, and a righteous energy that really drives the whole thing all the way through! The package was put together in support of AIDS/HIV awareness, but is hardly an act of charity – as it's overflowing with great cuts that more than make the set stand as an Afro Funk collection on its own. Most tracks are remakes of older Fela numbers – and titles include "Buy Africa" by Baloiji & L'Orchestre De A Katuba, "Yellow Fever" by Spoek Mathambo & Zaki Ibrahim, ""Gentleman" by Just A Band & Baja, "Go Slow" by King, "Sorro Tears & blood" by Kronos Quartet & Kyp Malone, "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" by My Morning Jacket, "Afrodisco Beat 2013" by Tony Allen & M1, and "Lady" by Tune Yards, ?uestlove, and Angelique Kidjo. LP, Vinyl record album