An overlooked gem from this great pianist – one of his few dates as a leader, and maybe the boldest of them all – as the session really soars with a heck of a lot of spiritual energy! The vibe here is maybe more in the Muse Records side of the spectrum than Strata East, but that's OK with us as the whole thing really soars with all this searching, modal energy – delivered by a very cool group that features Carter Jefferson on soprano and tenor sax, Cecil McBee on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums! Cheryl Alexander sings on one track – giving the record a slightly soulful vibe. Titles include "Dues We Have To Pay", "Black Raspberry", "I Love You", "Gee Monetti", and "Autumn Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

The long hinted at full duo effort from Danger Mouse & Black Thought – which despite the title arrives with no shortcuts taken by either party – they got to the highest level after decades of grinding and stellar play! Danger Mouse hasn't produced a straight-up, classic-schooled gritty hip hop album in quite a while and he couldn't have a finer foil than Black Thought – and guest spots include an archival verse from Danger Mouse's late partner MF Doom, appearances by Raekwon, Run The Jewels, Kid Sister and others. Titles includes "Cheat Codes", "Sometimes", "Darkest Part" with Raekwon & Kid Sister, "No Gold Teeth", "Belize" with the late great MF Doom, "Aquamarine" with Michael Kiwanuka, "Identical Death", "Strangers" with A$ap Rocky & Run The Jewels, "Violas And Lupitas" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Yussef Dayes works here under a title that was first coined by Rahsaan Roland Kirk to refer to jazz – but Dayes takes the term to a whole new level with this groundbreaking set – really moving past jazz to unlock a whole field of soulful expression – served up an excellent group at the core, and key contributions from very hip guests throughout! Dayes has always been someone who defies expectations, but here he's going past just some sort of unconventionality to really make his own mark in music – letting an instrumental solo take center stage when needed, or working through vocals in another moment – but all with this effortless flow that really comes together over the course of the album! The group features Charlie Stacey on keyboards, Alexander Bourt on percussion, and Venna on tenor – and guests include Shabaka Hutchings, Leon Thomas, Miles James, Theon Cross, Chronixx, and others. Titles include "Early Dayes", "Afro Cubanism", "Black Classical Music", "Rust", "The Light", "Pon Di Plaza", "Marching Band", "Tioga Pass", "Cowrie Charms", "Crystal Palace", and "Presidential". LP, Vinyl record album

Yussef Dayes works here under a title that was first coined by Rahsaan Roland Kirk to refer to jazz – but Dayes takes the term to a whole new level with this groundbreaking set – really moving past jazz to unlock a whole field of soulful expression – served up an excellent group at the core, and key contributions from very hip guests throughout! Dayes has always been someone who defies expectations, but here he's going past just some sort of unconventionality to really make his own mark in music – letting an instrumental solo take center stage when needed, or working through vocals in another moment – but all with this effortless flow that really comes together over the course of the album! The group features Charlie Stacey on keyboards, Alexander Bourt on percussion, and Venna on tenor – and guests include Shabaka Hutchings, Leon Thomas, Miles James, Theon Cross, Chronixx, and others. Titles include "Early Dayes", "Afro Cubanism", "Black Classical Music", "Rust", "The Light", "Pon Di Plaza", "Marching Band", "Tioga Pass", "Cowrie Charms", "Crystal Palace", and "Presidential". LP, Vinyl record album

Dutch revolutionaries The Ex at a high point of an incredible early run – rolling into the mid 80s with a fiery double album! By this point they had a strong blueprint for their sound and style – steady propulsive rhythms that roll to hypnotic effect, sing-speak vocals that work as well as poetic marching mantras as song lyrics, off kilter bits of instrumentation that fit in with noise jazz as much as post-punk rock – and they're right on cusp of a peak here. Includes "Jack Frost Is Innocent", "A Good Buy To You", "Boohoo", "Requiem For A Rip-Off", "Pleased To Meat You", A Plague To Survive", "Kidnap Connection", "Fire And Ice", "Food On 45", "Scrub That Scum", "The Rise Of The Dutch Republic", "Love You Till Eh", "Rabble With A Cause" and the title track. LP, Vinyl record album

Very righteous work from The Exciters – best known for their girl group recordings in the 60s, but recording here in a very heavy sort of 70s mode – strongly in keeping with the "Black Beauty" in the title! Arrangements and production on the set are by Herb Rooney – who takes the girls into territory that's much more deep soul than before, a space that really works wonders with the already-tremendous lead vocals of Brenda Reid. It's almost like the group were hanging back for years, waiting for the 70s to break before they could really show the hipper undercurrents that always set them apart from the rest of the groups in the 60s, but which were always eclipsed by their hits and sweeter material. Most titles are originals, and tunes include "Leaving Him Tomorrow", "Don't It Make You Just Feel Good", "Learning How To Fly", "I Can't Give In", and "Life Love & Peace". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the many things we love about keyboardist Greg Foat is that he's never willing to sit still – that he's always on the move into some new dimension of his music – so much so that it's very difficult to ever compare one of his records with another! This set's got a very keyboard-heavy approach – recorded with just drums from Morgan Simpson of Black Midi – and a style that's like some of the best tracks from that moment when the sound library scene went more electric at the end of the 70s – although in a way that still stretches out with the enigmatic depths of some of Foat's more ambitious projects! The album's full of wonderfully spacey lines and laidback grooves – on titles that include "Underwater Fantasy", "Tropical Love", "Arctic Cavern", "The Investigation", "Green Odyssey", "Riding Into Battel", "Subterranean Lake", and "World Of Tiers". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's definitely Pure Jerry – as the record features Jerry on acoustic guitar and vocals, with just the acoustic bass of John Kahn for support! The music has that core acoustic Garcia roots sensibility – that sideline that Jerry started developing alongside his work with the Grateful Dead, almost from the start – but which really blossomed on performances like this in the 80s. Titles include versions of "Little Sadie", "Deep Elem Blues", "Jack A Roe", "Dire Wolf", "Bird Song", "Ripple", "Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie", "Spike Driver Blues", and "Friend Of The Devil". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a true history of the Grateful Dead, but instead an important early album of well-selected live tracks – presented in a way that hints at the huge run of archival material that would see the light of day in the 21st Century! The release came out in the early 70s, but features tracks recorded at the Fillmore in 1970 – split into both an electric and an acoustic set, and hand-picked by the group's famous soundman, Owsley Bear Stanley – in part as a tribute to then group member, Pigpen, who sings lead on a number of tracks! Titles include "Black Peter", "Wake Up Little Susie", "Katie Mae", "Dark Hollow", "Hard To Handle", and "Smokestack Lightnin". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublimely spiritual work from trombonist Charles Greenlee – a player who's best remembered for work as a sideman with Archie Shepp, but who really sparkles as a leader on this rare Japanese set! The vibe here is totally great – a righteous approach to soul jazz that rivals the best work of the Strata East scene in the US, but which is carried off with the poise and power of some of the best mid 70s Japanese-only dates of this type – clearly a great deal of respect and freedom given to Greenlee in the studio, but also some good help in putting together the record in as solid a way as possible. Jean Carn makes a great appearance singing on 3 tracks here – with a quality that's even more righteous than her work with Doug Carn on Black Jazz – and one more number features the great Joe Lee Wilson on vocals too. Players include Hubert Eaves and Art Matthews on piano, Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Archie Shepp on tenor and soprano, Buster Williams on bass, and either Charlie Persip or Beaver Harris on drums – and titles include "I Know About The Life", "He's Gone", "Steam", "Someday", "Crusificado", and "Miss Barbara". LP, Vinyl record album

Just when you thought Prince Paul and Cat Power would never make a record together PRESTO – it's the new Handsome Boy album! HBMS takes a bit more of a chillout tack with this long overdue second opus – with lots of laidback beats and samples, and a surprising amount of live instrumentation! The gleeful, sarcastic comedy of the stellar first album remains intact, with some genuinely amusing skits (including one with Jay Z appearing under the pseudonym Hines Buchanan), and the deep range of guest vocalists isn't as surprising as how strong their work is in the best tunes. It would have been pretty easy for Prince Paul and Automator to find a bunch of interesting names to flesh out their big pop culture frappe, but something else altogether to make trippy hip hop tracks featuring Cat Power and the Hieroglyphics make sense on the same record. A pretty solid set from the most adventurous pseudo duo in the game! Guests include Del The Funky Homosapien, De La Soul, RZA, Lord Finesse, AG, Rahzel, Jazzy Jay, Qbert, Mike Patton, Casual, Hieroglyphics, Grand Wizard Theodore, El-P, John Oates, Pharrell, Kid Koala, and George W. Bush (just kidding). Tracks include "If It Wasn't For You" with De La, "Are You Down With It" with Mike Patton, "The World's Gone Mad" with Del and others, "It's Like That" with Casual, "I've Been Thinking" with Cat Power, "Rock And Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Pt 2" featuring Lord Finesse, Qbert and others,"First. . .And Then" featuring Dres from Black Sheep, "A Day In The Life" featuring RZA, AZ and others and more, plus intro/outro by Father Guido Sarducci. LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning work from one of the greatest players of the post-Coltrane generation – a classic session recorded overseas in the mid 70s, and one that's filled with soulful expressions from the great Billy Harper! Harper's tenor kicks off the set with an immediately gripping sound – as searing as Pharoah Sanders at his Impulse best – but driven on by searching, soaring modal rhythms that are all Billy's own – the kind of grooves he first forged with Max Roach, then really expanded on when given the freedom of a record like this. Other players include trumpeter Virgil Jones, pianist Joe Bonner, bassist David Friesen, and drummer Malcom Pinson – and titles include a killer take on "Croquet Ballet", which Harper originally recorded with Lee Morgan – plus the titles "Dance Eternal Spirits Dance" and "Call Of The Wild & Peaceful Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most classic albums on the Tribe Records label from Detroit – music that was too heavy for most of the world when it was issued in the 70s – but which has gone onto achieve legendary status over the years! Reedman Wendell Harrison leads the group in a set of soaring, spacious, righteous tunes – with great help from Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, and assorted other instruments, which he and Harrison play in the best AACM tradition. Phil Ranelin's also in the group on trombone – and other players include Charles Eubanks on keyboards, Ike Daney on drums, and Will Austin on bass – and the album also features some spoken passages by the Black Messengers, Oba and Vajava. The whole thing's fantastic – that strong collaborative spirit that graced the best part of the American jazz underground of the time – and titles include "Mary Had An Abortion", "Vol II Angry Young Man (parts 1 & 2)", "Consciousness", and "Rebirth". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic early work by modern tenor genius Joe Henderson – very well titled with the use of "mode", given the new sound and new direction Henderson was taking his tenor in the 60s! The album's got Joe working at the head of an all-great lineup that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Cedar Walton on piano, and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – the last of whom really brings in some tremendous moments to the record, using his instrument to create a slightly off-kilter feel that pushes the set from straight hardbop into the modern realm with traces of "new thing" tones and colors. Joe's solos are incredible – searing, searching, yet still pulsing with an undeniably soulful rhythm – and titles include the essential track "Black", plus "Caribbean Fire Dance", "Free Wheelin", and "Shade Of Jade". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Joe Henderson's greatest albums ever – a real treasure from his electric years at Milestone Records, and a set that showed he really had a lot more to offer for the scene of the 70s! The sound here is quite different than Joe's earlier work for Blue Note – a style that's sometimes soaring, sometimes mellow – but always moving forward with a tremendously fluid approach to the tenor sax. Joe's sense of phrasing and timing is impeccable – quite subtle at times, with these dark notes that hang beautifully in air on the ballads – and some sharper-edged qualities that really burst out strongly on the more upbeat tunes. The group's a great one too – and features Herbie Hancock on both acoustic and electric piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums – plus additional trumpet by Mike Lawrence on 2 tracks. Titles include "Black Narcissus", "Isotope", "Afro-Centric", "Forsight & Afterthought", and "Power to The People". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful session by Andrew Hill – recorded in 1968, but issued only briefly in 1981 – and out of print for years! The session is a key one in understanding Hill's work – as it's a bridge between the arch modernism of his early Blue Note sides, and the more soul-oriented playing of the Grass Roots album. The set features wonderful frontline work in the trumpet of Charles Tolliver, and tenor and soprano of Joe Farrell – both players who open up the sound at the same time they're giving it a nice bottom – egged on by the rest of the combo, which includes Victor Sproles on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. The album's an enchanting one – not as dark as early years, but still with a compelling vision that's all Hill's own. Titles include "Dance With Death", "Love Nocturne", "Black Sabbath", "Partitions", and "Fish N Rice". LP, Vinyl record album

Remarkable Carmell Jones, indeed – and one of the few albums ever cut as a leader by this up-and-coming force on the LA scene at the start of the 60s! Jones was a player who really showcased something new on the west at the time – a move away from cool jazz, and the start of a deeper, headier generation of musicians – the bold power that would come from cats like Lou Blackburn, Horace Tapscott, and Jimmy Woods. This date's an early entry into that legacy – and has a tight approach to hardbop with plenty of modern elements – a bit like the shift that Curtis Amy was making at the time. In addition to Jones on trumpet, the album also features Harold Land on tenor, Frank Strazzeri on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Leon Pettis on drums – all working with a careful blend of soul jazz and modern influences, on a wonderful batch of well-written tunes. Titles include "I'm Gonna Go Fishing", "Night Tide", "Sad March", and "Stellisa". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most ambitious albums ever recorded from Clifford Jordan – a totally righteous little effort that was the first installment in the legendary Dolphy Series on the Strata East label! The set has Jordan working with a larger group than usual – an all-star array of players that includes Kenny Dorham and Don Cherry on trumpets, Julian Priester on trombone, Wynton Kelly on piano, Wilbur Ware and Richard Davis on bass, and drums from Roy Haynes, Ed Blackwell, and Albert Heath. The titles are originals by Jordan – long numbers that flow out slowly as they build up new musical ideas – all in a style that's somewhat laidback and spacious, very organic, and a bit like some of the best early 70s Impulse material by Archie Shepp. Album features 4 long tracks – "872", "Vienna", "Doug's Prelude", and "Ouagoudougou". LP, Vinyl record album

Great 80s grooves from this cool Brazilian duo – the guitar and vocals of Robson Jorge and a sweet range of keyboards from Lincoln Olivetti – tied together in a style that's got plenty of great electro soul touches! At some level, the album recalls some of the 80s grooves coming from the US soul scene at the time – but the music also has elements that reflect some of the Brazilian funk of groups like Unaio Black or Banda Black Rio, and maybe even some of the styles of Marcos Valle in the early 80s too! There's a depth to the instrumentation that reflects a stronger understanding of jazz than most groups of this nature – and the vocals often take more of a place on the sidelines in favor of the instrumentation. The jazz sound is underscored by work from Marcio Montarroyos on trumpet and Leo Gandelman on baritone sax – and titles include "Eva", "Jorgea Corisco", "No Bom Sentido", "Raton", "Squash", "Ginga", and "Alegrias". LP, Vinyl record album

Kendrick Lamar takes wider creative left turns than ever before on To Pimp A Butterfly – with a funk steeped production style that filters tried-and-true P Funk influences through leftfield modern beatcraft styles, inspired by cats like Madlib to Thundercat, the latter of whom is an official contributor. Fresh material from an increasingly pivotal figure – who may not be revolutionizing the game on the level of the heavy critical praise he's heaped with, but he's certainly marching to his own beat, rather than chasing hits! Includes "Wesley's Theory" with George Clinton & Thundercat, "King Kunta", "These Walls" with Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, "Aright", "For Sale?", "Institutionalized" with a Slick Rick-homage of a guest verse by Snoop Dogg (sign us up for any record that gives props to The Ruler...and extra points for transplanting that style of flow to Compton), "Momma", "Hood Politics", "The Blacker The Berry", "How Much A Dollar Cost" feat James Fauntleroy & Ronald Isley, "Mortal Man" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest albums ever from the team of Harold Land and Bobby Hutcherson – and a set that's even more open than some of their other records on Blue Note or Chess! This set's a bit more electric than some of the other records from the pair – with these drawn-out Fender Rhodes lines from Bill Henderson – who comps and vamps with modal energy that really draws out some searing, searching solos from Land's tenor! Bobby's vibes are maybe a bit more restrained, but offer a key element in the overall soundshape of the record – and the rest of the lineup includes Reggie Johnson on bass, Ndugu and Woody Theus on drums, and Harold Land Jr on additional piano. All tracks are long – and titles include "Black Caucus", "Our Home", "Up & Down", and "Choma". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the wildest music we've ever heard from the legendary Jeanne Lee – and that may be because the work here comes from the archives of drummer Sven Ake Johansson, whose madness is clearly a big part of the set! The work was recorded live on the Berliner Jazztage in 1971, and features Lee's vocals with the vibes and flute of musical/life partner Gunter Hampel – but spiced up a lot with electronics from Michael Waisvisz, who uses a version of the Putney to create some really cool sounds! Freddy Gosseye plays bass, and Johansson is his usual mad self on drums – and also plays a bit of accordion and oboe. The set features a single extended improvised performance. LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty righteous set of roots material – but maybe that's no surprise, given that Fred Locks titled the album after the shipping line started by Marcus Garvey to help African-Americans get back to the homeland! On vocals, Fred's got an approach that's every bit in spirit with his rasta persona – lots of message in the music, but often delivered in a way that's nicely subtle, and partly personal – so that the politics come in alongside easygoing grooves, which maybe makes them even more powerful overall. All material is original, penned by Locks – and titles include "Wolf Wolf", "True Rastaman", "Don't Let Babylon Use You", "Vision Of Redemption", "Son Of The Almighty", and "Black Star Liners". LP, Vinyl record album

A slightly different set than some of the others in this mighty nice series – in that this entry's got a vocalist – singer Lauren Santi, who brings some very soulful, wordless moments to the album! Mario Luciano handles a great range of keyboards, and the tunes have a lean, laidback vibe that's really great – like the mellower moments on the Shaft soundtrack, or those cool cuts from a blacksploitation soundtrack when the hero's either finding love, or back home licking his wounds after a fight! Titles include "Cosmic Portals", "The Yellow Field", "Donte's French", "Excursion", "Solar Journey", "Blue Miles", "When It's Real", and "Inner Search". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the crowning achievement of drummer Makaya McCraven so far – a double-length set that stands as a huge testimony to all the many waves he's been making in jazz for the past few years! The album features four slices of live performance – recorded in New York, Chicago, LA, and London – and as with every one of his different projects, Makaya seems to bring a different voice to each live track here – recording with Brandee Younger on harp and Joel Ross on vibes in New York, Shabaka Hutchings on tenor in Chicago; Nubya Garcia on tenor and Ashley Henry on Rhodes in London; and Josh Johnson on alto, Jeff Parker on guitar, Carlos Nino on percussion, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on violin in LA! The rhythms are as amazing as the contributions from the different soloists – and the sound of the record is maybe something we'd call post-spiritual – moving past that Coltrane-inspired mode that's been revived so well in the 21st Century, while still holding onto its best sense of energy. The whole thing is fantastic – and titles include "The Count Off", "Brighter Days Beginning", "Universal Beings", "Mantra", "Young Genius", "Holy Lands", "Wise Man Wiser Woman", "Prosperity's Fear", "Atlantic Black", "Flipped Out", "Voila", and "Suite Hans". LP, Vinyl record album

A set of incredible records from Charles Mingus – all presented together in one mighty nice package! First up is Mingus Moves – a fantastic fresh new chapter in the career of Charles Mingus – a set that features the addition of two key players who would really shape his sound in the 70s – Don Pullen on piano and George Adams on tenor, both completely wonderful here! The group also features excellent trumpet from Roland Hampton, a player we don't know from many other settings – and the set also features some really nice vocal work from Honi Gordon and Doug Hammond. Titles include "Canon", "Moves", "Wee", "Flowers For A Lady", "Opus 3", and "Newcomer". CD also features bonus tracks – "Big Alice" and "The Call". Changes is key 70s work from Charles Mingus – an album that was recorded over the course of three days of creative activity at the end of 1974, but somehow split into two different albums under the Changes name! The lineup here is prime 70s Mingus – George Adams on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Don Pullen on piano – young players who really give a fresh voice to Mingus' musical ideas, and help him find this beautiful late life sense of color, tone, and timing that's completely sublime! Titles on this second volume include "Sue's Changes", "Devil Blues", "Remember Rockefeller At Attica", "Free Cell Block F Tis Nazi USA", "Black Bats & Poles", "For Harry Carney", and "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" – which features a guest appearance by Marcus Belgrave on trumpet and Jackie Paris on vocals. On 3 Or 4 Shades Of Blues, Charles Mingus is returning to the soulful gospel-influenced mode he swung big in the early 60s! The record's something of a later predecessor of the classics Blues & Roots for Atlantic and Mingus (x5) for Impulse – and the style is slightly less dramatic, but still quite steeped in soulful explorations that feature plenty of notes from the bluer side of the spectrum! Players include George Coleman and Ricky Ford on tenor, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Larry Coryell on guitar – and titles include new takes on "Better Git Hit In Your Soul" and "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" – plus"Nobody Knows", "Noddin Ya Head Blues", and "Three Or Four Shades Of Blues". Next is Cumbia & Jazz Fusion – one of the most enigmatic albums that Charles Mingus ever recorded – especially in his later years! The set features two very long tracks done by Mingus for use in a film about cocaine traffic between New York and Columbia – but considering the nature of the music, and the freely exploratory style, both numbers here stand very well on their own! Although touched with some of the Latin influences you might expect from the title, the sounds are often darker and more brooding than, say, the Mingus style on the classic Tijuana Moods set. And instead, there's a very serious soundtrack-like vibe going on through most of the set – larger jazz orchestrations used to beautifully underscore subtle themes, and breakout solo moments from players who include Mauricio Smith on flute, Paul Jeffrey on tenor sax, Jack Walrath on trumpet, and Jimmy Knepper on trombone. The album also features a fair bit of added percussion – and features two long tracks, "Cumbia & Jazz Fusion" and "Music For Todo Modo". Me Myself An Eye is complicated later work from Charles Mingus – a great illustration of the way his power to command a large ensemble never wavered as the years went on! The album features two different large groups of players – filled with modernists young and old – including Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Michael Brecker on tenors; Ronni Cuber and Pepper Adams on baritone; Randy Brecker and Jack Walrath on trumpets; Lee Konitz on alto, Larry Coryell on guitar, Slide Hampton on trombone, and Eddie Gomez on bass. Side one features the 30 minute track "Three Worlds Of Drums", and side two contains a remake of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", plus "Devil Woman" and "Carolyn Keki Mingus". Something Like A Bird is one of the last albums Charles Mingus ever gave us – before departing this planet way way too soon! The set shows the increasing sophistication of Mingus' music in these later years – a mode that almost echoes the path that Duke Ellington would take in his final decade – a move towards some larger-form material that still holds onto all the raw energy of the early days, but finds a way to not only bridge larger musical ideas – but musical generations as well! As part of this, the set's got a wonderful lineup – with Lee Konitz on alto, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, George Coleman on tenor, Eddie Gomez on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums – and titles include the long title track, "Something Like A Bird", split up over 2 sides of the LP, plus "Farewell Farwell". LP, Vinyl record album

A heady bit of work from this obscure Caribbean band – much more rock than funk, but put together with a nice combination of both in the mix! We might link these guys slightly to a group like Merda/Black Merda – maybe given some inspiration from the work of Jimi Hendrix, but sometimes coming across with an equal dose from Sly Stone as well – all of which makes for a mighty great sound in the music! Guitar, organ, and bass are very strong in the mix – and titles include "A Jam Of Love", "The Next Morning", "Faces Are Smiling", "Back To The Stone Age", and "Life". LP, Vinyl record album

The essential early 90s classic by The Pharcyde, the group's high water mark, and one of the greatest hip hop albums of the era! Along with Del and the Souls Of Mischief, the Pharcyde were one of the few West Coast units to achieve any kind of widespread popularity using the uniquely loopy, funhouse kinda of vibe of De La Soul, Black Sheep and Tribe Called Quest in their lighter moments. Features the classics "Passing Me By", "Soul Flower", "Ya Mama", "I'm That Type Of Ni@*a", "Officer", "4 Better Or 4 Worse", "Return Of The B-Boys", and lots more. LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the post-Hendrix tradition of funky black rock – and the only album ever recorded by Cleveland's Purple Image! The approach here follows nicely in the same territory worked by Funkadelic and Fugi in the early days – a heady, fuzzed-up blend of trippy guitars, heavy rhythms, and some nice sweeter soul touches – all in a mode that swings nicely between really messed-up tunes, and others with a lighter, more soul-based approach. Side two of the record is dominated by the great jamming track "Marching to a Different Drummer" – easily enough to rival anything on Funkadelic's Free Your Mind album – and other cuts include "Living In the Ghetto", "Why", "Lady", and "We Got To Pull Together". LP, Vinyl record album

Black Milk, Sean Prince and Guilty Simpson swingin' it as Random Axe! A solid underground hip hop supergroup that's notable for bridging Detroit to Brooklyn – but more than that, it's simply solid, worthwhile modern hip hop from cats who care about the quality. Includes "Zoo Drugs", "Random Calls", "Black Ops" feat Fat Ray", "Chewbacca" feat Roc Marciano, "The Hex", "Monster Babies", "4 In The Box", "Shirley C" feat Fatt Father, "Never Back Down", "Understand This" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to get more powerful and progressive than the message this title – an indication that the record is one of the boldest in the Tribe Records catalog from the 70s – which is saying a lot, given the force of the legendary Detroit label! Trombonist Phil Ranelin is at his best here – not just as a soloist, but also as a guiding spiritual force – as he works here with a very progressive ensemble who are somewhere between Sun Ra's Arkestra and some of the loft jazz groups to come – effortlessly mixing free instrumental solo passages with more rhythmic pulsations – adding in electric elements in just the right way, to almost create a cosmic tension in the acoustic core of the performance. Keith Vreeland is listed as the pianist – and we're not sure if it's him who plays the weird and wonderful keyboards on the record, but they're totally great – mixed with Ranelin's work on trombone, plus Wendell Harrison on tenor, Marcus Belgrave on flugelhorn, Charles Moore on trumpet, and Harou El Nil on alto – plus strong work from two drummers, George Davidson and Bili Turner, each in one side of the mix – and bass from John Dana or Reggie Fields. This is message-oriented spiritual jazz at its best – and titles include "13th & Senate", "Black Destiny", "Time Is Running Out", "He The One We All Knew", and "The Time Is Now For A Change". LP, Vinyl record album

It's hard to get more powerful and progressive than the message this title – an indication that the record is one of the boldest in the Tribe Records catalog from the 70s – which is saying a lot, given the force of the legendary Detroit label! Trombonist Phil Ranelin is at his best here – not just as a soloist, but also as a guiding spiritual force – as he works here with a very progressive ensemble who are somewhere between Sun Ra's Arkestra and some of the loft jazz groups to come – effortlessly mixing free instrumental solo passages with more rhythmic pulsations – adding in electric elements in just the right way, to almost create a cosmic tension in the acoustic core of the performance. Keith Vreeland is listed as the pianist – and we're not sure if it's him who plays the weird and wonderful keyboards on the record, but they're totally great – mixed with Ranelin's work on trombone, plus Wendell Harrison on tenor, Marcus Belgrave on flugelhorn, Charles Moore on trumpet, and Harou El Nil on alto – plus strong work from two drummers, George Davidson and Bili Turner, each in one side of the mix – and bass from John Dana or Reggie Fields. This is message-oriented spiritual jazz at its best – and titles include "13th & Senate", "Black Destiny", "Time Is Running Out", "He The One We All Knew", and "The Time Is Now For A Change". Very cool 2LP pressing – with alternate takes of three tracks on the album! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant 80s set from Pharoah Sanders – a record that has him a much more understated setting than some of his other albums from the time – but one that's maybe even more soulful and searching overall! The great one plays blistering tenor right from the start – in a quartet with John Hicks on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all players who have this way of doing a lot with a little, especially in the rhythm department – where they seem to give Sanders some of his strongest sense of groove since the key albums for Theresa. Muhammad's got this tight sense of timekeeping, but with a looseness that we love – and Lundy's warm soulful bass does more than enough to give the set a sound bottom – and Hicks' free lyrical piano works nicely with Sanders' spiritual horn. Titles include a remake of "You've Got To Have Freedom", plus "Naima", "Origin", "Speak Low", "After The Morning", and "Africa". Also features the tracks "Duo" and "Heart To Heart" – not on the original vinyl release! LP, Vinyl record album

Archie Shepp is one of the most unique players in jazz – an artist who started out completely avant at the beginning of his career, then moved to spiritual jazz explorations, then to straighter jazz material in later decades – but always with all that knowledge of the edges and farther realms of jazz he explored in his other music! That's definitely the case here – as Shepp takes on a host of ballads, but with all these edges and dark passages that are completely different than you'd hear from any other player – cast beautifully with help from Horace Parlan on piano, Wayne Dockery on bass, and Steve McRaven on drums. Shepp blows alto and tenor, and in addition to the titles "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Lush Life", "Angel Eyes", "All Too Soon", and "Embraceable You" – the set also features Shepp originals "Deja Vu" and "I Know About The Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful – simply beautiful – one of the greatest Wayne Shorter albums for Blue Note, and one of our favorite jazz albums ever! The record is a masterpiece of lyrical delight – soul jazz mixed with slight touches of experimentalism – but still warm, swinging, and personal enough to captivate even the most novice jazz listener. A players are at the top of their game – and in addition to Shorter's tenor, the group features Lee Morgan on trumpet, McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. The tracks unfold in lyrical, modal beauty in a really wonderful way that was barely ever duplicated again – and titles include "Night Dreamer", "Oriental Folk Song", "Virgo", "Charcoal Blues", "Armageddon", and "Black Nile". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest rock albums to come out of Detroit in the 60s – even if these guys aren't as well known as The Stooges or MC5! There's a similar brilliance here, though – a heady brew of ripping guitars, burning Hammond, and massively pounding drums – all recorded with a slightly garagey edge and expansively searching quality that stretches things out without overindulging in too much jamming. There's also a really dark feel to the record too – one that has the same sense of danger and urgency as SRC's bigger contemporaries, yet never sounds forced. Titles include "Onesimpletask", "Daystar", "Exile", "Marionette", "Black Sheep", and "Refugeve". LP, Vinyl record album

When the album starts with a heavy drumbreak, you know you're in different territory than usual for Henry Threadgill – yet that's always also the appeal of his music, that we never know what to expect! Drummer Gene Lake cooks up the set right from the start, but a key part of the sound is also from the twin electric guitar work of Brandon Ross and Masujaa on guitars – both players who create these intertwining chromatic elements that are really beautiful, in a bass-less group that's balanced out by deep end work on two tubas, handled by Marcus Rojas and Edwin Rodriguez! The pace changes quickly as the album moves on – into territory that's more spare, and more filled with the kind of tonal, color-based explorations that Threadgill does so well. The leader blows alto and flute, Curtis Fowlkes is also in the group on trombone – and titles include "Exacto", "In The Ring", "Hope A Hope A", "Bee Dee Aff", "Drivin You Slow & Crazy", and "First Church Of This". LP, Vinyl record album

Really evocative work from pianist Mal Waldron – a rare Japanese session cut with trumpeter Terumasa Hino, and a hip group of players who really make the set sparkle! The album's easily one of the most spiritual that Mal ever cut – and features two side long tracks that build beautifully, with soaring, searching rhythms that are unlike anything else we've ever heard in another Waldron record. Other players include Takao Uematsu on tenor, Isao Suzuki on bass, and Motohiko Hino on drums – and the set also feature added percussion, which really adds to the spiritual quality of the music. Titles include "Reminiscent Suite" and "Black Forest". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool shift for this very hip group – a set of sweet exotica numbers, after a previous record of blacksploitation grooves – yet one that's every bit as funky as the previous album, thanks to all the right instrumental touches! At the top, the music has lots of older exotica touches – percussion, vibes, harp, and other exotic elements – but at the bottom, there's some heavier grooves – working with the sounds on the top, all at a level that's maybe somewhere in the territory of a hip kung fu soundtrack – or as if Martin Denny were asked to score a film called Shaft In Hawaii! Titles include "Exotique", "Sun Harp", "Astra-Desia", "Enter The Palace", "Iron Tusk", "Mirage", "Secrets In The Sand", and "The Second Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

Spiritual sounds and a heck of a lot more – served up by Ndiko Xaba, an expatriate South African musician who was working in Oakland at the time of this record – fusing together the roots of his homeland with some wonderfully free and open American jazz styles! At times, there's a bit of a Dollar Brand vibe in Xaba's piano – long lines, with a really compelling pulse – but other times, the music opens up with the kind of searching freedoms you'd hear on the AACM scene of the time – mixing together righteous styles with inventive musical expression! The great Plunky – of Oneness Of Juju fame – is in the group on tenor, soprano sax, and flute – and the record also features Black Fire labelmate Lon Moshe on vibes and percussion, plus additional percussion, bass, and drums. Titles include "Freedom", "Flight", "Nomusa", "Makohsi", and "Shwabada". LP, Vinyl record album

Brazilian funk, Brooklyn style – and one of the hippest collections of Brazilian grooves we've ever heard! The collection was put together by New York DJs Sean Marquand and Greg Caz – and it's got a wickedly funky vibe that comes from plenty of 70s samba soul! The style here is really different than other Brazilian Beats titles from Mr Bongo – as the work here is all classic, and chosen from a really fresh perspective – the new wave of interest in this music that's been bubbling up from the American underground, with a completely different perspective on the grooves from older scenes in Rio, Tokyo, or London! Most tracks here should be new to your ears – and although some of the tracks here have been reissued before, but they really come alive in different ways, thanks to the depth and careful pacing of the set. 22 tracks in all – with titles that include "Cafua" by Nonato, "Taieiras" by Ely Camargo, "Jeep" by Erasmo Carlos, "Cobra Criada" by Joao Bosco, "E Necessario" by Tim Maia, "Marcas" by Quarteto Uai, "Skim Dum Dum Dum" by Ana Rosely, "Black Soul Brothers" by Miguel De Deus, "Mais Kriola" by Helio Matheus, "A Festa" by Silvio Cesar, "Tava Mas Nao Tava" by Edson Frederico, "Uma Rosa Pra Dita" by Os Increveis, "Aleluia" by Robson Jorge & Licoln Olivetti, and "Beija-Flor Suite" by Chalo Eduardo. LP, Vinyl record album

That's "bards" of prey, not birds of pray – a great selection of country singers, really doing their best on a well-chosen batch of unusual material! There's some of the slight doom/gloom themes going on here that you'll find in other material from the Hillbillies In Hell series – but there's also maybe a more expansive ear for the music too, maybe more thoughtfulness for the quality of the vocals instead of the oddness of the tune – an effort that we can wholeheartedly endorse! Titles include "Afraid To Rock The Boat" by Roy Clark, "The Little Bird" by John D Loudermilk, "Hell Walks The Street" by Shirl Milete, "Ballad Of Black Mountain" by Mac Curtis, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin" by Hayden Thompson, "Sing & Shout" by T Tommy & The Chanters, "Hell Bound Train" by David Rodgers, "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down" by Slim & Zella Mae Cox, and "Listen To The Devil Laugh" by Dave Baker. And oddly, a few tracks here are repeated in other versions, by other singers too! LP, Vinyl record album

From the end of the 70s onward, the Italian Black Saint record label offered up some of the most high quality spiritual and avant jazz of the time – really taking over where American record companies had dropped the ball, and allowing a huge wave of new energy from both older musicians and a younger generation who might never have gotten the right level of exposure, had Black Saint (and related Soul Note imprint) stepped into the scene! This package offers up some of the coolest cuts from Black Saint – and has an especially strong focus on the work that the label did to carry forward older spiritual sounds, especially those first unlocked on Impulse Records – a legacy that really comes through strongly here. Titles include "Love On A Far Away Planet" and "Mayan Temples" by Sun Ra, "Song For Mozambique/Sea Of Faces" by Archie Shepp, "Guitar Vibes" by Karl Berger, "Tap Dancer" by Oliver Lake, "Ode To The Flower Maiden" by John Carter, "Mama Marimba" by Joseph Jarman and Donh Moye, "Sixth Sense" by Don Pullen, "Hattie Wall" by World Saxophone Quartet, "Laja" by Muhal Richard Abrams, and "Metamusician's Stomp" by Andrew Cyrille & Maono. LP, Vinyl record album

Wildly eclectic compilation with tracks by Charles Bradley & The Menahan Street Band, Ethan & Maya Hawke, Mac DeMarco all covering tracks by Rodriguez, Betty Davis, Haruomi Hosono and others in the LITA catalog! LP, Vinyl record album

The Perfect Toy label has an amazing way of coming up with grooves we've never heard before – really rare tracks that make us dig each new release from the label – just as they keep on digging for more rare records to make their releases great! We've been Hammond fans for decades – and always have searched ourselves for all sorts of rare organ jazz and soul gems – yet even with that experience, we'd never come across most of these cuts – which are from rare singles and obscure albums, and show that there's a heck of a lot to discover in the world of jazz organ, once you get past Blue Note and Prestige Records! Most numbers here are small combo funk – and titles include "Beware Of The Dog" by The Group Solo, "Miss Delores Funk" by Soul Brothers, "A Soulful Feeling" by The Tears, "Corporation" by Timmy Sims & His Organ Combo, "Nervous Conclusion" by The Cherry Fogg, "A Ritual Melody" by Black River Circus, "Harbor Melon" by The Young Ones, and "Theme For Billy" by Kurt Watkins & Soul Sister 7. LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous entry in this wonderful series – a set that proudly proclaims its contents with the "NOW" on the cover! Back when the Spiritual Jazz series first started on the Jazzman label, the music was mostly relegated to material of the John Coltrane generation and the generation that followed – but in the past decade or so, there's been a huge explosion in new artists that explore the deeper, more righteous currents of jazz – music that's pulled in from the farther reaches of free improvisation, to righteous, message-oriented styles that often mix modal rhythms with more exploratory solo passages. Yet this new generation is hardly slavish to the sounds of Impulse Records – as they've really moved beyond, and have used a globe's worth of influences and new 21st Century concepts to bring fresh spirit to the music – opening things up in ways that have made this new movement one of our greatest sources of inspiration in recent years. This double-length entry is a fantastic overview of the sounds that are currently reshaping the planet – and titles on volume 2 include "Flute Song" by Wildflower, "Slow Sweet Burn" by Abeeku, "Palms To Heaven" by The Cosmic Range, "Nova" by Menagerie, "Avo's Tune" by Teemu Akerblom Quartet, "Paris" by Jonas Kullhammar, "Vessels" by The Jamie Saft Quartet, "What Do I Tell My Children Who Are Black "by Angel Bat Dawid, "Trane's Groove" by Carla Marciano, "For Coltrane" by Steve Reid Foundation, "Empty Streets" by Vibration Black Finger, and "Memory Ritual" by The Pyramids. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the deepest-digging entries in this wonderful series – a set that explores the wealth of spiritual jazz issued on small indie labels in the 70s – material that's sometimes referred to as "private", although that's really just a factor of how little circulation these records saw back in the day! As is well-known, the 60s influence of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy set countless fires on players in the generation that followed – including some older musicians who really changed up their groove in the post-Coltrane energy, and recorded material that was full of searing solos, modal rhythms, and a new sort of spiritual vibe! The set features plenty of nuggets from that time – including some very rare 45s – and even includes one or two earlier tracks, which makes for a great span of sounds within. As always with Jazzman, the detailed notes are as great as the track selection – and titles include "By The Grace Of God" by Erni Clark, "Ethiopia" by Carmelo Garcia, "Desiree Song" by Bobby Jackson, "Pharoah's Thing" by Compass, "Symbiosis" by Almanac, "A'Keem" by Cullen Knight, "Themes & Variations" by Black Is, "Middle Eastern Fantasy" by Radam Schwartz & Leslie Ford, "Spanish Boots (parts 1 & 2)" by Don Menza, and "Delilah" by Andrew McPherson. LP, Vinyl record album

The Trojan Records label was a pivotal force in taking reggae to a larger audience at the end of the 60s – pushing a huge amount of Jamaican artists into the global scene, and forever helping the sound of music in the process! Trojan was especially heavy in the years of ska and rocksteady, and this package is filled with some of the key cuts the label helped put on the map – tracks that are classic numbers from the early reggae years, and which had a hell of a lot of power both in Jamaica, and overseas in the UK! 2LP set features 28 tracks in all – and titles include "007" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Double Barrel" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "Everything I Own" by Ken Boothe, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & The Aces, "Let Your Yeah Be Yeah" by The Pioneers, "54 46 Was My Number" by the Maytals, "Monkey Spanner" by Dave & Ansel Collins, "OK Fred" by Errol Dunkley, "Girlie Girlie" by Sophia George, "Money In My Pocket" by Dennis Brown, "Black Pearl" by Horace Faith, "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Desmond Dekker, and "To Be Young Gifted & Black" by Bob & Marcia. LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous look at one of the coolest jazz labels of all time – and one that has an especially strong focus on the more spiritual side of its music! The paired Black Saint and Soul Note labels came along from the Italian scene right at a time when so many other American companies were shutting their doors – former spiritual jazz powerhouses like Strata East, Impulse, and Black Jazz were moving beyond the music, or disappearing entirely – which made the role of Black Saint/Soul Note such a crucial one! The company came into the game at a time of boundless creativity in American jazz – and really captured a post-Coltrane generation that was brimming over with fire and new ideas, but just needed a place to find expression – which it did at the label, who recorded dozens of albums in the space of less than a decade, nearly all of which have gone onto become classics over the years. And while there's a side of the label that's much more free jazz and avant garde, the cuts here reflect a Black Saint/Soul Note that's just slightly inside – tunes that are still freewheeling, but also have a rhythmic core – and the kinds of open, soaring solos that were first inspired in the 60s generation of Coltrane and Shepp. The choice of cuts is great – similar to the others in the If Music series – and titles include "Mr Seven" by M'Booom, "Joycie Girl" by Don Pullen with Sam Rivers, "Il Giro Del Giorno In 80 Mondi" by Enrico Rava, "Oasis" by Hamiet Bluiett, "Confessin" by John Stubblefield, "Joobubie" by George Adams & Dannie Richmond, "Verde Que Eu Te Quero Ver" by Rava String Band, "Down Home In New York" by Archie Shepp, "BK" by Air, and "The Nagual Julian" by Billy Bang Sextet. LP, Vinyl record album