Beautifully free alto work from Byron Allen – a player who really shines brightly on this rare session for ESP Records – one of the few ever cut under his own name! Allen's got a style that's right up there with the 60s best from Ornette Coleman or Marion Brown – able to move with a fluidity that's breathless, even amidst rhythms that are very loose and open – as the trio here works in a style that almost echoes some of the harmelodic modes of Coleman, but which eventually pushes farther towards the freedoms of other artists on ESP! The set has some wonderful bass from Maceo Gilchrist, whose round, rolling tones really make the album sparkle – as do the punctuated drums of Ted Robinson. Titles include "Today's Blues Tomorrow", "Time Is Past", "Three Steps In The Right Direction", and "Decision For The Cole-Man". CD

A bigger step into a piano led jazzy style from Allen Toussaint – grooving in a timeless Crescent City influenced sound – a wonderful record, one we'll go back to for years to come! Allen's been a huge part of the New Orleans musical landscape for many, many years, and it's not a stretch to imagine he's had the laidback, but evocative jazz of the territory in his blood for just as long – so it's a wonder that he hasn't made a record like this before now. There's nothing cliche or cheesy in Allen's work here, which has kind of an after hours vibe that suits it well, and he's put together an outstanding group of players. Marc Ribot is on guitar, Don Byron on clarinet, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, David Piltch on upright bass, Jay Bellarose on drums, and guests Joshua Redman on tenor sax and Brad Mehldau on piano. Titles include "Egyptian Fantasy", "Dear Old Southland", "St James Infirmary", "Singin' The Blues", "Winin' The Blues", West End Blues", "Blue Drag", "Bright Mississippi", "Day Dream", "Solitude" and more. CD

Allen Lowe on ternor saxophone, Julius Hemphill on alto saxophone, Don Byron on clarinet, Jeff Fuller on bass, Ray Kaczynski on drums & Jay Gitlin on accordian. CD

A fantastic album of spacey keyboards, and one of the most abstract albums from the team of Matt Cooper and Andreas Allen. The tracks have the band's usual slow funky feel (which we love!), but there's also a very strong focus on electronic keys – played in a bubbling 70s style that sounds like it was lifted from a lost soundtrack, or some killer CTI session. Titles include "Piano-scape", "The Moon After The Fall", "Sketchbook Of A Voyage", and "Finding ALH84001". There's some nice guest appearances, including a trumpet solo by Byron Wallen – and the whole album's a very tight package, and a must for fans of Marc Moulin, Slide Five, or Chris Bowden. CD

A really wonderful album from the height of the exotica years – but a set that's got a fair bit more jazz in the mix than most from that generation too! Gene Rains plays vibes – and moves between moodier moments, ala Martin Denny/Arthur Lyman, and more straightforward jazz styles – which often have some great modal elements in the mix! The Rains group played hotels in Hawaii during the late 50s and early 60s – but are maybe more like a Pacific take on territory of the Quartette Tres Bien, thanks to strong work from Allen Watanabe on drums, Archie Grant on bass, and Byron Peterson on piano. Titles include "Mapuana", "Bancock Cock Fight", "Tiki", "Off Shore", "Shadow Of Love", "Jasmine & Jade", and "Lonely Winter". CD

A nicely electrified set from trumpeter Wallace Roney – working here in a style that has plenty of moody backdrops on Fender Rhodes, plus some really snapping percussion from drummer Eric Allen! There's a sound here that's clearly inspired by 70s Miles, but which also moves through a range of more recent expression, and which often reminds us of work from French trumpeter Erik Truffaz on his first few Blue Note albums. Some of the tracks are more acoustic and straightforward, in the manner of Roney's earlier albums – and players include Adam Holzman on Fender Rhodes, Geri Allen on acoustic keys, Antoine Roney on tenor and soprano saxes, and Matt Garrison on bass. Guest performers include Don Byron on bass clarinet, Clifton Anderson on trombone, and DJ Logic on turntables – and titles include "Cyberspace", "Shadow Dance", "Prototype", "Then & Now", "Secret Identity", and "Three Views Of The Blues". CD

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Fantastic work from the team of Binker Golding and Moses Boyd – a pair who just seem to get more and more fantastic with each new album – as they do here, with some heavy-hitting help from Evan Parker on tenor and soprano sax, and Byron Wallen on trumpet! Yet the most compelling addition might be drummer Yussef Days – who works alongside the drums of Moses, to create this really dynamic two-drum sound to the group – one that's really explosive right from the start, especially when the tenor of Golding gets wrapped around the horns of Parker and Wallen! Tori Handsley also plays harp on the record, and can really change up the sound when her approach is strong – on titles that include "Children Of The Ultra Blacks", "How Land Learnt To Be Still", "The Death Of Light", "The Discovery Of Human Flesh", and "How Air Learnt To Move". CD

London's Total Refreshment Centre has been one of the world's hippest musical venues in recent years – a fantastic showcase for all the sorts of groundbreaking, genre-busting work that's been happening in the city – as well as host to some equally free-thinking artists from around the globe! There's not set styles here – music moves easily between jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, and some more cosmic styles at times – similar to the energy of the International Anthem label's more inventive projects – one of whom appear on the set. Many of these artists have not gotten the full exposure they're due, either releasing material on small labels or just online – and it's wonderful to have all this material pulled together in such a great statement on the forefront of jazz in the 2020s! Titles include "Closed Circle" by Byron Wallen, "Visions" by Soccer 96 with Kieron Boothe, "Crescent (city swamp dub)" by Jake Long, "Eloquence" by Matters Unknown with Miryam Solomon, "Isa"by Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange with Noah Slee, "Black" by Neu Grafik with Brother Portrait, and a nice reworking of the Stanley Cowell classic "Plight" by Resavoir. CD

An overlooked bit of spiritual jazz from the 90s – issued at a time when the South African scene was really hitting a new level of creative energy, even though much of it wasn't always recognized by audiences over here in the US! The set's got this powerful fusion of ideas – older South African jazz styles mixed with new inspirations from other points of the globe, especially London – as keyboardist Moses Taiwa Molelekwa plays piano, Fender Rhodes, and other keyboards in shifting settings that are often very heavy on percussion and bass, used in differing ways that evoke a more global sense of rhythm. The album also features work from Dennis Rollins on trombone, Frances Reardon on bass clarinet, Khaya Mahlangu on soprano sax, Byron Wallen on trumpet, Rowland Sutherland on flute, and Lawrence Matshiza on guitar – and there's a bit of vocals on the record from Flora Purim, Max Mntambo, and Lungiswa Plaatijes, plus a bit from Moses himself. The vibe is somewhere in the territory of some of the excellent Sheer Sound jazz releases at the end of the last century – and titles include "Spirits Of Tembisa", "Sogra", "Genes & Spirits", "Tsala", "Wa Mpona", "Kwaze Kwangcono", "Rapela", "Dance To Africa", and "Ntatemoholo". CD

Great work from our favorite Japanese soul star – a nice batch of remixes, filled with guest appearances by the likes of Incognito, Basement Jaxx, Shinichi Osawa, Soul Society, Byron Wallen, Rob Playford, and others – all packaged in an extremely captivating cover with great graphics! Titles include "You Make Me (Shin Shin's Mix)", "Yellow Bird (Incognito Capoeira Mix)", "Cruel 2 Be Kind (Basement Jaxx Nite Dub)", "Change Of Scenery", "Double Image (Live At Manic One Remix)", "Love Flow (Mango Margarita Mix)", and "Freed Or Bound (Reconsideration Mix)". Very nice stuff, with more focus on the dancefloor side of Monday's work, than the pop-hook sort of side. A mixture of jazzy bits, drum and bass bits, and lots more! LP, Vinyl record album

London's Total Refreshment Centre has been one of the world's hippest musical venues in recent years – a fantastic showcase for all the sorts of groundbreaking, genre-busting work that's been happening in the city – as well as host to some equally free-thinking artists from around the globe! There's not set styles here – music moves easily between jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, and some more cosmic styles at times – similar to the energy of the International Anthem label's more inventive projects – one of whom appear on the set. Many of these artists have not gotten the full exposure they're due, either releasing material on small labels or just online – and it's wonderful to have all this material pulled together in such a great statement on the forefront of jazz in the 2020s! Titles include "Closed Circle" by Byron Wallen, "Visions" by Soccer 96 with Kieron Boothe, "Crescent (city swamp dub)" by Jake Long, "Eloquence" by Matters Unknown with Miryam Solomon, "Isa"by Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange with Noah Slee, "Black" by Neu Grafik with Brother Portrait, and a nice reworking of the Stanley Cowell classic "Plight" by Resavoir. LP, Vinyl record album