Sublime overseas work from these two legendary musicians – both players from different scenes in the US, and who never would have crossed paths back in the day – but who really sparkle here with a sense of brilliance that brings out the best in both artists! There's no other accompaniment at all – just the piano of Horace Parlan alongside the tenor and soprano sax of Archie Shepp – right at that point when Shepp was exploring more conventional structures of jazz, but with all the knowledge he'd learned from the avant scene – which makes for wonderfully soulful ballads here that are unlike anything you might expect. Parlan is great too – stretching out in the very resonant space of the recording – and titles include "Deep River", "Goin Home", "Amazing Grace", "Go Down Moses", and "My Lord What A Morning". LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked bit of Japanese soul, and a rare album done by an American singer who was working on the scene at the time! Shoody sings in English throughout, with a soulful style that's wonderful – mixing her own great vocals with jazzy backings in a level that's a bit like some of the Japanese fusion of the late 70s that was recorded over in Cali when an American singer might drop in vocals on a track or two! Yet here, the vocals are throughout, and work wonderfully with the backings put together by Hiroyuki Namba, who plays keyboards throughout the record too. Shoody steps out on a few mellower cuts too – and titles include "Tokyo Melody", "AM Lonely", "Don't Say Hello Say Goodbye", "Melodies Of Love", "Chased The Blue", "Ecstasy", and "Tomorrow's Child". LP, Vinyl record album

John Tchicai plays the music of Thelonious Monk, and a few of his own tunes too – in a wonderful set that shows beautifully why we always look out for work from this enigmatic saxophonist! There's definitely a Monkish vibe to the record, but Tchicai's approach is often quite personal too – creating warmth where others might have kept things angular, or changing up the pacing of the tunes – so that he's always leaving a very strong imprint of his own on the recordings, and not just covering too-familiar Monk territory. Each tune has a slightly different execution – and many numbers have John stepping out sparely, blowing in the lead – but with some warmth and depth that's quite different than the coldness of his modern moments from years back. And there's also a bit of Hammond on the record – played by George Colligan, who also alternates on piano – and use of that instrument really makes for a fresh sound too – a wonderful change that's almost like some 60s soul jazz take on Monk. Bass is by Steve Laspina and drums are by Billy Drummond – and titles include "Monk's Mood", "Coming On The Hudson", "Light Blue", "Ugly Beauty", "Ruby My Dear", and "Cool Copy". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweetly funky and very slinky – this is one of the best early 70s scores by the great Italian composer Piero Umiliani! The record has lots of bubbling electric piano, rumbling electric basslines, warm acoustic percussion, and moody wordless vocals. At some level, the album sounds a lot like the contemporaneous work by the great Italian Fender Rhodes combo Crossfire – but it's also filled with a spacey madness that could only come from the pen of Umiliani! One of the best of the recent Easy Tempo reissues – and very nicely put together, with a consistent sound throughout! Titles include "The Body", "Tidal Stream", "Chaser", "White Sand", "In The End", "Free Life", "Stream", and "Dusken". LP, Vinyl record album

Really beautiful later work from the great Mary Lou Williams – and one of the key records that shows just how much she'd evolved as a player since the early days! Part of the strength of the record is the rhythm work from Buster Williams on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – slightly more contemporary players who open up with a sense of warmth that Williams can't help but address – still work on the keyboard of the piano that's very much her own, and touched with the modern elements of her early days – but wonderfully sensitive in all the right ways, a richness that's perfect for the spiritual jazz generation of the 70s. Titles include the completely amazing "Baby Man", plus "Dat Dere", "Temptation", "Pale Blue", "Blues For Timme", "All Blues", and "Free Spirits". LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly wonderful trio record – from a time when Chet Baker was exploring a whole new side of his talents! The group features just Doug Raney on guitar and Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass – which gives Chet a lot of room to open up – and he takes advantage of that fact to create all these wonderfully airy, sensitive lines on the trumpet – blowing in a completely different style than the classic years, and in a way that always makes us love these later albums so much! Tracks are all nice and long – and tunes include "Sad Walk", "In Your Own Sweet Way", "Someday My Prince Will Come", and "I'm Old Fashioned". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a trio of fantastic performances recorded by tenor giant Dexter Gordon at the Zurich Jazz Festival in 1975 – a set that has him blowing with all that late-life brilliance he brought to his best European recordings of the time! Yet also, possibly because of the festival setting, there's a sharpness here that's a bit different than some of Gordon's small club live dates of the period – this great sense of energy that comes through right away, and which also seems to come from the rest of the group too – a quartet lineup that includes Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums. Titles on this second volume include "Wave", "Darn That Dream", "Rhythm A Ning", "There Is No Greater Love", and "Sticky Wicket". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strongest statements ever recorded by bassist Sam Jones – a wickedly soulful session that cooks on all burners! The album's got a rich depth that far surpasses most of Jones' trio sessions – and is a full quintet album, with Terumasa Hino on cornet, Bob Berg on tenor, Ronnie Matthews on piano, and Al Foster on drums. Matthews' strong and soulful lines really push the whole group along – stretching out with modal energy that really seems to set the horns free. All tracks are extremely fresh, and played at a level that brings out the best we'd expect from the players – possibly more in fact – and the record's an under-appreciated gem in the Steeplechase catalog of the 70s! Titles include "Del Sasser", "Visitation", "Occurrence", "Jean Marie", and "Before You". LP, Vinyl record album

The funky side of New Orleans soul – from a series that has been giving us some of the best underground nuggets for many years, and at a level that goes farther than most of the 60s-centric collections of Crescent City funk! This time around, there's a great rare unissued track from Robert Parker – the excellent instrumental take of "The Hiccup", paired with his vocal version of the tune too – next to titles that include "What's His Name Black Samson" by Willie West, "Stink Bomb" by Eddie Bo, "Tweedie Pie" by Raymond Winnfield, "Da Boys From Across The Tracks" by George Porter's Joy Ride, "Accept What You Expect" by Louisiana Purchase, "Water Hole" by Sam & The Soul Machine, "Things Could Be Better" by Raymond Winnfield, and "Sweet Thing" by Willie Tee. LP, Vinyl record album

A long-overdue return to form for this legendary compilation series – and one that presents a huge number of rare cuts, with a very cool approach! Side one is vocal, and side two is instrumental – and together, both sides serve up the kind of hard-edged material that make the New Orleans scene of the late 60s/early 70s such a treasure trove for lovers of funky 45s – maybe even more fantastic in this generation than in the better-known Crescent City scene of the early 60s. There's loads of killers here – vocal tracks that include "Get On Up (part 1)" by Chuck Conway & The Amars, "Sooky Feeling (part 2)" by Brotherhood, "Fly In My Pie" by Tommy Ridgley, "You Got To Do Better" by Lonnie Jones, "Little Boy Blue" by Buck Sinegal, and "You Don't Know How To Turn Me On" by Deacon John – and instrumental tracks that include "Funky Jaws" by Larry Jones, "Bumping" by Tyrone Chestnut, "Accept What You Expect" by Louisiana Purchase, "Don't Change Nothin" by The Scram Band, "Getting To The Middle (part 2)" by Eddie Bo, and "Hard To Handle" by Anthony Butler & The Invaders. LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible return to form for Billy Harper – and a landmark album recorded at the end of the 80s, when we'd all but given up on him! The session returns Billy to the majesty of his 70s work – placing him in the setting of long tracks, modal rhythms, and spiritual motivation – the uniquely Harper territory first forged with Lee Morgan and Max Roach, sounding better than ever here, with all the confidence of his youth. The group's a quintet – with Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Francesca Tanksley on piano, Clarence Seay on bass, and Newman Baker on drums – working perfectly as a unit, with a power level that's simply amazing. Harper's the main star, reaching towards the heavens with some incredible solos – but he also clearly knows that he wouldn't be able to do what he does without the great level of support he's getting from the rest of the group. Tracks include "Destiny Is Yours", "If One Could Only See", "Groove From Heaven", "The One That Makes The Rain Stop", and "East West Exodus". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great 70s album from avant piano legend Andrew Hill – and a set that's a nice change from the majority of solo and trio material that he mostly recorded during the decade! This group has key work from Jimmy Vass on soprano, alto, and flute – a player we don't know at all, but who brings some soulful energy to the set in a really great way – almost bridging the spirit of Hill's late Blue Note classic Grass Roots with some of the more freewheeling material he was doing in other settings at the time. The rest of the group features superb rhythm from Leroy Williams on drums and Chris White on bass – the latter of whom has all these rolling changes that really keep the album on rock-solid territory. The title cut – "Divine Revelation" – is a long piece, running for over 25 minutes, and going a bit out, but never too much – and other tracks include "Snake Hip Waltz", "July 10th", and "East 9th Street". LP, Vinyl record album

Japanese jazz musician Yuji Ohno is best known for his soundtrack work for the long-running Lupin The Third, but during the 70s he also opened up his talents on a whole host of different ways – mixing familiar jazz funk scoring styles of the time with maybe a more offbeat approach to the overall soundtrack – so that there's sometimes a nice shift between different moods from tune to tune, and a vibe that's a cool change from American work of the period! This set is definitely one of Ohno's best from the time, and is filled with lots of Fender Rhodes, plus flute, vibes, sax solos, and other jazzy elements – balanced with larger arrangements that never overwhelm too much, and which are maybe in that late 70s style of some of the Creed Taylor work for Kudu Records! Titles include "Being Chased", "Cesca's Emergency", "Golden Dog", "Eyes In The Dark", "Beyond The Twilight", "A Challenge To Lie", and "Love Does Not Return". LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Chip Wickham just seems to get deeper and deeper with each new release – the kind of "instant classic" territory that few jazz musicians seem to hit so effortlessly – and exactly the kind of record that's had us loving Chip's music from the very first record! The groove is mostly modal, and the group has this great blend of bass, drums, and percussion that rolls along with a wonderfully fluid quality – almost in the nascent spirituality of a player like Yusef Lateef in the early 60s, but with a lot more contemporary understanding too – especially as Wickham adds in elements from the harp of Amanda Whiting, trumpet of Eoin Grace, and vibes of Ton Risco! Phil Wilkonson handles the piano with a majestic sort of grace – and Chip blows both flutes and tenor, on titles that include "Dark Eyes", "Tubby Chaser", "Winter", "Lower East Side", "Stratospheric", and "The Hit". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's almost redundant – as the words "Westbound" and "Funk" mean virtually the same thing! From the late 60s through the mid 70s, Westbound was one of the key record labels in the sound of raw heavy funk – working with hit groups like Funkadelic and the Ohio Players to craft a sound that laid the blueprint for countless other groups of the time, and also featuring a wealth of obscurer artists with an even harder-hitting sound! The key styles of Westbound and related jazz label Eastbound were heavy and fuzzy ones – picking up off the heady and trippy styles of the late 60s Detroit scene, mixing things up with MC5 guitars, Norman Whitfield bass, and deep underground Tribe-styled jazz touches. This 20 track masterpiece is a brilliant summation of the important Westbound sound – and includes a few hits, some funky 45 classics, and an even bigger number of tracks we might not have heard otherwise! The notes are great, the tunes are super-funky, and the whole thing's one of the best funky collections you could ever hope to purchase. Titles include "You're Messing Up My Mind" by Albert Washington, "Back To Funk" by Robert Lowe, "You Caught Me Smilin" by The 19th Whole, "Conga Man" by King Errison, "Shake Your Head" by Spanky Wilson, "I Love You" by The Motivations, "I Don't Know What It Is But It Sure Is Funky" by Mighty Elegant, "Crazy Legs" by Donald Austin, "Stone Thing (part 1)" by Alvin Cash, "RPM" by Boots, "Funky World (part 1)" by Silky Vincent, "Get Funky Sweet A Little Bit" by Jackie Harris & The Exciters, "I'll Bet You" by Funkadelic, and "Why Not Start All Over Again" by The Counts. LP, Vinyl record album

The music of Carla Bley is always a special thing – compositions that began appearing on modern jazz recordings long before Carla herself got a chance to record as a leader – yet there's also maybe something extra special about this set, as Paul Bley really gets all the special sense of spacing and tone in the tunes completely right – delivered here in a record that's very different than most of his other albums from the time! The other trio members have ears that fit the songs perfectly too – Marc Johnson on bass and Jeff Williams on drums – working with Paul's piano in this special sonic space that's completely sublime, on titles that include "Turns", "Ictus", "Ida Lupino", "Vashkar", "Seven", "Around Again", and "Olhos De Gato". LP, Vinyl record album

The Blue Note debut of guitarist Charlie Hunter – a set that introduced Hunter's talents on the strings to a much larger audience at the time – and one that also really helped Blue Note get back into the business of funky jazz! The approach is nice and lean – a core trio with Dave Ellis on tenor and Jay Lane on drums – and at times, Hunter has a way of handling his guitar almost like an organ, which is a testament to his fresh approach to the instrument – a quality that continues even when a few moments feature some guest trombone or clarinet. Titles include a famous cover of "Come As You Are", plus the tracks "Bullethead", "Scrabbling For Purchase", "Fistful Of Haggis", "Greasy Granny", and "Elbo Room". LP, Vinyl record album

Heady work from this supergroup on the London jazz scene – a moody electric ensemble that was initially put together to explore the music of Miles Davis, but who have a soaring sound that's very much all their own! If you know the work of some of the players in the lineup, you'll instantly recognize that you're in very genre-breaking territory – a world past conventional jazz, served up with contributions from Nubya Garcia and Shabaka Hutchings on saxes and flute, Theon Cross on tuba, Nikolaj Torp Larsen on electronics and melodica, Raven Bush on violin and electronics, Dave Okumu on guitar, Benji B on turntables and "sonic recycling", and Tom Skinner and Dan See on drums and percussion. The set was put together by Martin Terefe, who also plays guitar in the group – and the whole thing really takes off from early 70s Miles electric territory, on titles that include "Raven Flies Low", "Morning Prayers", "Bassics", "Miles Chases New Voodoo In The Church", and "London Brew". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful late work from Art Pepper – one of his albums recorded for the well-done Artist House label, and a set that's maybe got a different vibe than some of his Galaxy recordings of the time! There's a rock-solid sense of soul to the record – one that comes from the work of two different rhythm trios – one that features George Cables on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – a rhythm trio who keep things swinging, but never in a way that's too straight – pushing Art a bit around the edges, but letting him come right down the middle with some fantastic solos on alto – the other with Hank Jones on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Al Foster on drums. Tunes are a bit shorter than on some other albums of the period, but in a great way that really lets you focus in on Pepper's amazing sound –and titles include "Diane", "Stardust", "Blues For Blanche", and "Straight No Chaser". LP, Vinyl record album