An obscure one from Max Roach! The set was recorded live in 1968 in Norway – and it features Max working with Steve Lacy on soprano, Red Mitchell on bass, Steve Kuhn on piano, and Abbey Lincoln on vocals. Abbey sings on a few tracks – and the group jams on others – but a certain percentage of the record features Max playing solo, in that great way he used on the Drums Unlimited album for Atlantic. The whole album's quite varied – but it also shows the range of Roach's creative explorations at this sometime "lost" time in his career. Titles include "Prayer Protest From Freedom Now", "For Big Sid", "Drums Unlimited", "Profit", "Patty Pat and Midnight Variations", and "Prelude". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that was initially thought by some as a cheap cash-in on the Sgt Peppers concept – but an album that, to us, really helped set The Rolling Stones free to express themselves in so many new and amazing ways! There's definitely a bit of the hippie vibe to the set at times – such as sitar that might have been unimaginable on a Stones track a few years before – but there's also an explosively creative approach to the album's arrangements and production, creating a kaleidoscope of sounds that only further seems to illuminate the Jagger and Richards genius! Titles include the classic "She's A Rainbow" – plus "Citadel", "2000 Man", "On With The Show", "Sing All This Together", "In Another Land", "The Lantern", and "Gomper". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that was initially thought by some as a cheap cash-in on the Sgt Peppers concept – but an album that, to us, really helped set The Rolling Stones free to express themselves in so many new and amazing ways! There's definitely a bit of the hippie vibe to the set at times – such as sitar that might have been unimaginable on a Stones track a few years before – but there's also an explosively creative approach to the album's arrangements and production, creating a kaleidoscope of sounds that only further seems to illuminate the Jagger and Richards genius! Titles include the classic "She's A Rainbow" – plus "Citadel", "2000 Man", "On With The Show", "Sing All This Together", "In Another Land", "The Lantern", and "Gomper". CD

A record that was initially thought by some as a cheap cash-in on the Sgt Peppers concept – but an album that, to us, really helped set The Rolling Stones free to express themselves in so many new and amazing ways! There's definitely a bit of the hippie vibe to the set at times – such as sitar that might have been unimaginable on a Stones track a few years before – but there's also an explosively creative approach to the album's arrangements and production, creating a kaleidoscope of sounds that only further seems to illuminate the Jagger and Richards genius! Titles include the classic "She's A Rainbow" – plus "Citadel", "2000 Man", "On With The Show", "Sing All This Together", "In Another Land", "The Lantern", and "Gomper". CD

Hazy, weird, lo fi and highly insistent sounds from Vex Ruffin on Stones Throw – music that's tough to describe – mixing minimalist beats, fuzzy bits of guitar, stream of conciousness wordplay and more. You can hear influences floating throughout this record from the postpunk UK (think PiL) and proto noise rock from the midwest (think early Big Black, though far less caustic), and freeform sampler funk (think Madlib at his weirdest or James Pants) – the latter of which allows him to feel natural enough in the contemporary Stones Throw roster. Sounds like a crazy mix of styles? Kinda, but it's all fused together somehow to the base ingredients, and it's a fun bit of tripped out underground sounds. Titles include "Sacrifice", "Man With A Plan", "Shield For You", "I'm Creative", "My Mind", "Crash Course" and "Hey Jerald". CD

Some of the most beautiful, personal work we've heard from trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith in many years – a wonderful set of duets with bassist John Lindberg – done at a level that recalls some of Smith's most organic, most spiritual sounds of the 70s! There's a real back to basics vibe here – a return to the initial spirit of the AACM, something we possibly infer from the album's long tribute to Malachi Favors, but which we can also feel in the spirit of collaboration between Smith and Lindberg – a way of coming together that never overwhelms the individual, yet also never allows one individual to ever upstage the other – as the duo reach out brilliantly for a breathtaking range of sounds, on titles that include "Malachi Favors Maghostut A Monarch Of Creative Music", "Celestial Weather Suite", and "Feathers & Earth". CD

Snarky Puppy find a whole new global current here – coming together in a style that mixes their usual soulful funk with a range of interesting percussion elements – in styles that sometimes remind us of our favorite creative sounds from the Brazilian or Afro Funk instrumental scene, but with a much groovier vibe overall! Half the instrumentation hits that usual Snarky groove – warm keyboards, tight horns, and sharp rhythms – but other elements inflect some cool tones and fresh feelings – as the group work in an all-instrumental format, and really allow their creative side to sparkle! It's great to see these guys break down the boundaries a bit – and the record's one of their freshest in a while – with titles that include "Tarova", "Palermo", "Big Ugly", "Beep Box", "Go", "The Simple Life", and "Semente". CD

One of the wonderfully creative 70s sets from Japanese stringman Isao Suzuki – an artist who also plays bass, but who works here on jazz cello – for a very unusual approach! The set has Suzuki's work on the light strings matched in a combo with lead guitar from Kazumi Watanabe – who's nicely restrained here, and falls in with Isao's strings at a level that's quite different than his own material of the time. Watanabe's lead is augmented by further rhythm guitar work by Kazumasa Akiyama, and the resulting mix of stringed instruments creates a sound that sounds pretty darn groovy in some parts – lightly leaping along with some Fender Rhodes from Tsuyoshi Yamamoto. The best track is the album's long funky remake of "Feel Like Making Love", which begins with a spacey intro, then leaps into an almost-breakbeat reading of the track that features some great electric piano work in a classic MPS mode. Other tracks include "Ako's Dream", "Isao Family", and "Seven Come Eleven". CD

A mindblowing collaboration – one that brings the soulful vocals of Nenah Cherry into play with the avant jazz sounds of The Thing – but all in a mode that's unlike anything either artist has recorded before! The mix of talents is no surprise – given that Nenah's dad is Don Cherry, whose own European work helped to set the tone for a generation – and also given that group members Mats Gustafsson, Paal Nilssen Love, and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten all have ears for styles that go way beyond jazz – including a surprisingly great taste for offbeat funk, which really comes to the forefront on this unusual set! Make no mistake, there's still plenty of jazz-based instrumentation – sharp reeds from Mats, heavy drums from Paal, and those magical moody basslines that we love so much from Ingebrigt – but they often get a bit more directed, and are augmented with slight added instrumentation at points – to provide a perfect foil for Cherry's righteous vocals – all with results that easily make the album one of the most unusual soul projects we've heard in years – on a par with equally creative efforts from artists like Meshell Ndegeocello, Erykah Badu, or Georgia Anne Muldrow. Titles include "Cashback", "Dream Baby Dream", "Too Tough To Die", "What Reason Could I Give", "Dirt", "Accordion", and "Sudden Moment". CD

Some of the wildest sounds we've ever heard from Japanese drummer Masahiko Togashi – a set that really lives up to its title's promise of immediate creative activity, as the whole thing feels as if it was spontaneously improvised throughout! There's definitely a free jazz approach taking place – but other elements also reflect some of the more subtle sonic areas that Togashi would bring to his music of the 70s – still pretty bracing and bold at times, but also with a sense of space that really enriches the whole proceedings. Instrumentation features tenor, guitar, bass, cello, and cornpipe – and titles include "Variations On A Theme of Feed-Back", "Invitation To Corn-Pipe Dance", "Artistry In Percussions", and "Fantasy For Strings". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electronic grooves from the great Yan Tregger – French sound library composer and all-around electric genius – equally well-skilled at making the best sort of sounds in both the analog and digital generations! As you'll hear in the set, the collection brings together some of Treggers best from both generations – and there's a wonderfully unified feel to the whole batch of cuts, despite the space of almost 20 years – as Tregger showcases the best sort of cosmic clubby sounds that made him such a pioneer of outer space-styled funk! Titles include "Slow Zoom", "Chandigargh", "The Crash", "Deo Volente", "Passage Of The Red Sea", "Creative Blow", "Zodiac", "Gold Calf Dance", and "Pavilion Des Reves". CD

Sweet electronic grooves from the great Yan Tregger – French sound library composer and all-around electric genius – equally well-skilled at making the best sort of sounds in both the analog and digital generations! As you'll hear in the set, the collection brings together some of Treggers best from both generations – and there's a wonderfully unified feel to the whole batch of cuts, despite the space of almost 20 years – as Tregger showcases the best sort of cosmic clubby sounds that made him such a pioneer of outer space-styled funk! Titles include "Slow Zoom", "Chandigargh", "The Crash", "Deo Volente", "Passage Of The Red Sea", "Creative Blow", "Zodiac", "Gold Calf Dance", and "Pavilion Des Reves". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful testament to the mindblowing collaborative powers of reedman Ken Vandermark – one of the most consistently creative saxophonists of the past few decades, and a spirit with a heart that's as big as his music! Ken's a wonder by himself, but one of the things that's always really impressed us is his strong ear for others – which includes not just fellow jazz musicians, but also decades of sounds in other styles too. Here, Vandermark displays his strong sensitivity towards five key contemporaries – in a box set that features different duets on each CD! The set features one album each of improvisations with Paul Lytton on drums and percussion, Ikue Mori on laptop and electronics, Kris Davis on piano, William Parker on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion – and Ken is mindblowing throughout, with an incredible ear for his partners, delivered over a number of different reed instruments. Box set also features great notes from Vandermark – who's also a hell of a writer, too! CD

Bold, beautiful work from the team of Ken Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson – two of the most inventive reed players of the past few decades – working together here in free, unfettered formation! The set was actually recorded right above Dusty Groove – in a very open, woody loft space – which really helps shape the sound of the set – as the notes from both players ring out wonderfully in the loft – almost recalling the creative improvisations of the New York scene from decades before – but handled here with all the amazing new sense of invention that both Vandermark and Gustafsson seem to bring to any instrument they touch! Ken plays tenor, bass clarinet, and b flat clarinet – and Mats handles alto, tenor, and baritone – all in a rich range of sounds and tones that really leave us breathless. Titles include "Ripolin", "The Madness Of Branches", "I Never Dreamed", "Fortunate Rust", "We Turn The Page", and "Beside Me Images". CD

Bold, beautiful work from the team of Ken Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson – two of the most inventive reed players of the past few decades – working together here in free, unfettered formation! The set was actually recorded right above Dusty Groove – in a very open, woody loft space – which really helps shape the sound of the set – as the notes from both players ring out wonderfully in the loft – almost recalling the creative improvisations of the New York scene from decades before – but handled here with all the amazing new sense of invention that both Vandermark and Gustafsson seem to bring to any instrument they touch! Ken plays tenor, bass clarinet, and b flat clarinet – and Mats handles alto, tenor, and baritone – all in a rich range of sounds and tones that really leave us breathless. Titles include "Ripolin", "The Madness Of Branches", "I Never Dreamed", "Fortunate Rust", "We Turn The Page", and "Beside Me Images". CD

A record with "samba" in the title, but a set that hardly sounds like samba at all – given that the record is one of the groundbreaking 70s albums from the legendary Tom Ze! Ze first rose to fame as an experimentalist in the Tropicalia scene – but here, he's years past that movement, yet still one of its most creative proponents – working in a mode that takes older Brazilian rhythms and infuses them with all the new sounds, styles, and sense of poetry that Tom was bringing to his music – often quite playful, but at a level that's quite moving as well. The whole thing's got the subtle "beyond language" power of some of the best by Caetano Veloso – even though Tom Ze is completely his own man throughout. The set features arrangements from Jose Briamonte, production from Heraldo Do Monte, and titles that include a rootsy take on "A Felicidade", plus the nutty instrumental "Tom", and the original tracks "So", "Ma", "Vai", "Ui", "Indice", "Hein", and "Mae". LP, Vinyl record album

A great return for the legendary Tom Ze – an artist who'd been brought back to prominence via the efforts of a Luaka Bop compilation – then given this great chance to record for the label on his own! The set's a great return to form for Ze – who sprung from this moment into a renewed period of creative energy – really drawing on his crucial years of groundbreaking sounds in Brazil during the Tropicalia generation, and especially the 70s – when Tom had really moved off into a realm of his own. Most tracks are relatively short, and pretty enigmatic – a flurry of the sounds and verbal experiments that always made Ze so great! Titles include "Jingle Do Disco", "Cortina 3", "Amar", "Ogodo, Ano 2000", "Feira De Santana", "Fliperama", and "Tatuaramba". LP, Vinyl record album

Alex Attias has always given us some really creative sounds in his own music – so we've got some mighty high expectations when he brings together a selection of tracks by other artists for BBE! Fortunately, the record not only lives up to those expectations, but does them one better – by opening us up to some overlooked contemporary cuts that all have the cosmic touches of Attias' work on the London scene – then interweaving them with some older tracks that resonate even more strongly in the territory! There's some wonderful work from recent years that show just how far the best side of the broken beat legacy has evolved – and other older cuts have a cosmic vibe that's plenty righteous too, with some great jazzy currents that really deepen the vibe of the collection. Titles include "Midnight Magic" by Cro Magnon with Roy Ayers, "My Dream Came True" by Root Soul, "Cascade" by Tatham Mensah Lord & Ranks, "Do The Dance" by Grooveman Spot, "Over & Over" by Material with Nona Hendryx, "Curiosity (Zanzibar rmx)" by Nicole Willis, "Could You Be Me (Theo's SS translation)" by Kathy Kosins & Paul Randolph, "Earth Overshoot Day (Hugo LX rmx)" by Cotonete, "Party Hardy (Alex Attias edit)" by Velvet Hammer, "Her Boyfriend Assesses His Value & Pleads His Case" by Kip Hanrahan, and "It's You (disco alert mix)" by Sunaga T Experience. CD

Alex Attias has always given us some really creative sounds in his own music – so we've got some mighty high expectations when he brings together a selection of tracks by other artists for BBE! Fortunately, the record not only lives up to those expectations, but does them one better – by opening us up to some overlooked contemporary cuts that all have the cosmic touches of Attias' work on the London scene – then interweaving them with some older tracks that resonate even more strongly in the territory! There's some wonderful work from recent years that show just how far the best side of the broken beat legacy has evolved – and other older cuts have a cosmic vibe that's plenty righteous too, with some great jazzy currents that really deepen the vibe of the collection. Titles include "Midnight Magic" by Cro Magnon with Roy Ayers, "My Dream Came True" by Root Soul, "Cascade" by Tatham Mensah Lord & Ranks, "Do The Dance" by Grooveman Spot, "Over & Over" by Material with Nona Hendryx, "Curiosity (Zanzibar rmx)" by Nicole Willis, and "It's You (disco alert mix)" by Sunaga T Experience. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little set that heralds the beginning of a whole new generation in music – post-psych sounds from the year of 1969 – a time when the revolution had cooled a bit, but new waves of creative activity were really bubbling underground in the UK scene – as all these many groups and singers were striding forth to make their own sorts of sounds, after borrowing bits from others in previous years! The music here is more compact than later prog, but equally jamming – and some of the artists were born from blues and R&B inspirations, but are really moving into their own territory here – helping forge styles that would set the pace for so much more music to come in the 70s! The groups aren't completely obscure – most were recording for the hipper sides of bigger labels – but the tracks here often mark a point when they were just leaping off, a bit before hitting bigger fame – mixed with a few others that never hit the heights later on. As always with these boxes from Cherry Red/Esoteric, the presentation, set list, and notes are great – supporting 52 tracks from groups that include Colosseum, High Tide, Bloodwyn Pig, Jack Bruce, Pete Brown & Piblokto, Free, Jethro Tull, Genesis, East Of Eden, Man, Fat Mattress, Locomotive, Eyes Of Blue, Fairport Convention, The Deviants, Sunforest, Taste, Ten Years After, Mighty Baby, Michael Chapman, and many more! CD

A brilliant update of the older Blue Note All-Stars concept – a set that features a tremendous lineup of the contemporary talents who've helped shape the new sound of the label in recent years – including trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, keyboardist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, guitarist Lionel Loueke, drummer Kendrick Scott, and tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland. The set's produced by Glasper, and has all the open, soulful currents of his own great records for the label – but also really draws a lot from the contributions of the other heavyweights too – as they work together on a se of mostly original tunes, all with shapes and sounds that you never would have expected on Blue Note in years past. We're huge fans of this direction of the label – and appreciate the way that they've found a way to keep things creatively soulful, but without rehashing the past or resorting to easy gimmicks. There's a depth here that would have made the old school proud – and titles include "Bayyinah", "Cycling Through Reality", "Witch Hunt", "Second Light", "Freedom Dance", and "Message Of Hope" – plus a few shorter tracks dedicated to Bruce Lundvall, the always-optimistic champion who headed the label in the years before his death. CD

Amazing music from one of our most-treasured stretches of David Bowie's career – that creatively-fertile time when he escaped to West Berlin, hid from the mainstream, and made some groundbreaking records with Brian Eno – then returned to the limelight to remind us all that he was still a hell of a force to be reckoned with! The set includes everything post-Thin White Duke, and pre-Let's Dance – a run of music that's still shaping new sounds on this planet all these many years later. The set begins with Low – the mix of experimental instrumentals and subtle vocal tracks that was a complete change from Ziggy Stardust – and follows with Heroes, Lodger, and Scary Monsters & Super Creeps – all albums that reintroduce some sense of song and lyrical interplay, but at a level that clearly indicates how important Bowie was to the generation of post-punk and new wave as his earlier work was to psych, prog, and glam! But the package isn't just a standard collection of albums – because along with those four studio records, it also features the live album Stage, presented here in two different full mixes – plus a new 2017 mix of Lodger, which really increases the edge. There's also a special Heroes EP, with all the different language versions of the song – and a very cool Re:Call 3 album – which features all the singles that were issued at the time, plus other rare material – and Bowie's very unique take on Bertolt Brecht's Baal. Titles on this album include "Alabama Song", "Crystal Japan", "Under Pressure", "Remembering Marie A", "The Drowned Girl", "The Dirty Song", "Cat People", and even his "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy" duet with Bing Crosby. As with other entries in this complete Bowie series, the presentation is wonderful – album sleeve replicas, great packaging, and lots of notes – kind of a treasure, even if you already own some of the records! CD

Wonderful work from the Chicago Underground Duo – a real back to basics session from the team of Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor, playing here in spare duets that involve percussion, vibes, guitar, cornet, electronics, and piano. The set was recorded at Soma, for their airy Chicago sound – and although spare, the session is a lush assemblage of moods and soundscapes that pushes the boundaries of this ever-changing, always-creative team. Titles include "Lem", "Noon", "Access & Enlightenment", "Micro Exit", "Lifelines", and "Exponent Red". CD

Exactly the kind of record that's got us digging Japanese trio sessions from the 70s so much – a set that's filled with lots of warm, soulful sounds, creatively compelling changes, and fresh rhythms that really keep the tunes interesting! There's a slight undercurrent of funk on most numbers, but never too much – as the set still preserves all the best lyrical lines of pianist Kichiro Sugino, who steps beautifully around the bass of Kishio Kitahara and drums of Mitsaki Katayama – a perfectly-hinged trio who soar plenty on the record – more than enough to earn the "flight" in the title! This one's really a cut above – filled with wonderful energy, and never a dull moment throughout – a real gem that's waiting to be re-discovered by the 21st Century generation. Titles include "Unknown Point", "Arizona High Way", "It's Over", "Louis", and "First Flight". CD

Fantastic solo sounds from guitarist Jeff Parker – a set of recordings that were all done live, with no overdubs at all – but which really show a complex approach to his overall sound! Parker's almost in some of the more abstract territory here as on some of his Chicago Underground Duo recordings – but he's also maybe a bit more tuneful, while also more introspective – showing us a personal, human side of his music that's extremely moving – and which really comes as quite a surprise, compared to some of his other records. Some numbers almost have a Jim Hall-like fragility, while other points are more creatively textural – and the whole thing is really wonderful, and represents a whole new step for Parker – a musician who's already been blowing our mind for about 20 years. Titles include "Super Rich Kids", "Slight Freedom", "Mainz", and a beautiful take on "Lush Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare and unreleased Lee Perry dubplate mixes – brilliant productions from the creatively fruitful, boundary busting 70s years – with the mighty Upsetters and numbers featuring Junior Murvin, Candy Mackenzie, Leo Graham, Jimmy Riley, George Faith, Jack Lord and The Silvertones! This is the second Sound System Scratch compilation from the deep treasure diggers at Pressure Sounds – who have again assembled staggeringly adventurous and hard to find Scratch productions from an amazing period at Black Ark. A number of the tracks are previously unreleased, others are exclusive dubplate mixes, all incredible – be it smoked out, hazy dubs and surprisingly accessible and soulful reggae. Includes "Righteous Rocking" by The Upsetters, "Get Ready (Bongo Mix) by Junior Murvin & The Upsetters, "Kis Me Mix" by The Upsetters, "I've Got The Dub" by George Faith & The Upsetters, "Enter The Upsetter" by Lee Perry & The Upsetters, "Darkness In The City" by Jimmy Riley & The Upsetters, "Rejoice Jah Jah Children" by The Silvertones and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sarah Vaughan definitely earns her divine nickname here – singing sublimely here in a warmly jazzy setting from her early years at Roulette Records! The style's a nice extension of Vaughan's best sides at Mercury – and is almost a nice back-to-basics approach, the kind of reminder that Sarah always sounds best when she's heard at her jazziest – as on this album, with arrangements and piano from Jimmy Jones, and some great trumpet lines from Harry Edison! The sound is often nicely spare and laidback – letting Vaughan's vocals really come up strongly in the mix, and flow with a tremendously natural, but creatively dynamic style that really leaves us breathless. Titles include "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Somebody Else's Dream", "What Do You See In Her", "Jump For Joy", "Ain't No Use", "I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A completely different side of Colombian music than you'd know from Discos Fuentes and some of the other mainstream outlets from that scene – as the tracks here are all from the contemporary underground, and represent a really rich flowering of creative grooves and soulful modes! In truth, most of this work might hail from any hip spot in the global underground – save for the fact that the lyrics are often in Spanish, and many tunes have some slight reference to older musical modes – sometimes an acoustic element mixed in with more electronic instrumentation, sometimes a more direct reference! The quality of the tracks is wonderful – a really strong surprise to our ears, as we never would have discovered this music otherwise – and it represents a really great alternative so some of the more staid, often boring attempts to create a global fusion of elements in the mainstream. Titles include "Cada Paso" by Liannia, "Cumbia Lobina (ext mix)" by Dragao featuring Nidia Gongora, "Aquazero" by Systema Solar featuring Pedro Ramaya, "Oyele" by Jimena Angel, "Cuando Canto Grito" by Cerrero featuring Lucia Pulido, "El Leopardo" by El Leopardo, "Mujer Divina" by Salsangroove, "Gualayo" by Radio Rebelde Soundsystem, "La Negra Y El Fantasma" by Bareto, "Nunca Termina" by David Caneva Akle, "Manana Sera" by Ruzto, and "De Donde Vengo Yo" by Los Transatlanticos featuring Pilar Matarola. CD