The fantastic first album by one of the most unique funk groups of all time! A key part of the crumbling British colonial network that produced some excellent music in the postwar years, Cymande was comprised mostly of West Indians who'd emigrated to England in the 60s, eventually meeting up under a shared musical vision – a completely new blend of funk, dub, jazz, and soul that was unlike anything else that had been recorded before, save for the work of a few other Brit groups of a similar nature. This first album's one of their greatest – and it's a refreshing batch of tunes that mix together heavy basslines, laidback drumming, and a righteous soul vocal style that's got a bit of a stoner touch. The album includes the group's massive cut "The Message", a bit of a minor hit when it was released (and later sampled quite famously) – plus the funky classics "Dove", "Zion I", "Listen", "Bra", and "Rickshaw". Pick this up, and sample one of the 70's most unique funk groups! LP, Vinyl record album

There's nothing wooden about this music at all – as the album's one of the loosest, freest, liveliest sessions to ever come from the legendary trumpeter Tomasz Stanko – a performance that was originally done for Radio Bremen in 1972, and which is very different than most of his other albums from the time! The music here is all freely improvised, with a vibe that's at the headiest of the FMP generation – as Stanko's trumpet interacts with the tenor and flute of Janusz Muniak, bass of Bronislaw Suchanek, violin of Zbigniew Seifert, and drums of Janusz Stefanski – all players who are completely unbridled all the way through! If you only know Seifert from his mellower albums later in the 70s, he'll blow you away here – as, like a few other key musicians at the time, he's got a way of improvising on his instrument that matches the energy of a reedman – and which really adds a lot to the group. The set features six pieces, all improvised – issued here commercially for the first time ever, and a real revelation! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful improvised work from legendary Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stanko – work that's much more powerful and bracing than the atmospheric recordings he would do for ECM in later years! The work here comes right at a key moment for free jazz on the European scene – and Stanko works with some of the modern structures of his important 60s material with Kryzstof Komeda, but with looser styles that really lets the organic energy of the group take over from more compositional directions – especially on the two very long tracks that comprise the core of the material. The music has never been issued to the public before – and represents a key look at these important years when Poland was one of the most important jazz scenes behind the Iron Curtain – thanks to experimental work from Stanko on trumpet, Janusz Muniak on flute and soprano, Zbigniew Seifert on violin, Bronislaw Suchanek on bass, and Janusz Stefanski on drums and flexatone. Titles include "Calme", "6 & 8 1", and "6 & 8 2" – plus the short "Flute's Ballad". LP, Vinyl record album

A really heady collection of cuts – one that starts with jazz, and moves into a whole host of other righteous styles too – all to sum up a 70s mode that's as much about empowerment as it is peace! Think of the cuts here as being in the much farther reaches past the styles initiated by Impulse Records and the Coltrane generation – to a point where the artists here aren't just copying modal and spiritual jazz styles, but infusing them with all sorts of new inflections of their own – at a level that makes the whole collection a really wonderful discovery! As with previous volumes, there's titles here we never would have heard otherwise – and tracks on this LP for Vol 6 include "Algunas" by Jimmy McGary, "Bless Your Soul" by Lucky Brown & The SGs, "Night In Tunisia" by A La Ala, "Cataracts" by Musica Orbis, "History" by Charles Lamont, "Januschka" by Frederic Rabold, and "Savior's Waltz" by New Day. LP, Vinyl record album