Ahhhh . . . The Salsoul Orchestra at its finest, with Vince Montana at the helm, crafting some superb arrangements that have all of the positivity of the best funky club groove that made the group great – without any of the disco schlock of their contemporaries! The group's format is still head and shoulders above most of its imitators here – a perfect balance of larger orchestrations and tighter rhythms for the club – handled with all the best Philly elements that Montana brings to play. Titles include the superb soul track "Run Away", which features excellent lead vocals by Loleatta Holloway – one of her best tracks ever – and other instrumental titles include the funky "Getaway", plus "Magic Bird Of Fire", "It's A New Day", and "Alpha Centuri". LP, Vinyl record album

It may be commercial reggae, but the strength of the group's version of "Now That We Found Love" really pushed them over the top! That track's the real winner here – a smooth modern soul number with just a slight hint of Kingston, grooving away in a crossover style that we still really dig. Other tracks include "Journey To Addis", "One Cold Vibe", "Cold Sweat", and "African Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A weird set of sitar and bongos backed sing-speak about gurus, devil gods, leprechauns, elves, opium, the wind, hippie boys and other oddball psychedelia enhanced storytelling from Kali,The Gypsy Star Child! We don't know a thing about Kali – she has a cute, girly-girl, Anytown, USA voice, but the hippie fantasy, pseudo spiritual storytelling is weird, yet genuinely committed – with droning, Eastern-tinged psych backdrops. Includes "A Game Called Who Am I", "Cosmic Remembrance", "A Cosmic Telephone Call", "From The Angel Liesle & The Buddha" and "How Can I Tell My Guru?" LP, Vinyl record album

A wicked little solo set from one of Atlantic Records' hippest talents in the 70s! Arif Mardin's best known for his work supporting some of Atlantic's best soul starts – Aretha Franklin most famously, and a host of others – but here, he steps out as a maestro on his own – working in a great space that's somewhere between blacksploitation funk and electric jazz – all with a groove that's totally great! Mardin's wonderful sense of space and timing come even more to the forefront here than on his records with singers – and he does an amazing job of bringing the players together with the tightness of a soul session, but the freedom of expression of a jazz date. Musicians include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Seldon Powell on tenor, Richard Tee and Pat Rebillot on electric piano, Gary Burton on vibes, and Hubert Laws on flute. Urszula Dudziak makes a few appearances on voice – dropping in some wordless elements to the tunes – and drums are heavy throughout, played by either Steve Gadd, Bernard Purdie, or Grady Tate. Titles include "Dark Alleys", "Love On A Rainy Afternoon", "A Sunday Afternoon Feeling", "Strollin", "Journey", "Flight", and "Forms". LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Arguably the most classic Alice Coltrane album on Impulse – and a strong group effort that features some great work from Pharoah Sanders! Coltrane leads two different small combos on the record – both with Sanders on saxes, plus either Cecil McBee or Charlie Haden on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – plus assorted percussion from Tulsi and Majid Shabazz, and some really enigmatic work on oud by Vishnu Wood! Tracks are long and drawn out, and open with the beauty of a field of flowers meeting the dawn – as Alice plays with a sound that's gentle and poetic, but which also has some wonderfully dark undertones. Titles include "Stopover Bombay", "Isis & Osiris", "Shiva-Loka", and "Journey In Satchidananda". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 60s moment not just for reedman Charles Lloyd, but also for pianist Keith Jarrett – who was a key part of Charles' group for a few years at the time – and who really opens up on this classic set! Tracks are long and very open – reaching in a spiritual sort of way with definite Coltrane overtones, yet also showing that more complexly rhythmic mode that made Lloyd a standout in previous groups before he was a leader – a quality that's really augmented by the presence of Jack DeJohnette on drums! Lloyd plays both tenor and flute – and Jarrett switches to soprano sax on one number! Titles include"Journey Within", "Love No 3", "Memphis Green" and "Lonesome Child". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazingly soulful set of folk tunes from the late 60s – the only album we've ever seen from singer Jerry Moore, and a real rarity from the ESP label! Moore's got a style that's somewhere between Terry Callier and Tim Buckley – earthy and acoustic one minute, but stepping out with some hipper rock-influenced touches the next – in a style that makes the album way more than just a conventional folk set. There's a strong political undercurrent to many of the tunes – and Moore is backed by a quartet that includes Eric Gale on electric guitar and Ralph McDonald on percussion. Titles include "Ballad Of Birmingham", "Drugged", "This Is My Time", "Let Go Reach Out", and "Anti Bellum Sermon". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost spiritual jazz classic from pianist Nate Morgan – maybe the musician's best-remembered moment, and for good reason too! The set's got this soaring, spiritual vibe that's much more early 70s than you'd guess from the date of recording – a post-Coltrane spirit with lots of modal energy in the rhythms, carved out by Nate in these bold, dark lines on piano – and topped with some excellent work on alto sax from the great Dadisi Komolate! Both players were key figures in the under-documented LA scene of this period – and work together to make tremendous sounds on this album – on titles that include "He Left Us A Song", "Journey Into Nigritia", "Morning Prayer", "Mother", and "Study in CT". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning little record from Pharoah Sanders – a double-length set that has all the soul and spirit of his Impulse Records classics, but with a very different vibe! There's a sense of focus here that's tremendous – as if Sanders has found a way to take the energy of his side-long performances and hone them to a level that's maybe even more expressive in its economy – maybe a streamlining of spiritual jazz for the new decade, but not at a level that tries to sound commercial or mainstream at all. Sanders is joined here by a host of equally well-voiced players who really match his energy – Joe Bonner and John Hicks on piano, Eddie Henderson on flugelhorn, Ray Drummond on bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – and the set also features a bit of great work on koto from Yoko Ito Gates as well. Titles include the classic "You've Got To Have Freedom" – a fantastic soaring anthem of joy – plus "After The Rain", "Soledad", "Greetings To Idris", "Doktor Pitt", "Think About The One", "Bedria", and "Yemenja". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer club cuts from the 70s and 80s, chosen by the Compost crew – all in support of their long-running Maiden Voyage club night! The Maiden Voyage vibe is quite different than the usual Compost groove – much more soul-based, and often in a mellow or midtempo mode – just the right balance of jazz and funk in the rhythms, with plenty of space for a soulful singer to take over the lead – and with a style that's much more sophisticated than mainstream disco! There's plenty of cuts on here from the best late 70s modern soul years – and even when the names are familiar, the tracks are often a bit more obscure – lesser-known gems brought together with a beautiful flare, in a package that's easily one of the best groovers we've heard in a long time! Titles include "Love Is On The One" by Xavier, "Love You Anyway" by Cameo, "Lihue" by Nohelani Cypriano, "Believe In Yourself" by Roy Ayers, "Georgy Porgy (disco)" by Toto, "Lovin Fever" by High Inergy, "She's Gone" by Norman Conners, "Very Special" by Debra Laws, "I Want Your Love" by James Mason, "I Want To Thank You" by Alicia Myers, and "Tenderness" by Diana Ross. LP, Vinyl record album

The third solo album by Colin Blunstone – the magic-voiced singer who was lead vocalist of the Zombies, and went on to cut some god-like solo work in the early 70s! This album's a bit less sublime than Colin's first two – with tracks that veer a bit more towards the soft rock sound of the 70s, with some compressed AOR touches in place of the floating instrumentation of earlier albums – but it still sounds mighty nice to our ears, as Colin's voice is always a treat, and the record has a irrepressible charm in its optimistic presentation of some of the material. Essentially, if you dig Colin lots, you'll still want this one – as it's got more than a few nice moments – and is more of an evolution of his solo work than a divergence from it. Titles include "Setting Yourself Up", "Brother Lover", "Shadow Of A Doubt", "It's Magical", "You Who Are Lonely", "Beginning", and "Keep The Curtains Closed Today". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

One of the few albums ever issued under the name of John Simon – an artist who's best known for his creative work in the studio for much bigger names at the time! The set's got all the wonderfully offbeat elements you'd hope for – including songs that are often quite strange, embellished by work from David Sanborn on alto, Dave Holland on bass, and Randy Brecker on trumpet. Titles include "The Real Woodstock Rag", "Poems To Eat", "Big City Traffic Jam", "Open Up Summertime", "Livin In A Land O Sunshine", and "Slim Pickins In The Kitchen Don't Make It At All". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great groover from organist Don Patterson – cut in a trio format, with an open-ended style that lets the players kick back and play, in the sort of free and easy setting you'd hear in a hip small club. Patterson's organ is backed by his usual drummer Billy James, and 4 of the album's 5 tracks feature tenor work, either by Booker Ervin or Sonny Stitt. The last track, "Theme For Dee", is a spare mellow ballad that features mostly just organ by Patterson, with some subtle drum fills by James. The other tracks groove a bit harder, and include "Love Me With All Your Heart", "42639", and "Sentimental Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

A real breakthrough for Lou Rawls – a set that again paired him with arranger Onzy Matthews, and which even more deeply explored the unique space between jazz, soul, and the blues that became Rawls' prime territory back in the 60s! Matthews' backings are hip and jazzy throughout – filled with bold horn touches from players that include Lou Blackburn, Curtis Amy, Sonny Criss, and even Horace Tapscott – who's playing trombone here instead of his more familiar piano. Ray Crawford's guitar underscores a good number of the tracks here with that clean, lean, single-note style of his – but Lou is the clear star throughout with his deeply-voiced lyrics of older familiar tunes. Titles include his landmark reworking of "Tobacco Road", plus "Summertime", "Stormy Weather", "Rocking Chair", "Ol Man River", "St Louis Blues", and "Sentimental Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

Soundtrack to the much-hyped full length animated feature film – based on the popular sci-fi magazine of the time! The music here has little to do with the story, but there are plenty of great late 70s major label rockers in the lineup – on a set of tracks that includes "I Must Be Dreamin" and "Reach Out" by Cheap Trick, "Heavy Metal" by Sammy Hagar, "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars" by Blue Oyster Cult, "Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath, "True Companion" by Donald Fagen, "Prefabricated" by Trust, "Blue Lamp" by Stevie Nicks, "Crazy" by Nazareth, "Open Arms" by Journey, "Queen Bee" by Grand Funk Railroad, "All Of You" and "Heavy Metal" by Don Felder, "Radar Rider" by Riggs, and "Working In The Coal Mine" by Devo. LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent compilation of the early solo tracks recorded by this beautiful vocalist from The Zombies. The tracks are culled from his first 3 records – One Year, Ennismore, and Journey – all of which are pretty darn tough to find on wax! If you don't know this stuff, it's some of the most godlike pop ever created in the world, and it mixes Colin's heavenly voice with swirling strings and haunting arrangements that are a perfect extension from the late Zombies material. Titles include "I Don't Believe In Miracles", "Wonderful", "Say You Don't Mind", "Misty Roses", "Though You Are Far Away", "Let Me Come Closer To You", "How Could We Dare To Be Wrong", and "Caroline Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

Wendy Carlos was known best for her important early experiments in electronic music – most recorded as Walter Carlos – but she had a great early 80s moment with this well-crafted soundtrack to the film Tron – a mix of her own electronics and some surprisingly strong orchestrations – recorded in a way that really shows the evolution of the Carlos' style since the early days! In fact, there's a richness to the music that may well surpass the quality of the images on the screen – which has made the whole thing a surprisingly durable sci fi soundtrack over the years. Journey performs the tracks "Only Solutions" and "1990s Theme" – but the rest is Carlos and the London Philharmonic! LP, Vinyl record album

Important 70s work from Don Cherry – one of the first albums to bring his overseas experiments to a larger US audience! The set builds nicely off of styles that Don forged earlier in France and Scandinavia – a freer style of music than his work with Ornette Coleman, and a richly organic groove that builds up strongly from the bottom, often with elements of world music settled in alongside the jazz – but there's also some funkier moments here too, a bit like the Brown Rice album, but looser overall! The groups on most numbers are relatively large and spiritual – almost like Alice Coltrane at times, but a bit more electric and funky at others – and players include Collin Walcott on sitar, Michael Brecker on saxes, Cliff Carter on keyboards, Lenny White and Tony Williams on drums, Lois Colin on harp, and Raphael Cruz on percussion. Cherry himself plays conch shells, bells, and flute in addition to his usual trumpet – and he even sings a bit on a few numbers, in a soulful, scatting sort of groove. Narada Michael Walden produced, and the whole set's got a very righteous feel – with tracks that include "Universal Mother", "Buddah's Blues", "Eagle Eye", "Mahakali", "Karmapa Chenno", "Surrender Rose", and "Journey Of Milarepa". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from organist Charles Earland – a double-length set that's filled with spiritual, soaring grooves! The style here is a perfect blend of the rougher soul jazz of Earland's roots with some of the spacier styles of his later recordings – served up in a sound that's majestic and powerful, almost with an indie soul jazz sort of vibe overall! There's an immediate urgency to most numbers that's totally undeniable – a lesson learned from the electric experiments of Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, but fused down into a core essence – then let loose on a soaring journey to the heavens. Earland plays Hammond, moog, clavinet, and Arp on the set – and other players include Joe Henderson on tenor, Dave Hubbard on alto and soprano sax, Eddie Henderson and Freddie Hubbard on trumpets, Marc Elf on guitar, Harvey Mason on drums, and the incredible Patrick Gleeson on synthesizers – bringing in a spacey edge to the record that's really amazing! Rudy Copeland sings a wonderful vocal on the title cut, "Leaving This Planet" – and all other instrumental cuts include "Red Clay", "Warp Factor 9", "Tyner", "Van Jay", "Never Ending Melody", "Mason's Galaxy", and "Asteroid". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent trippy soundtrack – to a film we'd love to see, and which starred Charles Aznavour, Ringo Starr, John Astin, James Coburn, John Huston, Richard Burton, and Marlon Brando! The crazy outing is accompanied by a great Dave Grusin score that includes lots and lots of heavy guitars – quite different from his usual bag, and a nice fit with the few vocal numbers in the film – some standout rock titles that go along nicely with Dave's sweet instrumental grooves! Includes "Rock Me" and "Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf, "Child Of The Universe" by The Byrds, and the excellent Grusin instrumentals "Marlon & His Sacred Bird", "Constant Journey", "Spec Ra Tac Para Comm", and "Opening Night By Surgery". LP, Vinyl record album

A sort of a lost Larry Heard record, from the late 80s, when he was briefly basking in the spotlight in England and Europe. The set here has a stripped down sound, with Fingers' warm keys over nice bubbling mid tempo rhythm tracks, most with a laid back clubby approach, but others with a very soulful or slightly hip hop sound creeping in. 10 tracks in all, including "In This Place Called Nowhere", "Endless Journey", "Brazilian Love Dance", 'When Will We Learn", "On Top Of The World (the It Theme)" and "Never Let You Down". LP, Vinyl record album

Surprisingly great post-Philly International work from Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – recorded at a time when the group had actually let a female singer into their ranks! Sharon Paige is the lady here – and she creates a nice sense of interplay with the male singers in the group – that sort of back and forth that you might find in some of Al Hudson's work with One Way, or in a variety of other funky club acts who were rising in the mainstream at the time. Harold Melvin produced, and there's some definite late Philly moments in the tracks "Prayin" and "Baby I'm Back" – but the greatest charm of the album possibly comes from tracks that change things up a bit, including "I Should Be Your Lover", "Tonight's The Night", and "Your Love Is Taking Me On A Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a swirling image on the front cover here, and that really sums up some of the energy of the group of trumpeter Teus Nobel – players that wrap around each other beautifully, and find a way to create a cascading sense of energy that really drives the record home! Nobel's trumpet has a bold, soaring quality on most numbers – pushed forward by the piano of Alexander Van Popta, bass of Jeroen Vierdag, and drums of Tuur Moens – all players who have this strong sense of cohesion that fills the album with color and life! A few mellower cuts break the formation slightly, for a nice sense of variety – and titles include "Journey Of A Man", "Bobbypump", "The New Prehistoric Spacemonster Gamogedora", "Merino", and "Wabi Sabi". LP, Vinyl record album

A swirling, mangy psychedelia drenched pounder from the Paisleys – who kind of took an acid-steeped Syd Barrett approach to the garage formula, making for one of the densest, bluntest, heaviest lumbering mastodon's of the era! Seven tracks from the original LP: "Cosmic Mind At Play", "Rockin'", "Now", "Smokey Windows", "Diddley", "Wind", and "Musical Journey". There's seven bonus tracks, too, including "Something's Missing", "The Fool With The Jewel", "Elf In A Magic Bottle", "In Dreams" and more! LP, Vinyl record album

That's Ken Rhodes, not Fender Rhodes – but the acoustic pianist is more than funky enough on his own – even without any electricity in the mix! The set's got this wonderful rhythm duo – drummer George Greene and bassist Joachim Knauer – who often come on with this really full, frenzied approach – leaping forward along with Ken's tightly comping style on piano, so that the tunes almost hit this funk-modal style that's really unique – and completely sublime all the way through! A few mellower moments round things out nicely – and give the album a depth that recalls some of the Jazz Hip Trio records from the European scene of the same time. Titles include "The Profile", "Stay Be Me", "The Journey", "Triangle", "Eigoob", and "Nothing New". LP, Vinyl record album

Buddy certainly knew how to keep the customer satisfied – as you'll hear on this hip set of big band grooves, recorded by Buddy for Liberty Records in 1970. The set's got Buddy working with a tight group of younger players, in a mode that's not exactly funky, but which owes a lot to the funking up of the big band scene that was going on during the late 60s. There's electric bass underneath most of the cuts, and bubbly organ emerges from the horns on a good number of titles. Tracks include "Groovin Hard", "The Juicer Is Wild", "Long Day's Journey", "Celebration", "He Quit Me", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Roxy Music's third album, and a record that really shows that the group have found a tremendous voice of their own – quite a thing to do, given the heady brew of records that were coming out in the year of 1973! There's a style here that's familiar enough to draw the listener in – maybe some echoes of territory you might hear in work from David Bowie, Lou Reed, John Cale, or the now-solo Brian Eno – but once inside, you find yourself in a completely different world – a mad blend of guitars and strings, saxophones and electronics, all used in these ways that are tuneful enough to be catchy, but also deeply unsettling too – as are the lead vocals of Bryan Ferry, who comes across like some older European singer who's been let out of the madhouse for the sessions. This isn't a singles-heavy record, but instead an album-length journey that never gets old, even as the years move on – and which is as powerful to new ears discovering the record for the first time as to longtime fans. Titles include "Street Life", "Just Like You", "Amazona", "Psalm", "Serenade", "A Song For Europe", "Mother Of Pearl", and "Sunset". LP, Vinyl record album

The first half of the "Cygnus X1" journey – plus "Closer To The Heart", "Xanadu", and "A Farewell To Kings". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great modern genre-busting debuts we've had the pleasure of being so stunned by in quite a while! Thundercat's Golden Age is dizzyingly brilliant mix of 80s clubby synths and keys, future soul & funky soundscapes, 70s soul jazzy atmospherics and more – but it's hardly a mere genre-mash, Thundercat's got a unique and inventive vision all his own. A number of tracks feature vocals, but it's really about the mood – and what an expansive mood it is! He shows love here for influential figures from George Duke to Brainfeeder honcho Flying Lotus, to Erykah Badu – great stuff and we're thinking he's only gonna get better from here. Titles include "Hooooooo" (inspired by mid 70s George Duke), "Daylight", "For Love I Come", "Jamboree", "Boat Cruise", "Walkin", "Mystery Machine", "Return To The Journey", "Golden Boy", "Walkin'" (feat Erykah Badu) and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Grammy-winning work from Tyler The Creator – a record that's got a darker, moodier vibe than some of his previous work – very much the journey in sound that you might guess from the title – complete with narration from DJ Drama that does a great job of holding the whole thing together! Along the way, Tyler runs into Pharrell Williams, Lil Wayne, Ty Dolla Sign, and a number of other guests – amidst titles that include "Lumberjack", "WusYaName", "Corso", "Hot Wind Blows", "RunItUp", "Manifesto", "Sweet/I Thought You Wanted To Dance", "Lemonhead", "Juggernaut", "Safari", and "Wilshire". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from violinist Michael White – one of a few that he cut for the Impulse label in the early 70s, all of which helped to completely redefine the use of his instrument in jazz! Throw away any sleepy connotations you may have about the violin, because in White's hands it's an instrument of soul and spirit – one used to unlock cosmic tones that glide effortlessly next to the session's earthy blend of piano, bass, and percussion! White shapes his sounds beautifully for the session – breaking the violin free of any staid European-bound traditions – and using the instrument as a key part of the new tradition of African American expression explored by Leroy Jenkins, Billy Bang, and others. Side one features the extended "Pneuma" suite – a long, exploratory track that sounds a bit like some of Leroy Jenkins work at the time – and side two tightens things up with some shorter, groovier numbers that often also feature vocals! Our favorite is the anthemic vocal number "Journey Of The Black Star" – a skipping, joyful ode that's really great – and other tunes include soulful tracks "The Blessing Song" and "Ebony Plaza", both of which have that warm post-Shepp Impulse glow to them! LP, Vinyl record album

Don't be fooled by the title, because the music here isn't really techno – but more the roots of techno – pulled from an array of older jazz, soul, house, and club recordings – brought together in a weird mix of styles by Laurent Garnier and Carl Craig! There's still a relatively dancefloor-heavy vibe on the tracks – and many of the numbers are ones that predate the use of the word techno, but feature elements that would grow to much greater importance as the genre exploded in the 90s. Part B of the vinyl version features 11 tracks that include "Journey In Satchidananda" by Alice Coltrane, "NTT DoCoMo" by Arpanet, "Sea Shake" by Drexciya, "Join In The Chant" by Nitzer Ebb, "It's A War" by Kano, "Dance Boy Dance" by Alexander Robotnick, "Bettino's Bounce" by Funkadelic, "No More Words" by Yello, "Disco Circus" by Martin Circus, and "Burning (MK club edit)" by MK. LP, Vinyl record album

More serious than most of Delerue's soundtracks – and mostly historically themed, in keeping with the film's setting in 14th Century France. Most tracks mix orchestral backing with spare recorder solos or percussion – and titles include "Heron Arrives At The Sea", "Heron Goes To Dammartin", "Heron's Journey", "The Storm", and "Heron At The Monastery". LP, Vinyl record album

Easily one of the headiest Donovan albums of the 60s – a record that moves past the simple psychedelic pop of earlier hits, and into a range of mind-expanding themes and styles! There's a cerebral quality here that seems to take hold even on the simpler, catchier tunes – a deeply introspective approach that has Donovan working in a world that's really all his own – less concerned with hit singles, and more focused on a personal journey in music, one that ties together many strands of music borrowed from Celtic, West Indian, jazz, and folk sources. Arrangers are John Cameron and John Paul Jones – and titles include "Get Thy Bearings", "Peregrine", "The Entertaining Of A Shy Girl", "West Indian Lady", "Jennifer Juniper", "Tangier", "The River Song", "The Sun Is A Very Magic Fellow", and "Hi It's Been A Long Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A searing set of west coast psych from a very mysterious group – served up here on a record that was done as a bit of exploitation vinyl at the time, but which has gone on to achieve legendary status over the years! The set's got a raw, ragged energy right from the start – every bit as great as most of the work by labelmates The Seeds – with a similar sense of urgency and intensity that goes way beyond most garagey work of the time! Production is stark and simple, but really makes the best use of the fuzz in the mix – on titles that include "The Trip", "Love Special Delivery", "Talk Talk", "Journey's End", "Blood Beat", "Trip Maker" and "Pictures & Designs" – plus a really wild version of the New Orleans soul classic "Fortune Teller". LP, Vinyl record album

Kendrick Lamarr waited quite a long time to give the world a follow-up to his classic DAMN – and for good reason too, as the rapper's been on a long personal journey that's documented strongly on the record! The Kendrick heard here is much more introspective than before – and that's saying a lot, given his previous approach – and tunes here deal with issues of personal struggle, healing, and redemption – but all with the kind of sharp edges and sense of fragility that keeps the record from ever feeling to smug or full of itself. Opinions started flying about the record right from the start, and there's plenty here to build your own understanding too – on titles that include "Father Time", "Die Hard", "United In Grief", "We Cry Together", "Count Me Out", "Purple Hearts", "Rich Spirit", "Crown", "Savior", and "Silent Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant moment as a leader from saxophonist Maurice Malik King – a member of the St Louis underground in the 70s, but one who never saw the same sort of fame as contemporaries who left the city for New York and beyond – yet who continued to create some incredible music far away from the limelight! The early 80s set is a great example of the way the more sophisticated, sensitive moments of the loft jazz world of the 70s were taken to farther local scenes in the US, and allowed players to continue the journey with their own very personal levels of expression – something that's definitely the case here as King crafts these beautiful long lines on alto alongside the bass of Zimbabwe Nkenya and percussion of Qaiyim Shabazz. There's a very special sound to the whole thing – a mode that's every bit as unique as the Ritual Trio up in Chicago, yet every different too – as you'll hear on cuts that include "In Between Space", "Music To Me", "In Search Of Spirits Passed & Present", and "When Force Meet". LP, Vinyl record album