A tremendous pairing of talents – the piano of Irene Schweizer and drums of Louis Moholo – set loose here in a style that's free, but never too far to swing – so that there's a sense of focus and energy that really brings out the best in both musicians! Schweizer has a very rhythmic approach when she's in some of her most compelling modes – and the approach works here very well alongside Moholo, who also vocalizes a bit in this really unusual way. The whole set has strong echoes of Louis' South African roots – in both the titles and overall progressions of the songs – and titles include "Angel", "Mra", "Free Mandela", and "Exile". CD

A smashing set of work from drummer Louis Moholo – a set that shows that after all these years, he's still a richly creative talent on his instrument! The album has Louis duetting with pianist Alexander Hawkins – a younger player who'd caught his ear a few years before, and who turns out to be a perfect partner for the record – graced with just the right kind of free-thinking, yet spiritual elements as Moholo's own music – able to stretch out strongly with a lot of freedom, yet never lose sight of the overarching goal! The tracks are all long and open – and almost recall some of the interplay between Moholo and Chris McGregor in years back – especially some of the freer work on the 70s London scene. The album's a beautiful extension of the Ogun Records tradition – and titles include "Lakutshon Ilanga", "Hear Our Hearts", "Heavy Manners", "Amaxesha Osizi", "If I Should Lose You", "Pure Vision", and "Catch You On The Rebound". CD

Not just four blokes, but a killer quartet led by legendary drummer Louis Moholo – one that works at the same searing intensity as his Blue Notes group in the 70s! The combo is especially adept at quick-paced, fast-thinking creativity – and really leap forward with a great sense of cohesion on some of the album's most emotive tracks – but they also know how to balance things out with some more contemplative and soulful passages, too – showing the rich sensitivity to sound that Moholo has developed over the years. Louis plays only a drum kit – but with a depth of sound that makes you feel as if he's got other percussion instruments in the mix – and the group also features Jason Yarde on saxes, John Edwards on bass, and Alexander Hawkins – and titles include "For The Blue Notes", "Yes Baby No Baby", "Angel Nomali", "Tears For Steve Biko", and "Khwalo". CD

An incredibly spiritual session from percussionist Louis Moholo and his ensemble Viva La Black – recorded on the occasion of a series of concerts in Moholo's homeland of South Africa – and done in a way that's as much a document of the group's trip as it is a recording of the music in the concerts. Many of the tracks are shorter passages that flow together with longer ones – piecing together the warm spirit and soulful expression allowed to the group during the tour. And the music itself shares in a heritage that runs back through the 60s work of Mingus and Roland Kirk, the 70s experiments of the AACM, and the rich jazz-in-exile work of Moholo himself! Instrumentation includes percussion, trumpet, saxes, piano, and bass – plus vocals from all the members of the group – and titles include "Use Less Sugar & Stir Like Hell", "Volunteered Slavery", "Woza", "Nikosi", "End Of Man", "Dudu P", "I'll Look All Over Afrika For You", "Drum Choir", and "Joyful Noise". CD

In the early 70s, pianist Chris McGregor was one of the leading lights of the British jazz scene – an expatriot South African living in London, whose work with the legendary group The Blue Notes was steeped in an African rhythmic traditions! This seminal work from 1971 shows how much McGregor's style evolved in the late 60's, and how fiercely it had become intertwined with the British avant styles of the time – in a groove that comes across here with an earthy, rootsy bottom – but also features plenty of far-reaching solos that go out, yet never too far – the best balance of modes from players that include fellow Blue Notes Mongezi Feza, Dudu Pukwana, and Louis Moholo – as well as British jazz luminaries who include Harry Beckett, Alan Skidmore, and John Surman. Titles include "Andromeda", "Union Special", "Night Poem", "MRA", "The Bride", and "Davashe's Dream". CD

A seminal recording from Keith Tippett's Ark – a large ensemble of British avant players that coexisted with (and shared members from) Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath! The set was recorded at a time when many on the scene where exploring territory that could only be reached with a larger group – pushing the boundaries of British jazz with a forcefulness borrowed from more progressive experiments – yet still at the best moments (such as this recording), keeping things restrained enough to let even the smallest voices and ideas be heard. Both Keith Tippett & Stan Tracey are on piano – and other players include Elton Dean, Trevor Watts, Harry Miller, Peter Kowald, Phil Wachsman and Louis Moholo – plus vocals from Julie Tippetts and Maggie Nichols. The expanded set features 4 side-long compositions – and although the degree to which they were "composed" isn't explicit, because there's a lot of fiery free playing and interplay, the album's not without focus or direction, and never descends into a din, as a group this large might verge upon. Titles include "Frames", parts 1 to 4. CD

A long-overdue look at one of the most important groups to grace the British jazz scene of the 60s and 70s – the legendary Blue Notes, a group of South African expatriates with an undeniably huge influence on the music of their new homeland! The ensemble featured key players who went onto do some amazing work on their own, but first came together in this group – trumpeter Mongezi Feza, saxophonist Dudu Pukwana, pianist Chris McGregor, bassist Johnny Dyani, and drummer Louis Moholo – all players as dynamic together and important on their own as the members of the Art Emsemble of Chicago from the US. The set finally brings out all of the group's key albums for the Ogun label, plus some great bonus material too – a rich tapestry of work that shows the combo's evolution from African-tinged jazz of the 60s to some much more farther-reaching sounds in the 70s – all beautifully packaged, with each album presented on its own inside a larger slipcase! The set features The Blue Notes Legacy, a live date in South Africa from 1964; Blue Notes For Mongezi, a double-length set recorded after the passing of group trumpeter Mongezi Feza; Blue Notes For Johnny, a date recorded after the passing of bassist Johnny Dyani; and Blue Notes In Concert, a great live date recorded in 1977. There's a wealth of wonderful music here – and along with the bonus tracks, the set also features a great booklet of remembrances and vintage photos! CD

Maybe the most striking work we've heard from all the players in the group – and that's really saying a lot, given how many stunning records they gave us back in the 70s! The music here is wonderfully free and improvised, but also has a way of focusing on a specific element too – sometimes the piano pulsations of Keith Tippett, sometimes the very organic bass work of Chris Laurence, or the soulful alto sax work of Elton Dean, or intuitive percussion of Louis Moholo! The qualities are a bit hard to describe in words, but there's a vibe to the set that really shows why key players of the British 70s scene were often so different than their European counterparts – this mix of humanism and instrumental progressivism, sometimes a bit warmer than at other points – but balanced with freer flights of creativity. Titles include "Naima", "Dede Bup Bup", "Overdoing It", "Not Too Much", and "Nancy". CD features in four unissued bonus tracks, the most striking of the bunch – "Edeeupub", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Attic", and "Echoes". CD

Really mind-expanding work from British singer Julie Tippetts – an artist who's come a long way from the straighter soul sounds she was doing with Brian Auger in the late 60s! The album shows the same evolution expressed by many of Julie's British jazz rock contemporaries – a progressive, expanded sound that's brought in influences from different 70s strands in jazz and rock, and which exhibits a penchant for longer tunes that have a free interplay – yet one that's still pretty dedicated to rhythmic progression – ala mid 70s Soft Machine or solo work by Robert Wyatt! Keith Tippet plays piano on the session – which also has work from Elton Dean on reeds, Brian Godding on guitar, and Louis Moholo on drums – on tracks that include "Sunset Glow", "Mind Of A Child", "Lilies", and "What Is Living". CD

Amazing music from Chris McGregor and his legendary Brotherhood Of Breath ensemble – easily one of the most exciting forces in British jazz in the 70s, and one fo the few who was still sounding their best in the latter half of the decade! McGregor's got as much bite and burn here as with his famous earlier combo, The Blue Notes – and the lineup here boasts ex-members of that group – Dudu Pukwana on alto, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums – all joining together perfectly with McGregor's long-spun piano lines. The ensemble also features other key British players – Mike Osborne on alto, Evan Parker on tenor, Harry Beckett and Mark Charig on trumpets, and Radu Malfatti on trombone – creating this bold horn section that stretches to the skies on waves of soul! Two lengthy pieces "Sunrise On The Sun" and "Kwaholo" bookend the shorter piece "Sonia". CD features three more tracks not on the original album – "TBS", "Andromeda", and "You Ain't Gonna Know Me Cos You Think You Know Me". CD