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Mindblowing minimalism from the legendary Sandy Bull – an artist who might have had acoustic roots in folk music, but who was instantly turning his music into something else – drawing on modal styles of Eastern music, European generations of expression on guitar, jazz-based improvisation – and maybe even prefiguring work to come from composers like Terry Riley and La Monte Young! This album's one of Bull's first, and it's pure genius right from the start – with a side-long performance on the incredible "Blend", which features slight drums from jazz musician Billy Higgins – which Sandy extrapolates these long passages on acoustic guitar. Side two features the fantastic "Carmina Burana Fantasy" on banjo – a kind of trans-historical performance that's right up there with John Fahey's best of the decade – alongside equally mindblowing "Non Nobis Domine" and "Little Maggie" – and the closing electric guitar genius of "Gospel Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

The last album ever recorded by drummer Rashied Ali – a searing live set from a late European tour, and some of his most striking music from the time! Rashied is really unbridled on the kit – opening up in these long passages that really sum up all the creative inventions that have graced his work over the years – from legendary recordings with John Coltrane, to his own work on the Survival label in the 70s, to important projects with younger musicians in more recent years. This group features a well-matched lineup – with Josh Evans on trumpet, Lawrence Clark on tenor, Greg Murphy on piano, and Joris Teepe on bass – on titles that include "Lourana", "Theme For Captain Black", and "Thing For Joe" – all nice and long. CD

Arguably one of the greatest horror soundtracks ever – an intense bit of work that builds on the vocal choral style of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, using male and female voices in union with staccato orchestrations to invoke a fiercely tense mood – one that works perfectly for the spooky undercurrents of the film! The approach is amazing – and even on the mellower numbers, there's a real sense of danger lurking that makes for one heck of a spooky record – maybe even more so than some later, starker soundtracks – given the subtle approach of Jerry Goldmsith. Tracks include "The Piper Dreams", "The Fall", "The Altar", "Ave Santani", "The Demise Of Mrs Baylock", and "Killer's Storm". LP, Vinyl record album