A searing little quartet session from David Murray – very long tracks performed in a freer, looser style – of the sort that's always made Murray's playing a more compelling and changeable force for live local audiences than it is for those following his studio sides. The format here is simple, and shows Murray as a great leader with a talent for pushing a group dynamically even when there's no over structuring force or concept to the set, as there often is on some of his recent studio sides. Players include Kelly Roberty on bass, Hilton Ruiz on piano, and Pheroan Aklaf on drums – and titles include "Red Car", "Desegregation Of Our Children", "Acoustic Octofunk", and "Hope/Scope". CD

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David Newman on tenor sax and flute – with Steve Nelson on vibraphone, Kirk Lightsey on piano, David Williams on bass, and Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums. CD

With Al Weissman on electric guitar and Roland GR700, Terry Burns on bass, Larry Steelman on Yamaha DX7, TX816, OB-8, and piano, Larry Klein on drums, and Michito on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the greatest music we've heard so far from Nostalgia 77 – a group who started many years back as a jazz-referenced project – but one who here are definitely a fully-fledged combo with a very spiritual vibe! As before, producer Benedic Lamdin is at the helm of the lineup – yet the production is minimal, and instead the whole thing has this instrumental flowering of group members in ways that really fit the spirit of music by Dollar Brand, Chris McGregor, and Sun Ra – who are all covered on the set alongside the group's own original compositions too! The horn work is especially wonderful – a blend of flute from Gareth Lockrane, tenor from James Allsop, and trumpet from Alex Bonney – held down by bass from longtime 77 stalwart Riaan Vosloo on bass, plus Tim Giles on drums, and Ross Stanley on piano and organ. Titles include "Dakar", "Ishmael", "The Sun Is Big", "Love In Outer Space", "Flower", and "The Hooper". CD

Maybe the greatest music we've heard so far from Nostalgia 77 – a group who started many years back as a jazz-referenced project – but one who here are definitely a fully-fledged combo with a very spiritual vibe! As before, producer Benedic Lamdin is at the helm of the lineup – yet the production is minimal, and instead the whole thing has this instrumental flowering of group members in ways that really fit the spirit of music by Dollar Brand, Chris McGregor, and Sun Ra – who are all covered on the set alongside the group's own original compositions too! The horn work is especially wonderful – a blend of flute from Gareth Lockrane, tenor from James Allsop, and trumpet from Alex Bonney – held down by bass from longtime 77 stalwart Riaan Vosloo on bass, plus Tim Giles on drums, and Ross Stanley on piano and organ. Titles include "Dakar", "Ishmael", "The Sun Is Big", "Love In Outer Space", "Flower", and "The Hooper". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Japanese-only vinyl set of Art Pepper's legendary 1977 recordings at the Village Vanguard – really open, freewheeling material that has the mature altoist at his best! A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – and Pepper also plays some great tenor, too. All tracks are very long – and titles include "The Trip", "You Go To My Head", "Cherokee", "My Friend John", "Blues For Les", "Valse Triste", "Goodbye", "But Beautiful", "Caravan", "Labyrinth", and "Las Cuevas De Mario". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. CD

A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – on titles that include "But Beautiful" and "Caravan", plus two Pepper tunes "Labyrinth" and "Las Cuevas De Mario". CD

A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – on titles that include "No Limit", "These Foolish Things", "More For Les" and "Over The Rainbow". CD

A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – on titles that include "You Go To My Head", "The Trip", and "Cherokee". CD

A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – on titles that include "Valse Triste", "Goodbye", "Blues For Les" and "My Friend John". CD

A record that marks the live recording debut of the alto giant Art Pepper – quite a surprise, given that he'd already had many years of playing under his belt – but also a date that captures Art at a time of real revival in his career – stretching out with new inspirations, and a sound that's very different from the Art Pepper of the 50s and 60s! The group features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums – on titles that include "Valse Triste", "Goodbye", "Blues For Les" and "My Friend John". LP, Vinyl record album

Michel Petrucciani on piano, Palle Danielsson on bass & Eliot Zigmund on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Michel Petrucciani on piano, Palle Danielsson on bass, and Eliot Zigmund on drums. CD

Chris Potter on tenor saxophone, Kevin Hays on piano and Fender Rhodes, Scott Colley on bass, and Bill Stewart on drums. CD

A really great later set – with a strong Latin Jazz vibe! CD

Features Ra on synthesizer, Chris Anderson on piano, John Gilmore on tenor, John Ore on bass, Buster Smith on drums, and Bruce Edwards on guitar. CD

Sun Ra on synthesizer, Chris Anderson on piano, John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, John Ore on bass, Earl C Smith on drums and Bruce Edwards on guitar. CD

Features Joshua Redman on saxophones, Peter Martin on piano, Christopher Thomas on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. CD

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A nice little blend of Brazilian and club-styled grooves – done by this Bah Samba offshoot with a similar feel to Bah Samba's own work! There's a wonderful London-meets-Rio vibe running through the whole set – a love of real Brazilian music that gets past the mis-steps of so many other attempts in recent years – but which has that great London ability to expand upon the original with a whole new feel. There's nice bits of older funk and club sliding in and out of the mix – coming into play with Brazilian elements and instrumentation in a way that's almost like some of the recent work on Far Out. Titles include "O Ronco Da Cuica", "Elephant Man", "U Got Me Spinnin", "I'm Missing You", "Omeriah", "And It's Beautiful", "Mozza", and a cover of Roy Ayers' "Running Away". CD

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... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Randal Fisher blows tenor with a tone that's really unique – one that we can't easily explain in words, but which has a sense of individuality that marks the record right from the start, and continues to delight as the set rolls on! There's kind of a crisp, higher-tone in his instrument – yet still a great degree of warmth, and never any attempt to sound too avant just to set himself apart. Instead, Randal has this way of blowing at a very personal level, matched in the group by these beautiful expressions on guitar from Nadav Peled, who illuminates the tunes gently but importantly – next to the bass of Michael Alvidrez and drums of Evan Greer – all younger players from the LA scene that we hope to hear plenty from in years to come. All tracks are originals by Fisher – equally fresh as his playing – and titles include "Mars In Scorpio", "Red", "Jackie's Journey", "Helix", and "Happiness & Security". CD

Includes two tracks produced by Gilles Peterson. LP, Vinyl record album

A great one from this hip Latin trombonist! Features vocals from Ricky Ramos, Yolanda Rivera, and Eddie Rosario – on titles that include "Piel A Piel", "Si Me Amas Como Dices", "Te Invito A Estar Conmigo", "El Pelao", "Soldado Del Amor", and "A Escondidas". LP, Vinyl record album

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A really beautiful set that was issued on a sub-label of UK folk powerhouse Transatlantic – yet a set that's nicely different than some of the better-known work from that label! Ian Hunt and John Thomas both play acoustic guitars, and add in a bit of bass and light percussion – in a stripped-down style that has all the elements of folk, but sounds nothing like it – as there's a much cooler post-60s vibe – not really singer/songwriter, but this sense of intimacy and adult approaches to the music that's very special – maybe a bit like the team of Lambert & Nuttycombe, yet very much in the group's own spirit. The duo really transform the material they touch – as evidenced on their great version of "Living Without You" – heard here next to titles that include "Hold Me Know", "Silver Lady", "We Say We're Happy", "Mr Bojangles", "Older Now & Younger Then", "Morning For Eve", and "Rockfield Rag". CD

Ahmad Jamal on piano, Reginald Veal on double bass, Herlin Riley on drums, and Manolo Badrena on percussion. CD

A pretty incredible set from sax player Masato Nakamura, aka Masa – late of the trailblazing Japanese jazzy explorers Sleep Walker – here leading a new combo and some fellow Sleep Walker alum on a set of cover tunes selected by some of his (and some of our) favorite modern groove figures! The group brings fresh jazzy life a batch of all great tunes by Yusef Lateef, Julius Hemphill, Mary Parks (and Albert Ayler), Milton Nascimento and others. Beautiful stuff with timeless soul jazz inspiration – here's hoping Deep Cover isn't simply a one off project and we'll hear much more from Masa Sextet! Song selectors include Kyoto Jazz Massive, Patrick Forge (who also produces the album), Yoshihiro Okino of Kyoto Jazz Massive, Dilip Harris of Two Banks Of Four, Jurgen V Knoblauch of Jazzanova, Shuya Okino of Kyoto Jazz Massive and Gilles Peterson. Many of the numbers skew to the long side, with 7 great tracks the run a total of 55 minutes. Includes "Waiting For Marvin", "Look Into Tomorrow" and "Healing Is The Healing Force Of The Universe" (both with vocals by Bembe Segue), "Winds Of Change", "The Hard Blues", "Nem Premisou Mais Um Sol", and "Before Dawn". CD

A wonderful reworking of a wonderful record – as Root Soul take on all the tracks from Shuya Okino's Destiny record – and delivery them with an old school funky club sound! The instrumentation is great – live and very spontaneous, with an energy that takes us back to vintage Salsoul or some of the best Philly club work of the 70s – or a bit like Brand New Heavies at times, especially on the tracks that feature N'Dea Davenport on vocals! That great singer appears on three of the album's excellent tracks – alongside other work from Navasha Daya, Diviniti, and Pete Simpson – who each get a few tracks too. Titles include "Destiny", "Still In Love", "Look Ahead", "Let Nothing Change You", "Deep Into Sunshine", "Give Your Love A Chance", "Just Do It", "Take A Look At Yourself", and "Sun Will Rise". CD

A wonderful reworking of a wonderful record – as Root Soul take on all the tracks from Shuya Okino's Destiny record – and delivery them with an old school funky club sound! The instrumentation is great – live and very spontaneous, with an energy that takes us back to vintage Salsoul or some of the best Philly club work of the 70s – or a bit like Brand New Heavies at times, especially on the tracks that feature N'Dea Davenport on vocals! That great singer appears on three of the album's excellent tracks – alongside other work from Navasha Daya, Diviniti, and Pete Simpson – who each get a few tracks too. Titles include "Destiny", "Still In Love", "Look Ahead", "Let Nothing Change You", "Deep Into Sunshine", "Holding You Loving You", and "Sun Will Rise". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime celebration of this amazing spiritual ensemble from the Los Angeles scene – a 60th anniversary record from the group, and one that features a track recorded in every decade of their existence! The material comes from the group's archives, and has a surprisingly unified sound, despite the span of time and range of great musicians here – a shifting lineup that includes key work from group founder Horace Tapscott on piano, plus Phil Ranelin on trombone, Butch Morris on cornet, Nate Morgan on piano, Dwight Trible on vocals, and Arthur Blythe, Jesse Sharps, Adele Sebastian on reeds. With players of that nature, you can bet that there's a lot here that resonates with classics on the legendary Nimbus label – and the set is a great addition to the too-few recordings from that scene over the years. Titles include "Little A's Chant", "Nation Rising", "The Ballad Of Deadwood Dick", "Justice", "Dem Folks", and "The Golden Pearl". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little album of breezy jazz – with vocals by Joan Johnson on a number of tracks, and that modally grooving post-MPS sound that still resonated strongly on a few German labels at the end of the 70s! The real star here is Peters, whose work on saxes is great – kind of pinched in tone, in a snaking way that bubbles soulfully out of the album's best tracks. Johnson's vocals are nice, too – but they come to their strongest point when really challenged by Peters reed work, and by the driving piano of Walter Norris, who's also in the group. Titles include "Kekay", "Mr Steve", "Wings Of Steve", "Morning Mist", and "Happy Endings". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the coolest projects we've ever heard from the mighty Dave Lee – and that's saying a lot, given all the excellent records he's given us under the name of Joey Negro, Sunburst Orchestra, and other related projects! Here, Dave mixes his keen ear for funky club with some of the great cop/crime grooves of the mid 70s – particularly the kind of work that might have backed police programs on the small screen, almost as if Lee is channeling the classic work of Rhythm Heritage for SWAT, then taking things in a whole new direction! The "symphony" in the group's name is very well put, as there's soaring strings on many numbers – an even fuller feel than on some of Dave's other projects, but with equally tight grooves at the core. Part 1 includes "Windy City Theme", "Tradewinds", "Six Billion Dollar Man", "Seneca Village" and "Metamorphosis". LP, Vinyl record album

Rock-solid live material from the classic Cannonball Adderley Sextet – a combo who could usually groove even better on a concert date then they could in the studio! The album's one of a number of key live sides from Cannon in the 60s – and although it pre-dates his work on Capitol, it's done in a similar spacious mode – with plenty of longish tracks that build upon the core groove set down by Joe Zawinul's piano, Sam Jones' bass, and Louis Hayes' drums – a perfect backdrop for the creative and complicated solos of Cannon on alto, Nat Adderley on cornet, and Yusef Lateef on tenor, flute, and oboe! The date was recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1962 – and titles include "Gemini", "Planet Earth", "Dizzy's Business", "Syn-anthesia", "Scotch & Water", and "Cannon's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Rock-solid live material from the classic Cannonball Adderley Sextet – a combo who could usually groove even better on a concert date then they could in the studio! The album's one of a number of key live sides from Cannon in the 60s – and although it pre-dates his work on Capitol, it's done in a similar spacious mode – with plenty of longish tracks that build upon the core groove set down by Joe Zawinul's piano, Sam Jones' bass, and Louis Hayes' drums – a perfect backdrop for the creative and complicated solos of Cannon on alto, Nat Adderley on cornet, and Yusef Lateef on tenor, flute, and oboe! The date was recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1962 – and titles include "Gemini", "Planet Earth", "Dizzy's Business", "Syn-anthesia", "Scotch & Water", and "Cannon's Theme". CD

A pair of gems from the Riverside years of Cannonball Adderley! First up is Cannonball Adderley Quintet In San Francisco – one of the greatest Cannonball Adderley albums from the Riverside years – a completely smoking live date recorded in San Francisco, often with long tracks that really let the group open up and do their thing! The lineup here is that classic one that first grabbed attention – the group with brother Nat on cornet, Sam Jones on bass, Louis Hayes on drums – and a young Bobby Timmons on piano, really cooking things up with tremendous drive, energy, and a sense of the groove! Titles include a great workout on Timmons' classic "This Here", plus originals "You Got It" and Spontaneous Combustion", and a great version of "Hi Fly". Soul jazz at its best, by one of the groups who gave the genre its name in the first place! Next is Cannonball Adderley Sextet In New York – rock-solid live material from the classic Cannonball Adderley Sextet – a combo who could usually groove even better on a concert date then they could in the studio! The album's one of a number of key live sides from Cannon in the 60s – and although it pre-dates his work on Capitol, it's done in a similar spacious mode – with plenty of longish tracks that build upon the core groove set down by Joe Zawinul's piano, Sam Jones' bass, and Louis Hayes' drums – a perfect backdrop for the creative and complicated solos of Cannon on alto, Nat Adderley on cornet, and Yusef Lateef on tenor, flute, and oboe! The date was recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1962 – and titles include "Gemini", "Planet Earth", "Dizzy's Business", "Syn-anthesia", "Scotch & Water", and "Cannon's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album