The "future" in the title is very well-put – as the album seems to open up a rich new chapter in the music of the legendary vocalist Dwight Trible – a singer who's carried on the spiritual legacy of the 70s well into the 21st Century, and who's always given us some fantastic records in the past! And here, Trible's continuing that legacy, but in a different way – mixing up styles in ways that almost seem to echo the experiments on the London and Chicago scenes of late, and also mixing cosmic elements with more down to earth soul styles – in a core group that's heavier on bass and electric guitar than some of his other groups. The set features guest vocals from Georgia Anne Muldrow on one track, and guest tenor from Kamasi Washington on another – and titles include "Beach Vibes", "Elements", "African Drum", "Black Dance", "Wind", "Derf Reklaw", and "My Stomping Ground". CD

One of the most amazing jazz vocalists of our generation returns here with an incredible group – a majestic combo to match all the spiritual inclinations in his music – with work from Kamasi Washington on tenor, Mark De Clive-Lowe on piano, Miguel Atwood Ferguson on viola, and both Carlos Nino and Derf Reklaw on percussion! Dwight Trible on his own is already more than enough to get us to run out and buy a record – but here, the combination of his unique voice with these musicians makes for an album that's an instant masterpiece – and one that even has lots of new colors and styles compared to some of Dwight's previous work! Songs include numbers by older west coast spiritual jazz heavyweights – like Horace Tapscott, Linda Hill, Nate Morgan, James Leary, and Jesse Sharps – mixed with some of Trible's own songs, and versions of work by Carmen Lundy, Oscar Brown Jr, and Donny Hathaway. From top to bottom, start to stop, the album's a treasure – with tracks that include "It's All About Love", "Thank You Master", "Song For My Mother", "Brother Where Are You", "Some Other Time", "These Things You Are To Me", "Desert Fairy Princess", and "Mothership". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most amazing jazz vocalists of our generation returns here with an incredible group – a majestic combo to match all the spiritual inclinations in his music – with work from Kamasi Washington on tenor, Mark De Clive-Lowe on piano, Miguel Atwood Ferguson on viola, and both Carlos Nino and Derf Reklaw on percussion! Dwight Trible on his own is already more than enough to get us to run out and buy a record – but here, the combination of his unique voice with these musicians makes for an album that's an instant masterpiece – and one that even has lots of new colors and styles compared to some of Dwight's previous work! Songs include numbers by older west coast spiritual jazz heavyweights – like Horace Tapscott, Linda Hill, Nate Morgan, James Leary, and Jesse Sharps – mixed with some of Trible's own songs, and versions of work by Carmen Lundy, Oscar Brown Jr, and Donny Hathaway. From top to bottom, start to stop, the album's a treasure – with tracks that include "It's All About Love", "Thank You Master", "Song For My Mother", "Brother Where Are You", "Some Other Time", "These Things You Are To Me", "Desert Fairy Princess", and "Mothership". CD

Soul jazz vocalist Dwight Trible gathers the forces for this magnificent effort – an album pairing his emotionally rich vocals and singular spirit with a group of largely west coast allstars – and it's pure genius! The Life Force Trio, from what we can tell, is simply the moniker for a small army of free thinking guests from the deep funk, hip hop and turntablist underground assembled by Carlos Nino of Ammon Contact. The guest list includes SA-RA, J Dilla, Madlib, Daedelus, Scienze Of Life, Nate Morgan, Dwight's Build An Ark fellows and many others. It features some vocals Dwight has laid down for other albums, and some unreleased recordings – how they pair up so intricately well, with such fresh and varied production is a beautiful mystery. This record could have merely served as an interesting exercise in combined talents, but instead it absolutely soars, and could be remembered as Dwight's masterpiece! It may also be one of the best Ninja Tune albums ever! Tracks include "Equipoise" feat SA-RA, "Freedom Dance", "The Rhythm", "Waves Of Infinite Harmony", a fresh take on Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", "Love Is The Answer", "I Was Born On Planet Rock", "Constellations" feat Super Nova, "Celestial Blues" and more. The CD also includes a bonus disc on instrumentals! CD

The "future" in the title is very well-put – as the album seems to open up a rich new chapter in the music of the legendary vocalist Dwight Trible – a singer who's carried on the spiritual legacy of the 70s well into the 21st Century, and who's always given us some fantastic records in the past! And here, Trible's continuing that legacy, but in a different way – mixing up styles in ways that almost seem to echo the experiments on the London and Chicago scenes of late, and also mixing cosmic elements with more down to earth soul styles – in a core group that's heavier on bass and electric guitar than some of his other groups. The set features guest vocals from Georgia Anne Muldrow on one track, and guest tenor from Kamasi Washington on another – and titles include "Beach Vibes", "Elements", "African Drum", "Black Dance", "Wind", "Derf Reklaw", and "My Stomping Ground". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most amazing jazz vocalists of our generation returns here with an incredible group – a majestic combo to match all the spiritual inclinations in his music – with work from Kamasi Washington on tenor, Mark De Clive-Lowe on piano, Miguel Atwood Ferguson on viola, and both Carlos Nino and Derf Reklaw on percussion! Dwight Trible on his own is already more than enough to get us to run out and buy a record – but here, the combination of his unique voice with these musicians makes for an album that's an instant masterpiece – and one that even has lots of new colors and styles compared to some of Dwight's previous work! Songs include numbers by older west coast spiritual jazz heavyweights – like Horace Tapscott, Linda Hill, Nate Morgan, James Leary, and Jesse Sharps – mixed with some of Trible's own songs, and versions of work by Carmen Lundy, Oscar Brown Jr, and Donny Hathaway. From top to bottom, start to stop, the album's a treasure – with tracks that include "It's All About Love", "Thank You Master", "Song For My Mother", "Brother Where Are You", "Some Other Time", "These Things You Are To Me", "Desert Fairy Princess", and "Mothership". CD

A spiritually resonant soul jazz gem from truly great vocalist Dwight Trible – whose handful of albums to his own name and his work with the Build An Ark collective and Life Force Trio have all been timeless, passionate and inventive – and this effort on the Katalyst label is as deep and rewarding as any of it! Cosmic reminds us of everything we loved about Dwight's Living Water album a few years back, and this one may be even stronger. His yearning, soaring, soul shaking voice is stunning as always, and both the originals and the unique takes on the more spiritual material of legends such as Duke Ellington, Nina Simone and others is really great. He's backed by stellar group of musicians that includes drummer Dexter Story, bassist Trevor Ware, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, John Beasley on piano and organ, George Harper on tenor sax and others. Includes "Speak To Us Of Love", "I've Known Rivers", Ellington's "In The Beginning GOD", "Love Is Forever", "Little Afrika", "Algeriangeles", Simone's "Hyku For Peace/Come Ye", "It's All About Love" and glorious, soul jazz take on the Five Stairsteps soul classic "Ooh Child". CD

Bold new work from the legendary Pyramids ensemble – a spiritual jazz group who go back to the 70s, but who've reemerged in recent years with a renewed sense of energy, and a very forward-thinking sound! Leader Idris Ackamoor is still a master of tone and feeling on reeds – including alto and tenor, plus some other instrumentation as well – and he also vocalizes a bit on the record too hitting some righteous expressions that are in the spirit of Leon Thomas or Dwight Trible, mixed along with instrumentation from other players on drums, percussion, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, and guitar. The album's got a beautifully positive vibe – and titles include "Police Dem", "First Peoples", "Afro Futuristic Dreams", "Garland Rose", "Truth To Power", and "Requiem For The Ancestors". CD

Bold new work from the legendary Pyramids ensemble – a spiritual jazz group who go back to the 70s, but who've reemerged in recent years with a renewed sense of energy, and a very forward-thinking sound! Leader Idris Ackamoor is still a master of tone and feeling on reeds – including alto and tenor, plus some other instrumentation as well – and he also vocalizes a bit on the record too hitting some righteous expressions that are in the spirit of Leon Thomas or Dwight Trible, mixed along with instrumentation from other players on drums, percussion, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, and guitar. The album's got a beautifully positive vibe – and titles include "Police Dem", "First Peoples", "Afro Futuristic Dreams", "Garland Rose", "Truth To Power", and "Requiem For The Ancestors". LP, Vinyl record album

The beautiful debut as a leader from pianist Surya Botofasina – an artist you may know from early work in the spiritual Build An Ark ensemble – finally given a chance here to shine on his own! The album's produced by Carlos Nino, with whom Botofasina worked in Build An Ark – and Nino also plays some percussion on the set, and brings some of his own meditative qualities to the music. Yet things are still very much Surya's own, with long tracks that stretch out on lots of sublime piano and keyboard passages that are almost harp-like at times – touched by some of Nino's percussion – and guest vocals on one track by Dwight Trible, and on another by Mia Doi Todd. Titles include "I Love Dew Sophie", "Surya Meditation", "Everyone's Children", "Beloved California Temple", "Waves For Margie", and "Sun Of Keshava". CD

A really powerful project from the LA underground – served up by a group led by Jesse Sharps, who you may remember from classic albums on the Nimbus label – and done at a level that unites the sound of his generation with some of the best currents of more contemporary years! The lineup here is filled with righteous, spiritual giants – the great Dwight Trible on vocals, Phil Ranelin on trombone, Theo Saunders on piano, Robwerto Miranda on bass, Derf Recklaw on congas and percussion – alongside Mercedes Smith on alto, Amos Delone on baritone , and Maia on flute! There's a strong mix of message and music going on here – also delivered with a bit of poetry from Kamau Daaood – and although the set was recorded before the events of 2020, it's got a deep sense of power that really gets at the needs of America in the years after George Floyd. The set begins with a stunningly dark take on "Strange Fruit", then moves into Daaood's equally powerful "Healing Suite" – and soars next on the long "Freedom's Sweet" by Horace Tapscott, before closing with "Mother", a composition by the great Nate Morgan. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Brian Swartz on trumpet, Doug Webb on soprano sax and bass clarinet, Rob Hardt on bass clarinet and flutes, Andy Langhan on fender rhodes and mini moog, Mike Hoffman on electric guitar, "Big Tastee" Brandon Rivas and Essiet Okon Essiet on bass, "Brother" Gabriel Herrera and Dwight Trible on vocals and spoken word. CD

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

Beautifully spiritual sounds from the contemporary LA scene – served up in a record that mixes generations old and new, and with a really wonderful sound throughout! There's a timeless quality to the record right from the start – maybe because the great Phil Ranelin begins the set with a vocal performance over mellow electronics – in a laidback spirit that's followed by the rest of the set too – as a shifting array of artists under the direction of Jesse Peterson turn out a record with a subtle righteous power! Peterson previously worked with Carlos Nino – and there's definitely a bit of Nino spirit here, but with a different vibe – in a lineup that includes Sam Gendel on reeds, Randal Fisher on flute, Fabiano Do Nascimento on guitar, Josh Johnson on alto and keyboards, Aaron Shaw on tenor, Carlos Nino on percussion, and Photay and Diego Gaeta on electronics – plus vocal work from Phil Ranelin, Laraaji, Mia Doi Todd, and Dwight Trible. Titles include "Alive To Feel", "Island Bells", "Pandanus Grove", "Tune Up", "Ocean Garden", "Floating Sunset", and "Arukitai". CD

Beautifully spiritual sounds from the contemporary LA scene – served up in a record that mixes generations old and new, and with a really wonderful sound throughout! There's a timeless quality to the record right from the start – maybe because the great Phil Ranelin begins the set with a vocal performance over mellow electronics – in a laidback spirit that's followed by the rest of the set too – as a shifting array of artists under the direction of Jesse Peterson turn out a record with a subtle righteous power! Peterson previously worked with Carlos Nino – and there's definitely a bit of Nino spirit here, but with a different vibe – in a lineup that includes Sam Gendel on reeds, Randal Fisher on flute, Fabiano Do Nascimento on guitar, Josh Johnson on alto and keyboards, Aaron Shaw on tenor, Carlos Nino on percussion, and Photay and Diego Gaeta on electronics – plus vocal work from Phil Ranelin, Laraaji, Mia Doi Todd, and Dwight Trible. Titles include "Alive To Feel", "Island Bells", "Pandanus Grove", "Tune Up", "Ocean Garden", "Floating Sunset", and "Arukitai". LP, Vinyl record album

70s spiritual soul jazz lives again – in this righteous tribute to the late John Coltrane! The incredible collection is filled with wonderful tracks both classic and current – and is a great bridge between the first waves of this kind of music at the end of the 60s, and the contemporary revival that's been going on at a global level! Perhaps the best thing here is the way that there's no apparent difference in sound or style between the old and new cuts – and the folks at Free Spirits have really found a way to make the whole thing flow together wonderfully by selecting music that's deeply soulful, extremely positive, and filled with soaring vocals and instrumental solos! Titles include "Mode For Trane" by Billy Gault, "Naima" by Mark De Clive-Lowe, "A Love Supreme" by Rufus Harley, "John Coltrane's A Love Supreme" by Karin Krog & Nils Lindberg, "Duke & Trane" by Haikki Samarto Ensemble, "John Coltrane" by Our Cry For Peace (Dwight Trible/Build An Ark), "Prince Of Peace" by Pharoah Sanders, "Liberation Of The Spirit" by Kamau Daaood, "Naima" by 4 Hero, and "A Love Supreme" by Dwight Trible. CD

Spiritual jazz both old and new – a collection that really gets past the obvious sides of the genre, and brings together a range of unusual work from the 70s onward! The tracks here are a great antidote to the well-traveled territory of labels like Impulse or Strata East Records – and are mostly from lesser-known sources that include tiny indies from the 80s, and a few ground breaking imprints from recent years! There's definitely a vibe here that holds strongly in the spirit of John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and other innovators from the end of the 60s – but the sound is especially fresh given the obscurity of the tunes. Titles include "For Our Souls" by Doug Hammond, "Amazona" by Francisco Mora Catlett, "The Mystery Of Man" by Sarah Vaughan, "Better Than That" by Nomo, "Gol E Gandom" by Lloyd Miller, "Motherless Child" by Brother Ah, "A Love Supreme" by Dwight Trible, "Why" by Woody Shaw with Carter Jefferson, "Rwanda" by Francis Bebey, "Come Sunday" by Stanley Cowell, and "En El Amanecer Del Tiempo". CD

Spiritual jazz both old and new – a collection that really gets past the obvious sides of the genre, and brings together a range of unusual work from the 70s onward! The tracks here are a great antidote to the well-traveled territory of labels like Impulse or Strata East Records – and are mostly from lesser-known sources that include tiny indies from the 80s, and a few ground breaking imprints from recent years! There's definitely a vibe here that holds strongly in the spirit of John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and other innovators from the end of the 60s – but the sound is especially fresh given the obscurity of the tunes. Titles include "For Our Souls" by Doug Hammond, "Amazona" by Francisco Mora Catlett, "The Mystery Of Man" by Sarah Vaughan, "Better Than That" by Nomo, "Gol E Gandom" by Lloyd Miller, "Motherless Child" by Brother Ah, "A Love Supreme" by Dwight Trible, "Why" by Woody Shaw with Carter Jefferson, "Rwanda" by Francis Bebey, "Come Sunday" by Stanley Cowell, and "En El Amanecer Del Tiempo". LP, Vinyl record album

The beautiful debut as a leader from pianist Surya Botofasina – an artist you may know from early work in the spiritual Build An Ark ensemble – finally given a chance here to shine on his own! The album's produced by Carlos Nino, with whom Botofasina worked in Build An Ark – and Nino also plays some percussion on the set, and brings some of his own meditative qualities to the music. Yet things are still very much Surya's own, with long tracks that stretch out on lots of sublime piano and keyboard passages that are almost harp-like at times – touched by some of Nino's percussion – and guest vocals on one track by Dwight Trible, and on another by Mia Doi Todd. Titles include "I Love Dew Sophie", "Surya Meditation", "Everyone's Children", "Beloved California Temple", "Waves For Margie", and "Sun Of Keshava". LP, Vinyl record album

A modern day spiritual jazz treasure – completely wonderful all the way through, and a set you might well file proudly next to your classics from John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders! The record's as epic as it promises in the title – a three volume journey in jazz, headed by tenorist Kamai Washington, who emerges here as a tremendous leader, a hell of a writer, and a rich jazz talent in every sense of the word – carefully steering a group of musicians through work that's searing, searching, and driven with a very cosmic vibe! Tunes are often modal, and never step too far outside, but always push the boundaries – and the instrumentation is a shifting mix of keyboards, piano, trombone, trumpet, bass, drums, and percussion – plus some vocal performances from Dwight Trible and Patrice Quinn. You might know Kamasi from his work with Flying Lotus and Thundercat – the latter of whom plays bass on this set – but the album's very much his own, and very much jazz all the way through. The kind of record we're mighty proud to be offering – with tracks that include "Askim", "The Next Step", "Rhythm Changes", "Miss Understanding", "Leroy & Lanisha", "Re Run", "Seven Prayers", "Malcolm's Theme", and "The Message". CD

An excellent set of material from the Bay Area bassist James Leary – a package that brings together one rare album, and a whole host of unreleased recordings as well! The core album is Legacy – originally issued on the tiny Blue Collar label at the start of the 80s, and a wonderful set that features plenty of tenor work from Joe Henderson – a really much-needed document of Joe's tremendous sound during this under-recorded period of his career – and very heavy in those sharp, dark tones he used on the Mirror Mirror album! The rest of the group is great – a core combo with George Cables on piano, Eddie Marshall on drums, and Kenneth Nash on percussion – augmented by some larger backings at times, but always in a relatively subtle way that preserves the energy of the core. Titles from that session include "Twenty Five/Mister X", "Remember To Smile", "Today's Song", "So Far So Good", "Legacy", and "Wajumbe". CD also then features 90s recordings made by Leary with some mighty hip players in the southern Cali scene – a shifting lineup that features vocals from Dwight Trible on two numbers, plus trumpet from James Smith, tenor from George Harper, and piano from Eric Reed. Titles include "Song For My Mother", "Little Birds", "Come & Talk", "Together", and "Expose". CD

An amazing record from pianist Horace Tapscott – maybe one of his most ambitious projects ever, and a set that stands head and shoulders next to his classic work for the Nimbus label! As with some of those records, this set features his large Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra – performing live at LACMA in 1998, and also augmented by a vocal choir at times – working with a sense of pride and power that's very much in the best 70s spiritual jazz mode! We honestly didn't know that Tapscott had continued the group this far into the 90s – we've only heard them on record up through the early 80s – and the lineup really represents the maturing vision of the music, with some especially great work from Tapscott on piano, Phil Ranelin on trombone, and Michael Session on soprano, alto, and tenor – plus lead vocals from the mighty Dwight Trible. Titles include "Aiee The Phantom", "Fela Fela", "Listen Africa", "Caravan", and "Why Don't You Listen". CD

The beautiful debut as a leader from pianist Surya Botofasina – an artist you may know from early work in the spiritual Build An Ark ensemble – finally given a chance here to shine on his own! The album's produced by Carlos Nino, with whom Botofasina worked in Build An Ark – and Nino also plays some percussion on the set, and brings some of his own meditative qualities to the music. Yet things are still very much Surya's own, with long tracks that stretch out on lots of sublime piano and keyboard passages that are almost harp-like at times – touched by some of Nino's percussion – and guest vocals on one track by Dwight Trible, and on another by Mia Doi Todd. Titles include "I Love Dew Sophie", "Surya Meditation", "Everyone's Children", "Beloved California Temple", "Waves For Margie", and "Sun Of Keshava". CD

One jazz legend pays tribute to another – as percussionist Kahil El Zabar leads his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble through a set of tracks that really take on the wide-spanning legacy of the great Don Cherry – from his early years with Ornette Coleman, to his European world jazz experiments, to his enduring sonic creations over the years! Kahil is every bit as much of a musical experimentalist as Cherry – and his leadership here is perfect – pulling together contributions from Corey Wilkes on trumpet, David Ornette Cherry on piano, Alex Harding on baritone, and Dwight Trible on voice – all players who also pick up percussion and other instruments, in the best Cherry tradition. Kahil handles a wide array of percussion, including balafon and kalimba – and also adds some of his great vocalizations to the proceedings – in a set of tracks that includes "Degi Degi", "Sketches Of A Love Supreme", "Lonely Woman", "Harvest Time", "Spirit Gatherer", "Holy Man", and "Evocation". CD

A modern day spiritual jazz treasure – completely wonderful all the way through, and a set you might well file proudly next to your classics from John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders! The record's as epic as it promises in the title – a three volume journey in jazz, headed by tenorist Kamai Washington, who emerges here as a tremendous leader, a hell of a writer, and a rich jazz talent in every sense of the word – carefully steering a group of musicians through work that's searing, searching, and driven with a very cosmic vibe! Tunes are often modal, and never step too far outside, but always push the boundaries – and the instrumentation is a shifting mix of keyboards, piano, trombone, trumpet, bass, drums, and percussion – plus some vocal performances from Dwight Trible and Patrice Quinn. You might know Kamasi from his work with Flying Lotus and Thundercat – the latter of whom plays bass on this set – but the album's very much his own, and very much jazz all the way through. The kind of record we're mighty proud to be offering – with tracks that include "Askim", "The Next Step", "Rhythm Changes", "Miss Understanding", "Leroy & Lanisha", "Re Run", "Seven Prayers", "Malcolm's Theme", and "The Message". LP, Vinyl record album