Victor/Lawson (Japan), 1969. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)
A fishy little record from saxophonist Akira Miyazawa – but a great one too, and an indication that he was probably one of the greatest modernists on the Japanese scene of the time! The set's built around four long tracks – all played with a main focus on the tenor, handled here in a ...
MCA/Lawson (Japan), 1971. New Copy (reissue)
An incredible blend of jazz and traditional Japanese instrumentation – done in a style that even has some nice funky touches from time to time! The work's a really ambitious one – taking simple musical patterns at its core, but then building them up and jamming over the top as the ...
Gondwana (UK), 2023. New Copy 2LP
A spiritual masterpiece from Matthew Halsall – a record that still has the beautiful trumpet work we've loved from the start, but which also shows just how much Halsall has been expanding his talents in search of new meanings, and new modes of expression! Matthew handles a fair bit of ...
Blue Note/Third Man, 1970. New Copy (reissue)
Tremendous work from this lesser-known combo from Detroit – a session of work that builds strongly on the colors and changes explored by Miles Davis earlier in the 60s, but which takes things off into a whole new direction! (A Multidirection?) The horns on the record have incredible ...
Not Two (Poland), 2018. New Copy 5CD
A brilliant testament not just to the bass work of Barry Guy, but to so many other factors as well – the open spirit of the contemporary Polish avant scene, the strength of key improvisers in each others' company, and even the much-lauded efforts of the Not Two label to present material of ...
Express/Universal (Japan), 1969. New Copy (reissue)
The debut album of the legendary pianist Masahiko Sato – a musician who's got a way with a piano that's unlike anyone else we can think of – almost creating these sinister moments at times, which are balanced by occasional moments of warmth, amidst a very groundbreaking sense of freedom! ...
Uniteledis/LMLR (France), 1975. New Copy 2LP
One of the last truly outside albums recorded by Archie Shepp in the 70s – a French performance that's very similar to the open-ended, freely-blown recordings he did for the BYG/Actuel label a few years before! The record captures Shepp in territory that's different than some of the more ...
Jazz In Britain (UK), 1970. New Copy
Some of the greatest work we've ever heard from legendary British guitarist Ray Russell – a set that was not issued to the public at the time, but recorded especially for the BBC – and with a sound that's every bit as striking as his famous albums for CBS! There's maybe a slightly more ...
Of The Cosmos/Moved By Sound (UK), 1979. New Copy (reissue)
A masterful moment as a leader from bassist Sirone – one of his only albums in the lead, and a very different set than some of his work with the Revolutionary Ensemble! There's an intimate vibe going on here, but one that's still very powerful, and definitely in the best spirit of the loft ...
Cadet/Verve, 1970. New Copy (reissue)
Incredible work from the amazing Dorothy Ashby – a brilliant set of funky and spiritual tunes, set to full backings from Chicago soul arranger Richard Evans! This album is easily one of Ashby's greatest, and it's dedicated to the writings of Omar Khayyam – one of the forces guiding ...
Impulse, 1969/1974. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)
A brilliant late Impulse Records album from Archie Shepp – material recorded on a variety of dates at the end of the 60s, but packaged together as an extremely soulful set in the mid 70s! There's a feel here that rivals some of the best moments of the Attica Blues years – a mix of ...
Tuba/BGP (UK), 1966. New Copy (reissue)
One of the coolest, grooviest albums ever from jazz vibist Johnny Lytle – a set that really leans into the impact that he was having with the soul instrumental crowd, and which serves up tunes in these short, tight grooves that show why Johnny was the king of the stepping dancefloor in the ...
Nimbus, 1979. New Copy 2CDs
The Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra steps out here in a very large version of the ensemble – led by the great Horace Tapscott on piano, and stretching out on some very long tunes that are filled with strong solo work from different members of the group! Key players include Adele Sebastian and ...
Nodlew/P-Vine (Japan), 1972. New Copy
Landmark early work from the legendary Weldon Irvine – recorded way back when he was first coming to fame with Nina Simone, but done as an obscure indie effort for his tiny Nodlew label! The set's a wicked batch of keyboard-heavy funk – at a level that's similar to some of the best ...
Astigmatic (Poland), 2022. New Copy
Fantastic work from EABS – a combo who continue to amaze us with the diversity of sounds they create, and the depth of feeling they can get from a mix of acoustic and electric instruments! There's maybe an even deeper spiritual vibe going on here than previous records – music that's ...
RGS (Argentina), 1960. New Copy
Very early work from this legendary Argentine saxophone player – and a set that already shows the tenor of Horacio Chivo Borraro stretching out in ways that would be come more internationally known in the 70s! The format's a live one, as you'd guess from the title – and the group is ...
Soundway (UK), 2023. New Copy
Sublime spiritual jazz from a really great contemporary group – a combo that features key players on the New Zealand scene, all working together in a set of modal jazz numbers with a very soulful vibe! Bassist Ben Turua may be the star of the set – as the tone and pacing of his ...
Trio/Solid (Japan), 1977. New Copy (reissue)
A well-titled album from Japanese pianist Ryo Fukui – one that's got a warm sense of flow that takes it well past conventional piano trio work! The group here features Fukui on piano, Satoshi Denpo on bass, and Yoshinori Fukui on drums – all working together beautifully as a unit ...
Nadja/Solid (Japan), 1976. New Copy (reissue)
Lyrical magic from pianist Ryo Fukui – a lost gem from the Japanese scene of the 70s, and a beautifully flowing album throughout! Fukui's got a wide-open touch to the piano that we totally love – and is easily one of the best of his contemporaries on the Japanese trio scene of the time ...
Trova/RGS (Argentina), 1974. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)
A magical meeting of two tremendous talents – saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and bandoneon player Astor Piazzolla – heard here in a rare Italian recording from the 70s! The album's a really unique effort for both musicians – a bit more pensive and thoughtful than some of Piazzolla's ...
Gearbox (UK), 2002. New Copy
Beautiful solo work from pianist Abdullah Ibrahim – a player with a sound so rich and rhythmic, his sessions like this are often every bit as captivating as his trio and group recordings! There's a really special sort of poetry going on here – first in the way that Ibrahim brings out ...
Columbia, 1983. New Copy 2LP Gatefold
Early 80s live work from Miles Davis – done at a level that's a nice change from some of his studio work of the time! If you've ever heard Miles in a live setting like this from the decade, you know that such recordings are a great reminder of the way he can really deliver an extended solo ...
Tribe/P-Vine (Japan), 1976. New Copy (reissue)
An excellent lost classic from Detroit soul jazz powerhouse Phil Ranelin – now a legendary figure, but recording here back at the start of his career in the Motor City! Trombonist Ranelin was one of the key figures in the city's Tribe Records scene – and this album is one of the ...
Palm/Souffle Continu (France), 1974. New Copy (reissue)
Easily our favorite album by Baikida Carroll – a wonderfully spiritual session cut in Paris, and done with this open-ended, spacious sound that seems to bring AACM improvisation into play with some of the global currents that were happening overseas at the time! As on an AACM date, most ...
Gondwana (UK), 2023. New Copy 2LP
A spiritual masterpiece from Matthew Halsall – a record that still has the beautiful trumpet work we've loved from the start, but which also shows just how much Halsall has been expanding his talents in search of new meanings, and new modes of expression! Matthew handles a fair bit of ...
Mercury/Universal (Japan), 1954. New Copy
Early early work by Paul Bley – years before he picked up the synthesizer, and years before he became the moody modernist he was in the 70s! The album's a relatively straight batch of tracks, but does have a touch of modernism – an early example of the sharp sounds that Bley would ...
Ni Vu Ni Connu (Luxembourg), Late 60s. New Copy 5LP Set
A stunning tribute to the work of Swedish reedman Bengt Frippe Nordstrom – a player whose solo and small group improvisations arguably set the tone for countless Scandinavian recordings in years to come – presented here with both unreleased material and his legendary Natural Music ...
Days Of Delight (Japan), 1976. New Copy
A never-issued live performance from the legendary Japanese drummer Motohiko Hino – recorded live in concert, originally by the Three Blind Mice label – yet a date that's a lot more freewheeling than most of the more familiar studio material from TBM! All the tracks are long, soaring, ...
Columbia/Lawson (Japan), 1969. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)
The drums are definitely exciting here – really tight rhythms that drive most of these cuts into a funky frenzy – even if the groove is more based on American soul of the late 60s than the African rock promised in the title! Most of the tunes are covers, but remade here as really hip ...
British Progressive Jazz (UK), 1970. New Copy
A sublime showcase for the reed genius of Mike Osborne – a recording that was done a few years before his 70s classics on the Ogun label, but which has every bit as much power as those gems! In fact, there's a quality here that may be even more righteous and freewheeling – as Mike's ...