A wonderful testament to the soul and sensitivity of the music of John Hicks – a loving tribute to the late, great pianist – handled here by some of his closest jazz associates! Even without Hicks' compositions, the group would be great enough – but given that John's musical legacy lives on in the songs, there's a deeper sense of feeling here that really unites the music – a rich extension of that flowing, spiritual side of his music that first flowered most strongly in the 70s, then continued to please us for years in a series of excellent later albums. Elis Wood-Hicks delivers some great work on flute throughout the set – and other players include Craig Handy on tenor and soprano, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, and core rhythm from Larry Willis on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Steve Williams on drums. Willis' later tones on the keys are a wonderful complement to Hicks' tunes, and Lundy's bass is always an element that makes a set great – and continues that legacy here. Titles include "Mind Wine", "After The Morning", "Blues In The Pocket", "Single Petal Of A Rose","Avotcja", and "Yemenja". CD

Your Christmas just got a whole lot funkier – thanks to a wonderful entry in this legendary series – maybe one of the coolest collections ever of hard-to-find Holiday grooves! As with previous volumes, almost all the tracks here are pulled from rare funky 45s – obscure original Christmas songs issued on 7" singles, most on very obscure labels – and together, the tracks offer up a really great way to re-think the sound of your house around the holidays – music that goes way past the overplayed tracks you always hear at the shops during December! These cuts are overflowing with new ideas, and offer a mighty fresh take on familiar spirits for the season – as you'll hear on titles that include "The Year Around Christmas" by Sam Applebaum, "Christmas Is" by Ruth Harley, "Santa Claus" by Ray Williams & The Space Men, "Christmas Strutt" by Hot & Sassy, "It's Xmas Time" by Wayne Champion, "Everybody Is A Santa Claus" by Fred Sebastian, "I Won't Be Home For Christmas" by Major Handy, "Christmas Presents" by Bobby Peterson, "It Feels Like Christmas" by Bill Deal & Pure Pleasure, and "Xmas Party" by Eddie & The De-Havelons. CD

A fascinating look at musical modes in London during the big years of postwar immigration – a time when former residents of the crumbling British Empire were flooding to London for jobs and a better way of life – often bringing along a huge amount of cultural experience in the process! This set follows wonderfully in the spirit of previous volumes of the series – bringing together a range of different sonic styles that were originally recorded in London as 78rpm singles – where a new wave of Caribbean and West African immigrants were fusing older styles with a newly modern sensibility, and often a fair bit of jazz as well! The set list is wonderful – a great array of well-chosen material – and titles include "Wa Sise" by Willie Payne & The Starlite Tempos, "The Emperor Of Africa" by The Mighty Terror, "Royal Wedding" by The Lion, "Modern Telephone" by Dai Dai Simba, "Sons & Daughters Of Africa" by Lord Beginner, "Caroline" by Trinidad Steel Band, "Ema Foju Ana Woku" by West African Rhythm Brothers, "Kana Kana" by Billy Sholanke, "Boul Ve Se" by Calypso Rhythm Kings, and "My Handy Man" by Marie Bryant. LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from composer/arranger George Handy – a brilliant set of inventive tunes that easily place him on a level with better-known 50s arrangers like Ralph Burns, Gil Evans, and George Russell! There's as much modernism here as in the work of any the three above – but also a style that's a bit more swinging, and sometimes playful too – not as filled with tricks as Pete Rugolo, but still very open to a broad flourish from a key soloist. The instrumentation's quite unique too – mixing bits of oboe and violin with saxes and trumpets at odd moments – creating an interplay that's almost other-worldly in sound, but which still swings nicely throughout! Players include Dick Sherman and Gene Orloff on trumpets, Frank Rehack on trombone, Dave Schildkraut on alto, Tommy Mace on tenor, and Tony Aless on piano – and titles include "Heavy Hands", "Pulse", "Tender Touch", "Pensive", "Maretet", "The Flatterer", and "Knobby Knees". CD

A trio of later gems from this legendary South African pianist! Mindif is a great set that features Abdullah Ibrahim's soundtrack music for the 1988 Clair Denis film Chocolat – some of his best group recordings of the 80s! The feel here is a bit more African-styled than usual – even for Ibrahim – with strong use of reeds to inflect the tunes with the right degree of color and tone for their use in the film. The ensemble on the record features Ricky Ford on tenor and soprano, Craig Handy on flute and tenor, Benny Powell on trombone, David Williams on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the tracks have a languid groove that recalls some of Dollar Brand's best South African recordings with Kippie Moketsie. Titles include "Earth Bird", "African Market", "Pule", "Star Dance", and "Serenity". African River is one of the great larger group recordings that pianist Abdullah Ibrahim gave us in the 80s – from a moment when he was able to use added horns to really expand that amazing sense of color and rhythm he'd brought to his music on earlier trio recordings! There's a sense of musical vision here that really lives up to Abdullah's majestic look on the cover – a fantastic merging of flute and tenor from John Stubblefield, soprano and alto from Horace Alexander Young, tuba and baritone from Howard Johnson, and trombone from Robin Eubanks – all vibrant horn players who seem to have just about every tone and mood covered with their horns – given this wonderfully warm support from Buster Williams on bass, and Brian Adams on drums. All titles are originals by the leader – and tunes include "Chisa", "Sweet Samba", "Duke 88", "The Wedding", and "Joan Capetown Flower". Yarona is a beautifully sensitive set from Abdullah Ibrahim – recorded live at the Village Vanguard, and with an open, lyrical sound that almost seems to recall some of Bill Evans' magical moments in the venue! Ibrahim's quite a different player, of course – but there's an open, exploratory quality to his music that's a bit unusual here – maybe not as rhythmically based as it is balanced between sound and silence – given very respectful company in the bass of Marcus McLaurine and drums of George Johnson. Titles include "Cherry/Mannenberg", "Duke 88", "African River", "Stardance", "Tuang Guru", "Tintinyana", and "African Marketplace". CD

Ralph J Gleason might just be one of the coolest cats to ever write about music – a key part of the San Francisco scene during the postwar years – where his talents helped illuminate both the worlds of art and music during the beat generation – then really helped shine a spotlight on all the cultural changes in the city during the 60s – which even led to Gleason's role in the founding of Rolling Stone magazine! Gleason always had a great eye (and ear) for things that were new and special, but never in a way that was slavish to the moment – or to its creator – and the book features an initial section on his writings on jazz and blues – with essays on John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Carmen McRae, BB King, John Handy, Vince Guaraldi & Bola Sete, Cal Tjader, Ben Webster, the San Francisco Jazz scene, and other diverse topics. The second section features Gleason on folk and rock – with bits on Jefferson Airplane, Hank Williams, Lenny Bruce, Odetta, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and others – and the final section features articles on politics and culture – covering topics that include Richard Nixon, radio payola, Law & Order, flower children, and other slices of society, seen from the Gleason viewpoint. Book is hardcover, and 309 pages. Book

We're not sure what a neck-peckin jammie is, but drummer Cecil Brooks really makes us want to know more – as the sound of this set is solidly soulful, and way deeper than you might guess from the cartoony image on the cover! Brooks has some very sharp help here in the group – Craig Handy on tenor and soprano sax, Justin Robinson on alto, and Terell Stafford on trumpet – a really bold frontline that steps out beautifully with Cecil's strongly rhythmic insistence – supported even further in these efforts by Geoff Keezer on piano and Christian McBride on bass. Tracks are easygoing and soulfully flowing – just the sort of soul jazz that Muse Records always got so right – and tunes include "In Jody's Corner", "Hill District", "Yvette", "Creepin", "One By One", "Blues Citizens", and "Mood Swings". CD