Ever-adventurous composer, arranger and coronet player Rob Mazurek teams up with similarly creative wanderer Emmett Kelly (Cairo Gang, Josh Abrams Natural Information Society and more)! Alien Flower Sutra finds the duo and their guest players crafting a pretty awesome mix of interstellar psych-jazz-folk with vocals and guitar – with lots of fuzzier, jazzier instrumental passages. Very cool stuff on International Anthem, which has quickly become one of Chicago's best indie labels for free thinking creative output! Mazurek handles the electronic treatments, synths and coronet, with Kelly's lyrics, voice and guitars, and accompanied by Guilherme Granado, Carlos Issam Thomas Rohrer and Brittany Mazurek. Includes "Back To The Ocean, Back To The Sea", "Android Love Cry", "Blackout", "Bright Nights Havoc", "I Untied My Wrists", "Of Time Wasted", "Remember Nothing", "Embryo Genesis", "We Are One" and "Overture Towards The Beginning Of The End Of Time". CD

Ever-adventurous composer, arranger and coronet player Rob Mazurek teams up with similarly creative wanderer Emmett Kelly (Cairo Gang, Josh Abrams Natural Information Society and more)! Alien Flower Sutra finds the duo and their guest players crafting a pretty awesome mix of interstellar psych-jazz-folk with vocals and guitar – with lots of fuzzier, jazzier instrumental passages. Very cool stuff on International Anthem, which has quickly become one of Chicago's best indie labels for free thinking creative output! Mazurek handles the electronic treatments, synths and coronet, with Kelly's lyrics, voice and guitars, and accompanied by Guilherme Granado, Carlos Issam Thomas Rohrer and Brittany Mazurek. Includes "Back To The Ocean, Back To The Sea", "Android Love Cry", "Blackout", "Bright Nights Havoc", "I Untied My Wrists", "Of Time Wasted", "Remember Nothing", "Embryo Genesis", "We Are One" and "Overture Towards The Beginning Of The End Of Time". CD

Amazing stuff – and arguably the greatest early Funkadelic album ever! The set moves past the simple fuzzy style of the group's debut, and the overly-stoned sound of Free Your Mind – and rockets into a heady funk style that's filled with sly social commentary and an incredibly dark vision of the future! The centerpiece of the album is the mindblowing "Maggot Brain" title track – a tune that begins with a chilling spoken intro, then slowly builds amidst washes and washes of post-Hendrix guitar. That cut then rolls into some shorter, funkier numbers that rank with some of the group's best ever – using the device of party-hearty energy to convey a sense of alienation and horror at the world. The whole thing's brilliant throughout – and apart from being a soul classic, the set should also rank as one of the greatest rock albums of all time! Titles include "Maggot Brain", "Super Stupid", "Back in Our Minds", "Can You Get to That", and "Wars of Armageddon". Features two bonus tracks – "Maggot Brain (live 1971)" and "Maggot Brain (BMG dub)". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing stuff – and arguably the greatest early Funkadelic album ever! The set moves past the simple fuzzy style of the group's debut, and the overly-stoned sound of Free Your Mind – and rockets into a heady funk style that's filled with sly social commentary and an incredibly dark vision of the future! The centerpiece of the album is the mindblowing "Maggot Brain" title track – a tune that begins with a chilling spoken intro, then slowly builds amidst washes and washes of post-Hendrix guitar. That cut then rolls into some shorter, funkier numbers that rank with some of the group's best ever – using the device of party-hearty energy to convey a sense of alienation and horror at the world. The whole thing's brilliant throughout – and apart from being a soul classic, the set should also rank as one of the greatest rock albums of all time! Titles include "Maggot Brain", "Super Stupid", "Back in Our Minds", "Can You Get to That", and "Wars of Armageddon". Features a great bonus single with two bonus tracks – "Maggot Brain (live 1971)" and "Maggot Brain (BMG dub)". LP, Vinyl record album

Think The Beatles only had an impact on rock and pop fans in the America of the 60s? Think again – because their music had an undeniable impact on soul as well – as you'll here from this wonderful range of remakes of classic cuts from the Fab Four! The work here is a real surprise if you don't know the legacy – but it also really makes sense once you're reminded of the mind-expanding, ear-opening territory the group hit in the latter half of the 60s – and working with themes of social change, alienation, and personal longing – of the sort that turn out to be perfect for new interpretations in soul! Most of these cuts are way more than standard cover versions, too – as the arrangements are really inventive, and take off in bold new directions that make the songs very much new properties overall. Most of the work here is from the late 60s and early 70s – and as always with Ace Records, the notes and presentation really put the music in context! Titles include "The Fool On The Hill" by The Four Tops, "Dear Prudence" by The Five Stairsteps, "For No One" by Maceo & The King's Men, "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Tomorrow Never Knows" by Junior Parker, "Got To Get You Into My Life" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Do You Want To Know A Secret" by Mary Wells, "Lovely Rita" by Fats Domino, "With A Little Help From My Friends" by The Undisputed Truth, "Savoy Truffle" by Ella Fitzgerald, and "Let It Be" by Bill Withers. CD

A definite renaissance for Beyonce – and a set that continues the surprisingly strong run she began with Lemonade! This set's the first in a planned trilogy, but is already more than enough of a step forward on its own – as Beyonce carefully mixes pop pleasures and more thoughtful moments, mainstream inclinations and more underground inspirations – all at a level that we never would have guessed when she first got started many years back! Titles include "America Has A Problem", "Alien Superstar", "Break My Soul", "Virgo's Groove", "All Up In Your Mind", "Church Girl", "Pure/Honey", "Move", "Heated", "Thique", "Cuff It", "Cozy", and "Summer Renaissance". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing stuff – and arguably the greatest early Funkadelic album ever! The set moves past the simple fuzzy style of the group's debut, and the overly-stoned sound of Free Your Mind – and rockets into a heady funk style that's filled with sly social commentary and an incredibly dark vision of the future! The centerpiece of the album is the mindblowing "Maggot Brain" title track – a tune that begins with a chilling spoken intro, then slowly builds amidst washes and washes of post-Hendrix guitar. That cut then rolls into some shorter, funkier numbers that rank with some of the group's best ever – using the device of party-hearty energy to convey a sense of alienation and horror at the world. The whole thing's brilliant throughout – and apart from being a soul classic, the set should also rank as one of the greatest rock albums of all time! Titles include "Maggot Brain", "Super Stupid", "Back in Our Minds", "Can You Get to That", and "Wars of Armageddon". LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! LP, Vinyl record album

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! Features great bonus tracks – unreleased demos of "Ziggy Stardust" and "Lady Stardust" – plus the unreleased "Sweet Head", the b-side "Velvet Goldmine", and an unreleased mix of "John I'm Only Dancing". CD

Arguably one of the greatest rock and roll albums of all time – and the key flowering of the partnership between David Bowie and Mick Ronson! The guitars here are heavy – so much so that the record's always crossed over big with crowds who are always suspicious of Bowie's artier work of the 70s – and represented a crucial moment when his groundbreaking music also found a large mainstream audience as well. And despite the fact that Ziggy's an androgynous space rocker with a spurious pedigree, the manufactured posturing of the album's come to be taken quite literally over the years – a vivid text of alienation, expression, and redemption – served up beautifully over a host of classic tracks that include "Five Years", "Soul Love", "Moonage Daydream", "Suffragette City", and "Ziggy Stardust" – all further proof of Bowie's 70s ability to slide in wherever he wanted with ease! LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal album from the great reedman David Boykin – a set recorded right at the end of the 90s, with an excellent group full of members who'd all go on to do wonderful things in years to come – Nicole Mitchell on flute, Chad Taylor on drums, and Josh Abrams on bass – plus a bit of vocals from Glenda Zarah Baker as well! The tracks are a great mixture of long and short, quiet and powerful – really marking Boykin as one of the key talents to inherit the mantle of the AACM legacy, and find a way for it to move forward strongly, and proudly, well into the 21st Century. Titles include "Hypnotic", "Portal 7", "Blue Corn Bop", "Affections Of Alienation", "Abductions & Experimentations", and "Astro Lilly". CD

A seminal album from the great reedman David Boykin – a set recorded right at the end of the 90s, with an excellent group full of members who'd all go on to do wonderful things in years to come – Nicole Mitchell on flute, Chad Taylor on drums, and Josh Abrams on bass – plus a bit of vocals from Glenda Zarah Baker as well! The tracks are a great mixture of long and short, quiet and powerful – really marking Boykin as one of the key talents to inherit the mantle of the AACM legacy, and find a way for it to move forward strongly, and proudly, well into the 21st Century. Titles include "Hypnotic", "Portal 7", "Blue Corn Bop", "Affections Of Alienation", "Abductions & Experimentations", and "Astro Lilly". CD

Guitarist Al Di Meola works here to really live up to the "splendido" title of the album – majestically bringing together all the best elements and influences he worked with in the 70s – including his love of Spanish guitar! The album's got this great balance of acoustic and electric elements – that combination of soaring energy and intimacy that made some of Al's 70s records so great – and he works here with a nice mix of contributors, including Philippe Saisse and Chick Corea on keyboards, Mingo Lewis on percussion, and even an appearance on one track from guitar legend Les Paul. Titles include "Alien Chase On Arabian Desert", "Silent Story In Her Eyes", "Two To Tango", "I Can Tell", "Spanish Eyes", and "Bianca's Midnight Lullaby". CD

Guitarist Al Di Meola works here to really live up to the "splendido" title of the album – majestically bringing together all the best elements and influences he worked with in the 70s – including his love of Spanish guitar! The album's got this great balance of acoustic and electric elements – that combination of soaring energy and intimacy that made some of Al's 70s records so great – and he works here with a nice mix of contributors, including Philippe Saisse and Chick Corea on keyboards, Mingo Lewis on percussion, and even an appearance on one track from guitar legend Les Paul. Titles include "Alien Chase On Arabian Desert", "Silent Story In Her Eyes", "Two To Tango", "I Can Tell", "Spanish Eyes", and "Bianca's Midnight Lullaby". LP, Vinyl record album

Stan the man, grooving in a sweet Latin mode! The paring of Kenton modernism and Latin rhythms might seem an odd combination – but it works beautifully on this session by adding in rich tones and shades of colors to the lively percussion in the set! Kenton's orchestra is augmented by a great percussion section that includes Mike Pacheco, Willie Rodriguez, and Tommy Lopez – and horn players like Don Sebesky, Charlie Mariano, and Rolf Ericson really flesh out the tunes with some fluid ensemble work. Titles are mostly originals by Roland, and include "Siesta", "Mission Trail", "Agua Marine", "Chocolate Caliente", and "Opus In Chartreuse Cha Cha Cha". Plus, added to the album are 6 bonus tracks from Artistry In Bossa Nova – recorded in 1963, and including "Artistry In Bossa Nova", "Interlude", "Jump For Joe", "Loco Nova", and "Concerto To End All Concertos". CD

A great one from Gil Scott-Heron – and another wonderful collaboration with Brian Jackson – who handled all the arrangements on this set, and gave the record that sweet jazzy sound that makes Gil's work from this time some of his best ever! There's loads of excellent electric piano from Jackson – whose work in the style made the Winter In America album so great – and the combination of Gil's vocals and his keys really makes the album sublime! Leading the way, Gil's heavy, strong, strident and focused lyricism – presciently and poetically preparing for the 80s as only he could! Includes the single "Shut 'Um Down", "Alien (Hold On To Your Dreams)", "Willing", "Corners", "Late Last Night", and "Push Comes To Shove". LP, Vinyl record album

The title cut's one of Dinah's classics from this time, but since it was recorded for Roulette, it's surprisingly tough to find. In case you don't know it, it's a beautiful haunting track about alienation that's a thinly masked statement on race relations. It's fantastic, and so is just about every other track on the LP. Cuts include "Woman Cryin' For Her Man", "Me & My Gin", "Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning", and "It's A Mean Old Man's World". LP, Vinyl record album

A true revolution in Cuban music – not the familiar cha cha and pachanga modes of the pre-Castro years, but instead the huge wave of fresh styles and combinations that sprung up in the years to come! The tracks here aren't the kind of Cuban sounds that are locked in time by the all-star representations of the scene that circle widely – and instead, this music represents the younger, more experimental side of the scene – continually creating new styles and hybrids during the 70s and 80s, even at a time when most of the records weren't making it out to the world at large! Make no mistake, there's certainly elements of older Afro Latin rhythms, and Latin jazz instrumentation – but those are blended with new approaches to rhythm, instrumentation, and the overall role of the musicians and singers – on tracks that will really open up your ears. Gilles Peterson helped put the package together for Soul Jazz – and the whole thing's got the same hybrid hallmarks as his more recent recording forays in Havana – with cuts that include "Cancion Con Todos" by Grupo De Experimentacion Sonora Del Icaic, "Hast Las Cuantas" by Grupo Monumental, "Luna Wanestain" by Emiliano Salvador, "Te Quiero Porque Te Quiero" by Pablo Milanes, "Un Lamento Heco Cancion" by Los Reyes 73, "Dacapo" by Raul Gomez, "La Patica" by Paquito D'Rivera, "Rompe Cocorioco" by Juan Pablo Torres, "Mi Ritmo Caliente" by Juan Formell & Los Van Van, "Chequere Son" by Grupo Irakere, "El Son Del Campeon" by Conjunto Rubavana, and "Con Cadencia Y Con Dulzura" by Las D'Aida. CD