Includes recordings with John Levy and George De Hart from 1945 and John Simmons and Alvin Stoller from 1949. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Anthony Braxton's great records for BYG, and like the other one, a very cool session that has Braxton playing in a vibe that shows his AACM roots much more clearly than a lot of other sessions! He's playing here with a number of other Chicago expatriates – including Leo Smith on trumpet, Steve McCall on percussion, and Leroy Jenkins on violin – and between them, the four players handle a huge amount of string, reed, percussion, and keyboard instruments, switching off and on in a warmly experimental sound that characterizes the best work of the Chicago avant garde from the time. Tracks include "The Light On the Dalta", "Simple Like", and one of Braxton's weird symbol compositions. Ironically, this French session from the late 60s still stands as one of the best ways to witness the budding Chicago genius of the AACM! CD

A fantastic package that explores the full range of genius on the legendary avant label BYG/Actuel – one of the most important European imprints at the end of the 60s! Actuel was home to some of the best avant garde jazz coming out of Paris in the late 60s and early 70s – an especially important document of the post-68 revolution in European music – at a time when so many American players where showing up in France, and finding great opportunities in the new freedoms of the scene! The package features seminal sides from US avant musicians – like Steve Lacy, Anthony Braxton, Clifford Thornton, Don Cherry, Jimmy Lyons, Archie Shepp, Sonny Sharrock, Sunny Murray, Grachan Moncur III, and The Art Ensemble Of Chicago – and it also features work by European musicians like Claude Delcloo and Jacques Coursil, plus genre-busting work by MEV and Gong as well. The 3CD box features a 48 page book – with lots of great illustrations, and notes from Thurston Moore and Byron Coley – and the set features 26 long tracks in all! CD

One of numerous posthumous live sides, capturing a great early 60s performance by Trane in a quintet setting. Eric Dolphy joins the classic quartet of Tyner, Jones, Workman and Trane for a lenghty reading of "My Favorite Things" and the contemplative numbers "Blue Train", "Naima" and "Impressions". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great collection of work from the legendary BYG/Actuel label – home not just to the famous avant jazz recordings that have made the company a legend, but also a host of other unusual sounds that don't often get the exposure they deserve! This collection finally gives that full range of BYG sounds their due – as it mixes some of the avant classics from Paris at the end of the 60s with other freely creative work from the French scene – including some great contributions from British artists who were as unbridled at BYG as the American musicians were with their jazz material! The set features tracks from the key years of the catalog – titles that include "Le Nouveau Monde" by Alice, "Terrestrial Beings" by Don Cherry, "Ancient Ethiopia" by Sun Ra, "Ragalia" by Areski & Brigitte Fontaine, "Le Cocotier (part 2)" by Coeur Magique, "Dexterity" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Time Of Your Life" by Daevid Allen, "Change The World" by Gong, and "Willing To Fight" by Aynsley Dunbar. LP, Vinyl record album

A far reaching collection of funk rock, experimental pop, jazz, psychedelia and spacey grooves from France's BYG label, compiled by the global underground purveyors at Finders Keepers – late 60s and early 70s material from Gong, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Alice, Brigitte Fontaine and Areski and many more! The the cultural fabric in flux after the '68 student riots, BYG put out some really tremendous and stylistically sprawling music, from free jazz laced with funk, to gritty French pop and rock and so much more. This set from Finders Keepers pulls together some real gems, and the liner notes provide some essential knowledge. A surefire keeper from Finders Keepers! 22 tracks in all: "Que Pouvons-Nous Faire Ensemble" by Alice, "L'Automne" by Francois Wertheimer, "Ca Va Faire Un Hit" by Brigitte Fontaine and Areski, "Mademoiselle Marie" by Coeur Magique, "Astral Abuse" by Alpha Beta, "Rock Out" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Stuffed Tomato" by Vangelis, "Bloody Rockers" by Joachim and Rolf Kuhn, "Mother Long Shanks (Oh Mother I Am Your Fantasy)" by Gong and more. CD

The Art Ensemble at the height of their powers – really letting loose on the Parisian scene of the late 60s, where they found a great audience for all the new ideas they'd been brewing up back home! The album's definitely one that has the group's unique ethos coming into focus – that sense of spontaneous collective creativity spawned by their AACM contemporaries, but delivered with the special sort of playful energy of the group – as they effortlessly shift instruments, switch modes, and find a way to resonate wonderfully as a group without sacrificing their individual voices! Everyone plays percussion and other instruments – with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on reeds, Lester Bowie on trumpet, and Malachi Favors on bass – on titles that include "Song For Charles", "Ericka", "A Jackson In Your House", and "Get In Line". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the key records that helped establish the genius of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at the end of the 60s – a session that was recorded on the Paris scene, where the early quartet were really starting to rub shoulders with, and influence a range of different European players – maybe no surprise, when you hear the brilliance of an album like this! There's a bit more bite here than on some of the more spacious AEC performances overseas – really bold energy that comes across on the first few minutes of the record, which have this wonderfully righteous quality – augmented by shouts and calls – on tunes that maybe also have a bit more structure than some other material from the period too. The session was recorded at the Saravah studios, and seems to echo some of the criss-crossing experiments of that famous spot – heard on the Ensemble's classic album with Brigitte Fontaine – and the set features a magnificent mish-mash of sounds from Lester Bowie on trumpet, Malachi Favors on bass, both Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on a variety of saxes and reeds, and the whole group on percussion! The set features the tracks "Old Time Religion", "Dexterity", "Rock Out", and the side-long "A Brain For The Seine" – which covers the whole second half of the record, and really sets the tone for the group's experiments to come. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from the Art Ensemble – and one of their undisputed classics! The record features some of the most perfectly realized moments the band ever cut to wax, with a blend of whimsical multi-instrumental improvisation, and a strong sense of the spiritual tradition in jazz. The album features one long piece – "Reese & The Smooth Ones" – and it's a stunning array of spontanteous instrumentation, with a jagged sound that never stops reinventing itself! LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from the Art Ensemble of Chicago – recorded during their most creative period ever! The album was recorded live in October of 1969 – at a time when the group had pulled up roots and moved to France for a few years, bursting on the European scene with unique creativity that was not getting the recognition it deserved in their hometown of Chicago. The studio sets from this time are already the stuff of legend, and have thankfully made it back on reissue heavily the past few years – and this brilliant live set stands perfectly next to them – matching any of the LPs in the Great Black Music series on BYG/Actuel for sheer creative brilliance and soulful energy! Fontella Bass joins the group for a bit of vocals, and the 2CD set features 2 long tracks – "Bon Voyage" and "Oh Strange". CD

Beautiful work from the Art Ensemble – and one of their undisputed classics! The record features some of the most perfectly realized moments the band ever cut to wax, with a blend of whimsical multi-instrumental improvisation, and a strong sense of the spiritual tradition in jazz. The album features one long piece – "Reese & The Smooth Ones" – and it's a stunning array of spontanteous instrumentation, with a jagged sound that never stops reinventing itself! CD

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. First part of the sessions feature the tracks "Total Vibration", "Sun Of The East", "Brilliant Action", and "Terrestrial Beings". LP, Vinyl record album

Don Cherry really breaks out here on his classic Mu sessions from France – using the new freedoms of post-68 Paris to explore themes at a level that would set the tone for generations to come! The album's very spare, and very improvised – with Cherry on pocket trumpet, piano, and wooden flute – plus a bit of percussion too – alongside drummer Ed Blackwell, who's equally unbridled – showing a huge evolution since the time both he and Don spent in the group of Ornette Coleman! There's a few echoes of the global elements that Cherry would later embrace more strongly in the 70s – but the core energy here is mostly improvised jazz, handled at a level that really makes a lot better use of the freedom than some of Don's contemporaries. Titles on this second part include "Bamboo Night", "The Mysticism Of My Sound", "Psycho Drama", "Smiling Faces Going Places", "Teo Teo Can", and "Dollar Brand/Spontaneous Composing/Exert Man On The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

Bill Evans on piano with Eddie Gomez on bass, and Marty Morell on drums. CD

The first album from Gong – and a weird little masterpiece that's left an undeniable imprint over the years! There's a definite proggish feel to the set, and some jazz rock elements too – but the overall approach is considerably madder than most at the time – hardly headed for the charts, and with more than enough space for weird little twists and turns that really keep things interesting! Production has a nicely rough quality that makes the record quite different from the group's later work – and the lyrics have a nicely looney feel that's a bit like work by Syd Barrett or Kevin Ayers. Titles include "Radio Gnome", "You Can't Kill Me", "Tried So Hard", "Tropical Fish Selene", "Squeezing Sponges Over Policemen's Heads", and "Wet Cheese Delirium". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual meeting of two hip pianists! Titles include "Key For Two", "Bag's Groove", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Godchild", "Three For Two", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "The Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

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A great collection of bop tunes recorded for Savoy – all of which feature trumpet solo work by Fats Navarro, plus work by a variety of excellent contemporaries of his – including Bud Powell, Kenny (listed as Kinney) Dorham, Kenny Clarke, Sonny Stitt, Tadd Dameron, and others. Titles include "The Tadd Walk", "Boppin A Riff (parts 1 & 2)", "Fat Boy (parts 1 & 2)", "Everything's Cool (parts 1 & 2)", "Seven Up", "Good Kick", and "That Someone Must Be You". LP, Vinyl record album

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Wow! This is one of Sonny Sharrock's rare early recordings, recorded in France shortly after he had been playing with Herbie Mann. The groove's kind of crazy, and it's amazing that Sonny jumped out so soon after leaving the sort of pop-jazz environs he was in with Herbie – but hey, lots of players got to France in the 60s, and completely let their bag open up – so why not Sonny? Wife Linda's on vocals on the session, and they're backed up by Beb Guerin on bass and Jacques Thollot on drums. Titles include "27th Day", "Soon", and "Monkey Pockie Boo". LP, Vinyl record album

A crucial album from Archie Shepp – one that finds him enjoying new freedoms on the French scene at the end of the 60s – which then helps him take off from his earlier Impulse Records modes, at a level he'd then bring back to the label in the early 70s! There's a very free-thinking sense of combination here – as Shepp is breaking down from his idea of a more unified sound in the material – and opens the door at points to work from Jeanne Lee on voice and Chicago Beau and Julio Finn on harmonicas – in a lineup that also includes Malachi Favors on bass, Dave Burrell on piano, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. These are long, spiritual tracks that comprise some of his best European recordings of the time, and the titles include "There is a Balm in Gilead", "Touareg", "Blase", and "My Angel" – plus a strong reading of "Sophisticated Lady" – which maybe points the way towards some of the Shepp experiments in the late 70s. CD

2 landmark Archie Shepp albums in one package! Blase is filled with long, spiritual tracks that comprise some of his best European recordings of the decade, and the titles include "There is a Balm in Gilead", "Touareg", and "My Angel". The group includes Jeanne Lee on vocals, plus Lester Bowie, Malachi Favors, Dave Burrell, and Philly Joe Jones – and the whole thing has that great Paris spiritual free jazz party feel to it! Live At The Pan-African Festival was recorded in Algiers during the Pan-African Festival in 1969. The recording is a very unique one, and features Shepp's group with Grachan Moncur, Clifford Thorton, and Dave Burrell – plus lots of Algerian musicians! The sound is haunting, and the record really stands apart from Shepp's other BYG albums. Titles include "We Have Come Back" and "Brotherhood at Ketchaoua". CD

Beautiful work from Archie Shepp – a record that's filled with meaning and power, and which really stands out as a freer expression of his ideals while working on the European scene! The players here are an array of other BYG/Actuel luminaries – including Burton Green on piano, Grachan Moncur on trombone, Malachi Favors and Alan Silva on bass, and Philly Joe Jones and Claude Delcloo on drums. Hank Mobley makes a surprising appearance on a version of "Oleo" – joining Shepp's tenor after the first half of the track, which is titled "Rain Forrest". That side-long track is complemented by another long number on the flip – "Mamarose/Poem For Malcolm" – a very spiritual track with some nice vocalizations too. LP, Vinyl record album

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The Art Ensemble at the height of their powers – really letting loose on the Parisian scene of the late 60s, where they found a great audience for all the new ideas they'd been brewing up back home! The album's definitely one that has the group's unique ethos coming into focus – that sense of spontaneous collective creativity spawned by their AACM contemporaries, but delivered with the special sort of playful energy of the group – as they effortlessly shift instruments, switch modes, and find a way to resonate wonderfully as a group without sacrificing their individual voices! Everyone plays percussion and other instruments – with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on reeds, Lester Bowie on trumpet, and Malachi Favors on bass – on titles that include "Song For Charles", "Ericka", "A Jackson In Your House", and "Get In Line". CD

Genius early work from reedman Marion Brown – an album that was originally only issued overseas, where it was recorded – as part of that legacy that's always had Brown getting a lot more attention in Europe than back at home! Yet the record's a monster that stands equally with Marion's seminal sides for Impulse and ESP – and is maybe even bolder than both of them, as Brown blows alto in a loose trio – with Maarten Van Altena on bass and Han Bennink on drums – in a mode that definitely puts the "free" in free jazz – recorded before the start of both FMP and BYG! Yet there's also that sensitive, soulful quality that makes Brown so great – that element in the music that's always had recordings like these as key pointers forwards to the loft jazz years on the NYC scene – a brilliant blend of freedom and inner spirit – on titles that include "Sound Structure", "QBIC", "Porto Novo", and "Similar Limits". CD

One of the most striking early albums from Daevid Allen and Gong – and very well-placed on the BYG label, given that it features contributions from avant jazz musicians – including Burton Greene on piano, Didier Malherbe on flute and soprano, and Barre Phillips on bass! Gilly Smyth contributes vocals next to Allen – and also provides a "space whisper too" – on titles that include "Ego", "Gongsong", "Mystic Sister", "Pretty Miss Titty", and "Cos You Got Green Hair". CD

Quite possibly the strongest moment of genius ever from saxophonist Noah Howard – a legendary album that captures the altoist at the height of his powers! The 1969 session was recorded at a time when Howard's contemporaries were making big noise overseas – but the date finds Noah at home in New York, working with a lineup that includes Arthur Doyle on tenor, Earl Cross on trumpet, Leslie Waldron on piano, Norris Jones on bass, and Mohammed Ali on drums – all in a groove that's a perfect link between the avant sound of Shepp and Ayler in the 60s, and some of the rougher modes of the loft jazz scene to come! Howard's got a great way of stating a theme on these tunes – a manner that has the group in very cohesive formation at the beginning, often with righteous overtones – then opening up freely in the ensuing space with some incredibly bold solos. The whole thing's amazing – a US date that easily matches, if not beats, the brilliance of the best BYG/Actual generation overseas – and titles include "Domiabra", "Ole Negro", "Mount Fuji", and "Queen Anne". Great package too – a tri-fold gatefold cover, and very unique! CD

One of the most obscure albums issued on the Palm Records label of French jazz genius Jef Gilson – a large ensemble session that ties together both spiritual and avant styles of the early 70s, and which really demonstrates the overlooked power of the French scene at the time! The group's led by Chilean pianist Manuel Villarroel which might explain the title reference – and the lineup is filled with a range of excellent and obscure French musicians – including Jean Quarlier, Hugh Levick, Jef Sicard, and Gerard Coppere on reeds – plus Alain Brunet and JF Cannape on trumpets, Alphonse Leboucher and Josef Traindl on trombones, and Keno Speller, Claudio Bertoni, and Ana-Maria Villarroel on percussion. The tunes are as loose and open as the free jazz material recorded by BYG/Actuel a few years before – but also have more inherent structure and soul, and a really great balance between the contributions of the individual members as they space out the sound nicely. Titles include "Bolerito", "Leyendas De Nahuelbuta", and "Quetzalcoatl". CD

One of the most obscure albums issued on the Palm Records label of French jazz genius Jef Gilson – a large ensemble session that ties together both spiritual and avant styles of the early 70s, and which really demonstrates the overlooked power of the French scene at the time! The group's led by Chilean pianist Manuel Villarroel which might explain the title reference – and the lineup is filled with a range of excellent and obscure French musicians – including Jean Quarlier, Hugh Levick, Jef Sicard, and Gerard Coppere on reeds – plus Alain Brunet and JF Cannape on trumpets, Alphonse Leboucher and Josef Traindl on trombones, and Keno Speller, Claudio Bertoni, and Ana-Maria Villarroel on percussion. The tunes are as loose and open as the free jazz material recorded by BYG/Actuel a few years before – but also have more inherent structure and soul, and a really great balance between the contributions of the individual members as they space out the sound nicely. Titles include "Bolerito", "Leyendas De Nahuelbuta", and "Quetzalcoatl". LP, Vinyl record album

A very heady combo from the French scene at the start of the 70s – one who seem to have really been inspired by the free jazz experiments of the BYG/Actuel scene right at the end of the 60s! The group's a septet, as you'd guess from their name – and they shift between unified expressions and very frenzied moments when each individual player is doing their own thing – yet somehow managing to make a sense of the sound as it rises together! Players include Sonny Grey on trumpet – a surprise if you know his straighter work from earlier years – plus William Treve on trombone, Jean-Francoise Sicard on alto sax and flute, Gerard Coppere on tenor and flute, Jean-Louis Mechali on vibes and drums, Francois Mechali on bass, and Manuel Villarroel on piano. Titles include "Parisionophobie", "Theme Z", "Relaxin", "Terronesia", "Brack", and "Amma". CD

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 structured recordings and sets of standard material he'd soon be giving the world – and he blows tenor with unbridled energy on long live tracks – working with a very cool group that includes the great Charles Greenlee on trombone, plus Dave Burrell on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums! The band plays with a perfect style that matches freer soloing with soulful modal rhythms – and as a French-only release, it's one of the more obscure Archie Shepp sessions from the period. Titles include "Hipnosis", "U-Jaama", "African Drum Suite", and the amazing "Blues For Don L Duck". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of crucial Cecil Taylor sessions from the 60s – both of which show the free-thinking pianist working amidst some larger arrangements! First up are three tracks from the Gil Evans album Into The Hot – all tunes written by Cecil Taylor – a very bold move for Evans, given Taylor's strongly out reputation even at this point in his career – and possibly even more bold, given that Taylor's on the tracks playing piano, alongside players who include Archie Shepp on tenor, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Henry Grimes on bass, and Sunny Murray on drums – plus work on one track from Ted Curson on trumpet and Roswell Rudd on trombone. The material's fantastic, and is a key part of Taylor's work at the time, and shows a very different setting for his piano – a bit of tension with the larger Evans group, in a way that's almost more compelling than his own early dates as a leader – on the titles "Pots", "Bulbs", and "Mixed". Next is the Unit Structures album – one of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". CD

One of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". CD

A double-length dive into the killer catalog of Freedom Records – an imprint that recorded some of the hippest avant jazz of the late 60s/early 70s generation – and one that was not just an outlet for players who sometimes never got a chance to record that often, but also a place where some key artists found their first place to shine! There's tracks here that are a crucial bridge between American and European avant gardes – and the cuts here echo work of the time on other labels like BYG, America, and ESP – kind of a lost piece of the puzzle in experimental jazz! 2CD set features 21 tracks in all – and titles include "Lori Song" by Art Ensemble Of Chicago, "Crucificado" by Archie Shepp, "D Trad That's What" by Cecil Taylor, "Happy Fool" by Ornette Coleman, "On The Nile" by Charles Tolliver, "Travelling Man" by Stanley Cowell, "Soprano Ballad" by Anthony Braxton, "Quiet Dawn" by Andrew Hill, "Closer" by Paul Bley, "And They Danced" by Marion Brown & Leo Smith, "Lonely Blacks" by Oliver Lake, "Queen Anne" by Noah Howard, "Tears For Dolphy" by Ted Curson, "Nefertitie" by Jan Garbarek, "Summertime" by Albert Ayler, "Eighty First Street" by Gato Barbieri & Dollar Brand. CD

A tremendous recording from the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – done during the same Paris stretch as their Great Black Music classics on the BYG/Actuel label – and a set that easily matches, if not tops, those classics! You can really hear the group finding their own space here – taking some of the free jazz explorations of the Chicago scene in the late 60s, and forging them with an even earthier use of both percussion, and the more offbeat sonic possibilities of their own instruments – often with a sense of surprise that you don't always get from some of their later albums. Titles include the side-long "The Spiritual" – plus "Toro", "Lori Song", and "That The Evening Sky Fell Through the Glass Wall and We Stood Alone Somewhere?" (And they wondered why they never got their songs on the radio!) CD features the bonus track – "Tthintthedalen (parts 1 & 2)" – and also include the full 18 minute version of "Tutankhamun". CD

Genius early work from reedman Marion Brown – an album that was originally only issued overseas, where it was recorded – as part of that legacy that's always had Brown getting a lot more attention in Europe than back at home! Yet the record's a monster that stands equally with Marion's seminal sides for Impulse and ESP – and is maybe even bolder than both of them, as Brown blows alto in a loose trio – with Maarten Van Altena on bass and Han Bennink on drums – in a mode that definitely puts the "free" in free jazz – recorded before the start of both FMP and BYG! Yet there's also that sensitive, soulful quality that makes Brown so great – that element in the music that's always had recordings like these as key pointers forwards to the loft jazz years on the NYC scene – a brilliant blend of freedom and inner spirit – on titles that include "Sound Structure", "QBIC", "Porto Novo", and "Similar Limits". This CD reissue also includes two cuts from another session in 1970 which features Brown in a duet with trumpeter Leo Smith. Best here is the long "And Then They Danced", with some beautiful improvised interplay between the pair! CD

A package without much in the way of notes, but which includes some really killer work from the great Don Cherry – some of his famous French recordings done for the BYG/Actuel label at the end of the 60s, and which really helped point the way towards all the directions he'd take in the 70s! The music is a strong bridge between the more avant styles he was recording at Blue Note, and some of the global experiments he was beginning to do overseas – served up here with help from Ed Blackwell and Okay Temiz on percussion, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Cherry on pocket trumpet, flute, piano, and other instruments. Titles include "Bamboo Night", "Blue Lake", "Amejelo", "East (parts 1 & 2)", "Orient (Part 1)", and "Smiling Faces Going Places". CD

One of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". CD

An unusual chapter in the career of the Art Ensemble – yet a set that's also a key recording in their legendary time in Paris at the start of the 70s! The set was recorded in that city in 1970, and not issued in France and the US until a few years later – with less fanfare (and less reissue history) than their Nessa, Freedom, and BYG records from the same time – even though the quality here is every bit as great, if not better! The tracks are long, open, and have that wonderfully fluid sense of shifting instrumentation that the group virtually pioneered at the time – with Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell on saxes, Lester Bowie on trumpet, Malachi Favors on bass, and Don Moye on drums – and all players picking up lots of different percussion along the way. Titles include "Chi Congo", "Enlorfe", and "Hippparippp". CD

A legendary improvising jazz group from the Mexico City scene – one who really thrived at the end of the 70s in a live setting, but hardly ever recorded any music at all! This set brings together tracks from a rare cassette-only release, and has a power that's undeniable right from the very first note – music that's got the bold richness of some of the best material from the BYG/Actuel series of recordings on the Parisian scene in 1969, and with a frenzied energy that really knocks out most of what was happening in American free jazz at the end of the 70s! The lineup features Henry West on saxes, Ana Ruiz on piano, Claudio Enriquez on bass, and Evry Mann on drums and percussion – and titles include "Hot Dreams", "Clapping Hand 2", "Cold Drinks", "MD", "Hanne IV", and "What Reason". LP, Vinyl record album

A package without much in the way of notes, but which includes some really killer work from the great Don Cherry – some of his famous French recordings done for the BYG/Actuel label at the end of the 60s, and which really helped point the way towards all the directions he'd take in the 70s! The music is a strong bridge between the more avant styles he was recording at Blue Note, and some of the global experiments he was beginning to do overseas – served up here with help from Ed Blackwell and Okay Temiz on percussion, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Cherry on pocket trumpet, flute, piano, and other instruments. Titles include "Bamboo Night", "Blue Lake", "Amejelo", "East (parts 1 & 2)", "Orient (Part 1)", and "Smiling Faces Going Places". CD

A fantastic album from the great Don Cherry – and maybe one of the earliest examples of the way that he mixed together avant jazz and a globe's worth of influences on the European scene! The album features three long tracks – all seemingly improvised – very heavy on percussion, with work from Karl Berger on vibes, marimba, piano, celeste, and other percussion – and Jacques Thollot on drums and timbales – while Cherry himself plays gong, alongside his more familiar cornet, plus piano and a bit of bamboo flute. There's a huge amount going on here – almost as if Cherry is trying to invent spiritual and loft jazz modes at the same time – with a warmth, cohesion, and sense of soul that's a different than his more famous Paris recordings for the BYG label a few years later. Titles include "Infant Happiness", "Symphony For Improviser", and "Elephantasy". CD

One of the most obscure ensembles of the groundbreaking Paris scene of the end of the 60s – a progressive group that featured Glenn Spearman on saxes, Takashi Kako on piano, Bob Reid on bass, Boulou Ferret on guitar, and Sabu Toyozumi on drums! There's an energy here (no pun intended) that matches other work from the BYG/Actuel generation – but somehow the overall sound is a bit different – earthier at times, with a starker approach to the work that we really love. Spearman's talent on reeds is remarkable (the album stands as one of a rare few examples of his genius on wax) – and we're also struck by the power of Kako's work on piano, which has a majesty of color and tone that almost matches Cecil Taylor at times. Tracks are long, and titles include a version of the Art Ensemble's "People In Sorrow", plus "Emergency Theme", "Kako Tune", and "Infidels". CD

The tenor of Gregory Groover sounds mighty nice here – especially next to the vibes of Joel Ross, who is an equally strong star of the set! And in fat, the whole group might be great – Aaron Parks on piano, Vincente Archer on bass, and Marcus Gilmore on drums – coming together here in a wonderful set of original material penned by Groover – just a younger player at this point, but one who's clearly destined to become a superstar in jazz with a record like this! The tunes have a great sense of timing and color that really accentuates the interplay between tenor and vibes – which are augmented on a few tracks by guitar from Matthew Stevens. Titles include "Joy", "Stages", "5660", "Bygone Towers", "30", "Cactus Lullaby", and "Ambivalence". CD

A really far reaching compilation of ethnographic recordings from as far back as 1925, and up to the late 40s – Volume 1 in the Secret Museum Of Mankind series – which pulls together material from Nigeria, Sardinia, Russia, Cuba, Vietnam, Jamaica, Morocco, South Africa, Japan, Sweden and other points! It's wonderful stuff all around – a vital document of inventive global music – styles and regions vary, but the love of music shared by the whole human race holds true throughout! 23 tracks on 2LPs: "Jubilee Anthem" by Eleja Choir, "Fiorassio" by Effisio Melis, "Jat Song" by Bhoora Singh And Party, "Upa Upa" by Les Tamaru, "Ma Thama Zinek" by Raoul Journo, "Angihambe" by Zwabesho Sibisi, "Byggnan" by Eric Sahlstrom, "Hill And Gully Ride" by Lord Composer and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic from Stetsasonic – who truly were On Fire in their prime! It seemed like Stet were the group that could do it all in the early days, with live instrumentation, beat boxing, and Prince Paul on the 1's and 2's. This LP's a classic of bygone days, will we ever feel this vibe again? Includes "On Fire", "Go Stetsa I", "4 Ever My Beat", "Faye", "Just Say Stet", and "Paul's Groove". This 2011 CD edition includes 3 bonus tracks/beats: "4 Ever My Beat – Beat Bongo Mix Mixed With Love By Walter Gibbons", "Go Stetsa (Remix)" and "AFRICA – Norman Cook Remix". CD

Furious, hard hitting Rhymesayers hip hop from Brother Ali – possibly the most passionate stuff we've heard from him to date – starting out with a gospel soul style intro and blasting off from there. There's a lot of funk and soul in the beatcraft, which helps the overall vibe cut deeper. This has to be our favorite Rhymesayers set in quite a while. Titles include "Brothers & Sisters", "The Preacher", "Crown Jewel", "House Keys", "Fresh Air", "Tight Rope", "Breakin Dawn", "Babygirl", "Games", "Bad Muf***er Pt II" and more, CD

Old school boogie woogie, blues and other 1920s piano from Clarence "Jelly Johnson – restored and sounding almost unbelievably clean and lively on this set collected on Delmark! Beautiful south State Street piano sounds of a bygone era of Chicago. Includes "Moanin' The Blues", "Dyin With The Blues", "The Bye Bye Blues", "Gluf Coast Blues", "Graveyard Bound", "Houston Blues", "You Shall Reap What You Sow" and many more. 20 tracks in all. CD

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The rare second album from Bobby Boyd – a set that's even more soulful than his first, and which is filled with funky gems! Boyd's vocals are wonderful – tight, but with an earnest quality that almost pushes him more towards a Bill Withers vibe than some of the other funky singers of the time – a great change next to the tight combo instrumentation of the record. Tunes are almost all upbeat and funky – and the mixture of Boyd's warmth with the sharp grooves really makes for a rich sound overall – a record that should have, could have been huge – were it issued at the time – but which is finally seeing the light of day now! Titles include "Ain't What You Know", "Why Are You Cryin", "Good Woman", "Girl I Can Feel Ya", "On This Side Of Town", and "Let Bygones By Bygones" – plus the instrumental "The Happy Hooker", produced by Harvey Fuqua, and which seems to actually be the Nite Liters' song/version, oddly tucked into this album! LP, Vinyl record album

"Deep Space" features RZA. "The Corner, The Streets" features Grand Puba. Both tracks from the 5% Album – plus the non-album track "The Sun". 12-inch, Vinyl record