One of the coolest albums ever cut by Japanese wood flute player Hozan Yamamoto – a set that has him working with very groovy backings from the Sharps & Flats ensemble – who almost give the whole thing an MPS label blending of funky jazz and world music sounds! The approach is wonderful – a bit more upbeat and swinging than some of Yamamoto's other records, as Nobuo Hara leads the larger group with a totally cool sound – which makes the flute lines a sweet exotic touch over straightforward, soul-drenched, big band jazz! We might even link the sound to some of Dorothy Ashby's grooviest albums for Chess/Cadet – although with flute, instead of harp – and titles include "Komoro Mago-Uta", "Soma Bon-Uta", "Kokirio Bushi", "Sado Okesa", "Tairyo Utaikomi", and "Kuroda-Bushi". CD

60s jazz meets Japanese bamboo flute – all in a session with a great mix of groovy and exotic touches! The record's a unique meeting of jazz and folkloric elements – done in a style that's a bit like some of the late 60s sessions of this nature on MPS, but a fair bit groovier overall – as the tracks are shorter and more focused, and often have a nice sort of bounce at the bottom. Flute is by Minoru Muraoka, and arrangements are by Takashi Ikeda and Kozaburo Yamaki, conducting their New Dimension and New Emotion groups respectively. Bits of sitar bring in an even groovier sound to the record – and the flute itself has some oddly off-kilter notes that further trip out the tunes. Titles include "Soul Bamboo", "Take Five", "The Positive & The Negative", "Call Me", "Do You Know The Way To San Jose", and "Scarborough Fair". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest albums ever cut by Japanese wood flute player Hozan Yamamoto – a set that has him working with very groovy backings from the Sharps & Flats ensemble – who almost give the whole thing an MPS label blending of funky jazz and world music sounds! The approach is wonderful – a bit more upbeat and swinging than some of Yamamoto's other records, as Nobuo Hara leads the larger group with a totally cool sound – which makes the flute lines a sweet exotic touch over straightforward, soul-drenched, big band jazz! We might even link the sound to some of Dorothy Ashby's grooviest albums for Chess/Cadet – although with flute, instead of harp – and titles include "Komoro Mago-Uta", "Soma Bon-Uta", "Kokirio Bushi", "Sado Okesa", "Tairyo Utaikomi", and "Kuroda-Bushi". LP, Vinyl record album

Tripped out funky soul from the great Edwin Birdsong – a rare indie album released between his years at Polydor and Philly International! The set's got a wilder sound than any of his other work – kind of a righteous funk set for the dancefloor – recorded with lots of weird production touches, edgey guitar bits, and a style that's almost psychedelic-folk-jazz-disco! Birdsong's lyrics are more "out there" than ever, and there's some great spacey production that really makes the whole thing sound great – and which gives the record a very cool feel that's unlike anything else we can think of. A real lost treasure from the 70s indie underground – with titles that include "Dance Of Survival", "What's Your Sign", "Night Of The Full Moon", "Astral Walk", and "Your Smile Gave Birth To My Idea". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual record from early 70s Japan – one that features vocals from erotic actress Reiko Ike – done in a mode that's very similar to her sexy appearances on screen! And in fact, when we say "vocals", maybe "vocalizations" should be more the case – as many of these tracks are sexy grunts, groans, and exclamations – mixed with a bit of more conventional singing – set to instrumentation that's groovy and jazzy, and which has some nice soundtrack modes in the styles – all almost like an audio equivalent of softcore porn, with a quality that's enough to make Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin blush! LP, Vinyl record album

Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, bell, bamboo flute, taxi horn, and percussion; George Lewis on trombone and laptop; Roscoe Mitchell on soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, and percussion. 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

The first-ever live performance from the Chicago Underground team of Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor – working here as a trio, with bassist Jason Ajemian as a wonderful addition to the group! Ajemian's basslines really dominate the initial part of the set – creating a pulse that draws in the drums of Taylor and cornet of Mazurek – who then both open up on a variety of other instruments, including moog, electric celeste, gong, bamboo flute, vibes, marimba, and other percussion – all used in an almost AACM-like way. Ajemian contributes some electronics to the set, as does Mazurek – but the best sounds here are all acoustic ones – played with an abstracted sensibility that's quite textural, and which furthers the trademark expressions that have made Mazurek and Taylor one of the most compelling jazz teams to come from the Chicago scene in the past few decades. Titles include "Initiation", "Resistance", "Power", "Transformation", "Crisis", and "Transcendence". CD

One of Martin Denny's greatest albums – thanks to some extra special added elements! For the record, Denny's classic quartet is augmented by a wealth of odd added percussion – including gongs, cymbals, tuned logs, steel drums, chimes, and "chromatic bamboo"! All of these elements take Denny's exotica sound way further than ever before – and if that's not enough, the legendary Tak Shindo plays a bit of Koto on the record too! Titles include "M'Bira", "Burma Train", "Kalua", "M'Gambo Mambo", and "Mau Mau". LP, Vinyl record album

With Harmann Weindorf on keyboards, Dieter Petereit on bass, Kevin Mulligan on guitar, Curt Cress on drums and percussion, and Klaus Doldinger on saxophones, bamboo flute, and kayboards; plus vocals by Victoria Miles, and special guests Billy Long and Royke Wydh on guitar, and Franz Wyerer and Claus Reichstaller on trumpet. LP, Vinyl record album

A classic to end all classics – and the record that showed the world that the kung fu genre could be every bit as funky as American crime and action films! Lalo Schifrin's at the height of his powers on this set – working in a blend of raw guitars, rolling bass, and choppy rhythms that groove about as fast as Bruce Lee's hands move on the screen in the film – and the album's a real standout in the 70s soundtrack scene, well worth all the hype and attention that's been given to it over the years! The record's one you'll dig if you're a fan of funk, or a student of Schifrin – and even after the passage of decades, it's still a tough soundtrack to beat. Titles include the classic "Theme From Enter The Dragon", plus "Bamboo Bird Cage", "The Monk", "Han's Island", "The Big Battle", and "The Human Fly". LP, Vinyl record album

Not a surf record – but a wonderful batch of groovy groovy jazz! Lalo penned this score for a Bruce Brown-like surfing documentary in the mid 60s – but instead of the usual guitar riffing and bongo drumming on such a score, he used a lot of jagged jazzy lines – working in a bit of light bossa, some heavier Latin rhythms, and plenty of cool instrumentation! The players alone make the set worth having – especially the percussion from Milt Holland, Francisco Aguabella, and Shelly Manne – as well as the light guitar touches from Howard Roberts, Bob Bain, and Laurindo Almeida. Paul Horn plays some great alto sax and flute on the set, Victor Feldman's on piano, and Frank Rosolino's on trombone – and Lalo changes up the instrumentation from track to track to really keep the overall feel of the set incredibly fresh! Titles include "Breaks", "Gone With The Wave", "Taco Taquito", "Halieva Blues", "A Taste Of Bamboo", "Aqua Blues", "Surf Waltz", and "Breaks Bossa Nova". LP, Vinyl record album

The earliest sounds ever recorded by Suicide – music that even pre-dates their monumental debut album from 1977 – but which has an equally fuzzy, freaky vibe overall! The music here is maybe slightly more mellow – not as confrontational as the stance the duo would take a few years later, but still completely revolutionary – and forged out of the same stark sonic melange of the vocals of Alan Vega and electronics of Martin Rev – used brilliantly throughout, in ways that are completely different from the overblown qualities of so much of the mid 70s mainstream! You'll definitely hear a few echoes of later songs in the mix here, but most of the music stands strongly on its own – as maybe kind of the first flowering of genius from Suicide – and, given their all-too-small catalog, an important addition to their legacy. Titles include "New City", "Do It Nice", "Space Blue Bamboo", "Spaceship", "Sneakin Around", "Tough Guy", "A-Man", and "Creature Feature". LP, Vinyl record album

It's a bit hard to sum up the genius of Australian Rob Thomsett in words – but you can bet that we're going to try! Rob was kind of a character unto himself in the 70s – neither a psychedelic rocker, nor a new agey outcast – but instead, somehow this musician who could borrow from both worlds, and maybe a bit of the sound library and jazz scenes too – particularly that new wave of Australian "landscape" musicianship that was coming of age in the decade – when artists like John Sangster or Don Burrows were putting aside a slavish adherence to North Hemisphere inspirations, and trying to craft new sounds that were uniquely Australian! Thomsett may well blow away all other efforts of the time, though – with the kind of work here on the album Yaraandoo – which features long, open guitar lines mixed with shifting patterns of sound on a variety of different instruments – from congas to moog, tenor sax to bamboo flute – always balanced between acoustic and electric modes in a perfect way. Rob avoids any easy gimmicks, lyrics, or structures – apart from a slight inspiration from Aboriginal folklore – and instead just lets his mind and music wander beautifully, sometimes augmented by a bit of effects and studio wizardry. Titles include "Baiame", "Moulding Of Red Earth", "Nameless Children", "New Life – Refusal", "Shadow Of Yaraan", "Flight Of Yaraan", and "Tears Of Blood – Endless Weeping". This package also includes the follow-up album Hara – a set that has a slightly more conventional fusion approach, but a sound that's no less freewheeling – really great guitars from Thomsett, set up alongside loads of keyboards, heavy drums, bass, and a bit of soprano sax. The tunes move between spacious, lyrical moments and more full-on tracks – a bit like some of the best experimental European fusion of the period – and titles include "Sumari", "Breathing Space", "Hara", "Sunday 23 May", and "Michael's Song". Double-length set features great notes and packaging too! CD

Great solo material from pianist Randy Weston – two broadcast performances from years when he wasn't captured all that much on record – which makes both sessions a much-needed addition to his catalog! The first half of the set features a 1985 solo performance at the Bamboo Club in Ontario – broadcast by CBC, with wonderful fidelity that really captures Weston's dark touch on the keys – at a level that rivals some of his European solo performances from the decade before. Titles include a version of "Tanja", a mix of "Body & Soul/The Healers", and an untitled track. The second half is from a performance in Edmonton in 1993 – a time when Weston's star was really rising again, which almost seems to be evident in the dynamic range he brings to his performance! There's a nice degree of bite here – strong, bold lines that ring out in those elliptical ways that show a strong influence from African rhythms – on the long tracks "Night In Mbari" and "African Village Bedford Stuyvesant/Little Niles/The Healers". CD

A brilliant album by Hozan Yamamoto – a flute player with a great ear for mixing traditional sounds and modern jazz! The set's a suite of sorts – performed by a cool quartet with Yamamoto on bamboo flute, plus Masabumi Kikuchi on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Hiroshi Murakami on drums – all with a rich sense of poetry and feeling, that newly expressive sound that Japanese jazz hit as the 70s approached! Yamamoto's flute work alone is worth the price of admission – but alongside Kikuchi's well-timed (and toned) piano lines, and Peacock's roundly sensitive bass, the instrument is even more brilliant – heard on tracks that include "Silver World", "Stone Garden Of Ryoan Temple", "A Heavy Shower", and "Sawanose". CD

Funky folk, jazzy soul, and lots more righteous sounds from the 70s – all served up here in a massive fourth volume of this wonderful series! Praise Poems virtually defines a genre unto itself – music that's between spaces, scenes, and styles – and which borrows from the best around the edges, then makes something rich and new in the process – as you'll hear from the assortment of ultra-rare cuts on the set! This is music we never would have discovered otherwise – and we dig through a lot of obscure indie records from the 70s – and the way the tunes work together is perfect, and really presents a color-blind approach to the new range of hip sounds that was bubbling in the underground in the years after the summer of love. And don't let the new age-styled cover put you off, because the music definitely has a bite – on titles that include "You Need Love" by The PTS, "Goodbye Rainbow" by Michael Dues, "He Is Gone" by Scott Williams, "Black Child" by Morris Dow & Eastern Sound, "Sittin High" by Joe Lee Wilson, "Swingin The Down Home Blues" by Tommy Palmer Trio, "Iceland Land Of The Micemen" by Nicodemus, "Bamboo & Rice" by Bill Osborn, "Muddy Water" by Arrie Mae Morton Trio, "Moon Child" by Scott Cunningham Band, and "Herby's Tune" by The Three Souls. CD

One of the rarest of all Les Baxter albums – and one of the best! The record was cut after Les' early 60s move to Reprise – but it's still very much in the vein of his Capitol exotic work – put together with a wonderfully rich sound that definitely fits the promise of the cover and the title! There's a strong emphasis on percussion – as you might guess by the title – and the orchestrations are both sophisticated and emotionally driving – taking inspirations from global cultures, but filtering them through a cool postwar Cali exotica style – of the sort that Baxter helped pioneer at the time. Titles include "Sunrise At Kowloon", "Which Doctor", "Mai Tai", "The Girl Behind The Bamboo Curtain", "River of Dreams", and "The Enchanted Reef". LP, Vinyl record album

A really haunting record – one side of bamboo flute with spare instrumentation, and another of well-recorded Javanese gamelan! LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible modal sounds from trumpeter Matthew Halsall – one of our favorite contemporary jazz artists, and one whose vision just gets bolder and bolder with each new record! This completely sublime set has Halsall working tightly with reedman Nat Birchall – a frequent musical partner whose own records bristle with the same sort of spiritual energy – given some slight additional flavors here with extra flute, harp, and koto – used alongside the more familiar piano, bass, and drums that have always grounded the pair's work together. All tunes are original, and have this vibe that's perfect for the post-Coltrane spiritual jazz generation – but delivered in a way that's quite fresh, too – and not just a simple rehash of early 70s Impulse Records modes. Every track's a gem – and titles include "Sagano Bamboo Forest", "Tribute To Alice Coltrane", "When The World Was One", "Falling Water", and "Kiyomizu Dera". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare albums from Dutch reedman Theo Loevendie – both amazing little records that sound beautiful here on a single CD! Mandela features complicated lines from a hip Netherlands combo of the late 60s – one headed up by Theo Loevendie on alto sax, but which acts a lot more like a collective of modernists working together – Hans Dulfer on tenor and bamboo flute, Willem Van Manen on trombone, Nedly Elstak on trumpet, Joop Mastenbroek on baritone and clarinet, Maarten Altena on bass, and Martin Van Dunhoven and John Engels on drums. The tunes all have a nice sense of structure – energy that's more like the early 60s modernism of the European scene – particularly some of the more rhythmic styles – than the looser freedoms that some of Loevendie's contemporaries were hitting at the same time. There's definitely plenty of offbeat sounds in the mix – but the group also knows how to swing, too – on titles that include "Trombomanie", "Mr Brook", "Timbuktu", "Trompedly", and "Pepy". Chess is a really playful outing from a very cool Dutch combo – one with lead alto from Theo Loevendie, but a rich array of sounds from the other members too! The reeds are especially nice – often coming together with a complexity that goes back to older European modern traditions, yet with a swinging sensibility that's still plenty jazz, too – kind of a mix of composition, arrangement, and inherent swinging – with standout work from Hans Dulfer on tenor, Leon Van Oostrom on baritone, Leo Cuypers on piano, and Willem Van Manen on trombone – a player we barely know at all, but whose bold tones really bring a lot to the record. Titles include "Lapsang Souchong", "Scratch", "Brasilia", and "Tremolo". CD

One of the coolest albums on the rare Palm label of pianist Jef Gilson – a set that's got even more global instrumental currents than some of the other releases on the imprint during it's too-short run! The group is headed here by bassist Sylvin Marc, who also plays drums and percussion – and Madagascar musician Del Rabenja, who plays the Valiha – a cool bamboo harp-like instrument that dominates the first half of the record, before Del switches over to tenor sax and Fender Rhodes – handled with equally great energy! The rest of the group features more bass, drums, and percussion – working in an earthy groove that's occasionally topped by these vocalizations that really give the music some depth and a strongly collaborative vibe throughout. Titles include "Valiha Ny Dada", "Katramo", "Amore Ny Canal", "Del Light", and "Rotaka". LP, Vinyl record album

Warm, soulful sounds from a crucial time in the Japanese music scene – a 70s moment when the nation was finding a special groove of its own – but one that also drew heavily from American soul and jazz as well! It's no secret that the Japanese have always had a great love of American sounds – but by the mid 70s, that longtime love had also turned into some great homegrown sounds of their own – as Japan developed a number of its own strong soul singers, who were often backed by the ever-growing array of great jazz musicians, particularly those of the fusion side of the spectrum. Plus, there also seemed to be a lot more criss-crossing between Tokyo and US studios at the time – particularly those on the west coast – which resulted in a special blend of sounds that had all the class and cool of the Japanese urban scene, but also some of the sunniness of the west coast too. That special mix of music is perfectly summed up here – in a collection that offers up plenty of cuts that were never issued outside of Japan back in the day – with vocals both in English and Japanese, and plenty of grooves that are perfect for any fan of fusion-styled R&B. Titles include the classic "LA Nights" by Yasuko Agawa – plus "Say Goodbye" by Hiroshi Sato, "I Say Who" by Tomoko Soryo, "Sports Men" by Haruomi Hosoni, "Midnight Driver" by Minako Yoshida, "Machibouke" by Tazumi Toyoshima, "Exotic Yokogao" by Hitomi Tohyama, "Lady Pink Panther" by Shigeru Suzuki, "Drip Dry Eyes" by Yukihiro Takahashi, and "Bamboo Vendor" by Masayoshi Takanaka. CD

One of the rarest albums ever from the legendary Mort Garson – an all-electronic film score, one that was originally only available on record in the lobby of a Seattle theater that was showing the film! The tracks are shorter than on some of Garson's more commercial projects of the time, and there's a lot more of them too – all with a vibe that resonates nicely with some of Mort's more private recordings, including some of his advertising work – showing that even though the project was a small one, Garson was still bringing his all to the music. Titles include "Sail Sail", "Kevin's Theme", "No Smoking", "Bamboo City", "Walk To Grange Hall", "Jeep Ride", "Dead Tree", "Walk To The Other Side Of The Island"- and "Virgil's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest albums on the rare Palm label of pianist Jef Gilson – a set that's got even more global instrumental currents than some of the other releases on the imprint during it's too-short run! The group is headed here by bassist Sylvin Marc, who also plays drums and percussion – and Madagascar musician Del Rabenja, who plays the Valiha – a cool bamboo harp-like instrument that dominates the first half of the record, before Del switches over to tenor sax and Fender Rhodes – handled with equally great energy! The rest of the group features more bass, drums, and percussion – working in an earthy groove that's occasionally topped by these vocalizations that really give the music some depth and a strongly collaborative vibe throughout. Titles include "Valiha Ny Dada", "Katramo", "Amore Ny Canal", "Del Light", and "Rotaka". CD

Lance Ferguson and The Bamboos have been around for many years – giving us albums for almost the space of two decades – and during that time, they've evolved from their roots as a lean funk combo to a much fuller ensemble, and one with an ear for the kind of tunes that have really helped them cross over big! We're not saying the group are going to become chart superstars anytime soon – but they've definitely got a style here that's full of catchy hooks, soulful lyrics, and a nicely focused sound – all while still holding onto the best elements of their funky roots! Mainman Lance is still in the lead, standing loud and strong – and the set features guest work from Durand Jones, Joey Dosik, and Ev Jones – on titles that include "While You Sleep", "Hard Up", "Power Without Greed", "The Thing About You", "If Not Now Then When", "I Just Heard You Leaving", "Ride On Time", "It's All Gonna Be OK", and "Nothing I Wanna Know About". CD

DJ Craig Charles has been the main man spinning funk on the BBC for many years – almost a John Peel for the Daptone/Coalmine label crowd – and here, he unveils a second sparkling collection of some of his favorites – tracks that are mostly contemporary funk numbers, but mixed with a bit of vintage material too! A few tracks are exclusive mixes to the set, and all the numbers are well-chosen cuts that bridge the gap between 70s funk and the contemporary underground – titles that include "Move On Baby (Trunk Of Funk mix)" by The Allergies, "Why Did You Do It (Reflex re-vision)" by Ferry Ultra, "Slow Down (Smoove's Trunk Of Funk rmx)" by Smoove & Turrell, "Ride On Time" by The Bamboos, "Rhythm In Your Mind" by Str4ta, "My People" by Cha Wa, "Sorry Fly Away" by Souljazz Orchestra, "If It's All The Same To You Babe" by Luther Ingram, "Your Autumn Of Tomorrow" by The Crow, "Mixed Race Combination" by Joseph Malik, "Beat It" by The Traffic, "This Is What You Are (radio edit)" by Mario Biondi, "He Said/She Said" by Acantha Lang, "Soul Makossa" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band, "Sitting On Top Of The World" by Jay Nemor & Electrified, and "Don't Hold Me Down" by PM Warson. CD

The second album in Denny's legendary Exotica trilogy – a set of records that provided the extreme definition of the small sub-genre that today has become the stuff of legend! Denny's still working here in his classic format – a small group with heavy piano lines, playful percussion, and some birdcalls sung by the members of the group! The set's a mix of strange songs from strange sources, all given the sublime Denny twist – and titles include "Singing Bamboos", "Escales", "August Bells", "Ebb Tide", "Rush Hour In Hong Kong", and "Soshu Night Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album

DJ Craig Charles has been the main man spinning funk on the BBC for many years – almost a John Peel for the Daptone/Coalmine label crowd – and here, he unveils a second sparkling collection of some of his favorites – tracks that are mostly contemporary funk numbers, but mixed with a bit of vintage material too! A few tracks are exclusive mixes to the set, and all the numbers are well-chosen cuts that bridge the gap between 70s funk and the contemporary underground – titles that include "Move On Baby (Trunk Of Funk mix)" by The Allergies, "Why Did You Do It (Reflex re-vision)" by Ferry Ultra, "Slow Down (Smoove's Trunk Of Funk rmx)" by Smoove & Turrell, "Ride On Time" by The Bamboos, "Rhythm In Your Mind" by Str4ta, "My People" by Cha Wa, "Sorry Fly Away" by Souljazz Orchestra, "If It's All The Same To You Babe" by Luther Ingram, "Your Autumn Of Tomorrow" by The Crow, "Mixed Race Combination" by Joseph Malik, "Beat It" by The Traffic, "This Is What You Are (radio edit)" by Mario Biondi, "He Said/She Said" by Acantha Lang, "Soul Makossa" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band, "Sitting On Top Of The World" by Jay Nemor & Electrified, and "Don't Hold Me Down" by PM Warson. LP, Vinyl record album