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Brilliant sounds from reedman Momo Wandel Soumah – a Guinean saxophonist, but one who works here in a richly expansive sound – one that mixes jazz elements with styles from different ethnic groups of Guinean, all for an approach that's pretty darn unique! Soumah's tenor is wonderful – very open and spiritual, with just the right sense of space between the notes – and it's balanced with flute solos from Mamady Mansare, whose sound has a very different personality, and occasional lyrical moments. Other players include Sekou Koyate on kora, and Aboubacar Fatouabou Camara on djembe – amidst a fair bit of other percussion from the group. Titles include a great reworking of "Afro Blue" – plus "Tepe", "Toko", "Matchowe", "M'Mu Akolon", and "Konia". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing music from the golden years of Ethiopian Music – a set of tracks that will take you beyond the music of Mulatu, into a wealth of other talents from the scene at the same time! The sound here is incredible – a mix of heavy funk, spacey jazz, and other exotic touches all coming together – a unique sort of sound that's beyond referent, and which is easily some of the freshest music on the planet back in the 70s! The vinyl-only collection pulls tracks from different volumes of the Ethiopiques CD titles – and offers up a strong focus on the funkiest and grooviest numbers from that legendary series. Tracks include "Muziqawi Silt" by Wallias Band, "Hasabe" by Ayalew Mesfin, "Antchin Yagegnulet" by Tamrat Ferendji, "Amlak Abet Abet" by Asselfetch Ashine & Getenesh Kebret, "Temeles" by Alemayehu Eshete & Hirut Bequele, and "Aynotchesh Yerefu" by Samuel Belay. LP, Vinyl record album

Mad music that's unlike anything else we can think of – a killer collection of funky grooves from the Ethiopian scene of the 70s – offered up here on a vinyl-only compilation! The set's a great one if you've heard the music of Mulatu, but want to dig a lot deeper – as the cats included on this set are most of his contemporaries from the golden years of Ethiopian music – and most of them work in a similar offbeat, other-worldly sort of style! Rhythms are skittish, horns are hypnotic, and the vocals on some of the tracks have a weird appeal that really transcends the boundaries of language – almost like another instrumental element that fits in wonderfully with the heavy grooves underneath. Titles on the collection are pulled from various volumes of the Ethiopiques series – making this set kind of a distillation of all its greatness. Tracks include "Yebeqagnal" and "Ene Negn Bay Manesh" by Girma Beyene, "Queresh Endewaza" by Samuel Belay, "Ewnetegna Feqer" by Hirut Bequele, "Lomiwen Teqebeletch" by Mahmoud Ahmed, "Gedamay" by Getatchew Mekurya, and "Metche New" by Asselefetch Ashine & Getenesh Kebret. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most striking volumes of this great series – a special edition of Ethiopiques that focuses on the mad saxophone work of Getachew Makurya! The recordings on this set are all from 1972 – and they feature the deep-toned Mekurya blowing in a strange and otherworldly tone, usually over spare backings that include percussion, piano, and/or organ – making for a sound that's almost like some of Pat Patrick's work for Sun Ra, but with a decidedly more ethnic feel. The compositions are all very basic, and very rhythmic – and Makurya's sax work snakes over the top in a really magical way. Titles include "Aha Gedawo", "Shellela", "Akale Wube", "Tezeta", "Gedamay", "Shemonmwanaye", "Yene Hassab Gwadegna", and "Sellela Besaxophone". CD

Zanmari Bare hails from the isle of Reunion, and he's got this beautifully melancholy style of singing – a mode that seems to belie his younger age, with this evocative quality as if he's seen things rise and fall for centuries on this planet! The instrumentation that backs his singing is equally compelling – his own lead work on a berimbau-like instrument, alongside other percussion, light stringed instrumentation, and a fair bit of supportive singing from the rest of the group – who provide an uplifting vibe next to Bare's lead. Titles include "Voun", "Lo Vye Bob", "Mwin Gabi", "Dann For Titan", "In Sor", and "Deor In Paradi". LP, Vinyl record album

An even more fantastic album than the previous effort from this very cool combo – a set that has long tracks that really let the group build up their sound – all with a vibe that lives up to the cover proclamation of "music for the people by the people with the people"! That credo definitely comes through in the richly collaborative, strongly organic nature of the music – basslines and percussion that build up in this long-flowing wave of sound – with lead vocals that trade off with the group, all at a level that almost has the righteous energy of a spiritual jazz session of the 70s – but with a much more tribal vibe! There's a wonderfully positive spirit to the whole record, even if you can't follow the lyrics – and titles include the long cuts "Moya" and "Insimbi" – plus the shorter "Nobody Knows". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool group from Mali – one who have some of the older currents that you'd associate with the scene, but served up with a nicely contemporary crackle! The vocals often have those bluesy inflections that have risen up strongly in west Africa – but the instrumentation also has a nicely electrified current alongside rootsy percussion – especially when moments of distortion come in to play, almost with the blown-out quality you'd know from Konono, although maybe less processed overall. There's also a lot of vocal interplay between lead singer Fassara Sacko and other members of the group – on titles that include "Tangwanana", "Salia", "Stange Koreduga", "Dirty Donso", "From Segou To Nightmare", and "Rougeot" – plus the very funky "Mali Liberela", which almost has some James Brown-ish guitar! LP, Vinyl record album

The fifth volume of Buda's great Angola series examines the most contemporary musical streams of this strife-torn West African nation. Ebullient grooves serve to transcend the violence and instability while beautiful, mournful laments rhapsodize what's been lost. The music on this volume accommodates a wide range of styles, complementing native forms like the semba and lamento with bits of funk, reggae, soukous, and, as ever, a strong dose of sounds from fellow Portuguese colony Brazil. The collection presents material by Angolan vets like Ngola Ritmos, Bonga, and Paulo Flores, as well as a batch of tunes from younger players such as Lulendo, Simmons, and Moise & Jose Kafala. Most of the tracks feature slick, modern production, but the singularly soulful singing style of Angola always shines through. Tracks include "Mana" by Banda Maravilha, "Ojala Ye Ya" by Carlos Burity, "Imbua Kegie Ngana Le" by Lourdes Van Dunen, "Njazi" by Mario Rui Silva, and "Soke Soke" by Afra Sound Star. CD

Music from Lakatos Róbert, Beáta Palya, Kerekes Band, Kálmán Balogh & The Gipsy Cimbalom Band, Bela Lakatos & The Gypsy Youth Project, Csürrento, Hungarian Hurdy-Gurdy Orchestra, Parno Graszt, Buda Folk Band & more. CD

Complex Latin piano lines from the great Chuy Reyes, with backing by his orchestra! Titles include "Rumba Boogie", "Variations In D Minor", "Lost Love", "Adios", and "Los Hijos De Buda". LP, Vinyl record album

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Robi Botos is a keyboardist with a nice sense of space – one that makes for an inherent sense of groove in his music, even when things are mellow! Robi's not exactly a funk musician, but the record has plenty of currents of that mode – as his own keyboards are blended strongly with the snapping drums of Larnell Lewis and well-timed bass of Mike Downes – then topped off with some mighty nice work on tenor by Seamus Blake! We're not used to hearing Blake in such a setting, which really brings out some of his more soulful elements – and the tenor is a great sharp-edged contrast to some of Botos' warmer lines on piano and keyboards. The set also features guest work from Lionel Loueke's guitar on one track – and titles include "Calhoun Square", "Budapest", "Old Soul", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Praise", "Hope", and "Diamond". CD

Two of the more important pianists of recent years, performing here together in a set of live duets – most of which have a relatively improvised, relatively free approach – maybe even more than more familiar albums from either player! There's definitely a sense of ECM space in the recording, but that may well come from the album's recording in a larger hall at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest – which has both musicians' notes echoing out in open space nicely as they interact with each other. Titles include "Sensorium", "Kairos", "Shake Down", "Clear Monolith", "Luminous Brew", and "Life Line (Seven Tensions)". CD