... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Uri Caine on piano, Joyce Hammann on violin, Chris Speed on clarinet, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, Nguyen Le on electric guitar, Dj Olive on turntables, Drew Gress on double bass, and Jim Black on drums. CD

Michael Formanek on bass, Larry Gold on cello, Don Byron on clarinet, Joey Baron on drums, Danny Blume on guitar and electronics, Uri Caine on piano, Dave Binney on soprano saxophone, Josh Roseman on trombone, Dave Douglas on trumpet, DJ Olive of turntables, Mark Feldman on violin, Arto Lindsay, Dean Bowman on vocals, and Aaron Bensoussan on vocals and hand drums. CD

A record with a very heavy core – as Scotty Hard's not only adding bass to the set, but also plenty of beats and samples as well – all elements that are used mostly in a rhythmic way, to leave plenty of space for the slide trumpet of Steven Bernstein, saxes and guitar of Briggan Krauss, bass and guitar of Tony Scherr, and drums of Kenny Wollesen! Wollesen also adds in a bit of electric percussion, which moves nicely next to Hard's rhythms – while the horns and guitars cascade over the top in a great array of colors – colors that are also expanded by guest work from John Medeski on Hammond and mellotron, Vijay Iyer on piano, and DJ Olive on turntables and electronics. Titles include "Banacek", "Lawn Mower", "Fletcher Henderson", "Pepper Pot", "Hit The Dirt", and "Tapestral". Also features a bonus 12" – with tracks "Dominion" and "Club Pythagorean". LP, Vinyl record album

Silent film score by trumpeter Dave Douglas – with Jamie Saft on wurlitzer, Marcus Strickland on saxophones, Brad Jones on bass, Gene Lake on drums, and DJ Olive on turntables. Tracks include "Just Another Murder", "Fatty's Day Off", "Famous Players", and "Barnyard Flirtations" – plus a DVD featuring the original 1916 Fatty Arbuckle movie "Fatty & Mabel Adrift" with score by Douglas. CD

The complete Spark Of Being trilogy from Dave Douglas & Keystone – music made in a partnership with experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison as a reinterpretation of the Frankenstein story – each CD excellent in its own right, and it's all even better as a whole! The first entry is titled Soundtrack – a really striking record that marks the project as a compelling standout in Douglas's career! There's definitely a soundtrack approach to the music here – lots of rich textures and tones, shifting on a sonic landscape that's somewhat different than Douglas' more familiar jazz modes, yet which still has some of the spontaneously creative elements you'd expect! Dave plays laptop in addition to trumpet – and DJ Olive supplies some similar sonic elements too – in addition to other instrumentation from Marcus Strickland on tenor, Adam Benjamin on Fender Rhodes, Brad Jones on Ampeg baby bass, and Gene Lake on drums. Despite the acoustic elements, there's a strong resonance from the electric parts – which often have these deeply spooky tones – and titles include "Observer", "Spark Of Being", "Creature Three", "Chroma", "Is It You", "Three Ring Circus", and "Split Personality". The second part is titled Expand – this one billed as the "straight" performances of themes composed for the project! Expand does work as a solid modern jazz album, with shifting tones, creative sparks and dexterous rhythmic interplay and sharp solos. The textural experimental touches assure that it's a artful step to the left, though, and it's great stuff anyway you want to look at it. Titles include "Spark Of Being", "Creature", "Tree Ring Circus", "Observer", "Chroma", "Travelogue" and "Prologue". The final part is Burst – featuring compositions from the sessions that do not appear in the film! It's wonderful stuff, intuitive, rhythmically exhilarating and sharply creative modern jazz with great solos, unpredictable tonal shifts and creative bits of sound that work very well thematically. Titles "Leaving London", "Creaturecode", "The Growing Tree", "Vitalism", "Creature Discomfort", "Travelogue Complete", "Split Personality Infinitive" and "Tree Ring Vamp". CD

One of the looser, more experimental albums we've ever heard from percussionist William Hooker – done at a time when his fame was really reaching past the New York downtown scene! The set was recorded in San Francisco, and features the great Glenn Spearman on a variety of reeds, plus DJ Olive on turntables, and Hooker on both drums and a bit of spoken word – on long titles that include "Solemn Breath Knowledge/In This Earthy Body", "Living Organs/Parallel Planes", "Archetypal Space", "Principle Of Duality", and "Flow Rt 1 (Awake)". CD

A genre defying meeting of NYC's out hop illbient impresario Paul Miller and members of that city's finest new jazz improvisors. Not too far off from the recent QPSM project, this finds a cast of characters, including Spooky, who'd previously been more known for dispensing with conventional rhythmic structure, dropping some tighter grooves, but never losing their more progressive identities. The core group is Spooky being Spooky, William Parker on bass, Matthew Shipp on piano and Guillermo Brown on drums, with appearances by Carl Hancock Rux an High Priest of Anti Pop Consortium on vocals, and fellow avant garde travellers Pauline Oliveros, Daniel Carter and Daniel Bernard Roumain. 12 tracks including "Ibid, desmarches, ibid", "Reactive Switching Strategies For The Control Of Uninhibited Air" and "Sequentia Absentia (Dialectical Triangulation I)". CD

A mighty sweet collection of grooves from the Flying Dutchman label – that early 70s hotbed of funk, soul, and spiritual jazz! The set features some of the best-remembered gems from the label – plus some nice surprises along the way – all spread out in a double-length set, with selections by Japanese DJ Daisuke Kuroda! There's some great interplay between vocal numbers and instrumentals – and Kuroda definitely picked some of the heaviest-hitting artists of the label, a number of whom appear here more than once. Titles include "Shape Your Mind To Die" and "Love Each Other" by Leon Thomas, "Beautiful Woman" and "A Chance For Peace" by Lonnie Liston Smith, "Gypsy Queen" by Count Basie, "When You Are Who You Are" and "The Needle's Eye" by Gil Scott Heron, "This Is The Me Me" and "Onsaya Joy" by Richard Groove Holmes, "Peace" and "Chains" by Black & Blues, "Nicole" by The Cyrkle, "Skull Session" by Oliver Nelson, "Friends & Neighbors" by Ornette Coleman, "Tite Rope" by Harold Alexander, "Heavy Soul Slinger" by Bernard Purdie, "Descarga" and "See Saw Affair" by Cesar 830, "Lady Day & John Coltrane" and "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" by Gil Scott Heron, "The Creator Has A Master Plan" and "Just In Time To See The Sun" by Leon Thomas, "Chains Of Love" by Esther Marrow, and "Mama Soul" by Harold Alexander. CD

Brazilian funk, Brooklyn style – and one of the hippest collections of Brazilian grooves we've ever heard! The collection was put together by New York DJs Sean Marquand and Greg Caz – and it's got a wickedly funky vibe that comes from plenty of 70s samba soul! The style here is really different than other Brazilian Beats titles from Mr Bongo – as the work here is all classic, and chosen from a really fresh perspective – the new wave of interest in this music that's been bubbling up from the American underground, with a completely different perspective on the grooves from older scenes in Rio, Tokyo, or London! Most tracks here should be new to your ears – and although some of the tracks here have been reissued before, but they really come alive in different ways, thanks to the depth and careful pacing of the set. 22 tracks in all – with titles that include "Cafua" by Nonato, "Taieiras" by Ely Camargo, "Jeep" by Erasmo Carlos, "Cobra Criada" by Joao Bosco, "E Necessario" by Tim Maia, "Marcas" by Quarteto Uai, "Skim Dum Dum Dum" by Ana Rosely, "Black Soul Brothers" by Miguel De Deus, "Mais Kriola" by Helio Matheus, "A Festa" by Silvio Cesar, "Tava Mas Nao Tava" by Edson Frederico, "Uma Rosa Pra Dita" by Os Increveis, "Aleluia" by Robson Jorge & Licoln Olivetti, and "Beija-Flor Suite" by Chalo Eduardo. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best compilations we've heard in years! Unlike a lot of the funky-heavy sets on the market, this one takes a whole new approach, and compiles jazz-based chill out tracks with a sweet spiritual vibe. The result is a perfect batch of tunes for a lazy afternoon – not like one of those stupid "Jazz For Dinner" compilations that seem to be clogging the market lately, but an all-hip batch of tracks that grooves in a subtle, sophisticated way. No surprise that the whole thing's been put together by Alex Attias – UK DJ and producer extraordinaire – which might be why the album feels like it was put out by one of our favorite London imprints, like Soul Jazz or Counterpoint. Titles include "Kwadwo Safari" by Prince Lasha, "Wives & Lovers" by Rita Reyes & Oliver Nelson, "Sun Song" by Pharoah Sanders, "Bahia" by Catalyst, "Calypso Blues" by Nat King Cole, "The Creator Has A Master Plan" by Louis Armstrong, "Children Of The Ghetto" by Courtney Pine, "Waltz From After The Fall" by David Amram, "Africa" by Sathima Bea Benjamin, and "Golden Dream" by Lonnie Liston Smith. CD

A humdinger of a collection – featuring 13 soul jazz groovers from the Impulse catalog, all expertly selected by London DJ Patrick Forge! The set features work by artists that you probably already know and love – recast in a new package that makes oft-forgotten tunes sparkle more than we ever remembered! Forge has a heck of an ear – that London knack for finding a groove where you never thought of looking – and working with the Impulse catalog, he comes up with a brilliant array of tracks that will have you dipping back into this one again and again. Titles include "Abana" by Yusef Lateef, "Abstract" by Archie Shepp, "Viva Emiliano Zapata" by Gato Barbieri, "Visions" by Marion Brown, "For Mods Only" by Chico Hamilton, "Blues For Brother George Jackson" by Archie Shepp, "Alamode" by Art Blakey, "Man From South Africa" by Max Roach, "Elegy For A Duck" by Oliver Nelson, and "Oscarlypso" by Yusef Lateef. CD

One of Gal Costa's mellow mainstream sides from the 80s – hardly the sort of work you might have imagined during the heady Tropicalia years, yet still very much the top of the heap for MPB at the time! Gal's got a new sort of sophistication here – a depth that really comes through on the ballads, in ways that remind us of late 70s work from Elis Regina – and although the instrumentation is heavy on keyboards, it's still got a pretty nice feel overall – never too clunky or commercial. Arrangements are by Lincoln Olivetti, Ricardo Cristaldi, Djavan, and Guto Graca Mello – who produced the set – and titles include a nice version of Joyce's "Todos Os Instrumentos", plus "Tenda", "Arara", "Me Faz Bem", "O Vento", and a Brazilian version of "Here, There, & Everywhere", entitled "Viver E Reviver". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer little record that's way more than just a set of obscure Afro-styled grooves – given that the whole thing was produced by funky soul genius Oliver Sain – and features work from avant jazz musicians who include Oliver Lake on alto and flute, Lester Bowie on trumpet, and Charles Bobo Shaw on drums! The style here is wonderful – almost a more freewheeling, groove-heavy take on the underground jazz that Lake, Shaw, and Bowie were playing on the St Louis and Chicago scenes – but given amore righteous focus through the djembe and lyrics of Mor Thiam, who was raised in Senegal, and works here with American musicians in a really unique way – which makes the album almost more of a spiritual jazz set overall. Titles include "Sindiely", "Ayo Ayo Nene", "Kanfera", "Africa", and "Kele Mubana". CD

A wonderful live performance by vocalist Leon Thomas – and a set that seems to link together both his own excellent solo material of the time, and his key Impulse recordings with Pharoah Sanders! The group here is a small one – with the wonderful Oliver Nelson on alto sax, showing off his more spiritual side here in ways that didn't always happen on other records of the period – in a quintet lineup that also features piano, bass, drums, and some nice extra conga work! Some material has Thomas really stretching out and getting spiritual – as on the remakes of the Sanders numbers "The Creator Has A Master Plan" and "Pharaoh's Tune (The Journey)" – and then he even gets a bit more avant and outside on the track "Umbo Weti", then moves to straighter bebop vocalese on a sweet take on "Straight No Chaser". A great record – and one that really sums up his genius! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Sir Oliver, Hydrogen Rockers, Rasoul, Kobbe Vs Fabb'X, Kings Of Tribal, Paul Jays, Robbie Rivera featuring Billy Paul W, Tribal Man, George Morel featuring Leo Colon, DJ Morris T featuringTaka Boom, Orange, and Kosheen. CD

Not Latin, so much as modern electronic tunes with a Latin influence – similar to work on the New Latinaires series on Ubiquity. The selection includes a number of titles from overseas sources, plus remixed pulled from the very successful catalog of Six Degrees. Titles include "Royal Rumba (Fila Brazilia mix)" by Robin Jones & Joao Bosco De Oliveira, "Supertropical" by Senor Coconut, "Soul Salsa Soul" by St Germain, "Blue Eyed Beat Banging Soul" by Terminal 3, "Watch Them Come (Jazzanova rmx)" by Men From The Nile, "Brazilelectro (DJ Git Hyper mix)" by Zuco 103, and "Future Tropic" by Afro-Mystik. CD