One of Henry Mancini's grooviest LPs from the 70s – a mixture of tight large arrangements with a smooth funky edge, similar to some of his best soundtrack work at the time! The rhythm section is great – with Harvey Mason on drums and Joe Sample on keyboards, and guitar by David T Walker and Dennis Budimir – and the album also features some cool solos on instruments like African finger piano and piccolo trumpet. The whole thing bounces along with a majestic approach that's very full and complicated – yet also tight and funky! Lots of nice groovy tunes – and titles include "Sun Goddess", "Symphonic Soul", "Soul Saga", "African Symphony", "Slow Hot Wind", and "Satin Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most perfectly-realized early Archie Shepp albums on Impulse Records – a set that brilliantly brings together all the different influences that inspired his sense of creation, but with a lean energy that takes everything far from its roots – and puts the music firmly in the best "new thing" territory of the mid 60s! The players shift around a bit from track to track – that sense of creative combination that really marked this moment in avant jazz expression – and about half the record features Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, in a lineup that also includes Henry Grimes and Barre Phillips on bass, and David Izenzon, Rashied Ali, and Joe Chambers on drums and percussion! Shepp contributed some of his most haunting compositions to the set – including "On This Night", "The Mac Man", and "The Pickaninny" – and the whole thing's amazing enough to make you an Archie Shepp convert for life! CD

One of Henry Kaiser's more widely-circulated albums of the 80s – with work from Joey Baron on drums, Hank Roberts on cello, David Balakrishnan on violin, and a host of other artists too! CD