Nothing primitif about this jazz, because the music has a really haunting feel – one that's filled with sophisticated changes and compelling instrumentation – served up in ways that are unlike anything else we can think of! Side one of the record features the combo of percussionist Rupert Clemendore, who also plays vibes on the record – with Bert Innis on piano, Frankie Francis on sax, and Les Sargeant on guitar – all in a set of tunes that skittishly groove on angular rhythms, yet also have a sense of warmth as well. Titles include "Bongo Mood", "We Mambo", "Princess Charming", and "The Fly". Side two features equally amazing music from the group of bassist John Buddy Williams – a combo with lots of heavy percussion and a definite Latin bent in the rhythms, plus "doublers" who play either sax or clarinet at the same time – making for a really wide, spread-apart sound as they snake through the melodies! These tracks were all recorded live, with a really festive feel – and titles include "Alma Llanera", "She Pon Top", "Shoemaker Shop", "Man In Dey", and "Last Night The Landlord Nearly Killed Me". CD

A monumental debut from Giles Deyampert – sure to be a key player in the sound of 21st Century Soul, and an artist with a sound that's as great as 4 Hero, Koop, Ursula Rucker, or any other artists of that elite rank! Like those we dare mention in the same breath, Deyampert has a great talent for mixing together acoustic jazz and cosmic electronics – soaring to the skies on wings of spiritual soul, and hitting a groove that's as appealing to our ears for the classic as it is our ears for the future! The album features some great work from guest singers that include Heather Clayton, Channeng Payton, Jane Hamilton, Desney Bailey, and Rachel Myers – and there's some wonderful tunes on here we know we'll still be grooving strongly in years to come! Titles include "I Want You To Know Me", "Release", "Santiago Sands (studio)", "Release", "The Sweetest Delusion", "Scorned & Maladjusted", "Song For Kailen", and "Held Him First". CD

A killer album from Mongo Santamaria's classic 60s run for Columbia – and a record that also features some wonderful alto work from a young Sonny Fortune! Sonny's the key soloist on the record – bringing some sharp jazz elements to an album that's equal part Latin and 60s soul instrumental – served up with key arrangements from Marty Sheller, and played by a cool mix of Latin and soul players that includes Mongo on congas and bongos, plus Pretty Purdie on drums, Haldey Caliman and Hubert Laws on tenor, Luis Gasca on trumpet, and Stephen Berrios, Julito Collazo, and Osualdo Martinez on percussion! Tunes are a mix of covers and cool originals – and titles include "Hitchcock Railway", "See Saw", "Cloud Nine", "Where We Are", "Love Child", "Who's Making Love", and "The Now Generation". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive work from Starpoint – the kind of all-great record that few other groups of their era could hope to match! The set's got way more going on than usual the usual 80s groove (although that's very firmly in place too) – and steps out with a tightness and sense of presence that makes the whole thing sparkle from start to finish! By the time of this set, Starpoint had really gotten their groove down – and work here as a key link between the bassier groups of the boogie era and some of the hipper ensemble funk combos of the mid 70s scene. The Phillips brothers and Kayode Adeyemo provide impeccable instrumentation throughout – and as before, the lead vocals of Renee Diggs do a tremendous job of pulling the whole album together! Titles include "Wanting You", "Try Me", "Shake It Out", "Do What You Wanna Do", "Angel", "Last Night", and "Starnite You Nite". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

A fantastic look at the groundbreaking sounds of the Disques Debs label – one of the most important companies producing music in the French Caribbean – and an imprint whose impact was strongly felt on the other side of the Atlantic as well! The core of these grooves is that compelling biguine rhythm that flowed from Guadeloupe – almost a mix of Latin and jazz, but with a different sort of vibe of its own – which was then interwoven with elements from Cuban, European, and African styles amidst the initial decade or so of recordings on this set! Debs had strong ties with Paris, and a bit with the West African scene – and their recorded legacy almost follows old colonial paths, but in reverse – creating this wonderful criss-crossing of cultures amidst their grooves. The package is wonderful – loads of vintage photos and great notes in the best Strut Records way – and titles include "Douce Kombass" by Henri Debs Quintet, "Mr Morin" by Joseph Lacides, "Lan Mise" by Geno Exilie, "Feeling Happy" by Cyril Dias Et Son Orchestre, "Ces P'Tits Je T'Aime" by Daniel Forestal Et Sa Guitare, "Assez Fait Cancan" by Guy Conquette, "Stanislas" by Eric Virgal, "Meringue Mondey" by Remy Mondey, "Si I Bon Di I Bon" by Le Ry-Co Jazz, "Salvana" by Dolor Et Les Diables Du Rhythme, and "Van Van" by Henri Guedon Et Les Contesta. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic look at the groundbreaking sounds of the Disques Debs label – one of the most important companies producing music in the French Caribbean – and an imprint whose impact was strongly felt on the other side of the Atlantic as well! The core of these grooves is that compelling biguine rhythm that flowed from Guadeloupe – almost a mix of Latin and jazz, but with a different sort of vibe of its own – which was then interwoven with elements from Cuban, European, and African styles amidst the initial decade or so of recordings on this set! Debs had strong ties with Paris, and a bit with the West African scene – and their recorded legacy almost follows old colonial paths, but in reverse – creating this wonderful criss-crossing of cultures amidst their grooves. The package is wonderful – loads of vintage photos and great notes in the best Strut Records way – and titles include "Douce Kombass" by Henri Debs Quintet, "Mr Morin" by Joseph Lacides, "Lan Mise" by Geno Exilie, "Feeling Happy" by Cyril Dias Et Son Orchestre, "Ces P'Tits Je T'Aime" by Daniel Forestal Et Sa Guitare, "Assez Fait Cancan" by Guy Conquette, "Stanislas" by Eric Virgal, "Meringue Mondey" by Remy Mondey, "Si I Bon Di I Bon" by Le Ry-Co Jazz, "Salvana" by Dolor Et Les Diables Du Rhythme, and "Van Van" by Henri Guedon Et Les Contesta. CD

Cosmic righteousness from Brother Ahh – aka Robert Northern – best known for his work with Sun Ra, but a force behind some wonderfully soulful records of his own! This album's one of Ahh's later works – self-released in 1983, with a conception that's fuller than his earlier works – almost in an Alice Coltrane spiritual mode, with tracks that emphasize consciousness, healing, well being, and awareness. Ah plays flute and French horn on the album – and other instrumentation includes percussion by Nasar Abadey and Barbara Burton-Tuten, bass from Mike Bowie, harp and mbiri from Jeff Majors, and guitar from Marvin Tuten. Most tracks are instrumentals – building in a nice Phil Cohran-ish way – but a few numbers feature vocals. And titles include "Sekou", "Nature's Blues", "Key To Nowhere", "Hanifah", "Motherless Child", "Celebration", and "The Void". CD

Cosmic righteousness from Brother Ahh – aka Robert Northern – best known for his work with Sun Ra, but a force behind some wonderfully soulful records of his own! This album's one of Ahh's later works – self-released in 1983, with a conception that's fuller than his earlier works – almost in an Alice Coltrane spiritual mode, with tracks that emphasize consciousness, healing, well being, and awareness. Ahh plays flute and French horn on the album – and other instrumentation includes percussion by Nasar Abadey and Barbara Burton-Tuten, bass from Mike Bowie, harp and mbiri from Jeff Majors, and guitar from Marvin Tuten. Most tracks are instrumentals – building in a nice Phil Cohran-ish way – but a few numbers feature vocals. And titles include "Sekou", "Nature's Blues", "Key To Nowhere", "Hanifah", "Motherless Child", "Celebration", and "The Void". LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Jon Hassell is alive and well – and after decades of groundbreaking music and undeniable influence, Hassell continues to show the world why his own blend of electric and acoustic elements still sounds better than most! Jon's working with his classic blend of trumpet and electronics here – assisted at some points by younger musicians who owe a great debt to his initial recordings – and while the territory is familiar, it's also never facile – as Hassell's clearly out to continue pushing boundaries, always with an answer to those who might call his music simply atmospheric – because there's a huge amount here going on, sometimes at very subtle levels. Other instrumentation includes guitar, bass, violin, and percussion – often with processing in the mix – and titles include "Moons Of Titan", "Fearless", "Reykjavik", "Cool Down Coda", "Lunar", "Delicado", and "Timeless". CD

The genius of Jon Hassell is alive and well – and after decades of groundbreaking music and undeniable influence, Hassell continues to show the world why his own blend of electric and acoustic elements still sounds better than most! Jon's working with his classic blend of trumpet and electronics here – assisted at some points by younger musicians who owe a great debt to his initial recordings – and while the territory is familiar, it's also never facile – as Hassell's clearly out to continue pushing boundaries, always with an answer to those who might call his music simply atmospheric – because there's a huge amount here going on, sometimes at very subtle levels. Other instrumentation includes guitar, bass, violin, and percussion – often with processing in the mix – and titles include "Moons Of Titan", "Fearless", "Reykjavik", "Cool Down Coda", "Lunar", "Delicado", and "Timeless". LP, Vinyl record album

To most ears, trumpeter Jon Hassell first burst on to the world through his experiments with Brian Eno on EG Records, or maybe his 80s work on ECM – but here, on his debut for the small avant label Lovely Music, it's clear that Jon's already in complete control of his sound – and is ready to become the kind of performer that would captivate listeners for decades to come! Hassell's horn has that special sort of effect quality on most numbers here – spacey, but never slick – and electrified, but far from any sort of Miles Davis mode – especially considering that the music is full of earthy, organic percussion from Nana Vasconcelos and some other players, who balance out the set's work on Fender Rhodes, Arp, and Serge synthesizer. The spirit of the set is very much in Hassell's classic "fourth world" recordings – and titles include "Toucan Ocean", "Hex", "Blues Nile", "Vernal Equinox", and "Caracas Night September 11, 1975". CD

To most ears, trumpeter Jon Hassell first burst on to the world through his experiments with Brian Eno on EG Records, or maybe his 80s work on ECM – but here, on his debut for the small avant label Lovely Music, it's clear that Jon's already in complete control of his sound – and is ready to become the kind of performer that would captivate listeners for decades to come! Hassell's horn has that special sort of effect quality on most numbers here – spacey, but never slick – and electrified, but far from any sort of Miles Davis mode – especially considering that the music is full of earthy, organic percussion from Nana Vasconcelos and some other players, who balance out the set's work on Fender Rhodes, Arp, and Serge synthesizer. The spirit of the set is very much in Hassell's classic "fourth world" recordings – and titles include "Toucan Ocean", "Hex", "Blues Nile", "Vernal Equinox", and "Caracas Night September 11, 1975". LP, Vinyl record album

A great new album from this 70s Afro Funk legend – work that shows that Gydeu Blay Ambolley hasn't lost a bit of his groove over the years! There's a really great approach to the album that keeps things fresh – a sound that's lean and stripped-down, and not overproduced at all – creating a vibe that almost makes you think the record came from some Ghanian studio in the 70s! Gyedu Blay handles lead vocals and tenor, and the set features loads of tight percussion that bubbles along beautifully in an Afro Funk groove – plus tight horns on the top, and a bit of fuzzy guitar to give things a nice edge. Lyrics are nice and sharp, and titles include "Afrika Yie", "Game", "Bad Bad Boy", "Blakk Man Dey Suffer", "E Dey Walk For Ground", "Viktims", and "O Maame O Papa". CD