Domo Branch is represented as a group on the front cover – but if you take a closer look, you'll notice the image features multiple shots of the man himself – a killer drummer who delivers a wonderful performance on this full album of solo drums! The set was recorded overseas, but Domo Branch hails from Portland, where he's a key part of the scene, both as a player and an educator – and he plays here with a style that certainly understands many currents of jazz – in a mode that maybe takes a Baby Dodd solo drum performance forward through lessons learned in the generation of Milford Graves and Andrew Cyrille! Titles include "Purity/Honesty", "Influence", "Togetherness", "Patience", "Tribal", and "Longing". LP, Vinyl record album

With Nobuyoshi Ino on bass. CD

With Makoto Ozone on piano. CD

Streetwise raps from Freddie Gibbs, backed by inventive production from Madlib – here on one of the best records yet on 'Lib's own Madlib Invazion imprint! If you'll forgive us a little bit of repetition – because we KNOW we've written this before – there's just something extra riveting about Madlib's production work for straight shooting, street lingo slinging, no nonsense MCs. The freewheeling inspiration and bottomless depth of unpredictable sample funk is there, as always. It's leaner, tighter and with a thicker backdrop of beats. Gibbs is sharply on point throughout here, and if it seems like an oddball pairing at first glance, rest assured, these guys work GREAT together. Guests include Danny Brown – who drops some top shelf wordplay of his own on "High" – plus the Wu legend Raekwon on "Bomb", Domo Genius & Earl Sweatshirt on "Robes", Domo Genius, G-Whiz, Mac Miller and more on the title cut, and more. Other titles include "Supplier", "Scarface", "Deeper", "Harold's", "Thuggin'", "Real" and "Uno". LP, Vinyl record album

Just the first album from pianist Sean Mason, but a set that already feels like an effort from a much more mature musician – a set of original music that's overflowing with the kind of life and color that you'd be more likely to hear on some of the bigger-name efforts on this label associated with Jazz At Lincoln Center! It's pretty daring to begin your recorded career with an extended original suite – but Mason's clearly got the strengths to pull it off, and gets some especially great help from Chris Lewis on tenor and Tony Glausi on trumpet, both players who can wrap around each other and somehow create a sound that's even greater than the sum of its parts! The group also features Felix Moseholm on bass and Domo Branch on drums – and titles include "Final Voyage", "Lullaby", "Closure", "Kid", "Lavender", "Silky M", and "One United". CD

Wolf sounds almost pretty from the first few seconds of the intro, but soon after the soft opening, the gritty beat drops, the gravely/growling vocals kick in, and the wild mix of comical and caustic rhymes let you know good and well that Tyler The Creator's back. Guests include Hodgy Beats, Frank Ocean, Domo Genius, Earl Sweatshirt and other expected heads – plus some wildcards/surprises turns by Laetitia Sadier, Erykah Badu and others. Includes "Wolf", "Jamba" with Hodgy Beats, "Cowboy", "Awkward", "Domo23", "Answer", "Slater" and "48" with Frank Ocean, " "Partyisntover/Campfire/Bimmer" with Frank Ocean & Laetitia Sadier, "Parking Lot" with Mike G & Casey Veggies, "Tamale", "Lone" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Originally a Japanese-only session – and one of the best records ever by this legendary 70s jazz super-group – a real return to acoustic jazz roots, with a lineup that includes Herbie Hancock on piano, Wayne Shorter on tenor, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums! There's a lot of the sorts of energy that some of the players created when working with Miles Davis the decade before – but shaped with some of the soulfulness that Freddie Hubbard unleashed during his early CTI years – very welcome here, at a time when Hubbard was getting more electric touches on some of his albums. Herbie's great too – and the album ranks with his other great Japanese-only albums of the decade – really given a sense of creative freedom that didn't always happen with the more commercial drive that Columbia was pushing in the US. The whole thing's filled with lots of long modal numbers, strong soloing all around, and a top-shelf presentation of the material – on titles that include "Tear Drop", "Fragile", "One Of Another Kind", "Papa Oriente", "Domo", and "Pee Wee". CD

Just the first album from pianist Sean Mason, but a set that already feels like an effort from a much more mature musician – a set of original music that's overflowing with the kind of life and color that you'd be more likely to hear on some of the bigger-name efforts on this label associated with Jazz At Lincoln Center! It's pretty daring to begin your recorded career with an extended original suite – but Mason's clearly got the strengths to pull it off, and gets some especially great help from Chris Lewis on tenor and Tony Glausi on trumpet, both players who can wrap around each other and somehow create a sound that's even greater than the sum of its parts! The group also features Felix Moseholm on bass and Domo Branch on drums – and titles include "Final Voyage", "Lullaby", "Closure", "Kid", "Lavender", "Silky M", and "One United". CD

Streetwise raps from Freddie Gibbs, backed by inventive production from Madlib – here on one of the best records yet on 'Lib's own Madlib Invazion imprint! If you'll forgive us a little bit of repetition – because we KNOW we've written this before – there's just something extra riveting about Madlib's production work for straight shooting, street lingo slinging, no nonsense MCs. The freewheeling inspiration and bottomless depth of unpredictable sample funk is there, as always. It's leaner, tighter and with a thicker backdrop of beats. Gibbs is sharply on point throughout here, and if it seems like an oddball pairing at first glance, rest assured, these guys work GREAT together. Guests include Danny Brown – who drops some top shelf wordplay of his own on "High" – plus the Wu legend Raekwon on "Bomb", Domo Genius & Earl Sweatshirt on "Robes", Domo Genius, G-Whiz, Mac Miller and more on the title cut, and more. Other titles include "Supplier", "Scarface", "Deeper", "Harold's", "Thuggin'", "Real" and "Uno". LP, Vinyl record album

Luis Perdomo on piano, Miguel Zenon on alto saxophone, Max King on tenor saxophone, Ravi Coltrane on tenor and soprano saxophone, Ugonna Okegwo, Carlo DeRosa, and Miriam Sullivan on bass, Ralph Peterson Jr on drums, and Roberto Quintero on batas and Afro Venezuelan percussion. CD

Luis Perdomo on piano with Hans Glawischnig and Henry Grimes on bass, and Eric McPherson and Nasheet Waits on drums. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

An early album from Japanese genius Akiko Yano, and one that features some key contributions from American jazz and fusion players – in a lineup that brings some surprisingly funky touches to the record too! Akiko's vocals and unique song structures still have all the charms you'll know from other records, but there's also a groove at points that's totally great – a vibe that's picking up from that moment when Japanese singers and musicians were traveling over the Pacific to work with American players for a really cool blend! The album features keyboards from Roger Powell, Hammond from Will Boulware, drums from Steve Jordan, and guitar from David Spinozza – plus plenty of moog and other keyboards from Akiko and Hideki Matsutake. Titles include "Yo Ro Ko Bi", "Uo Sao", "Katarun Kararan", "Kodomo Tachi", "Okina Ishi", "Two On The Stage", and "Andante Cantabile". CD

An early album from Japanese genius Akiko Yano, and one that features some key contributions from American jazz and fusion players – in a lineup that brings some surprisingly funky touches to the record too! Akiko's vocals and unique song structures still have all the charms you'll know from other records, but there's also a groove at points that's totally great – a vibe that's picking up from that moment when Japanese singers and musicians were traveling over the Pacific to work with American players for a really cool blend! The album features keyboards from Roger Powell, Hammond from Will Boulware, drums from Steve Jordan, and guitar from David Spinozza – plus plenty of moog and other keyboards from Akiko and Hideki Matsutake. Titles include "Yo Ro Ko Bi", "Uo Sao", "Katarun Kararan", "Kodomo Tachi", "Okina Ishi", "Two On The Stage", and "Andante Cantabile". LP, Vinyl record album

Miguel Zenon on alto saxophone – with Luis Perdomo on piano and Fender Rhodes, Nioka Workman on cello, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Henry Cole on drums and percussion. CD

Jon Irabagon on tenor and soprano saxophone, Tom Harrell on trumpet and flugelhorn, Luis Perdomo on piano, Yasushi Nakamura on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. CD

Features Diego Urcola on trumpet and valve trombone, Luis Perdomo on piano and Fender Rhodes, Hans Glawischnig on bass, Eric McPherson on drums, and Yosvany Terry on chekere. CD

Features Curtis Robert Macdonald on alto, Roman Filiu on alto sax and flute, Jose Davila on tuba, Crhistopher Hoffman on cello, David Bryant and Luis Perdomo on piano, David Virelles on piano and harmonium, and Craig Weinrib on drums and percussion. CD

Features work by Luis Perdomo on Fender Rhodes, Joel Frahm on tenor, and Will Vinson on alto and flute! CD

Miguel Zenon on alto sax – backed by Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Antonio Sanchez on drums. The tracks are all originals and include "Farjardeno", "Chorreao", "Jibaro", and "Villaran". CD

Miguel Zenon on alto saxophone, Carol McGonnell on clarinet and bass clarinet, Romie De Guise-Langlois on clarinet, Brad Balliett on bassoon, Keve Wilson on English horn, David Byrd-Marrow and Jennifer Kessler on French horn, James Austin Smith on oboe, Domenica Fossati, Julietta Curenton, and Nathalie Joachim on flute, Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Henry Cole on drums, conducted by Guillermo Klein. CD

Miguel Zenon on alto sax – with Luis Perdomo on piano and Fender Rhodes, Hans Glawischnig on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums CD

Miguel Zenon on alto saxophone, Hans Glawischnig on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums, Ben Monder on guitar, Pernell Saturnino and William Cepeda on percussion, Luis Perdomo on piano, David Sanchez on tenor saxophone, and Diego Urcola on trumpet. CD

A nice update of older Ghanian modes – as Isaac Birituro mixes his beautiful work on the balafon with some more contemporary rhythms and vocals – all at a level that's nicely different from other recent work in an Afro Funk mode! The woody sounds of the core instrument make for a nice balance with the shifting array of male and female vocals – and even when rhythms are more driving, they're never too forced or beat-heavy – which also keeps the record away from some of the overproduced work of the Afro-remix scene. Titles include "Senye", "Ta Soo Maa Yele", "Dondomo", "Doniyan", "Bawa", "Sivukile", "Kontomo", and "Told You So". LP, Vinyl record album

Nicely dark-tinged sound from clarinetist Sylvain Kassap – always a musician who gives us amazing sounds from his instrument, but who may be at his most compelling here – in a fantastic group that features Sophia Domonich on piano and Fender Rhodes, Christiane Bopp on trombone, Aymeric Avie on trumpet, Fabien Duscombs on drums, and Helene Labarriere on some mighty nice bass! The tunes all have a sense of structure composed by Kassap, but are filled with moments of free play – never too noisy, but also nicely far from standard musical notes – little sonic bouquets that flower beautifully throughout the set. Titles include "Criniere", "Canturbury", "La Semaine Sanglante/The Loop Is Looped", "DMZ", and "Oktiabr". CD

Raw, raunchy sounds – all pulled together from a time before soul and rock even existed! Most of the work here is from the classic catalog of King Records – a killer imprint in the postwar R&B market, and a company who wasn't afraid to do what it took to make a knockout record! In the case of these tracks, the singers often hit some fairly suggestive material – often hidden in early 50s innuendo, but barely so – with a vibe that's often nastier than even the most hardcore rockabilly sounds to come! The music here has its roots in blues, but is inflected with plenty of jazz, and the presence of the singers often point the way towards soul music – especially the James Brown crowd that would later rise at the same label. Titles on this volume include "I Like My Baby's Pudding" by Wynonie Harris, "My Natchl Man" by Fluffy Hunter, "Mountain Oysters" by Eddie Davis, "Let Me Be Stay Away From Me" by Freddy King, "Can't Do Sixty No More" by Billy Ward & The Domonies, "My Ding A Ling" by Dave Bartholomew, "Butcher Pete" by Roy Brown, and "Sittin On It All The Time" by Wynonie Harris. CD