The "future" in the title is very well-put – as the album seems to open up a rich new chapter in the music of the legendary vocalist Dwight Trible – a singer who's carried on the spiritual legacy of the 70s well into the 21st Century, and who's always given us some fantastic records in the past! And here, Trible's continuing that legacy, but in a different way – mixing up styles in ways that almost seem to echo the experiments on the London and Chicago scenes of late, and also mixing cosmic elements with more down to earth soul styles – in a core group that's heavier on bass and electric guitar than some of his other groups. The set features guest vocals from Georgia Anne Muldrow on one track, and guest tenor from Kamasi Washington on another – and titles include "Beach Vibes", "Elements", "African Drum", "Black Dance", "Wind", "Derf Reklaw", and "My Stomping Ground". CD

The "future" in the title is very well-put – as the album seems to open up a rich new chapter in the music of the legendary vocalist Dwight Trible – a singer who's carried on the spiritual legacy of the 70s well into the 21st Century, and who's always given us some fantastic records in the past! And here, Trible's continuing that legacy, but in a different way – mixing up styles in ways that almost seem to echo the experiments on the London and Chicago scenes of late, and also mixing cosmic elements with more down to earth soul styles – in a core group that's heavier on bass and electric guitar than some of his other groups. The set features guest vocals from Georgia Anne Muldrow on one track, and guest tenor from Kamasi Washington on another – and titles include "Beach Vibes", "Elements", "African Drum", "Black Dance", "Wind", "Derf Reklaw", and "My Stomping Ground". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Dwight Trible – a soul jazz vocalist with timeless approach – one that recalls the glory days of the 70s indie scene, and some of our favorite recordings by Leon Thomas, Andy Bey, and Joe Lee Wilson! Dwight's probably better known for his work on the Build An Ark project – and is an associate of the west coast soul jazz underground that has really been turning out some wonderful recordings in recent years. This album's kind of a mellower take on the sound of the Build An Ark record – centered around Dwight's deeply soulful vocals, and featuring jazz-based instrumentation from a range of players that includes Adam Rudolph, Harold Land Jr, Derf Reklaw, and Bobby West. Many of the tracks have a laidback spiritual feel that's sort of like the floating mellow mid 70s work by Lonnie Liston Smith – and Dwight himself penned the lyrics to most tunes on the set – which include versions of Bill Lee's "John Coltrane", Wayne Shorter's "Footprints", John Coltrane's "Wise One" and "Africa", and Abdullah Ibrahim's "Ishmael". Also features a great version of Andy Bey's "Celestial Blues"! CD

A beautiful tribute to the greatness of Leon Thomas – put together by one of the few cats who could get it right! Given that Babatunde Lea's other music already takes us back to the days when Thomas sang with Pharoah Sanders – his leadership on a date like this is a natural – as Lea has a way of hitting just the right sort of righteous vibe to open things up for Leon's message of peace, love, and spiritual fulfillment! The great Dwight Trible handles vocals on the date – a singer you probably already love for his work with Build An Ark – and other players include Ernie Watts on tenor sax, Patrice Rushen on piano, and Gary Brown on bass. The performance is a live one – recorded at Yoshi's in Oakland – and the double-length set features a heck of a lot of music, plus some video content on the second disc! Titles include "Prince Of Peace", "Reaching Up", "Umbo Weti", "Colors", "Sun Song", "African Fantasy", "Song For My Father", "African Tapestry", "Creator Has A Master Plan", "Boom Boom", and "Cousin Mary". CD

Incredible work from Dwight Trible – a soul jazz vocalist with timeless approach – one that recalls the glory days of the 70s indie scene, and some of our favorite recordings by Leon Thomas, Andy Bey, and Joe Lee Wilson! Dwight's probably better known for his work on the Build An Ark project – and is an associate of the west coast soul jazz underground that has really been turning out some wonderful recordings in recent years. This album's kind of a mellower take on the sound of the Build An Ark record – centered around Dwight's deeply soulful vocals, and featuring jazz-based instrumentation from a range of players that includes Adam Rudolph, Harold Land Jr, Derf Reklaw, and Bobby West. Many of the tracks have a laidback spiritual feel that's sort of like the floating mellow mid 70s work by Lonnie Liston Smith – and Dwight himself penned the lyrics to most tunes on the set – which include versions of Bill Lee's "John Coltrane", Wayne Shorter's "Footprints", John Coltrane's "Wise One" and "Africa", and Abdullah Ibrahim's "Ishmael". Also features a great version of Andy Bey's "Celestial Blues"! This new pressing of the album features better artwork than the original – which is now out of print. CD

One of the most amazing jazz vocalists of our generation returns here with an incredible group – a majestic combo to match all the spiritual inclinations in his music – with work from Kamasi Washington on tenor, Mark De Clive-Lowe on piano, Miguel Atwood Ferguson on viola, and both Carlos Nino and Derf Reklaw on percussion! Dwight Trible on his own is already more than enough to get us to run out and buy a record – but here, the combination of his unique voice with these musicians makes for an album that's an instant masterpiece – and one that even has lots of new colors and styles compared to some of Dwight's previous work! Songs include numbers by older west coast spiritual jazz heavyweights – like Horace Tapscott, Linda Hill, Nate Morgan, James Leary, and Jesse Sharps – mixed with some of Trible's own songs, and versions of work by Carmen Lundy, Oscar Brown Jr, and Donny Hathaway. From top to bottom, start to stop, the album's a treasure – with tracks that include "It's All About Love", "Thank You Master", "Song For My Mother", "Brother Where Are You", "Some Other Time", "These Things You Are To Me", "Desert Fairy Princess", and "Mothership". LP, Vinyl record album

Soul jazz vocalist Dwight Trible gathers the forces for this magnificent effort – an album pairing his emotionally rich vocals and singular spirit with a group of largely west coast allstars – and it's pure genius! The Life Force Trio, from what we can tell, is simply the moniker for a small army of free thinking guests from the deep funk, hip hop and turntablist underground assembled by Carlos Nino of Ammon Contact. The guest list includes SA-RA, J Dilla, Madlib, Daedelus, Scienze Of Life, Nate Morgan, Dwight's Build An Ark fellows and many others. It features some vocals Dwight has laid down for other albums, and some unreleased recordings – how they pair up so intricately well, with such fresh and varied production is a beautiful mystery. This record could have merely served as an interesting exercise in combined talents, but instead it absolutely soars, and could be remembered as Dwight's masterpiece! It may also be one of the best Ninja Tune albums ever! Tracks include "Equipoise" feat SA-RA, "Freedom Dance", "The Rhythm", "Waves Of Infinite Harmony", a fresh take on Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", "Love Is The Answer", "I Was Born On Planet Rock", "Constellations" feat Super Nova, "Celestial Blues" and more. The CD also includes a bonus disc on instrumentals! CD

A fantastic setting for the voice of Dwight Trible – one of the few contemporary jazz singers who inherited the style of spiritual jazz greats like Leon Thomas or Joe Lee Wilson! Trible's singing here with backing from a group that includes trumpeter Matthew Halsall, recording on Halsall's own label too – a wonderful imprint that's also one of the few to really get the spiritual vibe just right – that sort of long-flowing, always-soulful mode that grew out of the post-Coltrane generation! Tracks are all open and modal – just the right vibe for Trible to hit his heights – and they also leave plenty of space for Halsall to take some great solos, too – in a combo that also includes piano, bass, drums, and even a bit of harp. Most titles are remakes of older numbers, but given a completely different spin by Trible – and titles include "Tryin Times", "What The World Needs Now Is Love", "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair", "Heaven & Hell", "Feelin Good", and "Dear Lord". CD

The beautiful debut as a leader from pianist Surya Botofasina – an artist you may know from early work in the spiritual Build An Ark ensemble – finally given a chance here to shine on his own! The album's produced by Carlos Nino, with whom Botofasina worked in Build An Ark – and Nino also plays some percussion on the set, and brings some of his own meditative qualities to the music. Yet things are still very much Surya's own, with long tracks that stretch out on lots of sublime piano and keyboard passages that are almost harp-like at times – touched by some of Nino's percussion – and guest vocals on one track by Dwight Trible, and on another by Mia Doi Todd. Titles include "I Love Dew Sophie", "Surya Meditation", "Everyone's Children", "Beloved California Temple", "Waves For Margie", and "Sun Of Keshava". CD

One jazz legend pays tribute to another – as percussionist Kahil El Zabar leads his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble through a set of tracks that really take on the wide-spanning legacy of the great Don Cherry – from his early years with Ornette Coleman, to his European world jazz experiments, to his enduring sonic creations over the years! Kahil is every bit as much of a musical experimentalist as Cherry – and his leadership here is perfect – pulling together contributions from Corey Wilkes on trumpet, David Ornette Cherry on piano, Alex Harding on baritone, and Dwight Trible on voice – all players who also pick up percussion and other instruments, in the best Cherry tradition. Kahil handles a wide array of percussion, including balafon and kalimba – and also adds some of his great vocalizations to the proceedings – in a set of tracks that includes "Degi Degi", "Sketches Of A Love Supreme", "Lonely Woman", "Harvest Time", "Spirit Gatherer", "Holy Man", and "Evocation". CD

A really powerful project from the LA underground – served up by a group led by Jesse Sharps, who you may remember from classic albums on the Nimbus label – and done at a level that unites the sound of his generation with some of the best currents of more contemporary years! The lineup here is filled with righteous, spiritual giants – the great Dwight Trible on vocals, Phil Ranelin on trombone, Theo Saunders on piano, Robwerto Miranda on bass, Derf Recklaw on congas and percussion – alongside Mercedes Smith on alto, Amos Delone on baritone , and Maia on flute! There's a strong mix of message and music going on here – also delivered with a bit of poetry from Kamau Daaood – and although the set was recorded before the events of 2020, it's got a deep sense of power that really gets at the needs of America in the years after George Floyd. The set begins with a stunningly dark take on "Strange Fruit", then moves into Daaood's equally powerful "Healing Suite" – and soars next on the long "Freedom's Sweet" by Horace Tapscott, before closing with "Mother", a composition by the great Nate Morgan. LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime celebration of this amazing spiritual ensemble from the Los Angeles scene – a 60th anniversary record from the group, and one that features a track recorded in every decade of their existence! The material comes from the group's archives, and has a surprisingly unified sound, despite the span of time and range of great musicians here – a shifting lineup that includes key work from group founder Horace Tapscott on piano, plus Phil Ranelin on trombone, Butch Morris on cornet, Nate Morgan on piano, Dwight Trible on vocals, and Arthur Blythe, Jesse Sharps, Adele Sebastian on reeds. With players of that nature, you can bet that there's a lot here that resonates with classics on the legendary Nimbus label – and the set is a great addition to the too-few recordings from that scene over the years. Titles include "Little A's Chant", "Nation Rising", "The Ballad Of Deadwood Dick", "Justice", "Dem Folks", and "The Golden Pearl". LP, Vinyl record album

Quasimode cuts, and a host of work by other artists too – all remixed by the hip Japanese club jazz combo, with a sound that's searing, soulful, and spiritual! Even when there's vocals, Quasimode still bring a strong jazz element into play – mixing the music together strongly with their own bold work on piano, bass, drums, and percussion – often in the modal rhythms that have always made their grooves so great! The range of added artists really helps expand the sound a lot – a bit like Quasimode have been doing on their own recent albums – yet there's a really unified feel to the record, and a wonderful one as well. Titles include "Just Relax (Quasimode rmx)" by Noah with Blu, "Tonight The Night (Quasimode rmx)" by Markus Enochson, "Tune Up (Quasimode rmx)" by Idea 6, "Sounds Of Peace (trumpet version)" by Quasimode with Carmen Lundy, "New York Afternoon (Quasimode rmx)" by Yasuko Agawa, "In The Name Of Love" by Quasimode, "In My Mind Of Eye" by Quasimode with Dwight Trible, "Love Theme From Spartacus (Quasimode rmx)" by Akiko, "Love Is Everywhere (Quasimode rmx)" by Masa Collective, and "Take The New Frontiers (full length vocal)" by Quasimode with Valerie Etienne. CD

A modern day spiritual jazz treasure – completely wonderful all the way through, and a set you might well file proudly next to your classics from John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders! The record's as epic as it promises in the title – a three volume journey in jazz, headed by tenorist Kamai Washington, who emerges here as a tremendous leader, a hell of a writer, and a rich jazz talent in every sense of the word – carefully steering a group of musicians through work that's searing, searching, and driven with a very cosmic vibe! Tunes are often modal, and never step too far outside, but always push the boundaries – and the instrumentation is a shifting mix of keyboards, piano, trombone, trumpet, bass, drums, and percussion – plus some vocal performances from Dwight Trible and Patrice Quinn. You might know Kamasi from his work with Flying Lotus and Thundercat – the latter of whom plays bass on this set – but the album's very much his own, and very much jazz all the way through. The kind of record we're mighty proud to be offering – with tracks that include "Askim", "The Next Step", "Rhythm Changes", "Miss Understanding", "Leroy & Lanisha", "Re Run", "Seven Prayers", "Malcolm's Theme", and "The Message". LP, Vinyl record album

Bold new work from the legendary Pyramids ensemble – a spiritual jazz group who go back to the 70s, but who've reemerged in recent years with a renewed sense of energy, and a very forward-thinking sound! Leader Idris Ackamoor is still a master of tone and feeling on reeds – including alto and tenor, plus some other instrumentation as well – and he also vocalizes a bit on the record too hitting some righteous expressions that are in the spirit of Leon Thomas or Dwight Trible, mixed along with instrumentation from other players on drums, percussion, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, and guitar. The album's got a beautifully positive vibe – and titles include "Police Dem", "First Peoples", "Afro Futuristic Dreams", "Garland Rose", "Truth To Power", and "Requiem For The Ancestors". CD

Bold new work from the legendary Pyramids ensemble – a spiritual jazz group who go back to the 70s, but who've reemerged in recent years with a renewed sense of energy, and a very forward-thinking sound! Leader Idris Ackamoor is still a master of tone and feeling on reeds – including alto and tenor, plus some other instrumentation as well – and he also vocalizes a bit on the record too hitting some righteous expressions that are in the spirit of Leon Thomas or Dwight Trible, mixed along with instrumentation from other players on drums, percussion, keyboards, trumpet, trombone, and guitar. The album's got a beautifully positive vibe – and titles include "Police Dem", "First Peoples", "Afro Futuristic Dreams", "Garland Rose", "Truth To Power", and "Requiem For The Ancestors". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful set, one that's even better than you might expect – and a record that really marks the shift in Mark De Clive-Lowe from club music to jazz – a format that he carries off beautifully here in the company of some very like-minded musicians! The setting is a live one – and the double-length set builds with the kind of organic energy that really lives up to the legacy of Pharoah Sanders, especially his Impulse Records material – but also has a quality that's nicely individual, too – so that the tunes aren't just aping an older spiritual jazz sound, but instead showing how its legacy has really transformed creation on the contemporary LA scene! The group is small, and in addition to work from Mark on piano, Fender Rhodes, and live effects, the set also features Teodross Avery on tenor, Corbin Jones on bass, Tommaso Cappellato on drums, and the great Carlos Nino on percussion – plus excellent vocals from Dwight Trible on a number of titles too. Tracks include "Elevation", "Colors", "You've Got To Have Freedom", "Upper Egypt", "Love Is Everywhere", "Mansions World", "Memories Of Lee Morgan", "Greeting To Saud", and "The Creator Has A Master Plan". LP, Vinyl record album

A modern day spiritual jazz treasure – completely wonderful all the way through, and a set you might well file proudly next to your classics from John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders! The record's as epic as it promises in the title – a three volume journey in jazz, headed by tenorist Kamai Washington, who emerges here as a tremendous leader, a hell of a writer, and a rich jazz talent in every sense of the word – carefully steering a group of musicians through work that's searing, searching, and driven with a very cosmic vibe! Tunes are often modal, and never step too far outside, but always push the boundaries – and the instrumentation is a shifting mix of keyboards, piano, trombone, trumpet, bass, drums, and percussion – plus some vocal performances from Dwight Trible and Patrice Quinn. You might know Kamasi from his work with Flying Lotus and Thundercat – the latter of whom plays bass on this set – but the album's very much his own, and very much jazz all the way through. The kind of record we're mighty proud to be offering – with tracks that include "Askim", "The Next Step", "Rhythm Changes", "Miss Understanding", "Leroy & Lanisha", "Re Run", "Seven Prayers", "Malcolm's Theme", and "The Message". CD

A fantastic jazz group from the contemporary South African scene – one who've got a very righteous vibe, and a sound that's maybe even more far-reaching than any jazz we've heard from that scene back in the 60s or 70s! The group's led by Shabaka Hutchings on tenor, but is a very collaborative ensemble – with these tremendous upfront vocals from Siyabonga Mthembu, a singer with a very unique approach, and a spiritual current that we'd rank right up there with work by Leon Thomas, Dwight Trible, or Joe Lee Wilson, even though Mthembu's very much his own man. The group's also got two other great horn players – Mthunzi Mvubu on alto and Mandla Mlangeni on trumpet – plus Fender Rhodes and piano from Nduduzo Makhathini, and a wonderfully early array of bass, percussion, and drums – which lay down a fantastic groundwork for each tune. The music starts somewhere in the spiritual territory of the post-Coltrane scene – but really takes off immediately with its own individual spirit – ala Kamasai Washington – and the performance is live and unadorned, without some of the studio efforts that show up on other Brownswood label releases. Beautiful work throughout – an instant classic that we'd rank right up there with the best material by folks like Nat Birchall or Matthew Hallsall, but very different too. Titles include "Nguni", "Mzwandile", "Joyous", "The Sea", "The Observer", and "Give Thanks". LP, Vinyl record album

The beautiful debut as a leader from pianist Surya Botofasina – an artist you may know from early work in the spiritual Build An Ark ensemble – finally given a chance here to shine on his own! The album's produced by Carlos Nino, with whom Botofasina worked in Build An Ark – and Nino also plays some percussion on the set, and brings some of his own meditative qualities to the music. Yet things are still very much Surya's own, with long tracks that stretch out on lots of sublime piano and keyboard passages that are almost harp-like at times – touched by some of Nino's percussion – and guest vocals on one track by Dwight Trible, and on another by Mia Doi Todd. Titles include "I Love Dew Sophie", "Surya Meditation", "Everyone's Children", "Beloved California Temple", "Waves For Margie", and "Sun Of Keshava". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing album from Build An Ark – even more spiritual and far-reaching than their first – and still with a vibe that rivals some of the most righteous jazz ever issued in the 70s on labels like Impulse and Strata East! The ensemble features both older and younger players – coming together in a collective exploration of some of the hipper sides of the jazz spectrum – all in a mode that recalls early genius of Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane, and others from many years back – recorded in a style that's completely sensitive to the nuances of the music. Carlos Nino produced, and also contributed some of the tunes – and group members include Dwight Trible on vocals, Nate Morgan on piano, Adam Rudolph on kalimba, and Derf Reklaw on congas – but that's only the tip of the iceberg, given the size of the group. Titles include "Sunshine", "Healing Song", "Love Sweet Like Sugar Cane", "Dawn", "River Run", "When Ancestors Speak", "Morning Glory", "In Her Smile", and "You Yourself Are The Key To The Universe". CD

A perfect title for a perfect record – especially given all the love we've felt from Build An Ark over the years! The album's a masterpiece through and through – easily the greatest statement ever from this already-amazing band – a contemporary ensemble, but one that we'd seamlessly rank right next to our righteous favorites on labels like Impulse Records, Tribe, or Strata East – with all the political power and sense of social mission those references would imply! The song titles alone will give you a great idea of the beautiful vibe behind Build An Ark – tunes like "Celebrate", "How Do We End All This Madness", "Love Is Everywhere", "World Peace Now", and "This Prayer For The Whole World" – which re-ignite the Love Supreme candle first lit by John Coltrane in the 1960s – burning brightly again in the 21st Century, and almost even more inspiring – given the youthful energy of the group. As always, mainman Carlos Nino deserves a hell of a lot of credit for getting something this great, this right – but the group is also very clearly a collective, and draws amazing energy from members who include Dwight Trible, Kamau Daaood, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Damon Aaron, Jim Lang, and others. In addition to above-mentioned titles, other tunes include "Sweet Thing", "World Music", "More Love", "In The Park", and "Play The Music". CD

One of the most righteous albums of the 21st century so far – and an instant classic we'll be loving for years! Build An Ark are a seriously heavy soul jazz ensemble, with roots and traditions that stretch back to the most righteous days of the 70s underground – the brainchild of producer Carlos Nino and vocalist Dwight Trible – and featuring work by soul jazz stalwarts that include Phil Ranelin, Nate Morgan, Derf Reklaw, Adam Rudolph, and others – all coming together in a fresh, new expression of the righteous ideals that first motivated their original work! Under the guidance of Nino, the group really gels together nicely – working in a loose mode that's a nice change from the tighter cosmic 21st century soul of the European scene – and returning to the organic, almost folksy forms that first emerged on 70s independent labels like Tribe, Strata East, and Nimbus. LA luminary Nate Morgan plays some great Fender Rhodes on many of the album's best tracks – and singer Dwight Trible has a soulful range that's somewhere between the style of Terry Callier and Leon Thomas. The album features a massively beautiful remake of Pharoah Sanders "You've Got To Have Freedom" – one that's very different than the original – plus a host of other great cuts that include Stanley Cowell's "Equipoise", Phil Ranelin's "Vibes From The Tribe", Ronnie Laws' "Always There", and Michael White's "Guidance" – as well as the original tracks "Peace & Love", "Conversations", "Precious Priceless", and "Love Is Our Nationality". CD

One jazz legend pays tribute to another – as percussionist Kahil El Zabar leads his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble through a set of tracks that really take on the wide-spanning legacy of the great Don Cherry – from his early years with Ornette Coleman, to his European world jazz experiments, to his enduring sonic creations over the years! Kahil is every bit as much of a musical experimentalist as Cherry – and his leadership here is perfect – pulling together contributions from Corey Wilkes on trumpet, David Ornette Cherry on piano, Alex Harding on baritone, and Dwight Trible on voice – all players who also pick up percussion and other instruments, in the best Cherry tradition. Kahil handles a wide array of percussion, including balafon and kalimba – and also adds some of his great vocalizations to the proceedings – in a set of tracks that includes "Degi Degi", "Sketches Of A Love Supreme", "Lonely Woman", "Harvest Time", "Spirit Gatherer", "Holy Man", and "Evocation". LP, Vinyl record album

Saxophonist Kenny Garrett is no stranger to the sounds of his ancestors – as he's got a great legacy of mixing deeper spiritual currents into his music – yet here, that approach is nicely foregrounded in ways we haven't heard from Kenny in quite some time – making for a record that's brimming over with warmth and energy throughout! The set has a core group that features Kenny mostly on alto, with piano from Vernell Brown, bass from Corcoran Holt, drums from Ronald Bruner, and percussion from Rudy Bird – all working in ways that move African influences further into jazz, maybe a bit like some of the best 80s work of the style on a label like Muse Records – with contributions along the way from Lenny White on drums, Johnny Mercier on organ, Maurice Brown on trumpet, and Pedrito Martinez and Dreiser Durruthy on percussion. Dwight Trible turns in a beautiful vocal performance on one cut, and Kenny even vocalizes a bit too – on titles that include "Hargrove", "When The Days Were Different", "Soldiers Of The Fields", "What Was That", "It's Time To Come Home", and "For Art's Sake". CD

Saxophonist Kenny Garrett is no stranger to the sounds of his ancestors – as he's got a great legacy of mixing deeper spiritual currents into his music – yet here, that approach is nicely foregrounded in ways we haven't heard from Kenny in quite some time – making for a record that's brimming over with warmth and energy throughout! The set has a core group that features Kenny mostly on alto, with piano from Vernell Brown, bass from Corcoran Holt, drums from Ronald Bruner, and percussion from Rudy Bird – all working in ways that move African influences further into jazz, maybe a bit like some of the best 80s work of the style on a label like Muse Records – with contributions along the way from Lenny White on drums, Johnny Mercier on organ, Maurice Brown on trumpet, and Pedrito Martinez and Dreiser Durruthy on percussion. Dwight Trible turns in a beautiful vocal performance on one cut, and Kenny even vocalizes a bit too – on titles that include "Hargrove", "When The Days Were Different", "Soldiers Of The Fields", "What Was That", "It's Time To Come Home", and "For Art's Sake". LP, Vinyl record album