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Mid 70s issue of some rare sides by Lester Young – recorded as live broadcasts from the Royal Roost in 1948. The group on the set features Ted Kelly on trombone, Freddie Jefferson on piano, Roy Haynes on drums, and Jessie Drakes on trumpet, and you can hear a bit of Symphony Sid introducing the band. One other track features Allen Eager, Hank Jones, Kai Winding, and Ella Fitzgerald – and tracks include "Be Bop Boogie", "Lester Leaps In", "Just You Just Me", "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance", and "I Cover The Waterfront". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark recording – Albert Ayler's first album for the ESP label, and a record that hit the jazz world like a bullet! Spiritual Unity sets the stage for a format that would become huge in the European avant scene of the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even today – the sax-driven power-trio, tenor against bass and drums, working freely with less rhythmic constraints than before, searching for new sounds and new modes of expression, working through changes in a style first proposed by Sonny Rollins, but taken to new intensity by the New York underground of the 60s. That sound is summed up here perfectly by Ayler, Gary Peacock, and Sunny Murray – working together with an edgey brilliance, on classic tracks that include "Ghosts: First Variation", "Ghosts: Second Variation", "The Wizard", and "Spirits". LP, Vinyl record album

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Seminal ESP work from Albert Ayler – a unique session done as a soundtrack to a short (and weird!) film from experimental director Michael Snow! The lineup is a bit different than some of Ayler's other ESP albums – and features Don Cherry on trumpet and cornet, John Tchicai on alto, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gary Peacock on bass, and Sunny Murray on drums. At times, the record's got a bit of a "new thing" vibe – a bit more spacious and sonic than some of Ayler's other material – but at other times, it burns with an intensity that's almost harder and freer than any of Albert's trio dates of the 60s. The album features 2 long tracks – "AY" and "ITT" – plus the shorter "Don's Dawn". CD

A rare non-Sun Ra session from bassist Ronnie Boykins! Boykins was one of Ra's most long-term players – a key part of the Arkestra for many years – but on this album, he hits a totally different sound –and one that's somewhat spiritual as well! The group's got a great sax-heavy sound that comes from a trio of reedmen – Monty Waters, Joe Ferguson, and James Vass – handling alto, tenor, soprano, and flute between them – often in a tight line at the head, then breaking out into some wonderfully personal solos – played with such feeling that almost makes us think that Boykins was a much more sensitive musician than he ever got the chance to be with Sun Ra. The tunes have a really beautiful sense of structure and soul – and the reedmen explode beautifully with their work, alongside a remaining lineup that features Daoud Haroom on trombone, Art Lewis on percussion, and George Avaloz on congas. Titles include "Tipping On Heels", "The Third I", "The Will Come, Is Now", "Starlight At The Wonder Inn", and "Demon's Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

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Freely improvised work from a very unusual group – one that features multi-instrumentalist Giuseppi Logan on a host of reeds, Milford Graves on drums and tabla, Don Pullen on piano, and Eddie Gomez on bass – stepping out here in a rare avant session! The album's a real standout in the ESP catalog – not only because it marks the recording debut of both Logan and Pullen, and the rare appearance of Gomez on such a session – but also because it's got a freewheeling quality that's even more outside and open-ended than some of the other work on the label! Logan plays alto, tenor, Pakistani oboe, bass clarinet, and flute – all with sounds that often veer towards the East, and which show a bit of an Indian music influence in the way the tunes are put together. Titles include "Dance of Satan", "Tabla Suite", "Dialogue", "Bleecker Partita", and "Taneous". CD

The second album by Tom Rapp's legendary group Pearls Before Swine – and a haunting batch of tracks that is far and away one of our favorite rock albums of the 60s! The style of the music is incredible – a dark blend of rock and folk, with slight avant influences, in a style that's influenced countless groups in later years, most famously some of the British acts on 4AD. Rapp's vision and vocals are instantly captivating – sad and moody but never self-pitying, with a sound that's as striking as the production of the album's jagged musical backings. Includes the tracks "Translucent Carriages", "I Saw the World", "Lepers and Roses", and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne". LP, Vinyl record album

Key Sun Ra albums for ESP records – the Heliocentrics World trifecta – in a 3CD set! The work here is a bit more intense than usual – almost cerebral at times, with very contemplative passages on percussion and reeds, offset by strong piano lines from Ra – all in a mode that marks a sharp break from earlier Saturn albums. Volume One finds the group working in an interstellar formation that holds up strongly with the Saturn sides – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto, Teddy Nance on trombone, Chris Capers on trumpet, Danny Davis on flute and alto, and Ra on piano, bass marimba, and some especially nice electronic celeste! Things get quite out at points – freer almost than other Arkestra sides of the time – and titles include "Outer Nothingness", "Other Worlds", "Nebulae", "Dancing In the Sun", "The Cosmos", and "Of Heavenly Things". Volume Two has a freer feel than the first volume, and a bit more avant-oriented work overall. Ra and the group play a lot of percussion – and Ra himself is on tuned bongos, piano, and clavioline, which has a very nice spooky sound! The reed work on the album is by Robert Cummings, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, and Marshall Allen – with bass by Ronnie Boykin and percussion by Roger Blank. Tracks include "Cosmic Chaos", "House of Beauty", and "The Sun Myth". Volume Three features tracks recorded during the sessions for Volume Two, but it was lost to the sands of time for nearly 40 years! Like that previous album, this one features a smaller version of the Arkestra than usual – an octet that has Ra working with core hornmen Pat Patrick, John Gilmore, Marshall Allen, Walter Miller, and Robert Cummings – supported by a rhythm section that includes Ronnie Boykins on bass and Roger Blank on percussion. Apart from a lot of added percussion by various members of the group, the instrumentation overall is relatively straightforward – even if Ra's compositions are not. The set kicks off with the 17 minute "Intercosmosis" – a relatively free, stretched-out tune – then is followed by shorter numbers that travel along darker, more introspective pathways. These titles include "World Worlds", "Interplanetary Travelers", "Mythology Metamorphosis", and "Heliocentric Worlds". CD

A seminal set from Sun Ra – even if it's one of his few 60s albums not on the Saturn label! The set was done for ESP during the glory days of that avant powerhouse – a perfect match, given the Arkestra's relocation to New York, and the label's ability to reach out to big new audiences for exciting music – a fact that certainly made this album one of the most widely-circulated Ra albums for many years to come. The group here works in formation that holds up strongly with the Saturn sides – John Gilmore on tenor, Marshall Allen on alto, Teddy Nance on trombone, Chris Capers on trumpet, Danny Davis on flute and alto, and Ra on piano, bass marimba, and some especially nice electronic celeste! Things get quite out at points – freer almost than other Arkestra sides of the time – and titles include "Outer Nothingness", "Other Worlds", "Nebulae", "Dancing In the Sun", "The Cosmos", and "Of Heavenly Things". CD

The second set of Heliocentric tracks that Ra recorded for ESP, with a freer feel, and a little bit more crazy playing than the first one. Ra and the group play a lot of percussion, and reed duties are held by Robert Cummings, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, and Marshall Allen. Ra plays tuned bongoes and clavioline, and some pretty out piano. Tracks include "Cosmic Chaos", "House of Beauty", and "The Sun Myth". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best non-Saturn Sun Ra albums of the 60s – material recorded live on a tour of New York colleges in 1966, and very much in a spirit that captures the Arkestra at their best! Longer tracks are juxtaposed nicely with shorter ones – in a way that has the group running very outside one minute, yet stepping soulfully back to the center the next – never schizophrenicly, but in a mode that really displays the full range of energy pulsing in the group. Interesting instrumentation on the set includes Ra on clavoline, plus Carl Nimrod on the beautiful-sounding "sun horn" – and other players include Marshall Allen on alto, John Gilmore on tenor, Pat Patrick on baritone, and James Jacson on log drum and flute. Titles include "Dancing Shadows", "Next Stop Mars", "Outerspaceways", "Shadow World", and "Sun Ra and His Band From Outer Space". CD

A blistering live performance from the legendary Frank Wright – issued here for the first time ever, and easily one of his most intense recordings of the 70s! The material was recorded at the Moers Festival in 1974 – and it features Wright's tenor alongside the bass of Alan Silva, piano of Bobby Few, and drums of Muhammad Ali – all working at a level that's even freer and more unbridled than recordings made by the players a few years before for BYG/Actuel! The CD features one long track – "Unity" – split into two parts – delivered with an amazing sense of energy that never lets up for a minute! CD

A treasure trove of rare spoken word material, plus a few songs as well – all pulled together with the same Civil Rights vibe as the first volume in the series! The package is an amazing historical document – and features a lot of key parts from 60s speeches, plus earlier political moments, righteous religious messages, and a few songs that help put the whole thing in perspective! The audio presentation works strongly almost as a sound collage – although each passage is very discreet – and titles include "The Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, "Brown V Board Of Education" by Thurgood Marshall, "Sticks & Stones" by Sugarchile Robinson, "Black Pilots Mission To Italy" by William Campbell, "Don't Let Me Be Wrong" by Eloise Wilson, "Address To Congress 1939" by Mary McLeod Bethune, "Father I Stretch Forth My Hands" by Rev CL Franklin, "Blacks Vote In South Carolina 1948", "These New York Neighbors" by Babs Gonzalez, and "The Day Of Registration" by Fannie Lou Hamer. CD

Seminal ESP work from Albert Ayler – a unique session done as a soundtrack to a short (and weird!) film from experimental director Michael Snow! The lineup is a bit different than some of Ayler's other ESP albums – and features Don Cherry on trumpet and cornet, John Tchicai on alto, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gary Peacock on bass, and Sunny Murray on drums. At times, the record's got a bit of a "new thing" vibe – a bit more spacious and sonic than some of Ayler's other material – but at other times, it burns with an intensity that's almost harder and freer than any of Albert's trio dates of the 60s. The album features 2 long tracks – "AY" and "ITT" – plus the shorter "Don's Dawn". LP, Vinyl record album

The complete recordings from Albert Ayler's 1966 ESP set at Slugs Nightclub – located in his home turf of the East Village, a very fervent setting for avant jazz at the time! The material has a feel that's a lot like Ayler's studio recordings for ESP, but the tracks are longer overall, and feature a bit more interplay between the group members at times – individual solo space that's occasionally a bit more pronounced, running back into some tighter energies from the rest of the group. Ayler's blowing with a lineup that includes his brother Donald Ayler on trumpet, Lewis Worrell on bass, Michel Sampson on violin, and a very young Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums and percussion. This expanded version features better sound and more tracks than previous versions – plus a great cover image too! Titles include "Truth Is Marching On", "Bells", "Ghosts", "Initiation", and "Our Prayer". CD

A blasting barrage of sound from Paul Bley – a fierce session that's right up there with the most dynamic ESP work of the 60s – and quite different from some of Bley's more introspective music! The group here is a quintet – with bold work from Marshall Allen on alto sax and Dewey Johnson on trumpet – both working in the frontline with almost Ayler-like energy. Remaining players include the great Eddie Gomez on bass and Milford Graves on drums – romping together through a set of compelling Carla Bley compositions, including "And Now The Queen", "Walking Woman", "Ictus", "Barrage", and "Batterie". CD

Possibly the first true moment of genius from Paul Bley – a key indie standout after a few years working for bigger American labels! By the time of this early ESP album, Paul Bley was no stranger to the American scene – having recorded a few records for different labels in the 50s, and making some surprise appearances on other sessions in the early part of the 60s. But by the time of this mid 60s set, Bley was really coming into his own – working in a style that would have a huge influence on the style of jazz piano for the next few decades, and which was one of the first strong statements of modernism from the Canadian scene. Here, he's working with Steve Swallow on bass and Barry Altschul on percussion in a trio format, working through a great batch of tracks by then wife Carla – like "Ida", "Start", "Closer", "Batterie", and "Sideways In Mexico" – as well as versions of Ornette Coleman's "Crossroads", Annette Peacock's "Cartoon", and his own "Figfoot". CD

Brilliant early work by Marion Brown – both soulful and adventurous, less "out" than some of the other ESP albums from the time – and more in the post-Coltrane spirit of work by Pharoah Sanders and some of the Strata East crowd. The group on the album is a quartet – with Norris Jones on bass, Stanley Cowell on piano, and Rashied Ali on drums – and Brown's alto sax glides over the top in a tone that's infused with all the freedoms of the late 60s, yet also steeped in a soulful tradition of expressiveness. The album features 4 long tracks – "La Sorrella", "Fortunato", "Why Not", "Homecoming". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last albums ever from the legendary Oscar Brown Jr – a set that features the famous vocalist working with daughter Maggie Brown – in a setting that's one of the most jazz-based that Oscar's used in years! Backing us by a hip small combo – and Oscar brings a hell of a lot of personality to the tunes – those soulful inflections we've always loved in his lyrics, augmented by some spoken bits from time to time – and matched with a very deep, spiritual jazz approach from Maggie! The set's a great one – filled with great memories from Brown's many years in music – and many numbers feature this really great creative interplay, as other singers come into the group with the spirit of instrumental voices in a small combo. Titles include "Bird Chase", "Midnight", "All Blues", "Strongman", "Insight", "Young Jazz", "My Little Maggie", and "Brown Baby". CD

A legendary bit of Latin from the New York scene of the 60s – recorded by a host of youthful players working under the direction of percussionist Montego Joe! The group's name is a contraction of "Harlem Youth" – a program in which all players participated, as part of an effort to get kids involved in music uptown – spearheaded by Montego Joe, whose guidance in the set is greatly appreciated! There's a strong Latin Soul vibe running through the set – but one that's different than Joe's other work, a bit more rootsy at times, given all the percussion in the lineup – but warmed up nicely with bits of guitar, trumpet, and alto sax. The album's filled with great groovers – including the classic "Welcome To The Party Jam", and the amazing "Oua-Train" jazz cut, which has a slightly spiritual feel. Other tracks include "Feed Me Good", "Barrets Bag", "Tico", "Har-You Theme", "Ngoma", and "Santa Cruz". CD

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One of the most obscure albums on the ESP label in the 60s – and a brilliant early chapter in the career of reedman Noah Howard! Howard is maybe best known for his contributions to the European scene from the end of the 60s into the 70s – but here, he's already a stunning giant on the New York scene – blowing alto with a sound that's very much all his own, and which makes his performance here as both a soloist and leader a key part of the early ESP label legacy. The group is piano-less – a unique ensemble with Ric Colbeck on trumpet, Scotty Holt on bass, and Dave Grant on percussion – all unknown players, but great partners for Howard on the record – on titles that include "Henry's Street", "Apotheosis", "Apotheosis Extension I", and "And About Love". CD

A lost treasure from the 60s vaults of ESP Records – a session that's easily as great as any of the better-known dates issued by the label decades ago! The CD features unheard recordings from trumpeter Norman Howard, who worked early with Albert Ayler, and altoist Joe Phillips – both relatively obscure talents who graced the 60s avant scene briefly, but are very under-represented on record. The session's a quartet date – with Howard and Phillips out front in the lead, soloing together in classic ESP freedom – supported by loose rhythms from bassist Walter Cliff and percussionist Corney Millsap. There's a starkness here that reminds us a bit of some of the Charles Tyler or Sonny Murray albums on ESP – and titles include "Time & Units", "NxJx", "Haunted", "Burn Baby Burn", "Bug Out", and "The Sound From There". CD

A much-needed second slice of work from reedman Giuseppi Logan from the 60s – especially since his talents were hardly ever recorded apart from two albums for ESP! This set may well be the most compelling of the pair – as side one features tracks from a landmark Town Hall concert in the early days of the label – a 1965 performance in which Logan shared the bill with Albert Ayler. Logan's group here features Don Pullen on piano, Reggie Johnson on bass, and Milford Graves on drums during the long live tracks – "Mantu" and "Shebar" – on which Logan plays alto, flute, and bass clarinet. The set then moves to feature Giuseppi on an extended solo piano piece titled "Curve Eleven" – then brings back a trio with Don Pullen on piano and Eddie Gomez on bass, for the track "Wretched Saturday". CD

Saxophonist Allen Lowe serves up a nicely evocative set here – music that's based on inspirations from older styles and forms, but which has a strongly modernist expression – as you might guess from Lowe's other recordings! Lowe himself plays tenor and alto – and some offbeat guitar on two tracks – and other players include Ray Suhy on guitar and banjo, Alex Tremblay on bass, and Kresten Osgood on drums – a spare group that allow plenty of space for blue-tinged reedwork from the leader, who's wonderfully expressive throughout. The final title, "At A Baptist Meeting", adds in contributions from many others – including Roswell Rudd and Ray Anderson on trombones – and other titles include "Cold Was The Night Dark Was The Ground", "Damnation", "It's The End", "Full Moon Moan", and "Eh Death". CD

That's Mat Walerian on the cover, looking all nice and spooky – but the group has a very down-to-earth, familiar trio at the core – Matthew Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Hamid Drake on drums and percussion – players who really give the album a lot of well-grounded spirit! Walerian plays alto, bass clarinet, soprano clarinet, and flute – sometimes in contrast to the mood of the others, especially Parker and Shipp, who have this fantastic way of revolving around each other in sonic space! The set is full of great moments and wonderful surprises – well worth the double length accorded to the album – and titles include "Magic World", "Thelonious Forever", Sir Denis", "Business With William", "Lesson II", and "Forest Council". CD

4CDs worth of rare Charlie Parker material – put together as a massive historic package! The set features a range of unusual sides with work by Bird – including his first demo recording, a Vic Damone studio session in KC, and work done with Jay McShann, Cootie Williams, and the Dizzy Gillespie Rebop Six – in addition to recordings by Bob Redcross. There's also interviews in the set too – with Parker himself, plus Max Roach, Roy Porter, Milt Jackson, and others – and the package contains two 32 page booklets that are filled with liner notes and rare photos. Over 100 tracks in all – and put together by Parker scholar Michael D Anderson. CD

The second set of Heliocentric tracks that Ra recorded for ESP, with a freer feel than the first volume, and a bit more avant-oriented work overall. Ra and the group play a lot of percussion – and Ra himself is on tuned bongos, piano, and clavioline, which has a very nice spooky sound! The reed work on the album is by Robert Cummings, John Gilmore, Pat Patrick, and Marshall Allen – with bass by Ronnie Boykin and percussion by Roger Blank. Tracks include "Cosmic Chaos", "House of Beauty", and "The Sun Myth". CD

Early work from Pharoah Sanders – an important debut as a leader, cut before he rose to greater fame in the group of John Coltrane! If you think that Pharaoh Sanders' genius as a leader first blossomed during his post-Coltrane years on Impulse, you owe it to yourself to check out this early album for ESP – a startlingly great session that offers a whole new side of his talents! The album features 2 side-long tracks – each of them great in their own ways, both in ways that are far different from the later Sanders sound on Impulse! Pharoah's tone here isn't nearly as raspy as on his more famous sides – it's more straightforward, almost Coltrane-esque – and as the long tracks unfold, there's almost a Sonny Rollins-like sense of spontaneous invention, especially on "Bethera", which takes up all of side two. And while we love the spiritual sensibilities of Sanders' classic albums, we also really like the pointedness of this one – not just because it shows a young Pharoah already possessed of greatness not infused by Coltrane, but also because the album's a mostly-inside session that's a real standout in the ESP catalog! The group's unusual too – and features Stan Foster on trumpet, Jane Getz on piano, William Bennett on bass, and Marvin Patillo on percussion. Tracks include "Bethera" and "Seven by Seven". CD

Early work from Pharoah Sanders – an important debut as a leader, cut before he rose to greater fame in the group of John Coltrane! If you think that Pharaoh Sanders' genius as a leader first blossomed during his post-Coltrane years on Impulse, you owe it to yourself to check out this early album for ESP – a startlingly great session that offers a whole new side of his talents! The album features 2 side-long tracks – each of them great in their own ways, both in ways that are far different from the later Sanders sound on Impulse! Pharoah's tone here isn't nearly as raspy as on his more famous sides – it's more straightforward, almost Coltrane-esque – and as the long tracks unfold, there's almost a Sonny Rollins-like sense of spontaneous invention, especially on "Bethera", which takes up all of side two. And while we love the spiritual sensibilities of Sanders' classic albums, we also really like the pointedness of this one – not just because it shows a young Pharoah already possessed of greatness not infused by Coltrane, but also because the album's a mostly-inside session that's a real standout in the ESP catalog! The group's unusual too – and features Stan Foster on trumpet, Jane Getz on piano, William Bennett on bass, and Marvin Patillo on percussion. Tracks include "Bethera" and "Seven by Seven". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album by avant saxophonist Charles Tyler – and one of his most unique albums ever! Tyler's playing here in a wild setting – alto sax mixed with three stringed instruments, one cello and two basses – which makes for a very unusual sound. The album's got a deep, dark soul – very different sounding than other records on ESP at the time – and it also stretches out with some cosmic influences that don't always show up in Tyler's later work. The whole thing's brilliantly beautiful – with a blend of sounds that's unlike anything else we can describe, and which has always made the album one of our favorites in the ESP catalog. Cuts include "Le-Roi", "Cha-Lacy's Out East", and "Eastern". CD

One of the best ESP sessions from the mid 60s – and a startling album of avant tracks from Charles Tyler and his group that included Henry Grimes, Charles Moffet, Joe Friedman, and a young Ronald Jackson. Moffet plays vibes on the session, and combined with Friedman's cello and Grimes' bass, the overall sound is extremely dark and compelling – made even more so by Tyler's edgey work on alto sax. All told, the album's probably the greatest that Tyler ever recorded, and features a soulfulness that didn't always emerge on ESP sessions. Titles include "Lacy's Out East", "Three Spirits", "Black Mysticism", and "Strange Uhuru". CD

A lost gem from the legendary Frank Wright – a previously-unissued live date from 1974, and one of his most hard-burning albums of the 70s! The group here is a quartet – driven by heavy drum work from Rashied Ali, who hosted the performance – plus incredible guitar from James Blood Ulmer, who's really coming into his own here – and bass from Benny Wilson. There's a freewheeling energy to the record that definitely shows the bolder sounds that Wright had picked up on the French scene – yet the whole thing also has that grounded sense of soul that we love in older ESP recordings too – a quality that seems to help Ulmer's guitar find all the right notes! Six long tracks, all part of an longer live performance. CD

A freewheeling workout in the classic ESP mode – tenor saxophonist Frank Wright's first album as a leader, and a majestic little session that easily stands alongside the best from Albert Ayler and Archie Shepp at the time! The format here is a bit like that of Ayler's ESP work – as Wright's hard tenor is set against the bass of Henry Grimes and the drums of Tom Price – but the difference here is that Wright's sharply-bitten, angular lines on tenor are at the forefront of the record – leaping ahead from the rest of the group and almost standing on their own as if Frank were recording solo – while still having some occasional nod to the rhythmic energy of the bass and drums! Titles include "The Moon", "Jerry", and "The Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

Stephen Rush on electric piano, synthesizer, bells, recorder, whistle, euphonium, maracas, ocarina, harmonica, voice, and sounds, Tom Abbs on bass, tuba, didgeridoo, percussion, violin, and cello, and Geoff Mann on drums, cornet, vibraphone, mandolin, whistle, flute, mbira, and tambourine. CD

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A really unique chapter in the career of Ornette Coleman – an album that he produced by himself in 1962, away from any other label – as an effort to showcase the newly freer sounds of his music! The recording's the first in a really groundbreaking stretch for the 60s – and it was fortunately finally issued by ESP Records a few years after the recording – providing a nice link between Coleman's earlier experiments and the sound of the younger generation usually showcased by the label. The group's a trio, with a sound that's quite different than the more rhythmic modes of Coleman on Atlantic Records – a freer, less structured lineup that features percussion from Charles Moffett and bass from David Izenzon. One track also adds in a string quartet – making the record one of Coleman's first experiments with this format – and titles include a 23 minute recording of "The Ark", plus "Doughnut", "Sadness", and "Dedication To Poets and Writers". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the earliest music ever from The Holy Modal Rounders – a rare live performance from 1965, recorded at the Chess Mate nightclub in Detroit, and featuring only the duo of Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber! The music here is a bit more folksy and a bit less trippy than some of the Rounders' later recordings, but it still shows a decidedly left-field approach – not just in the subjects of the tunes, but also in the way the guitar, banjo, and fiddle are used – almost as additional voices at times, instead of conventional folk instrumentation. Titles include "Crowley Waltz", "Black Eyed Suzy", "My Mind Capsized", "Fishin Blues", "Rum Mountain", "Random Canyon", "Skin Game", "Indian War Whoop", and "Flop Eared Mule". CD

A really freewheeling trio of improvisers who seem to have an intuitive understanding of each others' best abilities – a group that features Larry Ochs on tenor and sopranino saxes, Vladimir Tarasov on drums and percussion, and Mark Dresser on three different acoustic basses – all with McLagan pickups! Given the qualities of that last instrument, you can guess that there's some interesting sonic properties here – modes from Dresser that are continued by Tarasov, a drummer who's often got a more compressed touch on his instrument, favoring mallets over sticks at points – at a level that seems to make the reed work of Ochs sound even sharper in its own sonic space. Titles include "RBG Jones", "Jones Free Jones", "Jones In The Sonar System", "Articulating Jones", and "His Sisters Called Him Jones". CD

One of our favorite albums ever on the legendary ESP label – and a key session in the best "new thing" mode of the 60s! The New York Art Quartet were a short lived collaboration between trombonist Roswell Rudd, saxophonist John Tchicai, bassist Lewis Worrell, and percussionist Milford Graves – but their legacy in this one album is almost greater than that of other combos who recorded more frequently at the time. The sound is similar to the best "spacious" groups of the new thing years – such as the Archie Shepp/Bill Dixon work, or some of the looser sides by the New York Contemporary Five – a group that featured Shepp and Tchicai. Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka) makes a key guest appearance on the title "Black Dada Nihilismus" – reciting his writings alongside the group's somber instrumental musings – and other titles include "Short", "Rosmosis", and "No 6". CD

Rare Charlie Parker material – including a 1948 Royal Roost performance with Miles Davis on trumpet and Tadd Dameron on piano – and a 1949 Roost performances with Kenny Dorham on trumpet and Al Haig on piano. CD

Rare broadcast material from Bud Powell – from two different 1953 dates, March 21 and March 23 – the latter of which features Charles Mingus on bass and Roy Haynes on drums! CD

One of Sun Ra's most striking albums of the 70s – a live session recorded in honor of the passing of the comet Kohoutek, and featuring some of the most cosmic work the Arkestra recorded at the time! Ra himself is on synthesizer, playing with a heavily electronic sound – and really wailing in a heavily avant mode at many points in the recordings. The rest of the group is equally free – not the soulful soaring ensemble from Space Is The Place, but a forcefully explosive group, ready to burst into flames in the wake of the comet! Titles include "Astro Black", "Unknown Kohoutek", "Discipline", "Outer Space EM", and "Space Is The Place". CD

One of Kim Fowley's best records as an artist – and way up there in greatness with some of the best he produced for everyone else, too! '73's International Heroes was Kim's second album for Capitol Records, and unlike the strange, underground rock vibe on his first Capitol effort, this one has a far more ambitious production aesthetic. It's a cool mix of trashy and rambunctious rockers, with more adventurous acoustic instrumentation at times. Kim's vocals are as great here as they'd ever be – not nearly as gruff as on I'm Bad – and sweetened even more here by some groovy backing vocals. We REALLY love this record! Includes "International Heroes", "ESP Reader", "Ugly Stories About Rock Stars And The War", "I Hate You", "Born Dancer", "World Wide Love", "Dancing All Nite" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. The set features two long tracks – "PG 1" and "PG 2". LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. LP, Vinyl record album

Not the first album from this fantastic group, but a set that's their initial outing for Impulse Records – the old home to John Coltrane, Sun Ra, and Pharoah Sanders – and a very fitting place for their boundless sense of expression! The group really seem to have upped their game for this album – finding a way to move into darker, deeper territory that really blows us away – really layering their sound with a richness that's almost weaponized at times, especially given the message in their songs – as if these guys have drunk deep of the complexity of ESP Albert Ayler material, the fused it to a spaceship towards the cosmos! Moor Mother delivers some spoken passages of knowledge on the album – alongside the saxes of Keir Nueringer, trumpet of Aquiles Navarro, bass of Luke Stewart, and drums of Tcheser Holmes. Titles include "Our Land Back", "Free Love", "Celestial Pathways", and "Root Branch". CD

Very hip stuff – an ESP album of political poetry and other calls to action – delivered with the kind of wit you'd expect from Tuli Kupferberg! Tracks include "Howard Johnson's Army", "The Sap Glove", "Auto Da Fe", "Pubol", "The Art Scene", "The Hidden Dissuaders", and "Want Ads 1". CD

Fantastic lost work from the great Frank Lowe – a crucial saxophonist in the generation between the 60s ESP Records scene and the 70s loft jazz generation – and a player whose best legacy is often found in overlooked material like this! The set features both studio and live material by an incredible group – originally intended by Lowe as an album titled Logical Extensions, but never issued at the time. All material was recorded in the Survival and Rivbea studios on the lower east side – and the group features a young Joseph Bowie on trombone, William Parker on bass, and Steve Reid on drums – all sounding about as great as you could ever imagine from this point in their careers. Lowe blows tenor, soprano, flute, harmonica, and handles a variety of other instruments – and if there's another record that stands as strongly as a testament to his explosive creative genius at the time, we're not sure what it might be! LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked soul jazz treasure from the early 90s – the debut as a leader by saxophonist Zane Massey, and still possibly his greatest record to date! Massey's the son of jazz composer/trumpeter Cal Massey – and the vibe here is similar to that of his father's best music – sophisticated, but never too heady – done with a nicely understated quality, yet still quite possessed of its own musical vision. Massey's got a great tone on his tenor here – sharp, but never too bitten – and the instrumentation features only saxophone, bass, and drums – in a style that reminds us a bit of the freedoms of Sonny Rollins in the late 50s, yet also with a consciousness of the 60s ESP and 70s loft jazz generations. Massey hits some incredibly soulful moments here – at a level that was hardly being recorded this well at the time – and titles include "Nu Kingdom", "Trickle Down Economics", "Message From Trane", "Through The Eyes Of A Child", "Assunta", "Walk Right In", and "Ms Magic". CD