... Cassette

With Al Weissman on electric guitar and Roland GR700, Terry Burns on bass, Larry Steelman on Yamaha DX7, TX816, OB-8, and piano, Larry Klein on drums, and Michito on percussion. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet early 60s set by Herbie Mann! After cutting a very successful side at the Gate in 1962, Herbie returns with an even broader approach to the groove – working here with players that include Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Dave Pike, Ray Mantilla, and Ray Barretto, on a set of long tracks that have more than a bit of Latin and global influences! The package is a great one – and as always, one listen will show you that Herbie's a lot hipper than any of us ever give him credit for. Titles include "Bag's Groove", "New York Is A Jungle Festival", "Ekunda", "Bedouin", and "Candle Dance". CD

A lost prog nugget from a group who mix keyboards and woodwinds in a really great way – almost complicated, but with a down to earth quality overall – and one that seems to work especially well with the French language lyrics of the set! The record's one of those obscure French sets from the mid 70s with a sound that almost seems out of time – made far away from the mainstream, without any idea of the punk or disco changes that were taking place elsewhere – and with that more intellectual, more personal approach that often marked records of this nature as both a standout strength, and quality that would keep them from forever getting picked up by bigger labels for global circulation. Yet that balance is what makes the record so great, especially decades later – with titles that include "Divertimento", "Tramontane", "Laure", "Naissance", "Premiers Pas", and "Dernier Village Premieres Neiges". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitars from the desert by Tinariwen – a group with Malian roots, and a sound that's all their own – certainly one of the most distinct approaches in the global music scene of the early 21st Century! The album's got production that's tighter than some of their previous efforts, but a feel that's far from slick – just a haunting, hypnotic blend of the band's many guitars – built up into wonderful rhythms that start slow, then really take off – which then seems to have the guitars sounding even more wonderful than at the start! Almost all numbers have vocals, which slide into the blend beautifully – and titles include "Assouf", "Mano Dayak", "Cler Achel", "Soixante Trois", "Awa Didjen", "Imidiwan Winakalin", and "Izarharh Tenere". CD

Guitars from the desert by Tinariwen – a group with Malian roots, and a sound that's all their own – certainly one of the most distinct approaches in the global music scene of the early 21st Century! The album's got production that's tighter than some of their previous efforts, but a feel that's far from slick – just a haunting, hypnotic blend of the band's many guitars – built up into wonderful rhythms that start slow, then really take off – which then seems to have the guitars sounding even more wonderful than at the start! Almost all numbers have vocals, which slide into the blend beautifully – and titles include "Assouf", "Mano Dayak", "Cler Achel", "Soixante Trois", "Awa Didjen", "Imidiwan Winakalin", and "Izarharh Tenere". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful early live work from Gato Barbieri – heard here both before his important American records on Impulse, and his earlier emergence in the global avant garde – already blowing with a really wonderful tone on tenor, in a hip quartet that features the great Ruben Baby Lopez Furst on piano! The set's a wonderful illustration of the way that modern modes showed up on the Argentine scene and very quickly made it one of the hippest in South America – a move that's signaled especially as Gato takes on two key Coltrane compositions amidst well-done versions of familiar numbers. Most tracks are nice and long, overflowing with strong tenor and piano solos – and the group features bass from Jorge Negro Gonzalez and drums from Antonio Tony Harris – on titles that include "Village Blues", "Impressions", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Round Midnight", and "You Say You Care". LP, Vinyl record album