A beautiful celebration of the first ten years of Heavenly Sweetness – a fantastic French record label that's not only given us spiritual jazz from giants of the 70s, but also opened our ears to both new sounds from contemporary artists, and a wide array of rhythms from around the globe! All those elements are perfectly balanced here – showing Heavenly Sweetness as an imprint that can live up to the legacy of earlier European giants – with a similar culture-crossing vibe as MPS or Saravah, but a much more contemporary approach too! Titles include "We People" by Doug Hammond, "Blue Train" by Byard Lancaster, "Mother Of The Future" by Anne Wirz, "Don't Stress Me Out" by Monette Sudler, "Valse Pour Helene" by Florian Pellissier Quintet, "Flow Like A River" by Robert Aaron, "Rip With John Coltrane" by Patchworks, "Journey To The Shore" by Dopegems, "September Sun" by Jacaranda Muse, "Sam's Intro" by Rongetz Foundation, "Where's My Soul" by Baron Retif & Conception Perez, "Our History" by Anthony Joseph, "Voices" by Blundetto, "Don't You Know" by Leron Thomas, "Want It Back" by Guts, "Womanarium" by Sly Johnson, "Untitled/Inspiration From Home" by Don Cherry, "Dead Sea Scrolls" by Raphael, "Ode To Ethiopia" by John Betsch Society, and "NT" by Tagi with Georgia Anne Muldrow. 40 tracks in all! CD

The first full length from Blundetto – a Parisian radio programmer and artist showing impeccable taste here – with a slyly dubby and reggae & soul influenced groove and featuring collaborations with The Budos Band horns, Chico Mann, Tommy Guerrero, Lateef The Truthspeaker, Shawn Lee, Genreal Elektricks and Hindi Zahra! Blundetto shares compositional credits with the guest, and it has the feel of collaboration with that atmopherically soulful core groove. Really nice work for the Heavenly Sweetness label! Titles including the Blundetto cover of the Bob James classic "Nautilus" plus "Voices", "Mustang", "Mi Condena", "Cuban Shirt", "Party Animals". "White Birds", "Ken Park", "My One Girl", "Bad BadThings" and "Sunset Stroll". CD

The title might seem familiar – given that Blundetto's first album was called Bad Bad Things – but this record really shows a strong evolution of his sound over the ten years since that release – the shifting sense of sound between hip hop, global roots, and more dynamic elements – sounding even better here than on any previous records! Blundetto works with production help from Blackjoy – in a mode that might have been born in hip hop studio techniques, but which here has much more of a French post-colonial vibe – wrapping together different global elements, soulful expressions, and jazzy flourishes with effortless ease – into a style that's completely his own overall. Titles include "Fly High", "Pais Azucar", "Barcelona", "Sunday In The Club", "Feel The Cold", "Bingi", "Menina Mulher Da Pele Preta", "Antiguas", and "Mo'Dinero". CD

Blundetto's groove is even nicer than before – honed through work on singles and remix efforts – and turned towards a rich array of global roots that really deepen the sound of this album! There's as much 70s African and Jamaican influence going on here as there is a spiritual jazz side – both filtered through 21st Century modes that rework the primal elements, and come up with a fresh new groove – yet one that's always respectful to the originators! Guests on the set include the Akale Horns, Shawn Lee, Tommy Guerrero, and Jahdan Blackkamoore – and titles include "Hercules", "Rocroy", "It's All About", "Walk Away Now", "Treat Me Like That", and "I'll Be Home Later". CD

A spiritual set from 70s France – but one that has a very different origin than most! Chene Noir come from a theatrical background, and do a wonderful job of mixing up elements – that free-spirited sense of genre-stepping that took place on the French scene after the initial inspirations of visiting American avant players in the late 60s – given a fresh sense of expression in the Saravah generation, in modes that were often overlooked at the time by the rest of the world! The music here is definitely jazz, but brings in some sense of performance too – spoken passages, some vocals – served up in a mix of saxes, vibes, organ, Fender Rhodes, and percussion – the sort of work that someone like Pierre Barouh would have liked to capture in the studio. Titles include "Le Viel Orphee", "Musique De La Nuit", "Musique Du Vieux", "La Route De La Mer", "La Chute", "La Musique D'Orphee", and "Chemin D'Ou L'On Ne Revient Pas". LP, Vinyl record album

Really driving percussion, and some great horns as well – the former served up by KOG, who also delivers some fantastic vocals on the set – the latter from The Zongo Brigade, who work in a great mix of funky rhythms, jazzy horns, and some sweet keyboards too! The set's very different than most Afro Funk albums in recent years – with an unbridled style that's clearly driven by the energy of KOG, whose expressions really have things leaping out on most tracks right from the start – then keep things warm all the way through. Titles include "For My Money", "Medowo", "Imela", "Agoro", "Mona Lisa", "Transmission", "Mad Up", "Dr Mensa", "Sahara", and "Suro Nipa". CD

The best album yet from one of the hippest groups working on the French scene today – a group that really explodes with modal and spiritual energy that take us back to the 70s – but who also have a lean, focused sense of delivery that's all their own! The group's led by Florian Pellissier on piano, but is a strongly cohesive unit that also features this brilliantly bold bass work from Yoni Zelnik, plus drums from David Georgelet, saxes from Christophe Panzani, and trumpet from Yoann Loustalot – all players with just the right sense of tone and color to match Pellissier's vision! The album features a bit of guest work – vocals from Arthur H on two tracks, and Antony Joseph on one more – plus guest percussion throughout – on titles that include "Bijou Voyou Caillou", "Hibou Bleu", "Boca", "Colchiques Dans Oles Pres", "Espion", and "Colosse De Rhodes" – plus a great version of the Azymuth classic "Jazz Carnival". CD

A really great project from singer David Walters – a set that tries to reimagine a 21st Century creole culture – linking diaspora roots into a new sort of groove, all with plenty of help on production from Bruno Patchworks! There's a warmth to most of these tracks that draws us in right away – and although some rhythms are clubby, the spirit here is different than earlier sort of projects along these lines by Osunlade or some of his contemporaries – as instead of the beats, the lyrics go first, and everything else follows – with Walters really setting a different tone for each track, as he moves between cultural roots and references, while Patchworks helps find the right focus with his instrumentation and production. The set features guest appearances from Seun Kuti and Ibrahim Maalouf – and titles include "Fo Bouger", "Bwe Dlo", "Manye", "Krye Mwen", "Mama", "Musik", "Pa Le", "Abo", "Soleil Kreyol", and "Mesi Bondye". CD

You might know Guts as a music producer, but he's also a hell of a DJ – one who gave us a really great assortment of tracks in his Beach Diggin series – and who spins the globe here with a whole different sort of groove! The tracks here are from a variety of global sources, from a variety of periods – some contemporary, some classic – with criss-crossing styles that work together perfectly, and which are a great reminder that among the music-minded, things only get groovier when global boundaries are traversed! As usual with Heavenly Sweetness, the whole thing's put together with a great deal of care, and detailed notes on all the diverse acts included – with titles that include "Prove Your Lover" by Misumami & First Touch, "Mistura De Carimbo Com Ciranda" by Pinduca, "Tabanca" by Tubaroes, "Van La Ka Vante" by Evasion 85, "Do Pila" by Goma-Laca with Karina Buhr, "The Highest Bidder" by Gordon Henderson, "Spies Are Watching Me" by Voilaaa, "Otan Hunu" by Slim Young, "Emaali Ya Bamulekwa (Orphan's Property)" by Mubashira Mataali Group, "Macadam" by Simon Jurad, "Bons Tempos" by Eqipe Radio Cidade, "Princesa Isabel" by Alma Luma, and "Cadencedisco" by Andre Marceline. CD

A fresh set of contemporary soul jazz from French tenorist Laurent Bardianne – a jazz musician, but one with a tie to other stylistic communities – which you can hear in the record from the very first note! The quintet has a familiar lineup that includes Hammond B3, bass, drums, and percussion – the last from Roger Raspail – but the sound is often very different than the standard grooves you'd expect from such a setting, partly because the presence of Raspail does a nice job of complicating things in the rhythm department, as does the presence of a bassist next to any basslines that might be produced by the organ! Bardianne gets plenty of space to solo out front – often in a way that really matches the changed-up rhythms – and titles include "Kinshasa", "Cabane", "Song Dong Hee", "Apaches", "Insolente", "Everlasting Child", and "Love Is Everywhere" – plus the track "Star 5", which features a guest vocal appearance from Anthony Joseph. CD

Wonderful work from Edmondy Krater – an artist whose revival is long overdue! Krater's roots are in Guadeloupe, but he works here in a great fusion of original styles and jazzier elements – the best spirit of the Parisian scene's long legacy of opening new musical doors, supported strongly by the work of the Heavenly Sweetness label in recent years! Krater plays trumpet, but also sings – and the combo has a warmly jazzy vibe – lots of great keyboards next to acoustic percussion – all bubbling over with a great sense of spirit and collaboration. Titles include "Metew Byen", "Kontak", "Fo Kontinye Goume", "J'Ai Traverse La Mer", "Se Tan Nou", and "Yo Vini Pou Danse". CD features the bonus track "Anonyme". CD

A really great project from singer David Walters – a set that tries to reimagine a 21st Century creole culture – linking diaspora roots into a new sort of groove, all with plenty of help on production from Bruno Patchworks! There's a warmth to most of these tracks that draws us in right away – and although some rhythms are clubby, the spirit here is different than earlier sort of projects along these lines by Osunlade or some of his contemporaries – as instead of the beats, the lyrics go first, and everything else follows – with Walters really setting a different tone for each track, as he moves between cultural roots and references, while Patchworks helps find the right focus with his instrumentation and production. The set features guest appearances from Seun Kuti and Ibrahim Maalouf – and titles include "Fo Bouger", "Bwe Dlo", "Manye", "Krye Mwen", "Mama", "Musik", "Pa Le", "Abo", "Soleil Kreyol", and "Mesi Bondye". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of albums from Hiroshima – collected together in one 2CD set! First up is Third Generation – a real breakout album for Hiroshima – and a set that seems to show up in just about every collection of vintage fusion albums we look at! The set's the group's third, as you might guess from the title – and it's got the Hiroshima quintet sliding together in a perfect groove – soulful fusion that's maybe got a strong Cali vibe, but which occasionally has a few exotic touches on the instrumentation – all handled in a style that's kind of an 80s update of the Japanese soul fusion mode of the late 70s. Rhythms are electric at a few points, but their offset by some koto, shamisen, and nice use of flutes and saxes by leader Dan Kuramoto – on titles that include "Heavenly Angel", "We Are", "Ren", "From The Heart", "Sukoshi Bit", "Long Walks", and "Distant Thoughts". Another Place is a record that definitely has Hiroshima taking their origins seriously – as although the album's still got the same fusion vibe as before, it almost seems to step up even more Japanese elements too! The rhythms are maybe a bit more programmed than in the past, but the album also makes use of wood flutes, koto, taiko, shamisen, and other Japanese instrumentation – and features some occasional vocals from June Kuramoto too – all in a slinky fusion style with a slight eastern current. Titles include "One Wish", "Save Yourself For Me", "I Do Remember", "The Game", "Undercover", and "What's It To Ya". On Go, Hiroshima are maybe moving a bit far from the fusion of their roots – but the overall sound here is still sweetly electric, and served up in a nice mix of eastern and western styles! If anything, the group seem even more focused on melody – not in a commercial way, but using more stripped-down instrumentation at times to focus on the special sweetness created in the compositions of leader/reedman Dan Kuramoto – who also plays keyboards and even a bit of shakuhachi on the album. There's vocals on the set – sung lead and soulfully by Barbara Long – but the main focus is instrumental, and titles include "Go", "I've Been Here Before", "311", "Obon", "No 9", "Why Can't I Love You", and "Hawaiian Electric". CD