... CD

Very groovy set of vocal tracks recorded by Mel during his years with Verve, and featuring some haunting arrangements by Russ Garcia. The title track – "Swingin' On The Moon" – is a goofy uptempo number of the sort that sometimes doesn't work, but which sounds very nice here, thanks to Mel's witty interpretation. The rest of the tracks, though, have a beautiful mellow spacey sound, as the Velvet Fog rolls in, and washes over the arrangements with vocals like "Moon Song", "No Moon At All", "The Moon Was Yellow", and "Moonlight Cocktail". Comes complete with a very cool cover that has a blonde model wearing a space helmet! CD

One of the more obscure Blue Mitchell albums of the 70s – and one of the most far-reaching too! The set's still got an electric current, like his other work on the Mainstream label at the time – but there's also less funk at the core, and more of a spiritual jazz vibe – a quality that definitely burns with the "vital" of the title, and which draws strongly from the album's great use of Joe Henderson on tenor and flute – whose presence here really helps underscore the righteousness of the sound! Ernie Watts also blows a bit on the record – and the rest of the group includes Walter Bishop Jr on acoustic and electric piano, Stan Gilbert on bass, and Doug Sides on drums. Susaye Greene adds in some totally amazing vocal effects at a few points – which really furthers the unique quality of the record – and titles include the great "Unseen Sounds", which has some amazingly unusual flute work from Henderson, plus "Booty Shakin", "Vital Blue", "I Love You", and "Herman's Helmet". LP, Vinyl record album

Features tracks by Cows, Helmet, Surgery and Tar. CD

Steve Lacy's one of those artists who are really helping to rewrite the sound of soul music for his generation – first by stripping down his sound with some surprisingly simple and effective techniques – and here, building things back up again, but at a level that's very different than music you'd hear from some of his predecessors! In a way, Lacy's found a way to touch on classic soul, but without sounding "classic" at all – getting a bit more confidence in his approach, while still keeping things very personal – a quality that hopefully will not be undone by greater fame or commercial attention! Titles include "Amber", "Sunshine", "Bad Habits", "Buttons", "Mercury", "Static", "Helmet", and "Cody Freestyle". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from pianist Jack Wilson – a set that really showcases his magnificent sense of sound and space – while mixing in some larger ideas as well! The record features full arrangements from Billy Byers – who creates this seductive blend of jazz and strings that still retains those modal elements and sly grooves of Wilson's small combo material – but gives the whole thing a very different twist! Many numbers feature vibes in the mix – either by Tommy Vig, Stan Levey, or Victor Feldman – echoing some of Wilson's previous sounds with Roy Ayers – and the rhythmic elements are really sharp, in a way that balances beautifully with the strings. Titles include "Song For My Daughter", "Imagine", "Herman's Helmet", "Scarborough Fair", "Night Creature", and "Eighty One". LP, Vinyl record album

A well-remembered soundtrack from the 90s – mostly because of its use of work by some of the bigger alt-rock names of the time! Tracks include "Color Me Once" by Violent Femmes, "Dead Souls" by Nine Inch Nails, "Burn" by The Cure, "Golgotha Tenement Blues" by Machines Of Living Grace, "Big Empty" by Stone Temple Pilots, "Darkness" by Rage Against The Machine, "Ghostrider" by Rollins Band, "Milktoast" by Helmet, "Snakedriver" by Jesus & Mary Chain, and "After The Flesh" by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. LP, Vinyl record album

The most cosmically expansive and exciting work yet from composer/coronet player Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – dedicated to Amiri Baraka, and infused with the righteous, poetic spirit of Baraka's work with Sun Ra! The Exploding Star players include some Chicago underground heroes and heroines of longstanding brilliance, including flautist Nicole Mitchell, guitarist Jeff Parker, drummers John Herndon and Chad Taylor, bassist Matthew Lux, and Damon Locks on electronics and with some subtly righteous spoken word – along with Mazurek's Sao Paolo Underground cohorts Mauricio Takara and Guilherme Grandando, and last but not least, pianist Angelica Sanchez – all of whom have ample space to shine. Galactic Parables Vol 1 is a 2 disc set, one featuring the compositions as performed in Sardinia, and a second CD of their performances at the Chicago Cultural Center, which is a smart approach, given the improvisational nature of the material. There's plenty of space for the players to explore, and the differing performances are no doubt colored and shaded in different ways by different environments. Amazing stuff! Titles include "Free Agents Of Sound", "Make Way To The City", "The Arc Of Slavery #72", "Helmets Of Our Poisonous Thoughts #16", "Collections Of Time" and "Awaken The World #41". CD