One of the most beautiful, spiritual albums ever from saxophonist Nat Birchall – and that's really saying a lot, if you know his other records! As you can guess from the title, the spirit of John Coltrane looms large on the record – and the tracks are a mix of Coltrane classics and new ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
Rare grooves from a very unusual source – an album that was originally created to work with dance instruction, but which has a richness that goes way past those simple origins! The album's in a very elite group that also includes the jazz funk dance albums for choreographer Gus Giordano ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
An excellent set from drummer Brandon Sanders – one that not only makes great use of his own work on the kit, but also the vibes of Warren Wolf – always a very welcome sessionmate to our ears! The mix of snapping drums and vibes is great – further augmented by the tenor and ... CD(Jazz CD)
A double-length package – with two very cool soundtracks! First up is Night Of The Witches – a lost soundtrack gem from the great Sean Bonniwell – an artist you might know from his 60s hits in The Music Machine, and one who uses all that sonic experience in a mighty nice way on ... CD(Soundtracks CD)
That's "Motel" California in the title, not Hotel California – and that should give you a good idea of the territory you're hitting here – the lower-rent underground of 70s country-styled rock – not the polished sound of the big groups on the major labels, but instead a ... CD(Rock CD)
The great Andy Smith has been giving us killer compilations for more years than we can count – but it also feels like he's really outdoing himself with this Disco Wonderland series – showing us that there's still such a huge amount of music to discover when you get past the mainstream ... CD(Funky Compilations CD)
A cool jazzy spy soundtrack from the end of the 60s – much more obscure than some of the James Bond records, and a lot groovier too! The duo of Walter Rizzati and Roberto Pregadio do a good job of mixing together exotic elements to set the locale, and some of the mod elements that you might ... CD(Soundtracks CD)
The cover image is a great hint at the vibe of this gem of a record from London's Ezra Collective – but as with most of their music, there's a lot more going on than you might expect – certainly not a straight dance record, although the album's overflowing with really wonderful rhythms! ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
Not the music of Bob Dylan – but a great little set that shows just how much Dylan's influence spread amidst various channels of the music world of the mid 60s – so much so, that it left behind a whole host of unlikely acts picking up some of his sounds and styles – and using it ... CD(Rock CD)
A fantastic set by this spiritual jazz ensemble from Pakistan – one who work with this really wicked blend of familiar jazz elements, some regional instrumentation, and some of the forward-thinking jazz ideas that have been bubbling up from the London scene of late! The music weaves together ... CD(Jazz CD)
A really fascinating mix of modes from DIY artist Beth Anderson – music that's partly poetry, partly word play – sometimes with the drum machine bits you'd expect from hip hop, but often with more of the arty vibe that echoes with Beth's presence on the downtown scene in New York at the ... LP, Vinyl record album(Rock LP)
A fantastic solo album from saxophonist Deadly Headley Bennett – a key session player on the Jamaican scene of the 70s, where his reedwork graced countless sessions – often without much credit to the man himself! That's nicely changed here, as Headley's the star – but also ... LP, Vinyl record album(Reggae LP)
UK trumpet legend Harry Beckett makes a surprising appearance here for the On-U Sound label – although maybe that's not much of a surprise, given all the diversely creative moments Beckett has had in his decades-long career! The format is very much in the best On-U Sound mode, but with a bit ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
Maybe the most ambitious album to date from saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins – a largeform project that expands on his previous music in great ways, and really opens up with a visionary quality that we never would have expected a few short years ago! The album's title is a key reference from the ... CD(Jazz CD)
A stunning bit of funky female soul from the first decade of the century – a set that was sometimes overlooked on the global scene, but which easily matches the energy and punch of some of the more famous artists on labels like Daptone and Big Crown! Gizelle Smith is a hell of a singer ... LP, Vinyl record album(Deep Funk LP)
Mindblowing music from the great Frederic Rabold – a German jazz artist of the classic 70s MPS generation – and one who does a really great job of mixing funkier moments, spiritual currents, and some freer flights of inspiration! Rabold's maybe best known for work with his funky combo ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
A great live session in the best tradition of the Smalls Live series – one that seems to have all players working at a level that's even higher than usual, as they stretch out on long tracks that offer up plenty of room for freely expressive solos! The songs are mostly familiar numbers, not ... CD(Jazz CD)
A totally great set of funky psych from this cool contemporary duo – a pair who've clearly drunk deep from a brew of all sorts of fuzzy, freaky sounds from the past – then found a way to create a lean take on those modes, with a sound that's very much all their own! The production is ... LP, Vinyl record album(Deep Funk LP)
A wonderful reunion of Pharoah Sanders and vocalist Leon Thomas – and a set that captures a lot of the same energy as the pair's previous record – Karma! Thomas' vocals are in wonderful form for the set – stretching out soulfully on the extended classic "Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-H ... LP, Vinyl record album(Jazz LP)
Seun Kuti maybe sounds more majestic here than ever – ready to rise not just to the legacy his father Fela left behind, but maybe into an even larger world of global soul as well – with a groove here that doesn't abandon his Afro Funk roots, but definitely augments that sound with all ... CD(Global Grooves CD)