Pat Metheny on guitar with Steve Rodby on bass, Antonio Sanchez on drums, Richard Bona on guitar and percussion, Gregoire Maret on harmonica, David Samuels on percussion, Lyle Mays on piano and xylophone, and Cuong Vu on whistle and trumpet. CD

A great return to form for Orchestra Baobab – a group who really shone on the Senegalese scene in the 70s, but disbanded right as they were hitting global fame – eventually reuniting around the time of this album, thanks to demand from listeners around the world! The style is nicely unadorned here – handled by Youssou D'Dour with Nick Gold of the World Circuit label – in a way that replicates some of the earlier music by the group that was issued by the label, and which helped lead to their reunion! There's maybe a bit less funk than in the 70s, but the rhythms are still nice and sharp, sewn together with lots of great work on guitar – and maturing, heartfelt vocals on tracks that include "Dee Moo Woor", "Sutukun", "Bul Ma Miin", "Gnawoe", "Ndongoy Daara", "Jiin Ma Jinn Ma", and "Hommage A Tonton Ferrer". LP, Vinyl record album

A further stunning chapter in the career of guitarist Jeff Parker – a musician who's just grown in leaps and bounds on a succession of records for the International Anthem label! Here, Jeff plays solo guitar throughout – in modes that occasionally hearken back to his earlier material for other labels, but which really shows that amazing understanding of sound and tone that he's developed more recently – this incredible ear for all the possibilities of the electric guitar, at a level that moves beyond just jazz too – with moments on the record that almost have a John Fahey-like understanding of his instrument, as Parker creates all these fantastic passages in sound that are completely sublime. Titles include "Suffolk", "Flour Of Fur", "Four Folks", "La Jetee", "Ugly Beauty", and "Excess Success". CD

A further stunning chapter in the career of guitarist Jeff Parker – a musician who's just grown in leaps and bounds on a succession of records for the International Anthem label! Here, Jeff plays solo guitar throughout – in modes that occasionally hearken back to his earlier material for other labels, but which really shows that amazing understanding of sound and tone that he's developed more recently – this incredible ear for all the possibilities of the electric guitar, at a level that moves beyond just jazz too – with moments on the record that almost have a John Fahey-like understanding of his instrument, as Parker creates all these fantastic passages in sound that are completely sublime. Titles include "Suffolk", "Flour Of Fur", "Four Folks", "La Jetee", "Ugly Beauty", and "Excess Success". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing music from Jeff Parker – sounds that we always knew were part of his core, but which have maybe taken most of his career to emerge! This album follows beautifully from Jeff's previous album for International Anthem – and like that one, it's an explosion of new and old ideas at once – jazz elements with soul currents, all put together with a complexity that lives up to Parker's long legacy in music, but which also has an organic appeal that makes the whole thing come together with effortless ease! There's plenty of sophistication in the sound, but it also sneaks in with lots of grooves that Jeff never had before – including some funky currents that come from Parker's work on keyboards, drums, and samples in addition to his usual guitar – and added drums from Jamire Williams and Makaya McCraven. Titles include "Lydian Etc", "Build A Nest", "Del Rio", "3 For L", "Fusion Swirl", "After The Rain", and "Max Brown". CD

Mindblowing music from Jeff Parker – sounds that we always knew were part of his core, but which have maybe taken most of his career to emerge! This album follows beautifully from Jeff's previous album for International Anthem – and like that one, it's an explosion of new and old ideas at once – jazz elements with soul currents, all put together with a complexity that lives up to Parker's long legacy in music, but which also has an organic appeal that makes the whole thing come together with effortless ease! There's plenty of sophistication in the sound, but it also sneaks in with lots of grooves that Jeff never had before – including some funky currents that come from Parker's work on keyboards, drums, and samples in addition to his usual guitar – and added drums from Jamire Williams and Makaya McCraven. Titles include "Lydian Etc", "Build A Nest", "Del Rio", "3 For L", "Fusion Swirl", "After The Rain", and "Max Brown". LP, Vinyl record album

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The late-career high points get loftier and loftier for the great Robert Plant! Plant is working here with his Sensational Shapeshifters, a band name that just as aptly applies to Plant himself, having shifted over to a progressive folk and roots mode, decades after conquering hard rock in Led Zeppelin! Recorded in England, after moving back home, with a more global-centric vibe than the Americana style of his previous couple records, it's really great stuff – and we genuinely appreciate him pushing creative boundaries at this stage, rather than coasting on his legend status. Includes "Little Maggie", "Rainbow", "Pocketful Of Golden", "Turn It Up", "A Stolen Kiss", "Somebody There", "Poor Howard", "House Of Love", "Up on The Hollow Hill (Understanding Arthur)" and "Abraden (Maggie's Babby)". CD

This all-star quartet really won us over the first time around (and trust us, we can always be wary of too many cooks in the broth) – and they're equally great here, too – with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its mighty parts – almost as if each of these longtime leaders have decided it's even better to throw their collective hats in the ring and come up with something really special together! The piano of Brad Mehldau has a way of really ringing out with a brightness next to the sharper edges of Redman's horn – who himself seems to push forward with a new sense of imagination on his solos – warmed up a bit by the bass of Christian McBride, as all the players are kicked into gear by Brian Blade's work on drums. Titles include "Statuesque", "Ship To Shore", "Kite Song", "Disco Ears", and "Long Gone". CD

This all-star quartet really won us over the first time around (and trust us, we can always be wary of too many cooks in the broth) – and they're equally great here, too – with a sound that's even greater than the sum of its mighty parts – almost as if each of these longtime leaders have decided it's even better to throw their collective hats in the ring and come up with something really special together! The piano of Brad Mehldau has a way of really ringing out with a brightness next to the sharper edges of Redman's horn – who himself seems to push forward with a new sense of imagination on his solos – warmed up a bit by the bass of Christian McBride, as all the players are kicked into gear by Brian Blade's work on drums. Titles include "Statuesque", "Ship To Shore", "Kite Song", "Disco Ears", and "Long Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

The Richter here is Gerhard Richter – the important visual artist whose work has been so important over the decades – an inspiration for the music created here by minimalist Steve Reich, originally for the film Moving Picture! The set presents a beautiful live performance of the compositions – done by the Ensemble Intercontemporain in this lovely blending of light woodwinds, percussion, and flowing keyboard parts – almost in the territory of some of Reich's important work of early years, especially some of his ECM recordings. The sound is wonderful, and the music is as vivid as the artwork that inspired it – on titles that include "Crossfades", "Patterns & Scales", "Opening", and "Ending". CD

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The first album as a leader from drummer Tom Skinner, but a set that instantly marks him as a player to watch – as the set's got a great vibe all the way through, and a combination of elements that's even greater than the sum of its parts! And the parts are pretty mighty, too – as the quintet features Nubya Garcia on tenor and flute, and Shabaka Hutchings on tenor and bass clarinet – both players who need no introduction, but who are in this raw, spiritual jazz setting that really lets their power come through. Yet maybe even more amazing is the work on cello by Kareem Dayes, which is great next to the bass of Tom Herbert – both elements resonating together to give a subtle sort of majesty to the record! The set is played whole and live – not chopped/mixed/produced as much as other International Anthem albums, or some of the work from the London scene – yet it also doesn't just ape an older spiritual jazz mode either – a real testament to Skinners' vision as a leader. Titles include "Red 2", "Bishara", "Voices Of The Past", "Quiet As It's Kept", "Day After Tomorrow", and "The Journey". CD

The first album as a leader from drummer Tom Skinner, but a set that instantly marks him as a player to watch – as the set's got a great vibe all the way through, and a combination of elements that's even greater than the sum of its parts! And the parts are pretty mighty, too – as the quintet features Nubya Garcia on tenor and flute, and Shabaka Hutchings on tenor and bass clarinet – both players who need no introduction, but who are in this raw, spiritual jazz setting that really lets their power come through. Yet maybe even more amazing is the work on cello by Kareem Dayes, which is great next to the bass of Tom Herbert – both elements resonating together to give a subtle sort of majesty to the record! The set is played whole and live – not chopped/mixed/produced as much as other International Anthem albums, or some of the work from the London scene – yet it also doesn't just ape an older spiritual jazz mode either – a real testament to Skinners' vision as a leader. Titles include "Red 2", "Bishara", "Voices Of The Past", "Quiet As It's Kept", "Day After Tomorrow", and "The Journey". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE electronic records of the 60s – an album so important, the Silver Apples took their name from the title – and a whole other generation of artists took strong inspiration from the electronic creations of Morton Subotnick! Before the set, much electronic music of this nature was a bit more academic, and often slightly cold – but Subotnick was able to bring things into a more organic, maybe more freewheeling style – using all sorts of cool analogue elements in ways that would run through Perry & Kingsley, Beaver & Krause, and even Stereolab! The work is billed as the "first original full-scale composition created expressly for the record medium" – a great testament to Subotnick's intentions for his creation, and a desire to get it more widely circulated than previous electronic recordings. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark early recording from Morton Subotnick – and a piece of music that really pushed analogue electronics forward from the previous academic generation! Subtonick's style here is much more freewheeling – with almost an improvisational feel at times – sounds and noises that are quite bracing at times, mixed with more subtle elements from time to time. Like Subotnick's Silver Apples Of The Moon, the album features one long composition – stretched out into many shades and spaces, with poetic inspiration that definitely comes through in the music – even though it's quite dark and spooky at times! LP, Vinyl record album

Wilco's post-millennium masterpiece! After years of adventurous sounds and increasingly poetic lyrics being subtly layered over their country rock roots, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was such a radical departure from their first couple albums that it was legendary upon arrival. What's so amazing about it is that it's essentially an art rock album with rootsy heart, somehow carrying the emotional resonance of earlier heart-on-sleeve songcraft with hardly a twangy riff to be found. Titles include "Kamera", "Radio Cure", "Jesus Etc", "Heavy Metal Drummer", "Reservations", "Poor Places", "Pot Kettle Black", "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", and "Ashes Of American Flags". LP, Vinyl record album

One of their best ones, and a tight set of Ellington tracks that works perfectly with their multi-horn style. Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, Bamiet Bluiett, and David Murray split up the arrangements, and the tracks include "Lush Life", "Come Sunday", "Prelude To A Kiss", and 2 different versions of "Take The A Train". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most important albums to present the sounds of Bali to the world at large – not just because the set perfectly captures the sharper, more bracing sound of Balinese gamelan, but also because it includes an extended recording of the famous "monkey chant"! The first half of the record features two long gamelan passages – "Golden Rain" and "Bumblebee" – both somewhat frenetic, and quite different than some of the slower, more spacious gamelan sounds you might be more familiar with – as the Balinese approach can be quite driving and dynamic, with many changes in tempo and tone! The second half is even more amazing – the 20 minute "Ramayana Monkey Chant" – which features a group trading staccato vocals back and forth in an even more frenzied way – building and building as the track goes on, with an intensity that's gone onto make this album the stuff of legends! LP, Vinyl record album

One of three volumes documenting the beautiful Mbira music of the Shona of Zimbabwe. The thumb piano is an instrument common throughout the Southern portion of the African continent, but all of the music documented here and on the other two volumes is centered around pulsing arpeggios that create a rippling background along with the Hosho, a shaker, for raw folk melodies sung either solo or by groups on these nine pieces: "Nhemusasa", "Taireva", "Nyamropa", "Kuyada Hove Kune Mazove", "Mbiriviri", "Nhimutimu", "Nyamropa Yevana Va VaMushonga", "Dangu Rangu" and "Kumkudo". LP, Vinyl record album

Tony Allen never lets us down – and even though he recorded this set well into the first decade of his "comeback" years, an album like this still has the same sort of fresh, urgent feel that got him noticed again by a whole new generation of fans! There's definitely lots of Allen's roots with Fela in the music – the kind of Afrobeat grooves that Tony first helped invent back in the 70s – but as with some of his other recent records, there's also a strong willingness to play with tradition, too – mixing in unusual sounds and patterns that really keep things interesting, and which show why Allen's probably been the best ambassador of Afrobeat styles in the 21st Century! Vocals are by Allen and a few other singers over the course of the set – and the band's a super-tight combo with some especially great keyboards from Claude Dibongue. Titles include "Secret Agent", "Ijo", "Switch", "Celebrate", "Ayenlo", "Pariwo", "Nina Lowo", "Atuwaba", and "Alutere". LP, Vinyl record album

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All twelve pieces are played on piano, which is amplified and modified in various ways, performed by David Burge. LP, Vinyl record album

While in the intervening years Hamza El Din has gone on to great prominence, this Nonesuch recording of his work on the oud was one of the earliest documents of his North African style of music. This recording consists of three pieces, with his virtuoso playing and singing, the first two extended pieces and the third a shorter vocal and frame drum number, all have a singing style clearly indebted to Arabic classical tradition, while his playing on the oud reflects the Sudanese and Egyptian roots of the Nubian culture: "The Water Wheel", "Remind Me" and "Song With Tar". LP, Vinyl record album

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Gidon Kremer on violin, Friedrich Lips on accordion, Per Arne Glorvigen on bandoneon, Vladimir Tonkha on cello, Michel Portal on clarinet, Alois Posch on double bass, Elisabeth Chojnacka on harpischord, Mark Pekarsky on percussion, and Vadim Sakharov on piano. CD

Maybe the most majestic album that Makaya McCraven has recorded to date – and that's really saying a lot, given the power of his music on previous records! This time around, the group is large, and the performance is more organic than some of the more mixed/produced sessions that Makaya has given us – and great as those records have been, there's a sense of power here that really places McCraven strongly in the Chicago legacy of the 20th Century – a jazz spectrum that includes Eddie Harris, Ramsey Lewis, Charles Stepney, the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, and so many other musical giants! The mix of instrumentation is almost like some Chess/Cadet session from the end of the 60s – but Makaya still adds in some samples and electronics next to his acoustic work on percussion, drums, and a variety of other instruments – next to Jeff Parker on guitar, Brandee Younger on harp, Joel Ross on vibes, Marquis Hill on trumpet, and Junius Paul on bass – all tremendous players and strong leaders in their own right – working here to make a special sort of magic with McCraven. There's other voices on the set too – more violins, cello, alto, tenor, piano, and other sounds – on titles that include "So Ubuji", "Seventh String", "This Place That Place", "The Fours", "Dream Another", "High Fives", "The Knew Untitled", and "In These Times". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier bass, Jeff Ballard on drums. CD

Brad Mehldau and Kevin Hays on piano. CD

A further stunning chapter in the career of guitarist Jeff Parker – a musician who's just grown in leaps and bounds on a succession of records for the International Anthem label! Here, Jeff plays solo guitar throughout – in modes that occasionally hearken back to his earlier material for other labels, but which really shows that amazing understanding of sound and tone that he's developed more recently – this incredible ear for all the possibilities of the electric guitar, at a level that moves beyond just jazz too – with moments on the record that almost have a John Fahey-like understanding of his instrument, as Parker creates all these fantastic passages in sound that are completely sublime. Titles include "Suffolk", "Flour Of Fur", "Four Folks", "La Jetee", "Ugly Beauty", and "Excess Success". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning collection of work from one of the greatest periods in the career of this global music legend – material that gave Astor Piazzolla a chance to really stretch out and push some of the more modern ideas in his creations! First up is the incredible Zero Hour album – a fantastic late life album by the Argentine musical genius Astor Piazzolla – and a set that shows just how far he'd transformed the format of the tango along his musical path of the previous decades! The sound here is completely unique – with some elements of modern string quartet modes, avant jazz, and other styles – blended together with guitar, violin, piano, and bass next to Astor's completely sublime lines on bandoneon! The whole thing's a treasure, and if there's one record to hear by Piazzolla, this is it! Titles include "Tanguedia III", "Milonga Del Angel", "Concierto Para Quinteto", "Milonga Loca", and "Contrabajissimo". La Camorra is a record that features a slightly expanded concept on the ideas that Astor Piazzolla had unleashed with his Zero Hour album – all those incredible twists and turns he'd been using to transform Argentine modern music – roots in the tango, but expressions that are up there with some of the most creative 20th Century performances from other parts of the globe! As before, Piazzolla's bandoneon is at the center – but the inflections on piano and violin are also key too – on titles that include "Fugata", "Soledad", "Sur Los Suenos", and the longer "La Camorra" suite. Rough Dancer & The Cyclical Night is the last album in a completely sublime run of records that Astor Piazzolla cut for the American Clave label – and a set that brings together all the new ideas he'd been forging over previous decades, with a clarity and focus that's still completely transformative all these many years later! The core instrumentation is in the quintet mode that Astor was preferring at the time – with tremendous lines on violin, guitar, and piano that burst out alongside his own work on bandoneon, augmented by some guest reed lines by Paquito D'Rivera as well. The album works fantastically as a unified suite of tracks – with expressivity between the numbers that heightens the power of the album from even Piazzolla's previous gems on the label – on titles that include "Street Tango", "Knife Fight", "Leonora's Song", "Butcher's Death", "Milonga For Three", "Bailongo", and "Leonoras' Love Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the freshest statements we've heard from the San Francisco scene in years – recorded by a group of players that spans the city's range of contributions to jazz! The ensemble is headed by Joshua Redman on reeds – but it also features some incredible work from Bobby Hutcherson, working here in a style that recalls some of his most adventurous recordings of the 70s – alongside piano from Renee Rosnes, drums by Brian Blade, trumpet from Nicholas Payton, bass from Robert Hurst, and sax and flute from Miguel Zenon. The set was recorded live, and has a depth of soul that really surprised us – with titles that include "Una Muy Bonita", "Rise & Fall", "March Madness", "Lingala", "Peace", and "Of This Day's Journey". CD

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A modern country rock masterpiece. Wilco's second album, an unlikely (for its time) major label double album does an incredible job of showing stylistic breadth and sprawl behind lyrical and emotional consistency, arrangements-wise recalling the best of the band's more adventurously rootsy forbears enough to not unfairly call it "alt-country" at the time, but it's ultimately timeless. Here we are decades later and it doesn't sound like it's aged a day. Includes "Misunderstood", "Far, Far Away", "Red-Eyed And Blue", "Forget the Flowers", "Outta Mind (Outta Sight)", "Kingpin", "Whole Would You Wanna Live", "Dreamer In My Dreams" and more. CD

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One of the best CDs of gamelan music you could hope to find! While not as straightly ethnographic as some of the other gamelan CDs on the market, this selection of 9 tracks recorded in Bali is some of the most compelling work we've ever heard on the instrument. Engineer David Lewiston does an excellent job of addressing the key elements of different gamelan groupings, and he paces the record with an energy that really keeps things fresh – shifting moods at just the right moment, showing all the strong strands of playing that run through the Balinese gamelan sphere, which is often much harder edged than that of Java. The CD runs for quite a long time, and the music is otherworldly in a way we can't even describe! CD

While we appreciate most all of the forms of gamelan music, we find ourselves most enchanted by the more mellow Javanese style than the aggressive Balinese approach. This second volume in Nonesuch's reissue of some of the classic early recordings that exposed many listeners to the percussive orchestral sounds for the first time features four pieces "Ketawang Puspawarna", "Gending Bonang Babar Layar", "Gending Ela-Ela Kalibeber" and "Ayak-Ayakan Kaloran". CD

Although most Nonesuch Explorer sessions were ethnographic ones, recorded in the field by the label's engineers – this one's a studio session, recorded in New York by a group that's reputedly from Ghana, but which seems to be kind of a "fake" one from our perspective. Why? Well, because Charles Earland's playing tenor, for one – and although his native Philly was kind of far away from New York, we never heard it referred to as "Ghana"! Other players here are US-based jazz ones, too – like drummers Sonny Morgan and Robert Crowder, vibist Garvine Masseaux, and bassist George Brooks. The set's still got a strong High Life sound to it – but it also has jazz flourishes, too, in the way that was used some of the Art Blakey Afro-Drum experiments from the same time. Titles include "Ebony", "Bus Conductor", "Saturday Night", and "Sugar Soup". LP, Vinyl record album

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Hip electronic work – as Animus III fetaures clarinet and magnetic tape – and Valentine is for bass and tape! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Frisell and Gregt Leisz on guitars – acoustic, electric, pedal steel, lap steel, National steel guitar, and Scheerhorn resonator – plus Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, Billy Drewes on alto, and Ron Miles on trumpet. CD

Features Pharoah Sanders on tenor and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes – plus Mulgrew Miller on piano, Robert Hurst III on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. CD

Tracks include "So Am I", "Swanee", "Scandal Walk", "That Certain Feeling", "Sweet And Lowdown", "American In Paris", and "Noveleete In Fourths". CD

One of the first film scores ever done by Philip Glass – and a sublime batch of music that exposed his genius to a whole world who'd never heard him before! The music builds in a beautifully minimal way – with rumbling organ and orchestral themes at the beginning, which slowly evolve into brilliantly streaming lines of repeating notes played on keyboards, reeds, and strings – building in a gradual way, but with really subtle power – and occasional voices that come into the blend to push the whole thing even further. Completely amazing – and still one of our favorite records by the legendary composer! CD

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Guitarist Mary Halvorson has a very special guest on this unique album – the Mivos Quartet, who bring a sublime blend of violin, viola, and cello into play with the fantastic tones from Mary's guitar! The set's not like when you add a string group to conventional jazz – as the sound here is much more about the interplay between the acoustic strings – partly the rasp of Halvorson's tones next to the warmer currents of the other instruments – partly the mix of plucked, strummed, and bowed passages that create a multiplicity of sounds and feelings! Halvorson has always given us something amazing with each new record – yet still, this one's a real standout – with titles that include "Haunted Head", "Belladonna", "Flying Song", "Moonburn", and "Nodding Yellow". CD

Pat Metheny on guitar, Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, flute and guitar, Ben Williams on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums and cajon. CD

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With Renee Rosnes on piano, Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Matt Penman on bass, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Joshua Redman tenor and soprano sax, Miguel Zenon on alto and flute, and Eric Harland on drums. CD

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Accompanied by Richard Woitach on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

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A great 90s album by Caetano Veloso – a beautiful re-awakening of his genius in the later years of his career! The sound here is as fresh, creative, and personal as on some of Veloso's best post-Tropicalia albums of the 70s – served up in a blend of spare percussion, edgey guitars, and inventive production techniques that are as simple and powerful as Veloso's wonderful vocals on the set. The songs are wonderful too – penned at a level that we haven't heard this strong since Cinema Transcendental, and with a heavenly quality that transcends language and conventional pop expectations. Titles include "Livros", "How Beautiful Could A Being Be", "Pra Ninguem", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", and "Manhata". CD

Performed by the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Arthur Weisberg. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Hamiet Bluiett, Arthur Blythe, Oliver Lake and David Murray – plus Amina Claudine Myers on organ and vocals from Fontella Bass! CD

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Tuned drums, chimes, gongs, and xylophone – all played together in this slow-building, hypnotic way that stands as one of the most perfect records we've ever heard of Javanese gamelan! The music is quite spare, despite the size of the ensemble – as the timing of the players is perfect enough so that all the members of the group seem to work as one – with a sound that might make you think just one or two musicians where making the music, instead of a much larger group. The recording quality is perfect, too – that amazingly clear, faithful representation that was part of this Nonesuch series by David Lewiston – and titles include "Kebo Giro", "Liwung", "Pangkur", "Tijatrik II", and "Senggot". CD

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Tracks include "Outlaws", "Blues Dream", "Moon River", "Convict 13", and "Strange Meeting". CD

Ben LaMar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". CD

Ben LaMar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". LP, Vinyl record album

Ben LaMar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". LP, Vinyl record album

Ben LaMar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". LP, Vinyl record album

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A record that has the fantastic guitar of Mary Halvorson amidst so many other sounds and shapes – delivered by a lineup that features Patricia Brennan on vibes, Jacob Garchik on trombone, and Adam O'Farrill on trumpets – all players who already shape the sound in these fantastically colorful way, then get some extra help from the Mivos string quartet! The rhythm duo at the core do a lot too – keeping things moving in these blocks of sound that often fit Mary's approach to guitar – with work from Nick Dunston on bass and Tomas Fujiwara on drums, both players who seem to find the right balance with the overall sound of the group, yet really make the contribution known. Titles include "Side Effect", "Amaryllis", "Hoodwink", "Night Shift", and "892 Teeth". CD

Titles include "I Dug Up A Diamond", "Right Now", "Donkey Town", "Belle Star", "All The Roadrunning", and "Red Staggerwing". CD

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