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One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". CD

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweeping double album that moves between large orchestral passages and small ensemble pieces. Highway Rider features Brad Mehldau on piano and pump organ, Joshua Redman on tenor, Larry Grenadier on bass, and both Jeff Ballard and Matt Chamberlain on drums. CD

One of the most beautiful, personal albums we've ever heard from pianist Brad Mehldau – a set that gives away its concept right in the title – put together and performed during the month of April 2020 – surely one of the strangest on the planet in recent years! Mehldau mixes his own music with a few key tracks by others – choosing carefully, as he does with his notes on the solo piano – working with a mode that's surprisingly poetic, but also touched with some of the more melancholic moods that gripped so many of us during the initial moments of lockdown. The set's certainly not going to be alone in the world of Covid-19 creativity, but it's certainly one of the most beautiful – with titles that include "Uncertainty", "Remembering Before All This", "Keeping Distance", "Stepping Outside", "Yearning", "Waiting", and "In The Kitchen" – plus versions of "Don't Let It Bring You Down" and "New York State Of Mind". CD

One of the most beautiful, personal albums we've ever heard from pianist Brad Mehldau – a set that gives away its concept right in the title – put together and performed during the month of April 2020 – surely one of the strangest on the planet in recent years! Mehldau mixes his own music with a few key tracks by others – choosing carefully, as he does with his notes on the solo piano – working with a mode that's surprisingly poetic, but also touched with some of the more melancholic moods that gripped so many of us during the initial moments of lockdown. The set's certainly not going to be alone in the world of Covid-19 creativity, but it's certainly one of the most beautiful – with titles that include "Uncertainty", "Remembering Before All This", "Keeping Distance", "Stepping Outside", "Yearning", "Waiting", and "In The Kitchen" – plus versions of "Don't Let It Bring You Down" and "New York State Of Mind". LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Pat Metheny has a wonderful way of always opening himself up to new ideas, yet never losing the sound at his core – that unique approach to electric strings that made his ECM albums so revolutionary in the 70s, and which continues to set Metheny apart from anyone else around! There's plenty of that trademark Pat Metheny sound here to love, but there are also some great additions – vocals by Meshell N'degeocello on the album's title track, a tune that might well be Metheny's follow up to his "This Is Not America" collaboration with David Bowie many years back – plus some larger orchestrations handled beautifully by Joel McNeely, arranged by Alan Broadbent and Gil Goldstein. The core group features Gwyilym Simcock on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums – and titles include "America Undefined", "Everything Explained", "Sixty Six", "Pathmaker", "Same River", and "Wide & Far". Also features the bonus track "Love May Take A While". CD

Guitarist Pat Metheny has a wonderful way of always opening himself up to new ideas, yet never losing the sound at his core – that unique approach to electric strings that made his ECM albums so revolutionary in the 70s, and which continues to set Metheny apart from anyone else around! There's plenty of that trademark Pat Metheny sound here to love, but there are also some great additions – vocals by Meshell N'degeocello on the album's title track, a tune that might well be Metheny's follow up to his "This Is Not America" collaboration with David Bowie many years back – plus some larger orchestrations handled beautifully by Joel McNeely, arranged by Alan Broadbent and Gil Goldstein. The core group features Gwyilym Simcock on piano, Linda May Han Oh on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums – and titles include "America Undefined", "Everything Explained", "Sixty Six", "Pathmaker", "Same River", and "Wide & Far". Also features the bonus track "Love May Take A While". LP, Vinyl record album

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". 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

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

One of those rare cases where an all-star group is really worth the weight of its talent – as this quartet really sounds wonderful together, and make you know that you're in for a treat right from the very first note in the set! The best energy of the record might come from the rhythmic conception of drummer Brian Blade, and maybe a bit of the spirit of bassist Christian McBride – because pianist Brad Mehldau and tenorist Joshua Redman come off with all these really inventive, creative elements – very much structured around a sense of rhythm, although one that's nicely complex at most moments – a less-familiar sort of swing, and we mean that in the best way possible. Titles include "Father", "Floppy Diss", "Your Part To Play", ":Moe HOnk", "Right Back Round Again", and "Undertow". CD

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Also includes "Mallet Quartet" and "Dance Patterns". CD

Includes "Original Rags", "Weeping Willow", "The Cascades", "The Chrysanthemum", "Sugar Cane", "The Nonpareil", "Country Club", and "Stoptime Rag". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Stockhausen's more extended compositions, and a haunting piece composed for soprano, choir groups, and a very strange mix of instruments – including lots of weird percussion, and some very spooky electric organ. There's a solo soprano out front, who punctuates the piece with a lot of avant garde vocals, and she's backed up by 4 different small groups of singers. The real highlight, though, is the instrumentation, as the mix of odd percussion and electric organ has an almost electronic music feel in parts, with lots of spare, strange, random bits. This is the US issue of the 1965 recording by Wergo Records. 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

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A sprawling deluxe version of a once semi-overlooked Wilco effort, finally being acknowledged as a major milestone for the band – as it was a huge shift from their alt country and folk rock roots towards unpredictable, though warmly approachable art rock! Still recognizable as the work of the passionate, rootsier rock band of the first couple albums, with more adventurous sounds and instrumentation – woozy keyboards, a growing knack for studio-built atmospherics – and a much more metaphorical lyrical bent. Titles include "Can't Stand It", "She's A Jar", "We're Just Friends", "Pieholden Suite", "Candyfloss", "A Shot In The Arm" and more. 4CD box set version includes the remastered original album, a packed CD full of outtakes, alternate versions and demos (24 tracks in all), an unreleased double CD live set recorded at the Boulder Theater in Boulder Colorado on November 1, 1999, and an essay by Mojo Magazine's John Mulvey. CD

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". CD

One of the best albums ever recorded by the WSQ – a sensitive mix of rhythmic tunes and mellow ballads, played by the group with less agression than on previous releases, but in a way that shows that they're really fitting into the style of the ensemble well. Titles include "Cool Red", "Full Deep & Mellow", "Dance Until Dawn", "Fast Life", "Hattie Wall", and "Sweet D". 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

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Field recordings by David Lewiston that feature regional folk and festival tunes for various occasions and rituals. LP, Vinyl record album

Remixes of Reich by Coldcut, Howie B, Andrea Parker, Tranquility Bass, Mantronik, Nobukazu Takemura, D*Note, DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid & Ken Ishii. CD

Tony Allen never lets us down – and even though he's 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". CD

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Features Don Byron on bass clarinet and clarinet – with Graham Haynes on cornet, Edsel Gomez on piano, Kenny Davis on bass, Jerry Gonzalez on congas, and Ben Wittman on drums – plus some guest work from Bill Frisell on guitar and Ralph Peterson on drums! CD

A groundbreaking collaboration between Brian Eno & David Byrne – recorded with a spare, stripped down love of electronics and found sound samples – in a mode that would have a huge influence on countless records to come! Part of the set resonates with the quirky grooves found in Byrne's early Talking Heads records – but the overall sound is much more stark than that work, and is characterized by key found vocals and odd ethnic bits that really set the tone for each new tune. Eno's influence is felt strongly in the simplicity of the tracks, and in the darkly resonant production modes – that classic Eno touch used here before it became a bit too trademark, in a way that could still make a record like this sound great, even when coming from major label sources! A key force in shaping countless genres to come in the next 25 years – with great tracks that include "America Is Waiting", "Regiment", "The Jezebel Spirit", "Moonlight In Glory", "A Secret Life", "Come With Us", and "Mountain Of Needles". Plus, this new version adds in 7 more bonus tracks that include "Number 8 Mix", "Pitch To Voltage", "Two Against Three", "Vocal Outtakes", and "Defiant" – all a fair bit darker than the original album! CD

One of the few good things to come out of the cultural pillage of the Buena Vista Social Club was the reintroduction of soulful Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer to American audiences. Ferrer's voice is extremely wonderful, so much so that even cloying production by Ry Cooder can't keep it down. The set's got 11 numbers that are done in a fairly traditional style – and titles include "Silencio", "Herido De Sombras", "Bruca Manigua", "Mami Me Gusto", and "Que Bueno Baila Usted". CD

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A amazing single from guitarist Jeff Parker – sounds that both resonate with his long legacy of music, but which also really represent his strong new wave of growth in recent years! The tune has this kind of blocky groove – chunks of warm sound building up into a compelling rhythm, while Jeff solos beautifully over the top at the start – then more horns come into the mix and open up the tune with a beautiful array of colors and tones! 7-inch, Vinyl record

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Joshua Redman continues the wonderful groove he first began on his Elastic album – a well-named sound that's filled with lots of modal rhythms and a very soulful spirit! The style's a bit like that growing, more open-ended style of organ jazz at the end of the 60s – especially the sort that was showing up on some of John Patton's later albums, or the looser recordings of Groove Holmes and Lonnie Smith. Redman's working here on a variety of saxes, alongside great organ and keyboards from Sam Yahel, and exceptional work on drums from Brian Blade and Jeff Ballard. The album features guest work by Stefon Harris, Jeff Parker, Nicholas Payton, ?uestlove, and Meshell Ndegocello – and titles include "Soundcheck", "Sweet Nasty", "Just A Moment", "Shut Your Mouth", "The Crunge", "Riverwide", "Greasy G", "Lonely Woman", "Swunk", and "Put It In Your Pocket". CD

One of those rare cases where an all-star group is really worth the weight of its talent – as this quartet really sounds wonderful together, and make you know that you're in for a treat right from the very first note in the set! The best energy of the record might come from the rhythmic conception of drummer Brian Blade, and maybe a bit of the spirit of bassist Christian McBride – because pianist Brad Mehldau and tenorist Joshua Redman come off with all these really inventive, creative elements – very much structured around a sense of rhythm, although one that's nicely complex at most moments – a less-familiar sort of swing, and we mean that in the best way possible. Titles include "Father", "Floppy Diss", "Your Part To Play", ":Moe HOnk", "Right Back Round Again", and "Undertow". LP, Vinyl record album

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Some orchestral instrumental stuff, and some of Varese's early compositions from the twenties and thirties. Played by The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, with Jan De Gaetani mezzo-soprano, and Thomas Paul bass. LP, Vinyl record album

A far-reaching album by Caetano – with a wide scope of sounds and influences, from tribal/ethnic percussion, to subtle jazzy backdrops, to guitar-driven numbers that hint at a brief return to rock music. The rich tapestry of themes and images are perfectly linked by Veloso's always-wonderful voice – impeccably rich-toned, with a sound that only seems to get better with age. To us, the record's his first really striking album since 1997's Livro – although it's got a lot more subtlety, in the manner of some of his mid 70s work, like Bicho or Joia. Titles include "Michelangelo Antonioni", "Zera A Reza", "13 De Maio", "Zumbi", "Meu Rio", and "Sou Seu Sabia". 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

An excellent companion to David Lewiston's other recordings of Balinese gamelan and monkey chants, this set similarly captures the rippling beauty of the gong orchestra. Unlike the Javanese style, which Nonesuch made numerous volumes documenting, the Balinese approach is more aggressive, with a heavier rhythmic approach. Also included here is an excerpt of the great Ketjak monkey chant, with waves of chattering phasing in and out. 8 pieces in all, including "Gamelan Gong Kebyar", "Sekehe Gengong", "Lullaby" and "Gender Wayang: Ansarun". LP, Vinyl record album

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

Bill Frisell goes to Nashville – and finds a whole new outlet for his tremendous talents on guitar! The record's definitely got some of the elements you'd expect – some dobro from Jerry Douglas on another of tracks – plus bits of banjo, mandolin, and even some harmonica – but the whole thing is often in a very Frisell-familiar mode, with a sense of color, space and sound – just given a bit of a Nashville pitch! Robin Holcomb sings on three of the album's 14 tracks – and titles include "Family", "Pipe Down", "Go Jake", "One Of These Days", "Brother", "Mr Memory", "Gimme A Holler", "Shucks", and "The End Of The World". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set – featuring work by Charles Ives, Ornette Coleman, Bela Bartok, and Kevin Volans. CD

Pat Metheny on guitar, Christian McBride on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums. CD

Features Pat Metheny on guitars and synths, Lyle Mays on piano and keys, Steve Rodby on bass, Paul Wertico on drums, and Armando Marcal on percussion. Tracks include "Minuano (Six Eight)", "Last Train Home", "Distance", and "In Her Family". CD

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 legendary set of recordings – a collection whose title may have aged a bit with the passage of time, but whose contents continue to sound as powerful today as when they were first captured by musicologist David Lewiston in the 70s! The album focuses on strands of music with deeper African roots – music that might not be the sort you'd usually expect to hear from Colombia, Brazil, and Ecuador – as the sounds are spare and rootsy, and come across much more like ethnographic recordings from various West African regions in years past. Most numbers feature earthy percussion, vocals (often chanted), and some additional instrumentation – with a very timeless vibe, and a quality that's surprisingly consistent, especially given that the work was recorded in three different nations. Titles include "Capoeira", "Los Cholitos", "Salome", "Arullo San Antonio", "Candomble", "Currulao Cantado", and "Voy A Bando". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of our favorite Zorn "tribute" albums from the 80s – in this case a set of long pastiche tracks that pays hommage to pulp writer Mickey Spillane, Albert Collins, and the film Forbidden Fruit. The track "Spillane" is the best – a side-long number that features text by Arto Lindsay, plus John Lurie as the voice of Mike Hammer – over instrumentation by Bill Frisell, Anthony Coleman, Zorn, Jim Staley, Bob James, and Bobby Previte. "Two Lane Highway" is a showcase for solo work by Albert Collins, but Zorn nicely messes things up a lot with a New York downtown approach that includes John Patton, Bobby Previte, Ronald Shannon Jackson, and Wayne Horvitz. "Forbidden Fruit" features the Kronos Quartet augmented with voice by Ohta Hiromi and turntables by Christian Marclay! Also includes "Spillane" & "Two Lane Highway". LP, Vinyl record album

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