An amazing chapter in the career of British saxophonist Lol Coxhill – two completely wonderful albums recorded for the Ogun label in the mid 70s! The feel here is similar to Coxhill's seminal albums for Virgin a few years before – jazz that's free, but never too "out" – working in a lovely way to explore sound and tone with a sense of joy and whimsy – often making a brief nod to more traditional modes, but very much in its own spirit. There's a sense of wonder here that we'd almost compare to the best Rahsaan Roland Kirk work for Atlantic – and Coxhill plays soprano sax throughout, joined by players that include Michael Garrick on electric piano, Ken Shaw on guitar, John Mitchell on percussion, Veryan Weston on piano, and Colin Wood on cello. The CD features the full tracks from 2 albums – Joy Of Paranoia and Diverse – and titles include "Joy Of Paranoia Waltz", "The Wakefield Capers", "The Cluck Variations", "Loverman", "Perdido", "Diver", and "Divers". CD

A beautiful record – although one that's tinged with a touch of sadness, given the setting. In what was becoming an unfortunate tradition in their later years, the remaining members of the legendary South African jazz group The Blue Notes join together to mourn the passing of one of their original bandmembers – the great bassist Johnny Dyani, a player whose sound had a key influence on both African and European jazz scenes of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The group for this session is reduced to Chris McGregor on piano, Louis Moholo on bass, and Dudu Pukwana on alto and soprano saxes – working together in a beautiful session of tunes that hearken back to the rhythms of the group's roots – while still allowing some of the freer interplay that they discovered in later years. McGregor's piano is especially nice – tinged with sadness and appropriate blue notes – providing a nice undercurrent to the solo work of Pukwana. Titles include "Funk Dem Dudu", "Eyomzi", "Blues For Nick", and "Monks & Mbizo". CD

Maybe one of the most hard-burning performances ever recorded by this legendary South African jazz combo – a set dedicated to trumpeter Mongezi Feza, a key member of the group who'd passed away just a short time before the recording! The session was done in London, right after all four remaining members had come together for a memorial for Mongezi – and throughout the set, you can feel the raw emotion that's driving the performance – bold, freewheeling and very expressive sounds from the lineup of Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Chris McGregor on piano, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums – all players who pick up extra percussion and vocalize at points – almost in the tradition of the AACM, but more emotive too. The set features a double-length performance, titled "Blue Notes For Mongezi" – divided into four movements. CD

Seminal live work from this legendary group – a late 70s concert recorded in London, and one that shows just how much the Blue Notes had grown after leaving behind their South African scene! The combo is a quartet here – the mighty Chris McGregor on piano, Dudu Pukwana on alto, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums – playing in this mode that moves their earlier rhythmic progressions into much more freewheeling and spiritual territory – a showcase for some of the most striking work we've ever heard from Pukwana on record – at a level that marks him as still one of the most vibrant players on both the British and South African scenes of the decade. Everyone else is wonderful too, and the recording quality does some amazing things with the bass of Dyani – on titles that include "Ilizwi", "Abelusi", "Amadoda", "Nomsenge", "Ithi-Gqi", "Mhegebe", "Maje" and "We Nduna". CD reissue features additional material from the same performance! CD

A much-needed look at the early sound of The Blue Notes – a performance right before they left South Africa, and with a nicely different sound than some of their later London performances issued on the Ogun label! The group here are already very much in their own sound and spirit, but with less of the free improvisation of the 70s – more some of the rhythmic modes you'd know from other South African jazz of the period, but mixed with the kind of complexity you'd hear in a Charles Mingus record – all sorts of of amazing arrangements that are peppered with really wonderful solos from the members of the sextet! The lineup is different than the quartet and quintet dates of the following decade – with tenor saxophonist Nick Moyake working alongside Dudu Pukwana on alto, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, Chris McGregor on piano, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Luis Moholo on drums. The set features a range of great modern jazz compositions by the players – including "Coming Home", "Two For Sandi", "Dorkay House", "B My Dear", "Vortex Special", and "Now". CD

Amazing 70s work from British altoist Mike Osborne – working here with a razor sharp trio that includes Harry Miller on bass and Louis Moholo on drums. Osborne's tone is already tremendous at the start – but the added rhythmic pressure of Miller and Moholo really make the album cook – burning with more intensity than the usual Ogun session of the time, and really taking on a triple-sided sort of interplay that allows each player ample voice on the date. There's almost a late 50s Sonny Rollins Trio sort of legacy going on here – but one pushed to freer 70s dimensions at times – and the whole thing's a great testament to the hidden talents of the critically overlooked Osborne! The side-long "All Night Long" suite includes improvs on "All Night Long", "Rivers", "Round Midnight" and "Scotch Pearl", and side 2 is also taken up by "Recapulations", another suite featuring "Ken's Tune", "Country Bounce", "All Night Long" and "Trio Trio". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Scotch Pearl" and "Now & Then Here & Now". CD

Amazing 70s work from British altoist Mike Osborne – working here with a razor sharp trio that includes Harry Miller on bass and Louis Moholo on drums. Osborne's tone is already tremendous at the start – but the added rhythmic pressure of Miller and Moholo really make the album cook – burning with more intensity than the usual Ogun session of the time, and really taking on a triple-sided sort of interplay that allows each player ample voice on the date. There's almost a late 50s Sonny Rollins Trio sort of legacy going on here – but one pushed to freer 70s dimensions at times – and the whole thing's a great testament to the hidden talents of the critically overlooked Osborne! The side-long "All Night Long" suite includes improvs on "All Night Long", "Rivers", "Round Midnight" and "Scotch Pearl", and side 2 is also taken up by "Recapulations", another suite featuring "Ken's Tune", "Country Bounce", "All Night Long" and "Trio Trio". CD also features 2 bonus tracks – "Scotch Pearl" and "Now & Then Here & Now". CD

An excellent album by Lol Coxhill, and one that we'd rate right up there with his albums on Caroline, which we love. The first side of the album has him playing soprano with a group that actually gets a little funky – but not in a soul jazz way, more in the sort of Afro groove way that shows up on these Ogun albums from time to time. That side is one long piece called "The Wakefield Capers", and it's got Ken Shaw on electric guitar, and Paul Mitchell-Davidson on bass. Side two has more of Lol's spare soloing with additional musical backing, and he's playing on shorter tracks with either Michael Garrick on electric piano, or Veryan Weston on acoustic. Very nice stuff, and a record we don't see much! LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the most striking work we've heard from all the players in the group – and that's really saying a lot, given how many stunning records they gave us back in the 70s! The music here is wonderfully free and improvised, but also has a way of focusing on a specific element too – sometimes the piano pulsations of Keith Tippett, sometimes the very organic bass work of Chris Laurence, or the soulful alto sax work of Elton Dean, or intuitive percussion of Louis Moholo! The qualities are a bit hard to describe in words, but there's a vibe to the set that really shows why key players of the British 70s scene were often so different than their European counterparts – this mix of humanism and instrumental progressivism, sometimes a bit warmer than at other points – but balanced with freer flights of creativity. Titles include "Naima", "Dede Bup Bup", "Overdoing It", "Not Too Much", and "Nancy". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from the legendary Chris McGregor – a rare set of solo piano performances that shows a whole new side of his genius! The music here is still steeped in South African roots, yet has a style that's a bit more personal and intimate than some of Chris' better-known recordings with The Brotherhood Of Breath, or The Blue Notes – as McGregor here has to carry all the weight on his own – and does a tremendous job of spinning out these haunting melodies on piano – usually with a rhythmic pulse that's as compelling as the tune! The style's got echoes of previous Afro-inspired piano jazz from Randy Weston or Dollar Brand – but there's a deftness, and sense of feeling here that's completely McGregor's own – a really compelling quality that holds us rapt in ways that few other solo piano sets might do. This CD brings together lots more material than was on the original LP release – over 70s minutes of music, with track sthat include "Call", "Raincloud", "Umhome", "Mngqusho", "The Bride", "In His Good Time", "Ududu Nombambula", "Kwa Tebugo", and "Green Hymn". CD

Trevor Watts takes top billing on this album from the great UK collective Amalgam, working here in a trio format with Watts on saxophones, Colin McKenzie on bass guitar, and Liam Genockey on drums. CD

Maybe the most striking work we've heard from all the players in the group – and that's really saying a lot, given how many stunning records they gave us back in the 70s! The music here is wonderfully free and improvised, but also has a way of focusing on a specific element too – sometimes the piano pulsations of Keith Tippett, sometimes the very organic bass work of Chris Laurence, or the soulful alto sax work of Elton Dean, or intuitive percussion of Louis Moholo! The qualities are a bit hard to describe in words, but there's a vibe to the set that really shows why key players of the British 70s scene were often so different than their European counterparts – this mix of humanism and instrumental progressivism, sometimes a bit warmer than at other points – but balanced with freer flights of creativity. Titles include "Naima", "Dede Bup Bup", "Overdoing It", "Not Too Much", and "Nancy". CD features in four unissued bonus tracks, the most striking of the bunch – "Edeeupub", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Attic", and "Echoes". CD

A set that's got a lot more complicated class than you might expect from the title – really wonderful large ensemble arrangements penned by Dean, and definitely in the spirit that he claimed made the group the heir to Keith Tippett's previous group of the late 60s! The music here is all nicely inside, and pretty darn soulful – swinging and stepping with a bit more of a groove than some of the other Ogun Records work of the time – really back to that hip point at the end of the 60s, when British jazz groups stretched out in their spirit, but never got too avant in their style – a perfect blend that Dean really recreates here, with help from players who include Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Beckett on trumpet, Mark Charig on trumpet and tenor horn, Nick Evans and Radu Malfatti on trombones, Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums. Titles include "Nicrotto", "Seven For Lee", "Sweet FA", and "Three For All". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic material by McGregor, recorded in the post-Blue Notes years, but featuring old bandmates Dudu Pukwana, Mongezi Feza, and Louis Moholo. The group also includes some great Brit avant players – like Evan Parker, Radu Malfatti, Harry Miller, and Harry Beckett – and the whole performance was recorded live in Switzerland in 1974. The music is a mix of free out playing, yet still has traces of McGregor's roots in the South African jazz scene. Titles include "Tungis' Song", "The Serpents Kindly Eye", "Ismite Is Might", and "Kongi's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Not just four blokes, but a killer quartet led by legendary drummer Louis Moholo – one that works at the same searing intensity as his Blue Notes group in the 70s! The combo is especially adept at quick-paced, fast-thinking creativity – and really leap forward with a great sense of cohesion on some of the album's most emotive tracks – but they also know how to balance things out with some more contemplative and soulful passages, too – showing the rich sensitivity to sound that Moholo has developed over the years. Louis plays only a drum kit – but with a depth of sound that makes you feel as if he's got other percussion instruments in the mix – and the group also features Jason Yarde on saxes, John Edwards on bass, and Alexander Hawkins – and titles include "For The Blue Notes", "Yes Baby No Baby", "Angel Nomali", "Tears For Steve Biko", and "Khwalo". CD

An incredibly spiritual session from percussionist Louis Moholo and his ensemble Viva La Black – recorded on the occasion of a series of concerts in Moholo's homeland of South Africa – and done in a way that's as much a document of the group's trip as it is a recording of the music in the concerts. Many of the tracks are shorter passages that flow together with longer ones – piecing together the warm spirit and soulful expression allowed to the group during the tour. And the music itself shares in a heritage that runs back through the 60s work of Mingus and Roland Kirk, the 70s experiments of the AACM, and the rich jazz-in-exile work of Moholo himself! Instrumentation includes percussion, trumpet, saxes, piano, and bass – plus vocals from all the members of the group – and titles include "Use Less Sugar & Stir Like Hell", "Volunteered Slavery", "Woza", "Nikosi", "End Of Man", "Dudu P", "I'll Look All Over Afrika For You", "Drum Choir", and "Joyful Noise". CD

A key linking of two traditions of British avant jazz expression – and a session that's co-led by percussionist Louis Moholo and saxophonist Evan Parker! The sound here is almost more in Parker's camp than it is Moholo's – as the album's improvised tracks have a spare, contemplative quality that builds very slowly – working strongly in space and sound, as the group finds themselves through a rich array of techniques, tones, and expressions. Other players include Barry Guy on bass and piccolo bass (right channel), Gibo Pheto on bass (left channel), and Pule Pheto on piano – and titles include "Bush Fire", "For Chisa", "South Afrika Is Free OK", "Baobab", "Sticks", "Back Beat", and "Flaming July". CD

One of our favorite sides of the British avant scene in the 70s – a body of work that's out, but never too out – soaring on spiritual wings one moment, and working in playful blocks of sound the next! All three artists play saxes on the album – tenor for Akan Skidmore, alto for Mike Osborne, and baritone and soprano saxes for John Surman – while Skidmore also throws in a bit of drums and percussion, and Surman a bit of electronics – making for a multi-horn approach that's got some of the same compelling elements as the Lol Coxhill albums on Virgin, but performed here with a freer sort of soul as well! There's maybe a lot more warmth here than some of Surman's colder electronics/reeds records for other labels – and titles include "Goliath", "Ist", "Calypso", "Cycle Motion", "Chordary", and "Wherever I Am". CD

Maybe one of the most hard-burning performances ever recorded by this legendary South African jazz combo – a set dedicated to trumpeter Mongezi Feza, a key member of the group who'd passed away just a short time before the recording! The session was done in London, right after all four remaining members had come together for a memorial for Mongezi – and throughout the set, you can feel the raw emotion that's driving the performance – bold, freewheeling and very expressive sounds from the lineup of Dudu Pukwana on alto sax, Chris McGregor on piano, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums – all players who pick up extra percussion and vocalize at points – almost in the tradition of the AACM, but more emotive too. The set features a double-length performance, titled "Blue Notes For Mongezi" – divided into four movements. LP, Vinyl record album

A much-needed look at the early sound of The Blue Notes – a performance right before they left South Africa, and with a nicely different sound than some of their later London performances issued on the Ogun label! The group here are already very much in their own sound and spirit, but with less of the free improvisation of the 70s – more some of the rhythmic modes you'd know from other South African jazz of the period, but mixed with the kind of complexity you'd hear in a Charles Mingus record – all sorts of of amazing arrangements that are peppered with really wonderful solos from the members of the sextet! The lineup is different than the quartet and quintet dates of the following decade – with tenor saxophonist Nick Moyake working alongside Dudu Pukwana on alto, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, Chris McGregor on piano, Johnny Dyani on bass, and Luis Moholo on drums. The set features a range of great modern jazz compositions by the players – including "Coming Home", "Two For Sandi", "Dorkay House", "B My Dear", "Vortex Special", and "Now". CD

The title's a bit hokey, but the group's a great one – a saxophone quartet, led by Elton Dean and augmented by bass and drums, for a very unique sound! The style here is quite different than that of the over-used 80s sax quartet style – as the bass and drums propel the group into a much stronger groove, and relieve the other sax parts of any rhythm keeping, yet still allow them to be relatively free without any piano in the group. Dean plays both alto and saxello – and is joined by Trevor Watts on alto, Simon Pickard on tenor sax, and Paul Dunmall on tenor and baritone saxes – all coming together in a style that swings wonderfully, yet still has plenty of modern moments – with sounds that almost recall the greatness of Roland Kirk or George Braith! Titles include "Unda", "Rising", "Seven For Lee", "Small Strides", and "Fall In Free". CD

Very freewheeling live work from the legendary Elton Dean – recorded at a time when he'd already been through a huge 70s run of records in Soft Machine, and a fair bit of his own dates as a leader – and was one of the key saxophonists on the British scene! Here, he works with a very likeminded quartet of players – all musicians who are very much in the Ogun Records side of Dean's talents – with Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo-Moholo on drums – spinning out these long tracks that hit occasional spiritual currents before taking off into even freer territory! Titles include "Oasis (version 2)" and "Seven For Lee Variations". CD

A fantastic collection of sounds from the Nigerian scene at the end of the 60s – music in the apala mode, a highly rhythmic blend of percussion, voices, and thumb piano – served up with a style that's a lot grittier than some of the more commercial music of the time! These tracks are wonderfully raw, and completely hypnotic – all these criss-crossing changes and complicated elements at play in the percussion, but in ways that draw us in right away – then hold us in rapt attention at all the amazing elements going on! The style is maybe a key link between the West African modes that had been captured earlier by ethnographic recordings, and some of the sounds that would soon arise in more mainstream studios – and this collection is supposedly the first ever apala compilation issued outside of Nigeria, all done in the usual top-shelf Soul Jazz style. Titles include "Agilinti Lomu" by RA Tikalosoro & His Group, "Ewure Ile Komoyi Ode" by Haruna Ishola & His Apala Group, "Lekele Bale" by Adebukonla Ajao & Her Group, "Oko Lolomo" by Ayisatu Alabi & Her Group, "Orin Aje" by Rapheal Ajide & His Apala Group, "Rufai Balogun" by Haruna Ihsola & His Apala Group, and "Oriki Ibeji" by Jimoh Agbejo Bo Ogun & His Group. CD

Excellent sounds from Ojo Balingo – a Nigerian juju artist from the same stretch as King Sunny Ade – but one whose music is much more obscure to audiences on this side of the Atlantic! Balingo's group here has the loose, spontaneous vibe that characterizes juju at its best – this real sense of jamming, especially in the criss-crossing of the percussion, which is tremendous throughout – a real driving force of the music, and exploding with all these melodic elements as much as rhythmic ones – so much so, that the talking between the drums speaks volumes, even before the vocals come into the mix. The whole thing's a masterpiece of creative percussion, mixed with other elements that creep in a bit more strongly on side two – and titles include "Oba Mimo Olorun Ayo", "Ayo Igbala Ni Mofe, "Igbe Eiye Oloburo", "Jide Babaloa & Bayo Babalola", and "Ile Aiye Ile Ese Ile Aiye Ogun". LP, Vinyl record album

No boundaries here, as the album resonates with all of the freedoms that Elton Dean was exploring in his post-rock years – a sound heard most famously on his Ogun recordings of the 70s, but done in very much the same spirit on this rare Japo outing from 1980! Players in the group include well-known British jazz associates Louis Moholo on drums and Keith Tippett on piano and marimba – as well as Mark Charig on cornet and Marcio Mattos on bass – and the tunes have a quality that's very concerned with sound overall, as much as it is the individual lines of the players – a sometimes floating way that's kind of a harder take on the ECM avant sound of the time. Titles include "Boundaries", "Oasis", "Basho", "Out Of Bounds", and "Fast News". LP, Vinyl record album

The great Elton Dean is a musician with a huge legacy in British jazz and rock – including, famously, some time in Soft Machine, where he really helped transform their sound – and long work as an underground hero of the 70s scene, as a key player whose edge never dulled at all! That's definitely the case in this unreleased live performance from the end of the decade – a stunning concert that has Dean on a variety of saxes, blowing both with unbridled freedom, and an occasional sense of swing – set up in an equally-great lineup that also features Keith Tippett on piano, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo Moholo on drums! You might think of this one as being an addition to Dean's work on Ogun Records from the time – but there's a nice break, in that the concert begins with one completely long free jazz track, then features two shorter swingers, and then balances both modes nicely. Titles include "Oasis", "Seven For Lee", "That's For Cha", "Dede Bup Bup", and "Fara". CD

The great second album from Chris McGregor's Brotherhood Of Breath – a record that's much more obscure than the group's debut, and which has them moving into even deeper territory! As before, there's a wonderful post-colonial groove going on here – one that builds from McGregor's roots in South African jazz, but inflects it with some of the bolder, more modern modes of the London jazz scene in Chris worked after leaving Africa in 1964. But unlike before, some of the more free-thinking London styles take even stronger roles here – stretching out in solos that are a bit looser and more exploratory, and which point the way towards the more avant-oriented direction that McGregor and contemporaries would take in the Ogun years – yet not in ways that leave behind the inherent sense of rhythm in the music. The album starts out with rolling South African jazz piano lines that are quite familiar – but then soon opens up into much less structured territory, with solo work from players who include Mongezi Feza, Harry Beckett, Alan Skidmore, Mike Osborne, Harry Miller, Gary Windo, Dudu Pukwana, and Nick Evans. Most tracks are long – and titles include "Think Of Something", "Joyful Noises", "Nick Tete", "Do It", and "Funky Boots March". CD

A bold early statement from British alto player Mike Osborne – a previously-unissued session from 1972, and one that burns with even more fire than his better-known albums for Ogun! The session is a nearly all-star one from the brightest years of the British jazz underground – and features Osborne alongside John Surman on soprano and baritone saxes, Alan Skidmore on tenor, Harry Miller on bass, and Louis Moholo on drums – all freely crafting sounds in space with the dynamism and energy of the Ornette Coleman group during the Dewey Redman years, but also with some of the stronger freedoms of the 70s European scene. Titles include "Shapes (parts 1 & 2)", "Staight Jack", and "Double It". CD

A really beautiful record – one that takes the usual sound of vibes in jazz, and moves them into slightly rootsier territory – mixing the lead instrument of Ricardo Valverde with bass, drums, and a trio of percussionists who really shape the sound! The approach is very unique, and even the guest appearance of other instruments along the way – trombone, trumpet, guitar, and flute – never seems to change the vibe too much, and instead really preserves the wonderfully inherent beauty of the whole recording! Valverde's touch on the vibes creates these gentle explosions of color that are really beautiful – almost blossoming along the pathways created by the percussion – on titles that include "Ogun", "Mensageiro", "Xango", "Oxalufan", "Seu Arariboia", "Tema Para Odoya", "Nana", and "Oxum". CD

An overlooked gem from the British free jazz scene of the 70s – a set issued on the Bead Records label, and one that got very little circulation at the time – but which is equally as mindblowing as work from the period on labels like Ictus and Ogun! The duo here features Roy Ashbury on drums and percussion, and Larry Stabbins on soprano and tenor – working in this free, open space, but on tracks that are often shorter than album-length improvisations – which allows the players to stop a minute, take a breath, and move into these nicely varied moments of spontaneous creation! You might know Stabbins from later 80s work on more groove-oriented records – but here, he's a tremendousimproviser, with a sense for creative reedwork that might well rival his contemporary Evan Parker. Titles include "Puff", "Formants Of The Deep", "Wych Elm", "Fire Without Bricks", "Rough Cut", and "Maldoror". CD

A pair of really unusual albums from Mike Cooper – presented here in a single package! The core set, Life & Death In Paradise, is one of the last in a run of classics that Cooper gave the world at the start of his career – and has really unusual collaborations with members of the London jazz scene – including bassist Harry Miller, saxophonist Mike Osborne, and drummer Louis Moholo! The jazz component of the record is small – this is definitely acoustic singer/songwriter material, not the work the musicians might have issued on the Ogun label – but the set does represent a really nice shift for Cooper, and a great setting for the kind of offbeat songs he does so well. Titles include "Critical Incidents", "OMM Coda", "Suicide De Luxe", "Black Night Crash", "Rocket Summer", and the long "Life & Death In Paradise" suite. The package also features material from many years later – a live acoustic set recorded in Milan in 2018, showing Cooper still as a hell of a talent, with an even more complex understanding of the acoustic guitar – matched by his own unique vocalizations on some of the best tracks. Titles include "Peach Trees", "In Moments Of Reverie", "Lord Franklin", "Sage & Thyme", and "Industrial Hazard". CD

A rootsy set with a jazzy vibe – a set that blends the wonderful vocals of Eloah with some heavy percussion, soaring horns, and other great instrumental touches – all in a blend of modes that's pretty darn unique! The album might belong in the school of samba, but it's got a much more ambitious vibe overall – as if those core samba inspirations were taken to new heights through some of the larger, fuller arrangements that were bubbling in the Brazilian scene of the period – as you might find in the music of Edu Lobo or Marcos Valle! Eloah's also got a power that's all her own, too – some of the soul of a singer like Elza Soares, but also the kind of majesty we love in the music of Zelia Barbosa – or in a male version, maybe Geraldo Vandre – who's an equally unique artist of his own. The whole thing's a real lost treasure – with a vibe that's more late 60s than late 70s, given the production and instrumentation – and titles include "Oxala", "Exu", "Ogun", "Xango", "Yemanja Berimbau", "Axe Opo Afonja Aluja", and "Logun Ede". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliantly bold work from pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi – an artist who's really coming into her own for the 70s – stepping out in a big band format that would win her a wide new audience on both sides of the Pacific! The album's one of the first to feature the ensemble co-led with husband Lew Tabackin – a group that features strong work from American players who include Dick Spencer and Gary Foster on alto saxes, Tabackin and Tom Peterson on tenor, Bill Perkins on baritone, Bobby Shew and Don Rader on trumpets, and Charles Loper and Jim Sawyer on trombones. The horns are only part of the picture, though – as the inventive writing and arranging from Akiyoshi is what really makes the album great – a strong sense of painting with sound, while still keeping things swinging – really unlocking all the best elements that had been opened up for larger ensembles in the previous few years. The set features all original tracks that include "Kogun", "American Ballad", "Henpecked Old Man", "Elegy", and "Memory". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Reedman Nat Birchall digs deep for this masterful set – creating timeless music that easily stands next to the work of some of his key ancestors in jazz – especially musicians of the generation of John Coltrane! The set is one that has Birchall layering his tenor, soprano, and baritone solos with other self-created sounds – on piano, organ, balaphon, shruti box, bass, and other percussion – all with this slow-building, extremely spiritual quality that never lets up! The music feels much more like the work of a cohesive jazz combo than it does a solo performance by one artist – and that's another testament to the ever-growing powers of Nat, one of our favorite forces in jazz for more than the past decade! Titles include "The Drum Thing", "Sun In Libra", "Song Of The Ancestors, "Ogunde Uarerre", "Africa", and "One For The Son". LP, Vinyl record album

The last concert ever played by the great John Coltrane – and, as with some of his other recordings from 1967, a record that really shows the Great One stepping out into some territory we would have loved him to explore more, had he not left our world too soon! The group here has tremendous tenor from Pharoah Sanders – alongside work from Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – joined by the more obscure Algie DeWitt, who plays bata drum on the session – alongside other percussion work that's been credited to Jumma Santos. The setting is the African Culture Center in New York, headed by percussionist Olatunji – which makes the added percussion even more important for the recording – and the set features a short introduction by Billy Taylor, and 2 long tracks: "Ogunde" and "My Favorite Things". 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! The blend of soul, jazz, and other elements is fantastic – really pushing forward all the energy that's made the group so great, right from the start – and the core lineup features Joe Armon-Jones on keyboards, James Mollison on tenor, Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet, TJ Koleoso on bass, and Femi Koleoso on drums – the last two of whom really drive the music in a wonderful way! There's some vocal guests on the set too – including Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean, and Moonchild Sanelly – but most of the set is instrumental. Titles include "Palm Wine", "Hear My Cry", "No One's Watching Me", "God Gave Me Feet For Dancing", "The Traveler", "Shaking Body", "Streets Is Calling", and "The Herald". 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! The blend of soul, jazz, and other elements is fantastic – really pushing forward all the energy that's made the group so great, right from the start – and the core lineup features Joe Armon-Jones on keyboards, James Mollison on tenor, Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet, TJ Koleoso on bass, and Femi Koleoso on drums – the last two of whom really drive the music in a wonderful way! There's some vocal guests on the set too – including Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean, and Moonchild Sanelly – but most of the set is instrumental. Titles include "Palm Wine", "Hear My Cry", "No One's Watching Me", "God Gave Me Feet For Dancing", "The Traveler", "Shaking Body", "Streets Is Calling", and "The Herald". LP, Vinyl record album

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! The blend of soul, jazz, and other elements is fantastic – really pushing forward all the energy that's made the group so great, right from the start – and the core lineup features Joe Armon-Jones on keyboards, James Mollison on tenor, Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet, TJ Koleoso on bass, and Femi Koleoso on drums – the last two of whom really drive the music in a wonderful way! There's some vocal guests on the set too – including Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean, and Moonchild Sanelly – but most of the set is instrumental. Titles include "Palm Wine", "Hear My Cry", "No One's Watching Me", "God Gave Me Feet For Dancing", "The Traveler", "Shaking Body", "Streets Is Calling", and "The Herald". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a hypnotic image on the cover, and a very hypnotic sound within – all sorts of great guitar lines wrapped around basslines and percussion, percolating in a lean take on highlife – that earlier version of the material, before things got a bit more cleaned up and commercialized in the world music generation! Orlando's got a very down to earth approach – and works here with the group in a way that's very spontaneous – relaxed, yet grooving too, as they make their way through two side-long medleys of work. Side one features a mix that starts with "Festac 77" – and side two begins with "Adogunro Jaiye Jaiye", then runs into other grooves too. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic batch of grooves – and a much-needed document of the rich array of funky sounds that were coming out of Nigeria in the 1970s! The country's best known as the homeland of Fela Kuti – an artist who forever changed the face of global funk – but what's not as well known is that there were a number of other artists operating in Fela's shadow, crafting their own interpretation of American soul and African funk during the same generation. This overstuffed package offers a great look (and listen) into that scene – and compiles tracks by a few artists you might already recognize, plus others that are presented here for the first time in such a set. As with other compilations on the Strut label, the notes are very well done, with loads of information and details on the recordings – but even more importantly, the music is fantastic, with a rich array of grooves that blows away most other recent compilations of Afro Funk from the 70s! Titles include "Enjoy Yourself" by Sahara All Stars Band, "Shango" by Peter King, "Dancing Time" by The Funkees, "Ikon Allah" by Bala Miller & The Great Music Pirameeds Of Afrika, "Tire Loma Da Nigbehin" by Monomono, "Kita Kita" by Gasper Lawal, "Agboju Logun" by Shina Williams & His African Percussionists, "Akayan Ekassa" by Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maesstroes, "Ja Fun Mi (inst)" by Sunny Ade, "Alla Wakbarr" by Ofo The Black Company, "Ifa" by Tunji Oyelana & The Benders, "Jenu Ko Ku" by Fela & Africa 70, "La La La" by Segun Bucknor, and "Orere Elejigbo" by Lijadu Sisters. 3LP set – with a total of 15 tracks, and notes on the inside of the cover on the music! LP, Vinyl record album

The last concert ever played by the great John Coltrane – and, as with some of his other recordings from 1967, a record that really shows the Great One stepping out into some territory we would have loved him to explore more, had he not left our world too soon! The group here has tremendous tenor from Pharoah Sanders – alongside work from Alice Coltrane on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Rashied Ali on drums – joined by the more obscure Algie DeWitt, who plays bata drum on the session – alongside other percussion work that's been credited to Jumma Santos. The setting is the African Culture Center in New York, headed by percussionist Olatunji – which makes the added percussion even more important for the recording – and the set features a short introduction by Billy Taylor, and 2 long tracks: "Ogunde" and "My Favorite Things". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great little live set from the glory days of the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band – a series of performances from Japan, recorded in 1976, all featuring the ensemble at its best! The double-length nature of the record takes the group even farther than usual – really letting them stretch out with the kind of bold tones and broad colors that made the group so great. Soloists include Bobby Shew on trumpet, Jimmy Knepper on trombone, and Gary Foster on alto sax – alongside leaders Lew Tabackin on tenor and flute, and Toshiko Akioshi on piano. Titles include a nicely dancing reading of the classic "Warning: Success May Be Hazardous To Your Health" – plus "Kogun", "Henpecked Old Man", "Tuning Up", "Since Perry/Yet Another Tear", and "Soliloquy". LP, Vinyl record album

The first Impulse album issued after the early death of John Coltrane – and one of his last sessions for the label as well! The record's got a somber, introspective quality that almost hints at the darkness to come – a new way of reaching the spiritual planes that Coltrane was striving for in his music, but with gentler, more individual energy than before. Alice Coltrane plays piano on all tracks, and Coltrane plays tenor throughout – except for the long track "To Be", which has him on flute and Pharaoh Sanders on piccolo! There's a quality here that's almost like some of Alice Coltrane's later work as a leader – very warm, and almost meditative at times. Titles include "To Be", "Offering", "Expression", and "Ogunde". CD contains a bonus track – "Number One" – nearly 12 minutes long, and not on the original album! CD

The fourth of the great Impulse box set series of essential Coltrane – Live At The Village Vanguard Again!, Expression, Om, Cosmic Music and Selflessness in a 5CD set! First in '66, Coltrane returns to the Village Vanguard – but his sound here is a lot more far-reaching than a few years before! The album's a great counterpart to the first Vanguard session – as it takes all of the bold, soaring energy of that date, and balances it with the newly introspective sound of the later Coltrane years. Includes an incredibly soulful version of "Naima", and a very firey version of "My Favorite Things", but one that begins with a haunting bass solo by Garrison and a 6+ minute intro! Expression is first Impulse album issued after the early death of John Coltrane. It's got a somber, introspective quality that almost hints at the darkness to come – a new way of reaching the spiritual planes that Coltrane was striving for in his music, but with gentler, more individual energy than before. Alice Coltrane plays piano on all tracks, and Coltrane plays tenor throughout – except for the long track "To Be", which has him on flute and Pharaoh Sanders on piccolo! Other titles include "Offering", "Expression", and "Ogunde". Om is one of Coltrane's spiritual masterpieces from the 60s – and one of his most open-ended sessions to date! The album features one long track – "Om" – a meditative ode that features the playing of Pharoah Sanders, Don Garrett, and Joe Brazil – in addition to the usual Coltrane quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones. Cosmic Music is a haunting set, with a few tracks that are dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. Tracks include "The Sun", "Reverend King", "Manifestation", and the incredible spiritual track "Lord Help Me To Be". Selflessness features 2 tracks recorded at the Newport Jazz fest in 1963 – both with Roy Haynes on drums, plus the usual McCoy Tyner/Jimmy Garrison lineup. One of these cuts is a very long reading of "My Favorite Things" – with a sweet loping modal groove, but soloing that is quite a bit more "out" than the famous studio version. The 3rd track on the album – "Selflessness" – was recorded in LA in 1965, and it features Raphael Don Garrett on bass clarinet, adding some nice Dolphy-esque touches. CD

Tight hip hop from the superhero team of Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric – mostly produced by 7L, with a most welcome guest producer in the legendary DJ Premier – and it's a strong statement from the underappreciated Wu Tang gamer and the ever-creative DJ 7L! On the production tip, 7L pays homage to classic Wu without copying it – and utilizing both classic and completely leftfield samples in a fresh, funky way. The rhymes by Deck and Eso are top shelf, too – with a guest list that includes Roc Marciano, Oh No, Ghostface and others. Includes "Air 'Em Out", "Cement 3's" feat Roc Marciano, "Czar Refaeli" feat Oh No, "Rock Beat", "Savagely Attacked" feat Ghostface Killah, "Marvel Team-Up", "It's Raw" feat Action Bronson, "Let It Off", "Word War 4", "Poisonous Thoughts" feat Mr. Mfn Exquire, "Shoguns" feat Cappadonna & Vinnie Paz, "Hazmat Rap" and the DJ Premier-produced "Let It Off". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare outtakes from the 80s – with titles that include "Trust Yourself", "Emotionally Yours", "Danville Girl", "Driftin Too Far From The Shore", "Go Away Little Boy", "Number 3", "Tight Connection", "Clean Cut Kid", "Something's Burning Baby", and "The Very Thought Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

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! The blend of soul, jazz, and other elements is fantastic – really pushing forward all the energy that's made the group so great, right from the start – and the core lineup features Joe Armon-Jones on keyboards, James Mollison on tenor, Ife Ogunjobi on trumpet, TJ Koleoso on bass, and Femi Koleoso on drums – the last two of whom really drive the music in a wonderful way! There's some vocal guests on the set too – including Yazmin Lacey, Olivia Dean, and Moonchild Sanelly – but most of the set is instrumental. Titles include "Palm Wine", "Hear My Cry", "No One's Watching Me", "God Gave Me Feet For Dancing", "The Traveler", "Shaking Body", "Streets Is Calling", and "The Herald". 2CD edition comes with four bonus tracks – instrumental versions of "No One's Watching Me" and "Streets Is Calling" – and live versions of "Ajala" and "Little Things". CD

The first Impulse album issued after the early death of John Coltrane – and one of his last sessions for the label as well! The record's got a somber, introspective quality that almost hints at the darkness to come – a new way of reaching the spiritual planes that Coltrane was striving for in his music, but with gentler, more individual energy than before. Alice Coltrane plays piano on all tracks, and Coltrane plays tenor throughout – except for the long track "To Be", which has him on flute and Pharaoh Sanders on piccolo! There's a quality here that's almost like some of Alice Coltrane's later work as a leader – very warm, and almost meditative at times. Titles include "To Be", "Offering", "Expression", and "Ogunde". LP, Vinyl record album