Great live work from the Cannonball Adderley Quintet – recorded during a time when the group's star was really rising on Capitol Records, but at a level that's got the more open-ended, freely-blown style of their classic concert dates for Riverside! The material here was all recorded for radio in Seattle, and the fidelity is excellent – sounds that are sharp as any of the group's key live albums of the period – with some very hip announcements between a few of the tracks! And unlike some radio live issues on the market, this one is nice and long – with eight long tracks that really open up – full of magical moments from Cannonball on alto, Nat Adderley on cornet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Victor Gaskin on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums. Titles include "Sticks", "Big P", "The Girl Next Door", "Back Home Blues", "Hippodelphia", "74 Miles Away", "Morning Of The Carnival", and Somewhere". CD

Tremendous work from tenorist George Coleman – featured here in the sort of setting that really reminds us of his genius when allowed to really open up and blow! The tracks are long, and the material was recorded by the Left Bank Jazz Society – that Baltimore-based organization that's managed to capture important (and excellent) sessions over the years, including classics from Lee Morgan and Wynton Kelly. Coleman was on one of the Kelly dates, but is even better here as a leader – and works with an unusual group that includes Danny Moore on trumpet, Albert Dailey on piano, Larry Ridley on bass, and Harold White on drums – with nice use of trumpet that keeps the record from being very different than just a live date from a tenorist with rhythm section. Titles include long takes of "Joy Spring", "Afternoon In Paris", "Sandu", and "Body & Soul". CD

An overlooked moment of genius from Canadian bassist Neil Swainson – maybe the only album of his we've seen as a leader, and a tremendous showcase for the talents of Joe Henderson on tenor and Woody Shaw on trumpet! The album's a beautiful burner – filled with original songs by Neil, and handled by the group with some of the soulful flow you'd find on the best Woody Shaw albums for Muse Records in the 70s – a mode that's very much out of time, especially as the whole thing was issued on the Concord label, which isn't usually such a strong showcase for material as soulful and expressive as this! The rest of the combo features Jerry Fuller on drums and Gary Williamson on piano – and titles include "Don't Hurt Yourself", "49th Parallel", "Port Of Spain", "On The Lam", "Labyrinth", and "Southern Exposure". CD

An overlooked moment of genius from Canadian bassist Neil Swainson – maybe the only album of his we've seen as a leader, and a tremendous showcase for the talents of Joe Henderson on tenor and Woody Shaw on trumpet! The album's a beautiful burner – filled with original songs by Neil, and handled by the group with some of the soulful flow you'd find on the best Woody Shaw albums for Muse Records in the 70s – a mode that's very much out of time, especially as the whole thing was issued on the Concord label, which isn't usually such a strong showcase for material as soulful and expressive as this! The rest of the combo features Jerry Fuller on drums and Gary Williamson on piano – and titles include "Don't Hurt Yourself", "49th Parallel", "Port Of Spain", "On The Lam", "Labyrinth", and "Southern Exposure". CD

Tremendous work from tenorist George Coleman – featured here in the sort of setting that really reminds us of his genius when allowed to really open up and blow! The tracks are long, and the material was recorded by the Left Bank Jazz Society – that Baltimore-based organization that's managed to capture important (and excellent) sessions over the years, including classics from Lee Morgan and Wynton Kelly. Coleman was on one of the Kelly dates, but is even better here as a leader – and works with an unusual group that includes Danny Moore on trumpet, Albert Dailey on piano, Larry Ridley on bass, and Harold White on drums – with nice use of trumpet that keeps the record from being very different than just a live date from a tenorist with rhythm section. Titles include long takes of "Joy Spring", "Afternoon In Paris", "Sandu", and "Body & Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked moment of genius from Canadian bassist Neil Swainson – maybe the only album of his we've seen as a leader, and a tremendous showcase for the talents of Joe Henderson on tenor and Woody Shaw on trumpet! The album's a beautiful burner – filled with original songs by Neil, and handled by the group with some of the soulful flow you'd find on the best Woody Shaw albums for Muse Records in the 70s – a mode that's very much out of time, especially as the whole thing was issued on the Concord label, which isn't usually such a strong showcase for material as soulful and expressive as this! The rest of the combo features Jerry Fuller on drums and Gary Williamson on piano – and titles include "Don't Hurt Yourself", "49th Parallel", "Port Of Spain", "On The Lam", "Labyrinth", and "Southern Exposure". LP, Vinyl record album

Searing sounds from this excellent duo – Rodrigo Amado on tenor and Chris Corsano on drums – both musicians that have such a clear, tight understanding of each other that they're able to improvised freely in fantastic ways – whether moving at top speed as a duo, or stepping carefully around empty sonic space as they fill things in together! The record is one that really elevates our appreciation of both musicians, and which will have us certainly keeping an ear out for lots more in the future – and Amado especially is really emerging as a bold-toned tenorist with a strong current of soul. Titles include "Don't Take It Too Bad", "Announcement", "We'll Be Here In The Morning", "No Place To Fall", and "Into The Valley". CD

Beautiful early work from Please – aka Peter Dunton, who went onto more famous underground activity in the seminal jazz psych group T2! The music here shares a lot of the melodic qualities of that great group – music that's certainly rock, but which borrows freely from some of the hipper jazz styles of the time – especially modal jazz, which seems to influence the rhythms amidst the acoustic guitar and vocals! Most of the tracks are relatively spare, but have a full sort of energy because of this influence – and a few of the demo tracks are maybe straighter folk/rock, but still have a really wonderful sound. Titles include "One More Chance", "Said & Done", "Eternity", "Gently As You Feel", "To Dream", "Don't Mind Me", "Circus Man", "Silent Falling", "Lord Of Misrule", and "Nothing's What It Seems". CD

A fantastic album from Reel People – and warmly collaborative, too – thanks to contributions from Mica Paris, Angie Stone, Navasha Daya, Omar, Tony Momrelle, and a host of others! Reel People have always given us fantastic grooves – classic club-styled cuts, but with a lean modern vibe – and the presence of these super-strong singers really pushes things over the top – maybe even making the record the best we've ever heard from the peeps! There's plenty of warmth in the instrumentation – jazzy touches, sweet gliding rhythms, and a vibe that easily has Reel People filling a space on the London scene that's been a bit empty over the past few years – right up there with the best territory once traversed by Incognito or Brand New Heavies. Titles include "Don't Stop The Music", "I Want To Thank You", "Thinking About Your Love", "Keep It Up", "I'm In Love", "Buttercup", "Always There", and "Can We Pretend". CD

Raw, incendiary live material from The Stooges, circa 1970 – recorded at NYC dive bar Ungano's, right around the time that Fun House was released! They blast through nearly all the tracks from Fun House here, minus "LA Blues", and with the rare "Have Some Fun/My Dream Is Dead", which as far as we know, was never released before Rhino Handmade dug up this incredible recording. The source was a reel-to-reel capture by someone in the audience, so the sound is a bit rough – which is of little concern when what we have here is a really important building block in creation of punk rock! Plus, the whole thing also begins with "Going To Ungano's" – street conversation that makes you feel like you're outside, going into the show. CD

A return to greatness for the legendary Tribe Records scene in Detroit – an underground movement that gave us some spiritual jazz classics in the 70s – then kept on making wonderful music at an even more underground level as the years went on! This set is a collection of work from three rare recordings issued during that time – all on CD only, and representing a maybe even more obscure side of this legacy than the Tribe albums of the 70s! First up is trombonist Phil Ranelin – heading up a group that includes Wendell Harrison on tenor and Marcus Belgrave on trumpet – two key Tribe partners from the early years – really stretching out on the titles "He The One We All Knew" and "Freddie's Groove", both recorded in 1990. Next is material from a 1995 performance led by pianist Harold McKinney – a set that's got an incredible depth of imagination and soul, almost as much as Harold McKinney's work of years back! The group is a wonderfully hip one – with former Tribe artists Wendell Harrison on tenor and clarinet and Marcus Belgrave on trumpet – plus additional players who include Kiane Zawadi on trombone, Reggie Workman on bass, Francisco Mora on percussion, and Jimmy Owens on trumpet. There's a bit of vocals, but never that much – and most tracks are long and open – freely exploratory, but never too far out or avant-styled – just soulful and spiritual, in the true Tribe Records tradition! Titles include "Wide & Blue", "The Slave Ship Enterprise", "Juba", "Libra Ahora", and "Conjure Man". Last is a set of tracks recorded in 2014 by keyboardist Pamela Wise – a record that really carries forward the Tribe Records spirit from the 70s! The overall approach is a bit more contemporary, but the set's still got all the best feel of a classic indie album from the underground – played and penned by Wise in close collaboration with reedman Wendell Harrison, a frequent partner of Pamela's on a variety of projects, and one of the driving forces of Tribe back in the day! Wise plays both acoustic and electric keyboards, and sometimes sings just slightly – although most of the album is instrumental – and in addition to Harrison's work on tenor and bass clarinet, the album features trumpet, guitar, and lots of percussion. Titles include "Ode To Black Mothers", "Hometown", and "Marcus Garvey". CD

A return to greatness for the legendary Tribe Records scene in Detroit – an underground movement that gave us some spiritual jazz classics in the 70s – then kept on making wonderful music at an even more underground level as the years went on! This set is a collection of work from three rare recordings issued during that time – all on CD only, and representing a maybe even more obscure side of this legacy than the Tribe albums of the 70s! First up is trombonist Phil Ranelin – heading up a group that includes Wendell Harrison on tenor and Marcus Belgrave on trumpet – two key Tribe partners from the early years – really stretching out on the titles "He The One We All Knew" and "Freddie's Groove", both recorded in 1990. Next is material from a 1995 performance led by pianist Harold McKinney – a set that's got an incredible depth of imagination and soul, almost as much as Harold McKinney's work of years back! The group is a wonderfully hip one – with former Tribe artists Wendell Harrison on tenor and clarinet and Marcus Belgrave on trumpet – plus additional players who include Kiane Zawadi on trombone, Reggie Workman on bass, Francisco Mora on percussion, and Jimmy Owens on trumpet. There's a bit of vocals, but never that much – and most tracks are long and open – freely exploratory, but never too far out or avant-styled – just soulful and spiritual, in the true Tribe Records tradition! Titles include "Wide & Blue", "The Slave Ship Enterprise", "Juba", "Libra Ahora", and "Conjure Man". Last is a set of tracks recorded in 2014 by keyboardist Pamela Wise – a record that really carries forward the Tribe Records spirit from the 70s! The overall approach is a bit more contemporary, but the set's still got all the best feel of a classic indie album from the underground – played and penned by Wise in close collaboration with reedman Wendell Harrison, a frequent partner of Pamela's on a variety of projects, and one of the driving forces of Tribe back in the day! Wise plays both acoustic and electric keyboards, and sometimes sings just slightly – although most of the album is instrumental – and in addition to Harrison's work on tenor and bass clarinet, the album features trumpet, guitar, and lots of percussion. Titles include "Ode To Black Mothers", "Hometown", and "Marcus Garvey". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from the glory days of the adult film – hundreds of posters that were used to publicize erotic cinema – often themselves a masterpiece in erotic aesthetics! Given that most of the posters were outside the theater, open to the public, there's a fair bit of hide and seek, teasing-type material here – at a level that's maybe even more creative than the images on the screen, especially when set to the typography and color filters of the late 60s/early 70s print world! The book features all posters in full color, and also intersperses some bits from magazines and other publications too – all at a level that's really playful, reveling in the style of the genre, while also poking a slight bit of fun. Graham Marsh was the art director, and you may know his name from a number of excellent album cover books – and overall, most images are softcore at best, with a small amount of nudity – although there are some heavier images from time to time. 352 pages, hardcover, and in full color. Book

Lost work from Sun Ra – pulled from two different tapes recorded in the Bay Area in 1971! Disc one features an obscure performance – even by Ra standards – done at the Warehouse in San Francisco, with a group of unlisted players, all of whom really hit some of the farthest-reaching Arkestra modes of the time. The sound is often quite free, and relatively out – but a few sparer tracks feature great instrumental pairings that include percussion and trombone, and percussion with moog from Ra! Titles include "Discipline", "Enlightenment", "Satellites Are Spinning", and 3 more unidentified tracks. Disc two is quite different, but equally compelling – as it features Sun Ra speaking before a class at UC Berkeley, spinning out his thoughts in a relatively freewheeling manner! The lecture covers a number of themes similar to his writings of the time – quite political at moments, and always pretty compelling. CD

Freely improvised sounds from a trio that features bassist Torbjorn Zetterberg and trumpeter Susana Santos Silva – both musicians we've loved together in the past – joined here by alto saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos, who seems to give them a much freer sound overall! The tracks are very open in shape and structure – with especially strong interplay between the trumpet and alto – who sometimes dance around each other, sometimes spar – while Zetterberg really pushes himself, too – and seems to move past his more inherent sense of melody, into territory that we may well never have heard before (and we've listened to – and loved – dozens of his many recordings!) Titles include "Now Then", "I Find Nothing", "What Now", and "Yeah Well". CD

A record that really carries its message in its title – a set of spiritual ruminations on the nature of existence – inspired by the writings of Sun Ra, and carried off with vocals by Dwight Trible – who joins this Italian group for the recording! Each song is inspired by a different poem from Ra's This Planet Is Doomed – and the music is freely improvised, but in a relatively spiritual way – with leader Tommaso Cappellato on drums, with Fabrizio Puglisi on piano and keyboards, Piero Bittolo Bon on reeds and electronics, and Marco Privato on bass. The set may be one of the most avant albums that Trible ever recorded – and his vocals have the strong resonance of his straighter recordings, but a bit more bite, and a really mighty reach – on titles that include "Tomorrow's Destiny", "Infinity", "Science Has Changed", "The End", "Time", and "You Are From This Planet". LP, Vinyl record album

What a great little record – and one that we hardly knew existed! The session's a late one for both Pepper and Farrell – but it's also a great one too – recorded in the freely blowing style of both players' best 70s work, with a group that includes George Cables on piano, John Dentz on drums, and Tony Dumas on bass. Only 3 tracks of the set feature Pepper – but they're all pretty darn great, and the interplay between the two saxophonists is really something wonderful, especially on the album's standout version of "Mode For Joe". 5 more tracks feature Farrell on his own with the group – but if you know Joe's work from the time, you know that he can really hold his own in such a setting – blowing with the kind of open imagination we loved on his Skateboard Park album. Titles include "Section 8 Blues", "Mode For Joe", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Darn That Dream", and "Fun For One & All". CD

A really old school trio setting – one that has a loose, open, freely exploratory vibe that really takes us back to the loft jazz generation – as the musicians work in very creative territory that really shows their individual spirits, yet still also come together strongly as a whole! Joe McPhee is great on tenor and trumpet – and really reminds us of those tremendous textures and tones he started developing in the late 70s – and the rest of the trio features Pascal Niggenkemper on bass and Stale Liavik Solberg on drums – both younger musicians, but equally creative in the setting. Titles include "i", "A", and "Zero Supreme Love" – the last of which is dedicated to John Coltrane. CD

That's Loos/Armstrong, not Louis Armstrong – a late 90s Dutch group who improvise freely on both electric and acoustic elements – with a style that makes the record one of the most offbeat albums ever released on the Okka Disk label! In some ways, the combo almost tie together Dutch traditions of free jazz and electronic experimentation – with a lineup that features Gerald Bowhuis on piano, Huib Emmer on guitar, Johan Faber on drums, Patricio Wang on bass and guitar, and Dennis Rudge on voice – plus leader Peter Van Bergen on tenor, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, and some mighty cool electronics! At times, the use of voice adds almost a no wave element to the set – and on the set, Rudge reads from Sun Ra's "Endless Realm" , and "Amooooore", a 1916 text from Volt – on titles that include "FTE 1", "FA5 1", "FA 3", and "FL 1". CD

An incredible collaboration between pianist Eddie Palmieri and vibist Cal Tajder – a record done for Tico in answer to their previous session for Verve – and a set that's even harder-jamming overall! Cal and Eddie really find something special together on the record – and both players groove into a descarga mode that burns even more strongly than their own other work of the decade – a masterful jam that's a really true collaboration, and which brings out the best that both musicians had to offer. Cal's moving way beyond his familiar modes here – with a fluid, freely colorful sound – and Eddie himself is beginning to hit some of the darker, harder notes that would show up even more strongly on his records of the 70s. There's a much more strongly jazz-based sound here than most of Palmieri's previous records – a really bold focus on the instrumentation as it rolls out over some great modally-informed grooves – and titles include "Bamboleate", "Resemblance", "Guajira Candela", "Mi Montuno", and "Come An Get It". LP, Vinyl record album

Two legendary tenorists, coming together here in a record that's one of the most striking from both players at the time – a real return to the spare space of some of Joe McPhee's earliest albums, and some of the sharper edges that Evan Parker wasn't always giving us in the 90s! The setting is as basic as the title, but the sound is amazing – two giants, freely improvising in open space – making some amazing textures and tones together, but really shifting in mood from track to track – at a level that's completely spellbinding all the way through – a record that bristles with the kind of energy you'd expect from an older FMP session. An instant avant classic – with a total of 11 tracks in all! CD

The record we've been waiting years for Jeff Parker to make – a fantastic funky set that shows off a whole new side of his talents! Parker's guitar has been on plenty of great albums over the past decade or two, but this set may well be one of his greatest moments so far – a really unusual, really personal set that takes his music to a whole new level – partly schooled by vintage funk, as you might guess from the cover – but also partly set up in a spirited new direction that propels Jeff farther forward than any other record! Parker plays guitar and a range of keyboards – and the album almost has a laidback Shuggie Otis vibe at points, but is a lot more complex overall – thanks to excellent rhythm work from Paul Bryan on bass and Jamire Williams on drums – who ground the sound, but can take off freely with Parker, too – as does Josh Johnson on alto, flute, and some other keyboards too. The whole thing almost puts Jeff into Robert Glasper territory – in its unique blend of jazz, funk, and soulful currents – but very unique, a genre unto his own, really well-deserved after all these years. The album's brilliant from start to finish, with cuts that include "Executive Life", "Para Ha Tay", "Here Comes Ezra", "Jrifted", "Visions", "How Fun Is It To Year Whip", and "Get Dressed". CD

One of the most beautiful albums we've heard from pianist Matthew Shipp in many years – and maybe one of the nicest from saxophonist Ivo Perelman too – a set of duets that really bring out the warmth and personality of both musicians, as they improvise freely in a number of shorter segments – never trying to outdo each other, nor push their energy past the point of meaningful creativity! Instead, there's a really careful balance going on here – sounds from Perelman that are pointed, but never too sharply – cradled by the piano of Shipp in these tones that are equally thoughtful – often placed in a lower register, so that both voices are very separated – but clearly joined together in spontaneous spirit. The set features a dozen improvisations, beautifully recorded. CD

A really inventive record from British avant piano legend Howard Riley – and that's saying a lot, as Riley is always pretty darn inventive! The set follows on a mode that Howard first begun during the 70s – and uses overdubbing to record him working on three different pianos as a trio – the first as if it was improvising solo, very freely; the second as a reaction to the movements of the first; and the third in the right channel as it responds to the overall picture in sound! The result is great – very rich, and very cohesive – and the album really stands every bit as strongly with some of the classics in Riley's catalog over the years. Titles include "Unbeatable", "Three Is One", "Haunted", "Heroes", "Confessing", and "Familiar Strangers". CD

Wonderful work by Dolphy – as essential to his catalog as any of his albums on Prestige from the same time! Although Dolphy broke plenty of musical barriers in the studio, to our ears, it was always in a live setting that he sounded best – freely exploring the kind of space his playing opened up, hitting notes that were more soulful and spiritual than many that he ever recorded on his studio sides. This set is a perfect example of that trend – as Dolphy's working here with a strong straight jazz combo, one that includes the great Benny Bailey on trumpet, in a set that features familiar tunes, turned into haunting explorations of Dolphy's new jazz idiom. One of the highlights is an incredible 15 minute version of Randy Weston's "Hi Fly", with Dolphy doing great work on flute – and other tunes include "Hot House", "Geewee", "When Lights Are Low", "I'll Remember April", and "The Meeting". CD

A bold, bright awakening from this freely improvising quartet – a crack lineup who work nonstop here for 56 minutes, in a performance captured at the Vision Festival 17 in New York! Paul Dunmall is ferocious on tenor, and really seems to set fire to the piano of Matthew Shipp – as Shipp's moving at a pace and intensity that's even stronger than usual, as if he's trying to keep up with the constantly creative energy of the tenor. And both the bass of Joe Morris and drums of Gerald Cleaver complete the intensity – working as two more sides of a very strongly-shaped quadrangle of sound. The set features one long track – "The Bright Awakening". CD