Features Steve Coleman on alto and soprano sax, Stanley Coweel on piano, Santi W Debriano on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums. Tracks include "Theme For Ernie", "Wail", "Sylvia's Place", "Come Sunday", "St. Croix", and "Prayer For Peace". CD

A solo piano set from Strata East mainman Stanley Cowell – but a record that's got enough soul and spirituality to rival a full group recording! Although working alone here, Cowell's touch on the keys is astounding – often flowing and highly rhythmic, with a pulsating sense of energy that makes even the mellower tracks sparkle with soulful imagination. A number of tracks are intimate explorations of themes heard more famously on albums done with Charles Tolliver – but which come alive in a whole new way here in Stanley's solo setting! Most work here is on acoustic piano, but Cowell also picks up the electric keys for the tune "Travelin Man" – done here as an overdubbed "duet", and one of the hippest tunes on the entire record! Other titles include "Abscretions", "Equipoise", "Prayer For Peace", "Departure No 2", "Sweet Song", and "Emil Danenberg". LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing duo improvisations from two of the hippest pianists of the early 70s – Stanley Cowell and Dave Burrell, coming together here on a rare Japanese-only album – one that features two long tracks that each take up a side of the disc! The vibe is maybe a bit more avant at times than some of Stanley's work on Strata East, but there's also a great balance between the voices of the two players too – and the sense of spontaneous creation is wonderful throughout, and always balances individual expressions with deeper ideas – ringing out in the loud, lively space of Ino Hall in Tokyo. The record contains two long tracks – "Questions" and "Answers" – both long improvisations by the pair. CD

Incredible work from the young Stanley Cowell – one of his first albums ever, but already a step ahead of most of his contemporaries! The set's a trio date, unlike some of Cowell's later albums for Strata East – and it's got a wonderful blend of soaring piano lines and more complicated rhythms – already showing some of the spiritual elements that Cowell would later craft into longer lines with Charles Tolliver – but possibly even more striking here in the looser space of a trio! Rhythms are sometimes quite fluid and free – almost in the vein of some of Steve Kuhn's most inventive late 60s work – but sometimes things echo previous generations as well, almost with a Jaki Byard vibe. In addition to Cowell's great work on acoustic and electric piano, the trio features wonderful drums from Jimmy Hopps and bass from Steve Novosel – both players who are at the top of their game here, and really help set fire to Cowell's music. Titles include an early take on "Travelin Man" – quite different from the later version on Strata East, but equally wonderful – plus "Blues For The Viet Cong", "Wedding March", "Photon In A Paper World", "Departure", "Sweet Song", and "The Shuttle". CD

Wonderful early work from the great pianist Stanley Cowell – a set that pre-dates his famous sides for the Strata East label – but which soars out in a very similar style! The material was recorded in New York in 1969 – with a great lineup that features Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Tyrone Washington on tenor, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working with Cowell on long, spiritual tracks that include "Earthly Heavens", "Boo Ann's Grand", and "Bobby's Tune". CD reissue has two bonus cuts: "Musical Prayers" and "Brilliant Circles"! CD

Wonderful early work from the great pianist Stanley Cowell – a set that pre-dates his famous sides for the Strata East label – but which soars out in a very similar style! The material was recorded in New York in 1969 – with a great lineup that features Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Woody Shaw on trumpet, Tyrone Washington on tenor, and Joe Chambers on drums – all working with Cowell on long, spiritual tracks that include "Earthly Heavens", "Boo Ann's Grand", and "Bobby's Tune". LP, Vinyl record album

With Cowell on piano, Ron McClure on bass, and Keith Copeland on drums. Lots of Cowell originals – includign "Celia", "Dis Place", "Sienna", and "Cal Massey". CD

A real standout set from pianist Stanley Cowell – one of his few dates in recent years to feature more than a trio lineup – and recorded in a live setting that really seems to ignite some old school fires in Stanley's music! Make no mistake – Cowell is always wonderful – but there's a nice edge to his compositions here, as Stanley hits a bit harder, and drives things along to match the energy from the trumpet of Freddie Hendrix and alto of Bruce Williams – who play in a lineup that also features Tom DiCarlo on bass and Vince Ector on drums. Sunny Cowell performs a beautiful vocal version of the classic "Equipoise" – maybe worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "Cal Massey", "Montage For Toledo", "This Life", "Banana Pudding", "No Illusions", and a take on the Max Roach tune "It's Time". CD

With Cowell on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Ronnie Burrage on drums! CD

A lost bit of late Strata East – and an all-star session that never lets up! The album's a quartet effort – led by Stanley Cowell, but equally featuring participation from Billy Harper on tenor, Reggie Workman on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all soaring together on long tracks that really preserve the best spirit of Strata East in the 70s – even though the label never issued the record at the time. The overall feel is a lot like Harper's own work from the time – particularly his late 70s Japanese sessions – driven strongly by Cowell's modal approach to the groove, a sound that's perfectly executed by the team of Workman and Hart. The tracks are all quite long, spinning out with a freely expressive approach – and titles include "Sweet Song", "Destiny Is Yours", "Layla Joy", and "East Harlem Nostalgia". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic rare performance from drummer Rashied Ali – a musician who's best known for his work with John Coltrane during his later years, but who steps out here beautifully as a leader on his own! Ali's tremendous here – effortlessly non-stop on the drums – a player who seems unable to rest even for a minute – with that sense of boundless imagination that really helped set Coltrane free on their recordings together – fused here with contributions from a very unusual quintet that includes Ramon Morris on tenor, Dewey Johnson on trumpet, Stanley Cowell on piano, and Reggie Johnson on bass! The energy is maybe a rawer step to the side of the ESP generation, and definitely points the way towards the loft jazz scene that Rashied would help form and be such an important part of in the 70s – on titles that include "Study For As Salaam Alikum", "Composition 1", "Ballade", and "Composition 2". LP, Vinyl record album

An unbelievable recording! As Archie Shepp made his first album for Impulse a tribute to Coltrane, Marion Brown made his a tribute to Shepp – a wonderful lineage of avant talent in the 60s, stated boldly here, given Brown's amazing talent on the record! The album's filled with hard, soulful playing that goes out, but never too far – like Shepp in his best sixties moments – and Brown's working with a great lineup of players that includes Grachan Moncur on trombone, Beaver Harris on drums, and Stanley Cowell on piano! The tunes include three Marion Brown originals on side one, plus three tracks by Shepp on side two. "Spooks" alone will leave you loving this album for years to come – and other tracks include "West India", "Delicado", "New Blue", and "Fortunato". A brilliant blend of 60s "new thing" playing and 70s underground jazz! CD

Jack DeJohnette is a hell of a drummer, and he's also a hell of a pianist too – a side of Jack's talents that isn't always shown on record, and which has maybe never been as well-recorded as on this fantastic Japanese session from the 70s! DeJohnette has a spiritual, long-building approach to the piano here – almost like Stanley Cowell on Strata East, but with his own flavors too – and the final track of the album features Jack on melodica, an instrument he handles in a different way, but with an equally compelling approach. The trio here features George Ohtsuka on the drum kit and Mitsukaki Furuno on bass – on four long tracks, "McCoy's Tune", "Fun Calypso", "Jack's Blues", and "Minority Blues". CD

Jack DeJohnette is a hell of a drummer, and he's also a hell of a pianist too – a side of Jack's talents that isn't always shown on record, and which has maybe never been as well-recorded as on this fantastic Japanese session from the 70s! DeJohnette has a spiritual, long-building approach to the piano here – almost like Stanley Cowell on Strata East, but with his own flavors too – and the final track of the album features Jack on melodica, an instrument he handles in a different way, but with an equally compelling approach. The trio here features George Ohtsuka on the drum kit and Mitsukaki Furuno on bass – on four long tracks, "McCoy's Tune", "Fun Calypso", "Jack's Blues", and "Minority Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

An essential bit of 70s soul jazz – a real standout in both the catalogs of tenorist Clifford Jordan, and the Stata East label! This is one of those few records where every element is perfect, and all players rise together to a new level of expression – and we'd easily rank this one right up there with John Coltrane's Love Supreme or Pharoah Sanders' Kharma for sheer magnitude of sound and message! Clifford Jordan is at the height of his tenor powers – cutting sharp lines, stretching out his notes, and hitting all these dark edges that had never appeared in his work – and the rest of the group is great too – with Stanley Cowell on piano, Bill Lee on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Higgins is amazing, and gives the set a sort of lyrical freeplay that makes Jordan's hard solos come alive in a magical way – and Cedar Walton also plays piano on a few numbers, pushing things forward with the sense of warmth and imagination that always made him a treat in the 70s! Every cut's a winner, and the set list includes "John Coltrane", "Alias Buster Henry", "Glass Bead Games", "Biskit", and "Bridgework". Great stuff, and a huge amount of music! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant piece of work – a lost soul jazz treasure in the wasteland of mid 80s major label jazz! Bill Lee composed the score for his son Spike's first big film – and it's the culmination of all the underground work that Lee did during the 60s and 70s, almost an extension of the Strata East ideals into an 80s jazz idiom. The players on the set are extremely well chosen – Harold Vick, Stanley Cowell, Joe Chambers, Cedar Walton, Kenny Washington, and Virgil Jones – and they perform the score with all the right shadings of color and emotion needed to convey Lee's warmly spiritual vision. The moods are fantastic on the set – and although many tracks are short, the themes are intertwined, making the album sparkle as a logical suite of tracks. Titles include "Brooklyn Bridge", "He's On It", "Nola", "Who Will Be The One", "Nola Cleans Up", "Opal", and "IND Line". CD

Great soul jazz from the LA underground! Pianist Nate Morgan plays in the tradition of McCoy Tyner and Stanley Cowell, with a swirling spiritual feel that's deeply rooted in a Love Supreme tradition. On this LP, he leads a quintet with Jesse Sharps on reeds and Danny Cortez on trumpet – and the record's filled with spiralling modal grooves that glisten with the best of the 70s soul jazz underground. The set's a great batch of original compositions by Morgan, including "UGMAAGER", "Impulse", and "Mass Madness" – and also includes versions of Herbie Hancock's "One Finger Snap" and Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday". CD

Don't confuse this one with Charles Tolliver's album on Strata East of the same name – because this session's a completely different one for Enja, but equally great! The group here is a quartet – not Tolliver's usual Music Inc lineup, but a combo that features Alvin Queen on drums, Ron Mathewson on bass, and regular partner Stanley Cowell on piano – all hitting a groove that's a bit different than the Tolliver sound of Strata East, and sometimes a bit more filled with energy! The date is a live one, and there's a nice roughness here – not to the recording quality, but more to the rhythms, which feel a bit chunkier than Tolliver's usual groove, and seem to push the flowing sound of his trumpet and Cowell's piano perhaps a bit more. Titles include "Brilliant Circles", "Impact", "Truth", and "Prayer For Peace". CD features the bonus tracks "Abscretions" and "Our Second Father". CD

One of a few large group sessions recorded by Charles Tolliver during his years on Strata East – and an amazingly spiritual effort that really brings together the best strands of sounds running through the underground at the time! The format's a bit similar to Tolliver's previous Music Inc big band album for Strata, released 5 years before – with lots of strong lead action from Charles on trumpet, and Stanley Cowell on piano. But this time around, the larger group seems to be more fully integrated into the tunes – there not just to support the soloists, but to rise up with a full, proud sense of majesty that's really amazing. Other players include Cecil McBee and Reggie Workman on basses, Billy Parker and Warren Smith on percussion, Jon Faddis and Jimmy Owens on trumpets, John Gordon and Garnet Brown on trombones, and Charles McPherson, George Coleman, Harold Vick, and Charles Davis on saxes! Titles include great versions of the Tolliver classics "Plight" and "Impact" – plus "Mother Wit", "Lynnsome", and "Grand Max". LP, Vinyl record album

Early soul jazz brilliance from a young Gary Bartz – music that pre-dates his Ntu Troup, and his work with Larry Mizell! Libra is fantastic early work from Gary – and probably his rarest record ever! The album was cut at a time when the young Bartz was first coming to prominence in the hip late 60s soul jazz group of Max Roach – and Bartz's playing at the time is a perfect model of mid-Coltrane searching with some of the tighter sides of soul jazz that were being forged at labels like Blue Note by players like Hank Mobley or Lee Morgan. The record's a masterpiece of youthful soulful energy – and the group includes Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, Albert Dailey on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums, all players who are perfectly matched to fit Bartz's stridently creative vision. His solos on alto are impeccable – some of the most meaningful we've ever heard on the instrument from the time – and the album's a great one all the way through! Titles include "Air & Fire", "Eastern Blues", "Libra", "Freedom Of The Day", and "Cabin In The Sky". Another Earth is amazing too – one of the first that Gary Bartz ever cut – done during a time when he'd been working with Max Roach and a super-hip group of younger soul jazz players who would go onto shape the sound of the 70s. Bartz leads a group that includes Stanley Cowell, Freddy Waits, Charles Tolliver, Pharoah Sanders, and Reggie Workman – and the music sounds like it was lifted from one of the best albums on Strata East from the 70s. There's no funk, no vocals, no weird rhythms – just pure spiritual jazz, played to perfection, and filled with a creative vitality that most of the players had lost a few years later. Tracks include the album-side "Another Earth", plus "Dark Nebula", "UFO", and "Perihelion & Aphelion". Note: CD omits the track "Disjunction" from Libra – due to space restrictions. CD

Early soul jazz brilliance from a young Gary Bartz – music that pre-dates his Ntu Troup, and his work with Larry Mizell! Libra is fantastic early work from Gary – and probably his rarest record ever! The album was cut at a time when the young Bartz was first coming to prominence in the hip late 60s soul jazz group of Max Roach – and Bartz's playing at the time is a perfect model of mid-Coltrane searching with some of the tighter sides of soul jazz that were being forged at labels like Blue Note by players like Hank Mobley or Lee Morgan. The record's a masterpiece of youthful soulful energy – and the group includes Jimmy Owens on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, Albert Dailey on piano, and Billy Higgins on drums, all players who are perfectly matched to fit Bartz's stridently creative vision. His solos on alto are impeccable – some of the most meaningful we've ever heard on the instrument from the time – and the album's a great one all the way through! Titles include "Air & Fire", "Eastern Blues", "Libra", "Freedom Of The Day", and "Cabin In The Sky". Another Earth is amazing too – one of the first that Gary Bartz ever cut – done during a time when he'd been working with Max Roach and a super-hip group of younger soul jazz players who would go onto shape the sound of the 70s. Bartz leads a group that includes Stanley Cowell, Freddy Waits, Charles Tolliver, Pharoah Sanders, and Reggie Workman – and the music sounds like it was lifted from one of the best albums on Strata East from the 70s. There's no funk, no vocals, no weird rhythms – just pure spiritual jazz, played to perfection, and filled with a creative vitality that most of the players had lost a few years later. Tracks include the album-side "Another Earth", plus "Dark Nebula", "UFO", and "Perihelion & Aphelion". Note: CD omits the track "Disjunction" from Libra – due to space restrictions. CD

One of the most righteous albums of the 21st century so far – and an instant classic we'll be loving for years! Build An Ark are a seriously heavy soul jazz ensemble, with roots and traditions that stretch back to the most righteous days of the 70s underground – the brainchild of producer Carlos Nino and vocalist Dwight Trible – and featuring work by soul jazz stalwarts that include Phil Ranelin, Nate Morgan, Derf Reklaw, Adam Rudolph, and others – all coming together in a fresh, new expression of the righteous ideals that first motivated their original work! Under the guidance of Nino, the group really gels together nicely – working in a loose mode that's a nice change from the tighter cosmic 21st century soul of the European scene – and returning to the organic, almost folksy forms that first emerged on 70s independent labels like Tribe, Strata East, and Nimbus. LA luminary Nate Morgan plays some great Fender Rhodes on many of the album's best tracks – and singer Dwight Trible has a soulful range that's somewhere between the style of Terry Callier and Leon Thomas. The album features a massively beautiful remake of Pharoah Sanders "You've Got To Have Freedom" – one that's very different than the original – plus a host of other great cuts that include Stanley Cowell's "Equipoise", Phil Ranelin's "Vibes From The Tribe", Ronnie Laws' "Always There", and Michael White's "Guidance" – as well as the original tracks "Peace & Love", "Conversations", "Precious Priceless", and "Love Is Our Nationality". CD

Roy Haynes was always a winner, even on a sleeper session like this one from 1977, recorded for Fantasy's Galaxy subsidiary. The record is surprisingly straight for the label – and features some nice vibes from Bobby Hutcherson, plus good piano from George Cables and Stanley Cowell. Titles include "Bullfight", "Quiet Fire", "Sweet Song", and "Processional", which is a spare percussion/drum duet. LP, Vinyl record album

Great soul jazz from the LA underground! Pianist Nate Morgan plays in the tradition of McCoy Tyner and Stanley Cowell, with a swirling spiritual feel that's deeply rooted in a Love Supreme tradition. On this LP, he leads a quintet with Jesse Sharps on reeds and Danny Cortez on trumpet – and the record's filled with spiralling modal grooves that glisten with the best of the 70s soul jazz underground. The set's a great batch of original compositions by Morgan, including "UGMAAGER", "Impulse", and "Mass Madness" – and also includes versions of Herbie Hancock's "One Finger Snap" and Duke Ellington's "Come Sunday". CD

A killer set of searing soulful spiritual material from Oliver Nelson – and one of his best albums of the 70s! There's hardly anything "Swiss" in the music – save for the fact that it was recorded at the Montreux Jazz Fest – as the large ensemble recording has Nelson at the helm of a very hip group of musicians – really stretching out into territory that's more Strata East than any of his other work, especially on the title track! In addition to the tenor from Gato Barberi and alto from Eddie Vinson – both featured on the title – the set also features Charles Tolliver and Harry Beckett on trumpets, Bosko Petrovic on vibes, Na Na on barimbau, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Stanley Cowell on piano. Side one features the soaring "Swiss Suite" – an extended number done for the set – and side two has a bit more Nelson touches coming into play with the progressive lineup – on titles that include "Stolen Moments", "Black Brown & Beautiful", and "Blues & The Abstract Truth". CD

A bold trio set from McCoy Tyner – almost bolder than some of his larger group records of the 70s – a live performance done in Tokyo, with superb accompaniment from Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums! The trio's got a force that grabs us right from the get-go – that cosmic flow that Tyner virtually invented on the piano, working with Coltrane in the 60s – carved out here in freer territory that reminds us a bit of Stanley Cowell on Strata East! Tracks are all nice and long – and titles include "The Greeting", "Sama Layuca", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "Iki Masho". CD

A fantastic record on Strata East – and a concept that shouldn't work as well as it does, but which comes off perfectly – thanks to the strength of the players! As you might guess from the title, the group's an all-piano ensemble – one that features hip talents that include Harold Mabern, Sonelius Smith, Stanley Cowell, Nat Jones, Hugh Lawson, and Webster Lewis – coming together in ways that have the pianos handling every part of the music – rhythm, melody, and all these great little bits around the edges – all on these long, stretched-out tracks that have lots of room for solo contributions too! The vibe is very Strata East, just all-piano – and titles include "Effi", "Killers", "Precious Lord", "The Almoravids", and "Man Extensions". LP, Vinyl record album

An unbelievable recording! As Archie Shepp made his first album for Impulse a tribute to Coltrane, Marion Brown made his a tribute to Shepp – a wonderful lineage of avant talent in the 60s, stated boldly here, given Brown's amazing talent on the record! The album's filled with hard, soulful playing that goes out, but never too far – like Shepp in his best sixties moments – and Brown's working with a great lineup of players that includes Grachan Moncur on trombone, Beaver Harris on drums, and Stanley Cowell on piano! The tunes include three Marion Brown originals on side one, plus three tracks by Shepp on side two. "Spooks" alone will leave you loving this album for years to come – and other tracks include "West India", "Delicado", "New Blue", and "Fortunato". A brilliant blend of 60s "new thing" playing and 70s underground jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic soul jazz set from the 60s – one of the few ever cut by pianist Harold Johnson, and a record that brims over with youthful power and new ideas! The Harold Johnson Sextet were an incredible little LA soul jazz combo during the late 60s. Johnson was a very soulful pianist, and he had a heavy soul style that was similar to Ramsey Lewis' Cadet work – but which was also tinged with the lyricism of Horace Silver, and the emerging modal sound of Stanley Cowell. This first session by the group was originally issued on a small label, became a local hit, and was picked up by the Revue label for national distribution. It's got an incredible sound, and is very very catchy. The band features Johnson's piano in a very strong lead – plus flute, alto, and tenor. Billy Jackson plays a hard rolling conga behind the whole thing – and tracks include "House On Elm Street", "Watts '67", "Something Mellow", and "Yeah Uh Huh". LP, Vinyl record album

Dee Dee Bridgewater's brothers lay down a lively set of long tracks in this Japanese issued LP with Stanley Cowell on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Michael Carvin on drums. The playing is free, swinging, and spiritual, with the kind of a vibe that was rarely captured by these players in their US records. Cuts include "Silent Rain", "Dear Trane", and the title track. LP, Vinyl record album