The Three Sounds pull away from the curb in a sweet sports car – a great cover image that really sets the tone for the entire record! The album's the epitome of early 60s class and cool that the group had to offer – as they effortlessly mix soulful groovers with mellower, more introspective pieces – all delivered by the godlike hands of Gene Harris on acoustic piano – already a giant in jazz, even at the start of his long career. The rhythm is great, too – sublime bass from Andy Simpkins, whose round, warm tone we always love – and just the right sort of work on drums from Bill Dowdy, who always keeps things on track. Titles include "Now's The Time", "Summertime", "Poinciana", "Here We Come", and "Sonnymoon For Two". Great cover too – with one of the all-time best "car jazz" images! CD

Go out of the world with The Three Sounds on this sweet little set for Blue Note – as the trio are at their early best, and working with a care of craft that you won't find on other 60s albums for labels like Verve or Mercury! The mighty Gene Harris is in the lead on piano, moving between a great blend of lyrical and more soul-based styles – given great accompaniment from Bill Dowdy on drums and Andy Simpkins on bass – the latter of whom is an overlooked genius, with this round tone and solid touch that really holds the group together! Titles are a nice mix of exotic standards and gutbuckety originals – and tunes include "My Silent Love", "Just In Time", "Out Of this World", "Out Of the Past", "Sanctified Sue", and "Girl Of My Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A really great idea for a jazz session – one that takes the already-great Blue Note piano trio the Three Sounds, and uses them as a backup combo for the tenor of the great Stanley Turrentine! The approach is different than some of Stan's other work – given the piano of Gene Harris, along with the sublime rhythms from Andrew Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy on drums – but maybe more importantly, the whole thing also really shows off a different side of the Three Sounds than on their own records – as the tracks are much longer, and it's clear that Stan's pushing the group in a great way! The tenor tone is fantastic – we love Turrentine during these early years – and the whole thing is very much in keeping with the blue hour promised in the title, on cuts that include "Since I Fell For You", "Blue Riff", "I Want A Little Girl", and "Willow Weep For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Nat and Johnny Griffin front The Three Sounds in this easy-going soul jazz session with a nice rolling groove. The set's got a couple of originals – "Sister Caroline" and "Branching Out" – plus versions of "Well You Needn't" and "I've Got Plenty Of Nothin". Gene Harris & The Three Sounds make for a nice backing, and Johnny Griffin's solos are as sharp as they ever were at this point. CD

With a sound like this, these guys have gotta be Feelin Good! The album's one of the first few Blue Notes by Gene Harris and his mighty Three Sounds combo – and is done in the group's very successful blend of soul jazz and piano trio musing – a key shift in styles from the 50s to the 60s, and one that always sounds nice! There's a great rhythmic approach to the work, augmented by Harris' chunky style of hitting the keys – and the album's filled with nice numbers that include "Parker's Pad", "Two Bass Hit", "Straight No Chaser", and "Blues After Dark". CD

"Moods" is right – as the album's got a wonderfully dark undercurrent, one that makes it one of the most captivating early Three Sounds albums for Blue Note! Pianist Gene Harris leads a trio that includes Andrew Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy on drums – and even though the set list includes a few familiar tunes, the overall pitch of the album makes the music really unique. The group play some sweet renditions of "Love For Sale" and "Green Dolphin Street", plus a great reading of Clifford Brown's "Sandu", which works very well as a piano tune. Also includes the tracks "Loose Walk" and "Tammy's Breeze". CD

Great early work by the Three Sounds, before they'd lapsed a bit too much into their formulaic trio style on Blue Note – and when they were adding some excellent little flourishes to the music to distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd. Drummer Bill Dowdy's in great shape here, working his way across the kit with the ferocity of a bossa drummer – adding in lots of great fills that bring out the best in Gene Harris sharp piano work. Plus, the album even features a bit of Harris on the celeste – creating a cool vibes-y sound on the track "Blue Bells". Other titles include "O Sole Mio", "Goin Home", "It's Nice", and "Both Sides". CD features an alternate take of "Goin Home". CD

A pair of killers from keyboardist Gene Harris – both recorded for Blue Note, and back to back on a single CD! First up is Gene Harris/The 3 Sounds – the last Three Sounds album for Blue Note – and the funkiest too – thanks to lots more electrification than usual, and some killer arrangements from the mighty Monk Higgins! Monk's really at the top of his game here – going past even his great previous work for the group, and working with a tight, sharp edge that recalls his funky 45 brilliance of the 60s – yet tuned a bit more towards the electric Cali jazz of early 70s Blue Note! Gene Harris plays loads of funky piano lines – and in addition to the trio's core electric bass and drums, the set also features some added work on percussion from Paul Humphrey – who really brings in a kick – plus added guitar, congas, and even a bit of Hammond from Higgins too! Some cuts even have a bit of vocals too – sung in this offbeat way that's a wild approach to soul. There's some killer breaks on the set – including the massive "Put On Train" and "What's The Answer" – but the whole set smokes, and other cuts include "I'm Leaving", "You Got To Play The Game", "Your Love Is Just Too Much", "Did You Think", "Hey Girl", and a mad version of "Eleanor Rigby". On the second album – Gene Harris Of The Three Sounds – Gene really steps into the solo spotlight – moving away from his work with the Three Sounds trio, and headed into even more righteous territory – as you might guess from the trippy image on the cover! The set features Harris mostly on acoustic piano, but amidst larger arrangements from Wade Marcus that really round things out with a warm, soulful edge – mixing guitar from Sam Brown and Cornell Dupree with Gene's lines on piano – and giving things an extra kick at the bottom with drums from Freddie Waits, and percussion from Johnny Rodriguez and Omar Clay. The record echoes Harris' older roots at some points, yet comes across with a richer 70s vibe too – a hip 70s style that's strongly due to the contributions of Marcus' arrangements. Tracks include a great remake of "Listen Here", which begins with a great funky break; a sweet steppers version of "Killer Joe"; and the tracks "Lean On Me", "Day In The Life Of A Fool", "Django", "Emily", and "C Jam Blues". CD

The Faces gave us a handful of fantastic records during the early 70s – but alongside those studio sets, their antics as a live group were even more stunning – as you'll hear on some of this material recorded for the BBC at the time! The tunes aren't as totally freewheeling and over the top as their work on stage, but are still pretty great – and show that rawness at the core that has continued to give the group power that's lived on for many years, even past the more mainstream career of Rod Stewart too! Stewart is incredible here on vocals – and the rest of the group are impeccable instrumentally – and this massive set brings together more BBC material than has ever been issued before! The 8CDs each have full shows – and for the punters, here's the full rundown: CD1 features five tracks from John Peel's Sunday Concert 7/5/70, five tracks from John Peel's Sunday Concert 11/29/70. CD2 features eight tracks from John Peel's Sunday Concert 5/23/71. CD3 features seven tracks from Sounds For Saturday 4/1/72. CD4 features fourteen tracks from John Peel's Sunday Concert 2/26/72. CD5 features thirteen tracks from a never-issued concert in 1973. CD6 features fourteen tracks from BBC In Concert 4/21/73. CD7 features four tracks from Top Gear 3/28/70, three tracks from Dave Lee Travis Sunday Show 3/15/70, three tracks from Top Gear 9/19/70, and two Christmas tracks from Top Gear 12/26/70. CD8 features four tracks from Sounds Of The Seventies 5/3/71, and three more from Top Gear 10/6/71. Blu-Ray features all seven tracks from the Sounds For Saturday show on 4/1/72. Also features a 48 page book – and comes in a 12" square book! CD

Never-issued work from a really legendary trio – material recorded over two different nights of performance at the Webo club in New York – and sounds that are arguably as great as any these three have ever put on record! The great Charles Gayle is completely sublime on tenor – blowing with a sense of soulful searching that easily make him one of the key heirs to the tradition begun by Albert Ayler – improvising, but with an inherent sense of rhythm that almost seems to allow the other group members to loosen up and get more free – the fantastic William Parker on bass, and the mighty Milford Graves on drums – powering out on the kit at a level that matches the amazing music he first started giving us in the 60s. The recording quality is excellent – and the limited set features eleven different selections over the course of 3LPs. LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from the always- great Alain Goraguer – a musician who started out in jazz, then did classic arrangements for Serge Gainsbourg, and went on to some killer soundtrack material too! That's what you'll hear, in a package that brings together lost and un-reissued work from Goraguer – starting with his beautiful sounds for the film L'Affaire Dominici – music that often has a balance of acoustic and electric instrumentation that reminds us of Francois De Roubaix, especially in the way that Goraguer can space out the melodies and rhythms, but also get funky too. The set features two great tracks from Au Dela De La Peur – with a sinister funk quality that reminds us of his best work for Serge Gainsbourg – followed by three final tracks from Musiques Legeres, which have this gentle, watery quality that's really beautiful! LP, Vinyl record album

Herbie Hancock is certainly Takin Off at this point in his career – stepping into the limelight with an excellent batch of soul jazz tunes, including the first recording of his classic "Watermelon Man", the one track that probably put all his kids through school! Although that one went on to become a standard within a few short years in 60s jazz, it still sounds great here in the original – a very fresh take on the sound of soul jazz in the 60s – offered up here in a 7 minute version that has more sharp soloing than most other takes on the tune! The group here is great too – with Dexter Gordon on tenor, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Butch Warren on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – and the tracks are all also originals by a young Herbie – including "Watermelon Man", "The Maze", "Driftin", "Three Bags Full", "Alone & I", and "Empty Pockets". CD also features 3 bonus alternate takes of tunes from the album! CD

A collection of Concord Records cuts from pianist Gene Harris – a great overview of his time at a label who really let him come back into his own! At Concord, Harris really redefined the way he hit the piano – going back to an all-acoustic mode that recalled his roots in the Three Sounds, but often with a bit more of the funky punch he picked up while stretching out in the 70s! There's plenty of gutbuckety soul jazz piano tracks here – titles that include "Uptown Sop", "Old Funky Gene's", "Blues For Jezebel", "Listen Here", "Put It Where You Want It", "Ode To Billy Joe", and "Sidewinder". CD

A record of cascading sounds and criss-crossing lines – beautiful improvisations between a quartet that features Steve Swell on trombone, Jim Clouse on saxes, Steve Hirsh on drums, and William Parker on bass! Clouse is especially strong here, and really holds his own in this top-shelf company – if not even defines some of the key moments in the set with his really free-flowing sense of imagination! Parker's presence is superb, too – almost in the background, but a key force throughout – and Swell, as always, is a master of tones and timing. The set features three long titles – "But Where", "Out On A Limb", and "Escape Velocity". CD

Essential funk in a single set – three killer albums from James Brown's legendary backing group! First up is Food For Thought – the classic first album by The JBs – James Brown's Fred Wesley-led backing band, and the force behind most of his greatest records of the early 70s! The band are incredible at this point – sharper, harder, and funkier than just about any other combo around – and that includes all the thousands of groups in the funky 45 underground who were always trying to copy their sound, but never got things this right! Not only are the rhythms the stuff of legend – but the use of the instruments is far far above the norm – as can be heard on the mindblowing "The Grunt", which was sampled heavily by Public Enemy to great fame – and which features a saxophone solo that sounds more like a whistling tea kettle! The set collects some of the group's best early singles, and includes all of the short little funky cuts that made them a legend right out of the box – "Pass the Peas", "The Grunt", "These Are The JBs", "Hot Pants Road", "Wine Spot", "To My Brother", "Blessed Blackness", "Theme From King Heroin", "Escapism (parts 1 & 2), and "Gimme Some More" – all together here in one tight little album of massive funky hard beats and breaks! Doing It To Death is an incredible album – a landmark piece of funk that nobody should be without, funk fan or not! The album is the second to feature James Brown's famous backing combo of the early 70s – and unlike their first one, which was really more of a collection of singles, this album has the group playing hard, long, and loud, in the free funk improvisational mode that was James' real contribution to the music at the time. The tracks are all incredibly long, with James at the forefront, egging the band on with shouts and comments – but also letting them open up large instrumentally, playing in a mode that's as much jazz as it is funky soul. The whole thing's peppered with some nice shorter segues between tracks – but the long cuts are the winners, and are some of the best funk ever recorded! Titles include "Mo Peas", "Doing It To Death", "La Di Da La Di Day", "You Can Have Watergate, Just Gimme Some Bucks & I'll Be Straight", and "Sucker". Last up is Damn Right I Am Somebody – quite possibly our favorite record by the JBs, ever! The set starts with a wonderful conversational bit – rapping and musing on the idea of "Damn Right, I Am Somebody" – showing the group in a political and righteous mode for the first time ever. The grooves then kick in – with the same heavy funk as on earlier records, but also a nice nod towards experimental production – from strange fade ups and fade downs, to stark time and rhythm changes, and even bits of electronics used to create some very cool moments in the grooves! The whole thing's as dead funky as can be, and is stuffed with insane classics like "Blow Your Head", "Same Beat", "Damn Right I am Somebody", "I'm Payin' Taxes, What am I Buyin'", and a great cover of Marvin Gaye's "You Sure Love to Ball"! CD

Trumpeter Goran Kajfes has been giving us great sounds in a variety of formats over the years, but this album may well be one of his most inventive – a session of spare, slow-growing sounds done with some very like-minded musicians – Alex Zethson on piano and organ, Johan Berthling on bass, and Johan Holmegard on drums – all sharing the same spacious sensibility that Goran's bringing to the session! Both Kajfes and Zethson add in some especially cool electronics – building things nicely from the background to the front – and the record also features beautiful guest work on violin and cello, both elements whose contributions here are crucial. The set features three long, beautifully-flowing tracks – "Magmatique", "Prije I Posle", and "Unity In Diversity". LP, Vinyl record album

Cool work from a combo that's maybe a bit smaller than you'd guess from the "league" in their name – as the group's just the trio on the front, which features Zak Sokolow on guitar, Jake Faulkner on bass, and Nicholas Baker on drums and percussion – three musicians who really manage to make some unusual sounds with their instruments! Sokolow's got this style of guitar that's very compelling – partly in that older South American mode borrowed from surf guitar, as you'd hear on chicha and cumbia recordings – but with all sorts of effects that really space things out, and sometimes make it feel as if there's a chorus of players working at once! And the percussion of Baker gets nice and rootsy at times – again echoing some Latin currents, but with a sense of rhythm that's nicely different too – which is augmented by the way that Faulkner handles his bass. The whole thing's in a unique space between jazz, Latin, and maybe a bit of small combo funk – with titles that include "Figueroa", "Angels Point", "Ghosts Of Gardena", "Danza De La Lom", "Rebecca", "Moonlight Over Montebello", and "72 Monte Carlo". CD

Cool work from a combo that's maybe a bit smaller than you'd guess from the "league" in their name – as the group's just the trio on the front, which features Zak Sokolow on guitar, Jake Faulkner on bass, and Nicholas Baker on drums and percussion – three musicians who really manage to make some unusual sounds with their instruments! Sokolow's got this style of guitar that's very compelling – partly in that older South American mode borrowed from surf guitar, as you'd hear on chicha and cumbia recordings – but with all sorts of effects that really space things out, and sometimes make it feel as if there's a chorus of players working at once! And the percussion of Baker gets nice and rootsy at times – again echoing some Latin currents, but with a sense of rhythm that's nicely different too – which is augmented by the way that Faulkner handles his bass. The whole thing's in a unique space between jazz, Latin, and maybe a bit of small combo funk – with titles that include "Figueroa", "Angels Point", "Ghosts Of Gardena", "Danza De La Lom", "Rebecca", "Moonlight Over Montebello", and "72 Monte Carlo". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful tribute to the spiritual genius of Laraaji – a set that features both his debut album and six more extended tracks that were never issued at the time! That debut album is his legendary Celestial Vibrations – a beautifully trippy set of tracks from Edward Larry Gordon – an artist who's probably better known for his later Laraaji album recorded with Brian Eno, but one who sounds even better here on this debut set! The sound is very spiritual and meditative – long, drawn-out, side-long tracks that feature Gordon playing a weird, electrified zither – an instrument that's hardly the hokey, European-sounding one from mid-century – and instead a very tripped-out, abstracted one here – very spacey, with some great phase shifting employed in the studio, which creates an almost electronic pulse out of the acoustic instrumentation. The album features two very long tracks – "All Pervading" and "Bethlehem" – done in a way that would make Alice Coltrane proud! Added to that record are six side-long titles on the other three records in the set – all originally pressed only as acetates, and recorded around the same time – making for a hugely expanded set of early work from Laraaji. Titles include "Kalimba", "Ocean", "Koto", "Segue To Infinity", "Kalimba 2", and "Kalimba 4" – and the set also features a big booklet of notes, with dozens of rare photos. LP, Vinyl record album

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous solo work from the great Joe McPhee – recorded alone at home during 2020, as you might guess from the title – but a set that has Joe being wonderfully expressive, in the very personal way that you'd know if you've ever seen him live in performance! McPhee mostly blows tenor, but he also speaks at points – even quoting some lines from Black Panther – and brings in some field recordings, and even makes sounds on water and a pie tin too – all with this mandate to be as fully expressive as possible, even in a situation of isolation – a beautiful testament to the artistic fire that has kept McPhee going as one of the most important improvisers in jazz over the decades! Titles include "Cuernavaca 79", "Goodbye Porky Pig Hat", "Self Portrait In Three Colors – Red, Black, & Green", "Reflection On Ida Lupino", and "Do You Still Love Me". CD

The title sounds a bit ambitious, but the album's actually a great intimate date from Carmen McRae – a beautifully-recorded small combo performance – caught live at Donte's in LA, with a sound that hearkens back to some of Carmen's best work of the 50s! The format is spare and simple – backing by a quartet that features Joe Pass on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Chuck Domanico on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums – all grooving with a light and lively touch behind Carmen's wonderful vocals – served up here with a lot more freedom than she was getting on most of her studio dates from the time. The "great American songbook" is really just a catch-all for a very wide variety of work included on the record – and the album's hardly the staid "songbook" sort of album you'd guess from the title. Instead, Carmen really opens herself up to a lot of great tunes, from classic to contemporary – with titles that include "Three Little Words", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "The Ballad Of Thelonious Monk", "Behind The Face", "Sunday", "Day By Day", "If The Moon Turns Green", "At Long Last Love", and "A Song For You". CD features a few bonus tracks too! CD

Beautiful female soul from The Minits – a three piece group that recorded just a few singles for the the Sounds Of Memphis label – with a dozen great songs pulled together for this excellent compilation from Kent UK, many of which were never issued before now! Ultimately, there were far too few female soul stars coming out of Memphis with popularity anywhere near the levels of the male stars, and fewer still on labels other than Stax or Hi – and the dozen tracks here make a very strong case for The Minits, who should have busted out hugely. The set is light on ballads and skews towards dancefloor ready rhythms and pop soul of the best kind, with genuine soul! It includes their great Sounds Of Memphis singles and several tracks that were left in the vaults and only recently discovered. Titles include "Lover Boy", "Still A Part Of Me", "Last Mile Of The Way", "Pullin'", "Natural Reaction", "If You Don't Like My Apples (Don't Shake The Tree)", "Follow Your Heart" and more. CD

One of the last sessions Oliver Nelson ever recorded – a genius batch of work recorded for the Japanese East Wind label, and maybe one of his greatest albums ever! The set's a wonderful link between the sophisticated large group sounds that Nelson did for Impulse Records in the 60s, and some of the more expansive styles he was trying out on the Flying Dutchman imprint in the 70s – a batch of work that both has that sense of majesty that Nelson could command at his best, but which still retains an earthy vibe overall. The group is great – with soulful work from Bobby Bryant on trumpet, Jerome Richardson on soprano sax and flute, Buddy Collette on tenor and flute, and Jack Nimitz on baritone – and the rhythm section has some great Fender Rhodes from Mike Wofford, given more push from the electric bass of Chuck Dominico, and some open-ended drum work from Shelly Manne. Titles include a wonderful remake of Nelson's "Stolen Moments", the groover "Mission Accomplished", and the tracks "St Thomas", "Three Seconds", and "Yearnin". CD

Stunning sounds from the first three years of Niney The Observer on record – a huge amount of rare singles from back in the day, served up in a double-length package that features 22 tracks on CD for the first time ever! The mix of modes here is incredible – and a real demonstration of that made creative genius that made Niney such an important force in the studio and in front of the microphone – as lots of these tracks have really unusual inflections, odd arrangements, and a way of putting over a weird sound that most folks think was only invented by Lee Scratch Perry! Instead, Niney maybe claims his own throne here with well-deserved credit that is spun out in the very detailed notes – next to fantastic tracks by Niney & The Observers, and lots more from The Sound Dimensions, Dennis Alcapone & Lizzy, Eric Monty Morris, The Hardy Boys, Max Romeo, The Virgins, Max Romeo, and others – stretched out over 47 cuts in all. CD

This longstanding trio of musical partners really sounds wonderful here – attuned to the strengths and subtleties of each member – and able to open up with a beautiful sense of flow on the extended live improvisation on the set! All three musicians have always had as much of an ear for sound as they have for music – and that really comes through here with a stunning array of soundshapes and textures – which are also balanced by some surprisingly tuneful moments too. Evan Parker blows soprano and tenor, Barry Guy is on bass, and Paul Lytton is on drums – and the set features a full improvised performance, divided up into sections. CD

The set's billed to a "string ensemble", but the group here is a nicely intimate trio – one that features Jessica Pavone on viola, Aimee Niemann on violin, and Abby Swidler on violin or viola, depending on the track! The music has a really wonderful vibe – and is almost more compositional in nature – kind of the essence of sounds that you might hear from an avant string quartet, with an even more focused approach – very minimal, with Pavone and her triomates holding these notes for a long time, then blending those sounds together in slightly shifting waves of energy. Titles include "Reverse Bloom", "Obstructed Current", "Three Trees", and "Embers Slumber". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic tribute to the genius of Sun Ra – a set that brings together some key talents from the contemporary underground, in a fantastic reworking of older influences that completely transports Ra's music to the future! The set begins with a takeoff on "Nuclear War", retitled "Nuke's Blues" and done with all sorts of cool spacey vocals from Georgia Anna Muldrow, in a trio with Josef Leimberg on piano and trumpet, and Taso Anatasos on OP1 keyboard too! Angel Bat Dawid follows in a three part track "The Cosmic Bypass/Nuclear War/Kiss Yo Ass Goodbye" – a track that features a blend of her incredible sounds on piano, clarinet, and keyboards with vocals – next to percussion from Alejando Salazaar, and bass, guitar, flute, and saxes from Jaden Berkman – alongside added vocals from The Cosmic Children and Cosmic Choir! The Malcolm Jiyane Tree-o follows with "We're Not Buying It" – a great cut with some rhymes from Grandmaster CAP, next to Malcolm's work on piano, in a group with guitar, flute, percussion, and bass. And last up is the great Irreversible Entanglements, with vocals from Camae Ayewa – on an 18 minute take of "Nuclear War". LP, Vinyl record album

Sonic exploration by three players who really know how to find the right path forward together – Tomeka Reid on cello, Joshua Abrams on bass, and Dave Rempis on alto and tenor saxes – a trio who resonate with that crisp, consistent sense of improvisation that has made the Chicago scene so wonderful in recent decades! The blend of the two stringed instruments with the reedwork by Rempis is wonderful – both Abrams and Reid are at the top of their league, and have a way of finding all these textures and soundshapes that are more than magical enough on their own – but which get really triangulated beautifully with the always-amazing sounds created by Dave on his saxes. There's nothing too heavy or too overdone here – brilliantly balanced performance throughout, on titles that include "Scape", "Stolon", "Umbel", "Anther", "Petiole", "Butomissa", and "Bulbil". CD

The first three albums of Japanese noise legends Ruins, all presented in a single set – sounds that are as powerful and mindblowing as when they were first unleashed to the world back in the 80s! The style here is still completely revolutionary – even though so many others have tried to copy it over the years – sounds that were born in punk, but inflected by noise and free jazz – often moving at a blistering pace that's as breathtaking as it is bold! We might make some slight comparison between these guys and the Pussy Galore/Royal Trux generation of American noise guitar – but Ruins are also completely different, and made waves from halfway around the globe that are still being felt today. 51 tracks in all – with titles that include "Crisis", "Human Being", "Entropy", "Makarom Iyaike", "Government", "Grudge", "Divide", "Octopus", "Amalgam", "Infect", "Dadaism", and "Flagment". CD

Brilliant live work from Blue Note legend Horace Silver – extended live tracks that are even hipper than some of his studio work of the period, and recorded with a very cool combo as well! The great Benny Maupin is in the lead on tenor, and a young Randy Brecker sounds wonderful next to him on trumpet – as Horace crafts those wonderful modal lines that really send the tunes soaring, with help from John Williams on bass and a very young Billy Cobham on drums! The set features three long tracks – nice takes of "The Natives Are Restless Tonight", "Psychedelic Sally", and "Serenade To A Soul Sister". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful little set from Japanese bassist Isao Suzuki – one that has him playing both acoustic bass and cello, mixing up the instrumentation in a really cool way! Suzuki was really one of the most inventive bassists of his generation of Japanese jazz – able to shift styles and sounds in a way that was a bit like Ron Carter on some of his groundbreaking records of the 70s – a mode that definitely comes into play here. The group's also noteworthy in that it features guest guitar work from Kazumi Watanabe – although Watanabe's playing here in a style that's much more restrained than on his later work – sliding in nicely next to Suzuki's warmly plucked notes on bass and cello, and ringing out with a great sense of lyrical interplay. Other instrumentation includes additional bass from Nobuyoshi Ino, drums from Tetsujiro Obara, and piano from Kunihiko Sugano – and titles include two great long originals – "Blue City" and "45th Street" – plus "Play Fiddle Play" and "Body & Soul". CD

Compelling work from Taiguara – a romantic singer, but one with a real edge! At first listen, Hoje seems to be sweet pop – but as it progresses, there's some great elements that really open up the sound and take it into the world of the baroque. One of these is the group Quarteto Forma, who join Taiguara on 2 great tracks, and another is the use of organ and strings in a style that's got the edgey feel of 60s soundtrack work. Lots of odd moments – and tracks include "Hoje", "Valsa Da Primavera", "Monica Monica", "Tarde", "Frevo Novo", "Nada Sei De Eterno", "Vim", "Tributo A Jaco Do Bandolim", and "Castigo". Viagem is another excellent record that picks up on some of the groovy sounds that was showing up on other Odeon albums at the time. Part of this is thanks to Gaya, who handled the orchestrations on most of the album – giving the record a cool baroque pop feel that really spices things up nicely on a few tracks. The record features three tracks cut with Som Imaginario – "Geracao 70", "Tema De Eva", and "Em Algum Lugar Do Mundo" – plus the titles "Universao No Teu Corpo", "Maria Do Futuro", and "A Transa". CD

Seminal sounds from the Nigerian scene at the start of the 70s – music from the key figure of Celestine Ukwu, an artist who helped to reinvigorate the highlife style of years past, and pave the way for Afro Funk changes in years to come! Celestine's sound is nice and lean here – very rhythmic, with the guitar wrapped around the percussion and basslines in beautifully snakey action – while the vocals also have a quality that's maybe more personal than before – at points almost the raspy intimacy we love in some Brazilian singers! The package brings together work from three different albums from the early 70s – all long tracks that include "Tomorrow Is So Uncertain", "Onwunwa", "Ejina Uwa Nya Isi", "Ilo Abu Chi", and "Okwukuwe Na Ncheckwube". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of albums that represent important early recordings of compositions by groundbreaking sonic genius Edgar Varese! First is the album Complete Works – an early series of recordings supervised by composer Edgard Varese – featuring versions of what were then his complete works! The record begins with two larger pieces – readings of "Integrales" and "Octandre" conducted by Frederic Waldman, working with the New York Wind Ensemble, who provide some very haunting tones, with additional percussion from the Julliard Percussion Orchestra on the first piece, which is a bit more dramatic. Rene Le Roy continues on the flute solo piece "Density 21.5", and the Julliard Percussion Orchestra comes back for a reading of the classic "Ionisation". The last work is one of the most striking – the three-part "Interpolations", which features "organized sound" compositions, realized on magnetic tape – one of Varese's haunting moves into early electronic music! Next is the Columbia album Music Of Edgar Varese – key Robert Craft takes on three earlier compositions, and the debut of "Poeme Electronique", which was created at the 1958 Brussels World Fair! "Ionisation" has a complex mix of percussion instruments, played by thirteen players – with a quality that's almost a key precursor to the music of Harry Partch. "Density 21.5" is a haunting piece for solo flute – filled with unusual tones and textures – and "Integrales" has a fuller orchestral presentation, and a nicely bombastic vibe, with woodwind tones and percussion colliding beautifully! That sound continues in "Octandre" – a 20s composition that shows just how far Varese was ahead of his time – as does "Hyperprism", from the same year, which is even more dramatic. "Poem Electronique" has a very different approach – all analogue electronics, used in an illustration of Varese's concept of "organized sound", but with a feel that's similar to the best musique concrete material of the 50s. Last up is the Columbia album Sound Spectacular – which offers three very different slices of the genius of Edgar Varese – presented here on a set of classic Columbia recordings from the early 60s! "Arcana" is perhaps the most ambitious work here – structured for an orchestra of 120 musicians, 70 of whom are string players – although the core energy of the piece seems to come from the 8 percussionists who handle a wide variety of instruments – creating those stark sounds that mark some of Varese's most important compositions – which the strings, brass, and woodwinds cluster around in equally powerful ways! "Deserts" is a piece that's more subtle, and much longer – mixing a variety of electronic sounds and instrumental moments, with shifting sonic spaces and volumes throughout – all to make up a side-long recording filled with moody moments and more powerful electronic bursts. "Offrandes" is a selection of two songs – in a haunting blend of woodwind instruments, percussion, and trumpet – plus vocals from soprano Dona Precht. CD

A Serbian combo, and one whose name might better be Vouse Etes Soul – as they have a style that evokes some of the best soulful piano trios of the 60s – especially the Three Sounds and the group of Les McCann! Veljko Vujcic handles piano, and he's got a great way of balancing lyricism with groove – the latter of which is helped along strongly by the work of bassist Milan Nikolic and drums of Urus Stamenkovic – both artists who have an approach that's very much in the pocket! Guitarist Radomir Milojkovic joins the trio on two tracks – and titles include "Nightcap", "A Wrong One", "Spicy Crispy Pepper Wings", "Almost AM", "Vinegar", and "Gene's Genes". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio set with tenor, but one that's very different than old school recordings of this mode – as the performance here is very improvised and open, with all three instruments providing a wide array of sounds – and not just the other two acting as rhythm for the tenor! Sam Weinberg blows the horn, and does so in ways that are really varied – sometimes all sorts of pops and flutters, sometimes these slower-burning sounds that almost feel like a stringed instrument – complemented by Chris Lightcap's work on bass, which then also moves past its usual role, and creates these amazing currents of sonic energy – especially when blended with the really inventive work of Tom Rainey on the drum kit. Titles include "Read & Reap", "Falls & Pratfalls", "Trace Windrow", "Paxton", "Anytime A Pile", and "Tipped". LP, Vinyl record album

The brilliant third album from Mike Westbrook – a sharp-edged, two volume set with a scathing anti-war theme! The work is Westbrook's first total-concept album, and it's still one of his best – written with an edge that's free from some of the more whimsical touches that showed up in Mike's later years, and played by a core group of British avant soloists with searing intensity! You've never heard large group scoring like this – bold, ambitious, and quite different than most of what's come before. And although the whole thing sounds as if it's going to fall apart at any moment, it always snaps back into a sharp focus just in the nick of time – with brilliant results that bring the same sense of surprise that you might get from, say, a classic album from Charles Mingus or Archie Shepp! Players include Kenny Wheeler and Henry Lowther on trumpets, Mike Gibbs and Paul Rutherford on trombones, John Surman on baritone and soprano sax, Mike Osborne on alto and clarinet, Alan Skidmore on tenor and flute, Brian Smith on tenor, and Harry Miller and Barre Phillips on bass. This set features both volumes of the recording – with titles that include "Landscape", "Hooray", "Other World", "Marching Song", "Transition", "Rosie", "Tension", "Ballad", "Conflict", and "Requiem". Great 3CD set features a full bonus disc of rare material – including the 7" single of "Original Peter" and "Magic Garden" – 1970 recordings of "But It Must Get Better & It Will Get Better" and "When Young" by The Mike Westbrook Quartet, and a 1966 recording of "Marching Song" by the Mike Westbrook Sextet – the last three of which have never been released! CD

An unusual Japanese-only collection of American and Japanese disco material – heavy on Avco label tracks from the US – but with other odd material too! There's a lot of cuts by the Soul Sounds Symphony, and by Van McCoy – and the set also features work from Dooley Silverspoon, Black Buster, The Sumos Band, The Stylistics, Three Degrees, Donnie Elbert, and the Chambers Brothers! LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of overlooked soul tracks from the scenes in Wisconsin and Chicago back in the day! The legendary Midwest label Cuca is maybe best known for a string of great rock recordings in the 60s – searing instrumentals and raw garage tracks that firmly established their name with collectors – but the company also cut some great sounds from a variety of other artists too – offering opportunities to the kinds of soul groups and singers who might later record for bigger imprints, but were also lucky enough to get a shot at the gold via Cuca! Given the label's long rock legacy, these tracks are a really great surprise – music that moves between some of the cooler, classier modes of the Chicago scene – and some of the deeper funk that's a perfect fit for a funky 45. As always with Numero, there's a great presentation of the material – detailed notes and a superb selection of songs – with titles that include "The Long Hot Summer" and "One More Time" by Betty Moorer, "I'm Leaving You" and "I'll Say" by The Devils & Devilettes, "Glamour Girl" and "Ten Thousand Years" by Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds, "I Love You Patricia" by The Supremes Four, "We Three" by The Twilighters, "Time After Time" by Step By Step, "It Puzzles Me" by Little Artie & The Pharoahs, "You Don't Care" by The Esquires, "Mist Of A Dream" by Birdlegs & Pauline, and "Every Step Of The Way" by Twistin Harvey. LP, Vinyl record album

Greasy Mike's given us plenty of great collections of rare 45s over the years – but our favorites are his Halloween sets – filled with all these really weird and wild monster-themed 7" singles from back in the day! The sounds here are like walking in on some late night horror show way down on the UHF side of the TV dial back in the day – these little two and three minute mini-movies that burst forth with so much sonic energy, it's almost like you're seeing them on the screen! This set features 18 monsters in all – and tracks include "Cool Ghoul" by Moe Koffman, "Like Weird" by Tommy Falcone & The Centuries, "Witchcraft" by Dick Dewayne Combo, "The Howl" by Johnny Eager, "El Vampiro" by Los Vampiranos, "The Last Ride" by The Phantom, "House On Haunted Hill" by Kenny & The Fiends, "The Spook" by The Tomkos, "Weird One" by Dave Gray & The Graytones, "Rigor Mortis" by The Bluenotes, "Creepin" by The Plaids, and "Transylvania" by The Mysterions. LP, Vinyl record album

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

Includes tracks by Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, The Three Sounds, Lou Donaldson, Freddie Hubbard, Tina Brooks, Baby Face Willette, Donald Byrd, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Joe Henderson, and more – 24 tracks total! CD

Sun Ra, Parliament, and other soul and jazz acts famously took us into space back in the day – and in the wake of their journeys, countless other artists elected to take the trip too – soaring to the cosmos on a blend of beats, basslines, keyboards, and vocals – all elements that are given an especially electro-tuned vibe in this great second volume of the series! The space age journeys are maybe more akin to the world of Newcleus than Earth Wind & Fire – lots of processing on the vocals, sweet riffing on the keyboards, and basslines that are tightly tied to the rhythms of the grooves – served up here in a way that references sounds of the street, west coast funk, and even earlier hip hop – all brought together in a very well-chosen array of tracks! As always with Soul Jazz, the presentation is as great as the music within – a set list that includes "More Ounce Rap" by Bobby Deemo, "Master Groove (inst)" by Chance, "Shine Your Light" by The Grainers, "Get Right" by Mid City Crew, "Summer Times" by Frank James & Shadow, "Year 2001 Boogie" by Rich Cason & The Galactic Orchestra, "Smurf Trek" by Chapter Three, "Let's Ride" by Junei, "Breakdance" by Command Performance, and "Computer Pop" by Maggotron. CD

One of the hippest Blue Note collections ever – 12 tracks used as the blueprint for Madlib's Shades Of Blue project – a mixture of funky jazz and killer 60s hardbop numbers! Some of the tracks are core Blue Note numbers, but others are much more left-of-center – and together, the package makes for a wonderful batch of jazzy grooves – cuts that slide easily from electric to acoustic, always grooving with a super-dope sort of style! Titles include "The Look Of Slim" by Gene Harris & The Three Sounds, "Illusion" by Andrew Hill, "Distant Land" by Donald Byrd, "Mystic Brew" by Ronnie Foster, "Stormy" by Reuben Wilson, "Please Set Me At Ease" by Bobbi Humphrey, "Peace" by Horace Silver, "Footprints" by Wayne Shorter, "Montara" by Bobby Hutcherson, and "Stepping Into Tomorrow" by Donald Byrd. CD

Other cities have earned the name of Soulville over the years – but that's New York on the cover, home of the legendary Harlem labels headed by Bobby Robinson – a key force in uptown sounds from the late 50s onward! Bobby cut some killer blues and R&B, and later even dabbled in hip hop – but the tracks here are from his prime soul years, when he was able to record and release music that was arguably a lot more hard-edged than most of the material coming out on other New York labels – often with a vibe that's more southern deep soul overall! The set features 16 killers from Bobby's legacy – titles that include "Being In Love" by Three Shades Of Soul, "Lost Without Your Love" by The Carlettes, "Let Go Baby" by Jim & Lee, "Don't Say" by Tiny Tim Harris, "Let Me Take You Out" by Tommy Duncan, "I Cross My Heart" by Joe Haywood, "Soultrain" by The Ramrods, "Love Me Baby So" by Ernie & Jean Terrell, and "Flaming Mamie" by Billy Hambric. LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning surprise from Andre 3000 – at least if you only know him as part of Outkast – and a record that finally gives us an audio document of the sounds that Andre has really been involved with in recent years – a beautiful blend of spiritual jazz with mellower currents, aided here by some members of the contemporary LA scene! There's a resonance here with some of the more laidback projects on the International Anthem label, and with the work of Carlos Nino – and no surprise, Nino is on board to deliver great production work throughout, and co-produced the album with Andre too. Andre delivers a lot of work on flute, as hinted at by the cover – and also serves up beautiful sounds on wind controller too – as the set moves between contributions from other artists who include Nate Mercereau on guitars, and Diego Gaeta and Surya Botofasina on keyboards – as well as guest vocals from Mia Doi Todd on two tracks, and shakuhachi from Shabaka Hutchings on one more. Titles include "That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther & Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control", "Ninety Three Til Infinity & Beyonce", "Dreams Once Buried Beneath The Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout Into Undying Gardens", "Ants To You Gods To Who", and "I Swear I Really Wanted To Make A Rap Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Three albums from reedman Arthur Blythe – served up in one nicely-priced set! Retroflection is a great showcase for the alto talents of Arthur Blythe – a set that's maybe a bit more stripped-down than some of his bigger label albums of the 80s, but in a way that really lets you focus on his strength of tone and phrasing! The group's a quartet, working in an open live setting – John Hicks on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Bobby Battle on drums – and while all players certainly know how to go inside, they keep things swinging and relatively straight at the core – while Blythe waxes beautifully on the alto, with these sharp edges that mix nicely with more lyrical moments. Titles include "Jana's Delight", "JB Blues", "Lenox Avenue Breakdown", "Faceless Woman", and "Peacemaker". Calling Card is a great little record from Arthur Blythe – mostly straight ahead, but pretty darn freewheeling too – thanks to a selection of long tracks that really let him open up on alto sax! The setting is a quartet – nicely put-together with John Hicks on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Bobby Battle on drums – a rhythm trio who do equally well on the album's spiritual tracks and its more soulful groovers. The performance was recorded live, but with a nice degree of intimacy, especially on Blythe's horn – and titles include "Hip Dripper", "Naima's Love Song", "As Of Yet", "Blue Blues", "Break Tune", and "Elaborations". On Hipmotism, there's a really hypnotic blend of sounds – the always-strong alto work of Arthur Blythe, whose solos are a key part of the strength of the set – matched with a super-strong lineup that includes Hamiet Bluiett on baritone sax, Kelvin Bell on guitar, Gust William Tsilis on vibes, Arto Tuncboyaci on percussion, and Famoudou Don Moye on drums! There's a slight crackle of electricity at times, but never in a way that dampens the soul, especially that of a leader – and while earlier efforts of this sort might have gotten mired in too much criss-crossing of modes, this set comes off perfectly – a fresh entry in Blythe's wonderfully storied career. Titles include "Miss Eugie", "Hipmotism", "My Son Ra", "Bush Baby", "Dear Dessa", "Cousin Sidney", "Shadows", and "Dance Benita Dance". CD

Quite possibly THE James Brown album of the mid 60s – a solid set of hard-grooving tracks, based around the monster title hit "I Got You (I Feel Good)"! The tune's one of those numbers that has been used a gajillion times over the years in commercials and promos – but which never sounds better than here, on James' original version – one of those cuts that never gets old! The hit's also nicely offset by a number of other more obscure numbers that make the album really worth tracking down – titles that include "I Can't Help It (I Just Do Do Do)", "Good Good Lovin", "I've Got Money", "Three Hearts In A Tangle", "You've Got The Power", and "Love Don't Love Nobody" – all on the rougher side of the JB spectrum. LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful setting for the vibes of Gary Burton – a special ECM session that pairs his quartet with larger orchestral backdrops – all conducted by Michael Gibbs, who also wrote the music for the date! Gibbs had already risen to fame by the time of this record – thanks to some groundbreaking albums for large ensembles on the British jazz scene of the late 60s – where he demonstrated a tremendous ear for intimate tones and subtle sounds amidst a larger group. Here, that talent turns out to work perfectly for the rich tones of Burton's vibes – allowing them to develop slowly and spaciously, despite the larger orchestra. The core quartet also features Michael Goodrick on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Ted Seibs on drums – and titles include "The Rain Before It Falls", "Three", "Phases", "Throb", and "Nocturne Vulgaire/Arise Her Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Art Hirihara is in good company here – and in some very unusual company too – as the record's different than the usual piano trio outing, in that it features Paul Bollenback on guitar and Ron Horton on trumpet – three players who come together with a very unique vibe! We're not sure we've ever heard the blend of these three instruments together in a small group setting, but the results are wonderful – with the warmth of Art's piano next to the leaner sounds of Bollenback's guitar, all punctuated by work on trumpet and flugelhorn from Horton – a player with a nice sense of bite next to the others. Titles include "Laverne", "Shambolic", "The Shadowist", "Soho Down", "As Praias Desertas", "Drop & Drag", and "Full Moon Over Lisbon". CD

A never-issued set from the great Weldon Irvine – late 70s material made after his classic jazz/funk albums on RCA – and a set that's every bit as great as that material! Irvine works with some of the key musicians who'd make great funky records for the Arista/GRP label – including guitarist Bobby Broom, trumpeter Tom Browne, and keyboardist Don Blackman – the last of whom even sings a bit on the record! There's plenty of moments that resonate strongly with the GRP albums from all three of those jazz funk giants – and if the set had been issued by the label, it would have helped Weldon continue onto greatness well into the 80s. Yet regardless, the long-overdue record is a gem through and through – with titles that include include "Egypt", "Sexy Eyes", "It's Funky", "Blue In Green", "Morning Sunrise", and "The Sisters". LP, Vinyl record album

Our favorite album ever from Roland Kirk – and a beautiful mix of two different sides of his genius! Side one's got Roland doing these crazy takes on late 60's pop cuts like "My Cherie Amour" and "Say a Little Prayer", plus his own "songs", done with soulful vocals and a straight-on approach that shows him trying to break out of the avant jazz underground, and reach a wider audience with a spiritual message on tracks like "Search For The Reason Why" and "Spirits Up Above". If this description sounds like a mess, it's not – because this side of the album is one of Kirk's most brilliant statements ever about jazz, soul, love and freedom! Side two has Roland in a straighter vein – running through a tight live set from Newport 1968, handled with fire and imagination, the kind of boundless energy he always brought to his public appearances. Tracks on that set include "One Ton", "Three For The Festival", "Afro Blue", and some great remarks by Roland! LP, Vinyl record album

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". CD

A fantastic selection of work from one of the hippest girl groups of the 70s – the mighty Love Unlimited trio, three singers who all worked under the genius of Barry White in his prime! Unlike other girl trios of the time, who often used an older soul mode refitted with disco grooves – sometimes acting more like a chorus than a lead act – Love Unlimited always brought their full vocal strengths to play, and do a fantastic job here working in modes that rival some of the best male harmony groups of the early 70s – especially the sweet soul groups from New Jersey, New York, and Philly. And yes, Barry does kick up the groove a bit at times, but even then things are usually more in a midtempo mode, not a disco one – which makes for tremendous sounds throughout. This is the first-ever proper collection of the girls' singles from the early 70s – and titles include "Oh Love Well We Finally Made It", "Fragile Handle With Care", "Are You Sure", "I Should Have Known", "Is It Really True Boy Is It Me", "Walkin In The Rain With The One I Love", "Under The Influence Of Love", "It May Be Winter Outside", "I Love You So Never Gonna Let You Go", "I Belong To You", "So Nice To Hear", "People Of Tomorrow Are The Children Of Today", and "Share A Little Love In Your Hear LP, Vinyl record album

A late 70s album issued by Hat Art Records, right during the time that the great Joe McPhee was finally getting the international attention he deserved – but music with much earlier origins, as the sounds within were all originally recorded during the same sessions as his Nation Time album from 1970! As with that record, the work here was all recorded in the hinterlands of upstate New York – where Joe was quietly cooking up genius with some very underground players – Mike Kull on piano, Tyrone Crabb on bass, and Ernest Bostic and Bruce Thompson on piano – players who make for a very free, unstructured setting at most moments! McPhee blows both tenor and soprano – with raw edges and amazing tones that really link him to some of the most adventurous European improvisers of the time – and the set features three long tracks – "Hymn Of The Dragon Kings", "Black Magic Man", and "Song For Laureen" – and all titles are originals. LP, Vinyl record album

Joshua Abrams and Chad Taylor are already fantastic musicians on their own key instruments – bass and drums, respectively – but here, they take up different instrumental modes – and with a result that's every bit as spiritually powerful as their work in other styles! Abrams plays guimbri, a bass-like instrument of Gnawan origin – but one that features just three strings, and a much smaller tonal range – which he uses here in ways that are nicely focused, and often rhythmic – these progressions that are balanced by Taylor's wonderful sounds on mbira – the instrument that most folks know as the African thumb piano! Taylor makes these beautifully melodic sounds, and Adams moves between plucking his instrument, and using it in percussive modes too – a really wonderful blend. Titles include "Glow & Glimmer", "Slack Water", "Complete Rain", "Mental Eyes", "Valence", "Snap Yr Teeth", "The Ladder", and "Entrainment". LP, Vinyl record album

A mighty soulful set from the group of bassist Takahashi Mizuhashi – served up in a really strong range of sounds that are spun out over the album's very long tracks! The set begins with a soulful rendition of "When A Man Loves A Woman", but then soars into freer jazz territory at the start of "So What" – which begins with one of the most outside readings of the Miles Davis classic we've ever heard! The album really sparkles – thanks to some strong work on alto from Yoshio Otomo, and piano from the great Fumio Karashima – and side two features guest trombone from Shigeharu Mukai and tenor from Seiichi Nakamura – who really help things stretch out on an 18 minute take on Stanley Turrentine's classic "Sugar". CD

A great date from the later revival years of altoist Frank Morgan – thanks to a warm performance from the Cedar Walton trio! One of the great things about late Morgan is the way in which he's able to really fit himself into different settings – still holding onto his soulful roots, but also fluidly picking up the best elements of the groups he works with – such as the rich tones and soaring styles that Walton brings to this session! Cedar's piano always sounds great with a horn, and the warmth in Morgan's alto is quite a different match than some of Walton's tenor-driven sessions – and bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Billy Higgins keep things in just the right subtle side of the spectrum to fit the mood. Titles include "The Rubber Man", "Yes & No", "Manha De Carnaval", "Now's The Time", "Three Flowers", and "Third Street Blues". CD