The headier side of the great Roscoe Mitchell – a project that has some of the reedman's compositions transcribed for larger orchestra performance – but at a level that seems to be a natural evolution of the notion of "black classical music" that Mitchell first helped pioneer with the AACM! Make no mistake with that term – this isn't classical music at all – instead, the larger group works here to realize this beautiful balance between improvisation and composition, almost working as a whole to embody the ideas that Mitchell has brought to his music in much smaller settings, carved out of a large group of woodwinds, a touch of brass, and a bit of strings. Gregory Oh conducts the group, and titles include "They Rode For Them", "Splatter", "Nonaah", "Shards & Lemons", and "Ride The Wind". CD

The earliest incarnation of the Plastic Ono band, and more or less a one off, with an all-star line up that included Eric Clapton and Klaus Voorman alongside Lennon and Ono. One side of the rootsy rock that was the old school Beatles stock in trade, and one side of Yoko Ono doing her thing on the mic. Titles include "Blue Suede Shoes", "Money", "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", "Yer Blues", "Cold Turkey", "Give Peace A Chance", "Don't Worry Kyoko" and "John, John". LP, Vinyl record album

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With Scott Hamilton on tenor, Jake Hanna on drums, Warren Vache on cornet, and Steve Wallace on bass. LP, Vinyl record album

A huge amount of 70s material from the legendary Paul Desmond – all recorded during the year of 1975, with backing from a shifting group of Canadian players – and most of it unissued until now! You'll know some of these tracks from the albums Paul Desmond Quartet Live (A&M), Paul Desmond (Artist House), and Like Someone In Love (Telarc) – but together, the tracks present a much bigger picture of Desmond's genius at the time – really moving past some of the more rigid roles he'd have in his 60s work with Dave Brubeck. Players on most numbers are the trio of Ed Bickert on guitar, Don Thompson on bass, and Jerry Fuller on drums – a really great combo, and the mix of guitar with Desmond's sharply-blown alto is wonderful – a perfect upfront setting for his sound. A few more tracks feature trombonist Rob McDConnell in place of Bickert – which makes for a different, but equally compelling sound – and the whole thing features 51 long tracks, 32 of which appear here for the first time ever – all with the usual great Mosaic Records booklet of notes and presentation. CD

Paul Desmond on alto – with Ed Bickert on guitar, Don Thompson on bass, and Jerry Fuller on drums. CD

Gene DiNovi on piano, Dave Young on bass, and Terry Clarke on drums. CD

A very cool quintet of Korean lovelies from the 70s – five gals who could sing sweetly when they wanted, but also hit some funkier sounds on their instruments as well! The Happy Dolls follow strongly in the tradition of earlier Army base acts from the postwar Korean scene – but they've also got a groovier sound overall, and maybe more of an international appeal too – given the time they spent on the Vegas stages in the early part of the decade, and their frequent work in Canada during the latter half. This set was recorded in Toronto, and it's got a very unusual approach that mixes equal parts small combo funk with some fuller harmony singing as well – a shift that takes place from track to track on the set, which makes for a surprising sense of variety. The group turn in two great covers – "Funky Stuff" and "Pick Up The Pieces" – both of which work great in kind of an indie funk mode – and other tunes include their own "Bombie", a take on "Shake Your Booty", and even a "Drum Solo" number! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of albums from this Guyana group – both recorded overseas, and with a really unique sort of vibe! Young Ones Of Guyana On Tour was recorded in 1970, while the group was in London – at the legendary Landsdowne Studios, home to some really groundbreaking jazz at the time – a location that must have left some sort of imprint on the combo, as they work here in a mix of different styles that includes soul, Latin, and even Jamaican modes – often using strong lead guitar upfront, usually peppered with very cool Farfisa organ lines too. Many of the cuts are instrumentals, and some are vocals – and the mix reminds us a lot of the sorts of variety you'd get on a late 60s rocksteady album. Titles include "Liquidator", "Monkey Man", "Express Way", "Love Can Make You Happy", "No More Heartaches", and "Meditation". Reunion was recorded in Toronto in 1973 – after the group took a hiatus from recording for a bit, to reemerge here with a style that's definitely matured for the time! The organ has shifted from Farfisa to Hammond, but still used in these nice lean lines – and the vocals are more prominent, and maybe more soulful too – especially when the group take on some American soul tracks from the time. Titles include "Guitar Man", "Hooked On Me", "Poppa Joe", "Oh Girl", "If Loving You Is Wrong", "Suriname", "Ain't No Sunshine", and "Lean On Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A heady concept album from this legendary group – one that features a suite of tracks that all share concerns for the environment! Given the amount of electricity at play, the album's maybe not as "green" of a set as it might be – but Nektar definitely seem to create some energy of their own in a heady blend of keyboards, guitars, bass, and drums! The familiar instruments are used in really powerful, soaring styles – and the production has some cool touches around the edges that change things up nicely, and add in just the right sort of spacey currents. Lead vocals follow the message in the music – and titles include "Cybernetic Consumption", "Recycle Countdown", "Flight To Reality", "Unendless Imaginations", "Sao Paulo Sunrise", "It's All Over", and "Costa Del Sol". 5CD set features bonus tracks "Flight To Reality (single)" and "It's All Over (single) – plus the 2024 Geoff Emerick mix, and bonus live material recorded in Toronto and Long Island in 1976! CD

Toronto-based Aphrose is a hell of a soul singer – an artist with a voice rich enough to crack the mainstream, but a more laidback way of putting over a tune that makes her music sound even more personal overall! The album's almost at throwback to a time when we were regularly discovering gems from the neo soul underground – and in a time of tracks dropped online at random times, Aphrose has done a really great job of delivering a full-length set that stands as a mighty demonstration of her talents! This is only her second record, and it already feels like she's grown a lot since the first – and will definitely be an artist to keep our ears on in years to come. Titles include "Soft Nuclear", "Higher", "Zag", "Good Love", "Chop The Cake", "YaYa", "In The Time Of Sorrow", and "Heavenly Father". LP, Vinyl record album

Larry Coryell began his career as a fuzzy fusion monster – often leaning into rock with both his sound and his solos – but over the 70s, he also really developed his talents as an acoustic artist – which come into beautiful focus here on a set of mostly solo recordings! Larry almost seems to channel previous acoustic giants – like Baden Powell or Paco DeLucia – but all while making a sound that's completely his own – quite rhythmic in its pulse, with some very hard action on the strings – but also with a level of sensitivity that you never would have heard in his music a decade before! The album's got a fantastic blending of the Horace Silver tunes "Song For My Father" and "Sister Sadie" – and other tracks include "Toronto Under The Sign Of Capricorn", "April Seventh", "Copenhagen Impressions", and "For Phillip & Django". LP, Vinyl record album

A solo piano album recorded at Toronto's Cafe des Copains. Tracks include "House Of Jade", "Pent Up House", "Thou Swell", and "Dat Dere". CD adds the bonus tracks "Manhattan" and "Indian Summer". CD

A second great collaboration between Masta Ace and Marco Polo – the latter of whom really seems to bring a new sort of open, honest quality to the proceedings – at a level that helps Masta Ace get there as well! There's this down to earth quality to the proceedings that's totally great – and the record thematically follows some of Marco Polo's experience growing up in Richmond Hill outside of Toronto, while tying things to more contemporary issues as well. The album features lots of guest work – from Blu, Inspectah Deck, Stricklin Wordsworth, and others – on titles that include "Hero", "Life Music", "Brooklyn Heights", "Below The Clouds", "Heat Of The Moment", and "Jordan Theory". LP, Vinyl record album

A massive collection of Tortoise rarities – including work from non-US releases, tour-only EP material, compilation tracks and more – plus the long out-of-print, heavily sought after Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters remix album – all at a great price! You really couldn't ask for a better collection of errata from the celebrated group. It features some of the best work the collective and individual members (Jeff Parker ('97-present), John Herndon, John McEntire, Doug McCombs, Dan Bitney, David Pajo ('95-'97) and Bundy Brown ('91-'94)) have ever done! Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters – featuring adventurous re-imaginings by such a diverse roster as Casey Rice, Steve Albini, Brad Wood, Jim O'Rourke and Mike Watt – is possibly the face value boon of the collection given it's known "legendary lost" status, but pretty much everything here is just as tough to find, if not literally impossible! The set contains 3CDs and a DVD, which features most of Tortoise's music videos and extensive rare live performance footage. Frankly, we'd have paid $20 just for a CD single with "Gamera", and that's just the kick off track on disc 1! Other tracks on disc 1 include "Blackbyrd", "Sex For Elizabeth", "To Day Retrieval", "Whitewater", "Autumn Sweater", "A Grape Dope", "Blue Station" and more. Disc 2 includes "Madison Area", "TNT (Nobukazu Takemura remix)", "Why We Fight", "CTA", "Adverse", Cliff Dweller Society" and more. Disc 3 (Rhythms, Resolutions And Clusters) includes the tracks "Alcohall", "Your New Rod", "Cobwebbed", "The Match Incident", "Tin Cans", "Not Quite East Of The Ryan", "Cornpone Brunch" and more. DVD includes the videos for "Salt The Skies", "Dear Grandma And Grandpa", "Seneca", and more, plus live footage from Toronto in '96, the Deutches Jazz Festival in '99, Chic-A-Go-Go in '05 and the Burn To Shine project in '04. CD

A second great collaboration between Masta Ace and Marco Polo – the latter of whom really seems to bring a new sort of open, honest quality to the proceedings – at a level that helps Masta Ace get there as well! There's this down to earth quality to the proceedings that's totally great – and the record thematically follows some of Marco Polo's experience growing up in Richmond Hill outside of Toronto, while tying things to more contemporary issues as well. The album features lots of guest work – from Blu, Inspectah Deck, Stricklin Wordsworth, and others – on titles that include "Hero", "Life Music", "Brooklyn Heights", "Below The Clouds", "Heat Of The Moment", and "Jordan Theory". CD

A great little set that brings together the short but fantastic legacy of Risco Connection – a late 70s project led by Studio One drummer Joe Isaacs, after moving from Kingston and setting up shop on the scene in Toronto! Joe calls on plenty of his older roots in early reggae, but also serves up cuts that have a strong nod towards contemporary club – slowing down the rhythms from the pace of disco, but also not really working in a reggae groove either – and instead coming up with a really unique hybrid of both – one that's peppered by vocals from a variety of different singers, often has nice keyboard touches in a moogy/spacey style, and which also features dubby reworkings of most of the tunes too! As usual, Strut do a great job of putting together the material with nicely detailed notes – and titles include two versions each of "It's My House", "Good Times", "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now", and "Sitting In The Park" – plus "I'm Caught Up", "Argument", "Stopping", "Bringing Out The Sunshine", "Risco Music", and "Reggae Music". CD

A great little set that brings together the short but fantastic legacy of Risco Connection – a late 70s project led by Studio One drummer Joe Isaacs, after moving from Kingston and setting up shop on the scene in Toronto! Joe calls on plenty of his older roots in early reggae, but also serves up cuts that have a strong nod towards contemporary club – slowing down the rhythms from the pace of disco, but also not really working in a reggae groove either – and instead coming up with a really unique hybrid of both – one that's peppered by vocals from a variety of different singers, often has nice keyboard touches in a moogy/spacey style, and which also features dubby reworkings of most of the tunes too! As usual, Strut do a great job of putting together the material with nicely detailed notes – and titles include two versions each of "It's My House", "Good Times", "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now", and "Sitting In The Park" – plus "I'm Caught Up", "Argument", "Stopping", "Bringing Out The Sunshine", "Risco Music", and "Reggae Music". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work from an artist who was born in Ghana, spent time in Germany, and recorded this underground cassette-only release in Toronto during the early 90s! The music has this very odd pan-national style that references Ata Kak's Ghanian roots, but also brings in some cool electronics that must have been picked up while in Germany, and fused with a style that's almost early electro – especially given the lean approach to rhythms and keyboards throughout! Ata Kak sings and raps a bit – the latter not entirely in a hip hop mode, more in this rhythmic and explosive style that's very unique – and the whole thing's got a wonderfully homegrown vibe that really takes us back to the cassette indie generation. Titles include "Oabaa Sima", "Daa Nyinaa", "Yemmpa Aba", "Bome Nnwom", and "Medfofo". CD

Heavy psych from the Toronto scene of the 60s – a record that died instantly after it was recorded, but only because it was years ahead of its time! Bent Wind are incredible from the very first note – playing with this intensity that's really hard to sum up in words, often with guitar lines to rival the best of the new hard rock generation in the UK – but lyrics that are moodier and muddier, and which give these guys an almost spooky sort of feel! There's plenty of power on the record throughout – and a youthful freshness that comes through right away, even after all these years – on titles that include "Hate", "The Lions", "Goin To The City", "Riverside", "Mystify", "Touch Of Red", and "Sacred Cows". LP, Vinyl record album

Two tracks from the Toronto hip hop compilation Mad Fiber, with Frankenstein, Kardinal Offishall, and Marvel on "Internal Affairs". 12-inch, Vinyl record

A legendary concert – recorded at Massey Hall in Toronto, with a previously-unmatched quintet of superstar bop players: Charlie Parker on alto, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, and Max Roach on drums. This reissue set also includes the Bud Powell trio sides which were issued separately as Jazz At Massey Hall Vol 2. The quintet runs down "Perdido", "Salt Peanuts", "All The Things You Are", "Wee", "Hot House" and "A Night In Tunisia" and the trio sides are "Embraceable You", "Sure Thing", "My Devotion", "Polka Dots & Moon Beams", "Cherokee", "Jubilee", "I've Got You Under My Skin", "My Heart Stood Still", "I Want To Be Happy" and "Lullaby Of Birdland". LP, Vinyl record album