Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Marcos Valle's illustrious career is nothing short of extraordinary. From becoming an international sensation overnight to navigating political turmoil, dodging the Vietnam draft, and shaping fitness trends, Valle's journey is as dynamic as his music. To truly grasp his impact, one must experience his diverse discography. Spanning from his 1962 debut to the present, Valle's work covers bossa nova, samba, disco, psychedelic rock, and beyond. With 22 studio albums, his music has been celebrated by legends like Frank Sinatra, Elis Regina and sampled by contemporary icons such as Jay-Z and Kanye West. Valle's twenty-third album, Tunel Acustico, marks a grand synthesis of his musical evolution. The album unifies Valle's varied styles with a natural, sincere touch. It features two tracks from his time in Los Angeles in the late seventies: 'Feels So Good,' a soulful gem created with Leon Ware, and 'Life Is What It Is,' a disco delight co-written with Laudir De Oliveira of Chicago. 'Feels So Good' was restored from an old demo with producer Daniel Maunick, who used AI to enhance the track, while Valle added Portuguese lyrics and new instrumentation. Valle's take on 'Life Is What It Is' boosts the tempo and groove for an infectious summer vibe. The album also showcases contemporary Brazilian talents like Joyce Moreno, Ceu and Moreno Veloso, alongside Valle's brother, Paulo Sergio Valle. Closing with 'Thank You Burt (For Bacharach),' a tribute to Burt Bacharach, Tunel Acustico promises to be a compelling addition to Valle's legendary career.

Review: Somewhat bizarrely, this 1972 set was funded and released by (the now defunct) Cruzeiro Airlines as a promotional item. More impressively, it brought together some of Brazil's finest musicians including Azymuth (who were responsible for laying down the backing tracks) and Marcos Valle. Here reissued for the first time, it offers a glorious blend of string-drenched arrangements, jazz-funk, samba and jazz-fired backing tracks, spacey early synthesizer sounds, twinkling pianos and sweet female vocals guaranteed to make your flight across Brazil pass by in a loved-up blur. It's infinitely superior to almost all contemporary in-flight entertainment options and - more surprisingly - of far greater musical quality than you'd expect from what was effectively a marketing exercise.

Review: This superb collaboration between Marcos Valle, a legendary composer, and Azymuth, the innovative jazz-funk trio from Brazil, results in a dynamic fusion of bossa nova, samba, and jazz. Released in 1972, Fly Cruzeiro encapsulates the vibrant spirit of Brazilian music, transcending genres and capturing the essence of the country's musical landscape. It is one that is marked by Valle's soulful vocals, Azymuth's intricate instrumentation, and a rhythmic groove that epitomises the rich cultural tapestry of Brazil. All these years on, Fly Cruzeiro remains a timeless gem, showcasing the collective brilliance of two musical forces at the forefront of Brazil's music scene.

Review: There aren't many characters quite like Lori Vambe in British music. He was a self-taught drummer, inventor, and sonic experimentalist who also made his own instrument, the drumgita, or string-drum. He was born in born in Harare, Zimbabwe but moved to London in 1959 and soon became entrenched in the Brixton squat scene. Now revered as a fine outsider along with the likes of Moondog and Daphne Oram, his privately pressed album Space Time Dreamtime: The Four Dimensional Music Of Lori Vambe now gets a first ever issue on Strut. It is an international and experimental work full of overdubs, tape effects, temporal shifts and reversed sound.

Review: Dutch keyboard player Fred van Zegveld's 1969 release is a high-voltage display of Hammond organ wizardry, stretching across jazz, soul and r&b with unshakable confidence. His originals, like 'Family Blues' and 'Blue Organ,' are thick with groove, their choppy rhythms and swelling chords bouncing off Ruud Jacobs' steady basslines and Louis de Bey's crisp, unfussy drumming. The title track channels that same energy into a slow-burning, percussive churn, each phrase pulling tighter before van Zegveld lets loose with another spiralling run. His approach to covers is just as striking. 'Misty' drifts into smoky, late-night territory, drenched in shimmering vibrato, while 'I Wanna Be Your Man' ditches the Beatles' pop polish for something grittier, the organ growling over a rolling rhythm section. There's a looseness to the playing, a sense that the band is locked in but always on the edge of cutting loose. The whole record moves with a natural, in-the-room warmthivan Zegveld doesn't just play the Hammond, he makes it breathe, pulling back for hushed, introspective moments before launching into ecstatic swells.

Review: Prolific solo musician and former Brainticket bassist Joel Vandroogenbroeck is something of a new age force of nature, with his various albums over the years drawing on every influence from the asymptotic worlds of H.R. Giger to the humility of Earthly nature. Released in 1978, Images Of Flute In Nature shows off Vandroogenbroeck's incredible flute playing, combining the instrument with alien blues backings, dubious electronic messings-about, and motifs contributed by fellow Brainticket vocalist Carole Muriel.

Review: Vanishing Twin's recent explosion on the scene has been met with excitement and wonder from both ourselves and the rest of the industry. That's because it's made up of some serious talent: Innerspace Orchestra's Cathy Lucas is at the helm with her vocals, Raime's drummer Valentina Magaletti is on the percussion, the bass comes from Floating Points' collaborator Susumu Mukai, and Man From Uranus tweaks the knobs. As you can see, it's a rather eccentric collection of artists. This mysterious and, at times, spectral strain of high-powered jazz follows in the footsteps of Sun Ra's mythical work, where we're dropped into a dark and compelling world of percussion, Eastern chimes and progressive jazz grooves. There's plenty of moments of oddity, too, and that is exactly where this outfit thrive. It's the short moments of madness between the more composed shreds of jazz that make this album stand out among the crowd. Excellent.

Review: Jean Claude Vannier is one of those artists who the average person on the street probably hasn't really discovered. But, walk into a room full of Vannier fans and you realise the gravity of his mythology, and the obsessive approach to rummaging through his back catalogue they all seem to have adopted. The point being, Finders Keepers will have had to do some serious digging to find anything by the avant-garde French pop composer that could be considered as truly rare and forgotten.

Achieve it they did, though, with La Bete Noire, or The Black Beast - his highly experimental score to an equally obscure and largely unremembered cinematic work. Combining classical, jazz, psychedelia, and free wheeling fun, it's musically phenomenal. As is Serge Gainsbourg's Paris N'existe Pas soundtrack, which is also included here. Fitting sounds for a movie about an artist smoking weed at a Parisian party only to realise he can then see the future, this is instrumentally mind-blowing, atmospheric, and decidedly sexy stuff.

Review: Long before bossa nova washed up on Yugoslavia's Adriatic shores, Latin American sounds had already unpicked and repatched parts of the country's musical fabric. Afro-Cuban rhythms and big band jazz held sway in Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Belgrade ballrooms, with street corners in Split ringing to jazz as early as 1919. This compilation from Everland, curated by DJ-Gree, represents the best, and by that token most uniquely angelically intoned, cuts from the era, riffing on European Post-WWII repression that had formerly pushed jazz underground. By the early 60s, Yugoslavia's festival culture welcomed samba, tango, mambo, and calypso, and by 1963, Bud Shank's visit with Bosko Petrovic's quintet marked many locals' first taste of bossa nova. That same year, Jugoton released the 7" EP Bossa Nova by Bogdan Dimitrijevic, revisited among the other great many delights heard on display here.

Review: The Fallout: Soothing Sounds of the Apocalypse vinyl is a nostalgic journey through iconic hits of the 1930s, 40s and 50s that beautifully contrasts the dark, post-apocalyptic setting of Amazon's Fallout series. This 12-song collection includes unforgettable tracks by legends like Johnny Cash, Nat King Cole, The Ink Spots, Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald, evoking a haunting yet charming atmosphere for fans of the show and the beloved video game franchise. Songs like 'I Don't Want To Set the World on Fire' by The Ink Spots and 'Orange Colored Sky' by Nat King Cole capture the eerie beauty of a world grappling with survival amidst ruins, while tracks such as 'Crawl Out Through The Fallout' by Sheldon Allman add a touch of dark humour.This soundtrack brings together timeless music that has helped shape the unique atmosphere of the series.

Review: IRMA Records is now in its 37th year and paying resects to the impact of Black music remains central to its vision and output. In the 80s, the acid jazz movement revived soul jazz funk from the 70s, and this vibrant scene continues to thrive today and introduce new artists who take on the mantle. Since the 90s, IRMA has been home to acts on that tip like Jestofunk, Bossa Nostra, Gazzara and Man Sueto and this Mondo Groove collection showcases the diverse Italian scene as it is today. It blends Afrobeat, fusion and world music influences into a party-starting array.

Review: This double LP compilation from Jazzman Records unearths a wealth of spiritual jazz gems from the SABA and MPS labels, spanning the 1960s and 70s. Showcasing a diverse array of international artists, the collection features American heavyweights like Elvin Jones and Nathan Davis alongside European innovators like Pedro Iturralde and Jef Gilson. The music traverses a wide spectrum of styles, from soulful ballads and fiery modal explorations to avant-garde excursions, reflecting the labels' commitment to releasing exciting and innovative jazz. Highlights include the adventurous sounds of the Joachim Kuhn Group, Nathan Davis's soulful 'Evolution', and Pedro Iturralde Quintet's 'Veleta De Tu Viento'.

Review: Analog Africa has repressed the highly valued and long since sold-out Congo Funk! Sound Madness From The Shores Of The Mighty Congo River: Kinshasa/Brazzaville 1969-1982. It is a compilation that superbly shows off the raw energy and funkiness of the Congolese rumba scene. This is the country that spawned such as legendary bands as African Jazz, OK Jazz and African Fiesta and it is said that the concert ahead of the legendary Rumble in the Jungle boxing match between Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman is what really set young hopefully musicians on their paths, after they saw James Brown play live. The story of those artists and the labels they released on in the ensuing years is what is told so well here across four sides of vital wax.

Review: The most famous label in jazz celebrates a monumental 85 years in action. How else to do that than with an all star cast of giants of the genre, captured at the top of their game? Miles Davis, Theolonious Monk, John Coltrane - they don't come much more legendary than this, and this 2xCD is a comprehensive catalogue of brilliance, with the label's latter years also represented via Norah Jones and a host of others. High Spirits indeed.

Review: "Pyramid Pieces" is a long overdue retrospective of the golden years of Australia's modern jazz scene in the 1960s and '70s. It could hardly be called a well-known scene - it was barely celebrated in Australia, yet alone elsewhere - but over the course of two decades produced a string of fine releases showcasing fresh interpretations of then contemporary jazz from the USA and Europe, as well as a homegrown style known as 'Eco-Jazz'. Highlights are plentiful, from the magnificent modal movements of Jazz Co/Op's "A La Coltrane" and the effortlessly evocative spirituality of "Exploration of the Sun" by the John Sangster Quartet, to the heady eco-jazz beauty of the Brian Brown Quintet's "Wildflowers" and Peter Gaudion Blues Express's winding instrumental cover of jazz staple "People Make The World Go round".

Review: The crate-diggers behind the Mr Bongo label can usually be relied upon to showcase some seriously good tunes old and new. That's certainly the case on this third volume in their occasional "Record Club" series of compilations. Spanning sunshine soul, obscure samba, spacey jazz-funk experimentation, wide-eyed underground disco, fiery funk, weirdo rock, cheery South African bubblegum, synth-laden early '80s highlife, Ramsay Lewis style workouts and the psychedelic Middle Eastern disco-funk of Elias Rahbani, the compilation's 20 tracks are not only near faultless, but genuinely surprising and eye-opening. To quote a cliche, this collection genuinely is all killer and no filler.

Review: Asiko Tito is one of many lost gems of Nigerian music. It has been curated by Lagos' legendary Jazzhole and feature music first recorded in the late 90s. The 10-track compilation captures Afrobeat, Yoruba-funk, Afro-funk, highlife and spiritual jazz gems that reflect Lagos' rich musical tapestry. Each track blends traditional rhythms with modern influences which are the hallmarks of the city's vital scene. Jazzhole is a label led by Olakunle Tejuoso and his son and has been a cultural institution for over 30 years thanks to its championing of African and Afro-diasporic sounds. This is another welcome reissue that reminds us of Nigeria's enduring creativity.

Review: BBE has been shining a deserving light on Japanese jazz for a while now through this on going J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan series. This latest triple bumper pack is sub titled The Nippon Columbia label 1968 - 1981 and is again packed with next level sounds from a range of key players. Many of them will be familiar to those with a basic knowledge of jazz but plenty won't. The likes of Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats, Hozan Yamamoto go wild on 'Chakkiri-Bushi,' Takashi Mizuhashi joins forces with seminal American talent Herbie Hancock on 'Samba De Negrito' and Hiromasa Suzuki, Jiro Inagaki & His Big Soul Media make a lasting impression with the hard bop of 'By The Red Stream.'

Review: Spanning eight tracks of electronic and acoustic ingenuity, this compilation captures a transformative era in Japanese composition, where anime soundtracks became a playground for sonic exploration. This vinyl-only collection, curated by Time Capsule, bridges new age aesthetics with percussive traditions, blending synthesisers, gamelan influences and orchestral grandeur. At the heart of the compilation is Akira's electrifying 'Kaneda' by Geinoh Yamashirogumi, where the group's signature blend of Balinese gamelan and electronic textures defines the dystopian atmosphere. 'Yas-Kaz's Hei '(Theme of Shikioni), from Peacock King - Spirit Warrior, and Norihiro Tsuru's 'Farsighted Person', composed for The Heroic Legend of Arslan, transport listeners to distant landscapes, reflecting anime's thematic reach beyond Japan. Yoichiro Yoshikawa's Tassili N'Ajjer and Fiesta Del Fuego, composed for NHK's 'The Miracle Planet', embody an ethereal grandeur, merging environmental themes with lush, ambient layers. Meanwhile, Chumei Watanabe's 'Fushigi Song', performed by Korogi '72, delivers a hypnotic groove reminiscent of Don Cherry's 'Brown Rice'. Columbia Orchestra's 'Hearts Beats - Theme for Andrew Glasgow' shows Tokyo's jazz-funk session musicians at their peak, and Kan Ogasawara's Gishin Anki provides a dramatic, cinematic finale. More than a nostalgia trip, this compilation celebrates anime's role in shaping Japan's new age soundia period where innovation thrived, unbound by genre constraints.

Review: It's been a while since the last one but finally, the fourth volume of the Mighty Mellow collection is here. It is another delight from the editors of The Mood Mosaic series and this time out, they explore mushy funk and abstract jazz while featuring tracks from a diverse range of artists including Pete Jolly, Annette Peacock, Dusty Springfield and more. Across the four sides of vinyl are an eclectic mix of soulful grooves and experimental sounds that span genres and eras. It's largely laidback, gentle funk and jazz for those occasions when you want to kick back and get lost.

Review: The Spiritual Jazz Series has been going strong since 2008 and has always looked to celebrate a rich tradition of African-American songs that takes inspiration from a belief in a higher force, as well as focussing on certain geographical regions. The stylistic diversity across these traditions is vast. Historic labels like Blue Note, Impulse!, Prestige, and Steeplechase are also featured, offering a treasure trove of music relevant to Spiritual Jazz. Spiritual Jazz 16 focuses on Riverside and its associated labels, founded in 1953 by Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer. This era marked the emergence of modern jazz, encompassing bebop, hard bop, cool, modal, and Latin jazz.

Review: This compilation of obscure, rare and little-known French jazz was put together by the people behind the Digger's Digest online store - record dealers with a particularly deep knowledge of weird, wonderful and frankly rather expensive avant garde European music. Listening to the selections, you can tell. Seriously, only the most dusty-fingered Gallic jazz-heads will have come across any of the tracks before. Stylistically it gives a good overview of trends in French jazz from the late 1960s to early 1980s, taking in spiritual jazz, free jazz, modal, hard-bop and Caribbean flavours. Picking out individual highlights is tough, though today we're mostly enjoying the haunting flutes and clarinets of Michel Rocques' "Ricardo" and Rupture's gorgeous "Israel Suite".

Review: With the previous four volumes all celebrating the many routes of jazz and its relationship with the western world, Jazzman's fifth Spiritual Jazz volume looks further afield and explores jazz from the rest of the world. From South Africa to Argentina, Jazzman have unearthed tracks that have never before ventured from their country of recorded origin and compiled the album and artist information with the level of detailed documentarianism we've come to expect from them. A truly unique listen, and a kindly reminder that while America may be home to jazz's sturdiest roots, its tendrils reach a lot further.

Review: It would be fair to say that drummer Julian Bahula holds a unique place in the history of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. From the 1960s onwards, the acclaimed jazzman's afro-jazz fusion bands - Malombo Jazz Makers, Jabula and Jazz Afrika amongst them - were amongst the most vociferous supporters of the ANC's fight against white supremacy. This excellent retrospective from Strut - a kind of off-shoot of their pioneering Next Stop Soweto series - tells the full story of Bahula's extraordinary career. It's packed with openly political jazz, inspired spoken word cuts and thrilling drum workouts (see Jabula's "Let Us Be Free"), all of which brilliantly join the dots between various styles of US jazz and indigenous African music.

Review: Should you ever want to discover what was happening musically in Belgium in the "black hole" period between the variety orchestra movement of the '60s and the electronic music revolution that took place in the late '70s onwards, Funky Chicken is the gateway. This double CD compilation follows a ton of accompanying 7" samplers and superbly documents the various clusters of talented session musicians based throughout Belgium dabbling in all manner of funk, Latin, soul, psychedelia and more. Some acts you will know, like Placebo whose music has been the subject of a reissue programme from Music On Vinyl, but there are still plenty of curios and forgotten gems to discover like Open Sky Unit and the sublime orchestral funk of "Tonight's The Night" by SSO.

Review: The power of the human voice, especially when held in song, has long been known to be immensely influential, potent and emotive across all of humankind. When conveying a message, the spoken word - whether in speech, poetry or song - is infinitely more evocative than that of written. And when that message is voiced in the realm of jazz, amidst the open and dramatic freedom that only jazz can provide, the message can be all the more poignant.



Having examined spiritual jazz as it was expressed in the US, and then followed its messengers and influences in Europe and beyond, our sixth instalment of our Spiritual Jazz series showcases jazz vocals: a collection of jazz messages that are united in voice.



The majority of tracks here are as political as they are theological, but it's the inner sanctity of the music that is the defining factor. These are songs that concern themselves with the universal condition of this world, as well as the next. In fact, as the distinction between the theological and the humanistic is blurred, so is the definition of a song - many of the tracks are atypical in that they do not possess lyrics with a beginning, middle and end. Likewise the voices that convey them often can't be said to be 'singing' in the usual sense of the word; we hear solemn chanting, intense wailing, earnest poetry and ardent recitation in between bouts of singing, the quality of which is often nothing short of exquisite. The styles of performance encompass modern jazz, the avant-garde and jazz fusion, and include elements of styles from the long and winding path of the African diaspora, including Cuban, Brazilian, Caribbean and other Pan-American rhythms.



Spiritual Jazz 6: Vocals examines some of the rarest and most extraordinary vocal jazz recordings. We have included some well-known songs, as well as some of the most obscure. There are tracks recorded made for major labels, and some that were issued privately. But all of them speak or sing of a better place or a better world, and the world can only be a better place when they are played.



This is esoteric jazz, modal jazz, spiritual jazz - as performed with the human voice.



. All tracks fully licensed and digitally restored from the original master tapes

. Comprehensive liner notes with added individual notes on each track and original stories direct from the musicians involved


. Most tracks never before reissued - previously only available on rare, long-deleted LPs

. Deluxe double vinyl LP pressing with gloss gatefold sleeve

. Only on Jazzman - all because WE DIG DEEPER!

Review: On previous instalments of the Spiritual Jazz series, Jazzman has showcased a variety of largely obscure instrumental cuts from the United States and Europe. Here, they change tack, instead celebrating the often-overlooked vocal end of the genre. The results are, unsurprisingly, largely magical, from the urgent, conscious brilliance of The Singers & Musicians of Washington High School's "Ladder" and the baked beat poetry of Dr Haki R Madhubuti's "Rain Forest", to the guttural wailing and pained freestyle vocalising of Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite's "Tears For Johannesburg (Edit)". Naturally, there are some well-known names present - Pharoah Sanders, Charles Mingus and Norman Riley, for starters - alongside artists who will only be familiar to hardcore jazz diggers.

Review: With the previous four volumes all celebrating the many routes of jazz and its relationship with the western world, Jazzman's fifth Spiritual Jazz volume looks further afield and explores jazz from the rest of the world. From South Africa to Argentina, Jazzman have unearthed tracks that have never before ventured from their country of recorded origin and compiled the album and artist information with the level of detailed documentarianism we've come to expect from them. A truly unique listen, and a kindly reminder that while America may be home to jazz's sturdiest roots, its tendrils reach a lot further.

Review: It would be fair to say that drummer Julian Bahula holds a unique place in the history of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. From the 1960s onwards, the acclaimed jazzman's afro-jazz fusion bands - Malombo Jazz Makers, Jabula and Jazz Afrika amongst them - were amongst the most vociferous supporters of the ANC's fight against white supremacy. This excellent retrospective from Strut - a kind of off-shoot of their pioneering Next Stop Soweto series - tells the full story of Bahula's extraordinary career. It's packed with openly political jazz, inspired spoken word cuts and thrilling drum workouts (see Jabula's "Let Us Be Free"), all of which brilliantly join the dots between various styles of US jazz and indigenous African music.

Review: Originally compiled by Adrian Croasdell in 1996, Kent Dance have re-released this great compendium on coloured vinyl. Searching the mod jazz genre's true meaning, the collection reveals the many twists and turns it took throughout the 60s. From Latin influences ("Tengo Tango") to rich, blues and soul influences ("I'm Ready") via straight-up rhythm and blues influences with barely any traces of jazz at all ("Whip It On Me"), Mod Jazz is a fantastic representation of one of the most divisive genres in 1960s youth music.

Review: During the 1960s and '70s, many American jazz musicians chose to make the trip to Europe, either to live or simply work. There, they found a sympathetic audience, better working conditions and a new wave of European jazz players inspired by the open-ended potential of modal and freestyle. This superb collection from Jazzman, unsurprisingly packed with rare and obscure gems, aims to document that fertile period in the history of European jazz. To that end, the CD comes with a superb booklet featuring in-depth liner notes. Picking out highlights is tough, but look out for a lesser-known Sun Ra composition (the typically out-there "Enlightenment") and the intoxicating spirituality of Don Cherry & The New Eternal Rhythm Orchestra.

Review: In the years following its foundation in 1969, Bob Thiele's Flying Dutchman label released some of the most forward-thinking jazz and fusion material ever committed to wax. This excellent compilation from BGP celebrates the label's early years, and most specifically Thiele's passion for releasing records that mixed social commentary with jazz's more spiritual side. While there are some well-worn tracks - Gil Scott-Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and Lonnie Liston Smith's "Sais (Egypt)" in particular - Liberation Music's most startling moments are those which previously slipped through the net (check the very odd Louis Armstrong cut, the spoken word of H Rap Brown, Carl B Stokes' poetry atop swirling orchestral strings and the percussive onslaught of Chico Hamilton). Recommended.

Review: Not to be confused with the coffee-table bothering covers band of the same name, Nouvelle Vague is a fresh compilation from Wewantsounds that profiles the mythical French new wave movement of the late '50s and early '60s. From jazz and soundtracks to bossa nova, folk and cha cha, this set brings you the unique sound of French pop during the Nouvelle Vague years. Featuring sophisticated pop songs by Serge Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy and Claude Nougaro as well as the creme of Nouvelle Vague soundtracks (including The 400 Blows, Breathless, Lola, Cleo From 5 to 7) and a cool mix of rare tracks by Rita Cadillac (an ex of Alain Delon), Christiane Legrand and the jazz vocal groups Les Blue Stars. Tune up to the cool French sounds of the Nouvelle Vague. Hats off to French Music connoisseur Matt Robin for compiling this one.

Review: 'Droppin’ Science: Greatest Samples From The Blue Note Lab' is a unique collection of the legendary label Blue Note's classic late 60s through mid-70s jazz-funk tracks, all of which have featured prominently as samples in some of the greatest hip hop cuts of the late 80s, 90s and beyond. All of these original Blue Note tracks have been compiled for the first time on for this album.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corners of outer sleeve with split spine, but otherwise in perfect working condition***


It would be fair to say that the latest instalment of Jazzman's popular Spiritual Jazz compilation series is one of its biggest yet. Stretched across three slabs of wax, it sees the label's dusty-fingered diggers raid the bulging back catalogue of one of jazz music's most important and celebrated labels of the '60s and '70s, Impulse!. It opens with 'Part One: Acknowledgement' from John Coltrane's brilliant A Love Supreme album and ends with Alice Coltrane's wonderfully exotic 'Journey In Satchidanada'; in between, you'll find essential slabs of cosmic and spiritual brilliance from such legends of the sound as Archie Shepp, Max Roach, Yusuf Lateef, Freddie Hubbard and Pharoah Sanders, as well as a handful of lesser-celebrated players.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Last year, Soul Jazz Records began to examine the relationship between protest, politics and music in the "black power era" via a fine compilation released in celebration of Tate Modern's "The Soul of a Nation" exhibition. This follow-up, released to mark the exhibition's move to Brooklyn, continues the story, gathering together another essential selection of jazz and street-funk cuts by African-American artists - both well-known and obscure - who were inspired by the politics of the black power movement and a growing interest in what the label describes as "Afro-centric, polyrhythmical styles of music". The included music is, in some cases, mind-blowing, with highlights including cuts from The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Byron Morris & Unity, Oneness of Juju, Tribe and Don Cherry.

Review: Edward Norton's big screen re-imagining of Jonathan Lethem's 1999 neo-noir crime novel "Motherless Brooklyn" has received plenty of rave reviews, with a number of critics singling out the soundtrack for particular praise. Released here on vinyl, it's largely the work of British composer Daniel Pemberton and jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, with the completed music joining the dots between evocative 1950s jazz (to fit in with the era in which the movie is set), darkly chilling neo-classical, and - more surprisingly - the synthesizer-based cinema music of Vangelis. Also included is a specially commissioned track from Radiohead's Thom Yorke - undoubtedly a highlight - some vintage Charlie Parker and a fresh recording of Yorke's track in the style of a Miles Davis ballad.

Review: Originally intended to land before Christmas but delayed due to a combination of Brexit and COVID-19, We Jazz Records' second seven-inch singles box set is every bit as essential as its' predecessor. As you'd expect, Acclaimed percussionist and label regular Teppo Makynen features heavily throughout, delivering two sparse but drum-rich cuts with regular recording partner Timo Lassy (whose sax solos on both are superb). He also appearing later in the box as part of the Stance Brothers project (check the two versions of Afro-funk-goes-jazz jam 'Revolution Blue'). Elsewhere across the EP, you'll find four superb, loose-limbed jazz cuts from five-piece Koma Saxo and two percussive late-night numbers from Oaagaada. A great gift for the jazz lover in your life.

Review:  While previous instalments of Jazzman's essential Spiritual Jazz series have focused on killer cuts and rare gems from the past (specifically material recorded between the 1950s and '80s), the thirteenth volume shines a light on what's happening right now. It's stretched across two double-albums, with this first part hitting spot from the word go. The collection's greatest strength is how it manages to represent the many different directions that spiritual jazz has gone in the 21st century. For proof, compare and contrast the drowsy, bluesy and smoky 'Lizard Waltz' by Benjamin Herman, the jazz psychedelia of Idris Ackmoor and the Pyramids' 'An Angel Fell', the Latin lounge-jazz flex of Jimi Tenor and Kabukabu's 'Suite Meets' and the low-down, bass-driven brilliance of Gnawa' by drummer-turned-beatmaker Maya McCracken.

Review: While previous instalments of Jazzman's essential Spiritual Jazz series have focused on killer cuts and rare gems from the past (specifically material recorded between the 1950s and '80s), the thirteenth volume shines a light on what's happening right now. This second part (of two) successfully showcases the best of the contemporary scene, showcasing cuts from around the world that neatly encapsulate the breadth and diversity of 21st century spiritual jazz. The plentiful highlights include the exotic, Eastern-tinged spiritualism of Wildflower's 'Flute Song', the futurist jazz-funk deepness of Steve Reid's 'For Coltrane', the layered vocals and acoustic instrumentation of Angel Bat Dawid's 'What Should I Tell My Children Who Are Black' and the sparkling, sun-soaked positivity of 'Nova' by Menagerie.

Review: While previous instalments of Jazzman's essential Spiritual Jazz series have focused on killer cuts and rare gems from the past (specifically material recorded between the 1950s and '80s), the thirteenth volume shines a light on what's happening right now. This second part (of two) successfully showcases the best of the contemporary scene, showcasing cuts from around the world that neatly encapsulate the breadth and diversity of 21st century spiritual jazz. The plentiful highlights include the exotic, Eastern-tinged spiritualism of Wildflower's 'Flute Song', the futurist jazz-funk deepness of Steve Reid's 'For Coltrane', the layered vocals and acoustic instrumentation of Angel Bat Dawid's 'What Should I Tell My Children Who Are Black' and the sparkling, sun-soaked positivity of 'Nova' by Menagerie.

Review: Since launching two years ago, Tony Higgins and Mike Peden's J-Jazz series has become an indispensable guide to Japan's modern jazz scene. The third volume continues in a similar vein to its predecessors, gathering together sought-after, overlooked and little-known cuts from across the jazz spectrum (think spiritual, modal, fusion, post-bop and Latin), all of which were recorded by Japanese artists in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. The standard of music is, somewhat predictably, breathtakingly high throughout, with highlights including the weighty post-modal bop of Koshuke Mine's 'Morning Tide', the sun-kissed Brazil-inspired brilliance of Hideo Shiraki's 'Groovy Samba', and a string of funk-fuelled, dancefloor-friendly workouts from Hiroshi Murakami & Dancing Sphynx, Shigeharu Muka and the Ryojiro Furusawa Quartet.

Review: This is a prescient record that resonates even years after it was first recorded: it's the 1963 audio of the March on Washington featuring Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic I Have a Dream speech. It was recorded on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC and also features powerful speeches from A. Philip Randolph, UAW president Walter Reuther, NAACP's Roy Wilkins and March organizer Whitney Young. It's a soul stirring, thought providing listen that will rouse the soul and cannot fail to inspire and educate. The whole release has the full blessing of the

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


Tramp Records' Praise Poems series has so far delivered four essential volumes of deep and soulful 1970s jazz. Predictably, this fifth instalment in little over two years is every bit as good as its predecessors. Highlights come think and fast, from the bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed shimmer of Gunn High School Jazz Reunion's "Red Clay" and the hazy, sun-kissed West Coast rock/deep soul fusion of Robert Cote's "Move On", to the sprawling big band jazz-funk of Magic's "Sunshine", and the vibraphone-powered shuffle of Ulysses Crockett's "Funky Resurgence". We're also really enjoying Charlie Chisholm Boss-tet's wild and spaced out cover version of Ramsay Lewis standard "Wade in the Water". As the well-worn cliche goes: all killer, no filler.

Review: There's sadly no Summer Dance Forever festival in Amsterdam this year, so instead Super Sonic Jazz has teamed up with James Rudie and EVM128's Dance Regular label to offer up a tenth anniversary set showcasing some of that label's impeccable artists. The 10-track selection is, somewhat predictably, superb, offering a whirlwind tour through contemporary jazz-fuelled UK tackle that brilliantly mixes and matches elements of broken beat, UK funky, bassline, nu-jazz, instrumental hip-hop, soul-fired house and 21st century jazz-funk. While none of the artists involved are yet household names, all are undeniably rising stars, while the quality of the music is never less than superb. Do yourself a favour and check out the clips ASAP!

Review: Although the Hammond B3 organ went in sale in 1954, it wasn't until jazz keyboardist Jimmy Smith started using it on his recordings a couple of years later that its popularity began to rocket. By the 60s and 70s, the B3 was the go-to keyboard/organ for many funk and soul bands. This compilation - the second Hammond-focused collection from the crate diggers at Perfect Toy Records - does a great job in showcasing obscure, B3-heavy tracks from the instrument's heyday, focusing largely (but not entirely) on instrumental funk and the kind of heavy rhythm & blues tracks that have always set Mods' hearts racing. It's a killer collection all told, and one packed to the rafters with weight drum-breaks, fiery horns, rugged guitar riffs and - of course - hammered-out Hammond solos.

Review: Compilation specialists Wewantsounds return once again; this time their focus is squared on the Bossa Nova movement. Popularised in the 1960s, Bossa Nova's roots actually took place in the prior decade and this 20-track collection looks to chronicle the movement's emergence properly. Artists readily associated with Bossa Nova of course feature, but the Wewantsounds crew have dug a bit deeper to highlight some of the lesser known, cult practitioners too. Therefore you get a nice blend, from Joao Gilberto to Celso Murilo via Elza Soares and Orlann Divo. Featuring sleeve notes from French music journalist Jacques Denis, Bossa Nova is a fine introductory compilation for those who wish to discover more about the subtle differences between early bossa and the more relaxed samba Cancao.

Review: BBE's second trawl through late 20th century deep Japanese jazz is every bit as eye opening and essential as its predecessor, which caused many hearts to flutter when it was released 18 months ago. From start to finish, we're treated to a righteous range of largely little-known tunes, from the spiraling, sun-kissed spirituality of Makoto Terashita Meets Harold Land's epic "Dragon Dance", and the funk-fuelled dancefloor jazz brilliance of Mabumi Yamaguchi Quartet's "Distant Thunder", to the smooth, snaking seductiveness of George Kawaguchi Big Four's "Vietnam" and the synthesizer jazz-funk insanity of Electro Keyboard Orchestra's "Mother Of The Future". A superb selection of genuinely off-kilter and life affirming Japanese gems that should be an essential purchase for both serious and casual jazz fans.

Review: There are few areas of jazz as invigorating and accessible as spiritual jazz, and now here's a perfect primer to get you started if you're new to this wonderful corner of the culture. There are plenty of big hitters on here, from Yusef Lateef and Moondog to Idris Muhammad and Gary Bartz, but there's equal space for some new discoveries too. Take a trip with the wonderful Ahmed Abdul-Malik or Roy Haynes and you'll find yourself equally swept away. This is jazz with all the hopes for a brighter tomorrow expressed through powerful yet tender playing - satisfaction and enlightenment guaranteed.

Review: There are few areas of jazz as invigorating and accessible as spiritual jazz, and now here's a perfect primer to get you started if you're new to this wonderful corner of the culture. There are plenty of big hitters on here, from Yusef Lateef and Moondog to Idris Muhammad and Gary Bartz, but there's equal space for some new discoveries too. Take a trip with the wonderful Ahmed Abdul-Malik or Roy Haynes and you'll find yourself equally swept away. This is jazz with all the hopes for a brighter tomorrow expressed through powerful yet tender playing - satisfaction and enlightenment guaranteed.