Coming soon: Jazz

Review: A flummoxing fusion of jazz, soul and funk from 1972, Donald Byrd's Think Twice is ironically one of few jazz records that we don't really have to think twice about. Taken from the bokeh-grained, 1974 impressionistic prog-jazz opus Stepping Into Tomorrow - on which a whirlwind cast of performers including Mayuto Correa, Larry Mizell, Gary Bartz and Harvey Mason also appear - Byrd's unmistakable trumpet is heard whinnying across this LP-fronter, which rides serious thermals of flugelhorn, soprano and alto sax, ARP synth and backing choir. The vocals by Kay Haith are duly cautionary, insisting but seemingly also tantalising our worst impulses: "Maybe we oughta think twice... Before we start something nice / No need to sacrifice the spice in our lives, ooh ooh / our love's like fire and ice, pretty baby / That's why we oughta think twice..." A rare anti-YOLO anthem!

Review: After a one-off 45 turned up on Paul Murphy's desk, it didn't take long for Jazz Room to come calling. The result: a scorching double-header due for the end of June 2025, with Jungle Fire members at the controls. On the A-side, Sun Ra's 'Watusa' is reimagined as a driving Latin Afrosound workout, all percussion and propulsion, already picking up airplay on Gilles Peterson's BBC 6 Music show. Flip it and you'll find a deep-grooving take on Charles Mingus' 'Meditations On Integration', funked-up but still meditative, a bold recut of a classic.

Review: American organist Charles Kynard's 1972 session for Mainstream Records is reissued here with remastered audio and its original gatefold artwork. Recorded in Los Angeles with a core group of seasoned session players i including Chuck Rainey, Paul Humphrey and Arthur Adams i the nine tracks centre on groove-based jazz-funk anchored by Kynard's Hammond lines. 'Little Ghetto Boy' opens with slow phrasing and a blues-inflected feel. 'Hot Sauce' and 'Lime Twig' push into tighter rhythm section interplay, driven by Fender bass and clipped guitar. 'Slop Jar' and 'Rock Steady' lean heavier into funk structures, while 'Name The Missing Word' brings in sharper horn charts. 'The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)' and 'Shout' stretch the dynamic range, the former subdued and the latter more direct. Bonus track 'Smiling Faces Sometimes', featuring Carol Kaye on bass, closes the set with a looser swing and more open arrangement. Nothing here feels overplayed i the focus remains on tone and ensemble feel. It's a clean, unfussy reissue of a record that prioritises groove over soloing, now restored with clarity but no added polish.