BBE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Roy Ayers staked a bold claim by flaunting the fact that he had 'Reach[ed] The Highest Pleasure' back in June '77. Unfortunately for us back then, this lifetime hedonistic milestone - documented in instrumental funk form - was shelved for reasons unknown beyond simple artistic oversight. As said, this slick solo instrumental for drums, bass and vibraphone is a perfect soul-jazz, chillout trifecta, one for the rarities collectors.

Review: BBE has delivered something of a future classic here, as decorated Eastern European harpist Alinha Bzhezhinska and British tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi join forces on a picturesque full-length excursion dedicated to the memory of spiritual jazz maestro Pharoah Saunders. It's a genuinely unique and hugely evocative affair, with Kofi's meandering, mesmeric melodies and inspired improvisations snaking in and out of Bzhezhinska's dreamy harp motifs and melodic percussion instruments (think bells, marimbas, vibraphone, xylophone and so on). It's not a familiar musical palette, but it's one that consistently delivers - and then some. Our picks of a very strong bunch include lucid opener 'Tabula Rasu - Blank Slate', the exotic and psychedelic 'Audite Me - Hear Me', and the picturesque, meditative closing cut, 'Altera Vita - Another Life'.

Review: Many jazz musicians have paid tribute to the great John Coltrane over the years, though few have attempted to showcase the different stylistic periods of the prolific saxophonist's career. Praise needs to be heaped on British saxophonist Sean Khan, who has taken on this enviable task - with a little help from buddies Kaidi Tatham and Daz-I-Kue, as well as an impressive cast of guest vocalists and musicians - and more than succeeded in his task. Flitting between sparkling, subtly updated and often pleasingly soulful bouts of spiritual jazz, hard bop and cosmic experimentalism, Khan and his collaborators serve up sublime versions of countless Coltrane classics, with our picks including 'Starchild', 'Azawala', 'Naima' and 'Giant Steps'.

Review: For those interested in Japan's modern jazz wave of the 1960s and early '70s, BBE's J Jazz Masterclass series of rare album reissues always delivers the goods. For proof, check the latest volume: a first ever reissue of Kohsuke Mine's 1970 debut album, First. Full of energetic, hard-wired sax solos (provided, of course, by Kohsune himself), rubbery bass (courtesy of Larry Ridley), jazz-funk electric piano (Masabum Kiluchi on keys) and frenetic rhythms (laid down by Lenny McBrowne), the album is undoubtedly a landmark J-Jazz set and just gets better with each successive listen. It also includes a terrific interpretation of Thelonious Monk classic 'Straight No Chaser', which - in our considered opinion -is no bad thing.

Review: A welcome return to stores for BBE's exploration of the archives of the legendary music library Cavendish Music, which originally appeared as two separate compilations - one curated by Mr Thing, the other Chris Read - five years ago. Both discs are frankly brilliant, with the dusty-fingered duo doing a great job in showcasing the music library's attempts to capture the spirit and sounds of Black American soul, funk and jazz. With 53 high-grade tracks to choose from picking highlights is tough, but our current favourites include the 1970s cop-show flex of 'Snow Mobile', the funky Star Wars flex of 'Star Voyage', the thrillingly low-slung Blaxploitation vibes of 'Riff Raff' and the languid shuffle of 'Giraffe'.

Review: 'Folk funk and trippy troubadours' main man Paul Hillery - a dedicated crate digger and vinyl hunter whose musical knowledge is exceptional - scored a hit with his first compilation We Are The Children of The Sun. He's now curated a sequel, which once again explores a range of rare, thoroughly obscure sounds that he loosely terms 'folk funk' and 'Balearic AOR'. This is music for sunsets, sunrises and long drives through grandiose landscapes. The plentiful highlights include, but are in no way limited to, the synth-sporting cosmic AOR brilliance of Forest's 'Crazy Days', the jazz-folk brilliance of Wendy Grace's 'More Than Hope', Aria Rostami's acoustic ambient excellence ('Golden Hour') and a previously unheard cover of 'Milk & Honey' by musical polymath Greg Foat and his ever-changing backing band.