Charles Mingus “Jazz in Detroit / Strata Concert Gallery / 46 Selden” (BBE Music)
During one week in February of 1973, you could attend a live performance by the Charles Mingus Quintet at the intimate Strata Detroit Concert gallery for a mere six bucks. That’s right. You could hear, or bear witness to the great American composer, besides Duke Ellington for next to cheap. …
Various “Body Beat: Soca-Dub and Electronic Calypso” (1979-98)
A killer compilation of hybrid soca obscurities, from ‘79 to ‘98, from both inside and outside the Caribbean, showcasing a wide range of influences, from disco & soul, to nascent house music and roots reggae. Bearing a timeless quality, all 17 cuts are guaranteed to work just as well on …
Tribe “Hometown: Detroit Sessions” (1990-2014)
Even though this group of musicians and artists were very much ignored by the mainstream at the time, Detroit’s Tribe is now considered one of the most legendary collectives and jazz labels during the seventies, featuring jazz greats like Wendell Harrison, Phil Ranelin, Marcus Belgrave, Harold McKinney, and others. Strut …
Alonzo Turner “Whoever Said It” (1978, LA Records)
Forget everything you know: this is the best love song ever written. Don’t let the steamy saxophone solos fool you though, this rare disco holy grail is not about an infatuated lover, but rather about love itself. Turner, seemingly concerned about the metadiscourse, is screaming soul-shattering falsettos directly into the …
Lungile Masitha “Vuyani” (1985, Transistor)
Musician/vocalist-turned-producer, Sello ‘Chicco’ Twala was once a member of South African bands Umoja and Harari. Lungile Masitha, an alias of Twala’s created due to contractual constraints, sees the Soweto artist in partnership with Jimmy Mgwandi (writing credit for Satari’s ‘Smile’). The two would continue their work together on many projects; …
Joe McPhee “Nation Time” (1971)
Bay Area’s Superior Viaduct label has reissued saxophonist Joe McPhee’s 1971 free-willing jazz classic ‘Nation Time.’ Originally released on the small CjR imprint, the very rare three track recording, which features the all-time cooker “Shakey Jake,” fuses funky backing grooves with McPhee’s fiery post-Coltrane tenor solos and melodies. Release Info …
Duke Pearson “I Don’t Care Who Knows It” (Deluxe Expanded Remastered Edition)
This once lost Blue Note finally gets the treatment it deserves. Recorded over ‘68 to ‘70, released in ‘96, in full on CD but just in part on vinyl, Pearson’s LP really shines now, with the heavy versions of Brazilian classics, “Upa Neguinho”, sung by Flora Purim, and “Captain Bicardi”, …
Tim Lawrence presents “Life & Death On A New York Dancefloor” (Compilation)
Tim Lawrence follows-up his book of the same name with a two-part double disc vinyl compilation series – ‘Life & Death On A New York Dance Floor’ Parts 1 and 2. Disco-Not-Disco is the name of the game here, a sound originated and made famous in New York City. ‘Life …
V/A “Soul of a Nation 2: Jazz is the Teacher, Funk is the Preacher” (Soul Jazz Records)
Soul Jazz Records releases volume two of their critically acclaimed Soul of a Nation compilation series. The first volume of the series coincided with the exhibition “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” that debuted at London’s Tate Modern museum in 2017. Titled “Soul of a …