‘Performed in Berlin at the Haus am Waldsee in July, 1985, it was every bit the chamber concert — super intimate and interactive, gorgeously recorded by FMP’s Jost Gebers in an ideal acoustic room. Rather than alternate between one and the other, Lacy and Parker explore middle-terrain the whole time, perhaps skewing a tad more Lacy’s funky-tuneful direction, becoming a single soprano entity made of fragments of sound sometimes accreting into perfectly imperfect lines. Two long tracks, Full Scale and Relations, are completed by a final four-minute coda aptly titled Twittering. Indeed, the whole program has the joyous interactivity of Paul Klee’s painting Twittering Machine: birds aligned on a line, proposing and picking up lines, nothing cruel or mean-spirited, free play all a graceful twitter.’

Marva Hicks, Sylvia Striplin and co, with Roy Ayers at the mixing desk, presenting jazzy, sassy, sexy, all-time boogie landmarks like Turned On To You. Fabulous.

The illustrious saxophonist’s 1971 recording was his debut as leader, originally released five years later by Arista-Freedom. With Joseph Bowie, Don Moye and Charles Bobo Shaw. Grooving, spiritual; great stuff.

The first fruits of Land’s long, luxuriant collaboration with Bobby Hutcherson, from 1968. Jazz Crusaders Buster Williams and Joe Sample are here; and Jimmy Smith’s drummer Donald ‘Duck’ Bailey (with whom Land had recently worked on Roy Ayers’ Virgo Vibes).
Land’s older albums — Harold In The Land Of Jazz, for example, and The Fox — have been HJ touchstones since our very early days. But this is something else. The saxophonist’s dark, schooled lyricism remains unmistakable, but by now hard bop machismo is ceding to the thorough-going influence of the gentler side of John Coltrane — his intentness, key signatures, modal swing.
The eight recordings here are compact and focussed; lit up with a consecratory loveliness. The titular opener and the ballad Imagine share a stricken, abiding, sublime serenity; hailing from the same hallowed ground as Trane knockouts like Tunji, Dear Lord, and After The Rain. Music as the healing force of the universe.

This is a genuine lost classic; handsomely reissued in the ‘Verve By Request’ series, with excellent sound. Hotly recommended.

His wonderful, classic debut as leader, with Frank Butler, Carl Perkins and co.

A lovely set from 1965 — taking its own path away from Fire Music, but forwards nonetheless — featuring the under-rated pianist Georges Arvanitas, and the drummer James Black, trumping his brilliant contributions to the Live At Pep’s sessions.
Bamboo Flute Blues and Satie’s First Gymnopedie are ravishing stand-outs.
‘Verve By Request.’

Terrific, uproariously outernational LP from 1969, with Roy Brooks, Kenny Burrell, Blue Mitchell, Hugh Lawson, Sonny Red, Bob Cranshaw, and a very young Cecil McBee. The Sweet Inspirations are in full effect. Besides tenor and flute, Lateef plays bamboo and pneumatic flutes, tamboura and koto.
There’s a rocking blues (Othelia) and a Japanese freakout (Moon Cup). Back Home is a modal wig-out. The soulful eastern sounds of Like It Is are essential Lateef.