Sparse, contemplative, classy, playful, deep jazz, recorded in 1983, with the focus on Tapscott’s brilliant piano-playing, accompanied by Aubrey Hart and Kafi Roberts on flute and saxophone. All-analogue; cut directly from the original master tapes. Tip-on sleeve.

Feeling, story-telling, ranging music-making by Tara Clerkin, Sunny-Joe Paradisos and Patrick Benjamin from Bristol, where they’ve been collaborating for around a decade.
Thumbs up from The Wire: ‘Drifting from dubby minimalism to smudged acid jazz, Tara’s stark and tuneful voice acts as the vehicle for her concise poetic lyricism. The group coalesce disparate influences into a cohesive sound, reflecting a romantic view of a familiar world.’
Check it out.

Outstanding, spiritualised jazz-funk; keenly focussed but free and warm; steeped in post-bop and wide-open to r&b; somewhere between Lonnie Liston Smith’s Cosmic Echoes and Roy Ayers’ Ubiquity. Plenty here for dancers, chin-strokers and dreamers all.
The personnel discloses generous musical co-ordinates… Marvin Blackman from the Rashied Ali Quartet is here, and Ryo Kawasaki. James Mason and Justo Almario were later collaborators. Just a couple of years before this, Tarika Blue leader Phil Clendeninn was playing in a New York funk outfit alongside Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards…

‘Recorded at home in 2012, early acoustic guitar improv performances from the Bhutanese expat, who’d come to Asheville, NC to study in 2000 and discovered worlds of anarcho-punk and avant garde such as he’d only dreamed. Having made recordings of his newly-located improvisational conception, he intuited a desire to go deeper in his explorations of the recorded sound of the guitar, melding and colliding traditional music with his feeling for the range of textures within.’

This debut solo recording of the Hot Chip is a scrapbook of fifteen songs and instrumentals, made in planes, hotel rooms and at home, with bags of charm and inventiveness.

We love this LP; it’s an old favourite. You can hear Teddy adjusting the influences of Hawk and Bird to meet the challenge of Rollins and Coltrane. You can’t go wrong with any of his West Coast albums from 1960-67, for Pacific, Contemporary and Prestige. Classy, bluesy, no frills West Coast jazz; cultured but tasty and with-it. This one has the warmth, purposefulness and swing of a classic Blue Note. Phineas Newborn plays a blinder, too.
Here’s the Penguin Guide: ‘One of the best mainstream albums of its day… beautifully and almost effortlessly crafted.’

Free-flowing recordings made in Pakistan with members of the instrumental quartet Jaubi (including Zohaib Hassan Khan on sarangi).

With Monk.

‘Tezeta were an experimental eight-piece instrumental group formed in Bristol back in 2014. The Ethiopiques series lit the fuse, but the project quickly gathered Afrobeat, prog, and improvisation into a beguiling mix — always evolving and resolving in different ways to what you might expect — with some thrilling ensemble playing rhythmically propelled by two drummers and a percussionist, and pianist Daniel Inzani’s evocative melodies at the centre. They had a cult following among other musicians and were known for wild group solo wig outs, virtuoso musicianship and creative use of unusual rhythm, harmony and melody. They toured across the UK at various venues and festivals including Glastonbury, Shambala and Green Man, before calling it a day in 2023. Seventh Place was originally a private press CDR, released in 2016; mainly sold at gigs.’

‘Absolutely gorgeous from start to finish’ (Deb Grant, BBC 6 Music). ‘Gorgeous mood music with more than a nod to Addis. Lovely tapestries and textures’ (Matt Temple, Matsuli Music).

Founded in Aachen in 1980 by Rainer Wiedensohler, Nabel released jazz and improvised music only from Europe, avowedly ‘in contrast to the American mainstream of today’s jazz’. Quickly it became a home for innovative musicians blending classic jazz with fusion, Latin and Brazilian rhythms, and the avant-garde.
‘This compilation collects some of the label’s finest moments — the soulful, Latin-tinged brilliance of the Monika Linges Quartet, the cosmic jazz explorations of John Thomas & Lifeforce, the deep jazz-funk grooves of Hipsters In The Zone, and the stunning, expressive vocals of Maria Joao.’

‘From 1972, the third and last album by this group formed in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township in 1968, announcing a shift away from early Memphis soul influences towards a pioneering African-driven jazz sound, and laying the foundations for the afro-fusion scene spearheaded by groups like Batsumi, The Drive, and Harari.
‘Black Soul features a who’s who of musicians from great South African bands over the decades: Zacks Nkosi, the renowned bandleader of the Jazz Maniacs and long-time member of the African Swingsters in the 1940s and 50s; kwela star Little Kid Lex Hendricks, known for his Columbia recordings of the late 1950s; Zack’s son Jabu Nkosi, who would go on to play with The Drive, Roots and Sakhile; and Banza Kgasoane later a member of The Beaters, Harari, and then Mango Groove.’

Wonderful third album, from 1975, with the almighty jazz-funk masterpiece Rock Creek Park and the get-down-and-party murder of Happy Music (as rinsed by Kool Herc and a cast of millions). Takes your troubles off your mind.
‘Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf Series.’

Brothers Nkululelo and Siyabonga Mthembu reworkimg the music of Mongezi Feza, Johnny Dyani, the Malopoets, Batsumi, and Philip Tabane.
Old wisdom in new voices, new wisdom in old voices. Tolika Mtoliki, ‘Interpret Interpreter’.
“Just brilliant,” says Gilles.

Fresh homage to Pharoah, Alice, Ra, and co, from an all-star Kiwi line-up.
‘Each instrument seems to be in orbit around the concept of symbiotic synergy, and everyone is given equal space to shine: from a psychedelic Korg, to a delirious saxophone or the gentle ripples of a harp. There’s a huge array of keyboards, with a standout acoustic piano solo by Guy Harrison on Plume. The wind section delivers ecstatic saxophone riffs, futtering flutes and solid horn choruses throughout. Percussion, vibraphone and acoustic bass lay the foundations. A full choir performs arrangements by Matt Hunter.’