A throbbing, spiritual hymn to life itself, in commemoration of the great AACM bassist Fred Hopkins, who died in January 1999. Kahil El’Zabar, Ari Brown, Malachi Favors and Archie Shepp, coursing through ballads, hard bop and improvisation, swirling with the genies of McCoy Tyner, John Coltrane and Malcolm X, and ancient questions about what it means to be free.

With bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Newman Taylor Baker — Henry Threadgill crew — who chips in a couple of brilliant solo tracks before the trio’s sixteen-minute, tour-de-force Matrix, to close.

‘Unquestionably the most important piano trio of its time, not so much extending the literature as starting a whole new volume. It really is that good,’ writes Brain Case in The Wire.
‘He’s both deeply imbued in the jazz pano tradition, channelling Monk on the opening Tangible, and completely beyond it. Listening to the softly tumbling, free associating line of Mysterious State is to leave the existing literature far behind and move into a whole new idiom. Likewise, the possibly tongue in cheek Jazz Posture and the almost ritualistic opening to Beyond Understanding where he plays a bare minimum of notes (contrast the rapid transitions of Talk Power right after it) but manages to suggest whole areas of musical possibility.’

‘Classic Vinyl Series.’

Night Dreamer, The Soothsayer, Etcetera, Adam’s Apple, Schizophrenia.

1964 masterwork with Freddie Hubbard, Herbie, Elvin Jones and Ron Carter, tersely melding avant, modal and bop. ‘Wild flowers and strange, dimly-seen shapes… I was thinking of things like witch burnings, too.’

‘Classic Vinyl’ series.

The classic Adam’s Apple album from 1965, with Herbie, Reggie Workman, and Joe Chambers, featuring the first time out for Footprints, and the samba dancer El Gaucho. And the questing Super Nova album from 1969, entangled with Miles’ Water Babies, featuring a wigged-out Dindi: three guitarists (John McLaughlin, Sonny Sharrock, Walter Booker) and three percussionists/drummers (Jack DeJohnette, Chick Corea, Airto Moreira), plus Miroslav Vitous.
‘Michael Brändli’s sound restoration and mastering skills take Ezz-thetics’ carefully curated reissues further into exalted territory. Once again, Brändli has woven his magic and for the listener the result is almost like hearing the material for the first time’ (Chris May, AllAboutJazz).

Siggy was the piano accompanist of Archie Sheep over several decades; he recorded with Dizzy Reece and Hal Singer.
Here is his key LP as leader, in 1971 — with bassist Gus Nemeth and percussionist Stu Martin — edging from post-Trane into free jazz, with an ear for the contemporary electroacoustic music of Xenakis, Berio and co.