Spiritual jazz from early-seventies Chicago, by a sextet combining members of the AACM and Phil Cohran’s Artistic Ensemble, augmented by bassist Richard Evans for Brand New Feeling. You can hear co-leaders Ken Chaney and Frank Gordon’s years together in Young-Holt in Kera’s Dance; the Art Ensemble, brought to the heel of Alice Coltrane, in the bells and chimes of the killer cut Will It Ever End; your favourite CTI records in the electric piano-playing, freshly luminous throughout.
A bonafide Black Jazz classic.

‘Their second and final LP, from 1973, with the same AACM-derived line-up as the first, plus Rufus Reid. Spiritual jazz, free jazz, soul jazz, fusion jazz, you name it — The Awakening take all those threads common to early ‘70s African-American music and, like any great ensemble, weave them into a beautiful sonic garment that’s greater than the sum of its parts. The Mirage is a bit less political/pan-African than Hear, Sense And Feel, which definitely owed some of its feel to the band’s Art Ensemble of Chicago/AACM roots; this record is a little more abstract, a little more varied in its moods and textural colouring, yet no less powerful and transporting.’

A welcome reissue of this 2013 collaboration between Onra — the Chinoiseries producer — and Buddy Sativa. Deep, spiritual jazz from the heart. Lonnie Liston Smith is a guiding light.

‘All is Sound could not be a more apt title for this,’ says Mississippi. ‘Through saxophone, cello, piano, and flutes The Cosmic Tones Research Trio created a truly beautiful record. All is Sound breaks new ground. At its heart, it’s healing/meditation music, but the Gospel and Blues roots are in there too…as well as hints of forward-looking Spiritual jazz.
‘Delicate, profound melodies create peaceful, immersive soundscapes, which the group develops through their combined background in acoustic ecology, sound meditation, mindfulness, and active community involvement.
‘Following the steps of musicians such as Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, and Pharoah Sanders, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio delivers music that is both restorative and sonically rich—each tone falling into a perfect place, as if by magic.
‘As sincere a record as you could ever hope for. Music is indeed the healing force of the universe.’

‘The deeply moving second LP by Portland’s The Cosmic Tones Research Trio. A follow up to last year’s beloved All Is Sound, this one sees the Tones adding more percussive elements and pushing their sound into more melodic song-based territory while keeping the ambient / spiritual effect. It’s pretty amazing.
‘Blending cello, alto sax, piano, flutes, and an eclectic palette of textures and percussions, the album channels a sacred energy that feels both ancient and forward-reaching. It is music for reflection, for movement, and for inner travel. Tracks unfold with patient grace, yet pulse with deliberate rhythms that ground the listener—echoing the ceremonial spirit of cosmic jazz and deep improvisational traditions.
‘This is not background music—it’s an invitation to engage fully, to breathe with the instruments, and to explore the liminal space where sound becomes prayer. With The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, Norfleet, Silverman, and Verrett continue to map sonic territories where the mystical and the musical converge.’

TW’s first Blue Note session was The Jody Grind. His debut as leader, at 23, Natural Essence is a winning mid-sixties set of his own compositions. Post-Trane dancers, jams; some lovely tunes. Woody Shaw, too.

Banging, key Messengers. Blakey is on fire; Shorter is vicious.
Hubbard bows out of this line-up with a passionate tribute to the Congress of Racial Equality.
Classic Vinyl Series.

Classic Vinyl Series.

The vibraphonist leading an outstanding trio session with Johnny Dyani and Leroy Lowe. Ace versions of Equinox and Body And Soul, and six chewy, moody originals.

‘One of the dozen albums that anyone interested in the outer limits should own, or be owned by. Because it cleaves closest of Miles’ masterworks to funk groove and rock impact (Davis was trying to reach out to a young black audience), it’s easy for the jazz novice to get into. But once you’re into it, it’ll take you as far out as anything Davis (or anybody else) ever recorded’ (Simon Reynolds).
‘The first hip-hop/house/drum’n'bass/breakbeat album I’d ever heard’ (Greg Tate).

With Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, John McLaughlin, Airto, Gary Bartz, Wayne Shorter — different lineups around 1970 — running jazz into Sly and JB and way out the other side.
Vinyl from Music On Vinyl.