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The delirious title cut is unmissable. A massive Dingwalls favourite back in the day, with stupendous, irresistible drumming, and dazzling keyboards by Jorge Dalto.

Surely there’s a word missing from the sub-title. Ivan was terrible; Coxsone wasn’t downbeat. Coxsone was the Downbeat Ruler, with the Downbeat Sound System, spinning fabulous tunes like these.
An embarrassment of musical riches here, still.

The flautist’s recording debut, originally released in 1969 on his own Asha label out of Washington DC, in an edition of five hundred copies.
LM is a poet, anthropologist and painter; a friend of Picasso from his time in Paris in 1965, who has worked with Nina Simone, Nana Vasconcelos, Ron Carter and Cecil McBee. In the 1960s he was involved in the civil rights movement.
This is deep, spiritual jazz, further nourished with the Latin, Brazilian and African rhythms learned during McNeil’s travels throughout Africa and Brazil (where he hooked up with Dom Salvador and Paulo Moura).
Lovingly presented with extensive sleeve notes, including an interview with Lloyd McNeill, besides exclusive photos. 180g vinyl, with a download code.

A third entertaining, deep selection of Studio One roots.

Soul Jazz back in Port-au-Prince after twenty years, to record again with the Drummers of the Société Absolument Guinin. Mesmeric rhythms and beats traditionally used to induce spirit possession in the Vodou religion — ‘dynamic and riveting in their intricacy and power,’ said the Quietus about the first volume.

Terrific fun; full of life and invention.
‘This first exuberant wave of innocent, upbeat, ‘party on the block’ rap records re-created the sounds heard in community centres, block parties and street jams taking place in the Bronx in the mid-1970s. But where Flash, Kool Herc and Bambaataa were back-spinning, mixing and scratching together breakbeat records, these first rap sides were all made using live bands, often replaying current disco tunes, whilst MCs rapped over the top…’

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