‘America’s greatest singer’; ‘the greatest gospel singer of her generation’; ‘the greatest singer ever’ (Pulse, Time, Rolling Stone). Check the title track for her influence on Little Richard, The Isley Brothers, James Brown and co. Stuffed with gems.

The legendary Gaelic concert singer, drawing on his vast repertoire — much of it learned traditionally, within the family circle.

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.

Out of all the twelves by MN on Jamal Moss’ Mathematics label, maybe the most outstanding goes under the name Ra Toth — and true to form this is double-sided trumps for BH, slapping together bad-minded, cosmic jazz and banging, bruk-up disco.
The A sounds like a young Pete Rock giving Theo a hand with some Dirty Edits; the flip like a blend of evilous Arkestra and prime Innerzone Orchestra.

A mostly instrumental set recorded at Treasure Isle, but released on the Canadian label Lanarc in 1969 (and tough to find till now).

Tough mid-seventies steppers from the US, in tow to Johnny Clarke. A one-away for Bev; nothing to do with Jah Shaka (except he’d run it).
Rough dub, too.

Wonderful 1985 recording led by the brilliant cellist Tristan Honsinger, originally released by Data.
With trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, saxophonist Sean Bergen, Jean Jacques Avenel on bass, Michael Vatcher on drums and percussion, and Tiziana Simona Vigni singing.
‘Deceptively vicious little songs with hilarious twists and the kind of intense improvising you’d expect from a band that incorporates players of this calibre.’

‘A studio recording from 1979, previously unreleased. It is primarily structured around pairs of tunes by Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and Duke Ellington (or Billy Strayhorn), adding Ornette Coleman’s Lonely Woman for good measure. The results are stunningly intimate and show the twosome’s capacity for creative interplay at a fairly early stage in its unfolding. Pithecanthropus Erectus gets pared down to its essential walking-bass-ness, while Monk’s Evidence is taken apart, and solo spots by both men are as riveting as one would expect.’

Peerless cover of the soul classic — recorded at Randy’s in 1974 with Fully Fullwood, Chinna Smith, Tony Chin, Santa Davis… and Errol T at the controls.
It’s no surprise that Carless is a soul boy, into Jerry Butler and The Dells back then; one half of the Little Roys, when they cut Bongo Nyah for Lloyd Daley.
Crucial bunny.

‘Three adventurous, spacious displays of Smith’s unique and innovative trumpet — besides percussion, tuned percussion and flute — right at the crest of his induction into the pantheon of AACM greats. A candid snapshot of one of the most vital musicians to extend the jazz tradition, testing his craft and artistry with a bright, pure-toned sensibility and deeply soulful melodic imagination.’

‘Recorded for FMP in 1972, King Alcohol is one of the landmark recordings of free jazz in Europe, a mind-blowing studio session featuring Rüdiger Carl on tenor saxophone, Günter Christmann on trombone, and the astonishing Detlef Schönenberg on drums. Volatile and precise, anticipating much of the future sound of free music in Europe but also paying homage to American antecedents like Roswell Rudd and Archie Shepp, King Alcohol is truly a lost jewel. Plus a disc of newly discovered, previously unreleased bonus tracks.’

The violinist’s first solo record, originally released on Hat Hut in 1980. A mixture of his own compositions, extrapolated at length in an intimate live concert, as well as traditional and improvised material. Remastered from original tapes and augmented by newly discovered recordings from the same concert. Great to hear Giuseppi Logan on here, briefly in from the cold.

The legendary Library album by Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi, undercover in 1975 for contractual reasons.
Bad-ass headz vibes — madly sampledelic, super-funky, jazzy and widescreen — with the genies of Herbie, Barry White, Isaac Hayes and the Mizells, all in the mix.

The guitarist’s guitarist in duos with master drummers Paul Motian and Andrew Cyrille, in a trio with Cyrille and Pete Rende (playing synthesizer), and solo. ‘A master of texture and unusual voicings, creating what one reviewer has called ‘detailed sonic landscapes of mystery and power’.’ All Monder originals, except Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.