‘... sumptuous lyricism rich in improvisational detail…  Quite simply it numbers among the best jazz albums of the last decade’ (Jazzwise).

The great Italian trumpeter’s homage to Michael Jackson, refreshingly focussing on the later work. Thriller’s here, but the History and Invincible albums are his favourites.

In lyrical homage to French filmmaker Jacques Tati, with pianist Stefano Bollani and drummer Paul Motian.

With the brilliant Italian pianist Stefano Bollani — a mixture of their own compositions, improvisation, and covers, including two versions of Jobim’s Retrato Em Branco Y Preteo.

‘Recorded live at the Middelheim Festival in Antwerp, Edizione Speciale brings together a team of young improvisers who play Rava’s music with fire and élan, accompanying his fountain of melodic ideas, while also taking advantage of the free space that the extensive musical forms open up. The group’s repertoire includes material from the trumpeter/flugelhornist’s early recording Enrico Rava Quartet (1978), and Wild Dance (2015), plus a rendition of Once Upon A Summertime — the English version of Michel Legrand’s La valse des lilas — as well as the universally known Cuban song Quizás, Quizás, Quizás.’

Two ace LPs: Marion Brown Quartet on ESP in 1966, after Brown’s breaking through on   Ascension and Shepp’s Fire Music the previous year; and Juba-Lee, a septet recording out on Fontana in 1967.
With Wayne’s brother Alan Shorter in full effect on trumpet (and in the compositions), Bennie Maupin making a very early appearance, the great Grachan Moncur, Dave Burrell, Reggie Johnson, Ronnie Boykins, Rashied Ali and Beaver Harris.

Marion Brown’s family runs a loving Instagram account.

‘The opener Cans People is an archaic rave monster, To Know Those Who is non-linear dub techno, Nocturnal Palates expands the filter-house universe, and Rave Nite Itz All Right hits you hard and strange, kind of subtly.
‘The last two tracks really let loose. Madteo manipulates time, space and sounds to create the psychedelic secrets of Luglio Ottantotto. And Emo G (Sticky Wicket) explores the outskirts not only of House or Techno or whatever but music in general: a fifteen-minute trip through the low frequencies, the rumble, the dark hearts, and the enchantment. Breathtaking.’

Bumpin’ citizen JFM knocks back some bleep before trumping his FXHEs with two sides of rough, get-loose house like we like it. Warmly recommended.

Library music by the Madlib favourite, originally released on the legendary Italian label FLIRT in 1975: sweetly naive pop exotica.

A stupendous, exhilarating mix of Afro-Latino roots, out-jazz and rollicking dance rhythms by this top-notch twenty-piece, from 1988. Killer.

Startling 1975 excursions into Tarantism — a kind of hysteria ostensibly triggered by spider bites, for which dancing is the only cure, with its own set of cultural traditions based in Basilicata, Apulia, Sicily.
Obsessive, hypnotic chants, rhythms, and drones, mixing together folk, avant-gardism, and psych, with shots of Dylan and North African drumming.