Leading a masterly lineup of John Hicks, Ray Drummond and Idris Muhammad in 1991.
A couple of waltzes, a blues, a Monk-ish suite-like piece, a free-ish drums and clarinet interlude, and finally an elegy for civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer.
Murray plumbs and soars: often it sounds like two different instruments are being played.
Superbly recorded, with gripping warmth and intimacy; originally released in Japan on CD only, by DIW.
Highly recommended.

Cut-ups of two decades of pirate radio broadcasts, starting in the late eighties: soundclash business, rubadub soul, jungle, Indian music, dub, dancehall; complete with ads, chatter, phone-ins…

Originally released in 1978, Wahdon announces this great diva’s switch from traditional to more modern idioms and arrangements.
Three mesmerising songs to start, including Habaitak Ta Neseet Al Naoum (I Loved You So Much I Forgot To Sleep), with ravishing strings and percussion.
Recorded in Athens at the studios of EMI Greece during the same sessions as Zaid Rahbani’s Abu Ali LP, and likewise edging into funk and disco, the second side is something else. In Al Bostah (The Bus), a woman recalls a bus journey with a lover, in scorching heat, to extended, hypnotic, uptempo, funkdafied disco. The title track Wahdon crafts a slower, jazzier setting for Fairuz’ out-of-this-world singing.
Recommended.

Recorded in St. Edmund’s Church, Oslo, on 13 December 2017.
Compositions by James Weldon Johnson and Thelonious Monk; also originals, including a tribute to Don Cherry.
Another humdinger in the Actions For Free Jazz series supervised by Smalltown Supersound.
Vinyl only, no digital. 500 copies, that’s it.

The fabulous, legendary LP originally issued by Lumen in 1972, born out of several visits to Madagascar by Gilson and fellow musicians from Paris, and their collaborations with musicians on the island.
Fittingly the first trip was on May 13 1968, the day of the general strike in France: this is tumultuous, insurgent, joyous, blisteringly swinging, outernational Malagasy jazz, including a a charged, unmissable The Creator Has A Masterplan, and Avaradoha, a composition by Madagascan saxophonist Serge Rahoerson (who leads this recording), which was the anthem of the rotaka protests in 1972, bringing down the neo-colonial First Republic of Madagascar. The closer showcases various traditional Madagascan percussion instruments, played by the same trio which that year recorded Le Massacre Du Printemps, Gilson’s avant-noise homage in memoriam of Stravinsky.
Hot.

‘If you love the era in which electronic elements began to enter contemporary jazz, during the late ‘60s and ‘70s, you’ll LOVE what Sweden’s Dennis Egberth has been creating.
‘A blend of cosmic composition and chilled ambient and electronic sounds, with floating, irresistible, melodic bass lines, and long, modal build-ups that come alive with exploding lyricism.
‘The drummer is joined by Fredrik Ljungkvist on tenor sax and clarinet, Niklas Barnö on trumpet, Alexander Zethson on Wurlitzer, Linus Hillborg on electronics, and double bassist Joe Williamson.’

Fifteen sides produced by Carl ‘Stereo’ Fletcher for his Uprising and Stereo Beat labels. Quality, mellow, seventies roots, in vocals, toasts and instrumentals. Five previously unreleased recordings in amongst hard-to-finds, and classics like Little Roy’s Christopher Columbus.

Enjoyably odd, wrong folk rock with baroque touches, from 1968. Jarrett plays everything — guitar, harmonica, soprano saxophone, recorder, piano, organ, electric bass, drums, tambourine and sistra — adding a string quartet here and there. He also sings, though it’s better when he doesn’t. Nearly all the tracks are two to three minutes.

Spinning off from Horace Tapscott’s Panafrikan People’s Orchestra, here is the Long Beach drummer with Dadisi Komolafe, Rickey Kelly and co, in 1983.
An extended reading of Bobby Hutcherson’s Little Bee’s Poem; two from Trane, Moment’s Notice and Mr PC; Wayne Shorter’s Armageddon; Joe Henderson’s Recordame.
Originally pressed in tiny numbers by Adams himself; the sole release on his Hip City imprint.

‘I want to play songs like I used to sing when I was real small.’

This fiftieth anniversary CD includes as a bonus the track briefly substituted for Spirits on an early vinyl edition. It is the same tune known as Vibrations on the album of that title on Arista/Freedom (aka Ghosts when issued on Debut) and as ‘[tune Q]2’ on the Revenant box set Holy Ghost.

Commissioned in 1964 for a film soundtrack — though only half the music was used — this is the classic quartet in gorgeous, relaxed, contemplative, from-the-heart re-visitings of Naima, Village Blues, Like Sonny and Traneing In; plus a new composition, Blue World. Nothing eye-opening, but so what. Warmly recommended.

Previously unreleased music by the electroacoustic music pioneer, from 1973-1992.
Commercials, commissions and secrets.
Photophonie itself was made for a photographic exhibition by Alain Willaume. Il Etait Une Fois was commissioned by the GMEB; Trans-Voices by the American Center, Paris. Leica is by way of a jingle for the camera company.