With Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Victor Sproles, John Hicks, and John Gilmore.
‘It’s a shame that this was the only recording by this particular lineup of the Jazz Messengers, as Gilmore’s strong blowing complements Morgan very well (AllMusic).

‘More direct than recent releases, with textures that accumulate and disintegrate with renewed urgency. A familiar trajectory, though: the irresistible pull towards dissolution, the gradual erasure of memory, the self rendered irretrievable…’

‘A visionary blend of spiritual jazz, psychedelic funk, Moroccan traditions, and electronic experimentation.’

‘From 1970, the first Lightmen LP pre-dates the deep-set, maverick jazz issued by the likes of Tribe and Strata East. Mostly groove-based and cohesive, though pushing further out than you might expect from later Lightmens.’ A young Ronnie Laws is here, on the verge of hooking up with Hugh Masekela, and then Earth Wind & Fire; stylistically light years away from Pressure Sensitive, his breakout for Blue Note, in 1975. Also Bubbha Thomas on drums, Doug Harris on tenor sax, Carl Adams on trumpet, Kenny Abair on guitar, and Joe Singleton on trombone.

Astrud’s second Verve, branching out into jazz and American vocal staples, thankfully interwoven with five songs by Luiz Bonfá. Her signature emotional discretion and understated musical cool are played against the fluttering flutes and shaded strings of broad orchestral arrangements by Don Sebesky, Claus Ogerman, and João Donato. Produced by Creed Taylor;

‘Recorded in February and March of 1963, reuniting Stan Getz with Brazilian musicians Luiz Bonfá and Maria Toledo for a lyrically focused follow-up to the landmark Jazz Samba of 1962.
‘Rather than reprising the earlier landmark album’s airy, guitar-driven bossa nova formula, Encore offers a more intimate, reflective setting shaped by Bonfá’s darker harmonic language and Toledo’s distinctive vocal and percussive presence. Getz’s tenor saxophone — warm, unhurried, and effortlessly melodic — threads through this atmosphere with a depth characteristic of his early-1960s work.
‘The program blends Bonfá’s original compositions with pieces by Antônio Carlos Jobim, including Só Danço Samba and Insensatez, highlighting the evolving transnational dialogue between Brazilian songcraft and American jazz phrasing. Bonfá’s nylon-string guitar provides the album’s tonal anchor, its rhythmic clarity and harmonic subtlety opening space for Getz’s lyrical phrasing. Toledo contributes both vocals and percussion, lending the session a textural and emotional range distinct from other Getz bossa nova collaborations.
‘The result is a quieter, more introspective album than its predecessor — one that underscores Getz’s ability to adapt his voice to a variety of Brazilian idioms without dominating them. Jobim appears on several tracks, further grounding the session in the core creators of the bossa nova repertoire.’

Beginning in 1967 with El Malo, Lavoe was the vocalist on ten legendary studio albums by the Willie Colón Orchestra, before going solo in the mid-70s. Produced by Colón, this hallowed third album under his own name is a stone classic.
It kicks off with his career-defining hit El Cantante, written by Rubén Blades, taking the point of view of a star performer reflecting on his humanity and vulnerabilities when he steps off the stage. It closes with another smash: a joyful, mambo-inspired reimagining of the 1930s Cuban anthem Songoro Cosongo.
Rolling Stone magazine recently ranked Comedia number three of the 50 Greatest Salsa Albums of All Time, declaring that it transformed the genre into ‘high art… a spiritual experience.’

This is why Robert Hood is such a don.
‘A pinnacle of Detroit techno. Best-known for the lip-biting minimalism of One Circle, with its chant ‘Detroit’ and body-rocking riff-mongery, or maybe for the killer variation Explain The Style… but for us the EP’s shortest and freakiest number Modern And Ancient steals the show; a mad, half-stepping slice of Afro-futurist electro that still blows our mind today.’