CD from Sony.

Newly remastered by Bernie Grundman under the supervision of Joni Mitchell.

His wonderful 1987 hommage to John Coltrane, leading John Hicks, Curtis Lundy, and Idris Muhammad. You’ve Got To Have Freedom is here, but Naima lands the knockout roundhouse. Warmly recommended.

A zinging survey of the dazzlingly diverse, thrilling, neglected releases of Gaye Mody Camara, a young Soninke raised in Mali’s Kayes region, who settled in France in 1977. He started out by selling wax, kola nuts, and other items in Paris; and in no time he was distributing cassette tapes, on his way to producing a multitude of recordings for his own label, Camara Production. A fascinating, precious insight into the modern diaspora of ancient Soninke culture, spanning out as Malian zouk, Mauritanian reggae, and a myriad of grooving, head-spinning directions. Prepared in full collaboration with Gaye Camara; with riso-printed notes.

‘10/10 Pop music as it should be: beautiful, heartbreaking, but ultimately uplifting’, NME; ‘*****’, Mojo.

Wayne Shuler always recorded Bettye with a black audience in mind, and despite the high proportion of country songs these are definitely soul records, though like nothing else from the time. Bettye never sings with the desolation of O.V. Wright, the hurt of Percy Sledge, or the sheer pain of the final Linda Jones records. There’s a southern feel to these Swann-Shuler recordings, but they also have a light, almost poppy quality to them. Sometimes they sound like the missing link between Muscle Shoals and Motown.

The LP here is a worthy reissue by Music On Vinyl of the classic Honest Jon’s compilation, on its twentieth anniversary; the CD is from back in the day.

Released to celebrate his centennial, here is the great jazz guitarist live in performance in Berkeley, California, in 1962; with Johnny Griffin, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb.
All the recordings from these sessions — our absolute favourite Wes Montgomery — including two previously unreleased performances.
‘Montgomery seems never to have played anything lacking his innate mirth and happiness. In that he had an amiable Midas Touch that made his performances uplifting and immediately identifiable. Montgomery had a tangible simpatico with Kelly, both being superb blues and ballads players. When unison playing, the two are of one mind, that of swing and propulsion. Griffin’s presence adds a woody organicness that is both fecund and free (AllAboutJazz)’.