A terrific example of gospel in the form of soul music, so prevalent in the mid-seventies.
A family group, the Browns were from Aberdeen, Mississippi. Annie was 11, A.R.C was 12, and Edward was 13 when they got their start, building a reputation by playing school talent shows and front yards.
“We were so strange and we were so young,” says Edward, “and a lot of people didn’t understand that.”

Raf Reza from Toronto and Ramjac Corporation from Irdial.
‘It begins with a bouncy, cut-up, Errorsmith-esque rhythm, with a recurring fright night melody. Rotten Mix is more traditional house, with dub FX and a nice DJ friendly outro. The final uptempo excursion is head-scrambling electro.
‘Swampy Dub on the flip really dismantles everything up to that point, with slo-mo drums and a kind of modern classical sound. The finale Rootless Dub removes all the tough drums, for an ambient decompression.’

Mats Gustafsson on alto, tenor, baritone, and bass saxophones, and flute, and Tony Lugo on drums and electronics… but playing separately from each other… then both of them devising a form of interactive exchange with a life of its own, as a third collaborator.
Mastered by Lasse Marhaug; artwork by Peter Brötzmann.
From a new Italian label to watch out for.
‘What the fuck is it?’, it wonders. ‘Interaction and FRICTION.’ ‘Play it loud.’

Not disco at all — rather a fully rounded excursion into mid-70s dancefloor funk and jazz-funk, by an orchestra of crack NYC musicians originally known as the Smokin’ Shades Of Black.
Like previous Jazzman revives by Sounds of the City Experience and Ricardo Marrero, this reissue saves from obscurity some wonderful music wilfully squandered at the time in the service of tax scamming. The booklet tells the full story.

Digging deep in archives from West Virginia University to the British Library — across seven decades, 1934-2001 — in search of versions of the chilling ballad of Lamkin, about the grisly murder of a woman and her small child.

A private press LP from early-eighties Youngstown, Ohio, featuring an absolutely killer Hammond B3 version of Chameleon, and an exceptionally funky The World Is A Ghetto, showcasing Lavorgna’s soulful saxophone, and more deep funk from David Thomas, on organ.

Infectiously spirited do-over of Horace Andy’s Higher Range. In three parts — vocal, toast, melodica dub.

Quality US roots in extended mixes. More Relation started up in New York in 1977, backing the likes of Larry Marshall and Carlton Coffee.

The pianist’s tenth studio album — the very first release on the newly formed imprint Blue Note Africa — ‘pulls his most foundational cultural Influences into a space where the sounds of the South African landscape are placed at the center of the nation’s evolving jazz songbook. A central figure of the country’s vibrant jazz scene, Makhathini assembled a band consisting of some of South Africa’s most exciting young musicians including saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane, trumpeter Robin Fassie Kock, vibraphonist Dylan Tabisher, bassist Stephen de Souza, percussionist Gontse Makhene, and drummer Dane Paris, as well as guest vocalists Omagugu Makhathini and Anna Widauer, and America saxophonist Jaleel Shaw.’
‘Admirers of Shabaka & The Ancestors will recognise a similarly incantatory vibe. And if that listener is also familiar, as is likely, with Pharoah Sanders and Azar Lawrence (with whom Makhathini has also played), they will hear those resonances, too… traditions, particularly of South African folk and ritual music, play a major part. African America is also in the mix, through Randy Weston and Don Pullen…’ (Chris May, All About Jazz).