Banging, key Messengers. Blakey is on fire; Shorter is vicious.
Hubbard bows out of this line-up with a passionate tribute to the Congress of Racial Equality.
Classic Vinyl Series.

Music by Freddie Perren and Fonce Mizell; songs performed by Edwin Starr.
With Easin’ In.

1964 masterwork with Freddie Hubbard, Herbie, Elvin Jones and Ron Carter, tersely melding avant, modal and bop. “Wild flowers and strange, dimly-seen shapes… I was thinking of things like witch burnings, too.”

Bringing the funk in 1968, with George Benson, Lonnie Smith, Blue Mitchell, and Leo Morris (who became Idris Muhammed)... not forgetting Dapper Dan.

Recorded in Paris, 1965, at the time of the Vietnam peace talks. ‘Donald Byrd occasionally played with us at the Blue Note, so he came in and helped produce the record.’

Melting, copybook Lovers Rock from 1977.
Willie Lindo, Harold Butler Robbie Lyn and co at Federal. Marcia Griffiths on backing vocals. A classy Waiting In Vain.

The Barca-born pianist back to wow us again on piano, Fender Rhodes, Chinese gongs, and a little whistling; with longtime collaborator Masa Kamaguchi, and Detroit drum wizard Gerald Cleaver. ‘Where melodic density meets contrapuntal dialogue, a free interplay of rich textures and riveting, masterly improvisation. This smooth complexity is what gives rise to the group’s uniqueness.’
The Wire magazine hailed the first volume: ‘deep and thoughtful’.

Respite from his recent firestorms, this conjures from spellbinding acoustics and drones galore something meditative and darkly unsettling by turns. Fine vocals and shredding axe work from Elisa Ambrogio.

With delirious Latin jazz dancers like Latin Strut and Aftershower Funk… and a Spanish-language version of Ordinary Guy.