Mankunku Quartet “Yakhal’ Inkomo” (1968, Jazzman)
via Various Sources: Recorded on 23 July, 1968 in the Johannesburg Studios of Manley Van Niekerk. This is the LP that every Jazz fan has been waiting for. Listen to it from side one to the last note on side two then you’ll agree that this is Jazz, dished out …
Dadawah “Peace & Love: Wadadasow” (1974, Dug Out)
A true Jamaican gem of a record. “Peace and Love” was Dadawah’s debut and remains his only album released under this artist name. It is a dark but deeply spiritual reggae LP (originally released in 1974 on Wild Flower) that shares hymns of Rastafarian love, nationality, and hope. Constructed with …
Dr. Mary Sullivan Bain “Do You Know Black History” (1985, Backatcha Records)
via Backatcha: A teacher by trade, Dr Mary Sullivan Bain recorded her musical works to be used as an educational and motivational tool in the Miami-Dade public school system she taught in. Dr Bain’s daughter Pruchelle explains, “She found a lot of children didn’t know anything about black history and …
George Mukabi “Furaha Wenye Gita” (Olvido / Raw Music / Mississippi Records)
via Olvido: An almost mythical figure of African acoustic guitar, George Mukabi’s reinvention of fingerstyle quickly spread from western Kenya throughout East Africa before his tragic death in 1963. Hailing from the Luhya-speaking Kisa Region, George Mukabi combined local elements of the nyatiti lyre and sukuti drum into the bouncing …
Sun Ra “Exotica” (1956–1968, Modern Harmonic)
Across the history of Jazz, there is no wilder, more future-forward composer and performer than Herman Poole Blount, aka Sun Ra. Known as much for his wild on-stage persona as his innovative compositions, Sun Ra was the avant-garde bleeding edge of the Jazz genre, introducing modal composition and electronic instrumentation …
Bernie Worell “All The Woo In The World” (1978, Tidal Waves Music)
When “All The Woo In The World” was originally released on Arista Records in 1978, it was thought to possibly be a cast-off Parliament-Funkadelic record that just happened to bear Bernie Worrell’s name, giving him a long overdue début release… which is not necessarily a bad thing. Trust. Anything from …
Michel Sardaby “Gail” (1974, World Seven)
By the time he recorded “Gail”, Michel Sardaby was already an established player on the European Jazz scene. Even before he set foot in Media Sound Studio in New York City in February ’75, the Martinique-born pianist had made a string of memorable guest appearances and released two well-regarded albums. …
Atle Lauve “Atle Lauve” (1979-1983, Preservation Records)
Absolutely killer AOR track the forthcoming vinyl release on Preservation Records. The album consists of selected demos and tracks written and arranged by Atle Lauve between 1979 and 1983. Recorded in Fristad Studio (Sandefjord) when Atle was in his late teens. “It’s an old childhood dream come true,” says Lauve. …
Ricardo Eddy Martinez “Expreso Ritmico” (1978, Seminato)
via Phonica: Reissued from the Spanish version, Ricardo Eddy Martinez’s “Expreso Ritmico” is absolutely essential for… well really everyone! Probably one of the best ’70s Areito releases of all time, this 10-tracker is for sure ahead of its time. The entire record minus two tracks are all upbeat with afro-latin …