MUSIC

The visionary musician and record producer Augustus Pablo made some of the most unique and individual recordings in the history of reggae. As with his friend and mentor, Jackie Mittoo, the man born Horace Swaby was of mixed Indian and African heritage, and although his middle-class background might have pointed him in a very different direction, the lure of Jamaica's sound system culture captured him at a young age, particularly after debilitating health problems saw him drop out of school. He began recording as a session keyboardist as the '60s gave way to the '70s, but everything changed when a school-friend introduced him to the melodica, a small plastic keyboard operated by a mouthpiece, which he used on seminal recordings for producer Herman Chin-Loy, credited to Augustus Pablo on the release. During the early 1970s, Pablo crafted melodica instrumentals for all of the leading reggae producers, scoring "best instrumental" for "Java" in 1973, and launching the Rockers label to showcase self-produced work at the same time. This multi-faceted compilation, first issued on Bunny Lee's Attack label in 2005, compiles memorable melodica interpretations of some of Lee's greatest productions, recorded over dub cuts of immortal numbers such as Cornell Campbell's "Queen Of The Minstrel" and John Holt's "My Desire".

Originally released in 1975. Tenor saxophonist Tommy McCook is rightly considered a giant of Jamaican music. Chosen by Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd to be leader of The Skatalites in the early 1960s, he went on to become the chief exponent of rock steady as leader of The Supersonics house band at Treasure Isle. McCook remained a key session player throughout the reggae era, and during the roots reggae heyday of the mid-1970s, his expressive melodies found particularly strong outlet, especially on the music he created for grassroots producer Bunny 'Striker' Lee as a member of The Aggrovators, the studio outfit Lee hand-picked from the cream of Jamaica's musical crop. When enhanced by the adventurous mixing experiments of King Tubby, the engineer that turned dub into an art form, instrumental Aggrovators music became positively ethereal, yielding an exceptional listening experience. On King Tubby Meets The Aggrovators At Dub Station, Tommy McCook blows mean sax and flute over dubs of outstanding tracks by Johnny Clarke, Cornell Campbell, Linval Thompson, Delroy Wilson, and others greats. LP version comes with four bonus tracks.

The second album by Christian Burchard and alumni was released in 1971 on the prestigious United Artists imprint, only a year after their debut. A significantly progression and the first venture in the realm of the ethnic/world-rock fusion that would come to be their trademark. The gang from Munich flew over a series of packed jam showing their authentic passion for the middle east . Combining a series of progressive numbers, still miles away from their british counterpart, the band opened up for a series of transcendental and wicked numbers, pushing the boundaries of the seventies counterculture. While it was some eastern-blues rapture or a post-Coltrane collage in the vein of the classy melody of A Love Supreme, the band built his foundation while facing an ancient future. That was the beginning of a whole era where freedom was the keyword.

From 1993, a hallmark UK Dub album returns to the light. Pressed in small run and extremely hard to find. Produced at Earthquake Studio by TNT Roots and Winston Dread. Raw, undiluted music reflecting the evolution of Dub and contains the seeds of all their future work. Heavy sounds that stand the test of time. Back on the streets after 30 years,fully restored and remastered to honor the dubplate masters of UK Sound System culture.

The classic album now returns with new analogue mastering and stunning smoky blue vinyl pressing Originally released in 1970, Soul Rebels marked the first full-length album credited to Bob Marley and The Wailers, establishing it as a cornerstone of the roots reggae movement and a musical monument in the early stages of their career. This album is a powerful blend of love songs and defiant rebel anthems that captures the essence of the era's burgeoning reggae scene. With its catchy rhythms, revolutionary spirit, and thought-provoking lyrics, this recording stands as a testament to the band's ability to seamlessly merge the themes of love, liberation, and self-awareness. The title track, ‘Soul Rebel’, has become an anthem for those seeking freedom from societal norms and restrictions, encapsulating the themes of resistance and self-determination that Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer wove into their music. The album also highlights their collaboration with visionary producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, recorded at the renowned Randy’s Studio in Kingston, which became the birthplace of some of the most influential sounds in reggae history.

For Sweet People From Sweet Charles (1974) by the American bassist Charles "Sweet" Emanuel Sherrell is a deep, groove-heavy funk record rooted in the early-70s James Brown school of rhythm-driven soul. Indeed, Sherrell himself was a longtime James Brown collaborator. Built around tight basslines, the album emphasizes raw funk grooves, syncopated rhythms, and stripped-down arrangements rather than polished production or pop structure. Vocals are loose and soulful, often secondary to the rhythm section’s drive. Overall, it’s a cult funk album: gritty, bass-forward, and closer to extended groove jams than conventional songwriting, capturing the transition from classic soul into harder-edged 1970s funk. This new vinyl edition is the first after 10 years.

Cecil McBee’s debut album, Mutima, stands as a landmark achievement in 1970s jazz, blending the deeply introspective qualities of spiritual jazz with adventurous post-bop and avant-garde influences. Released in 1974 on the revered Strata-East label, the album highlights McBee’s virtuosic skill on the bass alongside his remarkable gift for crafting compositions that resonate with emotional and intellectual depth. Backed by a stellar ensemble featuring luminaries such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Onaje Allan Gumbs, and Dom Salvador, Mutima – translated as “unseen forces” – unfolds as a vivid musical journey. The album’s intricate interplay and sweeping arrangements reveal McBee’s ability to unite diverse voices into a cohesive, transcendent statement. A cornerstone of 1970s jazz, Mutima solidifies Cecil McBee’s reputation as a trailblazer, channeling the spirit of innovation and collective artistry into a timeless recording. Now remastered from the original analog tapes, this iconic album is available in digital format for the first time, inviting listeners to rediscover its brilliance like never before!

Featuring stunning solo piano work by Strata-East co-founder Stanley Cowell, Musa: Ancestral Streams is a landmark album in jazz, celebrated for its intimacy and innovation. Recorded in 1974, it stands as one of the most significant solo piano albums of its time, blending jazz with classical, African, and Eastern influences. Cowell’s pioneering use of both electric and acoustic piano expands the expressive range of the instrument, creating a deeply personal and spiritual experience. Musa: Ancestral Streams is a cornerstone of the Strata-East discography, reflecting the label’s commitment to artistic freedom and genre-defining works. It not only highlights Cowell’s extraordinary vision as a musician but also exemplifies Strata-East’s role in championing boundary-pushing, artist-produced records. For the first time ever, this pioneering solo work from the famed pianist will be available on CD and digital platforms, as well as on 180-gram vinyl. The digital release features an alternate take on the classic “Travelin’ Man” as well as 3 additional never-before-released bonus tracks. Pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, the vinyl edition comes in high-quality, glossy tip-on gatefold jackets. It also includes new liner notes by Nate Chinen and never-before-seen photos, making this release a must-have for jazz enthusiasts and collectors alike.

In recent years, in the world of jazz and spiritual jazz, the phrase 'holy grail' has been often used. Once in a while though the phrase is truly justified, such as is the case with this reissue: Abdullah Sami - "Peace Of Time" Recorded in New York in August 1977 and released in 1978 on Sami's own label imprint, only 300 copies were ever pressed, each cover individually hand-made with different covers photocopied and pasted onto different coloured paper while some copies were adorned with Sami's own hand-drawn art (in much the same way as some of the rarest albums by Sun Ra). Forty years later, such a fabled, rarely seen artefact would garner mythical status amongst spiritual Jazz seekers with original copies selling online for over $2,000. But first, behind every myth and legend, there's a true story, or in this case two stories... Abdullah Sami's father, William Frank Slaughter, the composer of ‘Afrikan Samba’ and an accomplished saxophonist in his own right, was a great stimulus in his child's musical development, teaching him music theory and nurturing his creative approach to music since childhood. Called ‘Mudon’ by those closest to him, Abdullah Sami would go on to be part of Chicago's rich, musical tapestry, a city imbued with the urban blues of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, the soul of Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway, home to influential record labels Chess and Delmark and the legendary Jazz artists co-operative the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians). Sami built a steady reputation in Chicago’s underground jazz and art loft scene, often performing with percussionist Yaounde Olu and bassist Imhotep Askia Ba at the former's own artist gallery Osun on Chicago's South Side, as well as other venues such as the Institute of Positive Education and Aziza Artist Space. In this period he would formulate his own multi-directional saxophone approach, his alto horn shifting modal frequencies in free flight, fluid and hypnotic, playing and teasing with harmony and melodics. Recognition in the Windy City remained elusive however and seeking wider exposure and better playing opportunities Sami headed east to New York where the recording "Peace Of Time" would come to fruition. It would remain perhaps the only documentation of Sami's creative talent, New York and the jazz scene ultimately proving to be as unforgiving as Chicago, to where he would return, but at least Chicago was home. The daily reality of life would take over, and Sami retreated from the music scene that nurtured him... Fast forward forty years to Japan where two jazz-heads from London - DJs, label bosses, radio show hosts, and vinyl diggers - stumble across a record without a sleeve. Intrigued, they ask to listen to it. Immediately they identify it as 'their' vibe, in 'their' spirit. They ask questions. Who is the artist? Where are they from? Did they release anything else? There's no sleeve, just a label. They are informed that nobody knows of anything else by this artist, or what happened to him/them. People have tried for years, they are told, tried to find the artist, tried to locate the label, tried to bring it to the attention of those who love and care for great music. They return to London enthused with missionary zeal to locate the source of this beauty. Phone calls are made, e-mails are sent, they speak to someone who knows someone who maybe knows someone else who...well, more than a year later, it is the spirit muse that finds the artist. He's still in Chicago, working, residing, living, unaware of his only album's legendary status, but he's flattered and thrilled that the team of two, guided by the spirit muse, had found him. Of course they can re-issue his masterpiece! Delighted by his approval, they tell him it's going to be re-mastered and re-issued on audiophile vinyl. Reciprocating their passion, and renewed with artistic vigour, he proclaims he might even "play the horn again!". The circle is complete.

This is a meditative abstract jazz-funk masterpiece that features the mbira, an ancient traditional instrument of the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe that is originally played in rituals to communicate with spirits. Each song has a serene and mysterious beauty behind it, and with the overtones of the mbira, this album has a beauty like a gemstone that sets it apart from many spiritual jazz albums, an exceptional quality. I highly recommend this album to not only spiritual jazz listeners, but to a wide range of music listeners.

One of many projects on Strata-East spearheaded by bassist, composer, and arranger Bill Lee (legendary director Spike Lee’s father), The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe’s only album, A Spirit Speaks, enlists Lee’s brother and sisters—Cliff Lee, Grace Lee Mims, and Consuela Lee Moorhead—to form a group named in tribute to their enslaved ancestors. Combining elements of jazz, gospel, soul, and blues, among other influences, A Spirit Speaks has become one of the most sought-after albums from the catalog. Now remastered from the original master tapes, this one-of-a-kind album can be experienced in digital formats for the first time.

スピリチュアル・ジャズの象徴Pharoah Sandersがジョン・コルトレーン没後間もない1969年に録音、1973年に発表した名作『Izipho Zam』。未公開写真やHarmony Holidayの新規ライナーを収録した、リマスター・デラックスエディションで登場。Sonny Sharrock、Lonnie Liston Smith、Cecil McBee、Leon Thomasら13名編成の大アンサンブルで、儀式的でトランス感のあるアフロ・アメリカンのルーツと新たな文化創造を象徴する名作。RTI180g重量盤。

BJ4 is a pivotal album in the development of jazz-funk and early smooth jazz, marking a more confident and groove-oriented phase in Bob James’s career. Released in 1977, the album balances sophisticated jazz harmony with funk rhythms, helping to define the sound that would later become widely influential in jazz-fusion and crossover jazz. Compared to his earlier, more experimental or orchestral works, BJ4 places a stronger emphasis on electric keyboards, steady bass lines, and laid-back funk grooves. Overall, BJ4 represents Bob James’s transition from jazz pianist and arranger to a key architect of accessible, groove-based jazz, influencing generations of musicians in jazz, funk, and hip-hop sampling culture. This is the first vinyl edition of this album since 1987.

A1 Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah-Hum-Allah 15:08

A2 Sun In Aquarius (Part 1) 3:42

B1 Sun In Aquarius (Part 2) 24:10

1973s brilliant Celestial Ocean, by the legendary Swiss krautrock band BRAINTICKET, is a concept album that details an ancient pharoahs journey into the afterlife (substitute the word "journey" for "trip" and youll get what they were driving at). However, Brainticket were not mere products of their time, they explored some truly compelling musical territory and produced a superlative blanket of sound-featuring a pioneering mix of early synthesizers, flute, zither, sitar, and male / female stream-of-consciousness spoken word vocals-that ebbs and flows in the same general cosmos as classic Gong. This reissue is fully remastered from the original master tapes.

Viva is the second album by the German band La Düsseldorf, realized in 1978 and it is considered its most successful release. Indeed, the album contains both the singles "Rheinita", which was their most successful single, and "Cha Cha 2000"; an expansive and utopian piece that mixes repetition, piano passages, chants, and electronic textures into a kind of dreamlike manifesto for a more ideal society. Probably the band’s most famous song. The album represents a combination of modern electronic textures, pop clarity, and krautrock experimentation which has secured Viva a lasting place in the history of German experimental rock. This vinyl reissue is the first after fifteen years.

Nara Leão is known as "the muse of bossa nova”. Already as a teenager in the late 1950s, she became friends with several singers and composers who took part in Bossa Nova's musical revolution, including João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, and Antônio Carlos Jobim. By 1963, after singing as an amateur for a few years, she became a professional and toured with Sérgio Mendes. In 1968 she appeared on the album “Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses” together with artists including Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Os Mutantes and Gal Costa, performing "Lindonéia”, which appears as first track in this album, published in the same year.

Money Maker is a rare 1978 release by the great Jamaican organ wizard Jackie Mittoo. A must have instrumental reggae classic which blends a series of killer-riddims originally laid down at Studio One and Mittoo's highly infectious gritty funk organ work.

Definitely ahead of its time, Black Jade approach was very sophisticated, creating more than a serious cult in downtown London. While their debut ‘Contempo’ was a ‘religious’ dub affair, their sophomore album showcased a more rootsy direction. Published as a mere private press in the second half of the seventies, the album is finally available in a long overdue re-issue.

Known world-round for his classic work with Sergio Mendes and Weather Report, percussionist Dom Um Romao is one of the greatest Brazilian musicians of all time, and this compilation of 1976 recordings for Pablo has him playing in a nice raw groove. The tracks have a beautifully jazzy sound, and feature lots of great Latin players, like Claudio Roditi, Ronnie Cuber, Dom Salvador, and Mauricio Smith. The group's joined by Sivuca, who adds his usual delightful tone to a number of tracks on the album. Titles include "Spring", "Cisco Two", "Piparapara", "Tumbalele", "Escravos De Jo", and "Mistura Fina".

Radiation Roots present a reissue of Jackie Mittoo's The Keyboard King, originally released in 1976. Jackie Mittoo's contribution to reggae music is immeasurable. Of mixed Indian and African-Jamaican heritage, the man born Donat Roy Mittoo was a gifted musician that played piano in The Skatalites at the age of 16. He was a very important part of reggae's evolution, having been a crucial member of the Studio One house band from its very foundation, being employed as the main keyboardist and musical arranger for an extended period, working closely there with Lee 'Scratch' Perry and countless other important figures, as well as relegating Leroy Sibbles to the bass. Although Mittoo migrated to Canada in the late 1960s, he frequently returned to Jamaica to record, maintaining his Studio One connection, and also issuing a sublime series of albums for Bunny Lee in the mid-1970s. The Keyboard King was first issued on Third World in 1976, and features Mr. Mittoo's delightful organ workouts, completely reconfiguring hits by John Holt, Johnny Clarke, Cornell Campbell, and Bunny & Skully, among others.

Clube da Esquina 2 is a 1978 album by Brazilian singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento. The album serves as a continuation to the Clube da Esquina album and retained the collective approach, stylistic diversity, and experimental elements of its predecessor, spread across two LPs. Musically, the album reflects the Brazil’s social contradictions, exploring themes of hope and despair, beauty and hardship, and the tension between historical trauma and uncertain futures. The album featured a broader range of collaborators, including Brazilian artists like Elis Regina, Chico Barque, and Lo Borges.

Pharoah Sanders recorded the songs that comprise Thembi in the winter of ’70/’71, in between sessions with Alice Coltrane that would eventually become her masterpiece Journey In Satchidananda LP. The same compelling spirituality that embued Coltrane’s masterpiece with a mood of stately calm and grace pervades Thembi. ‘On Thembi, that was the first time that I ever touched a Fender Rhodes electric piano. We got to the studio in California — Cecil McBee had to unpack his bass, the drummer had to set up his drums, Pharoah had to unpack all of his horns. Everybody had something to do, but the piano was just sitting there waiting. I saw this instrument sitting in the corner and I asked the engineer, 'What is that?' He said, 'That's a Fender Rhodes electric piano.' I didn't have anything to do, so I started messing with it, checking some of the buttons to see what I could do with different sounds. All of a sudden I started writing a song and everybody ran over and said, 'What is that?' And I said, 'I don't know, I'm just messing around.' Pharoah said, 'Man, we gotta record that. Whatcha gonna call it?' I'd been studying astral projections and it sounded like we were floating through space so I said let's call it 'Astral Traveling.' That's how I got introduced to the electric piano.’

Science Fiction is an album by the American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman, released in February 1972. It is considered as Coleman's creative rebirth. A stunningly inventive and appropriately alien-sounding blast of manic energy, where Coleman combines his past and future, working with bassist Charlie Haden and drummers Billy Higgins and Ed Blackwell. The album is made up of spacy, long-toned melodies and rhythm, including two songs with Indian vocalist Asha Puthli, which sound like pop hits from an alternate universe, and "Rock the Clock" where an Arabic double-reed instrument called “musette” is used.