A seminal live set from tenorist Archie Shepp – and some of his freest, least-structured material ever! Shepp's still a righteous force here on his horn, but there also seems to be equal emphasis on the contributions of all members of the group – woven together in a really rich tapestry of sound, but with less of the structuring righteous concepts of some of Archie's other work – especially his sides for Impulse.

A seminal live set from tenorist Archie Shepp – and some of his freest, least-structured material ever! Shepp's still a righteous force here on his horn, but there also seems to be equal emphasis on the contributions of all members of the group – woven together in a really rich tapestry of sound, but with less of the structuring righteous concepts of some of Archie's other work – especially his sides for Impulse.

First released in 1971 as part of BYG Records’ groundbreaking Actuel series, Jacques Coursil’s Black Suite remains one of the boldest expressions of the Black Diaspora’s creative and political awakening. Recorded in Paris on June 10, 1969, this visionary work now returns in a newly restored and remastered edition, revealing its full depth and clarity for the first time in decades.

Stevie Wonder is a soul music giant, a beloved American icon, and an indisputable genius of popular music. The musician's heightened awareness of sound – a consequence of his blindness – has helped him create vibrant music teeming with joyous positivity, even when he's written about heartbreak and addressed issues of race, spirituality, and society in general. Wonder's recordings are a richly eclectic and singular brew of soul, funk, rock & roll, Broadway/Tin Pan Alley-style pop, jazz, reggae, and African elements. Combined with his elastic voice, peerless melodic facility, gift for complex arrangements, and taste for lovely ballads, his broad appeal over the decades has been unmatched.

Coupled with more than 40 posthumous releases since his death in 1993 at 52, figuring out where to start in Zappa’s vast, genre-leaping catalog can be daunting. ZAPPAtite – Frank Zappa’s Tastiest Tracks, out now on Zappa Records/UMe, collects some of Zappa’s best known and beloved compositions, from his early psychedelic rock beginnings to his avant-garde experimentation, jazz-rock explorations, symphonic suites and satirical send-ups, compiling them into one easily digestible collection and offering key entryways into the many musical worlds of the visionary musician. Available on CD and digitally, with vinyl to come at a later date, the album is divided into three courses – Appetizers, Entrees and Desserts – and the food-centric theme oozes throughout the album art, which features Zappa in a diner on the cover, a track list that resembles a menu and some of Zappa’s favorite eats.

This two-disc set represents almost all of Frank Zappa's concert on January 20, 1976, at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia. The only problem is that there was only one reel-to-reel machine to record the concert, necessitating missing portions of several songs to change tapes; these gaps were replaced by excerpts from a pitch-corrected bootleg from the same tour, with an obvious drop in sound quality but little loss in continuity. This particular band – with tenor saxophonist Napoleon Murphy Brock, bassist Roy Estrada, drummer Terry Bozzio, and keyboardist Andre Lewis (in his only tour with Zappa) – has only been represented sporadically on Zappa's earlier releases. It's a great opportunity to hear songs in early incarnations, such as "Canard Toujours" (which went through a series of revisions before appearing as the lengthy "Let's Move to Cleveland"), the blistering instrumental "Filthy Habits," the hilarious "The Illinois Enema Bandit," and several tracks which first appeared on Zoot Allures in different form ("Zoot Allures," "Black Napkins," "Wind up Workin' in a Gas Station," "Find Her Finer," and "The Torture Never Stops"). One song, "Kaiser Rolls," makes its first appearance with two versions, a concert rendition with a missing portion added and a rehearsal recorded just prior to the tour.

Oscar Peterson was one of the greatest piano players of all time. A pianist with phenomenal technique on the level of his idol, Art Tatum, Peterson's speed, dexterity, and ability to swing at any tempo were amazing. Very effective in small groups, jam sessions, and in accompanying singers, O.P. was at his absolute best when performing unaccompanied solos. His original style did not fall into any specific idiom. Like Erroll Garner and George Shearing, Peterson's distinctive playing formed during the mid- to late '40s and fell somewhere between swing and bop. Peterson was criticized through the years because he used so many notes, didn't evolve much since the 1950s, and recorded a remarkable number of albums. Perhaps it is because critics ran out of favorable adjectives to use early in his career; certainly it can be said that Peterson played 100 notes when other pianists might have used ten, but all 100 usually fit, and there is nothing wrong with showing off technique when it serves the music.

The Mamas & The Papas,Ultimate Anthology(TJL/Universal, 2016) :Ultimate Anthology has all of the groups recordings, each of the band’s albums, including a remix of 1971’s People Like U. Also includes a number of rarities, and 23 new-to-CD tracks (including remixed selections), and previously unreleased outtakes, with a total of 104 tracks. Ultimate Anthologyboasts ALL OF THE GROUP’S STUDIO RECORDINGS…that means every one of the band’s albums, including a revelatory new remix of 1971’sPeople Like Us,and a host of rarities, a whopping 23 new-to-CD tracks (including remixed selections), and previously unreleased outtakes!

Robbie Basho was one of the big three American acoustic guitar innovators, John Fahey and Leo Kottke being the other two. Basho was the least commercially successful of the three, but his influence and reputation has steadily grown since his untimely death in 1986 at the age of 45. And with good reason; for Basho's deeply spiritual approach, intellectual rigor, and formal explorations (among his goals was the creation of a raga system for American music), present a deeply compelling, multi-faceted artist. Basho was actually a college friend of John Fahey, and his early recordings (like Kottke's) were for Fahey's Takoma label. Following Fahey 's move to Vanguard, Basho followed suit, and released Voice of the Eagle and Zarthus for the label in 1972 and 1974, respectively (his most commercially successful records were made for the Windham Hill label later in the decade).

Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015) was recorded at London’s AIR Studios and saw Steven Wilson reuniting with Guthrie Govan (guitar), Adam Holzman (keyboards), Theo Travis (flute/sax), Nick Beggs (bass/stick), and Marco Minnemann (drums)."Hand. Cannot. Erase. is an album rooted in sonic and spiritual modernity… an inventive blend of bleak and brooding industrial soundscapes." — The Guardian

Grace for Drowning is more experimental and more eclectic. For me, the golden period for music was the late sixties and early seventies, when the album became the primary means of artistic expression, when musicians liberated themselves from the 3 minute pop song format, and started to draw on jazz and classical music especially, combining it with the spirit of psychedelia to create journeys in sound I guess you could call them. So, without being retro, my album is a kind of homage to that spirit. There's everything from [Ennio] Morricone-esque film themes to choral music to piano ballads to a 23 minute progressive jazz inspired piece. I've actually used a few jazz musicians this time, which is something I picked up from my work remixing the King Crimson records." - Steven Wilson

The popularity of dance music and of clubbing in the 1980s exploded. With its roots in 60s R&B and 70s soul and disco, the new grooves were an eclectic mix of styles: house, jazz-funk, pop, hi-NRG, electro and rare soul classics being re-discovered for the 80s clubber, all of which are represented here. Includes legendary acts continuing to find dance floor success - Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Earth Wind & Fire, Marvin Gaye, Barry White and Aretha Franklin who all enjoyed huge hits in the 80s.

A vital document of artistic resistance and spiritual searching, New Africa captures a transformative moment in jazz and global Black consciousness. Recorded in Paris in 1969, the album stands as a deeply personal and boldly experimental statement from American trombonist and composer Grachan Moncur III — one of the most compelling figures of the avant-garde movement.

An essential jazz masterpiece from celebrated Canadian pianist Paul Bley, presented in a deluxe edition.

Joining Burrell on this adaptation of Pucinni's La Vie de Boheme are a number of fine players who should prove familiar to those already acquainted with the BYG Actuel series. This cast would include trombonist Grachan Moncur III, drummer Claude Delcloo, reedman Kenneth Terroade, bassist Beb Guerin, and Ric Colbeck on both trumpet and piano harp. Eleanor Burrell is on hand as well and provides periodic vocal accompaniment. This session should serve as a fine example of the similarities between the free jazz and classical worlds. While it would be difficult to argue that Pucinni's original opera had anything to do with avant-garde jazz, the performances found here clearly display a reverence for the aesthetic of the original.