Jazz Supreme – Fender Rhodes Prayer

barabara sounds sez:  

Summer nights, balmy and subtropical. Some spiritual vibes to mellow out once the heat of the day is done... One of my alltime favorite comps, this is a tasty shuffling of classic 70s jazz and newer clubbier sounds – some better known, others a lot more obscure – put out some five years back as part of a series given the exceptionally cool title Jazz Supreme. Cue plenty of exclamation points from the ever-enthusiastic Dusty!

dusty sez: 

A sublime batch of Fender Rhodes grooves – all of them deeply spiritual numbers with a strong jazzy vibe – most from the 70s, but also including a few contemporary cuts as well! There's a totally righteous feel to the whole collection – one that goes even farther than the first volume this great Jazz Supreme series – and the mixture of electric keys with deeper spiritual leanings is completely sublime – a sound first forged in the 70s, and carried through by some current artists who share a very similar vibe! …[this] 18 song collection runs for nearly 80 minutes in all!

trax:

01. Build An Ark – Peace with every step / Equipoise
02. Mark De Clive-Lowe ft. Bembe Segue – Naima
03. Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Golden dreams
04. Steve Kuhn – The meaning
05. Berardi Jazz Connection – F.D.P
06. Yesterdays New Quintet – Superwoman
07. Kindred Spirits Ensemble – Ja-Mil
08. Weldon Irvine – Feelin' mellow
09. Frank Owens – Freddie's dead
10. Larry Willis – Inner crisis
11. Dave Hubard – T.B.'s delight
12. Karin Krog – The meaning of love
13. moO – Moostic voyage
14. Joe McDuphrey Experience – Solar waves
15. INO hidefumi – Spartacus
16. Carmen Lundy – Afrasia
17. Build An Ark – The blessing song

Maulawi

dusted mag sez:

…an absolute original that flies in the same circles as some of the greatest jazz and soul records of the early '70s. Maulawi Nururdin's Maulawi covers a staggering landscape, and does a virtual Sherman's March across the territories of funk, blues, post-Palladium latin jazz, samba, and his own unique take on the outtasphere; burning it all down with punishing resolve, and reviving it all in his own image. Maulawi, Nururdin's solo album that died a commercial death shortly after its 1974 release, reveals a palette of compositional depth and sonic intelligence that Nururdin would have had a tough time topping had he recorded again. The product of an era rife with social and political tension, this work highlights a street-hot assembly of musicians as they document their composer/bandleader's detailed, colloquial vision.

barabara sounds sez:

Spiritual but gritty, hip, compelling and percussive, Maulawi is (as Dusted points out) something like a cross between Miles (Evil Live era) and Curtis at his Chi-town funkiest. Intrigued? You should be. If you've never heard this lost-classic one-of-a-grooving-kind album — originally on the Strata label but reissued on Universal Sound — then you're in for a major treat. Enjoy it while you can. 

tracks:

Street rap; Root In 7/4 plus; Eltition; Naima; Sphynx rabbit.

Black Classical History of Spiritual Jazz 1955-2012

barabara sounds sez:

The mighty Black Classical has put together some legendary mixes in his time, but this one is truly epic. It runs for more than half a day. Yes you read that right: over 12 hours of the finest deep spiritual jazz. Just cast your eye down the running order (link below). Everyone that matters and then plenty more, all present and accounted for.

I'm a bit late to the party on this — or rather late to get the word out. That's because it's taken me this long to listen through it!

All there is to say at this point is: if you haven't checked out this epic work, then you're even later than me.

It's over here... Now don't walk, RUN!