Glad this is back in print and this still includes a bonus track; a never-before heard second version of "All White"!!

Another overlooked, very fine album from Soft Machine, but this time the reason why is obvious; Robert Wyatt bailed a few months before the making of 5, and as vocalist and exuberant drummer, he was the most obvious focal point for the public, even as the band became more and more experimental and less 'pop'.
This finds the band trying out new directions, first via the...

JOHN ETHERIDGE electric & acoustic guitar
THEO TRAVIS sax, flute, Fender Rhodes piano
ROY BABBINGTON bass guitar
JOHN MARSHALL drums
guest NICK UTTERIDGE wind chimes on track 13

So....
Released just before their US tour marking the 50th anniversary of Soft Machine's 1st US tour in 1968 (!!), this is a fine and totally solid release by three alumni of the band plus Theo, who has ties to the Canterbury scene and sound that the Soft Machine are noted for.
An excellent

By this time (1973), the band were pretty much a straight-forward fusion ensemble with many of their biggest quirks and oddities excised. And all the quirky old personnel too, with only Mike Ratledge remaining (for the time being at least). Hugh Hoppper left and is replaced by the great (but not as quirky) bassist Roy Babbington along with Karl Jenkins and John Marshall. The band is now 75% comprised of ex-Nucleus players, and while they don't sound like Nucleus at all, they also don't really sound so...

Soft Machine were one of the greatest UK avant/jazz-rock bands of all time and their work, whether their earliest performances as a psychedelic band, who were contemporaries of, and shared stages with Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe's best known 'fusion' bands, their work continues to be name-checked by today's hip experimentalists.

By mid 1973, Soft Machine had gone through a tremendous amount of personnel turnover and a...

A great performance. Last time ever on this wonderful release from the wonderful, now gone, Reel Recordings label.

Latest archival treasure from Reel Recordings was a short-lived, little known (but based on this release 37 years later, quite...

"Electronic duo Spring Heel Jack return with a collaboration with the legendary American trumpeter and Pulitzer Prize nominee Wadada Leo Smith. Wadada was born in the Mississippi Delta and became immersed in the music of the great blues masters as a young musician. He then moved to Chicago and became an early member of the AACM alongside the likes of Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, Malachi Favors and Roscoe Mitchell. Recorded 2017 in London, this LP sees Smith's authoritative trumpet joined by...

This reissues the three albums originally released by Ogun documenting a 1977 session (The Longest Night volumes one and two) and a 1993 session (Corner to Corner) by one of the founders of non-idiomatic free improvisation and one of his longest...

For nearly 45 years, John Surman has been one of England's best known modern jazz musicians. His career began in the late 60s as both a sideman and a leader with such notable greats as John McLaughlin, Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath...

Here's a tiny label release of John Surman and John Warren composing and arranging for this band of Norwegian players. Fact you didn't know: legendary ECM engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug is a guitarist as well as an engineer and he appears here, as part of...

"Talinka - such an evocative name - wittily appropriate for this intimate set so sensitively arranged around Tali's straight from the heart, true and soulful voice. Since hearing Ms. Atzmon's discrete contributions to records by Gilad Atzmon and friends I've long wished she would make a record revealing her own deeply personal approach to music, and here, at last, is that record."-Robert Wyatt

John Taylor-Piano
Chris Lawrence-Bass
Tony Levin-Drums

A very nice, rather hip piano trio session from three Brit-jazz masters from MPS. It was recorded in 1972 and 1973 and released in 1973. This was John's second album, after the fantastic "Pause And Think Again".
There was one previous CD version, only in Japan, in 2006 but this is the first time it's been on CD at a reasonable price!

John Taylor – piano
John Surman – soprano sax
Stan Sulzman – alto sax
Kenny Wheeler – trumpet
Chris Pyne – trombone
Chris Laurence – bass
Tony Levin – drums
Norma Winstone – vocals

This stupendous 1971 album is for my money one of the early Brit-jazz classics; tuneful and adventurous, with a great mid-size band who punch way above their weight! Despite being John’s first solo album, he and his compositions are totally assured and spot-on. Hugely recommended.

Danny Thompson - bass
John McLaughlin - guitar
Tony Roberts - tenor sax, flute and bass clarinet

“The Danny Thompson Trio existed briefly inside of 1967 and by that time, it recalled a much earlier time and place. The trio came together from numerous jazz/R&B avenues featuring now iconic names in Graham Bond, Alexis Korner, Brian Auger, Duffy Power, Georgie Fame, Herbie Goins and many more.
Their combined journeys to this point in November 1967 reveal a who's who of British blues, R&

Other than the very famous Centipede, this is the largest ensemble that Keith has ever led, with 22 musicians involved. The sound is very full & lyrical, & does bear resemblence to a smaller version of Centipede. Tippett (piano, harmonium), Stan Tracey...

Limited initial pressing of 999 individually hand-numbered copies!

Recorded live in Piacenza, Italy, this is a 47' improvisation on a Steinway Grand piano by one of the most individualistic and recognizable pianists working today.

Fulvio Sigurta (trumpet/flugel)
Sam Mayne (alto and soprano saxes/clarinet/flute)
James Gardiner-Bateman (alto sax/flute)
Kieran Mcleod (trombone)
Rob Harvey (trombone)
Tom McCredie (bass)
Peter Fairclough (drums/percussion)
Keith Tippett (piano/composer)
with
Julie Tippetts (voice, lyrics)

This is completely great and completely recommended to Brit-jazz fans and jazz fans of all stripes, really.

"Tippett's inspired take on the jazz traditio

Keith Tippett: piano, wood blocks, pebbles, wind chimes, maracca, music boxes, plastic pan pipe.
Julie Tippett: voice, twizzle drum, Little bells, Thumb piano, seedpod shaker, Sri Lakan hand drums, Singing bowls, Tamborine sticks, Balinese...

Recorded live at Ruvo Di Puglia, Italy on September 5, 2004, this exuberant live recording features Keith Tippett conducting and playing piano, Julie Tippetts (vocals), Louis Moholo-Moholo (drums) with Canto General, a 23 piece big band performing...

STAN TRACEY, piano
MIKE OSBORNE, alto sax

Recorded at Wigmore Hall, London, June 18, 1974 by Peter Bould & Peter Ball

CD 1: EIGHTY-EIGHT PLUS ONE
(previously released on LP as "Stan Tracey Alone" SGC 1003)
CD 2: TWO-PART INTENTION
(Previouly unreleased)

NEWLY DISCOVERED RECORDING OF TWO BRITISH JAZZ LEGENDS GETS A WELCOME FIRST RELEASE!

This double album consists of, for the first time ever on CD, the Stan Tracey solo recording Live at Wigmore

disc 1
Mike Osborne
Outback
disc 2
Howard Riley
Flight
disc 3
John Taylor
Pause, And Think Again

This is three FABULOUS albums from the golden era of UK jazz, released from the masters officially for the first time and with a huge booklet, filled with tons of info and interviews with the musicians and Peter Eden.

"Between 1968-72 Peter Eden produced 20 albums across the broad church of progressive British jazz. It was a unique golden era for jazz-bas

The roots of 'Brit-jazz' are right here. Conditionally recommended!

"First released in May 1961 as a (slightly premature) 10th Anniversary celebration of the famous Soho jazz venue. Founded in 1952, the Flamingo in Wardour Street played host to..