Freddie Hubbard
Straight Life

For his 1973 debut album as a bandleader, Lonnie Liston Smith assembled a killer band of Cecil McBee on bass, George Barron on sax, James Mtume and Sonny Morgan on percussion, David Lee, Jr. on drums, Badal Roy on table, Geeta Vashi on tamboura, and Joe Beck on guitar. Such a multifaceted ensemble was perfectly suited to explore the spiritual jazz that Smith had encountered while playing with Pharoah Sanders ("Let Us Go into the House of the Lord" appears here and on Sanders' 1970 album Summun Bukmun Umyun which featured Smith), all presided over by Flying Dutchman label owner and former John Coltrane producer Bob Thiele. We've re-created the original gatefold artwork with Nat Hentoff's liner notes…one of the great jazz albums of its era!

Rahsaan Roland Kirk's live club appearances were usually a very engaging, casual affair, full of good humour and with a fantastically large selection of different types of music. The double album "Bright Moments" is an almost authoritative document of what you could experience in a concert by Kirk, and also his best album from the seventies.The extroverted Kirk was in front of audience in his element, constantly narrating, explaining his concepts and singing anecdotes from the history of jazz. Even if some of his long introductions, spoken in jive rhythm, may sound a bit outdated these days, you can tell from the music that Kirk greedily absorbed the energy in the room. Most of the pieces are long (seven minutes and more) and demonstrate Kirk's rich variety of solos in different styles (and of course with different instruments)."Pedal Up" is a performance - in which the air stays away - of Kirk's never copied technique to play three wind instruments at the same time, including a lot of unaccompanied passages that sound simply unfeasible. Another of Kirk's essential madness can be heard on "Fly Town Nose Blues", which features much of an instrument called a nose flute; and on the title track, Kirk offers a generous portion of another specialty of his: singing a second voice using a (traditional) flute. His repertoire typically draws from various sources: Ellington's "Prelude To A Kiss"; a groovy pop song by Bacharach: "You'll Never Get To Heaven"; a delightful version of Fats Waller's "Jitterbug Waltz"; and a stomping, jubilant New Orleans style original, "Dem Red Beans and Rice".But perhaps best of all is a passionate interpretation of the well-known ballad "If I Loved You", in which Kirk's crude, almost choked tones coming from within indirectly point to the avant-garde without ever losing the melodic basis. "Bright Moments" conjures up all the great tricks from Kirk's box of tricks, offers a pretty microcosm of his talents and shows a perfect and knowledgeable stage artist. In short, it's nothing less than a tour de force.Recording: 1973 live at Keystone Korner, San Francisco, by Biff Davies, Ed Barton & Jack Crymes

Paul Hardcastle is marking the 30th anniversary of his 1985 anti-war hit "19" with a celebratory vinyl release that collects 14 versions of the career-defining single. 19: The 30th Anniversary Mixes includes remastered versions of the original mixes: the full length version (from the original 12-inch), the popular Destruction Mix and The Final Story version - the latter actually being the 'requiem' element which is the second part of that remix. Also, issued for the first time commercially is Hardcastle's demo of "19" that he recorded in his mom's front room! These originals are combined with a number of contemporary, creative reworkings (mostly by Hardcastle himself), some of which date from 2010 when he revisited the track to create variations such as History Keeps Repeating Itself and Welcome to Hell. The Inner Changes Mix is actually Victims of War (Pt 1) from 2010 and the Cryogenic Freeze Mix dates from 2012 when 19 Below Zero was issued.In April 1985 Paul Hardcastle’s seminal track "19" entered the UK top 40 singles chart at #4. A week later it went to #1 where it remained for 5 consecutive weeks. Not even Duran Duran, on the back of the blockbuster movie A View To A Kill, could shift it! "19" was subsequently released worldwide, achieving overall sales in excess of 6,000,000 copies and hitting the #1 spot in 13 different countries as well as #1 on the US dance charts and #15 on the main Billboard Hot 100.Paul Hardcastle said: “The message of 19 is as poignant today as it is was 30 years ago. Soldiers are coming back from the frontline of battle and are not being supported on their return to Civvy Street. Statistics recently showed more soldiers are committing suicide than died in battle."