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Review: BBE has delivered something of a future classic here, as decorated Eastern European harpist Alinha Bzhezhinska and British tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi join forces on a picturesque full-length excursion dedicated to the memory of spiritual jazz maestro Pharoah Saunders. It's a genuinely unique and hugely evocative affair, with Kofi's meandering, mesmeric melodies and inspired improvisations snaking in and out of Bzhezhinska's dreamy harp motifs and melodic percussion instruments (think bells, marimbas, vibraphone, xylophone and so on). It's not a familiar musical palette, but it's one that consistently delivers - and then some. Our picks of a very strong bunch include lucid opener 'Tabula Rasu - Blank Slate', the exotic and psychedelic 'Audite Me - Hear Me', and the picturesque, meditative closing cut, 'Altera Vita - Another Life'.

Review: You might know Airto Moreira and Flora Purim as the King and Queen of Brazilian Jazz and for good reason. They have spent more than the last half decade putting out some of their homeland's finest and most richly rewarding jazz albums as well as playing exhilarating live shows all over the world. They have found favour with jazz lovers everywhere as a result, from Japan's concert halls to the UK's jazz-funk scenes. If You Will was their last album back in 2022 and it got a Grammy, and now A Celebration: 60 Years - Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories brings together some of their best work from over the last 60 odd years. Essential stuff.

Review: Original disco remixer John Morales has spent much of the last decade delivering superb, multi-track reworks of classic cuts, in the process showcasing the sublime musicianship and vocals at the heart of these much-loved classics. He's the perfect choice, then, to dip into the immense back catalogue of leading Philadelphia Soul star Teddy Pendergrass and deliver updated versions. The resultant two-disc set is as inspired as you'd expect, with Morales delivering a blend of peak-time ready revisions of surging dancefloor anthems ('The More I Get, The More I Want', 'Don't Leave Me This Way', 'You Can't Hide From Yourself', 'Life is a Song Worth Singing'), sensitive revisions of deeper catalogue cuts and stunning reworks of jaw-dropping slow jams. Throughout, the troubled but immensely talented singer remains the undisputed star of the show.

Review: BBE's on going love for Japanese jazz has spawned several superb compilations of late. This is the fourth such volume of their J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan series and it is sub-titled The Nippon Columbia label 1968 - 1981. It's a tasteful collection that arrives here on double CD and is again packed with classy sounds from a range of key players. Takashi Mizuhashi joins forces with seminal American talent Herbie Hancock on 'Samba De Negrito' and Hiromasa Suzuki, Jiro Inagaki & His Big Soul Media make a lasting impression with the hard bop of 'By The Red Stream' and the likes of Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats, Hozan Yamamoto go wild on 'Chakkiri-Bushi.' Essential.