Joe McPhee's first international release, Black Magic Man, was issued on the newly formed Hat Hut imprint in 1975. It was a watershed moment for the 35-year-old musician. Based in Poughkeepsie, New York, he was too far away from Manhattan to have participated extensively in the Loft Jazz happenings of the decade. European exposure, however, would give McPhee an alternative circuit, something of an escape route from the trappings of American cultural myopia. In support of the new record for this Swiss label, McPhee invited John Snyder on a European tour in October 1975. Snyder was a synthesizer player with whom McPhee had made the duet LP Pieces Of Light, released a year earlier on CjR. The two musicians developed an extensive repertoire, playing diverse spaces in the Hudson Valley. Geographically close gigs were a plus, since it took extra energy to hoist Snyder's ARP 2600. "McPhee and Snyder were invited to play at the Willisau Jazz Festival in Switzerland. If you compare this live record with Pieces Of Light, a studio effort, it's considerably more open. South African drummer Makaya Ntshoko is rolling thunder on the choral 'Voices,' shuffling under Snyder's bubbly beat on 'Bahamian Folksong.' It is quite a special combination, enough so that Hat Hut chose to release it as their next LP, Hat Hut B in their alphabetical series. The Willisau Concert represents the sound of Joe McPhee opening up, opening out, expanding his field of operations to include new figures, fresh experiences, new continents of sound." -John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

Rashied Ali stood as a magnetic force for the musical environment around him. In his last decades, he sponsored rehearsal opportunities for young musicians, tightened up a neighborhood street-corner drum circles he happened to pass, and for years pulled promising young talents into his orbit. One unique group that Ali led at the 2002 Vision Festival with Frank Lowe he also took into studio-and that moment you hear on Sidewalks in Motion. This set features Ali and Lowe along with young musicians Jumaane Smith, Andrew Bemkey, and Joris Teepe. Ali edited and prepped for release by in the years after Lowe's death-but it was frozen on the runway at the time of Rashied's own untimely passing. The reborn Survival is honored to reanimate these sounds in 2025. Survival Records SR-553 is a single LP in an old-school tip-on jacket featuring photos and recollections from bassist Teepe. From 1972 until his death in 2009, Rashied Ali operated Survival Records as the primary record label for his work as a leader and other projects. Through that time, Ali documented every phase of his career as a musician.� Under the custodianship of the Ali family, Survival Records was revived in 2019 as a platform for improved, definitive reissues of the original LP releases as well as additional, hitherto unreleased performances from Ali's archive.� Survival releases have been optimized through the practices of Grammy-nominated veteran mastering engineer Joe Lizzi, the musical acuity of drummer George Schuller, and historical input from�researcher Ben Young-overseen by the Estate of Rashied Ali.

Part of Rashied Ali's artistic strength involved turning improbable sound combinations into unchallenged masterpieces. After the pattern established by Interstellar Space and Duo Exchange, Ali stepped into a rather unlikely duet with violinist Leroy Jenkins for Swift are the Winds of Life. Five years with the Revolutionary Ensemble had helped establish Jenkins as a composer already; he designed all the pieces played in the 1975 studio duets with Ali. That record is issued on vinyl here for the first time in almost a half century. It's augmented by an informal phantom session in which Ali and Jenkins explore thoroughly other territories-standards, Coltrane's music, and two untitled, unbridled improvisations. Survival Records SR-512 is a deluxe 2-LP set in an old-school tip-on gatefold jacket that includes Stanley Crouch's original essay along with new liner notes and excerpts from an interview with Jenkins. From 1972 until his death in 2009, Rashied Ali operated Survival Records as the primary record label for his work as a leader and other projects. Through that time, Ali documented every phase of his career as a musician.� Under the custodianship of the Ali family, Survival Records was revived in 2019 as a platform for improved, definitive reissues of the original LP releases as well as additional, hitherto unreleased performances from Ali's archive.� Survival releases have been optimized through the practices of Grammy-nominated veteran mastering engineer Joe Lizzi, the musical acuity of drummer George Schuller, and historical input from�researcher Ben Young-overseen by the Estate of Rashied Ali.

This edition features heavyweight vinyl showcasing the original 1969 BYG Records album, restored & remastered from the original master tapes. It comes in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with a matte laminate finish, along with an insert featuring liner notes by John Masouri. The first of The Art Ensemble of Chicago's renowned trio of albums for BYG's Actuel series now returns in a deluxe, audiophile edition This album is the Art Ensemble's most celebrated release, capturing the American avant-garde jazz collective at their most sensational, provocative, and startlingly original in a historic June 1969 session at Studio Saravah in Paris. Recorded in the aftermath of widespread anti-government protests and student riots, this album showcases what happens when four highly intuitive and accomplished musicians-driven by Black Nationalism and dreams of liberation, and armed with an array of diverse instruments-let their inspiration run free. The tracks on A Jackson in Your House challenge us to view music in a different light-not just as a source of entertainment, but as enlightenment, wonderment born of togetherness, courage, beauty, and surprise, all mixed with terrifying honesty.

Vinyl LP pressing.

Tribe 2000 is a performance featuring Tribe Records founders Phil Ranelin (trombone) and Wendell Harrison (saxophone). The release is a celebration of Ranelin and his accomplished career, with four out of it's five compositions being penned by him. Recorded in 2000, the session reunited the nucleus of the influential Detroit label at the behest of Harrison, while also bringing numerous seasoned side musicians into the fold to flesh out the arrangements. The project underscores the brilliance of one of the most innovative collectives in jazz music.

William Hooker is a musician, composer, and poet with over 70 recordings as a leader, encompassing jazz, new music, experimental music and multi-disciplinary forms of expression (e.g. dance, silent film and spoken word). He has been recognized [by The Wire] as "an iconoclast, and one of the most innovative musicians and drummers of his generation," which is evident nowhere more than on his latest album. Hooker says of the work, which features collaborators Matt Lavelle, Sarah Manning, On Davis, and Adam Lane, "our express purpose was to play great music and to communicate such." The group - captured live in 2023 at acclaimed Brooklyn performance arts venue Roulette - does just that, and the result is pure Jubilation (noun; a feeling of great happiness and triumph).The release marks Hooker's fourth outing for Org Music, following Flesh and Bones (2023), Big Moon (2021), and Symphonie of Flowers (2019).

This 1956 concert by Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars is a historical gem, which is finally getting it's vinyl debut with this double LP release. Recorded on March 26, 1956, at the Civic Auditorium in Grand Rapids, MI, it affords jazz fans a chance to hear what the barnstorming Armstrong's shows were like in heartland America. Armstrong's affable presence is pervasive, but not always center stage, as each member of the All-Stars gets his turn in the course of the revue. The release was remastered for vinyl from analog tape and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany on purple vinyl.

PERUGIA: LIVE AT MONTREUX 74

During a two-day period in July of 1967, tenor-saxophonist Dexter Gordon and his quartet recorded multiple albums worth of material at one of Gordon's favorite venues, the legendary Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. This record, Walk The Blues, is pulled from the second night, and finds Dexter in an expansive, relaxed mood in front of an appreciative audience. These brilliant recordings are finally widely available on transparent blue vinyl with this audiophile-grade pressing from Pallas Group in Germany.

Europe 1966 is a box set consisting of live performances from free jazz visionary Albert Ayler. Each of the 4 LP's highlights some of the most magnificent moments on this European tour, showcasing Ayler and his bandmates at the height of their powers. The release includes performances from Berlin, L�rrach, Stockholm, and Paris, all of which occurred within a two week span. Ayler's masterful band on this tour included his brother Donald on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. These performances have been remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. The package also includes a 12 x 24 fold-out insert, featuring liner notes from John Litweller and photos from the tour.

Live in Los Angeles is a four LP box set from Tribe Records co-founder Phil Ranelin, celebrating a trio of LA club performances from 1978-1981 which remain especially significant to the visionary trombonist. Backed by a young Billy Childs on piano, Ralph Penland on drums, and Tony Dumas on bass, Ranelin was in peak form as a player and bandleader during this period. This is particularly true of one specific outing at the now defunct Maiden Voyage in Los Angeles on July 19, 1981, which is presented in full within this set. The audio was restored from decades old cassette tapes which have never been heard until now. A master trombonist of the J.J. Johnson tradition, Ranelin's career has spanned over five decades with eleven records as a solo artist, four as a Freddie Hubbard sideman, session recordings for Motown, and work with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Telefon Tel Aviv. The box set is available everywhere on January 26th.

Sun Ra's Arkestra was at it's most radical during this period, alternating simple chants with very outside playing and dense ensembles. Although no precise date is given, these five cuts are thought to have been documented circa 1967-1968 by Sun Ra (piano) and his Arkestra in New York City, where the band was in residence at the time. First released for Record Store Day 2014, the title is now available on gold vinyl, pressed at Pallas Group in Germany.

Shamballa is the 1993 collaboration from jazz drummer William Hooker, Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), and composer Elliott Sharp. The release features Hooker performing duets with each musician. Hooker and Moore's performance is littered with bursts of feedback and distortion, while the collaboration with Sharp is characterized by a more electronic sound, building a sense of technology.

Flesh and Bones is the latest release from drummer, composer, and poet William Hooker. The album marks his third full length effort for Org Music, following "Big Moon" (2021) and "Symphonie of Flowers" (2019). Hooker has also referred to the new work as his "Black Lives Suite", a multi-disciplinary event which uses music and poetry to address the social issues of the times. Recorded at NYU Steinhart Studios, the recording features fellow New York based players Ras Moshe, Charles Burnham, On Davis, Hilliard Greene, and Luke Stewart. After more than 70 releases as a leader and nearly five decades into his career, William Hooker has solidified his reputation as one of the most unique composers and drummers of his generation, and he continues to explore new territory. Flesh and Bones was mastered by Dave Gardner, and features liner notes from Hooker himself.