NEW RELEASES: YUSEF LATEEF - THE BLUE YUSEF LATEEF; FOX CAPTURE PLAN – WALL; LUCIEN GOETHALS

YUSEF LATEEF - THE BLUE YUSEF LATEEF

One of our favorite Atlantic albums by the great Yusef Lateef – an incredible session that has him dipping back into his earlier exotic roots with those great reed styles of the early 60s – yet also hitting a mix of soul and funk like some of his other albums from the time! The sound is tremendous – wonderfully righteous, at a level that really set the tone for more ambitious soul jazz projects of the 70s by other artists – including the best of the soul jazz underground who were often as inspired by Lateef as they were by Coltrane! The group's great, too – and features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Sonny Red on alto, Hugh Lawson on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and Roy Brooks on drums – next to Yusef's own work on tenor, flute, bamboo flute, tamboura, and percussion. Titles include "Sun Dog", "Moon Cup", "Othelia", "Like It Is", and the groovy "Juba Juba". ~ Dusty Groove

FOX CAPTURE PLAN – WALL

We really love these guys – and are continually amazed at what they can do with just bass, drums, and piano – all very conventional instruments, but used by Fox Capture Plan in this soaringly soulful style! The music's not entirely jazz – because all three instruments are very focused on the rhythms, and often move together rather than work towards solo expressions – but there's a modal warmth to the record that takes us back to some of our favorite jazz dance numbers of the 60s and 70s, but even more focused in the hands of the trio. This time around, they bring in a few extra touches, mostly in production – to flesh out the sound and link the spirit of the songs – but the overall vibe is still all acoustic and very tremendous! Titles include "Helios", "Elementary Stream", "Tong Poo", "Unsolved", "The Beginning Of The Myth", and "Into The Wall". ~ Dusty Groove

LUCIEN GOETHALS – LUCIEN GOETHALS

Incredible sounds from Lucien Goethals – one of the lesser-known electronic talents of the European scene of the 60s and 70s – and one of the most revolutionary as well! Goethals is represented here by three long pieces – the first of which, "Difonium", has his own moody sounds on magnetaphone mixed with live bass clarinet improvisations from Harry Sparnaay – who plays in these tones that match perfectly with the electronics, in a way that prefaces many jazz/electronic experiments in years to come. "Cellotape" mixes cello, violin, and piano with electronics that bring the offbeat tones of the instruments into sharp focus – and "Studie VII B" is an all electronic work – based on varied frequencies with altered amplifications and timings – with results that are very moogy and spacey! ~ Dusty Groove