Cleveland Eaton
Plenty Good Eaton

For fans of spiritual and cosmic jazz, the release of a new studio album from the Sun Ra Arkestra is big news. While the legendary ensemble has continued to perform worldwide since the passing of bandleader Sun Ra in 1993, the vast majority of their releases have been either live albums or archival recordings. Swirling, then, is a significant step forwards for the collective under the stewardship of Marshall Allen. Musically, it's as far-out, poetic, otherworldly and exciting as you'd expect, with new versions of live favourites such as 'Door of the Cosmos', 'Rocket Number 9' and 'Satellites Are Spinning' being joined by interpretations of lesser-known Sun Ra compositions and fresh Allen originals.

The Accra-born pianist and frontman, ROB, only released a few albums in small quantities, yet two of them are among the most sought-after records from 70’s Africa. This was the first.So what do we know? After learning his craft in Benin and playing with the likes of Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, ROB returned to Accra to write his own material and find a sound.Hooked on the driving funk and raw soul of stars such as James Brown and Otis Redding, he would often imitate his heroes on his father’s piano during school holidays.The title track sets the pace with a JBs-like rhythm, ROB almost shamanic with his sparse yet commanding vocal. The organ and wahwah guitar spin us out before those imperious horns bring us back in.And what better way to close this set than with ‘More’, swept up in a call and response between Rob and his backing singers as a ‘Blow Your Head’ synth flares and the brass blasts. Good times guaranteed.As the man himself says, “Funky music is in my blood. What you hear is the coming out of my mind.” No one sounds like Rob, because there is no one like Rob.Replica original artwork. All songs licensed from Essiebons, except 'More' licensed courtesy of Analog Africa.

Tom WAITSForeign Affairs (remastered)Epitaph

Gem ! This expanded version of the album features eight extra tracks recorded during associated sessions. It is released in its original Prism Music Unit artwork for the first time and is packaged with the original house bag designs, an original mini-booklet decribing the tracks and an over-sized booklet featuring rare photos and new liner notes by Francis Gooding of The Wire.

Los Angeles-based bassist and regular Sam Gendel collaborator Sam Wilkes teams up with some likeminded friends to build on the febrile funk of 'One Theme' and shuttle it into lively prog-jazz territory. Synth-blasted, improv nu-jazz sunshine that's part Carlos Niño, part Quincy Jones, part Tortoise and part Dilla.The album springs out of a defined theme - fittingly the opening track - and spirals from that point, cascading in various disparate improvised directions.'Phillips' is an early highlight, focusing on an analog synth part that sounds as if it's been trapped in a Space Echo loop, before 'The Drums' sharply follows and hones in on overdriven drums that could have been chopped from Broadcast's underrated "Haha Sound". On 'Chris Fishman' the album nudges into more abstract territory as the percussion gets more purposed and eventually more chaotic, and cosmic synth improvisations hark back to Sun Ra before tapping into a fresh 4/4 Detroit splatter.The album feels as if it gets free-er as it progresses, snowballing quickly into Chicago post-rock territory while keeping an eye planter on the fusion canon - and the last three tracks are the most out-there on the album. Channeling the spiritual energy of Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane, Wilkes and his collaborators dip into pure beat scene psychedelia, closing on 'The 3rd', a track so faded you're likely to get a contact high.