Definitive and complete edition of the airshots recorded in the unforgettable jazz club under the leadership of Miles Davis with modern jazzmen as Jackie McLean, J.J. Johnson, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Drew, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, and others.

Herbie Hancock's lackluster string of electric albums around this period was enhanced by this one shining exception: an incorrigibly eclectic record that flits freely all over the spectrum. Using several different rhythm sections, Herbie Hancock is much more the imaginative hands-on player than at any time since the prime Headhunters period, overdubbing lots of parts from his ever-growing collection of keyboards. He has regained a good deal of his ability to ride in the groove. "Calypso" finds him playing synthesized steel drums and interacting with customary complexity and ebullience with V.S.O.P. mates Tony Williams and Ron Carter. Disco rears its head, but inventively this time on "Just Around the Corner," and in league with Jaco Pastorius' vibrating, interlacing bass, Hancock gets off some good, updated jazz-funk on "Spiraling Prism" and "4 AM." There is even a reunion of the original Headhunters on a rhythmically tangled remake of "Shiftless Shuffle"; drummer Harvey Mason sounds like a rhythm machine gone bonkers. Easily the outstanding track -- and one of Hancock's most haunting meditations -- is "Textures," where he plays all of the instruments himself. This would be the last outcropping of electronic delicacy from Hancock for some time, and it was mostly -- and unjustly -- overlooked when it came out. ~ Richard S. Ginell

There is so much to love in this album. The Norwegian all-female quartet Spunk has delivered a solid second opus, showing a commanding growth in the group's evolution. Den Overste Toppen Pa en Blamalt Flaggstang, a title that translates to "The Very Top of a Blue-Painted Flagpole," refers (once again) to the children's book character Pippi Longstocking. The identification between the redheaded hellraiser and this group is genuine: the music goes through various levels of charm, wittiness, playfulness, intelligence, and mischief. Spunk allies traditional acoustic instruments (cello, trumpet, French horn), live sampling and electronics, and an array of toys and kitchen percussion. The approach integrates "serious," British school-derived free improv and noise-making. Lene Grenager's cello acts as a reference point since it is almost continually present (her playing, on the other hand, can mutate from romantic to extra screechy). Everything around her changes, turning each track into a surprise. Highlights include "Kamelmusikk," a call to seduction led by a recorder; the toy-ridden "Togturen Til Andes"; and "Sing a-Long." In the latter, Maja Solveig Kjelstrup Ratkje gives her voice a full workout. Her range and vocabulary build a bridge between Bj”rk and Phil Minton. "Strom" sounds like the trumpet of Bill Dixon caught in an electrical storm engineered by Merzbow. Spunk has created a signature sound that remains non-confining. It results in some of the freshest, most thought-provoking music this reviewer has heard in a while. Highly recommended. ~ Fran‡ois Couture

England's Beat Goes On Label does two-fers better than almost anyone else. They remaster the music, pop the CDs into durable, slim-line jewel cases, and offer authoritative liner notes as well as a tidy, if not overly attractive, paper slipcase. This double-disc includes the two middle period Return to Forever releases, Where Have I Known You Before, originally issued in 1974, and No Mystery, released in 1975, which was also the band's final album for Polydor -- they moved to Columbia for 1976's classic Romantic Warrior. The first of these two discs introduced the band's legendary -- though not original -- lineup: with Chick Corea on keyboards, bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White, and new guitarist Al DiMeola, who replaced Bill Connors. The now corny sci-fi imagery was perfect for the mid-'70s, and the stellar blend of knotty compositions and intense solo improvisation made for one of RTF's most compelling albums. No Mystery, featuring the same personnel, generally got shorter shrift, but hindsight being 20/20, that's unwarranted. Time has proven it to be a very consistent -- though admittedly less groundbreaking -- offering; it's worthy of real reconsideration in the 21st century. These records were, along with Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy and Romantic Warrior, Billy Cobham's Spectrum, Tony Williams' Lifetime, the Mahavishnu Orchestra's Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire, the epitome of jazz-rock fusion; Miles Davis' music of the era was always something more mysterious, more speculative, and far funkier than this muscular -- and masculine -- blurred out blend of instrumental pyrotechnics. The BGO versions of these albums sound a whole level or two better than the domestic budget reissues. ~ Thom Jurek

Collecting two very different albums by the late Cuban trombonist Juan Pablo Torres, this twofer begins with a 1975 exploration of stylized romanticism recorded with the Cuban state orchestra. String-laden and sultry, it's greatly enhanced by the contribution of the pianist Pedro Coton, who lends focus to the after-hours feel. The final eight tracks are characterized by Torres's freewheeling experimentalism, whether fusing Cuban and Andalucian rhythms on "Malaguena" or combining "Para Vigo Me Voy," "Frenesi," and "El Bodeguero" in a feast of Afro-Cuban jazz.