Inside/Out (Strata-East Records)

Among the music blogs that I visit with regularity, there has been a revitalized interest in the seminal Strata-East record label, an independent jazz imprint founded by trumpeter, Charles Tolliver and pianist, Stanley Cowell. The extraordinary label was active throughout the 1970's, and although it continues to maintain a website today, it appears to be in a questionable state of limbo with extremely limited activity. Although the bulk of the label's powerful catalogue has fallen sadly out of print, a fellow blogger named Ish, has seemingly singlehandedly spearheaded a campaign to spread the Strata-East word to a new generation of jazz listeners and aficionados via his new site, Strata-East Fan Club. Ish already publishes the outstanding music blog Ile Oxumare, a site where many rare finds are waiting to be remembered, or possibly discovered for the first time, depending on your age, taste, and exposure. With Strata-East Fan Club, Ish along with his readers, have lovingly compiled a comprehensive database of online links to long lost Strata-East recordings, gladly made available by web happy music lovers, sharing the label's treasures with the world at large, and spreading its Afro-centric message. With roughly 60 titles in the label's catalogue, it's a rich vein of post-bop and spiritual jazz to mine!

Although many of the musicians who recorded for the label are far from household names, even within the jazz idiom, Strata-East nevertheless possessed a rich spoil of wealth in the caliber of artists who did contribute to its legacy. Artists such as Shamek Farrah and Sonelius Smith, The Mtume Umoja Ensemble, Dick Griffin, The John Betsch Society, Keno Duke, Juju, and The Ensemble Al-Salaam. "Well damn, give me something that I can relate to," you might say. "Someone I've actually heard of!" Then how about The Heath Brothers, Clifford Jordan, Charlie Rouse, Shirley Scott, Cecil McBee, Billy Harper, Charles Sullivan, and the aforementioned Stanley Cowell and Charles Tolliver? Still lost? How about Pharoah Sanders, Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson. No offense, but if you're not at least vaguely familiar with the latter three names, you've got some serious catching up to do, and there's no better place to begin than Strata-East Fan Club.

Despite my own appreciation for the label, I myself have not contributed to the database of links and titles available through the fan club. As much as I would have liked to, the Strata-East recordings that were once a part of my library have been lost to time, and nearly next to impossible to replace, or at least replace without great expense. But as a result of the UK Soul Jazz label, I was able to acquire two compilations that were assembled by the company several years ago, Soul Jazz Loves Strata-East and Strata-2-East, though these too have now unfortunately fallen out of print.

If you're a regular here at Birds With Broken Wings, you'll know that I periodically showcase some of my favorite record labels from my days in jazz radio. I had planned on featuring the two S-E collections in a future mix (honest!), but have now been graciously trumped by Ile Oxumare, S-E Fan Club, and their dedicated readers, where both compilations have already been made available to audition. Despite my having been slow in arriving at the same destination, the material still warrants a thorough listen, as the label released the most remarkable treasure trove of recordings that you've likely never heard. Therefore, you'll find the complete Soul Jazz collections in this week's mix, and if you like what you hear, I then recommend heading over to Strata-East Fan Club to further explore and sample the many complete offerings listed there. The love and passion displayed by Ish for the Strata-East roster is understandable to me, and is to be commended, as I am heartened by the online response that his enthusiasm has generated. It benefits us all and is clearly a testament to the power of the music that Strata-East delivered. But of course, the best thing you can do is to support the remaining active artists who recorded for the imprint by purchasing a current recording or seeing them live, should you have the opportunity. Tell them that you enjoy their work and keep the spreading the good word.

Peace go with you, Brother and Sisters.

Soul Jazz Loves Strata-East

1) Peace Go With You, Brother/Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
2) Well You Needn't/Larry Ridley
3) Prince Of Peace/Pharoah Sanders
4) Changa Chikuyo/Larry Ridley
5) John Coltrane/Clifford Jordon
6) Hopscotch/Charles Rouse
7) The Bottle/Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson
8) Travelin' Man/Stanley Cowell
9) First Impressions/Shamek Farrah
10) Dance Of The Little Children/Billy Parker's Fourth World
11) Eddie Harris/Clifford Jordan
12) Smiling Billy Suite, Pt. 2/The Heath Brothers

Strata-2-East

1) Too Late, Fall Back Baby/Keno Duke
2) Field Holler/Charles Sullivan
3) Jakubu's Dance/Dick Griffin
4) Travelin' Man/Stanley Cowell
5) Ode To Ethiopia/The John Betsch Society
6) Senor Zamora/Harold Vick
7) Trying To Find A Way/Stanley Cowell
8) Barbara Ann/Piano Choir
9) Turkish Bath/Weldon Irvine
10) Freedom Fighter/Oneness of Juju
11) Get With It/Billy Parker's Fourth World
12) Chick, Chick/The Descendants Of Mike And Phoebe
13) Tulsa Black/Cecil McBee
14) Keep On Movin' On/Shirley Scott
15) Coltrane/The Descendants Of Mike And Phoebe

Download Soul Jazz Loves Strata-East here, and Strata-2-East here.