Sounds of Liberation

Here’s some jazz goodness that is not a reissue. The long lost session from Sounds of Liberation, a Philadelphia (Germantown/ Mt. Airy) activist collective and jazz group recorded in NYC in 1973 will be on turntables all over the world shortly. This was not just about the music, it was about a social movement. The band, Khan Jamal (vibraphone), Byard Lancaster (alto saxophone), Billy Mills (bass), Dwight James (drums), Monnette Sudler (guitar), Omar Hill (percussion), William Brister (percussionist, aka Rashid Salim), worked with different citizenry: school children, inmates, and other members of the community and were a force in that community and beyond. They had a self released album New Horizons (with an alternative title The Sounds of Liberation in 1972 on their own Dogtown record label, reissued in 2010 by Porter Records) that has been highly sought after. Their impact on the African American and jazz community was immense in Philadelphia, and in ’73 their manager George Gilmore took them to NYC to record at Columbia University. Out of that came this very five track recording of all original music which has never been released until now. Here’s another great project from Brewerytown Beats Peter “Max” Ochester with help from group members to bring this great Lp to light after so many years. Very spiritual soul jazz at its finest, ‘Black Liberation music’ as it was called back then. And you know what? It still resonates and hits you as hard today as it did back in ’73. This is serious business. The Lp features cover art from the original group artis Leroy Butler, and there will be a limited edition of 300 Lps with paste on covers with double sided inserts. You can get it at Brewerytown Beats or via Dogtown Records. Listen to some snippets of the record below and pre-order the project which will be released on July 12th. This one is a definite keeper for all of you who dig spiritual jazz and the sounds of liberation. Brewerytown Beats keeps on churning out these incredible projects, salut! for turning the world on to them.