Various
Japanese Jazz Spectacle Vol. I (Deep, Heavy & Beautiful Jazz From Japan 1968-1984)

Comet Records present the new reissue out of the Comet new reissue series, Dilijans by Ayizan. A mind-blowing session of Spiritual Jazz recorded in NYC in 1984 led by Haitian genius Alix Pascal blending traditional Ra Ra elements with modal/spiritual melodies. The result was like nothing else coming out of Haiti or the Haitian exile community in the US at the time. Dark, mystical, lyrical and abstract, with its otherworldly shifting rhythms, Dilijans came off like a Haitian version of Bitches Brew.The album sounds less like a stylish mini-jazz performing in a hotel dancehall than like a cry of ancestors emanating from the spirit world to lament over the complications of modern Haitian society.

Earlier this year, Louie Vega decided to offer up a new edition of 2003 album "Elements of Life" - his first with the now familiar NYC collective he founded of the same name - featuring re-mastered original tracks and a handful of new remixes. There's much to enjoy on this second and final vinyl double-pack, which largely focuses on the original album's more Latin-themed tracks. Highlights include the Latin house breeziness of Blaze hook-up "Brand New Day", the epic mambo/Latin jazz suite that stretches across side two, a deliciously warm, deep, hazy and soulful Joe Clausell "Reprise Dub" mix of "Elements of Life", and the salsa-tastic summer breeze that is closing cut "Sunshine (Instrumental)".