Bennie Maupin & Adam Rudolph, "Symphonic Tone Poem for Brother Yusef" (Meta). Maupin and Rudolph meta-conversed with their late brother, the all-encompassing musician Yusef Lateef, via the vibrations of reed, drum, bell, didgeridoo, electronics and many other flesh extensions. You can not only hear Dr. Lateef somehow speaking back, but the gates have been opened so that other sympathetic voices from beyond seem to participate as well. It throbs, it pings, it blooms, and you go under. Listen/buy here. Rudolph also publishes a book about his innovative music processes in September; check metarecords.com.
Carlos Niño & Friends, "Extra Presence" (International Anthem). Step inside the universal mind with percussionist Niño, an expert mixer with many talented friends. Niño obsessed over a 2019 gig recording he made with saxist Devin Daniels, keyboardist Jamael Dean, violist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and world drummer Randy Gloss, reflowing the elements and overdubbing more friends such as guitarist Nate Mercereau, saxist Sam Gendel and "celestial musician" Iasos. He dived deep and emerged to orbit with a divine viewpoint where every tinkle, whoosh and burble dances slowly in balance, and strife recedes into insignificance. New Agey maybe, but without the boredom. Listen/buy here.
Katalyst, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, "Katalyst JID013" (Jazz Is Dead). Easy groove, smoky atmospherics and velvety funk float up naturally when Jazz Is Dead producers Younge and Muhammad join hands with the South L.A. Katalyst collective of pianists Brandon Cordoba and Brian Hargrove, saxists David Otis and Corbin James, trombonist Jonah Levine, trumpeter Emile Martinez, percussionist Ahmad Dubose, drummer Greg Paul and bassist Marlon Spears. You can dance, lounge, make breakfast after staying up all night, even gently roll a rotting social system into a ditch -- this generous music feels right for any situation. Sample/buy here. Katalyst, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad play the Lodge Room in Highland Park on Sun. Aug. 28.
Anna Butterss, "Activities" (Colorfield). Unfetterdd. Australian-American bassist-etc. Butterss (Aimee Mann, Makaya McCraven) dropped into Pete Min's studio and extrapolated upon creative ideas, which turned out to sound like (mostly) quite composed instrumentals. From Caribbean to Devo to Eno to electro to funk, Butterss, playing almost everything, keeps mind & body twitching with rhythms & textures, especially locating sensual regions of the bass spectrum just cuz hey it's her damn record. Entertaining and artistic and we want more. Listen/buy here.