Roy Brooks & The Artistic Truth

Easily one of the most coveted and sought-after of all jazz LPs is the elusive Holy Grail that is Roy Brooks' Ethnic Expressions. It's not just rarity that makes a record of this nature so desirable, nor is it the compelling music within... sometimes, like a Van Gogh or a Picasso, it's the personality of the artist himself that's inexorably entwined with the record itself that lends a fascinating, mesmeric and mythical quality that simply can't be contrived.
The sixth release in our HOLY GRAIL series is an attentive reissue of one of Detroit drummer Roy Brooks' two LPs for the tiny Im Hotep label out of New York. This Jazzman release is in conjunction with P-Vine records of Tokyo, whose Japanese reissue has already vanished with only a handful having reached these shores late in 2009.

Ethnic Expressions was recorded live in NYC in 1973, and exhibits a powerful message of black consciousness and spiritual freedom. This is post-Coltrane progressive jazz of the highest order! With a cry to his African roots, Brooks' music combines modal, rhythmic and Afro-centric jazz with politics, spirituality and a positive vibes. The result is deep, esoteric spiritual jazz that any fan into real deal vibrant jazz will require as essential listening.

The LP is a reproduction of the original, pressed on 180g virgin vinyl. The CD also contains a colour booklet with extra pictures and liner notes translated from those written by respected Japanese jazz collector Yusuke Ogawa.

• 1 m'jumbe
• 2 the last prophet
• 3 the smart set
• 4 eboness
• 5 eboness (kwanza)