Albums by Albert Ayler (Spiritual Unity, Spirits Rejoice) and Patty Waters (Sings, College Tour) are oft-referenced gatekeepers of the ESP-Disk’ aesthetic—you can read more about them in our feature story on the label. But ESP released more than 100 remarkable albums during its first run, with dozens more coming since its 21st-century resurrection. Here are just a few that should be heard, all of which are available either through ESP’s website or its Bandcamp page.
Lavelle (trumpet, flugelhorn, bass clarinet) and Sylvester (drums) offer up a set of Interstellar Space-type duets, named for the planets that John Coltrane missed on the original. Alternating between stark and rich textures, Retrograde is one of the strongest recent releases by the revitalized ESP. Lavelle, incidentally, was the musician who helped the late Giuseppi Logan make his musical return, after meeting him in a music store.
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