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For the latest volume in their essential Spiritual Jazz compilation series – the eleventh overall – Jazzman has decided to take a trawl through the archives of Danish imprint SteepleChase, focusing specifically on “esoteric modal” and “progressive jazz” originally released between 1974 and ’84. It’s an impressively bright, breezy and crystal-clear affair – you can hear every cymbal hit, saxophone solo, piano note, snare and rim-shot in glorious clarity – with highlights appearing thick and fast throughout. Our current favourites include the haunting flutes, glistening guitar solos and skipping grooves of Rene McLean’s “Aida”, the hard-to-pigeonhole inventiveness and cross-cultural fusion of Jim McNeely’s “Tipe Tizwe” and the vibraphone-laden up-tempo hustle of Khan Jamal’s “Dark Warrior”. That said, every track is superb, making this a must-have for spiritual jazz enthusiasts everywhere.