In the 1970s, many American jazz musicians who resisted getting into fusion or free-jazz, in favour of a more purist vision, found a welcome audience in Japan – look at Joe Henderson's In Japan from 1973, or Max Roach's Live In Tokyo, recorded in 1977. This live set, recorded the year before in Switzerland with exactly the same heavyweight band, has only ever been released in Japan, and only on vinyl. It finds Roach et al stretching a composition that originally surfaced on the album Drums Unlimited in 1966 across two whole sides of vinyl and more than 50 minutes. An irrepressibly hip soul-jazz groove sets the stage for extended sax and trumpet solos on the first side while, on the flip, Roach dives into a characteristically epic drum solo, ranging around the kit with wit, intellect and brawn while he deals out crisp rolls, thunderous booms and a meticulous hi-hat soliloquy.

Vinyl sold for £25 at ebay.com in December 2015