Not so much a compilation as a fascinating slice of cultural history wrapped up in a lavish deluxe package. This nine-track CD and well illustrated 80-page booklet shines a much needed spotlight on the largely overlooked Boston scene of the 1970s and 80s to reveal a wealth of music that is by turns politically charged and unapologetically funky. The music was happening in lofts, churches and small clubs, and, as was to be expected, the artists in question, mindful of their autonomy, issued albums on their own labels in very limited quantities. In the pre-internet and social media days it is hardly surprising that they did not register on the radar outside of Boston, so this chronicle of the era is something of a godsend, above all for the high standards upheld by the artists in question. On the one hand, there is the freewheeling spontaneity of the Phil Musra Group. On the other, the structurally inventive ensemble work of Baird Hersey, and grooving hard between the two of them is Thing, a cracking band led by Arnie Cheatham. But perhaps the jewel in the crown is the group Worlds, whose ‘9 Degrees Black Women Liberation’ is, as the title suggests, an intensely thought-provoking poem that broaches feminism against a subtle musical backdrop. Reissues are an integral part of the contemporary jazz record industry, and this is an excellent example of how to present ‘lost’ music with appropriately high production values.