Along with Tribe and Strata East, Black Jazz is part of the holy trinity of independent labels that documented the work of countless important creative musicians ignored by the majors throughout the 1970s. Founded by the late pianist-producer Gene Russell, the imprint now stands as an inspiring beacon of African-American self-empowerment, from the name he chose to the beautiful, mostly monochrome design of the albums, that are highly collectable these days.

Real Gone, master diggers for the hip-hop generation, released many BJ titles a few years ago and this anthology is an excellent starter pack for whoever missed out first time round. In a word the bulk of the music kept acoustic jazz on an invaluable path that was virtuosic but soulfully accessible, making it clear Russell understood the importance of the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Gamble & Huff as clearly as he did that of John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.

The fact that Russell released 7” singles also shows he saw commercial appeal in his catalogue that was not at odds with artistic integrity. Hence the compilation features a version of one of the great Philly anthems, Billy Paul’s ‘Me And Mrs Jones’, beautifully played by Russell on piano, alongside the finely constructed waltz ‘Little B’s Poem’, sung by Jean Carn, the jazz singer who went on to enjoy major success as a soul diva, while organist-vocalist Doug Carn has an explicitly Traneish spirituality in his work. As for Rudolph Johnson, Walter Bishop, Cleveland Eaton, Calvin Keys and Chester Thompson, they are soloists who burn bright on material with smart, snappy funk inclinations but the somewhat overlooked singer Kellee Patterson, with her gilded tone and subtle phrasing, also sounds marvellous. A very welcome overview of a pioneering label, lest we forget.