As the ears of jazz enthusiasts become ever more refined, the interest in Spiritual Jazz has risen greatly in recent years. We're talking about music that is rich, warm, deep, progressive, peaceful, conscious, cerebral and celebrating, and the period of enlightenment was the '60s and '70s. This was the time when private press LPs were custom made by the musicians themselves in order to exhibit their art, reflecting the neglect and disregard afforded to them by the jazz mainstream. See our Spiritual Jazz album JMANCD020 for an appraisal of such LPs, because here we turn our attention to the often-ignored format of the jazz 45.

James Spaulding is a jazz flautist and saxophonist who has appeared on countless recordings over the past 50 years. But his recordings as leader are few and far between - a travesty as the 45 re-released here is as astounding as the beauty of the label of his solitary East 45; why didn't he make more records under his own name?

The Lightmen was a loose group of musicians from Texas led by Bubba Thomas. They recorded several 45s and LPs, all of which remain highly collectible, not just because of their rarity, but because of the sheer quality of the deep, spiritual jazz etched in their grooves. So if they were so prolific, what was their message, and why are their records so rare?

James Tatum is still performing as a pianist with his jazz group and has a great deal of involvement with education and the church. His two highly collectible LPs yielded no 45s, but we are here to put that right. What is the relationship between jazz and the church and why has he devoted his life to explaining that connection through music?

These are the questions we ask and their answers, and a lot more, are inside the gatefold sleeve to our new triple 45 Jazz Box. Three jazz 45s of the highest calibre music you’re likely to find. Out soon on Jazzman - because we dig deeper!