Vinyl Digest: Spiritual & Cosmic Jazz

The 1960s saw radical changes in the world of jazz, as musicians sought a newfound purpose in an era of political turmoil and rising cultural consciousness, searching for fresh approaches to the form that would sonically illuminate the state of the world and what lay beyond. Artists like Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, and Alice and John Coltrane built a creative foundation that emphasized peace, universality, devotion, and cosmic awareness through music, and came to be known as spiritual and cosmic jazz. Across five chapters, Amir Abdullah, DJ and founder of 180 Proof, and Manu Boubli, DJ and co-founder of Comet Records and Superfly Records, share over 400 records highlighting the awakening of the genre, its golden age, those who kept it alight, and the new generation of musicians reimagining the movement. Influential friends and figures in the spiritual jazz scene, including musicians, scholars, and experts like Gilles Peterson, King Britt, Marcus J. Moore, and Matthew Halsall have contributed lists of their favorites, giving insight into the personal connection these songs have with so many.