East Coast soul-jazz pianist Andy Bey had set his ears much higher than mere conservatories and ivories; ‘Celestial Blues’ was the Experience And Judgment sleeper banger from 1973 that ultimately set him apart, and its meritorious mood would be awarded with a later co-recording with Gary Bartz’s NTU Troop, placing Bey at the heart of Bartz’s Harlem-centred projects for Milestone. Spiritual jazz, funk rhythm and Black self-determination convened here, though it’s Bey’s own version on the A that came first, its purity of (Bey’s own) voice tone and essence-of-life lyrics meeting few matches. The Bartz version would go on to inspire its most infamous cover (not heard here) by The Roots, slotting it into the world of standards.

• A Celestial Blues
• B Celestial Blues