Free Spirits

This vastly overlooked (by the mainstream) but highly lauded (by the underground) classic of psychedelic jazz rock innovation is finally seeing the light of day again. The one and only album by New York’s the Free Spirits, a group co-founded by Larry Coryell (the brilliant jazz rock guitarist who made his mark as a solo artist years later), Out of Sight and Sound was pretty much ignored upon its release in early 1967, though they certainly impressed some of the bands they gigged with at the time — counting the Velvet Underground, Jimi Hendrix and the Doors among their admirers. Out of Sight and Sound is brimming over with jazzy grooves, frenetic psychedelic blowing, and tuneful arrangements filled with vocal harmonies and bluesy riffs. "Don’t Look Now (But Your Head is Turned Around),” "I’m Gonna Be Free,” "Cosmic Daddy Dancer”… there are just too many crazy and inspired moments here to list, but these strangely accessible yet radical songs will leave your head and hips revolving for many spins to come. Though the time of their legacy was all too brief (the group were barely together for a year) it’s reassuring to know they won’t be forgotten.