Vinyl Digest, Vol.1: Spiritual & Cosmic Jazz

Vinyl Digest is a series of reference books, each devoted to a specific musical genre, movement, or culturaltheme, featuring hundreds of carefully selected records accompanied by concise, well-researched commentary that offers both historical and musical context.

Conceived by record collectors for music fanatics, each book is written by leading minds in their genre, sharing years of experience in the field and behind the decks. At a time when print is a crucial part of the preservation and celebration of physical media, we have designed a visually appealing, utilitarian reference tool that can sit proudly alongside your record collection.

Created by Manu Boubli and Eilon Paz, Vinyl Digest is published by Dust & Grooves Editions, a book and online publication platform founded in 2008 by Eilon Paz, connecting a global community of record collectors and analog souls.

Vol.1: Spiritual & Cosmic Jazz:

400 essential spiritual and cosmic jazz records, selected and annotated by DJ Amir Abdullah (180 Proof Records, Strata Records) and Manu Boubli (Comet Records, Superfly Records). Five chapters trace the genre from its mid-1960s awakening through its golden age to the artists reimagining it today, with rarity scores, collector’s checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout. 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.

Influential friends and figures in the spiritual jazz scene, including musicians, scholars, and experts like Gilles Peterson, King Britt, and Matthew Halsall have contributed lists of their favorites, giving insight into the personal connection these songs have with so many.