Finnish vinyl nerds, Svart Records, dig obsessively into the vaults of international music history to uncover rare gems. “Mondo Svart” can be defined as “exceptionally Svart.” This is the core of the Svart Records exploration for gold at the back of the record crate. Those rare, undiscovered, and sometimes secret, albums only talked about in hushed voices between collectors in the know. Priceless and out of touch for the general masses, until now.

One of the rarest albums on the infamous Jazz label Strata-East from 1977 and it’s a spiritual soul jazz masterpiece. Sonelius Smith’s free piano comes together with Shamek Farrah’s heartfelt saxophone for a totally unforgettable journey into the meaning of sacred jazz. Fresh and imaginative, but not too improvisational. Rhapsodic but never over-indulgent and with a raucous, bold groove that’s in the real classic Strata East mold.

Playful and wild but beautiful and confident and with a swagger and expertly crafted finesse that let’s this record sit alongside the very classics of the era as a forgotten gem. One of the tracks of note on this LP is the 10 minute epic Latin Jazz feast, World of the Children, but the entire album is a top class work that will now be infinitely enjoyable for generations to come.