Mack Avenue Music Group and Strata-East Records have announced the physical release of four albums from the Strata-East catalog. Strata-East titles from Charles Tolliver & Stanley Cowell, The Heath Brothers, Cecil McBee, and The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe will be released on CD and 180-gram vinyl, with audio cut directly from the original master tapes.
The vinyl release for The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe is out on November 28, 2025 as a Record Store Day Black Friday 2025 exclusive, while the other three albums will be released on December 12, 2025.
In partnership with Mack Avenue Music Group, earlier this year Strata-East released 32 historic titles on digital platforms for the first time. This series of reissues tells the story of an iconic Jazz labels, founded in resistance to major labels restrictions to artistic expression in the 50s and 60s. Strata-East’s commitment to freedom and high standards earned it a place in Jazz history.
Mastered by Kevin Grey, the releases were pressed to 180-gram vinyl at RTI with audio cut directly from the original analog tapes. The LPs also include deluxe tip-on gatefold packaging with new liner notes and never-before-seen photos.
Music Inc by Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell (reissuing on CD/LP December 12) set the standard for the label, and was recorded on November 11, 1970 with a large ensemble.
Initially released in 1976, Marchin’ On! by The Heath Brothers (reissuing on CD/LP December 12) combines Jimmy Heath on saxophone, Percy Heath on bass, and Albert “Tootie” Heath on drums, alongside pianist and label co-founder Stanley Cowell.
Cecil McBee’s debut album, Mutima (reissuing on CD/LP December 12), blends spiritual Jazz with post-bop and avant-garde influences, and was released in 1974. Backed by an ensemble featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, Onaje Allan Gumbs, and Dom Salvador, Mutima, translated as “unseen forces”, is a cornerstone of 1970s Jazz.
One of many projects on Strata-East spearheaded by bassist, composer, and arranger Bill Lee (director Spike Lee’s father), The Descendants of Mike and Phoebe’s only album, A Spirit Speaks (reissuing on LP for Record Store Day Black Friday), enlists Bill Lee’s brother and sisters, Clif Lee, A. Grace Lee Mims, and Consuela Lee Moorehead, to form a group named in tribute to their enslaved ancestors. It combines elements of Jazz, Gospel, Soul, and Blues, among other influences.
