Charlie Rouse’s groundbreaking album Two Is One is a funk-infused exploration of jazz that embodies the innovative spirit of Strata-East Records.

Originally recorded in 1974 and transferred from the original analog tapes, Two Is One fuses sophisticated soul jazz with post-bop and spiritual influences while highlighting stellar collaborations with guitarists George Davis and Paul Metzke, Cal Scott on electrified cello, and the incomparable Stanley Clarke on electric bass.

For the first time ever, this classic from a saxophone legend will be available on CD and digital platforms, as well as on 180-gram vinyl. Pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) and mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, the vinyl edition comes in high-quality, glossy tip-on gatefold jackets.

It also includes new liner notes by Syd Schwartz and never-before-seen photos, making this release a must-have for jazz enthusiasts and collectors alike.

1. Bitchin’
2. Hopscotch
3. In a Funky Way
4. Two Is One
5. In His Presence Searching

In truth, and not ever having heard this album before, I was kinda expecting a heavy funky jazz break-beat album, but there was much more to it, and it turned out to be way much more of a delight to behold that I was ever anticipating.

Side one is definitely the funk jazz side, which I really got into when doing stuff around the house to it, but it’s when you flip it over the real magic of what you’re listening to starts to kick in.

The real high point on here for me is the titular Two Is One though, a 12 plus minute epic which is actually two very separate pieces but put together make for one heck of a musical experience. The whole tune is powered by Stanley Clarke’s solid driving bass, and in the first half there is also some wild cello work from Calo Scott - which is, to my mind, pretty unusual for a jazz track.

The whole thing just keeps coming at you like an out of control truck. Real deer in headlights stuff here. The final track In His Presence Searching starts of somewhat weirdly, sort of feeling like it was akin to a haunting, definitely not in a soothing mellow way, but soon settles into what it was always meant to be.

Oh, and the cello moments on here really do add some major spookiness to the whole piece, which makes it a stand out cut for me personally. So, yeah, side two of this album is the better of the two for me, especially given that the tracks are broken up into very different styles, kind of like they were suites or some such, but overall the album is something magnificent to behold from start to finish.