Derby/Acrobat (UK), Early 50s. New Copy 2CD
A deep look at New York's Derby label -- a short-lived imprint from the early 50s, but one that recorded some really great R&B at the time! The company was owned by Larry Newton, who later went onto make bigger waves over at ABC Records -- and like other indies of the time, Derby did a great
... (Soul)
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Routine (Japan), 2008. New Copy
Hip hardbop from this current Japanese combo -- one with a great ear for the sorts of 60s jazz we love on labels like Blue Note or Prestige! The group's less club jazz oriented than some of their contemporaries, and have an ear more for straighter jazz with a soulful feel -- played perfectly by a
... (Jazz)
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Owl (France), 1977. New Copy
One of the best albums ever from Beaver Harris -- a spare and unadorned session that mostly features Harris on solo drums, plus a bit of guest tenor sax from David S Ware! The album has Harris alternating between mallets, sticks, and brushes -- mostly working on a straight drum kit, but getting a
... (Jazz)
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Decon, 2008. New Copy
The second album from Jack Splash, Panda One and the Plantlife crew -- 70s & 80s style spacey soundscapes, electro fused funk & hip hop soul -- unpredictable, unclassifiable and a great time from front to back! Plantlife brings an exuburent, eclectic groove to the leftfield soul & hip
... (Hip Hop)
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Dynomite (Belgium), 2008. New Copy
A cooking little single from the Five Aces -- a bit different than the usual funky 45! "Kick The Bucket" has a gritty soul sort of sound -- almost that popcorn groove that's been revived recently by European soul collectors, with a nice undercurrent of R&B in the tune's vocals and
... (Funky 45's)
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Body & Soul (France), Late 60s/Early 70s. New Copy
A wild cover and a wild batch of grooves -- easily some of the hippest tracks so far in the amazing Absolute Funk series! As with previous volumes, the focus here is on the hard and heavy soul from the late 60s and early 70s we love so much -- that perfect era for the funky 45, and a time when
... (Funky Compilations)
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Soul Unsigned (UK), 2008. New Copy
The first release in a very cool little series -- one that focuses on up-and-coming indie soul acts -- none of which have a record deal yet! The 4-track EP features 4 really great tunes -- all numbers by artists we'd never heard before, and all done with a smoothly shimmering approach to
... (Neo Soul)
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Numero, Late 70s/Early 80s. New Copy
One of the grooviest compilations we've ever seen -- a collection of work by American ex-patriots living in Israel at the end of the 70s -- a hip blend of US funk and Hebrew spirituality! Most of the work here sounds like the best spiritual funk of the 70s -- very much in an Earth Wind & Fire
... (Global Grooves)
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Acrobat/Warlock (UK), Late 80s/Early 90s. New Copy
A nice collection of some of the best material from Philly group hip hop pioneers the Tuff Crew -- a well chosen set of tracks that first appeared on the Crew's records for Warlock towards the end of the 80s and the dawn of the 90s! Like so much of the better hip hop acts from the 80s and on
... (Hip Hop)
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Vedette/Rearward/Schema (Italy), 1977. New Copy
A beautiful 70s session from Italian jazz legends Dino Piana and Oscar Valdambrini -- the latter of whom is best known for his cooking 60s sets in the Basso-Valdambrini combo, but who sounds quite different here! Given that Piana plays trombone and Valdambrini plays trumpet, there's a nicely
... (Jazz)
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Sterns (UK), 2008. New Copy
Les Amazones De Guinee are something of an institution in African music -- a decades-old group who've spanned the continent with their progressively political message -- yet this album's only the combo's second, and should give them much-needed exposure to a larger audience! The rhythms here are
... (Global Grooves)
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University of Chicago Press, 2008. New Copy Book
A history and biography of the AACM by George E Lewis -- the jazz and cultural institution that includes legends and modern masters such as the Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, Muhal Richard Abrams, Henry Threadgill, Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, Nicole Mitchell and many more -- including the
... (Books & Magazines)
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GDM/Saimel (Spain), 1971. New Copy
A hip little western score from Mario Migliardi -- an Italian composer we'd never heard before, but who we're really digging for this set! The soundtrack has a really nice mix of modes -- one that includes a fair bit of dark, moody numbers -- tunes that are on the lower end of the sonic spectrum
... (Soundtracks)
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Philips/Jazzclub (Germany), Mid 60s. New Copy
A great look at one of the grooviest players on the German jazz scene of the 60s -- the mighty Klaus Doldinger, a saxophonist with as much soul as Willis Jackson or Gene Ammons at the time! Klaus plays tenor sax on most of the numbers here, and he's often working with the amazing Ingfried Hoffmann
... (Jazz)
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Inner City/Wounded Bird, 1977. New Copy
A killer set from keyboardist Jeff Lorber -- an artist who really had a lot to offer back here in his early years! Unlike some of Lorber's later albums, which could always be a bit too smooth, this one's got a sharp-edged groove and a stripped-down quartet lineup -- a group that mixes Jeff's great
... (Jazz)
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United Artists, 1959. New Copy
An amazing 2-in-1 CD -- filled with sublime work from the mighty Art Farmer! First up is Brass Shout -- a great little album by this wonderful trumpeter -- and one that we passed up for years because we were afraid of the words "brass" and "shout" in the title! If you're a
... (Jazz)
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Def Jam, 2008. New Copy
A fierce 10th album from the Roots -- hard hitting and straight up angry, without sacrificing the musicality that makes them the most unique crew in hip hop of the past 15 years! We'll do our best to recommend this vital LP without tagging it with the dreaded "concept album" tag (wish us
... (Hip Hop)
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GDM/Saimel (Spain), 1968. New Copy
Western magic from maestro Riz Ortolani -- a soundtrack that's not nearly as well known as his hits of the 60s, but which is still pretty darn great overall! Ortolani brings in some rich orchestrations on some numbers here -- full passages of horns that set a dark mood, but which are then offset
... (Soundtracks)
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Jazzclub (Germany), 1960s. New Copy
Latin jazz, but with a really unusual twist -- in that most of the artists here aren't always associated with Latin music, but pick up some very groovy rhythms for the tunes on this set! Most of the music here is from the 60s, recorded for labels that include Verve, Impulse, and Mercury -- all of
... (Funky Compilations)
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Blue Note, 1967. New Copy
Very hip large group from Stanley Turrentine -- obscure 60s sessions that are very much in the vein of material on the Blueish Bag CD! The work here dates from that same late 60s stretch when Blue Note was experimenting with Turrentine in some slightly larger groups than before -- ensembles that
... (Jazz)
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