A long-overdue look at the mini-soul empire of Leo Gooden – an tiny little enclave in East St Louis that was making some mighty hip music in the early 60s! Gooden wore many hats at the time – politician, club owner, and local businessman – but he also put together his own band and record label, and worked in a very hip mix of R&B and 60s soul jazz modes! Through his nightclub, The Blue Note, Gooden came into contact with a variety of great musicians, both national and local – and he brought their inspiration to play on sessions recorded here for his LG family of labels – issued on a handful of singles and two rare LPs. Although rough-edged at times, these tracks have a really great sound – kind of a grittier take on the Prestige Records groove of the 60s – helped out by musicians who include Oliver Nelson and Hamiet Bluiett – and singers who include Albert King and Charles Drain. The package is a bit loose on discographical details, but definitely includes all the best moments from these mighty years on the East St Louis scene – and the full story in the notes more than helps to fill in the gaps in Gooden's compelling tale. The titles by Leo's Five – Gooden's group – are all hip jazz instrumentals, often with a strong mix of Hammond, guitar, and tenor – and these titles include "Hold It", "Sunrise Serenade", "Something You Got", "Tippin", "Johnnie Come Marching Home (Country Style)", "Minor Over Matter", "Mop Water", "Fredrick's Dream", and "Cookin With Chezie Mae". Other cuts include "COD" and "Worsome Baby" by Albert King, "So Glad" and "Stop & Think About It Baby" by Charles Drain, "Winkee Do" and "Ugly Ugly" by Leo Gooden, and "Let's Do The Cat" by Jamie Ross. (Jazz, Soul) CD

An incredible record – and one of the real high points in the career of trumpeter Donald Byrd! The album's the third one he cut with producer/arranger Larry Mizell – and of all Byrd's work with Mizell, this one's the funkiest, the tightest, the most soulful, and the most perfectly realized vision of the soaring sound the duo were aiming for! Every track is a winner – and the album glides along with a slippery sinewy groove, never pausing for a weak moment or a misplaced note, shimmering with pride in its own genius. Byrd's trumpet soars over the top, banking gracefully over waves of funky drums, spacey keyboards, and extremely well-placed vocals – all brought together perfectly by Mizell, with a tightly fused style that few people have ever been able to match in the studio since! Tracks include "Change (Makes You Want To Hustle)", "Dominoes", "Wind Parade", "Places & Spaces", and "Night Whistler". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

An essential bit of 70s jazz funk – one of the key Blue Note collaborations between trumpeter Donald Byrd and producer/arranger Larry Mizell – the man who helped set a whole new standard for soulful sounds at the time! The approach here is quite similar to the pair's work on Places & Spaces – tight, but loose at the same time – with Donald delivering solos that are very different than his work from the 60s, while Mizell finds this way to mix together all sorts of instruments, at so many different levels – but with a clarity that's mindblowing. Most tracks have a nice groove, a few points feature a touch of vocals – and titles include the classic, and oft-sampled "Think Twice" – plus "We're Together", "Makin It", "Rock & Roll Again", "I Love The Girl", and "You Are The World". (Jazz, Soul) CD

... CD

... CD

A stunner! Al Green returns to the glorious, exuberant soul brilliance of the Hi Records years for his Blue Note debut – an amazing return to form that we could kick ourselves for not anticipating! Al Green asserted long, long ago that he had no intention of ever making another secular soul album – and God bless Rev. Green for turning around on that. Of course we wouldn't try to tell you that anything on I Can't Stop is as revelatory as "I'm Still In Love With You" or "Let's Stay Together", but a lot of it comes pretty damn close, believe or not. Al's voice has held up almost unbelievably well over the years, having picked up just enough rough edges to make Willie Mitchell's wonderfully tight, smooth and heavy Memphis soul arrangements that much more striking, but still hitting those knee-shaking high notes and that famous vibrato. And yes, you read the previous sentence correctly – the legendary Willie Mitchell's back in Al's corner for the set – and his horn-drenched Memphis sound is as big and beautiful as ever. If projects like this are going to characterize how Blue Note is going to spend all of that Norah Jones money, we should nominate that girl for president next time. Let's hope Al and Willie live up to the title and keep on going after this one. Another classic from one of the greatest artist/producer teams in the history of modern music! 12 tracks in all, including "I Can't Stop", "Play To Win", "Rainin' In My Heart", "You", "Not Tonight", "Million To One", "Too Many" and more. CD

Funky, soulful, and completely sublime work from keyboardist Gene Harris – working here with some great help from Jerry Peters on arrangement and production – in a style that makes the album one of Harris' most compelling sets of the 70s! The backings are full, but tight too – and in addition to Gene's own sweet work on keyboards, the set's also got some massive drums from Harvey Mason and James Gadson – both of whom really help things crackle at the bottom! Other instrumental highlights include more keyboards from Jerry Peters, tenor from Azar Lawrence, and trombone from George Bohannon – plus guitar from Lee Ritenour too. There's a bit of vocals on the set – mostly a soul chorus sort of mode that works perfect with Peters' groovy arrangements – and titles include "Love For Sale", "Theme For Relana", "Rebop", "Zulu", and "Soft Cycles". (Jazz, Soul) CD

An amazing moment for singer Dianne Reeves – the first in a long line of excellent records for the Blue Note label – and a wonderfully tight blend of jazz and soul, put together at a level that instantly pushed Reeves into the territory of previous giants like Phyllis Hyman and Marlena Shaw! Like both of those singers, Dianne's got roots in jazz, but also pushes towards more of an R&B vibe at times – but never in a way that's commercially aimed at the charts, especially in comparison to some of her contemporaries. There's a really rich feel to the whole album – thanks to help from George Duke, who produced and played keyboards – alongside other musicians like Herbie Hancock on keyboards, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, and Ndugu Chancler on drums. Titles include "Chan's Song (Never Said)", "I'm OK", "Sky Islands", "Harvest Time", "Yesterdays", and "Better Days". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

A classic! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Marlena Shaw – and it's a tremendous live set that really lives up to the righteous promise of her earlier work on Cadet Records! The album was cut with a small combo, and the overall feel is incredibly hip – a mixture of jazz and soul, much more open-ended than some of Marlena's other albums, and with a more sophisticated feeling that was probably part of the way that she was presented to the crowd at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The highlight of the set is a 10 minute long re-working of her classic "Woman Of The Ghetto" – done in an incredible way, with lots of extra lyrics, and a great jazzy groove that's been sampled more than once over the years. Also features an excellent reading of Marvin Gaye's "Save The Children", plus the cuts "Twisted", "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", "The Show Has Begun", and "But For Now". CD

A great record from the mid 70s – one that has Marlena Shaw further developing her style as a sophisticated soul diva with a sharp modern edge! Although already great in the 60s, Shaw emerges here as an all-adult, all-woman singer – dealing with issues that never would have gotten touched in the decade before, all with a directness and sensitivity that's totally great. A great example of this is the leadoff track "You Me & Ethel" – a hilarious monologue in which Marlena strings along some guy who's trying to pick her up in a bar – really holding it in until it launches into the jazz funk groover "Street Walkin' Woman"! Arrangements throughout the album shift from mellower soul to hipper jazz with ease – taking Shaw into a wide range of territory that clearly shows that no areas were off limits to an artist of her stature in the 70s! Tracks include "Feel Like Makin Love", "You", "You Been Away Too Long", and "Loving You Was Like A Party". CD

An excellent bit of UK Afro-Funk – recorded at the beginning of the 70s by a group that included members of the legendary South African jazz combo The Blue Notes – Dudu Pukwana on reeds, Mongezi Feza on trumpet, and Louis Moholo on drums! The record's quite different than you'd guess from those players – thanks to some kickass help from the rest of the group – who really push things into a tripped-out version of Afro Funk – a bit in the mode of Demon Fuzz at the time – a group who also lent a member to this project! There's some great horn work on the record – with the kind of "out" soloing you might expect from the group, laid out over heavy drums and good bass-heavy funk – on titles that include "Hey Jude", "Irin Ajolaway", "Akasa", "Telephone Girl", "Beka", and "Cocoa". (Global Grooves, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A far-reaching early gem from Roy Ayers – a set that's much more jazz-based than his later work, and a record that has him touching base with the Blue Note and Strata East sides of the jazz spectrum! The lineup here is incredibly hip – a mix of players that includes a young Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Harold Land and Joe Henderson on tenor, Jack Wilson on piano, and Reggie Workman on bass – not to mention Roy himself on some mighty great vibes! There's a surprising spiritual undercurrent to the music – pointing the way towards jazz to come in the 70s – and titles include "Glow Flower", "Ayerloom", "Virgo Vibes", and "In The Limelight" – plus an early take on Charles Tolliver's "The Ringer". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

Keyboardist Julius Brockington really takes off here – in a style that's not quite funk, not quite jazz – and which has some of the unique sophisticated changes that Gene Harris was bringing to his Blue Note records in the mid 70s! Like Gene, Julius already has a strong background on the keys – and here, he's able to open up and create all sorts of new rhythms in his music – working on organ, piano, and even a bit of Arp – in a combo that features Steve Turner on alto and flute, Jim Wilson on trumpet, and Garry Langston on guitar! The vibe is great – sophisticated, but funky too – and very unusual compared to other albums of the time. All the material is original – and titles include "Gettin' Into It", "Lost Tribe", "Jaded Jackie", and "In the Back of the Churchyard". CD

Wicked late 70s work from Ronnie Foster – a rare Columbia outing that's arguably better than his earlier sides for Blue Note! There's more of a soul vibe than before in the music – but in a way that's really foregrounded, and without some of the back/forth wavering that Foster had in his groove during previous sets. Jerry Peters produced the record, and gives it a solid, confident style that's right up there with the best soul/fusion sides on Columbia at the time – and the lineup of players features great contributions from Roy Ayers on vibes, Ndugu Chancler on percussion, Harvey Mason on drums, and Alphonso Johnson on bass. Foster himself did all the arrangements – and both sings and plays a mix of keyboards that come off sounding pretty darn great. Titles include "Midnight Plane", "Happy Song", "Why Don't You Look Inside", "I Want To Bring My Love Home", "Nassau Bay", "Shooting Star", and "Easier Said Than Done". (Jazz, Soul) LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary bit of jazzy soul – recorded by an obscure female singer from Milwaukee! Penny's got a warm style that's pretty darn nice on its own – but it's made even better by the great arranger Richard Evans, who helped out a lot on the session. The feel is very much in the Chicago sophisti-soul mode – and at times, the record sounds a lot like Marlena Shaw's best work in the 70s, particularly her sides for Blue Note in the early part of the decade. Includes the great original "Too Soon You're Old" – a jazz dance classic for many years – plus a stellar cover of Gil Scott Heron's "Lady Day & John Coltrane", and the tracks "What's Goin On", "Slow Hot Wind", "He's Come Back", and "Rain Sometimes". CD

Quite possibly the best album ever from funky maestro Monk Higgins! The record's got some of his tighest work of the time – with plenty of tight breaks, nice keyboards, and soulful sax riffs – and Monk is going full-out on the arrangements, in the manner that he used for his best late Blue Note work with The Three Sounds or Blue Mitchell. The group's listed as "The Specialties" on the cover, and they vamp along nicely, like some of Monk's funky groups from the late 60s funky 45 days. Titles include "Gotta Be Funky", "Big Water Bed", "Up On The Hill", "Last Flight To Dallas", and "Libra's Way". LP, Vinyl record album

William Bell was one of the first great soul singers to record for the legendary Stax Records in Memphis – an artist who really helped set the tone for deep soul singles to come from the likes of Otis Redding and Johnnie Taylor – and one whose early work is still some of the best he ever gave us! This well-done package brings together all of Bell's first 14 singles for the label, both a-sides and b-sides – standing together as a testament to all the greatness the singer brought to the fray right from the start – as Stax not only found a way to record him so much differently than he would have been handled in other spots, but also matured along with Bell to keep on creating fresh magic as the 60s moved on! As always with Ace/Kent, the presentation is wonderful – a detailed set of notes that matches the wonderful set list – which includes "Formula Of Love", "Just As I Thought", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "I Told You So", "Don't Stop Now", "Crying All By Myself", "I'll Show You", "Monkeying Around", "Ain't Got No Girl", "Every Man Oughta Have A Woman", "Never Like This Before", "Marching Off To War", "Soldier's Goodbye", "One Plus One", "Eloise", "You're Such A Sweet Thing", "Don't Make Something Out Of Nothing", and his great farewell to Otis Redding, "Tribute To A King". CD

Arthur Adams has his roots in blues, but he comes across here with a wonderfully warm Cali soul sort of vibe – that mix of earthy currents and tighter touches that was showing up in some of the best Fantasy Records work of the period! On the album It's Private Tonight, Arthur sings and plays guitar, and he's set up nicely in some larger backings that include help from jazz/funk greats like Joe Sample on keyboards, George Bohannon on trombone, Phil Upchurch on guitar, Wilton Felder on bass, and Ernie Watts on alto – all great players who make the record way more than just another blues session! Tracks include "I'm Going Home", "I Gotta Help My People", "Happiness", and "Get On The Ground". Home Brew is great – an overlooked album of funky guitar! Arthur Adams was one of the many excellent west coast session players of the early 70s – and if you check the notes on some of your favorite California soul albums, you'll find that you've probably heard his guitar an awful lot over the years! As with some of the other Fantasy albums of the mid 70s, this one gives a more obscure player a chance to step out in the light – as Adams does wonderfully with smooth jazz funk production by Wayne Henderson, which brings out some great tonal colors in Adams' guitar playing. There's a bit of a New Orleans sound in the record, but the real feel is Fantasy Records jazz funk – as you'll hear on the cuts "Chicago Sidewalk", "Bumpin' Around", and "That's the Way It's Gonna Be". Plus, 2CD set features 17 more bonus tracks – including "Last Night", "Got Your Back", "She's A Superwoman", "Is That You", "Let Your Hair Down", and "She Drives Me Out Of My Mind". CD

A rich collection of work from this legendary Chicago bluesman – 36 tracks on 2 CDs, plus an oversized booklet with nice photos and notes! (Blues, Soul) CD

A massive 3CD look at the key early years of Elmore James – a package that's overflowing with great work by one of the greatest blues guitarists of the 50s! The set starts way back at James' roots in Mississippi, with some sweetly rough-edged recordings that still sparkle with incredible lines on electric guitar – then it moves deeper into Elmore's years in Chicago, recording with slightly greater clarity, and a sound that had an undeniable influence on the scene in that city at the time. The set's completed by recordings from Culver City, New Orleans, and Chicago again – presented in both master takes and alternates that offer up some equally compelling guitar solos. The set features 71 tracks in all, plus 40 full pages of notes – and titles that include "Dust My Broom", "Hand In Hand", "One More Drink", "I Believe", "Make My Dreams Come True", "Dark & Dreary", "Strange Kinda Feeling", "Early In The Morning", "Happy Home", "So Mean To Me", "Long Tall Woman", "Elmo's Shuffle", "Sho Nuff I Do", "Please Come Back To Me", "Wehre Can My Baby Be", "I May Be Wrong", "Kicking The Blues Around", and "Sinful Woman". (Blues, Soul) CD

Some of the most righteous sounds we've ever heard from Houston legends The Lightmen – recorded at a time when the group was at their most spiritual, and very firmly following a cosmic path set down by drummer Bubbha Thomas! The music here owes nothing to the hippest sounds coming from the coastal cities – and even the undergrounds of Chicago and Detroit in the early 70s – and in fact, there's a vibe here that would be right at home with the Tribe Records spirit of the motor city, as the group balance their freewheeling inclinations with a nice sense of rhythm as well! Players include Doug Harris on some excellent soprano, tenor, and flute – plus Virgil Solomon on flute and alto, James Hensley on trumpet and light whistle, Joe Singleton on trombone, and Marshia Frazier on electric piano. Titles include "Sorrow Bitterness & Revolution", "Hope", "Blue Tip", "On The Road Home", "Song Of Praise", and "Ujimma". 2CD version features the standard stereo mix and the unissued mono version – plus a great booklet of notes! (Jazz, Soul) CD

A full helping of work from Claudine Clark – a killer 60s soul singer, and one with a really great ear for upbeat, romping tunes! Claudine originally hails from Georgia, but the work here is much more in Detroit, Chicago, or New York styles of the time – nicely moving numbers with a Motor City blend of tight instrumentation and bold lead vocals – sometimes a bit sweet, but always with enough power to keep up with the grooves in the tunes! The package does a great job of bringing together work from Claudine's varied recording career in the 60s – material done for labels that include Chancellor, Jamie, Fayette, Swan, Herald, and Match – under Clark's name, and the names of Joy Dawn and Sherry Pye as well. CD features full notes on Claudine's music and recording history at the time – plus 24 tracks that include "Party Lights (alt take)", "Gimme A Break", "A Sometimes Thing", "Easy To Love", "The Strength To Be Strong", "The Telephone Game", "Goodbye Mama", "Hang It Up", "Standing On Tip Toe", "Moon Madness", "My Turn To Laugh", "Who Will You Hurt", "Angel Of Happiness", "What Kind Of Party", and "Teenage Blues". CD

A really well-done collection of work by Randy Crawford – one that not only gets at that unique place she holds in soul music, but also one that shows just how much she kept growing as the years went on! Randy's voice was maybe first exposed to folks for her famous work on The Crusaders' "Street Life" – but even before that, she was emerging as one of the elite in a new generation of sophisticated soul singers – equally well-skilled in jazzy expressions and soulful styles, and able to bring a new level of maturity to the music from the late 70s onwards! This great package traces Randy's growth as a solo artist over the course of many albums for Warner Brothers – and also includes some duets, live material, and compilation cuts – really getting at the importance she held in the field at the time. There's a whopping 57 tracks on 3CDs, complete with a big booklet of notes – and titles include "Don't Wanna Be Normal", "Blue Flame", "I Stand Accused", "Same Old Story", "Tender Falls The Rain", "Gonna Give Lovin A Try", "Ain't No Foolin", "Everything Must Change (live)", "Street Life (edit)", "When Your Life Was Low", "One Day I'll Fly Away", "Time For Love", "Your Precious Love (live with Al Jarreau)", "Windsong", "We Had A Love So Strong", "Imagine (live with Yellowjackets)", "All It Takes Is Love", "Single Woman Married Man", "Last Night At Danceland", "Just A Touch", "He Reminds Me", "Knockin On Heaven's Door", "Almaz", "I Let You Walk Away", "Bottom Line", "Cigarette In The Rain", and lots more! CD

Wonderful work from Harry "Little" Caesar – a singer who made some great R&B singles for the west coast scene in the 50s, but hardly ever got his due on the other side of the US! Harry's got a nicely rough edge in his vocals – a style that reminds us a lot of the best male singers at King, like Roy Brown or Wynonie Harris – and although Caesar's perhaps not as raw and raunchy as the latter, he often covers similar down-to-earth topics in his tunes – material that makes these sides a real joy to rediscover! As the title implies, the work here was recorded for a handful of different labels – Modern, Dolphin, and Downey – and together, the tunes paint a vivid picture of this under-discovered talent from LA – a picture that's expanded on nicely by Billy Vera's notes as well. CD features 26 tracks in all – including "Cadillac Baby", "Don't Mention The Blues", "Lying Woman", "Atomic Love", "Going Down To The River", "Move Me", "Personal Question", "Tried To Reason With You Baby", and "What Are They Laughing About" – plus numbers sung with The Turbans, including "The Nest Is Warm", "No No Cherry", and "Tick Tock A Woo". CD

Some of the greatest work ever by The Main Ingredient – a selection of their singles for RCA records from the late 60s and early 70s – but one that goes way past just the hits, in order to fully trace the evolution of their heavenly vocal style! The trio started out as an already-great harmony act in the late 60s – a group who were even sweeter and more soaring than some of their contemporaries – making them perfectly placed to move into some of the more righteous harmony modes of the 70s – including some surprising turns towards more righteous, political material. The 22 track package is the greatest we've ever seen on the group – 15 pages of deeply detailed notes, in true Ace/Kent mode – plus singles that include three by The Insiders, "I'm Better Off Without You", "If You Had A Heart", and "I'm Just A Man" – as well as Main Ingredient singles that include "Black Seeds Keep On Growing", "California My Way", "Magic Shoes", "Everybody Plays The Fool", "You've Got To Take It If You Want It", "Girl Blue", "Happiness Is Just Around The Bend", "I Was Born To Lose You", "Brotherly Love", "You've Been My Inspiration", "I'm So Proud", "Spinning Around", "I'm Leaving This Time", "Rolling Down A Mountainside", "The Gold Old Days", and "Shame On The World". CD