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Mad funk from the great Galt MacDermot – a wonderful selection of obscure tunes from some of his best funky soundtracks! Galt's work on Hair has been sampled heavily by a variety of hip hop producers over the years – but even better is his work for less famous soundtracks, a good... read more

Funky madness from the mind of Galt MacDermot – the second volume of rare work from his deep deep vaults! Galt's best known to most of the world as the man who wrote the music for Hair, but to us beatheads, the best stuff is his rare work – a wealth of incredible drumbreaks, basslines,... read more

Nice nice reissue of one of the greatest records to come out of Galt MacDermot's legendary Kilmarnock label! The album's a weird off-kilter batch of jazzy instrumentals, with Galt playing acoustic and electric piano – and with backing by a tight little combo that includes Pretty Purdie on... read more

2 killers from the legendary Galt MacDermot – composer, jazz musician, and hero to beatheads and samplers everywhere! First up is Shapes Of Rhythm – a weird off-kilter batch of jazzy instrumentals, with Galt playing acoustic and electric piano – and with backing by a tight little... read more

The best funky album you could ever find by Galt MacDermot! Unlike some of Galt's other records, which have a few funky tracks and some other ones that aren't as great, this hand-picked collection is funky all the way through – and every cut's a monster! All the work still has that great... read more

Some of the funkiest work ever recorded by Galt MacDermot – the quirky jazz and soundtrack composer who's become a favorite of beatheads over the years! The set combines two albums worth of unreleased tracks by Galt – killer material from his legendary years, all recorded for his own... read more

Reissue pressing of this great Galt MacDermot soundtrack, featuring the totally cool sample for Busta Rhymes' big single last year, laid out in the track "Space". Lots of other cool spare funky ones, and a great record all the way through. Tight grooves, spare electric keyboards with a... read more

A groovy little jazz mass – written by Galt MacDermot in collaboration with lyricist William Dumaresq – and done in a post-Hair style that's got plenty of subtle funky touches underneath the vocals! The work follows in the mode of similar albums from the time by David Axelrod, Howard... read more

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One of the grooviest albums of the late 60s – a lost vocal treasure from the team of Dave MacKay & Vicky Hamilton! The pair were sort of like a hip version of Jackie & Roy – usually singing together on their tracks, with a mixed male/female vocal approach that sounds totally... read more

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Excellent little small combo record, cut by this obscure funky jazz group for 20th Century – and probably the only thing they ever did! The album's got a number of tight short cuts, played by organ, vibes, and guitar – and titles include "Soul Samba", "Mad Hatters... read more

We remember when this one came out, everyone sort of put it down and said that Prince was caught in a crisis of overproduction. Now, though, from the perspective of his crap work in the 90s, this album stands as a beautiful bit of 80's jazz funk – and a cool batch of instrumentals that have... read more

Madlib invades Blue Note! He gets free reign of the catalog for this mix of sampler genius and live band interpretations, too, as/with Ahmad Miller, Yesterdays New Quintet, Malcolm Catto, Medaphoar, and others from the Stones Throw camp. This one's truly a conceptual triumph, if there ever was... read more

A real revolution in music from Japanese arranger Norio Maeda – a set that takes off with the same rich energy as his soundtrack work, but which also shows off all his keyboard skills as well! The range of styles here is great – from the "auto race" sound effects on the... read more

Three different pianists from Japan, working together in a sweet trio format – but recorded in a way that gives each artist their own time in the spotlight! The album's divided into three tracks by each player – with the main pianist right out front on the solo, as the other two bring... read more

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A groovy little set – with titles that include "Spinning Wheel", "Malaguena", "Someone New", "Pink Panther", and "This Guy's In Love With You".... read more

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A set of performances dedicated to Thelonious Monk – yet music that's quite far from anything by Monk that we've ever heard before! Yet there's also a definite Monkish inspiration going on here – a sense of space and timing that resonates in different, often drawn-out ways –... read more

An excellent obscure album of young, undiscovered and lesser-known Chicago jazz players from the early 70s – like Charles Williamson, Sonny Seals, Tyrone Taylor, and Jodie Christian – all of whom play very nicely, and lay down some hard funky big band stuff. There's 4 nice extended... read more

With Maurice Malik King on alto, Qaiyim Shabazz on congas, and Zimbabe Nkenya on bass.... read more

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Funky breaking piano! Although Junior Mance has made some pretty mellow albums in his time, this is a great record of funky piano tracks – with a nice groove that puts it in a Three Sounds/Young Holt camp! The highlight of the record is the great "Well, I'll Be White Black", which... read more

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Harvey's certainly got a sound you can feel – super-fuzzy guitar, played with a heavy sound that's similar to some of Dennis Coffey's best work – but a bit more trippy! For this outing, Harvey's backed by the Pure Food & Drug Act on many of the cuts, and they give him a nice tight... read more

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Brilliant sounds from trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff – a rare live set that captures the modern jazz giant at the height of his powers! The set was recorded around the same time as Albert's famous Now Jazz Rammwong record – and it's got a very similar feel, with lots of elements from... read more

Think what you want about Chuck and his 70s hits, this version of the Mangione Brothers is a cooker! Chuck is on trumpet, Gap is on piano, and the rest of the group features Larry Combs on alto, Sal Nistico on tenor, Bill Saunders on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – all grooving in a nice... read more

An excellent mix of American and Japanese players – all brought into sharp Manhattan focus for this session! The date was recorded in New York, and features arrangements from Al Foster, Tom Harrell, Bib Berg, and Kunhiko Sugano – on cuts that are more warmly acoustic than the... read more

Dedicated to Grover Washington Jr.... read more

Much cooler than you'd guess from the classical-sounding title – thanks to the fact that Roy Ayers plays vibes and Sonny Sharrock plays guitar – and the whole thing was arranged by William Fischer!... read more

Herbie Mann's really getting interesting here – stepping out from straight jazz flute, and moving into some more exotic territory that's mighty nice! There's a definite Latin bent to the album at times – thanks to conga work by Ray Barretto – but the tunes also bring in some... read more

A sweet early 60s set by Herbie Mann! After cutting a very successful side at the Gate in 1962, Herbie returns with an even broader approach to the groove – working here with players that include Ahmed Abdul-Malik, Dave Pike, Ray Mantilla, and Ray Barretto, on a set of long tracks that have... read more

An excellent little album from the team of Herbie Mann & Buddy Collette – one that has both players using a wide range of reed instruments, and not just flute! Herbie and Buddy are wonderfully paired here – in a way that expands past the usual flute jazz mode by adding in bits of... read more

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Great early 70s work from Herbie Mann! By this point in his career, Herbie must have had a fleet of cars, a harem of ladies, and a golden flute. You can hear his success in the live material that makes up the album – recorded before very enthusiastic audiences at the New York and Montreux... read more

Very groovy stuff – and one of Herbie Mann's best records from the 60s! In a way, this album's very similar to some of the best Verve "groovy experimental" albums from the same period – like some of Cal Tjader's Eastern/Latin work – and it features Herbie playing with a... read more

Herbie Mann's got Latin fever – and it makes for one heck of a great 60s album! The vibe here is more bossa nova than the New York Latin of the time – but that's OK with us, because Mann's flute is perfect in the setting – and really sparkles here on the album's tracks that were... read more

An excellent album of Latin material from Herbie Mann – and proof that he's equally great in just about any setting! The album's a rare Columbia Records outing from Herbie – but it's easily one of his greatest of the 60s, thanks to some really smoking arrangements from Oliver Nelson... read more

A rare session from Herbie Mann – hardly the sort of operatic fare you might guess from the title, and instead one of Herbie's most enigmatic albums of the time, thanks to a nicely dark-edged quality to the sound! Herbie's flute is crisp and clean, but also extremely soulful – and the... read more

Herbie Mann's going for a bit of a Memphis soul groove on this album – but he handles the work with his own sort of flair, and takes the style in a whole new direction! Unlike other sessions of this nature, Herbie didn't just fly down to Memphis and cook up a standard batch of tracks in the... read more

Herbie makes one more trip back to the Village Gate – site of some of his most successful live recordings of the 60s, and a place where he always feels at home with a Latiny groove! But somehow, this album's even better than before – and has a hard Latin feel throughout, thanks to an... read more

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Although Herbie and Joao are listed together in the artist credits together for the record, they don't really play together on the record – as did Joao and Stan Getz on their album together. Instead, they trade off tracks of bossa nova material, recorded with Jobim in Rio – Joao's by... read more

Just Wailin is right – as the album's a real cooker in the classic Prestige mode of the late 50s – and a record that shows lots of early bite from a young Herbie Mann! Mann's in the frontline, working alongside the heavy tenor of Charlie Rouse – and in company like that, it's... read more

Shelly picks up on a very successful format for his trio of the late 50s – begun with the My Fair Lady album, and followed through with this one – a batch of jazz-based readings of tracks from the hit Broadway musical based on the comic strip Lil Abner. Apart from that bit of history,... read more

A 12" LP that brings together 2 different earlier 10" sessions by Manne – groundbreaking work in a freer mode than most of what was going on in LA during the mid 50s! Side one features material from The Three – a 10" session that featured Manne on drums, Shorty Rogers on... read more

Way way more than just a simple "jazz meets Broadway" session – as Shelly's working here with vocals by Jack Sheldon & Irene Kral, and arrangements by soundtrack maestro Johnny Williams – in a style that completely recasts the score! The album's got a really dynamic kind... read more

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A killer bit of Latin jazz from the 70s – one of the first records issued under the name of percussionist Ray Mantilla, and a really smoking set that features funky flute from Jeremy Steig, bass from Eddie Gomez, and both drums and keyboards from the mighty Joe Chambers! The tunes have a... read more

Beautiful work from pianist Guido Manusardi – a player who's best known for his work on the Italian scene, but who's heard here in a rare gem from Romania! The style of the work is quite similar to some of Guido's Italian work, but there's a nicely balanced feeling too – a sense of... read more

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A wonderfully mixed-up, messed-up batch of jazzy tracks from the great Steve Marcus – working here at the height of his late 60s powers on Atlantic's ultra-cool Vortex label! As with other Marcus albums of the time, there's kind of a long haired, freewheeling energy to the set – jazz... read more

The first album ever by Steve Marcus – a key player trying to mix rock and jazz at the end of the 60s! Marcus plays some really wild sax on the set – a bit of soprano and tenor, mixed with guitar and electric keys in a wonderfully fuzzy sound! The approach has lots of funk in the mix... read more

A rare Japanese-only album from American reedman Steve Marcus – best known for his fuzzy freaky sets on the Vortex label – but heard here in the company of Tokyo reedman Jiro Inagaki – who also made some pretty freaky albums of his own! The tracks here are nice and long –... read more

Vital early Prestige work from alto sax great Charlie Mariano – who's fronting a quintet of Boston All Stars! The record includes a couple of his more essential early compositions in "Erosong" and "Barsac" – and Charlie's solos on those are incredible on those. It's... read more

Early 50s greatness from Charlie Mariano for Prestige – sessions that are mostly done in an octet format – wonderful stuff that we'd rank right up there with some of his best work of the decade! This 10-inch LP is subtitled New Sounds From Boston – which is quite appropriate... read more

A seminal electric session from Charlie Mariano – one recorded after his shift from bop-based work into trippier, more psychedelic influences – and one of his few American dates from the time! The record has Charlie working on soprano and alto sax, with a group that includes Pat... read more

Quite an interesting project from reedman Charlie Mariano – a record that shows that his search for new creative settings never ends! As you'd guess from the title, there's a bit of a tango inspiration to the record, but in a format that's very different than most tango jazz – as the... read more

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A nice little take on the "city symphony" mode that was big in American music a few decades back – served up by the Wynton Marsalis Septet of the early 90s, with decidedly modern touches! The double-length album's a three-tiered affair – with part one standing out as Wynton's... read more

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The classic debut of a young Wynton Marsalis – cut after a stretch when Wynton was working with Art Blakey, and had really sharpened his chops! The record's a wonderful return to straight jazz tradition for Columbia – but it also has some modern moments too – proof that the... read more

Very strange record that's made up of excerpts of Marsh's solos from a live set recorded by Peter Ind at the Half Note. Ind somehow felt that Marsh's solos were the only thing worth saving from a huge set of tapes that he made of the show, so he edited down the tapes to these 2 minute segments,... read more

70s issue of a great little live set – recorded in LA in 1951, one of those private recordings from the time that saw brief release on the Xanadu label. Tracks are long, and Warne's playing in a much more open-ended mode with a quartet that features Hampton Hawes, Joe Mondragon, and Shelly... read more

A masterpiece by Warne Marsh – and proof that there was always a committed modernist lurking behind some of his more straightforward playing! The session has sort of a post-Tristano underground west coast feel (if we can make up such a heavy handed term!), and it features a piano-less... read more

Genius, pure genius – and one of the few key sides by Warne Marsh as a leader! The album follows on Marsh's appearance with Lee Konitz on an earlier Atlantic album, but it really breaks free from the Konitz mode – and has an open, laidback sound that is instantly captivating –... read more

One of the greatest 50s showcases for the tenor talents of Warne Marsh – a deceptively understated album that captures Warne at his most fluid and creative point! The setting is a quartet – with Ronnie Ball on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Marsh is... read more

If you can forgive the title of this one, you'll find it to be a very groovy record! The album's a killer batch of funky instrumentals ("black sound") recorded in Italy in 1972 by Augusto Martelli ("white people") – and it's got the groove and swing of some of the best... read more

If you can forgive the title of this one, you'll find it to be a very groovy record! The album's a killer batch of funky instrumentals ("black sound") recorded in Italy in 1972 by Augusto Martelli ("white people") – and it's got the groove and swing of some of the best... read more

Solo work from pianist Luigi Martinale – a player we've mostly heard in a trio setting, but one who's equally captivating on his own! In the open space of the set, Martinale's got lots of opportunity to stretch out and spread his wings – yet while doing so, he still comes across with... read more

Percussionist Sabu Martinez is one of the all-time greats of Latin music – and this record is probably the rarest he ever cut! The album came out of Sweden, where Sabu was residing during the 70s – enjoying some success as an expatriot jazz player in the European scene. The album... read more

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Martino plays in a 2-guitar quartet – with Bobby Rose backing him up on guitar, plus rhythm accompaniment by Richard Davis and Billy Higgins. The sound's definitely in the trippier, post-hippie style of Martino's work, with a sort of looseness and fluidity that you either love or hate, but a... read more

Pat Martino in one of his greatest settings – live, in front of the kind of an audience where he could really open up! The set's a great marker of the growth that Pat experienced as the 70s approached – taking all the lessons he'd learned from his years gigging it up in the soul jazz... read more

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Easily the greatest album ever by funky drummer Harvey Mason – and quite possibly the only one to live up to the rhythmic complexity that Mason brought to countless other fusion sessions for other groups in the 70s! The tracks are all spacious and snapping with brilliantly funky touches... read more

One of our favorite albums ever – and every track is a masterpiece! The album was originally cut for the tiny Chiaroscuro label in 1977 – and it's got a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – soaring, soulful, jazzy, and righteous – wrapped up in a blend that's... read more

One of our favorite albums ever – and every track is a masterpiece! The album was originally cut for the tiny Chiaroscuro label in 1977 – and it's got a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of – soaring, soulful, jazzy, and righteous – wrapped up in a blend that's... read more

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Very cool! This is a nifty new reproduction of one of the classic Vogue picture disc records from the 40s. The record is a 10" single with a cool vintage illustration on each side – and unlike the original single, this one plays at 45rpm – so you can play it on any sort of record... read more

The last session that The Mastersounds ever cut as a group – and a strangely compelling montage of tracks from the musical Kismet. Brothers Buddy and Monk Montgomery are joined here by brother Wes – then an emerging star on guitar, and a strong addition to the set, one who expands the... read more

One of the only early albums as a leader from pianist Ronnie Mathews – a player who recorded more often in later years, but who really sounds incredible in this rare session for Prestige! Although a lyrical player at heart, Mathews also has a very hard edge here – more of a soul jazz... read more

2 lost sides of soul jazz – both of them rare gems on vinyl, and back-to-back here in one nicely priced CD package! Doin The Thang is an excellent bit of lost soul jazz piano work – featuring the highly underrated Ronnie Mathews, with a quartet that includes Freddie Hubbard on trumpet... read more

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Funky spaciness from one of the 70's best arrangers! The set's a largeish orchestral work dedicated to Dune and other sci-fi books and films. Sounds goofy, but it's pretty darn great – and Dave Matthews takes his work with James Brown and makes the whole thing come out pretty darn funky. ... read more

With Eirc Gale, John Tropea, and David Spinozza on guitars!... read more

Arranger Onzy Matthews plays piano and leads a nice tight band that includes LA soul jazz players like Curtis Amy, Clifford Scott, Bobby Bryant, Ray Crawford, and Horace Tapscott! The title sums up the sound of the session perfectly, as the tracks are bluesy, but with an elegant sense of... read more

Sounds for the 60s indeed – and a great set of jazzy instrumentals that step out with a lean Capitol groove! Onzy's on piano and at the head of the group – and the record features some nice solo work by Curtis Amy and Clifford Scott, both of whom bring a surprising dose of soul to a... read more

One of the most earthy, organic offerings of the Herbie Hancock scene of the 70s – a session that's led by Headhunter reedman Bennie Maupin, and which also features Herbie on acoustic and electric piano – all in a sound that's quite different from his own work of the time! The tracks... read more

Bennie Maupin's first LP for Mercury, and a great bit of spiritual funky jazz that recalls a lot of the sound of his work with The Headhunters. The first track, "It Remains to Be Seen", is an excellent groover, with some very dark keyboard work by Patrice Rushen, and the rest of the... read more