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An oft-overlooked, but very nice record from Sonny Stitt – recorded in Chicago in the early 70s, and with two different types of groups that show off both sides of the city's jazz scene at the time! On the first 4 numbers, the group is a bit on the larger side – giving the material a... read more

By this point in his career, Sonny hardly needed a tune up in his style – but the album's a great one from his post-Prestige years, and a real back-to-basics effort that recalls the genius of his work on Roost! The format is straight and simple – Stitt's tenor and alto fronting a... read more

Head to head blowing from Sonny Sitt and Paul Gonsalves – just the kind of twin-horn performance that Stitt was famous for in his live battle days, and one that also reminds us that Gonsalves can be a very loose swinger when he wants to be! The tracks are all long, and played with the sort... read more

Cool duets between Czech reedman Jiri Stivin and guitarist Rudolf Dasek – a set with a lot fuller feel than you might expect! The work is straight, and never too outside – and although there's no drums or bass in the performance, there's an inherently rhythmic sensibility to most... read more

Pioneering efforts in experimental music from Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez – provacative, influential 50s material from these towering figures compiled for this CD from El Records. Stockhausen's "Etude Concrete" and Nr 5 Zietmasse (Time-Measures) For Five Woodwinds kick... read more

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An amazing collection of experimental sounds from the European scene of the postwar years – key electronic and musique concrete recordings from some of the most important composers of the 20th Century! The package is a great introduction to this important stretch in music – and... read more

Vintage blues from Memphis – a whole host of rare 78s from Frank Stokes, Furry Lewis, Will Weldon, Pearl Dickson, and others – presented here on a great album from Yazoo! The music has a surprisingly clear sound at times – clearly recorded with minimal studio effort, but still... read more

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Angie Stone's first for Saguaro Road – one that she's calling a more personal project than some of her recent work – and sure enough, it's a strong one! We actually dug Angie's couple of albums for the rebooted Stax label in the late 00s – but you know what, if Angie's happier... read more

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The incredibly rare underground funk of Stone Coal White – whose couple of raw, incendiary psych funk 45s have been furiously sought for years – fleshed out here with newly discovered and previously unissued tracks for this most amazing full length on DJ Shadow's Cali Tex label! Stone... read more

Limited 180 gram UK pressing from 2002!... read more

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The fiery debut of the Stooges! It isn't quite the out-there masterpiece that Fun House would be, and it's not quite as aurally blistering as Raw Power (we might be able to blame producer John Cale for this) but it's still one of the most powerful rock records of the era! Iggy & the boys... read more

The fiery debut of the Stooges! It isn't quite the out-there masterpiece that Fun House would be, and it's not quite as aurally blistering as Raw Power (we might be able to blame producer John Cale for this) but it's still one of the most powerful rock records of the era! Iggy & the boys... read more

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A beautiful project from the contemporary underground scene in LA – a record that shares lots of energy and musicians with recordings by Build An Ark and Life Force Trio! Dexter Story's the main force behind the record, but the set's a strongly collaborative effort – and features... read more

A beautiful project from the contemporary underground scene in LA – a record that shares lots of energy and musicians with recordings by Build An Ark and Life Force Trio! Dexter Story's the main force behind the record, but the set's a strongly collaborative effort – and features... read more

A beautiful little record – and one that definitely earns the "suite" distinction in the title – given the thoughtful longform approach of the set! The album's got a more composed feel than other spiritual jazz sessions of the time – not in a stiff way, but in a style... read more

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A classic early 80s groover by Nick Straker – not really as jazzy as you'd expect, but with some nice piano work that hints at use of the instrument in later house singles. "Space Age" is more of an electro track – with vocoded vocals and lots of keyboards.... read more

The best work yet from Myone, Myth and Symbolyc (S1) – moving to the higher profile Om Records – and delivering their signature bright, Rhodes-steeped, and rollicking underground hip hop sound with fine results! SFP have been spinning on our turntables for years – and they've... read more

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Great work from this famous Italian maestro – sweeping, soaring instrumentals – but also a bit funky at times too! Ettore brings a real soundtrack approach to most numbers – fitting, given that most tunes here are film themes – and he uses full strings, plus some nicely... read more

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An unusual non-Ellington session from Billy Strayhorn – but one that's recorded in septet formation with plenty of the Duke's men at his side! Strayhorn's in the lead on piano, and other players include Quentin Jackson on trombone, Cue Porter (Johnny Hodges?) on alto sax, Shorty Baker on... read more

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Two different versions of this tune by HB Barnum – both of them nice! Judy Street's take on "What" begins with some sparkling vibes, then rolls into a singing girl soul beat that's both sweet and catchy, with just a hint of pop! Tina Mason brings a bit more twang to the tune... read more

A very cool update of older vocal group modes – taken into sublime 70s territory with arrangements and production from Willie Hutch! Street Corner Symphony were part of the 70s doo wop revival movement – but unlike some of their acapella contemporaries, they were always happy to let in... read more

Uptempo east coast club soul – not entirely disco, and more like the indie work of the immediate generation before – a time when groups were picking up their groove a bit more than before, creating some lean, soulful tempos for the dancefloor! Arrangements are by Bert DeCoteaux and... read more

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A pretty sweet, reggae-steeped full length from Sydney 10-piece The Strides – who bring a real love Jamaican music into the pot, but it's a quite a diverse brew! The Strides glide along here with some jazzy funk, Afrobeat rhythms, some subtle modern flourishes and other boundless bits of... read more

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Krondon, Phil the Agony, and Mitchy Slick are back as Strong Arm Steady, with close cohort Xzibit rhyming on a track – with loads of allstar support from Planet Asia, Chamillionaire, Madlib, Dilated Peoples, Talib Kweli, Juvenile and more! Tracks include "The Movement" feat Planet... read more

A seminal early recording from one of our favorite reed players ever! In the late 1950s, the young Frank Strozier came up to Chicago from Memphis, along with his longtime friend, pianist Harold Mabern. The two of them both settled nicely in the city's MJT+3 combo, where they proceeded to recorde... read more

Late 70s soul fusion from masters of the groove – perhaps the best ever by the late 70s supergroup Stuff – featuring a core group that includes Cornell Dupree, Steve Gadd, Eric Gale, and Richard Tee! This time out the smooth sound is vibrantly top notch – all produced by Steve... read more

Wild twanginess from this off-beat group that included Kev Hopper on bass and samples. This was the one that was supposed to make them stars, but instead got them shackled to an unfortunate major label contract that smothered them. Too bad, but the records got some nice moments like "Charlton... read more

Tracks includes "Chaos (7" Mix)", "Alcohol", "Charlton Heston", and "Living It Down".... read more

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One of the most obscure Stylistics albums of the 70s – a smooth late 70s modern soul effort, headed up by group soul maestro Teddy Randazzo! Teddy wrote, arranged, and produced the whole set – and the record nicely links together older group harmony styles, especially 60s uptown soul... read more

A masterpiece of harmony soul – one of THE all-time greats of the genre, and a lasting treasure from The Stylistics! The album really took vocal soul to a whole new level for the 70s – pushing from the sometimes fragile ballad style of the late 60s into a smoother, more mature sound... read more

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Jazzy bossa rhythms and club soul grooves from the Dutch production team Subes! Subes is the trio of Gregor Wilmot, Pieter Ubbels and Aram Wilmot – who color from a broad palatte of global influences and the producers lay the sounds down with accompanying players on sax, flute, melodica,... read more

Several explorations of a theme by Electronic virtuoso Subotnick, programmed according to graphic scores on an early analog synthesizer/sequencer.... read more

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The return of west coast hip hop veterans Substance Abuse – with appearances by contemporary and legendary figures such as KRS-One, Sadat X, Percee P and others – plus production by Vibes 1, Waes One, Hanif Hobbs, G-Naut, Nebz Supreme and more. Includes "How Many", "Don't... read more

A strong set from MC Substantial and fellow DMV hip hop heavy Oddisee on mixing and executive production duties – with production by Eric Lau, M-Phazes, Slopfunkdust, Street Orchestra and others. Includes "Spilled Milk", "See Her" and "The Verge" with Steph, The... read more

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A really great quartet that works together beautifully here – bass from Joelle Leandre, trombone from Sebi Tramontana, violin from Carlos Zingaro, and drums from Paul Lovens – all well-trained players for open improvisations like this – coming together in ways that recall some of... read more

Heavy grooves from Suff Daddy – but augmented with lots of great guest work too – the kind of collaborative effort that always seems to stem from his great inspiration in the studio! Core grooves are nicely diverse – and filled with funky stuff that draws heavily from 60s and 70s... read more

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A real finger-popper from Japanese pianist Kunihiko Sugano – a sweet 60s album that has him playing like the best American players of the soul jazz generation! There's a boldness to the left hand that echoes bits of Ray Bryant or Junior Mance – yet Sugano can also tipple the keys with... read more

A classic indie cooker from Sugar Billy – a bit funky, a bit clubby – and a really great batch of grooves done in a pre-disco mode! The tracks are all pretty darn upbeat – somewhat warmer than the funk of Fatback or Kool & The Gang, but still with a nicely rough-edged feel... read more

Featuring Kool & The Gang.... read more

One of our favorite albums by Don Sugarcane Harris – largely because it's got more of a jazz component than some of the others! Harris is still playing violin on the set, but the real charm seems to come from the tightness of the group – which features some lesser-known LA players on... read more

A lively little groover from the Sugarhill Gang – one based around the excellent "Daisy Lady" sample from 7th Wonder! The track makes great use of the original's brassy horns – inflecting a bright, almost Latiny finish on the tune – all to set the stage for some great... read more

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Sugarman Three take on The Standells – and serve up a killer Hammond/tenor version of their classic "Dirty Water"! The tune's got all the grit of the vocal original – but cooks in a really different way – a soul jazz gem we wouldn't have expected! "Bushwacked"... read more

These guys know how to use the word funky! Funky drums, funky guitar, funky organ, and funky bass – all jumping together in a monster groover that's even harder and heavier than any previous work by Sugarman Three! The cut's a killer – the kind that will make your jukebox jump right... read more

Whomp! It's a stormer! Killer killer killer! No kidding, this album's a monster – and it's one of the heaviest slices of funk we've heard in ages! Pardon the exclamations, but we're telling the truth – and this classic by the Sugarman Three is a must-have for any fan of funky jazz... read more

The return of the great ones – and quite possibly the funkiest album ever from The Sugarman Three – a crowning achievement for this funky combo that we've loved for years! The core trio is still in place – soaring Hammond, tight tenor, and heavy drums – but they've also... read more

Genius work from a singer who makes us proud to live in the Windy City – vocalist Milton Suggs, who emerges here as a hell of a writer and arranger too! Milton's easily one of the best new voices in jazz we've heard in years – filled with a rich sense of imagination on his lyrics and... read more

Genius work from a singer who makes us proud to live in the Windy City – vocalist Milton Suggs, who emerges here as a hell of a writer and arranger too! Milton's easily one of the best new voices in jazz we've heard in years – filled with a rich sense of imagination on his lyrics and... read more

Beautiful duets between vocalist Milton Suggs and pianist Willie Pickens – two Chicago generations coming together beautifully in a very intimate setting! Unlike some of Sugg's other work, which is all self-penned, this set features some Ellington standards – done in a wonderfully... read more

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A killer live set from Suicide – and a very important addition to their catalog – given that the group hardly issued any records in their short-but-crucial career! The album captures a live performance from 1981 – a bilstering barrage of electronics from Martin Rev, topped by... read more

Frankie, Frankie – OW! Take a broken down synth, some crazy vocals, and a rich sense of imagination – and you've got one of the seminal groups of the New York scene of the early punk years. Suicide were a seminal bridge between earlier prog underground sounds and the art-rock punk... read more

Fine live recordings from New York and Berlin made in 1978 with "Rocket USA", "Cheree", "Ghost Rider", and "96 Tears".... read more

Funky soul from South America – groovy stuff from Usje Sukatma of Surinam! "Waiting For Your Love" is one of the rare few recordings he's sung in English, a sweet little stripped down disco styled number with guitar, bass, keys, drums, congas and more percussion – plus some... read more

Groovy groovy sitar pop – played by Big Jim Sullivan, also known as Lord Sitar! This set is a great session of 60s pop tunes, turned Eastern, in the mode of work by Ananda Shankar or Vince Bell – with a blend of original compositions, mixing sitar, tabla, and all manner of baroque 60s... read more

One of the few sessions ever cut as a leader by soul jazz trumpeter Charles Sullivan – a brilliant talent who shone brightly in the mid 70s, working in hip small groups that were very much in the Strata East mode. This rare, previously Japanese-only release has Sullivan working with Rene... read more

Denise Sullivan's history of Black Power and a broader look at the marriage of music and social change – from blues to hip hop! Crawdaddy columnist Sullivan features interviews with John Sinclair, Yoko Ono, Richie Havens, Solomon Burke, Phranc, Wayne Kramer, Len Chandler, Michael Franti and... read more

In the years after Charlie Parker passed away, tributes to his greatness were a very common thing in local jazz scenes across the US. This is a prime example of that tradition, but way more than that, it's also a killer Chicago jazz session from the old days – featuring trumpeter Ira... read more

A beautiful, and oft-overlooked, album of modal jazz tracks performed by Chicago jazz musician Ira Sullivan – who normally plays trumpet and tenor, but who also shows here his amazing talent on soprano sax! The album's quite different than most of Sullivan's straighter material, and some... read more

The great lost folk rock album from Jim Sullivan – who himself, literally went lost several years later – a set that's beautiful, yet just loose and ragged enough! It's a bit of a hybrid of folk and country rock, particularly in the acoustic guitars and laidback, warm vocals by... read more

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Includes "Squeeze Me", "I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good", "It's The Talk Of The Town", and "My Silent Love".... read more