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Duke Ellington and Mary Poppins? Sounds like a terrible combination – but it's actually pretty darn great! You see, the key words in the title are "plays with" – as Duke takes the core score of the film and, working with Billy Strayhorn, comes up with some groovy little... read more

Duke Ellington and Mary Poppins? Sounds like a terrible combination – but it's actually pretty darn great! You see, the key words in the title are "plays with" – as Duke takes the core score of the film and, working with Billy Strayhorn, comes up with some groovy little... read more

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A great high-concept composition from Duke Ellington – one that rivals the earlier brilliance of his Liberian Suite! Like that one, vocals are a key part of this long-form work – a special performance done for the Century Of Negro Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1963 – with an... read more

Duke's Mixture is more of a collection – or "mixture" – of other work than anything else – an assortment of tunes recorded during different sessions, all brought together for release as a 10" in 1955. Titles include "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart",... read more

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One of the first albums to ever issue recordings made at the Newport Jazz Festival – quite a big hit, and the beginning of a real trend in jazz! The set's also some great work by Duke – free to perform in a setting that's not bound by some of the time restrictions of earlier years,... read more

Three slices of rare work by Duke Ellington – all recorded previously as semi-private recordings, and issued here in a short-lived 70s set! As you'd guess by the title, the tracks are all in "suite" form – that broader compositional style that dominated Ellington's later work... read more

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One of Duke Ellington's standout sides for Columbia – a strong recording that revisits many of the best elements of his earlier work, and offers up some more sophisticated scoring for the 50s – thanks to extended track length in the LP generation! The tunes here are older ones, but... read more

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Titles include "On A Turquoise Cloud", "Three Cent Stamp", "Lady Of The Lavender Mist", "New York City Blues", and "Hy'a Sue".... read more

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Don't let the title put you off, because this certainly isn't a session of background music – and the name simply refers to the fact that the arrangements on the set really showcase the strong horn work of the Ellington orchestra! Duke's still on piano for the session, but the real strength... read more

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Excellent Duke Ellington work from the late 50s – written and recorded during a period in which he was reemerging with a stronger jazz vision than ever before! The set was written by Ellington and Strayhorn – and dedicated to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario – but... read more

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Previously unreleased late work from Ellington – with titles that include "Black Butterfly", "Dick", "Goof", "Blem", "Wanderlust", "Neo Creole", and "Mendoza".... read more

The question in the title is almost a moot point – because with the quality of a record like this, we hardly care if other bands come back at all! Duke's working here on a batch of older big band standards – as you might guess from the title – but the tracks all have a nice... read more

Nice French edition of vintage material by Duke Ellington!... read more

Nice French edition of vintage material by Duke Ellington!... read more

Hard to believe it took a few decades in the careers of both players for them to record together – but that's exactly what you've got here – a landmark meeting of Count Basie and Duke Ellington from the early 60s, near the tail end of Duke's classic stretch on Columbia! Teo Macero... read more

Duke Ellington makes a rare Verve appearance on this classic album – and works strongly in the mode of earlier sides recorded for the label by Johnny Hodges! There's a relaxed, small group feel going on here – one that's a bit different than some of the tighter Ellington work on... read more

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A great Riverside LP that brings together early material from the 78rpm generation!... read more

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One of the most modern moments from Don Elliott in the 50s – a twin-trumpet album that's awash in counterpoint experiments of the time! Trumpeter Rusty Dedrick joins Don in the frontline – working together in tight head arrangements that have a strong chamber feel to them, but then... read more

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An album of explosive power and imagination from Don Ellis – a set that shows him very firmly shaking off the more academic mode of earlier years, and heading into hipper, more youth-oriented directions! The group's still a bit band on most numbers – but it's one with a lean, well-craft... read more

Fresh and modern big band work – with a nice dash of soul, and some of the early traces of funk that would later show up heavily in Ellis' 70s work! Tracks are long, and in compelling time structures – as indicated by the titles – and groove with an MPS-like approach to the work... read more

A quartet session – with Herb on guitar, Ross Tompkins on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Frank Butler on drums.... read more

Herb Ellis pays homage to one of the first great jazz guitarists – the legendary Charlie Christian, certainly one of the first true soulful talents to emerge on the instrument! The set's one of Ellis' nicer ones for Verve – and although it mentions Christian in the title, there's... read more

A nice early set from jazz guitar greats Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd – who would work together much more frequently in the years to come – but sharing a rare early 60s joint set on 1964's Guitar/Guitar! This is one of the earliest, if not the earliest pairings on record for these guys... read more

Strings are king in this rare set from guitarist Herb Ellis and jazz violinist Stuff Smith – a date that's possibly more on Stuff's side of the spectrum, but which comes during a short by great run of Ellis work for Epic in the early 60s! Tracks are longer than you might expect –... read more

Heavy funk from the great Jimmy Ellis – billed here with a "preacher" in his name, which is a great indication of the spiritual soul going on in the music! Jimmy's grooves here are definitely secular, but there's a depth that definitely echoes some gospel roots too – mixed... read more

Tough, dirty and stylish late 50s short stories by the great Harlan Ellison – who would go on to be hailed as one of great science fiction and suspense writers in print, film and television – but working here as a very young man, under pseudonyms, on seedy crime and pulp stories! It's... read more

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A famous performance from the 80s – but one that's done in a really rootsy mode – just vocals and guitar from the four artists in the title – presented as an exploration of folksy styles from the northeast of Brazil! Yet given the setting, and the relatively creative style of all... read more

A famous performance from the 80s – but one that's done in a really rootsy mode – just vocals and guitar from the four artists in the title – presented as an exploration of folksy styles from the northeast of Brazil! Yet given the setting, and the relatively creative style of all... read more

Fuzzy and genuinely well-crafted private press grooves from the Emerson brothers – with crazy good hooks, some surprisingly solid musicianship – and songs that range from straight-up catchy, though fuzz-drenched rock, to funk and soul! Donnie Emerson is the lead singer, guitarist and... read more

Fuzzy and genuinely well-crafted private press grooves from the Emerson brothers – with crazy good hooks, some surprisingly solid musicianship – and songs that range from straight-up catchy, though fuzz-drenched rock, to funk and soul! Donnie Emerson is the lead singer, guitarist and... read more

One of the darkest records ever for this core member of Emerson Lake & Palmer – and a very unique project, too! Dario Agento hired aging prog rock star Keith Emerson for this 1980 horror soundtrack, and the overall approach used by Emerson is similar to some of his solo instrumental work... read more

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Titles include "The Curse Of Baba Yaga", "The Old Castle", "Blues Variation", "Promenade", "The Sage", and "The Gnome".... read more

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A weird and wonderful little record – the only album ever made by American singer Emily Bindiger – cut at the tender age of 16 in France, with backing from the band that usually supported Michel Polnareff! The style here has that sweet mix of acoustic and electric elements we love in... read more

Em's fourth album hits many of the same notes as its predecessor, signaling a bit of a comfort zone for the former Slim Shady. The beats largely fall on the darker-toned lilt of the now instantly identifiable sound. Tracks include "Just Lose It", "Mosh", "Evil Deeds"... read more

A nice collection of early work by The Emotions – pulled from their 2 early albums for Volt, as well as a few singles for the label. The set came out in 1979, and is clearly designed to catch the eye of late 70s customers hopped up on the group's disco hits – but the tracks were all... read more

A soaring classic from The Emotions – thanks to some supreme help from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the soul spectrum! This set has the trio really sounding great – with Kalimba Productions by Maurice White and Charles Stepney – and a good deal of EWF help on the... read more

A huge hit for both The Emotions and Maurice White – whose Kalimba Productions handled this album in the same hit mode they'd been using for Earth Wind & Fire! There's a polished, soaring bounce her that definitely shows the Earth Wind & Fire touch – and which takes the girls... read more

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One of the best moments ever from Enchantment – a set that has the group still sticking with the great harmonies that got them started in the 70s, yet stretching out with a tight 80s groove that's just perfect for their energy! There's a decidedly old school feel going on here – a real... read more

Soaring soul from Enchantment – one of the smoothest groups of their generation, and an outfit who could sound equally great on the dancefloor or for more laidback listening! The harmonies here are really great – stepping out strongly, and often breaking with an extra effort that... read more

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Rare late 70s Afro soul from Cameroonese bassist and singer Brigth Engelberts – insistent, hypnotic and danceable grooves that points the way to myriad trends in soul in the decade to come, well beyond easily categorizable Afro funk & soul! Some numbers have a punchier, hypnotic rhythmic... read more

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Ambient Brian Eno at its best – a contemporary record, but one that feels like it could have been released right after Music For Airports – given the overall sound! Tunes are very spare and spacious – listed with geometric images for titles on the back cover, right out of Eno's... read more

Ambient Brian Eno at its best – a contemporary record, but one that feels like it could have been released right after Music For Airports – given the overall sound! Tunes are very spare and spacious – listed with geometric images for titles on the back cover, right out of Eno's... read more

Droning soundscapes with dreamy atmosphere and ominous twists and turns from Ensemble Pearl! The ensemble is an international one – featuring Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley, plus Atsuo from Boris, Boris-affiliate Michio Kurihara, William Herzog and guests – and their eponymous record for... read more

Droning soundscapes with dreamy atmosphere and ominous twists and turns from Ensemble Pearl! The ensemble is an international one – featuring Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley, plus Atsuo from Boris, Boris-affiliate Michio Kurihara, William Herzog and guests – and their eponymous record for... read more

We have to admit we find these records to be a lot of fun, but no one could possibly buy the spiel in the liner notes about their "effect on the imagination and subconscious of the listener". Two extended soundscapes here: side one is "The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore",... read more

The second album of heavy east coast funk and slow rolling rhymes from the brothers from Brentwood. Nice, fat trunk rattling production and Eric and Parrish's trademark back and forth rhymes keep this set fresh,even today. Loaded with classics: "So What Cha Sayin'", "Get the... read more

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Extremely heady work from the French scene of the early 70s – and hardly the Latin Rock album you might guess from the title! Ergo Sum have a sound that's as contemplative as their name – a slow-building, almost brooding blend of jamming, jazzy work on flute, Fender Rhodes, organ,... read more

One of the more unusual albums we've ever heard from Japanese vocalist Chiemi Eri – a set done in collaboration with the famous Delta Rhythm Boys quintet from the US – pictured here on the cover in unusual Japanese outfits! Backings are by the large group of Nobuo Hara, who really... read more

Plenty of crazy rhythms here – as singers Chiemi Eri and Carl Jones are joined by Japanese jazzmen who include Nobuo Hara & His Sharps & Flats, saxophonists Sadao Watanabe and Sleepy Matsumoto, guitarist Shungo Sawada, and the Hideo Shiraki Quintet! The backings on all tracks are... read more

Paid In Full, indeed. Eric B & Rakim's seminal album still pays off in so many ways, and it was such a vital link between the party rockin' style of the old school and the terse, hard-hitting beats and rhymes of what was then the new school, we can't even come up with the words for the praise... read more

Breezy bossa from late 70s Paris – a rare European session from Rio ex-patriots Erica Norimar and Chiquinho Timoteo! The record's got a warmly jazzy glow that takes full advantage of the vocals of both artists – trading them back and forth on the more lively tunes, in a way that's... read more

Seminal work from trumpeter Rolf Ericson – a player who also cut some key 50s material in the US, but who's working here in his Swedish homeland! The tracks are a variety of great early 78, EP, and 10" album cuts – most for the small Artist label, all pretty rare, and including... read more

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A collection of club tracks from the Erotic Drum Band – a group with a sound that definitely lives up to their name! Most of the numbers here build up heavily from percussion on the bottom – sometimes raw congas layered in among the basslines and keyboards, sometimes rhythms that are a... read more

Mindblowing work from Booker Ervin – one of our favorite albums ever from his years at Prestige, and a record that really earns its haunting title and cover image! Book's definitely headed out to space on this one – working in a freer mode than on some of his Texas tenor-styled albums... read more

An amazing record from the legendary Booker Ervin – and a set that really does a great job of bridging his modernist tendencies and soul jazz roots! The title track – "The Trance" – is an amazing 20 minute number that takes up all of side one of the record – and... read more

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