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One of the great entries in Duke Ellington's "exotic" albums of the 60s – records that aren't exactly exotica by any stretch of the imagination, but which have musical themes that were inspired by the international travels of the Ellington band at the time! In this case, the locale... 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

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

One of the Duke's greatest jazz recordings – and an album that features some incredible solo work on piano – at a level with other modernist small group sessions in the Ellington catalog, like Money Jungle or Live at the Whitney! As the title says, Duke's piano is very much in the... read more

True masterpieces from Duke Ellington – some of his greatest compositions, presented here in an early Columbia LP that offers up "uncut concert arrangements" – clearly grooming a new side of Duke for the long-playing audience! The recordings were made in 1950, with players... read more

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

A well-titled album from trumpeter Don Ellis – as the set soars to the skies from the very first note! The album's got a dynamic energy that almost beats Don's American work of the time – lots of funky rhythms, and a cool MPS groove that shows the label's strong 70s legacy of larger... 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

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

A deep deep retrospective on soul singer John Ellison – best known for his work in the group Soul Brother Six – but a heck of a great talent on his own! The set's an unusual one – in that it features a fair bit of old recordings from the vaults of Jamie Records, mixed with new... 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

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

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

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

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

Post-disco work from The Emotions – breaking free a bit here from the Earth Wind & Fire influence, and grooving nicely with a sweet 80s feel! The girls' voices are still quite wonderful – some of the deepest harmonies in the female soul world at the time – and the tunes kick... 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

The legendary lost album by Stax/Volt female soul combo the Emotions – officially issued for the first time ever, with a wealth of bonus material! The Songs Of Innocence & Experience album was slated for release in 1972, and for whatever reason, the album didn't come out – leaving... read more

A great little album from The Emotions – largely because it sounds a lot like prime mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire, with female vocals added over the top – ultimately, pulling away with a soulful charm all its own! Maurice White produced the whole set, and it's got a soaring spacey... read more

Soaring grooves and mellow moments – a perfect blend of 70s soul styles, summed up here beautifully by Enchantment! The album's one of the group's greatest – and certainly one that's been very well-remembered around these parts – thanks to some rock-solid arrangements from Johnny... 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

A sweet sweet groover from Enchantment – and a record that may well be the group's greatest moment in the 80s! There's a tightness here that goes beyond the sound of Enchantment in previous years – yet the sound is also still pretty underground too – more electro soul than chart... read more

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

A wealth of great work from vocalist Ethel Ennis – her full This Is Ethel Ennis album for RCA, plus a host of additional bonus tracks as well! The full album features Ethel's great vocals alongside dynamic backings from Sid Bass – music that's certainly jazz at the core, but which also... 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

Sublime spiritual jazz from Strata East – one of the label's rarest recordings, and one of its hippest too! The set has an incredibly righteous feel – a blend of keyboards, saxes, guitar, percussion, and vocals that steps off with a very deep feel – one that's heavy on the best... 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

Beautiful sounds from the Entourage ensemble – a record that's got a really meditative blend of acoustic elements with a few electric touches – used in ways that start in jazz, then move way beyond! Instrumentation includes guitar, flute, keyboards, violin, and mbira – coming... 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

One of the last great soul albums on the Westbound label! Eramus Hall have a vague P-Funk connection – and according to legend, the band were given their name by George Clinton, who had seen a building in Chicago named Eramus Hall – but the sound is a lot smoother than any of the P-Funk... read more

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

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

One of the greatest albums on the Bethlehem label – and one of the first albums as a leader by the legendary Booker Ervin! At the time of the set, Ervin had come off a great stint with the Charles Mingus group – one that inflected his rootsy Texas tenor tones with a sharper modern edge... read more

Although the "with brass" tag of this one might make you think it's a hokey big band album, the record is actually a far-reaching modernist session that has Book's edgey tenor fronting a large-ish group filled with some of the best trumpet and trombone players of his generation –... read more

One of Booker Ervin's last sessions – quite different than some of his earlier work, and a great indication of the way that he was stretching his style in the years before he left us forever! The group's a committed band of modernists, and includes a young Charles Tolliver on trumpet, plus... read more

Great tenor sounds from Wayne Escoffery – set to an excellent groove that mixes Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano! The album's one of the best we've heard from Escoffery in years – a date that really sets his horn free, yet also has a soulful focus, too – one that definitely comes... read more

The title might give you some hint of the feel of the set – as it's got a relatively complex quality, one that definitely fits its naming with a difficult formula – although the music itself is anything by formulaic! The group's headed by tenorist Ellery Eskelin, and features a round... read more

A killer set from Finnish trumpet genius Jukka Eskola – a bossa-styled outing with a sweet 60s groove – but one that's quite different from his earlier hardbop recordings! The "orquesta" in the group is mostly just a string quartet – but they shade in spaces wonderfully... read more

Groundbreaking sounds from the Norwegian scene of the late 60s – an album that's got George Russell's name on the cover, but which actually features brilliant performances from a quartet who'd go onto become huge names in the ECM scene of the 70s! Yet the sound here is quite different than... read more

Prepare yourself to discover a funky jazz genius! We don't know much about Bernard except that he was French – but this CD's a stunner, and is filled with the kind of funky little gems that we always try to find on European jazz and studio library albums. There's lots of late 60s mod... read more

One of the greatest harmony groups to ever come from Jamaica – a killer quartet who fused together American soul styles with sweet reggae rhythms – all to create a groove that really helped push forward the sounds of Kingston! This collection of classic work by The Ethiopians is... read more

It's hard to believe the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is 35 years old – especially when Kahil El'Zabar looks so young on the cover, and when the group's sound is fresher than ever! The album's got a really beautiful, timeless sort of feel – spiritual jazz that few groups can play this well... read more

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An incredible document of the growth of the European jazz scene in the postwar years – a set recorded in Berlin, but featuring a host of the best players from all over the continent! The mix of musicians here is wonderful – similar to some of the great boder-crossing experiments from... read more

A beautiful combination of piano and vibes – performed here by a hip German combo from the postwar years! The quartet features piano from Wolfgang Lauth and vibes from Fritz Hartshuh – the latter of whom plays with a nicely hard-edged, chromatic sound – a great link between some... read more

Sweet 70s grooving from Brazilian singer Eva – a bit of soul, a bit of easy, all styled together nicely by orchestrations from the magical maestro Gaya! Gaya's work here is similar to his best backings for other artists in the Blue Brazil generation – a mix of American pop, post-bossa... read more

Brilliant work from Adriana Evans – quite possibly her greatest record so far, and that's saying a lot, given how much we've loved everything she's done! There's a perfect, professional vibe to the whole set that's really amazing – soul music like soul music's supposed to be done... read more

A great little set from Alan Evans – better known as the drummer in Soulive, but equally smoking out here on his own! Alan doesn't always record on his own, but when he does, it's usually a great thing – and this cooking little album definitely lives up to the funky tightness we'd... read more

A pretty sublime album from Bill Evans – one that has him playing both Fender Rhodes and Steinway, overdubbed together, for an effect that's laidback and completely wonderful! The Fender Rhodes was a natural choice for Evans – given his fluid lyrical style, and on this set (and on his... read more

If you've ever wondered why the world needs so many Bill Evans recordings, then we've got a record to show you why – a sublime batch of live material recorded in Buenos Aries during the 70s, and one of those Evans dates that somehow seems extra-special – even amidst all of Bill's other... read more

Sublime sounds from the later years of Bill Evans – and a recording that shows just how perfectly his piano talents were finding new heights of timing and tone! Many of the tracks here are relatively mellow, and often somewhat dark as well – moody, but not in a way that's negative at... read more

Sublime sounds from the later years of Bill Evans – and a recording that shows just how perfectly his piano talents were finding new heights of timing and tone! Many of the tracks here are relatively mellow, and often somewhat dark as well – moody, but not in a way that's negative at... read more

Magical music from the very first note – the kind of record you need to hear if you've ever doubted the genius of Bill Evans! The sound here is subtle, and supple – but still often more revolutionary than that of the countless albums it inspired in years to come – and Evans is... read more

Beautiful live recordings from Bill Evans – recorded with his late 60s trio that included the incredible Eddie Gomez on bass, plus Marty Morell on drums – a lineup that was really taking off with Bill at the time, and learning how to make some wonderful music together! The setting is... read more

A double-sized set of live Bill Evans material from the early 70s – a great amount of material that showcases a time when Evans had an especially fluid, open touch on the keys of the piano! The group here features the great trio with Eddie Gomez on bass and Marty Morell on drums – and... read more

One of the few larger group Bill Evans sessions from the later years – an album that features sax and flute from Larry Schneider and trumpet from Tom Harrell – in addition to core trio instrumentation from Bill on piano, Marc Johnson on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums. The added horns... read more

A pair of great Bill Evans albums for Verve – both a very good fit together! The cover of Empathy co-credits Bill Evans and Shelly Manne as the leader of the set – and that distinction's an important one – as the record has a slightly different feel than some of Bill's other 60s... read more

One of the most compelling Bill Evans albums of the 70s – a set that has him teaming up with arranger George Russell in a unique 8 part "Living Time" suite – on which Evans plays both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes! The sound is complex, with distinct modern tones –... read more

Bill Evans is reunited with singer Monica Zetterlund – in a live date done more than a decade after their classic Waltz For Debby album! The first side of the record features Evans in a trio mode – working instrumentally, without Monica, in a group that features the great Eddie Gomez... read more

Exactly the kind of bold, powerful album that pianist Orrin Evans does so well – stretching out strongly, yet never going too far to swing – driving his trio here with a great deal of force, and definitely reminding us that the pianist is in the lead! Evans' touch on the keys is... read more

One of those records that's really won us over to the piano talents of Orrin Evans – a player who's got a way of being bold, yet without ever sounding overdone – a really careful balance that really makes his music full of soul, and compelling right from the start! At some level, Orrin'... read more

Bold work from pianist Orrin Evans – a player we grow to love more and more with each new record! Evans has always been great, but in recent years he's really perfected a special style of his own – a way of pushing forth and fluttering fleet notes out with effortless ease –... read more

A pair of 60s folk albums from Paul Evans – back to back on a single CD! Folk Songs Of Many Lands is a record that lives up to its title, given that material is from a variety of global sources – but the delivery is definitely American – and particularly that folk revival mode of... read more

A sublime set of soul instrumentals – very funky work, and sort of a 70s follow-up to the Soulful Strings albums on Cadet Records from the 60s! Maestro Richard Evans is at the top of his game here – stepping out with that hip Chisoul mode he first forged at Chess, tuned here towards... read more

Rare grooves from Evans Pyramid – a sweet set of cosmic disco from the end of the 70s – recorded with a lean, almost spiritual vibe – quite similar to some of the great tracks reissued in the Soul Cal series! There's a definite ear for the dancefloor here – lots of upbeat... read more

The complete recordings of Every Mothers' Son – two full albums, and a bonus single too! First up is the self-titled Every Mothers' Son album – filled with cool, catchy numbers that have a wonderfully sunny feel overall – and a spare approach that's a bit different than most of... read more

An excellent bit of funk that sounds a heck of a lot like early Kool & The Gang! It's no surprise, too, because the album was produced by Gene Redd, has a few Kool & The Gang covers (like "Funky Granny" and "Who's Gonna Take the Weight"), and was issued on the related... read more

An 80s pop treasure – and a real bright spot in a mainstream world that often had plenty of clunky moments! The album represents a great step forward for the duo of Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn – as Watt's arrangements are even fuller and more focused than before – still lots of... read more

Beautiful – and a record that still sounds pretty darn great today! When Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt first teamed up to produce this tight little jazz pop gem, little did they know that they'd unleash a landmark sound that would forever transform the face of modern music – a great breath... read more

Everything But The Girl – smack dab in the middle of a great run during the 80s! The style here moves a bit more towards conventional pop – but there's a depth that still lives up to the group's initial genius – songwriting that's gently expressive, but never overdone – and... read more

A smashing second set from Everything But The Girl – a record that has the duo stretching out a bit more from the straight jazz leanings of their Eden debut – yet still sticking strongly in a mode that has their music moving with lots of classic influences! The songwriting is still top-... read more

Incredible work by The Exciters – material we totally love to death, most of which is a lot harder-hitting than the group's earlier hits in the 60s! The package pulls together their post-UA recordings for the Bang, Shout, and RCA labels – the first to of which are represented by... read more

Glorious power pop from South London – driving work from the Exits! The spectre of early Elvis Costello hovers over The Exits, particularly in the vocal department – but the uber catchy hooks and buzzing guitars have more of an all purpose sheen. Strong stuff from the power pop... read more

The most amazing record to date from Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – just the kind of cosmic, spiritual session you'd expect from the group's name – perfectly placed in a Chicago lineage that includes Sun Ra's Arkestra and the best years of the AACM! The group's got all the... read more

A perfect follow-up to Exuma's first album on Mercury – and like that one, a really rootsy blend of soul, funk, and other global sounds! Percussion and acoustic guitar dominate most of the instrumentation – just right for the rough-edged vocals on the set – in ways that help... read more

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Excellent stuff from one of the hippest poets of all time – the amazing Sarah Webster Fabio – a 70s poet with a really wonderful groove! Unlike some of her contemporaries in the Folkways poetry scene, Sarah often recorded with music – in a way that's very similar to Camille... read more

An incredible album, and very unique! Sarah Webster Fabio was a hip 70s poet with a very righteous sound – and she's working here with funky backings by a tight group that includes family members, in a style that's similar to early 70s work by artists like Wanda Robinson and Camille... read more

Seminal 70s work from Sarah Webster Fabio – an amazing blend of poetry and music, and incredibly hip all the way through! Fabio's got a depth that goes beyond other commercial poets of the time – a righteousness that's right at home in the spiritual jazz scene of the 70s, and which is... read more

Eight soulful brothers of the Luckett family – all coming together here in a wonderful gospel set from the 70s! The harmonies are tremendous, and often balanced with great leads from Rev LC Luckett – creating the kind of interplay you might get in the front of a church, yet given a lot... read more

A hip little rock group from the upstate NY scene – and heck, they had to be hip, to record on the Just Sunshine label! The sound here has a bit of a funky rock approach, colored by a Band-like hominess – but thanks to some strong famous guests on the session, the instrumentation steps... read more

A treasure trove of southern soul – the complete Kayvette Recordings of Facts Of Life – a really unique trio with a great talent for mellow songs about life, love, and messing around! The work was recorded in Muscle Shoals by Brad Shapiro and Millie Jackson – and it's often got... read more

A killer album of southern soul harmony from The Facts Of Life – a trio with one female singer, two guys, and a great sound overall! The album's actually produced by Millie Jackson – and has that great blend of modern and southern modes that she was hitting in her best mid 70s years. ... read more

A great solo record from Donald Fagen – tightly anchored by the best of his elegant jazz funk tendencies – and one that we're comfortable calling his best since The Nightfly! Shoot, we'll even go one step further and call this the best Steely Dan-related record since Two Against Nature.... read more

Early 70s greatness from John Fahey – one of the legend's own favorite LPs – open tuning excursions in the wide open spaces of fingerstyle master's imagination! 3 lengthy pieces dedicated to Fahey's guru, Swami Satchidananda, indeed with some Indian and Eastern accented ringing notes... read more

The striking debut of Marianne Faithfull – a complicated mix of folk and pop styles, with a spooky other-worldly sound that's impossible to describe accurately! Marianne's voice has a trilling quality that makes it sound at once ancient and innocent – handled here with lightly drifting... read more

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Marianne Faithfull was a key link between the older 60s British female singers – like Petula Clark, Cilla Black, and Sandy Shaw – and some of the hipper 70s songstresses to come – and that link was never more apparent than on this album, a sweet batch of 60s pop covers, done by... read more

The second album by singer Marianne Faithfull – a strange blend of pop arrangements and folksy vocal styles, much more in a 60s tradition than some of her later work – although already showing plenty of signs of the quirkiness that would grace her entire career. Backings are by Mike... read more

One of Marianne Faithfull's folksiest albums of the 60s – a great batch of tracks that includes a few by 60s folksingers, a few originals, and a few more traditional numbers, done here with a really dark edge. Arrangements are by Mick Taylor and Jon Mark, who also wrote some of the tracks... read more

Great instrumental grooves from Fajardo – played with a group that's a bit fuller than the usual charanga, but which keeps things lean and tight throughout! Fajardo's flute is at the lead of all tracks – played with a style that's quite sharp, even when sweet – this edge that... read more

Amazing flute work from the legendary Fajardo – a player who was right up there with Pacheco in his pre-percussion years! The set's got a great sharp edge right from the start – a quality that might well come from the production, but which definitely keeps things from ever sounding too... read more

A lost little album from Latin flute legend Fajardo – and easily one of his grooviest records ever! Fajardo's probably best known for his charanga recordings of the early 60s – but this smoking set has the reedman stepping out wonderfully on a host of Latin Soul tunes to rival the best... read more