All Categories — CDs  

Shirley MacLaine as a geisha? Weirder things have certainly happened on screen – but the film still definitely stands out as one of the odder 60s cinematic moments! Fortunately, Franz Waxman scores the whole thing with enough of a serious air to offset the silliness – and actually,... read more

... read more

One of our favorite South American rock records of all time – and maybe even one of our favorite rock albums too – a magnificent set by this sublime Peruvian group – done with a sound that's somewhere between late Beatles, early Bee Gees, and ELO in their prime! Yet the... read more

Sublime sounds from We Five – and a record that really takes the group past the pop styles of their debut! There's some nicely sinister echoes of the San Francisco scene going on here – more electric guitar than previously, used in edgey ways – and this more "arch"... read more

Completely charming sounds from We Five – a second full length set for A&M Records, and one that really has the group growing past their simple folksy roots! There's a wonderful interplay of voices going on here – styles borrowed a bit from male/female jazz and soul vocal groups of... read more

Before Martha Wash went on to success cutting vocals on soulful house numbers, she was one half of the Paul Jabara produced pop disco duo the Weather Girls. This album was probably their most successful, with the hit "It's Raining Men", plus "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My... read more

A new chapter in the sound of Weather Report – but one that's still equally classic! Founding members Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul are joined here by Jaco Pastorius on bass, Chester Thompson on drums, and Alejandro Acuna on percussion – and Pastorius especially helps bring a lot of... read more

6 classics from Weather Report – presented in cool tiny LP-sleeve covers! First up is the original Weather Report album from 1971 – a massive session that took fusion to a whole new level for the 70s! Most of the players here had been associated with Miles Davis at some point in the... read more

One of the biggest hits ever for Weather Report – thanks to Joe Zawinul's leadoff track "Birdland" – one of those tunes that entered the canon immediately, and saw countless covers pop up over the years – kind of a rare thing for a jazz tune at this point in time! The... read more

Beautiful early work from Weather Report – one of the finest statements ever uttered by group, and a set that's got a bit more soul and warmth than their first album! The lineup's changed slightly at this point – still Wayne Shorter on reeds, Joe Zawinul on keyboards, and Miroslav... read more

... read more

... read more

... read more

A massive mid 70s live set from Weather Report – a record that has the group stretching out even more than on their classic studio albums! There's an undercurrent of darkness here that we really love – an edge that always makes us feel like things are about to go off the rails, or... read more

A soaring set from Weather Report – captured here in an early 80s lineup that features great keyboards from Joe Zawinul and sublime saxophone from Wayne Shorter! The tunes are nice and long, and bristle with that power the quintet had at this point – a well-earned tightness that really... read more

A really sweet side of Weather Report – a rare live performance from 1978, featuring a tight quartet version of the group! Peter Erskine's drums do a great job of propelling the music from Joe Zawinul's keyboards, Jaco Pastorius' bass, and Wayne Shorter's tenor and soprano sax – and... read more

A new sense of focus in the Weather Report sound – that building, soaring groove that would become the group's trademark in the mid 70s – offered up here in one of it's first and finest examples! The approach is one to describe accurately on paper – but which is instantly... read more

One of our favorite albums ever from Weather Report – an album that has them picking up a bit more soul than before, and shaking off some of the experimental sounds of their roots – yet all in a way that still makes them one of the most revolutionary fusion combos of the time! There's... read more

A beautiful title for a beautiful little record – one that really does have Weather Report spinning out musical tales in sound – with a free-flowing and soulful sense of energy! The groove's definitely tighter than the earlier years, but it's never slick – and Joe Zawinul handled... read more

The groundbreaking first album from Weather Report – a massive session that took fusion to a whole new level for the 70s! Most of the players here had been associated with Miles Davis at some point in the year or two beforehand – and Miles' electric work is definitely a starting point... read more

... read more

One of the all-time great ones by Ben Webster! The album was recorded near the end of Webster's all-too-short time on this planet – at a point when he had really perfected a sorrowful tone on tenor, and a strangely sinister approach to ballads – one that gave even familiar tunes an... read more

... read more

Great smooth soul from Wee Gee – a wonderful little record from the dawn of the 80s! The album's a great one, thanks largely to Vernon Bullock, who wrote, arranged, and produced with that uptempo modern style that he brought to his best work of the 70s. The soaring title track is a 10+... read more

A solid swinger from tenorist Cory Weeds – and a record that features beautiful interplay between his horn and the guitar of Bill Coon – both trading lines back and forth, in ways that unlock a rich array of tones and colors! The chromatic palette of the record is mighty wide –... read more

... read more

Features Inez Matthews, Sheila Guyse, and Todd Duncan.... read more

... read more

... read more

David Weiss has a great conception for this hip little set – a contemporary exploration of the best spiritual energy running through the Blue Note scene in the late 60s – based around compositions by Charles Tolliver, Wayne Shorter, and Charles Moore – the last of whom was... read more

A bold musical statement from the great Point Of Departure group – a combo with continuing dedication to re-exploring some of the freshest jazz sounds of the 60s – especially music by the "new thing" generation of Blue Note players like Andrew Hill or Tony Williams! Our hat's... read more

Fully righteous work from singer Maxine Weldon – working here with bigger backings from Ernie Wilkins that mix in a bit of blues, soul, and funk! The style's never too polished, and almost has a similar feel to some of Esther Phillips' work on the Kudu label during the early 70s –... read more

... read more

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to... read more

A seminal set of Chicago blues – still ten times better than all the imitators it spawned!... read more

A pair of lost classics – back to back in a single set, with bonus tracks too! First up is the self-titled Mary Wells album – non-Motown magic from Wells – a killer 60s album that really lives up to her previous promise! The scope is a bit wider here than before – and Mary'... read more

A pair of incredible early Motown albums from Mary Wells – one of the label's first truly great singers – in a great single set from Kent UK! Mary Wells never sounded better than in her Motown years – and 1962's The One Who Really Loves You is key proof of her talents, as it's... read more

A wealth of wonderful work from Mary Wells – a set that includes overlooked early singles, a huge amount of unreleased tracks, plus many others that weren't issued at the time – and which haven't been in print for years! This set not only brings together rare Motown singles from Mary,... read more

... read more

A classic post-Prince project from the team of Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman – work that builds off the funky pop sensibility they first forged with the purple one, but which comes across a bit more mainstream overall! There's certainly some of the snappier rhythms that the pair worked in... read more

The title's a bit of a joke, given the image of money on the cover – but the album's a tight little set from this classic Basie tenorist, recorded with a largeish group that would have made his old boss proud! Frank keeps things upbeat and soulful on most tracks – mostly blowing tenor,... read more

An amazing package, almost like getting three albums in one – thanks to a huge amount of bonus tracks! The core album is a gem – one that features two older players, cooking together beautifully on this early 80s session – and both hitting a vibe that almost makes the set smoke... read more

A beautiful follow-up to the Snowing On My Piano album from pianist Bugge Wesseltoft and violinist Henning Kraggerud – and a really unique little album that strongly echoes some of Bugge's own solo work in recent years! Wesseltoft has really developed an even stronger sense of space as he's... read more

Beautiful work from Hedy West – a folk singer with a voice that cuts through to the quick – none of the sweetness of some of the poppier acts of the 60s, and none of the softness that you might get from commercial efforts – and instead a sound that's straight from the hills, and a... read more

... read more

... read more

Stunning work from Mike Westbrook – a set that's done in later years than his classics for Deram Records – but one that's got almost the same sort of power! The lineup is large, and there's a definite dose of freaky fuzz in the mix – thanks to the guitar of Brian Godding, whose... read more

A killer album of African-tinged jazz – recorded privately by Randy Weston in the mid 60s, and not issued formally until 1972 by Atlantic Records! The session shows Weston at the height of his modernist experiments – and at a time when his work was going largely undocumented, probably... read more

Beautiful work from Randy Weston – and a unique electric session from the 70s! The feel is very different here than the angular modernism of Randy's roots – a warmer, more flowing sound – as you'd expect from the CTI label, and from Randy's use of electric piano as well as... read more

Some of the fiercest work recorded by Randy Weston in recent years – a set done with his "African Rhythms" group that includes percussionists Chief Bey and Neil Clarke, and which also features horn work by Benny Powell, Talib Kibwe, and Pharoah Sanders! The tracks are long, dark,... read more

A tremendous live set from Randy Weston – and one of the best illustrations of the unique approach he brought to modern jazz at the end of the 50s! The set has Weston working in very Monk-like territory – not just musically, but at the legendary Five Spot Cafe, Monk's old stompin... read more

Tremendous comeback work from Randy Weston – arguably the series of albums that set the tone for his great return to fame in the 90s! The 3CD set features Weston's albums Caravan, Well You Needn't, and The Last Day – tributes to Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, and his own work on... read more

Quite possibly our favorite of the wonderful 90s comeback sessions by Randy Weston – thanks in large part to the great players on the set! The album's a smaller group outing than some of Weston's others from the time – played by a septet that includes Billy Harper on tenor sax, Talib... read more

... read more

... read more

Two 70s jazz giants, three different recordings, all of them wonderful! The set's a perfect showcase for both the trumpet of Kenny Wheeler and tenor of Alan Skidmore – as the recordings, done with the Jazz Live Trio of pianist Klaus Koenig, offer plenty of space for each soloist to stretch... read more

A bluesy smoker from Mike Wheeler – a Chicago guitarist who's been working the city for almost 30 years – working with some of the biggest names in the business, and sounding pretty great here on his own! Mike's got a groove that's right up there with the best contemporary version of... read more

A bluesy smoker from Mike Wheeler – a Chicago guitarist who's been working the city for almost 30 years – working with some of the biggest names in the business, and sounding pretty great here on his own! Mike's got a groove that's right up there with the best contemporary version of... read more

There's a very cool trio in the wheelhouse for this sweet little set – a combo that features alto and baritone sax from Dave Rempis, bass from Nate McBride, and vibes from the always-incredible Jason Adasiewicz! The players come together with a sound that's completely sublime – almost... read more

The complete recordings of The Wheels – a mid 60s rockin' R&B combo from Belfast! The Wheels were friends and contemporaries of Van Morrison and Them, and got badly overshadowed as far as history is concerned. This Big Beat compilation is our first and to date only introduction to the... read more

A smooth collection of some of The Whispers' best mellow cuts – stretching back to the early 70s, and running all the way up through their successful sides of the early 80s. Titles include "I Only Meant To Wet My Feet", "Just Gets Better With Time", "You Are Number... read more

Classic early 80s Solar material by The Whispers – the Love Is Where You Find It and Love For Love albums – back-to-back! The original vinyl release of Love is Where You Find It had one side described as "for dancin" and other "for romancin", so you get a couple of... read more

Beautiful ballads from The Man – proof that Barry White had a great way with a mellow track and a love song! Of course, Barry was always singing about love, even when grooving – but over time, he really found a great way to use all that energy, but bring it down a few notches too... read more

Can't get enough of Barry White at this key point in his career – a time when he was stepping from the shadows as one of the most sensuous soul stars of the 70s! The album's a near-perfect effort throughout – a great blend of the soaring strings and funkier rhythms that always made... read more

... read more

Very nice 3 CD box set that includes just about every one of Barry's big hits, plus some nice extra bonus – like his duet with Lista Stansfield on "All Around The World", the "Sweet Seduction Suite" with Quincy Jones, the 12" single version of "My Sweet Summer... read more

Barry White at the height of his powers – soaring out here with that amazing groove that never lets us down! The album's a mini-soul symphony throughout – tight beats, soaring strings, and that rock-solid Barry White vocal approach – that warm, fluid sound that's instantly... read more

One of The Maestro's true materpieces! Fragile, sexy, sinful soul, held together by interwoven strings and keyboard lines, with Barry's voice over the top like rich cream on a sweet piece of cake. Includes the long versions of "Honey Please, Can't Ya See" and "Never, Never Gonna... read more

... read more

... read more

... read more

Drummer Lenny White live – stepping out here in a sweet funky set that also features some great keyboards from Patrice Rushen and Don Blackman! The date was recorded in the late 90s, and has a back-to-basics quality that reflects the renewed love of older funk styles that players like White... read more

The only solo album ever recorded by Maurice White – an upbeat and soulful set that's right up there with his best 80s work in Earth Wind & Fire! Like that group at the time, White's hitting a rhythmic side that's more electronic at points – letting beats and keyboard bits stand in... read more

An overlooked soulful gem from Michael White – one of his smoother albums, but with a tight sound that really makes the whole thing great! The set was produced by George Duke, and it's got the same feel as some of Duke's best work of the time – soaring, soulful, with a style that... read more

Sweet and innocent, but pretty darn soulful too – an overlooked set from the late 70s glory days of the TK Records scene – recorded down in Miami with lots of all the right touches! The backings are smooth, but a bit funky too – in that great blend TK was doing once the label... read more

... read more

One of the string of hard grooving swamp rock LPs Tony Joe White cut for Monument early on – charismatic, swaggery sounds from a master – a killer blend of southern rock steeped in soul! On some records, Tony's vocals take on a bit of a laconic storyteller vibe, a la Bobby Bare and... read more

... read more

... read more

... read more

Tripped out, heavy hip hop from the unlikely trio of west coast indie veteran Murs, Ego Trip's Sascha Jenkins and DC hardcore legend/Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer! A pretty cool mix of uncompromising lyrics, heavy bass and waves of dissonant guitar. It's unlike anything else out there, circa... read more

... read more

Sweet jazzy flute and lots of warm vocals from Ragan Whiteside – a real up-and-comer from the soulful underground, and an artist who's almost a 21st Century answer to Bobbi Humphrey! This album may well be Ragan's best so far – and it features some rock-solid keyboards from Bob Baldwin... read more

Sweet jazzy flute and lots of warm vocals from Ragan Whiteside – a real up-and-comer from the soulful underground, and an artist who's almost a 21st Century answer to Bobbi Humphrey! This album may well be Ragan's best so far – and it features some rock-solid keyboards from Bob Baldwin... read more

... read more

... read more

A pair of London Records albums from Margaret Whiting – back to back on a single CD, with bonus tracks too! Maggie Isn't Margaret Anymore is cool crossover pop from Whiting – a late 60s album that still draws strongly on her roots in jazz, but which also has Maggie trying on some... read more

An unusual 60s comeback for singer Margaret Whiting – and a set that firmly established her as both a country singer, and a singer of jazz! The set's got full backings from Arnold Goland – often done in a way that carries a slight undercurrent of Nashville – not full-blown... read more

... read more

A wonderfully expanded version of this classic of funky funky female soul! Marva Whitney was one of the greatest singers in the James Brown stable of stars during the late 60s – and she sang with a hard raw style worth of The Godfather himself! Brother James produced and wrote a good part... read more

A smoker from this hip Chicago trumpeter – quite possibly his best album to date, and a record that sparkles with original compositions from Whitted! All tracks are by Pharez, and they're warmly presented by a great group that also included Eddie Bayard on tenor and soprano sax, Bobby Broom... read more

A smoker from this hip Chicago trumpeter – quite possibly his best album to date, and a record that sparkles with original compositions from Whitted! All tracks are by Pharez, and they're warmly presented by a great group that also included Eddie Bayard on tenor and soprano sax, Bobby Broom... read more

A landmark live set from The Who – a record that offers the group with a blistering intensity that blows away all their other studio albums of the time! Although offered during the Who's Tommy-era expansion into broader themes and more complicated instrumentation, the album's a real return... read more

Weird work from Wicked Witch – tunes that are half funky, half punky – with a mysterious sound that's all their own! At some level, Wicked Witch might be an offshoot of the P-Funk empire – a lost mission to a dark planet way out in the galaxy – trapped out there on their... read more

Classic New Orleans funk featuring backing from the "New Orleans Project" that includes the Gaturs' Willie Tee, Earl Turbinton, and other Crescent City session stalwarts like Larry Panna and Julius Farmer. Includes lots of tracks that rocked the rare groove scene in the 80s, including... read more

One of the weird Meters-related New Orleans parade bands from the 70s – similar to the group The Wild Magnolias, but with a sound that's more in a New Orleans mode than a 70s funk one. The Meters play on the record, and the group sings most of the vocals as well – and production is by... read more

A Cuban funk classic – and one of the legendary sides from the great Sound Triangle label in the 70s! Wild Wind are nicely on the cusp here – sitting between older Latin modes and tight 70s styles – particularly the breed of Latin funk that the LA scene seemed to pick up from the... read more

... read more

A rootsy group from the Chicago scene, but one with a fair amount of wit, too – a subtle political agenda that's buried a bit beneath more rocking modes, and which really helps set these guys apart from the pack! The songwriting is often pretty smart, at least from a social perspective... read more

Genius early work from a young Barney Wilen – an album issued in the US during a brief time when the French tenor star was turning a lot of heads on the American scene! The date's a great illustration of Wilen's amazingly deft talents on the tenor right from the start – a keen ear for... read more