All Categories — LPs  

A delightful album of vocal renditions of Duke's tunes by little known singer Eugenie Baird. Baird's wonderfully relaxed takes on these great Ellington tunes begs the question of how she remained sidelined for so many years, and then went on to largely be forgotten except for a spell with Bing... read more

A great return to form for Chet Baker – his first record in a number of years away from the studio, and proof that his genius could adapt to just about any setting! The album's got a tight focus that's probably one of the keys to its success – a set of arrangements by Don Sebesky that... read more

Later Atlantic work by LaVern Baker – almost more traditional than her earlier sides! The album has LaVern singing with arrangements by Clyde Otis – lusher backings than in earlier years, giving the record a classic 60s bluesy sort of approach. Titles include "Endless Love",... read more

Mindblowing work from the early years of Schema Records – a set that really helped set a whole new tone for a generation – and which still sounds wonderful all these many hears later! Balanco work up a perfect blend of bossa rhythms and soulful jazz – all wrapped up with the kind... read more

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One of the most soulful albums we've heard from Schema in many years – a brilliant batch of jazzy tracks from singer Andrea Balducci – served up with backing by a great lineup of players from both the Ricky Tick and Schema worlds! The core approach is jazz, but many of the songs are... read more

Recorded for a small label in Milwaukee – but featuring arrangements and production from Jimmie Haskell!... read more

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Killer early stuff from Hank – when he was just about the size of a bratty kid, and he had a voice on him that would stop a train! Loads of shoutin R&B tunes, including "The Coffee Grind", "I Love You So-o-o", "Don't Go, I Love You", "Look At Little... read more

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A lost classic in the funky poetry mode of the 70s – and right up there with the best work from the time by the Last Poets, Jim Ingram, or Gil Scott Heron! Bama's got a rough-edged voice that works very well with the funkier backings of the set – handled by a team that includes Bernard... read more

Titles include "Rags & Bones", "Acadian Driftwood", "Hobo Jungle", "Ophelia", and "It Makes No Difference".... read more

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A surprisingly great little set – one that definitely lives up to the retro feel of the cover, and which has a soulful sound we really didn't expect! The trio are more of a soul act than a girl group pop outfit – and they get some sharp backing here by a quartet of funk-steeped players... read more

Titles include "Walk Like An Egyptian", "Manic Monday", "Not Like You", and "If She Knew What She Wants".... read more

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The Bar-Kays' last album for Stax – most likely recorded in earlier years – and a surprisingly funky set that still holds onto the group of the group's earlier 70s work, while also pointing the way towards the future! The overall sound isn't nearly as slick as in the Mercury years, and... read more

Man, these guys really know how to groove – and even on a bigger label, with a more commercial image, they still manage to come up with a tight little set! There's a key ear for a bassline and beat that keeps The Bar-Kays standing stronger than most of their contemporaries – a sense of... read more

Tightly grooving work from The Bar-Kays – a set that's light years away from the sound of their Memphis roots, but still plenty darn funky overall! The album's got a tight bass-heavy approach to the music – the well-forged ensemble sound that graced the later years of the Bar-Kays'... read more

One of the best instrumental records to come out of Memphis, and a real kicker by the funky band that went down with Otis Redding in the tragic plane crash in 1968! The leadoff track is the group's amazing hit "Soul Finger", a stormin' instrumental with a wailing brassy sound that... read more

A folk funk classic from the early 70s – and a weird little record that has a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The arrangements are quite soulful, almost funky at times – with a righteous undercurrent that reminds us of Richard Evans or Charles Stepney at Cadet... read more

A folk funk classic from the early 70s – and a weird little record that has a sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! The arrangements are quite soulful, almost funky at times – with a righteous undercurrent that reminds us of Richard Evans or Charles Stepney at Cadet... read more

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Amazing work from Gato Barbieri's legendary exploration of Latin American sounds for Impulse Records – a set that's heavy on Cuban influences, thanks to arrangements from the mighty Chico O'Farrill! The sound is sublime – a bit fuller than some of Gato's other albums in the run, but... read more

A far reaching late 70s set from Gato Barbieri – a record that blends fusiony jazz funk, lush stings, and Latin rhythms and fluid solos on a varied batch of tunes! One of the more interesting things about the production is that those varied approaches often come into play within the same... read more

A real sleeper – and one of the treasures of the Arista Freedom series! The album's a rare meeting between Argentine tenor player Gato Barbieri and South African pianist Dollar Brand – a true global meeting of the jazz minds, and a recording that's stronger than most of the work either... read more

An amazing record – one we'd easily rank right up there with some of our favorite 60s albums from Brazil – including work by Baden Powell or Elis Regina! This session has echoes of the best of both of those artists, but also predates their key moments too – a groundbreaking... read more

One of the greatest Brigitte Bardot albums you could ever buy – some of the grooviest, sexiest work the famous French actress ever cut! The album's overflowing with excellent original material written by Bardot by Serge Gainsbourg and Francis Lai – two of our favorite French composers... read more

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Classic level greatness from Bobby Bare – with The Real Thing from 1970! At his peak – and we consider this to be peak material – Bobby Bare had an easygoing, laconic storyteller vocal style that's as great as any of his more celebrated peers – plus add a perfect mix... read more

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A mid 70s album by Bobby Bare – the easygoing The Winners & Other Losers – a worthy effort from one the most unique voices and personalities of his era! This album is heavy with songs written by the Bare family friend and frequent songwriting partner Shel Silverstein. Johnny Cash... read more

A nice set from these latter day Detroit free music explorers, with a spiritual vibe and a varied approach to improvisation that isn't afraid to groove at moments, but also involves some nice textural dynamic playing in a very post AACM mode. Anthony Holland plays reeds, Tani Tabal tablas and trap... read more

Excellent lost funky work from Italy! The Barigozzi Group were one of these obscure little combos that churned out tight funky tracks for bigger outfits – very much in the style of I Gres, Marc 4, or some of the other great Italian groups that are being discovered lately. Their strength was... read more

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A rare set from Detroit soul legend JJ Barnes! Although Barnes originally started as a lighter, groovier northern soul singer, this "comeback" album from the early 70s has him singing in a very heavy, full-on righteous style, with lots of slow soulful tracks. Surprisingly, this style... read more

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Later work from Charlie Barnet, but a set that really cooks nicely overall – still with the strong sax tones of earlier years, but also with a groovier sort of sparkle that marks the 60s date of the session! The tunes are short, but Charlie gets plenty of space to do his thing –... read more

Bold work from Charlie Barnet – packaged in a cover with great graphics too!... read more

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A soul record we'd put up there with some of our favorite ones that the city of Chicago produced in the early 70s – and it's literally a soul record – a beautiful gospel set by Pastor TL Barrett & The Youth For Christ Choir, of Mt. Zion Baptist Church, on the city's south side! ... read more

A monster! If you buy one Latin record this year – make it this one – because it's one of the greatest ever recorded! Ray's late 60s Acid album is a landmark recording – a sublime mixture of Latin jazz, percussion, and soul – grooving hard in a variety of styles, and... read more

A monster! If you buy one Latin record this year – make it this one – because it's one of the greatest ever recorded! Ray's late 60s Acid album is a landmark recording – a sublime mixture of Latin jazz, percussion, and soul – grooving hard in a variety of styles, and... read more

A great Ray Barretto album from 1972 – one that beautifully showcases the master percussionist as he effortlessly shifts between Latin soul and 70's salsa styles! The group's nice and lean – with Adalberto Santiago on vocals, Papy Roman on trumpet, Louis Cruz on piano, and the great... read more

A great little album from Ray – even if it is a bit different than some of his other work from earlier years. The feel is kind of 70s R&B, with a jazzy touch, and if you're not looking for straight Latin stuff, this is actually a pretty great album – as Ray gets the group to work... read more

Killer stuff all around! This album's a monster – one of Ray's greatest, with the same sort of Latin Soul groove heard famously on his classic Acid LP. The record has Ray cutting across many genres – blending Latin, soul, jazz, and a slight bit of funk – all into a set of... read more

"Head Sounds" is a heck of a great way to describe this album – as it's filled with some of Ray's most mind-expanding cuts! The album kicks off with the tune "Acid", which you probably know from the album of the same name, but which still really does a great job of... read more

A nice jammer from the "second wind" period of CTI – and a strong return to Latin jazz for Ray! The set's a great mixture of smooth CTI electric funk and Latin-oriented grooves – and it features work by Ray on congas and percussion, plus a list of players that includes Tito... read more

Killer material from the mid 60s – recorded for United Artists after Ray's initial watusi work for Tico – and in a similar style that has mixes together Ray's Charanga Moderna sound with some more boogaloo and Latin Soul numbers! The record's a key bridge between these two chapters of... read more

One of Ray Barretto's hardest-hitting salsa albums of the 70s – a raw set of grooves that's got Ray moving away from the playfulness of the Latin Soul years, into a more righteous mode that's easily guessed at from the title of the set! The vibe here is very straightforward – with Ray... read more

A cheesy cover, but a really top-shelf effort from Ray Barretto – one that has him standing strongly in the early 80s, at a time when most other leaders of his nature were beginning to falter! The record's still strongly in the Barretto salsa mode of the 70s, but it's also got a jazzy... read more

An early 70s killer from Ray – recorded right in the same era as most of his best albums! The feel here is strongly in the salsa mode – as Ray steps effortlessly from the Latin Soul era into a whole new decade of musical magic. And like the best of his 60s work, Ray's salsa cooks at a... read more

A crazy idea – but it works, and wonderfully! The album's one of the lost early sides cut by modernist Bill Barron – and it's a very strange approach to familiar music – one that takes the score to West Side Story, gives it a bossa nova groove, then adds in all these weird... read more

Sweet electric keys from Kenny Barron – and one of our favorite 70s albums by him! The record has Kenny playing electric on most of the set – working with musicians that include Sonny Fortune, Buster Williams, Jimmy Owens, and Ben Riley to craft long tunes that are warmly spiritual and... read more

Classic early electronic work from Louis & Bebe Barron – and the score to one of the best 50s space thrillers! This LP does a nice job of bringing the material out again – and although the sound quality isn't totally perfect, the spookiness of the music more than makes up for that.... read more

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The soundtrack that put John Barry over the top – and to many, THE James Bond soundtrack! The album chills from the first notes of the haunting title theme – the majestic "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey with a tone that's as dangerous as a razor-sharp hat spinning... read more

The soundtrack that put John Barry over the top – and to many, THE James Bond soundtrack! The album chills from the first notes of the haunting title theme – the majestic "Goldfinger", sung by Shirley Bassey with a tone that's as dangerous as a razor-sharp hat spinning... read more

Len Barry gets a bit soulful here – with arrangements from Joe Rnezetti, Jimmy Wisner, and Pete Dino – on cuts that include "Sweet Soul Music", "Mickey's Monkey", "The Moving Finger Writes", "Our Love", and "The Hunter Gets Captured By The... read more

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Quite an unusual record from New Orleans R&B legend Dave Bartholomew – arranger, producer, and trumpeter – coming off here with more of a jazz sound than on his usual records! Despite the "New Orleans" and "House Party" in the title, the album's actually set of... read more

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One of the albums that forever put Gary Bartz on the map – a righteous blend of jazz, funk, and spiritual elements – and one of the key early 70s sessions with his NTU Troop! The album moves way past Gary's early style, and heads into territory not charted before – filled with... read more

An essential record from Gary Bartz – one of two albums he cut with Andy Bey, and the killer group he was calling his NTU Troup! Andy's vocals are incredible – light years ahead of anything he did with his sisters, and similar to those he laid down on his own solo album for Atlantic,... read more

A rare treat by Gary Bartz – and very different than most of his other work! The album's a small group session – with Charles Mims on piano, Curtis Robertson on bass, and Howard King on drums – recorded with the feel of a looser soul jazz set on Black Jazz or Strata East. Mims'... read more

A rare treat by Gary Bartz – and very different than most of his other work! The album's a small group session – with Charles Mims on piano, Curtis Robertson on bass, and Howard King on drums – recorded with the feel of a looser soul jazz set on Black Jazz or Strata East. Mims'... read more

Very righteous material from Gary Bartz – and one of his classic NTU Troop albums, with Andy Bey on vocals and electric piano, and the great Stafford James playing some mighty heavy bass! The tracks are nice and long, with a very soulful sound that mixes freer spiritual playing with a good... read more

A great 80s date – with Bartz on alto, Butch Lacy on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – a really great rhythm trio who help Gary soar on tunes that include "Samuel", "Never Never Land", "Monsoon", and "Uncle Bubba".... read more

A fantastic bit of jazz funk fusion – and one of the landmark 70s albums produced by Larry Mizell! This is Gary Bartz's second (and most amazing) collaboration with Larry Mizell – a studio genius who could focus on the best talent of a jazz artist, then expand it using additional... read more

A fantastic bit of jazz funk fusion – and one of the landmark 70s albums produced by Larry Mizell! This is Gary Bartz's second (and most amazing) collaboration with Larry Mizell – and more proof that Mr. M was a genius in the studio who could completely transform anyone's sound into a... read more

One of the last Gary Bartz albums for Prestige – and a really unique session with a different feel than some of his earlier work! Gary's still got plenty of angular funk in his sound here – thanks to some edgey keyboards from Hubert Eaves – but he's also tightened things up a bit... read more

A perfect illustration of the genius of guitarist Robbie Basho – a set recorded early in his career, but with music that's light years ahead of most of his contemporaries! Although a set of solo acoustic guitar tracks, the music isn't really folk – nor is it the sort of acoustic... read more

Spacey fingerstyle guitar meanderings from Robbie Basho – a contemporary of John Fahey who helped create the genre of tripped out, open tuning excursions! This album was recorded after Basho's early work for the Takoma label, and it's got a bit less Native American imagery than before –... read more

Titles include "Promises", "From Now On", "Freeze Thaw", "How Dare You", "Astrud", and "Miles Away".... read more

Beautifully percolated grooves from Basic Soul Unit – spare and electronic, yet still surprisingly soulful too – almost like some of the gentler sounds that came around in the second generation of Chicago house, but informed by a 21st Century soul vibe as well! Most numbers have... read more

One of Basie's biggest albums – but still a work of pure genius! "April In Paris" is one of the darkest jazz standards ever written, and it never sounded better than in this original version, which features that great ending in which Basie and the band stop, then start, then stop... read more

A really wonderful back to basics session for Basie – featuring arrangements by longtime band members Frank Foster, Erick Dixon, Bobby Plater, and Thad Jones! The set also features vocals on 2 tracks by bluesy vocalist Richard Boone – a singer with a really great scatting approach... read more

A really great collection of some of Basie's first important material – 2LPs worth of classics that set the tone for generations to come!... read more

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Includes Fredie Green on guitar, Walter Page on bass, and Joe Jones on drums.... read more

A very handsome collection of Count Basie material for Roulette – easily some of our favorite Basie recordings ever!... read more

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Basie hits the hits of the 50s and early 60s – working here with some tight Billy Byers arrangements that really help transform the tunes! The groove is upbeat, bright, and brilliantly soulful – that punctuated Basie groove first formed when Neal Hefti was with the group, still carried... read more