All Categories — DVDs  

An historic 35th Anniversary show from Maria Bethania – recorded wonderfully, with some really sensitive musical backdrops that perfectly follow the rich mood of the set! The presentation is very personal – as Maria's a bit reflective about her years in music – and the... read more

A beautiful tribute to the legendary Joao Bosco – a celebration of his forty years in Brazilian music – put together with help from a host of guests who include Joao Donato, Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta, and Chico Buarque! The presence of these equal legends is a great reminder of... read more

A full performance from the 2011 Wels Festival curated by Peter Brotzmann – starring his crucial Chicago Tentet – a modern-day supergroup of giants of avant jazz! The lineup features saxes from Brotzmann, Ken Vandermark, and Mats Gustafsson – plus trumpet from Joe McPhee,... read more

An incredible live album from Chico Buarque – one that really grabs us right from the start, and holds us rapt in ways that go far beyond the boundaries of language! Chico's recent albums have all been pretty darn great, but there's really something special to this set – a perfect... read more

Amazing sounds from Gal Costa – a brilliant live album that follows strongly in the mode of her Recanto studio album! Like that set, this one features Gal in the most experimental style she's used in years – bits of electronics and contemporary underground modes layered in with her... read more

Late work from Miles Davis – his last-ever appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival – but a set that still has him sounding great! The performance is a special tribute to Quincy Jones, so instead of playing material from the Doo Bop generation, Miles is going more for a late 50s mode... read more

Wonderful work from a percussionist extraordinaire – and a heck of a vocalist too – caught live here in a beautiful Brazilian TV setting from the early 70s! The performance is a great illustration of the enduring charm of Jackson Do Pandeiro – both his effortless skill on his... read more

An amazing live performance from the legendary Joao Donato – captured here at the height of his 70s revival years, but with a spirit that hearkens back to his classic work of the bossa generation! The setting is spare and stark – classic Ensaio footage from TV, with a strong focus on... read more

One of the most low-budget Steppers videos we've ever seen – but a DVD that promises to teach you three of the newly-emerging "slide" dances on the Chicago scene! The camera work isn't that fancy, and the dancers are all pretty casual – but when they get down to business,... read more

The landmark 1979 documentary by Gary Weis – depicting NYC gang life at the time – primarily The Savage Skulls and The Savage Nomads in the South Bronx. Comes with a 40 page book that includes Jon Bradshaw's "Savage Skulls" article for Esquire, and essay by David Hollander... read more

A well-done look at the legendary Ahmet Ertegun – founder of the equally legendary Atlantic Records, and a key force in popular music during the 20th Century! The DVD features rare clips, classic performances, and other great visuals – with appearances from Solomon Burke, Ray Charles,... read more

A landmark look at the rise of hip hop in the New York scene – filmed in the mid 80s, and featuring loads of vintage footage from the streets! The images here are alone worth the price of admission – but there's also plenty of compelling meat to the feature too – including... read more

Rod Perry plays the lead in this mid 70s action flick – a hustler trying to stay clear of the drug trade on the mean streets – until he's been crossed by a mobster played by Don Chastain. Perry then teams up with ghetto boss Big Nate Williamson (played by Jimmy Witherspoon!) –... read more

A great look at one of the indie giants in record retailing – Louisville's proud Ear X-Tacy Records – a pretty great shop for over 25 years! The film captures the store at a relatively sad point in its history – fighting to stay alive amidst a changing industry, and eventually... read more

Recent grooves, but often done with a richly classic feel – one that recalls the waning years of the Chicago Soul scene at the start of the 80s! The package is an effort from the re-activated Chi-Sound label – and it takes up where Carl Davis modern soul imprint left off – a... read more

Chicago stepping taken to the next level – in this great follow up DVD to the first Chicago Steppers package! This one's actually a lot better done than the first one – better production values, better image quality, and an overall more classy level of presentation – all of which... read more

A great introduction to the Chicago Steppers scene – one that not only features interviews and footage from events in the scene, but also some instructional details as well! The package features material from a wide range of events, and interviews with a number of key figures on the scene... read more

The packaging and presentation almost set a new low for the Chicago Stepper's scene – but the DVD is pretty interesting – almost like being a fly on the wall, looking at this scene from a priviledged position! The whole thing starts with a group discussion – talking about older... read more

A much-needed look at one of our favorite instruments ever – the irreplaceable Fender Rhodes keyboard! The Rhodes has a sound that's unlike anything else – and has become a favorite of musicians over decades of use – as you'll hear in the film's interviews with Deodato, George... read more

The excellent Dub Echoes documentary – a wild trip across the landscape of dub, both new and old! The film traces the evolution of dub from its origins on the Jamaican music scene up through all of its modern incarnations, and is filled with loads of absolutely amazing and enlightening... read more

The Chicago steppers scene hits the junior crowd – and comes up with a host of simpler slides for younger dancers! The package is billed as being for kids, but actually works well for anyone who finds some of the more complicated steps too difficult (like us, if you've ever seen us on the... read more

One of the more contemporary videos we've seen from the Chicago steppers scene – and one that definitely shows a real evolution in dance styles, especially with the Wobble slide! Gone are the classic moves from the soul oldies years, and gone are even the very mellow, very slow steps from... read more

A well-done documentary on "the music known as free jazz" – one that features interviews and performances from some key avant jazz figures of the 60s and 70s! The ESP association with the movie is no coincidence – as the film features interviews with old ESP stalwarts such as... read more

A well-done love letter to the record store – pitched in the title as a vanishing breed, but well-demonstrated by the film as alive and well! The documentary takes a look at industry shifts that had led to a lot of closures of record stores, but also features a pretty celebratory look at the... read more

A landmark moment in the New York scene of the 70s – and a mindblowing document of the energy and lifestyle of the city's growing Latin scene at the time! The film combines live performances from the legendary Cheetah nightclub with amazing street footage – woven together in a rich... read more

One of the trippiest kids films ever made – a 70s animated feature narrated by Ringo Starr, and featuring music by Harry Nilsson! The film tells the story of Oblio, a round-headed boy living in the land of "point" – where everything is pointy, and everybody has a point on... read more

The return of the Rub-A-Dub style – captured in performance at LA's Dub Club! The DVD features 60 minutes worth of performance and interviews – classic reggae tracks mixed with contemporary inflections – and interspersed with interviews with U-Roy, Scientist, and others! There's... read more

One of the most low-budget Steppers videos we've ever seen – but a DVD that promises to teach you three of the newly-emerging "slide" dances on the Chicago scene! The camera work isn't that fancy, and the dancers are all pretty casual – but when they get down to business,... read more

Slidding on the Southside – a party featuring Vernita & The Velvet Dancers at The Cell – before the White Sox took on the Baltimore Orioles! The Sox are one of the best teams in the league for providing space and opportunity for the people of the Chicago to celebrate and show the... read more

An adventure in global folk cinema from Sublime Frequencies – a film by Robert Millis – shot on location in Tamil Nadu India – beautiful, trance-inducing music and incredible visuals! Rather than a man on the global scene documentary, this is raw footage – and we love it... read more

The acclaimed documentary about the unheralded Seattle soul scene of the 60s & 70s – featuring interviews with those who were there, legendary admirers, and later Seattle musicians who remember these pivotal figures. It's the story of groups that include Black On White Affair, Cookin'... read more

A key event in the Chicago Steppers scene – the World's Largest Steppers Contest, held in 2004 and hosted by Chitown DJs Ramonski Luv, Joe Soto, and Herb Kent! The DVD presents the contest pretty much as it happened – with introductions by the luminaries, then performances of some of... read more

Maybe the best work we've heard from Gilberto Gil in years – a really beautiful live performance that mixes his acoustic guitar and vocals with a special string section and some tight live rhythm work as well! The blend of simple and majestic is really wonderful – a performance that's... read more

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Amazing sights and sounds from the 80s soul underground – rare videos and TV footage from the same sort of groups we've loved in the PPU reissue series! The quality of the images is really striking – lots of over-saturated 80s video that really works well with the electro funky rhythms... read more

The legendary Brazilian vocal group – caught live on the Ensaio TV program! The performance is from much later years in the Golden Boys' history – far from the time of their 60s hits – but the vocals are still wonderful, and captured here with an intimacy that really lives up to... read more

Rare TV footage from the legendary Al Green – a full live performance photographed in very vivid color! There's no dates or notes at all on the set (damn!), but given the look of Al's plaid leisure suit in the performance, we're guessing the show's right from somewhere in his mid-70s high... read more

Live concert DVD plus bonus CD of never before-released recordings of "Comin From Where I'm From" and "Charlene".... read more

An amazing document of the legendary Jimi Hendrix – pulled together from private writings, vintage interviews, and other rare materials that really shed light on the genius of Jimi, and get way past some of the overwrought stereotypes of his all-too-short career! There's some great... read more

A really lovely performance from Olivia and Francis Hime – and one of the most intimate we've ever heard from the pair, too! Olivia sings with just piano accompaniment from Francis – in a way that still has all the majesty of the latter's full arrangements, yet which comes across in... read more

A great lost performance from Michael Jackson – finally brought to light! The concert features Jackson before a stunningly large crowd at London's Wembley Stadium in 1988 – part of his world tour for the Bad album, and a perfect document of Michael's impressive magic on the stage... read more

Killer live work from Seu Jorge – one of his boldest, proudest records to date – and that's saying a lot, given the soulful promise of all his other work! We've always loved Jorge, but we first really fell in love with his music in a live setting – where he's got an undeniable... read more

Killer live work from Seu Jorge – one of his boldest, proudest records to date – and that's saying a lot, given the soulful promise of all his other work! We've always loved Jorge, but we first really fell in love with his music in a live setting – where he's got an undeniable... read more

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A trio of video performances from tenorist David Murray – all packaged nicely together on a single DVD! First up is David Murray I'm A Jazzman – a slice in the life of Murray, captured by the camera – and running for almost an hour. Next is David Murray & The Gwo Ka Masters... read more

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A set of cool 70s and 80s performances from Clara Nunes – lively stuff that seems to mostly focus on the former decade, but also features some gems from the latter, too! Titles include "O Mar Serenou", "Conto De Areia", "E Doce Morrer No Mar", "Oricuri"... read more

A great performance from this ultra-hip group – a set of American players who got plenty of chance to work on the European scene of the 60s and 70s – hence the Paris Reunion name! The lineup features Woody Shaw on trumpet, Johnny Griffin on tenor, Nathan Davis on tenor and soprano sax,... read more

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Rare film footage of The Rolling Stones – shot in the 1965 during brief tour of Ireland – with some of the earliest professional performance footage of the Stones, plus backstage and otherwise behjind-the-scenes action! While quite a bit of the fottage has been seen in one form or... read more

A famous live performance of material discovered after the death of Charles Mingus in 1979 – played here a decade later in New York, but a group of musicians all directed by Gunther Schuller! Performers include Wynton Marsalis, Randy Brecker, and John Handy – and titles include "Fr... read more

Beautiful reed work from Mauro Senise – spun out over some really creative arrangements that have him sounding even more fluid and expansive than ever – and recorded with help from great guests who include Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, Wagner Tiso, Edu Lobo, and Gilson Peranzzetta!... read more

Vintage footage of Ike & Tina Turner – caught live on tour, at a time when their energy level was at its height – about ready to blow its top! The material here was filmed by photographer Bob Gruen and wife Nadya – and not only includes concert footage, but also some... read more

A beautifully-shot film that documents two different voodoo pilgrimages in Haiti – surprisingly poetic in its presentation of the material, and done with a great juxtaposition musical performance, location footagte, and some especially nice static shots of the settings! There's a simple,... read more

A warm and wonderful tribute to the late, great Elis Regina – a special live performance that features some of her best songs ever, performed by a host of artists – including key contemporaries of Regina, and some important younger singers influenced by her music! The musical setting... read more

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