All Categories — CDs  

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A great little album from James Mtume – a bit more complicated and righteous than some of his previous albums on Epic, and with a real mix of styles that works nicely together! The album starts off with "Theme For Theater Of The Mind", a sort of 80s take on the spiritual/political... read more

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Excellent work from this jazzy Indian combo! Mukta mix together Indian rhythms and funky jazz – in a way that's unlike anything we've ever heard, but which draws a bit of an influence from the 60s funk of Ananda Shankar and the 70s Bollywood funky era. The focus on this album, though, is... read more

Astral soul, spacey hip hop and funked out grooves from Ms One & The Gang – aka Georgia Anne Muldrow and a stellar roster of guests, as well as alter egos and pseudonyms for both Georgia and fellow traveler Dudley Perkins – including Stacey Epps, Black Milk & Big Pooh, Ms One... read more

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Mulligan always sounds great next to a tenor – especially in the Verve series that has him teamed up with players like Johnny Hodges, Paul Desmond, or Stan Getz. This release, cut with Ben Webster upfront, is one of the best of that series – and features the pair blowing easily and... read more

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60s jazz meets Japanese bamboo flute – all in a session with a great mix of groovy and exotic touches! The record's a unique meeting of jazz and folkloric elements – done in a style that's a bit like some of the late 60s sessions of this nature on MPS, but a fair bit groovier overall... read more

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An odd title, but a really wonderful album from Mark Murphy – an 80s session for Muse that easily matches some of his most creative moments for the label in the 70s! There's some wonderful versions of soulful jazz tracks here – takes on "Effendi" by McCoy Tyner, "Beauty... read more

A surprisingly nice album of straight ahead tenor tracks from David Murray – playing here in a quartet with guitarist Stanley Franks, drummer Andrew Cyrille, and the great Don Pullen, who plays organ on the session! The album's not exactly in the classic soul jazz organ/tenor mode –... read more

An ambitious project from David Murray – one that features an expanded string ensemble working with his core quartet – performing a set of original material that includes the long "Pushkin Suite" and some shorter numbers that revel in Murray's own soulful spirit. While the... read more

One of David Murray's most ambitious projects ever – and that's saying a lot, given the depth of the 150-plus albums in his recording career! As you'd guess from the title, the set's a tribute to the En Espanol albums by Nat King Cole from the early 60s – and like those gems, Murray's... read more

One of the greatest albums we've heard from David Murray in many years – a beautifully spiritual set that really reminds us of the promise we first heard in his music decades ago! Murray's working here with a lean, soulful ensemble that includes Lafayette Gilchrist on piano, Ray Drummond on... read more

Classic-styled soul from Musiq Soulchild – his debut set for Def Soul, and the start of a great run of mellow grooves! As you might guess from the compressed wording of the title, the tunes here have a great set of flow – a laidback, kicked-back sort of sound that's not nearly as full-o... read more

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A standout classic from one of the all-time overlooked greats – the sublime Mystic Merlin, a group who cut a handful of killers in the early 80s! The group's biggest claim to fame is a young Freddie Jackson on vocals – but they're honestly much more an ensemble act than a backup for a... read more

The Mystic Moods take a clever gimmick, and make it stick – using sound effects of rain and storms, as on other early albums, and mixing the whole thing with some really sweet instrumentals! The album features some great Don Ralke originals that get past the covers on earlier sides –... read more

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One of the best new soul records we've heard in years! An independently produced first effort – filled with rich warm jazzy production, and a sweet mellow soul sound that brings to mind some of our favorite records of the old days. N'Dambi has an incredible voice – and although she... read more

A stormer of a set from Nacao Zumbi – really stepping out here with a bold sound that's miles away from the group's run with Chico Science, and which marks them as a strong force to be reckoned with on their own! The production here is really ramped up – not exactly funky, but really... read more

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Titles include "Feel So Good To Me", "For The Love Of You", "Can't Hide Love", "We Are Family", "Sweet Love", "Betcha Don't Know", and "Mysterious".... read more

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Zorn's work with Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Joey Baron, and Wayne Horvitz compiled and remastered under his Tzadik label. Includes the releases, Radio, Naked City, Heretic, Grand Guignol, Absinthe, and Torture Garden.... read more

A full length collabo from Nas & Damien "Jr Gong" Marley – who've worked together in the past on a track two – and overall it's a win that goes well beyond simple hip hop/dancehall fusion! The duo samples Mulatu, collaborate with K'Naan , Dennis Brown, Stephen Marley and... read more

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Native Soul is Peter Brainin, Noah Haidu, Marcus McLaurine and Steve Johns.... read more

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There's been a big break since Meshell Ndegeocello's last album – but from the sound of the album, it's been worth it! One of the baddest soul singers of the past decade is back in business, and sounding better than ever – serving up a fierce blend of beats and vocals, done in a more... read more

An amazing departure in sound for Meshell Ndegeocello – a record that firmly delivers on the earlier promise of her Article 3 EP! As with that one, the sound here is quite different than the funky soul of Meshell's earliest work back in the 90s – an almost-experimental blend of fuzz,... read more

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A wealth of unusual records – not just under Oliver Nelson's name, but material for other artists too! The set features the Oliver Nelson-led sessions for Full Nelson, Fantabulous, Jazz Interactions Orchestra/Jazzhattan Suite, Kennedy Dream, and Sound Pieces – plus music from Jimmy... read more

One of the all-time classics of early 60s mainstream jazz – and a beautiful record that showcases writing and arranging talents of Oliver Nelson! Nelson had been bumping around a variety of sessions before this one – as a leader, sideman, and arranger – but it was with this album... read more

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Pulsating Krautrock from Michael Rother and Klaus Dinger – essential stuff that stretches out the dynamics of the first couple of classic LPs! Then first half of the album features Klaus' brother Thomas on drums, and second features Hans Lampe, but the grooves are stripped down and spacious... read more

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Amazing material from this mini-soul empire – the mighty New Birth collective, which also features great backing work from The Nite-Liters! The package is a bit low on notes, but features some really standout performances from the ensemble – hard-hitting soul produced by the mighty... read more

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New Music Consort is John Cage, Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell and Ruth Crawford Seeger.... read more

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Nickodemus logically follows up his warm and breezy Sun People album with the more cosmically-lit follow up Moon People – once again bringing a wealth of global influences and instrumentation to his unique style of spacey dancefloor soul! He's joined by the legendary Afrika Bambaata and... read more

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Plenty of exotic themes in this lesser-known Italian western score from the 60s – bits of flute, bits of whistling, and even some vocals from I Cantori Moderni! Mellower moments are nicely juxtaposed with more dramatic ones – underscoring the mix of romance and drama that follows the... read more

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