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The genius of Juan Garcial Esquivel is turned towards a host of tunes from a variety of global sources – including "Dark Eyes", "Hungarian Rhapsody No 2", "Torna A Sorrento", "In A Persian Market", "Tico Tico", "April in Portugal", "Cielito Lindo", and "Oye Negra". A Latin groove dominates most numbers, natch – and the piano of Esquivel is soaring over the top in fine hi-fi form!

A brilliant look at the early days of the comic book industry – a very well-written history that intermingles economic history and personal biography – in ways that really get at the complexity of the early days of comics! Gerard Jones covers a wide range of roots at the start of the book – then really zeroes in on a few key figures who help give structure to his portrait of the young comic book industry – the team of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who created Superman; and the businessmen Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz, who moved from sleazy pulp to mainstream fame with their work at DC Comics. Jones introduces a number of other figures along the way – and does a brilliant job of laying out the landscape of youth in the depression and World War years – and he really illuminates darker corners of this history, and gets way way past some of the over-told chestnuts of the early years, to link the growth of the industry to the rise of corporate-owned culture in the 60s and beyond. 384 pages, hardcover, with some black and white images.

Watch what happens – and what happens is very groovy! Ken plays alto sax, Beverly sings – and the rest of the album features small combo backing that includes Vic Feldman on piano and Joe Pass on guitar. The tunes are an assortment of 60s groovy pop tunes, soundtrack gems, and a few great originals – and Beverly alternates between singing straight lead vocals and scatting in a light, breezy, and rhythmic way – ala Jackie Cain, of Jackie & Roy fame, or Vicki Hamilton, on her great Impulse recordings! Titles include "Nothing Left To Do But Follow You", "The Face I Love", "Theme From Harper", "Man & A Woman", "Captain Jack", and "Watch What Happens".

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not just standard Afro Funk, but also some Ethiopian and Egyptian elements too – folded into Tenor's music like some mad meeting between Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Mulatu! Jimi's at the lead, handling tenor, flute, and a host of weird instruments – and the ensemble is heavy on percussion and horns, including some great trumpet work from Jukka Eskola of the Five Corners Quintet. Despite the monochromatic cover image, the album's got a really rich sound – a deeply soulful, deeply spiritual vibe that's totally wonderful – served up on titles that include "Grind", "Mogadishu Ave", "Mega Roots", "Aligned Planets", "Mystery Spot", "Floating Orange", "Fast Legs", "Higher Styx", and "Magical World".

A collection of tracks that amount to some of incredibly deep audio archaeology – a wonderful, consciousness wakening collection of globe spanning 78s from the first half of the 20th Century – all from the darkest corners of the EMI Vaults! Honest Jons does an impressive job of collecting recordings that are first and foremost exciting pieces of music – and they reportedly spent a couple of years going through thousands and thousands of 78s and to put this thing together. It was worth the effort! The album includes recordings from China in the 10s, Bali and London in the 20s, Constantinople, Kenya and Spain in the 30s, Uganda & Trinidad in the 50s, and much more from each decade in many parts of the world. Cuban rumbas, Middle Eastern & African string tunes, more pop oriented British tunes, vocal and pop with a global focus. Wonderful stuff! Titles include "The English Sound Table" by GU Hsu, "Lagu Kebiar" by Gamelan Gong, "Rumba Negra" by Sacasas, "Laughing" by Vemngopal Chari, "Different Kind Of Motor Car Noises" by Vengopal Chari, "The Queen's Canary" by Mighty Sparrow and more.

A mighty pairing of talents – one of the greatest DJs in the world and one of the hippest jazz labels – served up in a mindblowing mix of music that's way more than just another compilation! When DJ Muro puts together a set, he doesn't just choose the songs – he works hard to find the best ways to present them, and often creates a mix that unlocks hidden corners of sound – with a sensitivity for instrumental passages that few others can touch! His talents here really bring a new sort of light to the legendary Black Jazz catalog – making the music sparkle anew as each tune slides effortlessly into the next – often linked in ways we never would have expected. Titles include "BK" and "Aunt Lovey" by Calvin Keys, "Get Down" by Gene Russell, "Keena" by Cleveland Eaton, "Diswa" and "The Highest Pleasure" by Rudolph Johnson, "March On" and "Slinky" by The Awakening, "Blue Lights" and "Beauty & The Electric Tub" by Henry Franklin, "Soul Village" by Walter Bishop, "Magic Wand Of Love" and "See You Later" by Kellee Patterson, and "Higher Ground" by Doug Carn.

Gong's not dead – and in fact, they sound better than ever in this great live set from 1977 – recorded on the Paris scene that was still plenty appreciative of their most trippy touches! The set's got the best aspects of the best Gong studio work – including lots of plenty playful lyrics sung by Daevid Allen, Gilly Smith, and Tim Blake – all couched in some freaky, fuzzy guitar work, a fair bit of keyboards, and some cool electric touches as well! The record's definitely one of those that reminds us that in some corners of the world, punk never really happened – as you'll hear on trippy tunes that include "Can't Kill Me", "Outer Temple", "Zero The Hero & The Witch's Spell", "Flute Salade", "You Never Blow Your Trip For Ever", and "I've Been Stoned Before".

Brilliant work from Jimi Tenor and his Kabu Kabu group – an incredibly righteous set that's easily the best we've heard so far from the soulful ensemble! In addition to the spiritual jazz vibe of before, the group's also picked up some influences from African soul and jazz too – not just standard Afro Funk, but also some Ethiopian and Egyptian elements too – folded into Tenor's music like some mad meeting between Sun Ra, Fela Kuti, and Mulatu! Jimi's at the lead, handling tenor, flute, and a host of weird instruments – and the ensemble is heavy on percussion and horns, including some great trumpet work from Jukka Eskola of the Five Corners Quintet. Despite the monochromatic cover image, the album's got a really rich sound – a deeply soulful, deeply spiritual vibe that's totally wonderful – served up on titles that include "Grind", "Mogadishu Ave", "Mega Roots", "Aligned Planets", "Mystery Spot", "Floating Orange", "Fast Legs", "Higher Styx", and "Magical World".

A wonderful batch of mellow, laidback balladry by Gene Ammons. Like a lot of the two-fers issued by Milestone and Prestige in the 70s when they came under the Fantasy umbrella, this set collects sides from a couple of different sessions, Nice An' Cool and The Soulful Mood Of Gene Ammons in this case. Sidemen are Richard Wyands, Doug Watkins and JC Heard, or Patti Brown, George Duvivier and Ed Shaughnessy. 16 tracks in all, including "Till There Was You", "Little Girl Blue", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "I Remember You", "Someone To Watch Over You", "Two Different Worlds", "Skylark", "Three Little Words", 'Street Of Dreams" and "Under A Blanket Of Blue".