... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully sensitive soundtrack for this early film from the team of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill – very different than most of the other western music of the time – which is a fitting accompaniment to the unique actions of the pair onscreen! There's a fair bit of acoustic guitar in the instrumentation, used in ways that are sometimes warmer and more sentimental than you'd expect – played with a subtle sort of character that really comes through in this well-done reissue of the music – and which gets even better when groovier elements on piano or horns come into the mix. Things build nicely as the set moves on, with a very vivid feel throughout – and titles include "Remember", "Il Carro Al Fiume", "Assalto Alla Diligenza", "Ranch Di Parker", "Trinity E Bambino A San Jose", and "Trinity Stand Tall". CD

A very groovy little soundtrack from the team of Guido and Maurizio De Angelis – one that was penned to accompany an offbeat Bud Spencer film of the late 70s, and which offers up plenty of variations on the catchy theme! Bud plays Bulldozer – an ex-US football player, holed up in Italy – where he cobbles together a team of locals to take down the team of the US Army stationed nearby – a goofy plot, but one that's made that much better by the work of the De Angelis brothers! The core theme is initially sung by Oliver Onions, in English – then taken through a range of great instrumental readings that echo some of the styles used by Guido and Maurizio on their straighter crime and action scores, but with lots of sweet twists and turns along the way. LP, Vinyl record album

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

Post-August Darnell work by Dr Buzzard's Savannah Band – no longer using the "original" in their name! There's still a retro-styled feel here overall – with some of the swing-esque modes of earlier albums, but also a bit of rockabilly as well – an element that kind of diminishes the soul component of the record. Cory Daye is on vocals on most tracks, and titles include "Lucky Day", "Forever", "Do That Girl", "Missing On Highway 33", and "Bass Bottle Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Featured sidemen include Norris Turney, Paul Gonsalves, Cootie Williams, Harry Carney, and Harold Minerve. LP, Vinyl record album

With Newman Taylor Baker on drums. CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Pivotal early dub! Depending upon whose history of the Jamaican recording industry you subscribe to, this is can be considered by many to be the first dub LP – and whether that's proveable or not, it's certain among the first! History aside, it's a mighty set with some raw early dub style workouts at the hands of Errol Thompson at the renowned 16 North Parade recording studio run by Randy's, with some deft production by Clive Chin. Needing virtually no introduction, the Impact All Stars drop some incredible rhythms, many which will be immediately recognizable as having been versioned from massive numbers for Augustus Pablo, Junior Byles and the Soul Vendors. Titles include "Java Dub", "Cheating Dub", "ET Special", "Ordinary Version Dub", "Hide Away Dub" and "Black Man's Dub". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A beautiful group, and one with a very unique sound – a style that draws from the early 50s experiments in Brazilian jazz by Bud Shank and Laurindo Almeida – but which also moves the approach into even more sophisticated 70s territory! The quartet features Almeida on acoustic guitar and Bud Shank on some wonderful reeds – plus bass from Ray Brown and drums from Shelly Manne, but players who are open to all the new ideas of Bud and Laurindo, but who can also throw in a stronger groove when needed. The album's a wonderful experiment in really pushing the envelope of jazz expression further – but never in any sort of outside ways – and titles include a reading of Ravel's "Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte", plus "C'Est What", "Corcovado", "Autumn Leaves", "Samba De Orfeu", and "Reveil". CD

A beautiful group, and one with a very unique sound – a style that draws from the early 50s experiments in Brazilian jazz by Bud Shank and Laurindo Almeida – but which also moves the approach into even more sophisticated 70s territory! The quartet features Almeida on acoustic guitar and Bud Shank on some wonderful reeds – plus bass from Ray Brown and drums from Shelly Manne, but players who are open to all the new ideas of Bud and Laurindo, but who can also throw in a stronger groove when needed. The album's a wonderful experiment in really pushing the envelope of jazz expression further – but never in any sort of outside ways – and titles include a reading of Ravel's "Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte", plus "C'Est What", "Corcovado", "Autumn Leaves", "Samba De Orfeu", and "Reveil". LP, Vinyl record album

The Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross tradition lives on – in a smoking live set that features Indian singer Yolanda Bavan joining the group in place of recently-departed Ross! Bavan's ability to groove and improvise is every bit as great as that of Annie Ross – and she fits in nicely next to the warm lyrics of John Hendricks, and the sweetly crackling bop vocals of Dave Lambert. Plus, the live setting seems to open the whole group up even more – as they're working with a great combo that features Coleman Hawkins and Clark Terry sitting in with the Gildo Mahones trio that includes George Tucker on bass and Jimmie Smith on drums. The tunes are all very soulful and swinging – and the album easily sits with the best Columbia work by the older version of the group! Titles include "Watermelon Man", "Sack o Woe", "Deedle-Lee Deedle-Lum", and "Walkin", taken in a nice long stretch1 LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible legacy of jazz – one that's certainly as disconnected as promised by the title, but which stands as a much-needed look at the many-sided talents of tenorist Allen Lowe! The set's on ESP Records, but often has sounds that are somewhat straight ahead – although often in a way that's a bit more than you might expect – as Lowe's a player with a strong knowledge of older generations of jazz, but who can put things together with a very contemporary ear – maybe best summed up in the Avant Garde Tribute To Louis Armstrong – a Knitting Factory performance that's part of this set. Lowe works with a compelling range of musicians throughout – maybe most importantly, trumpeter Doc Cheatham, who shows that in the 80s and 90s, he was still very open to new ideas – as well as Percy France and David Murray on tenor, Randy Sandke on trumpet, Roswell Rudd on trombone, Matthew Shipp on piano and Farfisa organ – and many others along the way. The massive 8CD set features countless rare recordings from over 40 years of Lowe's career – private recordings, live sets, and lots more – a huge addition not just to his own catalog, but a revelation of a connecting web on the east coast scene for decades! CD

A real cooker from David Matthews and his Manhattan Jazz Quintet – a set that burst with the dynamic energy that Dave brought to some of his larger ensemble work, but which only features five players in the mix! The horns of Lew Soloff on trumpet and George Young on tenor are especially great – able to cascade together at the heads of the tracks with a power that seems a lot stronger than just two players – then break out into sweet solo formation that opens up other dimensions of their sound. In addition to Matthews on piano, the rest of the group features John Patitucci on bass and Dave Weckl on drums – and titles include "Cloudy", "Caravan", "For Duke", "Broadway Stroll", and "Five Spot After Dark". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest spaghetti western scores we've ever heard – penned for an early collaboration between Terence Hill and Bud Spencer! The main theme "Trinity" starts off with some cool vocal backing by Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, singing underneath the English-language lead vocal – and the group also make an appearance on the film's reprise of this song at the end of the movie. Other tracks mix together guitar, organ, whistling, and some other cool sonic elements that give the soundtrack a cool late 60s feel that reminds us more of some lost French gem than an Italian thriller! Titles include "Lazy Cowboy", "Un Cowboy e Due Ragazze", "Di Fronte Ai Killers", "Trinity: Con La Stella Di Viceseriffo", and "C'e Un Tempo Per Vincere". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest spaghetti western scores we've ever heard – penned for an early collaboration between Terence Hill and Bud Spencer! The main theme "Trinity" starts off with some cool vocal backing by Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, singing underneath the English-language lead vocal – and the group also make an appearance on the film's reprise of this song at the end of the movie. Other tracks mix together guitar, organ, whistling, and some other cool sonic elements that give the soundtrack a cool late 60s feel that reminds us more of some lost French gem than an Italian thriller! Titles include "Lazy Cowboy", "Un Cowboy e Due Ragazze", "Di Fronte Ai Killers", "Trinity Con La Stella Di Viceseriffo", and "C'e Un Tempo Per Vincere". This huge 2CD version offers up the most overwhelming batch of music we've ever seen from the movie and the recording sessions – 16 tracks from the film, 11 more alternate tracks, and then 25 more bonus cuts in all! CD

One of the grooviest spaghetti western scores we've ever heard – penned for an early collaboration between Terence Hill and Bud Spencer! The main theme "Trinity" starts off with some cool vocal backing by Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, singing underneath the English-language lead vocal – and the group also make an appearance on the film's reprise of this song at the end of the movie. Other tracks mix together guitar, organ, whistling, and some other cool sonic elements that give the soundtrack a cool late 60s feel that reminds us more of some lost French gem than an Italian thriller! Titles include "Lazy Cowboy", "Un Cowboy e Due Ragazze", "Di Fronte Ai Killers", "Trinity: Con La Stella Di Viceseriffo", and "C'e Un Tempo Per Vincere". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius – a style on the trumpet that was different than that of Dizzy Gillespie or Miles Davis – and which really set the tone for some of the more expressive players who would follow him on the instrument. Navarro is incredibly deft, yet never in a way that calls attention to itself too much – truly organic, and set up here in groups led by pianists Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell, plus some recordings in a group he co-led with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Titles on this first volume include "Wail", "The Chase", "The Squirrel", "Our Delight", and "Dameronia". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Fats Navarro was one of the true giants of the early bop years, but he passed away at a young age just as the music was taking off – leaving behind just a handful of killer recordings to document his legacy! This set was put together by Blue Note as a great reminder of his genius – a style on the trumpet that was different than that of Dizzy Gillespie or Miles Davis – and which really set the tone for some of the more expressive players who would follow him on the instrument. Navarro is incredibly deft, yet never in a way that calls attention to itself too much – truly organic, and set up here in groups led by pianists Tadd Dameron and Bud Powell, plus some recordings in a group he co-led with trumpeter Howard McGhee. Titles on this second volume include "Lady Bird", "Jahbero", "Symphonette", "Double Talk", and "The Skunk". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set that brings together Fats Navarro's recordings for Savoy – late 40s sides that were always poorly packaged and annotated on record, which are compiled here wonderfully, with great notes, and a few unissued tracks! Players include Leo Parker, Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, Ernie Henry, Tadd Dameron, Kenny Clarke, Art Blakey, and Charlie Rouse – and the set's got a huge amount of titles, including "Boppin A Riff", "Fat Boy", "Everything's Cool", "Webb City", "Fracture", "Calling Dr Jazz", "Red Pepper", "Spinal", "Fat Girl", "Ice Freezes Red", "A Bebop Carol", and "The Tadd Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from a trumpeter who was taken from us all too soon – the legendary Fats Navarro, an important early voice in the sound of bop! The album's a short one, but every track is a gem – as Navarro blows beautifully in groups led by Bud Powell, Tadd Dameron, and Howard McGhee – always with this balance between sweetness and bite that's totally wonderful – an undeniable influence on later hardbop trumpeters to come, served up here with a sense of phrasing and economy that's still very powerful after all these years! Titles include "The Squirrel", "Lady Bird", "Our Delight", "The Chase", "Dameronia", "Double Talk", and "52nd Street Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Tadd Dameron, Billy Eckstine, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Illinois Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins, Howard McGhee, and more. CD

With Alan Eager on tenor, Jimmy Ford on alto, Kenny Clarke on drums, Curly Russell on bass, and Kay Penton on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic funky fusion from the 70s Argentine scene – a set that begins with a killer take on the Led Zeppelin tune "Black Dog", and only gets even groovier after that! Jorge Navarro leads the group on piano, Hammond, and Fender Rhodes – and the group is a tight combo with guitar, bass, drums, and percussion – shifting rhythms nicely to match the dynamic mood of Jorge's work on the keyboard – as he moves through 70s fusion styles and Latin jazz in a wonderful array of grooves! At times, Navarro's not afraid to use some funky phrasing on his electric keys – ala Herbie Hancock – and at other times, he's way down in the groove and really going to town. Titles include "Funk Yourself", "Black Dog", "Vamos Quedando Pocos", "Lucky Southern", "Despues De La Polenta", and "Repartamos El Funky". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Charlie Parker on alto sax – joined here by Fats Navarro on tumpet, Bud Powell on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – plus a bonus set featuring JJ Johnson, Red Rodney, and Roy Haynes! CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Killer 60s work from the great Baden Powell – two tunes done for the Saba/MPS label, both with a very jazzy vibe! "Sarava" moves fast and fierce – lots of percussion driving the tune at the bottom, including work from the great Milton Banana on drums – while Baden delivers this crisp guitar solo over the top! "Canto De Ossanha" is one of our all-time favorite tunes – originally done by Powell with Vinicius De Moraes, but even better here in a fast-driving small combo mode! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Features Enrico Rava on trumpet and flugelhorn – with Augusto Mancinelli on guitar, John Taylor on piano, Furio Di Castri on bass, and Bruce Ditmas on drums! CD

Features Rava on trumpet, Stefano Bollani on piano, and Paul Motian on drums! CD

One of the most obscure albums ever recorded by Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava – and one of the greatest as well! The set is a rare meeting between Rava and some key players on the Argentine scene of the mid 70s – a great quartet that features Fernando Gelbard on Fender Rhodes, Adalberto Cevasco on bass, Nestor Astarita on drums, and Chango Faras Gomez on percussion – all working with Rava in a groove that's maybe warmer and more soulful than both his spacious and more experimental sides recorded in America and overseas! We always love Gelbard on Rhodes – and his work here really adds a lot to the record – never dominating, but always shaping the sound and forming the rhythm patterns – while Rava soars out with some open, well-placed solos. Titles include "Chico", "Ate Um Dia", "Barco Hasta El Cielo", and "Enrico Seis Octavo". CD

A legendary overview of jazz on the Italian scene at the start of the 60s – a great document of the new modes that was really setting the work of Italian jazz musicians apart from those in other parts of Europe – working with fresh ideas and a new conception that's completely sublime! The work here often has a great balance between structure and individual voice – and many numbers feature strong soloists who'd go on to great fame in a variety of settings – already graced here with talents that seem greater than their young years. Trumpeter Enrico Rava leads things off in a quartet with pianist Maurizio Lama, on a version of the tune "Line For Lyons" – and Lama follows with a trio reading of his own "Tema For Franco". Trumpeter Sergio Fanni is joined by the great Eraldo Volante on tenor and baritone on the tunes "Duo" and "Circeo". Later soundtrack artist Piero Umiliani serves up his "Picolla Suite Americana" – followed by the Modern Jazz Gang of saxophonist Sandro Brugnolini (with later sound library giants Enzo Scoppa and Cicci Santucci), on the tracks "The Drum Is A Tramp" and "Blue Mirria". Trombonist Dino Piana delivers the tune "Tempo Di Febbraio" with help from the great Gianni Basso on tenor – and the set also features a reading of "Bag's Groove" with Giorgio Azzolini on bass, Piano on trombone, and Attilio Donadio on alto. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Enrico Rava on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Ran Blake on piano. CD

Always-enigmatic sounds from The Residents – a bit more fully-formed than some of their earliest recordings, but still sprawled out nicely over the space of the full album! There's almost an Eraserhead feel to the music at times – dreamy, yet creepy – and other moments bring in some avant jazz tones, yet played without any jazz chops at all – more as sonic textures that nestle down nicely in the mix of noise and surprising melodic moments. Titles include "Edweena", "The Making Of A Soul", and "Ship's A Going Down". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost gem from Buddy – recorded in the years between his more famous work for Verve in the 50s, and his later 60s comeback as the hard-swinging leader of a big band! The album's a really unusual one for Buddy, in that it really plays around a lot with the rhythms in the tunes – not just using the "blues" phrasing that you might expect from the title, but also hitting bits of lighter, Latiny styles – as well as some slightly modal moments that emerge from longer solo drum passages by Rich. Part of the album's strength is the players – as Buddy's working here with Mike Mainieri on vibes, Sam Most on flute, and Rolf Ericson on trumpet – as well as the unusual rhythm team of Johnny Morris on piano and Wyatt Ruther on bass, neither of whom we really know. Tracks include "Caravan", "Blow'n The Blues Away", "BR Blues", "Late Date", and "I Remember Clifford". CD

... CD

The kind of Roxy Music album that nobody would have expected back when Brian Eno was in the group – but a set that really helped expose the group to a whole new generation, and find a way to develop that special style that Bryan Ferry had brought to the group in the previous decade! There's a leaner vibe going on here – with the core trio of Ferry, Andy Mackay, and Phil Manzanera finding a way to be a bit more subtle than before, both instrumentally and lyrically – while still having Bryan do that oddly sinister thing with his vocals, almost in a way that undercuts all the new young stars that were emerging in the younger generation. The recording quality is superb – especially on the vocals and Manzanera's work – and titles include "More Than This", "Take A Chance With Me", "India", "The Space Between", and "To Turn You On". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Eternal Caravan Of Reincarnation", "Waves Within", "Look Up", "Just In Time To See The Sun", "All The Love Of The Universe", and "Stone Flower". CD

Led by Kevin Beacham aka AMC, long-time pillar of underground hip hop in Chicago, finally in physical form after decades in the vaults! With production by Jel, Maker, and Overflo; with guest spot by Costume. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's got a slightly different vibe than previous Stackridge albums – yet which also continues that special sort of hard to define quality that always made the group so unique! There's a feel to the set that's maybe a bit in keeping with the image on the cover – slight touches of an older carnivalesque aesthetic, yet filtered through that cool British 70s production style – compressing any prog influences down to modes that often have some very slight glammy touches around the edges, which also steps up some of the hooks on the tunes as well! LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's got a slightly different vibe than previous Stackridge albums – yet which also continues that special sort of hard to define quality that always made the group so unique! There's a feel to the set that's maybe a bit in keeping with the image on the cover – slight touches of an older carnivalesque aesthetic, yet filtered through that cool British 70s production style – compressing any prog influences down to modes that often have some very slight glammy touches around the edges, which also steps up some of the hooks on the tunes as well! Titles include "Benjamin's Giant Onion", "Grease Paint Smiles", "Spin Around The Room", "Rufus T Firefly", "No One's More Important Than The Earthworm", and "Highbury Incident". 2CD set features a full bonus CD of live BBC material! CD

A stone 70s classic from Tavares – quite possibly the group's biggest album, and a masterpiece of LA vocal group soul! The album's biggest claim to fame is the massive hit "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel", recorded by the group for this set, but blown to the heights through it's huge use in the film Saturday Night Fever. But although that hit might mark them as a disco group, Tavares are still very much in the strongest style of their best early vocal group sets – coming together magically as a group, even when the rhythms are a bit uptempo, and sounding great on tracks that include "To The Other Man", "The Mighty Power Of Love", "Bein With You", "Ridin High", "Wonderful", and "Guiding Star". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great back-to-basics set for Sadao Watanabe – a live date that almost echoes the spirit of one of his youthful Columbia sessions in Japan! The group features James Williams on piano, Charnett Moffett on bass, and Jeff Waits on drums – and Sadao blows alto on titles that include "Billie's Bounce", "Parker's Mood", "Lament", and "Stella By Starlight". CD

Although recorded early in the career of Muhal Richard Abrams, this brilliant LP shows the pianist/composer turning away from the stock jazz and studio work of earlier years – to develop into one of the richest talents to rise from the Chicago avant underground of the 60s! At the time of the recording, Abrams was the president of the recently-founded AACM – and for the session, he's surrounded himself with some of the best young talents from Chicago, including Thurman Barker, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, and Maurice McIntyre – all of whom help to create a complicated web of colors, shapes, and sounds, that prove that the youthful energy of the underground scene was more than capable of crafting sophisticated modernist documents. The album features three long works – "Levels & Degrees Of Light", "The Bird Song", and "My Thoughts Are My Future". CD

The music of Roscoe Mitchell, served up here in a really amazing setting – all solo vibes, handled by Jason Adasiewicz, in a style that's very different than Roscoe's original versions of these tunes! If you've ever heard Adasiewicz solo, you'll already dig what's going on here – work on vibes that's deeply resonant, warmly chromatic, and full of some of the most human, honest, open expressions we've ever heard on the instrument! Jason's always been part of the avant underground in Chicago, but he's also a very spiritual player too – a quality that really comes out in a setting like this – as he unlocks very different currents in tunes that Mitchell originally presented on his own albums, or with the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. The whole thing is wonderfully hypnotic throughout – and titles include "Congliptious", "Old", "Carefree", "The Waltz", "Toro/Jo Jar", "The Key", "A Jackson In Your House", and "Daddy Rollin Stone". CD

Three full albums from this great Dutch pianist! Miss Dee is a heck of a set from Dutch pianist Rob Agerbeek – easily one of the most soulful European pianists of the 70s, even in an acoustic setting like this! Rob's got a bite on the keys that reminds us a lot more of American players from the 60s – not a straight soul jazz groove, but a style that definitely draws from that mode – then opens up into some more lyrical elements that are more in keeping with overseas expression in the 70s. The trio matches his energy nicely – especially on the upbeat numbers that rule the set – with bass from Harry Emmery and drums from Eric Ineke – on titles that include "Little Miss Dee", "Cup Bearers", "Birk's Works", "Caravan", and "Out Of This World". Second Opinion is a trio set from the great Rob Agerbeek – one that lets him open up on familiar tunes, but with a sense of imagination that really packs a lot into a small space! The lineup features Paul Berner on bass and Ben Schroeder on drums – and titles include "Summertime", "East Of The Sun", "Lover Man", "Besame Mucho", "Mad About The Boy", "Girl Talk", "As Time Goes By", and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". Lock Stock & Barrell is a relatively recent set from Dutch piano Rob Agerbeek – who locks it up nicely, in a trio with Erik Albjerg on bass and Tjeerd Klapwijk on drums! Titles include "Lock Stock & Barrel", "A Child Is Born", "Round Midnight", "O Morro Nao Tem Vez", "Thora's Dance", "Cubano Chant", "Nearest & Dearest", and "Footprints". CD

A stunning celebration of one of the greatest pairings in Brazilian music – and in American music as well, given that both Airto Moreira and Flora Purim recorded plenty of these cuts up in our neck of the woods! Airto's percussion is the stuff of legend – a key force in Brazilian recordings in the late 60s, and then equally important in American jazz – in famous recordings with Miles Davis and other artists, and plenty of great records on his own! Flora's vocals are equally crucial – a soaring, fluid approach that forever changed the way that female singers approached jazz – bred in 60s bossa, but instantly something new by the time the 70s came along – especially when Airto was supporting her with great grooves! This huge package brings together material that both artists recorded – often under the name of one or the other, but often with the other artist present on the recording – with a heavy batch of work from the 70s and 80s, but also crucial cuts from other years too! 3CD set features 37 tracks and a really great package – with titles that include "Love Lock", "The Happy People", "Hungry On Arriva", "The Road Is Hard", "Samba De Flora", "O Canto Da Sereia", "Jeito Bom De Sofrer", "Papo Furado", "Xibaba", "Back Streets Of Havana", "Vera Cruz", "Flora's Song", "When Angels Crie", "Celebration Suite", "Casa Forte", "Black Narcissus", "A Secret From The Sea", "O Cantador/I Just Want To Be Here", "Jump", and "Hot Sand". CD

A stunning celebration of one of the greatest pairings in Brazilian music – and in American music as well, given that both Airto Moreira and Flora Purim recorded plenty of these cuts up in our neck of the woods! Airto's percussion is the stuff of legend – a key force in Brazilian recordings in the late 60s, and then equally important in American jazz – in famous recordings with Miles Davis and other artists, and plenty of great records on his own! Flora's vocals are equally crucial – a soaring, fluid approach that forever changed the way that female singers approached jazz – bred in 60s bossa, but instantly something new by the time the 70s came along – especially when Airto was supporting her with great grooves! This huge package brings together material that both artists recorded – often under the name of one or the other, but often with the other artist present on the recording – with a heavy batch of work from the 70s and 80s, but also crucial cuts from other years too! 5LP set features 37 tracks and a really great package – with titles that include "Love Lock", "The Happy People", "Hungry On Arriva", "The Road Is Hard", "Samba De Flora", "O Canto Da Sereia", "Jeito Bom De Sofrer", "Papo Furado", "Xibaba", "Back Streets Of Havana", "Vera Cruz", "Flora's Song", "When Angels Crie", "Celebration Suite", "Casa Forte", "Black Narcissus", "A Secret From The Sea", "O Cantador/I Just Want To Be Here", "Jump", and "Hot Sand". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic album from trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire – a set that really kicks his career up to the next level, and which is easily the most powerful record he's ever given us! The music finds Ambrose in many moods, all of them righteous – sometimes blowing hard and fierce in a small combo, sometimes issuing out more personal statements in a more stripped-down setting – working with players that include Harish Raghavan on bass, Justin Brown on drums, and Sam Harris on piano – plus vocalist Genevieve Artadi on one especially beautiful number that features Akinmusire on Fender Rhodes! We've loved the music of Ambrose for many years – and this is one of those faith-rewarding sets that always makes it so wonderful to follow the career of any key jazz musician – as we hope you'll also find on titles that include "Roy", "4623", "Moon", "Tide Of Hyacinth", "Cynical Sideliners", and "Mr Roscoe". CD

One of the most sensitive 70s albums from guitarist Jan Akkerman – a set recorded with larger backings from Claus Ogerman, who really helps Jan find a newly mellow side of his sound! Gone are some of the too-jamming, rock-inspired modes of Akkerman's other records – and in their place are open, flowing lines on guitar – played with a sensitivity that reminds us a bit of some of Jim Hall's more ambitious albums of the same period – although even a bit more classically-oriented overall. Ogerman's arrangements are wonderful – full and lush, but never too sleepy – and titles include "Nightwings", "Modinha", "Espanoleta", "Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte", "Love Remembered", and "The Seed Of God". LP, Vinyl record album