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The first full album recorded by A Certain Ratio – and a mad mix of styles that's immediately compelling! The group are a key link here in so many traditions – British punk, 70s funk, dub, and late prog – all coming together under the godlike production talents of Martin Hannett to make the album one of the gleaming jewels in the crown of the young Factory Records label. There's never been a record of such scattered, skittish darkness – and even though short songs like "The Fox", "Forced Laugh", "Felch", "My Spirit", and "Loss" are arresting, the whole thing's magnificently capped off by the extended percussion jam "Winter Hill" – a tune that sounds like a batucada group trying to drum their way across a post-apocalyptic landscape!

A modern take on the traditional border badge name tag! These premium labels feature a vibrant screened surface, permanent adhesive backing, and great little details. Perfect for every labeling job, arts and crafts, and any other use you can think of putting them up to!

A modern take on the traditional border badge name tag! These premium labels feature a vibrant screened surface, permanent adhesive backing, and great little details. Perfect for every labeling job, arts and crafts, and any other use you can think of putting them up to!

A really sweet trio set from Barry Altschul – and one that lets him stretch out beautifully on a wide range of percussion! In addition to traditional drums, Altschul handles quica, bowed cymbals, waterphone, shakers, bells, cymbals, wood block, and lots more on the record – also getting some percussive performances from his mates in the trio – trombonist Ray Anderson and bassist Mark Helias! Anderson's trombone really provides some great glue to hold the performance together – some bold, soulful lines that easily move between free passages and more swinging moments. Titles include "Con Alma De Noche", "Irina", "Be Out S'Cool", and "Brahma".

These two tenor giants meet in the period slightly before Ammons death, and they're grouped with some of the younger funky players on Prestige, like Leon Spencer, Idris Muhammad, and George Freeman. The sound is fairly traditional, but there's some nice funky moments. Tracks include "Out Of It", which was written by Harold Vick, "The People's Choice", written by Harold Ousley, and the title cut, which is a Leon Spencer original.

A really wonderful document of of the Takamba style of music in Northern Mali and Niger – passionate, energetic and hypnotically performed by Ali Ag Amoumine! Ali's home is in Timbouctou, a couple hundred kilometers upriver from the Takamba region, and it was here that this excellent recording by Christopher Kirkley took place. It's essentially traditional regional guitar music, electrified and played in droning, wholly entrancing patterns, while the rhythm is played on the calabash. The songs here are described as being informed by Ali's travels and including his own compositions, and it does have inimately personal feel, while also pulling us in strictly on the basis of the soaring, hypnotic sounds. Includes "Adernibah", "Khomeissa", "Fatimatou", "Damara", "Kalitay", "Hali Diallo", "Taliat Nouhirase", "Nouvelle Annee" and "Mali".

One of the greatest albums to come from the New York underground of the early 80s – even if it was a relatively big "hit" on a major label! Laurie Anderson is in perfect form here – drawing on a strong tradition of avant garde performance, but without any of the indulgences that would mire down performance art in years to come. Instead, she's got a clean, clear style that's simply amazing – spoken passages that are poetic and pointed, but which also have a slight undercurrent of wit – a charming quality that never takes itself too seriously, even when the sounds and styles are somewhat dark. Instrumentation includes some great rhythm passages from David Van Tieghem, plus surprising performances from Rufus Harley on bagpipes and George Lewis on trombone. Titles include "From The Air", "Big Science", "O Superman", "Born Never Asked", "Walking & Falling", "Example #22", "Let X = X", and "It Tango".

A classic session of Italian modernist jazz – led by bassist Giorgio Azzolini, and featuring searing trumpet work by Enrico Rava! Pianist Franco D'Andrea and drummer Aldo Romano complete the group – and the tracks show a definite influence of the free jazz stylings that were sweeping Europe during the late 60s, but still keep one foot firmly planted in a swinging jazz tradition – which means that the solos have plenty of sharp edges, while the band still manages to groove nicely!. Lovingly repackaged by the Rearward label – and including the tracks "Israel", "Beyond The Corner", "Crucial Moment", and "Free Duet".

Possibly the best document you could ever hope to find of the inventive guitar skills of Derek Bailey – a CD that brings together his seminal In Whose Tradition album with rare bonus tracks and unreleased numbers too! The core of the record features Bailey playing solo – both acoustic and electric – using the guitar less like an instrument than as a tool for exploring sound – both those coming from his own hands, and those which echo forth in the space around him! Two more tracks feature Anthony Braxton on flute and sopranino sax, and two others have Bailey in a trio with Kent Carter on bass and John Stevens on drums – and the long CD features tracks that include "Tunnel Hearing", "Rehearsal Extract (area 7)", "Six Fairly Early Pieces", "In Whose Tradition", "Postscript", "A Bit Of The Crust", and "The Last Post (morning)".

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", "Story Of My Love", "He's A Real Gone Guy", "See See Rider", "You Better Stop", and "All The Time".

A wonderful collection of work from Balla Et Ses Balladins – one of the leading group on the Guinean scene during its "authenticite" years of the 60s and 70s – presented here in a massive 2CD package of their work for the Syliphone label! The group have a really wide-ranging approach to their grooves – a sound with space for both modern and traditional elements of African music, as well as some of the Cuban touches that were showing up in the scene during the 60s. The rhythms here are always pretty lively, crafted out of heavy percussion and guitar lines – and most numbers have vocals in French. As with others in the Syliphone Years series, this collection is beautifully done – with a 44 page booklet that features extensive notes in both French and English, as well as color images of the group and it's orignal records. 2CD set features 28 tracks in all – including "Toure", "JRDA", "Belebele", "N'Na Soba", "Kaira", "Sakhodougou", "Tara", "Sara 70", "Nyo", "Ancien Combatant", "Sankaran Ka", and "Yadhai Gere".

Rhythmic early 60s global grooves from John Berberian – a master of the oud with a great group of players on these oft intense takes traditional Turkish, Armenian and Arabic songs! The melodies and rhythms are pretty impressive – the percussion is particularly heavy and groovy! The oud is out front and supported by lots of clarinet and bongo, hand percussion, guitar, bass and some vocals, too! There's a passion here that easily trumps any initial thoughts that this would be a dry reading of middle-eastern folk material – it's appealing in many of the ways that Salah Ragab's Egyptian jazz material is, without the cosmic funkiness. Players include Souren Baronian on clarinet and bongos, Jack Chalikian on canun, John Valentine on guitar and dudoog, among others. Tracks include "Siseler", "Laz", "Basha Bella", "Whyek", "Taksim", and "Nubar Nubar".

An obscure Jazz Messengers session – but a great one! The album is ostensibly a set of jazz versions of tunes from the musical Golden Boy, and the group this time is a larger one than usual – a total of 10 players, led by Blakey – and playing beautifully over arrangements from Wayne Shorter, Curtis Fuller, and Cedar Walton! The style's not any sort of clunky "jazz meets Broadway" mode, though – as the care taken by the artists involved help elevate the tunes, and the performance, to a whole new soulful level – hardly what you'd expect! The group features trumpet work from Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard, tenor from Wayne Shorter, alto from James Spaulding, trombone from Curtis Fuller, baritone from Charles Davis, piano from Cedar Walton, and bass from Reggie Workman – all very hip cats, working here with the same sort of large group textures you might hear on Freddie Hubbard's Body & Soul album from the same time, mixed with some more traditionally Blakey-led moments. Titles include "Yes I Can", "Theme From Golden Boy", "Lorna's Here", "This is The Life", and "There's A Party".

A record with a really timeless feel, and a great mix of classic and contemporary – rootsy Ghanaian instrumentation, modern production, and just a touch of electronics – all wrapped up in a mix that's mighty nice – and one that's a lot more earthy than you might expect! Bola's not exactly in Konono territory, but his approach isn't that far off, either – as there's a core element to the music that relies strongly on older traditions – and an execution that just makes slight use of contemporary electronics – often used very sparely, just to underscore the key aspects of the music – in ways that almost make the acoustic elements sound even more fragile and crisp! The set's hardly a remix-type project, and has a gritty appeal that goes way beyond any of the too-sweetly recorded sessions of recent years – almost more in an Analogue Africa mode overall. Titles include "Yine Mmema", "Abayetidu Ma", "Hoyenbesa Nini", "Makamiba", and "Burilbunbol Suma".

Excellent work from Chicago reed player David Boykin – a much more straight ahead album than some of his earlier work, but done with an edge that keeps it in the ranks of the AACM tradition that has informed much of Boykin's music from the start. Boykin is on sax and clarinet – and the rest of the group includes Josh Abrams on bass, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Jim Baker on piano, and Isaiah Spencer on drums – grooving together in an angular modern bop approach that recalls some of Roland Kirk's most adventurous work of the 60s, touched with traces of the more soulful side of the Chicago avant scene. Titles include "Niki's Bounce", "Jacuzzi", "Virgo", "Sunset", "Stalking The Cat", "Sunrise", "Antimatter", and "Jiffy Pop".

"Expanse" is a mighty big name for the group that David Boykin uses on this record – especially given that the combo's only a quintet – but that's ok with us, because the sound here is more than large enough to warrant the name! Boykin's working with a great batch of players from the Chicago scene here – including frequent musical partner Nicole Mitchell on flute, sliding wonderfully alongside David's saxophones – plus Jim Baker on piano, Josh Abrams on bass, and Mike Reed on drums. The album features two longish tracks, both composed by Boykin with a vision that's freely expressive, yet never too free – a perfect balance that reigns things in wonderfully, and which shows him to be one of the key current heirs to a Chicago tradition that runs back to the early AACM and Sun Ra! Titles include "Nuance" and "47th Street Ghost".

One of the stranger James Brown albums from the 60s! The record is one of the only vocal albums he cut for the Smash label – and it was issued during a time when James was strangely contracted to two labels – King and Smash. His dual contract situation was that he couldn't record any new original vocal material for Smash – apart from the title track "Out Of Sight", which had already been snuck on the market, and which is a sinister funky track built along the same lines as "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" (not on this album.) Apart from that track, the rest of the material on the record is more traditional R&B and pop stuff – sung by James in a strong soul style. Titles include "Somethin Else", "Nature Boy", "Maybe The Last Time", "I Wanna Be Around", "I Got You", and "Good Rockin Tonight". The liner notes are great, too – with some pretty interesting information on Brown's career, and African-American politics.

A slammin' set of heavy R&B numbers from James Brown – combined in here with some other nice tracks from King Records artists of the time! The set almost has the same feeling as some of the James Brown Show albums – in that James is presented with other hard-hitting artists of his time – yet the difference here is that the others are King Records giants in their own right. The album features about 50% material by James – all hard hitters that include "Suds", "Hold It", "Scratch", "Night Train", "Cross Firing", and "Night Flying" – nearly all of which are instrumentals, in the best early King tradition! These are followed up by other tunes, mostly instrumental, from other artists – including "Doin Everything" and "Switch A Roo" by Henry Moore, "Tonk Game" by Hank Marr, "Bushy Tail" by Clifford Scott, "The Wobble" by The Wobblers, and "Just A Little Bit Of Everything" by Herb Hardesty'.

With a cell phone on the cover, blues has definitely gone far from the delta – yet this recent set from Willie Buck still keeps strongly in a Chicago electric tradition! Backing is by a tight group of north side players – including Rockin Johnny on guitar, who helps underscore Willie's soulful lead vocals as the set rocks and rollicks along! There's a surprising amount of cuts on the record – and titles include "Streamline Woman", "What's The Matter With The Mill", "Tow Truck Man", "Doin Good & Bad At The Same Time", "Cell Phone Man", "Strange Woman", and "Blow Wind Blow".

Astoundingly strong early recordings by Mississippi blues hero RL Burnside – with violence-tinged songs performed with a clearer, though no less tough voice than we heard on the songs that made him a bit more famous in 1990s! Includes RL's takes on traditionals played on acoustic guitar and accompanied by little more than foot stomps and handclaps! Really vital stuff, whether you're hearing RL Burnside for the first time, and finding this after more famous later recordings. Includes "Just Like A Bird Without A Feather", "Goin' Down South", "Come On In", "Rollin' And Tumblin'", "Jumper On The Line", "Hobo Blues", "Sat Down On My Bnd And Cried" and more,

A gracious and soulful gospel jazz effort from Don Byron – a set inspired by Thomas Dorsey and Sister Rosetta Tharpe – and he serves both proudly! The set includes a number of Dorsey compositions, plus some nice takes on traditional "Didn't It Rain", Eddie Harris's "Sham Time" and a few other solid interpretions. Also includes the standout Don Byron original "Himmm". Byron plays clarinets on a few numbers, on top of always warm and inventive saxes, with DK Dyson singing, Xavier Davis on piano and backing vocals, Brad Jones on bass and backing vocals and Pheeroan Aklaff on drums – with guests Brandon Ross, Vernon Reid, Dean Bowman, Ralph Alessi & JD Parran. Includes "Highway To Heaven", "When I've Sung My Last Song", "It's My Desire", "Take My Hand, Precious Lord", "Hide Me In Thy Bosom", "I've Got To Live The Life I Sing About In My Song", "When I've Done My Best" and more.

Sublime minimal sounds from Italian composer Robert Cacciapaglia – a record we'd rank right up there with the 70s best from Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass! Cacciapaglia follows in a tradition begun by other Italian modernists – like Giusto Pio and Franco Battiatto – but he also adds in phase-oriented playing that really opens things up – a beautifully lyrical vibe that's probably most close to Terry Riley in its hypnotic swell, but which is carried off here through complicated variations of strings, woodwinds, electronics, marimba, and some especially great vocal passages! The cover's as wonderful as the music – and the whole thing's a set we've treasured for years.

Cavaquinho with a great dose of jazz – all to make some really wonderful music that does a great job of bridging Brazilian music traditions! Joao Callado plays cavaquinho on the set – using the small stringed instrument with a great sense of grace, and working in a highly rhythmic mode too – one that's perfect for the album's mix of instrumentation that often includes trumpet and tenor, used with jazzy inflections – plus plenty of core percussion and guitar as well! A few cuts have vocals, but most are instrumental – and the album's arguably got even more life and spirit than Joao's previous set for the Biscoito Fino label. Titles include "Valsa Jongo", "Samba Em 3", "Explode O Salao", "2 Pra La 3 Pra CA", "3 Na Marcha", "Tecnovalsa", and "Brisa De Copacabana".

A 22 track collection of work by Mike Cambpell – a little-known Bay Area vocalist from the 80s, with a sweetly swinging style that's very much in the tradition of Mark Murphy, another San Francisco contemporary. The CD features 12 tracks from Campell's 1982 album Secret Fantasy, originally issued on the Palo Alto Jazz label – plus another 10 tracks from various sessions throughout the 80s, all with a similar warm small combo feel. The tracks are a mix of originals, standards, and some hipper fare from the left end of the jazz vocal spectrum – and titles include "Dat Dere", "Early", "Another Star", "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco", "Round Midnight", "Soft Strum Blues", "And It All Goes Round & Round", "Mystery", "Alone Again", and "High Wire".

One of the most essential Can albums, and perhaps their best – have drums ever sounded better on a record? Ege Bamyasi features some of Jaki Liebezeit's greatest beats, from the shorter songs like the amazing "Vitamin C", "I'm So Green", and "Spoon", to the longer, stretched out tunes in the tradition of the group's previous masterpiece, Tago Mago – "Pinch", "Soup", and "One More Night". With the classic second lineup, featuring Damo Suzuki on vocals, spouting off in several languages during the course of single song, but with a few instrumental numbers too. Elastic grooves with a driving pulse!

Rondi Charleston's a heck of a great jazz singer – but also turns out to be a strong songwriter as well – with a depth that makes the record way more than just another collection of standards! Even better, Rondi's got a strong respect for an older jazz vocal tradition – which you can really hear in the inflections of her lyrics – in modes that echo singers like Annie Ross or Jackie Cain, with a similar blend of swing, sweet, and smartness! Dave Stryker plays guitar, and gives the album musical direction – and co-wrote a number of songs with Charlestone – including "DNA", "How The River Flows", and "The Wind Speaks". The set also features a great vocal take on Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" – and Jon Hendricks lyrics to Monk's "Reflections" and Randy Weston's "Babe's Blues".

Sprightly, modernist Kollywood pop from the mid 80s – beautifully sung by KS Chithra, with the boundary-busting sounds and arrangements of Ilaiyaraaja! The songs are wonderful, time-honored regional pop sounds – traditionally-constructed songs blended with some 80s studio touches – loops, multi-tracking, drum machines, synths and electric keys – which all then fuse seamlessly with the haunting strings, percussion and achingly beautiful female vocals you'd expect from Kollywood – mixed with some madder, pulpy bits too! KS Chithra is as lovely of a vocalist as Asha Bhosle and other more internationally known singers, adding the warmth and depth of the songs collected here. We might even love this more than the earlier Ilaiyaraaja work Finders Keepers put together for the Solla Solla compilation – we didn't expect this to surpass it! Wonderful! Includes "Indha Vennila", "Yaaro Sonnaangalaam", "Vandadhe", "Oh My Love", "Pon Maaney", "Kankaliley", "Rathiri Thookkam", "Velli Kizhamai", "Oru Pooncholai", "Nethu Oruthara", "Hey Maina" and more.

One of the best later albums by Chocolate Milk – a bit different than their earlier work with Allen Toussaint, but still bouncing along in a sweet 80s groove, with more than enough traces of their roots as a funky combo! Leo Nocentelli's sitting in on guitar, adding some nice licks to keep some tracks a bit more firmly grounded in tradition, despite some more modern production touches – and the album's got a compelling vibe that's partly pointed towards the boogie generation of the 80s, but with a heavier funk component overall! Titles include "Let's Go All The Way", "Like My Lady's Love", "Honey Bun", "Running On Empty", and a version of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long".

French journalist/composer Andre Hodier was one of the leading voices of European jazz in the postwar years – a committed modernist, but with a strong understanding of all the traditions of jazz. This classic set features American drummer Kenny Clarke working with a group of French musicians on a set of originals and jazz standards set to arrangements by Hodier. Players include trumpeter Roger Guerin, pianists Marial Solal and Rene Utreger, and saxophonists Armand Migani and Hubert Rostaing. The set's a great batch of angular bop numbers – and it's a great chance to hear what Clarke can really do on the drum kit when he's given a chance to open up. Titles include "Oblique", "On A Riff", "Bemsha Swing", "Cadenza", "Eronel", "The Squirrel", and "Tahiti".

A classic – and virtually the blueprint for all spiritual soul jazz recordings of the 70s! John Coltrane's at a perfect point here – balanced between the modal hardbop of earlier years, and the freer soloing of his last few recordings. He links the traditions together with a majestic sense of power and spirituality, twisting and turning his way through a tightly woven suite of tracks that's played to perfection by the quartet of Coltrane on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm".

A classic – and virtually the blueprint for all spiritual soul jazz recordings of the 70s! John Coltrane's at a perfect point here – balanced between the modal hardbop of earlier years, and the freer soloing of his last few recordings. He links the traditions together with a majestic sense of power and spirituality, twisting and turning his way through a tightly woven suite of tracks that's played to perfection by the quartet of Coltrane on tenor sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums. Movements include "Acknowledgement", "Resolution", "Pursuance", and "Psalm".

Very expressive work from Chick Corea – a solo set from the 90s, and a great reminder of his acoustic talents on the piano! Although Chick's a player you might normally associate with electric riffs and freewheeling fusion, he's also a very sensitive stylist when he wants to be – as you'll hear on the album's beautiful versions of familiar standards – played by Corea in ways that really open the tunes up, and in surprisingly short amount of time. It's almost as if Chick's brought all the open-ended modes he learned from the fusion years back to traditional jazz piano – making them work beautifully, all without any tricks or gimmicks. Titles include "Monk's Mood", "My Ship", "Lush Life", "Armando's Rhumba", "Stella By Starlight", and "This Nearly Was Mine".

A mellow soul classic from Chicago – and one of the last great records to come out of the city's hip 70s soul scene! We know very little about Crystal Winds – save for this excellent record, one of the few titles issued on the short-lived Cash Ear label, a south-side imprint in the tradition of 70s powerhouse labels like Curtom or Chi-Sound. The work's got a wonderfully polished feel – lots of jazzy harmonies on the vocals, and a smooth midtempo groove that reminds us of some of the best work on Fantasy Records, especially those handled by Wayne Henderson and At Home Productions. Includes a great jazzy stepper called "Signs of Winter's Time", plus other great tracks like "So Sad", "Love Ain't Easy", and "It's A Wondrous Thing".

Enigmatic folk rock and soulful bluesy vocals from Karen Dalton – her legendary lost 1971 album that's credited with inspiring some the most idiosyncratic work by folk rock superstars and contemporary freak folk heroes alike! Karen was a fixture on the 60s NY folk scene – Dylan even gives her props in his Chronicles Vol 1 memoirs – but she rarely recorded. Her voice carries a huge Billie Holiday influence – but the delivery is wholly unique in her earthy folk phrasing, a real dip back into Harry Smith territory. Her guitar and banjo picking is strong, too! In My Own Time was recorded for Paramount at the end of 1970 and beginning of '71, with really rich and surprisingly soulful backing on an interesting selection of material written or popularized by Dylan & The Band, George Jones, Paul Butterfield, and even a folksy soul take on "When A Man Loves A Woman". Light In The Attic shines a huge light for this reverential reissue – pristinely remastered, with a thick booklet of liner notes by Lenny Kaye, Nick Cave and Devendra Banhart. Other tracks include "Something On Your Mind", "In My Own Dream", the traditional "Katie Cruel", "One Night Of Love" and "Are You Leaving For The Country".

Enigmatic folk rock and soulful bluesy vocals from Karen Dalton – her legendary lost 1971 album that's credited with inspiring some the most idiosyncratic work by folk rock superstars and contemporary freak folk heroes alike! Karen was a fixture on the 60s NY folk scene – Dylan even gives her props in his Chronicles Vol 1 memoirs – but she rarely recorded. Her voice carries a huge Billie Holiday influence – but the delivery is wholly unique in her earthy folk phrasing, a real dip back into Harry Smith territory. Her guitar and banjo picking is strong, too! In My Own Time was recorded for Paramount at the end of 1970 and beginning of '71, with really rich and surprisingly soulful backing on an interesting selection of material written or popularized by Dylan & The Band, George Jones, Paul Butterfield, and even a folksy soul take on "When A Man Loves A Woman". Light In The Attic shines a huge light for this reverential reissue – pristinely remastered with notes by Lenny Kaye, Nick Cave and Devendra Banhart. Other tracks include "Something On Your Mind", "In My Own Dream", the traditional "Katie Cruel", "One Night Of Love" and "Are You Leaving For The Country".

A masterful meeting of 2 50s modern jazz talents – the trumpet of Miles Davis balanced with the arrangements of Gil Evans – with results that have made the album one of Miles' greatest ever! The sound here is completely sublime – as Davis gets all chromatic and spooky over Evans' edgey arrangements – shimmering nicely in a perfect blend of modernism and lighter, more lyrical touches. Titles include "Springsville", "Blues For Pablo", "New Rhumba", "Lament", and "Miles Ahead". This is the record that your dad bought to prove that he was cool, buy it from us and keep up the family tradition!

Great old school spaghetti western scoring from Francesco De Masi – and a soundtrack with so many wonderful elements in place! The leadoff tune – "Oklahoma John" – is sung in English, and has a nice sort of 50s feel to it – proud and bold. Following instrumental tunes mix in plenty of traditional western modes – strummed guitar here, Alessandroni whistling there, and just the right sort of dramatic flourishes to spur the action onward – yet always used in the best sort of economical way – the truly great contribution of the Italian scores of this generation. CD features a whopping 23 tracks in all – newly remastered too!

A rollicking 70s comedy score from the team of Guido & Maurizio De Angelis – quite a change from the harder sounds of their more familiar crime soundtracks! The album begins with some short tunes that are plenty playful – almost a 70s take on some of the more whimsical melodies you might find in Italian cinema of the early 60s – such as in the work of Nino Rota. Other tracks start to shift the mood a bit, but in ways that are a bit more contemporary – sometimes using slight funky touches or keyboards, but then quickly returning to more traditional fare in the end. CD features a total of 28 short tunes in all!

A real lost treasure – and an incredible session that offers a real meeting of minds that's far more than you'd expect from the simple cover and title! The set is a later one for Vee Jay, and it brings together half of the Jazz Messengers with a batch of west coast players – in a groove that wonderfully mixes together different traditions and rhythms in jazz – and which steps out with a sound that's far more than the sum of its parts! Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, and Curtis Fuller join a group headed by Buddy De Franco, and featuring Victor Feldman on piano and vibes, plus Victor Sproles on bass and Freddie Hill on trumpet. The sound of the group is quite unusual – and a lot lighter than you'd guess – giving Buddy plenty of room to solo in a breezy style that's grown tremendously since his 50s recordings – pushed along by some heavier soul from Art and the group. Titles include "Rain Dance", "Blues Bag", "Twelve Tone Blues", "Kush", and "Cousin Mary".

A great later score from Georges Delerue – wonderfully dark, with a sense of tension that comes through right from the very first note! Delerue's sometimes got a great way with beauty – but this time around, he really shows his darker side – working slow strings with very sharp edges, sounds that are never too atonal, but really have an offbeat feel! Although the instrumentation is overall in the more traditional Delerue orchestral mode, there's almost a 70s Italian feel at times – thanks to Georges' great use of space between the notes. Titles include "Elevators", "21 Club", "Piano Practise", "Break In", "The Bath", "Hide & Seek", "The Bookstore", and "The Cemetary".

A great set of singles and rarities from 70s sunshine pop group Design! It's a UK combo whose boy/girl vocal harmonies and super sunny sound carried on the tradition of some of our favorite Cali group of the late 60s – and they're so good at hitting that vibe, it's hard to believe they don't hail from the west coast! This excellent compilation from RPM UK puts together the group's singles from the late 60s onward into the 70s – with both the A- and B-sides, plus some sweet rarities and demos that are hardly less lovely than the fully-realized album and 45 sessions! Wonderful stuff from a group that outta be better remembered! Includes "Colour All The World", "Mayday", "One Sunny Day", "Day By Day", Children Of The Mist", "Sunny", "Insurance", "Islands Of Love", "As It Was", "Calais", "Never Been A Love Like This", "Flown Away" and more. 20 in all.

Devo brings their classic theory of De-Evolution to the Spuds of Seattle in 1981 – right around the time of the group's popular peak! Devo archivist Michael Pilmer (of Devo-Obsesso, ground zero for all things Devo on the web) purportedly found the tapes in a shoebox full of cassettes in Bob No 2’s home some years ago, which he immediately transferred it to DAT – and now we have this terrific document of Devo on the New Traditionalists tour. The set features a good portion of tracks from that album as well as live favorites from their earlier albums that are amazing to this day! Includes "Going Under", "Through Being Cool", "Jerkin' Back N' Forth", "Soft Things", "Planet Earth", "Whip It", "Super Thing", "Mongoloid", "Jocko Homo", "Smart Patrol/Mr DNA", "Girl You Want", "Gut Feeling", "Gates Of Steel", "Beautiful World", "Working In A Coalmine" and more.

Sublime work from one of our favorite groups ever on Salsoul Records – the amazing harmony quartet Double Expsoure – soaring out here in a set of Philly gems produced by Norman Harris! The album's got a wonderful sound right from the start – rich in rhythms, yet also soaring on harmonies that few other Philly acts could even touch – especially at this point in the 70s, when the group sound seemed to be waning a bit on other fronts. In a way, Double Exposure really carry on the best tradition of the east coast scene with a set like this – pushing things forward with rolling grooves for the clubs, yet also showing that they still can have a special way with a ballad too – a blend that's maybe only matched by Teddy Pendergrass-era work by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Titles include "Newsy Neighbors", "Perfect Lover", "There's Something Missing", "Handy Man", and "Why Do You Have to Leave". CD features bonus tracks – "Perfect Lover (orig single)", "Newsy Neighbors (unreleased 12" mix)", and "Newsy Neighbors (orig single)".

A wonderful album – one of those underground classics that seems to show up in everyone's record collection, even though it was never a huge chart hit. Double Exposure are part of the "second wave" of East Coast vocal groups – and like their contemporaries, they mix the sweet harmony soul tradition of earlier years with the burgeoning clubby sound that was coming out of Philly. The set's produced by the Baker/Harris/Young team – who also play on the album along with the rest of the Sigma Sound crew – and the songs feature some stunning anthemic club numbers, plus a few surprisingly sweet harmony tunes. Includes their huge cut "Ten Percent", the amazing positivist groover "Everyman" – and the cuts "My Love Is Free", "Gonna Give My Love Away", and "Just Can't Say Hello". CD features some great bonus tracks too – including "Ten Percent (Walter Gibbons 12" disco)", "Everyman (Joe Claussell 12" disco)", "My Love Is Free (Tom Moulton 12" disco)", "Ten Percent (single)", "Everyman (single)", and "My Love Is Free (single)".

A killer batch of work from Eastside Connection – one of the hippest soul groups on the LA scene of the 70s, and a key link to that city's older tradition of Latino soul! Eastside Connection have a sound that's a bit more smooth and aimed at the clubs than earlier LA groups of their type – but they're also wonderfully upfront, open, and honest in their approach – mixing well-styled vocals from both male and female group members, and pushing things forward with a nice dose of jazz in the grooves! And although an indie set, the record's still got some really great production – a careful, classy approach that keeps the album riding high all the way through. Titles include their classic "You're So Right For Me", plus "Frisco Disco", "Sweet Sweet Love", "Dancin", "It's Real", "Let's Not Fall Apart", "Too Sophisticated", and "Over Please".

An important larger work from Duke Ellington – a suite of tracks that encompasses a range of styles and emotions in African-American expression! The work features some key guest work from Mahalia Jackson – singing here in a way that's different than other vocalists who worked with Duke in the 50s – much more steeped in a rootsy tradition. Group members include John Sanders, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Quentin Jackson, and Cat Anderson – and the piece is divided into 6 sections, and includes the famous "Come Sunday" theme throughout most of the second half. Plus, the CD features a number of rare bonus tracks – including "Blues In Orbit" and "Track 360" in alternate takes, and a whole alternate version of the album – plus an acapella version of "Come Sunday", and even Mahalia Jackson swearing in the studio!

A huge hit for both The Emotions and Maurice White – whose Kalimba Productions handled this album in the same hit mode they'd been using for Earth Wind & Fire! There's a polished, soaring bounce her that definitely shows the Earth Wind & Fire touch – and which takes the girls miles from their rougher, rootsier soul of the Stax/Volt years – yet like all the best EWF records of the time, the sound is also plenty soulful, with lots of righteous undercurrents. The album includes the group's wonderful track "Don't Ask My Neighbors", a heavenly tune that builds on a long tradition of sweet female soul from Chicago; the super-huge "Best Of My Love", a hit on dancefloors and radios for years to come – and many other nice numbers like "Blessed", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", and "Key To My Heart".

It's hard to believe the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble is 35 years old – especially when Kahil El'Zabar looks so young on the cover, and when the group's sound is fresher than ever! The album's got a really beautiful, timeless sort of feel – spiritual jazz that few groups can play this well – balanced between El'Zabar's percussion and kalimba, the trumpet of Corey Wilkes, and the saxes of Ernest Dawkins – all key players in the Chicago scene, carrying on a rich tradition of AACM expression and other spiritual sounds. The album's wonderfully free from gimmicks – some of the most back to basics work we've heard from Kahil in years, and a great reminder of why we first fell in love with his music a few decades back – and the balance of the two horn players over percussion really creates a strong sense of power in the record – a bold vision that comes through beautifully! Titles include "Barundi", "Kari", "Oof", "All Blues", and "Ornette".

A great little back to basics effort from the Fania All Stars – one that shakes off some of the electric and clubby influences that were creeping in during their years at Columbia, and returns the group to a mostly salsa groove! The sound here is bold and bright throughout – traditional at one level, but colored with modern inflections and a deepening sense of sophistication that may well make it one of the group's most cohesive records ever! Members of the ensemble include Roberto Roena, Johnny Pacheco, Luie Ramirez, and Papo Lucca – and vocals are by Celia Cruz, Adalberto Santiago, Ruben Blades, Santos Colon, Hector Lavoe, and Cheo Feliciano. Titles include "Dinamita", "Dime", "Ublabadu", "Cuando Despiertes", "La Borinquena", and "Encantigo".

6 raw club tracks with a touch of acid in the classic Trax tradition!

One of the best new soul records we've heard in years – a tremendous accomplishment for the mighty Lee Fields, and a set that's quite different than any of his other work! We've always loved Lee's funk and deep soul sides, but this album's something new altogether – almost done in the hard-edge, downtempo mode of the east coast harmony scene of the late 60s and early 70s – like some of the best group soul work coming out of New Jersey or Philly, with some super-dope production and instrumentation that's really amazing! The grooves follow strongly in the same laidback style as recent El Michels work – no surprise, given the El Michels connection to the music – with beats that are hard, but slow – and instrumentation that's funky, but in a mellow sort of way. Lee's vocals are as deep as ever – very much trained in the James Brown tradition, but turned here towards a really unique groove that makes us completely reevaluate his talents – an amazing achievement not just for Fields, but also for the whole Truth & Soul/El Michels crew! An instant classic – with tracks that include "My World", "Ladies", "Expressions Theme", "Honey Dove", "Money I$ King", "Love Comes & Goes", "Do You Love Me", and "Last Ride".

Madly tripped out guitar funk – and a real turning point in the career of guitarist Eddie Fisher! Eddie began his career as a straighter guitarist on the St Louis scene – and although his first album for Cadet was a relatively traditional soul-jazz outing, this one's a wild batch of tripped-out guitar licks! The band's a fuzzy psychedelic one – not in a rock-styled way, but more in an early George Clinton kind of mode, with plenty of rumbling bass at the bottom, warm electric piano lines, nicely placed drum beats, and Eddie's fuzzbox guitar snaking and wah wah-ing over the top! Eddie arranged and produced, and the record's a perfect batch of kicked-back stoner funk numbers that go on and on and on and on! Titles include "Land Of Our Father", "Beautiful Things", "East St Louis Blues", "Another Episode", "Either Or", and "Jeremiah Pucket".

Funky organ, hard tenor sax, and plenty of choppy guitar make this another jazz funk gem in the crown of the legendary Funk Inc! The group are still totally at the top of their game here – stepping out with a deep, soulful Indy-bred blend of jazz and funk – a groove that was easily one of the hippest going in the early 70s Prestige Records scene – and that's saying a lot, given the company the label was keeping at the time! The record's got one track that features some nice soulful vocals – the political cut "Let's Make Peace & Stop The War" – but the best cuts are the instrumentals, grooving along hard in the band's best modal funky tradition! Titles include "The Better Half", "Jung Bungo", and "Running Away".

2 incredible soundtracks from Serge Gainsbourg – both of them from his best period of work! Cannabis is a tremendously funky set of tunes – and some real standout soundtrack material from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg! Serge is working here with some great help from Jean-Claude Vannier – the guiding force behind Melody Nelson – and Vannier brings some great grooves to the record, really going for those sexy riffs and breaks that make us love Gainsbourg's music so much! There's a bit of vocals, but the main focus is on the instrumentation – which shifts nicely from track to track, taking the themes in some very nice directions – all of them definitely up to the sexy standard of Serge. The score to Ce Sacre Grand Pere is included here as bonus work – and features tracks written by both Serge and Michel Colombier. The overall feel is more orchestral and traditionally soundtrack-styled, but there are a few really sly funky tracks that offer up Serge at his sexy best! The set's got 21 tracks in all, and titles include "Cannabis", "Jane Dans La Nuit", "Danger", "Avant De Mourir", "Cannabis-bis", "Piege", "I Want To Feel Crazy", "Le Deuxieme Homme", "Champetre Et Pop 1", "Nous Les Jericho", and "L'Herbe Tendre".

2 incredible soundtracks from Serge Gainsbourg – both of them from his best period of work! Cannabis is a tremendously funky set of tunes – and some real standout soundtrack material from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg! Serge is working here with some great help from Jean-Claude Vannier – the guiding force behind Melody Nelson – and Vannier brings some great grooves to the record, really going for those sexy riffs and breaks that make us love Gainsbourg's music so much! There's a bit of vocals, but the main focus is on the instrumentation – which shifts nicely from track to track, taking the themes in some very nice directions – all of them definitely up to the sexy standard of Serge. The score to Ce Sacre Grand Pere is included here as bonus work – and features tracks written by both Serge and Michel Colombier. The overall feel is more orchestral and traditionally soundtrack-styled, but there are a few really sly funky tracks that offer up Serge at his sexy best! The set's got 21 tracks in all, and titles include "Cannabis", "Jane Dans La Nuit", "Danger", "Avant De Mourir", "Cannabis-bis", "Piege", "I Want To Feel Crazy", "Le Deuxieme Homme", "Champetre Et Pop 1", "Nous Les Jericho", and "L'Herbe Tendre".

Very nice funky stuff! This may be the best single ever by this lost Chicago funk artist. It's got a great hard groove, in a very James Brown way, and raw heavy lyrics in the best funky 45 tradition.

The first true moment of genius from the legendary Curt Boettcher – an early 60s folk-rock set that's already overflowing with the warm harmonies and creative arrangements of his later classics! The Goldebriars boast some incredible vocals in the duo of Sheri and Dottie Holmberg – both of whom take the lead on most tracks here, sometimes singing solo, but often harmonizing beautifully – in a mode that's nearly timeless, but which has some incredible musical touches from Boettcher, who pushes the vocals far from traditional folk mode, into a really unique sound that points the way towards countless post-folk imitators in years to come! Titles include "Long Time Travellin", "No More Auction Block", "Voyager's Lament", "Railroad Boy", "Come Walk Me Out", and "He Was A Friend Of Mine".

Rare work from British easy maestro Ron Goodwin – one of England's most important orchestral talents of the 50s and 60s! Disc one of the set features Goodwin's instrumental singles of the 50s – many of which were done in a style that's similar to some of Les Baxter's pre-exotica work for Capitol. Like Baxter, Goodwin came from a more traditional style of mood music, but was also willing to work in farther-reaching modes – and would pick up traces of some of the more ambitious easy styles of his time. The second disc features Goodwin's soundtrack work of later years – much of which was done in highly dramatic styles that often supported historical narratives, war stories, and other films of an epic nature. Together, the 2CD set makes for a great look at Goodwin's oft-neglected work – and is packaged with a great set of notes and a huge amount of tracks! Titles include "Concetta", "Red Cloak", "The Melba Waltz", "Messenger Boy", "Jet Journey", "Tropical Mirage", "Josita", "Wagon Train", "Aces High", "Departure", "Frenzy", "Decline & Fall", "Cafe Royal Waltz", "Return My Love", and "When Eagles Dare". 53 tracks in all!

One of our favorite later albums by Stephane Grappelli – a really inventive little session that's filled with odd twists and turns! The outward format is somewhat simple – a quartet with Roland Hanna on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – but the structure of the songs is quite fresh, often with unusual timings and rhythms arranged by Hanna – which are themselves augmented by Grappelli's instrumentation – way more than just traditional jazz violin, and a complicated mixture of plucked and bowed phrasing. Titles include "Parisian Thoroughfare", "Wave", "Too Cute", "Fascinating Rhythm", "Love For Sale", and "Perugia".

One of Harley's beautiful albums for Atlantic, and a record that shouldn't work at all – but it does! Harley plays bagpipes throughout the album, and he does so in a way that sounds nothing like any of the snoozy Scottish assumptions you may have about the instrument. Instead, Harley draws from a rich African reed tradition, and gets these amazing off-kilter tones with a deep spiritual feel. It helps that he's backed by some great players here, including Richard Tee on piano, Chuck Raney on bass, and Eric Gale on guitar – plus some other African instrumentation on a few cuts. Tracks include "Kings", "Queens", and surprisingly wonderful covers of "8 Miles High" and "Windy".

The first full length collaboration between blues, soul and rock slide guitar eclecticist Ben Harper and harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite – and it's win for both – with a vibe that's rooted in many traditions, but feels right at home in both Harper's and Musselwhite's wheelhouses. We expected a blues & soul covers set when we first heard that this project was in the works – and while the prospect of these 2 fellows working together on the classic Americana songbook sounds like a pretty good idea to us – we're actually all the more impressed with this all originals take on classic styled craft. A bit of blues and blues rock, a bit of gospel, and a bit of southern styled folk soul – and a bunch of great songs! It's a full band set up for the most part, too, as opposed to a spare duos set – and the titles include "Don't Look Twice", "I'm In I'm Out And I'm Gone", "We Can't End This Way", "You Found Another Lover (I Lost Another Friend), "I Ride At Dawn", "Get Up!", "She Got Kick", "Blood Side Out" and "All That Matters Now".

The first full length collaboration between blues, soul and rock slide guitar eclecticist Ben Harper and harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite – and it's win for both – with a vibe that's rooted in many traditions, but feels right at home in both Harper's and Musselwhite's wheelhouses. We expected a blues & soul covers set when we first heard that this project was in the works – and while the prospect of these 2 fellows working together on the classic Americana songbook sounds like a pretty good idea to us – we're actually all the more impressed with this all originals take on classic styled craft. A bit of blues and blues rock, a bit of gospel, and a bit of southern styled folk soul – and a bunch of great songs! It's a full band set up for the most part, too, as opposed to a spare duos set – and the titles include "Don't Look Twice", "I'm In I'm Out And I'm Gone", "We Can't End This Way", "You Found Another Lover (I Lost Another Friend), "I Ride At Dawn", "Get Up!", "She Got Kick", "Blood Side Out" and "All That Matters Now". Deluxe edition comes with a bonus making-of DVD with additional live versions of a few of the tunes!

The first full length collaboration between blues, soul and rock slide guitar eclecticist Ben Harper and harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite – and it's win for both – with a vibe that's rooted in many traditions, but feels right at home in both Harper's and Musselwhite's wheelhouses. We expected a blues & soul covers set when we first heard that this project was in the works – and while the prospect of these 2 fellows working together on the classic Americana songbook sounds like a pretty good idea to us – we're actually all the more impressed with this all originals take on classic styled craft. A bit of blues and blues rock, a bit of gospel, and a bit of southern styled folk soul – and a bunch of great songs! It's a full band set up for the most part, too, as opposed to a spare duos set – and the titles include "Don't Look Twice", "I'm In I'm Out And I'm Gone", "We Can't End This Way", "You Found Another Lover (I Lost Another Friend), "I Ride At Dawn", "Get Up!", "She Got Kick", "Blood Side Out" and "All That Matters Now".

An amazing record from the young Lee Hazlewood – recorded in the years before working with Nancy Sinatra, and done with a very hip edge that stretches way past its date of origin – to a time ten years later, when the LA scene would be in the midst of a fascination with country and roots music! Hazlewood is the lost link in that tradition, and this album is key proof of that fact – served up with a mixture of warmth, cynicism, and just plain wit that was extremely unusual for the early 60s. Lee uses the fictional town of Trouble as the setting for the 10 little story tracks in the album – which are great little songs about love, life, not loving, and not living. The music is deceptively simple, and Hazlewood weaves the songs together with narration that brings the whole thing alive nicely – really showcasing the warmth and wit that makes his music so special. Titles include "We All Make The Flowers Grow", "Six Feet Of Chain", "Trouble Is A Lonesome Town", "The Railroad", "Run Boy Run", "Son Of A Gun", and "Look At That Woman". Rare mono mix, beautifully presented with great sound and loads of notes – and also features a huge amount of bonus tracks too! Bonus tracks include "It's An Actuality", "Forth Worth", "I Guess It's Love", and the incredible promo-only "Lee Hazlewood Autobiography" – which features Hazlewood telling his life story set to his own acoustic guitar playing, with even more wit than on the album – plus two vocal tunes with Duane Eddy – "The Girl On Death Row" and "Words Mean Nothing" – and four more recorded under the name of Mark Robinson – "Pretty Jane", "Want Me", "Can't Let Her See Me Cry", and "I've Made Enough Mistakes Today".

An amazing record from the young Lee Hazlewood – recorded in the years before working with Nancy Sinatra, and done with a very hip edge that stretches way past its date of origin – to a time ten years later, when the LA scene would be in the midst of a fascination with country and roots music! Hazlewood is the lost link in that tradition, and this album is key proof of that fact – served up with a mixture of warmth, cynicism, and just plain wit that was extremely unusual for the early 60s. Lee uses the fictional town of Trouble as the setting for the 10 little story tracks in the album – which are great little songs about love, life, not loving, and not living. The music is deceptively simple, and Hazlewood weaves the songs together with narration that brings the whole thing alive nicely – really showcasing the warmth and wit that makes his music so special. Titles include "We All Make The Flowers Grow", "Six Feet Of Chain", "Trouble Is A Lonesome Town", "The Railroad", "Run Boy Run", "Son Of A Gun", and "Look At That Woman". Rare mono mix, beautifully presented with great sound and loads of notes – and also features a huge amount of bonus tracks too! Bonus tracks include "It's An Actuality", "Forth Worth", "I Guess It's Love", and the incredible promo-only "Lee Hazlewood Autobiography" – which features Hazlewood telling his life story set to his own acoustic guitar playing, with even more wit than on the album – plus two vocal tunes with Duane Eddy – "The Girl On Death Row" and "Words Mean Nothing" – and four more recorded under the name of Mark Robinson – "Pretty Jane", "Want Me", "Can't Let Her See Me Cry", and "I've Made Enough Mistakes Today".

Not as much of an all-out funk party as some other kung fu soundtracks of the 70s – but a really great record that's filled with plenty of great spoken bits too! The album's the soundtrack to the Kung Fu TV show, which starred David Carradine – and it's mostly made up of "Eastern" sounding cuts that have a moody soundtrack feel, done in a traditional orchestral mode – spare, brooding numbers that almost feel like they're pulled from 60s Italian westerns and peplum films, but with some exotic twists and turns too! But almost best of all are the spoken bits – dialogue from the show with hokey takes on Eastern philosophy – completely charming from today's perspective, and a great counterpart to the music. Titles include "Sign Of The Dragon", "Dark Angel", "Time Of The Soul", "An Eye For An Eye", "Caine's Theme", "The Ancient Warrior", and of course, "Grasshopper"!

Groovy session of piano trio material, recorded in Chicago by the city's "great white hope" of the 60s: pianist Eddie Higgins. The set was recorded for the Dunwich production group (who gave the world The Shadows of Knight), but was licensed to Atlantic for final release. The group's a very tight trio, with Higgins backed by Richard Evans on bass and Marshall Thompson on drums – and the resulting sound is nice and soulful, in the same tradition of Chicago piano recordings by Ramsey Lewis and Ray Bryant. Titles include "Soulero", "Tango Africaine", "Mr. Evans", and "Shelly's World".

An excellent record from Hiss Golden Messenger – who blend rootsy, but freewheeling instrumentation with artful, ambitious songwriting – and they're one of the most creative groups around making brilliantly original music that still hold true to southern folk and roots history The anchors are singer/guitarist/mandolin player MC Taylor and guitar and bass player Scott Hirsch – but the music is fleshed out by a large group of great musicians on a diverse list of instruments – piano, Rhodes and Hammond on the keyboards spectrum, banjo, fiddle, pedal steel and and array of acoustic and electric strings, sax and more. In a way, it's the mix of traditional reverence and straight up newness is reminiscent of The Band in the late 60s and early 70s – but they ultimately have a vibe all their own. Includes "Red Rose Nantahala", "Sufferer (Love My Conqueror)", "I've Got A Name For The Newborn Child", "Devotion", "Hat Of Rain", "The Serpent Is Kind (Compared To Man)", "Cheerwine Easter", "Busted Note", "What Shall Be (Shall Be Enough)".

Back to back jazz soundtracks – the cream of the crop of the early 60s! First up is The Hustler – a killer jazz score from Kenyon Hopkins – a composer we can almost always trust to turn around a killer jass score! The work is mostly in a jazz ensemble mode – and moves between swinging segments, and sadder ones – those beautifully blue passages that Hopkins did so well in the early 60s – full of emotion, but in a really subtle, mature sort of way that also marked a shift in American cinema too – quite a change from the overblown emotion of a decade before, both in the music and on screen. Players include Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, and Phil Bodner on reeds; Joe Wilder on trumpet, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, Hank Jones on piano, and Barry Galbraith on guitar – and titles include "Derby Time", "Dining Out", "Fast Buck", "Small Time Charlie", "The Loser", and "Minnesota Fats". Paris Blues is a moody introspective score, written for a 1961 film that starred Paul Newman as a frustrated jazz musician living in Paris. The "Paris Blues" theme is a dark, somber composition that is supposedly Newman's masterpiece as a jazz writer – and it works beautifully with the film's themes of frustration and unfulfilled desire. Ellington's at his best here, and apart from the main theme, the score also has great versions of classics like "Mood Indigo" and "Take The A Train", plus originals like "Nite", "Wild Man Moore", "Guitar Amour", and "Paris Stairs". Also features Louis Armstrong on one track! CD also features 7 more tracks from The Long Hot Summer – a more traditional score penned by Alex North, and featuring a title song by Jimmie Rodgers.

Quite an amazing little record – and one that definitely lives up to its title! The set's one of the most intimate ever recorded by Lightning Hopkins – done in a style that's equally folk as it is blues – with Hopkins playing guitar and singing, but in a very relaxed, laidback style that also feels more conversational at points – especially when he breaks out from singing to do a bit of speaking. The approach is wonderful – just right for the aging talents of this legendary Texas musician – on cuts that include "The Gambling Life", "Mama & Papa Hopkins", "Trouble In Mind", "Get Off My Toe", "75 Highway", "Short Haired Woman", "So Long Baby", and "Bottle Up & Go".

A brilliant return from the Hot 8 Brass Band – a New Orleans combo who take tradition into some great funky new territory! As you'd guess from their name, the instrumentation is heavy on brass – played with a gritty, soulful edge – in the way you'd find during some street performance in a corner far from the mainstream Quarter – sometimes accompanied by ensemble vocals, and almost always driven by these great rhythms at the bottom – more than funky enough to set even the heaviest horns on fire with their energy. Titles include "Bingo Bango", "Fine Tuner", "Steamin Blues", "Can't Hide From The Truth", "New Orleans (After The City)", and a nice remake of The Specials' "Ghost Town".

A great and rare solo guitar record by Lena Hughes – issued here by Tompkins Square – a label that's put out some of the best fingerstyle guitar folk releases in recent memory – in both the contemporary and archival realms! Queen Of The Flat Top Guitar is an archival release in their Long Gone Sound Series – and it's one of best yet! Lena, born in 1904, was rural Missourian amateur guitarist and mainstay at Ozarks area folk festivals. This record is her one-and-only known album – and though she's also remembered as a fine fiddler and banjo player, it finds her focusing on flat top guitar in the tradition of 19th century parlor music. Warm and wonderful stuff – as inviting as anything we've heard on Tompkins Square. Includes "Pearly Dew", "Under The Double Eagle", "Letter Edged In Black", "Blue Heaven", "Galloway Bay", "You Are The Only Star Of My Blue Heaven", "Spanish Fan-Dango", "Kentucky Moon Waltz", "Silver Treads Among The Gold", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" and"Cedar Brook Waltz".

A great and rare solo guitar record by Lena Hughes – issued here by Tompkins Square – a label that's put out some of the best fingerstyle guitar folk releases in recent memory – in both the contemporary and archival realms! Queen Of The Flat Top Guitar is an archival release in their Long Gone Sound Series – and it's one of best yet! Lena, born in 1904, was rural Missourian amateur guitarist and mainstay at Ozarks area folk festivals. This record is her one-and-only known album – and though she's also remembered as a fine fiddler and banjo player, it finds her focusing on flat top guitar in the tradition of 19th century parlor music. Warm and wonderful stuff – as inviting as anything we've heard on Tompkins Square. Includes "Pearly Dew", "Under The Double Eagle", "Letter Edged In Black", "Blue Heaven", "Galloway Bay", "You Are The Only Star Of My Blue Heaven", "Spanish Fan-Dango", "Kentucky Moon Waltz", "Silver Treads Among The Gold", "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" and"Cedar Brook Waltz".

Nice one! This is the obscure first album by Rhetta Hughes – who's probably better known to the world for her later album on Tetragrammon. The tracks are a mix of pop and soul titles, but they're given some nice arrangements by Chicago soul great Tennyson Stephens, who also sings on the album a bit. Ralph Bass produced the whole session, and it's got a beautiful sort of jazz/soul vocal style that brings to mind the great Lorez Alexandria albums on Argo. The whole thing's very different than Rhetta's later deeper soul releases – and is a beautiful vocal album in the polished Chicago jazz vocal tradition. Titles include "Come On Home", "Back Street", "Music Makes Me Dance", "Lost & Lookin'", and "When Sunny Gets Blue".

It always feels like we're waiting a long time for a new record from Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – but it's always well worth the wait! This time around, they've found a way to focus their energies even more than before – still sticking strongly in the horn-heavy groove that we love, but also opening things up a bit more on the rhythm tip, too – and going for production that, if anything, makes them sound even more earnest, honest, and spontaneous than before! The record really preserves the live energy that makes the group so compelling – that razor sharp criss-crossing of jazz traditions and styles – steeped in a Chicago legacy that includes Sun Ra and Phil Cohran, but coming across with a hell of a lot more groove than either of them too. Titles include "Touch The Sky", "Kryptonite", "Pluto", "Black Boy", "World Champions", and "Starfighter".

An amazing, career-spanning compilation of pioneering psych and earlier material, mixed with more traditional elements of Korean music by Shin Joong Hyun – including his own numbers, great songs with his combos over the years and tunes he wrote for others to sing – from the late 50s to the early 70s! The stylistic breadth is pretty wide, but what's so impressive is that he's not merely traipsing through genres to stay current – he's a real master, and the consistently great quality throughout is a real thing to behold. It's passionate and soulful as all get out, whether it's a spare bit of rock or folk, raw and rumbling psych folk or garage-y stormers. One of the best global psych comps we've seen in a while! Includes "Moon Watching", "J Blues '72" and "I've Got Nothing To Say" (credited to Shin Joong Hyun), "Please Don't Bother Me Anymore" by Golden Grapes, "The Sun" by Kim Jung Mi, "Tomorrow" by lee Jung Hwa, "Spring Rain" by Park In Soo, "Sunset" by Jang Hyun, "Why That Person" by Bunny Girls, "Beautiful Rivers And Mountains" by Shin Joong Hyun & The Men and more.

Psychedelic, folksy, and a tremendous lost set from the French scene of the early 70s – the standout full length set from the duo of Bernard Ilous and Patrice Decuyper, two very hip cats who really blow our minds with this set! There's some folksy elements here – so we might be a bit tempted to call the set "acid folk" – but the record's also more strongly linked to a tradition of some of the hipper singer/songwriter French work of the era – that great wave of creativity that burst forth after the tighter pop constraints of the 60s. Most instrumentation here features guitars – electric and acoustic – interwoven with gently sonic support – in ways that are never rocking, but also never sleepy – just very concerned with the right sort of sound to support the airy vocals that dominate the set. Titles include "Cor Bucolique", "Nuit De Glace", "Non", "Cyclothymie", "Melancolie", "Berceuse", and "Beurk".

Incredible work from one of the hippest groups in the contemporary underground – Detroit's In The Tradition, a combo with a righteous sound that takes us back to the 70s days of Strata East and Tribe Records! This double-length set is a bold step forward for the group – as some tracks feature their own music, done in a spiritual blend of sounds that's really wonderful – tunes that spin out with long modal rhythms, soaring solos, and a very soulful energy that never lets up – with lots of echoes of the best Chicago and Detroit modes from years back. The other tracks features more work by other jazz greats – Wayne Shorter, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, and others – reinterpreted by the group in wicked blend of hardbop and soul jazz modes – simply brilliant, and like getting two excellent albums together in a single package – with a really unified sound! Titles include "She Sings To The Wind", "Winter Meeting", "Noloyiso", "Trouble Of The World", "One Love", "Black Orpheus", "Chantized", "Crisis", and "Dreams".

The first solo album from folk-country singer and songwriter Catherine Irwin in a decade – and as much as we wish she'd put one out every year, we'll take what we can get – especially if the occasional record is as moving and beautiful as Little Heater! If you don't know this already, Catherine is the other principle voice of Freakwater – a band that doesn't get nearly as much credit for turning city folk onto country-leaning folk music as they've deserved over the years. There's a wearily soulful quality to Catherine's songs that sets her pretty clearly apart from other writers – which is especially impressive, given that she draws from traditional influences – and comes up with a mood that's really all her own. Recorded by Tara Jane O'Neil. Titles include "Mockingbird", "Dusty Groove" (Irwin's Dusty Springfield-inspired song that Kelly Hogan adapted into a gorgeous country soul anthem. . .and it's done by Catherine herself as a stripped-down, beautiful folk ballad), "Hoopskirt", "Sinner Saves A Saint", "We Must Also Love The Thieves", "To Break Your Heart", "Nightshade", "Pale Horse/Pale Rider", "The Whole Of The Law", "The Banks Of The Ohio" and more.

One of Eddie's last great records, and a smoking live set that has him singing with a group that includes Eric Kloss, Richie Kole, and Mickey Tucker playing some sweet electric piano. The vibe is more traditional vocalese than some of Eddie's other Muse recordings, with a return to the solid sound of his Prestige sessions from the old days. Titles include "Now's The Time", "Groovin High", "Red Top", "Parker's Mood", and "So What".

A really wonderful record – straight ahead, but oh so beautiful! Jordan's playing in a very relaxed setting – blowing openly on long tracks in this Japanese only session, working with a quartet that includes Reggie Workman, Freddie Waits, and a very hip Hank Jones, well worth saying hello to! Side one features the extended track "Vienna", a wonderfully soulful number with an open exploratory approach to Jordan's solo – never too out, but richly spiritual, in the tradition of his best 70s work. Side two features two other long tunes – standards ("Bohemia After Dark" and "Love For Sale"), but both done in the same rich spirit!

Sparely funky, yet heavily atmospheric hip hop productions from unsung titan Kankick – made up mostly of late 90s material – and it's right up with some of our favorite leftfield producers of the period! Kankicks was perhaps best known as a Lootpack affiliate around this time, and sure enough, it's the kind of thing that would have sounded right at home on Stones Throw in the label's infancy. This ain't baby stuff, though, and it's aging quite well! Raw beats laced by vinyl grit, occasional hazy vocals and trippy atmosphere to spare. Relatively little heard excellence from an unsung producer! Includes "The A-1 Sound", "Witness Truthful Mystics", "One Reason Why", "A Song For My Forefathers", "Look At That", "Amplified Dynastical", "Lady Slick" feat Unorthodox, "Unpredictable", "To All The Duck Rap Radio DJs", "FLS (Do You Like)", "Night Shine", "Oodles Of Ounces", "Aquarian Meditation", "The Blowfly" (Kancritic feat Medaphoar), "Dig The Transition", "Bread And A Rolls Royce" and more. Also includes 2 bonus tracks. 27 tracks in all!

Solid roots from Junior Kelly! Piece OF The Pie finds Junior Kelly in as fine of form as we've heard him years – delivered with a timeless sound that's perfectly comfortable in a contemporary setting – neither catering to contemporary trends or bowing to overt throwback traditionalism. His voice is full of soulful spiritiual resonance, too. Very nice stuff! Includes "Rock, Rock, Rock", "Creator", "Piece Of The Pie", "Heads Up", "Been There", "Save Your Soul", "Fly Away", "Bun Babylon", "Lots Of Herbs", "Still A Hold Faith", "Win Or Lose", "Go Round Dem" with Lion Face, "Dem A Wonder" with Smiley, "Don't Say No" with Mark Wonder and more.

Jazzy Bay Area hip hop from producer/MC double threat Kero One – an unabashedly rearward leaning hip hop head from the left coast – with skills on par with the Soul Providers, Lightheaded and others on the scene! It's no secret that we have eager ears for hip hop that's schooled in the Native Tongues tradition of jazz-based beats and mellow grooves – as well as the brighter, more sun-soaked west coast applications thereof – and Kero One doesn't disappoint! Tracks include "Give Thanks" feat Niamaj, "Musical Journey", "My Story", "In A Dream", "Ain't That Somethin?", "Tempted", "In All The Wrong Places", "Keep It Alive!", "The Cycle Repeats", "Fly Fly Away", "It's A New Day" and "Check The Blueprints".

Surprisingly enjoyable record in which King Curtis runs through a number of C&W favorites, and turns them into R&B sax instrumentals. The album shows what a clear link there was between the two musical traditions, and includes classics like "Night Train To Memphis", "You're Cheatin Heart", "High Noon", "I'm Movin' On", and "Walkin The Floor Over You".

An excellent 2nd album from Lew Kirton – a bit smoother than his first one, but still with that great mellow soul sound that we dig so much! Lew's a strong singer in a tradition that includes Leroy Hutson and Leon Ware – sweetly grooving in a warm and mellow style, but also kicking things up a bit more for this set with some touches of 80s groove! The songwriting is especially nice, and Lew's firmly in control of the session at a level that was becoming increasingly rare for male singers at the time. Titles include "Just Can't Get Enough", "Talk To Me", "Always Will", "I Can't Live Without You", "Got To Find Somebody To Love", and "Here's My Love (Come & Get It)".

Tremendous work from this young group – a set that embraces a range of modern jazz traditions, then pushes them forward strongly to the next generation! The lineup here features some of the sharpest talents of the current Windy City underground – James Falzone on clarinet, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Jason Roebke on bass, and Tim Daisy on drums – all players who feel each others' strengths instantly, and find ways of coming together that are even greater than the sum of the already-strong parts! Falzone's clarinet is especially amazing – a fresh new voice on the instrument that pushes past even John Carter or Jimmy Giuffre – showing us that the instrument can really carve strong modern lines, when in the right hands. Adasiewicz's vibes are always a treat – and ring out beautifully – and both Roebke and Daisy have the right sort of freewheeling rhythms to set even more fire to the other two players. Titles include "Ukranian Village", "Carol's Burgers", "Chicago Spaces", "Brooklyn Lines", "Jazz Searching Self", and "Alone At The Brain".

Tremendous work from this young group – a set that embraces a range of modern jazz traditions, then pushes them forward strongly to the next generation! The lineup here features some of the sharpest talents of the current Windy City underground – James Falzone on clarinet, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Jason Roebke on bass, and Tim Daisy on drums – all players who feel each others' strengths instantly, and find ways of coming together that are even greater than the sum of the already-strong parts! Falzone's clarinet is especially amazing – a fresh new voice on the instrument that pushes past even John Carter or Jimmy Giuffre – showing us that the instrument can really carve strong modern lines, when in the right hands. Adasiewicz's vibes are always a treat – and ring out beautifully – and both Roebke and Daisy have the right sort of freewheeling rhythms to set even more fire to the other two players. Titles include "Ukranian Village", "Carol's Burgers", "Chicago Spaces", "Brooklyn Lines", "Jazz Searching Self", and "Alone At The Brain".

A group with a sound like no other – one that features home-made electronics and amplification, and an array of highly-percussive instrumentation that includes thumb pianos, megaphones, microphones, and old car parts! Konono's been making this music for the past 25 years – working in the suburbs of Kinshasa as a collective of musicians experimenting with the relation of sound and rhythm – using a fair bit of distortion to push the boundaries of their style. There's a unique relationship here between traditional African rhythms and newer electronic music – almost a primitive electronica, if you will – but with a style that goes way beyond such a facile tag. Titles include "Paradiso", "Mama Liza", "Kule Kule", "Lufuala Ndonga", and "Masikulu".

The Jimi Hendrix of Turkey? That may well be the case with the legendary Erkin Koray – a musician who may not have had the pure chops of Hendrix, but who definitely helped transform the guitar sound of an entire generation! Erkin's got this massively wicked groove – rooted in years of Turkish tradition, yet electrified too – and often laid out over rhythms that are hypnotic and exotic – a perfect fit for the tripped-out production of the tunes! This excellent double-length collection brings together material from rare singles and albums by Koray – and really stands as a perfect introduction to one of the coolest cats in the Near East during the 70s – music that really defies description, not to mention the boundaries of language and nation as well. Titles include "Sevince", "Anma Arkadas", "Eyvah", "Arap Saci", "Komsu Kizi", "Timbilli", "Sana Birseyler Olmus", "Silinmeyen Hatiralar", "Yagmur", "Mesafeller", and "Feshuphanallah".

Seun Anikulapo Kuti returns with another strorming set of neo classic Afro Funk in the great tradition of his father – once again fronting the incredible Egypt 80 group! It's remarkable stuff that finds Seun – the youngest son of Fela – standing up as a visionary talent. He's not only living up to an immense legacy, but moving forward with it in ways that will absolutely stand the test of time. The insistent rhythms and intense energy of the Egypt 80 group – led by Lekan Animashaun – are Afrobeat perfection, with Seun's forthright vocals out front of it. But their approach here is anything but a retread of family glories. The songs are urgent and fierce, and there are subtle modern florishes in the production – thanks in part, no doubt, to co-producer Brian Eno. Titles include "African Soldier", "You Can R Un", "Rise", "Slave Masters", "For Dem E Ye", "The Good Leaf" and "Giant Of Africa".

One of the best of Yusef's Atlantic recordings, and one that offers a mix of his 2 different sides – his older spiritualist one, and his newer funkier one. Includes the tight groover "Live Humble", with nice conga work by Ray Barretto, plus the extended "Chandra" and "A Long Time Ago", both with nice exotic flute work by Yusef, and a weird mix of instruments, in the tradition of his older Savoy sessions.

Amazing music from trombonist George Lewis – five different albums that each show a different side of his talents! First up is Shadowgraph 5 – a great early Black Saint, and a key example of the way the AACM spirit thrived overseas, thanks to the efforts of labels like this! The work is quite serious and experimental – almost compositional in nature, and definitely heading towards the AACM promise of "Great Black Music" – and other players include Roscoe Mitchell on saxes, Leroy Jenkins on violin, Muhal Richard Abrams on piano, Douglas Ewart on bass clarinet and other reeds, and Abdul Wadud on cello. One track even has Lewis playing the Moog in addition to trombone and tuba! Imaginary Suite is a duet with Douglas Ewart – and features Lewis both on trombone and electronics – and even his trombone at times is "electronically modified", making it a really cool-sounding instrument. Ewart plays a bit of percussion – plus bass clarinet and flute – and often hits some electronically-sensitive sounds with his reeds, making the album a really compelling interplay between acoustic and electric elements. Homage to Charlie Parker is hardly the bebop outing you might expect from the title, and instead a set of complicated work that's heavily in the AACM tradition! Side one features "Blues" – an investigation of older blues harmonics, but done in a very freeform, experimental way – with tenor trombone from Lewis, piano from Anthony Davis, bass clarinet from Doug Ewart, and moog from Richard Teitelbaum. Change Of Season is a killer tribute to the music of Herbie Nichols – played by a committed batch of modernists who are clearly inspired by his genius – including Misha Mengelberg on piano, Steve Lacy on soprano sax, and Han Bennink on drums. The set's completed by Dutch Masters – Lewis' last album for the label, done with a compelling lineup that includes Misha Mengelberg on piano, Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Ernst Reyseger on bass, and Han Bennink on drums – but in a style that's very different than the previous Change Of Season album.

Serious compositional material by John Lewis – a series of work based upon the Italian tradition of commedia dell'arte, written for a larger group of brass instruments – and given a real "classics meets jazz" sort of vibe – but also handled with a gentle swing, too! Although Gunther Schuller's on the album in the French Horn section, Lewis himself conducts the ensemble – leading the brass section through a range of very short "fanfares" and longer tunes that feature Lewis on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Titles include "Fanfare 1", "Piazza Navona", "Odds Against Tomorrow", "Piazza Di Spagna", and "La Cantatrice".

Timeless sounds from Lewlewal – a contemporary group from Senegal, and part of a vanishing culture in the city of Podor! The tracks were recorded recently, but have a feel that goes back decades – mostly acoustic instrumentation on percussion and guitar, played with an intimate approach that draws strongly on tradition – but which also allows for some personal inflections from the group members too. The vocals – sung by Demba Doka Barry – are especially nice – with this hauntingly soulful feel that really grabs us, even over the space of a language difference. Titles include "Ziarre", "Patrimonie", "Jaanfa", "Diaraby", "Yela", and "Almamy".

A beautiful album from the Lijadu Sisters to cap off the 70s – and it's among their best ever! Horizon Unlimited is a nice blend of their soulful, harmony-rich vocals with lots of talking drum and electric bass in the mix – along with some other spacey soul touches! Their inspiration is as unlimited as the horizon, as they manage to brilliantly combine traditional and contemporary styles here – even better than on the preceding album – much better, actually! The vocals are as beautiful as ever, and the blend of classic-caliber Afro Beat with tight contemporary funk, pop and soul prefigures diverse global grooves for decades to come! Includes "Orere – Elejigbo", "Erora", "Gbowo Mi", "Gbalo Alogbalo", "Come On Home" and "Not Any Longer".

The late 50's work of Max Roach is some of the most crucially overlooked material in the history of modern jazz. His various groups at the time were filled with some of the brightest young players of the time – like George Coleman, Julian Priester, and Booker Little – all of whom were firmly rooted in a bop tradition, yet also committed to pushing the envelope of the music whenever they could. This 1958 United Artists album by Little is virtually a Roach session, and features group members Coleman and Little, plus Art Davis and Tommy Flanagan – all of whom fall perfectly into line behind Roach's masterful drumming on tracks like "Rounder's Mood", "Dungeon Waltz", and "Jewel's Tempo".

A great follow-up to some of the Latin Percussion jam sessions of the late 70s – a recent recording, but one that really retains a classic vibe! The session takes the same approach as the older ones – pulling together a core batch of well-matched musicians, and letting them jam in the studio – often in ways that have more traditional elements than straight salsa, but which also have an open flow that's very contemporary, too. Most tracks are nice and long – building up from spare rhythmic elements, then filling in the groove – and although there's some chorus vocals on the record, most of the energy comes from the small group of percussionists, which includes Luisito Quintero, Roman Diaz, Pedro Martinez, and Little Johnny Rivero. Titles include "Yambu Rengue", "La Loma De Belen", "Skin Columbia", "Mamita", "Antillana", "Something Crazy", "Remember This", and "Gerigonza".

The classic debut of a young Wynton Marsalis – cut after a stretch when Wynton was working with Art Blakey, and had really sharpened his chops! The record's a wonderful return to straight jazz tradition for Columbia – but it also has some modern moments too – proof that the younger generation of 80s jazz players still had plenty of fresh sounds to bring to the table. Half of the record has Marsalis paired with the VSOP rhythm section – in a way that provides a nice link with the more modern edges of Columbia jazz a decade before. Wynton's sometimes a bit serious in his approach, but also opens up with freer Blakey-inspired moments too – and other players here include Herbie Hancock and Kenny Kirkland on piano, Jeff Watts and Tony Williams on drums, Clarence Seay and Ron Carter on bass, and Branford Marsalis on sax. Titles include "Twilight", "RJ", "Hesitation", "I'll Be There When The Time Comes", and "Father Time".