A great collection of Ivie Anderson's famous vocal recordings with Duke Ellington's band! LP, Vinyl record album

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Recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, February 7-10, 1983. A HUGE amount of material! Includes the tracks "Say Hello", "Walk The Dog", "Violin Solo", "Closed Circuits", "For A Large And Changing Room", "Pictures Of It", "Language Of The Future", "Reverb", "If You Can't Talk About It, Point To It", "City Song", "Finnish Farmers", "Democratic Way", "Private Property", "Neon Duet", "Difficult Listening Hour", "So Happy Birthday", "Dance Of Electricity", "Sax Duet", "Born, Never Asked", "From The Air", "Beginning French", "Talkshow", "Cello Solo", "Blue Lagoon", "Stiff Neck", "Hothead", "Telephone Song", "Sweaters", "We've Got Four Big Clocks", "I Dreamed I Had To Take A Test", "Big Top", "It Was Up In The Mountains", "Big Science", "Red Map", "Strike", "False Documents", and many, many more! LP, Vinyl record album

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An unusual UK-only set from Ernestine Anderson – done at a time when she wasn't making many records over here in the US! Backings are from Johnnie Scott – who you might know from other great records of the time – and titles include nice versions of "On A Clear Day", "Feeling Good", "Tears Have To Fall", and "So Nice". LP, Vinyl record album

Ernestine works her way through a set of bluesy tunes with a spot of jazz – with backing by Ernie Wilkins orchestra, with players that include "Hank Jones, Tate Houston, Yusef Lateef, Ernie Royal, and Clark Terry. Titles include "My Kinda Love", "See See Rider", "All My Life", "Mound Bayou", "I'll Never Be The Same", and "Black Moonlight". Nice stuff, in the manner of her other albums on Mercury from the time! LP, Vinyl record album

A key moment in the career of vocalist Ernestine Anderson – a record that not only returned her to the public eye after a flurry of initial sides in the late 50s and early 60s, but which also finally helped Anderson find a sound that worked! The album's done with backing by the Monty Alexander trio – in a style that's bluesy and soul jazz inflected, but with a sweeter west coast sound – almost an early 80s equivalent of the groove explored by Lou Rawls or Ernie Andrews in LA during the mid 60s, but done with an even more relaxed, jazz-based approach here. The title track – "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" – was an instant standout that got Anderson play in many corners of the US – and other tracks are more familiar numbers, but done in a similar mode – with titles that include "Old Folks", "As Long As I Live", "Just One More Chance", "Poor Butterfly", and "My Shining Hour". LP, Vinyl record album

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Features Dan Barrett on trombone, Ed Bickert on guitar, Scott Hamilton on tenor sax, Red Holloway on alto sax, Dave McKenna on piano, Jimmie Smith on drums, Warren Vache on cornet, Steve Wallace on bass, and Ernestine Anderson on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

With Monty Alexander on piano and Jeff Hamilton on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare meeting of two jazz generations – as trumpeter Cat Anderson joins the small combo of Charles Mingus for some very firey performances! The set's quite an unusual one – recorded live at the Philharmonie Berlin in 1972 – with a combo that includes both Anderson and Joseph Gardner on trumpet, Hamiet Bluiett on reeds, John Forster on piano, and Roy Brooks on drums – all with a searing sense of freedom that's unusual, even for Mingus albums of the time! Side one features the burning "Celia" – an older Mingus tune, but reworked here as a stunning vehicle for extended soloing – sometimes quite out, depending on the player. Side two features "Perdido", a familiar number, to be sure – but one that's opened up strongly by the group and their long-flowing solo styles – especially in the middle, which breaks down to almost free jazz entirely! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent Duke Ellington work from the late 50s – written and recorded during a period in which he was reemerging with a stronger jazz vision than ever before! The set was written by Ellington and Strayhorn – and dedicated to the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario – but forget the Bard-inspired roots of the tracks, because the shimmering moods of the pieces is pure Ellington – with a richness of feeling that's totally great, and a sound that's wonderfully fresh, given that most of these numbers aren't overplayed Ellington compositions! Players include Cat Anderson and Clark Terry on trumpets, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Johnny Hodges on alto – and titles include "The Telecasters", "Circle Of Fourths", "Sonnet For Caesar", "Sonnet To Hank Cinq", and "Such Sweet Thunder". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit more of a high concept album than some of Wynton Marsalis' previous efforts – a set with a few more added horns on side one, and an extended suite on side two! The work definitely shows Wynton's increasing concern with jazz history – his desire to embrace, and sometimes represent, decades of past musical expression in his work – a real Lincoln Center sort of impulse, but one that still comes off relatively well here, and without as much hoke as you'd expect. Side one has Wynton working with regular pianist Marcus Roberts, plus Todd Williams on tenor and soprano sax and Wes Anderson on alto – and side two features a completely different group, much more in an older-styled jazz vein – with Michael White on clarinet, Danny Barker on banjo, Teddy Riley on trumpet, and Freddie Lonzo on trombone. Titles include "The Majesty Of The Blues", "Hickory Dickory Dock", and the expanded "New Orleans Function" suite. LP, Vinyl record album

A lost little cooker from Stitt and Green – recorded at a time when they were working together briefly, with backing by a Chicago organ trio that includes Bobby Buster on Hammond, Jo Diorio on guitar, and Dorel Anderson on drums. Tracks are short and fierce, but it's clear that Stitt can groove in a "blow the jukebox out" kind of way when he's in the right company – but still show enough of the impeccable care that he did with his straighter jazz albums on Roost and Verve. Titles include "Let's Play Chess", "Double Dip", "My Main Man", and "Broilin". LP, Vinyl record album

With Bennie Wallace on tenor, Ray Anderson on trombone, Dr John on piano and organ, John Scofield on guitar, and Bernard Purdie on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

The monumental first album from Yes – a group who were already onto something amazing with this set, and would only get better and better in years to come! The members had backgrounds in straighter, more conventional rock acts – but here, together, they unleash work with a wonderfully fresh sense of timing and structure – tunes that are still a bit shorter in comparison to later albums, but already full of the kind of complicated shifts and changes that instantly set Yes apart from the rest! And yet there's also a simple, honest approach too – not complexity for its own sake, as the group never find themselves in blind alleys or dead ends – and maintain this magical mix of elements that soars from track to track. The early lineup here features trademark vocals from Jon Anderson, alongside the bass of Chris Squire, guitars of Peter Banks, organ and piano of Tony Kaye, and drums of Bill Bruford – on titles that include "Harold Land", "Beyond & Before", "I See You", "Looking Around", "Sweetness", "Survival", and "Every Little Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

A real turning point in the career of Gene Ammons – a record that almost returns Ammons to his earthier roots, and in the process helps build up a whole new sound in soul jazz for the 60s! The "Jug" nickname in the title is kind of a joking way to help Ammons stand alongside "Miles", "Trane", "Diz", and other one-name monikered stars in jazz – but even without that gimmick (which somehow lasted for years), the album's got a depth that more than gets Gene back on top, thanks to a gritty soulfulness and good sense of feeling in the grooves! Players here include Richard Wyands on piano on most numbers – plus a rare appearance by Clarence "Sleepy" Anderson on 2 numbers – one on organ, one on piano. Rhythm is by Doug Watkins on bass and JC Heard on drums – and Ray Barretto makes one of his great soul jazz appearances on drums – rolling the groove along with a nice bit of bounce throughout! Titles include "Tangerine", "Ol Man River", "Easy To Love", "Seed Shack", "Miss Lucy", and "Namely You". LP, Vinyl record album

With Cat Anderson, Gene Goe, Blue Mitchell, and Jack Sheldon on trumpet; Britt Woodman, Jimmy Cleveland, Benny Powell, and Tricky Lofton on trombone; Marshal Royal, Lanny Morgan, Richie Kamuca, Don Menza, and Jack Nimitz on saxophone; Monty Budwig on bass, Dave Frishberg on piano, and Frank Capp on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing little record from Joe Byrd – an artist with roots in serious music, but who's serving things up here with a wild hippie aesthetic that makes the whole thing come across more like a "happening" than the usual sort of studio album – but in ways that also echo an earlier generation of Americanist composition too. The process of the record mimics some of Byrd's famous work in New York – and has a very collaborative feel overall, with elements of electronics, acoustics, and vocals coming together beautifully! There's some great tabla, harpsichord, moog, and organ on the record – plus more serious woodwinds and brass – and vocals from Victoria Bond, Susan De Lange, Christie Thompson, and Ernie Anderson – plus Joe himself. Titles include "Kalyani", "Moonsong Pelog", "You Can't Ever Come Down", "Gospel Music", "Nightmare Train", "Leisure World", and "The Elephant At The Door". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful work from Chic – a record that maybe didn't include any super-huge hits, but which is maybe even better because of that – a sometimes-overlooked gem that has the team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards in perfectly sharp formation! The group have already moved past disco, yet maintain that core funk that always makes their work so tremendous – rock-solid basslines from Edwards, ripping guitars from Rodgers, and unified vocals with help from Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin – who both really help the tunes soar! Titles include "Chip Off the Old Block", "Open Up", "26", "I Loved You More", "Real People", and "Rebels Are We". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent and oft-overlooked 50s session from Duke – recorded in Chicago as a one-off for the Bethlehem label, and done with a lush, rich sound that's really tremendous! The group's nicely restrained and very moody – playing here in a mellow late nite mode that offers a good focus on the best horn soloists in the group, yet which also really hangs together perfectly from the slow-moving and eerie tone of the rest of the group. Jimmy Grissom sings a bit on the set, and other players include Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, and Ray Nance – on tracks that include "Day Dream", "Blues", "Frustration", "My Funny Valentine", and "Laura". LP, Vinyl record album

A great documentation of this rare live set from 1940 – one of the best slices of Ellington from the time! Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Duke Ellington on piano, Harry Carney on baritone sax & clarinet, Jimmy Blanton on bass, Otto Hardwick on alto sax & clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax & clarinet, Sonny Greer on drums, Freddy Guy on guitar & whistle, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown & Tricky Sam Nanton on trombones, Rex Stewart & Wallace Jones on trumpets, Ray Nance on trumpet, vibes & vocals & Herb Jeffries & Ivie Anderson on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent and oft-overlooked 50s session from Duke – recorded in Chicago as a one-off for the Bethlehem label, and done with a lush, rich sound that's really tremendous! The group's nicely restrained and very moody – playing here in a mellow late nite mode that offers a good focus on the best horn soloists in the group, yet which also really hangs together perfectly from the slow-moving and eerie tone of the rest of the group. Jimmy Grissom sings a bit on the set, and other players include Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Cat Anderson, and Ray Nance – on tracks that include "Day Dream", "Blues", "Frustration", "My Funny Valentine", and "Laura". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful 60s album from Duke Ellington – one that features some of his more popular numbers, as you'd guess by the title – but captured in these sublime, sophisticated arrangements that really reflect the genius sound of his group during the later years! The tracks are familiar, and the arrangements are maybe never too way out – but they're also these mini-masterpieces in color and tone – carried off by a fantastic group of all-stars who've matured and grown as much as the Duke himself – Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson on trumpets, Lawrence Brown and Buster Cooper on trombones, Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Johnny Hodges on alto, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and Harry Carney on piano. There's a darkness in Duke's piano that's maybe missing from earlier versions of this material – that great modern undercurrent of the late years – and titles include "Black & Tan Fantasy", "The Twitch", "Perdido", "Solitude", "The Mooche", "Creole Love Call", "Take The A Train", and "Sophisticated Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

True masterpieces from Duke Ellington – some of his greatest compositions, presented here in an early Columbia LP that offers up "uncut concert arrangements" – clearly grooming a new side of Duke for the long-playing audience! The recordings were made in 1950, with players who include Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonzalves on saxes, Ray Nance and Cat Anderson on trumpets, and Tyree Glenn and Quentin Jackson on trombones. The tracks include "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady", "The Tattooed Bride" and "Solitude". LP, Vinyl record album

A great bit of 70s electric work from Quincy – and probably his funkiest album ever! Quincy's really stepping out here from the straighter and spacier styles of earlier records – going for more of the dirty grooves he was cutting up for soundtrack albums, and hitting notes that were a lot more fitting for the blacksploitation era. The record includes the massive funky track cut "Hikky-Burr", which was the theme to the first Bill Cosby Show, and which has a sinister groove, and some wild shouted lyrics! Also features two more great themes – "Ironside" and "The Anderson Tapes" – both of which have a cool electric sound to them, and the nice title cut, which actually features Quincy on vocals! Other tracks include "Cast Your Fate To The Wind", "What's Going On", "Brown Ballad" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Very open-ended work from Sonny Rollins – a set of live tracks recorded for use in the film Saxophone Colossus, with some nicely long tunes that really show Rollins' inventive solo approach in such a setting! The group here is a quintet – with the excellent Clifton Anderson on trombone, plus Mark Soskin on piano, Marvin Smitty Smith on drums, and Bob Cranshaw on electric bass – providing that unique bubbling pulse that Rollins used frequently in the 70s and 80s – something you might not have expected from years past, but which gave records like this a really signature sound, and showed that Sonny was still growing in the ways he experimented with styles. Titles include the 15 minute title track "G Man", plus "Kim" and "Don't Stop The Carnival". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Lucky Thompson – very different than any of his more famous 50s work, and caught at a really great time in his career! The set was recorded at a time when Lucky had just returned from Europe, and had picked up the soprano sax in addition to his regular tenor. The soprano gave Lucky a lighter, freer, more exploratory soul-based sound that was really unique – a bit Dolphy-inspired at times, but with a more inside approach, as in the work of Nathan Davis – so that even on numbers that might seem staid at the outset, the sax work has an edgey quality that's really wonderful. The session features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Frank Anderson on organ, Wally Richardson on guitar, and either Oliver Jackson and Walter Perkins on drums – and titles include "I'll Be Around", "Star Eyes", "Poor Butterfly", "Kinfolks Corner", "Who Can I Turn To", and "Caressable". LP, Vinyl record album

Don't like getting your fingers dusty? No problem, the folks at Strictly Breaks work hard so you don't have to! The next installment in their now famous "as sampled by . . ." series, this compilation of 31 tracks and 3 drum breaks covers a gang of material used by Nas (well, his producers actually). Loads of classic soul, jazz and funk, and each track is notated as to which song it was used in. Includes Gong "Babooji", Chris Barber "Petit Fleur", Vicki Anderson "Land Of Milk & Honey", Ahmad Jamal "I Love Music", Joe Chambers "Mind Rain", Heath Brothers "Smilin Billy Suite Pt 2", Eddie Floyd "Check Me Out", 24 Carat Black "Mommas Coming", Japanese Hair "Dead End", Love Unlimited "I'll Move You No Mountain", Blue Jays "What Do You Want", Bob James "The Sponge" and The Soul Children "Move Over". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most comprehensive collections of work we've ever seen on Eddie Bo – a really well-done set that finally gets at the full range of his massive funky talents – including a host of rare singles done for a variety of other artists as well! Despite the dates in the title, most of the music here is from the 60s and 70s – music from those glorious years of New Orleans soul and funk – when it seemed like the Crescent City groove could never stop, thanks to the efforts of Eddie and some of his contemporaries! There's a massively heavy groove to most of the numbers here – an emphasis on the funkiest side of Eddie Bo's sound, especially when he's working in the studio with other singers in the lead – and even if you've got some other Eddie Bo reissues in your collection, there's plenty fresh stuff here that makes this one well worth owning. LP notes are great too – a full history of Eddie's long career and all its different chapters. 30 tracks in all – including "Funky Yeah" and "Shelly's Rubber Band" by Curley Moore & The Cool Ones, "What's Good To You (part 1)" and "The La La Man (part 1)" by Oliver Morgan, "Horse With A Freeze (part 1)" by Roy Ward, "Timber (parts 1 & 2)" by Candy Phillips, "Can I Be Your Main Squeeze" by Chuck Carbo, "I'm A Carpenter (part 1)" by David Robinson, "Garden Of Our Trees" by The Explosions, "Reborn" by Marilyn Barbarin, "Live It Up" by James K-Nine, "Mama Here Comes The Preacher" by Doug Anderson, ""Something You Got" by Barbara George" – and the tracks "Chained", "When The Fingers On The Funk", "Rubber Band", "Getting To The Middle", "Check Your Bucket", "Lover & Friend", "Can You Handle It", "Fallin In Love Again", "Gotta Have More", and "We Like Mambo" all by Eddie Bo. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great record from David Byrne – songs and spoken bits that were originally designed to be used in Robert Wilson's Civil Wars – but which work great on their own! Byrne is completely charming in the spoken bits – with a sense of dry wit mixed with humanism, not that different from Laurie Anderson at the time – and instrumentation features a range of reeds and trumpets, gently cascading with the rhythms of the tunes – but in a relatively subtle way. Tracks include the wonderful "Tree" – aka "Today Is An Important Occasion" – plus "In The Upper Room", "Sound Of Business", "Admiral Perry", "I Bid You Goodnight", "In The Future", "Where The Sun Never Goes Down", "Theadora Is Dozing", "Social Studies", "Winter", and "The Jungle Book". LP, Vinyl record album

A live set very much in classic Verve mode – produced by Benny himself, and recorded in Tokyo in 1977 with a group that includes Budd Johnson on tenor and soprano, Cecil Payne on baritone, Cat Anderson and Joe Newman on trumpet, Britt Woodman on trombone, Nat Pierce on piano, Mudell Lowe on guitar, George Duvivier on bass, and Harold Jones on drums. Tracks are long, and titles include "Them There Eyes", "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing", and "Squatty Roo". LP, Vinyl record album

The cover looks cheesy, but the record's a great one for prog fans – a cool evolution of the early 70s mode into the more compressed style that Yes would hit with Trevor Horn, or Asia would unfurl in the 80s! The group features Terry Thomas on guitars and vocals, John Anderson on bass and vocals – often nicely doubled in a Jon Anderson way – with more guitars from Martin Smith, keyboards from Julian Colbeck, and drums from Steve Gadd – not the famous jazz drummer, but equally nice! There's a nice sense of compression in the production – almost 10CC – but the quirkiness of the songs also resonates with some of the Phil Manzanera solo work of the time. LP, Vinyl record album

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. LP, Vinyl record album

With Cat Anderson, Hillard Brown, Lawerence Brown, Harry Carney, Kay Davis, Marie Ellington, Otto Hardwicke, Shelton Hemphill, Al Hibber, Johnny Hodges, Claude Jones, Taft Jordan, Ray Nance, Tricky Sam Nanton, Junior Raglin, Al Sears, and Rex Stewart. LP, Vinyl record album

With sidemen including Taft Jordan, Cat Anderson, Lawrence Brown, Wilbur De Paris, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Oscar Pettiford, Sonny Greer, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that some might call the last truly great Peter Gabriel album – and a key cap to his excellent initial solo run! The album's got a deeper feel than before – slightly richer colors, more spiritual themes, and arguably more of a sense of majesty – almost an echo of some of the Native American modes explored by Laurie Anderson, who was then a recent collaborator of Gabriel! Instrumentation builds a bit more than before – with less guitars in parts, more percussive bits, and some funkier elements at the bottom that aren't exactly funky – more just a punch in force from the ground up. Gabriel's definitely feeling a sense of power here – and titles include "Lay Your Hands On Me", "Shock The Monkey", "San Jacinto", "I Have The Touch", "The Family & The Fishing Net", and "The Rhythm Of The Heat". LP, Vinyl record album

A real lost slice of work from the career of Chico Hamilton – recorded for the short-lived Dig label, owned by R&B artist Johnny Otis in the mid 50s! The group here is slightly different than Hamilton's quintet that recorded for Pacific Jazz – in that it's got a sound that's a bit less arranged, and which often opens up into some more freewheeling jazz styles at times. Buddy Collette and Jim Hall are on the session from Chico's regular group – and Buddy's really the co-leader of the set, and contributed some fantastic original tunes that are perfect for his colorful work on reeds. And the group's also got Curtis Counce on bass and Gerald Wiggins on piano – bringing a decidedly heavier groove to the record than on most 50s Hamilton work – one that's topped off by the trumpet of John Anderson, often muted but still powerful enough to make its presence known on the set. Titles include the Collette originals "It's You", "Green Dream", "Jungle Pogo Stick", "Tanganyika", and "A Walk On The Veldt" – plus other session originals "And So Is Love", "Wagnervous", and "The Blindfold Test". LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking-hot batch of 80s soul from Nona Hendryx – and a record that really helped reinvent her sound for a whole new generation! Nona's wisely teamed here with Bill Laswell and Material – with whom she'd worked on previous projects under their name – and Laswell's street-sensitive presence really helps give the record an edge that underscores Nona's credibility in just the right way! A few years later, and most of these touches might sound cloying – yet here, they're handled perfectly – a great way of creating lean grooves with plenty of New York influences – with more than enough energy to catapult Hendryx out to a global mainstream. Material bring in a surprising amount of great help for the set – a range of artists from Kashif to Laurie Anderson to Bernie Worrell, Valerie Simpson, Nile Rodgers, Sly Dunbar, and Tina Weymouth! Titles include "B Boys", "Design For Living", "Transformation", "Keep It Confidential", "Living On The Border", "Run For Cover", "Dummy UP", and "Steady Action". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little 60s album by Johnny Hodges – one of the few post-Verve sessions that has him still playing in the hard swinging Ellingtonia small combo mode of the 50s! Players are all strong – and include Jimmy Jones, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Harry Carney, and Paul Gonsalves – and the tracks are mostly older numbers, but redone here with a bit more 60s bounce. Hodges' alto is, as ever, great – and titles include "Everybody Knows", "The Jeep Is Jumpin", "Main Stem", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", and "Open Mike". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little 60s album by Johnny Hodges – one of the few post-Verve sessions that has him still playing in the hard swinging Ellingtonia small combo mode of the 50s! Players are all strong – and include Jimmy Jones, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Harry Carney, and Paul Gonsalves – and the tracks are mostly older numbers, but redone here with a bit more 60s bounce. Hodges' alto is, as ever, great – and titles include "Everybody Knows", "The Jeep Is Jumpin", "Main Stem", "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart", and "Open Mike". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set from Rebbie Jackson – a batch of 80s groovers that's way different than work from siblings Michael or Janet – and done with a percolating sort of vibe that's quite different from some of the core projects of the rest of the Jacksons universe! Wayne Henderson handled most of the production for the set, and brings in a nice sense of class that pushes the work far from too-commercial soul – that strong balance that always makes his name on a record one key reason to check it out! There's still a bit of Jackson influence on the vocals – as Rebbie gets help from Michael, Tito, and Randy Jackson – alongside additional guest vocals from Gary Glenn, Patryce Banks, Maxie Anderson, and The Weather Girls. Titles include "Centipede", "Play Me", "Open Up To My Love", "Hey Boy", "Come Alive It's Saturday Night", "Ready for Love", and "A Fork In The Road". LP, Vinyl record album

The album that really broke Jethro Tull out of the prog rock underground and into the mainstream – and a set that showed that the group weren't just a combo with creative use of flute, but a band that could really rock off their ass when they wanted to! Previous records were all pretty great, but there's definitely something special in the air with this one – an extra-amped version of the group that even seems to have Ian Anderson's flute blowing out all stops, and his vocals sounding even more menacing than before! Martin Barre's maybe the real master, though – searing on guitar, and punctuating all of Anderson's efforts with his own mad energy – on titles that include the classic "Aqualung", plus "Wondering Aloud", "Cheap Day Return", "Cross Eyed Mary", "My God", "Slipstream", "Locomotive Breath", "Wind Up", and "Mother Goose". LP, Vinyl record album

Seasons and styles change, but Nas stays true to his strong suits and status as one of the longest running living legends in the game! He stays in his neo-classic comfort zone on King's Disease – leading the way throughout with remarkably wordy, charismatically delivered rhymes, never fading into the background even with an impressive guest list. Hit-Boy drives the production on this one, recalling the golden age without retreading it, well-suited to Nas's style. Titles include "Blue Benz", "Car #85" with Charlie Wilson, "27 Summers", "10 Points", "The Cure", "Til The War Is Won" with Lil Dark, "Replace Me" with Big Sean & Don Toliver, "All Bad" with Anderson.Paak, "Ultra Black" with Hit-Boy, and "Spicy" with Fivio Foreign & A$ap Ferg. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from the contemporary Chicago scene – one that both gives bassist Junius Paul his first showcase as a leader, and underscores the richly collaborative energy in which the musician works! The set was recorded at various points in the Windy City underground – with Paul at the help of a shifting lineup that includes Makaya McCraven on drums, Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Justin Dillard on piano and keyboards, Jim Baker on piano and Arp, Isaiah Spencer on drums, Marquis Hill on trumpet, and Tomeika Reid on cello – with most musicians also handling other instruments too, in a continuation of an AACM legacy – on a record that's then edited by Makaya McCraven, in the best International Anthem mode! The music is jazz, but of the most forward-thinking type – and titles include "Ma & Dad", "Fred Anderson & A Half", "Twelve Eighteen West", "Georgia", "Spocky Chainsey Has Re-Emerged", "The One Who Endures", "Baker's Dozen", "View From The Moon", "You Are Free To Choose", "Paris", "Collant Denier", and "Sprouts". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of Sam Rivers' best remembered work from the post-Blue Note years – hard-blowing trio material that features Sam on a range of reeds, plus piano, and occasional vocalisation, working with bassists that include Cecil McBee, Arild Anderson, and Richard Davis, and drummers that include Norman Connors, Warren Smith, and Barry Altschul. Although he works great in a larger setting, we think this is where he really shines, given rom to breathe and move. This release features material from the Streams LP, including one track that appears in a longer form from that one, plus tracks that were issued on other ABC albums at the time. Titles include "Hues Of Melanin (in 4 parts)", "Suite For Molde (in 2 parts)", "Indigo", "Mauve", and "Encore". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible album, and one of Strozier's best! The record is an excellent example of the maturity and modernism that was coming out of the Chicago jazz scene as it hit the early 60s – and it features Strozier's soulful alto in the company of some of the city's best players, like pianist Chris Anderson, drummer Walter Perkins, bassist Bill Lee, and baritonist Pat Patrick, playing here away from Sun Ra's group! The title track alone is an incredibly fantastic composition, full of moodiness and incredible reed work – but the rest of the record's great, too, and features excellent originals like "The Need For Love", "The Crystal Ball", and "Pacemaker". LP, Vinyl record album

And hey girls, he even does housework! Just kidding – but Ira Sullivan proves once again that he's a hell of a multi-instrumentalist – working here on soprano sax on three tracks (our favorite!), plus alto and fluegelhorn – in a group that also features Red Rodney on trumpet, Garry Dial on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Steve Bagby on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Just a slight step down from the monumental Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc., but still a near masterpiece of neo-traditional Bakersfield country. Producer-guitarist Pete Anderson is a wizard for this kind of stuff, and that sharp lap steel sound he captures really needs to be heard on vinyl to be fully appreciated. And lest we forget, Dwight's minimal range and infinite emotion carries that voice further than the best country vocalists out there right now, and he's got the swagger and tight pants to pull it all off even if he wasn't such a pure spirit! Includes Lefty Frizell's immortal "Always Late With Your Kisses", "Smoke Along The Track", "1,000 Miles", "Little Sister", "This Drinkin' Will Kill Me", and more. Great! LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool compilation featuring a whole mess of great lost funk tracks from the legendary Westbound label – including a few unreleased cuts! There's a number of tracks on here that we just about never see, and some more that you'll only find on rare funky 45s. Tracks include "Getting It Off", an instrumental by Fuzzy Haskins, "Super Funk" by Erasmus Hall, "In The Pocket" by Boots, "Funk It Down" by Caesar Frazier, "Just Us" by Crowd Pleasers, "Funky Beethoven" by Gene Anderson, "Be What You Is" by U.S. Music & Funkadelic, and "Funky World (parts 1 & 2)" by Silky Vincent. Very cool stuff, and with a good set of notes! LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Giorgio Moroder, Freddie Mercury, Billy Squier, Jon Anderson, Bonnie Tyler, Cycle V, Pat Benatar, Loverboy, and Adam Ant. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by John Parr, Billy Squier, Elefante, Jon Anderson, Fee Waybill, David Foster, Vikki Moss, and Airplay. LP, Vinyl record album

A real turning point in the career of Gene Ammons – a record that almost returns Ammons to his earthier roots, and in the process helps build up a whole new sound in soul jazz for the 60s! The "Jug" nickname in the title is kind of a joking way to help Ammons stand alongside "Miles", "Trane", "Diz", and other one-name monikered stars in jazz – but even without that gimmick (which somehow lasted for years), the album's got a depth that more than gets Gene back on top, thanks to a gritty soulfulness and good sense of feeling in the grooves! Players here include Richard Wyands on piano on most numbers – plus a rare appearance by Clarence "Sleepy" Anderson on 2 numbers – one on organ, one on piano. Rhythm is by Doug Watkins on bass and JC Heard on drums – and Ray Barretto makes one of his great soul jazz appearances on drums – rolling the groove along with a nice bit of bounce throughout! Titles include "Tangerine", "Ol Man River", "Easy To Love", "Seed Shack", "Miss Lucy", and "Namely You". LP, Vinyl record album

An early gem from Jethro Tull – and a set that has the group really reaching forth with some of their more complicated, jazz-based musical impulses – while still holding onto some of the rawer power of the early days too! The album's lesser-known than some of the group's earlier hits – which may well make it even fresher all these many years later – a really stunning set of sounds that showcases the newly lyrical sensibility of Ian Anderson – both vocally and on flute – as well as the searing guitar of Martin Barre, which was really becoming a core element of the group at this point. Titles include "For Michael Collins Jefferey & Me", "Inside", "Play In Time", "Sossity You're A Woman", "With You There To Help Me", and "Nothing To Say". LP, Vinyl record album

Totally great work from White Lighnin – a group with a bluegrass duo at the core, but who are open to all sorts of great country rock touches! Obray Ramsey plays banjo, Byard Ray plays fiddle, and both sing together – with help from Eric Anderson, Dave Frishberg, Judy Collins, Herbie Lovelle, and many others! LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Robert Anderson, Delois Barrett Campbell, Irma Gwynn, Gladys Beamon Gregory, and Lucy Smith. LP, Vinyl record album