A crucial record in the early days of the global scene in the 80s – a set that lifts the music of King Sunny Ade from its roots in Nigeria, and mixes it up with some fresh elements that really open things up for a world's worth of ears! The approach isn't commercial – at least not in the modes of the later world music years – but there's occasional elements that echo the beat culture rising up in New York and London, mixed with the warmer sounds that were always at Sunny's music – especially that way of making the acoustic percussion and basslines come together in flowing waves of completely sublime sound! All tracks are nice and long – and titles include "Gboromiro", "Oremi", "Ire", "Iro", "Ogunja", and "Ase". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Killer stuff! This is one of Billy's earliest albums, and it's a monster batch of funky organ tunes with a much harder groove than on later works! The group is Billy's early Delegates trio – with Hank Swarn on guitar and Mel Brown on drums – and bad, bad grooves abound: including the legendary "Pigmy", plus "Foxy Little Ghoul", "Grooveyard", "The Peeper", with a few jazz standards and cool blues numbers thrown in to mix things up. Very hot hard heavy and funky! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent early album by organ player Billy Larkin, and his first version of the Delegates, which included drummer Mel Brown. As an added bonus, the great tenor player Clifford Scott joins them on most of the tracks here, and the recording is one of his best sessions away from Bill Dogget. The tracks are short, hard, and very in-the-pocket – like the tracks on the group's Pigmy album, which is also from the same time. This is the kind of stuff that was played to death over and over on south side jukeboxes in the 60's. Check out cuts like "Sticky Wicket", "Transfusion", and "The Cooker", and it's easy to see why! LP, Vinyl record album

A spiritual jazz classic – one of the rarest albums of its type from the 70s! This legendary session was recorded by Roy Ayers' keyboardist Harry Whitaker – working here as the leader of the Black Renaissance group, a one-shot ensemble that featured Woody Shaw on trumpet, Azar Lawrence on saxes, Buster Williams on bass, and Mtume on percussion. The session was cut in New York in 1976, but only issued on a rare album that came out briefly in Japan. Yet somehow, the quality of the work and the depth of soulfulness have created a strong aura about the session – making it an oft-cited influence by a generation of DJs and soul jazz listeners. The album only features 2 long tracks – both of them strong ensemble numbers that build modally searching grooves in a Strata East-like style, peppered with voices, both sung and spoken, in a hip, socially conscious mode. Both tracks – "Black Renaissance" and "Magic Ritual" are excellent, on a par with the best 70s spiritual soul jazz! LP, Vinyl record album

A great big band indeed – a session from 1960 that has Bill Holman still sitting nicely at the top of the west coast large group format from the 50s! As with previous dates of this nature, Holman's got a way around the charts that few can match – a way of swinging the whole ensemble strongly, yet never in ways that are cloying, commercial, or cliched. All the right players find a space for expression – and the lineup includes Richie Kamuca and Bill Perkins on tenor sax, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Conte Candoli on trumpet – all players who really sparkle nicely when they step out from the larger group. Titles include "Stereoso", "Shadrack", "Quickstep", "Aura", "The Moon Is Blue", "June Is Busting Out All Over", and "Spinuet". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible collection – and one that fills in a crucially under-documented side of the New York dancefloor generation – the wealth of special mixes and edits that were made for that city's important DJs for their own use in clubs! The package sorts through a mountain of never-issued acetates, and goes way past conventional disco or rare club collections – to showcase the special mixing talents these DJs brought to their re-presentation of the material – which was usually done on tape, then pressed onto acetate discs for their own private use! Those rare treasures are brought forth here – in a beautiful package that's also overflowing with fantastic notes that finally give this lost history its due – all handled by Al Kent – who's a hell of a mixer himself, as well as an underground club historian. Vinyl part 2 features five full records – all with lots of space for the tracks to stretch out – and titles include "My Number's Up (Tee Scott rmx)" by The Salsoul Orchestra, "The Love Bug Done Bit Me Again (David Todd rmx)" by Skyliners, "LA Sunshine (Robert Ouimet rmx)" by Aura, "Love Has Come My Way (Jim Burgess rmx)" by Tony Valor Sound Orchestra, "Handsome Ma (Bobby DJ Guttadoro rmx)" by Sparkle Tuhran & Friends, "Love Thang (Tee Scott rmx)" by First Choice, "Burn Me Up (Jellybean Benitez edit)" by Kay Gees, "Love Is The Message (Tee Scott rmx)" by Brooklyn Express, "Changes (Jellybean Benitez rmx)" by Chain Reaction, "J'Ouvert (Frank Sestito rmx)" by John Gibbs & The Jam Band, "By The Way You Dance (Bobby DJ Guttadaro rmx)" by Bunny Sigler, "It's Good For The Soul (Walter Gibbons disco madness version)" by Salsoul Orchestra, and "It's A Better Than Good Time (Walter Gibbons rmx)" by Gladys Knight & The Pips. LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by one of the archetypal funky soul bands of the 70s – and a group whose impact is still being felt today! Of course, one of the reasons for that is Chaka Khan's incredible vocals – caught here at a prime early point, and very nicely set against some warm electric keyboards and tight groovy guitars – which provide a groove that's live and spontaneous, and never too forced – just the right kind of energy to work perfectly with her approach to the lyrics, without any of the too-polished modes you'd fine from copycat groups trying to fake a sound like this. Rufus had been with Chaka for years by this point – fusing together a sublime blend of funk, soul, jazz, and rock – a sound they forged woodshedding in Chicago in the early days, let loose in perfect studio territory on the west coast of the 70s. The whole thing's a classic – and titles include "Jive Talking", "Sweet Thing", "Fools Paradise", "Circle", "Everybody Has An Aura", and "On Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Very different sounds than what you might expect from the title – not exotica at all, nor some of the more familiar Afro Funk material issued by the Africa Seven label – and instead a great range of tracks that really seems to defy genre or description! Some of the work here is by artists who've gotten a bit more attention in the 21st century, others are still quite obscure – and the music moves between jazzy groovers, spacey soul numbers, and other very offbeat modes – including one track that's a pretty great electric piano solo! Titles include "La Condition Masculine" by Francis Bebey, "Jungle Music" by Benis Cletin, "Distingue 1 (edit)" by Orchestre Lipua Lipua, "The Quest" by Afrocult Foundation, "I Got To Make It" by Aura, "I Don't Want No Body" by Akwassa, "Thanks & Praises" by BG & Fibre, and "Ramer Sans Rame" by Akofa Akoussah. LP, Vinyl record album

A great big band indeed – a session from 1960 that has Bill Holman still sitting nicely at the top of the west coast large group format from the 50s! As with previous dates of this nature, Holman's got a way around the charts that few can match – a way of swinging the whole ensemble strongly, yet never in ways that are cloying, commercial, or cliched. All the right players find a space for expression – and the lineup includes Richie Kamuca and Bill Perkins on tenor sax, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Conte Candoli on trumpet – all players who really sparkle nicely when they step out from the larger group. Titles include "Stereoso", "Shadrack", "Quickstep", "Aura", "The Moon Is Blue", "June Is Busting Out All Over", and "Spinuet". LP, Vinyl record album

Very different sounds than what you might expect from the title – not exotica at all, nor some of the more familiar Afro Funk material issued by the Africa Seven label – and instead a great range of tracks that really seems to defy genre or description! Some of the work here is by artists who've gotten a bit more attention in the 21st century, others are still quite obscure – and the music moves between jazzy groovers, spacey soul numbers, and other very offbeat modes – including one track that's a pretty great electric piano solo! Titles include "La Condition Masculine" by Francis Bebey, "Jungle Music" by Benis Cletin, "Distingue 1 (edit)" by Orchestre Lipua Lipua, "The Quest" by Afrocult Foundation, "I Got To Make It" by Aura, "I Don't Want No Body" by Akwassa, "Thanks & Praises" by BG & Fibre, and "Ramer Sans Rame" by Akofa Akoussah. LP, Vinyl record album

The first full album that Felt cut for Creation Records – and a tremendous selection of timeless pop tunes that shows that their move to the label was the best thing they ever did! The band's sound is tightened up considerably from their Cherry Red years – compressing organ solos, guitar passages, and Lawrence's introspective vocals into tunes that were filled with a sort of timeless sense of pop – never cloying, never witless – just magically "Felt-like", with an aura that was all its own. One of the finest rock records of the past 30 years, and a real bright spot in the 80s! Titles include "Down But Not Yet Out", "September Lady", "Gather Up Your Wings & Fly", "Hours Of Darkness Have Changed My Mind", and "Rain Of Crystal Spires". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "When The Heat Hits The Street", "Hold Me", "Maybe Tonight", "Spanish Eddie", "When I'm With You", "Tenderness", and "Sanctuary". LP, Vinyl record album

Laura Branigan gets some help here on arrangements from Harold Faltermeyer – who makes things a bit funkier than you might expect – although still very much in the kind of poppy style he used famously on some big 80s soundtracks! The mode works well for Laura – whose approach is always on the soulful side of pop, but still filled here with all the sense of drama that made Branigan huge on the charts at the time. Titles include "Heart", "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", "The Lucky One", "Self Control", and "Satisfaction". Titles include "The Lucky One (John Robie mix)", "The Lucky One (Jack White mix)", "Self Control (12" version)", and "Satisfaction (special dance mix)". LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking work from Laura Nyro – exactly the kind of record that sums up the unique genius in her music! The record's not folk, not pop, not soul, nor jazz vocals – but a new sort of style that draws a bit from all those genres, and comes up with a bold new approach that opened the door for countless other female singers in years to come. Despite the fame of the record, and many attempts to copy its genius over the years, Nyro is completely without cliche here – unique in her approach and presentation of the material, and as personally possessed as she is fragile and introspective. Arrangements are by Charlie Calello, and really get the spirit of the tunes right – and titles include "Luckie", "Lonely Women", "Emmie", "Timer", "Eli's Comin", "December's Boudouir", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Woman's Blues", and "Once It Was Alright Now". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Laura Nyro's second album in her legendary early run for Columbia Records – and an effort that's a bit more dramatic than the first! Laura's handling all arrangements herself this time, and they're conducted by Jimmy Haskell – but the overall sound is almost as spare as if Nyro were working alone in a studio with just her piano, singing the lyrics of her tunes with a style that's almost tentative at times – and which further deepens the humanity of her music. Laura's slightly more fragile than before – not really shaky, but just more emotionally open – and that certainly brings a lot to her interpretation of the songs, especially when compared to other folks' versions. Titles include "You Don't Love Me When I Cry", "Time & Love", "Save The Country", "Mercy On Broadway", "Gibsom Street", "New York Tendaberry", and "Captain Saint Lucifer". LP, Vinyl record album

Band includes Randy and Michael Brecker, Joe Farrell, Joe Beck, and Richard Davis. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Produced and arranged by Arif Mardin – with titles that include "Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp", "Map To The Treasure", "Up On The Roof", "Been On A Train", and "Blackpatch". LP, Vinyl record album

Arlo Guthrie may not be one of the best-remembered folkies of the 60s, but he sure made waves with this classic debut and the side-long title song! Arlo is the son of Woody Guthrie, and probably owes as much to Bob Dylan as Dylan does to Woody – but he was definitely on to something when he expanded the shorter protest song into the space of the 18 minute "Alice's Restaurant Massacre", which makes surprisingly strong use of its many grooves on the record – while Arlo delivers a biting commentary on the life of a young man in the era of Vietnam and the uptight Establishment. Side two brings in shorter tracks, but with a similar energy – selections that include "Chilling Of The Evening", "The Motorcycle Song", "I'm Going Home", "Highway In The Wind", and "Now & Then". LP, Vinyl record album

A dark and extremely avant garde soundtrack from the great Ennio Morricone – one that's done in collaboration with his own Gruppo Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – an ensemble with roots in film scoring, but expressions that are more in the mode of 20th century avant! The music is a blend of free improvisation and more straight ahead jazz – with electric guitar, trumpet, violin, and percussion mixed with lots of weird effects and electronics – much more experimental than some of Morricone's more famous soundtracks of the time, and given a nice sense of direction from conductor Bruno Nicolai. The whole thing's incredibly spooky – one of the most turgid scores we've ever heard from the pen of Morricone – and the titles include "Sequita", "Evaporazione", "Dal Sogno E Ritorno", "Folle Folle", and "Notte E Misteri". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums of European jazz from the early 60s – a tremendous effort from pianist Michael Naura, working here with lots of vibes and a fair bit of grooves – in a style that sounds a lot like some of the best early recordings made by the team of Roy Ayers and Jack Wilson! The groove here is definitely modern, but also plenty darn soulful too – and thanks to some alto sax in the mix, the tracks have a cutting quality that really gives them an edge – a kind of rasp that predates some of the late 60s soulfulness of the Saba/MPS scene, of which this album is a definite precursor! Alongside Naura's piano, the group also features vibes by Wolfgang Schluter, alto sax by Peter Reinke, bass by Wolfgang Luschert, and drums by the great Joe Nay – soaring together on tunes that includes Tubby Hayes' "Down In The Village", Oliver Nelson's "Three Seconds", Jackie McLean's "Dr Jekyll", and the originals "Night Flower", "Stratosphere", and "Grunga Mood". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy instrumental takes on Laura Nyro tunes – including "And When I Die", "California Shoeshine Boys", "Farmer Joe", "Emmie", and "I Never Meant To Hurt You". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic – the JB's answer to BT Express' theme song! A biiiiig track here in Chicago, and one that still booms out of roller rinks, record stores, and the back seats of all the low riders. Stand in a record store on the south or west side, and within 15 minutes, you're bound to hear a customer say "You all got Monaurail?". And for good reason, too – as it's one of the JB's funkiest tracks! 7-inch, Vinyl record

An amazing setting for the groundbreaking guitar work of Brij Bhushan Kabra – set up here in a trio with Hariprasad Chaurasia on flute and Shivkumar Sharma on santoor! We already love Kabra's guitar on its own – played in a sitar-like way with all these amazing inflections and soundshaping moments – and it sounds even more wonderful here next to the cascading chimes of the santoor – dulcimer-like instrument that really brings an otherwordly quality to the record. The flute has a way of soaring out on its own, often with weird and unusual tones – and the group also features work on tablas on both sides too – on long tracks that include "Ahir Bhairav", "Nat Bhairav", "Piloo", "Bhoop", and "Pahadi". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare work by Laura Lee – a singer who's best known for her 70s hits on the Hot Wax label, but who sounds equally great here on her earlier sides for Chess! Lee's deep soul approach was a perfect match for Chess at the end of the 60s – and the work here often has her coming across with a hard and heavy approach that rivaled the best female soul coming out of Stax or Atlantic during the same era – no surprise, considering that most of the material here was recorded down in Muscle Shoals, far from the Chicago studios and sweeter production styles of most other artists on Chess! Rick Hall handled the Muscle Shoals material – in a real Fame Records mode – and other cuts were put together by Gene Barge and Cash McCall. The sound is great throughout – with a deeper soul groove than in her early 70s recordings, and vocal power that she hardly ever matched again! Titles include "Mama's Got A Good Thing", "That's How It Is", "Dirty Old Man", "She Don't Love You", "Another Man's Woman", "I Need to Belong To Someone", and "Love More Than Pride". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Laura Nyro's first album ever – originally issued by Verve/Forecast in the mid 60s, but brought back out on the market by Columbia, during the height of Nyro's early 70s fame for the label! Even at this early point, Nyro sounds wonderful – a fair bit more soulful than most other female pop singers of her time – with a fully-fleshed out approach to the vocals that's mature and sensitive, and almost a bit more confident at times than in later years. Arrangements are by Herb Bernstein, and almost have the same sort of sunny feel as The 5th Dimension in their famous covers of Nyro's tunes – again with more soul than we might have expected for the time. Titles include "Lazy Susan", "Stoney End", "Flim Flam Man", "Buy & Sell", "He's A Runner", "Billy's Blues", and "Wedding Bell Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "The Confession", "And When I Die", "Upstairs By A Chinese Lamp", "The Cat Song", "Timer", and "Money". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album