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The monumental debut of BT Express – and an excellent funk album that often gets overlooked by fans of the music because of the band's bigger fame as a disco group! This first record has the combo grooving hard and instrumentally – in the mode of a tight blacksploitation soundtrack, with plenty of tight wah wah guitar riffing, conga beats, and funky flute and sax – topped off by just the right amount of strings to make the set soar even more! The album's best known for the title track "Do It (Til You're Satisfied)" – which was a big hit, but is still an excellent groover – and the set also includes loads of other great cuts too – like "Express", which was the original song that the created the JBs' response track "Monorail"; "This House is Smokin'", which has lots of funky descending horn bits; and other great tunes that include "Mental Telepathy", "If It Don't Turn You On", and "Do You Like It".

One of the greatest albums ever from BT Express – tighter, smoother, and classier than the group's early funky disco sessions – and with a cosmic sound that shows them really growing at the time! The sound here steps off from both the group's own horn-heavy disco sides of the 70s, and from the more righteous ensemble funk work of the Earth Wind & Fire generation – and there's also a nice undercurrent of the snapping midtempo rhythms that would show up even later in the early 80s indie club scene. Funk is still very much a part of the BT Express sound – and even when coming together like an all-pro outfit, the group are still hitting hard on the rhythms and well-crafted guitar parts. A wonderful record throughout – the kind of late session that could easily be overlooked, but which represents some of the group's best work! Titles include "Takin' Off", "Does It Feel Good", "Closer", "Better Late Than Never", and "Have Some Fun".

A killer set that's extremely well-titled – as BT Express were one of the hottest ensemble funk acts of their time! The groove here is definitely aimed at a more disco-oriented dancefloor than before – but the overall sound is plenty funky enough for our ears – thanks to some amazing horn passages arranged by Carlos Ward, whose own work on sax and flute really add an edgey quality to the set. Ward's horns are really fantastic – cutting and turning with a sharply-honed tone that keeps things fresh throughout – even when the rhythms are hitting more of a mainstream dancefloor sound. Titles include the group's mellow soul version of "Now That We've Found Love", plus "Herbs", "Time Tunnel", "Energy To Burn", and "Make Your Body Move".

The BT crew definitely take on a strong disco sound on this album, but their up-tempo soul still kicks it nice and live, and the record's got more solid moments than you might expect! Carlos Ward handled a lot of the arrangements and wrote a fair bit of the tunes – and tracks include "Now That We've Found Love", "Herbs", "Time Tunnel", "Energy To Burn", and "Make Your Body Move".

These guys are still pretty darn great at this point – and the album's an updating of their uptempo funky club sound, one that still retains a lot of the best elements of earlier efforts. Horn arrangements are very strong, handled by Carlos Ward with a nice touch of jazz – and the added strings only broaden the sound, never overwhelm it, making for a well-composed batch of tracks that ranks with the best Philly dancefloor. Titles include "Funky Music", "Sunshine", "Star Gazer", "How Big Can You Dream", "Eyes", and "Scratch My Itch".

Excellent stuff from Blow Fly – and a great bit of funk that's a hilarious parody of disco! Blow's band funks it up with riffs that you'd hear from The JBs, BT Express, or other groups of the time – while Blow himself sings these very off-color, and very funny lyrics that rip off the overt sensuality and empty promises of the disco era. The whole thing's as great as any of his other funky records from the time – and it's another one of those great gems from the 70s that put the "party" in Party Records!

One of the most fantastic albums by the JBs – a masterpiece of funky jamming, tight instrumentation, and that free yet tight style of the James Brown 70s years! The tracks are longer than on some of the earlier singles – especially the 8 minute jammer "(It's Not The Express) It's the JBs Monourail", an answer to BT Express' theme song, and a fantastic cut that's held up through so many years and so many scenes! Another great jammer is the group's version of "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself", which runs for nearly 10 minutes – plus spacey funk tracks "Transmogrification" and "Taurus, Aires, & Leo", and the tighter jammer "Soul Funky Train", which returns to the group's funky 45 mode. Fantastic all around – and the kind of record you'll be playing for your grand kids!

The one and only album cut by this great little group – a seminal force in the pre-disco club years, with a soaring full-on sound that was in the same mode as other groups like BT Express or The Trammps. Includes their classics – like "We're On the Right Track", "Train Called Freedom", and "Free Man", in nice long LP versions. Good uptempo funk grooves all the way through – and a very righteous soul sound that's still pretty darn fresh!

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

One of the most fantastic albums by the JBs – a masterpiece of funky jamming, tight instrumentation, and that free yet tight style of the James Brown 70s years! The tracks are longer than on some of the earlier singles – especially the 8 minute jammer "(It's Not The Express) It's the JBs Monourail", an answer to BT Express' theme song, and a fantastic cut that's held up through so many years and so many scenes! Another great jammer is the group's version of "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself", which runs for nearly 10 minutes – plus spacey funk tracks "Transmogrification" and "Taurus, Aires, & Leo", and the tighter jammer "Soul Funky Train", which returns to the group's funky 45 mode. Fantastic all around – and the kind of record you'll be playing for your grand kids! CD adds 5 extra bonus cuts, all from hard-to-find People singles, and not on other LPs – including "J.B. Shout", their version of "Alone Again", "Sportin Life", "Dirty Harri", and the two part classic "Everybody Wanna Get Funky One More Time". Nice stuff, and a good reason to pay the extra price for the Japanese reissue!

Wicked club from 70s Ohio – 2 tracks that are more in an ensemble funk mode than the usual disco of the time! "Free Your Mind" steps out with a glidingly righteous groove that really fits the title lyric – a soaring blend of horns and rhythms that recalls some of the edgier work of the early BT Express years, and which has a nice sort of indie rawness here! "Your Fantasy" follows in a similar mode – a bit funkier overall, but still with a nice dancefloor glide!

Six albums in, and these guys still aren't losing their groove – and if anything, they seem to be getting even tighter and funkier with the 80s groove generation! Randy Muller's still the main man making things happen here – giving the group their trademark horn sound, and that fantastically tight approach to rhythm – one that's very much inherited from the early BT Express groove, but which is almost sharper and more mature. There's a lean quality to these tracks that's quite surprising, given the nine piece lineup of the group – but that's very much the Muller touch, and its in full force here. Titles include "Do Ya", "Working Harder Every Day", "We Can Do It", "I'm Not Gonna Stop", "Don't Try To Change Me", and "We Are Brass".

More funky breaks than Evel Knevel after the Snake River Canyon jump! The groove hounds at BGP records were set loose on the Ace catalog – which includes holdings from Atlantic, Stax, Volt, Westbound, and other funky classic labels – and they managed to come up with a killer batch of funky cuts, even though this is their 3rd dip into the crates! If anything, perhaps they dipped even deeper this time – especially as some of the once-trusted sources for breaks, like the famous Ultimate Breaks & Beats series, are now disappearing from the market. Titles include "Soul Pad" by The Coasters, "I Walk On Gilded Splinters" by Johnny Jenkins, "T Plays It Cool" by Marvin Gaye, "Nappy Dugout" by Funkadelic, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by Jimmy Ponder, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by The Mad Lads, "The Rose" by 50 Foot Hose, "Holy Ghost" by The Bar Kays, "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads, "After Laughter Comes Tears" by Wendy Rene, "River's Invitation" by Freddie Robinson, "This House Is Smokin" by BT Express, "Music Man (parts 1 & 2)" by Pleasure Web, and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" by David Porter.

One of the best singles so far on Kenny Dope's funky Kay-Dee label – presented here in a great pic sleeve package! "Organize" is a righteous bit of ensemble funk – hard-hitting on the bottom, with a soaring lyric that has a bit of Earth Wind & Fire horns on the top – all edited here by Kenny with a groove that's probably even funkier than the original – even though we've never heard it! "Space Travel" is full-on and funky too – strutting along with guitar lines sewed up inside the horns – all at a quickly grooving pace that almost sounds like a precursor to early BT Express!

One of the best albums ever by this legendary Chicago trio – a great example of the way that records on the Nessa label can really get to the heart of artists' intentions! The trio of Henry Threadgill on reeds, Fred Hopkins on bass, and Steve McCall on percussion have never sounded better – and have this intimate, soulful interplay that's sometimes missing from other efforts – that special kind of energy that makes the AACM so great when it's really clicking this well – as deeply spiritual as it is freely expressive! Threadgill plays alto, tenor, bass flute, and the compelling hubkaphone –a nd titles include "I'll Be Right Here Waiting", "No 2", "GvE", "Subtraction", and "Keep Right On Playing Thru The Mirror Over The Water".

Exactly the kind of record to show why we love Japanese piano trio sessions so much – a sweet 80s date from lyrical genius Iwasaki Daisuke! The album's got a relatively understated feel at first, but really grabs us once it gets going – with a mix of complicated solo lines and subtle, soulful warmth – a gentle balance that's clearly inherited from the legacy of Bill Evans – yet pushed into richly expressive directions here of its own! Daisuke's a hell of a painter on the keys – poetic, yet never with too many flourishes – and working with a subtle sense of darkness that's echoed by the bass of Hideo Kanazawa and drums of Hideaki Sekine. Titles include "Mass Ave 5am", "Tiny Souvenir", "Never Say Goodbye", "Star Crossed Lovers", and "Surf Mail".

A smooth batch of early work from Brazilian jazz and vocal mainstay Dick Farney – a collection of his wonderful vocal tunes and more jazz based work from the mid 40s through the mid 50s – collected from ultra rare releases of the time! The first half of the CD concentrates on his wonderful vocal tunes – steeped in mellow, expressive tunes ranging from stripped down piano and vocal ballads and some more lush material with strings. Dick's doesn't get his vocal props in our half of the globe – and here's hoping sets like this will spread the word! Titles include "Copabana", "Marina", "Uma Loura", "Nick Bar", "Mundo Distaste", "Perdido De Amor", "Tereza Da Praia" (Dick Farney & Lucio Alves), "Grand Verdade" and more. The 9 tracks that close out the CD concentrate on his jazzier side, with Dick on piano with his Quintet on the tracks "O Genio Da Marly", "Fique Calma", "Nervosinho" and more; the Dick Farney Quartet works the Gershwin songbook with "Strike Up The Band", "Oh Lady Be Good", Bt Not For Me" and "I've Got Rhythm".

A great return to recording for Son House – a musician who'd stopped playing the guitar in the postwar years, but rose again to fame during the great folk blues revival of the 60s! The style here is every bit as classic as some of Son's earliest music – just recorded a lot better, too – with beautiful focus on the subtle inflections he brings to the strings of his acoustic guitar, and vocals that ring out a lot stronger than they might have on a 78. Titles include "John The Revelator", "Empire State Express", "Preachin Blues", "Sundown", and "Grinnin In Your Face".

A late 80s session from pianist Fumio Itabashi – but one that's arguably even more open and expressive than any of his work from the 70s! The album's a trio date, but it's often got a very loose feel – so that the percussion and bass are used in ways that go way beyond rhythm – sometimes as subtle sonic elements, sometimes as melodic impulses – but always changing up in really nice ways – yet all without ever going too outside, or sounding too unstructured. This balance is beautiful – and a key illustration of why we've always liked Itabashi's music so much! Titles include "Prelude", "Blues For Mobs", "Little Benny", "Gospel 69", and "Cry Me A River".

Amazing work from French film composer Michel Magne – a set of more serious compositions, but all of which still have the great ear for odd sounds and subtle humor we love in his soundtracks! The centerpiece of the set is his "Musique Tachiste" suite from 1959 – an extended composition that features voices, instruments, and noises all coming together in a really wonderful way! Christiane Legrand handles the "voix chantee" – a wordless singing vocal – and Jaqueline Dano does the "voix expression", the more dramatic one in the set. Piano is by Paul Castanier, who figures heavily – and other instrumentation includes vibes from Geo Daly, plus some spare but effective use of odd noises that really come off well. After that selection, the CD moves onto a series of 1968 recordings in which pianist Martial Solal plays the music of Magne – set to arrangements from the legendary Jean-Claude Vannier! The sound is amazing – jazzy, but always veering outside – not just on Solal's trademark angular piano lines, but also in Vannier's complex shifting colors in the backdrops! Titles include "Air Liquide", "Rose Des Vents", "Clair Obscur", and "Organique". The CD features 2 more rare experimental works – "Echellses Mobiles" from 1970, and "Mozart En Afrique" from 1972. The whole thing's great – never too cerebral or academic, and always with a nice sense of wit.

A striking solo set from Phillipe Baden Powell – much bolder and more expressive than his previous album – even though the overall feel is a lot more stripped-down too! Baden's got a very sharp approach to the keys of the piano – working here in a range of tones that's really breathtaking – a stark palette of sounds that's recorded with just the right sort of depth to let all of his most subtle touches come through. As befits his roots, the tunes are a mix of Brazilian numbers and jazz standards – plus a few original compositions as well – and titles include "Canto Triste", "Consolacao", "Prologue", "The Meantime", "Loro", "Choro Para Metronomo", "Ending", "Giant Steps", and "Vista Chinesa".

Two different slices of this powerful group from reedman Dave Rempis – one live performance from Milwaukee, the other from Antwerp – each taking up a CD each! The group gets their percussive name from the dual drums of Tim Daisy and Frank Rosaly – players who bring a real intensity to the music at some moments, yet lie back and have very individual, subtle spirits at other points – often to let Rempis express some amazing tones and textures on alto, tenor, or baritone sax – given great shape and inspiration by Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass. All the tracks are long, and very improvised – and titles include "Algonquins", "Cream City Stomp", "Anti Goons", and "Croatalus Adamantooths".

A great solo set from Heidi Vogel – a vocalist you may know from previous work with the Cinematic Orchestra – stepping out here in a bossa-heavy set that's a perfect fit for the Far Out label! Heidi's style is deeper and more expressive than before – not a voice as part of larger instrumental backdrops, but a lyrical presence first and foremost – often supported with lighter instrumentation that echoes an older bossa era – with strong use of acoustic guitar, light percussion, piano, bass, and cello – all with very melancholy shades of sound. There's a light glow to the record that's really beautiful – mellow, yet soulful enough to have some subtle power – and the set also features guest vocals on two tracks by Cleveland Watkiss, and guest piano on two other numbers by Austin Peralta. Titles include a nice version of Joao Donato's "The Frog" – plus "Inutil Paisagem", "Chelsea Bridge", "Love Dance", "Bonita", "Juazeiro", "Black Narcissus", "Copacabana", and "Modinha". CD also fatures three remix numbers – "Black Narcissus (Cinematic Orchestra rmx)", "Black Narcissus (Emanative rmx)", and "Turn Up The Quiet (IG Culture rmx)".

Nina's not just singing the blues here – she's completely reinventing the sound of the format – by drawing on a long tradition of vocal expression, and infusing it with the hipper, more personally exploratory mode she forged in the 60s! The album's got a subtle brilliance that means that it's sometimes overlooked next to her more forceful work of the time – but it's every bit essential Simone as some of her other key sides of the decade. The group is a small combo featuring Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, Buddy Lucas, and Ernest Hayes – and titles include "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl", "Do I Move You?", "In The Dark", "Real Real", and "Backlash Blues". CD features bonus tracks "Whatever I Am (You Made Me)" and "Do I Move You (second version)".

Groundbreaking work from the legendary Ahmad Jamal – not just in his own career, but in live jazz in general! The album's a classic recording of Jamal's trio with Israel Crosby on bass and Vernell Fournier on drums – captured at the Pershing Lounge on the south side of Chicago, where Jamal was clearly wowing the crowd with his amazing talents on the piano. The groove here is sublimely fluid and soulful – clearly the next wave of expression on the piano in the 50s, and as important to the Chicago scene as Bill Evans was to that of New York at the time. The recording quality is wonderful – clear enough to capture the subtleties of Crosby's amazing bass, and the lightly tippling sound of Fournier's drums – and titles include a classic extended reading of "Poinciana", plus "What's New", "But Not For Me", and "No Greater Love".

A great later date from the legendary Sonny Stitt – and one recorded with the same soulful depth and laidback feel as his best 50s sessions for Roost or Verve! Sonny blows both alto and tenor sax here – and works in the warm company of Sadik Hakim, whose sharp tones on piano bring in a slight modern inflection to the record, but in subtle ways that still lets Stitt's vision strongly take the lead. Buster Williams handles the bass – with those deep tones of his we love so much, and which add a slight contemporary sense of expression to the album – and JR Mitchell rounds out the quartet on drums. Titles include "South Georgie Blues", "Fine & Dandy", "Round Midnight", "Christopher Street Jump", and "Little Girl Blue". CD features 4 bonus alternate takes too!

A beautiful little soundtrack for this late John Wayne western – scored by Elmer Bernstein in a wonderfully expressive way – with a quality that goes way past the usual entries in the genre! There's almost a slight undercurrent of sentimentality to the music – not in a cloying way, but with a quality that seems to reference the entire history of the western with sensitive ears – in a way that the film almost seems to do with its story, as well – carrying things forward without too much drama, but this subtle depth that really makes the music special! The recording quality is excellent, and Bernstein's scoring shows some instrumental modernity he wouldn't have had a few years before – complex use of subtle elements that really comes through in the production. Titles include "Born To Hang", "Necktie Party", "Smoke", "New Money", "Surrounded", "Thickening Plot", "Billy Joe", "Train", and "Venture".

Jazz funk genius from Freddie Hubbard in the mid 70s! Gleam was a Japanese-only double album from the jazz giant in its original release – mighty funky at times, too – right up there with some of the best Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock Japanese sets from the 70s! It's a live set captured in March of '75 at Tokyo's Yubin Chokin Hall – long numbers played by a group that includes Freddie on trumpet, Carl Randall on tenor and flute, George Cables on electric piano, Henry Franklin on bass, Carl Burnett on drums, and Buck Clark on percussion! Each player has plenty of space to groove, and it's very well captured – you can hear the most expressive solos and the most subtle nuances. Some great solos by Freddie and the rest of the players – breathless tenor & flute by Randall, keys by Cables that are jazz funk perfection and interplay between Burnett's drums and Clark's congas & percussion that's somehow tense and comfortable at the same time. The shortest number in the set runs more than the 7 minutes and the longest is more than 20 minutes – and none is one second shorter than necessary, actually leaving us pining for more – making it all the more vital in the double album format. Released on 2CDs for the first time ever here! How this great album has been so hard to find over the years is a mystery. Titles include "Kuntu", "Spirits Of Trane", an amazing cover of Stevie Wonder's "Too High", "Midnight At The Oasis", "Ebony Moonbeams", and "Put It In The Pocket".

A great solo set from Heidi Vogel – a vocalist you may know from previous work with the Cinematic Orchestra – stepping out here in a bossa-heavy set that's a perfect fit for the Far Out label! Heidi's style is deeper and more expressive than before – not a voice as part of larger instrumental backdrops, but a lyrical presence first and foremost – often supported with lighter instrumentation that echoes an older bossa era – with strong use of acoustic guitar, light percussion, piano, bass, and cello – all with very melancholy shades of sound. There's a light glow to the record that's really beautiful – mellow, yet soulful enough to have some subtle power – and the set also features guest vocals on two tracks by Cleveland Watkiss, and guest piano on two other numbers by Austin Peralta. Titles include a nice version of Joao Donato's "The Frog" – plus "Inutil Paisagem", "Chelsea Bridge", "Love Dance", "Bonita", "Juazeiro", "Black Narcissus", "Copacabana", and "Modinha". CD also fatures three remix numbers – "Black Narcissus (Cinematic Orchestra rmx)", "Black Narcissus (Emanative rmx)", and "Turn Up The Quiet (IG Culture rmx)".

Familiar numbers – but done quite nicely, thanks to the warm early talents of Kenny Drew! The style here is a bit more lyrically evocative than some of the other Riverside piano work of the time – less modern-tinged, but still in a really expressive way that unlocks new corners of these great numbers from the original Rogers & Hart score to the musical Pal Joey! Drew's compadres for the session are Wilbur Ware on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – both of whom help illuminate the tunes with sly, but subtle touches. Titles include "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered", "Happy Hunting Horn", "What Is A Man?", "Do It The Hard Way", "I Could Write A Book", and "My Funny Valentine".

Rare British disco, club soul and jazzy funk from the late 70s & early 80s – compiled by Joey Negro – hard to find numbers from Mirage, Incognito, Hudson People, Intrigue and many more! Negro has long been a trusted compiler and he does a terrific job here – many tracks from the end of the 70s and start of the 80s that wonderfully blend the soaring, dancefloor soul and disco with masterful musicianship of jazz and funk steeped rhythms. It's not a DJ mixed set, the tracks are unmixed – but there are a number of nice Joey Negro edits. 23 tracks on 2CDs: "Summer Grooves" by Mirage, "Keep In Touch" by Freeez, "Trip To Your Mind" by Hudson People, "The Wiggle" by Stikki Stuff, "Zero One" by Surface Noise, "Sore Lip" by Ritual "Express" by 52nd Street, "Parisienne Girl" by Incognito, "Latin Dream" by The Antilles, "Bentley Boogie" by Ed Bentley, "I Wanna Dance" by The Cool Notes, "You Know Too Much" by MBT and more.

A really well-crafted set from saxophonist Antoine Roney – quite possibly our favorite member of his jazzy family, thanks to wonderful work like this! Roney's got a great approach to the tenor here – a style that has some of the searching, searing tones of the post-Coltrane generation – but one that's also never too far out either, never trying to match the efforts of the late Great One, just use a bit of his inspiration for more subtle expression in jazz. The rhythm section helps a lot to this effect – given that Ronnie Matthews, another wonderfully balanced player, is also in the group on piano – alongside Santi Debriano on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums. Titles include "Whirling", "Blues For Leslie", "Alterations"," Duo", "The Hymn", "Passageway", and "Where".