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A totally great project from Bryan Ferry – completely unlike anything that he or Roxy Music have ever done in the past – even though the whole thing is a tribute to the glory days of the group! The tunes are all famous 70s tracks by the group, but they're redone here as jazz instrumentals – not just jazzy takes on the music of Roxy, but work with a much older vintage – really 20s-styled versions of the tunes – with instrumentation that's completely faithful, as is the production – so that you'd honestly think you're listening more to a collection of older 78s from the days of acoustic recording – even though the songs are oddly familiar. The vintage jazz mode prevails so much that the core melodies of the tunes aren't even apparent at first – they kind of sneak up on you with a nice sense of surprise, and only after a bit do you actually catch the song – but even then, marvel at the way that the older melody has this sinister sound that still comes through amidst the blend of trombone, clarinet, guitar, and skittish rhythms. A brilliant set – far more charming than we would have expected – and titles include "The Bogus Man", "Love Is The Drug", "Do The Strand", "Don't Stop The Dance", "Virginia Plain", "This Island Earth", and "Avalon".

A totally great project from Bryan Ferry – completely unlike anything that he or Roxy Music have ever done in the past – even though the whole thing is a tribute to the glory days of the group! The tunes are all famous 70s tracks by the group, but they're redone here as jazz instrumentals – not just jazzy takes on the music of Roxy, but work with a much older vintage – really 20s-styled versions of the tunes – with instrumentation that's completely faithful, as is the production – so that you'd honestly think you're listening more to a collection of older 78s from the days of acoustic recording – even though the songs are oddly familiar. The vintage jazz mode prevails so much that the core melodies of the tunes aren't even apparent at first – they kind of sneak up on you with a nice sense of surprise, and only after a bit do you actually catch the song – but even then, marvel at the way that the older melody has this sinister sound that still comes through amidst the blend of trombone, clarinet, guitar, and skittish rhythms. A brilliant set – far more charming than we would have expected – and titles include "The Bogus Man", "Love Is The Drug", "Do The Strand", "Don't Stop The Dance", "Virginia Plain", "This Island Earth", and "Avalon".

A lost porno soundtrack from Bernard "Pretty" Purdie – and one of his greatest records ever! The album's amazing – a sweet batch of soulful funk, almost better put together than any of Purdie's more famous albums for Flying Dutchman or Prestige – with a mix of tight drums, sweet electric piano, and even some occasional lead vocals from Sandi Hewitt – who really adds a lot to the record! The album's got some monster funky cuts – the most noteworthy of which is "Hap'nin", a mad break track that really has Bernard going crazy on the drums! Other cuts include "Pass Me Not", "Lialeh", "Touch Me Again", "Conscious", and "Easy".

An obscure soundtrack with music by Howard Roberts – not the guitar player, but the arranger who also directed the Howard Roberts Chorale. The album is a weird blend of funk, African leanings, and gospel influences – with a heavy full-on approach that makes the best cuts groove like prime blacksploitation numbers. Inlcudes the great groover "Funky, But?" – plus "Streak O Lean", "Banjoko", "Come To The Water", "Walk Softly", and "Sailin".

We're not sure what to make of the title – but to our ears, everything here sounds plenty new and plenty fresh – the kind of creative guitar-driven work we've come to expect from Jon Lundbom and his cool contemporaries from the Mostly Other People Do The Killing side of the universe! The group here also features Jon Irabagon on alto and soprano sax, Bryan Murray on tenor and balto sax, Moppa Elliott on bass, and Dan Monaghan on drums – and there's an intensity to the music right from the start – a blistering sort of energy that almost takes us back to some of the most creative downtown jazz experiments of the New York scene in the early 80s. Titles include "The Other Third One", "Of Being Done To", "The Bad Thing", and "Talent For Surrender".

Robot Rock n Roll issue featuring a lavishly illustrated encyclopedia of hundreds of robot records/bands/etc. Interviews with Captured! By Robots, Gilbert and George (The Singing Sculpture), Arthur Lee Maye (1950s R&B/Baseball star), Blowfly, The Troggs, Snoop Dogg, The Syndicate of Sound, Richard and the Young Lions, Rocket From The Crypt, Archer Prewitt, Andy Starr and Junior Brown. Plus Bubblegum, Martin & Lewis, Shrimpenstein (written by Dominic Priore), Crispy Ambulance, Sammy Davis, Jr., Art Fein's 1950s Chicago memories, Bryan Gregory obituary, lots of comics, reviews and more.

Hip hop legend, soundtrack composer, actor/director and straight-up modern day Renaissance Man RZA graces the front cover of Wax Poetics – with the ascendant future soul guru Jesse Boykins III covering the back! This excellent and eclectic issue of Wax Po also has features on Detroit drummer/producer Karriem Riggins, William Hart of The Delfonics, Pacific Northwest jazz funk legends Pleasure, Bryan Ferry, Nite Jewel, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Gaslamp Killer, Bay Area hip hop boss Mac Dre and much more!

Those Chicago steppers are at it again – working their way across the USA, and picking up a fresh range of grooves in the process! As on previous volumes, the tunes are a mix of older soul and a few contemporary numbers – with a heavy sprinkling of 80s cuts, showing a bit of a shift on the steppers scene as it moves away from the 60s! Titles include "Not Ready" by Con Funk Shun, "Love's A Merry Go Round" by Juicy, "Ride Your Pony Girl" by The Moments, "Still Got The Magic" by Michael Wycoff, "Love U 2 The Limit" by Mac Band, "The Show Is Over" by Evelyn Champagne King, "Walking With You" by East Coast Offering, "Can't Let Go (inst)" by Tony Terry, "Is This For Real" by O'Bryan, and "You & Me" by Jamm.

A standard-setting debut – with amazing early electronics from Brian Eno, sublime vocals from Bryan Ferry, and offbeat classics that never get old – like "Remake/Remodel", "Virginia Plain", "2 HB", "Bitters End", "Chance Meeting", and "Ladytron".

Solid!! 19 burning shots of prototypical island jams! The sounds of Studio One have been passed down from generation to generation of musicians, even being sampled by some of today's digital producers, and recut in version after version, and with their series of Studio One reissues, Soul Jazz illustrates why. Coxsonne Dodd was not only a genius producer of rhythms, but assembled some of the finest musicians not just on the island, but anywhere in the world to cut these mighty tracks, including the Skatalites "Coconut Rock", Cedric Im Brooks "Mun-Dun-Gu", Tommy McCook "Shocker's Rock", Jackie Mittoo & Ernest Ranglin "Jerico Skank", Karl Bryan & Teh Afrokats "Money Generator", Lester Sterling "Afrikaan Beat", Sound Dimension "Heavy Rock", Sugar Belly "In Cold Blood", Soul Bros "Bugaloo", Vin Gordon 'Red Blood", Pablove Black "Push Pull" and Karl Bryan & Count Ossie "Black Up".

A brilliant little comeback album for Roxy Music – their first album in 4 years after Siren, and a well-done departure that takes off from older records without losing any of their greatness! In a way, the set's almost the group's Lodger – a similar effort to Bowie's record from the same time that reflects a move away from heavier styles of earlier years, but never loses the edge of the group's best work. Manifesto also reflects some of the lessons learned by Bryan Ferry on his solo records – a bit leaner and cleaner presentation of the songs – but the album itself is also strongly a group production effort, and certainly feels that way in its use of Phil Manzenera's great guitars and Andy Mackay's horn arrangements. Titles include "Ain't That So", "Stranger Through The Years", "Trash", "Manifesto", "Angel Eyes", "Spin Me Round", "Cry Cry Cry", and "My Little Girl".

A brilliant little comeback album for Roxy Music – their first album in 4 years after Siren, and a well-done departure that takes off from older records without losing any of their greatness! In a way, the set's almost the group's Lodger – a similar effort to Bowie's record from the same time that reflects a move away from heavier styles of earlier years, but never loses the edge of the group's best work. Manifesto also reflects some of the lessons learned by Bryan Ferry on his solo records – a bit leaner and cleaner presentation of the songs – but the album itself is also strongly a group production effort, and certainly feels that way in its use of Phil Manzenera's great guitars and Andy Mackay's horn arrangements. Titles include "Ain't That So", "Stranger Through The Years", "Trash", "Manifesto", "Angel Eyes", "Spin Me Round", "Cry Cry Cry", and "My Little Girl".

Dang! Poor Gene Ammons kept getting stuck with albums that had titles which referenced his prison time! Fortunately, the quality of this one's good enough to live past the stupid name – and the record has Gene blowing with a larger group of west coast soul jazz players, arranged by Bobby Bryant, in the style of big band funk he was using on his own work. More than a few nice moments arise – especially on the cuts "Crazy Mary", "Fru Fru", and "Jaggin".

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the money at all the best points! There's a number of sweet mellow ballads with lead vocals by Sharon Bryant, and other tracks that groove in an uptempo way that points towards more of the group's 80s work – a great mix of modes that makes for a really well-developed album right out of the gate. Titles include "Gimme Your Lovin", "The Love I Never Had", "Visions", "Keep It Comin", "Stand Up", "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "We Got It Together", and "Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun".

The rarest of all of Art Blakey's percussion group projects – and quite possibly the best, too! The session features Blakey at the head of a strong mix of jazz and percussion players – with Art Taylor and Philly Joe Jones on the regular drum kit, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Ray Bryant on piano, and a host of assorted percussion work by the likes of Ray Barretto, Sabu Martinez, Victor Gonzalez, Julio Martinez, and others. The resultant sound is incredible – very full, rich, and earthy – and done in a way that interweaves African and Latin percussion styles with straighter American jazz! A few cuts have chanting by Blakey and Sabu – and titles include "The Feast", "Mirage", "Lamento Africano", "O'Tinde", "Swingin Kilts", "Dinga", "Reflection", and "Aghano".

Way more than just a James Bond cash-in record – and instead an ultra-hip jazz session from the west coast scene of the 60s! The James Bond at the helm of the record is actually Jimmy Bond – the great bassist who worked on some key sessions of the late 50s and early 60s as a sideman, and who turns out to be a surprisingly great leader on this rare mid 60s date! The record is more jazz than anything else – played with a crime/spy bent, to be sure – but also flowing with really great solos and a fair bit of a bossa influence in the rhythms! The group here is more than hip enough to make the record work – with Harold Land on tenor sax, Bobby Bryant on trumpet, and Buddy Colette on flute and tenor – all working in a sextet led by Bond, with plenty of round, warm, almost modal lines on his bass – punctuated nicely by piano from Joe Parnello and drums by Joh Guarin. Arrangements are by Dick Groove – who keeps things very groovy – and many of the tracks here are actually original numbers written by Bond and Warren Baker, titled after Ian Fleming books that had not yet been made into movies at the time of this album! Titles include "Casino Royale", "Moonraker", "For Your Eyes Only", "007 Theme From Dr No", "Man With The Golden Gun", "Diamonds Are Forever", and "Live & Let Die".

Ray Bryant's turning his heavy-hands version of the piano to a set of film themes here – grooving familiar numbers with a nice little soul jazz groove – but still also keeping a bit of a soundtrack feel! Richard Wess scored some larger arrangements for the record – providing a sweeping backdrop that's a nice foil for Ray's piano – and titles include "Exodus", "Laura", "Affair To Remember", "True Love", "Three Coins In A Fountain", "The High & The Mighty" and "On Green Dolphin Street".

Great work from Ray – and very much in the formula of his best Cadet records! The formula is simple – stick in 2 great original groovers, and fill the record with a few other covers of pop and jazz standards. Thanks to Richard Evans, who produced the sessions for Cadet, the grooves are great on nearly every track – and Ray sounds better here than on any other sides that we remember! In this case the originals are "Stick With It" and "Sound Ray" – both hard piano jams with a great downbeat and a nice dose of funk. Covers include "Song For My Father", "Con Alma", "Look Of Love", and "Scarborough Fair" – all very very nice!

A sweet sweet change for Rusty Bryant – as electric piano moves in on the usual Hammond heard on most of his funky sessions – with a resulting groove that's outta site! The change in keys makes for more of a soundtrack funk feel than a rough-edged one – not smooth at all, but more in a 70s class sort of area – partly CTI, but still with lots more of that loose energy that makes the Prestige jazz funk sessions so great. Unlike later dates of this nature, the group's still small, and very unified – with Khalid Kenneth Moss on electric piano and a bit of organ, Harold Young On guitar, Fred Masey on drums, and Norman Jones on percussion. Titles include "Friday Night Funk For Saturday Night Brothers", "Have You Seen Her", "Blues for a Brother", and "Mercy Mercy Mercy".

A real smoker of a session – Rusty Bryant's first comeback album of the jazz funk years, done in a mode that virtually set the tone for other Prestige sessions of the time! Rusty's working here on alto sax, in a mode that's clearly inspired by the Lou Donaldson sessions of the time on Blue Note – but done with a freer, looser, more rolling sort of vibe. Organist Sonny Phillips really makes the set great with some fluid work on the Hammond that matches Bryant's groove – and guitarist Grant Green's also in the group, setting up some great single note lines that punctuate the tunes nicely. A key factor is also bassist Bob Bushnell, who plays Fender bass on the record (an element missing from the Donaldson sound), and gives the record a key bit of motion at the bottom! Tracks include the groovy "Zoo Boogaloo", plus "Streak O' Lean", "Night Flight", "The Cat", and "Ready Rusty".

Fantastic funky jazz from tenorman Rusty Bryant – one of the real standout titles in the classic early 70s Prestige jazz/funk years! Rusty leads a group that includes heavyweights like Charles Earland on organ, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all top-shelf players who make for a date as great as you might imagine – one that definitely liberates Rusty's soul from older modes, and sets it free into new funky pastures! The vibe here is right up there with Bryant's legendary Fire Eater record – and titles include "Soul Liberation", "Cold Duck Time", "Lou Lou", and "Freeze Dried Soul".

Fantastic funky jazz from tenorman Rusty Bryant – one of the real standout titles in the classic early 70s Prestige jazz/funk years! Rusty leads a group that includes heavyweights like Charles Earland on organ, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all top-shelf players who make for a date as great as you might imagine – one that definitely liberates Rusty's soul from older modes, and sets it free into new funky pastures! The vibe here is right up there with Bryant's legendary Fire Eater record – and titles include "Soul Liberation", "Cold Duck Time", "Lou Lou", and "Freeze Dried Soul".

Bassist Dezron Douglas can be one hell of a leader – especially when he's working with a group and setting as great as this! The album's got that solid punch we love in the Smalls Live series – a way of allowing players to really open up and be themselves, yet also find a cohesiveness as a group that you don't often get in studio sessions – that brilliant magic that can make live jazz performance so wonderful, when it's captured this well – a great document of a musical moment and local expression that might have been missed otherwise. Dezron's bass is very upfront in the performance – and the quintet also features tight trumpet from Josh Evans, bold tenor from Stacy Dillard, sharp piano from David Bryant, and smoking drums from Willie Jones III. Titles include "Nita", "Let's Ride", "The Puppet", "Bish Bash Bop", and "Power Of One".

A killer instrumental album of hard organ grooves and funky basslines! This was the album that broke Funk Inc out of their Indianapolis scene, and made them a force to be forever reckoned with in the history of funky jazz. The album grooves hard in the same sound as some of the classic work by Prestige jazz funk giants like Rusty Bryant, Charles Earland, or Ivan Boogaloo Jones – but it's almost even tighter than their work, because the Funk Inc combo as a tightly woven group of players who'd been together for a number of years. The record's filled with monster cuts that you'll recognize immediately, like the group's famous "Kool is Back", which has a monster sample on the intro, and hard heavy Kool & The Gang grooves throughout. Other tracks include "Sister Janie", "The Whipper", and "Bowlegs".

Gritty grooves from Coleman Hawkins – a set that has the aging tenorist still working in swing-based formation, but with a much blusier tone than on his Verve albums of the decade! The group's a small one – with Hawkins on tenor and Charlie Shavers on trumpet – plus some especially nice guitar work from Tiny Grimes, who really underscores the soul of the session, and almost makes the whole thing feel a bit more laidback and open than usual. Rhythm is from the trio of Ray Bryant on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – and the album features two very long tracks – "Hawk Eyes" and "C'Mon In" – which are more blowing session numbers – plus the shorter tunes "Stealin The Bean", "La Rosita", "I Neer Knew", and "Through For The Night".

A great collection – one that features a side of material from the album Soul, with piano by Ray Bryant; and another side of a set recorded with the Red Garland Trio. Also features the full album At Ease – wonderful late work by Coleman Hawkins – a player who was very much "at ease" with himself at the time, and opened up tremendously on albums like this. The format is beautiful – simple small group backings by Tommy Flanagan, Wendell Marshall, and Osie Johnson – with Coleman out front, blowing these deep and mellow tenor lines that could stop a locomotive in its tracks! Titles include "At Dawning", "I'll Get By", "For You For Me For Evermore", and "Mighty Lak A Rose".

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".

Great stuff from Groove – a tight, no-nonsense set of hard grooves featuring a quartet that includes Rusty Bryant, Billy Butler, and Herbie Lovelle. There's a strong bottom sound to the session – picking up from the Misty days, when Groove learned that he could take just about any track, and make it groove like a mofo! Because of this, the album's selections – "That Healin Feelin", "Irene Court", "Castle Rock", and "On a Clear Day" – all sound night and tight, as Groove would have delivered the tunes playing before one of his many well-attended audiences at the time!

One of the great lost ones from Blue Note – hard to find in any pressing, and a killer hardbop session from the days when the label could crank them out with a quality unmatched by other labels! Clifford Jordan's leading an unusual group here – a septet, which is a bit of a change from his smaller combos – with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, John Jenkins on alto, Ray Bryant on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums! At first glance, the lineup might look like more of an unstructured blowing session – but there's a lot more cohesion here than you'd guess – kind of an under-recognized chapter of Jordan's early musical vision, and one that marks him right away as a visionary leader as much as the tenor talent he was known for. Titles include "Not Guilty", "St. John", "Blue Shoes", and "Ju-Ba".

Killer piano from Ronnie Kole – a set with loads of cool soul jazz touches throughout! The core of the album's based around Ronnie's trio – with some excellent hard-handed work from Kole that's right up there with Ray Bryant in the 60s – but it also features great arrangements from John Bergeron and Charlie Brent, both of whom bring in horns and inventive rhythms to really push things over the top! The set crackles like some hip Argo/Cadet set from the Chicago scene – hardly the New Orleans jazz you'd guess from the title – and the set's got groovy takes on "Aquarius" and "Spinning Wheel" – plus nice originals "God Bless Bu-Butz", "Just A Feelin", "Happy Is Love", and "Lonely Waltz".

Solo work from pianist Luigi Martinale – a player we've mostly heard in a trio setting, but one who's equally captivating on his own! In the open space of the set, Martinale's got lots of opportunity to stretch out and spread his wings – yet while doing so, he still comes across with an inherent sense of swing, too – an undeniable groove that's a bit like the feeling of Ray Bryant on a solo set like this, although a bit more lyrical overall – with maybe some echoes of Barry Harris too. Tunes are well-chosen, and the originals by Martinale are some of our favorites – and titles include "Arietis Aetas", "The Absynth", "UMMG", "My One & Only Love", "Por Toda A Minha Vida", and "Aka Tombo".

Arranger Onzy Matthews plays piano and leads a nice tight band that includes LA soul jazz players like Curtis Amy, Clifford Scott, Bobby Bryant, Ray Crawford, and Horace Tapscott! The title sums up the sound of the session perfectly, as the tracks are bluesy, but with an elegant sense of arrangement, as you might expect from a jazz release on Capitol at the time. The solos of the stars are fairly prominent, and the LP's better than you might expect. Titles include "Pensive", "Dallas Blues", "Blues Non Stop", and "Somethin's Cookin".

Includes the tracks "Charleston Fever", "Switch It Miss Mitchell", "The Joys", and "Everybody Pile".

A pair of Oscar Peterson gems – back to back on a single CD! Night Train is one of Oscar Peterson's biggest records ever – one of those albums we turn up time and time again when digging through classic jazz collections – and for good reason too, given the lasting power of the set! The album's got a rock-solid sound that's filled with soul – almost a bit more down and dirty than some of Peterson's earlier work, very much in the spirit of the group's hit performance of the title track. In a way, the album's almost Oscar's answer to some of the rising younger stars in the soul jazz scene – and is proof that the master still can do things as great as the artists he inspired. Ray Brown is on bass and Ed Thigpen is on drums – and tracks include "Bag's Groove", "Georgia On My Mind", "Easy Does It", "Band Call", and "Night Train". Jazz Soul Of Oscar Peterson is one of the first Peterson albums to ever feature "soul" in the title – added, no doubt, as a way of keeping up with Ray Bryant and other pianists making their name in the growing soul jazz field at the time! There's a groove here that's a bit harder than usual for Peterson on Verve – a heavier approach to rhythm on the keys, and a more focused trio formation – one that clearly sets a pace for albums to come in the 60s, but which must have been relatively striking to Peterson fans at this point. The trio here features Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – and tracks are longer than usual, with some really great room to stretch out! Titles include "Liza", "Con Alma", "Close Your Eyes", "Maidens Of Cadiz", and "Woody'n You".

One of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the set – a really unique batch of material that includes "Yambeque", "Elegua Chango", "Que Sera", and "Cha Cha De Pollos". The percussion is nice and hard, and the band grooves in tight ensemble playing throughout!

A smoking set of work from Tito Puente – four classic albums, wrapped together in a single package – with a bonus album of rare material too! First up is Cuban Carnival – one of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the set – a really unique batch of material that includes "Yambeque", "Elegua Chango", "Que Sera", and "Cha Cha De Pollos". The percussion is nice and hard, and the band grooves in tight ensemble playing throughout! Night Beat is a really jazzy effort that was cut with a top-shelf list of players! The groove's a bit different than some of Tito's other work – but in a good way, and one that has him stretching past straight Latin to mix in a heavy dose of jazz – really getting the most of players who include Eddie Bert on trombone, Gene Quill on saxes, Bernie Glow on trumpet, and Barry Galbraith on guitar. The rhythms are key – and in addition to drums from Jimmy Cobb, the album also features Mongo Santamaria on congas and Willy Correa on bongos – not to mention more percussion from Tito himself! Dance Mania is a burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Revolving Bandstand is a joint project from Tito Puente and Buddy Morrow – both leaders who recorded some great work for the label in the 50s, sounding great here in a unique variation on their classic sounds! The album has both Morrow and Puente playing back to back – creating a "revolving bandstand" that has both groups playing the same tunes at the same time – a very odd approach, but one that comes off well here – mixing Tito's Latin and Buddy's swing nicely, without too much confusion in the instrumentation. There's some great vibes on a few tracks! Last up is Tito Puente Quatro Bonus Edition – a set that features 13 rare tracks, with singles, outtakes, and more – including "La Virgen De La Macarena", "Moonlight In Vermont", "The Continental (alt take)", "Blue Moon (alt)", "Ran Kan Kan", "Timbal Y Bongo", and many outtakes of "Pa Los Rumberos"! All LPs on 180 gram vinyl – with liner notes too!

One of Della Reese's greatest records – and a unique little session cut "live in the studio" before a very appreciative crowd! Bobby Bryant wrote out some very hip charts for the session, and they're made even better by organ work by Bill Doggett and piano lines by Gerald Wiggins – both of whom are in Della's group on the record. The whole thing's got a very nice groovy feel – similar to some of the best pop jazz coming out of LA at the time – and titles include "Gotta Travel On", "Girl Talk", "Driftin Blues", "Good Morning Blues", and "Detour Ahead".

A beautifully soulful set from Horace Silver – hardly the "with brass" session you might guess from the title, and instead a well-integrated album that really showcases a new level of arranging genius from Horace! The set is heavy on hip horns – with work from Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, and Tom Harrell on trumpets – plus Frank Rosolinon on trombone, Jerome Richardson on alto and soprano sax, Buddy Collette on flute, and Bob Berg on tenor – but these instruments are often wrapped up in this warmly rolling groove driven by the bass of Ron Carter and drums of Al Foster – inherently funky, but much more complicated from a rhythmic perspective – and rolling out beautifully with a really imaginative vibe! Tunes are all originals by Silver – wonderful little numbers filled with passion and life – almost painting in sound, with really rich tones and colors throughout. Titles include "The Sophisticated Hippie", "Dameron's Dance", "Barbara", "Adjustment", "Mysticism", and "Kissin Cousins".

A sweetly funky set from Johnny Hammond Smith – a date done right at the start of the jazz funk era on Prestige – and one that marks a nicely heavy change in Johnny's sound! The format here is quite different than the style of Smith's early 60s work – with Hammond that's much more sharply tuned and direct – set amidst longer tracks that are freely jamming – served up with instrumentation that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor and a bit of alto, Wally Richardson on guitar, Bob Bushnell on Fender bass, and Bernard Purdie on drums. The best tracks are long, jamming numbers that really take off nicely – and titles include "Purdy Dirty", "Up To Date", "All Soul", and "Soul Talk".

A real finger-popper from Japanese pianist Kunihiko Sugano – a sweet 60s album that has him playing like the best American players of the soul jazz generation! There's a boldness to the left hand that echoes bits of Ray Bryant or Junior Mance – yet Sugano can also tipple the keys with a lyrical sensitivity that's got a bit of Barry Harris or maybe even Ahmad Jamal – often complex, yet still swinging beautifully – always aware of the groove, yet never totally subsumed by it! The trio features Yoshio Ikeda on bass and Hiroshi Yamazaki on drums – and the album feels like some lost treasure on Argo or Prestige Records. Titles include "For Karl", "Finger Popping", "I Can't Get Started", "Barbados", and "Blues For Jiro".

A lost treasure from pianist Horace Tapscott – material recorded live at the legendary Lighthouse club, done with a very hip group of players from the Nimbus Records scene! The tracks are quite long throughout – and often start with Tapscott musing into the groove with solo piano, soon joined by group members who include Reggie Bullen on trumpet, Gary Bias on alto sax, Roberto Miranda and David Bryant on bass, and George Goldsmith on drums. Tapscott's piano has plenty of sharp edges throughout, but these introductory moments also show his more contemplative side as well – making the long tracks a wonderfully rich portrait of his musical talents. Titles include "Acirfa", "Dem Folks", "I Remember Clifford", "Leland's Song", and a shorter take on "Acirfa".

A second unearthed gem from pianist Horace Tapscott at the Lighthouse club in 1979 – very sharp stuff featuring a solid group of Nimbus players! Volume 2 was recorded on October 11, appropriately the night after the set featured on Lighthouse 79 Vol 1, with Tapscott leading the way, and setting up a groove with on the piano, while the group pounces when ready The players are Reggie Bullen on trumpet, Gary Bias on alto, Roberto Miranda and David Bryant on bass, and George Goldsmith on drums. It's an impeccable balance of subtle, slow building melodicism and sharp, emphatic group play & soloing! Totally great stuff, and absolutely worth a second helping. Titles include "Acirfa", "Niger's Theme", the epic "Stella By Starlight", "Lush Life" (at 6+ minutes, the only number in the set that runs less than 10 minutes) and "Inspiration Of Silence".

Fully righteous work from singer Maxine Weldon – working here with bigger backings from Ernie Wilkins that mix in a bit of blues, soul, and funk! The style's never too polished, and almost has a similar feel to some of Esther Phillips' work on the Kudu label during the early 70s – soulful vocals at the lead, backed by some hip jazz and electric instrumentation from players who include Blue Mitchell and Bobby Bryant on trumpet, Hadley Caliman and Ernie Watts on tenor and flute, George Bohannon on trombone, and Freddy Robinson on guitar. Titles include "Don't Make Promises", "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye", "Country Son", "I'll Remember Today", "Fire & Rain", "I Who Have Nothing", and "Ain't Got Nobody".

The best bits from one of our favorite compilation series ever – Blue Juice, the 3 volume set on Blue Note that brings together a mind-bending mix of funky soul, jazzy funk, groovy grooves, and other odd and delightful bits from a wide variety of sources! This one shows the expansive scope of the groove scene and crate-diggers over the past decade – turning a focus on some great and passed-over grooves from the late 60s and early 70s that sparkle again on this fantastic set! Titles include "Feelin Alright" by Trinidad Oil Company, "Fever" by Patti Drew, "Tighten Up" by Benny Gordon, "Sookie Sookie" by Tina Britt, "I Want To Testify" by Bobby Bryant, "Listen Here" by Groove Holmes, "Get Out Of My Life Woman" by George Semper, "Never Come Closer" by Doris, "California Soul" by Gerald Wilson, "Cristo Redentor" by Ferrante & Teicher, and "Mississippi Delta" by Bobbi Gentry.

Plenty of fusion here – a heady brew of jazz, funk, and soul – all put together with a nice sense of tightness that really makes the grooves sparkle! The package is heavy on gems from the Fantasy Records catalog of the 70s – cuts that really define the newly sophisticated sound the label was hitting at the time – as it brought huge changes to the worlds of jazz and soul through its unique fusion of grooves! A number of cuts here are nice and long – the kind of extended numbers that Fantasy always did so well, mixed with a few other key cuts from different labels. Titles include "Time Is Movin" by The Blackbyrds, "Funked Up" by Gary Bartz, "Funky Motion" by Ronnie Foster, "Ga Gang Gang Goong" by Rusty Bryant, "Home Brew" by Arthur Adams, "Concrete Jungle" by Three Pieces, "Joyous" by Pleasure, "Movin" by Brass Construction, "What You Won't Do For Love" by Roy Ayers, "The Genie" by Bobby Lyle, "Can't Hide Love" by Carmen McRae, and "Tell Me What To Do" by Johnny Hammond.

A long-overdue collection that dips into the huge disco legacy of the New York-based De-Lite label (and related imprints Red Coach and Vigor) – most famously home to Kool & The Gang, but also the home of a lot of other good east coast groups, most of whom were important in those key mid 70s transitional years between ensemble funk and disco. This set brings together 15 tracks from the label – including a number of gems that haven't been reissued before – and titles include "Slip & Dip" and "Casanova" by Coffee, "Galaxy Of Love", and "Say A Prayer For Me" by Crown Heights Affair, "I Wanna Give You Tomorrow" by Benny Troy, "Wanna Spend My Whole Life With You Baby" by The Street People, "Zone (12" mix)" by Rhythm Makers, "Hustle Wit Every Muscle" by The Kay Gees, "Party Music" by Pat Lundi, "Juice It Up" by Hotline, "Mighty Body" by Leon Bryant, and "It Really Hurts Me Girl (1979 Tom Moulton rmx)" by The Carstairs.

The Enjoy Records Story – but from the early days, when the label was a powerhouse outlet for R&B, blues, and early soul music – years before they also started cutting hip hop as well! The tracks here are all a great illustration of the keen ear of the imprint, and their strong focus on a few key acts who could really knock it out of the park – music that made Enjoy a key player at the start of the soul years of the 60s – even though some of its best artists went onto later fame at bigger labels. The collection is the best we've ever seen on Enjoy during these seminal years – and features a whopping 36 cuts that include "People Sure Act Funny" by Titus Turner, "Hoop & Holler" by Riff Ruffin, "I Believe To My Soul" by Louis Jones, "What Ya Gonna Do" by Noble Watts & June Bateman, "Get It" by Jay Dee Bryant, "Let's Do The Boston Monkey" by Les Cooper, "Don't Lie" by Sammy Taylor, "Sad Song" by The Channes, "Long Time No See" by Ronnie & The Manhattans, "Hot Potato" by The Rinky Dinks, "Ain't Nobody's Business" by Mary B, "It Hurts Me So" by Elmore James, "Soul Twist" by King Curtis, and "What Shall I Do" by Gladys Knight & The Pips.

Funky sounds from the Harlem scene – an incredibly rich collection of work from the Rojac and Tayster labels – a set so massive, it's like finding a box of rare funky 45s and deep soul singles in the back of some old record store! The package offers up way more work than we might have expected from our knowledge of a few key funk classics from the labels – a treasure trove of under-discovered gems from the grittiest years of the New York scene – most of them cut in the pre-disco years, with raw edges that almost feel more like southern soul and funk than other work from the Big Apple! This overstuffed set also comes with a sweet booklet of notes – really telling the tale of the labels and related enterprises – plus 44 tracks that include "Where Were You" by Kim Tolliver, "Meet Me Halfway" by Lillie Bryant, "Old Love Never Dies" by Big Maybelle, "Something Special About My Baby" by Clarence Reid, "I Love My Baby" by International GTOs, "No Better For Ya" by Jo Armstead, Love Love Love" by Chuck Flamingo, "Christmas In Vietnam" by Private Charles Bowens & The Gentlemen From Tigerland, "Everybody's Going Wild" by Curtis Lee & The KCPs, "Lovin Lies" by Third Guitar, "This & That" by Jo Armstead, "Don't Lose Your Groove" by Lavell Hardy, "Nwanne Nwanne Nwanne" by Aleke Kanonu & Tolbert The Miracle Man, "Lucky Man" by Damn Sam The Miracle Man, "Baby Don't Cry" by Third Guitar, and "Whip Ya" by Chuck A Luck & The Lovemen Ltd.

An excellent compilation of raw Memphis soul – from one of the rarest singers on the famous Hi Records label! In the years before Hi Records had big hits with singers like Al Green and Ann Peebles, and when they were still mostly messing around with pop instrumental tunes, the label was fortunate enough to have the talents of the great singer Don Bryant – a rich-voiced southern singer with a mix of styles who could easily slip into the styles of singers like Tyrone Davis, Otis Redding, Johnny Taylor, and Wilson Pickett. Bryant cut a number of singles for Hi, plus one album entitled Precious Soul – and all his released work is contained here, as well as a number of rare demos, unissued tracks, and titles cut as duets with singer Marion Brittnam. The massive 52 track set is a key glimpse at the career of this underrecognized talent – and the 2CDs worth of material span nearly 10 years of Bryant's work. Titles include "It's So Hard To Put You Down", "Slip Away", "She's Lookin Good", "You're A Wonderful One", "Did You Ever Have The Blues", "The Call Of Distress", "My Baby", "Star Of Love", "You Cause Me To Wonder", "It's So Lonely Being Me", and "What Are You Doing To My World?".

One of the more loosely-constructed sides on the Bethlehem label – an imprint that's normally known for keeping the reigns in pretty tightly! The album features 3 longish tracks played by 3 different groups: "I'm Glad There Is You", played by a group led by Russ Garcia, and including Don Fagerquist and Howard Roberts, backed by a small string section; "It Had To Be You" played by a small combo led by Frank Rosolino, and featuring some great alto work by Charlie Mariano; and "Lady Be Good", played in a 17 minute version by Herbie Harper and "The Swingers", a group that includes Fagerquist, Herb Geller, Bill Perkins, Pepper Adams, and Clora Bryant. A nicely loosened up west coast moment – and a record that's pretty darn hard to find on vinyl!

A true orgy in rhythm from Art Blakey – a set that not only features his drums next to the kit of Art Taylor, but which also adds in a bevy of other percussionists – including Sabu Martinez, Patato Valdez, and Jose Valentine! Joe Jones and Specs Wright also bring in additional jazz drums – making for more drummers than you might even find in a high school band – all working together with amazing qualities in sound, sometimes even melodic amidst all of the rhythms. Lighter lyrical touches are provided by Herbie Mann's flute, and Ray Bryant throws in some great lines on piano – underscoring the grooves in a nice way. Titles on this first volume include "Buhaina Chant", "Split Skins", and "Toffi".

Hip work all around – 2 incredible albums from the mighty Charles Kynard! Afro-Disiac is the rarest of all Charles Kynard albums – and a real standout groover from the classic funk days of Prestige! The album's a really creative outing – with arrangements by Richard Fritz that take the usual small combo Prestige sound to new heights – twisting and turning the rhythms past the usual heavy foot on the bass motif! Fritz wrote the bulk of the tracks, and they've got a modal grooving mode – with a mixture of hard rhythms and dancing organ, guitar, and sax that's almost in the style of work on the label by Funk Inc. Bernard Purdie's on drums, Jimmy Lewis plays Fender bass, and solos are by Kynard on organ, Grant Green on guitar, and Houston person on tenor. Titles include "Sweetheart", "Odds On", "Afro-Disiac", "Trippin", and "Chanson Du Nuit". Wa-Tu-Wa-Zi is one of the best albums cut during the Prestige jazz/funk generation of the early 70s! The album's a super-heavy monster that has organist Charles Kynard working with a great group that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor, Virgil Jones on trumpet, Melvin Sparks on guitar, Jimmy Lewis on Fender Bass, and Idris Muhammad on drums – all cooking together with the sort of hard-grooving, high-wailing sound you'd expect from Bryant's or Sparks' Prestige albums of the time! The use of Lewis' bass on the bottom really leaves Kynard free to soar over the top – and in addition to his usual Hammond, he also plays some groovy electric piano on two of the album's tracks. Titles include "Change Up", "Zebra Walk", and "Wa-Tu-Wa-Zui" – and the group even manages to make a version of "Something" sound funky!

With Les McCann on piano and vocals, Houston Person on tenor, Bobby Bryant on tenor and soprano sax, Lou Volpe on guitar, and Richard Malcolm on percussion. Produced by Creed Taylor – with cuts that include "The Longer You Wait", "Hold My Hand", "Volkswagen Blues", and "Road Warriors".

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the money at all the best points! There's a number of sweet mellow ballads with lead vocals by Sharon Bryant, and other tracks that groove in an uptempo way that points towards more of the group's 80s work – a great mix of modes that makes for a really well-developed album right out of the gate. Titles include "Gimme Your Lovin", "The Love I Never Had", "Visions", "Keep It Comin", "Stand Up", "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "We Got It Together", and "Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun". CD features a bonus track – "Stand Up (single version)".

An incredible early experimental album from Art Blakey – one of the first to feature him in expanded percussion format! Side one of the album features the extended "Drum Suite" – a set of 3 tracks ("The Sacrifice", "Cubano Chant", and "Oscalypso") that has Blakey and Jo Jones on drums, joined by Sabu Martinez on bongos and Charles Wright on tympani and gong. Ray Bryant snakes some soulful piano through the set and Oscar Pettiford is on bass and cello – and the overall feeling of the side is similar to some of Blakey's work in the format for Blue Note – like the albums Afro-Drum Orgy or Holiday for Percussion. Side two has straight hard bop, played by Blakey's 1957 combo that included Jackie McLean and Bill Hardman – and the group grooves hard on a classic reading of "Nica's Tempo", plus the cuts "D's Dilemma" and "Just For Marty".

A real lost treasure on Hi Records – one of the few albums ever cut by Don Bryant, a singer whose talents seemed to be eclipsed by the rising stars of Al Green and Ann Peebles – but who was every bit as great! Bryant's got a sound here that's still firmly in the Hi style forged by Willie Mitchell – who produces this set – but there's also some nicely rougher edges too, a sound that's almost more Stax than Hi – and which certainly features a bit of a nod to Wilson Pickett down in Muscle Shoals – not exactly funk, but with some nice grit in the grooves! The whole thing's great – and titles include "Try Me", "Cry Baby", "Funky Broadway", "Soul Man", "Land Of 1000 Dances", "She's Looking Good", and "Slip Away".

Pure genius from Ray Bryant – the kind of a record that few other players could ever hope to cut, and a fantastic demonstration of Ray's extremely soulful approach to the trio format! Bryant's working here with Bill Lee on bass and Mickey Roker on drums – in a triple-burning setting that has all players contributing equally to the groove – and often working strongly to create a great sense of counterpoint in the rhythms. Roker's drums are magically playful throughout – snapping and skipping along the top of the snare in a way that only furthers the rhythmic agenda of Bryant's piano. And Lee's bass has a laidback and mellow delight – one that rings out alongside the keys of the piano, and fleshes them out with some additional depth and color. The title track is a brilliant reading of "Con Alma", and the set also features Bryant's famous tune "Cubano Chant" – as well as the titles "Autumn Leaves", "Milestones", "Ill Wind", and "C Jam Blues".

A pair of albums from saxophonist Wilton Felder – back to back on a single CD! We All Have A Star offers up solo sounds from Crusaders reedman Wilton Felder – a really great set that's very much in the best vibe of his larger group at the time – yet one that also offers up a stronger focus on Wilton's sublime solo work on tenor! The album's got plenty of Crusaders help on board – given that Stix Hooper and Joe Sample produced the set along with Wilton – and the vibe's a wonderful blend of electric backings, with especially great keyboard lines, and Felder's well-phrased saxophone lines over the top! A few cuts feature vocals – sung by Angela Bryant or Debbie Demoia Ross – and titles include "We All Have A Star", "I Know Who I Am", "The Cycles Of Time", "Why Believe", "Ride On", and "You & Me & Ecstasy". Inherit The Wind is one of the best Crusaders-related solo projects – a soulful bit of fusion from saxophonist Wilton Felder, co-produced with his fellow Crusaders! The album's got the best sunny finish of the group's late 70s albums – traces of Latin, funk, and soul bubbling through a warm jazzy mix – staying soulful all the way through, and coming up with a sound that's smooth, but never sleepy. The blueprint for a million other records – none of which ever sounded this good! Titles include "Insight", "LA Light", "Until The Morning Comes", "Someday We'll All Be Free", and "Inherit The Wind".

One of the greatest jam session records on Verve! Although some of the label's "big horn talent" albums tended to be a bit snoozy, this one crackles with energy, and features three different classes of boppers working together perfectly on long, lively tracks with Ray Bryant on piano, Tommy Bryant on bass, and Charlie Persip on drums. In fact, it's probably the soulful rhythm section that makes the whole thing so darn good – as they really chop up some nice rhythms on cuts like "Wheatleigh Hall", "Haute Mon", and the album's classic version of "Con Alma". Great stuff, and essential for fans of Diz and Rollins especially!

Sublime work from Benny Golson – and one of his few hard soul jazz sides from the time! The group's a heavy one all around – a quintet that includes Curtis Fuller, Ray Bryant, Tommy Bryant, and Al Harewood – all of whom push Golson past that over-arranged style of other albums, into a groove that's a lot deeper, more relaxed, and open ended. Benny's tenor tone opens right up for the set – and the album features some of his most interesting blowing from the time. Titles include "Soul Me", "Jam For Bobbie", and "Staccato Swing". CD also features a bonus track – "A Bit Of Heaven".

Although Benny Golson is perhaps best known as a lively arranger in the modern idiom, he's also a kick-ass tenor player when he wants to be – and on this classic, he definitely wants to be! Unlike some of Golson's more tightly arranged records of the early years, this date is a deeply gutsy soul jazz session – support from a group that includes Ray Bryant on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Art Blakey on drums, and Curtis Fuller on trombone – all sliding into long tracks that have plenty of room for solos! The whole thing's a bit like the more spontaneous side of the Jazz Messengers groove – and titles include "The Stroller", "Drumboogie", "My Blues House", and a beautiful version of "Yesterdays".

Tiny's in Swingville – and as far as we're concerned, it's a great place to be! The set's got Tiny grooving on guitar in that easy-going, open-ended style that made the Prestige Swingville sessions so great – nothing fancy, just a relaxed approach to the session that makes for some of the best playing in the genre at the time. The group's a quintet, with Jerome Richardson on flute and tenor, Ray Bryant on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – and titles include "Durn Tootin", "Down With It", "Annie Laurie", and "Home Sick".

A tasty batch of funky jazz cuts from Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones – working here in a tight guitar groove that's actually better than that heard on his early albums for Prestige! The group's a good one – with Rusty Bryant on tenor, Butch Cornell on organ, and Grady Tate on drums – but it's Ivan's funky guitar style that really makes the whole thing work, as his fingerwork on the strings is enough to make any jazz-funk hopeful give up their guitar for life! Titles include "Hoochie Coo Chicken", "Snake Rhythm Rock", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "He's So Fine", and "Big Bad Midnight Roller".

A moody set of 70s work from Yusef – proof that he was always trying to push his bag, and a good attempt to bridge his earlier exotic work and his later high concept compositions. Some of this material is spare and thoughtful, while other tracks are trying for sort of a 70's electric funk sound. Funky cuts include "The Hump", "This Old Building", and "Prayer" – and players include Kenny Barron, Cornell Dupree, and Ray Bryant.

One of the richest albums that Junior Mance ever cut for Atlantic Records – a smoking soul jazz set that seems to have a bit of a gospel influence too – at least in the deep, soulful bottom that comes from the feel of the group! Junior's piano is right on the money – as sharp and hard-hitting as on other records from the time – and the set features great work from some additional reed players – including Hubert Laws and David Newman – plus some trumpet from Jimmy Owens, who helps give the album a sharp punch at just the right moments! Some of the tunes are plenty catchy, and should have put Mance in the company of Ray Bryant or Ramsey Lewis at the time – and titles include "Time & A Place", "I Believe To My Soul", "My Romance", "Don't Worry 'Bout It", and "Golden Spur".

2 albums' worth of sweet early soul jazz work from Junior Mance – both of them pretty darn hard to find! The records both hail from Junior's early 60s years – a time when he was getting a bit more freedom to stretch out on the keys and work through some soulful inflections – in a style that was encouraged by the contemporary success of pianists like Ray Bryant and Bobby Timmons. Like those two, Junior's working here in a style that's dripping with influences from gospel and blues, yet which also still firmly swings in a jazz-based sensibility – lightly gliding up and down the keys, with help from either Ben Tucker or Jimmy Roswer on bass, and Bobby Thomas or Paul Gusman on drums. The set's got 17 tracks in all, with lots of original tunes – and titles that include "Uptown", "Ralph's New Blues", "Main Stem", "Playhouse", "Sweet & Lovely", "In The Land Of Oo Bla Dee", "Swish", "Swingmatism", and "Big Chief". Note: CD omits the track "Seasons" from the album Big Chief due to space restrictions.

Monk doing his thing at the '64 Monterey Jazz Festival – backed by his core group of Charlie Rouse on tenor, Steve Swallow on bass and Ben Riley on drums – plus additional backing by the Monterey Workshop crew on a couple – a recording released now for the first time ever! Monk's playing here with space and nuance, but still kicks up the energy in spots – incorporating the accompanying players on the closing 2 tracks – which included Buddy Collette on sax & flute, Lou Blackburn on trombone, Jack Nimitz on baritone, and Bobby Bryant & Melvin more on trumpets. The takes all run north of 8 minutes, and titles include "Blue Monk", "Evidence", "Bright Mississippi", "Rhythm-A-Ning", plus "Think Of One" and the immortal "Straight No Chaser" – fleshed out with the bigger band!

Keyboardist Sonny Phillips was one of the lesser-known talents on the Prestige roster of jazz funk greats in the early 70s – and this nice 2-in-1 CD brings together his 2 best albums for the label, both of which feature Phillips on organ, along with giants like Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Rusty Bryant on tenor. The album Sure Nuff is probably Phillips' best for the label – a set that's done with the lean, hard funky sound of other greats working for Prestige during the same time – especially on the cuts "Sure Nuff, Sure Nuff", "The Other Blues", "Be Yourself", and "Oleo". Black On Black has a bit more of a mellow groove, but still kicks nicely, especially on the tracks "Check It Out", and "Black On Black". 10 tracks in all, with the usual "Legends Of Acid Jazz" package.

Killer funk from the glory days of the Prestige Records scene! "Got Myself" is one of the catchiest numbers ever ecorded by Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers – a barrage of bouncy beats, peppered with jaunty piano, and completed by a frenetic funky flute line over the top! "Fire Eater" is one of those cuts that just goes "whomp" from the word go – slamming with some Idris Muhammad-styled beats, very heavy work on the Hammond organ, and a killer tenor solo from Rusty!

If worktime was like this for us, you'd catch us showing up on the job early every day – but sadly, nothing at our office can match the brilliance of early Sonny Rollins here – a sharp-edged genius that perfectly illustrates why he was one of the greatest players on his horn for many decades running! There's a depth of tone on the record that rivals Coleman Hawkins or Lester Young – but a quickness of pace and imagination that shows a clear influence from Charlie Parker, and a deftness that few were bringing to the tenor at the time. The rhythm section here is super tight – and features Ray Bryant on piano, George Morrow on bass, and Max Roach on drums – all supporting Rollins' bold lead with lines that bristle with electricity, but still often fall back to let the sound of the tenor envelop the whole group. Tracks are longish, and titles include "Raincheck", "There Are Such Things", "Paradox", and "It's All Right With Me".

A beautifully soulful set from Horace Silver – hardly the "with brass" session you might guess from the title, and instead a well-integrated album that really showcases a new level of arranging genius from Horace! The set is heavy on hip horns – with work from Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, and Tom Harrell on trumpets – plus Frank Rosolinon on trombone, Jerome Richardson on alto and soprano sax, Buddy Collette on flute, and Bob Berg on tenor – but these instruments are often wrapped up in this warmly rolling groove driven by the bass of Ron Carter and drums of Al Foster – inherently funky, but much more complicated from a rhythmic perspective – and rolling out beautifully with a really imaginative vibe! Tunes are all originals by Silver – wonderful little numbers filled with passion and life – almost painting in sound, with really rich tones and colors throughout. Titles include "The Sophisticated Hippie", "Dameron's Dance", "Barbara", "Adjustment", "Mysticism", and "Kissin Cousins".

One of the hippest gospel albums recorded by Atlantic – and in many ways, more of a secular set than other sides by Marion Williams. The album was co-produced by Roberta Flack, and features a core group of players that includes David Spinozza on guitar, Keith Jarrett or Ray Bryant on piano, and Paul Griffin on organ – plus backings by the Dixie Hummingbirds on a number of tracks. The sound is a mixture of southern soul and urban rootsy – with a few numbers arranged by Flack, and a mixture of secular and spiritual tunes that includes "My Sweet Lord", "He Ain't Heavy", "Turn Turn Turn", "This Generation Shall Not Pass", "Heaven Help Us All", "Make Peace With Yourself", and "Danger Zone".

A stellar set from one of the most underrated reed players of all time – a brilliant bit of searching soul jazz, cut at a time when Curtis Amy was leaving behind his Texas roots for the new sounds of the Coltrane generation! The album's quite different than the organ and tenor dates that Amy had previously cut with Paul Bryant – and instead, is put together with a nascent spiritualism that's really wonderful – a sound that definitely lives up to the bold title and cover image, with lots of modal moments in the rhythms! The group features some equally under-acknowledge geniuses – including trumpeter Dupree Bolton, pianist Jack Wilson, and guitarist Ray Crawford – all coming together perfectly with Amy's work on tenor and soprano sax. The best tunes here are originals by the group members – including "Lonely Woman" (not by Ornette), "Katanga", "Native Land", and "Amyable".

Albert King and his bluesy soul Stax Records classic Born Under A Bad Sign get a retrospective look from this issue The Blues – and other features include a roundup of 20 Female Pioneers Of The Blues, plus Eric Burdon, Gary Clark Jr, Magic Slim, Wilson T King, Danny Bryand and more. Also includes a free CD: The Cat's Whiskers – Lap Up The Cream Of Contemporary Blues – with tracks by Lucy Zirins, Dave Arcari, The Hellsinki Hellraisers, King King, Albany Down and more.

Solo sounds from Crusaders reedman Wilton Felder – a really great set that's very much in the best vibe of his larger group at the time – yet one that also offers up a stronger focus on Wilton's sublime solo work on tenor! The album's got plenty of Crusaders help on board – given that Stix Hooper and Joe Sample produced the set along with Wilton – and the vibe's a wonderful blend of electric backings, with especially great keyboard lines, and Felder's well-phrased saxophone lines over the top! A few cuts feature vocals – sung by Angela Bryant or Debbie Demoia Ross – and titles include "We All Have A Star", "I Know Who I Am", "The Cycles Of Time", "Why Believe", "Ride On", and "You & Me & Ecstasy".

2 late 60s sides by Groove Holmes – back to back on one CD! The Groover is a nice one from the days when Groove was playing with guitarist George Freeman! The core of the tracks on here feature a trio of Holmes, Freeman, and drummer Billy Jackson – and the trio knows how to cook nice and nicely, especially on the original cut "The Walrus", a groovy number written by Freeman, with his usual off-kilter approach. Other cuts include "My Scenery", "Blue Moon", and "I'll Remember April". That Healin Feelin is a tight, no-nonsense set of hard grooves featuring a quartet that includes Rusty Bryant, Billy Butler, and Herbie Lovelle. There's a strong bottom sound to the session – picking up from the Misty days, when Groove learned that he could take just about any track, and make it groove like a mofo! Because of this, the album's selections – "That Healin Feelin", "Irene Court", "Castle Rock", and "On a Clear Day" – all sound night and tight, as Groove would have delivered the tunes playing before one of his many well-attended audiences at the time!

A gem of a record from trumpeter Jeremy Pelt – and like some of his other brilliant albums, a set that really has him sparkling alongside some sweet Fender Rhodes! Pelt's trumpet has always been great – but here, in the company of keyboardist David Bryant, it really seems to find some rich new colors – almost as if the keys open up a layer of Pelt that's been hiding for years – set free to really soar and flow here. Bryant also plays some Hammond and clavinet as well, and other Fender Rhodes and keyboard work is by Frank LoCrasto – and the group also features Roxy Cross on soprano and tenor, Burniss Earl Travis on bass, Dana Hawkins on drums, and Jeffrey Haynes on percussion. Both Ra Re Valverde and Angela Roberts each sing on a track – and titles include "Reimagine The World", "Boom Bishop", "Butterfly Dreams", "Pieces Of A Dream", "Meditations On A Conversation We Had", and "Mystique".

A smoking set of work from Tito Puente – four classic albums, wrapped together in a single package – with a bonus album of rare material too! First up is Cuban Carnival – one of Tito Puente's finest albums for RCA, with a tight hard bunch of cuts that have a Cuban big band sound, and a lot more drive to them than some of Tito's other work for the label. Ray Bryant wrote the great track "Cuban Fantasy", and Tito contributed most of the other tunes on the set – a really unique batch of material that includes "Yambeque", "Elegua Chango", "Que Sera", and "Cha Cha De Pollos". The percussion is nice and hard, and the band grooves in tight ensemble playing throughout! Night Beat is a really jazzy effort that was cut with a top-shelf list of players! The groove's a bit different than some of Tito's other work – but in a good way, and one that has him stretching past straight Latin to mix in a heavy dose of jazz – really getting the most of players who include Eddie Bert on trombone, Gene Quill on saxes, Bernie Glow on trumpet, and Barry Galbraith on guitar. The rhythms are key – and in addition to drums from Jimmy Cobb, the album also features Mongo Santamaria on congas and Willy Correa on bongos – not to mention more percussion from Tito himself! Dance Mania is a burner of a set from Tito Puente – very well titled to suit the energy of the session! The tracks are all highly rhythmic numbers – short, but filled with jazzy horn flourishes and the kind of snapping rhythms that made the Puente group one of the biggest crossover favorites of the 50s. Tunes nicely mix up vocals with some more pronounced jazz soloing – getting a heck of a lot into a relatively small space, and really keeping up the energy of the record overall. Revolving Bandstand is a joint project from Tito Puente and Buddy Morrow – both leaders who recorded some great work for the label in the 50s, sounding great here in a unique variation on their classic sounds! The album has both Morrow and Puente playing back to back – creating a "revolving bandstand" that has both groups playing the same tunes at the same time – a very odd approach, but one that comes off well here – mixing Tito's Latin and Buddy's swing nicely, without too much confusion in the instrumentation. There's some great vibes on a few tracks! Last up is Tito Puente Quatro Bonus Edition – a set that features 13 rare tracks, with singles, outtakes, and more – including "La Virgen De La Macarena", "Moonlight In Vermont", "The Continental (alt take)", "Blue Moon (alt)", "Ran Kan Kan", "Timbal Y Bongo", and many outtakes of "Pa Los Rumberos"! Beautiful packaging too – in a 7" square hardcover book, with many pages of notes and images – like some of the Hip-O Select collections!

A rare alternate version of The Madison – recorded at the same time as Ray Bryant's big hit, and in a similar style that features jazzy instrumentation supported by "calls" from Al Brown! The cover's got an "everybody's doing the Madison" sort of look – but the sound here is strongly soulful, and the few non-call instrumental numbers come off with a really snapping soul jazz groove! There's no players listed on the cover, but we're willing to believe there's one or two famous jazz artists in the group. Titles include "Madison Jam", "Mo Madison", "Your Call", "Madison Party (parts 1 & 2)", and "Scotty".

Speedy West may be the greatest pedal steel slinger in the history of the instrument, and together with ace guitarist Jimmy Bryant they bridged the gap between the 50s Western swing of Bob Wills and the soon to arrive Sun Records sound with their pioneering country-jazz instrumentals. This is essential stuff for fans of traditional country stompers – or sweaty, swaggering boogie in any genre! Tracks include "Stratosphere Boogie", "Blue Bonnet Rag", "Cotton' Picking", "Old Joe Clark", "Slepwalker's Lullaby", "Arkansas Traveler", "The Night Rider", "Speedin' West", "Comin' On", "Bryant's Bounce", "Pickin' Peppers", "Shuffleboard Rag", "Filppin' The Lid" and lots more.

Jazzy 45s galore – and a huge dip into the vaults of Prestige Records! This tasty set brings together 18 classics recorded in the heyday of the jazz funk years at Prestige – the late 60s and early 70s, a time when the soul jazz sounds of previous years were being forged into a leaner, meaner, harder-hitting groove. And although the LP was the growing format during these days, there was actually a heck of a lot of great work issued on 45s – still spinning strong with the jukebox crowds in the clubs and tap rooms, and still getting major play on radio stations, where the single was still king. The set features many 45 mixes of funky classics that you might know from LPs – and intersperses them with some other more obscure numbers pulled from full albums – making for an all-solid, all-funky set of tracks from one of the hippest jazz labels ever! Titles include "Fire Eater" by Rusty Bryant, "Don't Knock My Love" by Idris Muhammad, "Jungle Strut" by Gene Ammons, "Express Yourself" by Idris Muhammad, "Right On" by Boogaloo Joe Jones, "Who's Gonna Take The Weight" by Melvin Sparks, "Sing A Simple Song" by Charles Earland, "Son Of Man" by Houston Person, "Listen Here (part 1)" by Freddie McCoy, "Black Talk (part 1)" by Charles Earland, "Message From The Meters" by Leon Spencer, "Reelin With The Feeling" by Charles Kynard, "I Want You Back" by Harold Mabern, and "Thank You (part 1)" by Melvin Sparks.

The greatest session ever recorded by pianist Ronnie Kole – recorded for the Louisiana label Paula, but with all the feel of a Chess/Cadet session from the late 60s! All of this is no surprise, since Ronnie himself was an ex-Chicagoan, living in New Orleans – and the album's arrangements are handled by Richard Evans, the man responsible for some of the best work at Chess in the 60s. The set's very much in the vein of the Ray Bryant and Ramsey Lewis albums for Cadet that were handled by Evans – with hard left-hand piano in the front, and some bouncing arrangements in the back to give the set a nice syncopated kick! Includes a great version of Evans' "Leija", plus the tracks "RK's Boogie", "Slaughter On 10th Ave", "Sabre Dance", "Dark Eyes", and a great cover of "Ode To Billie Joe".

One of Lee Morgan's most sparkling sessions from the early years – a record that already shows a sense of depth and imagination that would take Lee way beyond simple hardbop solo work! There's a sensitivity here that owes something of a debt to Clifford Brown, yet which is much more modernist overall – touched, no doubt, by a set list that features tunes by Gigi Gryce and Benny Golson, and played in a spirit that's similar to the blend of soul jazz and modernism that both of those players were carving out at the time. Morgan's bandmates for the record include George Coleman on tenor and alto, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Ray Bryant on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – all in tight formation, but with a sense of relaxed and easy flow that's rare, even in a Blue Note of this vintage! Titles include "You're Mine You", "Just By Myself", "Kin Folks", "City Lights", and "Tempo De Waltz".

A real finger-popper from Japanese pianist Kunihiko Sugano – a sweet 60s album that has him playing like the best American players of the soul jazz generation! There's a boldness to the left hand that echoes bits of Ray Bryant or Junior Mance – yet Sugano can also tipple the keys with a lyrical sensitivity that's got a bit of Barry Harris or maybe even Ahmad Jamal – often complex, yet still swinging beautifully – always aware of the groove, yet never totally subsumed by it! The trio features Yoshio Ikeda on bass and Hiroshi Yamazaki on drums – and the album feels like some lost treasure on Argo or Prestige Records. Titles include "For Karl", "Finger Popping", "I Can't Get Started", "Barbados", and "Blues For Jiro".

A classic live cooker from Ray Bryant – one of his few concert recordings from the earlier years, and a nicely jamming album that keeps up with the vibe of his studio work for Sue Records! The set's recorded with a really strong emphasis on the keys – so that Ray's heavy left hand lines ring out especially loudly, almost completely dominating the bass of Jimmy Rowser and drums of Ben Riley. Titles include versions of Ray's own tracks "All The Young Ladies" and "Sister Suzie", plus "C Jam Blues", "Blue Azurte", and "What Is This Thing Called Love".