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These guys have come a long way since their early series of jazz break tracks issued nearly a decade ago – to a style in which they blend together strands of soundtrack themes, older jazz, downtempo beats, and a heck of a lot more that's bubbling under the mix! This set features snippets of Lightning Rod, Ken Nordine, Quincy Jones, and Dudley Moore for starters – and tracks include "The Crow", "The Aging Young Rebel", "Cookin", "Break", "The Riff", "The Sky At Night", and "Full Bleed", done in collaboration with Bundy K Brown.

Surprisingly fantastic bit of funky sitar tracks! The project's a recent one, but it's got a classic 70s global crossover funk sound that's very much in the vein of the weird Indian-funk work of Ananda Shankar or The Dave Pike set. The record's got a raw Meters-esque groove at the base – which makes for a very tight funky sound – and Ravi plays these cool sitar licks over the top, in some very tasty riffs! Includes a bunch of great originals, like "Funky Sitar Man", "Path of the Blazing Sarong", and "Ravi's Thing" – plus great covers like "Look A Py Py", "Same Beat", and "Pass the Peas". Really good stuff, and way better than we expected it to sound!

About as classic as you can get for Billie Holiday on Verve – a wonderfully intimate small group session, recorded with top-shelf players and a smokey torchy mood! Billie's in her later years by the time of the set, but somehow singing with even more emotion and life – working with a group that includes Benny Carter, Jimmy Rowles, Harry Edison, Larry Bunker, and John Simmons – on tracks that include "It Had To Be You", "A Fine Romance", "Gone With The Wind", "Isn't It A Lovely Day", "Ghost Of A Chance", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine".

A legendary pairing of two amazing artists – a once-in-a-lifetime performance from Caetano Veloso and David Byrne (and we don't mean that as a Talking Heads pun, either!) The album's got a stripped-down, acoustic feel that really lets both singers open up and dominate the proceedings – Caetano at first, in a presentation of some of his own songs – then Byrne on some of his music – all in an instrumental setting that features guitars from both singers, plus cello from Jacques Morelenbaum, and percussion from Mauro Refosco – starting from gentle spareness to more focused energy, a bit like the style used by Byrne in Stop Making Sense, yet still acoustic overall. The singers come together as the set moves on – clearly comfortable in a warm friendship – and titles include "Sampa", "Coracao Vagabundo", "Mahata", "The Revolution", "And She Was", "She Only Sleeps", "Life During Wartime", "Road To Nowhere", "Um Canto De Afoxe Para Bloco De Ile", "Terra", "Nothing But Flowers", and "Heaven".

A funky mod party throughout – and a wicked package of grooves we would have never tracked down on our own! The folks at London's New Untouchables have selected 25 of their favorite fuzzed-out 60s numbers for this set – a genre-busting batch of tracks that swings together mod jazz, sunshine pop, 60s R&B, French funk, British beat, and a host of other styles – all in the endless pursuit of a tripped-out 60s groove! The package is as wonderful as you might hope – and comes complete with some nice notes on the well-chosen batch of trippy tracks. Titles include "Nowhere To Run" by Les Lionceaux, "Mary Mary" by The Strangers, "You'd Better Be Going Now" by Zoot, "Hard Headed Baby" by Driftin 5, "Going Going Gone" by Phil Wainman, "I Think I'm A Man" by Chopper, "Hey Hey Bunny" by Los Gatos Negros, "Billy Sunshine" by Judi Scott, "Hip Hip Hurray" by The Snap Shots, "Mess Around" by Marmalade, "No No No" by Ola & The Janglers, "All You" by Sonny Burke Quartet, and "Easy To Know" by Gentle Influence.

A sweet and long overdue second set of Mo' Jazz from the Acid Jazz label – who made us wait just about 20 years for it – and much like the early 90s collection, it's a fresh take on timeless jazzy sounds that'll stand the test of time! It puts together nice contemporary numbers by Laurent Doumont, Filthy Six, Derek and Jodi Chai, The Cavemen, Max Middleton, G's Way and others – with riffs on classic post bebop jazz, organ funk, boozy jazzy soul ballads and more – with nicely cooking instros and vocal numbers alike. Classic-schooled, fresh sounds from artists we hope to hear much more from in the future. Bring on Vol 3! Includes "Everything I Do's Gonna Be Funky" by Laurent Doumont, "Live Again" by Derek Chai feat Jodi Chai, "Pedalo" by Riley Stone-Lonergan, "Wine Cups" by Richard Bundy, "Get Down" by Filthy Six, "Booze Blues" by Nigel Price Trio, "Return Of The Prodigal Son" by The Cavemen, "Treehouse" by Sam Q's Night Patrol, "Catch Me If You Can" by G's Way and more, 12 in all.

Super hard to get import pressing of R Kelly's second LP, the one that really broke him out of the box and catapulted him to super-stardom. Some of the commercial radio ready R&B slow jams and modern soul numbers here have become so ubiquitous it's easy to forget that this LP set a benchmark that's not really been matched by too many contemporary male soul vocalists since. With huge hits like "Bump N' Grind" and "Your Body's Callin'", plus "Sex Me", "Back To The Hood Of things", "Summer Bunnies", "I Like The Crotch On You", "Homie Lover Friend", "Freak Dat Body" and more.

An incredible record – the kind of album that only Blue Note could put out, and an instant classic that will sound wonderful forever! The album's truly one of the great ones – one of those Blue Notes that still makes you stop and pause when you hear it, even though you've heard it a million times in Starbucks and places like that. Horace Silver is working here at the height of his powers – lyrical, free, yet also damn soulful, in a style that makes for some of the most evocative jazz-based grooves cut to wax at the time. Carmell Jones is in the group, and plays some of his best trumpet ever – and Joe Henderson really drives the whole session home with some incredible tenor work. Other group members include Teddy Smith on bass and Roger Humphries on drums – and titles include the instantly famous "Song For My Father", plus "Que Pasa", "The Kicker", and "Calcutta Cutie". This great CD reissue also adds a whole bunch of extra cuts to the original album, including new material never heard before, and a trio version of "Que Pasa". 10 cuts in all!

Very nice spacey soul from the late 70s Columbus, Ohio scene by Norman Whiteside's Wee – a mindblowing mix of jazz funk sophistication, harmony vocals and electric keyboard led psychedelic soul! Whiteside started Wee after the dissolution of Capsoul Records, where he was an important figure to say the least – and here he's working with a great group of Columbus players harmony vocals in the frontline, backed by some great jazzy arrangements, with slight touches of a Mizell groove. Many of the tracks have a mellow midtempo feel, and some really innovative use of electric keyboards and flanged production on the vocals. A fantastic rediscovery from the fertile 70s Ohio scene! This stellar Asterisk reissue of the 9 track original Owl LP extends the tracklist to 19 songs – including a bunch of previously unreleased tracks – with "I'm All Changed", "Alone", "Put It In Real Good", "Leavin You Alone", "Try Me" (album and 45 versions), and "Find Me, Love Me", "Stay", "Trying To Tell You How I Feel", "I Luv You", "Do You Know", "I Think I Am In Love With You" and more.

Classic funky soul jazz playing by Cannonball and one of his great groups, caught live in San Francisco, with a nice hard groove that you don't always get in their studio recordings. The record includes a stellar 11 minute version of "The Jive Samba", one of Cannonball's greatest track, plus "Primitivo", "Lillie", and "Mellow Buno". Nat Adderley's on trumpet, Joe Zawinul's on piano, and Yusef Lateef is on tenor! CD includes the bonus track "Unit 7"!

With Woody Allen on clarinet.

A great west coast live date from Bill Evans – one that showed that his magic on the keys was equally at home in LA as it was in New York! The session's especially noteworthy for the presence of drummer Larry Bunker – a great player who worked on countless recordings, both jazz and non-jazz, but who hits a new level here with the Evans Trio – one that almost matches that of Paul Motian for his sensitivity and lyrical interplay with Evans' piano and the bass of Chuck Israels! Titles include "Blues In F", "Our Love Is Here To Stay", "The Boy Next Door", "Swedish Pastry", and "Round Midnight" and the bonus track "All The Things You Are".

2 Verve gems from Lee Konitz – back to back on one CD! Very Cool is a slightly different album than usual for Konitz – one that's got a bit harder edge, and which has Lee working in a group with a trumpet! The set's performed by a quintet that includes Konitz usual suspects Sal Mosca on piano and Peter Ind on bass, along with Shadow Wilson on drums and Don Ferrara on trumpet. Ferrara's presence in the group gives the tunes a bit more of a punch than usual for a Konitz album of the period, and Lee responds by getting a bit edgier on some of his solo work – never too modern, and still "cool" enough to be in keeping with the title – but with a more unsettled sound that we like a lot! Titles include "Sunflower", "Movin Around", "Kary's Trance", "Crazy She Calls me", and "Billie's Bounce". Great cover, too, with Lee looking out through a bunch of ice! Tranquility may well be the most perfect realization of the compacted angular cool style that Lee Konitz was reaching for in the 50s – and each note is crafted with a precision and intensity that you'll be hard pressed to find on other albums from the time, even others of his that are quite excellent. Guitarist Billy Bauer is fantastic, and his playing acts like these tiny little spider webs to support Konitz's creepingly exploratory solos – held together magically by some very slight rhythmic accompaniment from the team of Henry Grimes on bass and Dave Bailey on drums. Titles include "Stephanie", "Sunday", "Jonquil", and "Lennie Bird". One of our all-time favorites, and remastered with great 24 bit sound!

Nicer than the usual set of beats from Guidance – a strong bunch of tunes with some nice jazzy touches, especially on keyboards! A few of the tracks are a bit too abstract, but there's some very nice numbers on here that keep a really soulful groove – keys soloing upfront, percussion snapping along, and light vocals drifting in and out of the mix. Moody and atmospheric, with tracks that include "Rival Cruise", "Inner City Sides", "Escaping Sao Paulo", "Backbone", "Luminate", and "Half Pint".

Stunning! This is a beautiful album that's one of Max Roach's most powerful recordings, and a record that's been the inspiration for countless other imitations over the years. Roach leads a group with Richard Williams, Clifford Jordan, and Mal Waldron – and they're matched with a vocal chorus led by Coleridge Perkinson, who also did the arrangements for Donald Byrd's classic "with voices" albums. Unlike those, though, this set's a damn angry bunch of compositions, and the chorus wails away in a loud screaming powerful mode that will blow away any of your preconceptions about the "with voices" mode. The group sings wordless vocals (except for one cut, which has Abbey Lincoln singing in the lead), and provides a searing backdrop of sound for the band's razor sharp playing. Every cut's a winner, and the whole thing's a masterpiece! Titles include "The Profit", "It's Time", and "Another Valley".

Catchy glam pop from guitarist Mick Ronson – the blazing player best remembered for his work with Bowie, here blending punchy riffs and heavier sounds with bubbly hooks and playful production touches. Our favorite tunes showcase the heavy guitar fuzz, but the oddball cutesy songs are endearing in their strange way. Ronson kind of throws a bunch of stuff at the wall here, and the stuff that sticks gets you nodding your head and smiling at the more innocuous touches. Titles include "Billy Porter", "This Is For You", a weird, piano peppered cover of the Velvet Underground's "White Light/White Heat", "Empty Bed", "This Is For You", "Woman" and more. This CD version includes 9 bonus tracks, which include Mick's version of "Life On Mars", "I'd Rather Be Me", "28 Days Jam" and more.

Volume two of this excellent series which mixes fusion and modern soul from the Capitol/EMI 70's catalog. 15 excellent tracks, most of which we sell for a bundle in the original (when we can find them!). Includes "It's a Pleasure" by Sheree Brown, "Before You Break My Heart" by Gene Dunlap, "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton, "Beggar For the Blues" by Patti Drew, "Tidal Wave" by Ronnie Laws, "Theme for Relana" by Gene Harris, "Nightfall" by Stradavarious, and "Sunshower" by Alphonse Mouzon. Plus, the CD also includes two totally rare funk tracks: "Expressway to Your Heart" by Margo Thunder, and "Windy C" by 100% Pure Poison.

Heavy funk from the Bahamas – a whole bunch of groups that will show you that Nassau had a lot more to offer than The Beginning Of The End! The groove here is totally wonderful – somewhat like American funk of the late 60s and early 70s, but served up with some very unusual rhythmic patterns too – a bit Jamaican at times, but certainly not reggae – and somewhat sunny and Caribbean styled, but not in a way that's cheesy or filled with any hokey island-styled stereotypes. Instead, the tunes are deeply funk and soulful – grooving with plenty of dark edges and gritty instrumentation that's often heavy on the guitar. Many numbers have vocals, and those are great too – and as usual with the Numero label, the whole thing's put together with amazing notes and packaging, so that you get a full history lesson and a heck of a lot of photos to support the music too! Titles include "Gonna Build A Nation" by Cyril Ferguson, "Mustang Sally", "I Am The Man For You Baby", and "Funky Fever" by Jay Mitchell, "Theme From Shaft" by Esquires LTD, "Gimme Some Skin (inst)" by Frank Penn, "Words To My Song" by Dry Bread, "People Won't Change" by Willpower, "Take Five" by Ozzie Hall, "Watcha Gonna Do Bout It" and "The Time For Loving Is Now" by Mustangs, "Honesty Is The Best Policy" by Gospel Chandeliers, and "Don't Touch That Thing" by Sylvia Hall.

A crunchy batch of grooves from one of the hippest British soundsystems ever! The Wild Bunch were a Bristol-based collective dedicated to spinning the best in underground hip hop and club tracks – a group whose members included Roni Size, Tricky, Krust, and future members of Massive Attack, represented here by DJ Milo, who's come up with a fantastic batch of tracks that perfectly sums up their genius blend of styles and rough-edged groove! The CD version of the set features a continuous mix of tracks by Milo – 26 tunes laid out back to back, bumping and jumping through a set list that includes "It's Yours" by T La Rock, "Just Rhymin With Biz" by Big Daddy Kane & Biz Markie, "We Rap More Mellow" by Younger Generation, "It's Your Rock" by Fantasy, "Rock Shock" by BBCS &A, "Who Needs Enemies With Friends Like You" by Montana Sextet, "The Music Got Me" by Visual, "Dance Freak" by Chain Reaction, "DJ's Delight" by Ingram, "Love Rap" by Spoonie G, "Double Fresh" by The Wild Bunch, "Inside Out" by Odyssey, "I'm In Love" by Evelyn Champagne King, "Smurph Across The Surf" by Micronawts, "Dyin To Be Dancin" by Empress, "Can You Feel It" by Mr Fingers, and "It's Serious" by Cameo.

A sweet set from Melba Moore at Epic – a handful years before her biggest hits era, and really nice work that should have hit bigger! It's Melba's first album for Epic, but it's her second with production and songwriting powerhouses McFadden & Whitehead – who seem to have a really tight rapport with Moore. Her slinky, soulful vocals flow perfectly and a solid set of songs. A bunch of dancefloor ready groovers and a couple shorter, radio ready gems that really should of charted better! Titles include "You Stepped Into My Life", "Happy", "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance", "There's No Other Like You", "Together Forever", and "It's Hard Not To Like You". This Big Break UK remastered edition includes 3 bonus tracks. "You Stepped Into My Life (Original Version)", "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance (Original Version)" and "Pick Me Up, I'll Dance (Instrumental)".