Very early work from Cannonball Adderley – recorded way before the funky years, when he was a hard-wailing soulful soloist with a lot of bop in his style! Cannon's paired here with brother Nat, a good companion even at this early stage – and the two of them solo in front of a large group that features Jerome Richardson, Max Roach, Cecil Payne, and Jimmy Cleveland, all blowing away in hard heavy form, similar to that used on other Mercury/Emarcy jazz sessions from the time. Quincy Jones handled the arrangements, and Cannonball holds his own nicely – and serves up a whole new tone that's a lot more measured than in later years. Tracks include "Fallen Feathers", "Song Is You", "Willows", and "Everglade". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the massive electric years of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet – one of the group's last records to feature the keyboards of Joe Zawinul – and also one of the heaviest from the time! The set's a double-length gem that presents the group in an open live setting – one that really displays the full charm of their approach at the time, and that wonderfully crowd-winning mode that made Cannon a key act at this time for rock and soul audiences too! Adderley raps a bit at key points, and brings some righteous energy to the concert – while the rest of the group follow up with performances that really send the whole thing home – Nat Adderley on cornet, Zawinul on Fender Rhodes and piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums. Cannon plays some soprano sax, in addition to his familiar alto – and titles include "Alto Sex", "Lonesome Stranger", "Wild Cat Pee", "Soul Virgo", "Painted Desert", "Directions", "Pra Dizer Adeus", "Rumplestiltskin", "Price You Got To Pay To Be Free", "Esquisition", "Get Up Off Your Knees", "Down In Black Bottom", and "The Scene". Produced by David Axelrod too! LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – even if it was the only session that Cannonball Adderley ever cut for Blue Note! The album was recorded at a time when Adderley was working with Miles Davis – and as such, the session features a group that includes Miles, blowing trumpet in a cool tone that's a perfect offset to Cannonball's more soulful style on alto sax – also different than the sound of his brother Nat, who was Adderley's more frequent partner on records. The rest of the group includes Hank Jones on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Art Blakey on drums – and like John Coltrane's Blue Train, the record's more of an "special session" than the usual Blue Note album, but the strength of the players make it one of the more memorable records of its day! Titles include "Somethin' Else", "One For Daddy-O", "Autumn Leaves", "Love For Sale", and a nice moody take on "Dancing In The Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, baddest, funkiest albums Cannonball Adderley ever recorded – a massive suite of tunes based on the signs of the Zodiac, produced to perfection by David Axelrod, and featuring some hip recitations from the mighty Rick Holmes! The double-length set is completely compelling all the way through – a darkly brooding batch of funky jazz that shows a strong Miles Davis electric influence at points, thanks to Nat Adderley's spacey trumpet lines, Mike Deasy's trippy guitar, and George Duke's excellent keyboards! Other tracks are a bit more laidback, fitting the mood of their respective signs – and overall, the whole thing slips and slides wonderfully from cut to cut – taking you through the star signs with a really righteous, soulful approach. Titles include "Cancer", "Sagittarius", "Pisces", "Aquarius", "Capricorn", "Virgo", "Taurus", "Aries", "Libra", and a special "Introduction". LP, Vinyl record album

A real treat for Cannonball Adderley fans in the years after his passing – vintage live material recorded in 1960, right at a time when Adderley was really finding his groove! The lineup here features a classic quintet – with brother Nat on cornet, Victor Feldman on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – rolling out in a heavy soul jazz groove that's right up there with Cannon's best Riverside albums from the time! The tracks are longish, given the live setting – with energy to match his Live In San Francisco or Japan albums – and titles include "Big P", "One For Daddy O", "The Chant", "Azule Serape", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic from Cannonball Adderley – and a pivotal set that has him continuing the live recording setting of some of his best 60s albums, while also stretching forward to some of the more inventive ideas of the latter part of the decade! David Axelrod produced, and the album's definitely got his ear firmly in place – a great way of bringing together the album's hip instrumentation – Cannon's alto, Nat Adderley's cornet, and the wicked electric piano of Joe Zawinul – played here in a style that would go onto have a huge influence on countless other musicians on the instrument. Rhythm is by Victor Gaskin on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums – and as with other Axelrod live albums, there's some great spoken bits left in the mix – Cannon's charming conversation with the audience, which really opens up the tunes. Titles include the 2 title hits – "Walk Tall" and "74 Miles Away" – plus "I Remember Bird", "Oh Babe", and "Do Do Do". LP, Vinyl record album

Once again, Cannonball Adderley proves the old jazz adage – it's not the song, but the singer – as he breathes fantastic new life here into a set of tunes from the musical Fiddler on the Roof! Yet in thinking of the music, there's also a special sort of genius – as there's some exotic currents in most of the melodies, which may be why the young producer David Axelrod chose the tracks for the set – as they've got the same blend of hardbop and exotic elements that you'll hear on some of the original tunes by this group. The lineup is great – Nat Adderley on cornet, Charles Lloyd on reeds, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and the tones of Cannon and Lloyd are great together – and the make the best songs sound like strange Eastern-tinged jazz numbers. Tunes include "To Life", "Fiddler On The Roof", "Cajvalach", "Sewing Machine", "Matchmaker", and "Now I Have Everything". LP, Vinyl record album

Rare concert work by Cannonball Adderley – recorded live in Europe in the early 60s, only ever issued there until a much later release in the US, but every bit as essential as any of the Adderley live combo albums from the early 60s – including their classics at the Lighthouse and in San Francisco! The group here is every bit as wonderful as the combos on those sets – a young Yusef Lateef on reeds, really hitting his stride in the mix of soulful and exotic grooves in the set – working with Nat Adderley on cornet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. The tunes are a good mix of modal numbers and more straightforward hardbop – and titles include "P Bouk", "Gemini", "Work Song", "Trouble In Mind", and "Dizzy's Business". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of gems from the Riverside years of Cannonball Adderley! First up is Cannonball Adderley Quintet In San Francisco – one of the greatest Cannonball Adderley albums from the Riverside years – a completely smoking live date recorded in San Francisco, often with long tracks that really let the group open up and do their thing! The lineup here is that classic one that first grabbed attention – the group with brother Nat on cornet, Sam Jones on bass, Louis Hayes on drums – and a young Bobby Timmons on piano, really cooking things up with tremendous drive, energy, and a sense of the groove! Titles include a great workout on Timmons' classic "This Here", plus originals "You Got It" and Spontaneous Combustion", and a great version of "Hi Fly". Soul jazz at its best, by one of the groups who gave the genre its name in the first place! Next is Cannonball Adderley Sextet In New York – rock-solid live material from the classic Cannonball Adderley Sextet – a combo who could usually groove even better on a concert date then they could in the studio! The album's one of a number of key live sides from Cannon in the 60s – and although it pre-dates his work on Capitol, it's done in a similar spacious mode – with plenty of longish tracks that build upon the core groove set down by Joe Zawinul's piano, Sam Jones' bass, and Louis Hayes' drums – a perfect backdrop for the creative and complicated solos of Cannon on alto, Nat Adderley on cornet, and Yusef Lateef on tenor, flute, and oboe! The date was recorded live at the Village Vanguard in 1962 – and titles include "Gemini", "Planet Earth", "Dizzy's Business", "Syn-anthesia", "Scotch & Water", and "Cannon's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally great set by Cannonball Adderley – one of his funkiest albums ever, recorded live at Operation Breadbasket under the supervision of Jesse Jackson, and a session in which the band is cooking a lot more than on some of their other albums from the time! The set grooves hard with some tight electric piano from Joe Zawinul – amazing snakey lines that not only set the tone for the whole record, but which really make for a strong evolution from the Mercy Mercy Mercy era of the group a few years before. Cannon's alto and soprano work are beautiful – a masterpiece of soul jazz expression – as is the cornet from brother Nat – and the group's completed by bassist Walter Booker and drummer Roy McCurdy. The album's a bucketful of great jazzy sample tunes – and tracks include "Walk Tall", "Country Preacher", "Hummin", and the extended "Afro-Spanish Omlet". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Cannonball Adderley's late funky sessions for Fantasy – and a record that still features some mighty heavy production from David Axelrod! The album's got that core groove that Axe and Cannon first crafted together at Capitol in the 60s – but the sound here has some definite 70s touches too – a bit more emphasis on electric piano, played here by Hal Galper – and rhythms that are even funkier than before! Other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Walter Booker on bass, Roy McCurdy on drums, and King Errison on percussion – and titles include the excellent "Snakin' the Grass", which is just ripe for samplin', plus some other good grooves like "Second Son", "Saudade", "Five Of A Kind", and "Inside Straight". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer work from the same sessions that gave the world Cannonball Adderley's classic Black Messiah album – live material from an extended stretch as the Troubadour club in LA – featuring a very righteous, freewheeling version of Cannonball's group! The lineup features some wonderful work on Fender Rhodes from George Duke – who brings a more soulful, spiritual current to the proceedings than Joe Zawinul did in earlier years – a really commanding presence that hints at his brewing solo fame, and which is a very welcome addition to the core lineup, which also includes Cannon on soprano and alto, and brother Nat on cornet! The performance also fetaures some great guest work from Ernie Watts on tenor and Airto on percussion – who really help round out the long tunes on the set. David Axelrod produced – leaving some nice room for Adderley's key spoken bits – and titles include the 12 minute groover "The Brakes", plus "Oh Babe", "Music You All", and "Capricorn" – plus a sweet take on "Walk Tall", which really has Duke stomping away on the Rhodes! LP, Vinyl record album

Also features Blue Mitchell, Clark Terry, Barry Harris, and Sam Jones. LP, Vinyl record album

A really great testament to the wide warmth and many talents of Cannonball Adderley – as well as a portrait of just how much he'd touched the world of jazz in the short time he was on the planet! The set brings together collaborations between Cannon and a variety of artists – pulled from both his Capitol and Riverside years – with a lineup that includes Sergio Mendes, Nancy Wilson, Ernie Andrews, Charles Lloyd, Yusef Lateef, Eddie Vinson, and Bobby Timmons – all working with Adderley in a mix of modes that include vocal jazz, soul jazz, and even a bit of bossa nova! Titles include "Clouds", "Hold It", "Big City", "O Amor Em Paz", "Old Country", "Primitivo", "Dat Dere", and "Minha Saudade". LP, Vinyl record album

Cannonball Adderley with David Axelrod production – a combination that couldn't miss back in the 60s! In keeping with the success of the Mercy Mercy Mercy album done with Axelrod, Capitol did everything they could to catch Cannonball in a live setting – a great move, given the open, soulful energy his group had in the format – crowd-pleasing, but always plenty darn creative too! Added to the mix here is some nice production by David Axelrod, capturing all the right moments in all the right ways – especially when Joe Zawinul steps up to take some sweet solos on the keys – and the great Charles Lloyd serves up some mighty nice work on flute and tenor sax. Other players include Nat Adderley on cornet, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – and titles include "The Song My Lady Sings", "Little Boy With The Sad Eyes", "Work Song", and "Sweet Georgia Bright". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderfully mellow set of ballads recorded by Cannonball, with orchestral backings by Richard Hayman. The album's typical of the kind of "all over the map" approach that Mercury used during Cannon's early years – before he'd settled down into the one-man soul jazz factory he later became – but it's also a great chance to hear Adderley working his horn in a style that doesn't show up much in later years. Hayman's orchestrations are less challenging than some of the Verve "with strings" sessions – but the overall work is solid, and the album's a dreamy mix of tracks like "I Cover The Waterfront", "Street Of Dreams", "You Are Too Beautiful", "Lonely Dreams", and "Two Sleepy People". LP, Vinyl record album

What can we say? This is the ultimate Miles Davis album – the one that includes so many songs that we've heard way too much in Starbucks, in retail stores, or at a friend's house who claims to be a "jazz expert", but is really a yuppie dilettante. Yet somehow, over all the years, and all those playings, the record manages to still sound fantastic – a truly inspirational piece of music that's long deserved all the attention it gets! The legendary group on the album includes John Coltrane on tenor, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Bill Evans on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass – working with Miles in a relatively modal style, with brilliant rhythm changes and a wonderful sense of space. The whole thing's sublime – and titles include "Blue In Green", "All Blues", "So What", and "Freddie Freeloader". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our 50s favorites by Miles Davis – and a record that offers the same twin-sax sound as his classic Kind Of Blue – with both John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley working alongside Miles in the group! Rhythm here is by the Prestige-era trio of Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but it's the two saxophonists who really help Davis shape the feel of the record, pushing things past the initial Coltrane/Davis groove with a really wonderful sense of space and sound! Titles include the classic "Milestones", plus "Two Bass Hit", "Dr Jeckyll", and "Sid's Ahead". LP, Vinyl record album

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark work by one of the greatest jazz outfits of the early 60s! Art Farmer and Benny Golson were both known as well-composed players during the 50s – strongly soulful, but often with a fine sense of arrangement that usually tended towards the lyrical side of things. With this group, though, they turned that approach towards a heavier sounding style of jazz – tightly stepping soul jazz, in the manner that was being explored at the time by Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, and others – presented by Farmer and Golson with a bit more groove and a wonderful kick at the bottom! This album's the first the group cut together – and apart from trumpet by Farmer and tenor by Golson, it also features Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Addison Farmer (brother of Art) on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums. Includes the massive original recording of "Killer Joe", which went onto become one of the most recorded jazz standards ever, plus the tracks "Blues March", "Mox Nix", "Park Avenue Petite", and "I Remember Clifford". Perfect tone, perfect groove, and a perfect sound all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from one of the most under-rated tenor players of the 60s! Jimmy Forrest was an excellent player who made only a handful of recordings at the time – but he blows with a deep confidence that should have made him one of the biggest new stars on the scene. This set's one of Jimmy's best, and features his laidback tenor in a quartet with Joe Zawinul on piano, shortly before Zawinul hooked up with Cannonball Adderley. The tracks are short, but the interplay between Forrest and Zawinul is tasty – a bit like the album made by Joe and Coleman Hawkins – and the rest of the group features Tommy Potter on bass and Clarence Johnston on drums. Titles include "Bolo Blues", "Crash Program", "By The River Saint Marie", and "I Cried For You". LP, Vinyl record album

A very earthy set of piano tracks, recorded by LA pianist Roosevelt Wardell – who was one of the ultra-hip discoveries that Cannonball Adderley brought to Riverside Records during the early 60s! Wardell's got a heck of a lot of blues in his playing, but overall he's a jazz player – working with Sam Jones and Louis Hayes to craft some tunes that almost out "soul jazz" Cannonball's own work! Titles include "The Revelation", "Elijah Is Here", "Lazarus", "Like Someone In Love", and "Max The Maximum". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of Miles' classic work for Columbia – one that features a few really hard to find gems! To us, the highlight is 2 tracks – "Stella By Starlight" and "On Green Dolphin Street" – both of which are subtle modal gems lifted from Miles' rare Jazz Track albums, performed by a hip group that includes John Coltrane on tenor, Bill Evans on piano, Cannonball Adderley on alto, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Those 2 tracks sum up all that is excellent about Miles – but you also get some other great ones, like "Devil May Care", "Budo", "Little Melonae", "Miles Ahead", and "Fran-Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest albums ever cut by Letta Mbulu – a perfect mix of her Soweto roots and the funky styles of her adopted California home! The album's the only one that Mbulu ever recorded for Fantasy Records – and the style brings together those great sing-song vocal modes perfected on her 60s records, with some of the funky jazz elements that were bubbling in the Fantasy scene during the years of Cannonball Adderley and David Axelrod! No surprise, both Cannonball and Nat Adderley appear on the record, and the set's produced by their own company – with lots of great early arrangements from the great Wayne Henderson. Some of the best tracks have a spacious groove that leaves plenty of room for funky basslines – and titles include "Afro Texas", "Learn To Love", "Never Leave You", "Zimkile", "Setho", and "Saddest Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpeter Louis Smith made only two records for Blue Note, but both of them are great! This set's arguably his most famous – because of a rare uncredited appearance by Cannonball Adderley, working here under the "nom de date" of "Buckshot La Funke" – and blowing with a power that beats most of his other Mercury sessions of the late 50s! But the real credit here should go to Louis Smith – who's got a sense of power and command that should have made him one of THE trumpeters of the 50s – an emerging young talent to stand alongside Lee Morgan, Nat Adderley, and other post-Fats Navarro/Clifford Brown talents on the instrument. Smith sparkles throughout with a mix of soul and modernism we really love – and an earthy way of blowing the horn that doesn't always reach its goals, but which draws even more energy from its ability to try! The rhythm section on the album's also very tight – with Art Taylor on drums, Doug Watkins on bass, and either Tommy Flanagan or Duke Jordan on piano – and tracks include "Ande", "Brill's Blues", "South Side", and "Val's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of a handful of amazing albums recorded by David Axelrod towards the end of the 60s – really stunning, genre-breaking music that was years ahead of its time – and which has only finally been getting its due in more recent decades! At the time of the record, Axelrod was a house producer at Capitol Records – where he'd created big hits for Lou Rawls and Cannonball Adderley – and he'd also been experimenting a bit with studio techniques for other rock groups. But here, the Axe brings all his experience into play – then sends things soaring to the skies – with music based on the work of poet William Blake, but delivered in this totally groovy west coast 60s mode. The core of the instrumentation features funky drums from Earl Palmer and bass from Carole Kaye – both of whom really keep things rock-solid amidst the larger mix of strings and instruments directed by the great Don Randi – who himself is pretty darn wonderful too. The music has nice snatches of fuzz and organ throughout – jazzy moments, funky passages, and lots more too – served up on tunes that include much-sampled song "Holy Thursday" – plus "The Smile", "A Dream", "Song Of Innocence", and "The Mental Traveler". William Blake never sounded so funky! LP, Vinyl record album

Not actually a proper album – but still one of the greatest Miles Davis albums of all time! Side one features 10 tracks from Miles' amazing soundtrack to the film Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud – with excellent work by French players Barney Wilen, Rene Urtreger, and Pierre Michelot, on haunting moody tracks like "Generique", "Lassassinat De Carala", "Au Bar Du Petit Bac", and "Dinner Au Motel". Great stuff – and with a wonderful sound that's like no other Miles album! Side 2 is equally great – as it features 3 classic sextet tunes – "On Green Dolphin Street", "Put Your Little Foot Right Out", and "Stella By Starlight" –peformed with Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and Bill Evans in that amazing Kind Of Blue mode of perfection. Truly one of our favorite albums of all time! LP, Vinyl record album

Everybody Digs Bill Evans – or at least it certainly seems that way from the cover endorsements by Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, and Ahmad Jamal – but the real proof is in the record, and the set is a great one from Bill's classic years on Riverside! Evans is at the peak of his early powers here – working with a straightforward rhythm combo that features Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – but still hitting those beautifully fluid, beautifully spacious lines that set his playing apart from most who'd come before him. Tracks include 3 solo numbers – "Lucky To Be Me", "Peace Piece", and the very short "Epilogue" – plus trio tracks "Night & Day", "Minority", "Tenderly", and "Oleo". LP, Vinyl record album

Super-righteous work from William S Fischer – the ultra-hip arranger who was one of the most important forces in the late 60s underground soul jazz scene! Fischer is best known for his work with Eugene McDaniels, Eddie Harris, and Les McCann – almost akin to the sorts of collaborative influence that David Axelrod had with Cannonball Adderley or Lou Rawls, but with a style that was decidedly darker, and trippier. This album's one of the few ever recorded under his own name – originally done for the tripped-out jazz imprint Embryo, and featuring a unique blend of moog, strings, funk, and soul! Billy Cobham plays drums and percussion on the set, Bill Robinson sings on a few numbers, and Walter Sear adds in some extra moog next to Fischer's own work – but the real brilliance comes from the overall concept – funky one minute, laidback and trippy the next, very much in the spirit of some of the righteous crossover funk, soul, and rock recordings coming from McDaniels and Axelrod at the time! Titles include "Patience Is Virtue", "Saigon", "Green Forever", "Chains", "Electrix", "Capsule", and "There's A Light That Shines". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant 70s album from bassist Sam Jones – a player who rose to fame with Cannonball Adderley at the start of the 60s, and worked on his own as a leader too – but who really seemed to take off during the time of this recording! Sam's sense of groove and arranging is very strongly in place here – a sense of fire that was no doubt developed with Cannonball, but given a much wider vision on Jones' 70s albums like this – records that might well be some of the few to find a new space forward in the decade for a 60s soul jazz aesthetic! Sam's bass is right out front, and gets some good exposure on a few of the tunes' intros, too – and the rest of the lineup is excellent – with Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Bob Berg on tenor, Slide Hampton on trombone, Barry Harris on piano, and Louis Hayes on drums. Titles include "Miss Morgan", "Laverne Walk", "Sam's Things", "Trane's Changes", "Blue's", and "Stablemates". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an interesting session from Bud Powell – a tribute to Thelonious Monk, recorded in Paris in 1961, but not issued until 1965, shortly before his death. Cannonball Adderley was the producer on the session, and it's got the same sort of groundbreaking approach as some of the other Cannonball-produced albums for Riverside from the same stretch – a bit more farther reaching than the players' work in an ordinary setting. Powell's take on the Monk sound is a very unusual one – a bit more fragile and tentative than Monk's own interpretations of the material, but performed with an equal commitment to a modern sound overall. Backing is from Kenny Clarke on drums and Pierre Michelot on bass – and titles include "No Name Blues", "Ruby My Dear", "Off Minor", "Squatty", and "Thelonious". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual early album by Joe Zawinul – one cut at the start of his early fame with Cannonball Adderley (and years before his success in Weather Report) – but in an easygoing way that's a perfect setting for the aging Ben Webster! Joe's not funking things up the way he did with Cannon, and instead he's gentle and soulful – often hitting more sensitive moments that match the emotive blowing of Webster nicely. The recording quality is great – and captures Ben especially well on the ballads – and other players include Sam Jones or Richard Davis on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums, plus Thad Jones on cornet on a few tracks. Titles include "Frog Legs", "Evol Deklaw Ni", "The Governor", and "Soulmates". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of highlights spanning the entire history of the Monterey Jazz Festival, with performances by Cannonball Adderley, Toots Thielemans, Woody Herman, Joe Henderson, Jon Hendricks, Jimmy Giuffre, Johnny Griffin, Buddy Rich with Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Joe Williams, Benny Golson, and Joanne Brackeen. LP, Vinyl record album

Way more than just a typical collection of rare funk and soul – as the selections here not only meet the stunningly high standards of the BGP label – but they've also been sampled in more recent years for hip hop records and other contemporary recordings! Essentially, you've got the best of both worlds – vintage funk from the late 60s and early 70s – brought together in a great collection – and work that's gone onto form the blueprint for contemporary urban sounds as well – which means you'll probably recognize some or part of most of these songs from their use in more contemporary recordings. Nearly every cut's been sampled at least more than once – and titles include "Blind Alley" by The Emotions, "Chick A Boom" by Pazant Brothers, "Eva" by Jean Jacques Perry, "Walk Tall" by Cannonball Adderley, "Baby Let Me Take You In My Arms" by Detroit Emeralds, "Bouncy Lady" by Pleasure, "Tramp" by Lowell Fulson, "Take Yo Praise" by Camille Yarbrough, "Thinking Single" by The Counts, "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson, "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes, "What A Man" by Linda Lynell, and "Smokey Joe's La La" by Googie Rene. Funky funky! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare jazz gem from tenor saxophonist Fitz Gore – originally issued on the Gorbra label in Germany in a very tiny quantity! The record's a bit unlike anything else of the time – spiritual jazz, certainly, but with all these different approaches that vary from track to track, as does the lineup – really showing a richness that leaves us breathless once the record is done! Gore's got this nicely edgey tone on the tenor – a tendency to maybe craft the occasional angles you might hear from an alto, but with a deeper sound overall – and other players on the record include Ulrich Gore on piano, Gerhard Ebbo on bass, and Phillipe Zobda Quitman on drums – although one track has gamelan, another has vibes, and another has congas – all of which makes for a nice shift in flavors! At times, Fitz has this slow-burning quality, at others he almost echoes a Coltrane ballads mode, and at one point he sings a bit – really surprising us with his mellifluous voice. Titles include "Steal Away", "Requiem For Julian Cannonball Adderley", "Delilah", and "A Sinner Kissed An Angel" – most nice and long. LP, Vinyl record album

A hip album from Sarah Vaughan – one recorded with great jazz backings from Ernie Wilkins, and featuring a young Cannonball Adderley as the main soloist! The addition of Adderley's alto definitely brings a swinging sound to the set – a sense of soul that's even deeper than usual for Vaughan, and which helps the album live up to its hi-fi promise! Wilkins arrangements have a bit of a Basie bounce at times, but never overwhelm Sarah's vocals – and Jimmy Jones is also on the set, handling the piano lines. Titles include "An Occasional Man", "Oh My", "Soon", "How High The Moon", "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream", and "Maybe". LP, Vinyl record album

This one was kind of Motown's answer to the Wattstax albums – a double live set, recorded in Chicago during the Push Expo, headed by Jesse Jackson. The tracks here are more of a mixed bag than some of those on the deeper soul Wattstax albums, but there are some nice moments overall, buried in the large mix of music and artists – many of whom didn't normally record for Motown. The tunes are familiar, but they're presented here in some nicely different live takes. Titles include "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers, "Country Preacher" by Cannonball Adderley, "This Child Of Mine" by Zulema, "Everybody Plays The Fool" by Main Ingredient, "Give Me Your Love" by Curtis Mayfield, "I've Gotta Be Me" by Sammy Davis Jr, "I Wanna Be Where You Are" by The Jackson 5, "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, "Close To You" by Jerry Butler & Brenda Lee Eager, "On A Clear Day/Killer Joe" by Roberta Flack & Quincy Jones, and "Sunshine" by The O'Jays. Also features some dialogue by Jesse Jackson. LP, Vinyl record album