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One of the greatest records of the 60s – and a sublime debut from Nico, sounding fresher and less dreary here than on many of her later sides – although still pretty chilling overall! The record features larger orchestral backings on most tracks – never too heavy, but with light strings that really help Nico depart from the sound of her work with The Velvet Underground. This style adds a new level of sophistication to her vocals, and really helps in her interpretation of the unusual material culled for the set – tunes that include a few key numbers by old partners in The Velvets, as well as some especially great tracks by a young Jackson Browne – a romantic interest of Nico at the time! The whole thing's incredible – on a par with the best from Scott Walker during the same stretch, although very different overall – and a key entry in the darker side of the non-hippie end of the 60s spectrum. Titles include "These Days", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", and the incredible title cut, "Chelsea Girls". Fantastic!

Music that no home should be without – presented here in a lavish package, with rare mono mixes too! The set's a wonderful way to get these early gems from Lou Reed, Nico, and The Velvet Underground – and the box set features the first three Velvet Underground albums for Verve, plus Nico's legendary Chelsea Girl debut, and the sublime unreleased 1969 album – filled with tracks that appeared elsewhere later ("Ocean", "Foggy Notion", "I Can't Stand It", "Rock & Roll", "Ride Into The Sun", "Lisa Says", and "I'm Sticking With You") – presented here as they were originally intended for record! The box features all original artwork, and heavy Sundazed vinyl with great remastering – with two bonus posters too.

One of the greatest records of the 60s – and a sublime debut from Nico, sounding fresher and less dreary here than on many of her later sides – although still pretty chilling overall! The record features larger orchestral backings on most tracks – never too heavy, but with light strings that really help Nico depart from the sound of her work with The Velvet Underground. This style adds a new level of sophistication to her vocals, and really helps in her interpretation of the unusual material culled for the set – tunes that include a few key numbers by old partners in The Velvets, as well as some especially great tracks by a young Jackson Browne – a romantic interest of Nico at the time! The whole thing's incredible – on a par with the best from Scott Walker during the same stretch, although very different overall – and a key entry in the darker side of the non-hippie end of the 60s spectrum. Titles include "These Days", "It Was A Pleasure Then", "Eulogy To Lenny Bruce", and the incredible title cut, "Chelsea Girls". Fantastic!

It sure didn't take disco long to get kitschy – as you'll hear in this campy retro project put together by Bob Crewe! Includes the hit "I Wanna Dance Wit Choo (Doo Dat Dance)", plus "Love Is A Killer", "Boogie Flap", "Outrageous", and "Jam Band".

A rare treat by Gary Bartz – and very different than most of his other work! The album's a small group session – with Charles Mims on piano, Curtis Robertson on bass, and Howard King on drums – recorded with the feel of a looser soul jazz set on Black Jazz or Strata East. Mims' is great on piano, and working with Bartz, the pair come up with some wonderfully soulful numbers that have a very earthy feel. Tracks include "Ju Ju Man", "Pisces Daddy Blue", and "Chelsea Bridge" – plus a version of "My Funny Valentine", with vocals by Syreeta.

A rare treat by Gary Bartz – and very different than most of his other work! The album's a small group session – with Charles Mims on piano, Curtis Robertson on bass, and Howard King on drums – recorded with the feel of a looser soul jazz set on Black Jazz or Strata East. Mims' is great on piano, and working with Bartz, the pair come up with some wonderfully soulful numbers that have a very earthy feel. Tracks include "Ju Ju Man", "Pisces Daddy Blue", and "Chelsea Bridge" – plus a versoin of "My Funny Valentine", with vocals by Syreeta.

A portrait of Duke, done by Dizzy – and one that's got a whole different feel than you might think! Gillespie's working here with arrangements by a young Clare Fischer – who takes Ellington's themes and recasts them with an even deeper sense of color and tone – one that pushes the already-modern themes of the numbers into a whole new realm of sound, and uses the horn passages to carve things out a lot differently than Duke might have done! The result is a wonderfully striking session – one with familiar melodies that unfold in a whole new way – and which showcases some great phrasing from Dizzy, over rhythms by a combo that features Hank Jones, George Duvivier, and Charlie Persip – playing alongside a group of larger horns. Titles include "Perdido", "Caravan", "Upper Manhattan Medical Group", and "Chelsea Bridge".

Incredible work from Nico – easily one of her most haunting albums ever, and a huge step forward even from the sublime Chelsea Girl record! John Cale produced and arranged the album, and plays some extra-spooky harmonium throughout – an instrument that's got the same low, dead tones as Nico's vocals – which makes for a wonderfully haunting blend! Parts of the record echo the minimal explorations that Cale did with Terry Riley, but in a different way – with heroin definitely playing strongly as part of the aesthetic. The album's a gem through and through – definitely one of the few crucial solo works from Nico – and titles include "My Only Child", "All That Is My Own", "Afraid", "Janitor Of Lunacy", and "Abschied".

The Remixes are great – tunes that show a loving, understanding appreciation of Nilovic's original music – thanks to a well-selected batch of talents on the set! Most of the numbers hardly veer much from the great grooves that Janko first penned – as they're all awash in the best acoustic elements and electronic moments without going too far into abstract, contemporary territory – as can happen in some too-remixed projects we've heard of late. Titles include "Spacial Special" remixed by Minimatic, "African Boost" remixed by Kid Loco, "Summer Breeze" remixed by The Big Knife, "Escape To Chelsea" remixed by Casbah 73, "Tandoori Flock" remixed by Patchworks, "Leslie's Back" remixed by DJ Day, "New Post Scriptum" remixed by Metropolitan Jazz Affair, and "Vocal Improvisations" remixed by Cucumber.

An amazing discovery in music – rare work from an artist who's already pretty darn rare to American ears – even though he recorded some of these spacey gems in Virginia during the mid 70s! Sensation's Fix is the brainchild of musician/electronician Franco Falsini – an Italian artist with strong influence from, and experience with, the early German prog scene – but one who also stretches out here in ways that are a lot more personal and poetic! The music is heavy on keyboards and electronics – often in a minimally-produced way, save for studio effects that really help flesh out the sound without commercializing it – and Franco has a thoughtful approach that's never too jamming, even though mostly instrumental – almost that space as prog was turning towards soundtrack ends – especially in German and France. Yet the feel is also quite different than that, too – as you'll hear on this double-length set of rare mixes, alternate takes and unreased tracks from the records that yielded the short output of Sensation's Fix in the mid 70s. Titles include "Barnhause Effect", "Overflowing Ashtrays", "Cold Nose Part 3 Movement 3", "Left Side Of Green", "Chelsea Hotel Room 625", "Crossing Berlin", "Darkside 2", "Fragments Of Light", "Warped Notions Of A Practical Joke", and "Leave My Chemistry".

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

"The London Suite" is broken up into six pieces – "Picadilly", "Chelsea", "Soho", "Bond Street", "Limehouse", and "Whitechappel".

There's lots of great guitar/tenor interplay in this live set from Joel Frahm – a date that's recorded with a wonderfully warm feel that almost makes it top any of Frahm's studio sessions! Tracks are nice and long, and really balance a lot of Frahm's snaking tenor lines with the guitar of Kurt Rosenwinkel – in a quartet that also features Otis Brown III on piano, and Joe Martin on bass. The set features many originals by Frahm – including "Alert", "Song For Mom", "A Little Extra", and "Short Rack" – plus versions of "Chelsea Bridge" and "Steeplechase".

Two rare ones from the 60s London jazz scene – back to back on a single CD! First up is a tremendous little record – a rare meeting between Ellington tenorist Paul Gonsalves and Brit reed genius Tubby Hayes – a set that's cut very much in the best spirit of some of Hayes' free-thinking classics on Fontana Records! The grooves are open, and beautifully-executed – and both sax players sound sublime – Gonsalves with that raspy tone that you'll know from Ellington dates, but cut loose much more here – and Hayes with that powerful sense of depth that's always made him one of our favorite saxophonists! The rest of the group is quite nice too – and players include Stan Tracey on piano, Jimmy Deuchar on trumpet, and Keith Christie on trombone. Titles include "Tupa", "Amber Mood", "Pedro's Walk", "Baby Blue", "Mini Minor", and "Souraya". Johnny Scott takes over the CD on the second half – turning in an EMI Studio 2 classic with London Swings – a date that's done with largeish charts, but a great sense of rhythm throughout! The players in clude Ian Hamer and Ray Davies on trumpets, Ronnie Ross and Duncan Lamont on saxes, John Marson on harp, Don Lusher on trombone, and Alan Branscombe on piano – and the tunes offer up a cascading mix of large charts and individual instrumental voices, occasionally filled in by a bit of strings. Titles include "London By Night", "Greek Street Soho", "Let's All Go Down To The Strand", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Knocked Em In The Old Kent Road".

An amazing little record from a trio that features pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Ben Street, and drummer Albert Tootie Heath – way more than you'd expect from the outside, and proof again that these Live At Smalls albums are some incredible gems! Iverson's a player with a great sense of history, yet one who also really wants to move his references forward too – and his freely improvisational style of these tunes is just wonderful – beginning with a respect for his elders, yet really going past any obvious direction in its execution! Both Street and Heath are key elements too – but Iverson's playing is what really holds our attention here – and we'll admit that our entry to the record was also guided by his extremely thoughtful notes as well. Expect way more than you'd guess – on titles that include "Little Melonae", "Pound Cake", "Good Bait", "Dance Of The Infidels", "Laura", and "Chelsea Bridge".

The first solo album by Rita Lee – cut back when she was a member of the groundbreaking Tropicalia trio, Os Mutantes! The album's got a very different feel than her work with that group – and has Rita stepping out as a sophisticated pop singer, almost in the way that Nico did on the Chelsea Girl album, after leaving the Velvet Underground. Arrangements have a weird twisted edge – as Rita makes her way through a set of originals and a few covers, in an almost deadpan, ice-blond mode that reminds us of some of Jane Birkin's early work. Arrangements are by the great Rogerio Duprat, and titles include "Sucesso, Aqui Vou Eu", "Prisioneira Do Amor", "Hulla Hulla", "Tempo Nublado", "Precisamos De Irmaos", and "Calma" – plus a nice cover of "And I Love Him".

A real classic from Sergio Mendes – probably most famous for its funky bits! The record pushes past the formula of the earlier Brasil 66 albums, and goes for a more sophisticated approach that adds in some sweet electric moments, more complicated grooves, and an overall sound that's even hipper than the group's early pop for A&M. The album features an excellent version of "For What It's Worth" that has a tight drumbreak which has been sampled often, as well as a great version of Caetano Veloso's "Lost in the Paradise" which is a good translation of the song to an American idiom! Other tracks include "Viramundo", "Stillness", "Chelsea Morning", and "Sometimes In Winter". A real gem – and one of the group's most overlooked albums!

An amazing discovery in music – rare work from an artist who's already pretty darn rare to American ears – even though he recorded some of these spacey gems in Virginia during the mid 70s! Sensation's Fix is the brainchild of musician/electronician Franco Falsini – an Italian artist with strong influence from, and experience with, the early German prog scene – but one who also stretches out here in ways that are a lot more personal and poetic! The music is heavy on keyboards and electronics – often in a minimally-produced way, save for studio effects that really help flesh out the sound without commercializing it – and Franco has a thoughtful approach that's never too jamming, even though mostly instrumental – almost that space as prog was turning towards soundtrack ends – especially in German and France. Yet the feel is also quite different than that, too – as you'll hear on this double-length set of rare mixes, alternate takes and unreased tracks from the records that yielded the short output of Sensation's Fix in the mid 70s. Titles include "Barnhause Effect", "Overflowing Ashtrays", "Cold Nose Part 3 Movement 3", "Left Side Of Green", "Chelsea Hotel Room 625", "Crossing Berlin", "Darkside 2", "Fragments Of Light", "Warped Notions Of A Practical Joke", and "Leave My Chemistry".

Ben Webster and ballads – what more could you want? This nice 2LP set brings together some fantastic Webster work from his mid 50s years at Verve – featuring larger arrangements by Ralph Burns and Billy Strayhorn, plus small group playing with Teddy Wilson. At face value, the set is nothing fancy – but Webster's tone is incredible, drenched in soul and emotion, especially on the tracks arranged by Burns. Titles include "Prelude To A Kiss", "All Too Soon", "Chelsea Bridge", "Love Is Here To Stay", "You're Mine You", "Love's Away", and "Sophisticated Lady".

Rare duets from pianists Tommy Flanagan and Jaki Byard – recorded in San Francisco in the early 80s, and issued here for the first time ever! Both players are artists we love in a solo or stripped-down setting – where they really seem to open up and find all sorts of little corners and pockets of sound that they'd never hit in a trio or group – and the combination of both Flanagan and Byard together in one date is really something unique! Tommy's lyricism and Byard's modernity mix beautifully here – and really balance the sound between the players – allowing focus on the individual personalities of each, yet really setting fire in the spontaneous interactions betweent he pair. Titles include "Our Delight", "The Theme", "Land Of Make Believe", "Satin Doll", "Just One Of Those Things", and "Chelsea Bridge".

The Remixes are great – tunes that show a loving, understanding appreciation of Nilovic's original music – thanks to a well-selected batch of talents on the set! Most of the numbers hardly veer much from the great grooves that Janko first penned – as they're all awash in the best acoustic elements and electronic moments without going too far into abstract, contemporary territory – as can happen in some too-remixed projects we've heard of late. Titles include "Spacial Special" remixed by Minimatic, "African Boost" remixed by Kid Loco, "Summer Breeze" remixed by The Big Knife, "Escape To Chelsea" remixed by Casbah 73, "Tandoori Flock" remixed by Patchworks, "Leslie's Back" remixed by DJ Day, "New Post Scriptum" remixed by Metropolitan Jazz Affair, and "Vocal Improvisations" remixed by Cucumber.

A nice bit of hippy-dippy rock/pop from late 60s California – a male and female vocal team, with a sound that's somewhere between The Mamas & The Papas and Ian & Sylvia and Jefferson Airplane. The overall sound of the record is very nice – thanks to production by Steve Barri, arrangements by Tom Brown, and a backup combo that includes Hal Blaine on drums and percussion, and Larry Knechtel on piano and organ. Songs are short and catchy, and titles include "November Snow", "Establishment Blues", "Sonora", "Golden Gate Park", "Sausalito Sunrise", "Gardens of Chelsea", and "Quick Draw Man".

An unusual global session for Atlantic Records – an album that has John Lewis presenting work by three other musicians that he feels are ripe for wider discovery! The set's got some killer work from Rene Utreger – a key Parisian player in the postwar years, working here with dexterity that's almost at a Bud Powell level! Dick Katz is also featured on the set – with some nice colors and tones in the mix, similar to some of the work he'd go onto do for Atlantic and other labels. And perhaps the least known here is the British player Derek Smith – stepping out with a lyrical style that's captured surprisingly well here – and which makes the record a key addition to Smith's catalog. Titles include "Monsieur D", "Fontaineblow", "36 Days", "Jeff & Jamie", and "Chelsea Bridge".

A full funky set of work from the legendary Janko Nilovic – one of the hippest sound library talents in 70s France, and a composer with a very unique sort of groove! There's a tremendous range of sounds here – all of them groovy – from American-styled soundtrack funk, to spare Latin-sounding rhythms, to weirder more experimental tracks that mix voices up like instruments – and lots more beyond description and simple categorization! The package pulls together the funkiest tracks from Janko's hard-to-find albums – most of which were originally on small French sound library labels, like Montparnasse 2000 or Telemusic. The double-length set features 23 tracks in all – including "Cross Rolls", "Blows & Rhythms", "Improvisation Pour 2 Voix", "Post Scriptum", "Aerospatial", "Weekend A Chelsea", "Funky Village", "Le Vent Dans Les Algues", "To & Fro", "Shadow Of Our Life", and "Golf Open".