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An all star effort from the one-and-only Professor Of Funk – the inmitable Bootsy Collins – joined on the sprawling Funk Capital Of The World by Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, George Duke, Ron Carter, Jimi Hendrix (?!?), Musiq Soulchild, Samuel L Jackson, Bela Fleck, Dr. Cornel West, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bobby Womack and many more! It's a bizarro guest list and some of the tracks are pretty out there, too – but there's quite a bit of vintage styled Bootsy here – be it G-Funk hip hop with guest rhymers or tripped out monologues – and of course the classic Bootsy bass groove. Titles include "Hip Hop @ Funk U" with Ice Cube, Snoop, Chuck D and Swavay, "Garry Shider Tribute" with George Clinton & Linda Shider, "Yummy, I Got The Munchies" with Musiq, Razzberry & Tom Joyner, "The Jazz Greats" feat George Duke & Ron Carter, "Don't Take My Funk" with Catfish Collins & Bobby Womack and many more.

A lost treasure from James Brown & The JBs – a vintage live performance from the early 70s, and one that captures the group at the height of their powers! The format here is very similar to the excellent Revolution Of The Mind set – a totally funky, totally righteous live performance that has James and the group even more energized than in the studio – working with the kind of razor-sharp intensity that made them a legendary funk act – leaping from tune to tune with nary a break at all! Bobby Byrd acts as the MC, and joins James for a bit of vocals – and the group at this point still includes Bootsy Collins on bass, plus loads of great guitar from Catfish Collins, and Fred Wesley on trombone and Jabo Starks on drums. Dave Matthews handled some of the arrangements – and titles include "Soul Power", "Sex Machine", "Bewildered", "It's A New Day", "Ain't It Funky Now", "Brother Rapp", "Super Bad", "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose", and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag/I Got You/I Got The Feelin".

Where do labels like Makasound dig this stuff up? More terrific reggae, saved from mere sidebar status, this time 'round from Leroy Brown. While you may have been lucky enough to come across Leroy's fantastic Color Barrier LP, much of which is included here, the likeliness is that you've heard him supporting other groups before he departed Jamaica for greener pastures. The nice, nice mid 70s material included here will make you wonder why Brown's name isn't at the top of the credits to more work, with fine support from Sly and Robbie, Horsemouth, Leroy Sibbles, Chinna Smith, Ansel Collins, and Augustus Pablo, among others. 15 tracks in all, including "What A Fire", 2 versions of "Color Barrier", "Don't Give Up", "Rulers Of Babylon", 2 versions of "Money Barrier", "Stand Up Strong", "Mind How You Walk", "African Roots", "Time Of Decision", "Gone Gone", "Metro Pigs" and "Prayer Of Peace".

With production by Phil Collins.

Beautiful work from one of Dizzy's greatest periods – and an album not to pass up! The set features Diz playing 5 old bop tunes, and 4 new tracks from the pen of the great Tom McIntosh, one of the scene's brightest arrangers at the time, and a talent who was looming large, thanks to support from folks like Diz and James Moody. Moody's in the group – blowing tenor with a quintet that includes Kenny Barron on piano, Chris White on bass, and Rudy Collins on drums – and his tone is incredible, with a darkness that he'd rarely had before, and the whole group has a mixture of modern tones and soulful grooves that's beyond compare! Titles include "November Afternoon", "The Cup Bearers", "The Day After", "This Lovely Afternoon", "Good Bait", "Dizzy Atmosphere" and the non-LP cut "Early Mornin' Blues".

The title tells the tale on this one – as the session's a studio meeting of players all associated with Count Basie over the years – captured here in a style that's much more laidback and relaxed than the usual Basie set! The album's got the feel of some of Prestige's best work in the Swingville series, but also has an approach that's almost in the blowing session mode – with long tracks on the album that really let each player step out in their own voice. The lineup includes Paul Quinichette on tenor, Buck Clayton and Shad Collins on trumpet, Jack Washington on baritone sax, Nat Pierce on piano, Freddie Greene on guitar, and Jo Jones on drums – and titles include "Blues I Love To Hear", "Love Jumped Out", "John's Idea", and "Baby Don't Tell On Me".

Amazing music from the depths of the Great Depression, but it's hardly a downer – this is a deeply felt collection of tunes by black & white singers and combos of the 20s & 30s that's cathartic, emotional, and a complete treasure trove! The songs are full of brutal beauty, tragedy, and some dark humor, especially when it gets to the murder ballads – and more than 30 of the 70 songs haven't been reissued before now! This is simply one of the very best box sets of archival Americana since the epic CD releases of the Anthology Of American Folk Music. It's really that good! 70 tracks on 3CDs, crafted by Susan Archie, Hank Sapoznik and Christopher King, with a gorgeous 52-page booklet, and an introduced by an obviously indebted Tom Waits. The CDs separate the material thematically – Man V Machine, Man V Nature, and Man V Man (And Woman, Too) – and titles include "Titanic Blues" by Hi Henry Brown & Charlie Jordan, "The Crash Of The Akron" by Bob Miller, "Wreck Of Old 97" by Skillet Lickers, "The Fatal Wreck Of The Blus" bu Mainer's Mountaineers, "The Story Of The Mighty Mississippi" by Ernest Stoneman, "When The Levee Breaks" by Kansas Joe & Memphis Minnie, "The Death Of Floyd Collins" by Vernon Dalhart, "Peddler And His Wife" by Hayes Shepherd, "Frankie" by Dykes Magic City Trio, "Dupree Blues" by Willie Walker.

B-sides, remixes and exclusive tracks from team Record Kicks – tracks by Third Coast Kings, Kokolo, Nick Pride & The Pimptones, Crabs Corporation, Diplomats Of Solid Sound, Ray Harris & The Fusion Exerience and more! Funk DJ and producer Smoove and picked the tracks, and the titles include "Spicy Brown" by Third Coast Kings, "Prophets Bound To Christ" by William Joseph Fowler & The Disciples, "Fuoco" by Trio Valore, "Give Me One More Chance (Lack Of Afro Mix)" by Diplomats Of Solid Sound, "Rags To Riches (Ray Lugo rmx)" by The Liberators, "Under My Skin" by The Hawk feat Little Hannah Collins, "Deep Fried Funk" by Hannah Williams & The Tastemakers, "Witness" by New Mastersounds and more. 18 tracks on the CD.

Herbie Mann's at the Village Gate – really wailing away in a set of extended numbers that not only set a whole new standard for live recording in jazz, but which also pushed forward the role of the flute in the music as well! There's a heck of a lot of soul in the grooves here – served up by a totally cooking rhythm section that includes basses from Ben Tucker and Ahmed Abdul-Malik, percussion from Chief Bey and Ray Mantilla, and drums from Rudy Collins – plus some especially great work on vibes from Haygood Hardy, sounding beautifully chromatic underneath Herbie's sharp-edged work on flute! The set features a key reading of "Comin Home Baby" that runs for over 8 minutes long – plus great long versions of "Summertime" and "It Ain't Necessarily So".