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Not a bad little album from Crown Heights Affair – pretty disco in parts, but also essentially more of an uptempo soul record, with that strident east coast groove. Includes disco and regular versions of "Dreaming A Dream", plus "Foxy Lady", "You Smiled", "Picture Show", "Feeling Tall", and "I Am Me".

A smooth later groover from Crown Heights Affair – a lot more 80s sounding than the group's classic work, but in a way that's actually totally great! CHA were never shy of hitting a mainstream sound – and early in the group's career, they traded harder funk for smoother disco – making a move that suited them well in later years. This set's got a brilliant sheen that really works wonderful for the group – tight production from Bert DeCoteaux in a style that's almost an update of earlier Philly modes – mature and sophisticated on the vocals and use of strings, but also with a funkier undercurrent at the bottom to keep with a New York De-Lite kind of sound. Titles include "You Gave Me Love", "Sure Shot", "I Don't Want To Change You", "You've Been Gone", "Use Your Body & Soul", and "Tell Me You Love Me".

A crowning achievement for Rufus Thomas – a set that bubbles over with funky intensity, and one of the last great albums he ever recorded for Stax! The funky Rufus mode is still in full full swing here – with loads of tunes that have the word "funky" in the title – basically jamming numbers that seem to let Thomas loose on vocals – coming up with whatever sort of catchy lyrics he can over the romping grooves underneath. Titles include two of his best funky tracks "Funky Robot" and "Funky Bird" – plus "I Wanna Sang", "Steal A Little", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Baby It's Real", "Steal A Little", and "Git On Up & Do It".

Beautiful bass work from 50s LA player Red Callender – heard here on this classic side recorded for the Modern imprint. Swingin Suite is easily one of Red's tightest sessions – a date that has Callender's basslines strongly leading a nonet of players that includes Harry Jones on trumpet, John Ewing on trombone, Willie Green on alto sax, and Buddy Collette on flute and tenor. Collette's lines have a nice sharp edge throughout, and soar out beautifully amidst the bigger backings – and although a "suite", the whole session's got a much more relaxed feel than that compositional title might make you think. Tracks include "On Again", "Greenery", "Pastel", "Dancers", "October Blue", "Bihari", "Skyline", and "Outlines".

A little bit Latin, a little bit jazz, a little bit loungey – and a lotta bit groovy! LA flute jazzer Buddy Collette leads the session, and it's got a nice groove that mixes the piano of Eddie Cano with guitar by Tommy Tedesco and a blend of jazz drumming and Latin percussion. The record was originally issued in kind of a dodgy format, and we rarely find a copy nice enough to collect. Titles include "Bongosville", "Rapture", "Goza Nena", "Tenura", "Jazz Heat Bongo Beat", and "Azul".

Hard soulful grooves from an obscure little combo – that of west coast pianist Johnny Louis, working here on a set that's clearly designed to challenge the 60s fame of the Ramsey Louis Trio! The record's got a very similar approach – highly rhythmic, very soulful piano lines that are heavy on the left hand – which fits perfectly with the album's jumping grooves – handled by a bassist and drummer who are definitely not as fluid as Eldee Young and Redd Holt – but who more than make up for that fact with a lot of drive and enthusiasm! Titles include "Cherry Pie", "Big Talk", "The Lunch Bunch", "Blues For Me", "Lonesome Me", "You Know I Love You", and "Rock Me Baby".

Tight hard tenor work by the great Vido Musso – featuring a set of tracks that skirts between bop and R&B tenor tunes, with backing by a little combo that includes Chico Alvaraz and Maynard Ferguson on trumpets. Vido's got a tone that's just great – raw, with the reed almost blown out, but also still with enough composure to keep him more in the jazz range than the R&B one. Titles include "Vido's Boogie", "Rollin", "On Stage", "Movin On", and "Rockin Time".

An excellent session of exotica-tinged Latin jazz – put together by pianist Don Ralke, and featuring some great work from flute player Buddy Collette – in a spirit that's very similar to Collette's own classic Jazz Heat Bongo Beat album! The set's also got some great bongo work by Jack "Bongo" Burger – plus congas from Tom Wofford – and although both players aren't the most autentico of Latin percussionists from the west coast scene at the time, they've got a really evocative approach here that makes for a great little set. Colette's flute is wonderful too – really shading in some great tones and colors –a nd titles are all fresh originals that include "Afro Mambo Alegre", "Mgombo", "Pasion Calienta", "Bembe Negro", "Calypso Cubano", and "Afro Bop".

What can we say? This is one of the greatest soul soundtracks ever! In a market that was dominated by the big-selling Shaft and Superfly albums, Roy slipped in this masterful blend of jazzy vibes and wah wah funk that's easily one of the best-composed records of the blacksploitation genre! The album's much more unified than your average funky soundtrack – and each track moves between styles that you'd hear on any of Roy's great albums from the time. There's heavy funk on the track "Brawling Broads", cool vibes and electric piano on "Aragon", off-beat jazz on "Coffy Sauna", and great soul on cuts like "Coffy Is The Color" and "Coffy Baby". Wonderful all the way through – and another jewel in the already-big crown of the great Roy Ayers!

One of the greatest records ever by this hip jazz ensemble – and one of their most unique! The record has the band grooving hard through two incredible suites of Latin music – Gary McFarland's "Latin Kaleidoscope" and Francy Boland's "Cuban Fever" – each of which takes up a side of the record, both driving the band to new solo heights with a very hip edge! Players include the usual cream of the crop of European jazz residents – like Sahib Shihab, Dusko Goykovich, Jimmy Deuchar, Phil Woods, Tony Coe, and Benny Bailey – and the tracks include "Uno Graso De Areia", "A Rosa Negra", "Olhos Negros", "Cara Bruja", and "Fiebre Cuban". Wonderful all the way through – and always a treasure! One of the shining jewels in the crown of MPS – and a Gilles P classic all the way through!

Arguably one of the best records cut for the short-lived Mode label in the late 50s – and easily one of the best from trumpeter Conte Candoli too! For the session, Conte front a quartet with Vince Guaraldi on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – and Guaraldi's piano style's got a heck of a lot more soul than you'd expect, a detail that brings a nice depth to a session that might have been otherwise lightweight – and which comes off with the same strength overall as the pair's outing from the same time for the Crown label. Candoli seems to play about half the tracks with a mute, but still in a style that's more open and fluid than much of his other work from the time – and titles include "Tara Ferma", "Diane", "Mambo Blues", "Mediolistic", and "Walkie Talkie".

An excellent album of strident female soul tracks! Sure, the Clark Sisters were a gospel group – but their crossover single "You Brought The Sunshine" is a massive dancefloor track, with a stepping 80s groove that keeps on going strong, and which has the same crossover sense of righteousness that you'd find in later work by the Sounds Of Blackness. Other titles include "Center Of Thy Will", "He Keeps Me Company", "Crown Him Lord Of All", and "Walking In The Spirit".

An amazing record – quite possibly the best ever by Chicago soul legend Leroy Hutson! The whole thing's a smooth soul masterpiece beyond compare – a stunning blend of great songwriting, sexy vocals, and buttery production that rank it up there with the best work of 70s giants like Marvin Gaye, Leon Ware, or Roy Ayers. Leroy's got a voice that's both warm and mellow, yet incredibly honest at the same time – and the songs on the record show a range of colors and emotions that perfectly fit his unique style. Features mellow "Cool Out", the funky "Lucky Fellow", the sweet "All Because Of You", and the sublime cuts "It's Different" and "Can't Stay Away". The whole thing's great – and is one of the crowning achievements of the Chicago soul scene!

Funky Houston Person on Mercury – an album with some nice surprising touches! Person's blowing in a large group on this one – in a style that seemed to be an increasing refuge for some of the soul jazz players of the 60s during the time – but despite that setting, Houston keeps it real on a few of the album's best tracks – thanks to the kind of far-thinking production that made some of these Mercury jazz funk sides so great! Horace Ott's arranging the backings, and is crowning achievement is the album's extended take on Fela's "I Get No Eye For Back" – done here as a long drawn-out funky jazz number – with great sax from Person, and some really nice keyboard parts! The album also features 2 other nice full funk numbers – "Do It While You Can" and "Love Is All We Need" – both penned by Ott, with the mixture of large group backing and light vocal refrains that were similar to those used on Jimmy Smith's Mercury album.

Amazing! Earth Wind & Fire's ultimate moment of the 70s – and a perfect blending of all their influences that stands as a lasting tribute to their super-huge effect on soul music! The record features all aspects of the band coming into perfect cohesion – bassy funk, mellow soul, and Afrocentric jazz – all expertly handled by the great Charles Stepney, who still has the same rich talent for blending styles that he had while working at Chess/Cadet during the glory days of the late 60s. Some of these songs have been played to death (and covered so much) over the years that it's often easy to forget what a crowning moment this was for former underground soul heroes Earth, Wind & Fire – but we'll never cease to be amazed at the power of their mid-70s work, and this album's the best of the best. Titles include "Shining Star", "That's The Way Of The World", "Reasons", "Africano", "See The Light", and "Happy Feelin".

Easily one of the biggest selling jazz albums of the 60s – a crowning achievement for Ramsey Lewis and his popular trio with Eldee Young on bass and Redd Holt on drums! The set was recorded live at the Bohemian Caverns in DC, and the trio are perfect in the setting – going at the numbers with pyrotechnic fury, but always staying in the soul jazz idiom – keeping things nice, tight, and in the pocket! Titles include the group's hit version of "The In Crowd", plus "You Been Talkin Bout Me Baby", "Spartacus", "Felicidade", and "Come Sunday".

The crowning achievement of Spirit – and a record that you probably could have found in any college dorm room in the early 70s! The record's really a cut above for their generation – an expansive effort that hangs together with a bit of a concept, and which interweaves strands of rock, folk, and a bit of jazz – yet also a record that has a lot more polish than other efforts of its type, and which trades a bit of psychedelic indulgence for a tighter focus that really lets the best tunes sparkle wonderfully! Production is great – clear, but trippy at the same time – and Randy California's guitar work has never sounded better. Titles include "Nature's Way", "Animal Zoo", "Love Has Found A Way", "Mr Skin", "Soldier", "Street Worm", and "Space Child".

Easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks".